FIRST LESSONS IN COMPOSITION. LESSON I. LETTERS, VOWELS, CONSONANTS, SYLLABLES. WHAT is a letter? A letter is a character used to represent a sound of the human voice. How many letters are there in the English language? Repeat them. A, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, O, P, Q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. What are the letters, when taken together in their regular order, as above, called ? The Alphabet. How many of these letters can be sounded alone? Five. Which are they? A, e, i, o, u. What do we call these? VOWELS. What is a vowel ? A vowel is a letter that represents a complete sound. Try to sound b. Can it be sounded alone ?* No; not unless a vowel is joined to it. What are such letters as cannot be sounded alone, called? CONSONANTS. What is a consonant? A consonant is a letter that does not represent a complete sound. Are there any letters which are sometimes vowels, and at other times consonants? Yes; w and y. In the word kindly, how many distinct sounds are there? What are these parts forming distinct sounds called? What is a syllable? A syllable is one or more letters combined so as to form a distinct sound. Divide the word ramrod into syllables. Ram-rod. Divide the word minister into syllables. Min-is-ter. Divide the word sister into syllables; Henry; sickness; manful; manfully; elephant; wilderness; contemplate; circumstance; commiserate; Constantinople. You have said that w and y are sometimes vowels, and at other times consonants; when are they consonants? When they begin a syllable. When are w and y vowels? When they do not begin a syllable. Is w a vowel or a consonant in wine? in wife? in new? in westerly? in Yorktown? in bow? in world? in William? in water-work? in saw? in wave? Is y a vowel or a consonant in youth? in Mary? in boy? in yesterday? in New-York? in yawn? in syllable? How many and which of the letters are always vowels? *The teacher will do well to make the pupil thoroughly understand the difference between the name of a letter and its sound, and to illustrate the point by several examples. Five; a, e, i, o, u. How many and which of the letters are vowels, when they do not stand at the commencement of a word or syllable ? Two; w and y. How many and which are always consonants? Nineteen; b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z. LESSON II. WORDS.-PARTS OF SPEECH.-ARTICLES. WHAT do you use when you want to speak your thoughts? WORDS. What is a word? A word is what is spoken or written as the sign of an idea; as, book. How are words divided? Into different classes, called PARTS OF SPEECH. How many parts of speech are there, and what are they called? Nine: viz., Article, Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Conjunction, Preposition, and Interjection. What is the first part of speech? The ARTICLE. What is an Article ? An Article is a word placed before another word, to show whether it is used in a particular, or in a general,sense. How many articles are there? Two; The, and An or A. When we say the man, what do we mean? Some particular man. When we say a man, do we refer to a particular man? What is the called, and why? THE is called the definite article, because it defines or points out a particular object. What is an or a called, and why? AN or A is called the indefinite article, because it does not define or point out any particular object. Are A and AN the same article? Yes; they are different forms of the same article. Where is a used? A is used before a word commencing with a consonant, or a consonant sound; as, a goat, a bench, a unit. What vowels, standing at the commencement of a word, have a consonant sound? U long (as in unit), and eu, when they stand at the commencement of a word, are pronounced as if the consonant y stood before them; thus, unit, use, eulogy, Europe. Do you use a or an, then, before words commencing with u long and eu? A; because such words commence with a consonant sound; as, a unit, a eulogy. Where is an used? Before words commencing with a vowel, or with an h that is not sounded; as, an enemy, an inkstand, an hour, an heir. Mention again before what words a is used. Before what words is an used? EXERCISE.* The pupil must in no case attempt to write the Exercise until he is fully prepared to answer the questions that precede it. * It is intended that all parts of this work headed EXERCISE should be written at home, and brought to the teacher for cor Insert the indefinite article before each of the following nouns, being careful to follow the directions given above for the use of a and an :— What is your name? What is the name of the state in which you live? What word means the same as name? Noun. What, then, may your name and that of your state be called? rection. It will be well for him to underline such words as are misspelled, or improperly used, and require the pupil to correct them himself. |