Children. Weak and helpless infant, cry! Mother. Turn it into an address, joined to a question, in the plural number.

Children. Weak and helpless infants, do you

cry?

Mother. Say it affirmatively, comprising more than one infant.

Children. The weak and helpless infants cry, &c.

Sentences in which the chief word, or subject, is coupled with nouns in the genitive case.

Mother. What is this?

Children. A hand.

Mother. And this?

Children. A hand too.

Mother. To whom does that hand belong? and to whom does this hand belong?

Children. That hand belongs to a boy, and

this to a girl.

Mother. The hand of the boy is bleeding.
Children repeat.

Mother. What do I speak of?

Of a boy?

Do I say the boy is bleeding?

Do I speak of any hand?

Of which then?

Just so, of the hand which belongs to the boy.

Instead of saying, the hand that belongs to the boy, how could you express this shorter?

Children. The hand of the boy.

Mother. The hand of the boy is bleeding. The boy's hand is bleeding.

Is there any difference as to the meaning of this sentence?

Children. No; both sentences speak of the hand belonging to a boy.

Mother. Exactly so; the hand of the boy is bleeding, and the boy's hand is bleeding, express the same thing.

Change this into a question.

Children. Is the hand of the boy bleeding? Mother. Instead of this you could say, is the boy's hand bleeding?

Now we will pronounce our sentences in the plural number.

The boy's hands are bleeding.

Are the boy's hands bleeding, &c.

Similar sentences may be gone through, in

the same manner, by the children of the second, and be repeated by the little ones of the first class.

Sentences in which the subject is modified by adjectives, and nouns in the genitive case.

Mother. How would you call a hand that is bleeding?

Children. A bleeding hand.

Mother. The bleeding hand of the boy swells.

Children repeat.

Mother. Of what do I say something?

Of any hand?

Children. No, of the hand of a boy.

Mother. Of each hand of the boy?

Children. No, of his bleeding hand only. Mother. The bleeding hand of the boy swells.

Who can express this sentence in another

nanner, without altering the sense? Children. The boy's bleeding hand swells. Mother. Turn it into a question.

Children. Is the bleeding hand of the boy, or

is the boy's bleeding hand, swelling?

Now shall I express the same sentence in the plural number?

The bleeding hands of the boy are swelling, or the boy's bleeding hands are swelling, &c.

Mother. What do you call a boy who dislikes working?

Children. Idle.

Mother. What if he is of low stature?

Children. Little.

Mother. Add both these qualities to the

word boy, and pronounce them.

Children. The idle little boy.

Mother. What would you call him, if he belonged to a farmer?

Children. The boy of the farmer.

Mother. Join this to our foregoing words. Children. The idle, little boy of the farmer. Mother. Of this boy I am going to say something.

Of whom?

The idle, little boy of the farmer sleeps.
Children repeat.

The mother now desires the children of the second division to change these sentences, and those of the first to repeat them.

Children. The farmer's idle little boy sleeps.

Does the farmer's idle little boy sleep?
Idle, little farmer's boy, sleep!

Idle, little farmer's boy, are you sleeping? The same sentences are then pronounced in the plural number.

These sentences may of course be varied and extended.

Sentences in which are introduced the degrees of words expressing a quality, or of adjectives.

Mother. What would you call this boy, when you compare him with his neighbour?

Children. Small.

Mother. And how this little boy, when you compare him with that boy?

Children. Still smaller.

Mother. And how this third boy, in com

parison with the two others?

Children. The smallest.

Mother. What are these children doing?

Children. They learn.

Mother. Then we can say,

The small boy learns.