EXPLANATION ON THE TENSES.

JANE READS AND WROTE WELL.

Where is the con

junction? And. What does it couple? It joins

reads and wrote.

Third per

In what tense is reads?

In what tense or time is wrote ?

son, present tense.

Past tense. What does the rule require you to do? To make these two verbs in the same tense. If the first is present make the second the same, and correct the error. JANE READS AND WRITES WELL.

JAMES CALLED AND TELLS ME TO SPEAK TO DR. LAWRIE ABOUT HIS CHEST. What does and couple in this sentence? Called and tells. In what tense is called? Past. Is it a regular or irregular verb? Regular. How do you know? Because its past tense is formed by e-d. In what tense is tells? Present, but it must be made past. Correct. James called and told me to speak to Dr. Lawrie, &c.

MY PAPA SPEAKS GRAMMATICALLY AND WILL PRO

NOUNCE CORRECTLY. Now, suppose you had been telling me that papa could speak the French grammatically, and by-and-by he would pronounce correctly, what would I should say you say? PAPA SPEAKS FRENCH GRAMMATICALLY and he WILL SOON PRONOUNCE IT CORRECTLY."

What have you done? I have repeated the subject by using the pronoun he, because it is allowed to change. the word or tense, if we repeat the subject.

EXPLANATION ON THE MOOD.

IT IS PLEASANT TO READ AND TO BE SEWING. In what Mood is "to read?" Infinitive. How do you know? To is the sign of the Infinitive. To be sewing, is what Mood? Infinitive too. Then what is wrong? To be sewing is the progressive form. Well, put it into the same form as to read. "It is pleasant to read and to sew." That sounds very stiff. Can a verb not be in the Infinitive unless it has a to before it? O yes! Then leave out the second to, and hear if the sentence does not read smoothly without it. "It is pleasant to read and sew." Now, we must attend to good sense as

Can you read and sew well

well as good grammar.
both at once? No, not well.

If you can only do one well at a time use or instead of and, and try if such a slight change can improve the sense. "It is pleasant to read or sew." O yes, I like that expression much

better.

CORRECT.

How smartly the engineer can turn that machine and stops it again at pleasure. "All nature looks lovely and gay," and children can look happy too. To do all the good in our power, and giving to the poor, will secure us the approbation of our own conscience. How pleasant it is to walk in the evening, and be sailing or riding sometimes, when one is tired. I am very fond of teaching arithmetic and geography, and I like to teach writing too. That is quite correct for I repeated the nominative, and may change the mood or tense.

RULE FIFTH-PART SECOND.

CONJUNCTIONS COUPLE THE SAME CASES OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNS.

Conjunctions coupling pronouns too,

Or coupling nouns, make both these two

Agree in case. you know—

Thus he and I are nominative;
Two pronouns coupled, you perceive,
Now he and I must go.

If we had said this-" he and me,"
Then me would the objective be,
And me would be quite wrong.
Same case as he the me must be,
Conjunctions make them both agree,
Change me to I, ere long.

We might have made them both agree,
And yet both wrong, thus-" him and me
Must go." Then why not so?

Ch. Because they're subjects to "must go,”
Subjects are nominatives, we know,
Then he and I must go.

The case may be objective too,
Conjunctions couple both the two,
"John sat with him and me."
Thus, him and me objective are,
With prepositions put before
The pronouns which agree.

EXPLANATION OF THE CASES.

When pronouns are used as subjects of a verb they must be in the nominative case, according to Rule First. When they follow an active verb or a preposition they should be in the objective case, by Rules Second and Third. When coupled with a conjunction they must agree in case according to Rule Fifth.

JOHN AND HER WILL SOON BE MARRIED. What is wrong ? Her should be she. Why? Because she is one of the subjects of the verb " will be married."

THE LADDER FELL AND INJURED TOM AND I. I ought to be me. Why? Because 1 should be objective to injured the ladder injured me.

TAKE THAT VALUABLE BOOK FROM NURSE AND

WE. We ought to be us. Why? Because the preposition governs the objective case, and the pronoun must be made objective. Is the pronoun we not objective ? No.

CORRECT.

Do come to him and I He and me must go to Australia. You will go with James and they. Jessie and us intend to sew an ottoman. Her and I love each other. Them and we are fond of play Henrietta and me sing duets. You and us enjoy this fine weather. Will you sit between him and I? He and them take a long walk.

REMARKS.

If the child's reasoning faculties have been fully yet pleasingly exercised throughout the preceding part of this little work, her mind will now be prepared to comprehend one of the many talented works on English Grammar with which the press abounds; therefore, my object having been attained, it is obvious to my little readers that I may now take my leave of them. Before closing this little book, I may introduce them to the fourth part of Grammar called Prosody, including Punctuation, and amusingly illustrate its meaning in my own simple way. We shall, in the meantime, dispense with technical terms, such as Iambic Measure, Trochaic Measure, &c., and recommend the study of these at a more advanced age than our little readers have yet attained.

Little reader, how old are you? Ten years old.