_The English Language hath been much cultivated during the last two
hundred years. It hath been considerably polished and refined; it hath
been greatly enlarged in extent and compass; its force and energy, its
variety, richness, and elegance, have been tried with good success,
in verse and in prose, upon all subjects, and in every kind of stile:
but whatever other improvements it may have received, it hath made no
advances in Grammatical accuracy._
_It is now about fifty years since Doctor ~Swift~ made a public
remonstrance, addressed to the Earl of ~Oxford~, then Lord Treasurer,
of the imperfect State of our Language; alledging in particular, “that
in many instances it offended against every part of Grammar.” ~Swift~
must be allowed to have been a good judge of this matter. He was himself
very attentive to this part, both in his own writings, and in his remarks
upon those of his friends: he is one of our most correct, and perhaps our
very best prose writer. Indeed the justness of this complaint, as far as
I can find, hath never been questioned; and yet no effectual method hath
hitherto been taken to redress the grievance of which he complains._
_But let us consider, how, and in what extent, we are to understand this
charge brought against the ~English~ Language. Does it mean, that the
~English~ Language as it is spoken by the politest part of the nation,
and as it stands in the writings of our most approved authors, oftentimes
offends against every part of Grammar? Thus far, I am afraid, the charge
is true. Or does it further imply, that our Language is in its nature
irregular and capricious; not subject, or not easily reduceable, to a
System of rules? In this respect, I am persuaded, the charge is wholly
without foundation._
_The ~English~ Language is perhaps of all the present European Languages
by much the most simple in its form and construction. Of all the ancient
Languages extant that is the most simple, which is undoubtedly the most
ancient: but even that Language itself does not equal the ~English~ in
simplicity._
_The Words of the ~English~ Language are subject to fewer variations from
their original Form, than those perhaps of any other Language whatsoever.
Its Substantives have but one variation of Case: nor have they any beside
the natural distinction of Gender. Its Adjectives admit of no change
at all, except that which expresses the degrees of Comparison. All the
possible variations of the original form of the Verb are not above six
or seven; whereas in many Languages they amount to one or two hundred:
and almost the whole business of Modes, Times, and Voices is managed with
great ease by the assistance of eight or nine commodious little Verbs;
called from their use Auxiliaries. The Construction of this Language is
so easy and obvious, that our Grammarians have thought it hardly worth
while to give us any thing like a regular and systematical Syntax. The
last ~English~ Grammar that hath been presented to the public, and by
the Person best qualified to have given us a perfect one, comprises the
whole Syntax in ten lines. The reason, which he assigns for being so very
concise in this part, is, “because our Language has so little inflection,
that its Construction neither requires nor admits many rules.” In truth,
the easier any subject is in its own nature, the harder is it to make it
more easy by explanation; and nothing is commonly more unnecessary, and
at the same time more difficult, than to give a Demonstration in form of
a proposition almost self-evident._
_It is not owing then to any peculiar irregularity or difficulty of our
Language, that the general practice both of speaking and writing it is
chargeable with inaccuracy. It is not the Language, but the practice,
that is in fault. The truth is, Grammar is very much neglected among us:
and it is not the difficulty of the Language, but on the contrary the
simplicity and facility of it, that occasions this neglect. Were the
Language less easy and simple, we should find ourselves under a necessity
of studying it with more care and attention. But as it is, we take it
for granted, that we have a competent knowledge and skill, and are able
to acquit ourselves properly, in our own native tongue: a faculty solely
acquired by use, conducted by habit, and tried by the ear, carries us on
without reflection; we meet with no rubs or difficulties in our way, or
we do not perceive them; we find ourselves able to go on without rules,
and we do not so much as suspect that we stand in need of them._
_A Grammatical Study of our own Language makes no part of the ordinary
method of instruction which we pass thro’ in our childhood; and it is
very seldom that we apply ourselves to it afterward. And yet the want of
it will not be effectually supplied by any other advantages whatsoever.
