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series of particulars comprehended under it; as, "Ambition, interest, honour, all concurred."-Murray. "C Royalists, republicans, churchmen, sectaries, courtiers, patriots, all parties concurred in the illusion."-Hume.

OBS. 9.-To express a reciprocal action or relation, the pronominal adjectives each other and one an other are employed: as, "They love each other;" "They love one an other." The words separately considered, are singular; but taken together, they imply plurality; and they can be properly construed only after plurals, or singulars taken conjointly. Each other is usually applied to two objects; and one an other, to more than two. The terms, though reciprocal, and closely united, are never in the same construction. If such expressions be analyzed, each and one will generally appear to be in the nominative case, and other in the objective; as, "They love each other;" i. e. each loves the other. Each is properly in apposition with they, and other is governed by the verb. The terms, however, admit of other constructions; as, "Be ye helpers one of an other."-Bible. Here one is in apposition with ye, and other is governed by of. "Ye are one an other's joy."-lb. Here one is in apposition with ye, and other's is in the possessive case, being governed by joy. "Love will make you one an other's joy." Here one is in the objective case, being in apposition with you, and other's is governed as before. The Latin terms alius alium, alii alios, &c. sufficiently confirm this doctrine.

OBS. 10.-The common and the proper name of an object are often associated, and put in apposition; as, The river Thames-The ship Albion-The poet Cowper-Lake Erie-Cape May-Mount Atlas. But the proper name of a place, when accompanied by the common name, is generally put in the objective case, and preceded by of; as, The city of New York-The land of Canaan.

OBS. 11.-The several proper names which distinguish an individual, are always in apposition, and should be taken together in parsing; as, William Pitt-Marcus Tullius Cicero.

OBS. 12.-When an object acquires a new name or character from the action of a verb, the new appellation is put in apposition with the object of the active verb, and in the nominative after the passive; as, "They named the child John-The child was named John."- "They elected him presidentHe was elected president."― After the active verb, the acquired name must be parsed by Rule 3d; after the passive, by Rule 21st.

FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE III.

I have received a letter from my cousin, she that was here last week.

[Not proper, because the nominative pronoun she is used to explain the objective noun cousin. But, according to Rule 3d, "A noun or a personal pronoun, used to explain a preceding noun or pronoun, is put, by apposition, in the same case." Therefore, she should be her; thus, I have received a letter from my cousin, her that was here last week.]

The book is a present from my brother Richard, he that keeps the bookstore.

I am going to see my friends in the country, they that we met at the ferry.

This dress was made by Catharine, the milliner, she that we saw at work.

Dennis, the gardener, him that gave me the tulips, has promised me a piony.

Resolve me, why the cottager and king,
Him whom sea-sever'd realms obey, and him
Who steals his whole dominion from the waste,
Repelling winter blasts with mud and straw,
Disquieted alike, draw sigh for sigh.

RULE IV.-ADJECTIVES.

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Adjectives relate to nouns or pronouns : as, He is a wise man, though he is young."

EXCEPTION FIRST.

An adjective sometimes relates to a phrase or sentence which is made the subject of an intervening verb; as, "To insult the afflicted, is impious."Dillwyn. "That he should refuse, is not strange.”

EXCEPTION SECOND.

With an infinitive or a participle denoting being or action in the abstract, an adjective is sometimes also taken abstractly; (that is, without reference to any particular noun, pronoun, or other subject;) as, "To be sincere, is to be wise, innocent, and safe."-Hawkesworth. "Capacity marks the abstract quality of being able to receive or hold."-Crabb's Synonymes.

OBSERVATIONS ON RULE IV.

"The nine,"

OBS. 1.-Adjectives often relate to nouns understood; as, [muses.]" Philip was one of the seven" [deacons.]-"He came unto his own [possessions,] and his own [men] received him not."-"The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty [God,] and a terrible" [God.]-Deut. x. 17.

