The form of the answer should correspond to the form of the invitation, as in the following examples :

1.- Acceptance.

Mr. George King accepts with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Edward Stanley's kind invitation for Tuesday evening, June 24th. 3/4 Walnut Street, June 14th.

2.- Regret.

Mr. George King regrets that, on account of a previous engagement, he is unable to accept Mr. and Mrs. Edward Stanley's kind invitation for Tuesday evening, June 24th. Saturday, June 14th.

WRITTEN EXERCISES.

I.

Copy on note-paper the foregoing forms. Begin the first line, and also the address or date, a little farther to the right than the other lines.

LESSON LXXXVI.

EXERCISES IN COMPOSITION.

To the Teacher.- Give frequent exercises in composition similar to the following. When needful, let pupils refer to the forms and directions for letter-writing given in preceding lessons. Accept no careless work from the pupil, either in thought or in expression.

EXERCISE I.

Write to a publisher, and order six different books. State the title of each book, and mention the style of binding that you prefer.

EXERCISE II.

You have lost a watch. Write an advertisement about the lost article, to be inserted in one of the newspapers in your

town.

EXERCISE

EXERCISE III.

Mrs. Margaret Joy, who lives at Catskill, N. Y., wishes to rent a house in Poughkeepsie. She writes to Hunt and Sayles, Real Estate Agents, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., telling them what kind of house she wants. Write the letter for her.

EXERCISE

A concert is to be given in your town next Tuesday evening. Write a notice, telling when and where it is to be held.

EXERCISE V.

Your mother is away from home, and your father has met with a serious accident. Send to your mother a telegram of not more than ten words, asking her to come home immediately.

EXERCISE VI.

Write an order, in the third person, for such groceries as will be needed in your family for the coming week. Use in your order the real name of some grocer.

EXERCISE VII.

You wish the position of assistant librarian in the public library of your town. Write to the Library Committee, making an application for the position. State your qualifications, and give for reference the name of your teacher.

EXERCISE VIII.

On the first day of this month Edward T. Dunn paid you twenty dollars for instruction in German. Write a receipt for the amount received.

EXERCISE IX.

1. Mr. and Mrs. Charles South invite you to dinner next Thursday at six o'clock. Write the invitation.

2. Write an answer, accepting the invitation. 3. Write an answer, declining the invitation. for declining.

Give a reason

PART THIRD.

RELATIONS OF WORDS-SYNTAX.

SYNTAX treats of the grammatical relations of words in sentences. The relation that any part of speech bears to other parts of speech in the same sentence is called its construction.

LESSON LXXXVII.

CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE NOUN.

The most common constructions of the noun have already been given. The noun may be used

1. As the subject of a verb; as,

The sun shines.

The subject of a verb is in the nominative case. This is called the subject nominative.

2. As a predicate nominative. A noun that completes the meaning of an intransitive verb, and refers to the same person or thing as the subject of the verb, is said to be in the nominative case after the verb. It completes the predicate, and is called a predicate noun or a predicate nominative. The verbs be, become, appear, look, seem, etc., and the passive forms of a few transitive verbs are followed by a predicate nominative; as,

Webster was a statesman.

Man became a living soul.

He was elected senator.

3. As an objective predicate; as,—

They made him secretary.

In this sentence him is the direct object of the verb, and secretary completes the meaning of the verb make and shows what they made him. A noun that completes the meaning of a transitive verb and describes its object is called an objective predicate. The verbs make, appoint, elect, call, choose, and others of similar meaning, are followed by the objective predicate.

When these verbs are used in the passive voice, they are followed by the predicate nominative; as,—

He will be made secretary.

4. In apposition.

A noun added to a noun or a pronoun, to explain or describe its meaning, is called an appositive, or is said to be in apposition with the first noun or pronoun. Two words in apposition are in the same case; as,

Motley, the historian, was an American. (Nominative case.) We met your brother, the general.

(Objective case.)

A noun used absolutely with

a participle, its case not depending upon any other word, is said to be in the nominative case absolute; as,

The train being late, they returned to the hotel.

6. In address. When a noun is used in addressing a person or a thing, it is said to be in the nominative case of address; as, –

Friends, are you convinced?

Ring, happy bells, across the snow,