MAIN LIBRARY JOHN FRYER CHINESE LIBRARY Now ready. THE FRENCH PRINCIPIA, PART I. A FIRST FRENCII COURSE; containing Grammar, Delectus, Exercises, and Vocabularies. 12mo. 3s. 6d. FRENCH PRINCIPIA, PART II. A READING BOOK; containing Fables, Stories, and Anecdotes, Natural History, and Scenes from the History of France. With Grammatical Questions, Notes, and copious Etymological Dictionary. 12mo. 48. 6d. THE STUDENT'S FRENCH GRAMMAR: a Practical and Historical Grammar of the French Language. By C. HERON-WALL, late Assistant Master at Brighton College. With an Introduction by M. LITTRE. Post 8vo. 7s. 6d. A SMALLER GRAMMAR OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. For the Middle and Lower Forms. Abridged from the above. 12me. 3s. 6d. GERMAN PRINCIPIA, PART I. A FIRST GERMAN COURSE ; containing a Grammar, Delectus, Exercise Book, and Vocabularies. 12mo. 3s. 6d. GERMAN PRINCIPIA, PART II. A READING BOOK; containing Fables, Stories, and Anecdotes, Natural History, and Scenes from the History of Germany. With Grammatical Questions, Notes, and Dictionary. 12mo. 3s. 6d. A PRACTICAL GERMAN GRAMMAR. With a Sketch of the Historical Development of the Language, and its Principal Dialects. By Dr. LEONHARD SCHMITZ, Classical Examiner in the University of London. Post 8vo. 38. 6d. LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. PREFACE. THIS work, which has been drawn up by the Rev. Ernest Brette, B.D., French Examiner in the University of London, differs in two or three important points from other French Reading Books. In the first place, each Extract is followed by Grammatical Questions, testing the knowledge of the pupil in the Accidence and the more important Syntactical Rules. This will be found especially useful to pupils preparing for public examinations, such as the Matriculation Examination in the University of London. In the second place, the Vocabulary explains fully the etymology of every word. It is believed that this is the first time that such an Etymological Vocabulary has been appended to any French Reading Book. It contains very nearly 13,000 words, and is complete enough to be used as a Dictionary for all French books commonly read in schools. In drawing it up, the works of Grimm, Bopp, Diez, Littré, Scheler, and Brachet have been throughout consulted. The Extracts contain a diversity of subjects, such as fables, short tales, anecdotes, useful information on points connected with natural history, discoveries and inventions, as well as sketches of some important portions of French history; thus giving pupils the opportunity of 751598 reading different authors and different styles of composition. Poetry has been purposely omitted, as it has been found by long experience that the inversion, poetical licence, and other difficulties in French poetry, only confuse the beginner. Special care has been taken to make the Extracts progressive, beginning with easy and gradually proceeding to more difficult pieces. In the Notes, which follow the Extracts, all difficulties which cannot be solved by the ordinary grammars and dictionaries are explained, and short notices are given relating to the persons and events mentioned in the Extracts. It is recommended that this work should be used in conjunction with the First Part of the 'French Principia,' and not be postponed till the pupil has finished the latter. As soon as he has learnt thoroughly the Rudiments of Grammar, and can translate the simplest sentences, it is important to diversify the somewhat dry and tedious work of the Delectus and Exercise-book, by giving him connected passages containing interesting and instructive matter. Further, it is recommended that the pupil, after translating each extract into English, should be required to close the book and re-translate it vivá voce into French, the teacher dictating to him the English, sentence by sentence. This is the very best method of enabling the pupil to make rapid progress in the acquirement of the language. |