The Grammar of English Grammars Part 30

LESSON III.--MIXED.

"The infinitive mode has commonly the sign _to_ before it."--_Harrison's Gram._, p. 25. "Thus, it is adviseable to write _singeing_, from the verb to _singe_, by way of distinction from _singing_, the participle of the verb to _sing_."--_Ib._, p. 27. "Many verbs form both the preterite tense and the preterite participle irregularly."--_Ib._, p. 28. "Much must be left to every one's taste and judgment."--_Ib._, p. 67. "Verses of different lengths intermixed form a Pindarick poem."--_Priestley's Gram._, p. 44. "He'll surprize you."--_Frost's El. of Gram._, p. 88. "Unequalled archer! why was this concealed?"--KNOWLES: _ib._, p. 102. "So gaily curl the waves before each das.h.i.+ng prow."--BYRON: _ib._, p. 104. "When is a dipthong called a proper dipthong?"--_Infant School Gram._, p. 11. "How many _ss_ would goodness then end with? Three."--_Ib._, p. 33. "_Q._ What is a tripthong? _A._ A tripthong is the union of three vowels, p.r.o.nounced in like manner."--_Bacon's Gram._, p. 7. "The verb, noun, or p.r.o.noun, is referred to the preceding terms taken seperately."--_Ib._, p. 47. "The cubic foot of matter which occupies the center of the globe."--_Cardell's Gram._, 18mo, p. 47. "The wine imbibes oxigen, or the acidifying principle, from the air."--_Ib._, p. 62. "Charcoal, sulphur, and niter, make gun powder."--_Ib._, p. 90. "It would be readily understood, that the thing so labeled, was a bottle of Madeira wine."--_Ib._, p. 99. "They went their ways, one to his farm, an other to his merchandize."--_Ib._, p. 130. "A dipthong is the union of two vowels, sounded by a single impulse of the voice."--_Russell's Gram._, p. 7. "The professors of the Mahommedan religion are called Mussulmans."--_Maltby's Gram._, p. 73. "This shews that _let_ is not a sign of the imperative mood, but a real verb."--_Ib._, p.

51. "Those preterites and participles, which are first mentioned in the list, seem to be the most eligible."--_Ib._, p. 47. "Monosyllables, for the most part, are compared by _er_ and _est_; and dyssyllables by _more_ and _most_."--_Ib._, p. 19. "This termination, added to a noun, or adjective, changes it into a verb: as _modern_, to _modernise_; a _symbol_, to _symbolize_."--_Churchill's Gram._, p. 24. "An Abridgment of Murray's Grammar, with additions from Webster, Ash, Tooke, and others."--_Maltby's t.i.tle-page_. "For the sake of occupying the room more advantagously, the subject of Orthography is merely glanced at."--_Nutting's Gram._, p. 5. "So contended the accusers of Gallileo."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, 12mo, 1839, p. 380. "Murray says, 'They were _traveling past_ when _we_ met them.'"--_Peirce, ib._, p. 361. "They fulfil the only purposes for which they are designed."--_Ib._, p. 359. "On the fulfillment of the event."--_Ib._, p. 175. "Fullness consists in expressing every idea."--_Ib._, p. 291. "Consistently with fulness and perspicuity."--_Ib._, p. 337. "The word _verriest_ is a gross corruption; as, 'He is the _verriest_ fool on earth.'"--_Wright's Gram._, p. 202. "The sound will recal the idea of the object."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 142. "Formed for great enterprizes."--_Bullions's Prin. of E. Gram._, p. 153. "The most important rules and definitions are printed in large type, _italicised_."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 3. "HAMLETTED, _a._ Accustomed to a hamlet; countrified."-- _Bolles's Dict._, and _Chalmers's_. "Singular, _spoonful, cup-full, coach-full, handful_; plural, _spoonfuls, cup-fulls, coach-fulls, handfuls_."--_Bullions's a.n.a.lyt. and Pract. Gram._, p. 27.

"Between Superlatives and following Names, OF, by Grammatick Right, a Station claims."

--_Brightland's Gram._, p. 146.

CHAPTER V.--QUESTIONS.

ORDER OF REHEARSAL, AND METHOD OF EXAMINATION.

