or common
property in the things compared; without which, it becomes a solecism.

CRITICAL NOTE V.--OF FALSITIES.

Sentences that convey a meaning manifestly false, should be changed,
rejected, or contradicted; because they distort language from its chief
end, or only worthy use; which is, to state facts, and to tell the truth.
CRITICAL NOTE VI.--OF ABSURDITIES.

Absurdities, of every kind, are contrary to grammar, because they are
contrary to reason, or good sense, which is the foundation of grammar.

CRITICAL NOTE VII.--OF SELF-CONTRADICTION.

Every writer or speaker should be careful not to contradict himself; for
what is self-contradictory, is both null in argument, and bad in style.

CRITICAL NOTE VIII.--OF SENSELESS JUMBLING.

To jumble together words without care for the sense, is an unpardonable
negligence, and an abuse of the human understanding.

CRITICAL NOTE IX.--OF WORDS NEEDLESS.

Words that are entirely needless, and especially such as injure or encumber
the expression, ought in general to be omitted.

CRITICAL NOTE X.--OF IMPROPER OMISSIONS.

Words necessary to the sense, or even to the melody or beauty of a
sentence, ought seldom, if ever, to be omitted.

CRITICAL NOTE XI.--OF LITERARY BLUNDERS.

Grave blunders made in the name of learning, are the strongest of all
certificates against the books which contain them unreproved.

CRITICAL NOTE XII.--OF PERVERSIONS.

Proof-texts in grammar, if not in all argument, should be quoted literally;
and even that which needs to be corrected, must never be perverted.

CRITICAL NOTE XIII.--OF AWKWARDNESS.

Awkwardness, or inelegance of expression, is a reprehensible defect in
style, whether it violate any of the common rules of syntax or not.

CRITICAL NOTE XIV.--OF IGNORANCE.

Any use of words that implies ignorance of their meaning, or of their
proper orthography, is particularly unscholarlike; and, in proportion to
the author's pretensions to learning, disgraceful.

CRITICAL NOTE XV.--OF SILLINESS. Silly remarks and idle truisms are traits
of a feeble style, and, when their weakness is positive, or inherent, they
ought to be entirely omitted. CRITICAL NOTE XVI.--OF THE INCORRIGIBLE.

Passages too erroneous for correction, may be criticised, orally or
otherwise, and then passed over without any attempt to amend them.[445]

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE SYNTAX.

OBS. 1.--In the foregoing code of syntax, the author has taken the parts of
sp