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    PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES.

    A, AN, THE.

    In a scientific arrangement of grammatical principles, a and the
    belong to that class of adjectives denominated definitives or
    restrictives.

    A, an, ane, or one, is the past participle of ananad, to add,
    to join.  It denotes that the thing to which it is prefixed, is
    added, united, aned, an-d, oned, (woned,) or made one.

The and that.  According to Horne Tooke, the is the imperative, and that, the past participle, of the Anglo-Saxon verb thean, to get, take, assume. The and that had, originally, the same meaning.  The difference in their present application, is a modern refinement.  Hence, that, as well as the, was formerly used, indifferently, before either a singular or a plural noun.

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QUESTIONS ON THE NOTES.

Before what nouns is the article omitted?—­Is the article the ever applied to adverbs?—­Give examples.—­What is the meaning of a or an?  —­When is a or an placed before a plural noun?—­From what are a, the, and that derived?

EXERCISES IN FALSE SYNTAX.

NOTE TO RULE 1. An is used before a vowel or silent h, and a before a consonant or u long, and also before the word one.

It is not only disagreeable to the ear, but, according to this note, improper to say, a apple, a humble suppliant, an hero, an university, because the word apple begins with a vowel, and h is not sounded in the word humble, for which reasons a should be an in the first two examples; but, as the h is sounded in hero, and the u is long in university, a ought to be prefixed to these words:  thus, an apple, an humble suppliant:  a hero, a university.  You may correct the following

EXAMPLES.

A enemy, a inkstand, a hour, an horse, an herald, an heart, an heathen, an union, a umbrella, an useful book, many an one.  This is an hard saying.  They met with an heavy loss.  He would not give an hat for an horse.

NOTE 1, TO RULE 2.  The articles are often properly omitted:  when used they should be justly applied, according to their distinct character; as, “Gold is corrupting; The sea is green; A lion is bold.”  It would be improper to say, The gold is corrupting; Sea is green; Lion is bold.

The grass is good for horses, and the wheat for men.  Grass is good for the horses, and wheat for the men.  Grass looks well.  Wheat is blighted.