4th. When the adjective is preceded by an adverb; as, A boy regularly studious; a girl unaffectedly modest.'

5th. When the verb to be, in any of its variations, comes between a noun and an adjective, the adjective may frequently either precede, or follow it; as, 'The man is happy; or, happy is the man, who makes virtue his choice ;' The interview was delightful; or,' delightful was the interview.' 6th. When the adjective expresses some circumstance of a noun, placed after an active verb; as, 'Vanity often renders its possessor despicable." In an exclamatory sentence, the adjective generally precedes the noun; as, 'How despicable does vanity often render its possessor!'

There is sometimes great beauty as well as force, in placing the adjective before the verb, and the noun immediately after it; as, "Great is the Lord; just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.?

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Sometimes the word all is emphatically put after a number of particulars comprehended under it. Ambition, interest, honor, all concurred.' Sometimes a noun, which likewise comprehends the preceding particulars, is used in conjunction with this adjective; as, ' Royalists, republicans, churchmen, sectaries, courtiers, patriots, all parties, concurred in the illusion.'

A noun with its adjective is 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.' Though the adjective always relates to a noun, it is, in many instances, put as if it were absolute; especially where the noun has been mentioned before, or is easily understood, though not expressed; as, 'I often survey the green fields, as I am very fond of green;' The wise, the virtuous, the honored, famed, and great,' that is, persons; 'The twelve,' that is, 'apostles;' 'Have compassion on the poor; be feet to the lame, and eyes to the blind.' Nouns are often used as adjectives. In this case, the word so used is sometimes unconnected with the noun 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, coal-mine, 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.' Sometimes the adjective becomes a noun, and has another adjective joined to it; as, The chief good; The vast immence of space.' Some adjectives of number are more easily converted into nouns than others. Thus, we more readily say, 'a million of men,' than a thousand of men.' On the other hand, it will be hardly allowable to say, 6 a million men ;' whereas, ' a thousand men,' is quite familiar. Yet in the plural number, a different construction seems to be required. We say, 'some hundreds' or 'thousands,' as well as millions of men.' Perhaps, on this account, the words millions, hundreds, and thousands, will be said to be nouns.

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An adjective put without a noun, with the definite article before it, becomes a noun in sense, and meaning, and is used as a noun, generally of the plural number; as, The good are rewarded; The sincere are esteemed.' 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,' &c.; that is, 'Generally, particularly.'

Enow was formerly used as the plural of enough; but it is now obsolete. Adjectives often agree with the infinitive mood or part of a sentence; as, To see the sun is pleasant.' Here the adjective, pleasant, agrees with the phrase, to see the sun.

LECTURE IV.-OF NOUNS.

RULE III.Two or more nouns, signifying the same thing, must agree in case as "Paul, the Apostle; Death, the King of Terrors." Remarks.- Nouns thus circumstanced, are said to be in apposition to each other; that is, they are put together, as different names of the same person or thing. The latter noun, therefore, signifies the same object as the former, and serves merely to explain or describe it; as, Religion, the support of adversity, adorns prosperity.'- The interposition of a relative and verb, will sometimes break the construction; as, 'Religion, which is the support of virtue, adorns prosperity.' Here support is in the nominative case after is, according to Rule XXII.

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Nouns are not unfrequently set in apposition to sentences, or clauses of sentences; as, 'If a man had a positive idea of infinite, either space or duration, he could add two infinites together; nay, make one infinite infinitely bigger than another; absurdities too gross to be confuted.' Here the absurdities are the whole preceding propositions. 'You are too humane and considerate; things which few people can be charged with. Here things are in apposition to humane and considerate. This construction is not to be recommended, when the parts of the sentence are long, or numerous. The first of the preceding examples is, therefore, improvable. It would have been better if a fresh sentence had been introduced; thus, 'These are absurdities,' &c.

