FIRST LESSONS
IN

ENGLISH GRAMMAR
AND

COMPOSITION.
BY

JUDSON PERR/ w ELSH, A. M., PH . D.,
"
FOR.~t EHLY

PH I NC I PA L OP THH STATE NoHMAL SCHOOL OP B L oOMSBUHG, PA.;

PRSSOH OP ENGLI SH I N TH E STATE N01tMAL SC H OOL OF W EST C H ESTER,
PA.; AUT HOK OP , , P RACT ICAL LESSONS J N ENGLI S H G RAMMAR ."

PHILADELPHIA :

CHRISTOPHER SOWER CO.,
6 14 A R CH S TREET.

~RO·

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yf. 111•
.vV5'l'l
PREFACE.

Bv JUDSON PERRY WELSH.

E LE CTROTYPED

av

WE ST C O TT & TH OMSON , PH I L AOA. .

PRESS OF
SHERMAN &. CO., PHI LAOA .

TH E object of this little book is to lead pupils by easy steps to
a careful, correct, and ready use of English. There are many
technicalities in English that need to be tau g ht to children early,
- before incorrect or careless habits are formed. How to do thi s
systematically and at the same time simply, has been the important problem for teachers to solve.
The outcry a few years ago against the mechani cal teach ing of
En glish grammar did some harm, because it was taken up by the
th oug htless and directed against the subject instead of against
the books and methods.
At that time came a loud call for language lessons. This call
also was taken up by those ever ready to get on · the popular
side, and we had such a flood of language lessons, language
books, and language teaching as was never before seen.
Story-writing was the easiest, and therefore the chief way the
fever worked itself off. Many excellent exercises were devised,
and compiled in books, but without system. Lan g uage work
seemed to lead to no end. E xercises had almost no connection with one another. One could begin as well in the middle
or end of a text-book as at the beginning, and get about as
good results going one way as the other. T echnicalities were
reli giou sly avoided.
It was this condition of lan g uage teaching that led the author
first to consider the production of a primary grammar.

6

!'REFACE.

It was with a desire to show that the great mass of material
called g ramma r, was not g rammar, and that the English lang uage
r eally does have a grammar, th at led him to write the advanced
work entitled "A Practical En gli sh Grammar." It is with much
the same feelin g that he has again ventured into the dangerous
field of authorship.
H e believes that tec hni caliti es sho uld not be avoided. They
are important, or they wo uld not ex ist. Children begin to learn
the technicalities that belong to ma ny branches of learning almost
as soon as th ey learn anythin g; and with what pride and eagerness they strive t o show their technical kn owledge of any subject all are aware. Why, th en (since lang uage is perhaps the
most important m eans of th eir intellectual development, as it
beco mes in after years the most importa nt element of their usefulness, influence , and success), should the technicalities of their
lan g uage be k ept from them so studi o usly?
An uninterestin g repetition of mechanical instruction, imagining
technicalities th at do not exist, givin g them nam es and governing
them by rules, after the fashion of dead and fully inflected languages, are of course to be avoided; but real technicalities, that
occur in every-day use, should be studied-ea rly and systematically. They should be incorporated into th e child's written
speech, as he, of hi s own accord and from the first, incorporates
them into hi s o ral lang uage.
This is the on ly apology th e a uthor has to offer for inflicting
upon his fellow-teachers anothe r book.
J.P. WELSH.
STATE NORMAL Snroo r.,
Bloomsburg, Pa.,
Ju ne 1 , 1896.

A TALK WITH THE TEACHER.
THE author would like to have a few words with you before
yo u begin to use the contents of this book.
H e wo uld like to r emind you first that a text-book is only a
h elp, and is not intended to do the teaching for you. Your
pupils may need much more or mu ch less than thi s book contain s. They may be too far advanced for it, or not far enough
advanced for it. Your first duty, then, is to study yo ur pupils
and determine what they need. Then adapt the book to those
needs and supplement it if necessary.
During the first three, or even four, years of a child's school
life-that is, from six till nine o r ten years old-his lang uage
work should grow o ut of his reading, sci ence, and number
work. L ea rnin g to read should constitute hi s chief occupation.
In learnin g to read, as in lea rning to talk, h e drinks in or absorbs
much or littl e depending upon how he is tau g ht, how he is interested, and h ow his mind develops.
In copy in g exercis·es, dictation exercises, descriptions, stories,
written solutions, letter-writing, etc., all of which may be made
to grow out of, or grow into his reading, there is abundant material for lan g uage work during these first years. No book should
be necessa ry. The fact is, a book would probably be a h indrance
to most teachers. For thi s peri od a book at most could only be
a compilation of suggestions, many of which would be as likely
to mi ss the mark as to hit it.

: II'
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A

TALJ,- WJTJJ ?HE

TJ.:.'ACHE!? .

At th e age of nin e or ten, a pupil of average ability, who
has bee n well tau g ht, should be ready to take up the work of
thi s b oo k and mak e good prog ress.
The matter containect
in and suggested by the book, toget he r with the s uppleme ntary
lan guage matter corning from hi s study of scie nce, hi story,
a nd geography, will give abundant work for the next two
years, afte r ,,·hich tim e he can begin hi s advanced co urse of
study, as laid down in th e au th or's advan ced work on thi s
s ubj ect.

CONTENTS.

THE AUTI-101{.
PAGE

I. INTRODUCTI ON. - A TA LK WIT H THE TEA CHER

7, 8

II. WORDS AND GROUPS OF WORDS, OR SENTENCES

I I,

I. THE BEGINNING AND ENDING Ol' SENTENO:s

15, 16
18

2 . GROUPS OF SENTENCES, OR PA RAGRAP H S

3·

ANALYSIS Ol' P ARAGRAPHS

19-2 1

4. THE INTERROGATI VE SEN T ENCE

5.

TH E IM PERATIVE SENTENCE .

21, 22

.

22

6. THE EXCLAMATORY SEN TENCE

7.

THE DECLARATIVE SENTENCE .

8.

THE PUNCTUAT I ON OF SF.NTENCES

9·

THE SUBJECT AND PREDICATE OF A SENTENCE

23
24
21-26
26-29
11 6, I 17

IO. THE S IMPLE SEN T ENCE .
II. THE COMPOUND SENTF.NCE

I 17
1·23

12 . TI-IE COM PLEX SEN TENCE

Ill.

PARTS OF SPEECH

33-211

I. NOUNS

a.

33
33-35
44- 55
55- 59
36-39
84-90

CLASSES OF NOUNS

b.

NUMBER OF NOUNS

c.

POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS

d.

ABBREVIATIONS

2. PRONOUNS .

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12

9

CONTENTS.

IO

PAGE

3. VERRS

..

4. ADJECT IV ES
a. CLA SSES OF AIJJECT IV ES
b. CO MPARI SO N OF A DJEC TI VES

5. Aon;1rns .
a. Co~ t PAR I SO N OF /\l)\'ER\: s

6.

CONJUNCTIONS .

7.

PREPOS ITI ONS

8. ! NTE RJECTI O'.'S

IV. COMPOS JTI ON

94-101
62- 68
65,66
68

103-105
105
107, 108
76
11 0, Ill

125·-129

LESSON I.
A LESSON ABOUT WORDS

and women and boys and g irls talk They wish to let
one anoth er know what t~ey desire or need, what they think,
and how they feel. To do this th ey use words.
Words are frequ ently spoken, but som etim es they are written
or printed. When other persons see our written words, or hear
our spoken words, they know what thou g hts we have, or how we
fe el.
MEN

Words are used in gro ups. At th e end of each g roup we make
a pause.
Some g roups express a th ought ; as, All birds f ear foxes.
Other groups express only part of a thou g ht; as, among tlze
branches of a tree.
II

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CONTENTS.

IO

PA GE

3. VERBS

94-101

..

4. ADJECTIVES

a . CLA SS ES

Ul' ADJECT IVES

b. COMPAR ISON OF ADJECTI VES

5.

ADVERBS

.

.

·

a. COMPARISON O F AI>V ER l:s

6.

CON J UNCT IO!'S '

7.

PREPOS ITI ONS .

8. I NTERJ ECTIO NS .
I V. COMPOSITI ON .

.•

62-68
65,66
68
103-105
105
107, 108
76
II O, II I

125--129

LESSON I.
A LESSON ABOUT WORDS
MEN and women and boys and g irls talk.
Th ey wish to let
one another know what t~ey desire or need, what they thin k ,
and how they feel. T o do this th ey use words.
W ords are frequently spoken, but sometimes they are written
or printed. When other persons see our written words, or hea r
o ur spoken words, they know what thou g hts we have, or how we
feel.
Words are used in gro ups. At th e end of each gro up we make
a pause.
Some g roups express a thoug ht; as, All birds f ear foxes.
Other g roups express only part of a thou ght; as, among the
branc!tes of a tree.
II

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LESSONS .IN ENCL.!SH GRAMMAR.

12

W lzic!t

of t!tc jollowing groups of words express a thought.'!
1.

z.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Three children sit by the wayside.
One of them is a girl.
On his knees.
One boy has dark hair.
A hat on hi s head.
A ll the children have bare feet.
One boy is talking.
The other chi ldren are listeni ng.
Ti ed with a ribbon.

A group of words used to express a thought is called a
sentence.*

How many

of the foregoing groups are sentences .'!
Write a sentence about a dog.
Write a sentence about a frog.
Write a sentence about a butterfly.
Write one about a viold.
f!Vrite anot!ter about a pockd-knife.

C!tange the sentences you !tave written into spoken sentences.
Jmagi7te you can !tear w!tat tlze boy in t!te picture is saying to
!tis compa7tions, and write jive of his sentences.
*To THE T EACl-IER.-ln the author's opinion, statement shoulcl not be used for
sentence. Children have no d iffic ulty in learning and using the techni cal nam es.
Th ey learn technical te rms that belong to other matters from th e time they begin to
talk. They don ' t first learn to call a ce rtain implement a digge1·, and then a fterward learn to call it a spark. iV!any of the attempts to make thin gs easy for children
are ridi culous. Avoid unn ecessary technical terms, but do not use substitutions for
those that arc necessary.

A LESSON ABOUT LANGUAGE . .

LESSON II.
A LESSON .ABOUT LANGUAGE.

THE many sentences we use in order to make one another
understand our thoughts and feelings, make what is called
language.
Perhaps you may think this a big word, a long word, and a word hard to spell.
But if you try, you can easily learn to spe ll it, and pronounce it. You will see soon
that it is a very important word_and much used. L earn to spell it now.

People in different countries do not always use the same kind
of lan g uage in expressing their thoughts; so th ere are many kinds
of language.
The language we use is called the English language, because it was first used by people who lived in England.
Many of these English people came to America, when America was first discovered . That is how it happened that the
English language came to be used in our c0untry.

