GRAMMATICAL ERRORS.

4. Grammatical errors are common to almost all our early great authors; indeed, it is not till the commencement of the 17th century that we meet with any English writers of eminence who are invariably correct in their grammar. Hobbes, who began his career of authorship about 1628, is quoted by Hallam as our first uniformly careful and correct writer; but even he is far from faultless in this particular. In fact, the principles of English Grammar were scarcely settled before this time, and then, in many points of grammatical form, a great variety of practice prevailed. Now, however, the case is different; the authority of our best writers is the grammatical law of the language; though it is a law far from being invariably maintained, even by many authors of acknowledged merit. We propose to show in what particulars this law has been, and still is, frequently violated.

ERRORS IN PRONOUNS.

The construction of a sentence will frequently require the subjective, where writers use the objective form of the personal pronoun. In the following sentences, the pronoun is incorrectly used:

Personal Pronouns.

'They contributed more than us.' 'He was much older than her.' 'A prophet mightier than him.' 'I may preach as lawfully as them that do.' In all these cases there is an ellipsis of the verb; and, by supplying the verb after the pronoun, the fault will be

obvious. No one would say 'more than us contributed,' or, older than her was,' &c.

In the subjoined cases, the fault is the converse of the above, i. e. the subjective is used for the objective form of the personal pronoun, as 'Let you and I endeavour,' &c. 'Between you and I.' 'All slept save she.' 'There's none but thou.' She is sold like thou,' &c.

We sometimes meet with ye (the subjective plural form) instead of you, as in the following: The more shame for ye.' The gales that from ye blow.' Tyrants dread ye,' &c. This is a frequent practice, but though against the rule of grammar, it is common in poetry.

The Relative Pronoun.

that

The same sort of error may be frequently found in the wrong use of the relative; as: 'He whom ye pretend reigns in heaven.' 'Whom do men say I am?' 'Who should I meet the other day but,' &c. To lay the suspicion on somebody, I know not who.'

In the first of these examples, it should be who (not whom), as the relative is here the subject to the verb 'reigns.' In the second, the relative depends on the verb 'am,' which governs the subjective and not the objective form. In the third, the construction requires whom, as the relative is here the object of the verb 'meet.' In the fourth, the preposition 'on' is understood before the relative, and therefore the pronoun should be in the objective, not in the subjective, form.

Inconsistencies in the Use of Pronouns.

We should be uniform in the use of pronouns: the same person must not be referred to in one sentence by

both the singular and plural forms, nor must the person of the pronoun be changed. The possessive, also, must always correspond with the personal pronoun te which it refers. The following are violations of these rules:

'Ungrateful boy! I cannot cease to love thee; for I am still your father.' 'The wicked are suffered to flourish till the sum of his iniquities is full.' 'You detest me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties,' &c. 'In such a dilemma, one can hardly tell what plan we should adopt,' &c. Following our guides, we descend about fifty steps, and then you arrive at the entrance of the grand cavern.' Who ever thinks of learning the grammar of their own tongue ?' 'Every man according to their works.' Each of them paid their portion.'

Another and the other.

Another signifies any other; the other signifies one of two. These two pronouns differ from each other; but they are frequently confounded. Of a number of things, when I have examined one, I may ask to see another (i. e. any other); but of a work in two volumes, when I have read one, I may desire to read the other volume (i.e. the one I have not yet read). Each other is said of two things; one another of more than two. In the following examples, these pronouns are used incorrectly :

"The house was full from one end to another.' 'Let them strike till you cannot tell one foot from another.' 'Prose and poetry are different one from another.' 'One end of the reed being as thick as another.'

ERRORS IN THE USE OF VERBS.

Numerous errors in the use of the verb are committed by our best authors, especially where the subject is a noun of multitude. When a noun of multitude is used in a general or a distributive sense, the verb must agree with it in the plural number; as, 'The clergy are opposed to this measure.' But if the sense be collective, then the verb should be of the singular number; as, 'The number of the children was fifteen.'

The following quotations exhibit violations of this rule: 'The number of the names were about one hundred and twenty.' 'The population is tall.' 'There are a variety of things.' 'I have considered what have been said.' 'That people rejects the use of temples.'

Two nouns closely connected, or coexistent, must have a singular verb; as, 'Bread and butter is good.' 'The horse and chaise is at the door." The brandy and water was ready.' 'Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,' &c.

In the following examples, the verb does not agree with its subject : —

'There was more sophists than one.' 'You was acquainted.' 'You was here.' "Whence did thou come up?' 'Thou confined.' 'The temper as well. as knowledge of a modern historian require,' &c. 'Magnus, with four thousand of his accomplices, were put to death.' 'Cleander, with six hundred soldiers,

were executed,' &c.

When several singular subjects are connected by a disjunctive conjunction, the verb must be singular, and not as in the following examples: 'He knows

M

'Neither 'Neither

not what spleen, languor, or listlessness are.' death nor torture were sufficient,' &c. Charles nor his brother were qualified to support such a system.'

Each, either, neither, and every, when followed by 'of' with its governed words, must have the verb in the singular number, and not as in these examples : 'Each of these words imply.' 'Neither of them are remarkable.' 'Every circumstance which enable Every one of the letters bear date after his banishment.' 'In proportion as either of these two qualities are wanting,' &c.

them.' "

ERRORS IN THE USE OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE.

The subjunctive, not the indicative, mood should be used after a conjunction when there is question of future contingency or supposition. In the following quotations this rule is neglected:

'If the most active of mankind was able, at the close of his life,' &c. 'If a man was to compare the effect of a single stroke of the pickaxe with the general design and last result, he would be overwhelmed,' &c. 'If any member absents himself, he shall forfeit a for the use of the club.' • To bless the name of penny the Lord, whether He gives or takes away,' &c.

The indicative, not the subjunctive, mood should be used after a conjunction when an ascertained fact is referred to as either past or present; and a proposition enouncing a universal truth must always be in the present indicative. In the following sentences, these rules are infringed:

'But if it be true, which was said by a French