children to omit the chief word or subject: they must always form and enunciate com'plete sentences. For the sake of brevity, the subject, and sometimes other parts of a sentence, are here omitted; but it is not intended that the mother or teacher should allow the children to speak in this abbreviated manner. In exercises of language, correctness, and subsequently, fluency of speech, are principal objects; which cannot be obtained, unless the children be accustomed to express themselves in perfect and complete sentences. Mother. The sister sings, sung, has, had sung, will sing. In what do these sentences differ? Children. The sister sings, is the present. The sister sung, has, had sung, the past; and The sister will sing, the future time. Children of the second class are led to form, and those of the first to repeat, the following sentences. Does, did the sister sing? Will the sister sing? Sister, sing! Sister, do you, did you sing? Have, had you sung? Will you sing? Here follows the plural number. Sentences, in which the verb is more fully illustrated by an explanatory word, or adverb. Mother. The boy sleeps quietly. Children repeat. Mother. Of whom do I say something? What do I say of the boy? Merely that he sleeps? To what word does the word quietly refer? Do I call the boy, or his sleeping, quiet? Children. You call his sleeping, quiet. Mother. Right. The boy, when awake, may be noisy and troublesome, and yet sleep quietly; and this is what our sentence intimates. Now change our sentence through various times. Children. The boy sleeps, slept. Has, had slept. Will sleep quietly. Mother. Now interrogatively. Children. Does, did the boy sleep quietly, &c. Mother. Can you turn this sentence into an address? Children. Yes; but in the present time only. Boy, sleep quietly! or, Sleep quietly, boy! Mother. Form both an address and question. Children. Boy! do, did you sleep quietly? Mother. Now in the plural number. Children. The boys sleep, slept. Have, had slept. Mother. Will sleep quietly. Now interrogatively. Then in an address, and Lastly, in an address with a question. Children. Do, did the boys sleep quietly? Boys, sleep quietly! Boys, do, did you sleep quietly? Have, had you slept quietly? Will you sleep quietly? Mother. The sister sings sweetly. Children repeat. Mother. Of whom do I say something? Do I call the sister, or her singing, sweet? D The mother now desires them to form sentences according to the four well-known forms. The cottager's sick little child cries violently. Children repeat. Mother. Of whom do I say something? Children. Of a child. Mother. What did I call the child, of whom I said something? Children. Sick and little. Mother. There are many sick and little children, and therefore the child of whom we speak has been more minutely described: by what words? Children. By the words: of the cottager; or, the cottager's. Mother. Now tell me of whom I said something? Children. Of the sick little child of a cot tager. Mother. What is said of him? Only that he cries? What else? Children of the second class form sentences, according to the well-known changes; and those of the first class recapitulate. Sentences in which the degrees of the adverb are introduced. Mother. The child writes well. Children repeat. Mother. Of whom do I say something? What do I say of the child? Only that he writes ? But if this boy writes in a superior manner to the child, how would you express that? Children. The boy writes better. Mother. And what would you say, if you see that this girl exceeds both the child and the boy in writing? Children. The girl writes best. Mother. You have already expressed the sentence in the affirmative, turn it now into the interrogative. Children. Does the child write well? Does the boy write better? Does the girl write best? Child, write well! Boy, write better! Girl, write best! |