Higher Lessons in English Part 5

_These by writing the first two letters_:--

Company, county, credit, example, and idem (the same).

_These by writing the first letter_:--

East, north, south, and west. [Footnote: When these words refer to sections of the country, they should begin with capitals.]

_These by writing the first and the last letter_:--

Doctor, debtor, Georgia, junior, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Master, Mister, numero (number), Pennsylvania, saint, street, Vermont, and Virginia.

_These by writing the first letter of each word of the compound with a period after each letter_:--

Artium baccalaureus (bachelor of arts), anno Domini (in the year of our Lord), artium magister (master of arts), ante meridiem (before noon), before Christ, collect on delivery, District (of) Columbia, divinitatis doctor (doctor of divinity), member (of) Congress, medicinae doctor (doctor of medicine), member (of) Parliament, North America, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, postmaster, post meridiem (afternoon), post-office, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and United States.

+Direction.+--_The following abbreviations and those you have made should be committed to memory_:--

Acct. _or_ acct., account.

Bbl. _or_ bbl., barrel.

Chas., Charles.

Fla., Florida.

LL. D., legum doctor (doctor of laws).[Footnote: The doubling of the _l_ to _ll_ and in _LL. D.,_ and of _p_ in _pp.,_ with no period between the letters, comes from pluralizing the nouns _line, lean_, and _page_.]

Messrs., messieurs (gentlemen).

Mme., madame.

Mo., Missouri.

Mrs., (p.r.o.nounced missis) mistress.

Mts., mountains.

Ph.D., philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy).

Recd., received.

Robt., Robert.

Supt., superintendent.

Thos., Thomas.

bu., bushel.

do., ditto (the same) doz., dozen.

e.g., exempli gratia (for example) etc., et caetera (and others).

ft., foot, feet.

hhd., hogshead.

hdkf., handkerchief.

i.e., id est (that is).

l., line.

ll., lines.

lb., libra (pound).

oz., ounce.

p., page.

pp., pages.

qt., quart.

vs., versus (against).

viz., videlicet (namely).

yd., yard.

+Remark.+--In this Lesson we have given the abbreviations of the states as now regulated by the "U. S. Official Postal Guide." In the "Guide" _Iowa_ and _Ohio_ are not abbreviated. They are, however, frequently abbreviated thus: _Iowa, Ia._ or _Io.; Ohio, 0._

The similarity, when hurriedly written, of the abbreviations _Cal., Col.; Ia., Io.; Neb., Nev.; Penn., Tenn.,_ etc., has led to much confusion.

LESSON 11.

VERBS.

+Introductory Hints+.--We told you in Lesson 8 how, by noticing the essential likenesses in things and grouping the things thus alike, we could throw the countless objects around us into comparatively few cla.s.ses.

We began to cla.s.sify words according to their use, or office, in the sentence; we found one cla.s.s of words that name things, and we called them _nouns_.

But in all the sentences given you, we have had to use another cla.s.s of words. These words, you notice, tell what the things do, or a.s.sert that they are, or exist.

When we say _Clocks tick_, _tick_ is not the name of anything; it tells what clocks do: it a.s.serts action.

When we say _Clocks are_, or _There are clocks_, _are_ is not the name of.

anything, nor does it tell what clocks do; it simply a.s.serts existence, or being.

When we say _Clocks hang, stand, last, lie_, or _remain_, these words _hang, stand, last_, etc., do not name anything, nor do they tell that clocks act or simply exist; they tell the condition, or state, in which clocks are, or exist; that is, they a.s.sert state of being.

All words that a.s.sert action, being, or state of being, we call +Verbs+ (+Lat+. _verb.u.m_, a word). The name was given to this cla.s.s because it was thought that they were the most important words in the sentence.

Give several verbs that a.s.sert action. Give some that a.s.sert being, and some that a.s.sert state of being.

+DEFINITION+.--+A _Verb_ is a word that a.s.serts action, being-, or state of being+.

There are, however, two forms of the verb, the participle and the infinitive (see Lessons 37 and 40), that express action, being, or state of being, without a.s.serting it.

+Direction.+--_Write after each of the following nouns as many appropriate verbs as you can think of_:--

Let some express being and some express state of being.

+Model.--_Noun._ | burns.

| melt.

| scorches.

Fire | keep.

(or) + spreads.

Fires | glow.

| rages.

| heat.

| exists.

+Remark.+--Notice that the simple form of the verb, as, _burn, melt, scorch_, adds _s_ or _es_ when its subject noun names but one thing.

Lawyers, mills, horses, books, education, birds, mind.