What name is given to the language of the people w!to live in
France .'l
What is the name of the language used by tlze peC'ple of Germany .'!
Of Spain .'! Of Italy .'l Of R ussia .'! Of Clzina .'!
Your teacher, your parents, or your schoolmates will a nswer any of these ques tions you cannot answer.

Children learn to talk in the lan g uage they hea r th eir parents
and playmates use. · If your parents had always lived in France,
and had used the French language, you would have lea rned that

BEGINNING AND ENDING OF SENTENCES.

L ESSOJVS JN ENGLISH CRrlA1il1AR.

15

language, to o.
The n yo u wo uld be a young Frenchman,
and would b e talkin g and reading a nd writing sentences in .
French.

W!tat languag e do J I Oli t!ti11k yo11 would be using,
always li-z·ed in I taly ? In Spain ? In Russia .9

if you !tad

L et us see in h ow many ways we make known o ur thoughts
to one another in our ow n la ng uage.
If you taste so methin g very bitter, you co uld say that it was
bitter in three ways:
1.

By making a wry face.

Motions, gestures , frowns, nods, smil es , and other natural signs are frequently
used by both men and an imal s.

This is called sign or gesture language.

LESSON III.
2.

By say ing the word bitter.
BEGINNING AND ENDING OF SENTENCES.

This is called spoken language.

3. By writing th e word bitter.

HERE

This is called written language.

Read tlzem.

Wftzdt of tlzese tlzree ki7tds of la7tguage do ) I OU use most ?
How do dogs and ot!ter a11imals make us know the£r thougftts ?
When cats, !torses, cow s, and other animals are angry, how do
we find it out.'!!

If you could not hear , a11d lzad newr learned to talk, !tow would
you make k7town your w isltcs .9
S ee whether )10/t can use all of t!tese three ways to tell your
teacher that you !tear a noise on tlze play-ground.

are a number of sentences.

Cats can be taught to do cute things this cat knows many funny
tricks she can ring a bell for her dinner she can also jump through a
hoop she can climb a ladder like a boy she enters the kitchen through
a little swing door of her own she has learned to open this door for
herself the door closes itself after her the name of this cat is Dido she
belongs to Dick Billings.

Now read these sentences:
Cats can be taught to do cute things. This cat knows many funny
tricks. She can ring a bell for her dinner.
She can also jump
through a hoop. She can climb a ladder like a boy. She enters the
kitchen through a little swing door of her owrr. She has learned to

16

LL SSO/\'S JN ENC L / SH GRAMMAR.

open th is door for hen elf. The doo r closes itself after her.
name of thi s cat is Dido. She belongs to Dick Bi llings.

SENTENCES JN GROUPS.

The

Wlziclz of t!tese g·roups of sentmces can you read most easily .' l
Wlty ?
Perhaps you kn o w that th e large letter at the beginning of the
first word of each sentence in this second group is a capital
l ette r.

17

A lady owned a cat and a canary bird the cat. and the bird were
good friends the canary was not afraid of the cat one day the lady
went to visit a friend on her return the bird was gone the cage had
fallen to the floor either the bird had been eaten b y the cat or had
escaped through the open window the cat seemed very sad the next
day she r.ame into the house with the canary in her mouth unhurt she
had caught it in a neighboring tree what a noble cat that was do you
not think the lady was proud of her pets

Remember that written or printed sentences should always
begin with a capital letter.
Pe rhaps you kn ow that the little do t at the end of each sentence
in the second group is a period.
All sente nces do not end with a period, but most of them do.
Wou ld yo u like to know which do not ?
Notice these two sentences:
r. \\/ho is the owner of .Dido?
What a cute cat Dido is!

2.

Th e first sente nce is a question.
Questions end with a question mark.

Write a question and place a question mark at tlze end.
T h e second se ntence is an exclamation .
Exclamations end with an exclamation mark.

Write an exclamation and place an cxdamation mark at the end.
Every sentence tha t is not a question or an exclamation
should end with a period.

Copy tlze follo willg group ef sentences, using capital letters,
periods, question marks, and exclamation marks where they
belong .

LESSON IV.
SENTENCES IN GROUPS.

You learned in Lesson I. that a group of words expressing a
th o ug ht is a sentence.
You will be interested to know that th ere is a name also for a
group of sentences.
A group of sentences is a paragraph.
The sentences in a paragraph must express thoughts that
belong together to tell about something .
Notice the first group of sentences in L esson III. A ll the
sentences in that group belong together t o tell about the cat
Dido. They form a paragraph.
The sentences about the cat and the cana ry bird form another
paragraph. They also belong t ogeth er.
Here is another paragraph :
Two boys went to the brook to fish. One had a rod with a line tied
to it. On the end of the line was a hook. A worm was fastened on
the hook. The other boy carried a small net fast to the end of a pole.
On reaching the stream, Henry threw the hook and line into the water.
2

18

ANAL}SJS OF PARAGRAPHS.

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Soon he felt something jerk and try to get away with his line . H e
drew it up quickly, and found a fish fast to the hook. It loosened
itself, and was falling into the water. James thrust his net under it
and caught it.

Notice that in thi s paragraph, and in all paragraphs properly
written and printed, the first line begins farther to the ri g ht than
the rest of the lines of th e parag raph. This makes a notch or
un even place in the paragraph. You are readin g a paragraph
now. Notice th e notch at th e begi nning.
We say of the first line of a paragraph that it is indented.
I ndented means notc hed.
A sentence used alone is indented like a parag raph, and may
also be called a paragraph.
How many paragraphs a re in thi s lesson ?
How many of th em consist of one sentence ?

LESSON V.

Copy t!te paragrap!t about t!te boys wlzo went fishing. Be careful to indent t/ze .first line and to use capital letters and periods
properly.

ANALYSIS OF PARAGRAPHS.
A GRATEFUL DOG.

Write a paragrap!t t!tat shall be made of sentences expressing
t/ze following ideas :

SOME years ago a little boy, not more than eight years old, was sent
on an errand. On his return, as he was going home, a lame dog,
rough and dirty, came limping after him . A bad boy would have
thrown stones at the poor dog ; but the little boy of whom I am
telling you had been taught to be gentle and kind.
He saw that the dog had been ill-used, and that it wanted a friend.
He let it follow him home.
When the little boy asked his mother if she would let the dog come
into the house, the poor dog seemed as though it knew what was said.
It looked, oh, so sad ! that the children almost cried when they saw
its large bright eyes looking up to them for pity.
The mother, who had taught her children to be kind and gentle,
did not turn the poor, hungry, lame dog away. She let it go into the

game of ball
new bat
new ball
bat fli es
hits James
carried home
well next day
plays ball
- - - - - - -··--- ---·---- -To THE TEACHER.-M any exercises may need to be added to those in th e book,
to give sufiicient drill in making paragraphs. Sol utions of probl ems, history, geography, and reading lessons furnish abundant materials.

1

20

LESSONS .IN ENCL./SH GRAMMAR.

I

wash-house; and the children gave it some food, and some water to
drink, and some clean straw to lie upon.
After a few days it got well, and it soon made itself clean, and
began to show how pleased it was, and how clever it was. It did all
that a dog could do to show how thankful it was for the kindness
shown to it .-Fro111 "Scattered Seeds.''

I

How many g roups of sentences do you find in the story about
the " Grateful Dog?"
Is each of these g roups a parag raph?
Why?
What do the sente nces in the first paragraph tell? Ans. Tltey

1.

tell o_f a kind boy meeting a lame dog.
What do the
vVhat do the
What d o the
vVhat do the
D o you see
paragraphs ?

sente nces
se ntences
sente nces
sentences
anything

in the second paragraph t ell?
of the third paragraph tell?.
of the next paragraph t ell ?
of the last paragraph t ell ?
in th e picture not told in any of these

A LESSON ABOUT QUEST.IONS.

I

l

Write an additio11al paragraplt and tell ftow tlze dog sftowed liis
tltankfulness, and w !tat pleasure it gave tlie cftildrm .'?

LESSON VI.
A LESSON ABOUT QUESTIONS.

WHEN we want other people to tell us things we do not know,
we ask questions. Children ask more questions than grown
people, because grown people kno w many things that childre•
want to know.
Every question is a sentence, and is followed by a mark
_like this(?) which is called a question mark (seep. r6).
Here are thirteen questions:

Make sentmces tliat shall be answers to them. Don't forget to
follow each sentence you make with the proper mark.
1.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

Do not neglect, when you write paragraphs,

7.
8.
9.

1. To leave a m a rgin half an inch wide at the left of your

paper, and
2. To leave a space half an inch long at the beginning of
the first line of each paragraph ;
3. To place the proper mark at the end of each sentence,

10.
11 .

1 2.

13.

and
4 . To begin each sentence with a capital letter.

What is your name?
How old are you?
How many legs has a spider?
What do horses eat?
What do caterpillars become?
What are the eggs of fish called ?
Can a dog purr like a cat?
What have you learned about lobsters?
How many petals has a violet?
Is the foot of a horse cleft, like the foot of a cow ?
Of what is paper sometimes made?
Can a dog climb a tree like a cat?
Are bats birds?

Write a question about a tree.
Write a question about a hzmzming-bz"rd.
Write a question about a robin.

Copy the entire story, including the paragraph you have added,
and observe all tile foregoing cautions.
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21

A

LESSONS JN ENGL I SH GRAMMAR.

LES~ON

ABOUT EXCLAMA TJONS.

See how many questions )'OU can write about a jly.
S ee !tow many questions you can write about a buttercup.

LESSON VIII.

What kind of ma rk did you place after each question?

A LESSON ABOUT EXCLAMATIONS.
SOMETIMES

A sentence that asks a question is called an interrogative
sentence.

A LESSON ABOUT COMMANDS.

A COMMAND is also a sentence.
H ere are two commands :
I. Bring me my hat .
2. Please carry this bucket of coal.

Sentences like these that express strong feeling are called
exclamatory sentences.

Exclamatory is a long word, but not a very hard one to remember after you know how to pronounce it. It has five syllables:
ex-clam-a-to-ry.
Pronounce it several times.
Notice what kind of mark is placed after an exclamatory sentence. It is like this (!), and is called an exclamation mark.

Notice what mark follows eac h command.

a command telling some person to pump a pail ef water.
another telling some p erson to s!tarpen your pencil.
oue telling some ptrson to explain a problem.
a command telling some one to !tand you a book.

How many commands have been g iven to you in this lesson?
We should be kind and polite in giving commands. It is
better to say, "Please bring me my hat," than to say, " Bn"ng me
my hat."
Commands can sometim es be changed into questions, and are
then still more agreeable. vVe may say, " Will you please bring
me my !tat.'!" '

See whether any of t!te commands you have written can be
changed into questions.
A sentence that expresses a command is called an imperative sentence.

sentences express the way we feel when something

excites us.
If we see a very beautiful rainbow, we are apt to exclaim
"How beautiful tlze rainbow is/"
A boy with the toothache is apt to exclaim, " Oh, how my tooth
pains/"
If it is a very warm day some one will exclaim, "How warm
it is to-day /"

LESSON VII.

