parts of speech in a sentence according to the definitions and rules of grammar. A definition is a brief description of a thing by its properties. A rule of grammar is an established law in the right use cf words. PARTS OF SPEECH. 56. The Parts of Speech are eight:-the Noun, Pro noun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection. The first four are inflected: the last four are not inflected. Inflection is a change in the form or termination of a word. It is of three kinds, declension, conjugation, and comparison. Nouns and pronouns are declined; verbs are conjugated; and adjectives and adverbs are compared. NOTE.-Few adverbs are compared, except by the comparative adverbs. PARTS OF SPEECH DEFINED. A Noun is the name of an object; as, George, Boston, man, book, wisdom, goodness. A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun; as, "Cæsar loved Brutus: he loaded him with honors, and adopted him as his son." An Adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun; 28, "These persons are the great ones of the world." "You two are young." A Verb is a word that signifies to be or to do; as, “I am, I rule, I am ruled."—"I walk, thou walkest, he walks." An Adverb is a word used to modify the sense of a verb, adjective, or other adverb; as, "The horse steps What is a definition? What is a rule of grammar? How many parts of speech, and what are they? Which are inflected? What is inflection? Of how many kinds, and what are they? Which parts of speech are declined; &c.? noun? An adjective? A verb? An adverb? What is a noun? A pro lightly: he is a remarkably fine animal, and can run very fast." A Preposition is a word used to show the relation of a noun or pronoun to some other word; as, "The love of wisdom."-" Walk before him."-"High in front." A Conjunction is a word used to connect words, phrases, or clauses; as, "You and I will go; but he must stay."-"Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.” An Interjection is a word used to express some emotion of the mind; as, Oh! ah! alas! EXERCISE. Write ten examples of each part of speech. Name the parts of speech in the foregoing definitions of the parts of speech. NOUNS. 58. A Noun* is the name of an object; as, George, Boston, man, book, river, mountain. 1. Nouns denote immaterial, as well as material objects; as, hope, wisdom, strength, virtue, truth, thought, naught, nobody, nothing, vacancy. 2. Other parts of speech, and all words and signs, may be used as nouns; as, "Wise is an adjective.”—“Am is a verb.”—“ Us is a pro noun."-" A is a vowel."--" Th has two sounds."—" Un is a prefix.""4 is an even number."-" is a fraction."—"+ is the sign of addition." -"Dot your i's and cross your t's." 3. Objects which we see, are not nouns; but their names which we can speak and write, are nouns. EXERCISE. Write on your slate thirty nouns, to be read at recitation. CLASSIFICATION. 59. Nouns are of two classes: proper and common. What is a preposition? A conjunction? An interjection? What is a noun? What do nouns denote? May other parts of speech be used as nouns? Are objects Louns? How many classes of nouns ? Noun is from the Latin nomen which signifies a name. A proper noun is a particular name; as, Adam, Boston, Ohio, the Hudson, the Andes, the Jews, the Azores, June, Monday. A common noun is a general name; as, man, bird, fish, pen, city, river, state, mountain, book. Among common nouns, are classed collective, verbal, and abstract nouns. A collective noun is the name of two or more together; as, school, flock, council, pair, court, meeting. A verbal noun is the name of a state of being or action; as, reading, spelling; "To steal is to pilfer."-" They could not avoid submitting to him." An abstract noun is the name of a quality apart from its object; as, goodness, wisdom, pride, hardness. REMARKS. 60.-1. When a thing or quality is personified, its name is usually proper; as, Come, gentle Spring."-"O Virtue, how amiable thou art!" 2. A proper noun used to designate a class or character, becomes common; as, "He is a Cicero, but not a Cæsar." EXERCISE. Ohio, river, army, wisdom, goodness, Romans, July, city, whiteness, Sunday, hill, people, New-York, W. H. Harrison, Gen. Scott, James Jones, king, Iowa, congress, Atlantic, school, reading, playing, book. 3. Give the particular class of each word. Form each into a short sentence. Name the nouns, and their class, in the following SENTENCES. Bonaparte saw the burning of Moscow. Happiness is the condition of virtue. Albany is the capital of New-York. Industry is the law of our being. Congress meet at Washington. They assemble on the first What is a proper noun? A common noun? What are classea among common Douns? What is a collective noun ? A verbal noun? An abstract noun ? Monday in December. Ignorance is the mother of error. EXERCISE. 4. Write on your slate, to be read at recitation, twenty proper nouns; twenty common nouns; ten collective, ten verbal, and ten abstract nouns. MODIFICATIONS. 61. Nouns have modifications of gender, person, number, and case. GENDER. 62. Gender* is a modification to distinguish objects in regard to sex. There are four genders: masculine, feminine, common, and neuter. The masculine gender denotes males; as, man, boy, king. The feminine gender denotes females; as, woman, girl, queen. The common gender denotes either or both sexes; as, child, friend. The neuter gender denotes things without sex; as, tree, book, sea. REMARKS. 63.-1. Nouns of the masculine or feminine gender, often denote beth sexes; as, "The horse is a noble animal." "The eagle has his abode in high rocks and lonely towers." "Behold the ant and learn wisdom from her." What modifications have nouns? What is gender? How many genders, and what are they? What does the masculine gender denote? The feminine? The common? The neuter? *Gender, [L. genus, a kind, a sort, a class,] as used in grammar, does not mean sex. It is a property belonging to words: beings have sex: e. g. The word, man, has gender: the being, man, has sex. There are only two sexes; but, as some nouns denote inales, some females, some either or both sexes, and some objects of no sex, it is obvious that, in regard to sex, there must be four distinct genders or classes of nouns. 2. In speaking of persons generally, the masculine gender is used; as, "Man is mortal." "Every person prefers his own happiness." 3. Children, and creatures whose sex is unknown, are often regarded as without sex; as, "The child wept itself sick." "The cat is cruel to its enemy." 4. Inanimate objects, by personification (241.—5.), are often represented as having sex; as, "The sun in his glory: the moon in her wane.' "Generally, objects possessing the sterner attributes, are spoken of as males; as, the sun, time, death, fear, winter, war: those possessing the milder attributes, as females; as, the moon, earth, nature, fortune, hope, wisdom. 5. A collective noun implying unity, or having the plural form, is neuter; but if it refers to the individuals named, its gender corresponds. The plural is more generally used. 6. The sexes are distinguished in three ways: 1. By different words: EFEE Earl Friar or monk Gentleman countess nun lady mare wife Male lady madam aunt witch Feminine. woman daughter mamma man son father papa milter spawner buck stag doe hind hart drake gander rooster roe duck goose |