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Nom. Magistri,

Plural.

louse, mice from mouse, geese from goose, feet from foot, dice from die, pence from penny, brethren from brother, children from child.

Plurals ending in s have for the most part no genitives; but we say, Womens excellencies, and Weigh the mens wits against the

Masters, the Masters. Gen. Magistrorum, of Masters, of the Masters. Dat. Magistris, to Masters, to the Masters. Acc. Magistros, Masters, the Masters. Voc. Magistri, Masters, O Masters. Abl. Magistris, from Masters, from the Ma- ladies bairs. Pope.

sters.

Our nouns thus: Master, Gen. Masters. Plur. Masters. Scholar, Gen. Scholars. Plur. Scholars, These genitives are always written with a mark of elision, muster's, scholar's, according to an opinion long received, that the 's is a contraction of his, as the soldier's valour, for the soldier his va cur: but this cannot be the true ori

are therefore only declined

ginal, because 's is put to female nouns, Woman's beauty, the Virgin's delicacy; Haughty Juno's unrefenting hate; and collective nouns, as Women's passions, the rabble's insolence, the multitude's fully in all these cases it is apparent that his cannot be understood. We say likewise, the foundation's strength, the diamona's lustre, the winter's se= woity; but in these cases his may be understood, and having formerly been applied to neuters in the place now supplied by it and

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The learned and sagacious Wallis, to whom every English grammarian owes a tribute of

reverence, calls this modification of the noun an adjective possessive; I think with no more propriety than he might have applied the same to the genitive in quium decus, Trije vris, or any other Latin genitive. Dr. Lowth, on the other part, supposes the possessive pronouns mine and the to be genitive cases.

This termination of the noun seems to constitute a real genitive indicating possession. It is derived to us from those who declined smið, a smith; Gen. smiðer, of a smith; Plur. rmider, or rmiðar, smiths; and so in two other of their

seven declensions.

It is a further confirmation of this opinion, that in the old poets both the genitive and plural were longer by a syllable than the original word; kn is for knight's, in Chaucer ; leuvis for leaves, in Spenser.

When a word ends in s, the genitive may be the same with the nominative, as Venus temple.

The plural is formed by adding, as table, tables; fly, flies; sister, sisters; wood, woods

or es where s could not otherwise be sounded, as after cb, s, sh, x, z; after c sounded like s, and g like ; the mute e is vocal befores, as lance, lances; outrage, outrages.

The formation of the plural and genitive singular is the same.

A few words still make the plural in ", as men, women, oxen, swine, and more anciently eyen, sheen. This formation is that which generally prevails in the Teutonick dialects.

Words that end in f commonly form their plural by ves, as loaf, loaves; calf, calves.

Except a few, muff, muffs; chief, chiefs. So hoof, roof, proof, relief, mischief, puff, cuff, dwarf, handkerchief, grief.

Irregular plurals are teath from tooth, lice from

Dr. Wallis thinks the Lords' house may be said for the house of Lords; but such phrases are not now in use; and surely an English ear rebels against them. They would commonly produce . a troublesome ambiguity, as the Lords house may be the house of Lords, or the house of a Lord. Besides that the mark of elision is improper, for in the Lords' house nothing is cut off."

Some English substantives, like those of many other languages, change their termination as they express different sexes, as frince, rincess; actor, actress; lion, lioness; hero, heroine. To these mentioned by Dr. Lowth may be added arbitress, poetess, chauntress, duchess, tigress, góperhaps others. Of these variable terminations verness, tutress, peeress, authoress, traytress, and feel our want; for when we say of a woman we have only a sufficient number to make us that she is a philosopher, an astronomer, a builder, a the termination which, we cannot avoid; but weaver, a dancer, we perceive an impropriety in we can say that she is an architect, a botanist, a studen', because these terminations have annexed to them the notion of sex. In words

which the necessities of life are often requiring, the sex is distinguished not by different terminations but by different names, as, a bull, a cew; sometimes by pronouns prefixel, as a he-goa a horse, a mare, equus, equa; a cork, a hen; and she-gear.

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Of ADJECTIVES.

Adjectives in the English language are wholly indeclinable; having neither case, gender, nor number, and being added to subStantives in all relations without any change; as a good woman, good women, of a good cvoman; a good man, good men, of good men.

The Comparison of Adjectives.

The comparative degree of adjectives is formed by adding er, the superlative by addlovely lovelier, loveliest, sweet, sweeter, sweeting est, to the positive; as fair, fairer, fairest; est; low, lower, lowest, high, higher, highest.

Some words are irregularly compared; as good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; little, less, least, near, nearer, next; much, more, most; many (or moe), more (for moer), most (for moest); late, latter, latest or last.

Some comparatives form a superlative by adding most, as nether, netbermost; outer, outermost; under, undermost; up, upper, uppermost; fore, former, foremost.

Most is sometinies added to a substantive, as topmost, southmost.

Many adjectives do not admit of comparison by terminations, and are only compared by more and most, as benevolent, more benevo lent, most benevolent.

- All adjectives may be compared by more and most, even when they have comparatives and superlatives regularly formed; as fair, fairer, or more fair; fairest, or most fair.

In adjectives that admit a regular comparison, the comparative mere is oftener used than the superlative most, as more fair is oftener written for fairer, than most fair for fairest.

The comparison of adjectives is very uncertain; and being much regulated by commodiousness of utterance, or agreeableness of sound, is not easily reduced to rules.

Monosyllables are commonly compared. Polysyllables, or words of more than two syllables, are seldom compared otherwise than by more and most, as deplorable, more deplorable, most deplorable.