Sometimes a pronoun is emphatically set in apposition to a preceding noun; as, Augustus the Roman Emperor, he who succeeded Julius Cæsar, is differently described by historians.' In such instances, the pronoun must be in the same case with the noun to which it is set in apposition.

Exercises in False Syntax.-They slew Varus, he that was mentioned before.-It was Paul, him who preached to the Gentiles.-They killed Stephen, the martyr, he that was stoned. I saw John and his sister, they who came to your house. My friends gave me this present, them that we visited yesterday. We must respect the good and the wise, they who endeavor to enlighten us, and make us better.

RULE IV. One noun governs another, signifying a different thing, in the possessive case; as, "My father's house; Man's happiness; Virtue's reward."

Remarks. The preposition of, joined to a noun, is frequently equivalent to the possessive case; as, A christian's hope.' 'The hope of a christian.' But it is only so, when the expression can be converted into the regular form of the possessive case. We can say, Virtue's reward,' and The reward of virtue;' but though it is proper to say, 'A crown of gold,' we cannot convert the expression into the possessive case, and say, 'Gold's

crown.'

Nouns govern pronouns, as well as nouns, in the possessive case; as, 'Every tree is known by its fruit;'Goodness brings its reward;' That desk is mine.' The possessive its is often improperly used for 'tis, or it is; as, 'Its my book; instead of, 'It is my book.'

The pronoun his, when detached from the noun to which it relates, is to be considered, not as a possessive pronoun, but as the possessive case of the personal pronoun; as, 'This composition is his.' 'Whose book is that?'

His.' If we use the noun itself, we should say, 'This composition is John's.' 'Whose book is that?' 'Eliza's.' The position will be still more evident when we consider, that both the pronouns in the following sentences must have a similar construction; ' Is it her, or his honor, that is tarnished?' 'It is not hers, but his.'

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Sometimes a noun in the possessive case stands alone, the latter one, by which it is governed, being understood; as, 'I called at the bookseller's' that is, at the bookseller's shop.'

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Exercises in False Syntax — My ancestors virtue is not mine. His brothers offence will not condemn him. I will not destroy the city for tens sake. Nevertheless, Asa, his heart was perfect with the Lord. A mother's tenderness and a fathers care, are Natures gifts for mans advantage. A mans manner's frequently influence his fortune. Wisdoms precepts' form the good mans interest and happiness.

NOTE 1.- If several nouns come together in the possessive case, the apostrophe, with s is annexed to the last, and understood to the rest; as, 'John and Eliza's books; This was my father, mother, and uncle's advice.' But when any words intervene, perhaps on account of the increased pause, the sign of the possessive should be annexed to each; as, 'They are John's as well as Eliza's books; 1 had the physician's, the surgeon's, and the apothecary's assistance.' The following distinction on this point appears to be worthy of attention. When any subject or subjects are considered as the common property of two or more persons, the sign of the possessive case is affixed only to the name of the last person; as, 'This is Henry, William, and Joseph's estate. But when several subjects are considered as belonging separately to distinct individuals, the names of the individuals have the sign of the possessive case annexed to each of them; as, 'These are Henry's, William's, and Joseph's estates.' It is, however, better to say, 'It was the advice of my father, mother, and uncle ;' 'I had the assistance of the physician, the surgeon, and the apothecary;' 'This estate belongs in common to Henry, William, and Joseph.

Exercises in False Syntax. It was the men's, women's, and children's lot to suffer great calamities. Peter's, John's, and Andrew's occupation was that of fishermen. This measure gained the king, as well as the people's approbation. Not only the council's and attorney's, but the judges opinion, also favored his cause.

NOTE 2. In poetry, the additional s is frequently omitted but the apostrophe retained, in the same manner as in nouns of the plural number ending in s, as, the wrath of Peleus' son.' This seems not so allowable in prose, which the following erroneous examples will demonstrate; ‘Moses' minister; Phinehas' wife; Festus came into Felix' room.' answers were made to the witness' questions.' But in cases which would give too much of the hissing sound, or increase the difficulty of pronuncia. tion, the omission takes place, even in prose ; as, ' For righteousness' sake; For conscience' sake.'

