the first three Parts of this book. Difficulties connected with
Vocabulary are considered first. The student is introduced, almost at
once, to _Synonyms_. He is taught how to _define_ a word, with and
without the aid of its synonyms. He is shown how to _eliminate_ from a
word whatever is not essential to its meaning. The processes of
_Definition_ and _Elimination_ are carefully explained: a system or
scheme is laid down which he can exactly follow; and examples are
subjoined, worked out to illustrate the method which he is to pursue.
A system is also given by which the reader may enlarge his vocabulary,
and furnish himself easily and naturally with those general or
abstract terms which are often misunderstood and misused, and still
more often not understood and not used at all. Some information is
also given to help the reader to connect words with their roots, and
at the same time to caution him against supposing that, because he
knows the roots of a word, he necessarily knows the meaning of the
word itself. Exercises are interspersed throughout this Part which can
be worked out with, or without, an English Etymological
Dictionary,[44] as the nature of the case may require. The exercises
have not been selected at random; many of them have been subjected to
the practical test of experience, and have been used in class
teaching.
The Second Part deals with Diction. It attempts to illustrate with
some detail the distinction--often ignored by those who are beginning
to write English, and sometimes by others also--between the Diction of
Prose, and that of Poetry. It endeavors to dissipate that excessive
and vulgar dread of tautology which, together with a fondness for
misplaced pleasantry, gives rise to the vicious style described above.
It gives some practical rules for writing a long sentence clearly and
impressively; and it also examines the difference between slang,
conversation, and written prose. Both for translating from foreign
languages into English, and for writing original English composition,
these rules have been used in teaching, and, we venture to think, with
encouraging results.
A Chapter on Simile and Metaphor concludes the subject of Diction. We
have found, in the course of teaching, that a great deal of confusion
in speaking and writing, and still more in reading and attempting to
understand the works of our classical English authors, arises from the
inability to express the literal meaning conveyed in a Metaphor. The
application of the principle of Proportion to the explanation of
Metaphor has been found to dissipate much of this confusion. The
youngest pupils readily learn how to "expand a Metaphor into its
Simile;" and it is really astonishing to see how many difficulties
that perplex young heads, and sometimes old ones too, vanish at once
when the key of "expansion" is applied. More important still, perhaps,
is the exactness of thought introduced by this method. The pupil knows
that, if he cannot expand a metaphor, he does not understand it. All
teachers will admit that to force a pupil to see that he does not
understand any thing is a great stride of progress. It is difficult
to exaggerate the value of a process which makes it impossible for a
pupil to delude himself into the belief that he understands when he
does not understand.
Metre is the subject of the Third Part. The object of this Part (as
also, in a great measure, of the Chapter just mentioned belonging to
the Second Part) is to enable the pupil to read English Poetry with
intelligence, interest, and appreciation. To teach any one how to read
a verse so as to mark the metre on the one hand, without on the other
hand converting the metrical line into a monotonous doggerel, is not
so easy a task as might be supposed. Many of the rules stated in this
Part have been found of practical utility in teaching pupils to hit
the mean. Rules and illustrations have therefore been given, and the
different kinds of metre and varieties of the same metre have been
explained at considerable length.
This Chapter may seem to some to enter rather too much into detail. We
desire, however, to urge as an explanation, that in all probability
the study of English metre will rapidly assume more importance in
English schools. At present, very little is generally taught, and
perhaps known, about this subject. In a recent elaborate edition of
the works of Pope, the skill of that consummate master of the art of
epigrammatic versification is impugned because in one of his lines he
suffers _the_ to receive the metrical accent. When one of the
commonest customs (for it is in no sense a license) of English
poets--a custom sanctioned by Shakspeare, Dryden, Milton, Wordsworth,
Byron, Shelley, and Tennyson--can be censured as a fault, and this in
a leading edition of a leading poet of our literature, it must be
evident that much still remains to be done in teaching English Metre.
At present this Part may seem too detailed. Probably, some few years
hence, when a knowledge of English Metre has become more widely
diffused, it will seem not detailed enough.
The Fourth Part (like the Chapter on Metaphor) is concerned not more
with English than with other languages. It treats of the different
Styles of Composition, the appropriate subjects for each, and the
arrangement of the subject-matter. We hope that this may be of some
interest to the general reader, as well as of practical utility in the
higher classes of schools. It seems desirable that before pupils begin
to write essays, imaginary dialogues, speeches, and poems, they should
receive some instruction as to the difference of arrangement in a
poem, a speech, a conversation, and an essay.
An Appendix adds a few hints on some Errors in Reasoning. This
addition may interfere with the symmetry of the book; but if it is
found of use, the utility will be ample compensation. In reading
literature, pupils are continually meeting instances of false
reasoning, which, if passed over without comment, do harm, and, if
commented upon, require some little basis of knowledge in the pupil to
enable him to understand the explanation. Without entering into the
details of formal Logic, we have found it possible to give pupils some
few hints which have appeared to help them. The hints are so
elementary, and so few, that they cannot possibly delude the youngest
reader into imagining that they are any thing more than hints. They
may induce him hereafter to study the subject thoroughly in a complete
treatise, when he has leisure and opportunity; but, in any case, a boy
will leave school all the better prepared for the work of life,
whatever that work may be, if he knows the meaning of _induction_, and
has been cautioned against the error, _post hoc, ergo propter hoc_. No
lesson, so far as our experience in teaching goes, interests and
stimulates pupils more than this; and our experience of debating
societies, in the higher forms of schools, forces upon us the
conviction that such lessons are not more interesting than necessary.
