found that we were claiming too much of the time of the Institute, which is designed as a means of improvement on general subjects.  Enough has been said, I am sure, to convince you, if you were not convinced before, why the study of grammar is so intricate and tedious, that it is to be accounted for from the fact that the theories by which it is taught are false in principle, and can not be adopted in practice; and that something ought to be done to make the study of language easy, interesting, and practical.  Such a work is here attempted; but it remains with the public to say whether these plain philosophical principles shall be sustained, matured, perfected, and adopted in schools, or the old roundabout course of useless and ineffectual teaching be still preserved.

LECTURE XIV.

ON CONTRACTIONS.

A temporary expedient.—­Words not understood.—­All words must have a meaning.—­Their formation.—­Changes of meaning and form.—­Should be observed.—­=Adverbs=.—­Ending in ly.—­Examples.—­Ago.—­Astray.  —­Awake.—­Asleep.—­Then, when.—­There, where, here.—­While, till.—­Whether, together.—­Ever, never, whenever, etc.—­Oft.—­Hence.  —­Perhaps.—­Not.—­Or.—­Nor.—­Than.—­As.—­So.—­Distinctions false.—­Rule 18.—­If.—­But.—­Tho.—­Yet.

We have concluded our remarks on the necessary divisions of words.  Things named, defined and described, and their actions, relations, and tendencies, have been considered under the classes of Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs.  To these classes all words belong when properly explained; a fact we desire you to bear constantly in mind in all your attempts to understand and employ language.  But there are many words in our language as well as most others, which are so altered and disguised that their meaning is not easily comprehended.  Of course they are difficult of explanation.  These words we have classed under the head of Contractions, a term better calculated than any other we have seen adopted to express their character.  We do not however lay any stress on the appropriateness of this appellation, but adopt it as a temporary expedient, till these words shall be better understood.  They will then be ranked in their proper places among the classes already noticed.

Under this head may be considered the words usually known as “adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections.”  That the etymology and meaning of these words have not been generally understood will be conceded, I presume, on all hands.  In our opinion, that is the only reason why they have been considered under these different heads, for in numberless cases there is nothing in their import to correspond with such distinctions.  Why “an adverb expresses some quality or circumstance respecting a verb, adjective, or other adverb;” why “a conjunction is chiefly used to connect sentences, so as out of two to make only one