a word of three syllables, and therefore called a trisyllableVirtue-position-luxuriance--mother-circumstance-amiable -life-envy — intelligence — companion - disinterestednessbody-mind-enmity-harmonious.

ETYMOLOGY.

PARTS OF SPEECH.

Q. Or what does Etymology treat?

A. Etymology treats of the different sorts of words, of the various changes which these undergo, and of the means by which they are formed.

Q. How many sorts of words are there in English ?

A. There are eight sorts of words, usually called Parts of Speech.

Q. What are their names?

A. The Substantive or Noun, the Adjective, the Pronoun, the Verb, the Adverb, the Preposition, the Conjunction, and the Interjection.

NOUNS.

Q. What is a Noun ?

A. A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing; as, boy, school, learning.

Q. How are nouns divided?

A. Nouns are of two sorts; proper and common. Q. What do you mean by proper nouns?

A. Proper nouns are the names given to individual persons, places, or things; as, George, Ireland, London, Thames.

Q. What are common nouns ?

A. Common nouns are the names given in common to things of the same kind whether as a class

(cup, king); collection (crowd); expressing material (ice); or expressing measure of quantity (pound). Q. What are abstract Nouns ?

A. The names of things only conceived in the mind as having an existence, whether as qualities (beauty); actions (flight); or states (sleep).

Q. What is meant by the Inflexion of a Noun ? A. Some change in its form, or spelling, to express its relation to other words, or ideas. These changes are classed as belonging to either Gender, Number, or Case.

Q. Are nouns only inflected to express these changes in their relations ?

A. Adjectives, Pronouns, Verbs, and Adverbs are also inflected, as well as Nouns, to express change in their relations.

Exercise.-Point out the nouns in the following sentences: Where is your hat? Buy me an apple. He is in London. Where is George? Stir the fire. Which is the house?

Exercise.-Are the following nouns common proper or abstract? Flower, path, Christian, virtue, brightness, Britain, storm plunder, Lucy, steward, people, Alps.

GENDER.

Q. What is meant by Gender?

A. Gender is the distinction of sex.
Q. How many genders are there?

A. There are two genders; the Masculine, and the Feminine.

Q. What does the Masculine denote?

A. The masculine gender denotes animals of the male kind; as, a man, a boy, a horse.

Q. What does the feminine denote ?

A. The feminine gender signifies animals of the female kind; as, a woman, a girl, a hen.

Q. What does common gender mean?

A. Those nouns which include both genders are said to be of common gender; as, parent, child, friend. Q. What nouns are called neuter?

A. Things which are without life are called neuter; as, house, stick, friendship, happiness. Q. How is the sex distinguished?

A. There are, sometimes, different names for the male and female of the same species; which may be distinguished by either of three methods:

1. By different words; as,

Exercise on Gender.- What is the feminine of earl, uncle, stag, friar, hero, bullock, sultan, husband, &c.? What is the mascu

line of lass, ewe, niece, lady, aunt, duck, goose, widow, witch, marchioness, landgravine, executrix, &c.? Of what gender are shoe, mouse, wisdom, a person, &c.?

OF NUMBER.

Q. What is number?

A. Number is the distinction of one object from many.

*Neuter nouns are sometimes made masculine or feminine, and are then said to be used figuratively; as, when we say of the sun, he is setting; and of the moon, she is eclipsed. Time, death, sleep, love, are masculine. Virtue, vices, fortune, nature, the church, a city, a ship, are feminine.

Q. How many numbers are there ?

A. There are two numbers; the singular and the plural.

Q. What does the singular number denote ? A. The singular expresses only one object; as, a pen, a book.

Q. What does the plural number express ?

A. The plural number signifies more objects than one; as, pens, books.

Exercise on Number.-Is each of the following nouns, singular or plural? and why ?-Horse, garden, beasts, army, honours, enemies, boy, gloves, industry, houses, glass, valleys, wood, conquest, victims, Edward, rocks, cities, difficulty.

Q. How is the plural generally formed?

A. Nouns in the singular, are generally made plural, by adding an s to them; as apple, apples ; rose, roses; book, books.

Q. How do nouns ending in s, sh, ch, x, or o form their plural ?

A. Nouns ending in 8, sh, ch, x, or o, form the plural, by adding es to the singular; as kiss, kisses; brush, brushes; peach, peaches; box, boxes; hero, heroes.*

Q. How do words that end for fe, form their plural? A. Nouns ending in for fe, are made plural, by changing for fe into ves; as loaf, loaves; knife, knives: those which end in ff, have the regular plural in 8; as, muff, muffs.†

*Exceptions.-Nouns ending in ch hard, that is, sounding like k, form the plural, by adding s only; as, monarch, monarchs; stomach, stomachs. Nouns in io, with canto, tyro, grotto, junto, and portico, also follow the general rule; as, folio, folios; grotto, grottos.

Staff is an exception to this rule, making staves in the plural. Brief, chief, grief, mischief, handkerchief; fife, strife; dwarf, scarf, wharf; hoof, roof, proof, and reproof, never change f or fe into ves.