Introduction

‘German Composition’ is intended to be a Theoretical and Practical Guide to the Art of Translating English Prose into good and idiomatic German. It is arranged in such a manner that students who have reached the fiftieth Lesson of the ‘German Manual’ may commence and advantageously use it conjointly with that book. Being complete in itself, it is likewise adapted for the use of any other students who, possessing a knowledge of German Accidence and having had some practice in reading German Prose, wish to acquire the Art of Translating English Prose into German.

The book is calculated to serve the requirements of the B.A. Examinations of the London and Victoria Universities, the Competitive Examinations for the Civil and Military Service, the Oxford and Cambridge Local Examinations for Senior Students, the Examination of the College of Preceptors for First Class Candidates, and of similar Public Examinations—all of which require the candidates to translate English Prose into German.

I may conscientiously say that I have done all I could to make the book attractive and useful. The selection of the Extracts has been made with the greatest care directly from the works of the various authors, and is the result of many years’ attentive reading and research. The pieces have been almost exclusively chosen from the works of the best modern English and American writers, and, it is hoped, will be found as interesting and instructive as they are well adapted for translation into German. They represent all the various styles of English Prose Composition, and contain a great variety of subjects, as a glance at the various pages will show; whilst the fact that the specimens, with only one or two exceptions, are no mere fragments, but complete pieces in themselves, must necessarily add to their value.

The Biographical Sketches of famous men and women, which at intervals appear in the Notes and are always given in German, form a special feature of the book. (Comp. S. 127, N. 1; S. 138, N. 12; and S. 156, N. 1.) They are of various lengths, according to their importance, and have been written to add to the interest of the work and at the same time to offer the student some useful material for reading German.

With respect to the help given in the Notes, I may state that I have proceeded with the utmost consideration and care. The great object I placed before me was to show, by precept and example, that a good translation cannot be produced by the mere mechanical process of joining together a number of words, as the dictionary may offer them at first sight: but that it requires great thought and analytic power; that every sentence, nay, almost every word, has to be weighed and considered with respect to its true bearing upon the text; and that a good rendering is only possible when the translator has grasped the true meaning of the passage before him.

I have endeavoured to give neither too little nor too much help, but whenever I found a difficulty which a student of average ability could not fairly be expected to overcome, I have stepped in to solve it. For this purpose I have made use of English equivalents and periphrases and of Rules and Examples, and in cases where neither of these helps was considered practicable I have not hesitated to give the German rendering of the word or passage to be translated. The last mode of procedure, however, I have adopted only when I found that the dictionaries in ordinary use were insufficient, as is so frequently the case, and more especially with respect to idiomatic passages, which it is impossible to render successfully unless the translator is well versed in both languages, and at the same time has undergone a thorough training in the Art of Translating English into German, which the present volume professes to teach. The plan of indicating the rendering of words and phrases by means of English equivalents and periphrases must be of evident advantage to the learner, for it teaches him how to think and analyse, whilst it leads him to render the word or phrase correctly without giving him the translation itself.

The Notes of Sections 1 to 150 and the Appendix contain in a concise and lucid form almost all the rules relating to the German Syntax, and in most instances these rules have been illustrated by practical examples and models. The Appendix gives in thirty-seven paragraphs the Rules referring to the Construction, the use of the Indicative, Subjunctive (or Conjunctive), and Conditional Moods, which for convenient reference have been reprinted from my ‘German Grammar,’ and to facilitate the student’s work I have added an Index to the Grammatical Rules and Idiomatic Renderings.

In a work containing such a great number of Extracts as the present, there are, of course, many idioms and passages which may be correctly translated in various ways, and I can therefore scarcely hope that all my renderings will meet with the approval of every German scholar. I may, however, confidently affirm here that I have devoted much thought and labour to this publication, and that I have tried with all my heart to make it acceptable to teachers and students alike.

Messrs. W. and R. Chambers, Edinburgh, ” Chapman and Hall, } ” Longmans and Co., } ” Sampson Low and Co., } ” Macmillan and Co., } Mr. Murray, } London, Messrs. T. Nelson and Sons, } ” Smith, Elder, and Co., and } ” Stanford and Co., }

for their very kind permission to make use of the Copyright Extracts in this publication, and for the cordial manner in which they granted my request.

A second edition of this volume having been called for, I wish to express my cordial thanks to the numerous colleagues and friends who adopted it as a text-book for their classes.

