duct;""less hopes ;"" a more serene temper;" "the straitest sect;""a superior work."

5. Adjectives that have in themselves a superlative sig. nification, do not properly admit of the superlative or comparative form superadded: such as, "Chief, extreme, perfect, right, universal, supreme," &c.; which are sometimes improperly written, "Chiefest, extremest, perfectest, rightest, most universal, most supreme," &c. The following expressions are therefore improper. "He sometimes claims admission to the chiefest offices." "The quarrel was become so universal and national "A method of attaining the rightest and greatest happiness." The phrases, so perfect, so right, so extreme, so universal, &c. are incorreot; because they imply that one thing is less perfect, less extreme, &c than another, which is not possible.

6. Inaccuracies are often found in the way in which the degrees of comparison are applied and construed. The following are examples of wrong construction in this respect: “This noble nation hath, of all others, admitted fewer corruptions." ." The word fewer is here construed precisely as if it were the superlative. It should be, “This noble nation hath admitted fewer corruptions than any other." We commonly say, "This is the weaker of the two;" or, "The weakest of the two :" but the former is the regular mode of expression, because there are only two things compared. "The vice of covetousness is what enters deepest into the soul of any other." "He celebrates the church of England as the most perfect of all others." Both these modes of expression are faulty: we should not say, "The best of any man, or, "The best of any other man," for "the best of men.' The sentences may be corrected by substituting the comparative in the room of the superlative." The vice, &c. is what enters deeper into the soul than any other." "He celebrates, &c. as more perfect than any other." It is also possible to retain the superlative, and render the expression grammatical. "Covetousness, of all vices, enters the deepest into the soul." "He celebrates, &c. as the most perfect of all churches." These sentences contain other errors, against which it is proper to caution the learner. The words deeper and deepest, being intended for adverbs, should have been more deeply, most deeply. The phrases more perfect, and most perfect, are

دو

When an adjective has a preposition before it, the substantive being understood, it takes the nature of an adverb, and is considered as an adverb: as, "In general, in particular, in haste," &c. ; that is, "Generally, particularly, hastily."

Enow was formerly used as the plural of enough; but it is now obsolete.

RULE IX..

The article a or an agrees with nouns in the singular number only, individually or collectively: as, “A christian, an infidel, a score, a thousand."

The definite article the may agree with nouns in the singular and plural number: as, "The garden, the houses, the stars."

The articles are often properly omitted: when use ed, they should be justly applied, according to their distinct nature: as, "Gold is corrupting; the sea is green; a lion is bald,"

It is of the nature of both the articles to determine or limit the thing spoken of. A determines it to be one single thing of the kind, leaving it still uncertain which the determines which it is, or of many, which they are.

The following passage will serve as an example of the different uses of a and the, and of the force of the substantive, without any article. "Man was made for society, and ought to extend his good will to all men: But a man will naturally entertain a more particular kindness for the men, with whom he has the most frequent intercourse; and enter into a still closer union with the man whose temper and disposition suit best with his own."

As the articles are sometimes misapplied, it may be of some use to exhibit a few instances: "And I persecuted this way unto the death." The apostle does not mean any particular sort of death, but death in general: the definite article therefore is improperly used: it ought to be "unto death," without any article.

"When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth;" that is, according to this translation,

"into all truth whatsoever, into truth of all kinds;" very different from the meaning of the evangelist, and from the original, "into all the truth;" that is," into all evangelical truth, all truth necessary for you to know."

"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" it ought to be "the wheel," used as an instrument for the particular purpose of torturing criminals. "The Almighty hath given reason to a man to be a light unto him:" it should rather be," to man,” in general, "This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is the son of Abraham:" it ought to be," a son of Abraham."

These remarks may serve to show the great importance of the proper use of the article, and the excellence of the English language in this respect; which by means of its two articles, does most precisely determine the extent of signification of common names.

If I

say,

"

my mean

1. A nice distinction of the sense is sometimes made by the use or omission of the article a. If I say; "He behaved with a little reverence;" my meaning is positive. "He behaved with little reverence;' ing is negative. And these two are by no means the same, or to be used in the same cases. By the former, I rather praise a person; by the latter, I dispraise him. For the sake of this distinction, which is a very useful one, we may better bear the seeming impropriety of the article a before nouns of number. When I say, "There were few men with him;" I speak diminutively, and mean to represent them as inconsiderable; whereas, when I say; "There were a few men with him;" I evidently intend to make the most of them.

