is an adjective. An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses quality.

is a noun.

is a verb.

is a preposition.

A noun is the name of any person,
place, or thing, that can be known
or mentioned.

A verb is a word that signifies to be,
to act, or to be acted upon.
A preposition is a word used to ex-
press some relation of different
things or thoughts to each other,
and is generally placed before a
noun or a pronoun.

is an article. An article is a word placed before
nouns, to limit their signification.
A noun is the name of any person,
place, or thing, that can be known
or mentioned.

is a noun.

is a conjunction. A conjunction is a word used to con-
nect words or sentences in con-
struction, and to show the depend-
ence of the terms so connected.
is an adverb. An adverb is a word added to a verb,
a participle, an adjective, or an
other adverb; and generally ex-
presses time, place, degree, or man-

is a verb. is an article.

is a noun.

ner.

A verb is a word that signifies to be,
to act, or to be acted upon.
An article is a word placed before
nouns, to limit their signification.
A noun is the name of any person,
place, or thing, that can be known
or mentioned.

is a participle. A participle is a word derived from
a verb, participating the properties
of a verb and an adjective; and is
generally formed by adding ing, d,
or ed, to the verb.

is a preposition. A preposition is a word used to express some relation of different things or thoughts to each other, and is generally placed before a noun or a pronoun.

is a pronoun. A pronoun is a word used in stead

of a noun.

LESSON I.

The rose, the lily, and the pink, are fragrant flowers.
A peach, an apple, a pear, or an orange, is delicious.
A landscape presents a pleasing variety of objects.
Man is the noblest work of creation.

The eagle has a strong and piercing eye.

The swallow builds her nest of mud, and lines it with soft feathers.

The setting sun gives a beautiful brilliancy to the western

sky.

LESSON II.

Candour, sincerity, and truth, are amiable qualities.

Virtuous youth gradually brings forward accomplished and flourishing manhood.-Blair.

Injuries retaliated in anger, excite resentment in return.

All that is great and good in the universe, is on the side of clemency and mercy.-Blair.

Industry is needful in every condition of life: the price of all improvement is labour.

Sloth enfeebles equally the bodily and the mental powers. It saps the foundation of every virtue, and pours upon us a deluge of crimes and evils.-Blair.

LESSON III.

An idle, mischievous, and disobedient pupil disgraces himself, dishonours his parents, and displeases his teacher.

Alas! that such examples are sometimes found!

O Virtue! how miserable are they who forfeit thy rewards!

Pleasure's call attention wins,

Hear it often as we may;

New as ever seem our sins,
Though committed every day.

O! then, ere the turf or tomb
Cover us from every eye,

Spirit of instruction! come,

Make us learn that we must die.-Cowper.

OF THE ARTICLE.

An Article is a word placed before nouns, to limit their signification: the articles are the, and an or a.

An and a are one and the same article. An is used whenever the following word begins with a vowel sound; as, An art, an end, an heir, an inch, an ounce, an hour, an urn.—A is used whenever the following word begins with a consonant sound; as, A man, a house, a wonder, a one, a yew, a use, a Thus the consonant sounds of w and y, even when expressed by other letters, require a and not an before them.

ewer.

CLASSES.

The articles are distinguished as the definite and the indefinite.

I. The definite article is the, which denotes some particular thing or things; as, The boy, the oranges.

II. The indefinite article is an or a, which denotes one thing of a kind, but not any particular one; as, A boy an

orange.

OBS. 1.-The English articles have no grammatical modifications: they are not varied by numbers, genders, and cases, as are those of some other languages. In respect to class, each is sui generis.

OBS. 2.-A common noun without an article or other word to limit its signification, is generally taken in its widest sense; as, Man is endowed with reason.

OF THE NOUN.

A Noun is the name of any person, place, or thing, that can be known or mentioned: as, George, York, man, apple, truth.

OBS. 1.-All words and signs taken technically, (that is, independently of their meaning, and merely as things spoken of,) are nouns; or, rather, are things read and construed as nouns; as," Us is a personal pronoun."-Mur ray. "Th has two sounds."-Id. "Control is probably contracted from counterroll."-Crabb. "Without one if or but."-Cowper. "A is some times a noun; as, a great A."-Todd's Johnson. "Formerly sp was cast in a piece, as st's are now."-Hist. Printing, 1770.

OBS. 2.-In parsing, the learner must observe the sense and use of each, word, and class accordingly: many words commonly belonging to othe parts of speech, are occasionally used as nouns, and must be parsed as such as, 1. "The Ancient of days."-Bible. "Of the ancients."-Swift. "Fo such impertinents."-Steele. "He is an ignorant in it."-Id. "To the nines."-Burns. 2. "Or any he, the proudest of thy sort."-Shak. "I am the happiest she in Kent."-Steele. "The shes of Italy."-Shak. "The hes in birds."-Bacon. 3. "Avaunt all attitude, and stare, and start theatric!"Cowper. "A may-be of mercy is insufficient."-Bridge. 4. "For the producing of real happiness."-Crabb. "Reading, writing, and ciphering, are indispensable to civilized man." 5. "An hereafter."-Addison. "The dread of a hereafter."-Fuller. "The deep amen."-Scott. "The while."-Milton. 6. "With hark, and whoop, and wild halloo."-Scott. "Will cuts him short with a What then?"-Addison.

common.

