English grammar, past and present; with appendices on prosody, synonyms, and other outlying subjects

488 Pages·1898·26.073 MB·English

by  Nesfield, John Collinson

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ENGLISH GEAMMAK
PAST AND PRESENT
7 ^
IN THREE PARTS
PART I.—MODERN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
II.—IDIOM AND CONSTRUCTION.
III.—HISTORICAL ENGLISH WORD-BUILDING
:
AND DERIVATION.
WITH APPENDICES ON PROSODY, SYNONYMS, AND OTHER
OUTLYING SUBJECTS.
BY
J. C. NESFIELD, M.A.
LATE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, NORTH-WESTERN
PROVINCES AND OUDH, INDIA
MACMILLAN & CO., Limited
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
:
1898

PREFACE
The plan that has been followed in preimring this book is to
carry the student's mind gradually forward from the more easy
to the less easy, from the better known to the less known or
the unknown.
Accordingly, Part I. deals with "Modern English Grammar,"
covering the more familiar ground of Accidence, Analysis,
Sjmtax, and Punctuation.
Part 11. discusses the idiomatic iLses of the different Parts of
Speech, explaining these, when necessary, by reference to idioms
that were in force in the earlier stages ofour language.
Part III. deals solelywith the subject of "Historical English
and Derivation." On account of the greater complexity of this
subject and the increasing importance ascribed to it, this Part
has been made to cover about as much sjpace as the other two
Parts combined.
The Appendices deal with certain outlying subjects, such as
Prosody, Figures of Rhetoric, Synonyms, etc., which do not
Ijelong to Grammar proper. Amongst them there is a valuable
Note on the "Names of Vocalic Sounds" by Professor Skeat,
which has been printed in this book with his permission.
The gi'aduated method here described was suggested to the
writer by an experience extending over many years, most of
which were spent in an eastern country, where English is
studied with extraordinary keenness, and every effort is made
to find out the best means of teaching it. In fact, the present
book Ls not an entirely new one, but an adajjtation of a manual
prepared by the same author a few years ago in India, while he
was still living there. In adapting this manual to English use,
he has adhered to the original method, because he believes that
for England no less than for India it is best to assume that the
average student does not know very much to start with, and
—
iv ENGLISH GRAMMAR, PAST AND PRESENT
that every student must be well versed in the principles of
Modern English, before he can be qualified to begin the much
more difficult task oftracing these to their sources.
The writer is glad to find that in following the plan thus
suggested by his own experience and judgment, he was un-
designedly acting up to the spirit of the directions given in
the London Matriculation Directory, which run as follows:
"The English Language papers may roughly be divided into
three parts: first, modern grammar, including, ofcourse, parsing
and analysis; second, historical grammar and jjliilology, in-
cludingthehistoryoftheapparentsolecismsof moderngrammar,
and especially of the traces offlexion that Modern English still
shows; third, subjects that come under neither of these heads,
such as the correct use and meaning of words and the dis-
crimination ofsynonyms, the metrical characteristics of English
verse, etc. . . . From the above survey of the scope of the
papers, it will be evident that the first essential of a sound and
complete preparation will be a thorough grounding in the
elements ofEnglish grammar."
The grounding here prescribed as "the first essential" to
the matriculation-course is precisely what the writer has
attempted to supply in Part I. of the present book. In fact,
his own method is so closely analagous to that laid down by
the 'University, that after reading through all the questions
set for the last eighteen years by th-e London Matriculation
examiners, he was able to distribute them under three different
headings, answering respectively to Part I. on "Modern English
Grammar," Part 11. on "Idiom and Construction,"and Part III.
on "Historical English and Derivation." Each set of questions
has been reprinted at the close of the Part to which it relates,
so that the student may be able to test his own knowledge as
he advances. The student who desires to avail himself of the
opportunity thus offered will find, as the writer believes, that
there is scarcely any question relating to these three branches
of English Grammar, which cannot be answered from informa-
tion furnished in the text ofthe book.
Three rather lengthychaptersha—vebeen given to the history
of Sounds, Spellings, and Accents, subjects about which A^ery
A
little is said in current text-books intended for School use.
fuller treatment of such subjects appeared to the writer to be
indispensable, if something like a complete outline of the
history of our language is to be placed before the student.
PREFACE V
It is hoped that this book may be of some use at Ladies'
Colleges and any other institutions where Historical as well as
Modern Englisli is made an object ofstudy.
The names of the authorities consulted by the writer in
dealing with Historical English can be seen from the references
given in the footnotes. But he may here state that Professor
Skeat is the authority from whom he has derived most help,
and this not merely from the study of his books, which (it is
needless to add) are in the vanguard of research, but still more
fromtheconversationsandcorrespondencethat hewasprivileged
to have with that gentleman, whenever he found it necessary to
refer to him on any doubtful or difficult point. The writer
cannot be too grateful for the help so ungrudgingly given. At
the same time it must be understood that, ifany mistakes occur
in the course of this book, no one but the author himself is
responsible. Whatever errors may be found, they are all his
own.
The writer must also tender his thanks to Eev. J. Sephton,
M.A., Cambridge, Reader in Icelandic at University College,
Liverpool, for havingread the proofsof Part III. and madesuch
suggestions as struck him in the course ofdoing so.
J. C. N.
Ealing, 1st October 1897.
CONTENTS
PART L—MODERN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
CHAP,
1. Analytical Outline: General Definitions
2. Nouns —
Sect,,ion 12..——TSuhbestki.itnudtse.soffoNr.oaunNso.un. ..
,, 3.—Gender
,, 4.—Case
,, 5. Number
3. Adjectives—
Section 1.—ThekindsofAdjectives
,, 2.—ThetwoUsesofAdjectives
,, 3.—Substitutes forAdjectives .
,, 4. ComparisonofAdjectives .
4. Pronouns —.
Section 1.—PersonalPronouns .
,, 2.—Demonstrative Pronouns .
,, 3.—Relativeor Conjunctive Pronouns
-,, 4. Interrogative Pronouns .
5. Verbs
Section 1.——ThekindsofVerbs .
,, 2.—Transitive Verbs
,, 3.—Intransitive Verbs
,, 4.—Auxiliaiy A^'erbs
,, 5.—Active and PassiveVoices.
,, 6.—Mood, Tense, Number, and Person
,, 7.—Indicative Mood
,, 8.—Imperative Mood
,, 9.—Subjunctive Moo.d ...
,, 10.—Infinitive Mood
,, 11.—Participles
,, 12.—GerundsandVerbal Nouns
,, 13.—The Conjugation ofVerbs .
,, 14. Auxiliary, Defective, and Anomalous Verbs
G. Adverbs —
Section 1.—The FunctionsofAdverbs.
,, 2.—ThekindsofAdverbs
,, 3.—Comparison ofAdverbs
,, 4.—VerbscompoundedwithAdverbs
,, 5. The two Uses ofAdverbs .
7. PREl'OSITIONS