Page images
PDF
EPUB

The reader will observe that when the verb is intransitive, i.e., when the action does not pass on to some object, the adjective is used; e.g.: "She looks cold." But when the same verb is transitive, the adverb is used; e.g. :-" She looks "coldly on him."

66

An other mode of determining whether an adverb, or an adjective, should be employed, is thus given by Lindley Murray :-"The verb to be,

66

66

in all its moods and tenses, generally requires "the word immediately connected with it to be an "adjective, not an adverb; and, consequently, "when this verb can be substituted for any other, "without varying the sense or the construction, "that other verb must also be connected with an "adjective. The following sentences elucidate "these observations :- The rose smells [or is] "'sweet'. 'How delightful the country appears' [or is]. The clouds look [or are] dark'. In "all these sentences, we can, with perfect propriety, substitute some tenses of the verb to be "for the other verbs. But in the following "sentences, we cannot do this: The dog smells

[ocr errors]

66

666

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

disagreeably'; 'George feels exquisitely'." This is an excellent rule of Lindley Murray's; but nothing could be more unfortunate than one of

C

his illustrations of it. He very properly tells us that we ought to say;-"The rose smells sweet" [is sweet]; but he adds, or, at least, implies, that we cannot say ;-"The dog smells disagree"able" [is disagreeable]. In other words, we must say that, the scent of the rose is sweet; but, the scent of the dog is disagreeably!

That such errors as these are to be found in 'An English Grammar, Comprehending the Prin'ciples and Rules of the Language', is indeed astonishing.

CRITICISM III.

LINDLEY MURRAY.

HAVING Considered some of Lindley Murray's errors in the use of verbs, adverbs, and adjectives; we will now consider some of his errors in the use of pronouns.

66

Concerning them, he says, on page 232;-"Pronouns must always agree with their antecedents, "and the nouns for which they stand, in gender "and number". He adds, "Of this rule there.

.56

are many violations to be met with; a few of "which may be sufficient to put the learner on "his guard. Each of the sexes should keep “within its particular bounds, and content them"selves with the advantages of their particular "districts"."

Although Lindley Murray thus endeavours "to "put the learner on his guard", the teacher so far forgets his own instructions, as to say, on page 416;

"The facts, premises, and conclusions, of a subject, "sometimes naturally point out the separations "into paragraphs: and each of these, when of

66

'great length, will again require subdivision at "their most distinctive parts."!

This is one of the most frequent of vulgar

errors.

An other, almost equally common, is the "and "which" error. This consists in the employment of the words "and which" in a sentence not containing, in the preceding part of it, the word "which", either expressed or understood. The error is one that young writers frequently fall into; and, strange to say, it is found in some of even Lindley Murray's sentences. The following example is from page 8 of his Grammar :

"The more important rules, definitions, and observa

"tions, and which are therefore the most proper "to be committed to memory, are printed with a "larger type".

This sentence is extremely faulty. Firstly, because it contains the "and which" error; and, secondly, because the relative adverb "therefore", that follows those words, has really not any antecedent that is grammatically connected with it. Lindley Murray ought to have said;— The rules, definitions,

"and observations which are the more important, " and which are therefore the most proper to be con"mitted to memory, are printed in larger type”.

The "and which" error occurs on page 379 also. We there read :

66

66

66

"From the preceding view of English versification, we may see what a copious stock of materials "it possesses. For we are not only allowed the use of all the ancient poetic feet, in our heroic measure, but we have, as before observed, duplicates of each, agreeing in movement, though differing in measure, and which make different impressions on the ear; an opulence peculiar to our language, and which may be the source of a boundless variety."

66

66

66

66

66

[ocr errors]

Even were the foregoing sentence grammatically correct, the repetition of "and which' would stamp it as being inelegant. But the sentence is constructed in direct violation of the writer's eighteenth rule of syntax, which says;—

66

Conjunctions connect the same moods and "tenses of verbs, and cases of nouns and pro66 nouns ". The latter part of the sentence ought therefore to have been written thus:"But we have, as before observed, duplicates of "each, agreeing in movement, though differing "in measure, and making [not and which make ']

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »