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Mention each noun in the following sentences, and state the class to which it belongs:

1. The child's illness is of an alarming nature.

Wisdom is better than strength.

3. He has repented of his folly.

4. The time of the singing of birds is come.

5. His writing was illegible.

6. Charity covereth a multitude of sins.

7. How poor are they that have not patience!

8. How little they knew of the depth, and the strength, and the intenseness of that feeling of resistance to illegal acts of power, which possessed the whole American people!

EXERCISE III.

Write the following words in a column, and opposite each place the corresponding abstract noun.

1. Tell how many forms each noun in the following examples

has, and whether each form denotes one or more :—

The form of a word used in speaking of one thing is called singular; the form used in speaking of more than one thing is called plural.

When a noun denotes one thing, it is said to be in the singular number.

When a noun denotes more than one thing it is said to be in the plural number.

Most nouns form the plural by adding s to the singular; as, bird, birds; river, rivers.

When the singular ends in a sound that does not unite easily with the sound of s, some nouns add es to the singular, to form the plural; as, loss, losses; match, matches; thrush, thrushes; tax, taxes.

Most nouns ending in o add s to the singular, to form the plural; as,—

Some nouns ending in o take es in the plural; as,

2. Mention the ending of the singular nouns in the following examples, and tell how their plurals are formed:

:

Nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel, add s to the singular, to form the plural; as, boy, boys; chimney, chimneys. Nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, change y to ies, to form the plural; as, city, cities; lily, lilies.

3. How are the singular nouns in the following examples changed to make each mean more than one?—

Most nouns ending in ƒ or fe form the plural by adding 8 to the singular; as, roof, roofs; safe, safes.

The following nouns change f or fe to ves, to form the

Write the following words in columns, and opposite each

word write its plural form:

Make a list of ten nouns, ending in f or fe, that form their plurals by the addition of s, and a list of ten other nouns that form their plurals in ves

1. Mention the plurals below, and tell how they are formed:

Some nouns form the plural by changing the vowel of the singular; as, man, men; goose, geese; tooth, teeth; foot, feet; mouse, mice (also changes s to c).

In a few nouns the plural ends in en; as, ox, oxen; child, children; brother, brethren.

2. Give the number of each italicized noun in the following examples, and note its form:

1. A deer came to the shore of the lake.

2. Deer have their established runways.

A sheep before her shearers is dumb.

4. All we like sheep have gone astray.

Some nouns have the same form in both numbers; as, sheep, deer, trout, cannon.

Some nouns have no singular; as, ashes, scissors, tongs,

trousers.

Some nouns have two plural forms differing in meaning; as,

brother, brothers (by blood), brethren (by association). fish, fishes (taken separately), fish (taken collectively). genius, geniuses (men of genius), genii (spirits). index, indexes (of books), indices (signs in algebra). pea, peas (taken separately), pease (taken collectively). penny, pennies (taken separately), pence (taken collectively).

EXERCISE I.

Write sentences containing the plurals of the following nouns, and tell how each plural is formed:

Make a list of the following nouns, and opposite each write