The article the has sometimes a good effect in distinguishing a person by an epithet." In the history of Henry the fourth, by Father Daniel, we are surprised at not finding him the great man.' "I own I am often surprised that he should have treated so coldly, a man so much the gentle

man."

This article is often elegantly put, after the manner of the French, for the pronoun possessive: as, "He looks him full in the face;" that is, "in his face." "In his presence they were to strike the forehead on the ground;" that is, "their foreheads."

2. In general, it may be sufficient to prefix the article to

the former of two words in the same construction; though the French never fail to repeat it in this case. "There

were many hours, both of the night and day, which he could spend, without suspicion, in solitary thought." It might have been "of the night and of the day." And, for the sake of emphasis, we often repeat the article in a series of epithets. "He hoped that this title would secure him an ample and an independent authority."

We sometimes, after the manner of the French, repeat the same article, when the adjective, on account of any clause depending upon it, is put after the substantive. "Of all the considerable governments among the Alps, a commonwealth is a constitution the most adapted of any to the poverty of those countries." "With such a specious title as that of blood, which with the multitude is always a claim, the strongest, and the most easily comprehended." "They are not the men in the nation the most difficult to be replaced."

3. In common conversation, and in familiar style, we frequently omit the articles, which might be inserted with propriety in writing, especially in a grave style. "At worst, time might be gained by this expedient." "At the

worst," would have been better in this place. "Give me here John Baptist's head." There would have been more dignity in saying, "John the Baptist's head;" or, "The head of John the Baptist."

RULE X.

One substantive governs another, signifying a different thing, in the possessive or genitive case: as, "My father's house;" "Man's happiness;" "Virtue's reward."

When the annexed substantive signifies the same thing as the first, there is no variation of case; as, George, king of Great Britain, elector of Hanover," &c.; "Pompey contended with Cæsar, the greatest general of his time;) Religion, the support of adversity, adorns prosperity." Nouns thus circumstanced are said to be in opposition to each other; and will admit a relative and verb to be in

serted between them; as we may say, George, who is

king," &c.; "Cæsar, who was the greatest," &c. ; gion, which is the support of adversity," &c.

"Reli

The preposition of joined to a substantive, is not always equivalent to the possessive case. It is only so, when the expression can be converted into the regular form of the possessive case. We can say, "The reward of virtue," and "Virtue's reward:" but though it is proper to say "A crown of gold," we cannot convert the expression into the possessive case, and "Gold's crown."

say,

Substantives govern pronouns as well as nouns, in the possessive case: as, "Every tree is known by its fruit;" "Goodness brings its reward;" "That desk is mine." The genitive its is often improperly used for 'tis or it is as, "Its my book."

The pronoun his, when detached from the noun to which it relates, is to be considered, not as a possessive pronoun, but as the genitive case of the personal pronoun: as, "This composition is his." "Whose book is that?" "His." If we used the noun itself, we should say, "This composition is John's." "Whose book is that!" "Eliza's" The position will be still more evident, when we consider that both the pronouns in the following sentence must have a similar construction: "Is it her or his honour that is tarnished ?" "It is not hers, but his."

Sometimes a substantive in the genitive or possessive case stands alone, the latter one by which it is governed being understood: as, "I called at the bookseller's," that is, "at the bookseller's shop."

1. If several nouns come together in the genitive case, the apostrophe with s is annexed to the last, and understood to the rest: as, "John and Eliza's books;" "This was my father, mother, and uncle's advice." But when any words intervene, perhaps on account of the increased pause, the sign of the possessive should be annexed to each as, "They They are John's as well as Eliza's books ;" "I had the physician's, the surgeon's, and the apothecary's assistance."

2. In poetry, the additional s is frequently omitted, but the apostrophe retained, in the same manner as in substantives of the plural number ending in s: as, 66 The wrath of Peleus' son." This seems not so allowable in prose; which the following examples will demonstrate :

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