is the distinction of unity and plurality.”—­Hart’s E. Gram., p. 40, Why say, “distinction;” the numbers, or distinctions, being two? (20.) “Number is the capacity of nouns to represent either one or more than one object.”—­Barrett’s Revised Gram., p. 40. (21.) “Number is a property of the noun which denotes one or more than one.”—­Weld’s Gram., 2d Ed., p. 55. (22.) “Number is a property of the noun or pronoun [,] by which it denotes one, or more than one.”—­Weld’s Gram., Abridged Ed., p. 49. (23.) “Number is the property that distinguishes one from more than one.”—­Weld’s Gram., Improved Ed., p. 60.  This, of course, excludes the plural. (24.) “Number is a modification of nouns to denote whether one object is meant, or more than one.”—­Butler’s Gram., p. 19. (25.) “Number is that modification of the Noun which distinguishes one from more than one.”—­Spencer’s Gram., p. 26.  Now, it is plain, that not one of these twenty-five definitions comports with the idea that the singular is one number and the plural an other!  Not one of them exhibits any tolerable approach to accuracy, either of thought or of expression!  Many of the grammarians have not attempted any definition of number, or of the numbers, though they speak of both the singular and the plural, and perhaps sometimes apply the term number to the distinction which is in each:  for it is the property of the singular number, to distinguish unity from plurality:  and of the plural, to distinguish plurality from unity.  Among the authors who are thus silent, are Lily, Colet, Brightland, Harris, Lowth, Ash, Priestly, Bicknell, Adam, Gould, Harrison, Comly, Jaudon, Webster, Webber, Churchill, Staniford, Lennie, Dalton, Blair, Cobbett, Cobb, A. Flint, Felch, Guy, Hall, and S. W. Clark.  Adam and Gould, however, in explaining the properties of verbs, say:  “Number marks how many we suppose to be, to act, or to suffer.”—­A., 80; G., 78.

[71] These are the parts of speech in some late grammars; as, Barrett’s, of 1854, Butler’s, Covell’s, Day’s, Frazee’s, Fowle’s New, Spear’s, Weld’s, Wells’s, and the Well-wishers’.  In Frost’s Practical Grammar, the words of the language are said to be “divided into eight classes,” and the names are given thus:  “Noun, Article, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection.”—­P. 29.  But the author afterwards treats of the Adjective, between the Article and the Pronoun, just as if he had forgotten to name it, and could not count nine with accuracy!  In Perley’s Grammar, the parts of speech are a different eight:  namely, “Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections, and Particles!”—­P. 8.  S. W. Clark has Priestley’s classes, but calls Interjections “Exclamations.”