On Definitions. 91 



The observations which have been made upon moral definitions, 

 are in all respects, applicable to intellectual ones : But the subject 

 is of much less importance, as for the most part, persons only pos- 

 sessing some degree of education, are interested in questions of this 

 description ; while moral discriminations are in use among all man- 

 kind, and are employed by them during every waking hour of their 

 lives. 



I proceed to make some observations on (he use of definitions in 

 those branches of human knowledge which are conversant, partly 

 in visible, and partly in invisible objects. 



Grammar, rhetoric, and criticism, together with every thing rela- 

 ting to the theory and practice of language, are conversant in objects 

 perceived by the senses, namely, words ; but many of these words 

 are the signs of invisible objects, and therefore bring us back to the 

 principles already explained, for judging of things unseen by their 

 causes, or by their effects. 



In these departments of knowledge, the best definitions that can 

 be given, are for the most part imperfect, and, in many cases, vague. 

 By a beginner in these studies, they can never be understood with- 

 out numerous examples, and much practice is necessary for their 

 full development. 



In grammar, for example, no writer has hitherto been able to pro- 

 duce a satisfactory definition of the very common word Verb, though 

 that is one of the most important in the list of grammatical terms. 

 No definition of that part of speech can be given which does not 

 exclude something which that term ought to contain, or which does 

 not contain something which it ought to exclude. 



A noun is defined by the best writers on grammar to be the name 

 of something: but the words name and something, are both so indef- 

 inite, that nothing but long practice can enable any one to under- 

 stand thoroughly the definition. 



Of all the definitions in grammar, none seems more simple and easy 

 than that of a pronoun, which is defined, a word used instead of a 

 noun. But numberless instances constantly occur, of nouns that are 

 used instead of other nouns, which, by the definitions, would there- 

 fore, themselves become pronouns. Thus, instead of repeating a 

 person's name, or the name of a place, we say, the person or place, 

 mentioned before, or mentioned above. All such phrases by the 

 definition, ought to be pronouns. 



