The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown (free ebook reader .txt) 📕

consist? 7. What variety is there in the letters? and how are they always the same? 8. What different sorts of types, or styles of letters, are used in English? 9. What are the names of the letters in English? 10. What are their names in both numbers, singular and plural? 11. Into what general classes are the letters divided? 12. What is a vowel? 13. What is a consonant? 14. What letters are vowels? and what, consonants? 15. When are w and y consonants? and when, vowels? 16. How are the consonants divided? 17. What is a semivowel? 18. What is a mute? 19. What letters are reckoned semivowels? and how many of these are aspirates? 20. What letters are called liquids? and why? 21. What letters are reckoned mutes? and which of them are imperfect mutes? LESSON III.—SOUNDS.

1. What is meant, when we speak of the powers of the letters? 2. Are the sounds of a language fewer than its words? 3. How are different vowel sounds produced? 4. What are the vowel sounds in English? 5. How may these sounds be modified in the formation of syllables? 6. Can you form a word upon each by means of an f? 7. Will you try the series again with a p? 8. How may the vowel sounds be written? and how uttered when they are not words? 9. Which of the vowel sounds form words? and what of the rest? 10. How many and what are the consonant sounds in English? 11. In what series of words may all these sounds be heard? 12. In what series of words may each of them be heard two or three times? 13. What is said of the sounds of j and x? 14. What is said of the sounds of c and g? 15. What is said of sc, or s before c? 16. What, of ce, ci, and ch? 17. What sounds has the consonant g? 18. In how many different ways can the letters of the alphabet be combined? 19. What do we derive from these combinations of sounds and characters?

LESSON IV.—CAPITALS.

1. What characters are employed in English? 2. Why should the different sorts of letters be kept distinct? 3. What is said of the slanting strokes in Roman letters? 4. For what purpose are Italics chiefly used? 5. In preparing a manuscript, how do we mark these things for the printer? 6. What distinction of form belongs to each of the letters? 7. What is said of small letters? and why are capitals used? 8. What things are commonly exhibited wholly in capitals? 9. How many rules for capitals are given in this book? and what are their titles? 10. What says Rule 1st of books? 11. What says Rule 2d of first words? 12. What says Rule 3d of names of Deity? 13. What says Rule 4th of proper names? 14. What says Rule 5th of titles? 15. What says Rule 6th of one capital? 16. What says Rule 7th of two capitals? 17. What says Rule 8th of compounds? 18. What says Rule 9th of apposition? 19. What says Rule 10th of personifications? 20. What says Rule 11th of derivatives? 21. What says Rule 12th of I and O? 22. What says Rule 13th of poetry? 23. What says Rule 14th of examples? 24. What says Rule 15th of chief words? 25. What says Rule 16th of needless capitals?

[Now turn to the first chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules.]

LESSON V.—SYLLABLES.

1. What is a syllable? 2. Can the syllables of a word be perceived by the ear? 3. Under what names are words classed according to the number of their syllables? 4. Which of the letters can form syllables of themselves? and which cannot? 5. What is a diphthong? 6. What is a proper diphthong? 7. What is an improper diphthong? 8. What is a triphthong? 9. What is a proper triphthong? 10. What is an improper triphthong? 11. How many and what are the diphthongs in English? 12. How many and which of these are so variable in sound that they may be either proper or improper diphthongs? 13. How many and what are the proper diphthongs? 14. How many and what are the improper diphthongs? 15. Are proper triphthongs numerous in our language? 16. How many and what are the improper triphthongs? 17. What guide have we for dividing words into syllables? 18. How many special rules of syllabication are given in this book? and what are their titles, or subjects? 19. What says Rule 1st of consonants? 20. What says Rule 2d of vowels? 21. What says Rule 3d of terminations? 22. What says Rule 4th of prefixes? 23. What says Rule 5th of compounds? 24. What says Rule 6th of lines full?

[Now turn to the second chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules.]

LESSON VI.—WORDS.

1. What is a word? 2. How are words distinguished in regard to species and figure? 3. What is a primitive word? 4. What is a derivative word? 5. What is a simple word? 6. What is a compound word? 7. How do permanent compounds differ from others? 8. How many rules for the figure of words are given in this book? and what are their titles, or subjects? 9. What says Rule 1st of compounds? 10. What says Rule 2d of simples? 11. What says Rule 3d of the sense? 12. What says Rule 4th of ellipses? 13. What says Rule 5th of the hyphen? 14. What says Rule 6th of no hyphen?