[Fist][The student ought to be able to answer with readiness, and in the words of the book, all the following questions on grammar. And if he has but lately commenced the study, it may be well to require of him a general rehearsal of this kind, before he proceeds to the correction of any part of the false grammar quoted in the foregoing chapters. At any rate, he should be master of so many of the definitions and rules as precede the part which he attempts to correct; because this knowledge is necessary to a creditable performance of the exercise. But those who are very quick at reading, may perform it _tolerably_, by consulting the book at the time, for what they do not remember. The answers to these questions will embrace all the main text of the work; and, if any further examination be thought necessary, extemporaneous questions may be framed for the purpose.]

LESSON I.--GRAMMAR.

1. What is the name, or t.i.tle, of this book? 2. What is Grammar? 3. What is an English Grammar? 4. What is English Grammar, in itself? and what knowledge does it imply? 5. If grammar is the art of reading, writing, and speaking, define these actions. What is it, _to read_? 6. What is it, _to write_? 7. What is it, _to speak_? 8. How is grammar to be taught, and by what means are its principles to be made known? 9. What is a perfect definition? 10. What is an example, as used in teaching? 11. What is a rule of grammar? 12. What is an exercise? 13. What was language at first, and what is it now? 14. Of what two kinds does the composition of language consist? and how do they differ? 15. What are the least parts of language?

16. What has discourse to do with sentences? or sentences, with points? 17.

In extended compositions, what is the order of the parts, upwards from a sentence? 18. What, then, is the common order of literary division, downwards, throughout? 19. Are all literary works divided exactly in this way? 20. How is Grammar divided? 21. Of what does Orthography treat? 22. Of what does Etymology treat? 23. Of what does Syntax treat? 24. Of what does Prosody treat?

PART FIRST, ORTHOGRAPHY.

LESSON II.--LETTERS.

1. Of what does Orthography treat? 2. What is a letter? 3. What is an elementary sound of human voice, or speech? 4. What name is given to the sound of a letter? and what epithet, to a letter not sounded? 5. How many letters are there in English? and how many sounds do they represent? 6. In what does a knowledge of the letters consist? 7. What variety is there in the letters? and how are they always the same? 8. What different sorts of types, or styles of letters, are used in English? 9. What are the names of the letters in English? 10. What are their names in both numbers, singular and plural? 11. Into what general cla.s.ses are the letters divided? 12. What is a vowel? 13. What is a consonant? 14. What letters are vowels? and what, consonants? 15. When are _w_ and _y_ consonants? and when, vowels? 16. How are the consonants divided? 17. What is a semivowel? 18. What is a mute?

19. What letters are reckoned semivowels? and how many of these are aspirates? 20. What letters are called liquids? and why? 21. What letters are reckoned mutes? and which of them are imperfect mutes?

LESSON III.--SOUNDS.

1. What is meant, when we speak of the powers of the letters? 2. Are the sounds of a language fewer than its words? 3. How are different vowel sounds produced? 4. What are the vowel sounds in English? 5. How may these sounds be modified in the formation of syllables? 6. Can you form a word upon each by means of an _f_? 7. Will you try the series again with a _p_?

8. How may the vowel sounds be written? and how uttered when they are not words? 9. Which of the vowel sounds form words? and what of the rest? 10.

How many and what are the consonant sounds in English? 11. In what series of words may all these sounds be heard? 12. In what series of words may each of them be heard two or three times? 13. What is said of the sounds of _j_ and _x_? 14. What is said of the sounds of _c_ and _g_? 15. What is said of _sc_, or _s_ before _c_? 16. What, of _ce, ci_, and _ch_? 17. What sounds has the consonant _g_? 18. In how many different ways can the letters of the alphabet be combined? 19. What do we derive from these combinations of sounds and characters?

LESSON IV.--CAPITALS.

1. What characters are employed in English? 2. Why should the different sorts of letters be kept distinct? 3. What is said of the slanting strokes in Roman letters? 4. For what purpose are _Italics_ chiefly used? 5. In preparing a ma.n.u.script, how do we mark these things for the printer? 6.

What distinction of form belongs to each of the letters? 7. What is said of small letters? and why are capitals used? 8. What things are commonly exhibited wholly in capitals? 9. How many rules for capitals are given in this book? and what are their t.i.tles? 10. What says Rule 1st of _books_?

