EASY LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR. LESSON I. Parts of Grammar. 1. English Grammar is the art of speaking and writing the English language correctly. 2. Grammar is divided into four parts, namely: Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody. 3. Orthography is the first part of grammar, and treats of Letters and Syllables, and the Rules of Spelling. 4. Etymology is the second part of grammar, and treats of the different sorts of Words, and of the changes which some sorts of words undergo. 5. Syntax is the third part of grammar, treats of Sentences, and how they are formed. and 6. Prosody is the fourth part of grammar, and treats of the different sorts of Verses used in Poetry, and how they are formed. 7. Etymology and Syntax are the most important parts of grammar, because it is from those parts we learn how to speak correctly. B ORTHOGRAPHY. LESSON II. Letters. 8. A Letter is a mark denoting an articulate sound. Every sound made by the voice in speaking is called an articulate sound. 9. All the letters of the language, when arranged in order, are called the Alphabet. 10. The English Alphabet consists of 26 letters, namely: 5 letters called Vowels, 19 letters called Consonants, and 2 letters which are used sometimes as Vowels, and sometimes as Consonants. 11. A Vowel is a letter denoting a perfect open sound. 12. [By an "open sound" is meant a sound made with the mouth remaining open, that is, without stopping the passage of the voice with the lips, the teeth, or the tongue. This may be made quite plain by sounding each of the five vowels slowly and distinctly, when it will be observed that in each case the mouth remains more or less open; whereas in sounding any of the consonants, such as b, t, and s, the passage of the voice is stopped more or less closely for a moment.] 13. A consonant is a letter denoting an imperfect sound, which cannot be uttered except in union with a vowel sound. 14. The 5 vowels are: a, e, i, o, and u. 15. The 2 letters which are used sometimes as vowels, and sometimes as consonants, are w and y. |