III. By prefixing some word to the name; as, a man servant, a maid servant-a male child, a female child.

In exercising on these lists, cover the column of the feminine gender, and repeat it by looking at the other column.

PERSON.

The person of a name, is its position in discourse.

Names cannot have more than three positions in dişcourse, which are those of the speaker, hearer, and subject; and therefore can have only three persons, the firstsecond and third.

The first person is the position of the speaker, as I, John Doe.

The second person is the position of the individual or thing spoken to; as, ye Jews, hear O heavens, give ear O earth.

The third person is the position of the name spoken of; as, Paul and Silas were imprisoned, the earth thirsts, the sun shines.

MODEL OF PARSING.-John Doe is a name, proper, because it is a particular name, masculine gender, it denotes a male, first, person, it is the name of the speaker.

Parse all the examples after this model; and write three common names, masculine gender, first person; and then as many in each of the other persons.

N. B. Let reflection be your GREAT WORK-your_constant work. Think closely upon every point as you proceed, and ask explanations until you are sure you understand your subject. Remember, you might as well undertake to learn mathematics without reflection, as grammar.

REMARK.-The plan of writing, which is here introduced, will assist the pupil very much, if it is faithfully followed; for it will learn him to think, by leading him, in an easy and progressive method, to reflect.

The learner should write exercises on every point as he proceeds.

NUMBER.

Number denotes the different forms of names to express one or more; as book, books, man, men.

NOTE. There are two properties of nouns that vary verbs, person and number; as, I, John Doe, learn; thou James, learnest; William learns; boys learn.

Names have two numbers, the singular, and the plural, The singular number expresses but one object; as pen, table, chair, house.

The plural number expresses more objects than one; as pens, tables, chairs, houses.

Now parse all the examples under the head of number, in the large type, after the following

MODEL.-Book is a name; common, because it is a general name; third person, spoken of; singular number, it denotes but one book.

Write three proper names, third person, and singular number; and three common names, masculine gender, third person, and plural number.

The plural is generally formed by adding s to the singular; as house, houses, river, rivers, rock, rocks.

EXCEPTION 1. Nouns ending with x, s, sh, ch soft, and o preceded by a consonant, form their plurals by adding es to the singular; as box, boxes; glass, glasses; church, churches; hero, heroes.

NOTE. Nouns ending in eo, io, and the words junto, canto, tyro, grotto, portico, solo, halo, quarto, and perhaps a few others, have regular plurals.

EXCEPTION 2. Nouns ending in f or fe, change this ending into ves in the plural; as loaf, loaves; knife, knives.

NOTE 1. Grief, relief, reproof, and a few others, have regular plurals.

NOTE 2. Nouns ending with ff have regular plurals, except staff, staves.

EXCEPTION 3. Nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, change y into ie, and adds in the plural; as vanity, vanities; body, bodies.

NOTE. Nouns ending with y preceded by a vowel, form their plurals regularly; as boys, keys, delays, valleys, chimneys, moneys, attorneys, &c.

EXCEPTION 4. Some nouns form their plurals by changing the word; as man, men; woman, women; child, children; foot, feet; ox, oxen; goose, geese; brother, brothers or brethren; penny, pennies or pence; die, dies, for coining; dice, for play; mouse, mice; cow, cows or kine.

EXCEPTION 5. "Words from foreign languages sometimes retain their original plural. As a general rule, nouns in um or on have a in the plural; but those in is in the singular, change it into es in the plural. The following are the most common:"

Some names are used only in the singular form, as wheat, pitch, gold, sloth, pride, and others, only in the plural form; as bellows, riches, scissors, lungs, snuffers, tongs, wages, pains.

Some names are the same in both numbers; as deer, sheep, swine, series, species.

News is always singular; and means should always be in the plural form.

CASE.

Case means the position of the name in the sentence, with respect to other words.

Names have three cases; the Nominative, Possessive and Objective.

The nominative case is the position of the name when it

is the subject of the proposition; as Thomas writes, girls read, birds fly, dog runs.

Let the pupil parse the name in each example after the following

MODEL OF PARSING A NAME.-Thomas is a name, proper, because it is a particular name; masculine gender, it denotes a male; third person, it is spoken of; singular number, it denotes but one; and in the nominative case, it is the agent or actor.

The nominative case is the NAMING CASE; and therefore when a name is expressed in its simple form, without being the object of some action or relation, it is always in the nominative case.

NOTE 1. The nominative case is that which is chiefly spoken of; as, the pupil learns his lesson. Here pupil is the principal word in the sentence, and it is the nominative.

NOTE 2. To find the nominative, the beginner should be taught to ask the question; who or what performs the act asserted? thus: who learns? and the answer must always be the nominative case; thus, the pupil.

The Possessive case denotes ownership; as John's hat, Eliza's book, the boy's stick, Henry's horse, William's farm.

Parse the first name in each example, as before directed.

The possessive case is generally formed by adding an apostrophe to the word, and the letter s after it; thus, Peter's cane; but when the name ends in s or ce, the apostrophic s is not added; as, eagles' wings, Achilles' shield, peace' sake, conscience' sake, except the name witness; as witness's deposition.

Foundation of Rule IV. in Syntax.

Mark the following plain principle. The relation of the hat to John, makes it the duty of John to show his title to the hat; therefore the relation of property requires the name of the owner to be in the possessive case to show that relation; hence, in Syntax, we have