SENTENCES TO BE PARSED AND CORRECTED, CONTINUED.

"Johns son departed."
"Susans sister will learn."
"Charles task is too difficult."

"I have read Willi's poem."

"I discovered Marias faults."

"Susan made little Harriets bonnet."

"Johnson makes mens shoes."

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.

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, 66 an acorn, 'an hour." But if the h be sounded, the a only is used; as, 66 a hand," heart:" except when the word before which the article is placed, has its accent on the second syllable; as, "an heroic action," "an historical account." 356. Before words beginning with u long, a is used instead of an; as, "a union," "a university," " a useful thing."

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.

""" an ounce,"
," "a pound," that is,

* Either on a slate or in a small manuscript book kept for the purpose.

RULE II.

The indefinite article a or AN belongs to nouns of the sin

gular 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, hun. dred, thousand, &c. come between the noun and article, the noun to which the indefinite article belongs, is plural; as, " a few men,' 37.66 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

bly.' "Galileo invented the telescope." "The boy had an ulcer." "William gave an historical account (1.) of the transaction." "Columbus discovered the continent of America."

"Children attend the school."
"William founded a university."

66

The grass is green." "Farmers carry hay into the barn."

"The good scholar obeys his instructer."

SENTENCES TO BE PARSED AND CORRECTED.
"He had a ulcer."

361. Incorrect, because we use an before a vowel, except u long a should, therefore, be an; thus, " an ulcer."

SENTENCES TO BE WRITTEN.

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 wise.

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 tho meaning of the word adjective? 95.

What is an adjective? 363. Give an example.

How many degrees of comparison are there? 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 monosyllable? 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 superlative degrees of able? lovely? ample? discreet? polite? 372.

Which are the mutes? 372.

How do words of more than two syllables almost invariably form their comparison? 372.

(2.) A word of two syllables. (3.) b, k, p, t, and c and g 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, do 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 parsing; 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, SINGULAR 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.

"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 comparigon? 376.

What are numeral adjectives? 377. Give an example. Are they compared ? 377.

Will you spell the comparative and su

"One man has come."

"Two men have departed."

"Twenty men will sail."

"James wrote his name on the first page."

"Here comes a great man."

"Here comes a greater man."

"Here comes the greatest man.'
"The first fleet contained five hundred
men."

perlative degrees of good? ill? much? 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

P

XXXI.

380. Double comparatives and superlatives, since they add nothing to the sense, should be avoided; as, worser, more wiser, &c.; also, lesser, supremest, most infinite, &c.

SENTENCES TO BE WRITTEN.

Q. Will you write down two sentences, each containing a different adjective in the positive degree? Two, with adjectives in the comparative degree? Two, with adjectives in the superlative degree?

"A

"A

boy

Q. Will you supply such adjectives in the following sentences as will make sense? boy studies his lesson." deserves punishment." "A man helps the chants own ships." "The instructor loves scholar, Rufus is a ———

"William is a

man." "Merscholars."

one, but Thomas is the

one that I ever saw."

X XXXII. OF PRONOUNS.

381. A PRONOUN is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid a disagreeable repetition of the noun.

382. A PERSONAL PRONOUN is so called, because it invariably represents the same person. There are five personal pronouns-I, THOU OF YOU, HE, she, it. They have person, number and case, like nouns; and those of the third person have gender also.

383. I is the first person, thou the second, he, she or it, the third. He is masculine, she is feminine, and it is neuter. 384. Pronouns, like nouns, have three cases-the nominative, the possessive and the objective; and two numbersthe singular and plural.

385. Mine and thine, instead of my and thy, were formerly used in the solemn style, before nouns and adjectives. beginning with a vowel or silent h; as, "Blot out all mine iniquities."

XXXII. What does the word pro

noun signify? 120.

What is a pronoun? 381.

Why is a personal pronoun so called? 382.

How many personal pronouns are there, and what are they? 382.

Why is this number said to include all the pronouns? 134.

Which is the first person? the second? the third? 383.

To which of the pronouns do we apply gender? 383.

Why is not gender applied to the first and second persons? 136.

Which is masculine? 383. which feminine? 383. which neuter? 383.

How many cases have pronouns, and what are they? 384.

How many numbers? 384.

Will you decline I? thou? he? she? it? 127.

(1.) For more preferable than, read preferable to.