Method of instruction—Grammatical rhymes.

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"A few months ago, Mr. —— gave his little daughter, H——, a child of five years old, her first lesson in English Grammar; but no alarming book of grammar was produced on the occasion, nor did the father put on an unpropitious gravity of countenance. He explained to the smiling child the nature of a verb, a pronoun, and a substantive."—Edgeworth.

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It has been well observed, "that grammar is the first thing taught, and the last learnt." Now, though it is not my purpose to pretend that I can so far simplify grammar, as to make all its rules comprehensible to children so young as those found in infant schools, I do think that enough may be imparted to them to render the matter more comprehensible, than it is usually found to be in after years.

The great mystery of grammar results, in my opinion, from not making the children acquainted with the things of which the words used are the signs, and moreover, from the use of a number of hard words, which the children repeat without understanding. For instance, in the classification of words, or the parts of speech, as they are called, nouns, substantives, and adjectives, convey, as terms, no idea to the minds of children; and, in spite of the definitions by which their import is explained, remain to them as unintelligible as the language of magical incantation. That the children can easily comprehend the difference between words which express the names of things, and those which express their qualities, and between words which express actions, and those which express the nature of those actions, is undeniable; and this is just what should be taught in an infant school. In the first place, let the children be accustomed to repeat the names of things, not of any certain number of things set down on a lesson card, or in a book, but of any thing, and every thing, in the school-room, play-ground, &c.: next let them be exercised in telling something relating to those things—their qualities; as for instance, the school-room is large, clean, &c.,—the children are quiet, good, attentive, &c.—the pictures are pretty: the play-ground is pleasant, &c. Having accustomed the children, in this manner, first to give you the names of things, and then to observe and repeat something respecting them—you have gained two ends; you have, first, taught the children to be observant and discriminative; and, secondly, you have taught them to distinguish two distinct classes of words, or names and qualities; and you may now, if you please, give them terms by which to distinguish these respective classes, viz. substantives and adjectives. They will no longer be mysterious words, "signifying nothing," but recognized signs, by which the children will understand and express definite ideas. The next thing you have to teach them is, the distinction betwixt singular and plural, and, if you think proper, masculine and feminine; but before you talk to the children about plural number and masculine gender, &c., let them be made acquainted with the realities of which these hard-sounding words are the signs.

Having made the classification of words clear and comprehensible, you next proceed to the second grand class of words, the verbs, and their adjuncts, the adverbs. With these you will proceed as with the former; let action be distinguished by words;—the children walk, play, read, eat, run; master laughs, frowns, speaks, sings; and so on; letting the children find their own examples; then comes the demand from the master for words expressing the manner of action. How do the children walk?—slowly, quickly, orderly. How do they read, eat run! How does the master laugh, speak, sing? The children now find you ADVERBS, and it will be quite time enough to give them terms for the classification they thus intuitively make, when they have a clear idea of what they are doing. When this end is attained, your children have some ideas of grammar, and those clear ones. There is no occasion to stop here. Proceed, but slowly, and in the same method. The tenses of the verbs, and the subdivision into active, passive, and neuter, will require the greatest care and attention which the teacher can use, to simplify them sufficiently for the children's comprehension; as it will likewise enable them to understand the nature and office of the other classes of words. As, however, it is not my intention to write a grammar here, but merely to throw out a few hints on the subject, I shall leave the further development of the plan to the ingenuity of those who may think fit to adopt its principles, as above laid down.

English Grammar doth us teach,
That it hath nine parts of speech;—
Article, adjective, and noun,
Verb, conjunction, and pronoun,
With preposition, and adverb,
And interjection, as I've heard.
The letters are just twenty-six,
These form all words when rightly mix'd.
The vowels are a, e, o, i,
With u, and sometimes w and y.
Without the little vowels' aid,
No word or syllable is made;
But consonants the rest we call,
And so of these we've mention'd all.
Three little words we often see,
Are articles,—a, an, and the.
A noun's the name of any thing—
As school, or garden, hoop, or swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of noun—
As great, small, pretty, white, or brown.
Instead of nouns the pronouns stand,
John's head, his face, my arm, your hand.
Verbs tell of something being done—
To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run.
How things are done the adverbs tell—
As slowly, quickly, ill, or well.
Conjunctions join the nouns together—
As men and children, wind or weather.
A preposition stands before
A noun, as in or through a door.
The interjection shows surprise—
As, oh! how pretty, ah! how wise.
The whole are called nine parts of speech,
Which, reading, writing, speaking teach.

THE ARTICLES.

Three little words we hear and see
In frequent use, a, an, and the;
These words so useful, though so small,
Are those which articles we call.

The first two, a and an, we use
When speaking of one thing alone;
For instance, we might wish to say
An oak, a man, a dog, a bone.

The speaks of either one or more,—
The cow, the cows, the pig, the pigs,
The plum, the plums (you like a score),
The pear, the pears, the fig, the figs.

An oak, a man; means any oak,
Or any man of all mankind;
A dog, a bone, means any dog,
Or any bone a dog may find.

This article we only use
Whenever it may be our wish
To speak of some determined thing,
As thus;—the bird, the ox, the fish.

By which we mean not any bird,
That flying in the air may be,
Or any ox amongst the herd,
Or any fish in stream or sea.

But some one certain bird or ox,
Or fish (let it be which it may)
Of which we're speaking, or of which
We something mean to write or say.

Remember these things when you see
The little words, a, an, and the.
These words so useful, though so small
Are those which articles we call.

Nothing can be more absurd than to compel young children to commit to memory mere abstract rules expressed in difficult and technical language. Such requires a painful effort of the mind, and one calculated to give a disgust against learning. Grammar was formed on language and not language by grammar, and from this it necessarily follows, that children should acquire a considerable store of words from a knowledge of reading and of things, before their minds are taxed by abstract rules. To be thoroughly understood they require words to be compared with words, and one word to be compared with another; and how can this be done without the memory being amply supplied with them previously. Such simple instruction as this chapter directs may easily be given; but to attempt much more would be like endeavouring to build an elegant and ornamental structure before you had collected materials to build with.