We have also a few inflexions uniform with Testator, testatrix; Executor, executrix. 4. To Czar corresponds Czarina; to Sultan, Sultana, or Sultaness; to Don, Donna; to Hero, Heroine; to Infant (a prince of the royal family either of Spain or Portugal), Infanta. 5. The following are a few examples of the distinction of gender by different words: Bachelor, maid or spinster; Beau, belle; Buck, doe; Bullock, Ox, or Steer, heifer; Colt, filly; Earl, countess; Friar or Monk, nun; Hart, roe; Milter, spawner; Ram, ewe; Rake, jilt; Sire (applied to the king), madam; Sire (applied to horses) dam; Sloven, slut; Stag, hind; Swain, nymph; Wizard, witch. 6. In some instances, the distinction of gender is denoted by the addition of a word; as Cock-sparrow, hen-sparrow; He-goat, she-goat; Man-servant, maid-servant; Male-singer, female-singer; Pea-cock, pea-hen; Bridegroom, bride; Buckrabbit, doe-rabbit. 7. The masculine form is often employed in a general way, including males and females. Thus, man may include reference to woman; poets may include poetesses; mares may be referred to in the term horse or horses. 8. Sometimes the strength or nobleness of an animal is referred to by the masculine gender, without intention to particularise the male sex; and similarly, the weakness or timidity of another is referred to by the feminine. Thus, of the horse we say, he is a noble animal; of the hare we say, she is timid. Small quadrupeds, birds, and fishes, are generally referred to by the neuter pronoun it. 9. Some nouns are equally applicable to either sex; as Person, Servant, Friend. These, however, are sometimes improperly said to be of the common gender. The noun should be called masculine or feminine, if the context enables us to determine the gender; if not, let it be called indefinite as to gender; unless we know that both genders are included, in which instance the noun is properly said to be of the common gender. 10. Nouns that occur as collectives are of that gender which the constituent objects imply; but when such nouns denote unity of mass, not plurality of components, they are neuter. Thus, "The medical faculty (masc.) have determined;" "The public (com.) are informed;" "Our sisterhood (neut.) is not numerous.” CHAP. X. THE ACCIDENCE OF NOUNS. Case. 1. It has been already stated that Case is the distinction which either marks or implies a noun's dependence or independence. Thus, the name John, by itself, is in a state of independence; it is a noun in its proper state, as being the name of something considered as subsisting of itself. When we say John is, we do not affect the noun's character of independence; it is a leading word, which may or may not have the affirmation applied to it; and though it is in relation to the affirmative word, it is an ungoverned, an unimpressed, a leading term; whereas the word is depends on and is governed by the word John. When we say John's book, the word John's implies something more than the strict definition of a noun includes. John's cannot stand alone as the sign of a distinct and separate conception; it is not a pure substantive noun, but one in a state of dependence, requiring, as if it were an adjective*, the annexation of another noun. J. S. Mill says, "that inflected cases are names and something more, John and John's, then, are said to be distinct in case. John, according to the manner in which we exemplified that word, is said to be in the Nominative case; that is, in the case which preserves the true character of the (Nomen) noun, viz. independence. John's is said to be in the Possessive case, because marking and implying that the noun is related to as a possessor, or has something attributed to it.* 2. The only other case which can be assigned to English nouns is that called the Objective case, a state in which a noun is the object tended to, or impressed, by some action or relation. In this case the noun loses its independence, but not its form. Thus, in the sentence "William walks with John," the noun John is the name of an object dependent on the word with, which, as it were, assumes or draws John into a certain relation. Thus also, in the sentence "William accompanies John," the noun John is dependent on the word accompanies, which governs it. To say "John accompanies William," would be to make the nouns change places, so that John, which before was a dependent term, would become an independent or leading one, while William, which was previously independent, would now be dependent. 3. Nouns, then, have three cases, the Nominative, the Possessive, and the Objective, the first and third being and that this addition prevents them from being used as the subjects of propositions."