Add ing-lay, delay, flay, play, fancy, study, obey, convey.

...

er and est-shabby, steady, merry, saucy, tidy, hardy.

ous joy, melody, study, calumny, felony, ceremony, plenty, pity, fallacy, duty, acrimony, parsimony.

Add ful-fancy, mercy, pity, plenty, bounty, duty.

ly-ready, speedy, sturdy, dry, hungry, easy.

y-shrub, mud, need, reed, wood, word, cloud, fog, pitch, ash, flash, chalk, dusk, meal, coal, hill, cool, beam, gum, room, storm, rain, sleep, sap, sulphur, star.

Add est, s, ed, ing, and er (or or), to each of the following words:-stab, sob, grin, cram, plan, rap, mar, debar, chat, shed, beg, defer, infer, deter, prefer, fret, wet, rig, skim, chip, equip, rub, hum, shun, fit, submit, admit, commit, omit, permit, acquit, rebel, excel, repel, compel, dispel, expel, demur, incur, occur, regret, beset, allot, besot, strut, hem, stem, fulfil, instil, extol, nail, gain, complain, command, pilfer, vex, inherit, libel, model, enamel, counsel, travel, offer, proffer, suffer, murmur, worship, gallop, rivet, paint, heal, clean, sneer, boil, spoil, join, look, cool, spout.

Add ness-gross, heedless, stiff, gruff, careless.

...

ly-useless, fearless, remiss, cross, gross, restless.
ful-success, distress, bliss, skill, will.

less or ly-skill, hill, chill, shrill, dull.

ness-small, tall, chill, fell, ill, shrill, still, dull, full.

II.

ETYMOLOGY.

13. ETYMOLOGY teaches the Classification, Inflection, and Derivation of Words.

CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS.

14. The classification of words is the arranging of them into sorts or classes, by putting those of the same kind together.

15. There are in English nine classes of words, called parts of speech-namely, Noun, Article, Adjective, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection.

16. NOUN. Every object, material or immaterial, has a name-such as mountain, river, rose, man, lion, granite; soul, power, wisdom, pain, fear, intellect, success. All these names, not the things themselves, are NOUNS.

17. ARTICLE. The peculiar determinative words a or an and the, are called ARTICLES.

18. ADJECTIVE.

Everything, material or immaterial, is known to us by its properties or qualities. Thus, we say that grapes are round, purple, smooth, sweet, juicy, cool, refreshing. Every word, therefore, that can be placed immediately before

a noun, to denote some property perceived in the object, is an ADJECTIVE.

19. VERB.-Everything is, or does, or has something done to it; and every word by which we express that persons or things are anything, or do anything, or have anything done to them, is called a VERB.

Thus, we speak of being, in 'The sky is blue,' 'The storm was severe;' we speak of action, in "The horse runs,' 'The horse will run; we speak of sustaining an action, in "The house was painted,' "The house is being painted,' 'The house will be painted.'

20. ADVERB.-Everything exists, or acts, or is acted upon, at some time, or in some place, or manner. Words expressing the circumstances of quality or action, are called ADVERBS.

As adjectives express the qualities of nouns, so do adverbs qualify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs; thus-The sky is very blue,' 'The horse ran well,' "The horse will soon run better;'The house was quickly painted,' 'I have been there,' 'You will go to-morrow,' 'He will run down,' Where does he live ?'

6

21. PRONOUN.-Every noun may have a word used instead of it, to avoid repetition, and such words are called PRONOUNS. Thus, Miss Thomson presents her compliments to Mr Smith, and requests that he will have the kindness to return the book of British Costume, which she lent him last week, as her brothers require it to aid them in their historical lessons.' In this example, the words she and her stand for Miss Thomson; he and him for Mr Smith; which and it for the book; them and their for brothers.

22. PREPOSITION.-Everything exists in or has relation to something else; and the word that marks the relation of one thing to another is called a PREPOSITION.

