Conjunctions connect, in the same mood and tense, two or more verbs which are similarly situated with respect to time and circumstance; as, "He spake and it was done.”

Conjunctions also connect, in the same case, two or more nouns and pronouns which are similarly circumstanced; as, "Arms, and the man I sing;" "He and I were present."

Besides nouns, pronouns, and verbs, conjunctions connect adverbs and adjectives; as, "We are fearfully and wonderfully formed;" "He is wise and virtuous."

Note 1. In every sentence, in which no emphasis is intended, two words of the same part of speech generally require a conjunction between them; as, "Time and tide." "To be good and virtuous.”

Three or more words of the same part of speech require a conjunction before the last; as, "Honour, hope, and goodness." When a sentence is intended to be emphatical, the conjunction is repeated; as, "Truth, and honour, and ability, have been sacrificed."

1. In ordinary composition, the frequent recurrence of the same conjunction in the connection of the several clauses and members, is to be avoided; and also the introduction of several conjunctions in the same clause when their insertion is not absolutely necessary.-See p. 172, Note 8, a. b. c.

2. Two or more conjunctions may be considered necessary, and allowed to follow one another, when one of them serves to connect the sentence with what precedes, and the other to connect one clause in the sentence with another clause; as, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again." Here, and connects the sentences, and if, the clauses.

2. The words except and unless are sometimes misapplied. Except is used before a noun or pronoun; unless, before a verb; as, "None were present except John." "He will be rejected unless he be diligent."

The word without must not be employed for unless; thus, "Without he study, he cannot succeed," should be, "Unless he study, he cannot succeed."

Except is preferable to the phrases other than, and all but; thus, instead of saying, "He allowed no other application than by letter;" it would be better to say, "He allowed no application except by letter;" "They were diligent all but Thomas," should be, "except Thomas."

3. If the verbs are in different moods and tenses, the nominative is generally repeated, when it is preceded by a copulative conjunction, expressed or understood; as, "I know it, and I can prove it."-But the nominative is always repeated, when it is preceded by a disjunctive conjunction, expressed or understood, or when the sentence is

interrogative or emphatical; as, "He continues his studies, though he has met with many difficulties;" "Do you say so, and can you prove it?" "He has formed us, and He will preserve us."

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Also, in a transition from the affirmative to the negative form, or from the negative to the affirmative, the nominative is generally repeated; as, "He is happy, though he is not rich;" "He is not happy, though he is rich."

4. After verbs of doubting, fearing, and denying, the word that is used instead of lest and but; as, "You do not doubt that he is honest;" that is, "You do not doubt that thing, namely, he is honest, or, his honesty."

"They feared that they would not return," is much better than, "They feared lest they would not return." To say, "I doubt not but that he will fulfil his promise," implies, that I doubt nothing except one thing, namely, that he will fulfil his promise; yet this is the very thing not doubted. Remove the but, and the sense is correctly conveyed.

5. Some conjunctions are frequently either improperly omitted, or, when introduced into a sentence, are not properly applied. Thus,

1. The word that is sometimes improperly omitted; as, "We were desirous (that) you should return."

2. If is sometimes improperly used for whether; thus, "See if it rains;" "I will enquire if they went;" which would be better expressed thus, "See whether it rains or not;" "I will enquire whether they went or not."

3. The particle as, connected with the adjective such, is used as a relative pronoun; as, "Let such as give advice, be upright themselves;" that is, "Let those persons who give advice."

4. As and because are sometimes unnecessarily employed; thus, "The books were to have been sold as this day;" "The reason of my desiring to see you was, because I wanted to talk with you." The words as and because should be omitted.

5. And is sometimes improperly used for or after the word without; thus, "The house was built without brick and stone;" should be, "without brick or stone.” To say, "built without brick and stone," implies, that though both these materials might not have been used, yet one of them might; but to say, "without brick or stone," excludes both.

6. a. Some adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions, require to be followed by words corresponding with them in sense.

ADJECTIVES:

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Other, having an adjective prefixed, requires than; as, Were it any other than he, I would consent."

All comparatives require than; as, “He is greater than I.”

Former-latter; This-that; as, "Virtue and vice are opposite to each other; the former ennobles the mind, the latter debases it;" or, "This debases the mind, that ennobles it."

Same-as, expressing similarity; as, "Your paper is of the same kind as mine."

The one-the other; as, "The one is good, the other bad."

Little, and the words no, nothing, and other negatives, require except; as, "He has little of the scholar except the name."

Such-as, expressing similarity; as, "These pens are such as yours."

Such as, preceding an infinitive, when consequence is implied; as, "The pain was such as to produce death."

Such that, preceding the other moods, when consequence is denoted; as, "His diligence was such, that his friends were confident of success."

ADVERBS :

As requires as, expressing equality; as, "He is as good as she." As-so, expressing equality; thus, “As the stars, so shall thy seed be."

As-so, applied to verbs, and expressing a comparison; thus, “As he excels in virtue, so he rises in estimation."

As, signifying when, while, or because, is generally used without so; thus, "As I came home, I met a friend."

So requires as, applied to verbs, and expressing comparison; as, "I viewed in my mind, so far as I was able, the beginning and progress of a rising world."

So-as, preceding an infinitive, and expressing a consequence; as, "He studied logic so attentively as to be able to reason correctly."

So that, preceding the other moods, and expressing a consequence; as, "He studied logic so attentively, that he was able to reason correctly."

So-so, expressing similarity; as, "So we preached, and so ye believed."

Rather than; as, "He would consent, rather than suffer."

Not only-but also; as, "He was not only prudent, but he was also industrious."

At one time-at another time, are sometimes elegantly expressed by now-now; as,

"Like leaves on trees, the race of man is found,

Now green in youth, now withering on the ground."

