Of the Comparison of ADJECTIVES.

M. What do you mean by the Comparison of Adjectives?

S. The increasing or diminishing the Quality, or distinguishing the different Degrees of it: Thus we say, one Thing is good, another better, and another best of all. Also, high, higher, highest, and wise, wiser, wisest, &c.

M. Pray how many Degrees of Comparison are there?

S. Three; the Positive, the Comparative, and the Superlative.

M. What is the Positive Degree?

S. The Positive Degree is the Adjective or Quality, in its simple State; as, (in the foregoing Words,) good, high, and wise, are Adjectives in the positive Degree.

M. What is the Comparative Degree?

S. The Comparative Degree is that, in which the Quality somewhat exceeds the Positive, and commonly ends in er: Thus, better, higher, and wiser, (in the foregoing Words) are called Adjectives in the Comparative Degree.

M. How may I know the Superlative Degree?

S. The Superlative raises the Quality to the highest, and generally ends in est; or else the Word most comes before the Positive: Thus, (in the foregoing Words) best, highest, and wisest, are Superlatives.

M. Give me an Example at large?

S. Suppose I am speaking of three School Boys, Tommy, Sammy, and Charly; I say,

Tommy is a good Boy;

Sammy is better;

But Charly is the best of all

positive
comparative
superlative

}

positive

comparative
superlative

M. Are there only three Degrees of Comparison?

S. Properly speaking there are no more; but then two of them sometimes belong to the Comparative.

M. Pray give me an Instance?

S. The Word little when compared, becomes little, less, tesser, and least: That is, little is positive; lest is comparative; lesser is also comparative in a higher Degree; and least is superlative, being the least of all.

M. Are the Comparative and Superlative known only by ending in er and est?

S No; they are only known by the Words more and most : for more before the positive makes the comparative; as more bigh is the same as higher; and most before the positive makes the superlative; as most high is the same as highest.

Of NUMBERS.

M. How many Numbers are there belonging to Nouns ? -
S. Two; the Singular and Plural.

M. How are they used?

S. The Singular Nut.ber is used when we speak of one Thing only; as, a Man, a Tree, a Book; and the Plural when we speak of more than one Man, one Tree, one Bock; for then we say Men, Trees, Books, &c.

M. How do Words that end in for fe make their Plural?·

S. By changing f, or fe, i to ves. Thus, Calf, Half; will be Calves, Halves; and Life, Knife, will be Lives,, Knives, &c. M Do all Words make their Plural according to these Rules? S. No; for Man in the Singular becomes Men in the Plural; Mouse, is Mice; Foot, is Feet; Tooth, is Teeth, &c.

M. Pray are the Words a Flock, or a Multitude, in the Singular or Plural Number?

S. In the Singular Number.

Of CASE.

M. What does the Word Case imply in Grammar?

S. The different Termination, or ending of a Noun in the Latin Tongue, or in several other Languages.

M. You say in the Latin, and in several other Languages; pray is it not the same in the English Language?

S. No; for the Latin, &c. have six Cases, but the English

no more than one.

M. Pray let me know the Names of the Cases in Latin?

S. They are called the Nominative, the Genitive, the Dative, the Accusative, the Vocative, and the Ablative, and are known by the different Endings of the Word.

As Deus
Dei
Deo, &c.

God
of God

to God, &c.

M. You say the English Tongue bas but one Case; pray what

is it ?

S. The Genitive.

M. How is it known in English ?

S. By the Word of, or by puttings to the Singular Number, with an Apostrophe or Comma over it: Thus, God's Glory,

the King's Right, John's House, the Master's Book, are the same as the Glory of God, the Right of the King, the House of John, and the Book of the Master, &c.,

M. As the English have but one Case, how do they supply all other Cases?

S. They supply them by the help of these little Words, of, to, from, by, &c. as, the Cathedral of Canterbury; I gave a Book to Peter; they came from France, &c.

of GENDER.

M. What do you mean by the Word Gender?

S. Gender is the difference of Sex, and distinguishes the Male from the Female.

M. How many Genders are there?

S. Three; the Masculine, the Feminine, and the Neuter. M. How are these three Genders known?

S. By these Words, He, She, and it. He is the Male, or Masculine Gender. She is the Female, or Feminine Gender: and It is the Neuter; that is, neither Male nor Female. Nouns, however, of the Neuter Gender, are sometimes used as if they were Masculine or Feminine. Thus, we say of the Sun, He is a glorious Body; and we say also, it shines: So also of a Church or Ship, we say She, and at another Time, it is a fine Church, &c.

