The practical system I. [antikvár]

PREFACE As this book has passed from edition to edition, it has undergone so many changes that its present form bears but little resemblance to its first. These changes mark the author's endeavours to construct a system *'hich, with the least effort on the part of both student and teacher, will give the student the most practical fundamental knowledge of the lasguage and at the same time keep this knowledge on a strictly fframmatical basis. In attaining this end, the following have become the ckief characteristic features of the work. Style. — That the student may first of all learn to express himself in a simple uniform English, the reading-pieces here have been freed of all those higher literary phrases and extravagances that would tend to mar the uniformity of the student's style of expression. The reading-pieces are also so written as to give them the desired grammatical or phraseological content. ' Vocabulary. — Only such words have been employed as are used in every-day speech. At the same time, as many as possible of those words aid expressions necessary in common social intercourse have been included, with the hope that while no lessons have been inserted dealing with such special features of life as travelling, shopping, etc., the broadness of the student's knowledge when he has finished this book *ill seldom leave him at a loss for expression in whatever of these situations he may find himself. Treatment of the Verb. — As the tenses of the verb constitutes the student's greatest difficulty, the verb receives very special attention in this work. It is introduced in all its tenses and forms, and these are presented to the student as early as possible that he may learn their correct uses before his mind has received premature and false impressions. Repetitive Exercises. — To accord the student the opportunity of thoroughly drilling himself in the uses of the verbal constructions and other idiomatic phrases, these formations are constantly repeated in various combinations in the groups of expressions that go to make up part of the lessons. If these groups appear rather long, it is to be remembered that their content is for the most part not new matter, but only a repetition of constructions learned in previous lessons. These repetitions are carried out entirely systematically; for example, "musí"