ill be evident from the following instances of erroneous onstruction. "He can read better than me." "He is as ood as her." "Whether I be present or no. "Who did his? Me." By supplying the words understood in each of hese phrases, their impropriety and governing rule will ppear: as, "Better than I can read;" "As good as she ;""Present or not present :" "I did it."

1. By not attending to this rule, many errors have been ommitted: a number of which is subjoined, as a further caution and direction to the learner. Thou art a much greater loser than me by his death." "She suffers hourly more than me." "We contributed a third more than the Dutch, who were obliged to the same proportion more than 48." "King Charles, and more than him, the duke and the popish faction, were at liberty to form new schemes." "The drift of all his sermons was, to prepare the Jews for the reception of a prophet mightier than him, and whose shoes he was not worthy to bear." "It was not the work of so eminent an author, as him to whom it was first imputed." "A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both." "If the king give us leave, we may perform the office as well as them that do." In these passages it ought to be, I, we, he, they, respectively."

When the relative who immediately follows than, it seems to form an exception to the 20th rule for in that connexion, the relative must be in the objective case: as, "Alfred than whom, a greater king never reigned," &c. "Beelzebub, than whom. Satan excepted, none higher sat," &c. It is remarkable that in such instances, if the personal pronoun were used, it would be in the nominative case; as, "A greater king never reigned than he," that is, than he "Beelzebub, than he," &c; tha is, than he sat." The phrase than whom, is, however, avoided by the best modern writers.

was."

RULE XXI.

To avoid disagreeable repetitions, and to express our ideas in few words, an ellipsis, or omission of some words, is frequently admitted.

use of the ellipsis, and say, wise, and good man."

He

When the omission of words w sentence, weaken its force, or be impropriety, they must be expres tence," We are apt to love w word them should be supplie field and trees," is not prop should be, "Beautiful fields and beautiful field and fine trees."

Almost all compounded sentences a tical; some examples of which may b erent parts of speech.

1. The ellipsis of the article is t woman, and child:" that is, "a man, "A house and garden;" that is, "a "The sun and moon ;" that is, "the

The day and hour;" that is, "the In all these instances, the article bein repetition of it becomes unnecessary an exception to this observation, wh phasis requires a repetition; as in t

Not only the year, but the day and case, the ellipsis of the last articl When a different form of the article is also properly repeated: as, "a h instead of, "a house and orchard."

2. The noun is frequently omitte ner. "The laws of God and man;' God and the laws of man." In som pressions, the ellipsis should not be power of God, and the wisdom of emphatical than, "Christ the powe

3. The ellipsis of the adjective i manner. "A delightful garden an delightful garden and a delightf man and woman; that is, "A lit man.' In such elliptical express tive ought to have exactly the sam

ifferent numbers: as, "A magnificent house and gardens." n this case it is better to use another adjective; as, “A agnificent house and fine gardens.”

"I love

4. The following is the ellipsis of the pronoun. nd fear him?" that is, "I love him, and I fear him” My house and lands;" that is, "my house and my lands.” n these instances the ellipsis may take place with propriey; but if we would be more express and emphatical, it must not be used: as, "His friends and his foes;" " My sons and my daughters."

In some of the common forms of speech, the relative pronoun is usually omitted: as, "This is the man they tove;" instead of, "This is the man whom they love." "These are the goods they bought;" for, "These are the goods which they bought."

In complex sentences, it is much better to have the relative pronoun expressed: as it is more proper to say, "The posture in which I lay," than, "In the posture I lay:" "The horse on which I rode, fell down;" than "The horse I rode, fell down."

The antecedent and the relative connect the parts of a sentence together, and, to prevent obscurity and confusion, should answer to each other with great exactness. "We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen." Here the ellipsis is manifestly improper, and ought to be supplied: as, "We speak that which we do know, and testify that which we have seen.”

5. The ellipsis of the verb is used in the following instances. "The man was old and crafty;" that is, "the man was old, and the man was crafty." "She was young, and beautiful, and good:" that is, "She was young, she was beautiful, and she was good." "Thou art poor, and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked." If we would fill up the ellipsis in the last sentence, thou art ought to be repeated before each of the adjectives.

If, in such enumeration, we choose to point out one property above the rest, that property must be placed last, and the ellipsis supplied: as, "She is young and beautiful, and she is good"

"I went to see and hear him;" that is, "I went to see him, and I went to hear him." In this instance there is not.

the auxiliaries of the compound tenses alone, to spare the repetitions of the ve his word, but thou dost not :" i. e. " "We succeeded, but they did not :" "I have learned my task, but thou learned" "They must, and they that is, "They must be punished"

6. The ellipsis of the adverb is u manner. "He spoke and acted wi spoke wisely, and he acted wisely." offered my service;" that is, "Thri offered my service."

7. The ellipsis of the preposition, is seen in the following instances: beys, halls and public buildings" th the abbeys, he went into the halls, public buildings." "He also went t

and lanes of the city;" that is, "Th and through all the lanes," &c. man and woman there." that is, " to ery woman." This day, next mont "on this day, in the next month, in Lord do that which seemeth him g seemeth to him "

8 The ellipsis of the conjunction confess the power, wisdom, gooda Creator;" i. e "the power, and and love of," &c. "Though I lov him," that is, "Though I love hi him."

9. The ellipsis of the interjection it, however, is sometimes used shame!" that is, "Oh pity! Oh sh

As the ellipsis occurs in almost English language, numerous examp but only a few more can be admitted

In the following instance there one: "He will often argue, that i were well cultivated, we should gai if another, from another," that is, that if this part of our trade were w

t blood;" i. e. to let out blood." "To let down;" i, "to let it fall or slide down." "To walk a mile ;" i. e. to walk through the space of a mile." "To sleep all ght;" i. e. "To sleep through all the night." "To ge fishing;""To go a hunting;" i. e. "to go on a fishing oyage or business;" "to go on a hunting party." "I dine

t two o'clock;" i. e, "at two of the clock." "By sea, by and, on shore;” i. e. "By the sea, by the land, on the hore."

10. The examples that follow are produced to show the mpropriety of ellipsis in some particular cases. "The and was always possessed, during pleasure, by those inrusted with the command;" it should be, "those persons ntrusted;" or, "those who were intrusted." "If he had read further, he would have found several of his objections night have been spared :" that is, "he would have found hat several of his objections," &c. "There is nothing men are more deficient in, than knowing their own charac ers." It ought to be, "nothing in which men;" and, than in knowing" "I scarcely know any part of natural philosophy would yield more variety and use;" it should be, which would yield,' &c. "In the temper of mind he was then ;” i. e. "in which he then was.” "The little satisfaction and consistency, to be found in most of the systems of divinity I have met with, made me betake myself to the sole reading of the Scriptures:" it ought to be, "which are to be found,' and, “which I have met with.” "He desired they might go to the altar together, and jointly return their thanks to whom only they were due;" i. e. to him to whom," &c.

RULE XXII.

All the parts of a sentence should correspond to each other: a regular and dependent construction throughout, should be carefully preserved. The following sentence is therefore inaccurate : "He was more beloved, but not so much admired, as Cinthio." It should be, "He was more beloved than Cinthio, but not so much admired."