OBS. 2.-In as much as qualities belong only to things, most grammarians teach that every adjective belongs to some noun expressed or understood; and suppose a countless number of unnecessary ellipses. But it is evident that in the construction of sentences, adjectives often relate immediately to pronouns, and, through them, to the nouns they represent. This is still more obviously the case, in some other languages, as may be seen by the following examples, which retain something of the Greek idium: "All ye are brethren."" Whether of them twain did the will of his father." -N. Test.

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OBS. 3.-When an adjective follows a finite verb, and is not followed by a noun, it generally relates to the subject of the verb; as, I am glad that the door is made wide."-" Every thing which is false, vicious, or unworthy, is despicable to him, though all the world should approve it."-Spectator, No. 520. Here false, vicious, and unworthy, relate to which; and despicable relates to thing.

OBS. 4-When an adjective follows an infinitive or a participle, the noun or pronoun to which it relates, is sometimes before it, and sometimes after it, and often considerably remote; as, "A real gentleman cannot but practise those virtues which, by an intimate knowledge of mankind, he has found to be useful to them."—"He [a melancholy enthusiast] thinks himself obliged in duty to be sad and disconsolate."-Addison. "He is scandalized at youth for being lively, and at childhood for being playful."-Id. "But growing weary of one who almost walked him out of breath, he left him for Horace and Anacreon."--Steele.

OBS. 5.-Adjectives preceded by the definite article, are often used,

by ellipsis, as nouns. They designate those classes of objects which are characterized by the qualities they express; and, in parsing, the noun may be supplied. They are most commonly of the plural number, and refer to persons, places, or things, understood; as, "The careless [persons] and the imprudent, the giddy and the fickle, the ungrateful and the interested everywhere meet us."-Blair.

"Together let us beat this ample field,

Try what the open [places], what the covert, yield.”—Pope.

OBS. 6.-The adjective is generally placed immediately before its noun; as, "Vain man! is grandeur given to gay attire?"-Beattie.

OBS. 7.-Those adjectives which relate to pronouns most commonly follow them; as, "They left me weary on a grassy turf."-Milton.

OBS. 8.-In the following instances, the adjective is placed after the noun to which it relates:

1. When other words depend on the adjective; as, "A mind conscious of right"-"A wall three feet thick."

2. When the quality results from the action of a verb; as, "Virtue renders life happy.'

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3. When the adjective would thus be more clearly distinctive; as, "Goodness infinite"-"Wisdom unsearchable."

4. When a verb comes between the adjective and the noun; as, “Truth stands independent of all external things."-Burgh.

OBS. 9.-In some cases, the adjective may either precede or follow the noun; as,

1. In poetry; as,

"Wilt thou to the isles

Atlantic, to the rich Hesperian clime,
Fly in the train of Autumn ?"—Akenside.

2. In some technical expressions; as, "A notary public," or, "A public notary."

or,

3. When an adverb precedes the adjective; as, "A Being infinitely wise," "An infinitely wise Being."

4. When several adjectives belong to the same noun; as, "C A woman, modest, sensible, and virtuous," or, "A modest, sensible, and virtuous wo

man."

OBS. 10.-An emphatic adjective may be placed first in the sentence, though it belong after the verb; as, "Weighty is the anger of the righteous."--Bible.

OBS. 11. By an ellipsis of the noun, an adjective with a preposition before it, is sometimes equivalent to an adverb; as, "In particular;" that is, in a particular manner; equivalent to "particularly." În parsing, supply the ellipsis. [See Obs. 2d, under Rule xxii.]

NOTES TO RULE IV.

NOTE I-Adjectives that imply unity or plurality, must agree with their nouns in number; as, That sort, those sorts. NOTE II.-When the adjective is necessarily plural, the noun should be made so too; as, "Twenty pounds"-not, 66 Twenty pound."

OBS. 1.-In some peculiar phrases this rule appears to be disregarded; as, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient."-John, vi. 7. "Troenty sail of vessels"-"A hundred head of cattle."

OBS. 2.-To denote a collective number, a singular adjective may pre

cede a plural one; as, "One hundred men"" Every six weeks"-" One seven times."-Dan. iii. 19.

