A substantive with its adjective is rec pounded word, whence they often take and sometimes a third, and so on: as, " A old man; a very learned, judicious, good

Though the adjective always relates is, in many instances, put as if it were at where the noun has been mentioned befo derstood, though not expressed; as, " green fields, as I am very fond of green virtuous, the honoured, famed, and gr sons;""The twelve," that is, "apostl passion on the poor;" be feet to the lan blind."

Substantives are often used as adject the word so used is sometimes unconn stantive to which it relates; sometime by a hyphen; and sometimes joined to two words coalesce. The total separat either of the two words is long, or v fluently pronounced as one word; as, a a silver watch, a stone cistern: the hy both the words are short, and are rea single word: as, coal-mine, corn-m words coalesce, when they are readily er; have a long established association use: as, honeycomb, gingerbread, ink

Sometimes the adjective becomes a another adjective joined to it: as, "Th Vast immense of space."

When an adjective has a prepositi stantive being understood, it takes the and is considered as an adverb; as, Es mlar, in haste," &c. ; that is, " Genera tily'

Enow was formerly used as the plu now obsolete.

RULE IX.

The article a or an agrees singular number only, individual as, "A christian, an infidel, a s

len, the houses, the stars.

The articles are often properly omitted when ised, they should be justly applied, according to heir distinct nature: as, "Gold is corrupting; he sea is green; a lion is bold."

It is of the nature of both the articles to determine or lim

t the thing spoken of. A determines it to be one single thing of the kind, leaving it still uncertain which the determines which it is, or of many, which they are.

The following passage will serve as an example of the different uses of a and the, and of the force of the substantive

without any article. "Man was made for society, and ought to extend his good will to all men: but a man will naturally entertain a more particular kindness for the men, with whom he has the most frequent intercourse; and enter into a still closer union with the man whose temper and disposition suit best with his own."

As the articles are sometimes misapplied, it may be of some use to exhibit a few instances: "And I persecuted this way unto the death." The apostle does not mean any particular sort of death, but death in general; the definite article therefore is improperly used: it ought to be "unto death," without any article.

"When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth;" that is, according to this translation, "into all truth whatsoever, into truth of all kinds;" very different from the meaning of the evangelist, and from the original, “into all the truth," that is, "into all evangelical truth, all truth necessary for you to know."

"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" it ought to be "the wheel," used as an instrument for the particular purpose of torturing criminals. "The Almighty hath given reason to a man to be a light unto him;" it should rather be," to man," in general. This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he is also the son of Abraham :" it ought to be," a son of Abraham."

These remarks may serve to show the great importance of the proper use of the article, and the excellence of the English language in this respect; which, by means of its two articles, does most precisely determine the extent of signification of common names.

say, "He behaved with little reverence negative. And these two are by no mea be used in the same cases. By the form a person; by the latter, I dispraise him this distinction, which is a very useful o bear the seeming impropriety of the art of number. When I say, "There were I speak diminutively, and mean to rep considerable: whereas, when I say, men with him;" I evidently intend t them.

2. In general it may be sufficient to the former of two words in the same co the French never fail to repeat it in were many hours, both of the night could spend, without suspicion, in so might have been "of the night and o the sake of emphasis, we often repeat of epithets. "He hoped that this title an ample and an independent authority

3. In common conversation, and in quently omit the articles which mi propriety in writing, especially in worst, time might be gained by this e worst," would have been better in th There here John Baptist's head." dignity in saying, "John the Baptis head of John the Baptist."

The article the has sometimes a guishing a person by an epithet. ry the fourth, by Father Daniel, we "" 66 I ow finding him the great man that he should have treated so cold gentleman."

This article is often elegantly put the French, for the pronoun possessi full in the face;" that is, "in his fac they were to strike the forehead of their foreheads."

We sometimes, according to the

mwear is a constitution the most adapted of any to the

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erty of those countries." With such a specious title that of blood, which with the multitude is always a claim, strongest, and the most easily comprehended." "They not the men in the nation the most difficult to be reced."

RULE X.

One substantive governs another, signifying a fferent thing, in the possessive or genitive case: "My father's house:" "Man's happiness Virtue's reward.”

When the annexed substantive signifies the same thing - the first, there is no variation of case: as, "George, ng of Great Britain, elector of Hanover," &c.; "Pompey ontended with Cæsar, the greatest general of his time;" Religion, the support of adversity, adorns prosperity." ouns thus circumstanced are said to be in apposition to ach other. The interposition of a relative and verb will ometimes break the construction: as, "Pompey contendd with Cæsar, who was the greatest general of his time." Here the word general is in the nominative case, governed y note 4, under RULE XI.

The preposition of joined to a substantive, is not always quivalent to the possessive case. It is only so, when the expression can be converted into the regular form of the Dossessive case. We can say, "The reward of virtue," and "Virtue's reward:" 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"

Substantives 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 genitive 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 genitive case of the personal pronoun: as, "This composition is his " "Whose book is that?". "His." If we used the noun itself, we should say, "This composition is John's." "Whose book is that?" "Eliza's." The po

ed?" "It is not hers, but his

Sometimes a substantive in the geni case stands alone, the latter one by whic ing understood: as, "I called at the bo "at the bookseller's shop.'

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1. If several nouns come together in the apostrophe with s is annexed to the to the rest; as, "John and Eliza's bo father, mother, and uncle's advice." B intervene, perhaps on account of the sign of the possessive should be annexed are John's as well as Eliza's books cian's, the surgeon's, and the apothe 2. In poetry, the additional & is frequ the apostrophe retained, in the same m tives of the plural number ending in 8 Peleus' son." This seems not so allow the following erroneous examples will ses' minister;" "Phinehas' wife?" Felix' room " "These answers were questions." But in cases which woul the hissing sound, or increase the dif ation, the omission takes place even righteousness' sake;" "For conscienc

3. Little explanatory circumstances ward between a genitive case, and the follows it; as, "She began to extol called him, excellent understanding." excellent understanding of the farmer

4. When a sentence consists of ter and an office, or of any expressions by scriptive or explanatory of the other, doubt to which of them the sign of the be annexed; or whether it should be s Thus, some would say; "I left the bookseller;" others, "at Smith th perhaps others, "at Smith's the book these forms is most agreeable to the the addition consists of two or more to be less dubious; as, "I left the bookseller and stationer." But as t