TO TEACHERS

ON THE USE OF THE WORK.

Ir is recommended to teachers who may use this work, to commence at LESSON 1. (page 16); not, however, by requiring their pupils to 66 prepare for recitation," by committing to memory a portion of its contents, but (after giving a brief explanation of the nature and object of the study, the parts into which it is commonly divided, &c.) by explaining to them the nature of the NOUN, and three of its four properties, viz. Person, Number, and Gender; illustrating, viva voce, the definition, by examples containing the names of such objects of sight as are familiar to them. When the members of the Class (in examples thus given by the teacher) can readily distinguish the noun, they should be required to parse, in turn, the examples prepared for that purpose; the teacher going through with the first example-that the phraseology used in parsing may be uniform; thus,

"Men (are seen.)"

Men is a noun-of the third person-plural number-masculine gender (Each member of the Class will then, in his turn, parse an example in the same manner; the teacher calling upon him at every step for the why and wherefore.) When the members of the Class can readily parse the examples given under Lesson I., they should be called upon to answer the questions at the bottom of the page; which they will, it is thought, be enabled to do from the knowledge gained in the preceding exercise; if not, they should be directed to commit the answers to memory. The business of the Class, previous to the time appointed for the succeeding lesson, should not be to commit to memory what they cannot understand without proper explanation from the teacher, but to render perfectly familiar, by repeating the exercise, the mode of parsing the noun, and the answers to the questions relating to it and its properties. As the future progress of the pupils will depend, in a great degree, on the manner in which they acquire the first principles of the science, their attention should be confined to this page: they should not be permitted to look beyond it, as no rule nor definition should be committed to memory, until they are first made acquainted with its practical application. This lesson will require the attention of the teacher from twenty to thirty minutes, according to the number of members of which the Class may consist.

LESSON II. As it is by repetition only that ideas on any abstruse subJect can be permanently fixed in the youthful mind, the exercises at Lesson II. should be commenced by repeating Lesson I-slowly and distinctly parsing the examples, and answering the questions as before. This being done, the teacher will explain, in as few words as possible (and make himself understood by the Class), the nature of the ADJECTIVE, its office, and its connection with the noun; illustrating his remarks by introducing, as in the preceding lesson, the names of familiar objects, the qualities of which are obvious to the senses. This done, the teacher will parse the first example (or page 17), and apply Rule 1; thus,

"Large ships (are seen.)"

Large is an adjective, and belongs to ships. (Repeat Rule 1.) Ships is a noun-of the third person-plural number-neuter gender. Each member of the Class should then, in his turn, be required to parse an example in the same manner. When this exercise is fully understood, the questions thereon, at the bottom of the page, should be answered, as in Lesson 1. In introducing each succeeding lesson, the teacher should proceed in the same manner, showing the practical application of every new principle, and rendering those before advanced more familiar by repetition. Thus will the Class proceed understandingly, and, consequently, with satisfaction, step by step, from the simple to the complicated parts of the study. The teacher should on no account allow his pupils to proceed to a new lesson, until the one under consideration is thoroughly understood. The confusion and perplexity which would be the consequence of so doing, would have a tendency to destroy in them all relish for the study, and render it a tedious and disagreeable task. As soon, therefore, as he discovers that they do not readily understand the application of the principles inculcated in any lesson, he should require them to review the exercises preceding it.

Proceeding upon the principle of introducing only such parts of the subject as the pupil has been prepared by previous exercises to understand, the consideration of the Neuter and Passive Verbs is deferred until the Active Verb (transitive and intransitive) is well understood. For the same reason the introduction of the Modes and Tenses is deferred until the pupil is made acquainted with the nature, government and agreement of all the parts of speech, as exhibited in a simple sentence. To illustrate more clearly than could be done by words alone, this most complicated and perplexing part of the study of grammar, a Diagram, representing each of the modes, is presented, showing the number of tenses in each, their signs, and the manner in which they are formed. If, instead of requiring his pupils to commit to memory the conjugation of the verbs, as generally laid down in grammars (a most irksome task), the teacher will call their attention to these Diagrams, and from these instruct them to form the several tenses of the respective modes, he will not only save, both to himself and them, much time and labor, but will find that these distinctions will be far better understood and longer remembered.

Explanation of the Diagram representing the Indicative Mode.

(PAGE 35.)

This Diagram is divided into six squares, to represent the six tenses of the Indicative Mode. The first square represents the present tense, and the second the imperfect. These being simple tenses, formed without the aid of auxiliaries, the squares representing them contain nothing but the pronouns with which, in conjugating, the verb write and its imperfect tense (wrote) are to be united.

The third square represents the perfect tense; the signs of which are have and its variations.

The perfect tense is formed by prefixing the sign, have, hast, or has, to the perfect participle (written), as is indicated by a line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I have written; Thou hast written; He has written, &c.

The fourth square represents the pluperfect tense; the signs of which are had and its variations.

The pluperfect tense is formed by prefixing the sign, had or hadst, to the perfect participle (written), as is indicated by a line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I had written; Thou hadst written; He had written, &c.

The fifth square represents the first future tense; the signs of which are shall and will, and their variations.

The first future tense is formed by prefixing the sign, shall or will, shalt or wilt, to the present tense of the verb (write), as is indicated by the line of

reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I shall or will write; Thou shalt or wilt write; He shall or will write, &c.

The sixth square represents the second future tense; the signs of which are shall have and will have, and their variations.

The second future tense is formed by prefixing the sign, shall have or will have, to the perfect participle (written) as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I shall have written; Thou wilt have written; He will have written, &c.

Explanation of the Diagram representing the Subjunctive Mode. (PAGE 37.)