Questions on the different paragraphs have been added at the end of
the book, for the purpose of enabling the student to test his
knowledge of the contents, and also to serve as home lessons to be
prepared by pupils in classes.[45]
A desire, expressed by some teachers of experience, that these lessons
should be published as soon as possible, has rather accelerated the
publication. Some misprints and other inaccuracies may possibly be
found in the following pages, in consequence of the short time Which
has been allowed us for correcting them. Our thanks are due to several
friends who have kindly assisted us in this task, and who have also
aided us with many valuable and practical suggestions. Among these we
desire to mention Mr. Joseph Payne, whose labors on Norman French are
well known; Mr. T.G. Philpotts, late Fellow of New College, Oxford,
and one of the Assistant Masters of Rugby School; Mr. Edwin Abbott,
Head Master of the Philological School; Mr. Howard Candler,
Mathematical Master of Uppingham School; and the Rev. R. H. Quick, one
of the Assistant Masters of Harrow School.
In conclusion, we repeat that we do not wish our book to be regarded
as an exhaustive treatise, or as adapted for the use of foreigners. It
is intended primarily for boys, but, in the present unsatisfactory
state of English education, we entertain a hope that it may possibly
be found not unfit for some who have passed the age of boyhood; and in
this hope we have ventured to give it the title of _English Lessons
for English People_.
FOOTNOTES:
[44] An Etymological Dictionary is necessary for pupils studying the
First Part. Chambers's or Ogilvie's will answer the purpose.
[45] Some of the passages quoted to illustrate style are intended to
be committed to memory and used as repetition-lessons.--See pp. 180,
181, 212, 237, 238, etc.
* * * * *
ON THE RIGHT USE OF BOOKS.
A LECTURE. By WILLIAM P. ATKINSON, Professor of English and History in
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 16mo. Cloth. Price 50
cents.
"Full of good sense, sound taste, and quiet humor.... It is the
easiest thing in the world to waste time over books, which are
merely tools of knowledge like any other tools.... It is the
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only to fill the memory with evanescent treasures, but to enrich
the imagination with forms of beauty and goodness which leave a
lasting impression on the character."--_N. Y. Tribune._
"Contains so many wise suggestions concerning methods in study
and so excellent a summary of the nature and principles of a
really liberal education that it well deserves publication for
the benefit of the reading public. Though it makes only a slight
volume, its quality in thought and style is so admirable that all
who are interested in the subject of good education will give to
it a prominent and honorable position among the many books upon
education which have recently been published. For it takes only a
brief reading to perceive that in this single lecture the results
of wide experience in teaching and of long study of the true
principles of education are generalized and presented in a few
pages, each one of which contains so much that it might be easily
expanded into an excellent chapter."--_The Library Table._
* * * * *
READING AS A FINE ART.
By ERNEST LEGOUVE, of the Academie Francaise. Translated from the
Ninth Edition by ABBY LANGDON ALGER. 16mo. Cloth. 50 cents.
(_Dedication._)
TO THE SCHOLARS OF THE HIGH AND NORMAL SCHOOL.
For you this sketch was written: permit me to dedicate it to you,
in fact, to intrust it to your care. Pupils to-day, to-morrow you
will be teachers; to-morrow, generation after generation of youth
will pass through your guardian hands. An idea received by you
must of necessity reach thousands of minds. Help me, then, to
spread abroad the work in which you have some share, and allow me
to add to the great pleasure of having numbered you among my
hearers the still greater happiness of calling you my assistants.
E. LEGOUVE.
We commend this valuable little book to the attention of teachers
and others interested in the instruction of the pupils of our
public schools. It treats of the "First Steps in Reading,"
"Learning to Read," "Should we read as we talk," "The Use and
Management of the Voice," "The Art of Breathing,"
"Pronunciation," "Stuttering," "Punctuation," "Readers and
Speakers," "Reading as a Means of Criticism," "On Reading
Poetry," &c., and makes a strong claim as to the value of reading
aloud, as being the most wholesome of gymnastics, for to
strengthen the voice is to strengthen the whole system and
develop vocal power.
* * * * *
HOW TO PARSE.
AN ATTEMPT TO APPLY THE PRINCIPLES OF SCHOLARSHIP TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
With Appendixes in Analysis, Spelling, and Punctuation. By EDWIN A.
ABBOTT, M.A., Head Master of the City of London School. 16mo. Cloth.
Price $1.00.
"We recommend this little book to the careful attention of
teachers and others interested in instruction. In the hands of an
able teacher, the book should help to relieve parsing from the
reproach of being the bane of the school-room. The Etymological
Glossary of Grammatical Terms will also supply a long-felt want."
