THE PRACTICAL SCHOOL ᏀᎡᎪᎷᎷᎪᎡ INCLUDING ANALYSIS OF SENTENCES, WITH COMPOSITION. BY JAMES CURRIE, A.M., AUTHOR OF COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION,' ETC. ETC. ETC. THOMAS LAURIE, COCKBURN STREET. 302.g. 95. PREFACE. THIS text-book of Grammar consists of two parts; the first treating of the Parts of Speech and their Inflections, the second of Syntax. Orthography, the Derivation of Words, and Prosody are omitted, as being either, strictly speaking, no part of Grammar, or as finding a more convenient place for school purposes in the ReadingBooks. The space so gained has been devoted to the fuller illustration by means of Exercises of what is essential to the subject. On the other hand, the Syntax contains more than is usually included under that head. It is divided into three parts: Analysis, the Rules of Construction, and Punctuation. The Analysis of 'Sentences affords a very valuable discipline, the best in fact which grammar has to give, whether viewed merely as an intellectual exercise or in its bearing on intelligent reading and writing. But if it is ever to be taught in the common school, or indeed to maintain its place in schools of any sort, it must be in a less complex form than that in which we are at present familiar with it. In this manual, accordingly, the analysis of the Simple Sentence is not carried further than is necessary to enable the pupil to distinguish its two essential parts, Subject and Predicate; nor that of the Compound and the Complex Sentence further than is necessary to distinguish the character of the several clauses as wholes. This is both attainable and profitable, even in the common school; anything more is little better than a waste of time and labour on the part of both pupils and teacher. Punc tuation has been treated at considerable length, not less from its practical importance than because, so far from being the mechanical thing it is sometimes considered, it is capable of affording the same kind of valuable exercise as the other parts of Syntax; being in fact, to a certain extent, an application of the Chapter on Analysis. In the First Book of Grammar in this series, the nature of the Parts of Speech is first explained, then their Subdivisions, then their Inflections; the Rules of Syntax are given in connexion with those Inflections by which they are suggested, and to which they immediately apply; and the method of instruction followed is that of Illustration, Definition, and Exercises. In short, the First Book is arranged for analytic teaching, the natural method for the instruction of younger children. In this Second Book of Grammar, which is a sequel to the first, a different order is followed, in consistency with the greater advancement of the pupils. Each Part of Speech is exhibited with the whole body of its Subdivisions and Inflections in what seems the necessary degree of detail; the Syntax is treated systematically, and as a separate part of the subject; and the method of instruction adopted is that of Definition, Illustration, and Exercises. In short, this Second Book of Grammar is arranged for Synthetic teaching, the natural method for the instruction of more advanced pupils. At the same time, it may be observed that the logical order of exposition is not necessarily to be followed rigidly and exhaustively as the best order for school purposes; on the contrary, it would seem, e.g., that the teaching of the three parts of the Syntax may with most advantage be carried on simultaneously. The ability to write correct English being the immediate object of the grammar taught in the common school, the written exercises throughout this manual have been made numerous and varied; and an Appendix has been added containing a systemati. cally arranged set of elementary exercises in composition. ENGLISH GRAMMAR. GRAMMAR is the science which treats of Speech. Etymology is that part of grammar which treats of the different classes of words and their inflections. Syntax is that part which treats of the combinations of words into sentences. PART I-ETYMOLOGY. There are eight classes of words, called the Parts of Speech, viz. : A NOUN IS A WORD WHICH IS THE NAME OF ANYTHING; as, John, book, goodness. There are three kinds of Nouns-Proper, Common, and Abstract. (1.) A Proper Noun is the name of some particular thing; as, London, Alexander. (2.) A Common Noun is the name common to all things of the same kind; as, boy, city. When a Common Noun denotes a number of things taken as one, it is called a Collective Noun ; as, people, flock. A Proper Noun is sometimes used as a Common Noun; e.g., The Stuarts; He is quite a Samson. |