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EXERCISES

ON THE

GERMAN GRAMMAR.

BY

FRANZ DEMMLER,

MEMBER OF THE PROTESTANT CLERGY OF WURTEMBERG, AND PROFESSOR AT
THE ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE, SANDHURST.

NE QUID NIMIS.

LONDON:

SOUTER AND LAW, SCHOOL LIBRARY,

131, FLEET STREET.

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PREFACE.

THE Author, in introducing this book to the public, refers to what he has stated in the preface to his Grammar respecting his method of teaching the German language. It is understood, that before entering into the Exercises, the student be thoroughly acquainted with the declensions of the articles and pronouns, as well as with those of the adjectives, and with the conjugations of the verbs, auxiliary and regular: besides which, he must know the general features of the declensions of the noun substantive, and of the conjugations of the irregular verbs according to their different classes, so as to be able to find out in the particular cases the correct forms of the two latter parts of speech, by means of the Tables contained in the Grammar. The best mode to acquire this knowledge, in the author's opinion, is to translate a limited number of fables from German into English, combined with constant parsing. Writing particular exercises on the elements ought to be avoided as a waste of time, which is much more usefully employed in repeating orally with the pupil the declensions, conjugations, and all those particulars which form the first part of the Grammar, as they may occasionally occur in the pieces translated from German into English. In this manner, you will be able to imprint more effectually on the memory of the student many more instances of the grammatical forms, than is possible by the slow means of writing sentences void of every meaning; and a larger arena will be gained for practising afterwards, orally and in writing, the rules of the order of words and of the Syntax.

him

After these remarks, it is hardly necessary to apologize against the reproaches of such as might, perhaps, deem these exercises to be too difficult for beginners. Indeed they require, as every task ought to do, the strict attention of the student: but this is amply repaid by accelerated progress, and by the advantage, that from the very first he feels enabled to speak something in the language he is endeavouring to learn; which is not the case if you press upon the trouble of translating sentences, or rather fragments of sentences, of the most insignificant description. In the Exercises, care has been taken not to introduce any principal rule, without its having been hinted at in previous instances, and without reverting to it in some following paragraph: the fourth section will especially serve to repeat all the principal grammatical points treated of in the former three, besides being intended to afford an opportunity to form the style of the student; with regard to which object very easy pieces have been chosen, so as not to require much grammatical explanation besides that derived from the notes in the previous sections, whilst there is every means to show in them the requisites of a good German phraseology.

It remains for me gratefully to acknowledge the advantages, which, in the arrangement of the Grammar and the Exercises, I derived from the kind advice of my brother, Mr. Augustus Demmler, in Paris, whose experience in the tuition of English pupils has guided me in several parts of the two books, as well as in the method on which they are grounded.

Royal Military College, July, 1842.

F. D.

EXERCISES ON THE GERMAN

GRAMMAR.

SECTION I.

PRELIMINARY EXERCISES.

I.

Mind

[WHERE is the verb to be put in the direct sentence, when the subject is first ?-See Grammar, p. 63. 1. the declension of the adjective.]

Every task at first seems difficult. We always know the faults of others better than our own. True friends never try to flatter. A wise man soon distinguishes real value from empty show. Worthy men usually are modest men. Great virtue with little reward, certainly is better than great reward with little virtue.

Task Aufgabe, f.; at first zuerst, to know kennen, true wahr, to try suchen, to distinguish unterscheiden, real wirklich, value Werth, m.; empty leer, show Schein, m.; worthy würdig, man der Mann, pl. (see the Table of Declensions, Neuter, III.) modest bescheiden, virtue Tugend, f.; little flein, reward Lohn, m.

II.

[Where is the verb to be placed in the direct sentence, when any other part of speech but the subject is at the head of the sentence?-See Grammar, p. 63. . 2.]

Yesterday it rained, to day the sun is shining,1 and in the same manner fortune2 is now smiling,1 and then

B

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