alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

36 ENGLISn GRAl'rIM.A.R.
sisters', bride's, bottles, brush, goose, eagles' wings, echo, ox's
born, mouse, kings, queens, bread, child's toy, grass, t?oth, tongs,
candle, chair, Jane's boots, Hobert's shoe, horse, brIdle.
2. Go over the ~ame list, gi \'ing a reason for everything stated; thus,
.. Father, a noun. because the Ilame (,f an ohject; masculine, because it
denotes a male; nominatil'e, because mentioned simply os the name of an
object (164-1); 8ingular, because it denotes one."
THE .· ... n TICLE.
183. ~\.N .ARTICLE is a word put before a nOUD, to indicate
the manner in 'which it is used (707 &c.)
184. There are two articles, a or an and the.
185. A or an is called the i,ulcfinile article. because it shows tbat its
noun denotes a person or thing mdcfinilely, or without distinction; as,.d
man, i. e. any man, or some man, without stating which one.
186. Jl is used before a consonant; as, a book; also before a vowel, or
diphthong, which combines with its oouncl t~e power of initial y. or w; a!,
a unit, a use, a cu/artY, a ewe, many a one.
187 . .Iln is used before a vowel or silent h; :)', an ac:c, an hour; also
hcfol'e wOI'ds beginning wi:h h sounded, when l11e accent is on the second
"Y liable; as, an heroic actioll, an historical nceount ;-becfLllse h in such
words is but slightly sounded.
188. "ou.-Tbe primary form of this article is .]n lane). The n has
been dropped before a consonant, from regard to euphony.
139 .• '.1 or an is ';OIll,:li'Il>'S used in the sense of one, each, tt'try; as,
" Six cents a pound;" "t\\'o shillings a yard;" "one dollar a day;" "four
bun(h'ed a year."
190. R~M~RK.-In tbe ~xpressious a hunting, a fishing, a ;oin;. a runnlllg,
a bUlldm;, alld the like; also, in the exprcsoions, now nearlyobsolete
.. "a JVcdncs:]Il!lS," "a ni;hts," .. a pieces," &c., a :s equivalent to at,
to, 1Il, 011, and 18 tLl be reg-arde,l, not us an article, but as a preposition
(548). In tbe Fame sense, it is used as a prefix in snch words as afloat,
ashore, asleep, abed, &c.
191. The is called tbe definite artick becanse it shows tbat its noun is
used definitely, and ref,,}·, to SODle particubr person or thing; as, the man,
i. e., some particular ma? Ilsc~rtained .01' pointed out. See Syntax (707-2).
192. NOTE,-Tbe artICle IS sometimes saill to limit tbe signification of
a noun, 1lI~(1 is thcrcfurc c:llled !l- ., definitive." This is scarcely correct.
A noun With a or an prefixed, IS always used in an individual sense to
denote olle of a cla~s. But this being for the most part sufficiently i~di-