the American public, we do not pretend giving a new attempt to teach the French language. It is on the contrary a perfect success and stood its test for years. It is introduced in most German schools and the amount of copies required every year to satisfy the general demand has risen to the enormous number of 30,000. The study of a modern language, especially of French, consists of three principal points, viz.: Pronunciation, Grammar and the acquisition of a vocabulary. If the pronunciation were taught in a special chapter, the pupil would be obliged to continually consult it or study it entirely before commencing to learn the language proper. The plan of this book being, not to overstrain any of the pupil's faculties, nor to give his exertions a one sided direction, but to keep them all in moderate activity, the problem of teaching the pronunciation, as far as it can be taught by rules, has been solved in a way different from that pursued in most of the grammars, published in this country, and we hope for the good of the pupil as well as satisfactory to the teacher. The principal rules of pronunciation are dispersed over the first and second sections and occasional remarks have been made throughout the book, whenever deemed necessary. In this manner the pupil learus to pronounce without waste of time and without any considerable effort. The words occurring in the lessons 40—91 are given in the vocabulary and must be conscientiously committed to memory previous to translating the exercises; for, as we cannot build a house without building-materials, we cannot learn a language without learning the words. By giving the words in the respective lessons the pupil would simply be taught not to learn them at all. Nothing has been neglected to introduce the pupil into French conversation. Besides the great number of examples from daily life, the book contains 15 dialogues on diverse subjects, which certainly serve our purpose better than collections of detached conversational phrases. The questions in the Questionnaires (See 40th lesson) are models after which, if time and plan of instruction allow, the tear her may form a variety of other questions, to be answered by the pupils in French without first forming the answer in English. Many examples in the exercises are drawn from history and furnish the teacher frequent opportunities of throwing in appropriate remarks on the subjects touched upon, thus rendering the instruction more attractive and interesting for both teacher and pupil. BOSTON, Augus 1871 N. () Parentheses in the themes enclose indications how to translate. [] Brackets enclose words not to be rendered in French. CONTENTS. A. METHODICAL PART. Pronunciation. Principal forms of avoir and être. Defin- ite and indefinite article. Formation of the plural. Demonstrative pronoun. Possessive pronouns. Ad- Exercises on all forms of avoir and être. Interrogative, relative and demonstrative pronouns. Personal pronouns. Reflective verbs. Agreement (ac- CONTENTS OF THE READER. (Page 112.) 1. Le chevreau et le loup. 2. La cigale et la fourmi. 3. Le feu follet et le voyageur. 4. L'heure du dîner. 5. Le grand malheur. 6. Courte harangue. 7. Les comédiens impayables. 8. La visite (6e dialogue). 9. Bon conseil. 10. Le paresseux (7e dialogue). 11. Correspondance entre le sacristain de la cathédrale de Berlin et Frédéric le Grand. 12. Le service de la table (8e dialogue). 13. La machine à vapeur. 23. Calcul très-juste. 26. Le voyageur et l'habitant de Paris (14e dialogue). 27. Précaution. 34. Gasconnade. 35. Exercice de prononciation. 36. Réponse naïve. 37. L'avare. 14. La redingote neuve (9e dia- 38. Superstition raillée. logue). 15. Les chemins de fer. 16. Offre obligeante. 39. Portrait d'un homme tran quille. 40. Epigrammes. 17. En chemin de fer (10e dia- 41. Épitaphe d'un paresseux. logue). 18. L'âge du frère cadet. 19. Les maîtres et les valets. 20. La maison (11e dialogue). 21. Bêtise. 22 Les devoirs (12e dialogue). 42. Un postscriptum. 43. Les trois ministres. 44. Le lion et le rat. 45. Henri IV et le paysan. 46. Dévouement d'un capitaine turc. |