Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Fxamples.

[blocks in formation]

Moon-starers.
Great Helps.

All great sins.
Comical trade.

A nice cold pie.
Sly ware.
Spare him not.
March on.
Golden Land.
Best in prayer.
Nine Thumps.
Nay, I repent it.

Rare mad frolic.
To love ruin.

A just master.

Claims Arthur's Seat.

Reveal, O Daniel.

Never so mad a Ladie.

For exercises of practice, the student may select his own words or sen tences. As it is a mere literary amusement, the exercise is not considered worthy of much attention.

been happily converted in an anagram to the words, "Est vir qui adest,” {It is the man who is before you.)

Jablonski welcomed the visit of Stanislaus, King of Poland, with his noble relatives of the house of Lescinski, to the annual examination of the students under his care, at the gymnasium of Lissa, with a number of anagrams, all composed of the letters in the words Domus Lescinia. The recitations closed with an heroic dance, in which each youth carried a shield inscribed with a legend of the letters. After a new evolution, the boys exhibited the words Ades incolumis; next, Omnis es lucida; next, Omne sis lucida; fifthly, Mane sidus loci; sixthly, Sis columna Dei; and at the conclusion, I scande solium.

But a still more remarkable anagram than any that has been presented, will be found in the Greek inscription on the Mosque of St. Sophia, in Con stantinople:

“ Νίψον ανομηματα μη μοναν οψιν”

which present the same words, whether read from left to right, or from right to left.

Sir Isaac Newton was in the habit of concealing his mathematical dis coveries, by depositing the principles in the form of anagrams; by which he might afterwards claim the merit of the invention without its being stolen by others.

This lady fancied herself a prophetess, and supposed the spirit of Daniel to be in her, because this anagram could be formed from her name. But her anagram was faulty, as it contained an I too much, and an s too ittle. She was completely put down by the anagram made from the name Dame Eleanor Davies, "Never so mad a ladie."

XXVI.

OF GRAMMATICAL PROPRIETY.

Although the details of Grammar and grammatical rule are not embraced in the plan of this work, it will be proper to present some observations, by way of review, with regard to those principles which are most frequently disregarded or forgotten by careless writers. Some remarks have already been made with regard to a few of the improprieties which are frequently observed, even in writers of respectability. The considerations now to be offered are presented in the form of directions.

DIRECTION 1st. In determining the number of a verb, regard must be had to the idea which is embraced in the subject or nominative. Whenever the idea of plurality is conveyed, whether it be expressed by one word, or one hundred, and however connected, and in whatever number the subject may be, whether singular or plural, all verbs relating to it must be made to agree, not with the number of the word or words, but with the number of the idea conveyed by the words.

DIRECTION 2d. In the use of pronouns, the same remark applies, namely, that the number of the pronoun must coincide with the idea contained in the word, or words, to which the pronoun relates. If it imply unity, the pronoun must be singular; if it convey plurality, the pronoun must be plural. These directions will be better understood by an example Thus, in the sentence, "Each of them, in their turn, receive the benefits to which they are entitled," the verbs and pronouns are in the wrong number. The word each, although it includes all, implies but one at a time. The idea, therefore, is the idea of unity, and the verb and pronoun should be singular; thus, "Each of them in his turn receives the benefit to which he is entitled."

66

The same remark may be made with regard to the following sentences: "Every person, whatever be their (his) station, is bound by the duties of morality." The wheel killed another man, who is the sixth that have (has) lost their (his) lives (life) by these means." "I do not think that any one should incur censure for being tender of their (his) reputation."

DIRECTION 3d. In the use of verbs and words which express time, care must be taken that the proper tense be employed to express the time that is intended. Perhaps there is no rule more frequently violated than this, even by good writers; but young writers are very prone to the error. Thus, the author of the Waverley Novels has the following sentence:*

*See Parker's 12mo edition of the Waverley Novels, Vol. XIII. p. 14.

666

[ocr errors]

Description,' he said, 'was (is) to the author of a romance, exactly what drawing and tinting were (are) to a painter; words were (are) his colors, and, if properly employed, they could (can) not fail to place the scene which he wished (wishes) to conjure up, as effectually before the mind's eye, as the tablet or canvass presents it to the bodily organ. The same rules,' he continued, applied (apply) to both, and an exuberance of dialogue in the former case, was (is) a verbose and laborious mode of composition, which went (goes) to confound the proper art of the drama, a widely different species of composition, of which dialogue was (is) the very essence; because all, excepting the language to be made use of, was (is) presented to the eye by the dresses, and persons, and actions, of the per formers upon the stage.'"

The author was misled throughout in the tenses of the verbs in this extract, by the tense of the verb said, with which he introduces it.

DIRECTION 4th. Whenever several verbs belonging to one common subject occur in a sentence, the subject or nominative must be repeated whenever there is a change in the mood, tense, or form of the verb.

DIRECTION 5th. In the use of the comparative and superlative degrees of the adjective, it is to be remarked, that when two things or persons only are compared, the comparative degree, and not the superlative, should be used. Thus, in the sentence, "Catharine and Mary are both well attired; but, in their appearance, Catharine is the neatest, Mary the most showy," the superlative degree of the adjective is improperly applied. As there are but two persons spoken of, the adjectives should be in the comparative degree namely neater and more showy.

DIRECTION 6th. Neuter and intransitive verbs should never be used in the passive form. Such expressions as was gone, is grown, is fallen, is come, may be relied on, &c., although used by some good writers, are ob jectionable.

