333. Case means the different state, condition, or rela tion which nouns have to other words in the same sentence 334. In English, nouns have three cases-the nominative the possessive, and the objective. 335. The nominative case is usually the agent or doer, and always the subject of the verb. 336. The subject is the thing chiefly spoken of; as, "John assists Wil jam: here, John is the subject spoken of, or the nominative case to the verb assists. 337. The possessive case denotes possession, ownership, property, &c.; as, "William's book." This case may be distinguished from the other cases by the apostrophe or the letter s. 338. A noun in the singular forms its possessive case by taking the apostrophe and the letter s after it; as, "John's hat." 339. Plural nouns usually form their possessive case simply by taking the apostrophe; as, "On eagles' wings." 340. When the plural of nouns does not end in s, they form their possessive case by taking both the apostrophe and the letters; as, "Men's houses." 341. When the singular ends in ss, the apostrophe only is added; as, "For goodness' sake" except the noun witness; as, The witness's deposition." 342. Nouns ending in nce form the possessive by adding the apostrophe only; as, "For conscience' sake:" because an additional s would occasion too much of the hissing sound, or increase the difficulty of pronunciation. 343. The objective case denotes the object of an action or relation. 344. In the sentence, "John strikes him," him is the object of the action denoted by strikes; and in the senter.ce, "He went from London to York,' York is the object of the relation denoted by the preposition to. XXVIII. What is the meaning of the word case? 47. What is meant by the case of nouns? $33. How many cases have nouns, and what are they? 334. What does nominative mean? 49. What is the nominative case? 335. Give an example. What do you understand by the subject of a verb? 336. Illustrate it by an example. What does possessive mean? 59. What does the possessive case denote? 937. Give an example. How may this case be distinguished from the other cases? 337. How do nouns in the singular form their possessive case? 338. Give an example Plural. Mothers. Mothers'. Mothers. Singular. Plural. Man, Men. Man's, Men's. Man, Men. How do nouns in the plural? 339. When the plural noun does not end in 8, how is its possessive formed? 340 Give an example. When the singular ends in ss, how is the possessive ease formed? 341. Give an example. How is the possessive case of nouns ending in nce formed? 342. Give an example. 55. Why is not the s added? 342. What does the word objective mean? What does the objective case of nouns denote ? 343. Give an ex ample. What does the declension of nouns mean? 68. Will you decline mother 7 345. man? brother? hat? RULE I. The possessive case is governed by the following noun EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. "John's wife returned.” 346. John's is a PROPER NOUN, of the MASCULINE GENDER, the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR NUMBER, POSSESS NE CASE, and governed by wife, by RULE I. Wife is a COMMON NOUN, of the FEMININE GENDER, the third PERSON, SINGULAR NUMBER, and NOMINATIVE CASE to returned, by RULE VI. Returned is an INTRANSITIVE VERB, in the INDICATIVE MOOD MPERFECT TENSE-"1. I returned; 2. You returned; 3. He eturned, or wife returned"-made in the THIRD PERSON, SIN GULAR, and agrees with wife, by RULE VII. MORE EXERCISES IN SYNTAX 347. If you examine the foregoing example, you will find it difficult to as certain whether the estate is the property of one brother or more; if of one only, an apostrophe should precede the s, thus; "Brother's estate?" but if it belongs to more than one, an apostrophe should follow the s, thus; "Brothers' Mistakes of sort often occur; hence you perceive the importance in writing, of attending to the subject of grammar. estate." "Mans' happiness." 348. Incorrect, because mans' is in the possessive case, singular number, and, therefore, the apostrophe should be placed before the s, according to the observations above, and Art. 338. Will you repeat the rule for the possessive case? Rule I. In the sentence, "John's wife returned," will you purse John's? wife? returned? 346. Why is John's in the possessive case? 337. What kind of a verb is returned? 346. In what case is wife? 346. The pupil may next parse the addional exercises in syntax. In the phrase," Brothers estate," does one brother, or more than one, own the estate? 347. (1.) Active-transitive verb. (2.) Adjective, and Jelongs to reward, by Rule IV. EXERCISES TO BE WRITTEN.