As I am engaged in preparing, besides this book, a third edition of two other volumes of my ‘German Course,’ and, at the request of the Delegates of the University Press, also a Key to this volume, ‘German Composition,’ I think the present moment opportune for introducing the reformed German spelling which, by Government regulations, has been taught in German schools for the last five or six years, and is becoming more generally used from year to year in friendly intercourse, papers, periodicals, literature, and commercial correspondence. It is but fair that the students of German in this country should be taught to spell in the simplified way now universally practised by their German contemporaries. They will at least have nothing to unlearn then; and, although the present spelling-reform may be considered but a compromise between the older and the younger schools, there being a tendency in the younger men to go even further than their older colleagues in the simplification of our orthography and to make it still more phonetic and uniform in principle, it will take a long time before the Government will be moved to make modifications of any importance in their regulations. I confidently trust that the great trouble I have bestowed upon the revision of the present edition will be appreciated by teachers and students alike. It will easily be seen that the alterations of the orthography in the various books forming this ‘German Course’ must have necessarily entailed a very considerable additional expense; but the publication having met with much approval on the part of the public, I was anxious to leave nothing undone in order to adapt it in every respect to the requirements of the times and to make it still more useful.

On examination it will be seen that the changes made are not so many as may be supposed, and that the principles underlying the German spelling-reform are simple and easy to understand.

=At the end of the Appendix will be found a Synopsis of the principal changes the German spelling has undergone, accompanied by Examples and a few Exceptions to the general rules.=

Each Section should first be prepared for viva voce translation, with the assistance of the Notes in class; then translated in writing; carefully corrected; and finally practised, by comparing the English text with the corrected German version, FOR A SECOND viva voce TRANSLATION =until the student is able to translate the English text, without the assistance of the Notes in class, just as readily into correct German as if he were reading from a German book=.

The Grammatical Rules given in the Notes should always be carefully studied, and the reading of previously given Rules and the various paragraphs of the Appendix referred to in the text should never be omitted.

THE SECOND viva voce TRANSLATION without the assistance of the Notes in class, as explained above, is especially of the greatest importance to the student’s progress in the Art of Translating English into German, and is the only way of mastering all the idiomatic and syntactic difficulties contained in the Lessons and explained in the foot-notes. It commends itself likewise as the best way of committing to memory the great number of words and the various forms of construction occurring in the text, and will gradually, but surely, lead to the acquisition of a good and thorough German style of writing.

PREPARE FOR FLUENT AND CORRECT viva voce TRANSLATION Sections 1 and 2, WITHOUT the assistance of the Notes in class, by comparing the English text with the corrected German version; translate in Writing Sections 3 and 4; and prepare for viva voce translations Sections 5 and 6, WITH the assistance of the Notes in class.

PREPARE FOR FLUENT AND CORRECT viva voce TRANSLATION Sections 3 and 4, WITHOUT the assistance of the Notes in class, by comparing the English text with the corrected version; translate in Writing Sections 5 and 6; and prepare for viva voce translation Sections 7 and 8, WITH the assistance of the Notes in class;

=It need scarcely be added that the quantity of work pointed out here may be diminished or increased according to circumstances, and that the longer sections towards the end of the book will in most cases require the former course.=

The frequent attentive study of German literature will be a powerful auxiliary to this book in imparting the Art of Translating English Prose into German.

Acc. Accusative. adj. adjective. adv. adverb. App. Appendix art. article. Comp. compare. comp. compound. conj. conjunction constr. construction. contr. contracted. Dat. (or dat.) Dative. def. definite. +d. h.+ (+das heißt+), that is. demonstr. demonstrative. e.g. (exempli gratia) for example. etc. (et cetera), and so forth. Expl. Example. fem., or (f.) feminine. +geb.+ (+geboren+), born. Gen. Genitive. i.e. (id est), that is. Impf. Imperfect. impers. impersonal. indef. indefinite. Inf. Infinitive. insep. inseparable. intr., or intrans. intransitive. Liter. Literally. m., or (m.) masculine. N. Note n. noun. neut., or (n.) neuter. Nom. Nominative. p. p. Past Participle. p. ps. Past Participles. pers. person. persnl. personal. posses. possessive. prep. preposition. Pres. Present. pres. p. Present Participle. pron. pronoun. refl. reflective. reg. regular. relat. relative. S. Section. Sing. Singular. str. strong. Subj. Subjunctive. tr., or trans. transitive. +u. a.+ (+und andere+), and others. +u. s. w.+ (+und so weiter+), and so forth. v. verb. viz. (videlicet), namely, to wit. w. weak. § paragraph. (+gestorben+), died. = is equivalent to.

