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cure, curable; fenfe, fenfible, &c.: but if c or g foft comes before e in the original word, the e is then preferved in words compounded with able; as change, changeable; peace, peaceable, &c.

RULE X.

e,

When ing or if is added to words ending with filent thee is almost univerfally omitted; as, place, placing; lodge, lodging; flave, flavish; prude, prudish.

RULE XI.

Words taken into compofition, often drop thofe letters which were fuperfluous in their fimples; as, handful, dunghil, withal, alfo, chilblain, foretel."

The orthography of a great number of English words, is far from being uniform, even amongst writers of diftinction. Thus, honour and honor, inquire and enquire, negotiate and negociate, control and controul, expenfe and expence, allege and alledge, furprise and furprize, abridgment and abridgement, and many other orthographical variations, are to be met with in the best modern publications. Some authority for deciding differences of this nature, appears to be neceffary: and where can we find one of equal pretenfions with Dr. Johnson's Dictionary? though a few of his decifions do not appear to be warranted by the principles of etymology and analogy, the ftable foundations of his improvements.

"As the weight of truth and reason (fays Ñares in his "Elements of Orthoepy") is irrefiftible, Dr. Johnson's Dictionary has nearly fixed the external form of our language. Indeed, fo convenient is it to have one acknowledged ftandard to recur to; fo much preferable, in matters of this nature, is a trifling degree of irregularity, to a continual change, and fruitless purfuit of unattainable perfection; that it is earnestly to be hoped, that no author will henceforth, on flight grounds, be tempted to innovate."

PART II.

ETYMOLOGY.

CHAPTER I.

A GENERAL VIEW of the PARTS of SPEECH.

THE fecond part of grammar is ETYMOLOGY: which treats of the different forts of words, their various modifications, and their derivation.

There are, in English, nine sorts of words, or, as they are commonly called, PARTS OF SPEECH; namely, the ARTICLE, the SUBSTANTIVE OF NOUN; the PRONOUN, the ADJECTIVE, the VERB, the ADVERB, the PREPOSITION, the CONJUNCTION, and the INTERJECTION.

1. An Article is a word prefixed to fubftantives, to point them out, and to show how far their fignification extends : as, a garden, an eagle, the woman.

2. A Subftantive or noun is the name of any thing that exifts, or of which we have any notion : as, London, man, virtue.

A fubftantive may, in general, be diftinguished by its taking an article before it, or by its making fenfe of itself; as, a book, the fun, an apple; temperance, indufiry, chastity.

3. A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the fame word: as, "The man is happy; he is benevolent; be is ufeful."

4. An Adjective is a word added to a fubftantive, to exprefs its quality: as, "An industrious man; a virtuous woman."

An Adjective may be known by its making fenfe with the addition of the word thing: as, a good thing; a bad thing or of any particular substantive; as a sweet apple, a pleasant prospect.

5. A Verb is a word which fignifies to BE, to I rule; I am ruled."

DO, or to SUFFER: as,

"I am;

A Verb may be diftinguished, by its making fenfe with any of the perfonal pronouns, or the word to before it: as, I walk, he plays, they write; or, to walk, to play, to write.

6. An Adverb is a part of fpeech joined to a verb, an adjective, and fometimes to another adverb, to exprefs fome quality or circumftance refpecting it as, "He reads well; a truly good man; he writes very correctly.

An Adverb may be generally known, by its anfwering to the question, How? how much? when? or where? as, in the phrafe "He reads correctly," the answer to the queftion, How does he read? is, correaly.

7. Prepofitions ferve to connect words with one another, and to fhow the relation between them: as, "He went from London to York;" "he is above difguife;" "they are fupported by induftry."

A Prepofition may be known by its admitting after it a perfonal pronoun, in the objective cafe; as, with, for, to &c. will allow the objective cafe after them; with him, for ber, to them, &c.

8. A Conjunction is a part of fpeech that is chiefly used to connect or join together fentences; fo as, out of two, to make one fentence: it fometimes connects only words: as, "Thou and he are happy, because you are good." "Two and three are five."

9. Interjections are words thrown in between the parts of a fentence, to exprefs the paffions or emotions of the fpeaker: as "O virtue! how amiable thou art !"

The obfervations which have been made, to aid learners in diftinguishing the parts of speech from one another, may afford them fome fmall affiftance; but it will certainly be much more instructive, to distinguish them by the definitions, and an accurate knowledge of their nature.

In the following paffage, all the parts of speech are exemplified:

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The power of fpeech is a faculty peculiar to man;

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and was bestowed on him by his beneficent Creator, for

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the greatest and most excellent ufes; but alas! how often

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do we pervert it to the worst of purposes.

In the foregoing fentence, the words the, a, are articles; power, Speech, faculty, man, Creator, ufes, purposes, are fubftantives; him, his, we, it, are pronouns; peculiar, beneficent, greatest, excellent, worst, are adjectives; is, was, beftowed, do, pervert, are verbs; moft, how, often, are adverbs; of, to, on, by, for, are prepofitions; and, but, are conjunctions; and alas is an interjection.

The number of the different forts of words, or of the parts of fpeech, has been variously reckoned by different grammarians. Some have enumerated ten, making the participle a distinct part; fome eight, excluding the participle, and ranking the adjective under the noun; fome four, and others only two, (the noun and the verb,) fuppofing the

We

reft to be contained in the parts of their divifion. have followed thofe authors, who appear to have given them the most natural and intelligible diftribution. Some remarks on the division made by the learned Horne Tooke, are contained in the first section of the eleventh chapter of etymology.

The interjection, indeed, feems fcarcely worthy of being confidered as a part of artificial language or fpeech, being rather a branch of that natural language, which we poffefs in common with the brute creation, and by which we exprefs the fudden emotions and paffions that actuate our frame. But, as it is used in written as well as oral language, it may, in fome measure, be deemed a part of speech. It is with us, a virtual fentence, in which the noun and verb, are concealed under an imperfect or indigefted word.

CHAPTER II.

Of the ARTICLES.

AN Article is a word prefixed to fubftantives, to point them out, and to show how far their fignification extends; as, a garden, an eagle, the woman.

In English, there are but two articles, a and the: a becomes an before a vowel,* and before a filent h; as, an acorn, an hour. But if the b be founded, the a only is to be used; as, a hand, a heart, a highway.

The inattention of writers and printers to this neceffary diftinction, has occafioned the frequent ufe of an before h, when it is to be pronounced; and this circumftance, more than any other, has probably contributed to that indistinct utterance, or total omiffion, of the found fignified by this letter, which very often occurs amongst readers and speakers.

* A instead of an is now used before words beginning with " long. See page 29, letter U. It is also used before one; as, many a one.

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