dered, does not form a proper characteristic for a useful classification of verbs. 2d. That the only distribution of verbs of any utility, in Syntax, is that which is founded, (not on the intrinsic meaning of the word, but) on the use made of it in the construction of a sentence. 6 The classification in the text, is founded on this principle, and while it avoids most of the objections to the classifications already mentioned, it has also the following advantages: 1st. It divides all verbs into two classes, Transitive and Intransitive, distinguished by a clear and definite characteristic, derived To the first, befrom their use in the construction of sentences. long those which are used transitively, whatever be their meaning or form; and to the second all that are used intransitively, whether they denote action or not. §19. 2d. This arrangement and nomenclature, leaves the terms Active and Passive, at liberty to be applied exclusively to the two forms which all transitive verbs assume, called the active and passive voice. 3d. It dispenses with the term neuter altogether, as applied to verbs, and leaves it to be appropriated in grammar to the designation of gender only. This classification of the verb has been adopted in the best grammars of the Greek and Latin languages, and in some respectable English grammars lately published; it is advocated by Mr. Webster, in his dissertations on the English language;-is adopted in his English Grammar, and dictionary; and from its greater simplicity, accuracy, and utility, appears likely to prevail. 7. MOODS AND TENSES.-In the observations on the Moods and Tenses in their proper place, all has been said that seems to be necessary. IV. GRAMMATICAL NOMENCLATURE. EVERY science, and every art, has its particular nomenclature, or vocabulary of technical terms, which are employed for the purpose of expressing technically, its leading materials, facts, principles, divisions, &c. These terms are generally derived from the Greek or Latin, probably because these languages being now dead, and their words consequently not liable to change, are considered, for this reason, a better source than any other, for words of this description. The convenience and utility of such terms, are universally acknowledged, and they are preferred to other equivalent terms in common use in the language, because having no other meaning nor use than what belongs to them as technical terms, whenever they are used, every person who understands the science, knows precisely what is meant. The fact of their being of foreign origin—of fixed and determinate signification, and not employed in the language to denote any thing else, is not only no objection to their use, but is in reality a decided advantage. A se rious proposal to abandon, in Chemistry for example, such terms as gas, acid, oxygen, hydrogen, &c. and to substitute their English equivalents air, sour, sour-making, water-making, and the like, would be considered not only injurious, but ridiculous. And yet this very thing, some men are attempting to do, in the science of grammar, and urging it as a great improvement. They have such an aversion to the "dead languages," and every thing " foreign," and are so much afraid of the "genius of the English language," being contaminated by such connections, that they are actually urging us to abandon such terms in grammar, as Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, &c. and to use in their stead, such words as name, substitute, describer, asserter, and the like, because as is alleged, they possess more of the character of English words,—~ i. e. they propose to abandon the peculiar and appropriate technical terms of the science, and to employ words in a great measure disqualified for this purpose, by the very fact of their being already used for other purposes. In order to illustrate this, take a single example. When we use the word "Noun," every one knows that we speak of a class of words so denominated in grammar, because the term has no other meaning. But if instead of the term noun, we use the word name, this precision and clearness is immediately lost, because this word being applied to other things, is less definite in its meaning. "Ambiguam tellure nova Salamina futuram.' To put this matter to the test of experiment, let any one ask a boy acquainted with grammar, "What is a Noun?" and he will answer at once, and correctly, by giving its definition in grammar, "A noun is the name of a thing." "But if instead of this you ask him, “What is a name?" unless he know beforehand that you mean name in a grammatical sense, he will probably be at a loss for an answer; and on referring to Johnson or Walker, (who never heard of the term "name" applied in this way,) he will find it has, according to them, nine different shades of meaning, and no one of these would be a correct answer to the question proposed. If in this way, we should go through the whole nomenclature of grammar, and instead of the technical terms now in use, and well understood, we should employ a translation of them, or their equivalent in English words in common use, it would be manifest that by such a change, the whole science would at once become vague and unintelligible-a mass