2. By a noun, pronoun, or adjective, being prefixed to the

A cock-sparrow.

A man-servant.

A he-goat.

A he-bear

A male child.

Male descendants.

substantive: as,

A hen-sparrow.
A maid-servant.

A she goat.

A she-bear.

A female child.
Female descendants.

It sometimes happens, that the same noun is either masculine or feminine. The words parent, child, cousin, friend, neighbour, servant, and several others, are used indifferently to denote a distinct species of gender, as some writers on English grammar have asserted, and who denominate them the common gender. There is no such gender belonging to the language. The business of parsing can be effectually per formed, without having recourse to a common gender. Thus, we may say; Parents is a noun of the masculine and feminine

gender; Parent, if doubtful, is of the masculine or feminine gender; and Parent, if the gender is known by the construction, is of the gender so ascertained.

Nouns with variable terminations contribute to conciseness and perspicuity of expression. We have only a sufficient number of them to make us feel our want: for when we say of a woman, she is a philosopher, an astronomer, a builder, a weaver, we perceive an impropriety in the termination, which we cannot avoid; but we can say, that she is a botanist, a student, a witness, a scholar, an orphan, a companion, because these terminations have not annexed to them the notion of sex.

SECTION 3.

Of Number.

NUMBER is the consideration of an object, as one

or more.

Substantives are of two numbers, the singular and the plural.

The singular number expresses but one object: as, a chair, a table.

The plural number signifies more objects than one : as, chairs, tables.

Some nouns, from the nature of the things which they express, are used only in the singular form: as, wheat, pitch, gold, sloth, pride, &c.; others, only in the plural form: as, bellows, scissors, ashes, riches,

&c.

Some words are the same in both numbers: as, deer, sheep, swine, &c.

The plural number of nouns is generally formed by adding s to the singular: as, dove, doves; face, faces thought, thoughts. But when the substantive singular ends in x, ch soft, sh, ss, or s, we add es in the plural: as, box, boxes; church, churches; lash, lashes; kiss, kisses, rebus, rebuses. If the singular ends in ch hard, the plural is formed by adding s: as, monarch, monarchs; distich, distichs.

NOUNS which end in o have sometimes es added, to form the plural as cargo, echo, hero, negro, manifesto, potato,

volcano, wo and sometimes only; as, folio, nuncio, punctilio, seraglio.

Nouns ending in f, or fe, are rendered plural by the change of those terminations in ves: as, loaf, loaves; half, halves; wife, wives; except grief, relief, reproof, and several others, which form the plural by the addition of s. Those which end in ff, have the regular plural: as, ruff, ruffs; except, staff, staves.

Nouns which have y in the singular, with no other vowel in the same syllable, change it into ies in the plural: as, beauty, beauties; fly, flies. But the y is not changed, when there is another vowel in the syllable: as, key, keys; delay, delays; attorney, attorneys.

Some nouns become plural by changing the a of the singular into e: as, man, men; woman, women; alderman, aldermen. The words, ox and child, form oxen and children; brother, makes either brothers, or brethren. Sometimes the diphthong oo is changed into ee in the plural: as, foot, feet; goose, geese; tooth, teeth. Louse and mouse, make lice and mice Penny, makes pence; or pennies, when the coin is meant; die, dice (for play) die, dies (for coining.)

It is a general rule, that all names of things measured or weighed, have no plural; for in them not number, but quantity, is regarded: as, wool, wine, oil. When we speak, however, of different kinds, we use the plural: as, the coarser wools, the richer wines, the finer oils.

It is agreeable to analogy, and the practice of the generality of correct writers, to construe the following words as plural nouns: pains, riches, alms: and also, mathematics, metaphysics, politics, ethics, optics, pneumatics, with other similar names of sciences.

Dr. Johnson says, that the adjective much is sometimes a term of number, as well as of quantity. This may account for the instances we meet with of its associating with pains as a plural noun; as, "much pains." The connexion, however, is not to be recommended.

The word news is now almost universally considered as belonging to the singular number.

The noun means is used both in the singular and the plural number.

As a general rule for the use of the word means, as either singular or plural, it would render the construction less vague, and the expression therefore less ambiguous, were we to employ it as singular when the mediation or instrumentality of one thing is implied; and, as plural, when two or more mediating causes are referred to. "He was careful to observe what means were employed by his adversaries, to counVOL. I.

F

teract his schemes." Here means is properly joined with a plural verb, several methods of counteraction being signified. The king consented; and, by this means, all hope of success was lost." Here but one mediating circumstance is implied; and the noun is, therefore, used as singular.

The following words,

which have been adopted from the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages, are thus distinguished, with respect to number.

Arcana.
Axes.

Calces.

Data.

Efluvia.

Some words, derived from the learned languages, are confined to the plural number: as, antipodes, credenda, literati, minutiæ.

The following nouns being, in Latin, both singular and plural, are used in the same manner, when adopted into our tongue: hiatus, apparatus, series, species.

*Indexes, when it signifies pointers, or Tables of contents: Indices, when referring to Algebraic quantities.

† Genii, when denoting ærial spirits: Geniuses, when signifying persons of genius.

SECTION 4.

Of Case.

IN English, substantives have three cases, the nominative, the possessive, and the objective.*

The nominative case simply expresses the name of a thing, or the subject of the verb: as, "The boy plays;"The girls learn."

The possessive case expresses the relation of property or possession; and has an apostrophe with the letter s coming after it: as, "The scholar's duty;" "My father's house."

When the plural ends in s, the other s is omitted, but the apostrophe is retained: as, "On eagles' wings;" "The drapers' company."

Sometimes also, when the singular terminates in ss, the apostrophic s is not added: as, " For goodness' sake;" "For righteousness' sake."

The objective case expresses the object of an ac tion, or of a relation; and generally follows a verb active, or a preposition: as, "John assists Charles;" "They live in London."

English substantives are declined in the following manner.

The possessive is sometimes called the genitive case; and the objective, the accusative.

† As a proof of the utility of marking the genitive plural with the apostrophe, we need recur only to a few common phrases.

All the ships masts were blown away.

All the trees leaves were blown off.

In these, and similar phrases, it is only the apostrophe, placed before or after thes, that determines the ships and trees to be either singular or plural.