* 349. Will you write down two sentences, each containing a proper noun, as for example, "William learns grammar"? One Containing a common noun? One, containing a noun of the third person singular? One, of the third person plural, and in the nominative case? One, having a noun of the second person singular and of the feminine gender? One, having a noun the name of some article of food? One, having a noun the name of some quality? One, having a noun of multitude? One having your own name associated with book; as, "John Griscom's book"? XXIX. OF ARTICLES. 350. ARTICLES are words put before nouns, to point them out, or to limit their meaning. 351. There are two articles, a or an, and the. 352. A or AN is called the indefinite article. 353. THE is called the definite article. 354. The article a is called indefinite, because it means no particular person or thing; as, "a house," "a man," that is, any house, any man. The article the is called definite, because it means some particular person or thing; as, "the house," "the man," meaning some particular house, some particular man. 355. A becomes an before a vowel, and before a silent h; as, "6 an acorn, an hour." But if the h be sounded, the a only is used; as, a hand," a heart:" except when the word before which the article is placed, has its accent on the second syllable; as, an heroic action," an historical account.' 356. Before words beginning with u long, a is used instead of an as, a anion,' a university," ""a useful thing." 99 66 " 357. A is also used for an before the word one, because, in pronouncing one, we sound it as if written wun. 358. The article a or an means one; as, one ounce, one pound. an ounce," Either on a slate or in a small manuscript book kept for the aurpose. RULE II. The indefinite article ▲ or AN belongs to nouns of the sıngular number. RULE III. The definite article THE belongs to nouns of the singula or plural number. 359 Exception. When the adjectives few, great many, dozen, hxa dred, thousand, &c. come between the noun and article, the noun to which the indefinite article belongs, is plural; as, "6 a few men, 97 66 a great ma y men." EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. "The bird flies swiftly." 360. The is a DEFINITE ARTICLE, and belongs to bird, according to RULE III. Bird is a COMMON NOUN, of the COMMON GENDER, the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR NUMBER, and in the NOMINATIVE CASE to flies by RULE VI. Flies is an ACTIVE-INTRANSITIVE VERB, INDICATIVE MOOD, PRESENT TENSE-"1. I fly; 2. You fly; 3. He flies, or bird. flies"-made in the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR, and agrees with bird, by RULE VII. Swiftly is an ADVERB, qualifying files, by RULE IX. EXERCISES IN SYNTAX CONTINUED. "The boys have arrived seasona- "Children attend the school," "The good scholar obeys his in- SENTENCES TO BE PARSED AND CORRECTED. 361. Incorrect, because we use an before a vowel, except long a should, therefore, be an; thus, "an ulcer." SENTENCES TO BE WRITTEN. 362. Will you write down two sentences, using in one the definite, and in the other the indefinite article? One, containing a correctly used before u long? One, having a definite article correctly used before the consonant h? Will you write two nouns, the names of different things in the school-room? Two, the names of different cities? One sentence, hav ing a proper noun used as a common noun ? XXX. OF ADJECTIVES. 363. AN ADJECTIVE is a word joined to a noun, to describe or define it; as, "An obedient son." 364. In English, an adjective is varied only to express the degrees of comparison. There are three degrees of comparison-the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. 365. The positive degree simply describes an object; as, "John is good." It 366. The comparative degree increases or lessens the positive in meaning; as, "William is better than John." implies a comparison between two. 367. The superlative degree increases or lessens the positive to the highest or lowest degree; as, "Thomas is the best;""Walter is the worst." 368. It implies a comparison between three or more. 369. The simple word, or positive, if a monosyllable, (1.) becomes the comparative by adding r or er, and the superlative by adding st or est, to the end of it; as, wise, wiser, wisest; great, greater, greatest. 370. In words of more than one syllable, the comparison is usually made by placing the adverbs more and most before the positive; as, benevolent, more benevolent, most benevolent. 371. The comparison is sometimes formed by the adverbs less and least as, wise, less wise, least wise. 372. Dissyllables (2.) ending in y, as, happy, lovely, and in le, after a mute, (3.) as, able, ample, or accented on the last syllable, as, discreet, polite, easily |