1. An article is a word placed before nouns, to linit their significa tion. 2. The definite article is the, which denotes some particular thing or things. Shortest is a common adjective, of the superlative degree; compared, short, shorter, shortest. 1. An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses quality. 2. A common adjective is any ordinary epithet, or adjective denoting quality or situation. 3. The superlative degree is that which is not exceeded. Course is a common noun, of the third person, singular number, neuter gender, and objective case. 1. A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing, that can be known or mentioned. 2. A common noun is the name of a sort, kind, or class of things. 3. The third person is that which denotes the person or thing merely spoken of. 4. The singular number is that which denotes but one. 5. The neuter gender is that which denotes things that are neither male nor female. 6. The objective case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which denotes the object of a verb, participle, or preposition. Though is a conjunction. 1. A conjunction is a word used to connect words or sentences in construction, and to show the dependence of the terms so connected. Some is a pronominal adjective, not compared. 1. An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses quality. 2. A pronominal adjective is a definitive word which may either accompany its noun, or represent it understood. 3. Those adjectives whose signification does not admit of different degrees, cannot be compared. her is a pronominal adjective, representing course understood, in the third person, singular number, neuter gender, and nominative case. See Obs. 10th, page 43.] 1. An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses quality. 2. A pronominal adjective is a definitive word which may either accompany its noun, or represent it understood. 3. The third person is that which denotes the person or thing merely spoken of. 4. The singular number is that which denotes but one. 5. The neuter gender is that which denotes things that are neither male nor female. 6. The nominative case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which denotes the subject of a verb. May be is a verb. 1. A verb is a word that signifies to be, to act, or to be acted upon. Less is an adverb. 1. An adverb is a word added to a verb, a participle, an adjective, o an other adverb; and generally expresses time, place, degree, c manner. Intricate is a common adjective, compared by means of the adverbs. 1. An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses quality. 2. A common adjective is any ordinary epithet, or adjective denoting quality or situation. 3. Those adjectives which may be varied in sense, but not in form, are compared by means of adverbs. LESSON I. There is an easier and better way than this. Heavenly rewards are complete and eternal. This plain old man has more wit than all his opponents. The three rooms on the second floor, are smaller and less convenient than the others. The largest and most glorious machines contrived and erected by human skill, are not worthy of a comparison with the magnificent productions of nature. The first LESSON II. years of man must make provision for the last. External things are naturally variable, but truth and reason are always the same.-Johnson. To him that lives well,' answered the hermit, 'every form of life is good; nor can I give any other rule for choice, than to remove from all apparent evil.'-Id. Come, calm Content, serene and sweet! O gently guide my pilgrim feet To find thy hermit cell; Where, in some pure are equal sky, The modest virtues dwell.-Barbauld. OF THE PRONOUN. A Pronoun is a word used in stead of a noun: as, The boy loves his book; he has long lessons, and he learns them well. OBS. 1.-The word for which a pronoun stands, is called its antecedent, because it usually precedes the pronoun. But some have limited the term antecedent, to the word represented by a relative. OBS. 2. The pronouns I and thou in their different modifications, stand immediately for persons that are, in general, sufficiently known without being named; (I meaning the speaker, and thou the hearer;) their antecedents are therefore generally understood. OBS. 3.-The other personal pronouns are sometimes taken in a general or absolute sense, to denote persons or things not previously mentioned; as, "He the hath knowledge, spareth his words." OBS. 4.-A pronoun with which a question is asked, stands for some person or thing unknown to the speaker; the noun, therefore, cannot occur before it, but may be used after it or in stead of it. OBS. 5.-The personal and the interrogative pronouns often stand in construction as the antecedents to other pronouns; as, He that arms his intent with virtue is invincible."-" Who that has any moral sense, dares tell lies ?" CLASSES. Pronouns are divided into three classes; personal, relative, and interrogative. I. A personal pronoun, is a pronoun that shows, by its form, of what person it is. The simple personal pronouns are five: namely, I, of the first person; thou, of the second person; he, she, and it, of the third person. The compound personal pronouns are also five: namely, myself, of the first person; thyself, of the second person; himself, herself, and itself, of the third person. II. A relative pronoun is a pronoun that represents an antecedent word or phrase, and connects different clauses of a sentence. The relative pronouns are who, which, what, and that; and the compounds whoever or whosoever, whichever or whichsoever, whatever or whatsoever. What is a kind of double relative, equivalent to that or those which; and is to be parsed, first as antecedent, and then as relative. III. An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun with which a question is asked. The interrogative pronouns are who, which, and what ; being the same in form as relatives. OES. 1.