marquis, marchioness; sorcerer, sorceress; sultan, sultaness or sultana; tes tator, testatrix; tutor, tutoress or tutress; widower, widow.

The following nouns become feminine by merely adding ess; baron, deacon, heir, host, jew, lion, mayor, patron, peer, poet, priest, prior, prophet, shepherd,

viscount.

The following nouns become feminine by rejecting the last vowel, and adding ess; actor, ambassador, arbiter, benefactor, chanter, conductor, doctor, elector, enchanter, founder, hunter, idolator, inventor, prince, protector, songster, spectator, suitor, tiger, traitor, votary.

III. By prefixing an attribute of distinction: as, cock-sparrow, hen-sparrow; man-servant, maid-servant; he-goat, she-goat; male relations, female relations. OBS. 5.-The names of things without life, used literally, are always of the neuter gender. But inanimate objects are often represented figuratively, as having sex. Things remarkable for power, greatness, or sublimity, are spoken of as masculine; as, the sun, time, death, sleep, fear, anger, winter, war. Things beautiful, amiable, or prolific, are spoken of as feminine; as, the moon, earth, nature, fortune, knowledge, hope, spring, peace.

OBS. 6.-Nouns of multitude, when they convey the idea of unity, or take the plural form, are of the neuter gender; but when they convey the idea of plurality without the form, they follow the gender of the individuals that compose the assemblage.

Obs. 7.-Creatures whose sex is unknown, or unnecessary to be regarded, are generally spoken of as neuter; as, "He fired at the deer, and wounded it.""If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep, and kill it or sell it,;" &c.— Exodus, xxii, 1.

CASES.

Cases, in grammar, are modifications that distinguish the relations of nouns and pronouns to other words.

OBS.-The cases are founded on the different relations under which things are represented in discourse, and from which the words acquire correspondent relations, or become dependent one on an other, according to the sense. In English, these modifications, or relations, belong only to nouns and pronouns. Pronouns are not necessarily like their antecedents, in case.

There are three cases; the nominative, the possessive, and the objective.

The nominative case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the subject of a finite verb: as, The boy runs; Irun.

OBS.-The subject of a finite verb is that which answers to who or what before it; as, "The boy runs"-Who runs? The boy. Boy is therefore here in the nominative case.

The possessive case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the relation of property: as, The boy's hat; my hat.

OBS. 1.-The possessive case of nouns is formed, in the singular number, by adding to the nominative & preceded by an apostrophe; and, in the plural, when the nominative ends in s, by adding an apostrophe only: as, singular, boy's; plural, boys';-sounded alike, but written differently.

OBS. 2.-Plural nouns that do not end in 8, usually form the possessive case in the same manner as the singular; as, man's, men's.

OBS. 3.-When the singular and the plural are alike in the nominative, the apostrophe, which (as Dr. Johnson has shown) is merely a sign of the

tase, and not of elision, ought to follow the s in the plural, o distinguish it from the singular; as, sheep's, sheeps'.

OBS. 4.-The apostrophic & adds a syllable to the noun, when it will not unite with the sound in which the nominative ends; as, torch's, pronounced torchiz.

OBS. 5.-The apostrophe and are sometimes added to mere characters, to denote plurality, and not the possessive case; as, Two a's-three b's-four 9's. In the following example, they are used to give the sound of a verbal termination to words that are not properly verbs: "When a man in a soliloquy reasons with himself, and pro's and con's, and weighs all his designs," &c.-Congreve.

The objective case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the object of a verb, participle, or preposition: as, I know the boy; he knows

me.

OBS. 1.-The object of a verb, participle, or preposition, is that which answers to whom or what after it; as, "I know the boy."-I know whom? The boy. Boy is therefore here in the objective case.

OBS. 2.-The nominative and the objective of nouns, are always alike in form, being distinguishable from each other only by their place in a sentence, or their simple dependence according to the sense.

THE DECLENSION OF NOUNS.

The declension of a noun is a regular arrangement of its

numbers and cases.

Thus :

Poss.

Obj.

Plur. Nom.

flies,

fly's,

fly;

EXAMPLES FOR PARSING.

PRAXIS II.-ETYMOLOGICAL.

In the Second Praxis, it is required of the pupil-to dis tinguish and define the different parts of speech, and the classes and modifications of the articles and nouns.

The definitions to be given in the Second Praxis, are two for an article, six for a noun-and one for an adjective, a pronoun, a verb, a participle, an adverb, a conjunction, a preposition, or an interjection. Thus:

EXAMPLE PARSED.

