LECTURE XIII.

ON VERBS.

Person and number in the agent, not in the action.—­Similarity of agents, actions, and objects.—­Verbs made from nouns.—­Irregular verbs.—­Some examples.—­Regular Verbs.—­Ed.—­Ing.—­Conjugation of verbs.—­To love.—­To have.—­To be.—­The indicative mood varied.—­A whole sentence may be agent or object.—­Imperative mood.—­Infinitive mood.—­Is always future.

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.—­Conjunctions.—­Rule 18.—­If.—­But.—­Tho.  —­Yet.

LECTURES ON LANGUAGE.

LECTURE I.

GENERAL VIEW OF LANGUAGE.

Study of Language long considered difficult.—­Its importance.—­Errors in teaching.—­Not understood by Teachers.—­Attachment to old systems.—­Improvement preferable.—­The subject important.—­Its advantages.—­Principles laid down.—­Orthography.—­Etymology.—­ Syntax.—­Prosody.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

It is proposed to commence, this evening, a course of Lectures on the Grammar of the English Language.  I am aware of the difficulties attending this subject, occasioned not so much by any fault in itself, as by the thousand and one methods adopted to teach it, the multiplicity of books pretending to “simplify” it, and the vast contrariety of opinion entertained by those who profess to be its masters.  By many it has been considered a needless affair, an unnecessary appendage to a common education; by others, altogether beyond the reach of common capacities; and by all, cold, lifeless, and uninteresting, full of doubts and perplexities, where the wisest have differed, and the firmest often changed opinions.

All this difficulty originates, I apprehend, in the wrong view that is taken of the subject.  The most beautiful landscape may appear at great disadvantage, if viewed from an unfavorable position.  I would be slow to believe that the means on which depends the whole business of the community, the study of the sciences, all improvement upon the past, the history of all nations in all ages of the world, social intercourse, oral or written, and, in a great measure, the knowledge of God, and the hopes of immortality, can be either unworthy of study, or, if rightly explained, uninteresting in the acquisition.  In fact, on the principles I am about to advocate, I have seen the deepest interest manifested, from the small child to the grey-headed sire, from the mere novice to the statesman and philosopher, and all alike seemed to be edified and improved by the attention bestowed upon the subject.