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

SYLLABLES.

A syllable is the sound of one letter, or of several letters, pronounced by one impulse of the yoice; 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, low-ing, lov-eth, will-ing, &c.

A short

Observe, A long syllable is thus marked []; as, amāre ; or with a circumflex accent thus, [^]; as, amâris. 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 substantive or noun. expressive of its quality; and therefore should be considered as a dif ferent 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 hended 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 Cæsar, 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."

Το 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 This is what we call Number. When one thing is

more..

spoken of, a noun is said to be of the singular number; when two or more, of the plural.

Things considered according to their kinds, are either male or female, or neither of the two. Males are said to be of the masculine gender; females of the feminine; and all other things of the neuter gender.

Such nouns as are applied to signify either the male or the female, are said to be of the common gender; that is, either masculine or feminine.

Various methods are used, in different languages, to express the different connexions or relations of one thing to another. In the English, and in most modern languages, this is done by prepositions, or particles placed before the substantive; in Latin, by declension, or by different cases; that is, by changing the termination of the noun; as, rex, a king, or the king; regis, of a king, or of the king.

ENGLISH NOUNS.

In English, nouns have only one case, namely, the genitive, or possessive case, which is formed from the noun, by adding an s, with an apostrophe, or mark to separate it; as, John's book, the same with the book of John. It was formerly written Johnis book.

Some have thought the 's a contraction for his; but improperly; because, instead of the woman's book, we cannot say, the woman his book. Others have imagined, and with more justness, that by the addition of the 's the substantive is changed into a possessive adjective.

When the noun ends in s, the sign of the possessive case is sometimes not added; as for righteousness sake; and never to the plural number ending ins; as on eagles wings. Perhaps it would be better in the plural when it ends in s, always to use the particle and not the possessive form; as, on the wings of eagles. Both the sign and the preposition seem sometimes to be used; as. a soldier of the king's: but here are two possessives; for it means, one of the soldiers of the king.

A singular noun, in English, is made plural by adding to it s, or, for the sake of sound, es; as, king, kings; church, churches; brush, brushes; witness, witnesses; fox, foxes; leaf, leaves; in which last and in many others, f is also turned into v, to make the pronunciation easier.

Several plurals are formed by adding en; as ox, oxen. Of these some are contracted, or interpose a letter on account of sound; as, brethren, children, kine, swine, women, men, &c. for brotheren, sowen, &c. Instead of kine we now commonly say cows; and we seldom use brethren, but in solemn discourse.

Nouns in y change y into ie; as, cherry, cherries; city, cities. Cherry's, city's, &c. are in the possessive case.

Some nouns form the plural more irregularly; as mouse, ice; louse, lice; tooth, teeth; foot, feet; goose, geese, &C. The words sheep, deer, are the same in both numbers.

Some nouns, from the nature of the things which they express, are used only in the singular, or in the plural form; as, wheat, pitch, gold, sloth, pride, &c. and bellows, scissors, lungs, bowels, &c.

Several nouns in English are changed in their termination, to express gender; as, prince, princess; actor, actress; lion, lioness; hero, heroine; duke, duchess.

The English language has a peculiar advantage over most other languages, in making all words whatever, except the names of males and females, to be of the neuter gender: unless when inanimate beings are personified, or considered as persons; as, when we say of the sun, he shines; or of the moon, she shines.

LATIN NOUNS.

A Latin noun is declined by Genders, Cases, and Numbers.

There are three genders, Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter.

The cases are six, Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Vocative, and Ablative.

There are two numbers, Singular and Plural. There are five different ways of varying or declining nouns, called the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth declensions.

Cases are certain changes made upon the termination of nouns, to express the relation of one thing to another.

They are so called, from cădo, to fall; because they fall, as it were, from the nominative; which is therefore named cāsus rectus, the straight case; and the other cases, casus obliqui, the oblique cases.

The different declensions may be distinguished from one another by the termination of the genitive singular. The first declension has a diphthong; the second has i; the third has is; the fourth has ûs; and the fifth has ei in the genitive.

Although Latin nouns be said to have six cases, yet none of them have that number of different terminations, both in the singular and plural.

GENERAL RULES of Declension..

1. Nouns of the neuter gender have the Accusative and Vocative like the Nominative, in