British Synonymy: Or, An Attempt at Regulating the Choice of Words in Familiar Conversation, Volumes 1-2G.G. and J. Robinson, 1794 - English language |
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Common terms and phrases
adjectives againſt almoſt becauſe beft beſt called caufe cauſe Chriftian cloſe confequence converfation courſe cuſtom defcribe defire eaſily elegant Engliſh expreffes expreffion fafe faid fame fatire fcarce fecond feems fenfe fhall fhew fhould fince firft firſt of theſe fociety fome fometimes fomewhat foon foreigners ftand ftate ftill ftrictly fubject fuch fuffered fuperior fuppofe fure fynony fynonymous herſelf himſelf honour houſe itſelf Johnſon juft juftly juſt lady laft laſt leaſt lefs leſs loft mean Meantime mind moft moſt muft muſt myſelf nature neceffary never obferve occafions perfon perhaps phraſe pleaſe pleaſure poffefs poffibly praiſe preſent puniſhment purpoſe reaſon reft ſay ſcarce ſee ſeems ſeen ſenſe ſhall ſhe ſome ſpeaking ſpirit ſtate ſtill ſtudy ſuch thefe themſelves theſe words thing thofe thoſe tion underſtand unleſs uſed verbs verſes virtue whilft whofe whoſe worfe
Popular passages
Page 77 - From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began : When Nature underneath a heap of jarring atoms lay, And could not heave her head, The tuneful voice was heard from high. Arise ye more than dead. Then cold and hot, and moist and dry, In order to their stations leap, And music's power obey. From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began : From harmony to harmony Through all the compass of the notes it ran...
Page 352 - Planets and suns run lawless through the sky; Let ruling angels from their spheres be hurl'd, Being on being wreck'd, and world on world; Heaven's whole foundations to their centre nod, And Nature tremble to the throne of God. All this dread order break — for whom? for thee? Vile worm! — Oh, madness! pride! impiety!
Page 418 - There is no man whose imagination does not sometimes predominate over his reason, who can regulate his attention wholly by his will, and. whose ideas will come and go at his command. No man will be found in whose mind airy notions do not sometimes tyrannize, and force him to hope or fear beyond the limits of sober probability.
Page 350 - Wealth, my lad, was made to wander, Let it wander as it will; Call the jockey, call the pander, Bid them come and take their fill. When the bonny blade carouses, Pockets full, and spirits high — What are acres? What are houses? Only dirt, or wet or dry. Should the guardian friend or mother Tell the woes of wilful waste, Scorn their counsel, scorn their pother ;You can hang or drown at last ! On the 'Death of Mr.
Page 415 - Night primaeval and of Chaos old ! Before her, Fancy's gilded clouds decay, And all its varying rainbows die away. Wit shoots in vain its momentary fires, The meteor drops, and in a flash expires. As one by one, at dread Medea's strain, The sick'ning stars fade off th' ethereal plain ; As Argus
Page 59 - These Aldus printed, those Du Sueil has bound. Lo, some are vellum, and the rest as good For all his Lordship knows, but they are wood. For Locke or Milton 'tis in vain to look, These shelves admit not any modern book.
Page 45 - The liquid lustre darted from her eyes! Each look, each motion, wak'da new-born grace, That o'er her form its transient glory cast: Some lovelier wonder soon usurp'd the place, Chas'd by a charm still lovelier than the last.
Page 147 - Let not princes flatter themselves. They will be examined closely, in private as well as in public life: and those, who cannot pierce further, will judge of them by the appearances they give in both. To obtain true popularity, that which is founded in esteem and affection, they must, therefore, maintain their characters in both; and to that end neglect appearances in neither, but observe the decorum necessary to preserve the esteem, whilst they win the affections of mankind. Kings...
Page 93 - Waller was fmooth; but Dryden taught to join The varying verfe, the full-refounding line, The long majeftic march, and energy divine.
Page 112 - Enough! thou haft convinced me, that no human being can ever be a poet. Proceed with thy narration." " To be a poet, faid Imlac, is indeed very difficult." " So difficult, returned the prince, that I will at prefent hear no more of his labours. Tell me •whither you went when you had feen Perfia.