ITALIAN AND ENGLISH GRAMMAR,. FROM THE ITALIAN AND FRENCH GRAMMAR OF VERGANI AND PIRANESI; Exemplified in Twenty Lessons. WITH EXERCISES, DIALOGUES, AND ENTERTAINING HISTORICAL ANECDOTES. ALSO, NOTES AND REMARKS CALCULATED TO Facilitate the Study of the Italian Language. BY J. GUICHET, PROFESSOR OF LANGUAGES, A NEW EDITION, ENLARGED AND CORRECTED, BY SIGNOR A. TOMMASI. LONDON: CHARLES H. LAW, 131, FLEET STREET; DULAU AND CO., SOHO SQUARE; WHITTAKER AND CO., AVE-MARIA LANE; P. ROLANDI, BERNERS STREET; 1855. Just published, price 38. A KEY TO THE ITALIAN AND FRENCH GRAMMAR, BY VERGANI AND PIRANESI; AND TO THE ITALIAN AND ENGLISH GRAMMAR, BY J. GUICHET. A NEW EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED, * 12 1912 PREFACE. THE Italian Grammar of VERGANI, revised and improved by PIRANESI, having been for many years past universally approved of in France, as containing, in a small compass, what was necessary to acquire the rudiments of the Italian Language, it was considered adviseable to make an English version of it for the use of the English student. The study of this rich and harmonious language has, of late, become nearly as prevalent in England as that of the French, and a knowledge of it is considered, in polite society, as a necessary accomplishment. The fundamental rules of this Elementary Grammar, and its method in general, have been carefully preserved in this new Edition; but in several parts, where the rules, (though sufficiently explanatory to the French student, on account of the great similarity between the two languages) were deemed not sufficiently intelligible to the English pupil, they are accompanied by such additional observations as were thought necessary, and in many parts, the syntactical rules, which were found contrary to the English construction, have been new-modelled, and adapted to that language, preserving, at the same time, the exemplary phrases employed in the original Grammar. The Exercises have, in some parts, been enlarged, according to VERGANI'S Improved Edition. To render this Grammar more complete, and, at the same time, to supply the place of an additional Reading-book, a number of Anecdotes have been subjoined, which it is hoped, will be found instructive, as well as entertaining, to the young student. The Epistolary style has likewise been attended to, by the introduction of a selection of letters, written by and addressed to persons of the first distinction. They are followed by a few Poetical Extracts, from the Drama, by which the pupil may be prepared for reading the most celebrated of the Italian poets and prose writers. As the Grammar contains a concise and perspicuous view of the principles, and an introductory specimen of each style of composition, the pupil is initiated, in an easy, amusing, and prompt manner, into the knowledge of this most beautiful, copious, and harmonious language. No pains have been spared, nor any thing neglected, to render this Work as acceptable and useful as possible, to the notice and approbation of Parents, Teachers, and of the Public in general. June 13, 1837. PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION. ALTHOUGH the Italian and English Grammar of Vergani, by Guichet, was generally recognised as the best of the existing elementary grammars in England, yet something remained to be done to put it in accordance with the progress of grammatical science; and it is hoped that the present edition will prove successful. A great number of orthographical and idiomatical errors that occurred here and there in the past editions have now been diligently corrected; the rules in Lessons II, III, IV, V, VI, X, and XVI, which, for want of clearness and proper exemplifications, were too difficult and embarrassing to students, have been rewritten and illustrated with new examples; the table of verbs has been corrected, and improved with some additions; several new dialogues have been added to the former ones, and the models on the epistolary style, which were rather of an old date, have been corrected, and a few new letters and short notes added; all of which, it is presumed, will render the Grammar more acceptable and profitable to the young student. A. TOMMASI. - LONDON; May, 1855. |