Grammar-land; Or, Grammar in Fun for the Children of Schoolroom-shire ...

M. L. Nesbitt

H. Holt & Company, 1878 - Children's literature - 120 pages

What people are saying

User Review -

This book is a hoot! My 9 year old loved it! It was really a fabulous way to refresh our grammar skills at the beginning of the year. Also, it helped her sort out some of the parts of speech she would get mixed up, such as Proper Noun vs. pronoun. The only negative thing I can say it that it doesn't provide answers.  

User Review -

This whimsical book ratchets the dull study of grammar up a notch. I'm going to use it with my emerging sixth grader. He needs a good review at the beginning of the school year. Labeling parts of speech can be boring. I sometimes wonder why we make such a fuss about grammar when those who have grown up hearing the English language intuitively know how to succinctly put words together to form cohesive sentences. Somehow, being able to give these words labels makes us feel more learned. As Mr. Noun, Little Article, Mr. Pronoun and Mr. Adjective hash out differences with Judge Grammar presiding and Sergeant Parsing running interference, this story provides a delightful way of giving the mind pegs on which to hang labels. I'm sure many good books were written without labels, i.e., the Bible. However, our children are not considered intelligent on assessments if we don't go through the motions of labeling all the words they use on a daily basis. Since it must be studied, this is a great approach. I wrote a workbook to go along with this book for my son to use. I hope he enjoys the effort. 

Contents

• I: 1
• II: 7
• III: 15
• IV: 20
• V: 28
• VI: 30
• VII: 37
• VIII: 45
• IX: 54
• X: 62
• XI: 70
• XII: 73
• XIII: 80
• XIV: 86
• XV: 93
• XVI: 99
• XVII: 106
• XVIII: 114

Popular passages

Page 79 - I played in the heath one day ; And I cried for her more than a week, dears, But I never could find where she lay. I found my poor little doll, dears, As I played...

Page 77 - Lupin was, comforted by the mere voice and presence of such a man; and, though he had merely said " a verb must agree with its nominative case in number and person...

Page 59 - You are He is They are Past Tense I was We were You were You were He was They were Future Tense I shall be We shall be You will be You will be He will be They will be...

Page 60 - I have thou hast he has we have you have they have ^ I had thou hadst he had we had you had they had CONJUGATIONS.

Page 3 - ... of studies. In the most engaging manner, by parable and simile and easy metaphor and still easier matter-of-fact application, it clears up the puzzles and simplifies the hard things of grammar. Separate chapters are given to biographical sketches of rich Mr. Noun and his useful friend Pronoun ; little ragged Article and talkative Adjective ; busy Dr. Verb, and Adverb ; perky Preposition, convenient Conjunction, and tiresome Interjection — with full accounts of their pedigrees and connections,...

Page 78 - Camel's bunch is on his back, The Owl abhors the day. The Sparrow steals the cherry ripe, The Elephant is wise, The Blackbird charms you with his pipe, The false Hyena cries. The Hen guards well her little chicks, The useful Cow is meek, The Beaver builds with mud and sticks, The Lapwing loves to squeak. The little Wren is very small, The Humming-bird is less : The Lady-bird is least of all, And beautiful in dress.

Page 19 - A boy who always told the truth, And never, never told a lie. And when he trotted off to school, The children, all about, would cry, There goes the curly-headed boy, The boy who never tells a lie.

Page 4 - ... that they are rather given to quarreling ; and so it happened one day, when my story begins, they made so much noise, wrangling and jangling in the court, that they woke Judge Grammar up from a long and very comfortable nap. In an instant the Judge's two learned counsellors were by his side. Sergeant Parsing (" Brother Parsing," the Judge calls him,) has a sharp nose, bright eyes, a little round wig with a tail to it, and an eye-glass. He is very quick and cunning in finding out who people are...

Page 6 - ... Syntax. Dr. Syntax is very tall and thin and dark. He has a long, thin neck, covered up with a stiff black tie which looks as though it nearly choked him. When he speaks he stands up, looks straight through his spectacles, sticks out his chin, and says his say in a gruff and melancholy voice, as if he were repeating a lesson. He is the terror of all little boys, for he never smiles, and he is so very, very old, that people say he never was young like other folks; that when he was a baby he always...

Page 6 - ... never be. We must stop it at once. Go and summon all my court before me." Away went Sergeant Parsing, as quick as thought, and soon the whole court was assembled. There was Judge Grammar on his throne, with a long flowing wig and gorgeous robes. At the table below him, sat his two counsellors, Sergeant Parsing and Dr. Syntax. Dr. Syntax is very tall and thin and dark. He has a long, thin neck, covered up with a stiff black tie which looks as though it nearly choked him. When he speaks he stands...

Bibliographic information

• Title: Grammar-land; Or, Grammar in Fun for the Children of Schoolroom-shire ...
• Author: M. L. Nesbitt
• Publisher: H. Holt & Company, 1878
• Original from: the New York Public Library
• Digitized: Sep 25, 2006
• Length: 120 pages