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Exercises in False Syntax. And he cast himself down at Jesus feet. Moses rod was turned into a serpent. For Herodias sake, his brother Philips wife. If ye suffer for righteousness's sake, happy are ye. Ye should be subject for conscience's sake.

NOTE 3. Little explanatory circumstances are particularly awkward between a possessive case, and the word which usually follows it; as, 'She began to extol the farmer's, as she called him, excelient understanding.' It ought to be, the excellent understanding of the farmer, as she called him.' The word in the possessive case is frequently placed improperly; as, 'This fact appears from Dr. Pearson of Birmingham's experiments.' It should be, from the experiments of Dr. Pearson of Birmingham.'

Exercises in False Syntax. They very justly condemned the prodigal's, as he was called, senseless and extravagant conduct. They implicitly obeyed the protector's, as they called him, imperious mandate.

NOTE 4. When a sentence consists of terms signifying a name and an office, or of any expressions by which one part is descriptive, or explanatory of the other, it may occasion some doubt to which of them the sign of the possessive case should be annexed; or whether it should be subjoined to them both. Thus, some would say, 'I left the parcel at Smith's the

bookseller;' others, at 'Smith the bookseller's;' and perhaps others, ‘at Smith's the bookseller's.' The first of these forms is most agreeable to the English idiom; and if the addition consists of two or more words, the case seems to be less dubious; as, 'I left the parcel at Smith's the bookseller and stationer.' But as this subject requires a little further explanation to make it intelligible to learners, we shall add a few observations tending to unfold its principles.

A phrase, in which the words are so connected and dependent, as to admit of no pause before the conclusion, necessarily requires the possessive sign at or near the end of the phrase; as, Whose prerogative is it? It is the king of Great Britian's;' "That is the duke of Bridgwater's canal ;' 'The bishop of Landaff's excellent book;' 'The Lord Mayor of London's authority;The captain of the guard's house.'

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When words in apposition follow each other in quick succession it seems also most agreeable to our idiom to give the sign of the possessive a similar situation; especially, if the noun, which governs the possessive be expressed: as, 'The emperor Leopold's; Dionysius the tyrant's; for David my servant's sake; Give me John the Baptist's head; Paul the apostle's advice.' But when a pause is proper, and the governing noun not expressed; and when the latter part of the sentence is extended; it appears to be requisite that the sign should be applied to the first possessive, and understood to the other; as, 'I reside at Lord Stormont's, my old patron and benefactor;' Whose glory did he emulate? He emulated Cæsar's the geatest general of antiquity.' In the following sentences, it would be very awkward to place the sign either at the end of each of the clauses, or at the end of the latter one alone; these psalms are David's, the king, priest, and prophet of the Jewish people;'We staid a month at Lord Lyttleton's, the ornament of his country, and the friend of every virtue.' The sign of the possessive case may very properly be understood at the end of these members, an ellipsis at the latter part of sentences being a common construction in our language; as the learner will see by one or two examples; "They wished to submit, but he did not;' that is, he did not wish to submit;''He said it was their concern, but not his; that is, not his concern.' If we annex the sign of the possessive to the end of the last clause only, we shall perceive that a resting place is wanted, and that the connecting circumstance is placed too remotely, to be either perspicuous or agreeable; as, Whose glory did he emulate? He emulated Cæsar, the greatest general of antiquity's; These psalms are David, the king, priest, and prophet of the Jewish people's.' It is much better to say, 'This is Paul's advice, the christian hero, and great apostle of the gentiles,' than, 'This is Paul, the christian hero, and great apostle of the gentile's advice.' On the other hand, the application of the possessive sign to both, or all of the nouns in apposition, would be generally harsh and displeasing, and perhaps in some cases incorrect; as, 'The emperor's Leopold's;'King's George's;' 'Charles' the second's;' The parcel was left at Smith's the 'bookseller's and stationer's.' The rules, which we have endeavored to elucidate, will prevent the inconvenience of both these modes of expression; and they appear to be simple, perspicuous, and consistent with the idiom of the language.

