Academia scientiarum, or, The academy of sciences being a short and easie introduction to the knowledge of the liberal arts and sciences, with the names of those famous authors that have written on every particular science : in English and Latine / by D. Abercromby ...

Sect. XV. Grammar.

GRammar is the Art of Writing and Speaking well; it treats of Words and the Construction of Words.

This Art considereth two things in Words, the Letters, and the Sylla∣bles; as likewise two sorts of Letters for some sound alone, and are called Vowels, as a, e, i, o, u,; others sound not alone, but together with some other letter, and they are called upon this account Conso∣nants, as these following, b, c, d g k, p, q, t, which letters are called Mutes, as f, l, m, n, r, s, x, z are called half Vowels.

A Syllable that has a full sound is made up either of a Vowel and a Conso∣nant, or of Vowels and Consonants.

In Words, Grammar considereth their accent or tone, whether acute, or

grave, or mean; their Derivation and Etymology, their Composition and Sim∣plicity; their numbers; if the word be a Noun, Plural, singular; their Cases, Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accu∣sative, Vocative, Ablative: If the word be a Verb, it considereth the Tenses, as Present, Imperfect, Perfect, Future or to come.

It teacheth the Art of Construing words one with another, as the Adjective with the Substantive, in order to make a congruous Speech; either continued or interrupted: It distinguisheth the sen∣tences by three notes, which we commonly call Comma, Semicolon, Colon, or as the Latins speak, Punctum.

The first is a short pause of respira∣tion, which we express thus (,) the se∣cond is a longer pause, which we express thus (;) the third is a full pause, and finisheth the sense, which we mark thus (.)

Chief Authors.

Alvares and Despauter.