[Now turn to the third chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules.]

LESSON VII.—SPELLING.

1. What is spelling? 2. How is this art to be acquired? and why so? 3. Why is it difficult to learn to spell accurately? 4. Is it then any disgrace to spell words erroneously? 5. What benefit may be expected from the rules for spelling? 6. How many rules for spelling are given in this book? and what are their titles, or subjects? 7. What says Rule 1st of final f, l, or s? 8. Can you mention the principal exceptions to this rule? 9. What says Rule 2d of other finals? 10. Are there any exceptions to this rule? 11. What says Rule 3d of the doubling of consonants? 12. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 13. What says Rule 4th against the doubling of consonants? 14. Under what four heads are the apparent exceptions to this Rule noticed? 15. What says Rule 5th of final ck? 16. What monosyllables, contrary to this rule, end with c only? 17. What says Rule 6th of the retaining of double letters before affixes? 18. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 19. What says Rule 7th of the retaining of double letters after prefixes? 20. What observation is made respecting exceptions to this rule?

LESSON VIII.—SPELLING.

21. What says Rule 8th of final ll, and of final l single? 22. What words does this rule claim, which might seem to come under Rule 7th? and why? 23. What says Rule 9th of final e omitted? 24. Under what three heads are the exceptions, real or apparent, here noticed? 25. What says Rule 10th of final e retained? 26. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 27. What says Rule 11th of final y changed? 28. Under what three heads are the limits and exceptions to this rule noticed? 29. What says Rule 12th of final y unchanged? 30. Under what three heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 31. What says Rule 13th of the terminations ize and ise? 32. Under what three heads are the apparent exceptions to this rule noticed? 33. What says Rule 14th of compounds? 34. Under what seven heads are the exceptions to this rule noticed? 35. What says Rule 15th of usage, as a law of spelling?

[Now turn to the fourth chapter of Orthography, and correct the improprieties there quoted for the practical application of these rules and their exceptions.]

CHAPTER VI.—FOR WRITING. EXERCISES IN ORTHOGRAPHY.

[Fist] [The following examples of false orthography are inserted here, and not explained in the general Key, that they may he corrected by the pupil in writing. Some of the examples here quoted are less inaccurate than others, but all of them, except a few shown in contrast, are, in some respect or other, erroneous. It is supposed, that every student who can answer the questions contained in the preceding chapter, will readily discern wherein the errors lie, and be able to make the necessary corrections.]

EXERCISE I.—CAPITALS.

"Alexander the great killed his friend Clitus."—Harrison's Gram., p. 68. "The words in italics are parsed in the same manner."—Maltby's Gram., p. 69. "It may be read by those who do not understand latin."—Barclay's Works, Vol. iii, p. 262. "A roman s being added to a word in italics or small capitals."—Churchill's Gram., p. 215. "This is not simply a gallicism, but a corruption of the French on; itself a corruption."— Ib., p. 228. "The Gallicism, 'it is me,' is perpetually striking the ear in London."—Ib., p. 316. "'Almost nothing,' is a common Scotticism, equally improper: it should be, 'scarcely any thing.'"—Ib., p. 333. "To use learn for teach, is a common Scotticism, that ought to be carefully avoided."—See ib., p. 261. "A few observations on the subjunctive mood as it appears in our English bible."—Wilcox's Gram., p. 40. "The translators of the bible, have confounded two tenses, which in the original are uniformly kept distinct."—Ib., p. 40. "More like heaven on earth, than the holy land would have been."—Anti-Slavery Mag., Vol. i, p. 72. "There is now extant a poetical composition, called the golden verses of Pythagoras."— Lempriere's Dict. "Exercise of the Mind upon Theorems of Science, like generous and manly Exercise of the Body, tends to call forth and strengthen Nature's original Vigour."—Harris's Hermes, p. 295. "O that I could prevail on Christians to melt down, under the warm influence of brotherly love, all the distinctions of methodists, independents, baptists, anabaptists, arians, trinitarians, unitarians, in the glorious name of christians."—KNOX: Churchill's Gram., p. 173. "Pythagoras long ago remarked, 'that ability and necessity dwell near each other.'"—Student's Manual, p. 285.

