CHAP. II.--Of Nouns, 37 Of Gender, 38 Of Declension, 43
CHAP. III.--Of Adjectives, 55 Of Numeral Adjectives, 59
CHAP. V.--Of Verbs, 65 Formation of the Tenses, 76 Use and import of the Moods and Tenses, 85 Irregular Verbs, 95 Defective Verbs, 99 Reciprocating state of Verbs, 102 Impersonal use of Verbs, 105 Auxiliary Verbs, 107
CHAP. VII.--Of Prepositions, 116 Idiomatic phrases, 125
Sect. 1. Of the agreement of the Article with a Noun, 137 Sect. 2. Of the agreement of an Adjective with a Noun, 141 Sect. 3. Of the agreement of a Pronoun with its Antecedent, 146 Sect. 4. Of the agreement of a Verb with its Nominative, 149 Sect. 5. Of the agreement of one Noun with another, 152
Sect. 1. Of the Government of Nouns, 154 Sect. 2. Of the Government of Adjectives, 159 Sect. 3. Of the Government of Verbs, 159 Sect. 4. Of the Government of Adverbs, 160 Sect. 5. Of the Government of Prepositions, 160 Sect. 6. Of the Government of Conjunctions, 162
The utility of a Grammar of the Scottish Gaelic will be variously appreciated. Some will be disposed to deride the vain endeavour to restore vigour to a decaying superannuated language. Those who reckon the extirpation of the Gaelic a necessary step toward that general extension of the English which they deem essential to the political interest of the Highlands, will condemn every project which seems likely to retard its extinction. Those who consider that there are many parts of the Highlands, where the inhabitants can, at present, receive no useful knowledge whatever except through the channel of their native tongue, will probably be of opinion that the Gaelic ought at least to be tolerated. Yet these too may condemn as useless, if not ultimately detrimental, any attempt to cultivate its powers, or to prolong its existence. Others will entertain a different opinion. They will judge from experience, as well as from the nature of the case, that no measure merely of a literary kind will prevail to hinder the progress of the English language over the Highlands; while general convenience and emolument, not to mention private emulation and vanity, conspire to facilitate its introduction, and prompt the natives to its acquisition. They { viii} will perceive at the same time, that while the Gaelic continues to be the common speech of multitudes,--while the knowledge of many important facts, of many necessary arts, of morals, of religion, and of the laws of the land, can be conveyed to them only by means of this language,--it must be of material service to preserve it in such a state of cultivation and purity, as that it may be fully adequate to these valuable ends; in a word, that while it is a living language, it may answer the purpose of a living language.