CONSTRUCTION OF NOUNS. 1. Nouns are put in the Nominative Case when they are the subject of the verb, as also when they follow the Interjections O! Oh! and Ah! except ah me! 2. The Nominative Absolute, or Case Absolute, takes place when a substantive with a participle, an infinitive, an adverb, or an interjection, constitute independent phrases in a sentence, as Philip being dead, To conclude, Finally, Alas! 3. The Possessive case is governed by the noun following when two substantives in apposition signify differently. 4. Of two or more Nouns either agreeing or coupled together in the Possessive Case, the last only has the sign of the Genitive. But if the substantive coupled together are used emphatically, each 'retains the sign of the Possessive. 5. The Objective Case is governed by Active Verbs, and by Prepositions. 6. The Objective me follows the interjection Ah! and the objective whom the conjunction than. 7. After the interrogation, the consequent has the same case as the interrogative. 8. Nouns in apposition, when they signify the same thing, agree in case. 9. The verb to be has the same case after it that it has before it.. 10. Conjunctions connect like cases. 11. The Nominative is placed either before the verb, or after it, as between the auxiliary and the participle. The Nominative generally goes before the verb; but in the following cases it follows after it; 1st. in interrogative, and imperative sentences; 2dly. in hypothetical sentences, the conjunction if being understood; 3dly. when the adverbs here, there, then, thence, hence, thus, &c. precede the verb; or when the conjunctions, neither, nor, following after verbs preceded by not, or neither, have verbs after them; 4thly. the nominative is sometimes placed after verbs neuter. 12. The Possessive Case immediately precedes the noun which governs it. The noun governing is somtimes understood; as whose am I, that is, whose property am I; a picture of my friends, that is, of my friend's pictures, or belonging to his collection. 13. The Objective Case follows the verb or preposition which governs it. It may however sometimes precede the governing verb, if no obscurity thence arise. The relatives who, which, that, and what always precede the verb, and in the objective they sometimes precede the preposition. 14. All Nouns preceded by interjections are of the second person. 15. Two or more singulars connected by a copulative conjunction expressed or understood, are equivalent to a plural. 16. The first person is accounted more worthy than the second, the second than the third. CONSTRUCTION OF NOUNS. Improper. 1. Was you invited? EXAMPLES. 2. Whom being past hopes of recovery. Them being placed in this awkward predicament. 3. A manners' man commonly makes his fortune. 4. A preceptor's and friend's advice. Laws are enacted by the King, Lords, and Commons' authority. 5. I love he Who does he speak to ? 6. Ah unhappy I! Proper. Were you invited? Who being past all hopes of recovery. They being placed in this awkward predicament. A man's manners commonly make his fortune; or, the manners of a man commonly make his fortune. The master's instruction or the in- A preceptor and friend's advice. I love him. Alfred, than who, a greater king Alfred, than whom a better king never reigned. 7. Who is there?---Me. With whom did I leave it ?--I. 8. The earth, sea, and air's inha- 9. It is me, it is us. 10. It is I, thou, and his. He told it to Robert and I. Whom say ye that I am? 12. They implicitly obeyed the Pro. tector's, as they called him, imperious mandates. 13. This fracas a great dispute occasio ned never reigned. Who is there?-I. With whom did I leave it?-Me. The earth's, sea's, and air's inha- It is I, it is we. It is mine, thine, and his. A great dispute occasioned this fra- This preferment he was worthy Of this preferment he was worthy of. 14. Ah Lucifer, son of the morning, how is he fallen! 15. John and James has won the day. Peace and content dwells with the lowly. M or, he was worthy of this preferment. Ah Lucifer, son of the morning, how art thou fallen! John and James have won the day. Peace and content dwell with the lowly. CONSTRUCTION OF PRONOUNS. RULES. 1. Pronouns are divided into Prepositive and Subjunctive, of which the former are, or may be, used to begin a sentence, as I, thou, he, she, it, this, that, other, any, some, one, none; the latter to subjoin a clause or sentence to something previous, as who, which. 2. The Possessives my, thy, her, our, your, their, are used immediately before nouns, or before nouns preceded by an adjective; but mine, thine, hers, ours, yours, theirs, are used absolutely; that is, they are separated by a verb from the noun with which they agree, or else the noun is understood with which they agree. 3. Relative and Interrogative Pronouns, with their compounds, are always placed before the verb which belongs to their own member of the sentence, and they are generally the first or second word in the said member. The Relative should always stand near to its own antecedent. 4. Demonstrative Pronouns not having a substantive annexed are not always proper to begin a sentence. 5. Pronouns do not govern cases or moods, but they influence the number and person of verbs, and sometimes of one another. 