2. When two words are separated by a dash (—) in the Notes, they represent the first and last word of a whole clause in the English text, and the rendering refers to the clause thus indicated.

My maxim is: never to begin a book without finishing it, never to consider it finished without knowing it, and to study it with a whole mind.—SIR THOMAS BUXTON.

to begin, +an´fangen+. When the =Infinitive= is used either subjectively or objectively, it is generally preceded by the preposition +=zu=+, and is called =Supine=. Comp. S. 78, N. 14, 1. To form the =Supine Present= of compound separable verbs, like +an´fangen+, we must place the preposition +zu+ between the separable prefix and the verb. The Supine must be used here. See App. § 1.

to finish, +beendigen+. The =Supine= is generally used for rendering the =English Gerund= (i.e. the verbal in -ing) when the latter is governed by a preposition, though, sometimes, this form may be rendered by the help of the subordinative conjunction +~daß~+ and a finite verb (i.e. one with a personal termination); as—

The following question was put in writing to a boy in the deaf-and-dumb school at Paris: “What is eternity?” “It is the life-time of the Almighty,” was the answer.—REV. R. K. ARVINE.

Here the verb is in the Passive Voice. Remember that the =German Passive Voice= is formed by the auxiliary +=werden=+. =The verb is in the Passive Voice whenever the subject is suffering the action expressed by the verb=; as—

The action of water on our food is very important. There would be no carrying of food into the system but for the agency of water. It dissolves everything that we take, and nothing that we take as food can become nutriment that is not dissolved in water.—DR. LANKESTER.

Use the gen. of the def. art. =The definite article= is always required before nouns representing the whole of a given class, and before abstract nouns taken in a general sense.

This sentence must be construed in a somewhat different way; say: ‘Without the agency (+Vermittelung+, f.) of water, no food (+Nahrung+, f.) would be conveyed into the body,’ +würde dem Körper keine Nahrung zu´geführt werden+.

‘that’, here +~was~+. The indefinite relative pronoun +=was=+ is the pronoun generally required after the indefinite numerals +alles+, +etwas+, +manches+, +nichts+, +viel+, and +wenig+, after the indefinite demonstrative pronoun +~das~+, and also after a superlative used substantively; as +Das Schönste, was ich habe+.

can — nutriment = can serve as nutriment (+Ernährung+, f.). The verb +dienen+ requires the prep. +zu+, which governs the dat. and must here be contracted with the def. art. into +zur+: see N. 2.

When Franklin made his discovery of the identity of lightning and electricity, it was sneered at, and people asked: “Of what use is it?” To which his apt reply was: “What is the use of a child?—It may become a man!”—S. SMILES.

When the agent from which the action proceeds is not mentioned, the =English Passive Voice= is often rendered by a =reflective verb=, or by the indefinite pronoun +=man=+ and a verb in the =Active Voice=; as—

A. To sneer at something, +über etwas spotten+; B. ‘=at it=’ = there at, +=darüber=+. The English pronouns ‘=it=’, ‘=them=’, ‘=that=’, and ‘=those=’, dependent on a preposition governing in German the dative or accusative, are generally to be rendered by the pronominal adverb ‘+=da=+’ in combination with a corresponding preposition. This is always the case when ‘it’ and ‘that’, in connection with a preposition are used indefinitely, and frequently when either of these pronouns refers to a noun representing an inanimate object or an abstract idea. The letter +r+ is inserted between the adverb +da+ and the preposition, whenever the latter begins with a vowel.

Wealth, after all, is but a relative thing: for he who has little, and wants still less, is richer than he who has much, and wants still more.—REV. C. COTTON.

=When the subject, which may be preceded by its attributes, occupies the first place in a principal clause, either the copula or the verb must follow immediately.=

When Mendelssohn, on the first performance of his ‘Elijah’ in Birmingham, was about to enter the orchestra, he said laughingly to one of his friends and critics: “Stick your claws into me! Don’t tell me what you like, but what you don’t like!”—ATHENÆUM.

‘=to be about=’, +~im Begriff sein~+. ‘To be about’ may also be rendered by the auxiliary verb of mood +~wollen~+ and the infinitive of another verb; as—

The co-ordinative conjunction ‘=but=’ must be rendered by ‘+=sondern=+’, when, after a negative statement, the subsequent clause expresses an idea altogether contrary to that of its antecedent.

