134

COMPOSITION.

Words with their proper Prepositions to be formed into sentences.

CONVERSATIONS ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR.-No. IV. ENGLISH DICTIONARIES.

"I find the study of those Greek stems difficult."-"Every study is difficult at the first, and often is a study the more difficult the more valuable it is, both for the information it contains and for the mental discipline which it gives. Pursue the course which the Lessons in English take, exactly in the order in which it is presented, and master each lesson in succession."-"If by mastering you mean that I should thoroughly comprehend and retain in mind. every part, I must candidly tell you that I am unable to do so.""Why? every word likely to cause difficulty is explained, and an example of its import and use is given; the etymology of the words is, too, so set forth, that I should have thought you would, from that alone, have been led to the several meanings."-" Well, I have, I believe, made out the meanings of some of the words from a knowledge of their constituent elements."-"Doubtless you have, and with practice you will succeed in thus making yourself acquainted with them all; it is by this means that I have learnt the import of thousands of the words with which I am familiar.""O you have had good dictionaries."-" True, I possess good dictionaries, but the best dictionaries will not suffice to give anyone even a verbal knowledge of a language; and I assure you it is very possible for a dictionary to be so used as to be a hindrance to a real and thorough, and exact acquaintance with a language. A dictionary is a very good servant, but a very bad master. A slavish use of

dictionary retards and obstructs even a verbal knowledge of language. You should aim to become your own dictionary; and t a great extent your own dictionary you may become, if you tal the trouble to make yourself familiar with the roots of the Englis Do you think you would ever acquire a knowledge of the stear engine, so as to be able to make an engine yourself, if you confin your inspection to its exterior? The way to know how to pu steam-engine together is first to take it to pieces, and then carefu to examine the structure and use of every part."-"Yes, broth there is sense in that; I had a proof last week: I took my wa ed, and as I stood there at the counter chatting with began to take my watch to pieces; my curio tehed every step, and when he had done (or ra* he explained to me the use and functio erow I am to go to see him put the part

t

134

COMPOSITION.

Words with their proper Prepositions to be formed into sentences.

Words.

Clear of,

Coalesce with,

Coincide with,

Commune with,

Commit to
Communicate to,
Compare to (in respect
to quality),

Compare with (by way
of illustration),

F. R.

clarus, bright, distinct
coalesco, I grow together
cum, in, cado, I fall in with
communis, common
cum, mitto, I send with
communico, I communicate

comparo, I compare, match

CONVERSATIONS ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR.-No. IV.
ENGLISH DICTIONARIES.

"I find the study of those Greek stems difficult."-"Every study
is difficult at the first, and often is a study the more difficult the
more valuable it is, both for the information it contains and for the
mental discipline which it gives. Pursue the course which the
Lessons in English take, exactly in the order in which it is pre-
sented, and master each lesson in succession."-"If by mastering
you mean that I should thoroughly comprehend and retain in mind.
every part, I must candidly tell you that I am unable to do so.".
"Why? every word likely to cause difficulty is explained, and an
example of its import and use is given; the etymology of the words
is, too, so set forth, that I should have thought you would, from
that alone, have been led to the several meanings."-" Well, I
have, I believe, made out the meanings of some of the words from
a knowledge of their constituent elements."-"Doubtless you have,
and with practice you will succeed in thus making yourself
acquainted with them all; it is by this means that I have learnt the
import of thousands of the words with which I am familiar."-
"O you have had good dictionaries."-" True, I possess good dic-
tionaries, but the best dictionaries will not suffice to give anyone
even a verbal knowledge of a language; and I assure you it is very
possible for a dictionary to be so used as to be a hindrance to a real,
and thorough, and exact acquaintance with a language. A dictionary
is a very good servant, but a very bad master. A slavish use of a

dictionary retards and obstructs even a verbal knowledge of a language. You should aim to become your own dictionary; and to a great extent your own dictionary you may become, if you take the trouble to make yourself familiar with the roots of the English. Do you think you would ever acquire a knowledge of the steamengine, so as to be able to make an engine yourself, if you confined your inspection to its exterior? The way to know how to put a steam-engine together is first to take it to pieces, and then carefully to examine the structure and use of every part."-"Yes, brother, there is sense in that; I had a proof last week: I took my watch to be repaired, and as I stood there at the counter chatting with the watchmaker he began to take my watch to pieces; my curiosity was excited, I watched every step, and when he had done (or rather undone the watch), he explained to me the use and function of every part. To-morrow I am to go to see him put the parts to

