From this list it appears that the feminine terminations most frequently used are ess, ix, a, ina, ine. The termination ix is of Latin origin; a, ina, ine, are also of foreign origin.

III. By prefixing a word indicative of sex,—

Observe that goat, servant, sparrow, child, express a kind or species only, without reference to sex; which makes the prefix indispensable when sex is to be indicated.

Of what gender are king, mare, gander, brother, bride, lord, sister, slut, milter, goose, boar, girl, duck, horse, aunt, gaffer, colt, heifer, hen, buck, belle, hart, bridegroom, boy, filly, cock, witch, sir, spawner, son, friar, doe, cow, heiress, shepherd, empress, count, authoress, poet, mayoress, giant, duke, baroness, Jew, votaress, czarina, arbiter, dauphiness, priest, executrix, poet, tutoress, benefactor, governess, lion, inventor, marchioness, ambassador.

CASE.

By the cases of nouns is meant their relation to each other; as also their connection with verbs as agents or objects. It follows that cases are essential to language, as without them no language could answer the purpose for which it was formed. Very few names stand alone and independent of other words. A house, a ship, a tree, are mere names; my father's house, the tree of knowledge, a ship of war, are the same words in close relation with other names.

The term case is derived from the Latin casus, which signifies the falling from a perpendicular line; and from this deflection, consisting of several degrees, has originated the declension of nouns. Thus the simple notion of the noun is expressed by an upright straight line, as I; the other cases are expressed by lines deflecting or declining, as in the letter V. This is the origin of the term declension when applied to the cases of nouns and pronouns.

The Greek and Latin languages among the ancients, and the German language among the moderns, have their

various cases denoted by a difference of termination; the English language has only one case (the possessive) denoted by the affix, 's.

There are in English three cases-the nominative, from the Latin nominare, to name; the objective; and the possessive. The nominative is the actor, or the subject of the action or affirmation; the objective is the object which suffers or endures the action. These cases are ascertained by their position and relation only.

The possessive case denotes the relation of ownership or possession, and is distinguished by having 's added to the noun-as, John's house; that is, the house of which John is the owner or possessor. The same relation may be expressed by prefixing the preposition of to the noun; as, the house of John.

Although, in many instances, both these forms of the possessive have an equivalent meaning, there are numerous instances in which the possessive termination 's cannot be substituted for the noun with the preposition of prefixed. Thus it may be properly said, I speak of Buonaparte, I read of Wellington; but it cannot, as an equivalent, be said, I speak Buonaparte's, or, I read Wellington's. Cloth of wool, a cup of water, cannot be expressed wool's cloth, water's cup. An idea of an angel is not equivalent to an angel's idea, nor the House of Lords to the Lords' house. In these instances of does not strictly signify possession; it denotes consisting of, or in, concerning, &c.

In some circumstances a double possessive is formed; as, "the laws of gravitation were a discovery of Newton's ;" "the circulation of the blood was a discovery of Harvey's."

When the noun possessed is known and implied, it is

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often omitted; as, we were at St Paul's," that is, St Paul's church; "he called at the mercer's," that is, at the mercer's shop.

When the possessive noun is accompanied with another word in apposition, the 's is affixed to the last; as, John the Baptist's head, George the Third's queen, the historian Hume's works.

But if the thing possessed is represented as belonging to a number severally specified, the sign of the possessive is affixed to each; as, he has the surgeon's and physician's advice. This was my father's, mother's, and uncle's opinion. "Moab's and Hagar's line.” The shipwright's and the builder's art.-Pope. Now join thy people's and thy Cali's prayers.-Johnson. Latona's and Diana's healing power. Peter's, John's, and Andrew's occupation.

The contrary rule in Murray's Grammar is egregiously wrong, as exemplified in this phrase,-"This was my father, mother, and uncle's advice." This is not English.-WEBSTER.

As participles are often used as nouns, they are subject to the same construction when similarly placed; as, a courier arrived with an account of his Catholic Majesty's having agreed to the neutrality. In case of his Majesty's dying without issue. We can have no notion of the same person's possessing different accomplishments.

Formation of the Possessive Case.

1. The possessive singular is formed by affixing 's to the noun; as, John's book, England's fame, Milton's poetry, the moon's pale orb.

2. The 's should be added to nouns ending with ce, se (sounded like s), or s, when correct articulation warrants the addition; as, the Prince's sister, his Grace's servant, my niece's studies, James's slate, Thomas's brother, the mouse's skin.

3. When the insertion of the apostrophic s, after the termination ce, ss, or s, would occasion a disagreeable articulation, it should be omitted; as, Moses' rod, Jesus' disciples, Herodias' sake, righteousness' sake.

4. In the formation of the possessive plural which ends with s, the' is always added, but the s is usually omitted when the repetition of that letter would occasion a harshness of sound; as, the Giants' Causeway, the Commons' House, the parents' grief, the Peers' orders.

5. When the plural is not formed by adding s to the singular, the 's must be affixed; as, men's manners, women's gloves, children's faults, mice's squeaking, geese's cackling.

6. IN PROSE these rules are invariable; but in POETRY the elision of the apostrophic s takes place in every instance where the rhythm of the measure requires it.

The following are examples:-Bacchus' votaries, Thetis' arms, Pallas' priestess, Paris' lofty dome, Phoebus' temple, Olympus' cloudy tops, Argos' fruitful shore, Achilles' fury, Paris' guilt, Pallas' art devised, Venus' hand, Ajax' father, Phoenix' hand, &c.

Diminutives: There is a small class of English nouns called diminutives, which are usually formed from a generic term to express a little thing of the kind; as, lambkin, a little lamb; manikin, a little man; pipkin (from pipe), a small earthenware boiler. The termination kin, affixed to proper names-as, Peterkin, Hawkin, Tomkin, Simpkinis derived from a Dutch and Teutonic word signifying a child, and now signifies more generally what is small of its kind. Cle, ule, ock, el, are also diminutive terminations; as, icicle, globule, hillock, satchel, from sack.

Similar diminutives are found in Latin, as from lapis, a stone, comes lapillus, a little stone; cella, a cell, cellula, a little cell; and in French, maisonette, a little house, comes from maison, a house. The Scotch have a superlative diminutive,-a very little, wee, manikin.

Spell the possessive singular and the possessive plural of book, house, table, face, princess, lady, fly, mouse, ox, water, fish, couch, distress, miss, knife, mayor, law, rain, noise, possession, potato, cry, hero, righteousness.

Exercises on proper and common nouns, number, gender,

and case.

John's book, man's duties, London, winter, ship's cabin, paper, clock, fire's heat, aunt's house, scholars' duties, goodness, man's pursuits, sun's warmth, snow's whiteness, king's throne, Britain's power, Wellington's triumphs, righteousness' sake, Dublin, ladies' rings, Paris, ocean's

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