“I can forgive, but I cannot forget,” is only another way of saying: “I will not forgive.” A wrong once forgiven ought to be like a cancelled note, torn in two and burned up, so that it never can be shown against the man.—REV. H. W. BEECHER.

is — saying = signifies only in (+mit+) other words. ‘+Das Wort+’ has two plural forms with a different meaning to each: +die Wörter+, single, unconnected words; +die Worte+, words connected into speech.

A. Whilst the English Perfect Participle (commonly called Past Participle) is placed both before and after the noun it qualifies, =the German Past Participle used attributively, as a rule, precedes the qualified noun=; as—

B. Clauses containing a Perfect Participle, however, may also be rendered by the help of a =relative pronoun=. Thus rendered, the preceding sentence would read:

but the first rendering is certainly more concise than the second, and it is to be preferred in all cases where the attributive construction would not be too lengthy. ‘A wrong once forgiven’, say ‘A forgiven wrong’, and mark that: =When Participles are used attributively, and precede the noun they qualify, they must be inflected like adjectives.=

note, +Schuldschein+, m.; to tear in two, +zerrei´ßen+; to burn up, +verbren´nen+. According to the rule given in N. 3, the participles of these two verbs have to be placed before the noun ‘note’, which they qualify.

‘so — man’, say ‘which never again can be used against the debtor’. According to the hint given in S. 2, N. 1, the verb is in the passive voice, and since the clause is a subordinate one, the verbs must stand at the end of the clause. Place the p. p. first, and the copula (can) last.

What is capital? Is it what a man has? Is it counted (App. § 31) by pounds and pence, stocks and shares, by houses and lands? No! Capital is not what a man has, but what a man is. Character is capital; honour is capital.—REV. DR. MACDUFF.

‘Is — has?’ say ‘Does it consist in that which (see S. 3, N. 7) we possess?’ The prep. ‘in’ here governs the dat. Read again S. 4, N. 5, B, and notice that, when the =demonstrative pronouns= ‘that’ and ‘those’ are =followed by a relative pronoun=, they cannot be rendered by the adverb ‘+da+’ in combination with a preceding preposition; as—

‘Capital — is’. The literal translation of this sentence would read very awkwardly in German, say ‘Our capital does not consist in that which we possess, but (S. 6, N. 10) in that which we are.’

A French minister, who was alike remarkable for his despatch of business and his constant attendance at places of public amusement, being asked how he contrived to combine both objects, replied: “Simply by never postponing till to-morrow what should be done to-day.”—S. SMILES.

constant — amusement, +regelmäßiger Besuch öffentlicher Vergnügungsorte+. The prep. +durch+, which requires the acc., must be repeated at the beginning of this clause.

‘being — replied’; this sentence requires an entirely different construction in German, say ‘answered upon the question, how (App. § 16) he made it possible to combine both (neuter sing.)’. To combine, +vereinigen+. The verb ‘to make’ must be placed in the Present Subjunctive, since the clause contains an indirect question. Read carefully App. §§ 28 and 30.

The peace, the freedom, the happiness, and the order which Victoria’s rule guarantees, are part of my birthright as an Englishman, and I bless God for my share! Where else shall I find such liberty of action, thought, speech, or laws which protect me so well?—W. M. THACKERAY.

Use the gen. of the def. art. The definite article is used in German before names of persons when preceded by an adjective or a common name; as—

+Freiheit des Handelns.+ Repeat the article before the two following nouns. In German the =articles, possessive adjective pronouns, and other determinative words= must be =repeated= when they are used in reference to several nouns of different gender or number, whilst in English they are only required before the first noun.

The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something. The strongest, by dispersing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything. The drop, by continually falling, bores its passage through the hardest rock. The hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar, and leaves no trace behind.—T. CARLYLE.

creature, +Wesen+, n.; strengthen the superlative of the adjective by placing ‘aller’ before it, forming one compound expression, analogous to: +Die aller schönste Blume+, the finest flower (of all).

‘by concentrating his powers’, +durch Konzentration seiner Kräfte+; to accomplish something, +etwas zustande bringen+. Use the adverbial expression ‘at least’ before ‘something’, which will give more force to the German rendering.