gether."-"A very good illustration; now you would understand what you see to-morrow very imperfectly if you had not seen the watch taken to pieces, and if, further, you had not carefully marked and studied every piece of the machinery. After all, your knowledge of the structure and the movements of the watch will remain very much inferior to the watchmaker's knowledge; why?"-" -"Isuppose, because he is more exactly and more thoroughly familiar with the several parts."-"Exactly; apply this to a language; it is the parts or the elements of the English language that I want you to be master of, well knowing that when you are so, you will know and write the language well; but without that mastery you must not expect to become a proficient in our tongue. You did not, I fancy, entrust your watch to the watchmaker's apprentice ?"-"I should be very sorry to do so."—"Why?"—" Why? because he is an apprentice, and a young one too."-"Very well, you thought he did not understand his business; and if he did not understand his business, it was chiefly because he was unacquainted with the structure and uses of the parts of your watch."-" But why take the watch to pieces in order to acquire that knowledge?"-"Simply because that knowledge cannot well be otherwise acquired. I dare say you have looked at your watch very often."-"O yes, and I have tried to look into it but never could get to know much about its works, or its operations."-" No, and long enough might the watchmaker's apprentice look at and look into his master s watches before he would acquire the knowledge and skill requisite to make him a watchmaker. Now, in regard to the English, you wish to be a watchmaker, that is, you wish to write good Englishhow can you succeed unless by learning the parts of the structure with which you have to deal? No, no; you must follow the watchmaker's practice, you must take the language to pieces, study those several pieces, and then try to put them all together bit by bit. In this operation everything depends on your acquiring a correct knowledge of the several component parts. Therefore study etymology, study the Greek, Latin, and other stems. If you fail in this you will be, and you will remain, in the condition of the watchmaker's apprentice."-" Surely, I may become a master by studying a good English dictionary."-" Never; the mere use of the dictionary is like looking at the watch on the outside; at the best you will thus look only a small way into it, and after all, having given much more trouble than would be necessary to acquire the language thoroughly with the aid of etymology, you will, whatever efforts you may make, acquire nothing more than a superficial acquaintance with English. The etymological study of a language is the only wise and proper one; it is also the shortest and the easiest in the long run."-"What do you mean by etymological study?"""That study which is founded on etymology or a knowledge of root-meanings, a knowledge of the meanings of the component parts or the elements of a language. Etymology is the A, B, C, of a language; and as you cannot write without knowing 'your alphabet,' so you cannot read without knowing the materials you have to employ. I fancy I should ill succeed in your cabinetmaking. Why?"-"For one thing you don't know the tools." "No; but the tools of the English language I do know, and want to teach you what they are, and what they are for. Therefore study the Greek and Latin stems or roots."-"But you do not forbid the use of a dictionary. Some of the words given in the

lessons I cannot make out-what am I to do ?"-" Consult a good English dictionary. I am not against the proper use of a dictionary; it is the abuse of a dictionary I wish to guard you against. Do not expect too much from a dictionary. Do not place your reliance on a dictionary. Do not fly to a dictionary the moment you meet with a word you do not understand. Instead of consulting the dictionary, consult your own head. Surely you will be better off if you carry a dictionary about with you.". ""Yes, I will get a pocket dictionary."-"No! no! I don't meant that; pocket dictionaries are of little more use than "pocket pistols;" it is a head-dictionary that I wish to recommend; if you have a dictionary in your own head you will never be at a loss; and the way to acquire such a treasure is by systematic study-the etymological study of the English tongue."-" Still you think a dictionary may be useful; what dictionary do you recommend ?"-"I think it indispensable that you should possess a good English dictionary; talent and industry of the first class might do without a dictionary; and you yourself will fail in your duty if you do not learn far more without than you learn by means of a dictionary; nevertheless, there are occasions when a dictionary is useful, not to say necessary, and on that account I will set before you means for determining which of the dictionaries of the English language you should pùrchase; but enough for the present."

LATIN STEMS.

LANGUAGE is full of instruction, because it is the embodiment, the incarnation, so to speak, of the feelings, and thoughts, and experiences of a nation; yea, often of many nations, and of all which through centuries they have attained to and won. It stands, like the Pillars of Hercules,* to mark how far the moral and intellectual conquests of mankind have advanced; only not like those pillars, fixed and immovable, but ever itself advancing with the progress of these ;-nay, more, itself a great element of that advance; for language is the armoury of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests." The mighty moral instincts which have been working in the popular mind, have found therein their unconscious voice, and the single kinglier spirits that have looked deeper into the hearts of things have sometimes gathered up all they have seen into some word which they have launched upon the world, and with which they have enriched it for ever-making in that new word a new region of thought to be henceforward, in some sort, the common heritage of all. Language is the amber in which a thousand precious and subtle thoughts have been safely embedded and preserved. It has arrested ten thousand lightning flashes of genius, which, unless thus arrested and fixed, might have been as bright, but would also have been as quickly passing and perishing, as the lightning. Words convey the mental treasures of one period to the generations that follow; and laden with this, their precious freight, they sail safely across gulfs of time in which

The rocks on each side of the Straits of Gibraltar, were called by the ancients "The Pillars of Hercules."