6. The Pronoun I is of the first person, thou of the second, who and that of the first, second, or third, according to the person of the antecedent; all other pronouns used substantively are of the third person. 7. Pronouns which have cases are governed as nouns. 8. Pronouns which have no cases are construed as adjectives. 9. The Pronoun it sometimes stands in apposition with other nominatives, as it is I, it is they. 10. Possessive Pronouns agree in genus, with the possessor; that is, my relates to I, thy to thou, his to he, ours to we, &c. 11. The Pronoun who is called personal (in a peculiar sense), and which impersonal. The former has for its antecedent human and superior beings, the latter inferior animals, vegetables, minerals, and the names of qualities and unknown substances. Yet which is sometimes used personally, as which of the men? Our Father which art in heaven. 12. The Relative that is equivalent to who or which. Its peculiar use is after a compound antecedent, consisting of persons and things, after the interrogative who or which; after the demonstrative same, and after an adjective in the superlative degree. It is also used to prevent the too frequent repetition of who or which. The relative that is not often employed as the regimen of a preposition. 13. The Relative agrees with its antecedent, and the interrogative with its consequent, in number and person. Of two antecedents the relative agrees with the more emphatic. Of a compound antecedent the number and person are estimated the same way as of a compound nominative to a verb. Whoever, whosoever, and other compound relatives, sometimes supply the place of both antecedent and relative. 14. If no nominative come between the relative and the verb, the relative shall be the nominative to the verb. 15. But if a nominative come between the relative and the verb, the relative is governed, as a noun in the possessive or objective case by a noun, verb, or preposition, belonging to the same member or clause of the sen tence. 16. The Demonstratives that and this, those and these, are sometimes equivalent to the former and the latter. CONSTRUCTION OF ADJECTIVES. RULES. Every adjective qualifies or belongs to a noun, which is always near, and often follows it; but as all English adjectives are indeclinable, they cannot be said to agree in gender, number, and case, with the nouns to which they belong. The way to find out the substantive to an adjective is to ask the question who or what. 2. Some definitives and adjectives are joined only to nouns of the singular number, as a, an, one, this, that, each, every, either, neither, enough, much, infinite, universal; others are joined only to nouns plural, as two, three, four, &c. these, those, all, both, enow, many, more, few, several. But to this rule there are exceptions, as a few, a thousand, many a time, all flesh is grass, more discord. 3. Two or more adjectives of the same degree of comparison may qualify one noun; and two or more nouns of the same number may be qualified by one adjective. 4. Adjectives signifying dimension, price, or duration, govern nouns of like signification in the objective case. 5. A good many adjectives are followed by appropriate prepositions, as of, to, for, with, from, by in. Verhal adjectives, and such as signify an affection of the mind, are commonly followed by of. Partitives, comparatives, superlatives, numerals, and adjectives of plenty and want, are also often followed by of. Adjectives denoting expediency, likeness, or the contrary, are followed by to or for. But to is often understood. Adjectives signifying difference, freedom, distance, and the like, are followed for the most part by from. 6. The comparative degree, which implies the comparison of two objects, may be followed by the prepositions of or by, or the conjunction than, as he is a year older than you, and is taller by an inch. 7. The superlative degree, which implies the comparison of three or more objects, may be followed by the prepositions of, amongst, or in, or by the relative that, as Socrates was the wisest of the philosophers in Athens that the history of Greece makes us acquainted with. 8. Double comparisons are improper, as more wiser, most wisest. Yet we meet with the phrase Most Highest, meaning the Almighty, which some have deemed a peculiar elegance in the English language, but which others would set aside as contrary to rule. 9. Such adjectives as true, cloudless, infinite, terrestrial, &c. do not admit of degrees of comparison. 10. Besides the three grammatical degrees of comparison, there may be an infinitude of others, as by adding the termination ish, or by the addition of such particles as rather, so, somewhat, too; in which however it is to be noted that such is sometimes improperly used for that comparative so, and that the use of somewhat in comparison is deemed inelegant. 11. By means of articles and prepositions, adjectives may be used substantively or adverbially, as the hand of the diligent maketh rich, in general, in short. 12. Adjectives qualify nouns only. We ought not therefore to say extreme rich, every now and then, but extremely rich, repeatedly, or at short intervals |