A Grammar of the English Language: in a series of letters; intended for the use of schools and of young persons in general, but more especially for the use of soldiers, sailors, apprentices and plough-boys: to which are added six lessons, intended to prevent statesmen from using false grammar, and from writing in an awkward manner, with notes by Robert Waters Open Access Deposited
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Date Modified: 06/11/2019
No printing or copyright year are on this copy (the dedication is dated 1820), but a handwritten note dates it to 1901 (it was long out of print, according to the preface). No information on Cobbett is given, but in the incomplete editor's preface states that Cobbett was the first to demonstrate how to write for young people and in a manner that plain people can understand (in a conversational style). The editor goes on to say that grammar should not be taught out of books, but rather by the teacher himself. This book is meant for those who are learning without a teacher, or it is for children of at least twelve. The editor says Cobbett is addressing boys fourteen and fifteen years old. The text is a written as a series of letters (epistles) and covers orthography, etymology, syntax, and prosody. Including are examples of false grammar, errors, and nonsense. The six additional lessons for statesmen are dated 1822. The Schultz Archive copy is missing some pages at the beginning which cut into the preface, but otherwise the entire text is complete.
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