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ERRATA.

Page 10, line 1, after

fiction,' a point is required; and, line 20, for acquisiton,' read acquisition. Page 10, line 26, for votory,' read votary. Page 18, line 10, after Prosody,' omit the comma: Page 24, line 38, after Page 34, line 16, for Page 46, line 25, for for 'ivoit,' read iroit.

'Conjunctions,' omit the comma. Indefinite,' read Indeterminate. il ivoit,' read il iroit; and, line 29,

Page 51, line 25, for Infinite,' read Infinitive; and, line 31, for Infinitivte,' read Infinitive.

Page 52, line 34, for 'thein dicative,' read, the indicative. Page 57, line 17, for 'disagreeaable,' read disagreeable. Page 61, line 21, before Thou shalt,' put 2nd Person; and, line 22, before He, she, or it, shall,' put 3rd Person. Page 64, line 5, for pasttime,' read past time.

Page 68, line 10, (only a small part of the edition) for 'prepoiition,' read preposition.

Page 65, line 2, for adjecive,' read adjective.

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Page 71, line 28, (only a small portion of the edition) for phrases,' read pauses, omitting the comma; also, omitting the comma in the next line following, after commas.' Page 72, line 2, for influencial,' read influential; and, line 9, for influencial,' read influential,

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Page 73, line 38, after 'say,' put a comma.

Page 112, line 40, after sense,' instead of a comma, a point is required.

Page 123, line 2, after 'grow,' omit the comma.
Page 129, line 20, for a few instances,' read an instance,
Page 140, line 21, for plausable,' read plausible.

Page 146, line 19, (very small portion of the edition) for 'part of the sentence,' read part of the last sentence."

PREFACE.

If it was invariably true, that in proportion to the number of works published upon a subject, will be the general information in regard thereto, the publication of the present book would be entirely unnecessary. But it is not always true; for notwithstanding more works have, of late, been given to the public upon the subject of English Grammar, than upon any other, that subject is less understood by the mass of the community, than almost any that could be named; and this, too, when the books are read by persons of nearly all ages; and when thousands of teachers overrun the land. And not only are the mass of the people ignorant of English Grammar, but those who profess great knowledge of it, and even those who make the teaching of it, their business, will be found, upon examination, to be very far from understanding its principles. Such being the state of things, the present publication is not only necessary, but is urgently called for.

The designs of the author, are, to impart his instructions in the plainest and most familiar manner; and while he informs the student, to take particular care to also entertain him. For these purposes, he has written his lessons in a series of letters. A mode that affords more opportunity for plainess, familiarity, instruction and entertainment, than any other. A mode that was adopted by Chesterfield in his celebrated instructions on politeness. A mode that was adopted by Smollett in many of his novels which, even at this day, hold a distinguished place in the

world of fiction A mode that was adopted by William Cobbett, not only in his admirable treatise on English Grammar, but in nearly every work that he wrote.

To Mr. Cobbett, I acknowledge myself indebted for the greater part of the grammatical knowledge which I possess. And of the advantages afforded in his work, I have not failed to avail myself, in the production of this.

His work, however, though exceedingly meritorious, is not fitted for the instruction of the American youth. The examples given, if partaking of politics at all, are nearly altogether of a monarchical character; upholding men and measures, for whom, and for which, freemen have no regard. They might have answered for the people for whom they were written; but are wholly out of place in this country. They seem to have been dictated more by spleen, than by any desire of inculcating just principles. The examples given in the present work, will be found to be new, and of an unexceptionable, if not elevating character.

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The greatest difficulty experienced in the acquisiton of a thorough knowledge of English Grammar, is in the cases. These, in this work, have been fully enlarged upon; and so clearly explained, that no one who pays the slightest attention, can fail to thoroughly understand them. H. A. PUE.

Philadelphia, Dec. 27, 1840.

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In the following Letters you will find very little of what is called eloquence; but you will find plenty of what is of far more importance to you, and that is, INSTRUCTION. To be sure, eloquence is, of the two, a great deal the most pleasing; and when we have the advantage of listening to it, nothing, perhaps, with which civilization has made us acquainted, is so capable of affording intellectual enjoyment. But this enjoyment is unfortunately of short duration. That which produces it, dazzles our sight, bewilders our thoughts, intoxicates our judgment. It is like the influence of a chandelier brought within an occupied dungeon: The mighty disseminator shines upon the unfortunate inhabitant with such a glare of light, that he sees worse than he saw in the darkness. The stimulant is two great; owing to the extreme excitability of the visual organ. There is such a mass of the fluid introduced into the expanded pupil, that the retina is completely flooded, and, for a time, until some of the excess of light is drawn off, unable to perform its natural functions. As this excess is diminished, by passing through the conductor of the brain, the operated on, begins to see; when, in an in. stant, the speaker ceases, the light brought into the dungeon is withdrawn, and the poor occupant is left in, to him, ten times greater darkness than before the light's introduction.

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