RULE I. The possessive case is governed by the following noun EXEL CISES IN SYNTAX. "John's wife returned.” 346. John's is a PROPER NOUN, of the MASCULINE GENDER, the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR NUMBER, POSSESS VE 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 "William's son has come." "John's brother died." John makes (1.) boys' hats." "John lost his knife." "The boys neglected their les sons. Intemperance ruins its votaries." "William's wife's sister remain ed in town." "Rufus studied Johnson's Diction. "Mary's bonnet is old." SENTENCES TO BE PARSED AND CORRECTED. 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' estate." Mistakes of this sort often occur; hence you perceive the importance in writing, of attending to the subject of grammar. "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 posBessive case? Rule I. In the sentence, "John's wife returned," will you parse 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. Why cannot you tell? If only one brother is meant, ho should the apostrophe be placed? How if more than one? In the phrase, "Mans' happiness.". why is it incorrect for the apostrophe to follow the s? 348. What is the rule for forming the po sessive case of nouns? 338. Will you now parse man's? We spell the possessive case of men thus, m-a-n-(apostrophe) s; will you in like manner spell the possessive of John? William? Rufus? women? boys? The remaining exercises are to be corrected as well as parsed. 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. " 99.66 354. The article a is called indefinite, because it means no particular per son 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, an acorn, Ian hour." But if the h be sounded, the a only is used; as, " a hand," 19 66 heart:" except when the word before which the article is placed, has its accent on the second syllable; as, "" an heroic action," 99.66 an historical account." 356. Before words beginning with u long, a is used instead of an as, a union,' ," "a university," "a useful thing." a 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, ene ounce, one pound. XXIX. What is an article? 350. What does indefinite mean? 81. How many articles are there? 351. Name them. When does a become an ? 355. Give an example. " an ounce," But if the is sounded, which is to be used? 355. Give an example. What exception to this? 355. Give an example. Do we say, "a union," or "an union"?" a university," 66 or an university"? Why? 356. Do we say, "a one," or "an one"} Why? 357. What does the article a mean? 358. Give an example. Either on a sints or in a small manuscript book kept for the surpose. RULE III. he definite article THE belongs to nouns of the singula 359 Exception. When the adjectives few, great many, dozen, hxa- EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. "The bird flies swiftly." 360. The is a DEFINITE ARTICLE, and belongs to bird, accordg to RULE III. Bird is a coMMON NOUN, of the COMMON GENDER, the THIRD rson, Singular NUMBER, and in the NOMINATIVE CASE to flies RULE VI. Flies is an ACTIVE-INTRANSITIVE VERB, INDICATIVE MOOD, ESENT TENSE-"1. I fly; 2. You fly; 3. He flies, or bird es"-made in the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR, and agrees with d, by RULE VII. Swiftly is an ADVERB, qualifying f.es, 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. conso Wil school ing a 361. Incorrect, because we use an before a vowel, except y ng: a should, therefore, be an; thus, "an ulcer." The remaining exercises are next te The pupil should now take the re in the sentence, "The bird flies swift- maining sentences to be corrected. mise, less ris 372. Dissylla as, able, amp XXX. What i Fat adjective? 95 What is an adj Fapple. Bow many degr 354. Wou name t That does the Give an exa at does the co Give an exan That does it im That does super ADJECTIVES. SENTENCES TO BE WRITTEN. 51 362. 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, having 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 avise. 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 XXX. What is the meaning of the word adjective? 95. What is an adjective? 363. Give an xample. How many degrees of comparison are here? 364. Will you name them? What does the positive degree do? 365. Give an example. What does the comparative degree do? 366. Give an example. What does it imply? 366 What does superlative mean? 103. What does the superlative degree do? 367. Give an example. (1.) A word of one syllable. What does it imply? 368. What is a monosyliable? 369. How are monosyllables compared? 369 Give an example. How are dissyllables compared? 372. What effect do less and least have on adjectives? 371. What is a dissyllable? 372. Will you spell the comparative and su perlative degrees of able? lovely? am ple? discreet? polite? 372. Which are the mutes? 372. How do words of more than two sylla bles almost invariably form their compar ison? 372. (2.) A word of two syllables. (3.) b, k, p, and e and hard. are mutes. admit of er and est; as, happier, happiest; abler, ablest, &c. Words of more than two syllables hardly ever admit of these terminations. 373. In some words, the superlative is formed by adding the adverb most to the end of them; as, nethermost, uttermost, uppermost. 374. Some adjectives, having in themselves a superlative signification, de not admit of comparison; as, extreme, perfect, right, wrong, infinite, ceaseless, supreme, omnipotent, eternal. 375. By adding ish to adjectives, we have a slight degree of comparison below the positive; as, black, blackish; salt, saltish. 376. Very expresses a degree of quality, but not the highest ; as, “good,” " very good.' 377. Words used in counting and numbering are called numeral adjectives, as, one, two, three; first, second, third. These adjectives are not compared. 378. An adjective put without a noun, with the definite article before it becomes a noun in sense and meaning, and may be considered as such in pars. ing; as, Providence rewards the good, and punishes the bad." RULE IV. Adjectives belong to the nouns which they describe. EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. "John is sincere." 379. John is a PROPER NOUN, of the THIRD PERSON, SINGU LAR NUMBER, MASCULINE GENDER, and in the NOMINATIVE CASE to is, by RULE VI. Is is a NEUTER VERB, in the INDICATIVE MOOD, PRESENT TENSE-"1. I am; 2. You are; 3. He or John is,"-made in the THIRD PERSON SINGULAR, and agrees with John, according to RULE VII. Sincere is an ADJECTIVE,-" sincere, more sincere, most sincere," made in the POSITIVE DEGREE, and belongs to John, by RULE IV. EXERCISES IN SYNTAX CONTINUED. "You are studious." "John is more studious." "William is most studious." "Mary is intelligent." "James is active." "Thomas is less active." "Charles is happy." "Mary is tall. Susan is taller." "No composition is perfect." " Religion makes its votaries happy." Is perfect compared? Why? 374. Will you name several others that are not compared? 374. How is the superlative formed in the word upper? 373. What is the effect of ish added to adjectives? 375. Give an example. What is the force of very in comparison? 376. What are numera a ijectives: 377 Give an example. Are they compared ? 377. "One man has come." "Two men have departed." "James wrote his name on the first "Here comes a great man." "Here comes a greater man." "The first fleet contained five hundred perlative degrees of good? ill? muck little? When is an adjective to be considered a noun ? 378. What is the rule for the adjective? IV In the phrase, "John is sincere," how do you parse John? is? sincere? 379 Why is sincere in the positive degree? 365 Why do you call is a neuter verb ? 157 Let the pupil next take the exercises that follow, and parse as before. |