alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

ETYMOLOGY-ARTICLE. 37
eated by the singular number, the use of the article to mark the inuiviullal
is necessary only in the few cases in which the noun, in the singular num·
bel', is used in a generic, as well as individual sense. Thus, the terms man,
woman, oak, &c., without an article, mean the 6p(cic.~; bllt with a or an
prefixed, they mean the individual; as, a man, a lOoman, ah oak. So far
only can a or an properly be said to limit, or perform the part of a defini·
tive. In other respects, it rather shows the want of limitation.
193. In like mauner, the article the communly indicates that its nOllU is
limited. anci refers to some pat ticular person or thiug, but still the article
is not the limiting word.· A noun may be limiteu in a nriety of ways; by
notoriety or eminence, by previous mention, by an adjective, a possessive,
a relative clause, a preposition and its cuse, &c.; but never by tbe article,
except perhaps in the case of previous mention, nnu even that is doubtful.
Thus, when we say, .. The red book," "the boy'.1 book," "the !Jnok !Vhich
we lost," " the book on the table," we perceive that the word book, follow·
ing the, is limited-not., however, by the article, but by the words red, boy'S,
&c. This fact constitutes a specifie difference between tne article and the
adjective: the adjecth·e al!Vays descTibc.~ or limits its noun (195); lite arti·
cle does not, but is only a sort ot inucx, to give previous uotice that the
nonn is used in a particular way.
194. P ARSING.-The article is parsed by stating whether
it is definite or indefinite, and to what noun it belongs;
thus, "A book." A is the indefinite article, and belongs
to book.
EXERCISES.
Is it proper to say-a man, or an man? why?
a apple, or an apple? why?
a house, or au house? why?
a hour, or an hour? why?
a unicorn, or an unicorn? why?
a ewe, or an ewe? why?
1. Prefix t.he indefinite article a or an correctly to the following words.
2. Tell wh:ch words nre nouns, and why-parse them (177)-decline
them.
Chair, table, horse, cart, boek, house, garden, bird, owl, egg,
ear, eye, tree, cow, unit; use, old man, young man, word, hook,
pot, bench, desk, room, oven, oak, eulogy, ewe, uncle, aunt;­
open wagon, useful contrivance, round stone, old bat.
3. In the following, correct such as are wroug, and give a reason (or the
change ;-parse the articles and nouns.
An cup, a door, a apple, a pear, a ounce, a pound, an hat, an
wig, an eulogy, an youth, a honor, a heir, a crow, a ostrich, a
pen-a ugly beast, a useful tree, an humming-bird, an neat
cottage, a upper room, au huge monster.