SECOND PART.

(20) IN the former part of this treatise, we pointed out the manner in which all the words of the English Language are divided into several classes, explained their use, gave a name to each class, and offered the reasons why words are so used and so divided.

We shall now explain, more particularly, how the words belonging to the respective classes are connected together in a sentence, how they affect each other, and what changes they undergo.

(21) George writes. Here George performs the act expressed by the verb writes. George, therefore, is the agent of the verb; and as there is but one person writing, there can be but one action, the verb, therefore, which expresses the action, must be in the singular number.

Two men walk together. Each man performs the act of walking; there must be, then, as many actions as actors, or agents, or subjects of the verb. The verb walk denotes, therefore, more than one action, and is in the plural number. From what has been said, we may infer, that

Any verb must be in the same number as the noun or pronoun which is its subject, or agent.

(22) When a noun or pronoun is the agent or subject of a verb, it is said to be in the Nominative case.

When one part of speech is in the same number, &c. of another part of speech, it is said to agree with it in that particular thing. Therefore,

The verb agrees with its nominative case in number and person.

A wise man thinks before he speaks; but foolish men talk much and think little. When parents require their children to do that which they are not fond of doing, the parents look at the result; the children think only of the performance. From the top of a high mountain, the surrounding country appears almost level, although it may be very hilly. The Greek revolution commenced in 1821.

(23) Cases are applied to nouns and pronouns to describe the different offices performed by them; in a sentence. The nominative and objective cases have been noticed.

It was discovered near the man's house. The word man's is said to be in the possessive case, because there is an idea of property or possession generally implied, where the noun is so used.

When one noun follows another in this manner, it is necessary that the first should end with s, to make the expression proper. If the noun ends with s, we only add the apostrophe to show that it is used in the possessive case; thus, Johu's books. As the word John's has the form of the possessive case, because the word books follows it, the word John's is governed by the word books.

Nouns govern nouns in the possessive case.

(24) Sometimes a noun or pronoun is the agent or nominative of a verb, (as was shown above,) and another noun or pronoun is the object of the action, or that to which it is directed, and on which it terminates. George strikes John. George is the agent and John the object of the action expressed by the verb strikes.

When a word is the object of an action, it is said to be in the objective case: and when a

C*

word is made the object of an action, it is said to be in the objective case; and when a word is made the object of an action, it is said to be governed. Thus; Peter loves his brother. Brother being the object of the action expressed by the verb loves, is said to be governed by it.

The scholars study their lesson. John learns latin. Thomas recites Algebra. In these examples, it is evident that the action passes immediately and directly from the verb to the object. These verbs, and all similar, are called Transitive Verbs.

If you cannot avoid a quarrel with a blackguard let your lawyer manage it. Vice stings even in our pleasures; but virtue consoles us even in our pains. Relations take the greatest liberties, and render the least assistance. Avarice has ruined more men than prodigality. Drunkenness is the source of a thousand evils; it injures the health of the drunkard, weakens his intellectual faculties; it gives him a red face, enrages all his passions; shortens life, and renders his connections unhappy. A cordwainer makes shoes, and a cobbler mends them. Heat expands all bodies; that is, makes them larger.

(25) Edwin walks upon the grass. Here the action of walking is not transferred to the grass nor to any other thing; it does not, therefore, govern it: but, as grass is an object about which something is said, it must be in the objective