This Diagram is divided into six squares, to represent the six tenses of the Subjunctive Mode. The names of these tenses are like those of the indicative; viz. the present, the imperfect, the perfect, the pluperfect, the first future, and the second. Each tense has the same sign, or signs, and is formed in the same manner as its correspondent tense in the indicative mode.

The principal differences between the conjugation of a verb in the indicative mode, and that of one in the subjunctive, in the present tense, consist in the latter's being always preceded by a conjunction expressing a doubt, motive, wish, or supposition (as is indicated by the list of conjunctions given on the left of the diagram), and, when futurity is denoted, in the verb's not varying its termination in the second and third person singular, as it does in the indicative.

Explanation of the Diagram representing the Potential Mode. (PAGE 39.)

This Diagram is divided into four squares, to represent the four tenses of the Potential Mode. The first represents the present tense; the second, the imperfect; the third, the perfect; and the fourth, the pluperfect.

The signs of the present tense are may and can, and their variations.

The present tense of the potential mode is formed by prefixing the sign, may or can, to the verb (strike), as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I may or can strike; Thou mayst or canst strike; He may or can strike, &c.

The signs of the imperfect tense are might, could, would, and should, and their variations.

The imperfect tense of the potential mode is formed by prefixing the sign, might, could, would, or should, to the verb (strike), as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I might, could, would, of should strike; Thou mightst, couldst, wouldst, or shouldst strike; He might, could, would, or should strike, &c.

The signs of the perfect tense are may have or can have, and their variations. The perfect tense of the potential mode is formed by prefixing the sign, may have or can have, to the perfect participle (struck), as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I may have or can have struck; Thou mayst have or canst have struck; He may have or can have struck, &c.

The signs of the pluperfect tense are might have, could have, would have, or should have, and their variations.

The pluperfect tense of the potential mode is formed by prefixing the sign, might have, could have, would have, or should have, to the perfect participle (struck), as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrases, I might have, could have, would have, or should have struck; Thou mightst have, couldst have, wouldst have, or shouldst have struck; He might have, could have, would have, or should have struck, &c.

Explanation of the Diagram representing the Infinitive Mode.

(PAGE 41.)

This Diagram is divided into two squares, to represent the tenses of the Infinitive Mode. The first square represents the present tense, which is formed by prefixing to (the sign of the infinitive mode) to the verb (go), as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latterforming the phrase, To go.

The second square represents the perfect tense, which is formed by prefixing to have to the perfect participle (gone), as is indicated by the line of reference connecting the former with the latter-forming the phrase, To have

gone.

Explanation of the Diagram representing the Imperative Mode.

(PAGE 43.)

The Diagrams representing the Indicative, the Subjunctive, the Potential, and the Infinitive Modes, are subdivided, to indicate the number of tenses in each mode; viz. that for the Indicative Mode, into six squares, to show that that mode has six tenses; that for the Subjunctive, into the same number; that for the Potential, into four; that for the Infinitive, into two; but the Imperative, having but one tense, the Diagram representing it remains entire.

** As verbs vary for person and number, as well as for mode and tense, it has been thought more convenient and useful (on the page opposite each Di agram) to present the verb with reference to its variations for person and number, and afterwards to inculcate, by means of the Diagrams, the distinctions of mode and tense.

In explaining the Diagrams (see page 35), the teacher will call the attention of the pupil, or the class under instruction, to the figures (representing the Nominatives to the verb), the relative positions of which are intended to indicate the state of the action represented by the several tenses. For example:-The figure (or nominative) in the first square of the Diagram (Pres. Tense) is in the act of writing; as if he should say, "I (now) write ;”—that in the second square (Imper. Tense) some time since completed the action of wriung; as, "I wrote" (yesterday);—that in the third square (Perfect Tense) has just finished the action of writing; as, “I have (just) written," &c.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR is the art of speaking and writing the English language with propriety.

It is divided into four parts, viz. ORTHOGRAPHY, ETYMOLOGY, SYNTAX, and PROSODY.

ORTHOGRAPHY.

ORTHOGRAPHY teaches the nature and power of letters, and the just method of spelling words.

A letter is a character used in writing to represent an articulate sound. An articulate sound is a sound of the human voice.

In the English alphabet there are twenty-six letters; A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

The letters are divided into VOWELS and CONSONANTS.

A vowel is a letter that can be perfectly uttered by itself; as, a, e, o. A consonant is a letter which cannot be perfectly uttered without the help of a vowel; as, b, d, f, l.

The vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y.

W and y are consonants when they precede a vowel in the same syllable: ; as, wine, twine, youth: in other situations, they are vowels.

The consonants are divided into mutes and semi-vowels.

A mute is a consonant which cannot be sounded at all without the help of a vowel. The mutes are b, d, k, p, q, t, and c and g hard.

A semi-vowel is a consonant which can be imperfectly sounded without the help of a vowel. The semi-vowels are f, h, j, l, m, n, r, s, v, x, z, and c and g soft. Of these, l, m, n, and r, are called liquids, on account of the fluency of their sounds.

SYLLABLES AND WORDS.

A SYLLABLE is one or more letters pronounced in one sound, and is either a word or a part of a word; as, a, an, ant.

Questions.

What is ENGLISH GRAMMAR ?-How is it divided?-What does orthography teach ?-What is a letter ?-What is an articulate sound?-How many letters are there in the English alphabet ?-How are the letters divided ?—What is a vowel ?—What is a consonant ?-What letters are vowels?-When are w and y consonants, and when vowels?-How are the consonants divided ?-What is a mute ?-Repeat them.-What is a semi-vowel ?-Repeat them.-What is a syllable?