330. When a noun singular ends in y, with a vowel before it, the plural is 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 Spoonful, Spoonfuls. rules Woman, Women. Louse, Lice. Cupful, Cupfuls. Child, Children. Cows or Cow, Ox, Oxen. Kine. Tooth, Foot, Feet. Die, Dice. (2.) Brother, Goose, Peas. (3.) Brethren. Brother-in-law, Brothers-in-law Court-martial, Courts-martial. Brothers or 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, minutio, literati, &c. are always plural Bandit is now considered the singular of banditti. The noun news is alway. singular. Many nouns form their plurals according to the laws of the la guage from which they are derived. The foliowing are of this class : 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 rcgularly, 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? pernies? peas? fishes? cupfuls? brothers-in-law? What is the plural of pea, when we refer to quantity? Of fish? Vertices. S Vortices or Vortexes. What is the singular of banditti 332. In accordance with what laws does an tithesis form the plural? 322. Will you spell the plural of apex? ap pendir ? arcanum? automaton? aris? cri sis? basis? criterion? datum? desidera tum? eflurium? encomium? erratum? genius? index? memorandum ? Will you spell the singular of buses? beaux? cherubs? ellipses? genii? theses? parentheses? stimuli? strata? How are mathematics, optics, &c. considered in regard to nunder? 332. Of what number is means? 332. alms? amends? antipodes? literati? news? (1.) Pennies, when the coin is meant. (2.) Dies, for coining. (3.) Pease and fish, meaning quantities; but peas and fishes, when number is meant. (4.) Genii, when denoting aerial or imaginary spirits; geniuses, when denoting persons of gerius. (5.) In deas, when denoting pointers or tables of contents; indices, when referring to algebraic quantities XXVIII. CASE. 333. Case means the different state, condition, or relation 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 William" 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 noun 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 letters; 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 sentence, "He went from London to York," York is the object of the relation denoted by the preposition to. XXVIII. What is the meaning of the word case? 47. What is meant by the case of nouns? 333 How many cases have nouns, and what are they? 334. What does nominative mean? 49. What is the nominative case? 335. Give an example. What do you understand by the subject of a verb? 336, Illustrate it by an example. What does possessive mean? 59. What does the possessive case denote? 337. Give an example. How may this case be distinguished from the other cases? 337. How do nouns in the singular form their possessive case? 338. Give an example. Plural. Mothers. Mothers'. Mothers. Singular. Plural Men. Man's, Men's. Man, Men. RULE I. The possessive case is governed by the following noun. EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. John's wife returned," 346. John's is a PROPER NOUN, of the MASCULINE GENDER, the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR NUMBER, POSSESSIVE 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, IMPERFECT TENSE "1. I returned; 2. You returned; 3. He returned, or wife returned"-made in the THIRD PERSON, SIN FGULAR, and agrees with wife, by RULE VII. MORE EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. 341. 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' Mistakes of this sort often occur; hence you perceive the importance in writing, of attending to the subject of grammar. estate." "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 possessive case? Rule 1. 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 additional 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, how 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 possessive case of nouns? 338. Will you now parse man's? We spell the possessive case of man 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. (1.) Active-transitive verb. (2.) Adjective, and belongs to reward, by Rule IV. 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. "an acorn, 354. The article a is called indefinite, because it means no particular person 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 hour." But if the h be sounded, the a only is used; as, "a hand," heart:" except when the word before which the article is placed, has its accent on the second syllable; as, 66 an heroic action," 66 an historical account.' "" 356. Before words beginning with a 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, one ounce, one pound. XXIX. What is an article? 350. What does indefinite mean? 81. What is a or an called? 352. Why? 354. Give an example. How many articles are there? 351. Name them. When does a become an? 355. Give an example. an ounce," Either on a slate or in a small manuscript book kept for the purpose. RULE II. The indefinite article ▲ or an belongs to nouns of the singular number. RULE III. The definite article THE belongs to nouns of the singular or plural number. 359. Exception. When the adjectives few, great many, dozen, hundred, thousand, &c. come between the noun and article, the noun tc which the indefinite article belongs, is plural; as, 66 a few men,' ""a great ma. ny men." EXERCISES IN SYNTAX. "The bird flies swiftly." 360. The is a DEFINITE ARTICLE, and belongs to bird, according to RULE III. Bird is a coMMON NOUN, of the COMMON GENDER, the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR NUMBER, and in the NOMINATIVE CASE to flies, by RULE VI. Flies is an ACTIVE-INTRANSITIVE VERB, INDICATIVE MOOD, PRESENT TENSE-"1. I fly; 2. You fly; 3. He flies, or bird flies"-made in the THIRD PERSON, SINGULAR, and agrees with bird, by RULE VII. Swiftly is an ADVERB, qualifying flies, 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. 361. Incorrect, because we use an before a vowel, except u long a should, therefore, be an; thus, "an ulcer." |