of confusion. For these reasons, I think there can be no doubt, that in grammar, as well as in other sciences, technical terms appropriate in themselves, having but one specific meaning, and that accurately defined, are much more convenient and useful, both for teacher and pupil, than any other terms can be; and that every attempt to simplify grammar by substituting words in common use in the English language, for the technical terms now employed, or others of similar character, will tend only to greater obscurity and difficulty. V. GLOSSARY OF GRAMMATICAL TERMS. [Lat. appositus, placed near or together,] a noun placed near, or by another, in the same construction, for the purpose of further defining it, is said to be in appvsition; as "Cicero, the Orator." ARTICLE, [Lat. Articulus,a joint, ACCENT, [Lat. accentus from ac- | APPOSITION, ALLEGORY, [Gr. d\\nyopía, from ANTITHESIS, [Gr. dvríosois, opposition, contrast, from avti, opposite, and ríonut, to place; hence to place opposite or in contrast,] a figure of speech. See def. §94. APOSTROPHE, [Gг. ȧτоσтρapń, turning away, viz: from the subject of discoure to another object, dró, from, and orpiow, to turn,] a figure of speech. See def. §94. CASE, [Lat. Casus, from cado,— casum, to fall;] hence the particular circumstances into which a person or thing falls, or happens to be, is called his, or its case. So a noun in certain circumstances, is in one case, in different circumstances it is in another case. See def. §11. CLIMAX, [Gr. «λípa, a scale or ladder,] a figure in rhetoric, by which the sense of the expressions rises gradually in strength, from step to step. See def. §94. COLON, [Gr. Kŵλov, a member or limb; hence in grammar, a member or part of a sentence,] a mark (:) by which a mem ber of a sentence is indicated. COMMA, [Gr. κóμμa, a segment, from KóπTW, to cut off,] a mark (,) indicating the smallest segment or division of a sentence. COMPARATIVE, [Lat. from comparo, to compare,] a form of the adjective, expressing a greater or less degree than the positive. CONCORD, [Lat concors, agree- ! [Lat. consonans, sounding together, con and sono,] a letter sounded not alone, but together with a vowel. COPULA, [Lat. copula, a band or tie,] that by which the subject and predicate of a proposition are coupled together; sometimes a separate word, as am, is, are, &c. and sometimes implied in the predicate itself, as I write, i. e. I am writing. DECLENSION, [Lat. declinatio, from declino, to decline,] declining or changing the termination of nouns, &c. so as to form the oblique cases. DECLINABLE, [Lat. from the same,] that may be declined or changed in termination. DEMONSTRATIVE, [Lat. from demonstro, to point out, or shew,] a word that indicates or points out clearly, as this man, that book, &c. DIERESIS, [Gr. diapenis, a division, διά and αἱρέω,] a mark ion of two vowel sounds in one syllable. DISSYLLABLE, [Gr. Soovλλabh dís, twice, and evλλabń,]a word of two syllables. See Syllable. DISTRIBUTIVE, [Lat. distributivus, from distribuo, to distribute or divide,] a word that distributes or divides; as each, every, &c. shewing the individuals of a collective number as taken separately. ELLIPSIS, [Gr. λes, omission, leaving out, ε», and λείπω, to leave,] a figure by which a word or words are omitted, which belong to the full grammatical construction of a sentence. See def. §94. EMPHASIS, [Gr. Eupaois, èv, and paris, a charge, a shewing,] stress or force laid on a certain word or part of a sentence, shewing or making it conspicuous. ETYMOLOGY, [Gr. Ervpodoyía, from ἐτυμολογέω, to derive a word from its original, and thus to discover its true meaning-ἔτυμων, true, and λέγω, to tell,] the derivation of words. Also, that part or division in grammar, which treats of their formation, inflections, and modifications. FEMININE, [Lat. femininus, from femina, a woman,] the name of the gender of words denoting females FUTURE, [Lat. Futurus, about to be,] the name of a tense denoting time yet to come. (") over the last of two vow-FUTURE-PERFECT, [Lat. Futuels, shewing they are to be divided in pronunciation, as aërial, a-erial. DIPHTHONG, [Gr. diployyos, a double sound, from dis, twice, and 406yyos, a sound,] the un rum-perfectum,] a tense denoting an act or event completed at some future time. GENDER, [Lat. genus, Fr. genre, kind, or class.] See def. $7, and App. III. 2, 2d. GRAMMAR, [Gr. ypapparíen, from a dissembler,] a figure of object is,as it were, transferred to another, thus when we say, "that man is a fox," the meaning is, "that man is like a fox;" the figure transfers the leading property of the fox, to the man. See def. §94. METONYMY, [Gr. μετωνυμία, 2 change of name; from μɛrά, denoting change, and ovoμa, a name,] a figure by which one word is put for another. See def. §94. METRE, [Gr. from μérpov, a mea- nativus, from nomino, to name,] the first case of a noun or pronoun, or that used when a person or thing is simply named. NOUN, [Lat. nomen a name,] a word that is the name of an object, is in grammar called a Noun. See def. § 6. OBJECTIVE (case,) [Lat. objectivus from ob and jacio, to throw to, against, or in the way of,] the case of a noun or pronoun which denotes the object of a transitive verb, or preposition. |