his book, and then attempt to solve miscellaneous questions! That a course so tedious and revolting should have rendered the study of Euglish grammar extremely perplexing, and generally unprofitable, is no more than might have been expected. But the several publications on this subject, that have lately appeared, in which a different course is pursued, and which aim to relieve the student from the task of committing to memory what he does not understand, are evidence of a better judgment and of more correct views.

Mr. Murray observes, in the Introduction to his grammar, that "A distinet general view, or outline, of all the parts of the study in which they are engaged; a gradual and judicious supply of this outline; and a due arrangement of the divisions, according to their natural order and connexion, appear to be among the best means of enlightening the minds of youth, and of facilitating their acquisition of knowledge.”—“ The method which he has adopted, of exhibiting the performance in characters of different sizes, will, he trusts, be con ducive to that gradual and regular procedure, which is so favourable to the business of instruction. The more important rules, definitions, and observations, and which are, therefore, the most proper to be committed to memory, are printed with a larger type; whilst rules and remarks, that are of less consequence, that extend or diversify the general idea, or that serve as explanations, are contained in the smaller letter ;-these or the chief of them, will be perused by the student to the greatest advantage, if postponed till the general system be completed."

This bint suggested the arrangement of the following work. The General View comprises what Mr. Murray had printed in the larger type; whilst the rules and remarks of minor importance, with such familiar explanations as the nature of the subject and the capacity of youth seemed to require, are ranged together under appropriate heads in the Lectures. To the compiler it appeared, that an outline of English grammar, containing the general principles and more important rules in a distinct body by themselves and within the compass of a few pages, would be ealculated to make a clearer and therefore a more durable impression on the learner's memory, than if those principles and rules were spread over a larger surface, and intermixed among others of less importance. This opinion appears to be justified by well established philosophical principles, connected with the buman mind. In our efforts to recollect any precept or remark that we have read, we endeavour to call to mind the page where we saw it, the part of the page in which it was printed, or the form of the paragraph containing it; and thus, by an association of ideas to which every mind is more or less accustomed, the words themselves are at length remembered. So in our reminiscences of geography, especially of places that we have never visited, we call to the view of the "mind's eye" a map that we have seen; with the form and size of which are associated, in our memories, the course of the larger rivers, the situation of the principal towns, &c. Hence it appears that, by means of the association of ideas, the faculty of vision may

*

very materially assist that of retention; and that it is of great importance, in elementary school-books, to render the eye as much as possible subservient to the memory. It is with this design, that, in the following work, those rules and principles of English grammar, which, from their importance, deserve to be impressed on the memory in the clearest and most forcible manner, are embodied into a distinct General View, comprising only a few of the first pages. With the same design, the octavo form has been adopted, as being the best calculated to present at a single view, a suitable number of those rules and principles, without rendering the size of the book inconvenient. The definitions and inflections of the parts of speech are arranged in the body of the page; the correspondent rules of Syntax on the margin; and the lessons for parsing, numbered and selected to correspond with the rules, are placed immediately under them, and opposite to the definitions.

By means of this arrangement the student becomes practically acquainted with Etymology and Syntax both at the same time. Etymological pars

ing alone is deficient; it may serve to familiarize the learner with the va riations of the verb, for instance, as love, lovest, loves; but it requires Syntax to show him the reason of those variations, viz. to denote the agreement of the verb with nominatives of different persons. Thus Etymology and Syntax mutually explain and illustrate each other; and should, therefore, always be studied together.