Write
Write
T¥rite
T-Vrite

23

Which
Which
Which
Which

of tlze following sentmces express feeling .'1
ask questions .?
express commands?
declare or state facts .'l
1.
2.

J

j

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What a beautiful top you have!
Did you make the top ?
Let me see your top.
The top is made of wood.
John has a pet squirrel.
Is it a gray squirrel?
He keeps it in a cage.

24

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

CAPJTAL LRTTERS A/'v7J PUNCTUATION

,- ----- - -

8. John 's pony and the squirrel are friends.
9. The squi rrel often si ts on the pony's back.
10. Can they ta lk to each other?
1 i . How nice it is to have two such fine pets!
12. T ell us abou t you r pets.
13 . Spell the word squirrel for us.

State wltic!t of t!te foregoing sentences are interrogative. Wlzy
W!udz are impcratiz1e .'? W!ty .'?
iV!ticlz are exclamatory .'? 111/ty .'?

'

pi

;!

I

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i

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I

Periods, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, and
other marks used to separate sentences and parts of sentences are called punctuation marks.

1:

I'

LESSON X.
LESSON IX.

Write a sentence stating wltat a wasp can do to you.
Write an exclamatory sentence expressing lzow this would mak e
you f eel.
TIVrite an interrogative sentence asking something about the home
of t!te wasp.
Which one of the sentences yo u have written states or declares
a fact?
A sentence that states or declares a fact is called a declarative sentence.

Most of the sentences we use are declarative sentences.
In L esson VIII. which of the thirteen sentences are declarative ?

ftVritc Jive declarative scntmces about a clock.

CAPITAL LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION.
THE best way to learn to use correctly capital letters and punctu ation mci.rks, is to practice usin g them as much as possibl e. So,
another exercise for thi s purpose is provided here, and, if you
need them, your teacher will provide additional ones.
H ere is a story made up of many sentences, all printed one
after another.
No capital letters are used; no punctuation
marks are used ; it is not divided into parag raphs.
You can see by this how impo rtant capital letters, para graphin g, and punctuati on marks are. If we did not have them, it
wo uld be very difficult to read anything.

A WISE RAVEN.

Once there was a raven tha t was very thirsty he found a pitcher with
some water in it his neck and bill were too short to reach the water

26

LESSONS Il1i ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

THE PARTS OF A SENTENCE.

what do you think be did he first tried to break the pitcher with his
bill bow foolish that was then be tried to upset the pitcher this he was
not strong enough to do at last it occurred to him to drop stones into
the pitcher this was a wise thought he carried many stones a1~d drop~ed
them into the pitcher the water then rose to the top after takrng a dnnk
he flew away satisfied

Supply suf?jects so that each of the fo!!owing expressions will be
a true sentence.

Copy t!tis story, makiug two paragraphs of it.
Use capita! letters and marks of punctuation where they belong.
What kind of sentence is each one in the story?

27

r. · - -- - - eats grass.
2.
struck ten just now.
3. -- - - - - - shines brightly.
4.
_ had a large bone in his mouth.
5.
- caught a big rat.
6. - ---· _ lives in a hollow tree.

The words in a sentence that tell something about the
subject are called the predicate.

In the sentence Bees gat!ter !toney, the words gat!ter !toncy are
the predicate, because they are used to tell so m ethin g about the
subject bees.

LESSON XI.
THE PARTS OF A SENTENCE.

What is t!te predicate in eac!t of the fo!!owing sentmces l
HERE

are five sentences :

r. H ens lay eggs.
Cows give milk.
3. Fish swim.
4. Owls are blind in the day-time.

Bees gather honey.
2. Fish live in the water.
3. Birds sleep in the tree-tops.
4. Beavers build dams.
5. Kites are made of paper.

1.

2.

vVrite predicates for each of t!te fo!!owing SZtQjects:
r. This orange __

In the first sentence, bees is the name of the things talked
about.
Gat!ter honey are the words used to tell what is said
abou t bees.

W!tat word names t!te things talked about in the second sentence? Jn the third .9 In t!te fourt!t .'1 In the Ji/tit .0
The word used in a sentence to name the thing talked
about, is called the subject of the sentence.

vV/zat is the suf?jcct of the first sentence? Of the second?
t!te third .9 Of the fourt!t Ji' Of the fifth?

Of

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

Bats - - - -- ·
The bell _ _ __
An island - - - - --- ·
A pretty little rabbit
Henry's new sled - - --·

NOTE TO THE TEACHER.-Continue these exercises (supplying subjects and
predicates) until every pupil is able to distinguish subjects and predicates readily in
easy sentences. Do not puzzle the pupil with transposed sentences. Sentences from
preceding lessons may be used for additional exercises.
By a careful use of th e author's Practical English Grammar, the teacher will be
The advanced Grammar bas
greatly aided in the teaching of primary grammar.
a handy reference index.

28

L E SSONS I N E N GLJSH GRAMMAR.

THE P ROPER PLACES FOR S UBJ EC TS.

LESSON X II.

does not n eed to say the s ubj ect, beca use every one understa nds
who is meant. S uch a s ubj ect is, for this reason, called an unders tood subject.

THE PROPER PLACES FOR SUBJECTS.*

N ame tlze understood subject in eac!t of the following imperative
sentences.
Tell why it is tlte subject.

I N the se ntence, Foxes !tavc !toles, th e subj ect .Foxes is at the
b eginnin g of the sen tence. This is tru e of m ost sentences, but
som etimes th e subject is fo und in some other part of the senten ce.
In th e inte rrogati ve sentence, Do foxes lzaz•e !toles .'I y ou see
that th e s ubject f oxes is n ot at the beginnin g , but stan ds a m on g
the words o f th e p redi cate, do lzave holes.
W h y is foxes the subject ?
It is the subject , beca use it na mes that a bo ut which somethin g
is asked.

Name the suh.fcct in melt of t!te f ollowing sentences.
Tell w lty it is t!tc su/J;i'Ct.
r . Can w ts cli mb trees ?
3. Does the pet rabbit eat apples ?
3. Does the old cow wear a bell ?
4. H ave you a fishing-rod?
5. Can an owl see well in the day-time?
6. H as the sheep a lon g tai l ?
A n im perative se ntence h as no subj ect exp ressed. The p erson
who uses a n im pe rative sentence, keeps th e s ubj ect in his mind.
H e thinks th e s ubj ect, b ut he does n ot say it or write it.
In th e sentence, Open your book, t h ese three wo rds fo rm th e
predi cate. The p erso n wh o uses th e comm a nd has you in mind
as t h e s ubject. H e means t hat ;1ou are to open yo ur b ook. H e
*To TH E T EACHF.R.-Th is lesson, and ma ny othe rs, may need to be d ivided.

r. Keep your hat off in the house.
Do not eat with your kn ife .
3. Be polite to everybody.
4. Be ki nd to dumb animals.
5. Name the subjects of these sentences.
6. Always thank people fo r favo rs.
7. Clean your finger-nails after washing your hands.
8. Brush your teeth after each meal.
2.

I

I n a n exclamatory sente nce, the s ubj ect often sta nds near the
end of the sentence.
How Izard t!te ball is / In this sentence, ball is the thin g talked
ab out, a nd is, the refore, the s ubj ect.

l

Name tlze subject in each of the following exclamatory sentences.
Tell w hy it is tlze subject.

I

r. What excellent apples this tree bears!
How fast the train moves!
3. How easy this lesson is !
4. How high the crow fl ies!
5. What a strong arm the blacksmith has!
6. How small the mouse is !
7. What beauti fu l plumage the canary has!
8. How eager the chicks are fo r their feed !
2.

N<;>tice that eve ry excla mato ry sentence is foll owed by an
exclamation mark.

LESSONS JN

r·-- - --- -

~NG'LJSH

GRAJl1111AR.

31

A RE V.!E W LESSON
' \'.\ f l)·

- -

---- - -- --·· --------,

I

\

I
I

I·i

Jane had a parrot by the name of Polly. Polly broke I' ppei- of
this naughty trick. One day Polly concealed herself in the high grass
with the chickens. Then she made a noise like a chicken. Pepper
thought it was a chicken. He pounced upon Polly. Polly gave him
a sound whipping . She pulled some of his fur out. She picked his
head sore. H e did not get well for many days. Was not that a good
lesson for Pepper? He never chased chickens again .

How many declarative sentences are in tlzis story .'r
How many interrogative sentences .9
H ow many exclamatory sentences .9

!

I

I ,,

LESSON XIV.

U •\

A REVIEW LESSON.*

LESSON XIII.
A COPYING LESSON.

Copy t!te following s!OJ)' , and be careful to put in all t!te capital
letters aud punctuation 111arl:s, just as t/~cy arc found lure.
Be careful also to ma/a· tlte paragrap!ts t!te same.
PEPPER AND POLLY .

Pepper is the name of a kitten with black and white fur and green
eyes. He came to our house in a basket. Jane took him out of the
basket. T he first thing he did was to scratch the baby. The next
thing he did was to scamper up stairs and hide. Jane found him at
night fast asleep in a box with her new bon net. \\That a mixture of
fur, feathers, and ribbons there must have been !
Pepper had bad tr icks. He wou ld chase little chi ckens. He finally
k illed t wo little bbck chickens. Scolding and punishing seemed to do
him no good.

A REV IEW lesson is cine in ·which things that have been studied
before, are studied a gain to learn them m ore thorou g hly.
H e re are some questions for you to answer. If you know
everything in the first thirteen lessons, you can easily answer all
these questions . If you cannot answer them, turn back and find
the a n swers. The n write the answers.
In writing , let each answer b e co mposed of one or more complete sentences. Be careful about your paragraphs, capital letters,
and punctuation.

* To THE TEACHER.- There is, no doubt, enoug h material he re for several lessons.
Do not try to review more than can be thoroughly done. Insist on all answers being
written. It may be easier for you and more agreeable for the pupils to make this an
oral exercise; but if you do, they w ill not get all the benefit from it. By conversation,
question s, compa~isons, fri endl y criti cisms, and corrections make the exerc ises as interesting as possible. Be careful not to make the lessons too long, so as to require so great
an amoun t of writing th at it will become very tiresome. Insist on neat papers, good penmanship, correct punctuation , use of capitals, etc . Above all thin gs keep your pupils
expressi"g their thoughts in writing. Remember, "Writing maketh an exact man ."

A LESSON ABOUT NAMES.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

32

What is a sentence ?
Of what are sentences made?
Do we make sentences when we talk?

J.
2.

3·
4. What is language?

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

When we write?

