Rudimenta prima grammatices, ex eruditissimis quibusque grammaticis excerpta

But is the Greek dual number ever used by the Latins? Hardly, except in two nouns, which are "two" duo and "both" ambo, and therefore they are even declined unequally.

How many kinds of nouns are there which, in the singular, obtain the force of the plural number? Two kinds. Which? First, Collectives, such as "race" genus, "people" populus, "crowd" turba, "assembly" conuentus, "meeting" concio, "populace" plebs, "multitude" multitudo. Second, two or more appellatives, or proper nouns, or primitive pronouns, connected by a copulative conjunction: as "Peter and Paul," "Grammarian and Rhetorician": "I and you."

What is figure? The distinction of the simple from the composite.

How many figures happen to a noun? Two. Which? Simple and Composite.

What is Simple? That which contains one thing, and cannot be divided into two or more parts that are meaningful and capable of the earlier sense: as "learned," "prudent."

What is Composite? That which is made by art, and has two things: that is, it can be divided into two or more parts that are meaningful and capable of the earlier sense: as "unlearned" indoctus, "imprudent" imprudens, "republic" respublica, from "thing" res and "public" publica.

In how many ways are nouns composed? In four. Which? First, from two entire words, as "suburban." Second, from two corrupted words, as "effective" efficax, "townsman" municeps. Third, from an entire and a corrupted word, as "inept" ineptus, "insipid" insulsus. Fourth, from a corrupted and an entire word, as "omnipotent" omnipotens, "trifler" nugigerulus. They are also composed from many, or "inexpugnable," "unterrified."

What is case? A degree of declension.

How many cases of nouns are there? Six. Which? Nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative, and ablative. For through these six cases, nouns, pronouns, and participles of all genders are declined.

What is nominative? That which signifies a thing absolutely as it is, without any circumstance or respect to another. And this case is called "straight" rectus, while the others are "oblique."

What is genitive? That which signifies a thing as belonging to a possessor, and which can be turned into possession, and whose article or French note is this word, "of" Du, ou des: as, "Son of the master," "masterly son," "The son of the master" original French: Le fils du maistre. "Sword of Evander," "Evander's sword," "The sword of Evander" original French: L'espee d'Euander. "Spirit of the prophets," "The spirit of the prophets" original French: L'esprit des prophetes. This is called both the paternal and the generative case: and by the ancients, also the interrogative case.