Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 2.djvu/47

Rh the other, and the absurdity will be apparent. Thus, when we say I will do it, let him be never so angry  how contrary to the intention would it appear, should the phrase be changed to  let him not be ever so angry. Or if we use the same word in a phrase of like import I will do it however angry he may be  how glaring would the absurdity appear, should any one say  hownever angry he may be!

"This phrase is strangely ungrammatical; rather means  more willingly. Now let us substitute the one in the place of the other  as  I had more willingly go, than stay  rather  is expressive of an act of the will, and therefore should be joined to the verb  to will  and not to the auxiliary  to have. Instead of I had rather  it should be  I would rather.

"In the use of this article, it has been laid down as a rule, that it should be written a  before a consonant, and  an  before a vowel; but by not attending to the exceptions to this rule, the article an  has been very improperly placed before words of a certain class, which ought to be preceded by the vowel singly. All words beginning with u, when the accent is on it, or when the vowel is sounded separately from any other letter, should have a, not an, before them. As, a únit, a úniverse, a úseful project, &c. For the vowel u, in this case has not a simple sound, but is pronounced exactly in the same manner as the diphthongs commencing with y, as in you the pronoun, the individual sound given to the name of the vowel u. Now, an, is never written before