Here-there; as, "Here plenty, there want."

In one place-in another place; as, "In one place misery, in another happiness."

Where there; as, "Where idleness is, there is want.”

When then; as, "When he strives, then he will succeed."

Never-nor; as, "Never calumniate, nor encourage those who do."

CONJUNCTIONS :—

Both requires and; as, "Both he and she were present."

Though or although yet, nevertheless; as, "Though deep yet clear, though gentle yet not dull."

Whether or; as, 66 Whether in health or in sickness."

Either-or; as, "Either you or I must go."

Neither-nor; as, 66 Neither you nor I am able to do it."

If, in reasoning, is followed by then; as, "If this point is established, then it naturally follows," &c.

Because therefore; as, “Because he has proved the victor, he ought therefore to be rewarded."

The word or is used sometimes to point out a difference between things, at other times only between names for the same thing. When the first noun is preceded by either, a difference between the things is indicated. When either is not inserted, the same difference may be pointed out by a repetition of the article, or of the article and preposition before each noun; but, when several terms refer to the same thing, the article and preposition are not repeated, only the conjunction or being inserted before the last, thus, "That figure is a sphere, or a globe, or a ball," is incorrect; it should be, "is a sphere, globe, or ball," because they are not different things, but different terms for the same thing. The expression, "He put the money in a bag, or in a box," or, "in a bag or a box," implies two distinct things, a bag and a box. The sentence, "The King whose character was not sufficiently vigorous nor decisive, assented to the measure," is not quite correct. If the word decisive is used as merely explanatory of the word vigorous, or as synonymous with it, then, we ought to say, "vigorous or decisive;" but if the two terms are intended to designate two distinct things, we should use nor and its corresponding conjunction neither, thus, "The king, whose character was neither sufficiently vigorous nor decisive.”

b. Conjunctions that do not correspond should never be connected with the same noun or pronoun, as the meaning of the sentence is thus rendered imperfect. "Will it be believed, that the four Gospels are as old, or even older, than tradition?" should be, "Will it be believed, that the four Gospels are older than tradition, or even as old?"

Here, the phrase, as old, exhibits the first branch of a comparison, and requires to be followed by a corresponding clause. "The relations are so uncertain, as that they require a great deal of examination;" it should be, "that they require a great deal of examination," because a consequence is denoted. "There was no man so sanguine who did not apprehend some ill consequences;" it ought to be, "as not to apprehend"-we may also say, "There was no man, how sanguine soever, or however sanguine, who did not apprehend." "We should sufficiently weigh the objects of our hope, whether they are such as we may reasonably expect from them what they propose," should be, "such that we may reasonably expect."

THE FOLLOWING ARE VIOLATIONS OF SINGLE CONJUNCTIONS.-" Scarcely had the spirit of laws made its appearance, than it was attacked;" should be, "when it was attacked." "The duke had not behaved with that loyalty as he ought to have done," should be, "with which he ought to have behaved." "In the order as they lie in his preface," should be, "In the order in which they lie," &c. "His donation was the more acceptable, that it was given without solicitation," should be, "because or as it was given without solicitation." He had too much grace and wit than to be a member of that club;" than is superfluous; it should be," He had too much grace and wit to be a member of that club."

7. Neither, nor, and either, or, should be placed near the words to which they refer; as, "Neither he nor his

friend was present;" "It neither improves the understanding, nor delights the imagination."

8. Than and as do not govern any case; thus, "Wiser than I," that is, "than I am." "As good as she,” that is, as she is." See p. 81, Note 4, and p. 85, Note 12.

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INTERJECTIONS.

For the government of Interjections, see Rule 9, Note 5, pp. 81, 82.

RULE 20. ELLIPSIS.

To avoid unnecessary repetitions, and to express our ideas in few words, an ellipsis, or omission of some words, frequently takes place; thus, instead of saying, "Reading makes a knowing man, study makes a judicious man, and conversation makes a polished man," we say, Reading makes a knowing man, study, a judicious man, and conversation, a polished man.

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But an ellipsis is not allowable, when it would occasion obscurity, weaken the force of the sentence, or render it ungrammatical; thus, "We are apt to love who love us," should be, "We are apt to love them who love us."

ILLUSTRATION.-In almost all sentences, and particularly in compound sentences, an ellipsis of some of the parts of speech frequently occurs, as may be seen from the following examples :

Of the Article. "The sun and moon;" here, the repetition of the article is unnecessary. But the following sentence, being intended to be emphatical, requires the article to be repeated; as, "Not only the year, but the day and the hour." The article is also generally repeated when one word begins with a consonant, and the other with a vowel; as, "A garden and an orchard.”

Of the Noun. "One sun by day, by night ten thousand shine;" here, the repetition of the word sun is unnecessary. In emphatical sentences, the noun, as well as the other parts of speech, must be repeated. Nouns, connected with adjectives of dimension or measure, have generally some words understood; as, "A wall seven feet high;" that is, “A wall which is seven feet high."

Of the Adjective. "A little man and woman;" that is, "A little man and a little woman." In expressions of this kind, the adjective must have exactly the same signification, and be quite as proper when joined to the latter substantive as to the former; otherwise, the ellipsis should not be used. The same adjective should not be applied to two nouns of different numbers; thus, "A magnificent house and gardens," would be better, if written, "A magnificent house and fine gardens."

Of the Pronoun. "In the posture I lay;" here, the pronoun is improperly omitted; it should be, "In the posture in which I lay." "We speak that we do know," ought to be, "We speak that which we do know;" or, "what we know."

Of the Verb. "She was young, and beautiful, and good;" that is, "She was young, she was beautiful, and she was good." If we wish to point out one property above the rest, that property must be placed the last, and the ellipsis supplied; as, "She is young and beautiful, and she is good."

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