1. ENGLISH GRAMMAR is the science of the English

language, and the art of using it.

Grammar is usually divided into four parts; viz.: Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody.

2. ORTHOGRAPHY treats of the nature and power of letters, and the mode of combining them into syllables and words.

3. ETYMOLOGY treats of the derivation of words, their properties, and classification into parts of speech.

4. SYNTAX treats of the relation, agreement, and connection of words in the construction of sentences.

5. PROSODY treats of punctuation, and the laws of versification.

a. A more minute general division of grammar is sometimes made, as follows:

1st. ORTHOEPY, which treats of elementary sounds, and the pronunciation of words.

2d. ORTHOGRAPHY, which treats of the nature and power of letters, and the proper method of spelling words.

3d. LEXICOLOGY, which treats of the meaning of words.

4th. ETYMOLOGY, which treats of the origin and derivation of words.

5th. ORTHOGENY, which treats of the classification of words into parts of speech.

6th. SYNTAX, which treats of the relation, agreement, and connection of words in the construction of sentences.

7th. PROSODY, which treats of punctuation, and the laws of versification.

PARTS OF SPEECH.

6. There are eight classes of words called PARTS OF SPEECH; viz. Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection.

a. Words are classed according to their grammatical office; the same word is therefore frequently found in different classes; as, "The storm became a calm;" "Calm your fears;" "This is a calm morning."

b. Words used without any grammatical relation to other words are called attendant elements; as, "There is a man at the door." “John, you may invite him in.”

7. A NOUN is a name; as, Henry, book, darkness, army."

CLASSES.

8. Nouns are either Proper or Common.

9. A PROPER NOUN is an individual name, or the name of some particular person, thing, place, people, or group; as, Henry, Lake Erie, Cleveland, the Americans, the Azores. a. Proper nouns must always commence with a capital letter. 10. A COMMON NOUN is a common name, or the name

of a kind, or class, of beings or things; as, man, fish, crea tion, chair, child.

a. When a common noun is the name of a quality considered apart from the object in which it is found, it is called an Abstract noun; as, beauty, goodness, hardness.

b. Nouns singular in form, though denoting more than one, are called Collective nouns; as, flock, council, army, school.

C.

Nouns denoting the name of an action, or of a state of being, aro called Participial, or Verbal nouns; as, "The triumphing of the wicked is short."

d. Such words as grammar, geometry, music, etc., and also such characters as 4, 1, K, —, etc., and the names of the letters a, d, k, etc., though in some respects particular nouns, are classed with the

common nouns.

e. Nouns denote substantive existence either material or immaterial; hence nouns, and all other words, phrases, and clauses used in the relations in which nouns occur, are called Substantives; as, "He studies grammar;" "John loves to study grammar;” “John says that he studies grammar."

Phrases and clauses, when used as substantives, have all the properties of nouns. (See model for parsing, Sections 33, 34, 35.)

PROPERTIES.

11. The PROPERTIES of the Noun are Gender, Person, Number, and Case.

GENDER.

12. GENDER is that property of the noun which distinguishes it in reference to sex.

There are four genders; Masculine, Feminine, Common, and Neuter.

13. The MASCULINE GENDER denotes males; as, boy, king, lion.

14. The FEMININE GENDER denotes females; as, girl, queen, lioness.

15. The COMMON GENDER is applied to nouns which represent either males or females, or both; as, child, bird, parent, cattle.

16. The NEUTER GENDER denotes things without sex; as, chair, desk, stove.

a. There are three methods of distinguishing the masculine and feminine genders:

1st. By different words; as, father, mother; stag, hind; boy, girl;

man, woman.

2d. By different terminations; as, actor, actress; testator, testatrix; hero, heroine.

3d. By different words placed before or after the noun; as, manservant, maid-servant; he-goat, she-goat; cock-sparrow, hen-sparrow; turkey-cock, turkey-hen.

b. Strictly, there are but two genders, the masculine and feminine. The common and neuter are merely grammatical terms used for convenience.

Neuter means neither; and when applied to nouns, simply means that they are of no gender.

Common gender is applied to names of living beings when the name does not indicate the sex. They must, therefore, necessarily belong either to the masculine or feminine, or both.

PERSON.

17. PERSON is that property of the noun which distinguishes the speaker, the hearer, and the person or thing spoken of. Nouns have three persons; the First, Second, and Third.

18. The FIRST PERSON denotes the speaker or writer; as, "I, Paul, have written it."

19. The SECOND PERSON denotes the person or thing addressed; as, "Henry, bring me a book." "Ye crags and peaks, I'm with you once again.”

20. The THIRD PERSON denotes the person or thing spoken of; as, "Henry studies his book."

α. Nouns are never used as the subjects or objects of verbs, except when in the third person.