Language is the means which people use to express their thoughts; it is both oral and written.

Oral language is a combination of sounds used to express thought.

The sounds used to express thought are grouped in spoken words. A spoken word may be a single sound or a group of sounds.

The sounds of oral language are represented by letters to form written language. Words of oral language have their equivalent words in written language.

Single words, whether oral or written, express ideas. Words must be properly grouped to express thought.

Written language is composed of written words, so combined as to express thought.

The sole purpose of language is to express thought. English Grammar helps to make known the correct forms of our language.

II. THE SENTENCE.

Good children obey their parents, expresses a thought about children. A thought expressed by means of words, either orally or in writing, is a sentence.

Notice how the thoughts are expressed in the following

sentences:

1. The book is on the table.

2. Have you read the book? 3. Bring me the book.

4. Give us this day our daily bread.

5. How grand the music was!

A sentence is an expression of a thought by means of words.

The first sentence asserts or declares something about the book, and is a declarative sentence.

A declarative sentence is a sentence that asserts or declares something.

The second sentence asks a question about the book and is an interrogative sentence.

An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question.

The third sentence expresses a command; the fourth, a request or an entreaty. These are called imperative

sentences.

An imperative sentence is a sentence that expresses a command, a request or an entreaty.

The fifth sentence expresses a strong feeling of pleasure, and is called an exclamatory sentence.

An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses some strong feeling or emotion.

Tell which of the following sentences are declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory:

1. The boys played in the street.

2. Have you seen your mother to-day?

3. Study your lessons carefully.

4. How wonderfully we are made!

5. How did you enjoy your visit to Boston?

6. Be good, sweet child, and let who will be clever.

7. Milton was the author of "Paradise Lost."

8. Little children should always be polite to the aged.

9. The top of the mountain was outlined against the sky. 10. How sleep the brave that sink to rest

By all their country's wishes blest!

11. The sunlight tinges the tops of the distant hills with gold.

12. The gray mist, rising from the sea, hides the ships from our view.

13. Keep good company or none.

14. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Find in your reader three declarative sentences, three interrogative sentences, three imperative sentences, and three exclamatory sentences.

Write three sentences of each kind.

Good children obey their parents.

In this sentence the words naming the things about which we think are good children; so we call good children the subject of the sentence.

Are the horses here?

In this sentence the words naming the things about which we think are the horses; so we call the horses the subject of the sentence.

Study your lessons.

In this sentence, the word naming the person or persons who are to do the studying does not appear. We must think of a proper word for a subject to place before the word study. We must understand what word would make sense, if we decided to write the subject.

You study your lessons would make good sense, so we say that the subject is you understood.

When the subject of a sentence is not expressed, we say it is understood.

The subject of an imperative sentence is usually omitted. The subject of a sentence is the word or words that name the thing about which something is asserted.

In the sentence, Good children obey their parents, the words obey their parents express what we think about good children, so we call obey their parents the predicate of the sentence.

The predicate of a sentence is the word or words that express what is asserted about the thing named by the subject.

The two essential parts of a sentence are the subject and the predicate.

A subject combined with its predicate is called a

statement.

Point out the subject and the predicate in each of the following sentences:

1. The nightingale sings sweetly.

2. Men are but children of a larger growth.

3. The morning air was filled with the music of the birds.

4. Will you join me at twelve o'clock? 5. Call at my house on your way home.

6. The camel is called the ship of the desert. 7. Learn to labor and to wait.

8. How blue the sky looks!

9. The seeds of the pine tree are hidden in the pine cone. 10. The greatest and sublimest power is often simple patience. 11. Deep in the wave is a coral grove.

12. The springing grass and the swelling buds give promise of warmer weather.

Study the following words. Think of the object or quality for which each word stands: Boy, man, girl, woman, father, mother, dog, cat, hen, duck, goose, robin, swallow, horse, colt, cow, calf, tree, bush, grass, flower, stone, iron, lead, gold, silver, love, patience, truth.

These words are the names of things or of qualities about which we can think. Such words are called nouns. A noun is a word used as a name.

A noun is a part of speech.

Point out the nouns in each of the following sentences :

1. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

2. The love of money is the root of all evil.

3. Gold and silver are precious metals.

4. Tall oaks from little acorns grow.

5. Daniel Webster was distinguished as an orator.

TO THE TEACHER. - Illustrations for further drill may be found on page 208 and the pages following.