11. What says Rule 2d of _first words_? 12. What says Rule 3d of _names of Deity_? 13. What says Rule 4th of _proper names_? 14. What says Rule 5th of _t.i.tles_? 15. What says Rule 6th of _one capital_? 16. What says Rule 7th of _two capitals_? 17. What says Rule 8th of _compounds_? 18. What says Rule 9th of _apposition_? 19. What says Rule 10th of _personifications_?

20. What says Rule 11th of _derivatives_? 21. What says Rule 12th of _I and O_? 22. What says Rule 13th of _poetry_? 23. What says Rule 14th of _examples_? 24. What says Rule 15th of _chief words_? 25. What says Rule 16th of _needless capitals_?

[Now turn to the first chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules.]

LESSON V.--SYLLABLES.

1. What is a syllable? 2. Can the syllables of a word be perceived by the ear? 3. Under what names are words cla.s.sed according to the number of their syllables? 4. Which of the letters can form syllables of themselves? and which cannot? 5. What is a diphthong? 6. What is a proper diphthong? 7.

What is an improper diphthong? 8. What is a triphthong? 9. What is a proper triphthong? 10. What is an improper triphthong? 11. How many and what are the diphthongs in English? 12. How many and which of these are so variable in sound that they may be either proper or improper diphthongs? 13. How many and what are the proper diphthongs? 14. How many and what are the improper diphthongs? 15. Are proper triphthongs numerous in our language?

16. How many and what are the improper triphthongs? 17. What guide have we for dividing words into syllables? 18. How many special rules of syllabication are given in this book? and what are their t.i.tles, or subjects? 19. What says Rule 1st of _consonants_? 20. What says Rule 2d of _vowels_? 21. What says Rule 3d of _terminations_? 22. What says Rule 4th of _prefixes_? 23. What says Rule 5th of _compounds_? 24. What says Rule 6th of _lines full_?

[Now turn to the second chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules.]

LESSON VI.--WORDS.

1. What is a word? 2. How are words distinguished in regard to _species_ and _figure_? 3. What is a primitive word? 4. What is a derivative word? 5.

What is a simple word? 6. What is a compound word? 7. How do permanent compounds differ from others? 8. How many rules for the figure of words are given in this book? and what are their t.i.tles, or subjects? 9. What says Rule 1st of _compounds_? 10. What says Rule 2d of _simples_? 11. What says Rule 3d of _the sense_? 12. What says Rule 4th of _ellipses_? 13. What says Rule 5th of _the hyphen_? 14. What says Rule 6th of _no hyphen_?

[Now turn to the third chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules.]

LESSON VII.--SPELLING.

1. What is spelling? 2. How is this art to be acquired? and why so? 3. Why is it difficult to learn to spell accurately? 4. Is it then any disgrace to spell words erroneously? 5. What benefit may be expected from the rules for spelling? 6. How many rules for spelling are given in this book? and what are their t.i.tles, or subjects? 7. What says Rule 1st of _final f, l_, or _s_? 8. Can you mention the princ.i.p.al exceptions to this rule? 9. What says Rule 2d of _other finals_? 10. Are there any exceptions to this rule? 11.

What says Rule 3d of the _doubling_ of consonants? 12. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 13. What says Rule 4th _against the doubling_ of consonants? 14. Under what four heads are the apparent exceptions to this Rule noticed? 15. What says Rule 5th of _final ck_? 16. What monosyllables, contrary to this rule, end with _c_ only? 17.

What says Rule 6th of the _retaining_ of double letters before affixes? 18.

Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 19. What says Rule 7th of the _retaining_ of double letters after prefixes? 20. What observation is made respecting exceptions to this rule?

LESSON VIII.--SPELLING.

21. What says Rule 8th of _final ll_, and of _final l single_? 22. What words does this rule claim, which might seem to come under Rule 7th? and why? 23. What says Rule 9th of _final e omitted_? 24. Under what three heads are the exceptions, real or apparent, here noticed? 25. What says Rule 10th of _final e retained?_ 26. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 27. What says Rule 11th of _final y changed?_ 28. Under what three heads are the limits and exceptions to this rule noticed? 29. What says Rule 12th of _final y unchanged?_ 30. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 31. What says Rule 13th of the terminations _ize_ and _ise?_ 32. Under what three heads are the apparent exceptions to this rule noticed? 33. What says Rule 14th of _compounds?_ 34. Under what seven heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 35. What says Rule 15th of _usage_, as a law of spelling?