Thus, My hand is on the table,' 'The watch is in his pocket,' 'I will go before dinner,'' He will run to the house,' 'We live at Brighton,' "This watch is for James.' On, shews the relation or connection between hand and table; in, between watch and pocket; and so on.

23. CONJUNCTION.-Every idea can be joined to another idea or separated from it. Words that express this joining or separation are called CONJUNCTIONS.

'Tell and Washington were truly great.' 'Neither Alexander nor Cæsar was a great man." "I wish that I could see him.'

24. INTERJECTION.-Every emotion-such as sorrow, fear, surprise, anger, pain-may be indicated by a single word, and such a word is called an INTERJECTION.

Such exclamations as O! Ah! Alas! are interjections.

NOTE. The above are given as general, but by no means adequate definitions of the different parts of speech. They may suffice, however, as introductory to the fuller explanations afterwards to be given.

Exercises in Parsing.

PARSING, which is distinguishing the different parts of speech in a sentence, and describing their mutual relations, is an indispensable exercise, without understanding which it is impossible to make further progress in the study of Grammar.

1. Point out* Nouns in the following sentences:-Good name in man or woman is the immediate jewel of their souls. Foul practices turn on their authors. The apparel oft proclaims the man. Talkers are not good doers. The empty vessel makes the greatest sound. Suspicion is full of eyes. 2. Point out Adjectives:· The mind of prosperous guilt is full of poison. Now fades the glimmering landscape. Sacred history contains a simple, chaste, faithful, impartial, detail of facts. Most romantic writings are miserable rhapsodies or dangerous incentives. The cloudcapped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherits, shall dissolve.

3. Point out Verbs:-Fear God. Honour the king. History informs and enlarges the mind. The joys of youth quickly vanish. It hurts a man's pride to say: 'I do not know.' No tree bears fruit in autumn, unless it blossoms in the spring.

4. Point out Pronouns :-Thou art the man. I have always preferred cheerfulness to mirth. I know thee well. Still as she spoke, she gathered strength. If you stab us, do we not bleed? I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.

5. Point out Adverbs:-Often and deeply she sighs. Slowly and sadly we laid him down. Generally speaking, they live quietly. Hear mildly, laugh moderately.

6. Point out Prepositions:-My hand was on his shoulder. The flute was in his hand. He went across the river. He is among his friends. Is he at sea?

7. Point out Conjunctions:- - Seditions and wars are created by ambition. Some persons sin boldly and deliberately. We must live virtuously or viciously. Henry left the house, but John remained. Study that you may improve.

8. Point out Interjections: Ah! who can tell how hard it is to climb? Ah me! the laurelled wreath that murder wears. Hurrah! the foes are coming. Hark! the drums are beating. O! let me take your hand. Alas! I could not pay the money. Hush! do not speak.

INFLECTION OF WORDS.

25. Inflection is the alteration, change, or variation to which words are subject, on account of number, gender, case, degree, tense, &c. Thus-boy, boy's, boys'; lady, lady's, ladies, ladies'; child, child's, children, children's; poet, poetess; hero, heroine; who, whom; sweet, sweeter, sweetest; love, loves, lovest; have, having, had; love, loved, loving, &c.

Inflection is not necessarily confined to the end of the word; thus -man, men; mouse, mice; spring, sprang.

*The teacher may direct the pupil to write these sentences, and underline the words to be pointed out.

The English language, in comparison with the Latin, Greek, French, German, and many other languages, has remarkably few inflections. Its general deficiency in this respect is compensated by the use of pronouns, prepositions, and other parts of speech.

26. NUMBER. -Nouns, pronouns, and verbs are liable to inflection on account of number. There are two numbers: the Singular, which denotes one object; as-boy; and the Plural, more than one; as-boys.

27. GENDER.-Nouns and pronouns are subject to gender. In English, there are three genders: the Masculine, which denotes the male sex; the Feminine, the female sex; and the Neuter, whatever is neither male nor female; as-man, woman, thing.