What is the name of the language you use ?
5·
6. What is the name of the lang uage used in China? In France?
How do boys and g irls learn the language the y use ?
7.
8. What is sign lang uage?
What have you learned about the use of capital letters?
.
9·
After what kind of sentences should we use an exclamat10n
IO.
mark?
11

.

12.

13.
4.
1

15.
16 .
q.
18 .
19 .
20.
2 l.

22 .

.
?
After what kind of sentences shou ld a question mark be used ·
After what kind is a period used?
What is a paragraph?
How is the first line of a parag raph written?
Name the four kinds of sente nces.
Write a se ntence of each ki nd?
\\T hat is th e subject of a sentence ?
What is the predi cate of a se ntence?
What is the position of the subject in the declarative sentence?
What is the posi tion of the subj ect in the interrogative sentence?
What is the position of the subject in the exclamatory sentence?
What kind of sentence has the subject understood?

LESSON XV.
ANOTHER REVIEW LESSON.

State w!tat ki11 d of sc11tmce eac!t of the following is, and indicate the subject and predicate of each :
1.
2.

Ebony is a ve ry hard , blac k wood.
Camphor is the white gum of a tree.

10.
11.

12.

13.
14.

15.
16.

-----

Oranges grow in the West Indies.
Where are the West Indies?
Sugar is made from sugar-cane.
Sugar-cane looks like ·growing corn.
Write :the word sugar-cane with a hyphen.
What is a hyphen?
Ask your teacher.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Little leaks sink great ships.
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
What a great king Solomon was!
Tell some interesting story about Solomon.
Who was Solomon's father?
Look not upon the wine.

LESSON XVI.
A LESSON ABOUT NAMES.
· TH E words we use in sentences are not all alike.
Some of
them are the names of persons, places, or things; as john , town,
ball. Other words express actions ; as, walk, ride, sing. Others
express qualities of things; as, good, beautiful, hard. Some connect expressions; as, Spring has come, and I am glad.
There are eight different kinds of words in our language, each
having its own office to perform.
The eight different kinds of words are called parts of speech.

Name-words are called nouns.

Copy the following nouns in two lists:
I . Put in the first list names of persons.
2 . Put in the second list the names of animals.
3

.

33

34

Ll::SSONS JN ENCL/SH CRAMfllAR.

Mabel,
Columbus,
cat,
mouse,
girl.

person,
animal,
Henry,
bee,
fish,

boy,
caterpillar,
Horace,
sparrow,
horse,

A L ESSON ABOUT I NITIALS.

The noun month applies to any month, but J uly is the name of
a certain month .
The nouns man, city, and month are called common nouns.
The nouns j ohn, Boston, and July are called proper nouns.

Not ice th at four no uns, H o race, H enry , Mabel, and Columbu s
begi n with cap ital letters.

A proper noun, you notice, always begins with a capital
letter.

Noti ce that three noun s, Phil ade lphia, Pennsylvania, and
Chicago, begin with cap ital letters.

Copy jive proper nouns from your reader.
Copy jive common nouns fr01n your reader.
Write the names of jive objects seen on your way to school
Write the names of all the months in the year.
Write the names of all the days . of the week.
Write the common names of jive animals.
liVrite the proper names of jive of your playmates.
Write two names of p ersons.
Write t'dJo names of things.
Write two names of animals.
Write three names of periods of time,-such as day, minute.

LESSON XV II.

LESSON XVIII.

ANOTHER LESSON ABOUT NAMES.

A LESSON ABOUT INITIALS.

Cop]' t!tc followi11g 1101111s in two lists :
r . Put i1t t!tc first list !ltc names of places.
2. Put in t!te second list t!tc names of tlzings.
door,
Philadelphia,
jug,
book,
place,

suga r,

school,
ax,
flower,
sled,

Pennsylvania,
hi ve,
smoke,
Chicago,
glass,

state,
sieve,
board,
slate,
city.

SOME names belon g to all thin gs of the same kind.
belong only to certain µerso ns and thin gs.

35

Others

The noun man applies to any man. It is a name that will apply
to all the men in th e world, but the noun John belongs o nly to
some particular person or persons.
The no un city appli es to all cities, but Boston is th e name of a
particular city.

O NCE there was a little boy by the name of H enry Wadsworth
Longfellow. He grew to be a g reat man, and wrote some very
beautiful poetry for boys and girls to read. One who writes
poetry is called a poet.
· He often shortened his name by writing it thus: H enry W
L ongfellow.
The first letter of a word is called its initial letter. I nitial
means beginning. W is the initial of the word Wadsworth .

A LESSON ABOUT ABBREVIATIONS.

LESSONS IN ENG LISH GRAMMAR.

When initials are used instead of words a period should be
placed after each.

How many words arc in tltis poet's 11ame .11
Write your full name.
H ow many w ords are in your name ?
If your name ltas tltrec words in it, write it, using the initial for
the middle word.
Did your ever se;; a pcrso1t's 1tame ltm•ingfour words?
Wn'te tltc name of cac!t member of your class, using the initial
for the middle word of eac!t.
The initial of the first word and last word in a name should
seld om be used. If some one were to write for you the initials
0. W. H., you would not know whose name was meant; but if
he were to write Oliver W endell H olmes or Oli ve r W . Holmes,
you mi g ht recog nize it as the name of another great poet.

37

Abbreviations generally (not always) begin with capital
letters.
P. M. is the abbreviation for afternoon.
A. M
"
" forenoon.
No.
"
" number.
St.
"
" street.
Dr.
"
"
" doctor.
R ev.
"
"
" reverend.
Mrs. (pronounced mis' sis )
is the abbreviation for mistress.
qt.
'' quart.
"
"
oz.
" ounce.
"
"
doz.
''
dozen.
"
"
.ft.
"
.foot
or .feet (in length).
"
"
m.

" inch.

"

C. O.D. "
yd.
"

"

" collect on delivery.
''yard.

Sun.
Mon.

Tues.
LESSON XIX.
A LESSON ABOUT ABBREVIATIONS.

I NSTEAD of th e wo rd bus/tel, the shortened form bu. may be
used.
In stead of the wo rd October, the shortened form Oct.
may be used. In stead of the word Mister, the shortened form
Jl1"r. may be used.
A shortened word is called an abbreviation.

Abbreviate means s horten.
Initials are abbrev iati ons. (See prev10us lesson.)
A p eriod should a lways be placed after an abbreviation.

Wed.

are abbreviations for the different days of the week.

Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.

)

Three of the foregoing words or thei r abbreviations are used
with the names of persons to show them respect or honor.
Words or their abbreviations used with the names of persons to indicate respect, honor, or distinction are called titles.

We should write Mr. ]. B. Clark, if the man by this name is a
respectable member of the community in which he lives.
W~ should write Mrs. j. B. Clark as the name of Mr. J. B.
Clark's wife (if Mr. Clark is living).

LESSONS IN ENCL/SH CRAlv!NA R .

39

A COPYING LESSON.

We should write Mrs. Ann Clark, ifthe woman named is a widow.
LESSON XX.

W e should write G. J Wilson , Esq., if the man na med is a
lawye r.
We sh ou ld write R ev. P. S. Pollock, if the ma n na med is a
mini ste r of the gosp el.
W e sho uld write Mis s Elizabct!t Riclzards, if th e pe rson na med
is a n unma rri ed lady.

A COPYING LESSON.

Copy the following sentences and explain all t!te abbreviations.
Notice carefully the periods and capital letters used:
Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Walters are our neighbors.
T he Rev. B. T. Pencyl took the train at 4 P. M.
3. We li ve at No. 42 Nassau St. , near the residence of Dr. Davis.
4. H e goes to the city on Mon., Wed ., and Fri. of each week.
5. I will g ive you a qt. of syrup fo r a doz. eggs.
6. It wi ll take 15 yds. of carpet to cover a roo m 9 ft. wid e and
r 5 ft. long.
1.

2.

Jn usin g ti tles, we sh ou ld be ca reful!. Not to use with t he same na me, t wo or m ore titl es havin g
nearl y the sam e m ea nin g. W e sho uld not say Dr. T. B. J ohn son,
M. D ., o r Mr. A . B. Jones, Esq.

2 . Not to g ive ourselves titl es.
Thi s would not show good
taste. W hen a n unma r ried lady, however, is writin g a letter to
a strange r, she m ay use the titl e Miss, in order tha t she may be
pro pe rl y addressed in the reply. Married ladies sho uld always
use the titl e Mrs. when signin g their names to lette rs.

Find in t!te dzdiouary the correct abbreviations for the f ollowi11g
words, tlten slww how they s!tould be used :
Esqui re,
Doctor,
Pro fessor,
North ,

Jan.
Feb.
Mar .
Apr.
Aug.
Sept.

Oct.
Nov.
D ec.

1
~

are the abbrev iations of the different months.

I

j

May, J une, a nd July a re not abbreviated .
Eve ry good di cti ona ry contains a li st of words abbreviated .
Yo u s h ould learn wh e re thi s list is, a nd h ow to fin d in it the
a bbreviati ons yo u need to use.

Junior,
Governor,
East,
South,

General ,
President,
West,
September.

Find correct abbreviated titles for p ersons ef t!te following
description. Supply t!te 71amcs and write tlze names and titles
together:
MODEL-Benj a min G. Battles , Sr. (for tlze fourtlt drscnption).
r. A married lady.

An unmarried lady .
3. A son who has the same name as his father.
4. A fa ther who has a son of the same name.
5. An editor of a newspaper.
6. A judge.
7. A lawyer.
2.

HOW TO WR ! TE A LE TTE.R.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

8.
9.
r o.
r r.
r 2.
13.
r 4.

A physicia n.
A clergyman.
A merchant".
The govern or of your State.
The President of the U nited States.
The superintendent of your schools.
A teacher in a college.

,,lo, w-tt:fe.

r:J/ed.-le-td-ay u.<e u.<en£ ,,lo, -utad1 a/ c!f?ud~

;?-tan-afka ~.

cff?;,ed~ ;?-tanctjia ~u;?h,/ ~ed a J-at1

o/ £a-Jne ,Ji~eo.na,

and we aaw £.£e-Jn n-iahtn;? a

a-te £.£e /un'l-t.ted,/ J-~.~eond
~me<J

HOW TO WRITE A LETTER.

£k,,~

un~/ £ky

)t-Ml a /e/./e,z

-d'r-te

t~z./env.4~

,,lo, u.<-tt:fe

t'o.=day, k ,/ Ute ha-zte ken

£a'l<tn? do much /un d -couk! no£ rna! ~;.,ze ,k.
1'.u-tt:fe, ezce,tf-/ n~h,tI, an-c/ /;{M-t cff" uuld do ~1ed
and <J/ee,tf-7 c!f>' -c-ou/a!
~ dun£

4UJ.,/

/knh u.tha/ ,,lo, day.

