tion of words and phrases, thus supported, must therefore be entitled to respect.

On this principle, many forms of expression, not less deviating from the general analogy of the language than those before mentioned, are to be considered as strictly proper and justifiable.

Of this kind are the following: None of them are varied to express the gender: and yet none originally signified no one:He himself shall do the work; here, what was at first appropriated to the objective, is now properly used as the nominative

case.

When two persons or things are spoken of in a sentence, and there is occasion to mention them again for the sake of distinction, that is used in reference to the former, and this in reference to the latter: as, Self-love, which is the spring of action in the soul, is ruled by reason: but for that, man would be inactive; and but for this, he would be active to no end.

The distributive adjective pronouns, each, every, either, agree with the nouns, pronouns, and verbs, of the singular number only; unless the plural noun convey a collective idea; as, Every six months: Every hundred years.

The following phrases are exceptionable: Let each esteem others better than themselves; It ought to be himself: The language should be both perspicuous and correct; in proportion as either of these two qualities are wanting, the language is imperfect; it should be is wanting. Every one of the letters bear regular dates, and contain proofs of attachment; bears a regular date, and contains. Every town and village were burned: Every grove

and every tree were cut down; was burned, and was cut down.

Adjectives are sometimes improperly applied as adverbs; as, Indifferent honest; excellent well; miserable poor. Instead of, Indifferently honest; excellently well; miserably poor. He behaved

himself conformable to that great example; conformably. Endeavor to live hereafter suitable to a person in thy situation; suitably. I can never think so very mean of him; meanly. He describes this river agreeable to the common reading; agreeably. The adjective pronoun such is often misapplied; as, He was such an extravagant young man, that he spent the whole of his patrimony in a few years; It should be, so extravagant a young man. I never before saw such large trees; saw trees so large. When we refer to the species or nature of a thing, the word such is properly used; as, Such a temper is seldom found; but when degrees is signified, we use the word so ; as, So bad a temper is seldom found.

Adverbs are likewise improperly used as adjectives; as, The tutor addressed him in terms rather warm, but suitably to his offence; suitable. They were seen wandering about solitarily and distressed; solitary. He lived in a manner agreeably to the dictates of reason and religion; agreeable. The study of syntax should be previously to that of punctuation; previous.

It is sometimes difficult to determine whether an adjective or an adverb ought to be used. It may be of use to the learner to observe that the verb to be, in all its moods and tenses generally requires the word immediately connected with it to be an adjective; conscquently when the verb to be can

be substituted for any other, without varying the construction, or essentially varying the meaning, the verb thus capable of being changed, must also be connected with an adjective. The following are examples of this nature: He feels warm; (he is warm:) She lives free from care; (she is, &c.:) They now appear happy; (they now are happy:) He has grown bold in sin; (he is bold, &c.:) How delightful the country appears; (is:) How pleasant the fields look; (are:) The apple tastes sour; (is sour.) In all these sentences we can easily substitute some of the variations of the verb to be for the other verbs. But these same verbs are sometimes so constructed that we cannot do this: and consequently are followed by an adverb: as, He feels warmly the insult offered him: She lives freely at another's expense: How happily they appear to live? He has grown sincerely virtuous.

The rule to which these illustrations have reference, it is hoped, will be found useful, although it is not to be considered as of universal application. Anomalies in language must often be encountered.

Adjectives that have in themselves a superlative signification,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.

Inaccuracies are often found in the way in which the degrees of comparison are applied and constructed. 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.

A substantive with its adjective is sometimes reckoned as one compound word, whence they often take another adjective and sometimes a third, and so on: as, An old man: a good old man; a very learned, judicious, good old man.

Adjectives are often used substantively: as, Have compassion on the poor: be feet to the lame and eyes to the blind.

Substantives are often used as adjectives.-In this case the word so used is sometimes unconnected with the substantive to which it relates; sometimes connected with it by a hyphen; and sometimes joined to it so as to make the two words coalesce. The total separation is proper when either of the two words is long, or when they cannot be fluently pronounced as, one word: as, An adjective pronoun, a silver watch, a stone cistern: the hyphen is used when both the words are short, and are readily pronounced as a single word: as, Coalmine, corn-mill, fruit-tree: the words coalesce when they are readily pronounced together, have a long established association, and are in frequent use: as, Honeycomb, gingerbread, inkhorn, Yorkshire.

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.

RULE XXIII.

Adverbs qualify verbs, adjectives, participles, and other adverbs; as,

The current flows rapidly: The terms of reconciliation were very advantageous: What is more disagreeable than to hear a man perpetually complaining of the dealings of Providence? They performed the service extremely well.

sentence.

Adverbs sometimes qualify a preposition, sometimes an article, and sometimes a phrase or whole A preposition; as, To see the virtue of a hero tried almost beyond the stretch of humanpower: He arrived just before noon: He was scourged nearly to death. Almost, just, and nearly, are adverbs, and qualify the prepositions which immediately succeed them.

In the following examples, the adverb is made to qualify an article; as, I lost almost a dollar; he rode nearly a mile. If, in the above examples, the adverbs almost and nearly, should be made to qualify the words lost and rode, it will be perceived that the idea of actual loss will not be expressed in the first example, nor of riding in the second. In both cases, the adverb evidently qualifies the article; and the article thus qualified, "limits the signification" of the noun."

The following are examples of an adverb's qualifying a whole sentence without reference to any particular word: Now Herod the tetrarch heard all that was done by him, and he was perplexed, &c. Well, if we must go, let us endeavor to be prepared. And what was the effect of such a mode of discipline? Why it made the subject of it still worse. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The adverbs now, well,