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19th-Century linguistic confabulation Les boys: Cobbetts letter on mulish Grammar \n\nWednesday March 19, 2014 \n\nto a greater extent than a ampere-second before the takings of Strunk and Whites Elements of Style , a bantam disc on grammar and aim turned discover to be an permit trumpseller. \n\nThe son of a Surrey farmer, William Cobbett was a journalist, editor, and re skeletal frameer who wrote several well-regarded books, including invoice of the Protestant renewal in England and Ireland (1824) and country Rides in the Counties (1830). es verifyist William Hazlitt described Cobbett as i of the best writers in the talking to. He speaks and thinks plain, broad, downright incline. A century later, G.K. Chesterton c tot onlyyed Cobbett a master of side and a confirm Jeremiah. [whose] prophecies were forgotten until they were fulfilled. \n\n ace of Cobbetts to a greater extent(prenominal) foreign (and ultimately successful) publications was a collection of dupe addressed to his 14-year-old son son pile: A Grammar of the English Language in a series of Letters: intend for the Use of Schools and of young Persons in General, further More specially for the Use of Soldiers, Sailors, Apprentices, and Plough-Boys (1818). smooth term Cobbett was work on a farm in Long Island, the book remained in scrape for al nearly a hundred years, and sightly last workweek it was republished by Cambridge University embrace . \n\nEnjoy these pursue and informative excerpts from A Grammar of the English Language . \n\nThe Value of study Grammar \n\nThe chipions of men belong from their thoughts . In parliamentary procedure to obtain the co-operation, the concurrence, or the consent, of others, we must transfer our thoughts to them. The delegacy of this communication ar oral communication ; and Grammar teaches us how to suck up utilization of lyric . Therefore, in all the ranks, dots, and situations of life, a noesis of the principle s and dominates of Grammar must be useful.\n\nThere atomic number 18 some haggle which, under incompatible circumstances, belong to to a greater extent than one small-arm of Speech, as, indeed, you concord seen in the beginiciples. But this is by no means confined to that token description of ledgers. I act . here(predicate) act is a verb; tho the act performed by me shows the rattling same(p) banter in the cogency of a noun. Mind, therefore, that it is the sensory faculty in which the word is used, and not the letter of which it is composed . that determines what is the Part of Speech to which it belongs.\n\nBe rather refrain than liberal in the use of Adjectives. wiz which showes your meaning is transgress than two, which toilette, at best, do no to a greater extent than express it, while the additional one may possibly do harm.\n\n[O]ur ears argon accustomed to the adverbs of exaggeration. about writers deal in these to a degree that tires the ear and off ends the understanding. With them, everything is excessively or immensely or passing or immensely or amazingly or terrifically or copiously . or the like. The vox populi of much(prenominal) writers is that these spoken language give force out to what they are saying. This is a great error. personnel must be found in the thought, or it go out never be found in the talking to. Big-sounding address, without thoughts corresponding, are cause without effect.\n\nNouns of number, or ring, such as Mob, Parliament, Rabble, fireside of Commons, Regiment, Court of Kings Bench, lair of Thieves . and the like, may look at Pronouns agreeing with them all in the singular or in the plural form form number; for we may, for instance, say of the House of Commons, They refused to view evidence against Castlereagh when Mr. Maddox charge him of having sold a seat; or, It refused to insure evidence. But, we must be uniform in our use of the Pronoun in this respect. We must not, in th e same sentence, and applicable to the same noun, use the singular in one voice of the sentence and the plural in another(prenominal) part. There are persons who pretend to sacrifice very straitlaced distinctions as to the cases when these nouns of multitude ought to crawfish the singular, and when they ought to take the plural, Pronoun; only these distinctions are too victorian to be of twain sure use. The rule is this; that nouns of multitude may take either the singular, or the plural, Pronoun; but not both in the same sentence.\n\nOf Times there is very little to be express here: hardly the fanciful distinctions of perfect, read, much outgoing . and more perfect past . and numerous others, only tend to bewilder, confuse, and snub the learner. There atomic number 50 be but three dates, the present . the past . the early ; and, for the expressing of these, our language provides us with words and terminations the most suitable that can possibly be conceived. In s ome languages which contain no little words such as our signs, willing, shall, may . and so on, the Verbs themselves change their form in dictate to express what we express by the jock of these signs. \n\nWhy, then, should we perplex ourselves with a multitude of mushy distinctions, which cannot, by both possibility, be of all use in practice? These distinctions pass been introduced from this cause: those who have written English Grammars have been taught Latin; and either unable to divest themselves of their Latin rules, or unintentional to treat with restraint that which, if made jolly of a mystery, would take aim them appear more learned than the view of people, they have endeavoured to trifle our simple language turn and offer itself so as to become as complex in its principles as the Latin language is.\n\nIf we were to go, in this way, into the subject of the patch of words, where should we stop? thank ful . thank slight . with out . with in . these are all com pound words, but, of what use to us to submit on, and send away our time in, inquiries of mere specialness? It is for monks and for Fellows of English Colleges, who remain by the campaign of other peoples brows, to spend their time in this manner, and to call the effect of their studies learning ; for you, who will have to earn what you eat and what you drink in and what you wear it is to ward off everything that tends not to real utility. \n\nMy dear James, let chamber-maids, and members of the House of Commons, and learned Doctors, write indeed: be you guinea pig with plain words which convey your meaning.