Much practice in the polite world, and a general acquaintance with the
best authors, are good helps, but alone will hardly be sufficient: we
have writers, who have enjoyed these advantages in their full extent,
and yet cannot be recommended as models of an accurate style. Much less
then will what is commonly called Learning serve the purpose; that is,
a critical knowledge of ancient languages, and much reading of ancient
authors: the greatest Critic and most able Grammarian of the last age,
when he came to apply his Learning and his Criticism to an English
Author, was frequently at a loss in matters of ordinary use and common
construction in his own ~Vernacular Idiom~._
_But perhaps the Notes subjoined to the following pages will furnish a
more convincing argument, than any thing that can be said here, both
of the truth of the charge of inaccuracy brought against our Language
as it subsists in practice, and of the necessity of investigating the
Principles of it, and studying it Grammatically, if we would attain to a
due degree of skill in it. It is with reason expected of every person of
a liberal education, and much more is it indispensably required of every
one who undertakes to inform or entertain the public, that he should be
able to express himself with propriety and accuracy. It will evidently
appear from these Notes, that our best Authors for want of some rudiments
of this kind have sometimes fallen into mistakes, and been guilty of
palpable errors in point of Grammar. The examples there given are such as
occurred in reading, without any very curious or methodical examination:
and they might easily have been much increased in number by any one,
who had leisure or phlegm enough to have gone through a regular course
of reading with this particular view. However, I believe, they may be
sufficient to answer the purpose intended; to evince the necessity of the
Study of Grammar in our own Language, and to admonish those, who set up
for Authors among us, that they would do well to consider this part of
Learning as an object not altogether beneath their regard._
_The principal design of a Grammar of any Language is to teach us to
express ourselves with propriety in that Language, and to be able to
judge of every phrase and form of construction, whether it be right or
not. The plain way of doing this, is to lay down rules, and to illustrate
them by examples. But besides shewing what is right, the matter may be
further explained by pointing out what is wrong. I will not take upon me
to say, whether we have any Grammar that sufficiently performs the first
part: but the latter method here called in, as subservient to the former,
may perhaps be found in this case to be of the two the more useful and
effectual manner of instruction._
_Besides this principal design of Grammar in our own Language, there
is a secondary use to which it may be applied, and which, I think,
is not attended to as it deserves. A good foundation in the General
Principles of Grammar is in the first place necessary for all those who
are initiated in a learned education; and for all others likewise, who
shall have occasion to furnish themselves with the knowledge of modern,
languages. Universal Grammar cannot be taught abstractedly: it must be
done with reference to some language already known, in which the terms
are to be explained, and the rules exemplified. The learner is supposed
to be unacquainted with all but his own native tongue; and in what
other, consistently with reason and common sense, would you go about
to explain it to him? When he has a competent knowledge of the main
principles, the common terms, the general rules, the whole subject and
business of Grammar, exemplified in his own Language; he then will apply
himself with great advantage to any foreign language, whether ancient or
modern. To enter at once upon the Science of Grammar, and the Study of
a foreign Language, is to encounter two difficulties together, each of
which would be much lessened by being taken separately and in its proper
order. For these plain reasons a competent Grammatical knowledge of our
own Language is the true foundation upon which all Literature, properly
so called, ought to be raised. If this method were adopted in our
Schools; if children were first taught the common principles of Grammar
by some short and clear System of ~English~ Grammar, which happily by its
simplicity and facility is perhaps of all others the fittest for such a
purpose, they would have some notion of what they were going about, when
they should enter into the ~Latin~ Grammar; and would hardly be engaged
so many years, as they now are, in that most irksome and difficult part
of literature, with so much labour of the memory, and with so little
assistance of the understanding._
_A design somewhat of this kind gave occasion to the following little
System, intended merely for a private and domestic use. The chief end
of it was to explain the general principles of Grammar as clearly and
intelligibly as possible. In the Definitions therefore easiness and
perspicuity have been sometimes prefered to logical exactness. The
common Divisions have been complied with, as far as truth and reason
would permit. The known and received Terms have been retained, except
in one or two instances, where others offered themselves, which seemed
much more significant. All disquisitions, which appeared to have
more of subtilty than of usefulness in them, have been avoided. In a
word, it was calculated for the use of the Learner even of the lowest
class. Those, who would enter more deeply into this Subject, will
find it fully and accurately handled, with the greatest acuteness of
investigation, perspicuity of explication, and elegance of method, in a
Treatise intitled HERMES, by JAMES HARRIS Esq; the most beautiful and
perfect example of Analysis that has been exhibited since the days of
~Aristotle~._
_The following short System is proposed only as an Essay, upon a Subject,
tho’ of little esteem, yet of no small importance; and in which the
want of something better adapted to real use and practice, than what we
have at present, seems to be generally acknowledged. If those, who are
qualified to judge of such matters, and do not look upon them as beneath
their notice, shall so far approve of it, as to think it worth a revisal,
and capable of being improved into something really useful; their remarks
and assistance, communicated through the hands of the Bookseller, shall
be received with all proper deference and acknowledgement._