Jfuda. ,,io,/d 'lne !'o 7 0. £0. kc/, -ad dhe

/ho v-Jl'h,/ ya-u, u.<o.u/,::/n £ ca-te

-tj cf' ~£/n ~/

d£ ta -tatntn? -lo.:day, ao. d ha-ue di/a

~d.1J

cff" e-ue-t aa UL.

~-Jne=

//y

-uMy

/k

;tf7h,

du~

and /£en

den-7 £-Pfey a,,lo,j- and ~;?tn £a £u-t.n ao.-Jne-tdau.?/o
k-chwa-td

cff" ha-ue hen

k-tn.

nea£ tn an <J/d akd nea-t

LESSON XXL

41

w-td'e.

-ci/ ~me

cff'.£-ey ke,tf- a.n £u-t.ntn;? and £u-tnt7
-a/-Jnaa,/ -teach ..ltfe ;?-tMmd

~n

dudclen-7 -1£.e-y a/z--tead /kt1 -ULt;,_Z;fa and/~ au.<ay
aa

-r/ ,/.,,fe;JI' ,/£0.u.;?£,/ £/:ey had fay/a-tmed a d-Jna-t/

-?ttch.
cff" u.ttd.£ y"'u -U<au/d ;?e,/
h-t:;,td ~ J-7·eana.

4nB

a f-at1

-cz/

£hia

c!f a-Jn ca-Jnt7 ho.-Jne an nez/

£ea.day , and c!f aha-// h ;?/ad~ aee y ou and

, I

LESSONS JN ENCLJST-f GNAMMAR

I

I

HOW TO WRITE A LETTER.

43

The Envelope addressed and Stamped.

o!'31a .

cfo,,?///,

cf©. Cft;d ()'lH-,
~~ct/on1
C!J°enna.

r. Copy tlte f oreg oing letter, taking care to make the same
arrangement of all its parts.
Be careful, also, about punctuation, paragraphs, capitals, and tlte
use of titlt's.

Imag in e you a re visitin g an uncle in th e country at haymaking tim e. See the g rass cut with a mowin g mac hine, dried
in the s un , raked w ith a horse-rake, and lifted on the wagon with
its long rack, by stron g men usin g long-handl ed forks. You ride
to the barn on thi s hi g h load of hay, a nd see it put in th e great mo w.
2 . T-Vrite a letter to your sister describing !tow you saw them
makiug ltay.

Imag ine spendin g th e Christmas holidays with your cousin
in the city. You take drives in the park. You and your cousin
ride on h orseback. You attend a concert one night O ne evening you play games- " blind-man's buff," perhaps, or checkers.
You go skatin g o ne day.
3. Wi·ite a letter to yo11r 111otltcr telli11g lter of J'Ollr v isit.

LESSON XXII.

Write tlte story told by tltis picture.
REMEMBER to take great care in your use of capitals, pa'ragraphs, punctuation, and penmanship.
If you learn to write neatly, and express your th oughts well in
writing, it will be of great .v alue to you sometime.
S ome day you will want to write letters to y our friends, or
conduct the business of a store, or manage a factory, or a farm,
or do something else th at wi ll require you to ex press your
thoughts in writing. Wben that tim e comes, you will be glad
you have had these lessons that req uire you to practice expressing your thou ghts on paper.
Don't you know persons who wish t hey could write well?
Would they not be more prosperous, more useful , and happier
if th ey could write well?
~eople who can write well, can generally talk well, too.

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

44

ONE AND MORE THAN ONE.

MoDEL.- Hoes - s = /we.-This word is now a singular noun,

LESSON XXIII.

and means only one !toe.

ONE AND MORE THAN ONE.

THE boy has an apple.
In this sentence one boy and one apple are mentioned.
The boys have some apples.
In this sentence more titan one boy and more than one apple are
mentioned.
How was the noun boy chan ged to make it name more than
one ? The noun apple ?
Singular number means one.
Plural number means more than one.
A noun in the singular number nam es one thin g .
A noun in the plural number names more than one thing.
The noun boy is in the singular number.
The noun boys is in the plural number.
Adding s to the singular of the noun boy makes it plural.
This is true o f many nouns.

Adds to tlze follo7ving nouns, and explain !tow the meaning of
each is changed:
MODEL.- Cat+ s = cats. This is now a plural noun and means
more than one cat.
cat,
dog,
book,
slate,

pencil,
hen,
pen,
carriage,

key,
rake,
fork,
shovel,·

45

pig,
hoe,
boy,
girl,

chair,
lamb,
table,
bird.

R emove s from t!te end of each of tlze following nouns, and
explain how t!te meaning is changed:

hoes,
boots,
wagons,
cows,

balls,
lessons,
letters,
lamps,

Write the plural forms
hen,
chair,
cat,

stoves,
coals;
papers,
baskets,

of the

eyes,
ears,
hands,
cheeks,

arms,
legs,
toes,
fingers.

f of/owing nouns :

book,
leg,
pen,

nest,
stove,
shoe.

FzlL each blank in the following sentences with one of tlze plural
forms you have just made :
I.
2.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

- a~e made to sit on .
Wise people read good--- .
- -- catch mice.
- - - lay eggs.
- - - are made to write with .
Leather is used in making - - - .
We burn coal in - - - .
Birds build - - -.
Tables stand by means of - - -.
-

Use the plurals of the following words in the following blanks,
where they wzll be suitable :
boy,
pen,
lamp,

chair,
flower,
bird,

field,
back,
letter.

'Ve use - - - in writing-.- -.
The - - - saw some -·- - feeding their young.
3. These beautiful - - - grew in the - - -.
4. Some - - - have high - - - .
5. The - - - are burning brightly.
1.

2.

LESSONS /N ENCL/SH CRA!IIlvIAR.

P ECULIAR PLURALS.

LESSON XXIV .

LESSON XXV.

NOUNS MADE PLURAL ANOTHER WAY.

PECULIAR PLURALS.

I N th e p revious lesso n, we learned that many no uns a re made
plural by add in g t he lette rs to the singu lar form.
Read these t wo sentences :
r . Two bwclzes stand on the porch.
2.

How is the p lural of the noun benc!t made ?
Cou ld yo u pronounce it, if it we re made p lura l by add ing sonly ?
Try it.
Yo u see it ends in a sound t hat wi ll not un ite w ith s alone, so
we use es t o make it pl ural.
T here a re m a ny nouns of this ki nd.

"f!Vrite tlte plural form of raclt of tlze .following nouns:
boy,
watch,

dish,
peach,

tax ,
brush,

church,
ax,

match,
box.

Fill eac!t of t/1e follo"wi11g blanks witlz one ef tlze plural .forms
you have just made:
r. The cook is was hing the - - -.
\Ve use - - - to light lamps.
3. Oranges are shipped in -- -.
4. The man was unab le to pay his - - -.
5. The congregations of the tow n bui lt two new - - -.
6. The jeweler repairs clocks and - - - .
7. Farmers enclose their fields with - - -.
8. - - - are exce llent fru it.
9. Painters use - - - in painting.
ro . The wood- choppers are grind ing their - -- .
2.

THE p lural fo r m of mouse is mice.
T h e p lu ral fo rm of goose is geese.
T he p lu ral fo rm of ox is oxen.

Write the singular form

One benclz is broken.

47

1nen,
won1en,
oxen,

ef

each of the .following plural itom1s :
children,
fee t,
teeth ,

geese,
mice,
lice.

In tlze following sentences, fill each blank with one of tlze foregoing plural nouns :
r.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

\Ve saw two - - - chasing a fox .
Jane got her - - - wet while at play.
Good little g irls grow into good - - -.
Richard has two little white - - - in a cage.
Diel you ever see a yoke of - - - ?
Jesus blessed little - --.
- - - are li ttle parasites that suck the blood of animals.
T he fea thers of - - - are used in pillows.

Find the plural nouns in the .following sentences :
Kind
Kind
Kind
Kind

hearts are the gardens.
thoughts are the roo ts.
words are the blossoms.
deeds are the fr ui ts

What is the singular form of each noun ?
. H ow is the plural .form made l
What is the subject and predicate o.f each sentence .'?

THE

LESS ONS I N ENGLISH GRA MMAR .
I.

L ESSON XXV I.

T HE plural of beef is beeves.
The plura l of calf is calves.
The plural of wife is w£vcs.
Nouns ending in f or f e often change this ending to ve, and
then add s to form the plural.

ef

In Africa Mr. Stanley found tribes of very tiny people called

! n tfte foffow£ng sentences, jiff eaclz blank witlt tlu pfuraf of 011e
tlte /of/owing nouns :

loaf,
half,
self.

elf,
knife,
life,

sheaf,
leaf,
shelf,

safe,
g ulf,

leaf,
calf,

2.

We are helped by studying the - - - of g reat men .

5. The boys made a great noise blowing their - -·-.
6. Eagles build their nests on - - - of high mountains.
7. The bu tcher killed three - - - to-day.
8. Along the Atlantic coast are many - - -.

- ·-

Form tfte pfuraf of the f o!fow£ng nouus in tltzs way :
reef,
scarf,
roof.

gulf,
hoof,
proof,

LESSON XXVII.
THEY NOUNS.

In tlze foffow£ng sentences, Ji!! eaclz blank witlt the p furaf form
of one of tlzese nouns :
hoof,
giraffe,

cliff,
life.

3. There are not two - - - alike on any tree.
4. The robbers blew open two - - - with explosives.

These nouns add s to form the plural. When you are in
doubt about the plural of a noun ending in for f e, consult the
dictionary.

sheaf,
chief,

beef,
fife,

r. A cow and her twin - -- were exhibited at the World' s Fair.

The plural of cfijf is clijfs.
The plural of safe is safes.
The plural of cltief is clz£ejs.

dwarf,
fife,
giraffe,

49

2 . - - - have very long necks.
3. John and James are whittling with thei r - - -.
4. Men cut grain and bind it in - - -.
5. A horse has fo ur ----.
6. An apple may be cut into two - - -.
7. The rulers of tribes of Indians were called - - - .
8. H ave you read the parable of the - -- and fishes?

PLURALS OF NOUNS ENDING IN P.

What is the plural of-

Y NOUNS.

half,
loaf,

knife,
dwarf.

1.
2.

The ladies took a drive.
One lady did not go.

Notice that the plural of the noun l ady is made by changing
y to ie, and then adding the letter s.
4

LJ:;ssoxs J.V FNCL JSJI CRA!lfJlfA N.

50

1.

2.

UNUSUAL PLURAL USES.

The ho)'S pbyed li:ill.
One boy w:is hurt.

Notice that the plural of boy is made by adding s without
changing the y to fo.

Write the pl11ral form of eaclt of lite following 11ouns by
addi11g s :
bo y,
monkey,
to y,

3. - - -are low level lands lying between mountains.
4. The kind - - - told us some interesting - - - about - - who lived in a field o f -- -.
S· - - - in large - - - spend most of their time - - - in
in the streets and - - -.
6. - - - often become frightened and cry when they see organgrinders with their---.

alley,
ray,
valley.

da y,
money,
chimney,

5I

LESSON XXVIIL
UNUSUAL PLURAL USES.

