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FIRST GREEK READER:
jfor i^t (*ls£ oi Bt^oah.
O^ BY
AKci). H^BRYCE, LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.8.E.
RECTOAOFTHXEDLNBtrBOHCOLLEGIATESCHOOL.
Cljirt ^Tiitiou.
LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;
EDISBURaH AND NEW YORK.
;
IfDCCCLXXn.
—
Ik
"^xdRtt.
This volume is at once a Grammar, a Header, an
Exercise-Book, and a Vocabulary. Its aim is two-
fold : First, To give a complete view of the In-
flexions of Nouns and Yerbs, with a careful regard
to simplicityand clearness and, Secondly, To supply
;
a series of interesting and easy lessons in continuous
reading.
In the grammatical part of the work care has
been taken not to overload the text with minutisD
and exceptions, which serve only to confuse and
bewilder the beginner but to afford merely the
;
amount of information considered necessaryin aFirst
Course. The Nouns and Verbs are so arrancred,
that each class of Inflexions is kept separate and
distinct and numerous Exercises follow each para-
;
digm, in order that the characteristics of one group
may be fixed in the mind of the pupil before bis
attention is invited to another The Nouns of the
Third Declension have been classified on a plan
;
iv PREFACE,
which, it is hoped, will lead to a due appreciation of
thepeculiarities belongingto that multiform division.
(See, especially, Appendix, p, 160.)
The Verb has been set forth in one tabular view,
and has been introduced as little as possible in the
earlier Exercises,fromthe conviction that themethod
of teaching it piecemeal, and in a desultory manner,
without any regard to similarity of stem or of mean-
ing, is certain to result in confusion to the pupil and
disappointment to the master.
Adjectives should always be taught simultaneously
with Substantives, and each gender-form by itself,
as suggested in the text (Section II. 6, and III. 8)
but to afford facilities for comparing form with form,
and to gratify those Teachers who may prefer the
old mode^ paradigms have been printed in full de-
clension at p. 43, sqq. In the section on the Com-
parison of Adjectives, a new arrangement has been
proposed, which aims at giving simplicity as well as
symmetry to a chapter of Greek grammar hitherto
unnecessarily complicated, and devoid of unity of
principle.
The Rules of Contraction will be found brief,
simple, and comprehensive.* They have been bor-
rowed, with the kind permission of the author, from
* ItmustbeborneInmind,tliatinregardtotheRulesofContraction,ofEuphony,
ofAccent,<fcc.,aslaiddown inthis first coni'se ofGreek lessons, all the roinutiw
and exceptions are not glTen; the less common peculiarities belonRto a second
course,ortoasystematicandcompleteGrammar. Theprinciplesset forth will- it
Isbelieved,befoundtocovereverythingrequiredintheuseofthisvolume.
PREFACE. ^
a forthcoming Greek Grammarbythe Rev. I)r. Bryce
of Belfost.
The Exercises of Part I. are intended mainly as
a praxis on the Inflexions, and to this end the strict
logical arrangement of the Sjmtax has been entirely
subordinated.* TheRulesofConstruction have there-
fore been introduced in such order, and to such an
extent, as has been deemed most consistent with the
genei-al plan, and most conducive to rapid progress.f
The sentences, which by easy steps increase in difli-
culty, have been selected, as far as possible, from
classical authors but the choice of words and of
;
appropriate phrases has been veiy much restricted
by peculiar features in the design of the work. The
names of familiar objects, and words of frequent
occurrence in general reading, claim a primary place
in the Vocabulary of elementary works dealing with
a foreicrn lan2aias:e ; and such have therefore been
chosen in preference to more rare and more dignified
terms. They have been largely taken from the
Reading Lessons of Part II., in order that the prin-
ciple of frequent repetition may have as much play
as possible and that, when students arrive at the
;
more difficult task of unravelling complex sentences,
the often recurring faces of old friends may, by
diminishing their difficulties, encourage them onward
• Acompanionvolumetothepresentisinpreparation,whichwillassumetheform
sfanExercise-Book,andinwhichtheSyntaxwillbetheprimaryobjectofattentioa
t AbriefrtsitmeoftheSj-ntazofSimpleSeatenceswinbefoondintheAppendi:£.
PREFACE.
in their labours. Sentences of an abstruse or philo-
sophical kind, such as too often form the staple of
Introductory Readers, have been avoided, as tending
rather to repel than to invite the young. The Eng-
lish portions of the Exercises are meant merely as
examples for imitative practice, and are not intended
to supersede the use of a methodically arranged
Manual of Greek Composition. "Vocabularies have
not, for very obvious reasons, been attached to the
Exercises, but have been supplied at a different part
of the book, p. 164.
It is of the utmost consequence that, in studying
a foreign language, pupils should daily, and fromthe
very first, make practical use of the principles and
facts which theylearn from the Grammar. Forsuch
pi-axis short and easyclauses are,in the earherstages,
indispensable, but it is possible to continue their use
to an unnecessary extent, inasmuch as the power of
a boy to grapple with the difficulties of complex
sentences is by no means in proportion to the time
spent in analysing simple sentences. It has therefore
been deemed prudent to introduce promiscuous read-
ing lessons as soon as the learner has fairly got over
the Parts of Speecli and their companion Exercises.
And thus the Extracts forming Part II. have been
chosenwith thisview, that, whilethepupil'singenuity
is exercised in the discrimination ofmixed grammati-
cal forms and the analysis ofcompound sentences, his