   "The Latin Writers Decency neglect,
    But modern Readers challenge more Respect."
        —Brightland's Gram., p. 172.

EXERCISE II.—SYLLABLES.

1. Correct Bolles, in the division of the following words: "Del-ia, Jul-ia, Lyd-ia, heigh-ten, pat-ron, ad-roit, worth-y, fath-er, fath-er-ly, mar-chi-o-ness, i-dent-ic-al, out-ra-ge-ous, ob-nox-i-ous, pro-di-gi-ous, tre-mend-ous, ob-liv-i-on, pe-cul-i-ar."—Revised Spelling-Book: New London, 1831.

2. Correct Sears, in the division of the following words: "A-quil-a, hear-ty, drea-ry, wor-my, hai-ry, thor-ny, phil-os-o-phy, dis-cov-e-ry, re-cov-e-ry, ad-diti-on, am-biti-on, au-spici-ous, fac-titi-ous, fla-giti-ous, fru-iti-on, sol-stiti-al, ab-o-liti-on."—Standard Spelling-Book: "New Haven," 1826.

3. Correct Bradley, in the division of the following words: "Jes-ter, rai-ny, forg-e-ry, fin-e-ry, spic-e-ry, brib-e-ry, groc-e-ry, chi-can-e-ry, fer-riage, line-age, cri-ed, tri-ed, sù-ed, slic-ed, forc-ed, pledg-ed, sav-ed, dup-ed, strip-ed, touch-ed, trounc-ed."—Improved Spelling-Book: Windsor, 1815.

4. Correct Burhans, in the division of the following words: "Boar-der, brigh-ten, cei-ling, frigh-ten, glea-ner, lea-kage, suc-ker, mos-sy, fros-ty, twop-ence, pu-pill-ar-y, crit-i-call-y, gen-er-all-y, lit-er-all-y, log-i-call-y, trag-i-call-y, ar-ti-fici-al, po-liti-call-y, sloth-full-y, spite-full-y, re-all-y, sui-ta-ble, ta-mea-ble, flumm-er-y, nesc-i-ence, shep-her-dess, trav-ell-er, re-pea-ter, re-pressi-on, suc-cessi-on, un-lear-ned."—Critical Pronouncing Spelling-Book:[128] Philadelphia, 1823.

5. Correct Marshall, in the division of the following words: "Trench-er, trunch-eon, dros-sy, glos-sy, glas-sy, gras-sy, dres-ses, pres-ses, cal-ling, chan-ging, en-chan-ging, con-ver-sing, mois-ture, join-ture, qua-drant, qua-drate, trans-gres-sor, dis-es-teem."—New Spelling-Book: New York, 1836.

6. Correct Emerson, in the division of the following words: "Dus-ty mis-ty, mar-shy, mil-ky, wes-tern, stor-my, nee-dy, spee-dy, drea-ry, fros-ty, pas-sing, roc-ky, bran-chy, bland-ish, pru-dish, eve-ning, a-noth-er."—National Spelling-Book: Boston, 1828.

   "Two Vowels meeting, each with its full Sound,
    Always to make Two Syllables are bound."—Brightland's Gram., p. 64.

EXERCISE III.—FIGURE OF WORDS.

"I was surprised by the return of my long lost brother."—Parker's Exercises in English Composition, p. 5. "Such singular and unheard of clemency cannot be passed over by me in silence."—Ib., p. 10. "I perceive my whole system excited by the potent stimulus of sun-shine."—Ib., p. 11. "To preserve the unity of a sentence, it is sometimes necessary to employ the case absolute, instead of the verb and conjunction."—Ib., p. 17. "Severity and hard hearted opinions accord with the temper of the times."—Ib., p. 18. "That poor man was put into the mad house."—Ib., p. 22. "This fellow must be put into the poor house."—Ib. p. 22. "I have seen the breast works and other defences of earth, that were thrown up."—Ib., p. 24. "Cloven footed animals are enabled to walk more easily on uneven ground."—Ib., p. 25. "Self conceit blasts the prospects of many a youth."—Ib., p. 26. "Not a moment should elapse without bringing some thing to pass."—Ib., p. 36. "A school master decoyed the children of the principal