" as
to say, "The _meeting were_ divided in _their_ sentiments." Both are
equally supported by the genius of the language, and by the power of
custom. It is correct to say, either that, "The _fleet were_ dispersed;"
"The _council were_ unanimous;" "The _council were_ divided;" or that,
"The _fleet was_ dispersed;" "The _council was_ unanimous;" "The
_council was_ divided." But, perhaps for the sake of euphony, in some
instances, custom has decided in favor of a singular, and in others, of
a plural construction, connected with words of this class. For example;
custom gives a preference to the constructions, "My _people do_ not
consider;" "The _peasantry go_ barefoot;" "The _flock is_ his object;"
instead of, "_My people doth_ not consider;" "The _peasantry goes_
barefoot;" "The _flock are_ his object." In instances like these, the
application of the foregoing rules _may_ be of some use; but the
constructions in which they do not apply, are probably more numerous
than those in which they do.

EXERCISES IN PARSING.

Nom. case. Intran. verb. Nom. case. Intran. verb.
Men labor. The sun sets.
Armies march. The moon rises.
Vessels sail. The stars twinkle.
Birds fly. The rain descends.
Clouds move. The river flows.
Multitudes perish. The nation mourns.

Your improvement in grammar depends, not on the number of words which
you parse, but on the _attention_ which you give the subject. _You may
parse the same exercises several times over._

For the gratification of those who prefer it, I here present another

DIVISION OF VERBS.

Verbs are of two kinds, transitive and intransitive.

A verb is transitive when the action affects an object; as, "Earthquakes
_rock_ kingdoms; thrones and palaces _are shaken_ down; and potentates,
princes, and subjects, _are buried_ in one common grave."

The nominative to a passive verb, is the _object_, but not the _agent_,
of the action.

A verb is intransitive when it has no object; as, "The waters _came_
upon me;" "I _am_ he who _was_, and _is_, and _is_ to _come_."

As an exercise on what you have been studying, I will now put to you a
few questions, all of which you ought to be able to answer before you
proceed any farther.

QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED IN PARSING.

With what two general divisions of grammar does the second lecture
begin?--Of what does Ety