A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun. * Examples to parse. Asa built the house. John is a friend. Prosperity gains friends. Adversity tries friends. Men are frail creatures. A clever man praises vir tue. A good man practices vir tue. Virtue brings a reward. Why is "prosperity" a noun?" Why is "gains" a verb? Why is "frail" an adjective? †Parse the following sen tences. “Sarah is a virtuous girl; Ex. "That man is she has written her letter; I happy he is benevo-approve it; she may send lent; he is useful." "He" is a pronoun, used instead of the noun (6 man." A Preposition is a word used to connect words, and to show the relation between them The following words are used for prepositions : Of, to, from, over, through, above, for, by, in, below, beneath, under, into, at, with, before, after, behind, within, without, beyond, about, on, upon, against, among, between, amid, amidst, during, towards, according to, instead of. it." OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH. R. 2. A Conjunction is a word used to connect R. 2. R. 2. Conjunctions connect the same parts sentences, or to join of speech; as, verb them into one sentence. with verb, adjective It sometimes connects with adjective, adverb only words. with adverb, &c. Ex. "Thou and he are happy, because you are good." "And" is a conjunction : It connects two pronouns. "Because" is a conjunction: It cannects two sentences. R. 2. An Adverb is a word used to qualify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Ex. "He will not escape." "Not" is an adverb. It qualifies the verb, "will escape."* What is a pronoun ? Interjections are words used to express sudden passions or emotions of the mind. Ex. O virtue! How amiable thou art. O! Oh! Ah! Alas! Indicate earnestness or grief. Pish! tush! Express contempt. Heigh! really! strange! Express wonder. Hem! ho! soho! Signify calling. Foh! fie! away! Express aversion or disgust. Of Persons, Numbers, Genders and Cases. 1. OF PERSONS. The person speaking is called the first person the person spoken to, the second person: and the person spoken of, the third Ex. First person, I write. Second, person. 1. We write. Thou writest. 2. You write. He writes. 2. OF NUMBERS. 3. They write. The singular number signifies one object : the plural number signifies more than one. Ex. Table is the singular number; tables, plural. When the verb of the third person and singular number ends in s, the plural number of each person is formed by dropping the finals: except ies is changed for y. The verb To be is an exception. The plural number of nouns is generally formed by adding s to the singular. Ex. A dove flies: the doves fly. This boy runs those boys run. [See page 10, R. 3.] When the singular number of a noun ends in o, x, ch, sh, or s, we add es in the plural. Ex. Cargo, cargoes; box, boxes; church, churches, &c. If the final ch be hard, s only is added; as, distich, distichs. Some nouns ending in o, have only s added in the plural. Nouns ending in ƒ or fe, are rendered plural by changing those terminations into ves. Ex. Loaf, loaves; life, lives. Grief, relief, reproof, with those ending in ff, have the regular plural, by adding s, excepting staff, staves. Nouns ending in y, after a consonant, form their plural by changing y into ies. Ex. Lady, ladies. Some nouns derived from the Greek, form their plural by changing on for a, and i for e. Ex. Criterion, criteria axis, axes. Some, from the Latin, form their plural by changing us for i, and um for a. Ex. Radius, radii; stratum, strata; erratum, errata. There are a few other irregular words; among which are the following: Ox, oxen; foot, feet; penny, pence; die, dice (for play); die, dies (for coining); woman, women. 3. OF GENDERS. Gender is the distinction of nouns and pronouns, with regard to sex. There are three genders, the masculine, feminine, and the neu ter. The masculine gender denotes animals of the male kind. The feminine gender denotes animals of the female kind. Man is masculine. Woman is feminine. Prince is masculine. Princess is feminine. The neuter gender signifies inanimate objects; as, field, house, garden, &c.* *Figuratively, we frequently use the masculine and feminine pronouns instead of nouns, naturally neuter. Ex. We say of the sun, he is setting; and of a ship, she sails well. In figurative speech, we give the masculine gender to things which are strong and efficacious, or conspicuous for imparting and the feminine gender is given to things which are conspicuous for containing or bringing forth; or which are peculiarly beautiful or amiable. Upon these principles, time and the sun are spoken of as masculine the earth, a coun- : try, a city, a ship, and virtue are spoken of as feminine In English there are three methods of distinguishing the sex; viz. 1. By different words: Ex. Boy, girl. 2. By difference of termination: Ex. Actor, actress. 3. By prefixing a noun, pronoun, or adjective Ex. Man-servant, maid-servant; he-goat, she-goat; male-child, female-child. Pronouns distinguish the sex, only of the third person, and singular number. He is masculine, she is feminine, it is neuter. [The pronoun It is sometimes applied to animals, masculine or feminine, when the distinction of sex is not required.] 4. OF CASES. The different relations of nouns and pronouns in a sentence, are called cases." * Cases originally signify different terminations. English nouns and pronouns have three cases; viz. the nominative, the possessive, and the objective. 1. The nominative case denotes the person or thing chiefly spoken of in the sentence or it simply expresses the name.fR.3. |