268 Human Understanding*. 



For as they exist only in the understand- 

 ing, and have no real objects in nature, in 

 conformity to which they are framed, if 

 \ve could not communicate them to others 

 by description, they must be confined to 

 the narrow limits of a single mind. All 

 the beautiful ideas formed by the fancy of 

 a Shakspeare or a Milton, without the 

 faculty of displaying them by words, 

 would never have extended their influence 

 beyond their own breasts. 



All language may be resolved into 

 Nouns and Verbs , with their respective 

 Abbreviations. 



Nouns express names of things : they 

 are divided into Substantives, which are 

 the principal things spoken of ; and Ad- 

 jectives, which denote qualities, or cir- 

 cumstances belonging to them. 



Verbs express modes of existence. 

 They are of three kinds, such as denote 

 simple existence ; for example, to be ; 

 such as express existence in an active 

 state, for example, to eat : and such as 

 express existence in a passive state ; as, 

 to be eaten. 



Words which are usually represented as 

 indeclinable particles having no deter- 