[Now turn to the fourth chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules and their exceptions.]

CHAPTER VI.--FOR WRITING.

EXERCISES IN ORTHOGRAPHY.

[Fist] [The following examples of false orthography are inserted here, and not explained in the general Key, that they may he corrected by the pupil _in writing_. Some of the examples here quoted are less inaccurate than others, but all of them, except a few shown in contrast, are, in some respect or other, erroneous. It is supposed, that every student who can answer the questions contained in the preceding chapter, will readily discern wherein the errors lie, and be able to make the necessary corrections.]

EXERCISE I.--CAPITALS.

"Alexander the great killed his friend c.l.i.tus."--_Harrison's Gram._, p. 68.

"The words in italics are pa.r.s.ed in the same manner."--_Maltby's Gram._, p.

69. "It may be read by those who do not understand latin."--_Barclay's Works_, Vol. iii, p. 262. "A roman _s_ being added to a word in italics or small capitals."--_Churchill's Gram._, p. 215. "This is not simply a gallicism, but a corruption of the French _on_; itself a corruption."-- _Ib._, p. 228. "The Gallicism, '_it is me_,' is perpetually striking the ear in London."--_Ib._, p. 316. "'Almost nothing,' is a common Scotticism, equally improper: it should be, 'scarcely any thing.'"--_Ib._, p. 333. "To use _learn_ for _teach_, is a common Scotticism, that ought to be carefully avoided."--See _ib._, p. 261. "A few observations on the subjunctive mood as it appears in our English bible."--_Wilc.o.x's Gram._, p. 40. "The translators of the bible, have confounded two tenses, which in the original are uniformly kept distinct."--_Ib._, p. 40. "More like heaven on earth, than the holy land would have been."--_Anti-Slavery Mag._, Vol. i, p. 72.

"There is now extant a poetical composition, called the golden verses of Pythagoras."-- _Lempriere's Dict._ "Exercise of the Mind upon Theorems of Science, like generous and manly Exercise of the Body, tends to call forth and strengthen Nature's original Vigour."--_Harris's Hermes_, p. 295. "O that I could prevail on Christians to melt down, under the warm influence of brotherly love, all the distinctions of methodists, independents, baptists, anabaptists, arians, trinitarians, unitarians, in the glorious name of christians."--KNOX: _Churchill's Gram._, p. 173. "Pythagoras long ago remarked, 'that ability and necessity dwell near each other.'"--_Student's Manual_, p. 285.

"The Latin Writers Decency neglect, But modern Readers challenge more Respect."

--_Brightland's Gram._, p. 172.

EXERCISE II.--SYLLABLES.

1. Correct _Bolles_, in the division of the following words: "Del-ia, Jul-ia, Lyd-ia, heigh-ten, pat-ron, ad-roit, worth-y, fath-er, fath-er-ly, mar-chi-o-ness, i-dent-ic-al, out-ra-ge-ous, ob-nox-i-ous, pro-di-gi-ous, tre-mend-ous, ob-liv-i-on, pe-cul-i-ar."--_Revised Spelling-Book_: New London, 1831.

2. Correct _Sears_, in the division of the following words: "A-quil-a, hear-ty, drea-ry, wor-my, hai-ry, thor-ny, phil-os-o-phy, dis-cov-e-ry, re-cov-e-ry, ad-diti-on, am-biti-on, au-spici-ous, fac-t.i.ti-ous, fla-giti-ous, fru-iti-on, sol-st.i.ti-al, ab-o-liti-on."--_Standard Spelling-Book_: "New Haven," 1826.

3. Correct _Bradley_, in the division of the following words: "Jes-ter, rai-ny, forg-e-ry, fin-e-ry, spic-e-ry, brib-e-ry, groc-e-ry, chi-can-e-ry, fer-riage, line-age, cri-ed, tri-ed, su-ed, slic-ed, forc-ed, pledg-ed, sav-ed, dup-ed, strip-ed, touch-ed, trounc-ed."--_Improved Spelling-Book_: Windsor, 1815.