PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THE Authors have been much gratified by the high opinion which has been pronounced upon their Work by eminent scholars and teachers, as well as by the Press. The unusually rapid sale of a large edition has rendered a second necessary. And, in preparing this, the Authors have not only availed themselves of various suggestions which have been made by others, but have spared no pains on their own part to make the book complete, and fitted for general adoption. The following improvements, among others, have been made: (1.) All the DEFINITIONS, RULES, &c., which are to be committed to memory, have been printed in a large type ; and thus are at once distinguished from the EXPLANATIONS and OBSERVATIONS, which are to be read, and from the EXERCISES, which are to be written. All tables and lists, of course, must be learnt. (2.) Copious Lists of the principal Derivatives from AngloSaxon, Latin, and Greek have been given; and throughout the whole Section on the Formation and Derivation of Words, Exercises have been added, which will at once test and facilitate the pupil's comprehension of the subject. Owing to the change of type, there is no increase in the size or price of the Work; yet it will be seen that these Lists fill many pages, and explain the Derivation of above seven thousand English words. (3.) The longer Rules have been shortened, where it could be done without making them less simple; and some of the more important Exercises have been lengthened. (4.) A Table of the Verb has been given, p. 162, which, used in connection with the Blank Form suggested in the Note, has been found to render the acquisition of one of the most difficult parts of English Grammar exciting and interesting, and therefore easy. (5.) For the use of those Teachers who may prefer it, the old terminology of the Verb has been inserted in brackets in the Conjugation. It may be suggested that the whole section on the Formation and Derivation of Words had better be left till the rest of the book has been gone through. The Pupils should be made to read the Explanations and Observations, and thoroughly to master them, so as to be able to answer any questions upon them. It might perhaps be as well if those parts were sometimes read aloud in class, and commented on by the teacher. RULE 20. Conjunctions RULE 18. Participle Absolute CAUTION. Past Participle and Past Tense ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 1. GRAMMAR is the science of words. 2. Words are composed of letters. 3. In the English language there are twentysix letters. The letters all together are called the Alphabet. They are these-a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. 4. These letters are vowels or consonants. The vowels are five; a, e, i, o, u. The consonants are twenty-one; b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z. OBSERVATION. Under the consonants are included w and y, when they begin a syllable. Elsewhere they are vowels. Vowels sounded together are called a diphthong, as ou in sound, ai in rain, ee in glee. Writing words correctly is called ORTHO GRAPHY. EXERCISE I. () Write down the following words, and draw your pencil through the vowels, and underline the consonants:Hope, Threshold, Column, Business, Home, Think, Man, Manners, Rule, Send, Have, Into, Come, Will, War, Yes. (b) Draw your pencil through the diphthongs: Cow, House, Guess, Boy, Toyman, Buy, Sleeper, Three, Claim, Fair, Fountain, Point, East, Boot, Distinguish, Way. 5. Grammar is divided into two parts, Etymology and Syntax. 6. Etymology treats of words by themselves; Syntax treats of words connected into sentences. PART I. ETYMOLOGY. 7. Etymology is divided into two branches. The first treats of the various kinds of words, with their inflection or declension. The second treats of the formation or derivation of words. SECT. I.-THE INFLECTION OF WORDS. 8. There are nine PARTS OF SPEECH, or sorts of words; Article, Noun, Adjective, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection. ARTICLES. 9. An Article is a word prefixed to a Noun, to mark the extent of its signification. There are two Articles.-1. The Definite Article, the; as, the man, the dog. 2. The Indefinite Article, an; as, an apple, an oak. 10. When the word an comes before a consonant, then is dropt, and only a remains; as, a pear, not an pear. An, or a, means one. EXERCISE II. Write out the following words in two lists, one with the Definite, one with the Indefinite Article : Oar, Cow, Inn, Upstart, Age, Eye, Mouth, Coat, Ant, Ox, Waistcoat, Shoe, Ear, Boot, Sleeve, Day, Life, Eel, Pig, Ape. 11. The Indefinite Article an loses its n before h, when sounded, but not when mute. Thus we say, a house, not an house. So also before y; and u, when pronounced long, as if with a y before it; as, a youth, not an youth; a unit, rather than an unit. EXERCISE III. Prefix the Indefinite Article to the following words :University, Union, Year, Hotel, Hostler, Yard, Herb, Hero, Heroine, Hoof, Umpire, Honour, Hour, Heir, Hair. |