Having made the classification of words clear and comprehensible,
you
next proceed to the second grand class of words, the verbs, and their
adjuncts, the adverbs. With these you will proceed as with the
former; let action be distinguished by words;--the children walk,
play, read, eat, run; master laughs, frowns, speaks, sings; and
so on; letting the children find their own examples; then comes the
demand from the master for words expressing the manner of action.
How do the children walk?--slowly, quickly, orderly. How do they read,
eat run! How does the master laugh, speak, sing? The children now
find you ADVERBS, and it will be quite time enough to give them terms
for the classification they thus intuitively make, when they have a
clear idea of what they are doing. When this end is attained, your
children have some ideas of grammar, and those clear ones. There is
no
occasion to stop here. Proceed, but slowly, and in the same method.
The tenses of the verbs, and the subdivision into active, passive, and
neuter, will require the greatest care and attention which the
teacher can use, to simplify them sufficiently for the children's
comprehension; as it will likewise enable them to understand the
nature and office of the other classes of words. As, however, it is
not my intention to write a grammar here, but merely to throw out a
few hints on the subject, I shall leave the further development of
the plan to the ingenuity of those who may think fit to adopt its
principles, as above laid down.
English Grammar doth us teach,
That it hath nine parts of speech;--
Article, adjective, and noun,
Verb, conjunction, and pronoun,
With preposition, and adverb,
And interjection, as I've heard.
The letters are just twenty-six,
These form all words when rightly mix'd.
The vowels are a, e, o, i,
With u, and sometimes w and y.
Without the little vowels' aid,
No word or syllable is made;
But consonants the rest we call,
And so of these we've mention'd all.
Three little words we often see,
Are articles,--a, an, and the.
A noun's the name of any thing--
As school, or garden, hoop, or swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of noun--
As great, small, pretty, white, or brown.
Instead of nouns the pronouns stand,
John's head, his face, my arm, your hand.
Verbs tell of something being done--
To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run.
How things are done the adverbs tell--
As slowly, quickly, ill, or well.
Conjunctions join the nouns together--
As men and children, wind or weather.
A preposition stands before
A noun, as in or through a door.
The interjection shows surprise--
As, oh! how pretty, ah! how wise.
The whole are called nine parts of speech,
Which, reading, writing, speaking teach.
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