Grammatical Conversation or English Grammer Familiarised
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1790
"Grammatical Conversation or English Grammer Familiarised" is an educational card game published in England around 1790 by an unknown maker. The set consists of card-based playing pieces accompanied by an explanatory sheet of rules and a fitted case.
The game equipment comprises thirty cards printed with questions in red ink, measuring approximately 3 3/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches, along with thirty cards printed with answers in black ink. The text on the cards was produced using letterpress printing. The housing slipcase measures 10.2 cm in length, 6.4 cm in width, and 1.3 cm in depth, and features an engraved pictorial label bearing the lettered manufacturer's title.
Included with the cards is a letterpress instruction sheet titled "DIRECTIONS FOR PLAYING THE GRAMMAR CARDS, PACK III", which details the gameplay rules and provides a key to the answers.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This educational game was designed to inculcate English grammar through a question-and-answer format. Suitable for two to ten players, the game assigned the answer cards evenly among the players while an adult or older child held the question cards and the key. As questions were read aloud, participants examined their hand to play the correct answer, relinquishing cards and drawing from a pool. Incorrect answers incurred fines into the pool, introducing a gambling element of rewards and forfeits. The first player to successfully discard all their cards won the game.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Length (Case): 10.2 cm; Width (Case): 6.4 cm; Depth (Case): 1.3 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- England
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Grammatical Conversation or English Grammer Familiarised
- Museum object number
- E.5306& 1 to 61-1960
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.