"Few" (A. S. fea) is used with a plural noun, and yet admits before it the indefinite article. When so used it means " some, though not many." Few, without the article, implies "but few, if any." Pronouns are divided into personal, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, possessive, reflective, reciprocal, indefinite and distributive. What is the interrogative form used when the antecedent that is omitted, "what" that which. It has the force of a relative pronoun. These words are a more emphatic mode of expressing the reflective idea: i. e., the agent acting upon himself. The forms originally used were me, them, you, her, and are sometimes used by modern writers: "He sat him down at a pillar's base."-Byron. Self (A. S. self, sylf; O. E. sylf, sulf, selve, sull, seln, sell). This word in A. S. is an adjective, like the Latin ipso, and agrees in gender and number with the pronoun it emphasises: me sylfne, acc. (myself); me sylf-um, dat. (myself); `us sylf-e, acc. and dat. (ourselves). These emphatic forms were sometimes considered as compounds and employed without altering the pronoun to strengthen the nominative: Ic me-sylf, "I myself;" thu the-sylf," thou thyself;" sometimes self was used as a noun: "Swear by thy gracious self" (Shakspere); and sometimes an adjective: "In the sulf yere" (Rob. Glouc.). A true reflective pronoun is wanting in English. In other words there are no equivalents to the Latin pronominal forms se, sibi. 5. Explain the use The gerund (speaking) is a form of the infinitive, and may be distinguished from the imperfect participle by the fact that the gerund is a noun, and may therefore be either the subject or object of a verb; while the participle, being an adjective, must refer to some noun expressed or understood. In the sentence "skating is exhilarating," the word skating is a noun and the subject of the verb; exhilarating is an adjective qualifying this verbal noun. In the phrase "eating is living;" both are gerunds, the word living being in apposition to the word eating. The gerund to speak) is sometimes confounded with the indefinite infinitive. In the sentence "he liked to preach," to preach is a verbal noun, the object of the verb liked. In the sentence "He came to preach," to preach is a verbal noun in the dative case-he came for preaching. The first is usually called the infinitive, the second the gerund. The use of the gerund is to express the purpose. In the expressions "The palace was building," "I lay thinking," they were formerly written "The palace was in building," "I lay a thinking," which is simply the preposition in, or its older forms on and an, afterwards shortened into a, employed with the gerund in ing: H 7. What is the in the following phrase: "The more you learn the wiser you will become. 8. Write down a brief summary of the rules of English syntax. This form is the ablative of the demonstrative and is frequently used with a comparative. The greater the mind the greater the doings. I. A verb must agree with its nominative in number and person: as, I speak; he talks. II. When the infinitive mood or a part of a sentence is the nominative the verb is used in the third person singular: as, To see the sun is pleasant. III. The subject of a verb must be in the nominative case: as, He and she went away yesterday. IV. Every part of a verb, except the infinitive mood and the participle, has a nominative expressed or understood; as, Speak now or never, that is, you speak. V. A noun or pronoun joined to a participle, without being connected with any other word in the sentence, is called the nominative absolute; as, The terms being favourable we agreed to them. This is also called the dative absolute. VI. Two or more nominatives in the singular number, connected by and, require a verb and pronoun in the plural: as, Cato and Cicero were learned men, and they loved their country. VII. When two nouns in the singular number are connected by with or by such words and phrases as like, as well as, &c., the verb is in the singular: as, McMahon as well as Vinoy deserves praise. VIII. Two or more nominatives in the singular number, connected by or or nor, require a verb and pronoun in the singular: as, Napoleon or the Prince Imperial intends to accompany them. IX. Two or more nominatives in the same number, but of different persons, joined by or or nor, require the verb to agree with the last: as Either he or I am to blame. X. When the nominatives are in different numbers and connected by or or nor, the verb and pronoun are used in the plural: as, Neither the prince nor his courtiers have arrived; they were expected this morning. XI. The relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender, number and person: as, The man who speaks the truth shall be honoured. 