To render ‘falling’, form a noun of the verb ‘+fallen+’. The German language makes frequent use of the =Infinitive Present= of verbs to form =abstract nouns=, whilst the English language uses the Verbal in -ing for that purpose. Such nouns are always of the neuter gender; as +das Gehen+, going; +das Essen und Trinken+, eating and drinking.

to bore one’s passage, +sich einen Weg bohren+. Place the verb according to S. 5, N. 2; the adverbial clause ‘by continually falling’ must follow it.

to rush over something, +über etwas hinweg´stürzen+; ‘rushes — uproar’, say ‘rushes with hideous (+entsetzlich+) uproar (+Getöse+) over the same.’

Of the Duke of Wellington’s perfect coolness on the most trying occasions. Colonel Gurwood gives this instance. He was once in great danger of suffering ship-wreck. It was bed-time when (S. 4, N. 2) the captain of the vessel came to him, and said: “It will soon be all over with us!” “Very well,” answered the Duke, “then I (App. § 14) need not (App. § 12) take off my boots!”—W. C. HAZLITT.

When certain persons attempted to persuade Stephen, King of Poland, to constrain some of his subjects, who were of a different religion, to embrace his, he said to them: “I am king of men, and not of consciences. The dominion of conscience belongs exclusively to God.”—REV. R. K. ARVINE.

Hugh Miller’s curiosity was excited by the remarkable traces of extinct sea-animals in the Old Red Sandstone, on which he worked as a quarryman. He inquired, observed, studied, and became a geologist. “It was the necessity”, said he, “which made me a quarrier, that taught me to be a geologist.”—S. SMILES.

+Hugh Miller wurde am 10ᵗᵉⁿ Oktober 1802 von armen Eltern zu Cromarty in Schottland geboren. Er arbeitete 15 Jahre als gemeiner Steinbrecher, beschäftigte sich jedoch während jener Zeit mit litterarischen und wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten, besonders mit der Geologie, der er ganz neue Bahnen eröffnete. Durch seine Werke hat er sich in der Wissenschaft einen unsterblichen Namen erworben, und als er am 24ˢᵗᵉⁿ Dezember 1856 starb, verlor Schottland in ihm einen seiner besten Söhne, und die Geologie einen ihrer beredtesten und ergebensten Lehrer.+

=Exception:= When the noun denoting the business or profession is preceded by an adjective, the indefinite article is used in German, as in English:

When a =Proper Name= is used in the =Genitive Case=, it is generally placed before the governing noun, as in English: Schiller’s poems, +Schillers Gedichte+.

When Diogenes, during the famous festival at Olympia, saw some young men of Rhodes arrayed most magnificently, he (App. § 15) exclaimed smiling: “This is pride!” And when, afterwards, he met with some Lacedæmonians in a mean and sordid dress, he said: “And this is also pride!”—REV. R. K. ARVINE.

the festival at Olympia, +die Olympischen Feste. Diese berühmten Feste, auch Olympische Spiele genannt, wurden in jedem fünften Jahre am ersten Vollmond nach der Sonnenwende (Anfang Juli) bei Olympia zu Ehren des Zeus gefeiert. Sie dauerten fünf Tage und bestanden in Wettrennen (zu Wagen, zu Pferd und zu Fuß) und in gymnastischen Spielen aller Art.+

Contrary to English practice, =the comma is, as a rule, not used in German to enclose adverbs or adverbial clauses of time, manner, and place=.

‘arrayed — magnificently’. Turn these words into a relative clause, and say: ‘which were most magnificently (+aufs prächtigste+) arrayed (+schmücken+)’, according to the rule given in S. 7, N. 3, B.

When the Duke of Marlborough, immediately after the battle of Blenheim, observed a soldier leaning pensively on the butt-end of his musket, he accosted him thus: “Why so pensive, my friend, after so glorious a victory?” “It may be glorious,” replied the brave fellow, “but I am thinking that all the human blood I have spilled this day has only earned me fourpence.”—REV. R. K. ARVINE.

+Die Schlacht bei Blindheim+ (Engl. ‘Blenheim’) +wurde am 13ᵗᵉⁿ August 1704 von dem Herzog von Marlborough in Verbindung mit dem östereichischen Prinzen Eugen gegen die Franzosen gefochten. Blindheim ist ein kleines bayerisches Dorf bei Höchstädt, an der Donau. Die Schlacht wurde zu gunsten der Verbündeten entschieden, und der Herzog von Marlborough erhielt für diesen glänzenden Sieg von der Königin Anna ein prachtvolles Schloß+ (Blenheim House) +bei Woodstock in Oxfordshire zum Geschenk.+

‘leaning — musket’. This passage must be changed into a relative clause, thus: ‘who leant (+sich stützen+) pensively (+gedankenvoll+) upon the butt-end (+Kolben+, m.) of his musket’, for: =Sentences containing a Present Participle which qualifies a preceding noun or pronoun, are generally turned into relative clauses=; as—

Make the word ‘glorious’ emphatic by placing it at the head of the clause, and see App. § 14. Insert the adverb ‘+wohl+’ between the subject and the verb ‘be’, which will render the sentence more idiomatic.

