9. What is the general division of substantives?

10.

What are proper nouns ?

11. What are common nouns? Why is man a common noun? Why is John a proper noun ?

12. What belong to substantives? Of what person are they when spoken of? Of what person when spoken to ?

13. What is gender, and how many genders are there? Name them.

14.

What does the masculine gender denote? What the feminine? What the neuter?

15. Can the neuter gender be converted into the masculine or feminine? How are they con

verted?

NUMBER.

1. Number is the consideration of an ob

ject, as one or more.

2. Substantives are of two numbers, the singular and the plural.

3. The singular number expresses but one object.

The plural number signifies more objects than one.

4. Some nouns, from the nature of the things which they express, are used only in the singular, others only in the plural form;

as, wheat, pitch, gold, sloth, pride, &c., and bellows, scissors, ashes, riches.

5. Some words are the same in both numbers, as, deer, sheep, swine.

6. The plural number of nouns is generally formed by adding s to the singular. But when the substantive singular ends in x, ch, sh, or ss, or s, we add es in the plural.

7. Nouns ending in f or fe, are generally rendered plural by the change of those terminations into ves; as, loaf, loaves. Those which end in ff, have the regular plural; as, ruff, ruffs.

8. Such as have y in the singular, with no other vowel in the same syllable, change the y into ies in the plural; as fly, flies; but the y is not changed, when there is another vowel in the syllable; as boys.

CASE.

9. In English, substantives have three cases, the NOMINATIVE, the POSSESSIVE, and the OB

JECTIVE.

10. The Nominative case simply expresses the NAME of a thing, or it names the person

B

who acts, and who is called the SUBJECT of the verb.

11. The Possessive case expresses the relation of property, or possession; and has an apostrophe, with the letter s coming after it.

When the plural ends in s, the other s is omitted, but the apostrophe is retained.

Sometimes also, when the singular terminates in ss, the apostrophic s is not added; as, For goodness' sake.

12. The Objective case expresses the OBJECT of an action; that is, the thing which is

ACTED UPON.

13. The word objective is derived from the Latin OBJECTUS, which means lying in the way. It may be known by asking the question, WHOM? with the verb-as, in the phrase, Jane loves Martha. The answer to the ques

tion, Whom does Jane love?" is "Martha."

14. The NOMINATIVE generally GOES BEFORE THE VERB, and the OBJECTIVE FOLLOWS THE VERB; thus in the phrase, Jane loves Martha ; JANE is the NOMINATIVE, LOVES is the action affirmed of Jane, and MARTHA is the OBJECTIVE or PERSON AFFECTED BY JANE'S LOVE.

QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.

1.

What is number?

2. How many numbers are there? What are they

3.

called?

What does the singular number express? What does the plural express?

4. Are there any nouns which are used only in the singular number? Mention them. Are there

any nouns used only in the plural? Mention them.

5. Are there any nouns the same in both numbers ? Mention them.

7.

6. How is the plural of nouns generally formed? When do you add es to form the plural? If a noun ends in f or fe, how do you form the plural? How do you form the plural of nouns ending in ff?

8.

Nouns ending in y how do you form the plural ?
When should you not change the y?

9. How many cases have substantives? Name them.
10. What does the nominative case express?
11. What does the possessive case express ?

How

is the possessive case formed? When the plural ends in s how do you form the possessive case? When the singular ends in ss how do you form the possessive case?

12. What does the objective case express? What do you mean by the object of an action?

13. From what is the word objective derived, and How may the objective

what does it mean?

case be known?

14. Where in a sentence is the nominative generally placed? Where the objective?

ADJECTIVES.

1. An adjective is a word added to a substantive to express its QUALITY. In English the adjective is not varied on account of gender, number, or case. The only variation which it admits, is, that of the degrees of comparison.

2. There are three degrees of comparison; the POSITIVE, the COMPARATIVE, and the SUPerLATIVE. The positive expresses the quality of the noun, without any increase or diminution; as, WISE. The COMPARATIVE degree INCREASES OF LESSENS the positive, as, WISER. The SUPERLATIVE degree increases or lessens the positive to the HIGHEST OF LOWEST degree;

as, WISEST.

3. The positive 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. The adverbs MORE and MOST,