article, and before the noun; but if two or three be predicated of the same substantive, it is sometimes allowed to place them after it for the sake of strengthening the expression by some addition to the phrase, as, A man gentle, peaceable and benevolent in no ordinary degree. It is, however, a somewhat forced arrangement, and is unpleasing to the ear if often repeated.

With the prefixed, an adjective frequently changes into a noun of number, as, THE WISE are cautious.

4. Pronoun.

The pronoun being distinguished by the inflections of the different cases, admits of more transposition than the substantive which it represents; and sometimes, in rhetorical speech and poetry, the accusative may be placed first with considerable effect: as in the speech of Paul to the Athenians, where the translators have availed themselves with much skill of this power, "Whom ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you." Milton too has used this construction; but still, though the liberty may be permitted, it is not to be repeated too often, for it is not the natural arrangement of the words: the English language is of easy march, each word taking as nearly as possible the place which the sense requires, and our ears do not easily tolerate inversions of the sentence, which, excepting on any particular occasions, make a harsh and labored style.

The neuter pronoun it plays a large part in the idiom of the language: it forms the impersonal verbs, as they are, perhaps improperly, termed, as, it rains, it freezes, &c., and is joined with other verbs where the word thing might be substituted for it, as, it affords me pleasure—that is, this thing affords me pleasure.

It is frequently used in the room of that or this, even when it relates to masculine or feminine names, and this preference of the neuter is a peculiarity of the English, for example,

"Who was it?— Festo the jester, my lord."

Again,

"What kind of woman is't?"*

It is also used for distinction, as, Which is IT? your brother John or Charles? Ir is John. Ir enters also into phrases such as, how is IT? how fares IT with you? where it applies to the whole state of things. Ir is sad, IT is strange, &c. seems to express only that the thing is sad, strange, &c.

5. Verb.

The English follows the universal rule as to the verb substantive, and has the same case before and after it; "It is I, be not afraid." The infinitive, however, of this, as of other verbs, never admits of a nominative, and is joined with an accusative, governed by the preceding verb transitive, as, I knew HIM to be a man of honor.

Verbs of giving, lending, promising, obtaining, and the like,† govern a dative of the person and an accusative of the thing, as, I gave him a book,-I lent him a horse,-I promised thee forgiveness,-He afforded them protection. In these examples it is evident that, though him, thee, them, are the same in form as the accusative, yet that the substantives book, horse, &c., are in fact the patients or things given, lent, &c., and therefore in the accusative case, whilst the last-mentioned pronoun or person is the receiver of the thing thus given, &c. The two persons therefore stand in the relation of giving and receiving, and the person to whom a thing is given (datum) is said to be in the dative

case.

All other verbs transitive govern, that is, are followed by an accusative, as, I called HIM; they fought THEM; thou hast heard ME.

Verbs intransitive are not followed by any case; for their action stops short in itself, and does not extend to any other object. Such are to sleep, to recline, &c.

The verb to be, when it signifies possession, will have

* Shakspeare.

+ The principal verbs which may be said to govern a dative, are to give, lend, read, fetch, get, send, bring, afford, promise, tell, reach, leave, with their derivatives.

a genitive case after it, as That is his; the grapes wERE the gardener's.

The participle present, when preceded by an article, becomes in some sort a substantive, and conveys, like the infinitive mode, an abstract idea of the action; as, THE WRITING SO much fatigues me;—which is the same in sense as, TO WRITE so much, &c.: and this may be considered as one of the peculiarities of the English; for in most other languages the infinitive would be employed in phrases of this kind: in the English, the use of the infinitive would give a stiff and foreign air to the sentence. When a noun or pronoun personal precedes a participle present standing thus in the place of a substantive, the article is omitted, and the first noun is in the genitive case, according to the rule already given, as Who would have thought of Alexander's conquering the world?-i. e., of the conquering the world by Alexander. It might be rendered by a verb personal with the conjunction that-i. e., that Alexander would conquer, &c.; but it would be less idiom

atic.

