Higher Lessons in English | Page 8

another class called lilies; from others still, violets. Just so we classify trees and get the oak, the elm, the maple, etc.
The myriad objects of nature fall into comparatively few classes. Studying each class, we learn all we need to know of every object in it.
From their likenesses, though not in form, we classify words. We group them according to their similarities in use, or office, in the sentence. Sorting them thus, we find that they all fall into eight classes, which we call Parts of Speech.
We find that many words name things--are the names of things of which we can think and speak. These we place in one class and call them +Nouns+ (Latin nomen, a name, a noun).
PRONOUNS.
Without the little words which we shall italicize, it would be difficult for one stranger to ask another, "Can you tell me who is the postmaster at B?" The one would not know what name to use instead of you, the other would not recognize the name in the place of me, and both would be puzzled to find a substitute for who.
I, you, my, me, what, we, it, he, who, him, she, them, and other words are used in place of nouns, and are, therefore, called +Pronouns+ (Lat. pro, for, and nomen, a noun).
By means of these handy little words we can represent any or every object in existence. We could hardly speak or write without them now, they so frequently shorten the expression and prevent confusion and repetition.
+DEFINITION.--A Noun is the name of anything.+
+DEFINITION.--A Pronoun is a word used for a noun.+
The principal office of nouns is to name the things of which we say, or assert, something in the sentence.
+Direction+.---Write, according to the model, the names of things that can burn, grow, melt, love, roar, or revolve.
+Model.+-- Nouns. Wood | Paper | Oil | Houses + burn or burns. Coal | Leaves | Matches | Clothes |
+Remark.+--Notice that, when the subject adds s or es to denote more than one, the predicate does not take s. Note how it would sound if both should add s.
+Every subject+ of a sentence is a +noun+, or some word or words used as a noun. But not every noun in a sentence is a subject.
+Direction.+--Select and write all the nouns and pronouns, whether subjects or not, in the sentences given in Lesson 18.
In writing them observe the following rules:--
+CAPITAL LETTER--RULE.--Proper, or individual, names and words derived from them begin with capital letters.+
+PERIOD and CAPITAL LETTER--RULE.--Abbreviations generally begin with capital letters and are always followed by the period.+
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LESSON 9.
CAPITAL LETTERS.
+Direction.+--From the following words select and write in one column those names that distinguish individual things from others of the same class, and in another column those words that are derived from individual names:--
Observe Rule 1, Lesson 8.
ohio, state, chicago, france, bostonian, country, england, boston, milton, river, girl, mary, hudson, william, britain, miltonic, city, englishman, messiah, platonic, american, deity, bible, book, plato, christian, broadway, america, jehovah, british, easter, europe, man, scriptures, god.
+Direction.+--Write the names of the days of the week and the months of the year, beginning each with a capital letter; and write the names of the seasons without capital letters.
+Remember+ that, when a class name and a distinguishing word combine to make one individual name, each word begins with a capital letter; as, Jersey City. [Footnote: Dead Sea is composed of the class name sea, which applies to all seas, and the word Dead, which distinguishes one sea from all others.]
But, when the distinguishing word can by itself be regarded as a complete name, the class name begins with a small letter; as, river Rhine.
+Examples+.--Long Island, Good Friday, Mount Vernon, Suspension Bridge, New York city, Harper's Ferry, Cape May, Bunker Hill, Red River, Lake Erie, General Jackson, White Mountains, river Thames, Astor House, steamer Drew, North Pole.
+Direction+.--Write these words, using capital letters when needed:--
ohio river, professor huxley, president adams, doctor brown, clinton county, westchester county, colonel burr, secretary stanton, lake george, green mountains, white sea, cape cod, delaware bay, atlantic ocean, united states, rhode island.
+Remember+ that, when an individual name is made up of a class name, the word of, and a distinguishing word, the class name and the distinguishing word should each begin with a capital letter; as, Gulf of Mexico. But, when the distinguishing word can by itself be regarded as a complete name, the class name should begin with a small letter; as, city of London. [Footnote: The need of some definite instruction to save the young writer from hesitation and confusion in the use of capitals is evident from the following variety of forms now in use: City of New York, city of New York, New York City, New York city, New York State, New York state, Fourth Avenue, Fourth avenue, Grand Street,