English Grammar on the Productive System

as," The twelve Cœsars,' or, “The seven Jameses." This is obvious from the fact, that a proper name is, in its nature, descriptive of one object only, and, therefore, essentially singular. Accordingly, the nouns Spaniard, European, American, &c. are common nouns, as well as their plurals, Spaniards, Europeans, Americans, &c.*

305. Common nouns may also be used to signify individuals, by the addıtion of articles or pronouns; as "The boy is studious;" "That girl is discreet,"

306 When a noun signifies many, it is called a noun of multitude, or a collective noun; as, "The people," "The army."

307. Abstract signifies taken from: hence an abstract noun is the name of a nality abstracted from its substance; as, knowledge, goodness, virtue, &c. 308. To nouns belong person, gender, number and case.

XXV. PERSON.

309. When any person, in speaking, introduces his own name, it is the first person; as, "I, James, of the city of Boston, do give," &c.

310. The name of the person spoken to, is the second person; as, James, come to me."

311. The name of the person or thing spoken of, or about is the third person; as, "James has come."

XXVI. GENDER

312. Gender is the distinction of sex.

313. Nouns have four genders-the masculine, the feminine, the common, and the neuter.

314. The masculine gender denotes the names of males; as, man, boy, &c.

315. The feminine gender denotes the name cf females;

as, woman,

girl.

What do they become when so used? 304. Give an example.

What kind of nouns are Spaniard, Americans, Spaniards? 304

What effect does the use of articles bave on common nouns? 305.

What is a noun of multitude, or a colective noun ? 306. Give an example. What is an abstract noun? 307. Give an example.

What belong to nouns? 308.

XXV. When is a noun of the first person? 309. Give an example.

When is a noun of the second person' 310. Give an example.

When is a noun of the third person' 311. Give an example.

XXVI. What does the word gender mean? 14

What is gender as applied to nouns? 312.

What does the word masculine mean? 15. What does the masculine gender of nouns denote? 314. Give an example. What does feminine mean? 19

What does the feminine gender denote ? 315. Give an example.

Spain i the proper name of a country, and Spaniard has, by some grammarians, been called the proper same of a people; but the latter is a generic terin, characterizing any one of a great number of persona, by eir conaction with SpainEncyclopædia.

316. The common gender denotes the names of such animals as may be either male or female; as, parent, bird. 317. The neuter gender denotes the names of objects which are neither males nor females; as, chair, table.

318. Some nouns, naturally neuter, do, by a figure of speech, as it is called become masculine or feminine; as when we say of the sun, "He is setting" and of a ship," She sails well," &c.

319. The English language has three methods of distinguishing sex, viz 1 319-1. By different words; as,

Male.

Female.

Male.

Female.

What does the common gender denote? 316. Give an example.

What does neuter mean? 23. What does the neuter gender denote ? 317. Give an example.

What is said of nouns naturally neuter, in respect to gender? 318. Give an example.

How many genders do nouns have, and what are they? 30.

How many methods are there in Eng-
lish of distinguishing sex? 319.
Which is the first; as, boy? girl? 319-1.
Will you spell the feminine correspond-

wizard? friar? sir? drake? earl? gander hart? king? lad? man? master? singer sloven? son? stag? uncle?

Will you spell the masculine corre sponding to maid? girl? madam? daugh ter? niece?

What is the second method of distin guishing sex; as, abbot ? abbess? 319-2

Will you spell the feminine corre sponding to abbot? actor? administrator} baron? benefactor? bridegroom? conductor? czar? duke? emperor? executor? god? governor ? heir? hero? host? hunter? instructer? Jew? lion? marquis 1

viscount?

ine correduchess? Ess? poet

of distint? a maid

ne corre-cendants? rd number

ins show?

What does the singular number of nouns imply? 322. Give an example. What does plural mean? 10. What does the plural number of nouns imply? 323. Give an example.

How are wheat, gold, &c. used? 324. How are bellows, lungs, &c. used? 325 What is said of deer, sheep, &c.? $26 How many numbers do nouns have, and what are they? 321.2.

How is the plural number regularly formed? 327. Give an example.

When do we add es to form the plural? 928. Give an example.

What is the plural of loaf? 329.

What is the rule for it? 329.

330. When a noun singular ends in y, with a vowel before it the plural a formed regularly; as, key, keys; delay, delays; valley, valleys. But if the y does not have a vowel before it, the plural is formed by changing y into ies as, fly, flies; beauty, beauties.

331. The following nouns form their plurals not according to any general

rules:

332. Mathematics, metaphysics, pneumatics, ethics, politics, &c. are reck oned either as singular or plural nouns. The same is equally true of means, alms, amends. Antipodes, credenda, minutiæ, literati, &c. are always plural. Bandit is now considered the singular of banditti. The oun news is always singular. Many nouns form their plurals according to the laws of the lan guage from which they are derived. The following are of this class

Beau,

Beaux or Beaus.

Magnus,

Magi.

Memoranda er

Memorandum,

Calx,

Calces.

Memorandums.

Cherubim or

Metamorphosis, Metamorphoses.

Cherub,

Cherubs.

Parenthesis,

Parentheses.

Will you spell the plural of delay ? 330. valley? What is the rule for forming these plurals? 330.

Will you spell the plural of fly? 330. beauty? Rule for the plural?

Do man, woman, form their plurals regularly, or irregularly? 331.

Will you spell the plural of man? of woman? child? ox? tooth? foot? goose? mouse? louse? brother? die? fish? spoonful? court-martial?

Will you spell the singular of lice? kine? cows? brethren? oxen? teeth? pence? pennies? peas? fishes? cupsful? brothers-in-law?

What is the plural of pea, when we refer to quar tity? Of fish?

In accordance with what laws does an tithesis form the plural? 332.

Will you spell the plural of apex? ap pendix arcanum? automaton? axis? cri

sis? basis? criterion? datum? desidera tum? fluvium? encomium? erratum? genius? index ? memorandum ?

Will you spell the singular of bases? beaux? cherubs? ellipses? genii? theses? parentheses? stimuli? strata?

How are mathematics, optics, &c. considered in regard to number! 332.

Of what number is means? 332. alms! amends? antipodes ? literati? news?

NOUNS

XXVIII. CASE.

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 iam" 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 roun 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 letter s; 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.