UNIFORM WITH HAVET'S "FRENCH COMPOSITION." ENGLISH INTO GERMAN. GERMAN COMPOSITION OR ENGLISH PROSE SPECIMENS, TO BE TRANSLATED INTO GERMAN, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF PECULIARITIES OF BOTH LANGUAGES. BY ALFRED G. HAVET, OF THE BERLIN SOCIETY FOR THE CULTIVATION OF MODERN LANGUAGES; AND A. L. BECKER TEACHER OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO. ; S. LOW, SON, & MARSTON; DULAU & CO.; ASHER & CO.; WILLIAMS & NORGATE. NEW YORK: SCRIBNER, WELFORD, & ARMSTRONG. HAVET'S FRENCH EDUCATIONAL WORKS, Used in Colleges and Schools throughout Great Britain, Ireland, the English Colonies, and the United States of America, as well as in many AngloFrench Establishments on the Continent of Europe. THE FIRST FRENCH BOOK; or, Practical French Lessons for Beginners. 224 foolscap 8vo pages. THE FRENCH CLASS-BOOK; PART I., containing Reader, Conversations, Grammar, French and English Exercises, Dictionary, &c. 330 crown 8vo pages. THE FRENCH CLASS-BOOK; PART II., containing the Syntax and Peculiarities of the French Language, with numerous English and French Exercises. 180 crown 8vo pages. THE COMPLETE FRENCH CLASS-BOOK; or, Grammar of French Grammars, Tenth Edition, in one volume. 550 8vo pages. LE LIVRE DU MAÎTRE; or, Key to both parts of "The French Class-Book," with numerous Notes and useful Hints. FRENCH STUDIES: Modern Conversations upon the ordinary topics of life. Colloquial Exercises, Extracts from Standard Writers, a Dictionary, &c. Eighth Edition. 400 Svo pages. HOUSEHOLD FRENCH: A Conversational Introduction to the French Language. Sixth Edition. 300 8vo pages. FRENCH COMPOSITION; comprehending-I. Prose Specimens from British and American Authors, to be translated into French. II. Outlines of Narratives, Letters, &c. 272 8vo pages. New Edition. MORCEAUX TRADUITS DES PROSATEURS ANGLAIS, suivis du développement des sujets de composition du précédent ouvrage (Key to "French Composition"). 300 8vo pages. LEÇONS FRANÇAISES DE LITTÉRATURE ET DE CONVERSATION, pour faire suite aux "French Studies." [In preparation. GERMAN ON HAVET'S SYSTEM. 1. THE FIRST GERMAN BOOK; or, Practical German Lessons for Beginners. Foolscap 8vo. 2. GERMAN STUDIES, on the plan of "French Studies." 3. GERMAN COMPOSITION, on the plan of "French Studies." These three works form a complete and practical course of modern German, The right of translation and adaptation is reserved by the proprietor of both the French and the German series. PREFACE. THIS selection is intended for those pupils who have finished "The First German Book," and done, if not the whole, at least the greater part of "German Studies." It is constructed on exactly the same plan as "French Composition," and will, it is hoped, afford exercises encouraging to the pupils and satisfactory to the master. Following the plan of my other publications, I have generally preferred extracts of a familiar and practical description to pieces of too rhetorical or lofty a style, which are not conducive to the acquirement of a conversational knowledge of a language. As some of the stories may appear rather homely, I have to state that they contain words and idioms which will prove most useful to all who are anxious to speak German, and for which they would vainly look in extracts of a higher character. Certain compilations of this kind contain selections from the English poets; but I have refrained from giving any poetry, because pupils at school ought not to be expected to put into German Shakspeare's poetry, Milton's "Paradise Lost" Dryden's "Alexander's Feast," Goldsmith's "Deserted Village." If they succeed in turning English prose into good plain German, they and their teachers may rest and be thankful. A class cannot be expected to consist of literary men and future poetslaureate. I have given subjects which have been treated by German authors quoted in "The First German Book" and in "German Studies," because it will be at once curious and interesting to see how the writers of both nations have handled the same subject. With regard to the RENDERINGS which Herr BECKER has prefixed to each of the pieces, he has endeavoured to give neither too many nor too few. When there were grammatical difficulties or idiomatic differences, he has inserted foot-notes, and not unfrequently referred to "German Studies" and "The First German Book," which, along with the present work, form a complete practical course of modern German, uniform in plan and spirit with my French series. In conclusion, I avail myself of this fresh opportunity to thank those heads of schools and professors of languages who have adopted my different publications. I trust that this new book may be found as useful as its French companions. VILLA BOILEAU, AUTEUIL, PARIS, July 1873. ALFRED G. HAVET. In the spelling of "German Composition," the same principles have been followed as in "The First German Book," which is in accordance with the best modern grammarians (Heyse, &c.) and lexicographers (Sanders, &c.) The chief feature of that mode of spelling is the writing of ff or fs instead of B, after a short vowel. A. L. BECKER. |