10. Correct or justify the following phrases, and give your reasons:(1)Heneither likes riding nor driving. (2) Man never is, but always to be blest. (3) Who is there? Me. (4) I am not the first that have been swindled. (5) Whom do you suppose brought me the news? (6) Hoping that I shall see you, believe me, yours truly, &c. (7) Passing strange. 11. When did the possessive form its come into use. me. XII. Prepositions govern the objective case: as, He came to XIII. Adverbs are usually placed before adjectives, after verbs and between the auxiliary and the verbs: as, A remarkably strong man; he acted prudently in the affair, &c. The above are the principal rules of syntax, but there are of course many others. (1) Should be "He likes neither riding nor driving ;" because "he neither likes" implies another verb. (2) "Man never is but always is to be blest;" because man is always to be blest. (3) "Who is there? I." Modern grammarians say I, but "me" is correct, as it was the old form of the nominative. (4) "I am not the first that has been swindled;" because the verb agrees with the relative "that" whose antecedent is "first." "First," meaning "first person," is third person singular. (5) "Who do you suppose brought me this news?" it might be written-"Who brought me this news do you suppose?" "News" is singular, who is the subject of the verb brought. (6) "Hoping to see you soon." Hoping of itself implies futurity, and therefore "that I shall" is unnecessary. It would also be better to say, "I am, yours truly," &c. (7) "Passing strange." This is correct; for an adjective is sometimes used, especially in poetry, instead of an adverb. In the time of Dryden and Milton; that is to say, during the early part of the seventeenth century. III. English History. Britain was divided into five provinces : I. BRITANNIA PRIMA, governed by a Præses, the country south of the Thames and Bristol Channel. II. BRITANNIA SECUNDA, governed by a Præses, the country between the Severn and the Dee: Wales, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, and parts of Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. III. FLAVIA CÆSARIENSIS, governed by a Præses, the country north of the Thames, east of the Severn, south of the Mersey and the Humber. IV. MAXIMA CÆSARIENSIS, governed by a Consularis, north of the Mersey and the Humber to the wall of Severus. V. VALENTIA, governed by a Consularis, the country between the walls of Severus and the ramparts of Antoninus, the south part of Scotland, Northumberland and part of Cumberland. Also the name VESPASIANA was given to the district subdued by Agricola between the rampart and a line drawn from the Moray Frith to the mouth of the Clyde. First settlement of invaders from Germany, 450 A.D. According to the Saxon chroniclers, Hengist and Horsa, two Jutish leaders and descendants of Woden, landed with the crews of three ships at Ypwines-fleet (Ebbes Fleet), in Kent, in the year 450, in compliance with a request made by Vortigern to the Athelings or chiefs of the Saxons for aid against the Picts and Scots, who had already advanced into Lincolnshire. After an easy triumph the victorious Jutes invited more of their countrymen, and a fleet of sixteen sail immediately brought over a large body of warriors, to whom and to the former band, as a reward for their past services, the Britons assigned settlements in Kent. It is said that the blue-eyed Rowena, daughter of Hengist, was on one of the ships, and that Vortigern, being struck with her beauty, married her. Several battles were subsequently fought, and in one of them (Ageles-ford) Horsa was slain. Two years after another great battle was fought between the Saxons and Britons at Creccanford (Crayford) in Kent, when the Saxons, led by Hengist and his son Eric, surnamed Esc, gained a great victory. The Britons were completely driven out of Kent, and Hengist and his son assumed the kingly power,-hence the kingdom of KENT was founded (457 A.D.). Second settlement of invaders from Germany, 477 A.D. Ella and his three sons, Cymen, Wlencing and Cissa, landed with a body of Saxons from three ships at the place afterwards called