The Grammar of English Grammars Part 284

_Verse_, in oppos. to prose, what --_Blank verse_, as distinguished from rhyme --_Verse_, general sense of the term; its derivation and literal signif.; the visible form of _verse_ --_Verse_, as defined by JOH., WALK., _et al_.; do. by WEBST.

--_Verse_, Eng., the difficulty of treating the subject of, and from what this arises --A _verse_, or line of poetry, of what consists --_Verse_, or poetic measure, the kinds, or orders of, named; (see _Iambic Verse, Trochaic Verse_, &c.) --_Verse_, the proper reading of

VERSIFICATION, treated --_Versification_, defined --_Versification_, POE'S (E. A.) notions concerning; his censure of BROWN'S former definition of; his rejection of the idea of versif.

from the principle of rhythm; his unfortunate derivat. of _rhythm_ from [Greek: hurithmos,] and vain attempts to explain the term: the farrago summarily disposed of by BROWN --EVERETT'S "System of Eng. Versification," account of, and strictures on

_Vision_, or _imagery_, explained

_Vocative case_ of Lat. and Gr. gram., not known in Eng.

_Voice_, ACTIVE, and Pa.s.sIVE, whether necessary terms in Eng. gram.

_Vowel_, defined --_Vowels_ named --_W_ and _Y_, when vowels; comp.

--_Vowel sounds_, or vocal elements, the different, how produced --what are those in Eng.

--how each may be variously expressed by letters; notation of --_Vowels_, two coming together, where may be parted in syllabication.

W.

W, its name and plur. numb.

--simpler term than _Double-u_ perhaps desirable; DR. WEBST. on the lett.

--W, when a vowel --with vowel foll., sound of --before _h_, how p.r.o.nounced --in Eng. never used alone as a vowel --no diphthongs or triphth. in Eng., beginning with.

_Wages_, noun, plur. by formation; its construe, with a verb.

_Walker, J._, estimate of his Critical p.r.o.nouncing Dictionary --in his lexicography how far followed DR. JOH.

_Was_, contrary to usage preferred by some to _were_, in the imperf. sing, of the subj.

_We_, plur., as representing the speaker and others; how sometimes used in stead of the sing.; sometimes preferred by monarchs to _I_.

_Webster, Dr. N._, describes language as comprehending the voice of brutes --never named the Eng. letters rightly --his orthography as a _standard_; do. compared with that of DR. JOH.

--the result to himself of his various attempts to reform our orthog.; the value of his _definitions_.

_Weight, measure_, &c., see _Time_.

_Wert_, as used in lieu of _wast_ --its mood not easy to determine; authorities for a various use of.

_What_, its cla.s.s and nature --to what usually applied; its twofold relat. explained --its numb.; example of solec. in the use of --as a mere adj., or as a p.r.o.n. indef.

--its use both as an adj. and as a relative at the same time; do. for _who_ or _which_, ludic. and vulg.

--declined --how to be disposed of in etymolog. parsing; how to be pa.r.s.ed syntactically --how becomes an interj.

--used appar. for an adv.; uttered exclamatorily before an adj., to be taken as an adj., ("WHAT PARTIAL _judges are our_," &c.,) --followed by _that_, by way of pleonasm, ("WHAT _I tell you in darkness_, THAT," &c.,) --with _but_ preceding, ("_To find a friend_, BUT WHAT" &c.,) --vulg. use of, for _that_ --derivation of, from Sax., shown.

_Whatever_ or _whatsoever_, its peculiarities of construe., the same as those of _what_; its use in simp, relation --its construc. as a double relative; whether it may be supposed ellipt.

--its declension.

_When, where_, or _while_, in what instance not fit to follow the verb _is_ --_When, where, whither_, as partaking of the nature of a p.r.o.n.; construc, of do., with antecedent nouns of time, &c., how far allowable --derivation of, from Anglo-Sax.

_Whether_, as an interrog. p.r.o.n.; as a disjunc. conjunc.

--conjunc. corresponsive to _or_ --as do., its derivation from Sax.

