mber makes the plural to be either plural or singular for distinction's
sake! (11.) "Number is the distinction of _nouns_ with regard to the
_objects_ signified, _as one_ or more."--_Fisk's Murray_, p. 19. Here, too,
number has "regard" to the same confusion: while, by a gross error, its
"distinction" is confined to "_nouns_" only! (12.) "Number is _that
property_ of a _noun_ by which it expresses _one_ or _more_ than
one."--_Bullions's E. Gram._, p. 12; _Analyt. Gram._, 25. Here again number
is improperly limited to "_a noun_;" and is said to be one sign of two, or
either of two, incompatible ideas! (13.) "Number shows _how many_ are
meant, whether one or more."--_Smith's new Gram._, p. 45. This is not a
_definition_, but a false assertion, in which Smith again confounds
arithmetic with grammar! _Wheat_ and _oats_ are of different numbers; but
neither of these numbers "means _a sum that may be counted_," or really
"shows _how many_ are meant." So of "_Man_ in general, _Horses_ in general,
&c."--_Brightland's Gram._, p. 77. (14.) "Number is _the difference_ in a
_noun or pronoun_, to denote either a single thing or more than
one."--_Davenport's Gram._, p. 14. This excludes the numbers of a _verb_,
and makes the singular and the plural to be essentially one thing. (15.)
"Number is a modification of nouns and verbs, &c. according as the thing
spoken of is represented, as, _one_ or _more_, with regard to
number."--_Burn's Gram._, p. 32. This also has many faults, which I leave
to the discernment of the reader. (16.) "What is number? Number _shows the
distinction_ of one from many."--_Wilcox's Gram._, p. 6. This is no answer
to the question asked; besides, it is obviously worse than the first form,
which has "_is_," for "_shows_." (17.) "What is Number? It is _the_
representation of _objects_ with respect to singleness, or plurality."
--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 34. If there are two numbers, they are neither
of them properly described in this definition, or in any of the preceding
ones. There is a gross misconception, in taking each or either of them to
be an alternate representation of two incompatible ideas. And this sort of
error is far from being confined to the present subject; it runs through a
vast number of the various definitions contained in our grammars. (18.)
"_Number_ is _the inflection_ of a _noun_, to indicate _one object or more
than one_. Or, _Number_ is _the expression_ of unity or of more than
unity."--_Hil