Write a composition on "Squirrels," paying attention to the following points:

1. What kinds of squirrels.

2. Where they live.

3. How they live.

4. What they eat.

5. How caught or killed.

6. An anecdote, or an account of a squirrel-hunt.

c.

Write from memory any of the following stories:

1. Little Red Riding-hood.

2. Cinderella.

3. Robinson Crusoe and his goats.

d.

Write short compositions on any of the following subjects.

METALS AND MINERALS.

OUTLINE: Where found; how mined or quarried; qualities; uses.

OUTLINE: Where found; size; height; foliage; varieties; qualities; uses.

Write short descriptions of the process of making such of the following articles as are manufactured in or near the place where you reside:

SECTION III.

SUBDIVISION OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH.

XXXIII.-THE NOUN: Proper.

Select from the following examples all the nouns that are the names of particular persons, places, or things.

MODEL: "Walter visited New York, and saw the Central Park and the Hudson River."

"Walter" is the name of a particular person; "New York" is the name of a particular place; "Central Park" is the name of a particu lar object; "Hudson River" is the name of a particular river.

2. Mary gave

4. Watt and

Examples.-1. Thomas lent his knife to John. Emma a rose. 3. Socrates died like a philosopher. Fulton were inventors. 5. New Orleans is in Louisiana. 6. Texas is the largest state. 7. China is the most populous country in the world. 8. Jerusalem, my happy home! 9. Carlo is a good dog. 10. The Rhine is not so large a river as the Mississippi. 11. The Alps are the highest mountains in Europe. 12. We shall have a holiday on Thursday because it is the Fourth of July.

Explanation. The name of a particular person, place, or thing is an individual or special name. It does not belong to the person, place, or thing by nature, but is given to the person, place, or thing to distinguish that one from others of the same kind.

In grammar such names are called proper nouns.

DEFINITION.-A proper noun is a special or individual name. Capitals.-RULE: A proper noun should always begin with a capital letter.

NOTE.-A name made up of two or more words is to be taken as one proper noun: thus, New Orleans, Fourth of July, John Quincy Adams, Rocky Mountains, Peter the Great, Washington County, etc.

XXXIV. THE NOUN: Common.

Select from the following examples all the nouns which are the names of all objects of the same class or kind.

MODEL: "The cat is a domestic animal."

"Cat" is a name denoting every individual of the cat-kind; "animal" is a name applied to all living creatures.

Examples.-1. The bud shoots forth. 2. The oak is one of the largest trees in the forest. 3. Ships spread their sails. 4. Cows eat grass and give us milk. 5. Birds build nests. 6. The door of the schoolroom was open. 7. A lady stood before the window. 8. The clouds are drifting across the sky. 9. Who threw this stone over the wall? 10. The water in the old well is clear. 11. Great changes have taken place. 12. Sail on, proud ship!

Explanation.—Many names are not individual or special names, but names of every one of a class or kind. Thus boy is not a name denoting only a particular one: it belongs to all boys in common, and is a general name, or class name, which denotes every individual belonging to the boy-kind.

Such names are called common nouns.

DEFINITION. A common noun is a general or class name.

NOTE.-A collective noun is a noun denoting a collection of individuals considered as forming one whole or body: thus, army, fleet, jury, committee, etc.

XXXV.-THE NOUN: Abstract.

Select from the following examples all the nouns which are the names of qualities or actions.

MODEL: "Wisdom is to be sought for; Running is good exercise.”

"Wisdom" is the name of a quality; "running" is the name of an

action.

Examples.-1. The whiteness of this paper is remarkable. 2. Washington's goodness was known by all. 3. His firmness, sagacity, and prudence saved the country. 4. Writing is useful. 5. Her beauty made me glad. 6. Walking is healthful. 7. Always speak the truth. 8. We should observe moderation in all things. 9. Alas! for the rarity of Christian charity! 10. Bathing, diving, swimming, riding, dancing, singing, are names of actions.

Explanation. Some nouns are the names, not of things, but of qualities belonging to a number of things. These qualities we cannot perceive by the senses, but we can think of them and speak about them. Thus many things are sweet, and, thinking about this quality apart from the things themselves, we name it sweetness.

These names of qualities are called abstract nouns, because we consider the quality apart from the things themselves.

Names of actions are a kind of abstract noun.

DEFINITION. An abstract noun is the name of some quality or

action.

NOTE.-Most abstract nouns of quality are formed from adjectives:

XXXVI.-REVIEW OF NOUNS.

There are three subdivisions of nouns :

I. PROPER. II. COMMON. III. ABSTRACT.

I. A proper noun is a special or individual name.

II. A common noun is a general or class name.
III. An abstract noun is the name of some quality or action.

EXERCISE 27.

a.

In the following sentences tell the class to which each noun belongs.

MODEL: " Napoleon praised the bravery of his soldiers."

Napoleon....is a proper noun, because it is a special or individual name.

bravery..

.is an abstract noun, because it is the name of a quality. soldiers. ..is a common noun, because it is a class name.

1. Napoleon praised the bravery of his soldiers.

2. Our teacher commended the neatness of our writing.

3. Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean.

4. Amsterdam, like Stockholm and Venice, is built on wooden piles driven to a great depth into the ground.

. My pony is named Peggy.

3. The White Mountains are visited by many tourists.

4. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

8. Alas! poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.

9. A photograph is a picture made by the light of the sun.

10. Alexander had a horse named Bucephalus.

11. Many rivers west of the Rocky Mountains flow into the Pacific Ocean.

12. Greece, though a famous country, is only about one half the size of New York State.

13. Hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and gnus are found in Africa.