Notice that a, e, or o stands before y in these noun s.
One deer is in the park.
Two deer are in the park.
3. One sheep has a black face.
4. All the slteep have black faces.
I.

T!f7r£te t!te plural fon ll of caclz of the f ollowing nouus by
dtanging y to ie a !l{l tlzm adding s :
MODEL.-Lacly, Jadi e

+s =

ladies.
penn y,
baby,
pony.

sky,
daisy,
body,

lady,
fairy,
c ity,

Notice th at a, e, or o does not stand before y in th ese noun s.
You see then that a ll nouns ending in the letter y have their
plurals formed by changing y to ie, and then adding s, except
when a, e, or u stands before the y.

Jn t!te followi11g scutmces, fill eac!t blank with the plural of one
of t!te followi11g 1101111s :
bab y,
dai sy ,

pony,
1.

vall ey ,
toy,
lady,

2.

penny ,
alley,
monk ey ,

What is true of the nouns deer and sheep in these four sen-.
tences? Have they plural forms?
This cider is made of apples.

Could we make a statement abou t ciders .9
Could we use the plural forms of the nouns rice, corn, wheat,
brass, gold, silver, news ?
What is tru e of all these nouns? Have they plural forms?
See by trial whether any of the following nouus can be used £n
the plural number:
coffee,
darkness,
iron,
music,

city,
fa iry,
story .

Henry has ten cents in his purse, and has gone to buy some
Some li ttle girls drove a team of - - - through town .

cream,
honesty,
wheat,

These ashes are the remains of burnt wood.
Your clothes are new.
3. These scissors are dull.
1.

2.

2.

sugar,
fun,
lead,
peace,

milk,
copper,
rye.

PLURAL USES.

LESSONS IN ENCL/SH GRAMMAR.

52

53

What is the number of the n o uns as!tes, dot!tes, and scissors in
the foregoin g se nte nces ?
Co uld these n o uns be used in th e sin gu lar? Try one .

S ee by trial w!tet!ter auy of tlte following nouns can be used in
t!te s£71gular 1zumber:
ashes,
mumps,
trousers,

measles,
tongs,
victuals.

goods,
spectacles,
pants,

clothes,
shears,
breeches,

What is true of the number of all these nouns?

In tlze following sentences, fill each blank w it!t a noun from the
following lists. State w!tat £ts peculiarity is:
mumps,
gold ,
vi ctuals,
wheat,
sil ve r,
trousers,

coffee,
corn ,
ashes,
sugar,
spectacles,
breeches ,

r. Charles drinks two cups of----

clothes,
pants,
scissors,
cream,
goods.

for breakfast , and puts - - -

and - - - in both .
2. - - - and - - - are metals of great value, used in making
coins.
3. - - - and - - - are valuable kinds of grain, raised in this
co untry .
4. Ri chard was siftin g - - - and tore his - - - on a nail.
5 . .Robert has the - -- , and his jaws are so swollen he can
scarcel y eat an y - - -·.
6. The merchant put on his - - - that he might see to cut off
three yards of cali co with the - - - . He sells good-- - .
7. Old - - - are somet imes manufactured into paper.
8. Pantaloons, - - - , - - - , and - - - are names for the same
garment.

LESSON XXIX.
R ead tlzis poem, copy from it all t!te plural nouns, and explain
!tow eac!t plural is formed.
TWO ROBINS WANT FOOD.

, ·when the l eaves had all dropt from the trees,
And the forests were chilly and bare;.
When the brooks were beg inning to freeze,
And snow-flakes fell down throu gh the air,
Two robins came out from the wood
To the warm habitations of men;
On the casement the wanderers stood,
And thus thei r petitions began :

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMA R.

"The snow-jla/.:cs co me down thick and fast,
T he trees give us shelter no more ;
Take pity on us in this blast,
For our .feet are all .bleeding and sore.
"Oh , throw us some morsels of bread,
While you sit by the side of your fire;
And when we are warm and well fed,
We' ll whistle for you without hire.
"Till the rays of the sun shining bright
Have melted the snows, let us stay;
Oh, see what a terrible night !
We shall die if you dri ve us away.
"The bugs and the worms are all gone,
We can find riei ther berries nor seeds;
The ground is as hard as a stone ;
Suppl y, we entreat you, our needs.
"Have pity upo n us, and bring
Some food from yo ur rich winter store;
We' ll leave on the first day of spring,
And never will trou ble you more.''
QUESTIONS .

NOUNS DENOTING OWNERSHIP.

7. 'vVhat noun whose singular ends in y preceded by a, e, or o
is found in the poem?
8. vVhat noun is there in the s ix th stan za whose sing ular ends
in y , ·n ot preceded by these lette rs ?
9. vVhat t wo no uns in the poe m have sing ulars whol ly different
in spe llin g fro m the plurals?

LESS ON XXX.
NOUNS DENOTING OWNERSHIP .
r. Some boys were flying kites.
2.

r. How many plural nou ns are in thi s p oe m?
H ow many sin gu la r no un s ?
3. vVhat is the last no un in t he first stan za?
4. Is it a s ingul a r o r a plural i:io un?
5. Can its number be c ha nged?
6. What noun is there in the p oe m w h ose s in g ular ends in

for f e.

One boy's ki te became tangled in a tree-top.

Notice the difference betwee n th e no un boys in the first sente nce, a nd the no un boy's in the seco nd .
They wo ul d be e xactly alike, but for the little comma in the
second. Th at littl e comma, h oweve r, s h ows a g reat diffe re nce
in the meanin g . The word boys in the first se ntenc e means tha t
th e re was m o re than o ne boy, but boy's in th e second sentence
means that a boy owned som ethin g.

f!Vlticlt nouns in t!te following sentenas s!tow tltat sometlting is
OW /l ed_'?
1.
2.

2.

55

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.

The cat's fur is soft.
Eagles carry their young on their backs.
T he eagle's beak is shaped like a hook.
The dog's teeth are sharp.
Dogs can g naw bones.
John 's pony lost a shoe.
The pon y's foot became sore.
The lamb' s mother wou ld not own it.

Notice the pos iti o n of the comma in these noun s.

56

'

11
I

I

I

l

PLURAL POSSESSIVES.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

How does the position of this comma differ from th at of other
commas?
Such a co mma is called a raised comma.

57

LESSON XXXI.
PLURAL POSSESSIVES.

I

A raised comma used to denote ownership is called an
apostrophe.

NOTICE how the possessives in the following sentences differ
fro m those in the former lesson :

All the girls' dolls have been put away.
Six boys' hats hang in the hall.
3. Foxes' dens are generally under rocks.
1.

When we want to m a ke a noun denote ownership, we place
after it an apostrophe (') and the letters.
Ownership means possession.
is called a possessive.

A noun denoting ownership

This is tru e' of all sin g ular noun s.
We s hall learn h ow t o make plural nouns denote ownership in
the next lesson.

Fzll each blank in t!te following sentences with the possessive
form of OllC of t!te f ol!owing nouns :
hen,
goat,
bird,

squirrel,
fisherman,
cat,

horse,
sp ider,
Edward,

fl y,
cow.

The - -- nest was robbed by bad boys.
2 . Nuts are the - -- chief article of food.
3. The children found a - - - egg in the barn.
4. Many persons use - -- milk instead of - - - milk .
5. W e can nail an iron shoe on a - - - foot without causi ng any
pain.
6. The - -- web is made of silk.
7. Did yo u ever noti ce how very fast a - - - wings move?
8. The - - - net was fill ed with fine fishes.
9. Have you seen - - - new top?
1 o. Do not step on the - - - tail.
1.

2.

Does the noun girls' mean one, or more than one?
I s the same true of boys' ? Of foxes' .9
Do all three of these nouns denote ownership? Have you
noticed thatTo make nouns denote ownership in the plural, we first
write the plur~l form of · the noun, and then place the
apostrophe after it?
MODEL.
Singular.

Plura l.

rat,

P lural Possessive.

rats,

rats'.

Write first the plural, and then the plural possessive
the followiug nouns, as in the model:
lamb,
wolf,
horse,
mule,

calf,
aunt,
teacher,
pupil,

father,
mother,
parent,
son,

What is the difference in meaning betweenbee's honey and bees' honey ?
cat's claws and cats' claws?
hen's eggs and hens' eggs?
pupil's lessons and pupils' lessons?
teacher's books and teachers' books?
lamb' s wool and lambs' wool?

of eac!t of

uncle,
sister,
brother,
cousin.

OTHER WAYS TO DENOTE OWNERSHIP.

LESSONS JN ENCL/SJ! GRAMMAR.

58

59

claws are long, sharp, and curved (cat).
A hole in the flour-bag may be ev idence of - - - mischief
(mouse).
3. Drawing heavy logs is - - - work (ox) .
4. Grind ing the food we eat is our - - - work (tooth) .
5. - - - feathers make soft pillows (goose).
6. The tailor makes and sells - - - clothing (man).
7. The milliner makes and sells - - - bonnets (woman).
8. Many garments are made of - - - wool (sheep).
9. - - - antlers are shed once a year (deer) .
10. Mr. McKinney sells - - - shoes (ch ild).
I. - - -

LESSON XXXII.

2.

POSSESSIVES MADE OF PLURALS NOT ENDING IN S.
R EAD

th ese t wo se nte nces, and no tice th e possess ives in th em :

r. The child' s toys were badly broken.
z. The chi ldren' s to ys were bad ly brok en.

\rVhat is the differe nce in m ea nin g· betwee n c!tild's to ys and

clzi!drm's t oys ?
'vVhat is th e plural o f c!tild?
H ow is thi s plural m ade to den ote ownership?
'vVhat is th e reg ula r ,,·ay to mak e plural nouns denote ownership?
How d oes thi s way diffe r from th e regular way?
'vVhat is the plura l o f th e noun bu.Y ? th e possess iv e plural?
'vVhat is the plura l o f th e nou n man ? th e p ossess ive plural?

vVritc t!te f'l11m/.
o:-:,

tooth,
mou se,
deer,

f1:ir111s

ofgoose,
mouse,
lou se,
shee p,

man,
wom::in,
foot ,
child.

H ave yo u noti ce d t hat none o f these plural s e nds w ith th e
lette r s?
Plural nouns tha t do not end in 8, are made possessives by
adding the apostrophe and.~ .: that is, they are made possessives
in the same way as singula r nouns.

Insert in cac!t blmzl: of tlti' fol!uwillg smtcnccs, t!te possessive
plural. of t!tc 1201111 t!tat sla1tds at t!tc cud of melt sc11tc11ce:

LESSON XXXI II .
OTHER WAYS TO DENOTE OWNERSHIP.
0

r. We may say Jolzn's sled, or The sled belonging to J olzn.
2 . We may say A jly's legs, or T he legs of a fly.
3. vVe may say A lzorse' s tedlt, or The teeth of a horse.

