James Greenwood (c.1683 – 1737) was an English
grammarian.
Life
Greenwood was for some time usher to Benjamin Morland (1657–?) at
Hackney Academy, but soon after 1711 opened a boarding-school at
Woodford, Essex. At midsummer 1721, when Morland became
high-master, he was appointed surmaster of
St. Paul's School, London, a post which he held until his death on 12 September 1737.
Gentleman's Magazine
''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine' ...
; 1737, p. 574 He left a widow, Susannah.
Works
He is mostly known as the author of ''An Essay towards a practical English Grammar. Describing the Genius and Nature of the English Tongue'', &c., 12mo, London, 1711 ; 2nd edit. 1722; 3rd edit. 1729; 5th edit. 1753 (reprinted by the
University of Michigan Library
The University of Michigan Library is the academic library system of the University of Michigan. The university's 38 constituent and affiliated libraries together make it the List of largest libraries in the United States#Largest research libraries ...
, 2009). It received the praises of Andrew Ross, Professor of Humanity at the
University of Glasgow
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, Dr.
George Hickes,
John Chamberlayne
John Chamberlayne (c.1668–1723) was an English writer, translator, and courtier.
Life
He was a younger son of Edward Chamberlayne and his wife Susannah Clifford. In 1685 he entered Trinity College, Oxford as a commoner.
Leaving Oxford without ...
, and
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include "When I Survey the ...
, who in his ''Art of Reading and Writing English'' considered that Greenwood had shown in his book "the deep Knowledge, without the haughty Airs of a Critick". At Watts's suggestion Greenwood afterwards published an abridgment under the title of ''The Royal English Grammar'', which he dedicated to the
Princess of Wales; the fourth edition of this appeared in 1750, an eighth in 1770.
The appearance of two other English grammars by John Brightland (d. 1717) and
Michael Mattaire at about the same time called forth an anonymous attack on all three books, entitled ''Bellum Grammatical; or the Grammatical Battel Royal. In Reflections on the three English Grammars publish'd in about a year last past'', 8vo, London, 1712.
Greenwood also wrote ''The London Vocabulary, English and Latin: put into a new Method proper to acquaint the Learner with Things, as well as Pure Latin Words. Adorn'd with Twenty Six Pictures'', &c., 3rd edition, 12mo, London 1713 (many editions, both English and American). It is, however, nothing more than an abridgment of
Jan Amos Komensky's ''Orbis Pictura''. Greenwood's last work was ''The Virgin Muse. Being a Collection of Poems from our most celebrated English Poets … To which are added some Copies of Verses never before printed; with notes'' &c., 12mo, London, 1717; 2nd edition, 1722. It does not appear that Greenwood himself was a contributor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwood, James
1737 deaths
Linguists of English
Schoolteachers from Essex
Year of birth uncertain