A.-Words introduced into English from the French Language.

B.-Words introduced into the English from the Latin Language.

First Class.

Words wherein the Latin Plural is the same as the Latin Singular.

Words wherein the Latin Plural is formed from the Latin Singular by changing the last Syllable.

(a)- Where the Singular termination -a is changed in the Plural

(b).—Where the Singular termination -us is changed, in the

Arcanum

Collyrium

Datum

Desideratum

(c). Where the Singular termination -um is changed, in the

Plural, into -a.

Sing.

Animalculum

Plur.

animalcula

arcana

collyria
data

desiderata

d.-Where the singular termination -is is changed in the plural

Words wherein the Plural is formed by inserting -e between the two last sounds of the singular, so that the former number always contains a syllable more than the latter :

In all these words the c of the singular number is sounded as

k, of the plural as s.

C.-Words introduced into English from the Greek language and retaining the Greek plural forms.

First Class.

Words where the singular termination -on is changed in the plural into a.

Words where the plural is formed from the original root by adding either -es or -a, but where the singular rejects the last letter of the

The difficulty presented by these words arises from the fact of the singular being the more complicated form of the two, which makes it necessary to look to the original root. From this the plural is derived in a uniform manner. However, as the singular form is the only one that appears in languages, the relations between it and the plural are much more unintelligible than they would be otherwise.

D.-Words introduced into the English from the Hebrew language, and retaining the Hebrew plural forms.

An adjective is a word capable of forming, by itself, the predicate of a proposition, but not capable of forming, by itself, the subject.

§ 237. Adjectives in English have three degrees of comparison-the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

§ 238. The positive degree is the adjective in its simple form; as dark, cold, rich, low.

$239. The comparative degree is formed from the positive by the addition of the sound of the syllable -er; as dark, dark-er; cold, cold-er; rich, rich-er; low, low-er.

$240. The superlative degree is formed from the positive by the addition of the sound of the syllable -est; as dark, dark-est; cold, cold-est; rich, rich-est; low, low-est.

Rule for spelling. When the positive ends in e, the e is omitted in the spelling of the comparative and superlative; as wide, wid-er, wid-est; not wide, wide-er, wide-est.

Rule for Spelling.-When the positive ends in a single consonant preceded by a short vowel, the con