together the result is a compound; as rose-tree, gentleman, far-sighted, mid-ship-man. §. It is sometimes difficult to determine whether a word be really compound, i. e. whether it be not two words. In this case the accent helps us. When it lies equally on each we have two words. Where one is more strongly accented than the other we have a compound. All blue bells are not bluebells. All black birds are not blackbirds. 26. When a word is modified in form by either the addition of a new sound or by some internal change the result is a derivative; as long, leng-th. 27. Etymology, besides teaching us the changes that words undergo, takes cognizance of the several Parts of Speech; which, in English, are ten in number, viz. Pronoun, Article, Substantive, Adjective, Verb, Participle, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection. 28. Speech consists of (1) commands, (2) questions, and (3) statements. 29. The combination of words by which these are effected is called a Proposition. 30. There are three kinds of Propositions; one to express commands, one to express questions, and one to express statements. 31. Propositions which convey commands are called Imperative, as Do this. Do not delay. 32. Propositions which convey questions are called Interrogative, as What is this? Who are you? Is it here? 33. Propositions which convey statements are called Declaratory, as Summer is coming. I am here. This is he. 34. Besides being Imperative, Interrogative, or Declaratory, Propositions are either Affirmative or Negative. Summer is early. Summer is not early. SA Declaratory Proposition is often described as a sentence in which something is either affirmed or denied ; whilst, in an Imperative Proposition, something is either ordered or forbidden; and, in an Interrogative Proposition, something is asked. 35. Declaratory Propositions are the commonest. 36. In respect to their structure Propositions consist of Terms and Copulas. 37. Terms are of two kinds, Subjects and Predicates. 38. The Subject is the term by which we indicate the person or thing concerning which the statement is made or the question asked. In Imperative Propositions it denotes the person to whom the command is given. Thus : Summer is coming. What is this? Make [thou] haste. 39. The Predicate is the term by which we express what we declare, ask, or command. 40. There is no Subject without its corresponding Predicate; no Predicate without its corresponding Subject; and without both a Subject and Predicate there is no such thing as a Proposition. §. Without Propositions there are no Questions, Commands, or Declarations; and without Questions, Commands, or Declarations, there would scarcely be such a thing as Language. The little which there would be would consist merely of exclamations like Oh! Ah! Pish, &c. 41. In Declaratory Propositions the Subject precedes the Predicate. We say Fire is hot, rather than Hot is fire. 42. In Interrogative Propositions the Predicate precedes the Subject; as What is this? rather than This is what? 43. In Imperative Propositions the name of the Subject is usually suppressed; e. g. we say, Shut the door, instead of Shut thou the door. NAMES. 44. Names are either Proper or Common. 45. Proper names are appropriated to certain individual objects. Common names are applied to a whole class of objects. §. George, Mary, London, &c., designate one particular person or place. Man, father, town, horse, &c., represent objects of which there is a class or collection. 46. Besides being either Proper or Common, names are either Invariable or Variable. §. Words like stone, tree, man, &c., denote certain objects which constitute a class including an indefinite number of individuals. To any of these the name may apply. It cannot, however, apply to an object belonging to a different class. It is nonsense to call a tree a stone, or a stone a tree. Each name applies to the individuals of a certain group, and, as it cannot be applied otherwise, it is an invariable name. All names, however, are not invariable. The word I, for in-. stance, is variable. It changes its meaning with the person speaking. When William says I, it means William ; when John says I, it means John. So, again with you-it denotes the person to whom I happen to be speaking at the moment, but the next moment I may alter its meaning by speaking to some one else. The same applies to that, this, these, and several other words. If a mother say I, it means a mother and a female; if a father say I, it means a father and a male. Even if an inanimate object be personified and be supposed to speak about itself and to say I, it means that inanimate object. It denotes the speaker, whoever he may be; but it is not the invariable name of any speaker whatever. Or, it denotes the object spoken of, whatever it may be; but it is not the invariable name of any object whatever. The word this means a table, when the speaker is talking of tables, a dog when he is talking of dogs, &c. 47. Names are changed according to their Gender, their Number, and their Case. 48. There are three Genders-the Masculine, the Feminine, and the Neuter. The Masculine Gender denotes Males; the Feminine, Females; the Neuter, objects which are neither Male nor Female. 49. Of true Gender, there are but few examples in English. 50. When we speak of one object, we use the Singular, when of more than one, the Plural, Number. 51. Case is the form which certain words take to express their relations to others. In the present English, the cases are three-the Nominative, the Possessive, and the Objective. §. The child calls. Charles reads. Here the words child and Charles, stand in the nominative case; but if we say the child's book, or Charles' horse, we use these words in the possessive case, having changed their form accordingly. PRONOUNS. 52. A Pronoun is a variable name; which can form, by itself, either the Subject or the Predicate of a proposition. 53. Pronouns undergo more changes than either Substantives or Adjectives. Many of them have both the Numbers (as this and these), all the three Genders (as him, her, it), and all the three Cases (as he, his, him). 54. There are seven classes of Pronouns besides the Article (which is a separate part of speech, though pronominal in origin) and the words self, one, and 1. Demonstrative.-This, that, he, she, &c. 3. Relative.-Who. 4. Personal.-I, thou, &c. 5. Possessive.-Mine, thine, ours, &c. 55. The Demonstratives fall into two divisions, the True and the Personal. 56. The True Demonstratives are this, that, and yon. This applies to near, that and yon to distant objects. Yon is undeclined. This and that are declined in respect to number only. 57. The Personal Demonstratives are they, he, and she. 58. They is found in the plural number only. Nominative, they. Genitive, their. 59. He is found in the singular number only. 60. She is undeclined; being found only in the Nominative Case of the Feminine Gender, of the Singular Number. C |