perfons, whereas the other pronominal adjectives belong only to the third perfon. Who, which, what, are called interrogatives, when they are used in a question.

Each, every, either, are called distributives, because they relate to objects or perfons taken feparately.

Befides the foregoing pronominal adjectives, there are two others own, and felf, in the plural felves. Both of them exprefs emphasis, or oppofition, and are joined to the poffeffives, and so form a compound pronominal adjective; as, my own, thyfelf, your felves."

Ourself, the plural pronominal adjective, with the fingular fubftantive, belongs to the regal ftyle.

All fubftantives belong to the third perfon, except when an address is made to a perfon, then the fubftantive is of the fecond perfon.

An ADJECTIVE is a word added to a fubftantive, to exprefs the quality of it, or fome other property: as, a good man, an hundred pounds, a burning mountain.

Adjectives have no variation, except the three degrees of comparison pofitive, comparative, and superlative.

Moft qualities confift of different degrees, or of more or less. Thus, when a quality is fimply expreffed, without reference. to a greater or lefs degree of the fame, it is called the pofitive degree: as, large, Jhort. When it is expreffed with relation to a lefs degree, it is called the comparative degree: as, larger, horter. When it is expreffed as being of the highest degree in its quality, it is called the fuperlative: as, largeft, fortes.

There are two ways of forming the comparative and superlative degrees; the first is by adding or er to the pofitive degree, which forms the comparative; and by adding st or es, to the pofitive, and fo forming the fuperlative degree; as in the laft example. Moft monofyllables are compared in this manner; and diffyllables ending in y: as, happy; and le, when they are followed by a mute: as, able; or when they are accented on the laft fyllable: as, genteel. But others, and words

of more than two fyllables, feldom admit of these terminations; but are compared according to the following rule.

The fecond method of forming the comparative and fuperlative degrees of comparison, is by placing the adverbs more or moft before the adjective of the pofitive degree: as, exper rienced, more experienced, most experienced.

The fuperlative is, in a few words, formed by adding the abverb most to the end of them: as, nethermoft, foremost, uppermoft, undermoft, &c.

The four following adjectives are irregular in the formation of the degrees of comparison in most languages: good, better, beft; bad, worfe, worft; little, lefs, leaft; much or manys more, moft.

Double comparatives and fuperlatives are improper in grammar: as, the more greater, or the most greatest; except the most higheft, a phrafe ufed in the Pfalms of David, and is properly applicable to the Supreme Being only.

The VERB is a word which fignifies an action, or a state or condition of being; and is either active, paffive, or neuter.

A verb active expreffes an action in its natural order, that is, when the agent is placed first, and the object last; as, "John loves his book." Here John is called the agent, because he performs the action, which is love, and which is the verb; and book is the object, upon which the action love. is exercised.

A verb paffive expresses an action, but in an inverted order: that is, when the object is placed firft, and the agent laft: as, "the book is loved by John." Here may be seen the use of the cafes of nouns and pronouns for when verb is active, the agent is placed firft, and is in the nominative case: as, "I love thee." When the verb is paffive, the object being placed first, must be in the nominative case, and the agent being laft must be in the objective cafe, accompanied with a prepofition; and the verb affumes a different form: as, "thou art loved by me." Thus an active verb may be trans formed into a paffive, or a paffive verb into an active verb.

A verb heuter expreffes a ftate, or condition, of being, only, and confequently has no object to be acted upon; but an agent only: as, I walk, I fleep, I dreamed, he fell, she arofe. The verb neuter is called also the intranfitive verb, and the verb active transitive.

Many verbs are used in English both in an active and neuter fignification; their form demonftrating of which kind they are.

The verb is varied, first, to correfpond with the three different perfons of the pronoun; fecondly, to agree with the number fingular or plural; thirdly, to exprefs the three principal gradations of time,-prefent, past, and future; laftly, to fhew the mode or manner in which the action or state of being is expreffed.

In a verb are, therefore, thefe four attributes; perfon, number, time, and mode.

To agree with the three personal pronouns, though of the fame number, the verb is varied: as, I love, thou loveft, he loveth or loves.

Alfo to agree with the two different numbers of the fame perfon: as, thou loveft, ye love; he loveth, they love.

Likewife, to exprefs the different times in which the action is reprefented: as, I love, I loved, I have loved. To exprefs the different times, other verbs are often used, called auxiliaries, as will be feen hereafter.

The verb is moreover varied according to the different manner of expreffing the action or being; which variations are called its modes; of which there are generally reckoned four, befides the participle: the indicative, imperative, fubjunctive, and infinitive.

When a circumstance is fimply declared, or when a question is asked, the verb employed on these occafions is of the indicative mode: as, I love, he loves, loveft thou? When any thing is commanded, or folicited, or requefted to be done, be it to a fuperior or inferior, the verb employed in the fentence is of the imperative mode: as, love thou, "O Thou

my voice infpire !"-Pope. When any thing is expressed in a doubtful manner, or under a condition, or fuppofition, or the like; or when it is fubjoined as the end or defign; or when it is expreffed in the form of a wifh; it is, in any of these cases, and in many others, the fubjunctive mode of the verb: as, if I love," though he Лlay me, yet will I put my truft in him."-Job, xiii. 15. "Long may he live. The verb in this mode generally depends on fome other verb, and has a conjunction before it ; as, "Though after my skin, worms deftroy this body, yet in my flefh fhall I fee God." Job, xix. 26.

Here it must be noted, that when an application is made, of the nature of a request, the verb is of the imperative. mode: as, "Lord fave me."-Mat. xiv. When it is of the nature of a wifh, the verb is of the subjunctive mode: as, "O King live for ever."-Dan. iii, When the verb is ex-: preffed without any reference to perfon or number, it is called the infinitive mode: as, to love; and when it is expreffed in fuch a form, that it may be joined to an adjective," it is called the participle, and has somewhat of the nature of an adjective: as, loving, loved.

To exprefs the different times of the verb, in English, it is often neceffary to make ufe of other verbs, called therefore auxiliaries, or helpers; of which there are nine: be, have, do, let, may, muft, can, fhall, will. The two first are chiefly used. for forming the different times of the verb: it is, therefore, neceffary to know how to decline them according to perfon, number, time, and mode.

INFINITIVE MODE.

Prefent, To have;-Pat, To have had.

PARTICIPLE.

Prefent, Having;-Perfect, Had;-Paft, Having had.

As the plural pronoun you is moftly employed instead of the fingular thou, it must, therefore, have the plural verb as, you have, you had, you were; and not you haft, you hadft, you was. Which laft is an erroneous folecifm, being the plural pronoun of the fecond perfon, placed in agreement with the first or third perfon fingular of the verb; and which error writers of the first eminence have committed.

In