When a participle is connected with a noun or pronoun personal, the noun, being the agent, will be in the nominative case, and the phrase becomes what is called by grammarians a nominative case absolute, as,

"And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days." "He descending will himself,

In thunder, lightning, and loud trumpet's sound
Ordain them laws"

"But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife," &c t

"Let me not burst in ignorance, but tell
Why thy canonized bones hearsed in death
Have burst their cearments."S

6. Adverb.

The adverb has its place most frequently after the verb and before the adjective whose sense it modifies; but it not

* Acts.

† Milton.

Luke.

Shakspeare.

unfrequently is placed between the auxiliary and the participle of a compound tense, as,

"I speak but brotherly of him,”*

"Epictetus makes use of another kind of allusion, which is VERY beautiful and WONDERFULLY proper to incline us to be satisfied with the post in which Providence has placed us."

"Men. . who are contented with a competency, and WILL not MOLEST their tranquillity to gain an abundance." "The Stoics thought they coULD NOT sufficiently REPRESENT the excellence of virtue if they did not comprehend in the notion of it all possible perfections."†

The following is the usual place in the sentence of the different kinds of adverbs.

1. ADVERBS OF NUMBER are usually placed after the verb and its accusative, if it be a verb, transitive, as I told them TWICE but sometimes they will be found placed between the pronoun and the verb, as, I TWICE told them; or even before it, when much emphasis is required, as,

"Once or twice

I was about to speak and tell him plainly," &c.‡

The first, however, is the natural and colloquial order of the words.

2. ADVERBS OF ORDER stand after the verb, as, I went FIRST, or the verb and its accusative, if there be one, as, I saw him LAST. Like those of number, too, they may be removed from their usual place for the sake of emphasis.

3. ADVERBS OF PLACE are always after the verb, excepting in one or two especial phrases. Thus we say, Come HITHER, He is going THITHER, they are HERE, I was THERE: but these last have their place first in the phrases, HERE am I,-THERE he is,—and the like, as "Here am I, for thou didst call me."§.

"Here comes the fool i' faith."" "Here's an over-weening rogue.” this, Sir Andrew."||

There's for thy pains." "There is no way but

Shakspeare.

4. ADVERBS OF TIME have their place after the verb, or between the pronoun or nominative and the verb, or, in compound tenses between the auxiliary and the participle, as,

"I happened to stumble against a crust and fell flat on my face. I GOT UP immediately," &c.*

"When dinner was almost done, the nurse came in with a child of a year old in her arms, wнo immediately SPIED me," &c.*

"The barbarity of the action was represented to Mark Antony, WHO immediately SUMMONED Herod."+

"Two hundred carpenters and engineers WERE immediately SET to work."

Sometimes an adverb of time stands absolutely, and then it has its place at the beninning of the sentence, as, "Hereafter ye shall see the son of man," &c.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days-"‡ Now, when used as an expletive, also stands first in the sentence, as,

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem-”‡

5. ADVERBS OF QUANTITY may be placed after or before the verb indifferently, as, he had ENOUGH to pay his expenses, or, ENOUGH was given him to pay his expenses. MUCH is required. I do not ask MUCH.

6. ADVERBS OF QUALITY are placed after the verb, or between the nominative and verb, as, he reasoned WISELY.

"I am not prone to weeping as our sex

Commonly are-"Ş

7. ADVERBS OF DOUBT are generally placed first, as, PERHAPS he will come.

8. Adverbs of AFFIRMATION also stand before the verb, as, YES you may. CERTAINLY they were imprudent.

9. ADVERBS OF NEGATION. Of these, no has its place before, and not after the verb. No is frequently used almost as an adjective to a noun, as, No one, No man, and thus makes, with the substantive, the nominative to a verb; and not is sometimes used in the same way, as, NOT Shakspeare.

* Swift. † Addison. + Matthew.