om the verb _a, (has,)_ by means of the grave accent, which
is placed over the former for that purpose. And in general also the Latin
word _a, (from,)_ is marked in the same way. But, with us, no appropriate
sign has hitherto been adopted to distinguish the preposition _a_ from the
article _a_; though the Saxon _a, (to,)_ is given by Johnson with an acute,
even where no other _a_ is found. Hence, in their ignorance, thousands of
vulgar readers, and among them the authors of sundry grammars, have
constantly mistaken this preposition for an article. Examples: "Some
adverbs are composed of _the article a_ prefixed to nouns; as _a_-side,
_a_-thirst, _a_-sleep, _a_-shore, _a_-ground, &c."--_Comly's Gram._, p67.
"Repeat some [adverbs] that are composed of _the article a_ and
nouns."--_Kirkham's Gram._, p. 89. "To go a fishing;" "To go a hunting;"
i.e. "to go _on_ a fishing _voyage_ or _business_;" "to go _on_ a hunting
_party_."--_Murray's Gram._, p. 221; _Fisk's_, 147; _Ingersoll's_, 157;
_Smith's_, 184; _Bullions's_, 129; _Merchant's_, 101; _Weld's_, 192, _and
others._ That this interpretation is false and absurd, may be seen at once
by any body who can read Latin; for, _a hunting, a fishing_, &c., are
expressed by the supine in _um_: as, "_Venatum ire_."--Virg. AEn. I.e., "To
go _a_ hunting." "_Abeo piscatum_."--Beza. I.e. "I go _a_
fishing."--_John_, xxi, 3. Every school-boy ought to know better than to
call this _a_ an article. _A fishing_ is equivalent to the infinitive _to
fish_. For the Greek of the foregoing text is [Greek: Hupago halieuein,]
which is rendered by Montanus, "_Vado piscari_;" i.e., "_I go to fish_."
One author ignorantly says, "The _article a_ seems to have _no particular
meaning_, and is _hardly proper_ in such expressions as these. 'He went
_a-hunting_,' She lies _a-bed_ all day.'"--_Wilcox's Gram._, p. 59. No
marvel that he could not find the meaning of an _article_ in this _a!_ With
doltish and double inconsistency, Weld first calls this "The _article a_
employed _in the sense_ of a _preposition_," (_E. Gram._, p. 177,) and
afterwards adopts Murray's interpretation as above cited! Some, too, have
an absurd practice of joining this preposition to the participle; generally
with the hyphen, but sometimes without: thus, "A-GOING, In motion; as, to
set a mill _agoing_."--_Webster's Dict._ The doctor does not tell us what
part of speech _agoing_ is; but, certainly, "to set the mill _to_ going,"
expresses ju