Exercise 79.

Pick out the Common Nouns.

Once, when Rubens the famous artist was traveling in Spain, he visited a convent. The monks took him all over the buildings. Above the altar in the chapel he saw a beautiful picture. "Who painted that masterpiece?” he asked. "A lay brother," answered the abbot. "Then he is a great painter," said Rubens; "let me see him that I may tell him so." Such words from such a judge were too much for the poor man; he took a few steps forward and fell dead at Rubens's feet.

Our buskins on our feet we drew;

With mittened hands, and caps drawn low,
To guard our necks and ears from snow,
We cut the solid whiteness through.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS.

111. We may give names not only to persons or things but to groups of persons or things. Thus a group of men may be a crowd, or an army, a jury, a congress. A group of animals may be a herd, a troop, a flock. A group of things may be a dozen, a score, a lot. Being the names of groups or collections, these Nouns are called Collective Nouns.

Exercise 80.

Pick out the Collective Nouns.

Abraham had great flocks and herds. Seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain. When the army was defeated many regiments suffered severely, and some companies were almost destroyed. Congress appointed a committee to consider the matter. The Jewish nation was made up of twelve tribes and each tribe was made up of a number of families. The nation rejoiced when the fleet was victorious. The police dispersed the mob. The clans were often at war. The jury found the prisoner guilty. The School Board meets every week. The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea. Several of the crew deserted. There was a great crowd in the streets. Tom is in the fifth class. The shepherd is watching his flock. The postmaster was a member of the council. The new committee tried to undo the work of the old.

ABSTRACT NOUNS.

Work again Exercises 7 and 8.

112. This paper is smooth and white; in other words it has the qualities of smoothness and whiteness. The smoothness and whiteness cannot be separated from the paper, but in our own minds we can think of them as something apart.

Again, running is an action, but the running cannot be separated from the runner. It is only in our own minds that we can think of it as something apart.

So slavery is a state or condition that cannot be separated from the slave, but that can be thought of as something apart.

This drawing away with our minds the quality from the thing which has it, the action from the thing which does it, or the condition from the thing which is in it, is called abstracting.1

113. A word used as the name of a quality, action, or state is called an Abstract Noun.

114. Thinking about the way in which Abstract Nouns are formed greatly helps us to know them. (But some Abstract Nouns, as peace, color, joy, are not derived from any other Part of Speech.)

(1) An Adjective is the Part of Speech which shows quality, therefore many Abstract Nouns are formed from Adjectives; as :—

1 Latin abs, away from, and tract-us, drawn (p.p. of trah-ere, to draw).

(2) A Verb is the Part of Speech which tells of action, therefore many Abstract Nouns are formed from Verbs ; as :

(3) Abstract Nouns are also formed from Common Nouns ; as :—

Long. Round. Regular. Black. Bright. Righteous.

Foolish.

Bold. True. Wide. Strong. Dear. Curious. Rapid. Stupid.

Prudent. Just. Simple. Pure. Good.

(2) The following Verbs:Occupy. Relieve. Believe. Deceive. Please. Invert. Conceal. Sing. Erase,

Elect. Prove. Revise

(3) The following Nouns :

Knave. Rogue. Slave. Boy. Man. Friend. Child. Regent. Duke. Master. Infant. Primate.

Agent.

b. From what Parts of Speech are the Abstract Nouns given in Exercise derived?

Exercise 82.

Pick out the Abstract Nouns.

The room is twenty feet in length. The baby is in a sweet sleep. Mary attends school with great regularity. Mr. Brown holds an agency for an iron manufacturer. Lazy people take most trouble. The prisoner was accused of a serious crime, but as there was no proof of his guilt, he was set at liberty. The driver behaved with cruelty. The beauty of the scene gave us much pleasure. A little learning is a dangerous thing. A little weeping would ease my heart. The quality of mercy is not strained. There was darkness over all. Honesty is the best policy. The sun gives warmth. Virtue is its own reward. Charity covers a multitude of sins. Wisdom is better than strength.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.

Exercise 83.

Pick out the Nouns and say of each whether it is Proper, Common, Collective, or Abstract, and give the reason for your opinion.

The jury brought in a verdict of guilty, much to the surprise of Judge Blake. And I say to this assembly, war is a crime; the Crimean War had no justification. Gentlemen may cry Peace, peace!" but there is no peace. Mr. President, I shall enter upor no encomium upon Massachusetts.

Upon Saint Crispin's day
Fought was this noble fray,
Which fame did not delay

To England to carry.

O when shall Englishmen
With such acts fill a pen,

Or England breed again
Such a King Harry?

Yes, honor calls. With strength like steel,
He puts the vision by ;

Let dusky Indians whine and kneel :
An English lad must die.

And the widows of Asshur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord.

Barbara Frietchie's work is o'er,

And the rebel rides on his raid no more.

Over Barbara Frietchie's grave

Flag of freedom and union wave.

Additional sentences:-Exercise 9.

NUMBER.

115. Notice the difference in form between each Noun in the first column and the corresponding Noun in the second column.

It will be seen that the forms of these Nouns change with the number of things spoken of. The form used when we