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Practical Exercises in English. Huber Gray Buehler
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isbn 4057664630315
Автор произведения Huber Gray Buehler
Жанр Языкознание
Издательство Bookwire
SOLECISMS: Constructions not English, commonly called cases of "bad grammar" or "false syntax": as, "She invited Mrs. Roe and I to go driving with her." "Solecism" is derived from Soli, the name of a Greek tribe who lived in Cilicia and spoke bad Greek.
SLANG is a general name for current, vulgar, unauthorized language. It may take the form of barbarism, impropriety, or solecism.
A COLLOQUIALISM is an expression peculiar to familiar conversation.
A VULGARISM is an expression peculiar to vulgar or ignorant people.
[2] This and the two following incidents are from the writer's own observation. [3] A.S. Hill: Foundations of Rhetoric, p. 28. [4] Ibid., p. 20. [5] Barrett Wendell: English Composition, p. 21. [6] A.S. Hill: Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 16.
EXERCISE I.
1. Make a list of the provincial expressions you can think of, and give their equivalents in national English.
2. Make a list of the slang or vulgar expressions you can think of, and give their equivalents in reputable English.
3. Make a list of the words, forms, and phrases not in present use which you can find in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, authorized version, and give their equivalents in modern English.
EXERCISE II.
Which word in the following pairs should an American prefer? Consult Hill's "Foundations of Rhetoric," pp. 28–29: Coal, coals; jug, pitcher; street railway, tramway; post-card, postal-card; depôt, station.
EXERCISE III.
1. Arrange the following words in two columns, putting in the first column words that are in good use, in the second, words that are not in good use. Consult Hill's "Foundations of Rhetoric," pp. 27–29: Omnibus, succotash, welkin, ere, née, depôt, veto, function (in the sense of social entertainment), to pan out, twain, on the docket, kine, gerrymander, carven, caucus, steed, to coast (on sled or bicycle), posted (informed), to watch out, right (very).
2. Give good English equivalents for the words which are not in good use.
CHAPTER II.
OF ARTICLES
A or An.[7]—The choice between these forms is determined by sound, not by spelling. Before a consonant sound "a" is used; before a vowel sound "an" is used.
[7] "Foundations," pp. 32–36.
EXERCISE IV.
Put the proper form, "a" or "an," before each of these expressions:—Elephant, apple, egg, union of states, uniform, uninformed person, universal custom, umpire, Unitarian church, anthem, unfortunate man, united people, American, European, Englishman, one, high hill, horse, honorable career, hypocrite, humble spirit, honest boy, hypothesis, history, historical sketch, heir, hundred, hereditary disease, household.
The or A.[8]—"The" is a broken-down form of the old English thoet, from which we also get "that," and is used to point out some particular person, thing, or class: as, "The headmaster of the school gave the boys permission." When "the" is used before the name of a particular class of persons or things it is called the "generic" article (from genus, "a class"): as, "None but the brave deserve the fair"; "The eagle is our national bird."
"An" ("a") is a broken-down form of the old English word ane, meaning "one." It is properly used when the object is thought of as one of a class: as, "There is an eagle in the zoological garden." It cannot properly be used before a word which is used as a class name, because a class name includes in its meaning more than "one."
Superfluous and Omitted Articles.[9]—The use of a superfluous "a" or "an" before a class name, especially after the words "sort" and "kind," is a common and obstinate error. We may say, "This is an eagle," meaning "one eagle." But we may not say, "An eagle is our national bird," "This is a rare kind of an eagle," or, "It is not worthy of the name of an eagle"; because in these sentences "eagle" is used as the name, not of a single bird, but of a class of birds, and includes in its meaning all the birds which belong to the class called "eagle." The sentences are equivalent to: "The kind of bird called 'eagle' is our national bird;" "This is a rare species of the class of birds called 'eagle;'" "It is not worthy of the name given to the birds which belong to the class called 'eagle.'"
[8] Ibid., pp. 33–34.
EXERCISE V.
Tell the difference in meaning between:—
1. The (a) house is on fire.
2. Yes, I heard (the) shouts in the street.
3. About eight o'clock (the) guests began to come.
4. Yes, I heard (the) noises in the next room.
5. The (an) elephant stood on a cask, and the (a) clown sat on the elephant's back.
6. The President has appointed a commission to investigate the cause of (the) strikes.
7. Will he let us look at (the) stars through the (a) telescope?
8. (The) teacher and (the) pupil are interested in this question.
9. He told us about an (the) accident.
10. Fire is beautiful. The fire is beautiful.
11. He was a better scholar than (an) athlete.
12. A young and (a) delicate girl.
13. He liked the bread and (the) butter.
14. A pink and (a) lavender gown.
15. The wise and (the) good.
16. Wanted, a cook and (a) housemaid.
17. The black and (the) white cow.
18. The athlete, (the) soldier, (the) statesman, and (the) poet.
19. A secretary and (a) treasurer.
20. The corresponding