THE GRAMMAR OF WORDS, OR ETYMOLOGY

There are eight kinds of words in our language. There are (i) Names or Nouns. (ii) The words that stand for Nouns are called Pronouns. (iii) Next come the words-that-go-with-Nouns or Adjectives. (iv) Fourthly, come the words-that-are-said-of-Nouns or Verbs. (v) Fifthly, the words that go with Verbs or Adjectives or Adverbs are called Adverbs. (vi) The words that-join-Nouns are called Prepositions; (vii) Those that-join-Verbs are called Conjunctions. Lastly (viii) come Interjections, which are indeed mere sounds without any organic or vital connection with other words; and they are hence sometimes called extra-grammatical utterances. Nouns and Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs, have distinct, individual, and substantive meanings. Pronouns have no meanings in themselves, but merely refer to nouns, just like a in a book. Prepositions and Conjunctions once had independent

<page 9>

meanings, but have not much now: their chief use is to join words to each other. They act the part of nails or of glue in language. Interjections have a kind of meaning; but they never represent a thought—only a feeling, a feeling of pain or of pleasure, of sorrow or of surprise.

Site map / contact details    Search this site