What is a noun? What is the first step in parsing? What is the rule for
writing individual names?




LESSON 16.

VERBS.

+Hints for Oral Instruction+.--We propose to introduce you now to another
class of words. (The teacher may here refer to the talk about birds.)

You have learned that one very large class of words consists of _names of
things_. There is another very important class of words used to tell what
these things _do_, or used to _express_ their _existence_.

When I say, _Plants grow_, is _grow_ the name of anything? +P+.--No.
+T+.--What does it do? +P+.--It tells what plants _do_. It _expresses
action_.

+T+.--When I say, _God is_, what does _is_ express? +P+.--It expresses
_existence_, or _being_.

+T+.--When I say, _George sleeps_, _sleeps_ expresses _being_ and something
more; it tells the condition, or _state_ in which George is, or exists,
that is, it expresses _state of being_.

All the words that assert _action, being_, or _state of being_, we call
+Verbs+.