_Which_, relative --its former use; to what objects now confined --its use after a personal term taken by meton. for a thing; do., as still applicable to persons --is of all the genders, (in oppos. to MURR., WEBST., _et. al._,) --is less approp. than _who_, in all personifications --its construc. when taken in its discrim. sense, --how differs from the rel. _that_ --BLAIR'S incorrect remarks respecting --_Which_, as rel. or interrog., declined --_Which_, sometimes takes _whose_ for its poss., --represents a prop. name taken merely as a name, ("_Herod_ --WHICH _is but_," &c.,) --do. nouns of mult, expressing persons, when such are strictly of the neut. gend., ("The COMMITTEES WHICH" &c.,) --in what cases is less approp. than _that_ --does not fitly represent an indicative a.s.sertion, ('"Be ATTENTIVE, _without_ WHICH," &c.,) --its Sax. derivation shown --_The which_, obsol., --_Which_, interrog., what demands, --to what objects applied --now used for the obsol. _whether_.

_Whichever, whichsoever_, signif. and construc. of --declension of.

_Who_, relative --to what usually applied --has superseded _which_, formerly applied to persons, ("_Our Father_ WHO _art_" &c.,) --to be preferred to _which_, in all personifications --how differs from the rel. _that_ --_Who_, as rel. or interrog., declined, --_Whose_, use of, for the defec. poss., _of which_ --_Than whom_, (see _Than._) --_Who_, interrog., what demands --may be the anteced. of the rel. _that_ --_Who_, derivation of, from Sax.

_Whoever_, and _whoso_ or _whosoever_, signif. and construc. of --declens. of --_Whoso_ and _whatso_, antiq., import and use of,

_Whole_, improp. use of, for _all_. ("_Almost the_ WHOLE _inhabitants_,"

HUME.,).

_Why_, after nouns of cause, (see _When_, &c.) --_Why, wherefore, therefore_, their cla.s.s.

_Will_, verb, how varied --use of, as a princ.i.p.al verb.

_Wis_, verb, pret. _wist_, signif. and use of --_Had I wist_,

_With_, for _and_, (see _c.u.m_:) --added to adv. of direc., with emphat. imperat. ("_Up_ WITH _it_").

_Withal_ its cla.s.s and construc. _Without_, obsol. use of, for _unless_ or _except_. _Withouten_, paragog. and poet. form.

_Withinside of_ _Won't_, whence formed; its p.r.o.nunc.

_Worcester, Dr. J. E._, his Universal and Critical Dictionary WORDS, treated.

--_Word_, defined.

--_Words_ distinguished, and the divisions of, defined.

--(See _Compound Word_.) --_Words_, Rules for the figure of; --simp., _when_ compounding is to be avoided --when to be joined, or to be written separately --_Words_, the nature of, explained --the consid. of, as comm., and as prop., --brevity sought in the comm. use of --the ident.i.ty of, in what consists --unsettled and variable usage with respect to the figure of --_Words_ that may const.i.tute diff. parts of speech, their construc.

not to be left doubtf.

--the reference of, to other words, do.

--senselessly jumbled, charac. of --entirely needless, how to be disposed of --unintelligently misapplied, what indicates, --_Words_, PUNCT. _of_: in pairs; alternated; put absol.; in appos.; repeated --_Words_, derivation of, treated --most of those regarded as primitives in Eng., may be traced to ulterior sources --the study of, its importance --how the knowledge of, may be promoted with respect to Eng.

--_Words_, the use of, as affecting Purity --do., as affect. Propriety --do., as affect. Precision --do., as affect. Perspicuity --do., as affect. Strength

_Worshiper_, whether properly written with a single or a double _p_

_Worth_, its cla.s.s and construc.

_Worthy_, admits not ellips. of prep, _of_ before obj. following

_Writing, to write_, what meant by

X.

X, its name and plur. num.

--format. of the plur. of nouns in --why never doubled --written for a number --its sounds

Y.

Y, its name and plur. numb.; --borrowed first by the Romans from the Greeks, by whom called Ypsilon --in Eng. is either a vowel or a conson.