Although this form of expression is sanctioned by Murray, Lowth, and other good authorities, yet reason and analogy will not justify us in assent ing to their decision; for, besides the awkwardness of the expression, it is objectionable as being an unnecessary anomaly. But the author has been influenced in his rejection of such expressions, by the very sensible and conclusive remarks of Mr. Pickbourn, in a very learned work, entitled "A Dissertation on the English Verb," published in London, 1789. Dr. Priestley, in his "Grammar," page 127, says, "It seems not to have been determined by the English grammarians, whether the passive participles of verbs neuter require the auxiliary am or have before them. The French, in this case, confine themselves strictly to the former." "This remark," says Mr. Pickbourn, "concerning the manner of using the participles of French neuter verbs is certainly not well founded; for most of them are conjugated with avoir, to have."

Such expressions as the following have recently become very common, not only in the periodical publications of the day, but are likewise finding favor with popular writers; as, "The house is being built."

"The street

is being paved." "The actions that are now being performed," &c. "The patents are being prepared." The usage of the best writers does not sanc tion these expressions; and Mr. Pickbourn, in the work just quoted, lays down the following principle, which is conclusive upon the subject. "Whenever the participle in ing is joined by an auxiliary verb to a nonina

DIRECTION 7th. In the use of irregular verbs, a proper distinction should be made in the use of the imperfect tense and the perfect participle. He done (did) it at my request: He run (ran) a great risk: He has mistook (mistaken) his true interest: The cloth was wove (woven) of the finest wool: He writes as the best authors would have wrote (written) had they writ (written) on the subject: The bell has been rang (rung): I have spoke (spoken) to him upon the subject. These sentences are in stances where the proper distinction between the preterite and participle has not been preserved.

DIRECTION 8th. The negative adverb must be followed by the negative conjunction; as, "The work is not capable of pleasing the understanding, nor (not or) the imagination." The sentence would be improved by using the conjunctions in pairs, substituting neither for not.

In the following sentences, the conjunction but is improperly used. "I cannot deny but that I was in fault." "It cannot be doubted but that this

is a state of positive gratification," &c.

[ocr errors]

DIRECTION 9th. There must be no ellipsis of any word, when such ellipsis would occasion obscurity. Thus, when we speak of "the laws of God and man," it is uncertain whether one or two codes of laws are meant; but, in the expression, "the laws of God, and the laws of man," the obscurity vanishes. A nice distinction in sense is made by the use or omission of the articles. 'A white and red house," means but one house; but, "A white and a red house," means two houses. In the expression, "She has a little modesty," the meaning is positive; but, by omitting the article, "She has little modesty," the meaning becomes negative. The position of the article, also, frequently makes a great difference in the sense, as will be seen in the following examples: "As delicate a little thing;" ""As a delicate little thing."

DIRECTION 10th. The adverb should always be placed as near as possible to the word which it is designed to qualify. Its proper position is generally before adjectives, after verbs, and frequently between the auxiliary and the verb. The following sentence exhibits an instance of the improper location of the adverb: "It had almost been his daily custom, at a certain hour, to visit Admiral Priestman." The adverb almost should have been placed before daily.

DIRECTION 11th. In the use of passive and neuter verbs, care must be taken that the proper nominative is applied. That which is the object of the active verb, must in all cases be the subject or nominative of the passive verb. Thus, we say, with the active verb, "They offered him mercy" (i. e. to him); and, with the passive verb, "Mercy was offered to

tive capable of the action, it is taken actively; but, when joined to one incapable of the action, it becomes passive. If we say, the men are building a house,' the participle building is evidently used in an active sense; because the men are capable of the action. But when we say, 'The house is building,' or 'Patents are preparing,' the participles building and preparing must necessarily be understood in a passive sense; because neither the honse nor the patents are capable of action." See Pickbourn on the English Verb, pp. 78-80.

him;" not, "He was offered mercy," because "mercy," and not "he" is the thing which was offered. It is better to alter the expression, by substituting a synonyme with a proper nominative or subject, than to introduce such confusion of language, as must necessarily result from a change in the positive, fixed, and true significations of words, or from a useles violation of grammatical propriety.

In accordance with this direction, (see, also, Direction 6th,)

instead of

He was prevailed on,

He was spoken to,
She was listened to,
They were looked at,
It is approved of,
He was spoken of,
It is contended for,
It was thought of,

He was called on by his friend,
These examples are commented
upon with much humor,

He was referred to as an oracle.

it would be better to say,

He was persuaded.

He was addressed.
She was heard.

They were seen, or viewed.
It is liked, or commended.
He was named, or mentioned.
It is maintained, or contested.
It was remembered, or conceived.
He was visited by his friend.
These examples are ridiculed with
much humor.

He was consulted as an oracle.

7

DIRECTION 12th. All the parts of a sentence should be constructed in such a manner that there shall appear to be no want of agreement or connexion among them. Thus, the following sentence, "He was more beloved, but not so much admired as Cynthio," is inaccurate, because, when it is analyzed, it will be, " He was more beloved as Cynthio," &c. The adverb more requires the conjunction than after it; and the sentence should be, "He was more beloved than Cynthio, but not so much admired."

Again; in the sentence, "If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray," &c., the subjunctive mood, have, is used after the con junction if, in the first part of the sentence, and the indicative, goes, in the second. Both of these verbs should be in the indicative, or both in the subjunctive mood.

No definite rule can be given, which will enable the learner to make the parts of a sentence agree in themselves, and with one another. They should be diligently compared, and a similarity of construction be carefully maintained; while the learner will recollect, that no sentence can be considered grammatically correct, which cannot be analyzed or parsed by the authorized rules of syntax.

[Examples for practice, under these principles, may be found in Parker and Fox's "Grammar," Part II., or in Murray's "Exercises." It has not been deemed expedient to insert them here.]

« AnteriorContinuar »