ties belong to things individually different, though of the same name, the article should be repeated: as, "A black and a white horse."

When adjectives are connected, and the qualities all belong to the same thing or things, the article should not be repeated: as, "A black and white horse." N.B. By a repetition of the article before several adjectives in the same construction, a repetition of the noun is implied; but, without a repetition of the article, the adjectives are confined to one and the same noun.

To avoid repetition, inconsistent qualities are sometimes joined to a plural noun: as, "The old and new testaments," for " The old and the new testament."

11. Were is sometimes used for would be, or, should be: as, "Ah! what were man, should Heaven refuse to hear ?"

Had is also occasionally employed for would have, or, should have: as "I had not known sin but by the law."

12. The verb need is often used in the third person singular of the indicative present, without the personal termination: as, "The truth need not be disguised:" "There was one condition, which need not be mentioned."

13. When the article a or an is placed before the words few and little, it generally changes their meaning from negative to positive. Thus-when we say, "There were few persons present," the word few is used in a negative sense, in distinction from many, to denote the smallness of the number. But when we say, "There were a few persons present," the word

few is used in a positive sense, in distinction from none, to denote that there were some persons present. The expressions, "He needs little aid," and "He needs a little aid," serve also to illustrate this remark.

14. When two nouns following a comparative refer to different persons or things, the article should be repeated before the second noun: but, when the two nouns refer to the same person or thing, the article should not be repeated. Thus, in the sentence, “He is a better soldier than a scholar," the terms soldier and scholar relate properly to different individuals, and it is implied that he is a better soldier than a scholar would be. But, in the sentence, "He is a better soldier than scholar," the terms soldier and scholar are limited to one individual, and it is implied that he is better in the capacity of a soldier than in that of a scholar.

15. Adjectives, that imply unity or plurality, must agree with their nouns in number: as, "That sort" "Those sorts." Never say, "Those sort of per

sons"

16. When the adjective is necessarily plural, the noun should be made so too: as, "Twenty pounds," not "Twenty pound:" a very common mistake. N.B. In some peculiar phrases, however, this rule appears to be disregarded: as, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient." John vi. 7.-" Twenty sail of vessels."—" A hundred head of cattle."

17. The noun means has the same form in both numbers: it should, therefore, be used with an adjective of the singular or plural number, as the sense

requires: as, "By this means they bear witness to each other." Mean, in this sense, is not in good use. 18. When the comparative degree is employed, the latter term of comparison should never include the former: : as, "Iron is more useful than all the metals." It should be," than all the other metals.”

19. When the superlative degree is employed, the latter term of comparison should never exclude the former: as, "A fondness for show, is, of all other follies, the most vain." The word other should be expunged.

20. An explanatory clause should never be inserted between a positive noun and the word, by which it is governed. The following sentence is faulty in this respect:-" She began to extol the farmer's, as she called him, excellent understanding." It should be, "She began to extol the excellent understanding of the farmer, as she called him."

21. The pronoun who should not be used to represent a name, which is taken merely as a word. Thus, "The court of Queen Elizabeth, who was but another name for prudence and economy," should be, "The court of Queen Elizabeth, whose name was but another word for prudence and economy."

22. The word what should not be used for the conjunction that, nor that for the compound relative what, that is to say, for the relative pronoun what as equivalent in signification to that which, or those which. The following sentences are in this respect faulty:— "They would not believe but what he was guilty: "We speak that we do know, and testify that we

have seen."

23. What is sometimes used adverbially, in the sense of partly, or in part: as, "What with wooding' at two or three places, and what with the excitement of the day, we were too fatigued to give more than a glance and a passing note of admiration to the beauty of the scene."

24. Relatives should be so placed as to prevent all ambiguity in regard to the words, which they are intended to represent. The following sentence is, therefore, objectionable :-"He is unworthy of the confidence of a fellow-being, that disregards the laws of his Maker." Corrected:-"He, that disregards the laws of his Maker, is unworthy of the confidence of a fellow-being."

"I am the man, who command you." This sentence is ambiguous, and may be corrected in two different ways. If who is intended to refer to I, we should say, "I, who command you, am the man.” But if who is intended to refer to man, then we should say, "I am the man, who commands you."

25. In familiar language, the relative is sometimes improperly omitted. Thus, "He is a man I greatly esteem," should be, "He is a man, whom I greatly esteem." So also, "I am dissatisfied with the manner I have spent my time," should be, "I am dissatisfied with the manner, in which I have spent my time."

26. Whatever is sometimes employed merely for the purpose of rendering a word or phrase emphatic: as, "No condition whatever."

27. In order to determine, in difficult cases, whether an adjective or an adverb is required, the student should carefully attend to the definitions of these

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parts of speech, and consider whether, in the case in question, quality or manner is to be expressed: if the former, an adjective is proper: if the latter, an adverb. The following examples will illustrate this point: "She looks cold :—she looks coldly on him." "I sat silent:-I sat silently musing." "Stand firm :-maintain your cause firmly."

28. The pronominal adjectives, each, every, either, and neither, are always in the third person singular: and, when they are the leading words in their clauses, they require verbs and pronouns to agree with them accordingly: as, "Each of you is entitled to his share."

29. Either and neither relate to two things only: when more are referred to, any and none should be used instead of them: as, " Any of the three,”—not, "Either of the three." "None of the four,”—not, "Neither of the four."

30. Which, as well as who, was formerly applied to persons: as, "Our Father, which art in heaven." It may still be applied to a young child: as, "The child, which died."

31. Nouns of multitude, unless they express persons directly as such, should not be represented by the relative who: to say, "The family, whom I visited," would hardly be proper: that would here be better. When, however, such nouns are strictly of the neuter gender, the pronoun which may represent them: as, "The committees, which were appointed."

32. An adverb should not be used, where a preposition and a relative pronoun would better express the relation of the terms: as, "A cause, where justice is so much concerned:" say, "in which justice," &c.