ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Proper names or substantives, are the names appropriated to individuals; as, George, London, Thames.

Common names or substantives, stand for kinds containing many sorts, or for sorts containing many individuals under them; as, animal, man, tree, &c.

To substantives belong gender, number, and case; and they are all of the third person, when spoken of, and of the second, when spoken to ; as, 66 Blessings attend us grateful, children of men !" that is, "ye children on every side: Be of men."

GENDER.

Gender is the distinction of nouns, with regard to sex. There are three genders, the Masculine, the Feminine, and the Neuter.

The masculine gender denotes animals of the male kind; as, a man, a horse, a bull.

The feminine gender signifies animals of the female kind; as, a woman, a duck, a hen.

The neuter gender denotes objects which are neither males nor females; as, a field, a house, a garden.

Some substantives naturally neuter, are, by a figure of speech, converted into the masculine

feminine vender: as when we say of the sun

3. By a noun, pronoun, or adjective, being prefixed to the substantive; as,

one or more.

Substantives are of two numbers, the singular and the plural.

The singular number expresses but one object; as, a chair, a table.

The plural number signifies more objects than one; as, chairs, tables.

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

19.

face, faces; thought, thoughts. But when the substantive singular ends in x, ch, sh, or ss, we add es in the plural; as, box, boxes; church, churches; lash, lashes; kiss, kisses.

Nouns ending in ƒ or fe, are generally rendered plural by the change of those terminations into ves; as, loaf, loaves; wife, wives. Those which end in ff, have the regular plural; as, ruff, ruffs.

Such as have y in the singular, with no other vowel in the same syllable, change it into ies in the plural; as, beauty, beauties; fly, flies; but the y is not changed, when there is another vowel in the syllable; as, key, keys; delay, delays.

CASE.

In English, substantives have three cases, the Nominative, the Possessive, and the Objective.* The nominative case simply expresses the name of a thing, or the subject of the verb; as, boy plays;""The girls learn."

"The

The possessive case expresses the relation of property or possession; and has an apostrophe, with the letter s coming after it; as, "The scholar's duty;""My father's house."

When the plural ends in s, the other s is omitted, but the apostrophe is retained; as, eagles' wings";""The drapers' company." "On Sometimes also, when the singular terminates

*On the noriatz

ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

in s, the apostrophic s is not added; as, "For
goodness' sake;" "For righteousness' sake."
The objective case expresses the object of an
action, or of a relation; and generally follows a
verb active, or a preposition; as,
Charles ;""They live in London.”
"John assists

English substantives are declined in the follow

*ing manner :

ADJECTIVES. *

An Adjective is a word added to a substantive to express its quality; as, " An industrious man ;” "A virtuous woman;" "A benevolent mind.”

In English the adjective is not varied on account of gender, number, or case. Thus we say, "A careless boy; careless girls."

The only variation which it admits, is that of the degrees of comparison.

There are commonly reckoned three degrees of comparison; the positive, comparative, and