- Logic, vol. i. p. 29. Dr. Wallis considers the possessive case to be a species of adjective; and, by similar consideration, some other grammarians have regarded it as the descriptive or the attributive case of the noun. * "What is called the possessive case," as Hazlitt justly remarks, 66 may be applied to the possessor, or thing possessed, or to express almost any other relation. It should rather be called the adjective case, for in fact it has the force of an adjective, as man's nature and human nature mean the same thing.". Gramm. p. 31. See also Smart's Princ. of Gramm., Syntax, ch. i. § 4. being usually disThe plural number, always alike in form, and the second tinguished by the terminational sign 's. as well as the singular, has the three cases; but the usual sign of the plural possessive is an apostrophe without s, the s being rejected when, as is commonly the case, the plural has already a sibilant termination. Thus, we write "The men's actions," "The boys' actions." This mode of avoiding concurrent hissing sounds is sometimes expedient even in the possessive singular. Thus, "For conscience' sake;" "For elegance' sake;" Moses' rod." A concurrence, however, of only two sibilants is not avoided; as, "James's or Thomas's request;" "Witness's deposition." 4. The possessive case is often a convenient though not a necessary modification. It can generally be replaced by some word of relation, such as of, preceding the objective case; thus, "The king's crown signifies "The crown of the king;" "The king's pictures" signifies "The pictures of, or belonging to, the king." The prepositional phraseology is often preferable to the possessive form, especially in the nouns. * Our possessive termination 's is generally considered to represent the es or is which terminated the genitive singular of many Anglo-Saxon Arnold affirms the apostrophe in the possessive plural to be absurd, "for," says he, "an apostrophe marks that a vowel has been dropt, whereas no vowel ever followed the s of the plural to form a genitive."”. Gram. p. 11. The s in men's, children's, &c., might be deemed equally absurd, as no genitive plural in Anglo-Saxon ended in s. It may be observed, however, that our older English writers used no apostrophe even in the possessive singular, as, Cæsars wars; Venus son; and that the employment of the apostrophe appears to have been first occasioned by the intervention of some phrase describing the possessor, and preceding the thing possessed, as, "Smith the bookseller's shop;" " Henry the Seventh's chapel;" "Joan of Arc's death." In the last of these expressions, Arc is an objective case, and therefore the apostrophe disengages the letter s from the single word Arc, and refers that possessive sign to the complex noun Joan of Arc. plural number, and, if universally substituted, would divest the English noun of all terminational distinction of case. 5. We shall now exhibit models of what is called the Declension of the English noun, that is, its variations of case in each number. The nouns, Boy, Woman, City, are thus declined: Cases. Singular. Plural. Nomin. Boy, Woman, City Boys, Women, Cities Possess. Boy's, Woman's, City's Boys', Women's, Cities' Object. Boy, Woman, City. | Boys, Women, Cities. 6. In parsing the subjoined exercises, the pupil should tell the gender, number, and case of each noun, and may be interrogated as in the latter part of the annexed Example. He read the Queen's speech. Read, a verb, transitive. — The, an article, defining speech. - Queen's, a common noun, singular, feminine, possessive. Speech, a common noun, singular, neuter, objective by the transitive verb read. What is the masculine corresponding to Queen? Mention other instances of gender distinguished by different words. What is the masculine corresponding to Countess? How does the noun Queen form the plural? Spell the possessive plural of Queen. Decline the noun Speech. Spell its possessive singular. Is that possessive a monosyllable, or what? Why does Speech take es in the plural? Mention other words which add Distinguish the subject, predicate, and object, in this sentence, &c. es. EXERCISES. One of the noblest Christian virtues is to love our enemies. The ass dressed himself in a lion's skin. The mountains are crowned with enormous masses of ice. Your friend is a genius of no ordinary kind. The matter can be settled without any strife. Wisdom uttereth her voice in the streets. The Princess Anne's accession to the throne excited general satisfaction. The clergy are the chief supporters of the scheme. Saunderson, professor of mathematics at Cambridge, was blind, and yet gave excellent lectures on light and colours. Each boy got a handful of nuts. The king and parliament make the laws and impose taxes. I have several fine cameos in this cabinet. The hireling shepherd fled when he saw |