I. A proper noun is the name of some particular individual or people; as, Adam, Boston, the Hudson, the Romans. II. A common noun is the name of a sort, kind, or class of things; as, Beast, bird, fish, insect.

The particular classes, collective, abstract, and verbal, are usu ally included among common nouns.

A collective noun, or noun of multitude, is the name of many individuals together; as, Council, meeting, committee, flock.

An abstract noun is the name of some particular quality considered apart from its substance; as, Goodness, hardness, pride, frailty.

A verbal or participial noun is the name of some action or state of being; and is formed from a verb, like a participle, but employed as a noun: as, "The triumphing of the wicked is short."-Job, xx. 5.

OBS. 1.-The proper name of a person or place with an article prefixed, is generally used as a common noun; as, "He is the Cicero of his age," that is, the orator. "Many a fiery Alp," that is, mountain: except when a common noun is understood; as, The [river] Hudson—The [ship] Amity -The treacherous [man] Judas.

OBS. 2.-A common noun with the definite article prefixed to it, sometimes becomes proper; as, The Park-The Strand.

OSB. 3.-The common name of a thing or quality personified often becomes proper; as, "My power,' said Reason, 'is to advise, not to compel.'"-Johnson.

MODIFICATIONS.

Nouns have modifications of four kinds; namely, Persons, Numbers, Genders, and Cases.

PERSONS.

Persons, in grammar, are modifications that distinguish the speaker, the hearer, and the person or thing merely spoken of.

OBS.-The distinction of persons is founded on the different relations which the objects mentioned may bear to the discourse itself. It belongs to nouns, pronouns, and finite verbs; and to these it is always applied, either by peculiarity of form or construction, or by inference from the principles of concord. Pronouns are like their antecedents, and verbs are like their subjects, in person.

There are three persons; the first, the second, and the third.

The first person is that which denotes the speaker; as, I Paul have written it."

The second person is that which denotes the hearer; as, "Robert, who did this?"

The third person is that which denotes the person or thing merely spoken of; as, "James loves his book."

OBS. 1.-In written language, the first person denotes the writer or author; and the second, the reader or person addressed: except when the writer describes not himself, but some one else, as uttering to an other the words which he records.

OBS. 2.—The speaker seldom refers to himself by name, as the speaker; consequently, nouns are rarely used in the first person; and when they

are, a pronoun is usually prefixed to them. Hence some grammarians deny the first person to nouns altogether; others ascribe it; and many are silent on the subject. Analogy clearly requires it; as may be seen by the following examples: "Adsum Troius Eneas."-Virg. Callopius recensui.”— Ter. Com. apud finem. "Paul, an apostle, &c. unto Timothy, my own son in the faith."-1 Tim. i. 1.

OBS. 3.-When a speaker or writer does not choose to declare himself in the first person, or to address his hearer or reader in the second, he speaks of both or either in the third. Thus Moses relates what Moses did, and Cæsar records the achievements of Cæsar. So Judah humbly beseeches Joseph: "Let thy servant abide in stead of the lad a bondman to my lord." -Gen. xliv. 33. And Abraham reverently intercedes with God: "Oh! let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak."-Gen. xviii. 30.

OBS. 4.-When inanimate things are spoken to, they are personified; and their names are put in the second person, because by the figure the objects are supposed to be capable of hearing.

NUMBERS.

1

Numbers are modifications that distinguish unity and plurality.

OBS.-The distinction of numbers serves merely to show whether we speak of one object, or of more. It belongs to nouns, pronouns, and finite verbs; and to these it is always applied, either by peculiarity of form, or by inference from the principles of concord. Pronouns are like their antecedents, and verbs are like their subjects, in number.

There are two numbers; the singular and the plural. The singular number is that which denotes but one ; as, The boy learns.

The plural number is that which denotes more than one; as, The boys learn.

The plural number of nouns is regularly formed by adding s or es to the singular: as, book, books; box, boxes.

RULE I.-When the singular ends in a sound which will unite with that of s, the plural is generally formed by adding s only, and the number of syllables is not increased: as, pen, pens; grape, grapes.

RULE II. But when the sound of s cannot be united with that of the primitive word, the plural adds s to final e, and es to other terminations, and forms a separate syllable: as, page, pages; fox, foxes.

OBS. 1.-English nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant, add es, but do not increase their syllables: as, wo, woes; hero, heroes; negro, negroes; potato, potatoes; muskitto, muskittoes; octavo, octavoes. The exceptions to this rule appear to be in such nouns as are not properly and fully anglicised; thus many write cantos, juntos, solos, &c. Other nouns in o add s only; as, folio, folios; bamboo, bamboos. So also, two, twos.

OBS. 2.-Common nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, change y into i, and add es, without increase of syllables: as, fly, flies; duty, duties. Other nouns in y add s only: as, day, days; valley, valleys: so likewise proper names; as, Henry, the Henrys.