"James is a lad of uncommon talents."

James is a proper noun, of the third person, singular number, masculine gender, and nominative case.

1. A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing, that can be known or mentioned.

2. A proper noun is the name of some particular individual, or

people, or group.

8. The third person is that which denotes the person or thing merely spoken of.

4. The singular number is that which denotes but one.

5. The masculine gender is that which denotes persons or animals of the male kind.

6. The nominative case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the subject of a finite verb.

Is is a verb.

1. A verb is a word that signifies to be, to act, or to be acted upon. A is the indefinite article.

1. An article is the word the, an, or a, which we put before nouns, to limit their signification.

2. The indefinite article is an or a, which denotes one thing of a kind, but not any particular one.

Lad is a common noun, of the third person, singular number, masculine gender, and nominative case.

1. A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing, that can be

known or mentioned.

2. A common noun is the name of a sort, kind, or class, of beings or things.

8. The third person is that which denotes the person or thing merely spoken of.

4. The singular number is that which denotes but one.

5. The masculine gender is that which denotes persons or animals of the male kind.

6. The nominative case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the subject of a finite verb.

Of is a preposition.

1. A preposition is a word used to express some relation of different things or thoughts to each other, and is generally placed before a noun or a pronoun.

Uncommon is an adjective.

1. An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and gener ally expresses quality.

Talents is a common noun, of the third person, plural number, neuter gender, and objective case.

1. A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing, that can be known or mentioned.

2. A common noun is the name of a sort, kind, or class, of beings or things.

3. The third person is that which denotes the person or thing merely spoken of.

4. The plural number is that which denotes more than one.

5. The neuter gender is that which denotes things that are neither male nor female.

6. The objective case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the object of a verb, participle, or preposition.

LESSON I.

Science strengthens and enlarges the mind.-Murray. A large ship, traversing the ocean by the force of the wind, is a noble proof of the power and ingenuity of man.

When spring returns, the trees resume their verdure, and the plants and flowers display their beauty.

I John saw these things and heard them.-Bible.

And the king spake and said to Daniel, 'O Daniel! servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?'-Ib.

LESSON II.

And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed and reverenced Haman; but Mordecai bowed not, nor I did him reverence.-Bible.

Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house.—Ib.

A mother's tenderness and a father's care are nature's gifts for man's advantage.-Murray.

Then shall man's pride and dulness comprehend
His actions', passions', being's use and end.-Pope.

CHAPTER IV.—OF ADJECTIVES.

An Adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses quality: as, A wise man; a new book. You two are diligent.

CLASSES.

Adjectives may be divided into six classes; namely, common, proper, numeral, pronominal, participial, and compound.

I. A common adjective is any ordinary epithet, or adjective denoting quality or situation; as, Good, bad, peaceful, warlike-eastern, western, outer, inner.

II. A proper adjective is one that is formed from a proper name; as, American, English, Platonic.

III. A numeral adjective is one that expresses a defi nite number; as, One, two, three, four, five, six, &c.

IV. A pronominal adjective is a definitive word which may either accompany its noun, or represent it understood; as, "All join to guard what each desires to gain." -Pope. That is, All men join to guard what each man desires to gain.

V. A participial adjective is one that has the form of a participle, but differs from it by rejecting the idea of time; as, An amusing story.

VI. A compound adjective, is one that consists of two or more words joined together; as, Nut-brown, laughterloving, four-footed.

OBS. 1.-Numeral adjectives are of three kinds: namely,

1. Cardinal; as, One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, &c.

2. Ordinal; as, First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, &c.

3. Multiplicative; as, Single or alone, double or twofold, triple or threefold, quadruple or fourfold, quintuple or fivefold, sextuple or sixfold, septuple or sevenfold, octuple or eightfold, &c.

OBS. 2.-Compound adjectives, being formed at pleasure, are very numerous and various. Many of them embrace numerals, and run on in a series; as, one-leaved, two-leaved, three-leaved, four-leaved, &c.

MODIFICATIONS.

Adjectives have, commonly, no modifications but the forms of comparison.

Comparison is a variation of the adjective to express quality in different degrees; as, hard, harder, hardest. There are three degrees of comparison; the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

The positive degree is that which is expressed by the adjective in its simple form; as, hard, soft, good.

The comparative degree is that which exceeds the positive; as, harder, softer, better.

The superlative degree is that which is not exceeded; as, hardest, softest, best.

Those adjectives whose signification does not admit of