We may be pretty certain that persons whom all the world treat ill, deserve entirely the treatment they get. The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly, kind companion.—W. M. THACKERAY.

‘Laugh at it’ seems to be used here in the sense of: ‘Smile at it’. Say: ‘Smile at it, laugh with it’, etc. ‘To smile at a person’, here ‘+einen freundlich an´blicken+’.

A lady applied to the worthy philanthropist Richard Reynolds on behalf of a little orphan boy. After he had (App. § 17) given liberally, she said: “When he is old enough, I (App. § 15) will teach him to thank his benefactor.” “Stop,” said the good man, “thou art mistaken. We do not thank the clouds for rain (S. 3, N. 2). Teach him to look higher, and thank Him who giveth both the clouds and the rain.”—REV. R. K. ARVINE.

The conjunction ‘=when=’, used in the sense of ‘=whenever=’, and referring to indefinite time, must be rendered by ‘+=wenn=+’ (compare S. 4, N. 2); as—

The verb ‘+lehren+’, to teach, requires the accusative of the person. Render the sentence ‘I — benefactor’ by ‘I will teach him to be thankful to his benefactor’.

When young (S. 10, N. 2) Cuvier was one day strolling along the sands near Fiquainville, in Normandy, he observed a cuttle-fish lying stranded on the beach. He was attracted by the curious object, took it home to dissect, and began the study of the mollusca, which ended in his becoming one of the greatest among natural historians.—S. SMILES.

The =Supine= is used to express =purpose=, and must be employed whenever the English ‘=to=’ is used in the meaning of ‘=in order to=’, or ‘=for the purpose of=’; clauses of this sort are generally introduced by the conjunction ‘+=um=+’; as—

‘and — historian’, say ‘began (+an´fangen+) to study the mollusca, and became finally (+schließlich+) one of the greatest natural historians’. Mollusca, +Mollusken+ or +Weichtiere+.

In literature (S. 3, N. 2) I am fond of confining myself to the best company, which consists chiefly of old acquaintances with whom I am desirous of becoming more intimate, and I suspect that, nine times out of ten, it is more profitable, if not more agreeable, to read an old book over again, than to read a new one for the first time.—LORD DUDLEY.

A. The verbs ‘=to be fond of=’ and ‘=to like=’ are often rendered by the auxiliary verb of mood ‘+=mögen=+’, either with or without the adverb ‘+gerne+’ or ‘+gern+’ (willingly), which is used to intensify its signification; as—

B. But the adverb +=~gerne~=+ or +=~gern~=+ in itself denotes liking and fondness, and is therefore the general translation of the verbs ‘to be fond of’ or ‘to like’ when used with the infinitive of other verbs; as—

acquaintances = friends; I am desirous of becoming = I wish to become (App. § 19). The insertion of the adverb ‘+noch+’ before the comparative will greatly improve the rendering of this clause.

‘nine times out of ten’ may be briefly rendered by the adverbial expression +meistenteils+, which place immediately after the subject of the subordinate clause.

‘than — time’, say ‘than to occupy oneself (+sich beschäftigen+) with a new one’. This periphrase is necessary to avoid a monotonous repetition in German.

When Galvani discovered that a frog’s leg twitched when placed in contact with different metals, it could scarcely have been imagined that so apparently insignificant a fact would ever lead (App. § 17) to important results. Yet therein lay the germ of the Electric Telegraph, which binds the intelligence of continents together, and probably before many years elapse will “put a girdle round the globe.”—S. SMILES.

to put a girdle round the globe, +einen Gürtel rings um die Erde ziehen+. ‘+Rings um die Erde zieh’ ich einen Gürtel in viermal zehn Minuten.+’ +Puck, Sommernachtstraum.+

Oats are (S. 2, N. 1) chiefly used whole as food for horses. Ground into meal, they are used in some countries (especially in Scotland) for making porridge and cakes. As a plant, it is extremely hardy, and grows where neither wheat nor barley could be made productive. For this reason it is a favourite crop in mountainous countries and moist climates—for example in Scotland and Wales. It (S. 5, N. 2) also grows luxuriantly in Australia, Northern and Central Asia, and in North America.—NELSON’S READERS.