But, in the estimation of the unpractised learner, the facilities, which this work affords for parsing, and for dispensing with the vexatious task of committting to memory whadee cannot understand, will probably be deemed not the least important. It has been well remarked, by a late writer on grammar, that “it is parsing which illustrates the proper connexions of words, and makes the learner remember them." And on this subject Mr. Murray very judiciously observes ;- The principles of knowledge become most intelligible to young persons, when they are explained and inculcated by practical illustration and direction. This mode of teaching is attended with so many advantages, that it ean scarcely be too much recommended or pursued. Instruction which is enlivened by pertinent examples, and in which the student is exercised in reducing the rules prescribed to practice, has a more striking effect on the mind, aud is better adapted to fix the attention and sharpen the understanding, than that which is divested of these aids and confined to bare positions and precepts; in which it too frequently happens, that the learner has no further concern, than to read and repeat them. The time and care, employed in practical application, give occasion to survey the subjeet minutely, and in different points of view; by which it becomes more familiar and better understood, and produces stronger and more durable impressions. These observations are peculiarly

*This principle appears to have been well understood by the Rev. Mr. Woodbridge and Mrs. E. Willard, authors of the New System of Geography. The frontispiece of their work, representing the relative size of the principal mountains, is an admirable design, It conveys a volume of instruction at a single view,

applicable to the study of grammar, and the method of teaching it." In the outline of this work, all the more important principles of Etymology and their kindred rules of Syntax are successively brought together on the same respective pages, with such practical exercises in parsing, as are peculiarly adapted to exen plify and illustrate the principles to which they refer. By this means the study of grammar is assimilated to that of arithmetic; the student commences with parsing, in easy exercises, the simplest parts of speech; and by parsing, that is, by repeating the rules and definitions, and applying them to the example, he readily disceros their use and meanings and at the same time commits them to memory.

Lesson 1st respects articles and nouns only; and the examples in this lesson are designed to exemplify the definition of nouns and the division of them into common and proper; the definition of the articles, their effect in limiting the signification of the noun, the force of the noun without any article, and the application of the first rule of Syntax.

Io Lesson 2nd, the Adjective is introduced; and the examples in this lesson, besides answering the purpose of additional exercises on the articles and nouns, are especially adapted to illustrate the second rule, and to familiarize the learner with the definition, use, and comparison of adjectives.

Lessons 3d and 4th exemplify the distinctions of nouns with regard to gender, number, person, and case, with the declension of nouns and the 3rd and 4th rules, relating to the agreement and government of nouns; and so on through all the parts of speech, every successive lesson exemplifying some new principle, and adding some new matter to the stock of information already acquired from the preceding ones.

This course of lessons, which comprises all the general principles of Etymology and Syntax, is adapted to the humblest capacity; the learner takes up the subject in detail, and pursues it without confusion or fatigue. Pleased to find his understanding equal to his task, and gratified to perceive that he becomes master of the subject as he progresses, his efforts are encouraged by facility and rewarded with success.-After having taken this general survey, he will be prepared to enter, with intelligence and pleasure, upon the course of lectures; to fill up the outline with the subordinate rules; and to become acquainted with the nicer distinctions, the intricate and anomalous constructions of the language. The system of Mr. Murray has been further improved in the following respects.

The division of verbs into active, passive, and neuter, the neuter including only such as express simply being or a state of being, and the active including all such as express action, with the consequent subdivision of active verbs into transitive and intransitive, has been adopted. This arrangement of the verbs is simple and easily comprehended; and it avoids the inconsistency, so embarrassing to the learner, of ranking verbs expressing the highest degree of ac tion-such as to walk, to run, to fly, &c. in the same class with verbs expres ing no action at all.

To the second and third persons singular of the present tense subjunctive of verbs generally, and to the present and imperfect tenses of the verb to be, and of passive verbs, two forms have been assigned the 1st or indicative form, which denotes simple contingency; as, "If he desires it, I will perform the operation," that is, "If he now desires it ;”—and the 2nd or varied form, which denotes both contingency and futurity; as, "If he desire it, I will perform the operation," that is, "If he should hereafter desire it."-"This theory of the subjunctive mood claims the merit of rendering the whole system of the moods consistent and regular; of being more conformable than any other to the definition of the subjunctive; and of not referring, to the indicative mood, forms of expression, that ill accord with its nature and simplicity."

