THE

RUDIMENTS

OF

LATIN AND ENGLISH

GRAMMA R.

GRAMMAR is the art of speaking and writing correctly. Latin or English Grammar is the art of speaking and writing the Latin or the English language correctly.

The Rudiments of Grammar are plain and easy instruc tions, teaching beginners the first principles and rules of it. Grammar treats of sentences, and the several parts of which they are compounded.

Sentences consist of words; Words consist of one or more syllables; Syllables of one or more letters. So that Letters, Syllables, Words, and Sentences, make up the whole subject of Grammar.

LETTERS.

A letter is the mark of a sound, or of an articulation of sound.

That part of Grammar which treats of letters, is called Orthography.

The letters in Latin are twenty-five: A. a; B, b; C,c; D, d; E, e; F, f; G, g; H, h; I, i; J,j; K, k; L,1; M, m; N, n; 0,0; P, p; Q, q; R, r; S, s; T, t U,u; V, v; X, x ; Y, y ; Z, z.

In English there is one letter more, namely, IV, w.

Letters are divided into Vowels and Consonants.

Six are vowels; a, e, i, o, u, y. All the rest

are consonants.

A vowel makes a full sound by itself; as, a, e. A consonant cannot make a perfect sound without a vowel; as, b, d.

B

A vowel is properly called a simple sound; and the sounds formed by the concourse of vowels and consonants,

articulate sounds.

Consonants are divided into Mutes, Semi-vowels, and Double Consonants.

A mute is so called, because it entirely stops the passage of the voice; as, p, in ap.

The mutes are, p, b; t, d; c, k, q, and gi but b, d, and g, perhaps may more properly be termed Semi-mutes.

A semi-vowel, or half vowel, does not entirely stop the passage of the voice; thus, al.

The semi-vowels are, l, m, n, r, s, f. The first four of these are also called Liquids, particularly and r; because they flow softly and easily after a mute in the same syllable; as bla, stra.

The mutes and semi-vowels may be thus distinguished. In naming the mutes, the vowel is put after them; as, pe, be, &c. but in naming the semi-vowels, the vowel is put before them; as, el, em, &c.

The double consonants are, x, z, and j. X is made up of cs, ks, or gz. Z seems not to be a double consonant in English. It has the same relation to s, as v has to ƒ, being sounded somewhat more softly.

In Latin z, and likewise k and y, are found only in words perived from the Greek.

Yin English is sometimes a consonant, as in youth.

H by some is not accounted a letter, but only a breathing,

DIPHTHONGS.

A diphthong, is two vowels joined in one sound.

If the sound of both vowels be distinctly heard, it is called a Proper Diphthong; if not, an Improper Diphthong.

The proper diphthongs in Latin are commonly reckoned three; au, eu, ei; as in aurum, Eurus, omneis. To these some, not improperly, add other three; namely, ai, as in Maia; oi, as in Troia; and ui, as in Harpuia, or în cui, and huic, when pronounced as monosyllables.

The improper diphthongs in Latin are two; ae, or when the vowels are written together, æ; as, aetas, or ætas; oc, or ; as poena, or pœna; in both of which the sound of the e only is heard. The ancients commonly wrote the vowels separately, thus, aetas, poena.

The English language abounds with improper diphthongs e just pronunciation of which, practice alone can teach

In some words derived from the French, there are three vowels in the same syllable, but two of them only are sounded d; as in beauty, lieutenant.

SYLLABLES.

A syllable is the sound of one letter, or of several letters, pronounced by one impulse of the voice; as a, to, strength. In every word there are as many syllables as there are distinct sounds; as, in-fal-li-bi-li-ty.

In Latin there are as many syllables in a word, as there are vowels or diphthongs in it; unless when u with any other vowel comes after g, q, or s, as in lingua, qui, suadeo;

where the two vowels are not reckoned a diphthong, because the sound of the u vanishes, or is little heard.

Words consisting of one syllable are called Monosyllables; of two, Dissyllables; and of more than two, Polysyllables. But all words of more than one syllable are commonly called Polysyllables.

In dividing words into syllables, we are chiefly to be directed by the ear. Compound words should be divided into the parts of which they are made up; as, up-on, with-out, &c. and so in Latin words, ab-utor, in-ops, propter-ea, et-ĕnim, vel-ut, &c. In like manner, when a syllable is added in the formation of the English verb, as, lov-ed, lov-ing, lov-eth, will-ing, &c.