_N.Y. Nation._
"'How to Parse' is likely to prove to teachers a valuable, and to
scholars an agreeable, substitute for most of the grammars in
common use."--_Boston Daily Advertiser._
"The Rev. E.A. Abbott, whose books, 'English Lessons for English
People,' and 'How to Write Clearly,' have been accepted as
standard text-books on both sides of the ocean, has added another
work to his list of sensible treatises on the use of English. It
is called 'How to Parse,' and is best described by the further
title, 'An Attempt to apply the Principles of Scholarship to
English Grammar, with Appendices on Analysis, Spelling, and
Punctuation.' The little book is so sensible and so simple that
the greater number of its readers will perhaps forget to observe
that it is profoundly philosophical also, but it is so in the
best sense of the term."--_N. Y. Evening Post._
"Of all subjects of study, it may be safely admitted that grammar
possesses as a rule the fewest attractions for the youthful mind.
To prepare a work capable of imparting a thorough knowledge of
this important part of education in an attractive and
entertaining form, to many may appear extremely difficult, if not
impossible; nevertheless, the task has been accomplished in a
highly successful manner by Edwin A. Abbott, Head Master of the
City of London School, in a neat little volume entitled 'How to
Parse.' The author has succeeded admirably in combining with the
exercises a vast amount of useful information, which impacts to
the principles and rules of the main subject a degree of interest
that renders the study as attractive as history or fiction. The
value of the book is greatly increased by an excellent glossary
of grammatical forms and a nicely arranged index. The work
deserves the attention and consideration of teachers and pupils,
and will doubtless prove a highly popular addition to the list of
school-books."--_N.Y. Graphic._
* * * * *
_Messrs. Roberts Brothers' Publications._
GOETHE'S
HERMANN AND DOROTHEA.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN
BY ELLEN FROTHINGHAM.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
_Thin 8vo, cloth, gilt, bevelled boards. Price $2.00._
_A cheaper edition, 16mo, cloth. Price $1.00._
"Miss Frothingham's translation is something to be glad of: it
lends itself kindly to perusal, and it presents Goethe's charming
poem in the metre of the original.... It is not a poem which
could be profitably used in an argument for the enlargement of
the sphere of woman: it teaches her subjection, indeed, from the
lips of a beautiful girl, which are always so fatally convincing;
but it has its charm, nevertheless, and will serve at least for
an agreeable picture of an age when the ideal woman was a
creature around which grew the beauty and comfort and security of
home."--_Atlantic Monthly._
"The poem itself is bewitching. Of the same metre as Longfellow's
'Evangeline,' its sweet and measured cadences carry the reader
onward with a real pleasure as he becomes more and more absorbed
in this descriptive wooing song. It is a sweet volume to read
aloud in a select circle of intelligent friends."--_Providence
Press._
"Miss Frothingham has done a good service, and done it well, in
translating this famous idyl, which has been justly called 'one
of the most faultless poems of modern times.' Nothing can surpass
the simplicity, tenderness, and grace of the original, and these
have been well preserved in Miss Frothingham's version. Her
success is worthy of the highest praise, and the mere English
reader can scarcely fail to read the poem with the same delight
with which it has always been read by those familiar with the
German. Its charming pictures of domestic life, the strength and
delicacy of its characterization, the purity of tone and ardent
love of country which breathe through it, must always make it one
of the most admired of Goethe's works."--_Boston Christian
Register._
_Sold everywhere. Mailed, postpaid, by the Publishers_,
ROBERTS BROTHERS, BOSTON
* * * * *
DR. ABBOTT'S WORKS.
HOW TO PARSE. An Attempt to Apply the Principles of Scholarship to
English Grammar. With Appendixes on Analysis, Spelling, and
Punctuation. 16mo. Cloth. Price, $1.00.
HOW TO TELL THE PARTS OF SPEECH. An Introduction to English Grammar.
American edition, revised and enlarged by Prof. JOHN G. R. McELROY, of
the University of Pennsylvania. 16mo. Cloth. Price, 75 cents.
HOW TO WRITE CLEARLY. Rules and Exercises in English Composition.
16mo. Cloth. Price, 60 cents.
ENGLISH LESSONS FOR ENGLISH PEOPLE. Jointly by Dr. ABBOTT and Prof.
J. R. SEELEY, M.A., of Cambridge University, Eng. 16mo. Cloth. Price,
$1.50.
ROBERTS BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
_Boston_.
* * * * *
[Transcriber's Notes:
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as
possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other
inconsistencies.
The transcriber made the following changes to the text to correct
obvious errors:
1. p. 90, "inpugned" --> "impugned"
2. p. 51, to qualify "enemy. --> to qualify "enemy."
Text set in bold print is indicated by asterisks, i.e., *Bold*.
It is common to have footnotes referenced multiple times in the text.
Advertisements for Dr. Abbott's other works published by Roberts
Brothers have been moved from the front of the book to the end.
End of Transcriber's Notes]