An abridged and improved system of punctuation has been inserted in this edition. The absence of the old system will not be regretted by those, who have attentively observed how very irregular and inconsistent it is, even in the hands of Mr. Murray himself; nor can that, annexed to this volume, scarcely fail of being approved by all, who will take the little pains necessary to examine and reduce it to practice.

This book contains Murray's grammar and exercises both in one volume. The instances of erroneous orthography or construction, designed to illustrate any particular rule, are printed immediately after that rule; and those, intended to exemplify a collection of rules promiscuously, are inserted at the end of that collection. This arrangement, besides reducing the price of the work, brings its kindred parts together, and renders it more convenient for the learner. In the later editions of Murray's grammatical works, several additions and improvements were made; but these, which consist of a great variety of important notes and critical discussions, instead of being arranged under their appropriate heads in the grammar, were printed in different parts of the Exercises and Key. The apology, offered by Mr. Murray, for this arrangement is, that "the grammar had been set up and kept standing, and therefore could not admit of enlargement without an advance of the price." In this edition these notes have all been inserted in their proper places in the grammar; aud besides them, this book, which has been compiled from the latest octavo edition of Murray's grammar, contains numerous additions and improvements not to be found in any duodecimo edition. In addition to the entire system of Mr. Murray, several pages of very useful matter, from other writers, have been incorporated into this work. Such are the explanations of the names of the parts of speech; of the nature and construction of adjectives; of the persons and cases of nouns; of the meaning of the articles, and of the personal and relative pronouns; of the nature and classification, the moods, tenses, and persons of verbs; besides a great number of shorter paragraphs interspersed throughout the work. For these improvements, the work is principally indebted to the learned Horne Tooke, and the writer of the article on grammar io the " New Edinburgh Encyclopædia."

TO INSTRUCTERS.

THE following remarks, respecting the plan of instruction to which this work is adapted, are supplementary to the Directions for Parsing,' commencing at page 14.

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After having completed the course of lessons, contained in the General View, commence with the Lectures on Orthography; and direct the student to prepare himself for an examination in the first Lecture, by reading it with such attention, as will enable him to answer, with promptness, the questions set down for that Lecture, in the Questions for Examination,' printed at the close of this volume. These questions respect both the General View and the Lectures; and, consequently, to answer them will require the student to review the former and to supply its deficiencies from the latter. The Rules for spelling words should be carefully committed to memory, and the Exercises in False Orthography corrected, before proceeding to the Lectures on Etymology.While correcting these exercises, the student may also be occasionally practised in parsing them. The Lectures on Syntax have been arranged to correspond with those on Etymology, and are designed to be studied in the same course, Thus, after having read the first Lecture on Etymology, turn to the corresponding Lecture on Syntax; and so on through the whole course of Lectures on the second and third parts of English grammar. Io conformity with this design, the Rules of Syntax are treated of in the order of the parts of speech to which those Rules principally relate. This arrangement presents the syntax, as well as the Etymology, of each part of speech in a distinct body by itself. Parsing either in the select or the promiscuous exercises, should be continued daily, through the whole course.

To young and unpractised learners especially, it will afford an agreeable and useful variety of study, to be referred occasionally, during the introductory course of lessons in parsing, to the explanations, and required to correct the in. stances of erroneous construction attached to the principal rules in the Lectures on Syntax." The rules," says Mr. Murray, "require frequent explanation; and, besides direct elucidation, they admit of examples, erroneously constructed, for exercising the student's sagacity and judgment. To rectify these, at tention and reflection are requisite ; and the knowledge of the rule necessarily results from the study and correction of the sentence. But these are not all the advantages, which arise from Grammatical Exercises. By discovering their abilities to detect and amend errors, and their consequent improvement, the scholars become pleased with their studies, and are animated to proceed, and surmount the obstacles, which occur in their progress. The instructer too is relieved and encouraged in his labours. By discerning exactly the powers and improvement of his pupils, he perceives the proper season for advancing them; and, by observing the points in which they are deficient, he knows precisely where to apply his directions and explanations."