the Participle: as, I had wrote, it was wrote, for I had written, it was written; I have drank, for I have drunk; bore, for borne; chofe, for chafen; bid, for bidden; got, for gotten, &c, This abuse has been long growing upon us, and is continually making further incroachments; as it may be obferved in the example of thofe Irregular Verbs of the Third Clafs, which change i fhort into a and u; as, Cling, clang, clung, in which the original and analogical form of the Paft Time in a is almoft grown obfolete; and, the u prevailing inftead of it, the Paft Time is now in most of them confounded with the Participle. The Vulgar Tranflation of the Bible, which is the best ftandard of our language, is free from this corruption, except in a few inftances; as hid is ufed for hidden; held, for holden, frequently; bid, for bidden; begot, for begotten, once or twice: in which, and a few other like words, it may perhaps be allowed as a Contraction. And in fome of these, Custom has established it beyond recovery: in the reft it

"Into thofe common-places look,

Which from great authors I have took." Prior, Alma. "A free Conftitution when it has been book by the iniquity of former administrations." Bolingbroke,

Patriot King, p. 111.

"Too ftrong to be book by his enemies." Atterbury. "Ev'n there he should have fell." Prior, Solomon. "Sure fome disaster has befell.”

Gay, Fables.

feems

feems wholly inexcufable. The abfurdity of it will be plainly perceived in the example of fome of thefe Verbs, which cuftom has not yet fo perverted. We fhould be immediately shocked at I have knew, I have faw, I have gave, &c. but our ears are grown familiar with Į have wrote, I have drank, I have bore, &c. which are altogether as ungrammatical.

There are one or two fmall Irregularities to be noted, to which fome Verbs are fubject in the formation of the Prefent Participle. The Prefent Participle is formed by adding ing to the Verb; as, turn, turning. Verbs ending in e omit thee in the Prefent Participle: as, love, loving.. Verbs ending with a fingle confonant preceded by a fingle Vowel, and if of more than oneSyllable, having the accent on the last Syllable, double the Confonant in the Prefent Participle, as well as in every Part of the Verb in which a Syllable is added: as put, putting, putteth; forget, forgetting, forgetteth; abet, abetting, abetted [1].

[1] Some Verbs having the Accent on the last Syllable but one, as worship, council, are reprefented in the like manner, as doubling the laft confonant in the formation of thofe parts of the Verb, in which a Syllable is added; as worshipping, counselling. But this I rather judge to be a fault in the fpelling; which neither Analogy nor Pronunciation juftifies.

ADVERB.

A

ADVER B.

:

DVERBS are added to Verbs, and to Adjectives, to denote fome modification or circumftance of an action, or quality as the manner, order, time, place, diftance, motion, relation, quantity, quality, comparison, doubt, affirmation, negation, demonstration, interrogation.

In English they adınit of no Variation; except fome few of them, which have the degrees of Comparison; as, [2] "often, oftener, ofteneft;" "foon, sooner, fooneft;" and those Irregulars,

derived

[2] The formation of Adverbs in general with the Comparative and Superlative Termination feems to be improper; at least it is now become almost obfolete: as, "Touching things which generally are received,we are hardlieft able to bring such proof of their certainty, as may fatisfy gainfayers." Hooker, B. v. 2. "Was the eafilier perfuaded." Raleigh. "That he may the ftronglier provide." Hobbes, Life of Thucyd. "The things highlieft important to the growing age." Shaftsbury, Letter to Molefworth. "The question would not be, who loved himself, and who not; but, who loved and ferved himself the rightest, and after the trueft manner." Id. Wit and Humour. It ought rather to be, most hardly, more eafily, more strongly, most

highly,

derived from Adjectives [3] in this respect likewife irregular; "well, better, beft;" &c.

An Adverb is fometimes joined to another Adverb, to modify or qualify its meaning, as "very much; much too little; not very prudently."

PREPOSITIO N.

REPOSITIONS, fo called because they are commonly put before the words to which they are applied, ferve to connect words with one another, and to fhew the relation between them.

One great Ufe of Prepofitions in English is to express those relations, which in fome languages are chiefly marked by Cafes, or the dif ferent endings of the Noun.

Moft Prepofitions originally denote the relations of Place, and have been thence transferred to denote by fimilitude other relations. Thus, out, in, through, under, by, to, from, of, &c.

highly, moft right or rightly. But thefe Comparative Adverbs, however improper in profe, are fometimes allowable in Poetry.

"Scepter and pow'r, thy giving, I affume; "And gladlier fhall refign." Milton, P. L. vi. 73. [3] See above, p. 47.

9

of

Of is much the fame with from: "ask of me,” that is, from me: "made of wood;" "Son of Philip;" that is, fprung from him. For, in its primary fenfe, is pro, loco alterius, in the ftead, or place, of another. The notion of Place is very obvious in all the reft [4].

Prepofitions

[4] The Particle a before Participles, in the phrases a coming, a going, a walking, a fhooting, &c.; and before Nouns, as a-bed, a-board, a-shore, a-foot, &c.; feems to be a true and genuine Prepofition, a little difguifed by familiar ufe and quick pronunciation. Dr. Wallis fuppofes it to be the Prepofition at. I rather think it is the Prepofition on; the fenfe of which anfwers better to the intention of thofe expreffions. At has relation chiefly to place: on has a more general relation, and may be applied to action, and many other things, as well as place. "I was on coming, on going," &c.; that is, employed upon that particular action: so likewise those other phrases above-mentioned, a-bed, &c. exactly anfwer to on bed, on board, on fhore, on foot. Dr. Bentley plainly fuppofed a to be the fame with on; as appears from the following paffage: "He would have a learned Univerfity make Barbarisms a purpose." Differt. on Phalaris, p. 223. "The depths on trembling fell." J. Hopkins, Pf. lxxvii. 16. That is, as we now fay in common discourse," they fell a trembling." And the prepofition on has manifeftly deviated into a in other inftances: thus the Saxon compounded Prepofitions ongean, onmang, onbutan, are become in English, by the rapidity of pronunciation, against, among, about; and what is in

the