OBS. 3.-To denote plurality, the adjective many may, in like manner, precede an or a with a singular noun; as,

"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,

And waste its sweetness on the desert air."-Gray.

NOTE III.-The noun means, and some others, have the same form in both numbers: they should therefore be used without change of number, with an adjective singular or plural, as the sense requires; as, "By this means they bear witness to each other."- Burke. Mean, in this sense, is not in good use.

NOTE IV. The comparative degree can only be used in reference to two objects, or classes of objects; the superlative compares one or more things with all others of the same class, whether few or many: as, "Edward is taller than James; he is the largest of my scholars."

NOTE V. When the comparative degree is employed, the latter term of comparison should never include the former; as, "Iron is more useful than all the metals." It should be, “ than all the other metals."

NOTE VI. When the superlative degree is employed, the latter term of comparison should never exclude the former; as, "A fondness for show, is, of all other follies, the most vain." The word other should be expunged.

NOTE VII. Comparative terminations, and adverbs of degree, should not be applied to adjectives that are not susceptible of comparison; and all double comparatives and superlatives should be avoided; as, "So universal a complaint:" say, “so general."—"Some less nobler plunder :" say, "less noble.”- "The most straitest sect:" expunge most.

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NOTE VIII. When adjectives are connected by conjunctions, the shortest and simplest should be placed first; as, “ He is older and more respectable than his brother."

NOTE IX.-An adjective and its noun may be taken as a compound term, to which other adjectives may be prefixed. The most distinguishing quality should be expressed next to the noun; as, " A fine young man"-not," A young fine man.” NOTE X.-In prose, the use of adjectives for adverbs, is improper; as, "He writes elegant"-say, " elegantly."

OBS 1.-In poetry, an adjective relating to the noun or pronoun, is sometimes elegantly used in stead of an adverb qualifying the verb or participle;

as,

"To thee I bend the knee; to thee my thoughts

Continual climb."-Thomson.

OBS. 2.-In order to determine, in difficult cases, whether an adjective or an adverb is required, the learner should carefully attend to the definitions of these parts of speech, and consider whether, in the case

in question, quality or manner is to be expressed: if the former, an adjective is proper; if the latter, an adverb. The following examples will illustrate this point: "She looks cold;-she looks coldly on him.”—“I sat silent;-I sat silently musing."—"Stand firm;-maintain your cause firmly."

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NOTE XI. The pronoun them should never be used as an adjective in lieu of those: say, "I bought those books"—not, "them books." This is a vulgar error.

NOTE XII-When the pronominal adjectives, this and that, or these and those, are contrasted; this or these should represent the latter of the antecedent terms, and that or those, the former;

as,

"And, reason raise o'er instinct as you can,

In this 'tis God directs, in that 'tis man.”—Pope. "Farewell my friends! farewell my foes!

My peace with these, my love with those !"—Burns.

NOTE XIII The pronominal adjectives each, one, either, and neither, are always in the third person singular; and, when they are the leading words in their clauses, they require verbs and pronouns, to agree with them accordingly: as, " Each of you is entitled to his share."—" Let no one deceive himself."

NOTE XIV.--The pronominal adjectives either and neither relate to two things only; when more are referred to, any and none should be used in stead of them: as, "Any of the three" -not, "Either of the three."-" None of the four"--not, “ Neither of the four."

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NOTE XV.-Participial adjectives retain the termination, but not the government, of participles; when, therefore, they are followed by the objective case, a preposition must be inserted to govern it: as, "The man who is most sparing of his words, is generally most deserving of attention."

FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE IV.

Examples under Note 1.

Those sort of people you will find to be troublesome.

[Not proper, because the adjective those is in the plural number, and does not agree with its noun sort, which is singular. But, according to Note 1st under Rule 4th, "Adjectives that imply unity or plurality, must agree with their nouns in number." Therefore, those should be that; thus, That sort of people you will find to be troublesome.]

Things of these sort are easily understood.
Who broke that tongs?

Where did I drop this scissors?

Bring out that oats.

Extinguish that embers.

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