An horfe, an husband, an herald, an heathen, and many fimilar affociations, are frequently to be found in works of taste and merit. To remedy this evil, readers fhould be taught to omit, in all fimilar cafes, the found of the n, and to give the h its full pronunciation.

A or an is ftyled the indefinite article: it is ufed in a vague sense to point out one fingle thing of the kind, in other refpects indeterminate: as "Give me a book ;" that is, any book.

The is called the definite article; because it ascertains what particular thing is meant: as, "Give me the book; meaning fome book referred to.

A fubftantive without any article to limit it, is taken in its wideft fenfe: as, "A candid temper is proper for man ;" that is, for all mankind.

The peculiar ufe and importance of the articles will be feen in the following examples; "The son of a king-the fon of the king-a fon of the king." Each of thefe three phrafes has an entirely different meaning, through the different application of the articles a and the.

"Thou art a man," is a very general and harmless pofition; but, "Thou art the man," (as Nathan faid to David,) is an affertion capable of striking terror and remorse into the heart.

The article is omitted before nouns that imply the different virtues, vices, paffions, qualities, fciences, arts, metals, herbs, &c.; as, prudence is commendable; falfehood is odious; anger ought to be avoided;" &c. It is not prefixed to a proper name; as, "Alexander,” (because that of itself denotes a determinate individual or particular thing,) except for the fake of diflinguifhing a particular family: as, "He is a Howard, or of the family of the Howards;" or by way of eminence: as, Every man is not a Newton ;""He has the courage of an Achilles : or when fome noun is understood; "He failed down the (river) Thames, in the (thip) Britannia.”.

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When an adjective is used with the noun to which the article relates, it is placed between the article and the noun; as, a good man. an agreeable woman," "the best friend." On fome occafions, however, the adjective precedes a or an; as, "fuch a fhame,” as great a man

as Alexander," "too careless an author."

The indefinite article can be joined to fubftantives in the fingular number only; the definite article may be joined alfo to plurals.

But there appears to be a remarkable exception to this rule, in the ufe of the adjectives few and many, (the latter chiefly with the word great before it,) which, though joined with plural fubftantives, yet admit of the fingular article a; as, a few men; a great many men.

The reafon of it is manifeft, from the effect which the article has in thefe phrafes; it means a fmall or great number collectively taken, and therefore gives the idea of a whole, that is, of unity. Thus likewife, a dozen, a score, a hundred, or a thousand, is one whole number, an aggregate of many collectively taken; and therefore ftill retains the article a, though joined as an adjective to a plural fubftantive; as, a hundred years, &c.

The indefinite article is fometimes placed between the adjectives many, and a fingular noun: as,

Full many a gem of pureft ray ferene,

"The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear;
;
"Full many a flow'r is born to blufh unfeen,
"And walte its fweetnefs on the defert air."

In thefe lines, the phrafes, many a gem, and many a flow'r, refer to many gems and many flowers, feparately, not collectively confidered.

The definite article the is frequently applied to adverbs in the comparative and fuperlative degree; and its effect is, to mark the degree the more ftrongly, and to define it the more precifely as : "The more I examine it, the better I like it. I like this the leaft of any."

CHAPTER III.

Of SUBSTANTIVES.

SECT. I. Of Subftantives in general.

A SUBSTANTIVE or Noun is the name of any thing that exists, or of which we have any notion : as, London, man, virtue.

Subftantives are either proper or common.

Proper names or fubftantives, are the names appropriated to individuals: as, George, London, Thames.

Common names or fubftantives, fland for kinds containing many forts, or for forts containing many individuals under them; as, animal, man, tree, &c.

as,

When proper names have an article annexed to them, they become common names : "He is the Cicero of his age; he is reading the lives of the Twelve Cafars."

Common names may also be used to fignify individuals, by the addition of articles or pronouns : "The boy is ftudious; that girl is discreet.”*

as,

To fubftantives belong gender, number, and cafe; and they are all of the third perfon, when fpoken of, and of the fecond when spoken to: as,

* Nouns may alfo be divided into the following claffes: Collective nouns, or nouns of multitude; as, the people, the parliament, the army: Abstract nouns, or the names of qualities abftracted from their fubftances; as knowledge, goodness, whiteness: Verbal or participial nouns; as, beginning, reading, writing.

"Bleffings attend us on every fide; be grateful, children of men!" that is, ye children of men.

The Mafculine Gender denotes animals of the male kind: as, a man, a horse, a bull.

The Feminine Gender fignifies animals of the female kind: as, a woman, a duck, a hen.

The Neuter Gender denotes objects which are neither males nor females: as, a field, a house, a garden.

Some fubftantives, naturally neuter, are, by a figure of speech, converted into the mafculine or feminine gender: as, when we fay of the fun, ke is fetting; and of a ship, she fails well.

Figuratively, in the English tongue, we commonly give the mafculine gender to nouns which are confpicuous for the attributes of imparting or communicating, and which are by nature ftrong and efficacious. Thofe, again, are made feminine, which are confpicuous for the attributes of containing or bringing forth, or which are peculiarly beautiful or amiable. Upon thefe principles, the fun is faid to be masculine; and the moon, being the receptacle of the fun's light, to be feminine. The earth is generally feminine. A fhip, a country, a city, &c. are likewife made feminine, being receivers or containers. Time is always mafculine, on account of its mighty efficacy. Virtue is feminine from its beauty, and its being the object of love. Fortune and the church are generally put in the feminine gender.

The English language has three methods of diftinguishing the fex, viz.