one of them spoke, and then of course it precedes the verb. More commonly it takes its natural place, as, I thought NOT. I did NOT intend to go. He will NOT come. Though Milton has sometimes used two negatives as an affirmative, yet it is a practice not to be imitated, for it produces a harsh and unpleasing phrase.

10. ADVERBS OF INTERROGATION stand before the verb, as, How can it be? WHY was it done?

11. ADVERBS OF COMPARISON. Of these almost usually takes its place between the nominative and the verb, as, I have ALMOST done. The rest are placed after it, as, we think ALIKE. They have seen MORE.

and

There is a mistake very prevalent in common parlance at present, which may here be noticed; namely, the making the adverbs of time, immediately and directly, do duty as conjunctions. It has been seen by quotations from good writers, that immediately cannot take its place at the beginning of a sentence, unless it stand absolutely, be followed by a preposition, as, immediately upon, immediately after; and without some such arrangement it cannot take its place before the nominative; yet we commonly hear and even read such phrases, as, IMMEDIATELY he heard it, he departed. DIRECTLY he arrived, the horses were brought. In all such cases it stands, and stand improperly, in the room of the conjunction when, or the phrase as soon as, and is particularly offensive to an ear trained to anything like grammatical accuracy.

7. Preposition.

The English preposition may be held always to govern an accusative case. In composition it is sometimes inseparably joined to the verb, as, to forget, to undertake; but it is more frequently separable, as, to get in, to answer for, to stand by, to go for, to part with, &c. The place which these separable prepositions are to take, is left very much to the taste of the author; and it has, in modern writing, been generally thought proper to place the preposition with a relative before the verb, as, The friends WITH WHOM WE PARTED yesterday. The cause BY WHICH WE intend TO STAND to the last yet this is not the natural arrangement of the words, and much of the force of the ex

:

pression is lost, by making the mind of the hearer or reader wait to see what verb is coming to decide the meaning of the sentence. The friends that we PARTED WITH yesterday; the cause that we intend to STAND BY to the last,-is both more English in arrangement, and more forcible in expression; in some cases the preposition may even be placed farther from the verb without losing force: but it must be after not before it. This arrangement of separable prepositions is a part of the Teutonic character of the language, and so far from being inelegant, is almost essential to an idiomatic style. Where the preposition forms no part of the verb, it is best placed near the word it governs. Thus, in,-it was done in a strange way, -in governs a strange way, and therefore in speaking of it we should say, the strange way in which it was done, and it would be a clearer and better expression than if we were to say, the strange way that it was done IN, though even this is not altogether forbidden, as,

"I give them with this ring,

Which, when you part from, lose, or give away,
Let it presage the ruin of your love."*

The only place therefore which can be assigned to the preposition, is that which shall make the sentence most clear and rapid in its expression; for, if we attentively study the habits of our nation, we shall find that it does not easily brook delay in anything, whether it be in speech or action. Even our words are shortened to the utmost in the pronunciation, and frequently abridged of a syllable or two, to save time and trouble in speaking; we may therefore be well assured that any mode of arranging the phrase which gives a slower march to the sentence, is repugnant to the genius of the language, and will never make a pleasing style.

8. Conjunction.

Some conjunctions have a government of modes, i. e., require the indicative or subjunctive mode to follow

* Shakspeare.

them, while others, such as and, but, as, &c., have no influence whatever on the mode.

Hypothetical, conditional, concessive and exceptive conjunctions, such as if, though, except, whether, &c., seem in general to require the subjunctive mode* after them, but when the sense is meant to be at all decisive, even these will have the indicative after them. The following are examples of their government of the subjunetive, taken from the translation of the Bible.

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If thou be the son of God-"

Though he slay me-"

"Unless he wash his flesh-"

"no power except it were given from above." "Whether it were I or they."

In each of these cases something contingent or doubtful is expressed. In the following the indicative mode is used to imply a greater degree of certainty.

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If the scripture has, as surely it has, left this matter," &c.

"Nor has any one reason to complain for want of farther information, unless he can show his claim to it.” "But though we are sufficiently instructed for the common purposes of life," &c.t

That, expressing the motive or end, will have the subjunctive mode; generally however in the tenses formed with MAY or the conditional of SHALL, as,

"Full well ye reject the commandment of God that ye may keep your own tradition."†

Lest governs a subjunctive, as,

"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."%

THAN and As, expressing a comparison of the qualities of persons or things, govern no mode; but like all conjunctions require to be followed by the same cases, modes, and tenses as have preceded it,- -as "thou art wiser THAN I (am),-YOU ARE not so tall As I (am),—you think him handsomer THAN (you think) me, and you love him more THAN (you love) me. In all other instances if you com

* V. Lowth's Grammar. Bishop Butler.

Mark.

§ 1 Cor.

plete the sentence in like manner by supplying the part which is understood, the case of the latter noun will be determined; thus, Plato observes that God geometrizes, and the same thing was observed by a wiser man THAN he,—that is, than he was. It was well observed by Plato, but more elegantly by Solomon THAN him,—that is, than by him.”* Some conjunctions have certain corresponding ones which must always follow them, as,

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....

1. THOUGH, although . . . . YET, nevertheless, as, Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor."

2. WHETHER cannot tell.

....

3. EITHER.... 4. NEITHER plish it.

OR; as, whether he will go or not I

OR; as, I will EITHER send it OR bring it.
NOR; as, NEITHER he NOR I can accom-

It is a fault to confound these, and use or, as the following conjunction to neither.

5. As.... As; expressing a comparison of equality, as, she is as amiable as her sister.

A vulgar redundance has crept into common parlance occasionally, and equally as, is used instead of as; but equally is an adverb; and an adverb stands only with a verb or an adjective; therefore if equally be used, the sentence must be so turned as to let the adverb modify the adjective, as, she and her sister are EQUALLY amiable.

6. As.... so; expressing a comparison of resemblance; As the stars so shall they be." And it shall be as with the people so with the priest, &c. As the one dieth so dieth the other. Sometimes they are reversed, as, Vesuvius is not so high as Etna.

7. So.... THAT, expressing a consequence, as, he was so offended THAT he left the room.

When the verb is compounded with an auxiliary, the conjunction and usually causes the omission of all but the participle in the second verb, as, I have been AND TOLD him, instead of I have been and I have told him.

* Lowth's Grammar, p. 180.

9. Interjection.

Interjections are not commonly supposed to have any government, nevertheless we always find an accusative after ah and oh, as, ah ME! what do Ihear? probably therefore the preposition for is understood, i. e., ah for me! as it is always expressly written after alas, as, alas for my children! alas for thee!

THE END.