The blossoms of Spring are as brief as they are beautiful. For a short time they embellish the country, spreading, as it were, a bridal veil over every tree and hedge. It seems, indeed, as if Nature had given them existence only to (S. 19, N. 7) show their worth, and then to destroy them. Yet they are “fair pledges of a fruitful tree,” and teach us the solemn lesson—that everything lovely on earth is destined soon to perish, and like them to glide into the grave.—REV. E. M. DAVIES.

The object of winking is a very important one. An outside window soon (S. 5, N. 2) gets soiled and dirty, and a careful shopkeeper cleans his windows every morning. But our eye-windows must never have so much as a speck or spot upon them; and the winking eyelid is the busy apprentice who, not once a day, but all the day, keeps the living glass clean; so that, after all, we are little worse off than the fishes, who bathe their eyes and wash their faces every moment.—PROF. G. WILSON.

+genau betrachtet+; the subject should be placed immediately after the conjunction ‘that’; little = not much; to be badly off, +schlimm daran sein+.

It is reported that, one day (S. 19, N. 2), the two great philosophers Aristippus and Æschines had fallen at variance. The following day, however, Aristippus came to Æschines, and said: “Shall we be friends?” “Yes, with all my heart!” answered Æschines. “Remember,” continued Aristippus, that though I am your elder, yet I sought for peace. “True,” replied Æschines, “and for this I will always acknowledge you to be the more worthy man, for I began the strife, and you the peace.”—REV. J. BURROUGHS.

+~Aristippus~ aus Cyrene wurde (380 v. Chr.) Stifter der cyrenaischen Philosophenschule, welche die Lehre aufstellte, daß das höchste Glück des Menschen im sinnlichen und geistigen Vergnügen zu suchen sei. Aristippus war ein Zeitgenosse des Socrates und der einzige Philosoph seiner Zeit, der sich seine Vorträge mit Geld bezahlen ließ. ~Äschines~ war ein Nebenbuhler und Gegner des Demostenes, wurde (389 v. Chr.) zu Athen geboren, lebte später zu Rhodus und siedelte endlich nach Samos über, wo er (314 v. Chr.) starb.+

Use here the def. art. contracted with the prep. +zu+ into +zum+, for: =The def. art. is often used to mark the Gen. Dat. and Acc. of proper names.=

+deshalb+, adv. (App. § 14). He acknowledged you to be the more worthy man (of us two), +Er erkannte dich ~als~ den Würdigeren von uns beiden an+; construe according to this example, and supply the expletive ‘auch’ after the object ‘you’.

I must now explain to you what a glacier is. You see before you thirty or forty mountain-peaks, and between these peaks what seem to you frozen rivers. The snow, from time to time melting and dripping down the sides of the mountain, and congealing in the elevated hollows between the peaks, forms a half-fluid mass, a river of ice, which is called (S. 4, N. 4) a glacier. As the whole mass lies upon a slanting surface, and is not entirely solid throughout, it is continually pushing, with a gradual but imperceptible motion, down into the valley below.—MRS. BEECHER STOWE.

which (App. § 16) from time to time melts, drips down on the mountain-sides (+Bergabhänge+), and congeals (+gefrieren+), etc., see S. 16, N. 4. Supply the adverb wieder before the verb ‘congeals’. The elevated hollow, +die höher gelegene Felsspalte+.

It was one of the characteristic qualities of Charles James Fox, that he was thoroughly pains-taking in all that he did. When appointed Secretary of State, being piqued at some observation as to his bad writing, he actually took a writing-master, and wrote copies like a schoolboy until he had sufficiently improved himself. Though a corpulent man, he was wonderfully active at picking up tennis-balls, and when asked how he contrived to do so, he playfully replied: “Because I am a very pains-taking man.” The same accuracy which he bestowed upon trifling matters, was displayed by him in things of greater importance; and he acquired his reputation by “neglecting nothing.”—S. SMILES.

