136 67. Dr. Franklin's Visit to his Mother, 68. Dr. Franklin's Visit to his Mother' continued, 138 CROLY. 142 23. Lazy Lawrence, MISS EDGEWORTH. 59 33. Things by their Right Names, JANE TAYLOR. 80 36. The Curious Instrument, 85 50. How to tell Bad News, 108 DEFINITIONS. 1. A syllable is a distinct sound uttered with one impulse of the voice;-as boy, girl, book, pen. Does the word paper consist of more than one syllable? Amusement? Slate? Pencil? Arithmetic? Of how many syllables does your name consist? Why? 2. A word is an articulate sound expressing an idea;-as man, woman, virtue. A word of one syllable, is called a monasyllable; a word of two syllables, a dissyllable; a word of three syllables, a trisyllable; a word of four or more syllables, a polysyllable. To which of these classes of words does your name belong? Teacher? Book? Liberty? Grammar? Geogra phy? Hartford? Application? 3. There are three kinds of words; viz. primitive, derivative, and compound words. A primitive word cannot be made shorter or divided, without destroying the sense, as man, boy, girl. Can you make a shorter word of boyish and have it signify any thing? Is boyish then, a primitive word? Why not? A derivative word is derived from a primitive, as manly, boyish, learning. From what is manly derived? Boyish? Learning? How many words can you think of that are derived from learn? From write? Read? Converse? A compound word is formed of two or more words, as, pen-knife, ink-stand, apple-tree, New-Haven, &c.What kind of word is read? Study? Studious?— Love? New-York? Conversation? Boston? 4. Every word of more than one syllable, has one syllable that must be pronounced with a stronger and fuller sound of the voice than the remainder. of the word. This stress of voice is called accent, and the syllable on which it is laid is called the accented syllable. Which syllable of the following words is accented? Ge-og-ra-phy-Gram-mar-Arith-me-tic-History. Which syllable of your name is accented? 5. The stress or force of voice which we give to particular words in order to distinguish them from others and to convey the meaning of the sentence in the best manner, is called emphasis, and the word on which this stress of voice is laid, is called the emphatic word. Which words in the following sentences are emphatic? Does he reside in Hartford or New Haven? Charles studies his book, but James is idle. "If love to God, and love to men, Be absent,-all my works are vain." In the following sentences the emphatic words are printed in, italics. "There was a time, that time is past, "I cannot do it, never accomplished any thing; "A little rule, a little sway, A sunbeam in a winter's day, Between the cradle and the grave." "If you want your business done, go,—if not, send.” "Of all the causes that conspire to blind Man's erring judgment, and mislead the mind, What the weak head with strongest bias rules, Is pride, the never failing vice of fools." RULES FOR READING. 1. Study your lesson attentively before you read it. 2. Never pass over a word without understanding its meaning. 3. When you read, pronounce your words distinctly. 4. Read as you talk. 5. Learn to read slow;-all other graces Will follow in their proper places. THE EASY READER. LESSON 1. DEFINITIONS. Wolf, a fierce animal, resembling a large dog. Fáble, a story which is intended to please, and instruct, though it is about things which perhaps never happened. Is mind a primitive or derivative word? How many words can you think of that are derived from mind? What word is the opposite of Old? Of ill? Of up? High? Poor? Worst? Good? Right? Of how many syllables do the words in this lesson consist? To what class of words then do they belong, to monosyllables, dissyllables, trisyllables, or polysyllables? The Wolf and the Lamb.-A FABLE. 1. ONE hot day a Wolf and a Lamb came just at the same time to drink in the stream of a clear brook; the Wolf stood where the ground was high, and the Lamb stood down the stream not far from him. 2. But as the Wolf had a great mind to taste his flesh, he would fain fall out with the Lamb. “Fool,” says he, "what is it you mean, that you stir up the mud so, and spoil the stream where I drink?" 3. You must be quite wrong, to be sure, Sir," said the poor Lamb; "for the stream runs down from you to me, and not up from me to you.” "Be that as it will," said the Wolf," you are a pert young rogue, and spoke a great deal of ill of me, more than half a year "Sir," says the Lamb, "that could not be, for I was not born at the time you speak of." since." 4. "No!" said the Wolf; "then I am sure it was that vile old knave your pa; and it is no more than just that his son should pay for it." With that he flew on the poor Lamb, and tore him limb from limb in a trice. MORAL. 5. The worst of men know so well that they ought to be good, that when they do wrong, they try, by some art to make it seem right. Do In what respects do a Wolf and a Lamb resemble each other? In what respects do they differ? Do they both eat the same kind of food? Where does the Wolf live? Wolves associate together in large numbers as sheep do? Why not? What was the first word the Wolf said to the Lamb? If the Wolf had been a kind, good, and noble animal, would he have called the Lamb so bad a name? Do good scholars call others bad names? What kind of scholars are in the habit of calling others bad names? LESSON 2. DEFINITIONS. Kid, a young goat. Fierce, ferocious, ravenous, furious. |