SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

1. As far as possible, have each lesson read aloud in class. 2. Do not waste time in so-called "development” lessons. Train your pupils to depend upon the book alone for explanations, definitions, etc. The ability to get for himself from books a knowledge of principles and rules should be not the least of the results flowing from the use of this text-book in the classroom.

3. Have your pupils commit the definitions to memory so thoroughly that they will remain a permanent possession.

4. Accustom your pupils to make constant use of the table of contents and of the index.

5. Teach them to use the book as a book of reference when correcting their own compositions and when studying literature critically.

6. In case students take up this book without having studied an elementary treatise, the teacher should use discretion in omitting, during a first reading, such of the details printed in smaller type as appear too difficult.

W. H. M.

SCHOOL GRAMMAR

I. THE DIVISIONS OF GRAMMAR

Language is the name given to any means of expressing thoughts or feelings.

The most important varieties of language are spoken language and written language.

Spoken language and written language are made up of words, and words are united in groups called

sentences.

Grammar tells us how words are formed, how they are classified, how they are joined to form sentences, how sentences, are classified, and the relations that both words and sentences bear one to another.

Hence, grammar has to do,

1. With words separately considered; that is, not united to express thought.

2. With words joined in sentences.

A spoken word is a sound, or a combination of sounds, having a meaning.

DEFINITION. — Orthoepy is that part of grammar which treats of the correct pronunciation of words. The subject of orthoepy will not be treated in this book, since it may be studied from dictionaries.

When a word is written or printed, certain characters called letters are used to represent the sounds of the spoken word.

DEFINITION.— Orthography is that part of grammar which treats of the correct representation by letters of the sounds that make up a word.

As the subject of orthography is fully treated in dictionaries, it will not be taken up in this book. The rules for the use of capital letters will be found on pages 240-242.

In the study of grammar, words are first classified according to the way in which they are used in sentences. This has led to the division of all the words in our language into eight classes, called parts of speech. It will be found, however, that nearly all of these classes or parts of speech may be further subdivided. This process of arranging the words of a language in classes is called classification.

Again, if you will look carefully at a sentence, such as Charles rode on his father's horse, you will notice that three of the words, rode, his, and father's, are modifications of other words, and that each modification is made in order to express a variation of meaning. Rode is a modification of ride, made in order to indicate that the event took place in past time. His is a modification of he, and father's of father, in both cases' made in order to show possession. All such changes are called inflections.

Then again, in studying words, we may consider