+Ich möchte vorschlagen zu übersetzen+: ‘of the famous Ch. J. Fox’, +weil dadurch das Verhältnis des Genitivs ganz klar ausgedrückt wird. ~Charles James Fox~ (1749-1806) ward schon 1768 Mitglied des Unterhauses, 1772 Lord des Schatzes, und bildete 1783 mit North und Portland ein Ministerium, welches jedoch bald dem Ministerium Pitt weichen mußte. Er begann darauf mit Burke und andern eine großartige parlamentarische Opposition gegen Pitt und kämpfte von 1792-97 fast allein gegen eine starke Majorität. Im Jahre 1806, kurz vor seinem Tode, wurde er mit Granville nochmals ans Staatsruder berufen.+

When he was appointed (see N. 7). The verbs +~machen~+ (to make), +~ernennen~+ (to appoint), and +~erwählen~+ (to choose, to elect), and other =verbs denoting choosing or appointing=, require in German the prep. +zu+ contracted with the def. art., whilst in English they govern two Nominatives in the Passive Voice; as—

being — writing. This clause must be rendered in an altogether different form; let us say ‘and felt hurt by an observation as to (+über+) his bad hand-writing’. To feel hurt by something, +sich durch etwas verletzt fühlen+. The p. p. must be placed?

‘to take’, here +engagie´ren+; ‘actually’, here +faktisch+ (see App. § 15); to write copies, +sich im Schönschreiben üben+; improved himself = improved his hand-writing.

Though he was. Grammatical distinctness, as a rule, requires that the =subject and copula=, which after certain conjunctions are so frequently omitted in English, =should be clearly expressed in German=.

When a subordinate clause, beginning with one of the conjunctions +~da~+, +~obgleich~+, +~weil~+, and +~wenn~+, precedes a principal clause, which is often done for the sake of emphasis, the =principal clause= is generally =introduced by= the adverbial conjunction +=so=+ (so, thus, therefore); as—

‘and — so’, say ‘and when (S. 18, N. 6) one asked him how he did (+machen+) it’. The verb +machen+ should be used in the Pres. Subj., since the clause contains an indirect question (App. §§ 28 and 30). Playfully, +scherzend+.

The great-grandsons of those who had fought under William, and the great-grandsons of those who had fought under Harold, began to draw near to each other in friendship, and the first pledge of their reconciliation was the Great Charter, won by their united exertions, and framed for their common benefit. Here commences the history of the English nation. The history of the preceding events is the history of wrongs inflicted and sustained by various tribes, which, indeed, all dwelt on English ground, but which regarded each other with aversion such as has scarcely ever existed between communities separated by physical barriers.—MACAULAY, HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

+Die ‘Magna Charta’ ist der am 19ᵗᵉⁿ Juni 1215 dem König Johann ohne Land abgerungene Staatsgrundvertrag, welcher als Grundlage der englischen Verfassung gilt.+

The two clauses containing the two p. ps. must be turned into one contracted relative clause, as explained in S. 7, N. 3, B. Use the verbs in the Impf. of the Passive Voice. To frame, +entwerfen+.

The two p. ps. qualifying ‘wrongs’ (+Unbilden+) should be placed before that noun, as explained in S. 7, N. 3, A; of, +von+; to inflict, +verüben+; to sustain, +erleiden+; by — tribes, +verschiedener Volksstämme+.

but — aversion = but (+jedoch+) showed such an aversion against one another. =The Article=, when used in connection with adjectives and adverbs, stands in German generally before those words: such an aversion, +~einen solchen~ Widerwillen+. Since the clause to be translated is in reality but a part of the preceding relative clause, which it completes, the verb must be placed?

Mr. Denham had been in business at Bristol, had failed, compounded, and gone to America. There, by a close application to business as a merchant, he acquired a plentiful fortune in a few years. Returned to England, he invited his old creditors to an entertainment, at which he thanked them for the easy terms (S. 16, N. 10) they had favoured him with, and, though the guests had expected nothing but a good treat, every man, at the first remove, found to his astonishment a cheque under his plate for the full amount of the unpaid remainder, with interest.—DR. B. FRANKLIN.

to fail (in business) +fallieren+; to compound, +accordieren+. Verbs from the Latin with the termination +~ieren~+ do not admit of the prefix or augment +~ge~+ in the Past Participle, but follow in all other respects the weak or modern form of conjugation.

Say ‘and was gone to America’. The verb +~gehen~+ is always construed with +=sein=+, which auxiliary is especially =used with Intransitive Verbs= denoting a Passive State of the subject, a change from one State into another, or a Motion, if the place to which the motion is directed, or from which it proceeds, is either expressed or understood.

The words ‘he acquired’ (+erlangen+) should, in an inverted form (App. § 14), follow the adverb ‘There’; ‘by — merchant’, +durch unablässige kaufmännische Thätigkeit+.