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are verbs, and I am satisfied he will ever after, at a moment's notice, supply you with verbs by wholesale.

25. The exception to this rule is the verb to be, which is correspondent to the verb to exist, with its inflections of am, art, is, are, was, wast, and were.

26. This verb is Latin too: it comes from verbum, the word. Verbum was applied by the Latins to this part of speech by way of eminence, because, without some verb in a collection of words, no affirmation can be made. For the same reason, the verb, being the essence of all our assertions, we, by way of eminence, now assign the term to this important class.

ADVERB.

27. Another foreigner, and another consequent stumbling block. LENNIE is one of the clearest on these adverbs: "An adverb," says he, " is a word joined to a verb, an adjective or another adverb, to express some quality or circumstance of time, place, or manner respecting it; as, Ann speaks distinctly; she is remarkably diligent; she reads very correctly."

28. A general definition might be, that adverbs are those words which, while the verb expresses what we do, denote the manner in which we do it. Or it may be said, that adverbs describe verbs, describing words, and other adverbs, as the describers do names. But as this class of words is, for the most part, employed in connexion with the verb, I think it as well to call them adverbs.

29. Some people act with indiscretion, or in an indiscreet manner. We can imply the same thing

we say,

by the adverb indiscreetly, when we resolve the sentence thus: "Some people act indiscreetly." When we relate the manner in which a person speaks, it is fluently-in a fluent manner, or with fluency. Or "He speaks affectedly, defectively, improperly, grammatically, correctly, forcibly, feebly, or otherwise." These adverbs are all formed by the addition of ly to the describers from which they respectively spring, which is the case with the greater number of adverbs. This ly has been defined as correspondent to like, and hence "He speaks correctly" is "he speaks correct like". —a definition which will frequently hold good.

30. I am the more particular on this point, because I know adverbs are more difficult to comprehend than the other parts of speech. Here, there, hence, whence, ever, never, and such like words, are of this class. Seeing that here signifies in this place; hence, from this place; and so on, has enabled Horne Tooke to prove, incontrovertibly Dr. Crombie would say, that most of the adverbs are corruptions of other words, or abbreviations of phrases or of sentences. I merely mention this circumstance. It is of no consequence to us, whether they happen to be, in truth, corruptions or contractions, or whether they happen to be neither, so that we can understand their properties and functions as belonging to a certain classification.

31. Do not go carelessly by this class of words, nor, indeed, any other class, for, just in proportion as you become acquainted with the parts of speech, other things will be easy to you.

PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS.

32. The next words to which I shall direct your attention are, those employed for the purpose of connecting, or conducting, one word to another, or of connecting one sentence or part of a sentence, to another sentence or part of a sentence. Of such are, about, with, among, at, also, and, because, if, though, and the like.

33. These connecting words, are, mostly, divided into two classes, or divisions-prepositions and conjunctions. They are distinguishable from each other, insomuch as the prepositions always serve to shew the relationship between persons and things, as, " John lives in London." "John dines at my house." John reads with me." "John runs about us." In, at, with, and about, show the relationship, or connection, which John bears to London, to my house, to me, and to us. The conjunctions merely connect words and sentences together, as, "John and Thomas are here." " Thomas, though not well, attends to his duty, as if he was obliged to it. And, though, and if, are conjunctions.

34. The distinction between conjunctions and prepositions is more curious than useful, and is better rejected. By the old grammarians, amongst whom I may mention Harris and Monboddo, these words are described as answering the same purpose, in language, as pegs and nails answer to the joiner, in fitting the various parts of a piece of furniture together. In preference to calling them pegs and nails, as these terms would be associated with too much of the shop, I can

see no objection to calling them CONNECTORS, or

CONNECTING WORDS.

35. Prepositions may be known by their taking after them, him. For instance: above him, below him, behind him, after him, with him, except him, respecting him, upon him. All these are prepositions.

36. By Horne Tooke, Jamieson, Gilchrist, Ruddiman, and others, many playful speculations have been advanced as to these words. All of them I reject as idle curiosities, calculated only to lead to perplexity and indecision, and of such a nature, that the best purpose I could assign to them, would be to fill a number of pages that would otherwise be blanks, but, luckily, I happen to have no such pages at hand.

INTERJECTION.

37. "Interjection," says COBBETT, "comes from two Latin words: inter, which means between, and jectio, which means something thrown." So that the full literal meaning of the word is something thrown between.

38. Cobbett has wisely hit upon a definition which must accord as well with philosophy as common-sense. The interjections are truly something thrown between, for they always make an interruption in the context; have no effect upon any other words used in connexion with them; are unvariable of their selves; and have no bearing upon any grammar rule. The interjections comprise the instinctive and mechanical cries, or ejaculations, of man, and are thus the signs of his affections, independent of all ideal character. When depressed

beneath a load of sorrows he ejaculates, ah, alas, or alack; when suddenly excited by some unforeseen event, he ejaculates, vah, hah, or aha; when shocked by the manifestation of indecency, he ejaculates, fie or pshaw; when annoyed by the prattling of some incessant gabbler, he ejaculates, hush or mum; when prompted by the ludicrous, he ejaculates, ha, ha, ha; and so on throughout the affections of beings generally. As Dr. Crombie observes, "These physical emissions have no more claim to be called parts of speech than the neighing of a horse, or the lowing of a cow."

39. I have proceeded so far, I trust, as to remove all the doubts and uncertainties which too frequently arise from foreign terms. I now purpose to make such selections as I have experienced to be the further difficulties of grammar. These selections, I shall bring before you under distinct heads, and in such language and order as propriety may suggest. But before you advance a single step, put your knowledge of the parts of speech to the test, by pointing out the various kinds of words contained in some portion of this grammar, and if you find it inadequate, you may conclude, that it is necessary for you to retrace your steps, which only requires a little patience and perseverence, until you become familiar with the classification of any word you may chance to fix your eyes upon. If you really desire to learn grammar, you cannot do better than keep this caution in view at the close of every chapter, until you come to the end of the book.

40. On our way to a more minute investigation of the properties and functions of the different classes

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