M. Are there no other Words to distinguish the Genders ?

a

S. Yes; a Boy is à Male, and a Girl a Female; but the Word Child is both Masculine and Feminine: and yet when a Child cries, we say, it cries, without Regard to Sex or Gender

Master.

TABLE IV.

HAT is a Pronoun ?

Of PRONOUNS.

W Scholar, Pronouns are Words that supply the

Place of Nouns, and save the repeating them twice over.
M. Which are the Pronouns Substantive?

S. They are these, I, thou, thee, (or you,) he, she it; whose Plurals are we, ye, (or you,) and they,

M. Which are the Pronouns Adjective?

S. My, mine, thy, thine, our, ours, your, yours, who, whom, whose, which, what, this, that, same, bimself, herself, yourself, itself, themselves, &c.

M. How many Persons belong to a Pronoun?

S. Three Singular and three Plural, as follows:

M. What is the difference between I and me, he and him, she and her, we and us, they and them?

S. I, be, she, we, and they, begin a sentence, but seldom end it. And me, him, her, them, and us, seldom or never begin a sentence, but often end it. Thus, I went for him: He came to me: She followed him: They both dined with me: 1 asked them to drink Tea: We took a Walk, my Brother came after us.

M. What difference is there between my and mine, thy and thine, her and hers, you and yours, their and theirs ?

S. My, thy, ber, your, and their, are used as Adjectives, and are always placed close to the Substantive; as, my Book, thy Father, her Fan, your Hat, their Goods. But mine, thine, hers, ours, yours, and theirs, are used when they are separated from the Substantive by a Verb, or to answer a Question; as, Whose Book is this? Mine, (i. e.) it is my Book. Whose Gloves are these? Hers, ours, yours, theirs. His is always the same; as, his Pen; this Pen is his.

M. What is the difference between who, which, and what ?

S. Who is used when we speak of Persons only, which is used when we speak both of Persons and Things, and what is mostly used in asking a Question. Thus, the Man who commits Murder shall die. This is the Book which I bought; or, this is the Child which I saw. What must I give for this Thing?

M. Are not some Pronouns contracted?

S. Yes; as, hereby for by this, thereby for by that, whereby for by which or what; herein for in this, therein for in that, wherein for in which or what, hereof for of this, thereof for of that, whereof for of which or what; herewith for with this, therewith tor with that, wherewith for with which or what; bereabouts for about this Place, thereabouts for about that Place, whereabouts for about which or what Place; hereupon for upon this, thereupon for upon that, whereupon for upon which or what.

TABLE V. Of VERBs.

HAT is a Verb?

Master, S. A Verb is a Part of speech that denotes be·W

ing doing, or suffering: as I live, I love, I am loved. M. How many sorts of Verbs are there?

S. Three; Active, Passive, and Neuter.

M. What do you mean by an active Verb ?

S. An active Verb is a Word that denotes an Action, and in ́such a Manner, that the Person, or Thing it acts upon, follows the Verb. Thus, I love her, she loves me, we love them. M. What is a passive Verb?

S. A passive Verb denotes suffering, or the Impressions that Persons or Things receive from that by which they are acted upon: as John is burned, &c.

M. Has the English Tongue any passive Verbs?

S. Some say it has none, because it has no single Word that expresses suffering.

M. How then is the passive Verb formed?

S, By the Participle Passive, and the Help of these two small Words, am and be, which are called auxiliary or helping Verbs.

M. What is a neuter Verb?

S. A neuter Verb is sometimes active, and sometimes passive; as I run, I am sick, &c.

M. Is there no other Sort of Verbs?

S. There is another, called impersonal Verbs, because they are used only in the third Person Singular; as, it rains, it bails, it snows.

As

M. How many Things belong to Verbs?

S. Three; viz, Person, Mood, and Time or Tense.

Of the Persons of Verbs,

M. How many Persons belong to a Verb?

S. Three Singular, and three Plural.

f I, thou, (or you) he, she, (or it) are Singular.
We, ye, (or you) and they, are Plural.

{

M. How do you call the different Persons;

you, the se

S. I is called the first Person Singular; thou or cond Person Singular; he, she, or it, the third Person Singular. We is the first Person Plural; ye, or you, the second Person Plural; they, is the third Person Plural. H