

GRAMMAR. 



they require a separate class. Pno^ouxs, 

 then, are words used fbr the names of 

 persons or things, connected with the 

 idea, that they are either speaking, spo- 

 ken to, or before spoken of. 



10. We cannot advance one step in lan- 

 guage, without leading our hearers or 

 readers to the inference,that certain ideas 

 are connected in our minds, or that we 

 believe certain objects, properties, or 

 events, to be connected. The connect- 

 ing link in language need not always be 

 stated ; in the infancy of language it 

 could not exist, and in the language of 

 childhood it does not exist. Words are 

 joined together, and it is easily under- 

 stood, that the corresponding ideas are 

 connected in the mind. " Mamma, milk 

 good," would surely be understood by 

 any one ; and, in similar cases, depending 

 upon the ease of inference, the ancient 

 writers left it to the mind of the reader to 

 form it for himself. But how slowly and 

 how ambiguously communication would 

 proceed, without some appropriated link 

 of connection, any one may be convinced, 

 by leaving out of a few sentences those 

 words, which, in our language, serve that 

 purpose, and which, in all languages, are 

 necessary to render an affirmation com- 

 plete. The intelligent reader, to what- 

 ever other accoiint of such words he may 

 have been accustomed, will perceive that 

 we refer to verbs. The essential quality 

 f a VERB is, to express affirmation, when 

 foined with the subject of the affirmation. 

 ^Vhenever a word expresses it, that word 

 Is a verb : if in any case it does not ex- 

 press it, it ceases to be a verb. That it 

 does express affirmation is, doubtless, by 

 H;i inference of the mind ; in itself consi- 

 dered, it can only be the name of some 

 quality or circumstance of its subject ; 

 but by being frequently employed with 

 such inference, and,'in the later periods 

 of language, being invested with peculi- 

 arities of flexion, it acquires a character 

 different, in appearance at least, from 

 that of the noun, and, in many instances, 

 is appropriated to convey the inference, 

 that something is affirmed of its subject. 



11. From verbs, or rather from the noun- 

 state of verbs, in which they do not ex- 

 press affirmation, a new class of words is 

 formed, partaking of the characteristics of 

 the noun and adjective, and agreeing with 

 verbs in the accidental circumstance of re- 

 quiring after them a peculiar form of pro- 

 nouns. These words are called PARTICI- 

 PLES. 



12. In the same manner as it is found 

 needful, for the purpose of accurate and 

 VOL. VI. 



expeditions communication, to erapldy 

 words to modify or restrict the significa- 

 tion of nouns, it is found at least conve-* 

 nient to appropriate other words to mo- 

 dify or restrict the signification of adnouns 

 and verbs. These are called ADVERBS, 

 which are to be regarded as a class of 

 words formed from nouns or adnouns, and 

 used to express some quality or circum- 

 stance respecting the action, quality, or 

 circumstance, denoted by verbs or ad- 

 nouns. They are, therefore, convenient 

 abbreviations, which may be supplied by 

 the other sorts of words. 



13. From nouns, adnouns, and verbs, 

 another class of words have arisen 9 which 

 from the long disuse of the original forms 

 of them, have lost their peculiar charac- 

 teristics, and are now regarded as inde- 

 pendent of them. They are now used to 

 connect words or sentences, or words and 

 sentences ; and^ in general, point out some 

 particular kind of connection* From the 

 employment of them, they may be term- 

 ed CONNECTIVES; and under this class, we 

 comprehend those words which are usual- 

 ly denominated Prepositions and Con- 

 junctions. The distinction between thes-fc 

 two sorts of Connectives is merely tech- 

 nical ; the latter requiring after them a 

 peculiar form of the pronoun, and of the 

 noun, in languages in which the noun ad- 

 mits of flexion. 



14. We feel obliged, very much against 

 our inclination, to admit, as an eighth 

 class of words, some of those which are 

 usually denominated INTERJECTIONS. 

 Words of this sort are of very little inr- 

 portance, and by many are thought unde- 

 serving of the name of words. Some are 

 involuntary expressions of grief, or joy, or 

 surprize, or some other strong emotion i 

 and some may be used with the intention 

 of informing others what emotions are in 

 the mind of the speaker or writer. The 

 former set have no more right to be call- 

 ed words, than the sigh of sorrow, the 

 groan of pain, the laugh of mirth, &c, 

 which no one calls words ; for words are 

 voluntary vocal sounds, employed to ex- 

 press our ideas to others. The latter set 

 are generally found to be parts of sen- 

 tences, or single words of the before- 

 mentioned sorts. Our great philosophical 

 etymologist, Mr. HorneTooke, has traced 

 the origin of the greater part of them ; 

 and the few that remain will probably be 

 hereafter traced by some of those gram- 

 marians who are treading in his steps. 



We now proceed to a few remarks on 

 each of these sorts of words : our limits 

 will allow of very little amplification, and 



G 