Observe, A long syllable is thus marked []; as, amāre; or with a circumflex accent thus, [^]; as, amâris. A short syllable is marked thus, []; as, omnibus.

What pertains to the quantity of syllables, to accent, and verse, will be treated of afterwards.

WORDS.

Words are articulate sounds significant of thought.

That part of Grammar which treats of words, is called Etymology, or Analogy.

All words may be divided into three kinds; namely, 1. such as mark the names of things; 2. such as denote what is affirmed concerning things; and 3. such as are sig nificant only in conjunction with other words; or what are called Substantives, Attri butives, and Connectives. Thus in the following sentence," The diligent boy reads the lesson carefully in the school, and at home," the words boy, lesson, school, home, are the names we give to the things spoken of; diligent, reads, carefully, express what is affirmed concerning the boy; the, in, and, at, are only significant when joined with the other words of the sentence.

All words whatever are either simple or compound, primitive or derivative.

The division of words into simple and compound, is called their Figure; into primitive and derivative, their Species or kind.

A simple word is that which is not made up of more than one; as, pius, pious; ĕgo, I; doceo, I teach.

A compound word is that which is made up of two or more words; or of one word and some syllable added; as, impius, impious; dedoceo, I unteach; ĕgomet, I myself.

A primitive word is that which comes from no other; as, pius, pious; disco, I learn; doceo, I teach.

A derivative word is that which comes from another word; as, pietas, piety; doctrina, learning.

The different classes into which we divide words, are called Parts of Speech.

PARTS OF SPEECH.

The parts of speech in Latin are eight; 1. Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Participle; declined: 2. Adverb, Preposition, Interjection, and Conjunction; undeclined.

In English the adjective and participle are not declined. Those words or parts of speech 'are said to be declined, which receive different changes, particularly on the end, which is called the Termination of words.

The changes made upon words are by grammarians called Accidents.

Of old, all words which admit of different terminations were said to be declined. But Declension is now applied only to nouns. The changes made upon the verb are called Conjugation.

The English language has one part of speech more than the Latin, namely, the ARTICLE.

The article is a word put before substantive nouns, to point them out, and to shew how far their signification extends. There are two articles, a and the: a becomes an before a vowel, or a silent h.

A is called the Indefinite, The the Definite Article.

A is used to point out one single thing of a kind, without fixing precisely what that thing is: The determines what particular thing is meant.

A man means simply some one or other of that kind: the man signifies that particular man who is spoken of.

The want of the article is a defect in the Latin tongue, and often renders the meaning of nouns undetermined: thus, filius regis, may signify, either a son of a king, or a king's son; or the son of the king, or the king's son.

The placed before certain common names, marks either a whole kind, or some individual of that kind, with which we are acquainted; as, the lion, the ox, &c.

A can only be joined to substantive nouns in the singular number: the may also be joined to plurals. A is likewise used before adjectives which express number, when many are considered as one whole; as, a thousand men, a few, a great many men.

The is likewise applied to adjectives and adverbs in the comparative or superlative degree, to mark their sense more strongly; as, "the wiser;" ;" "the better;" "the more I think of it, the better I like it."

NOUN.

A noun is either substantive or adjective.

The adjective seems to be improperly called noun: it is only a word added to a sub stantive or noun. expressive of its quality; and therefore should be considered as a different part of speech. But as the substantive and adjective together express but one object, and in Latin are declined after the same manner, they have both been compre bended under the same general name.

SUBSTANTIVE.

A Substantive, or Noun, is the name of any person, place, or thing; as, boy, school, book. Substantives are of two sorts; proper and common names. Proper names are the names appropriated to individuals; as the names of persons and places; such are Caesar, Rome. Common names stand for whole kinds, containing several sorts; or for sorts, containing many individuals under them; as, animal, man, beast, fish, fowl, &c.

Every particular being should have its own proper name; but this is impossible, on account of their innumerable multitude; men have therefore been obliged to give the same common name to such things as agree together in certain respects. These form what is called a genus, or kind; a species, or sort.

A proper name may be used for a common, and then in English it has the article joined to it; as, when we say of some great conqueror, "He is an Alexander ;" or, "The Alexander of his age."

To proper and common names may be added a third class of nouns, which mark the names of qualities, and are called abstract nouns ; as, hardness, goodness, whiteness, virtue, justice, piety, &c.

When we speak of things, we consider them as one or more. - This is what we call Number. When one thing is