Do you recollect the meaning of the word _analysis?_ If you do not, I
will explain if: and first, I wish you to remember, that analysis is the
reverse of synthesis. _Synthesis_ is the act of combining simples so as
to form a whole or compound. Thus, in putting together letters so as to
form syllables, syllables so as to form words, words so as to form
sentences, and sentences so as to form a discourse, the process is
called synthetic. _Analysis_, on the contrary, is the act of
decomposition; that is, the act of separating any thing compounded into
its simple parts, and thereby exhibiting its elementary principles.
Etymology treats of the analysis of language. To analyze a sentence, is
to separate from one another and classify the different words of which
it is composed; and to analyze or _parse_ a word, means to enumerate and
describe all its various properties, and its grammatical relations with
respect to other words in a sentence, and trace it through all its
inflections or changes. Perhaps, to you, this will, at first, appear to
be of little importance; but, if you persevere, you will hereafter find
it of great utility, for parsing will enable you to detect, and correct,
errors in composition.