A comprehensive grammar of the English language

Front matter

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938 bIBIeI mSmm

V

Preface

It is generally admitted, at least by those persons who frequently have occasion to write the English language, that the knowledge of this subject, obtained in our schools, is not sufficient for the various requirements of life. In the following pages we therefore offer to the public an English Grammar that is designed to be, for practical purposes, more thorough than any other we have seen, the very largest not excepted.

In its matter, it does not differ much from other grammars, except that it has more, and that much of it is fresh from the original sources of the science. Whatever others have written on the subject, I have endeavored to ascertain ; though I trust I have treated them less piratically and censoriously than most of them have treated their predecessors. The incidental remarks on grammar, made by reviewers, philologists, and other writers, have been diligently sought and considered. The best grammars of foreign languages have also been consulted, especially those of Becker, Yivier, Andrews, Crosby, and Kiihner. Of the exercises to be corrected, about one half are the best of those which form the common inheritance of the science; and for the others I have read some work or works from every State in the Union, in order that the book may show all the various kinds of errors which are now current, like undetected counterfeit money, in the various parts of our country. If children imbibed no errors at home, it were well to exclude such exercises from grammars : but when a person has already caught a disease, I suppose it is best to convince him of his condition, and show him how to get rid of it. Errors in spelling, and errors manufactured by grammarians, are of course objectionable ; but errors that are gathered from the usage of good writers, are a very different thing. Besides, parsing and analysis, when used alone, become too monotonous and wearisome, and hardly suffice to teach the correct use of the language.

In regard to the arrangement of matter, — an important item, — I venture to claim for the book a superiority over every other of its kind. It is well known that science and literature languished, until Bacon and Shakespeare emancipated them from the thralldom of ancient opinions ; and, as Latin Grammars were first made, and English Grammars modelled after them, the latter have probably suffered from a similar dominion. A language that has many inflections, may well have its etymology taught as a separate branch ; but a language, like ours, whose actual inflections might all be printed on two or three pages, needs no such treatment. Besides, words have etymology because they have syntax — the very existence of the one implying the other ; and to stop with etymology, is to leave the work half finished. The greatest stickler for separating them in our language, has failed to draw the dividing line; and much of the etymology taught in our grammars — as in the cases of nouns — is sheer syntax. Every teacher of experience, too, must have observed how wearisome to pupils is the long desert of etymology, before they see its application in syntax ; and then they often do not get the full benefit of this, because they have but a faint and confused recollection of the other. Moreover, by the usual system, almost the whole grammar must be learned before any practical benefit is derived from it ; and, as children in many parts of the country can attend school only a part of each year, the consequence is, that they begin their grammar from year to year, get tired of its technical jargon, and, finally, derive little benefit from the study. By the arrangement in this treatise, each section bears its own fruit, and will be, if learned, of permanent value, whether any further progress is made or not. The book, too, can be more conveniently resumed at the beginning of any section.

IV PREFACE.

Parsing and Analysis have not only been made full, but stripped of much superfluous machinery. Doctrines and classifications have, in many places, been simplified and abridged ; and for some of the insufficient articles in our grammars have been substituted others that are altogether more substantial. The book comprises both a Primary and a Higher Grammar, and is, in the highest sense, progressive and philosophical. It is built up by a regular synthesis from the alphabet to Versification ; then follows the article on Analysis, which relates to all that precedes it, and is of the utmost importance to the next and last article, namely, Punctuation. In other grammars, most of the doctrine is printed in small type, and the exercises are printed in larger. This may be more agreeable to the teacher, but it is less so to the learner. I have given the main principles first, in large type, and apart from the examples ; then the exercises in type sufficiently large ; and, lastly, the unimportant doctrine in smaller type, under the head of Observations, and at the end of each section. The best modes of learning and teaching have been constantly kept in mind ; but, of course, no perfectly sane teacher or learner will imagine, that the grammar of a mighty language — of a language that reaches into every fibre of human knowledge, can be learned without labor, or in "six lessons !" A full preface, explanatory and defensive, would require many pages. I therefore leave the work, without further remark, to the candor, judgment, and research of the reader.

TO TEACHERS.

Since almost every teacher has his own views about teaching, it is probably needless to add any suggestions. It may be proper, however, to state, that the pupil should learn, of the irregular verbs, only those forms which are in good present use, the others having been inserted merely for reference. The exercises from p. 36 to p. 44, should be used constantly with the recitations on the parts of speech. While the pupil is engaged in the parsing exercises, pp. 47 — 57, it may be well for him to strengthen himself by reviewing several times what precedes them. The numbers over words show the Rules of Syntax. The interrogation-points on the left of paragraphs in Part Second, are used in stead of questions. They are a sort of substitute for the pencil-marks of teachers. The section on the Derivation of Words may be omitted, if taught in some other book. ' For a few of its words, the pupil will have to consult his dictionary. It would be a useful exercise for the pupil to copy the sentences given as examples in Part Second. He would thus learn to spell, to punctuate, to use capital letters, and would become familiar with all the various sentences which make language. The exercises for correction, it is probably best for the pupil to write off corrected, and bring them to school as a part of his evening task. If they be corrected orally, I would recommend that it be not done with too much ceremony or mechanical mannerism. In the sentence, " Him and me are of the same age," for instance, the pupil may simply say, "Incorrect: Mm and me, in the objective case, should be he and /, in the nominative case, because ' A pronoun used as the subject of a finite verb, must be in the nominative case.' " l?or additional examples in analysis and parsing, may be used the numerous examples from p. 257 to the end. The section on Analysis, though near the end, should be studied as soon as possible, and reviewed frequently. A Key to the Exercises will be furnished, if it should be found necessary. It was my design to add an article on Composition, but as this is not necessarily a part of grammar, and as it would have mueh enlarged the size of the book, I have omitted it. Should the present work be favorably received, however, I may add, as a sequel to this book, a small but adequate treatise on Composition ; so that the two books will make a course of Grammar, Rhetoric and Composition.

