24 i The Study of Living Languages, [no. 4, new series, 



Nothing but a long continued exercise of the ear and the organs 

 of speech upon a great variety of actual expressions can give cither 

 that quickness at hearing and pronouncing, or that facility of cor- 

 rectly combining the words, which are essential to their effective 

 colloquial use. 



It must be particularly observed that this first set of sentences 

 thus acquired implies much more than might appear from the first 

 glance, namely, there is involved in it as it were the whole pro- 

 nunciation of the language ; for a man who can pronounce freely 

 and correctly 100 words will have little difficulty in pronouncing 

 all the rest : 2nd, a knowledge of all the inflexions of the nouns 

 and verbs : 3rd, the mode of combining and arranging the different 

 parts of speech. 



Thus, though only 100 words are used, some real and considera- 

 ble progress has already been made in the knowledge of the lan- 

 guage. 



This first set of sentences should not be laid aside till they are 

 so perfectly familiar, that almost any one of them can be repeated 

 with the utmost readiness, on the English translation being uttered. 

 Nothing whatever will be gained by meddling with new materials 

 till these first are thoroughly wrought into the student, and made 

 as much part of himself as the words and expressions of his own 

 language. 



The second set of words and sentences must be read over and 

 thoroughly appropriated in the same way as the first. 



Probably these first 250 words with their sentences may be mas- 

 tered in a month of steady study of 3 or 4 hours a day, and 750 

 additional words with about 3,000 longer sentences in another 

 month, completing the first 1,000 words in tv r o months. After the 

 thorough grounding which this will give in every respect, in pro- 

 nunciation, in expression, inhearing, in grammar, &c, the additions 

 will be made with much greater rapidity. 



Every thing depends upon this first grounding being through 

 and complete. Nothing but such repetitions will accomplish this 

 object— there is no other way of doing it. 