28. CASE.-Nouns and pronouns are likewise subject to case. There are three cases: the Nominative, denoting the subject of the verb; the Possessive, denoting property or possession in something else; and the Objective, denoting the object of a verb or preposition.

In the sentence: I throw John's ball-I, is the subject of the verb throw; and ball, the object; while John's marks the possessor of the ball. I is therefore in the nominative case, John's in the possessive, and ball in the objective.

29. PERSON.-There are three Persons: the first, which denotes the speaker; the second, the person spoken to; and the third, the person spoken of. Thus-I John saw the city. Be grateful, ye children of men. He the archangel said. Pronouns and verbs are varied on account of person; and nouns are seldom used but in the third-that is, when they are spoken of.

30 DEGREE.-Adjectives and adverbs are liable to three degrees of comparison-the Positive, Comparative, and Superlative; as-wise, wiser, wisest; soon, sooner, soonest.

31. MOOD and TENSE.-These variations belong only to verbs, and will be explained in treating of them.

32. Prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections are subject to no grammatical inflection.

NOUNS.

CLASSIFICATION OF NOUNS.

33. There are six kinds of nouns Common, Proper, Abstract, Collective, Verbal, and Compound.

34. COMMON NOUNS denote any of the individuals of a class or kind.

They are called common, because alike applicable to all the individuals in the class. Thus the noun river is common to the Thames, the

Seine, the Tagus, &c., because it can be said of each of them that it is a river.

35. PROPER NOUNS are the peculiar names or distinguishing titles of persons, places, rivers, nations, languages, ships, months, days, festivals, great events, &c.; as-James, London, Germany, &c.

36. ABSTRACT NOUNS are the names of qualities or properties, thought of as distinct from substances; as-purity, whiteness.

They are called abstract, because the idea of a property or quality is thought of as abstracted from the thing itself; thus-we see that snow is white, paper is white, milk is white; and we gather or abstract the idea of whiteness, which we can employ to express the same quality in another substance. Abstract nouns are the names of immaterial existences, acts, or states.

37. A COLLECTIVE NOUN, or noun of multitude, in the singular form, expresses a number of individuals.

Thus, army is a noun in the singular number, representing a collection of soldiers.

38. VERBAL NOUNS are those derived from verbs: they are infinitives or participles used as nouns.

39. COMPOUND NOUNS are formed by the union of two or more words; as-workman, guinea-fowl.

Though compound in form, they may be ranked in meaning under one or other of the five other classes, according to the ideas they convey; generally, they are common nouns.

EXAMPLES.

(34.) The first three men in the world were a gardener, a grazier, and a ploughman. The law, and not the judge, condemns the criminal. Men should be what they seem. Holland is, as it were, one great meadow, intersected by canals, and traversed by rows and groups of trees.

(35.) Adam gave names to all cattle. The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, King of Israel. Paul was the great Apostle of the Gentiles. Alfred, King of England, died in 901 A.D. Nicholas, Emperor of Russia, incorporated Poland with Russia in 1832. Solomon, King of Israel, wrote the Book of Proverbs.

(36.) Economy is the parent of integrity, of liberty, and of ease; and the beauteous sister of cheerfulness, of temperance, and of health. In the bottle, discontent seeks for comfort, cowardice for courage, and bashfulness for confidence.

(37.) Napoleon's army was almost annihilated in Russia. The English navy is the most powerful in the world. A flock of sheep. A herd of deer. A crowd of people.

(38.) To be good is to be happy. To err is human, to forgive, divine. Ah! then, and there was hurrying to and fro, and gathering tears, and tremblings of distress; and there were sudden partings; and there was mounting in hot haste. Drowsy tinklings lull the distant fold.

(39.) Education is a preparation for after-life. Go, visit it by the pale moon-light. His bugle-horn he blew. There is none so homely but loves a looking-glass. This master-key frees every lock.