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Index

Abbreviations, 317, 321

Adjectives, Principles, .... 149-56 Adjectives, Pronominal, . . . 153-55 Adjectives, Exercises,- .... 157-61 Adjectives, Observations, . . . 161-4

Adverbs, List of, 31-2

Adverbs, Principles, 208-11

Adverbs, Exercises, 211-15

Adverbs, Observations, .... 215-17 Analysis of Sentences, . . . 298-314

Arrangement, 258-9

Articles, Principles, 140-2

Articles, Observations, .... 147-9

Articulation, 66

Brackets, 342

Comparison, Degrees of, . . 11, 130--3

Conjugation, 23-9, 187-8

Conjunctions, .... 33-5, 230-40 Conjunctions, List of, .... 34-5 Conjunctions, Principles, . . . 230-2 Conjunctions, Illustrations, . . 232-5 Conjunctions, Exercises, . . . 236-9 Conjunctions, Observations, . . 239-40

Curves, 340-2

Declension, 8-9

Derivation of Words, .... 83-90

Ellipsis, 260

Emphasis, 6Q

Equivalent Expressions, . . . 258-9

Etymology, 60

Exclamation-point, 342-4

Exercises, General, . . 36-44, 243-50 Figures, Rhetorical, .... 262-71 Forms of the Verb, . . 20, 24-9, 189

Grammar, 59

Hyphen, 343-5

Interrogation-point, 231-2

Nouns, Principles, . . . . . 91-118

Nouns, Exercises, 119-33

Nouns, Observations, .... 134-40 Numbers, 6, 105-12; of Verbs, 177-80 Observations, General, .... 25-7

Orthography, 60, 67-83

Parts of Speech, 2,90

" " " Words of Different, 242-3 Pauses, . . 67 ; Poetic, ... 274

Phrase, 3, 311

Pleonasm, 260-1

Predicates, 2-3, 300

Prefixes,- 84-6

Prepositions, Principles, . . . 217-8 Prepositions, Illustrations, . . 219-23 Prepositions, Constructions, . . 223-6 Prepositions, Exercises, . . . 226-9 Prepositions, Observations, . . 229-30

Pronouns, Principles, .... 94-119

Pronouns, Exercises 119-33

Pronouns, Observations, . . . 134-40

Pronunciation, .- 60-6

Propositions, 3. 298-313

Prosody, '. ._ 60

Punctuation, 315-54

Quantity, 275

Quotation-marks, 346-7

Rhetorical Devices, 258-62

Roots of Words, 83-9

Scanning, 279-96

Semicolon, 321-23

Spelling:, 78-83

Subjects, 2-3, 300

Suffixes, 87-90

Syllables, 77-8

Syntax, . . 60 ; Rules of, . . 44-7

Tones, 66

Underscore, 347-8

Verbs, Auxiliary, .... 22-3, 180-2 Verbs, Irregular, List of, . . . 13-16

Verbs, Principles, 164-88

Versification, 272-98

Voices, 167-8

For any thing not found among the general principles, see the Observations at the end of the section.

ST1WMS §f MIT flfi»,

1. Introctuctory Tiew, or a synthetic outline. — Letters, syllables, words, subjects, predicates, phrases, propositions, clauses, sentences, discourse.

2. Nouns and Prononu§. — Classes : nouns, — proper and common ; pronouns, — personal, relative, and interrogative. Properties : genders, — masculine, feminine, common, and neuter ; persons, — first, second, and third ; numbers, — singular and plural ; cases, — nominative, possessive, and objective. Declension. Exercises.

3. Articles, — Kinds ; definite and indefinite. How a and an should be used.

4. Adjectives. — Classes: descriptive and definitive; definitive, with sub-classes. Degrees of comparison ; positive, comparative, superlative. List of adjectives irregularly compared.

5. Verbs. — Classes : verbs finite, participles, infinitives , regular verbs, irregular verbs, list of irregular verbs ; transitive or passive, intransitive or neuter. Properties : voices, — active, passive ; moods, — indicative, subjunctive, potential, imperative, infinitive ; tenses, — present, past, future, perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, with forms — common, emphatic, progressive, passive ; persons and numbers. Participles and infinitives. Auxiliary verbs. Conjugation. Exercises.

6. Adverbs. — Their chief characteristics. Full list carefully classified.

7. Prepositions. — Their chief characteristics. Adjuncts. List of prepositions.

§. Conjunctions. — Classes ; coordinate, subordinate, corresponding. List of conjunctions classified according to their meanings.

9. Interjections. — List, classified according to the emotions.

10. Exercises on all the Parts of Speech.

11. Rules of Syntax. — The relations of words to one another in the construction of sentences.

12. Parsing. — Formulas, models, and examples.