English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 50

NOTE, _Clever_, _pretty_, _ugly_, _curious_, _expect_, _guess_, and _reckon_, though correct English words, have, among the common people of New England and New York, a provincial application and meaning. With them, a _clever_ man, is one of a gentle and obliging disposition; instead of, a man of distinguished talents and profound acquirements. _Pretty_ and _ugly_, they apply to the _disposition_ of a person, instead of, to his _external appearance_. In these states, one will often hear, "I _guess_ it rains," when the speaker _knows_ this to be a fact, and, therefore, _guessing_ is uncalled for. "I _expect_ I can go;" or, "I _reckon_ I can;" instead of, "I _suppose_ or _presume_." In New England, a clergyman is often called a _minister_, in New York, a _priest_, and south of N.Y. a _parson_.

The last is preferable.

NEW ENGLAND OR NEW YORK. CORRECTED.

I be goin. He lives to hum. I _am_ going. He lives _at_ home.

Hese ben to hum this two weeks. _He has been at home these_ 2 weeks.

You haddent ought to do it. Yes You ought _not_ to do it.

had ought. _Certainly_ I ought.

Taint no better than hizzen. _'Tis_ no better than _his_.

Izzent that are line writ well? _Is not_ that line well _written_?

Tizzent no better than this ere. _It is_ no better, or it is _not any_ better than his.

The keows be gone to hum, neow, The _cows are_ gone _home_, and and I'mer goin arter um. _I am going after them_.

He'll be here, derights, and, bring He _will_ here, directly, and bring yourn and thairn. yours and theirs.

He touched the stun which I shew He touched the _stone_ which I him, an di guess it made him sithe, _showed_ him and it made him for twas cissing hot. _sigh_, for _it was hissing_ hot.

Run, Thanel, and cut a staddle, for Go, Nathaniel, and cut a _sapling_, to make a lever on. Ize jest agoneter to make a _lever of_. I _was about_ go, daddy. to go, or _intending_ to go _immediately_, father.

Where sh.e.l.l I dump my cart, square? Where _shall_ I _unload_ my cart?

Dump it yender. Whats the heft of _Yonder_. _What is_ the _weight_ your load? of your load?

When ju git hum from Hafford? When _did you return from A fortnit ago. You diddent, did ye? Hartford_? A _fortnight_ ago. _It Ju see my Danel, whose sot up a is possible! Did_you see my _son tarvern there? No. Hede gone afore Daniel, who has opened a public I got there. O, the pesky criter! house_ there? No. _He had left Hele soon be up a stump. before_ I _arrived_ there. O, the _paltry fellow! He will_ soon _come to naught._

My frinds supurb mansion is _My friend's_ superb mansion is delightfully sitewated on a nate-eral delightfully _situated_ on a mound of considerable hithe. It hez _natural_ mound of considerable a long stoop in front; but it is furder _height_. It _has_ a long _porch_ from the city than I'de like my hum. in front; but it is _farther_ from the city than _I would_ like to _reside_.

I know'd the gal was drownded, and I _knew_ the _girl had been I tell'd the inquisitdoners, that ize drowned_, and I _told_ the _jury nither geestin nor jokin about it; but of inquest_, that _I was_ if they'd permit me to give em my _not jesting_ about it; but, _by ideze, they'd obleege me. So I permitting_ me to _give them_ my pa.r.s.evered, and carried my pinte. You _view of the subject_, they _would don't say so. Be you from Barks.h.i.+re? oblige_ me. So, I _persevered_, I be. Neow I swan! if I aint clean and _gained_ my _point. Indeed!

beat. Are_ you from _Berks.h.i.+re_? I _am.

Really_!I _am surprised_.

You baint from the Ja.r.s.eys, be ye? _Are_ you from _New Jersey_? Yes, Yes. Gos.h.!.+ then I guess you kneow Then I _presume_ you _know how_ heow to tend tarvern. to tend _a tavern_.

IN PENNSYLVANIA. CORRECTED

I seen him. Have you saw him I _saw_ him. Have you _seen_ him?

Yes, I have saw him wunst; and that Yes, _once_; and that was before was before you seed him. you _saw_ him.

I done my task. Have you did I _have_ done my task. Have you yours? No, but I be to do it. _done_ yours? No, but I _must_.

I be to be there. He know'd me. I _shall_ be there; or, I _must_ be there. He _knew_ me.

Leave me be, for Ime afear'd. _Let_ me be, for I _am afraid_.

I never took notice to it. I never took notice _of_ it: or, better thus, I never _noticed_ it.

I wish I haddent did it; howsumever, I wish I _had not done_ it: I don't keer: they cant skeer me. _however, I disregard them_. They _cannot scare_ me.

Give me them there books. Give me _those_ books.

He ort to go; so he ort. He _ought_ to go, _really_.

No he orten. He _ought_ not.

Dont scrouge me. Don't _crowd_ me.

I diddent go to do it. I _did not intend_ to do it.

Aint that a good hand write? _Is not_ that _beautiful writing_?

Nan? I know'd what he meant, but _What_? I _knew_ what he meant, but I never let on. I _kept that to myself_.

It is a long mile to town. Ah! I It is a _little over_ a mile to thought 'twas unle a short mile. town. Ah! I _supposed it to be less than_ a mile.

IRISH. CORRECTED.

Not here the day; he went till _He is_ not here to-day. He went Pittsburg. _to_ Pittsburg.

Let us be after pairsing a wee bit. Let us _pa.r.s.e_ a _little_.

Where did you loss it? Where did you _lose_ it?

MD. VA. KY. OR MISS. CORRECTED.

Carry the horse to water. _Lead_ the horse to water; or, water the horse.

Tote the wood to the river. _Carry_ the wood to the river.

Have you focht the water? Have you _fetched_, or _brought_, the water?

I've made 200 bushels of corn this I _have raised_ 200 bushels of corn year. this year.

He has run against a snag. He has _got into difficulty_.

Is that your plunder, stranger? Is that your _baggage, sir_?

He will soon come of that habit. He will soon _overcome_, or _get rid of_, that habit.

I war thar, and I seen his boat was I _was there_, and I _saw that_ his loadend too heavy. boat was too _heavily laden_, or _loaded_.

Whar you gwine. _Where are_ you _going_?