Cymen's-ora, upon the eastern side of Chichester harbour, in Sussex; but the Britons were not expelled till defeated in many battles by warlike invaders. After the capture of the old Roman town of Anderida or Andredes-ceaster (Pevensey) in 490 A.D., when the Britons were entirely defeated, Ella assumed the title of King of SOUTH-SEXE or SUSSEX. Third settlement of invaders from Germany, 495 A.D. These invaders, under the command of Cerdic and his son Cynric, landed at a place called Cerdic's-ora, which was probably at the mouth of the Itchin river along the eastern side of the Southampton Water. At first they met with little success; but six years later, being reinforced by Porta, they defeated the Britons. In 514 Cerdic was again reinforced by the arrival of his nephews Stuf and Wihtgar: many districts were conquered, and among them the Isle of Wight, which Cerdic bestowed on his nephews. 3. How was Christianity introduced into this island? After defeating the Britons at Cerdices-ford (or Charford, in Hampshire), Cerdic assumed the royal title and erected the kingdom of WEST-SEX or WESSEX, 519 A.D. Fourth settlement of invaders from Germany, 527 A.D. These invaders founded the kingdom of the EAST-SEXE or ESSEX (527 A.D.), including Middle-Sexe or Middlesex. Erkenwine was the first King of Essex; but his son Sleda, who married a daughter of Ethelbert of Kent, appears as a subject of his father-in-law; and Essex, though styled a kingdom, seems always to have been subject to the neighbouring kings. Fifth settlement of invaders from Germany. These invaders were Angles. Towards the middle or end of the 6th century, for the exact date is not known, some Angles, apparently divided into two tribes, the North-Folk and the South-Folk, founded the kingdom of EAST ANGLIA, comprising the modern counties of Norfolk and Suffolk and parts of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. The sixth settlement of invaders from Germany, 547 A. D. The country to the north of the Humber had been early separated into two British states, namely, Deifyr (Deora-rice), extending from the Humber to the Tyne, and Berneich (Beorna-rice), lying between the Tyne and Forth. These names, afterwards Latinised into Deira and Bernicia, were retained till a late period. It was not till the arrival of Ida, who landed at Flamborough Head 547 A.D. with a powerful body of Anglian warriors, that the Angles obtained supremacy in the north of the island. Ida became king of BERNICIA and transmitted his power to his son, and a separate Anglian kingdom was founded in DEIRA by Ella. They were afterwards united under the title of NORTHUMThe country to the west of East Anglia and Deira was known by the name of the March, or boundary, and was conquered by Anglian chiefs. It was erected into an independent state by Penda about 626, under the name of March or MERCIA, which was subsequently extended to the Severn, and comprised the whole of the centre of England. BRIA. These kingdoms formed what has been called the Heptarchy, or seven Saxon kingdoms, namely, Kent, Sussex, Wessex, Essex, East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia. There are several accounts as to the introduction of Christianity into Britain: that it was introduced by those who scattered abroad at the persecution of Stephen-that Caractacus was accompanied to Rome by Brennus, his father, who, being converted to Christianity, returned and planted it in this island-that when Claudius commanded the Jews to depart from Rome (52), some of them brought the Gospel here-that it was introduced by the soldiers of the Roman legions. Ussher gives the honor to Peter, Eusebius and Theodoret to Paul. In favor of Paul we have, in Rom. xv. 24, 28, an expressed intimation of taking a journey to Spain; and Clemens Romanus states that he actually travelled to the utmost bounds of the West. The weight of opinion is in favor of the Roman legions. Christianity was again introduced into this island, now under Saxon rule, by the arrival of St. Augustine and forty monks, 597 A.D. The marriage of Ethelbert, King of Kent, with Bertha, daughter of Charibert, King of Paris, had prepared the country for its reception. She was allowed the free exercise of her religion, and her chaplain, a French Bishop, had openly performed the ceremonies of the Church. Gregory I. came to the papacy in 590, and soon put in force the determination which he had previously formed. He had been struck with the personal beauty |