Fl!/. t/1e blan/i:s in tile following expressions :
r. The bonnet belonging to Jane, or - - - - .
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

The poems written b y Lowell , or - - - - .
The wages earned in a day, or - - - - - -.
The soldi er's sword, or - - - - - - - - - A spider' s web, or - - - - - - - - - - .
The den of a fox, or - - - - - - .
The horns of a cow, or - - - - - - .
A deer's antlers, or - - - - - - - - - - .
The clock' s tick, or - - - - - - __ - -.
The claws of a cat, or - - - - - -.
The fins of a fish, or - - - - - -.

.

I

60

ANOTHE R USE OF THE APOSTROPHL.

LESSONS IN FNC l!S H GRAMMA R.

Use contractions in caclt of the following sentences instrnd of the
words in z'talics :
I. Wlzat is the use o.f crying over spilt milk?

12. H enry' s bo:it, or - - - - - - · - - - .
13 . The t:iil of a rat, or - - - - - - .
14. The cro w's plumage, or - - - - - - - - - .
15 . The fire-fly's li g ht, or - - - - - - - - - -.

2. I ltave not time to read as much as I should.
3 . .1 !tave been coasting to· day.
4. W e are trying to learn about the uses of the apostrophe.
5. Would you not 1ike to learn to skate ?
6 . .ft was nearly dark when we reached the bridge.
7. Wlz o is playing the piano so well?
8 . .I lzave half a notion to buy it myself.
9. You have torn your new hat.
1 0 . Are you not go ing to school to -day ?

L ESSON XXXIV.
ANOTHER USE OF THE APOSTROPHE.

We
We
\Ve
We

may
may
may
may

write
write
write
write

can' t inste:id of

ca 11 not.
don't inste:icl of r!o 110/.
'tis in ste;:id of it is.
slt e' ll inste;:icl of site will.

Y o u see, th e refore , th at t wo wo rd s co mmonl y used t ogether
may b e s h o rte ne d in to o ne , a nd th e apos troph e is the n used to
s how th at we h ave o mitted one or m ore lette rs.

LESSON XXXV.
I nsert apostropltes in tlze follow ing expressz'ons where they belong :
1.

Such shortened expressions are called contractions.
word contraction mea ns shortened.

The

Examine tlze f ollowillg co!ltractions, a11d see w lzet!ter you call
determine wltat letter or lcttas ltm.1e /;ccn omitted:

I
I

.I'm for I am.
.I' II for .1 will.
.I' ve for .I It ave.
.I'd for .1 wo11lr!.
Tit ere' s for tltcre is.

'Twas fo r it was .
.ft' s for it is .
Wlto ' d for who would.
W e' re for we are.
lsn' t for is not.

11

MoDEL.- lifle'!l is a s h o rte ned form of
wouldn't,
you' ll ,
he's,

cloesn' t,
he'd ,
'ti s,

'iVC

3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.

11.

13.

s!ta!l.

they' 11,
'twi ll ,
haven 't,

2.

12.

Expa7id eaclt of t!tc fo!loceing contractions:

1 4.

she's,
aren't,
that's.

61

15 .
16.
q .

The crows nest is in a high tree .
The old crow pulls up the farmers corn .
Why are crows nests built so high?
Mr. Clark sells ladies furs.
Mr. Hess sells childrens shoes.
The oxens yo ke was broken.
That gentlemans umbrella was turned by the wind.
The fo xs den ·was under the rock .
The pupils slates are ready for work.
The ladys watch was stolen .
The sparrows nest was robbed.
He is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Glue may be made from calves feet.
Cows horns are dangerous weapons.
The caterp illars nest is made of si lk.
Dont kill the birds .
Whereer you go, whateer you do, be true and be a man.

(

LLSSO. \".\ 1.1· !:'1\iCL JS H CRAill1llAR.

ADJECnVES OENOTJNC QUAL JTY

LESSON XXXV L

Fill t!te blallks in tltc following cxprcssiolls w itlt adjccti·ves
ta/.:m fro7!l tlte following list denoting qualz"~YD o not use tlte
same adja ti71l' twice :

WORDS JOINED IN MEANING TO NOUNS .
App le.

wide,
skillful ,
boi led,
I.

Swrf'I ap ple.
2 . Sour ap ple.
3. Siila/i ap pl e.
4. Red appl e.
1.

5. Large app le.

j11icy apple.
7. D e!iciom apple.
8 . .Mellow ap ple.
6.

2.

3·
4.

9. Tlu's apple.
r o . One apple.

Noti ce h o 11· t he m eani ng o f th e noun apple is ch a nged by eac h
o f th ese t e n wo rd s used 11·ith it.
Szut!Ct, sour, and so me o f th e o th er wo rds chan ge th e m ea n111 g
so as to indi cate what kind o f apple is m ea nt.
T he word tltis c hanges th e m eanin g to sh ow whi ch app le is
m ea nt.
Th e wo rd 011c c ha nges th e m eaning to indi cate h ow many
appl es arc m ea nt.

5·
6.
7.

diligent,
hi gh,
little,

strong,
conveni ent,
empty,

large,
generous,

fat,
fast,
tall.

8. A - - - house.
9· A - - - barn.
I- 0. A - - - street.
- - hen.
I I. A I 2. A - - - fence .
13. A - - - man.
J4. A - - - b ucket.

A - - - blacksmith .
A - - - pupil.
A - - - horse.
A - -- doc tor.
A - - - tree.
A - - - lamb.
A - - egg.

-

LESSON XXXVII.
ADJECTIVES DENOTING QUALITY.

Meution a quality t!tat may belong to each of tlze f ollowing objects :
MODEL-

hi ll ,
brass,
soap,
watch,

Words u sed to ch a n ge the meaning of nouns are · called
adj ectives.

valley,
iron ,
water,
clock,

A

/u'glt hill.
book,
wood,
chair,
lamp,

cork ,
ru bber,
table,
stove.

JV!c11tio11 two qualities for cac!t of t/;.e followi11g objects :
Th e word modifJ' m ean s cluwgc t!tc meaning of We may say,
th erefore, th at a dj ectives m odify nouns .
Adjec ti ves often de note qua li ty . In t he expression, a tall man,
tall de notes a qu a li ty o f th e ni a n.
A gm1d so n ; a wise fat he r ; a patient m oth er. In th ese express io ns good is a q uality of so1t; wise is a quality o f father ;
and paticllt is a quality o f 1110//tcr.

A may be change d to a n wh en itwill sou nd better.

MoDEL.-

A
A
3. A
4. A
5. A
J.

2.

------

------

coat.
apple.
beggar.
chair.
bottle.

A ra gged o ld coat.

6. . A - - - 7. A - - - 8. A - - - 9. A - - - .10 . A - - - -

fox.

rainbow.
cloud.
dog.
flag .

LESSONS JN ENCL/SH Gl<AMMA R .

65

KINDS OF ADJECTJVES.

vVrite t!te following sentences, omitting all t!te ac(jectives:

LESSON XXX VIII.

Four fat chi ckens were killed by a sly old fox.
The proud robin whistled a sweet song.
3. Rubber is the hardened juice of a large tree in Brazil.
4. The remarkable elasticity of rubber adapts it to many useful
purposes.
5. Waterproof cloth is made by applying thin coatings of li qu id
rubber to cloth.
6. Vulcanized rubber is a hard, black, shinin g substance, made by
heating common rubber with sulphur.
7. Combs, knife-handles, buttons, pen-holders, and other useful
things are made from vulcani zed rubber.
8. The g reat stou t ship was wrecked in a terrible storm.
9. Can you say "six, lon g, slim, sleek, slippery saplings? "
10. The old oaken bucket hangs in the well.
1.

2.

PRACTICE IN USING ADJECTIVES.

Supply an adjective wit!t eaclt of tlze follrnving nouns :
- - app le,
- - stone,
- - g irl,

- - book,
- - night,
- - boy,

- - story,
- - horse,
- - ring,

- -man ,
- - fox,
--dog.

- - knife,
- - hill,
- -field,

Supply a noun wit!t eac!t of Lite following ac(jectives :
dark-- ,
kind--,
lame - -,
swift - -,

ugly - - ,
polite -- ,
har d - - ,
sour--,

good--,
beautiful - -,
true--,
col d - -,

wet--,
blue - -,
weary--,
sly - -.

This exerc ise is intended to show how mu ch of the meaning
of many sentences 1s 111 th e adjectives.

LESSON XXXIX .

LESSON XL.

IMPORTANCE OF ADJECTIVES .

KINDS OF ADJECTIVES.

S ee !tow many ac(jcctives may be used apprupn'ately wit!t eaclt
of tlte folloiC1i11g 11011 ns :
M ODEL.

a littie box,
an empty box,
a useless box,

bear,
field,
dog,

a la1:i;-e box,
a ln·okeu box,
a long box,

knife,
ring,
fox,

a wooden box,
a useful box,
a 111atch box ,

night,
book ,
squ irrel,

hill,
stone,
owl,

a tin box,
a tig!tt box,
a red box.

gold,
silver,
iron.

Supply nouns wit!t eac!t of t!tc fo!!owi11g ac(jccti1;es:
good--,
bright--,
happy--,
obed ient - - ,
bad--,

wretched - - ,
defiant - -,
rough--,
stron g -- ,
narrow·- -,

pretty--,
weak - -,
broad--,
ugly - - ,
dark--.

Notice that these adjectives describe the nouns th ey modify.
They express qualiti es belonging to the thin gs named.
Such adjectives are called descriptive adjectives.
5

66

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

LESSON XL.I.

Supply a nouu willt caclt of t!te following adjectives:
one - - ,
t wo - - ,
three--,
any--,
several - - ,
that - - ,
the - - ,

eve ry - - ,
fi ve--,
eac h ---,
suc h - - ,
no - - ,
th ose---,
an--,

few - - ,
ma ny - - ,
this - - ,
some--,
both--,
these - - ,
a -- .

Noti ce that none of th ese adjecti ves d esc ribe the nouns they
m od ify. They only point out, or indicate the number of thin gs
nam ed, without express in g their qualities. Such adjectives
are called definitive adjectives.
Some of th e adjectives in th e followin g p oe ms are printed in
italics.

Se< -;ei/tetlter you can tel! 1,11/adt of tltcse are descriptive and
wludt are definitive adjectives:
" Li/tic children, bn:!{lt! a nd .fair ,
Bl est wit h e1;e1y needful care ;
Always bear t!tis th ing in mind :
God commands us to be kind.''

