BY LILLIAN G. KIMBALL FORMERLY HEAD OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, STATE NORMAL AUTHOR OF "THE STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH SENTENCE 66 ELEMENTARY ENGLISH, BOOK ONE," AND "ELEMENTARY ENGLISH, BOOK TWO" NEW YORK .:. CINCINNATI: CHICAGO 20 304-041 COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL, LONDON. KIMBALL'S ENG. GRAMMAR. F-P 13 PREFACE THE purpose of this book is to set forth in a simple and practical manner the principles of modern English Grammar. The aim has been not only to give the pupils an insight into the structure of the English sentence, but also to provide them with exercises helpful to the formation of good habits of speech. It is a matter of common knowledge among teachers of grammar that a mere understanding of the rules of syntax does not insure the avoidance of errors and the use of correct forms. The use of language by young persons is instinctive and spontaneous rather than reflective, hence the most effective way for them to secure correctness of speech is through imitation and practice. Recognizing this fundamental fact in language teaching, the author has provided many exercises both for the learning of correct forms and for practice in their use. These the teacher is expected to supplement by constant criticism, example, and stimulus. After the pupil has been led to appreciate and strive for correctness of speech, he naturally wishes to understand why a certain form is correct or incorrect, to have a test for his own speech and a standard by which to judge the speech of others. Only by such an understanding does he gain a mastery of the form of a language so that he can use it with ease, freedom, and certainty. To promote such a mastery of English, the author has made each construction perfectly clear, and has led the pupil through accurate reasoning to conclusions which are strengthened and established by their application to many illustrative sentences chosen from standard literature. 577320 The selection and the arrangement of subject matter have been carefully considered in the light of experience in the classroom. The arrangement is at the same time pedagogical and logical. Each point is taken up where it is called for by the preceding lesson and where it will be of greatest use in making clear what follows. Technical points that have little or no practical value have been omitted, but whatever is of benefit in helping the pupil to use or to interpret the English language has been included. Thanks are due to many teachers for helpful criticisms of the manuscript of this book. |