-Who is usually applied to persons only; which, though formerly applied to persons, is now confined to animals and inanimate things: what (as a mere pronoun) is applied to things only: that is applied indifferently to persons, animals, or things. OBS. 2.-The pronoun what has a twofold relation, and is often used (by ellipsis of the noun) both as antecedent and relative, being equivalent to that which or the thing which. In this double relation, what represents two cases at the same time: as, "He is ashamed of what he has done;" that is, of that [thing] which he has done. It is usually of the singular number, though sometimes plural; as, "I must turn to the faults, or what appear such to me."-Byron. "All distortions and mimicries, as such, are what raise aversion in stead of pleasure."-Steele. OBS. 3.-What is sometimes used both as an adjective and a relative at the same time, and is placed before the noun which it represents: as, "What money we had was taken away;" that is, All the money that we had, &c. "What man but enters, dies;" that is, Any man who, &c. "What god but enters yon forbidden field."-Pope. Indeed, it does not admit of being construed after a noun, as a simple relative. The compound whatever or whatsoever has the same peculiarities of construction; as, "We will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth." --Jer. xliv. 17. OBS. 4.-Who, which, and what, when the affix ever or soever is added, have an unlimited signification; and, as some general term, such as any person, or any thing, is usually employed as the antecedent, they are all commonly followed by two verbs: as, "Whoever attends, will improve;" that is, Any person who attends, will improve. In parsing, supply the ar tecedent. OBS. 5.-Which and what are often prefixed to nouns as definitive or interrogative adjectives; and, as such, may be applied to persons as well as to things: as, "What man?"- "Which boy?" OBS. 6. The word that is a relative pronoun, when it is equivalent to who, whom, or which; as, "The days that [which] are past, are gone forever." It is a definitive or pronominal adjective, when it relates to a noun expressed or understood after it; as, "That book is new.' "} In other cases, it is a conjunction; as, "Live well, that you may die well." "Buy OBS. 7.-The relative that has this peculiarity, that it cannot follow the word on which its case depends: thus, it is said, [John, xiii. 29.] those things that we have need of;" but we cannot say, "Buy those things of that we have need." OBS. 8.-The word as, though usually a conjunction or an adverb, has sometimes the construction of a relative pronoun; as, "The Lord added to the church daily such [persons] as should be saved."-Acts, ii. 47. OBS. 9.-Whether was formerly used as an interrogative pronoun, referring to one of two things; as, "Whether is greater, the gold or the temple?" --Matt. xxiii. 17. OBS. 10.-Interrogative pronouns differ from relatives chiefly in this that, as the subject referred to is unknown to the speaker, they do not relate to a preceding noun, but to something which is to be expressed in the answer to the question. Their person, number, and gender, therefore, are not regulated by an antecedent noun; but by what the speaker supposes of a subject which may, or may not, agree with them in these respects: as, "What lies there?" Ans. "Two men asleep." MODIFICATIONS. Pronouns have the same modifications as nouns ; namely, Persons, Numbers, Genders, and Cases. OBS. 1.-In the personal pronouns, most of these properties are distinguished by the words themselves; in the relative and the interrogative pronouns, they are ascertained chiefly by the antecedent and the verb. OBS. 2. The personal pronouns of the first and second persons, are equally applicable to both sexes; and should be considered masculine or feminine according to the known application of them. [See Levizac's French Gram. p. 73.] The speaker and the hearer, being present to each other, of course know the sex to which they respectively belong; and, whenever they appear in narrative, we are told who they are. In Latin, an adjective or a participle relating to these pronouns, is varied to agree with them in number, gender, and case; as, Misera hoc tamen unum Exequere, Anna, mihi: solam nam perfidus ille Sola viri molles aditus et tempora noras.- Virgil. OBS. 3.—Many grammarians deny the first person of nouns, and the gender of pronouns of the first and second persons; and at the same time teach, that, "Pronouns must always agree with their antecedents, and the nouns for which they stand, in gender, number, and person."-Murray's Gram. 2d Ed. 1796. Now, no two words can agree in any property which belongs not to both! DECLENSION OF PRONOUNS. The declension of a pronoun is a regular arrangement of its numbers and cases. SIMPLE PERSONALS. The simple personal pronouns are thus declined: I, of the FIRST PERSON, any* gender. Sing. Nom. I, Poss. my, or mine, Obj. me; Plur. Nom. we, *That the pronouns of the first and second persons are sometimes mascu ine and sometimes feminine, is perfectly certain; but whether they can or cannot be neuter, is a question difficult to be decided. To things inanimate they are only applied figuratively; and the question is, whether the figure always necessarily changes the gender of the antecedent noun. Pronouns are of the same gender as the nouns for which they stand; and if, in the following example, gold and diamond are neuter, so is the pronoun me. And, if not neuter, of what gender are they? "Where thy true treasure? Gold says, 'Not in me;' And, 'Not in me,' the diamond. Gold is poor."-Young. The use of the pronoun ye is confined to the solemn style, and to the burlesque. In the latter, it is sometimes improperly used for the objective case. In ancient times, he, his, and him, were applied to things neuter. In our translation of the Bible, the pronoun it is employed in the nominative and the |