English Exercises Adapted to Murray's English Grammar ... Designed for the Benefit of Private Learners as Well as for the Use of Schools

GENERAL DIRECTIONS

FOR USING THE EXERCISES.

1. As soon as the learner has committed to memory, the defi-
nitions of the article and substantive, as expressed in the gram-
mar, he should be employed in parsing those parts of speech,
as they are arranged in this volume of the Exercises.

2. The learner should proceed, in this manner, through all the
definitions of the parts of speech, contained in Etymology, re-
gularly parsing the exercises on one definition, before he ap-
plies to another.

3. As the pupil will then be able to understand all the rules in
Orthography, he should be directed to correct, in regular order,
the orthographical exercises attached to the particular rules.

4. In this stage of his progress, he may vary his employment,
by occasionally parsing the promiscuous exercises, contained
in the ninth section of the chapter of Etymological Parsing,
and by writing the plurals of nouns, &c. in the eighth section
of the same chapter.

5. When the first rule of Syntax is committed to memory,
the correspondent exercise in parsing, should be performed.
Then the sentences of false syntax, under the rule, should be
corrected, in writing. In this manner, both as to parsing and
correcting, all the rules of Syntax should be treated, proceed-
ing regularly according to their order. The pupil may now
be, occasionally, employed in correcting the promiscuous
exercises in Orthography.

6. The preceding directions (except those upon Orthography)
respect only the leading rules of the Grammar, which are printed
in the larger type. When the exercises on those general rules
are completed, and not before, the learner is to apply to the first
subordinate rule, contained in the smaller type. He is to read it
very attentively, assisted by the teacher's explanations; and
afterwards correct, in writing, the false construction of the

exercises belonging to it.

Thus, he is to proceed, rule by rule,
The learner should now be, occa-

till the whole is finished t.
sionally, employed in parsing the promiscuous exercises, con-
tained in the eighth section of the chapter on Syntactical
Parsing.

7. When the student has corrected all the exercises appro❤
priated to the particular rules, he should regularly proceed to.
rectify the promiscuous Exercises, in syntax and punctuation.
In this employ, he should write over each correction, the
number of the rule, principal or subordinate, by which he
conceives the correction ought to be made.

8. After this progress, the learner will be qualified to enter
on the Exercises respecting perspicuous and accurate writing.
In this part, he is to proceed in a manner as similar to the
preceding directions, as the subject will admit.

9. When all the Exercises have been regularly corrected, in
writing, it would tend to perfect the pupil's knowledge of the
rules, and to give him an habitual dexterity in applying them, if
he were occasionally desired to correct, verbally, erroneous sen-
tences purposely selected from different parts of the book; to
recite the rules by which they are governed; and, in his own
language, to detail the reasons on which the corrections are
founded. The following examples will give the student an idea.
of the manner, in which he is to make the verbal corrections.

"The man is prudent which speaks little."

This sentence is incorrect; because which is a pronoun of the
neuter gender, and does not agree in gender with its antecedent
man, which is masculine. But a pronoun should agree with its
antecedent, in gender, &c. according to the fifth rule of Syntax,
Which should therefore be who, a relative pronoun agreeing with

The pupil ought to review every leading rule, and again rectify a few
of the sentences under it, before he enters on its subordinate rules and their.
correspondent exercises.

its antecedent man; and the sentence should stand thus; "The man is prudent who speaks little."

"After I visited Europe, I returned to America."

This sentence is not correct; because the verb visited is in the imperfect tense, and yet used here to express an action, not only past, but prior to the time referred to by the verb returned, to which it relates. By the thirteenth rule of syntax, when verbs are used that, in point of time, relate to each other, the order of tine should be observed. The imperfect tense visited should, therefore, have been had visited, in the pluperfect tense, representing the action of visiting, not only as past, but also as prior to the time of returning. The sentence corrected would stand thus: "After I had visited Europe, I returned to America."

"This was the cause, which first gave rise to such a barbarous practice."

This sentence is inaccurate. The words first and rise have here the same meaning; and the word such is not properly applied. This word signifies of that kind: but the author does not refer to a kind or species of barbarity. He means a degree of it: and therefore the word so, instead of such, ought to have been used. The words cause and gave rise, are also tautological: one of them should, consequently, be omitted. The sentence corrected would stand thus: "This was the original cause of so barbarous a practice;" or, " of a practice so barbarous."*

10. As parsing is an exercise of great importance to the pupil, it should be continued, regularly, through the whole course of his grammatical instruction.

11. To the learner who has not the aid of a teacher, the Key is indispensable. But it should, on no occasion, be consulted, till the sentence which is to be rectified, has been well considered, and has received the learner's best correction.

* For a variety of examples of this explanatory mode of Parsing, see the Octavo Grammar, second volume, pp. 42-52.

TO THE TWELFTH EDITION.

THE reader will perceive, that a number of Notes and Critical Discussions has been inserted in appropriate parts of the Exercises and the Key. This was occasioned by the Grammar's having been set up, and not admitting of enlargement without an advance of its price. The author has, however, taken care to make proper references, under the correspondent rules in the Grammar, to all those additional notes and discussions. To this mode of supplying improvements, the reader will have the less objection, when he considers, that the Exercises and the Key are necessary appendages to the Grammar; and serve to illustrate and enforce, as well as to extend, its rules and positions. The three volumes are indeed intimately connected; and constitute one uniform system of English Grammar.

To the Tenth edition of the Key, the Author has added an Apologetical Preface, accounting for the additions and variations, which are to be found in the different editions of his grammatical works. He has also annexed to that edition of the Key, a copious Alphabetical Index to the Grammar, the Exercises, and the Key: a work which he flatters himself will be generally useful; and particularly acceptable to students who have made some progress in the knowledge of grammar.

See the ADVERTISEMENT to the Twelfth edition of the KEY, at page 220 of that volume.

CONTENTS

PART I.

Exercises in Parsing.

ge.

CHAP. 1. Exercises in Parsing, as it respects Etymology alone 15 2. Exercises in Parsing, as it respects both Etymology

and Syntax

PART II.

Exercises in Orthography.

CHAP. 1. Instances of false Orthography, arranged under the respective Rules