BLACKIE'S

COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SERIES.

ADVANCED

ENGLISH GRAMMAR:

PRECEDED BY A SKETCH OF THE

HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

FOR THE USE OF

THE HIGHER FORMS OF MIDDLE-CLASS SCHOOLS, PUPIL TEACHERS,
AND STUDENTS IN TRAINING COLLEGES.

BLACKIE & SON, 49 & 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C.

GLASGOW, EDINBURGH, AND DUBLIN.

30276f31

PREFACE.

The present work has been prepared as an enlargement of the Elementary Grammar in the Comprehensive Series of School Books; and is specially designed for the use of the Higher Forms in Middleclass Schools, Pupil Teachers, Students in Training Colleges, and Advanced Pupils generally.

The aim has been to set forth clearly and distinctly all the important facts of English Grammar, and to present them in such a form as may enable them to be easily grasped and readily remembered by the pupil. To this end preciseness of definition, copiousness of illustration, and clearness of arrangement have been steadily kept in view; while free use has been made of such typographical devices as seemed likely to aid in furthering the same object. Special attention may be drawn to the section on derivative words, which is very ample, the examples of Latin prefixes in particular being very

numerous.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

“The English tongue possesses a veritable power of expression, such as perhaps never stood at the command of any other language of man."-Grimm.

The history of the language of a country is intimately associated with that of the country itself. Probably no land has experienced such severe internal struggles as England before its inhabitants, composed of the most different elements, were blended into one whole.

Celtic Period.

In the earliest times of which we have any historical account, the island of Great Britain was peopled by Celts who spoke various dialects of the Celtic tongue. Subject to modifications inherent to a living language, the same dialects are still spoken in the British Isles; e.g. Gaelic in the Highlands of Scotland, Erse in the West of Ireland, Manks in the Isle of Man, and Welsh in Wales. Down to within about two hundred years a dialect of the Celtic language was also spoken in Cornwall, but it gradually succumbed before the influence of English. Doubtless the same fate will sooner or later befall the existing Celtic dialects. The few isolated words of Celtic origin which are still found in the English dictionary relate, for the most part, to common household matters with which serfs and menials would necessarily have to do, e.g.:—

It is in topographical nomenclature, however, particularly in the names of natural features, that the Celtic element has maintained its ground irrespective of Roman, Saxon, Danish, or Norman domination, e.g.:--

(a) Mountains: Grampians, Cheviot, Mendip, Chiltern, Malvern. (b) Rivers: Thames, Severn, Trent, Clyde, Wye, Usk, Don, Dee. (c) Islands: Man, Arran, Wight, Bute.