On Definitions. 93 
Those parts of this extensive department, however, which fall 
under the general denomination of Grammar, have, for reasons 
which will presently be seen, been reduced to a more definite form. 
The rules of Grammar are all arbitrary, for the subject admits of 
no other; and they resemble the arbitrary rules, laws and statutes 
of the Jurist; while the precepts and directions of the Critic, are, 
as Dr. Smith justly observes,* like the ethical maxims that enjoin 
benevolence and humanity. ‘The former mark out for us a precise 
line ; the latter, import general principles, but leave the precise 
mode of application to ourselves. 
There are two reasons why the rules of grammar have, in all lan- 
guages, been reduced to a precise form. ‘The one is the vanity of 
man, the other is his necessities or his interest. Men are led by 
their vanity to seek and to study precise rules both of construction 
and grammatical pronunciation. When a person is introduced into 
a society whose language he but imperfectly understands, or under- 
stands without being able to practice with facility, his first awkward 
attempts to communicate his sentiments, are ungraceful, and attend- 
ed with some degree of ridicule. However the polished part of 
mankind may repress this sentiment, it is undoubtedly natural and 
unavoidable. Even those who are well acquainted with a language, 
whenever, either from inadvertence or affectation, they deviate 
from the accustomed tones of pronunciation, or the usual forms o 
speech, they are received with some degree of contempt, or at 
least excite a smile. To avoid these inconveniences, to escape with 
greater certainty from the mortification of such situations, certain 
rules come to be followed, which, when they become considerable 
in number, are denominated the rules of grammar. 
But whenever and however introduced, these rules are found to 
be not less useful than ornamental. They are found to serve a 
much higher purpose than at first supposed. They are found to be 
eminently subservient to perspicuity. From the view that has been 
given, it must evidently be originally a matter of no small difficulty 
to convey the sentiments of one man’s mind into that of another. 
Nor is it ever done with perfect precision. To promote this impor- 
tant end, to convey our ideas with all the perspicuity that is possible, 
since it is never perfect, the best and most effectual means that can 
* Theory of Moral Sentiments. 
