THE ARTICLES.
Three little words we hear and see
In frequent use, a, an, and the;
These words so useful, though so small,
Are those which articles we call.
The first two, a and an, we use
When speaking of one thing alone;
For instance, we might wish to say
An oak, a man, a dog, a bone.
The speaks of either one or more,--
The cow, the cows, the pig, the pigs,
The plum, the plums (you like a score),
The pear, the pears, the fig, the figs.
An oak, a man; means any oak,
Or any man of all mankind;
A dog, a bone, means any dog,
Or any bone a dog may find.
This article we only use
Whenever it may be our wish
To speak of some determined thing,
As thus;--the bird, the ox, the fish.
By which we mean not any bird,
That flying in the air may be,
Or any ox amongst the herd,
Or any fish in stream or sea.
But some one certain bird or ox,
Or fish (let it be which it may)
Of which we're speaking, or of which
We something mean to write or say.
Remember these things when you see
The little words, a, an, and the.
These words so useful, though so small
Are those which articles we call.
Nothing can be more absurd than to compel young children to commit
to memory mere abstract rules expressed in difficult and technical
language. Such requires a painful effort of the mind, and one
calculated to give a disgust against learning. Grammar was formed on
language and not language by grammar, and from this it necessarily
follows, that children should acquire a considerable store of words
from a knowledge of reading and of things, before their minds are
taxed by abstract rules. To be thoroughly understood they require
words to be compared with words, and one word to be compared with
another; and how can this be done without the memory being amply
supplied with them previously. Such simple instruction as this chapter
directs may easily be given; but to attempt much more would be like
endeavouring to build an elegant and ornamental structure before you
had collected materials to build with.
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