Exercises in False Syntax. I bought the knives at Johnson's the cutler's. The silk was purchased at Brown's, the mercer's and haberdasher's. Lord Feversham's, the general's tent. This palace had been the grand Sultan's, Mahomet's. I will not for David's, thy father's sake. He took refuge at the governor, the King's representative's. Whose works are these? They are Cicero's, the most eloquent of men's.

NOTE 5. The English possessive has often an unpleasant sound; so that we daily make more use of the particle, of, to express the same relation. There is something awkward in the following sentences, in which this method

has not been taken. The general, in the army's name, published a declaration. The commons' vote. The lords' house. Unless he is very igno rant of the kingdom's condition.' It were certainly better to say, 'In the name of the army: The votes of the commons: The house of lords: condition of the kingdom.' It is also rather harsh to use two English possessives with the same noun; as, 'Whom he acquainted with the pope's and the king's pleasure.' 'The pleasure of the pope and the king,' would have been better. We sometimes meet with three nouns dependent on one another, and connected by the preposition of, applied to each of them; as, The severity of the distress of the son of the king touched the nation;' but this mode of expression is not to be recommended. It would be better to

say, 'The severe distress of the king's son, touched the nation. We have a striking instance of this laborious mode of expression in the following sentence: Of some of the books of each of these classes of literature, a catalogue will be given at the end of the work.'

Exercises in False Syntax. The world's government is not left to chance. - She married my son's wife's brother. This is my wife's brother's partner's house. It was necessary to have both the physician's and the surgeon's advice. The extent of the prerogative of the King of England is sufficiently ascertained.

NOTE 6. In some cases we use both the possessive termination and the preposition of; as, 'It is a discovery of Sir Isaac Newton's.' Sometimes, indeed, unless we throw the sentence into another form this method is absolutely necessary, in order to distinguish the sense, and to give the idea of property, strictly so called, which is the most important of the relations expressed by the possessive case; for the expressions, This picture of my friend,' and 'This picture of my friend's,' suggest very different ideas. The latter only is that of property in the strictest sense. The idea would doubtless, be conveyed in a better manner, by saying, 'This picture belonging to my friend.'

When this double possessive, as some grammarians term it, is not necessary to distinguish the sense, and especially in a grave style, it is generally omitted. Except to prevent ambiguity, it seems to be allowed only in cases, which suppose the existence of a plurality of subjects of the same kind. In the expressions, A subject of the emperor's; A sentiment of my brother's; more than one subject, and one sentiment, are supposed to belong to the possessor. But when this plurality is neither intimated or necessarily supposed, the double possessive, except as before mentioned, should not be used; as, 'This house of the governor is very commodious; The crown of the king was stolen; That privilege of the scholar was never abused.' But after all that can be said for this double possessive, as it is termed, some grammarians think that it would be better to avoid the use of it altogether, and to give the sentiment another form of expression.

Exercises in False Syntax.. The picture of the King's does not much resemble him, - These pictures of the King were sent to him from Italy.. This Estate of the corporation's is much incumbered. That is the eldest son of the king of England's.

NOTE 7. When an entire clause of a sentence, beginning with a participle of the present tense, is used as one name, or to express one idea or circumstance, the noun on which it depends may be put in the possessive case; thus, instead of saying, ' What is the reason of this person dismissing his servant so hastily?' that is, 'What is the reason of this person in dismissing his servant so hastily?' we may say, and perhaps ought to say, "What is the reason of this person's dismissing his servant so hastily? Just as we say,' What is the reason of this person's hasty dismission of his servant?' So, also, we say, 'I remember it being reckoned a great exploit ; or more properly, 'I remember its being reckoned,' &c. The following sentence is correct and proper; ' Much will depend on the pupil's composing, but more