Educ T 918, 90, 528 JUL 36 1901 LISKARY. miss wither re a. c. white Copyright, 1890, by THOMAS B. LINDSAY AND GEORGE W. ROLLINS. University Press: JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE. PREFACE. IN the preparation of this book the authors have aimed to present the essentials, and only the essentials, of Latin Grammar in a clear and simple form. They have thought that most First Latin Books attempted too much, and by a multiplicity of details obscured the simple elements of grammatical structure. It is not necessary, it is not possible, to teach the whole Latin Grammar in one year; and the pupil's further progress is rather hindered than helped by burdening his memory and confusing his judgment with etymological technicalities and syntactical subtleties. Especially is this true of the first few lessons, and these have been made as easy as possible, in the belief that time is saved by slow progress at the beginning. If the pupil feels that he is being carried on in spite of himself through things of which he has no clear conception, discouragement, confusion, and failure are the almost inevitable results. He should feel that he is driving and not being driven by his work. The Lessons are so arranged that each one is complete in itself, and none is so long as to require that it be divided. In each Lesson the forms to be learned are placed first, and followed by the model sentence, which illustrates and emphasizes the principle involved. Then come Latin sentences illustrating the use of the forms and the syntax, followed by the rule, which is an induction from the sentences, and English sentences that afford practice in the application of the rule. The vocabulary is placed at the end, and should be learned after the other work of the lesson is done. In addition to these general statements we may be allowed to call attention to the following: The vocabularies are in all cases extremely short, and it is expected that they will be thoroughly learned. The exercises consist in every instance of complete sentences. The consideration of the passive voice and of the subjunctive mood is deferred until the pupil may be expected to be thoroughly at home in his use of the active and the indicative. Conditional sentences have been admitted only in their plainest forms, and have been treated, not with a view to exhausting the subject, but with an effort to make the distinctions clear. Infinitives, gerunds, and supines are treated as verbal nouns. Gerundives are treated as participles. The Vocative case is ignored except in masculine nouns of the second declension. The Locative case is recognized as having a distinct form and use. An attempt has been made to reduce syntactical rules to single principles, e. g., the Dative with adjectives is recognized as not differing in principle from the Dative with verbs. The Grammatical Introduction will serve to explain the terms of grammar to such pupils as are not already familiar with them. The Appendix contains the grammatical forms in full and a summary of syntax for convenience of reference. The connected reading exercises have been selected and prepared with great care, and while they introduce words that will require the pupil to refer to the general vocabulary, it is believed that grammatical principles and forms are not used before they have been explained in the lessons. In the few instances where they are anticipated, they are provided for by notes. In conclusion: We have not attempted to do the work of the teacher, but to work with him, — "Dem Lehrer soll nicht vorgegriffen werden;" and we have tried to avoid falling into the condemnation recently expressed by an eminent American educational authority in the following words: "The ordinary text-book is still found, as years ago, to presuppose deadness or incompetence on the instructor's part; stuffed with matter not only useless but in the way.” THOMAS B. LINDSAY, BOSTON, JULY, 1890. |