same principle of arrangement and expression with the one which is intended to succeed it, it will probably be found worse than useless; for when a particular arrangement and phraseology have become familiar to the mind, there is great difficulty in studying another work on the same subject, in which the arrangement ana expression are materially different. A Grammar, to be really valuable, ought to be simple in its style and arrangement, so as to be adapted to the capacity of youth, for whose use it is designed; comprehensive, so as to be a sufficient guide in the most difficult, as well as in easy cases; and its principles and rules should be rendered familiar to the learner by numerous examples and exer. cises.

To meet these views of what a Grammar for the use of Schools ought to be, the present compilation has been made with what success, a discerning public, to whose judgment it is respectfully submitted, will decide. Utility, not novelty, has been aimed at. In collecting materials, I have freely availed myself of the labors of others who have treated on the subject since the days of Murray, and particularly of those whose object has been similar to my own. LENNIE'S "Principles of English Grammar," deservedly esteemed in Britain the best compend for the use of schools which has yet appeared, I have adopted as the ground plan of my work. The works of MURRAY, Angus, CONNEL, GRANT, CROMBIE, HILEY, and others in the extensive collection of my friend Dr. BECK, to which I have enjoyed free access, have been consulted; and from all of them has been carefully selected, condensed, and arranged, whatever seemed to be suitable to my purpose. For several valuable suggestions, also, I am indebted to Dr. T. R. BECK, and several other literary friends, who kindly examined my MSS. before they were sent to press, and freely communicated their sentiments. On the whole, it is believed that there is nothing of much importance in Murray's larger Grammar, or in the works of subsequent writers, that will not be found condensed here.

On the subject of Etymology, much expansion has been deemed unnecessary; I have therefore generally contented myself with stating results, without embarrassing the work with the processes, often tedious and obscure, which have led to them. In the clas sification of words, almost all writers differ from one another; and though on this subject there has been much discussion, nothing has yet been proposed which, on the whole, appears less objec

tionable in principle, or more convenient in practice, than that of Murray, which is therefore generally retained.

In Syntax, greater fullness has been considered proper. In the arrangement of the Rules, scarcely two writers have followed the same order; and that here adopted is somewhat different from any other. Without regarding much the usual division of Syntax into Concord and Government, those rules are placed first which appear to be most simple, and of most frequent occurrence. Caro has been taken, however, to connect with a leading rule those of a subordinate character allied to it, and to add under every rule such notes and observations as appeared necessary to its illustration. Numerous examples of false Syntax follow each rule, generally on the same page; also examples adapted to the notes, etc. are subjoined, distinguished by the number of the note to which they belong. For the purpose of better exercising the judgment of the pupil, there have been introduced at intervals, exercises on the preceding rules promiscuously arranged; and at the end, promiscuous exercises are furnished on all the rules and observations; the whole forming a body of exercises, containing perhaps not fewer examples than Murray's separate volume of Exercises on the Rules of Syntax. In this, economy as well as convenience has been consulted. The leading principles have been made so prominent by being printed on a large type, that they may be easily studied by the youngest classes without a separate compend. Every thing necessary for the fuller expansion and illustration of these principles, has been introduced in its place; and the whole furnished with questions and appropriate exercises, in order to render every part familiar to the mind of the pupil as he advances, so that no larger treatise, and no separate book of exercises, will be necessary. The arrangement of the exercises on syntax on the same page with the rule which they are designed to illustrate, it is believed, will greatly diminish the labor, both of teacher and pupil, in going over this important part of the subject.

Another object steadily kept in view in this compilation, is to render it a profitable introduction to classical studies. While all languages differ from one another in their modes of inflexion, and in some forms of expression peculiar to themselves, usually denominated idioms, their general principles are, to a very great extent, the same. It would seem, therefore, to be proper, in

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constructing grammars for different languages, that the princi ples, so far as they are the same, should be arranged in the same order, and expressed as nearly as possible in the same words. Were this carefully done, the study of the grammar of one language would be a very important aid in the study of another; and the opportunity thus afforded, of seeing wherein they agree and wherein they differ, would of itself furnish a profitable exercise in comparative grammar. But when a Latin grammar is put into the hands of a boy, differing widely in its arrangement or phraseology from the English grammar which he had previously studied, and then in due time a Greek grammar different from both, not only is the benefit derived from the analogy of the different languages in a great measure lost, but the whole subject is made to appear intolerably intricate and mysterious. To remedy this evil, I resolved, some time ago, to publish a series of Grammars of the English, Latin, and Greek languages, arranged in the same order, and expressed as nearly in the same words as the genius of the languages would permit.

This series has now been some time before the public, and has been received with a degree of favor far surpassing my expectations.

PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION.

New plates for this work having become necessary, the opportunity has been embraced to improve the work in such a way as to render it still more worthy of public favor. Several of the definitions and rules have been rendered more strictly accurate. In many places, observations and remarks have been introduced, where they seemed to be necessary to complete or elucidate the subject. The etymology of the article which stood before, is now, as it should be, placed after the noun; and that of the participle is placed with the moods and tenses, before the inflection of the verb, instead of coming after it. In these two instances only, is the order of the sections changed. In the verb, the designation and arrangement of tenses first adopted in this Grammar, but which were subsequently changed, are here resumed, being considered as altogether better, because more natural and appro priate. The former designations, however, are placed in parentheses, (except the imperfect, which does not correctly express the import of that tense), that teachers may adopt those which

they prefer. In the observations on the tenses, an attempt has been made to render them more full and explicit; and in the inflection of the verb, negative and interrogative forms have been introduced after the active voice.

In Syntax, two or three rules have been altered, where it seemed desirable for the sake of greater accuracy and simplicity. So much of Rules IV., V., and VI. as referred to the pronoun, has been omitted, to avoid the confusion occasioned by uniting two subjects (the verb and personal pronoun) under one rule, and all that relates to the Syntax of the personal pronoun has been placed together in special rules under Rule X. The exercises under these rules have been revised and made to correspond to these changes. In Prosody, several defects have been supplied. and the article on Composition has been considerably enlarged.

To make room for these improvements, the lists of questions heretofore interspersed through the work, and the utility of which has been questioned by distinguished teachers, have been removed to the end of the book, where they are placed together, so that they may be used or not, as the teacher may direct. For the same purpose, all discussions of grammatical questions have been removed from the body of the work to the Appendix, and suitable reference made to them in the text. In this position, they interfere less with the regular progress of the work, and may be consulted at pleasure. By this means, also, an opportunity is afforded of discussing the several subjects, when it was thought important, at greater length than would have been proper in their place; and hence, it will be seen, the Appendix has been considerably enlarged.

By means of these arrangements, the leading parts of the Grammar are made to occupy nearly the same place as before, being seldom more than one page distant from their former position. This revisal of the work has been gone into more thoroughly now, to avoid the necessity of ever hereafter making any changes; but no change has been made which will occasion any difficulty in using this edition with the other, as the parts introduced for the most part belong to the Notes and Observations, very seldom to the leading parts.

For further information, reference is occasionally made to the Analytical and Practical Grammar, in which the subjects generally are treated of with greater fullness, especially in Syntax, than il this compend.

PLAN OF THIS WORK.

1. In this work the leading principles, definitions, and rules forming by themselves an epitome of Grammar, are printed in larger type, and expressed in brief, accurate, and simple language, so as to be easily committed to memory.

2. All that is necessary to fill up this outline, and with it to form a complete school grammar, is inserted in its place in smaller type in Observations and Remarks, not to be committed to me. mory, but to be studied more fully in connection with the leading parts, in subsequent reviews.

3. The whole is perspicuously arranged under distinct sections and heads, all of which are numbered separately; and now, in addition to this, all the paragraphs are numbered by a running series of numbers, rendering it easy to refer to any particular part.

4. At the close of each part of speech, and frequently at intervals under different heads, Exercises, simple and easy, are introduced, for the purpose of rendering the pupil familiar with each step as he goes along, and better prepared for entering on that which is to follow.

5. The leading rules of Syntax always stand at the top of the page; and under each is presented, in special rules, in small type, or in observations and remarks in type still smaller, all that is necessary to complete or explain the subject of which it treats; and then,under these are furnished examples of false Syntax to be corrected an exercise of great importance, to render the princi. ples previously studied, and their use, familiar to the pupil.

6. For the same purpose, numerous examples of false Syntax under all the rules are furnished at the end, promiscuously arranged. In correcting these, it will always be proper to shew wherein they are wrong, mention the rule which they violate, and give the rule or the reason for the change made.

7. In Analysis and Parsing, it is important that one uniform method, the shorter the better, provided it be accurate and full, should be pursued; either that here recommended, or such other as the teacher may prefer; and that the rules, when repeated, be repeated accurately in the very words of the text.

8. The subject of Composition, at the end of the book, will be a profitable study for the pupil after he has studied the grammar, and furnish the means of constantly applying its principles.

By pursuing this method, the study of Grammar, instead of being, as it is usually considered, a dry and laborious exercise of memory, becomes, from the first, practical, intellectual, and interesting; so that with but little labor, almost imperceptibly, and in a very short time, the pupil becomes a proficient in this important branch of study.