1842.
Notices on Chinese Grammar.
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various classes of verbs" are specified; and we are told, that “the distinction we draw between the neuter and active verbs does not, from the nature of the language, exist in Chinese." Moods, though the language is "devoid of them," come now to be considered; but "the indicative requires no comment, and of the conjunctive we have already spoken;" while "there exist many conditional particles which circumscribe the conjunctive." The potential and optative are "imaginary forms of the verb." The infinitive and imperative are both noticed, though "the Chinese language has no peculiar way expressing thein." So of the particles. The "interrogative forms of the verb," tenses, person, and number, are also remarked upon; and after all, "should the student not find any of the grammatical distinctions explained, which other languages exhibit, he has only to refer to the particles, where some further elucidation will be given.”
of
The 6th chapter is occupied with the adverb, under the following heads interrogatives; negatives; affirmative adverbs; adverbs of time; adverbs of place; adverbs of quality; and adverbs of quantity. Here, as in the preceding chapters, we find a good many examples, badly arranged, or rather thrown together without either much re- gard to order or method.
In chapter 7th is given "a succinct view of the various uses of prepositions," alluded to “when treating of the cases of substantives ;" and a good variety of examples, tolerably well arranged, is collected. In the middle of this chapter, we are told, “that many of the Chinese verbs comprise in themselves our prepositions, an account of which would come better under the head of syntax."
In chapter 8th conjunctions are treated of: "this is a very nume- rous class, to which we wish to draw the attention of the student, for without a knowledge of them, neither can the books be properly understood, nor the language appropriately written or spoken.” They are of four kinds-copulative, conditional, causative and disjunctive.
The 9th chapter is occupied with expletives and interjections. The expletives constitute a most important class of words, not only for rounding periods, but also for promoting the intelligibility of sen- tences, and their connection with each other; they are the very es- sence of construction, especially in the literary style; and their omission, or wrong position, is not only productive of jarring sounds, but may entirely change the meaning of a sentence."
Having now recapitulated the leading topics of Mr. Gutzlaff's Notices on Chinese Grammar, and specified some of its defects and
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