Dissyllables are seldom compared if they terminate in some, as fulsome, toilsome ; in ful, as careful, spleenful, dreadful; in ing, as trifing, charming; in ous, as porous; in less, as careless, barmless; in ed, as wretched; in id, as candid; in al, as mortal; in ent, as recent, fervent; in ain, as certain; in ive, as missive; in dy, as woody; in fy, as puffy: in ky, as rocky, except lucky; in my, as roomy; in ny, as skinny; in py, as ropy, except happy; in ry, as boary.

Some comparatives and superlatives are yet found in good writers, formed without regard to the foregoing rules: but in a language subjected so little and so lately to grammar, such anomalies must frequently occur.

So shady is compared by Milton.

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Ye

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She, in shadiest covert hid, Tun'd her nocturnal note.

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Oblique. Her Them Applied to feminines.

Nom. It

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They Oblique. Its Them Applied to neuters or S things.

For it the practice of ancient writers was to use be, and for its, his.

The possessive pronouns, like other adjec tives, are without cases or change of termination.

The possessive of the first person is my, mine, our, ours; of the second, thy, thine, your, yours; of the third, from be, bis; from she, ber, and bers; and in the plural their, theirs, for both sexes.

Ours, yours, hers, theirs, are used when the substantive preceding is separated by a verb, as These are our books. These books are ours. Your children excel ours in stature, but ours surpass yours in learning.

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Another being only an other, has no plural. Here, there, and there, joined with certain particles, have a relative and pronominal use. Hereof, berein, bereby, bereafter, berewith, thereof, therein, thereby, thereupon, therewith, whereof, wherein, whereby, whereupon, robert wub, which signify, of this, in this, &c. of that, in that, &c. of which, in which, &c.

Therefore and wherefore, which are properly there for and where for, for that, for whieb, are now reckoned conjunctions, and continu

eď in use. The rest seem to be passing by degrees into neglect, though proper, useful, and analogous. They are referred both to singular and plural antecedents.

There are two more words used only in conjunction with pronouns; own and self.

Own is added to possessives, both singular and plural, as my own band, our own house. It is emphatical, and implies a silent contrariety or opposition; as, I live in my oren bous, that is, not in a bired bouse. This I did with my own band, that is, without belp, or not: by proxy.

Self is added to possessives, as myself, yourselves, and sometimes to personal pronouns, as himself, itself, themselves. It then, like own, expresses emphasis and opposition, as I did this myself, that is, not another; or it forms a reciprocal pronoun, as We burt our selves by vain rage.

Himself, itself, themselves, are supposed by Wallis to be put, by corruption, for his self, it' self, their selves; so that self is always a substantive. This seems justly observed, for we say, He came himself, Himself shall do this; where himself cannot be an accusative.

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Conjunctive. Present.

Sing. I love; thou love; be love;
Plur. We love; ye love; they love.

Preterit compound. I have loved, &c.
Preterit simple, as in the Indicative.
Future. I shall love, &c.

Second Future. Ishall have loved, &c.
Potential.

Present. I may or can love, c.
Double preterit. I might, could, or should have
Preterit. I might, could, or should love, &c.
loved, &c.

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Indicative. Present.

Sing. Fam; thou art; be is;

Plur. We are, or be; ye ate, or be; they are, or be.

The plural be is now little in use.

Preterit, Sing. I was; thou wast, or wert; be was; Plar. We were; ye were; they were. Wert is properly of the conjunctive mood, and ought not be used in the indicative.

Preterit compound. I have been, &、_
Preterpluperfect. I had been, &c.
Fire. I shall or will be, St.

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Imperative.

Sing. Do thou; let him do;
Plur. Let us do; do ye; let them do.
Conjunctive. Present.

Sing. I do; thou do; he do;
Plur. We do; ye do; they do.

The rest are as in the Indicative.
Infinitive. To do; to have done.
Participle present. Doing. Par. preterit. Done.

Do is sometimes used superfluously, as I do love, I did love; simply for I love, or I loved; but this is considered as a vicious mode of speech.

It is sometimes used emphatically; as,

I do love thee; and when I love thee not,
Chaos is come again.
Shakspeare.

It is frequently joined with a negative; as I like ber, but I do not love her; I wished bim success, but did not help him. This, by custom at least, appears more easy than the other form of expressing the same sense by a negative adverb after the verb, I like her, but love ber not.

The Imperative prohibitory is seldom applied in the second person, at least in prose, without the word do; as Stop him, but do not burt bim; Praise beauty, but do not dote on it.

Its chief use is in interrogative forms of speech, in which it is used through all the persons; as Do I live? Dost thou strike me? Do they rebel? Did I complain? Didst thou love her? Did she die? So likewise in negative interrogations; Do I not yet grieve? Did

she not die?

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I was walked out, exieram; Je m'étois promené.

In like manner we commonly express the present tense; as I am going, eo. I am grieving, doleo. She is dying, illa moritur. The tempest is raging, furit procella. I am pursuing an enemy, hostem insequar. So the other tenses, as We were walking, bruixavojev wiginalövles, I have been walking, I had been walking, I shall or will be walking.

There is another manner of using the active participle, which gives it a passive signification; as, The grammar is now printing, grammatica jam nunc chartis imprimitur. The brass is forging, ara excuduntur. This is, in my opinion, a vitious expression, probably corrupted from a phrase more pure, but now somewhat obsolete; The brk is a printing, The brass is a forging; a being properly at, and printing and forging verbal nouns signifying action, according to the analogy of this language.

The indicative and conjunctive moods are by modern writers frequently confounded; or rather the conjunctive is wholly neglected, when some convenience of versification does not invite its revival. It is used among the purer writers of former times after if, though, ere, before, till or until, whether, except, unless, whatsoever, whomsoever, and words of wishing; as, Doubtless thu art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not.

Of IRREGULAR VERES.

The English verbs were divided by Ben Jonson into four conjugations, without any

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