as a conjunction, (for I maintain that it is one,) we express the same thought more briefly; and our modern mode of expression has, too, a decisive advantage over the ancient, not only in point of elegance, but also in perspicuity and force.  In Scotland and the north of England, some people still make use of gin, a contraction of given: thus, “I will pardon my son, gin he reform.”  But who will contend, that they speak pure English?

But perhaps the advocates of what they call a philosophical development of language, will say, that by their resolution of sentences, they merely supply an ellipsis.  If, by an ellipsis, they mean such a one as is necessary, to the grammatical construction, I cannot accede to their assumption.  In teaching grammar, as well as in other things, we ought to avoid extremes:—­we ought neither to pass superficially over an ellipsis necessary to the sense of a phrase, nor to put modern English to the blush, by adopting a mode of resolving sentences that would entirely change the character of our language, and carry the learner back to the Vandalic age.

But comes from the Saxon verb, beon-utan, to be-out.  “All were well but (be-out, leave-out) the stranger.”  “Man is but a reed, floating on the current of time.”  Resolution:  “Man is a reed, floating on the current of time; but (be-out this fact) he is not a stable being.”

And—­aned, an’d, and, is the past part. of ananad, to add, join. A, an, ane, or one, from the same verb, points out whatever is aned, oned, or made one.  And also refers to the thing that is joined to, added to, or made one with, some other person or thing mentioned.  “Julius and Harriet will make a happy pair.”  Resolution:  “Julius, Harriet joined, united, or aned, will make a happy pair;” i.e.  Harriet made one with Julius; will make a happy pair.

    For means cause.

Because—­be-cause, is a compound of the verb be, and the noun cause.  It retains the meaning of both; as, “I believe the maxim, for I know it to be true;”—­“I believe the maxim, be-cause I know it to be true;” i.e. the cause of my belief, be, or is, I know it to be true.

    Nor is a contraction of ne or.  Ne is a contraction of not, and
    or, of other.  Nor is, not other-wise:  not in the other way
    or manner.