'-The butterAi es all once gave a ,r;rand ball
'Vhere the roses were sweet, a nd the lilies g rew tall.
F rom the north, and th e south , and the east, and the west,
Th ey gathered together, dressed all in their best.
Th e music th ey had was asfi11e as cou ld be,
For tlu birds made a choru s hi g h up in eaclz tree.
And along came th e locust, b ringing his drum,
And a great go!tlen bee, striking in wit h his hum ,
And every mosqui to that came brought a fife,
While with grasshoppers' fiddles the wltole air was rife . "

A Vampire Bat.

LESSON XLI.
In tfte f o!lowiug paragraphs, ddermine w!ticlz are descriptive
ac!jectives, and wludz are dejin£tiz1e at"(jectivcs.
Determine also wftat noun cadt adj ective modifies.*
THE CRUEL BOYS AND THE BATS.

Two bats had been hanging by their lzooked claws fast asleep, all t!te
dark and cold weather of winter. One warm spri11,~ evenin g they
began to move and open thei r eyes. T!1 e bats felt lumg1y after their
long fast, and went in search of some food; but they had scarcely
stretched their stiff leatlzern wings in flight, before two cruel boys
saw them. Tlte boys at once tri ed to catch them with a small net
placed on tlte end of a long pole.
If tlzese bats were as big and !tarniful as their cousi ns, t!te vampire

- - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - ·
*The teach er will do well to use other su itable ex tracts to g ive the pupils exe rcise
in determinin g the kin ds of adj ectives and what th ey modify. Adjectives used in
pred icates modify th e subjects. Big and har11lful are examples. They mod ify bats
the suqj ect of were.

68

COM PAR.JSON OF A DJE CT.JV ES.

LESSO N S 11\ · ENGLJSH GR AMMAR.

bats o f Madagascar, whi ch suck peopl e' s bl ood and do 71lU clt ot!ter
misc h ief, till' e ffo rts to k iII them wo u lei be mo re uasrmable. Tlzese
ba ts if le t a lo ne wo uld on ly Oy aro und !lie house and amo ng t!te trees,
on summa even ings, a nd do no ha rm e xcept to moths a nd fli es.

To make the s uperlative degree, we join est to the adjective;
as, tall + est = tallm;t. Sometimes .'>t is u sed instead of est ; as,
n'ice + st = nicest.

Write t!te compariso1t of eac!t of t!te f ollowing adj cctiws :
MODEL.

LESSON X LII.
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES .
r.

RI C H ARD is a !a l/ boy.
James is taller than R ichard .
3. Will iam is the tallest boy in school.
2.

In t hese se ntences, the wo rds tall , taller, and tallest a re differe nt fo rm s of the sa me wo rd. Th ey ex press three deg rees of the
q uality in d icated by th e wo rd tall.
Tall e xpresses th e fi rst deg ree.
Taller e x presses the seco nd or g reater degree.
Tallest e x presses the t h ird o r g reatest deg ree.

Positive .

Co mpa ra ti·:e .

Superla tive.

small,

small e r,

sma ll est.

small,
sweet,
swi ft,

Eac h of these de g rees of co mpari so n has a na me.
Th e first de g ree is na med the positive degree.
Th e seco nd de g ree is na med the comparative degree.
The third degree is named the superlative degree.
Notice that to make thfl comparative degree, we join the
letters e1· to the a dj ective ; as, tall + m· =taller. Sometimes r
instead of er is used ; a s, n 'ice + 1" = nice1·.

white,
poor,
thi ck.

large,
rich,
cold,

Use ac{fectives in the comparative form before cac!t of the
follow ing nouns. T!ten use in a sentence eac!t exprt ssion tltus
f onned :
Mo oEL.- D ay.
y este rday.
(cold )
(s weet )
(s wift)

Changing the form of an adjective to express different
degrees of quality is called compa rison.

ni ce,
clean,
stron g,

day,
taste,
horse,

Coldei' day.
(s trong)
(whi te)
(thi ck )

This 1s a colder day

boy,
cloth ,
board,

(large)

th a n

dog,

(s ma ll)

key ,

(ni ce)

cat.

Use ac{fectives in tlte superlative form before eac!t of tltc f ollowing nouns. Tlzen use in a sentence eaclz expression t!tus f or1!lcd :
Mo oEL. - Kn ife.
k nife in school.
(s har p)
(dirty)
(h ot)

knife,
hands,
iron,

Sharp est knife.
(c ross )
(lon g)
(h• rd )

hen,
lesso n,
prob lem,

Philip o wns th e sltarpest

(sh ort )
(wide)
(d ee p)

penc il ,
wind ow,
snow .

70

71

LESS ONS JN ENCL/SH GRAMMAR.

THIS r/ ND THAT.

LESSON X LIII .

L ess and least are used with an adjective when you wi sh to
make it m ean the opposite of what more and most makes it
m ean; as, crooked, less crooked, least crooked.

MORE ABOUT COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES .
a djectives are not co mpa red*
It so unds b etter to say a more awkward boy, than to say an

Use less and least in this way witlt t!te following adji·cti·ues:

A LL

beautiful,

wonderful,

frag rant,

natu ral.

aw/;:wardcr boy.
It sou nds bette r t o say t!tc most beautiful rose, than to say t!tc

beautifulest rose.

LESSON XLIV.

When it sounds b etter to use the words nw1"e and most before
an adjective to m a k e it e xpress quality in the greater degrees,
w e do not use e 1· or est.
Th e words m ore and 71/0St used with th e adjective, make it have
th e sam e m ea nin g as it g ets by co mpa ri so n.

Busier and lmsitst sou nd wel l.
Ccrtai11 cr and l'crl11iJ1 csl do not sound well.

A!fore certain and most certaill are the correct forms.
~Vlt idt

ef

'!'HIS AND 'l'HA'l'.

T!tis building is a store.
T!tat building is a d wellin g.
N otice th ese two adjecti ves, t!tis and t!tat.
·w hat is the numbe r of the no un building ?
If we chan ge it to the plural number, h ow does it change th e
adj ectives ?

tl1c following adjectives may be compared .9

narrow,
late,
fra gran t,

crooked ,
wise,
wonderfu 1,

bea utiful,
merry,
nat ural,

strong,
happy.

Use more and m ost w itlt tltosc 11ot admitting of comparison by
er and est.
'* T o TH E TEACII ER. - Th e a ut h or beli e ves it unwise to h ave chil d ren taught tha t
phcing th e w ord s 111 nu and 111 r>st be fore an adje ct ive is compari son of the adjective .
It has lo ng bee n c1lkcl a mud c o f compari son , b ut it reall y is only giving the adj ec ti ve a m odifie r . ln m ore :111d 111ust is found lh e con1pari son, not in th e a dj ecti ve .
Th ey are th e cornparat i,·c a ncl s1q1c rlati ve forms o f 11mch , a nd a re use d with adjecti ves to give thc 1n tli c same mean ing th e y wo uld h ave ii they we re compa red. Th ey
are modifiers, not in Oe ct ions. It makes it much easi er for childre n to learn it this
wny, bc cnuse it is the truth.

These buildings are stores .
T!tose buildings are dwellin gs.

Notice that these is the plural o f tlzis, a nd t!tose is th e plural
of tlzat.
When shall we use t!tis or tlzese t'
Whe n shall we use t!tat o r t!tose .'?

Tltis building (near me) is a store.
That building (farther away) is a dwelling .
T!tese buildings ( near) are stores .
T!zose buildings (more d istant) are dwellings .
'!'his and its plural these are used when speaking of the
nearer of two objects.

72

A AND AN

LFSSO.\'S !N ENGLISH CRAJlfllfAR.

That and its plural those are used when speaking of the more
distant of two obj ects.

73

LESSON XLVI.

Ft!! tltc fo!!owi11g bla11/.:s 1.citlt this or these, a11d that or those,
a11d state t!tc 111ca11i11g t/ws expressed :

A AND AN.

sled is rninc, and - - - sled is yours.
arc peachc,, and - - - are pears.
tree by us is a maple, but - - - one across the way is
.
3
an oak.
4. Where are - - - ca ndies I boug ht last ni ght.
5. H ere th ey a re, on - - - tab le.
6. - - - kni fe is mu ch sharper tha n - - - knife.
7. - - - apples on - -- tree are much better than - - - ap ples
on - - - tree .
8. - -- dai sies in - - - fie ld are beautifu l.
1.

---

2.

---

LESSO N XLV.
REVIEW QUESIONS .
I.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Wh y sh ou ld we revie w?
·w hat is a n adj ect ive?
Name a nd defi ne th e two kinds of adj ectives.
A re adj ecti ves im portant? Why?
vVrite th e sto ry of t he cruel boys and th e bats.
D esc ri be th e va mpire b at s.
vVh at is mea nt by co mpari s on o f adjecti ves?
How a rc the different fo rm s made ?
A re a ll adj ecti ves co mpared?
H ow a re adjecti ves, n ot compare d, made t o express diffe re nt

deg rees ?

A
A
A
A

book.
slate.
watch.
pear.

An
An
An
An

apple.
eraser.
inkstand.
orange.

A fi ne horse.
A big ship .
A log cabin .
A lazy boy.

An
An
An
An

un happy boy.
unsafe ship.
ang ry man.
easy lesson .

Notice whe n we use the adj ective a and wh e n an.
A and an ha ve the sa me m ea ning .

Fil! tlze fo!!owing blanks w it!t a or a n :
strong lion caught - - - mouse .
inclination to eat the monse was fo llowed by
determination to release it.
3. - - - day later - - - enemy's snare ca ug ht the lion.
1. - - -

2.

---

!.F S SO N S I N

74

OTH ER MODIFIERS..

FNC!.!Sfl CNAA/A/AR.

4. The mouse g nawed - - - few strands of the rope , a nd thus set
free - - - old fri end .
5. Do you know how men set - - - snare fo r - - - lio n?
6. W ith what do they bait - - - sna re?
7. 1s - - - lion stronger than - - - ox?
8. \V onld it req uire - - - stro ng net to hold - - - li o n ?
6. W o uld it requi re - -- exceed in g ly stron g net to hold - - a ngry lio n ?
10 . _ _ _ lion , - - - leop:ud, - - - elephan t, - - - ostri ch ,
and - - - zebra were on exhi bitio n .

A phrase is made up of a group of words related to each
other in meaning, and expressing only a part of a thought.

When a g roup of wo rds expresses a complete th oug ht, what
do we call it? (See L esson I.)
Determine w ftat t!te pltrases in tltc following sentmces modify:
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
L ESSON X LVII.
iVritc a story abo11I Ilic Lion a11d lit e 111011se.

6.
7.

The tic k ef a w atc/1 was heard in the room.
The cackling o.f geese saved R ome.
The little mouse in t!te trap was bad ly fri g hte ned .
Car wheels made ef p aper are now used .
T he crow in the cornfield was fri g htened a way.
H e broke the handle o.f lzis !toe.
H e lost control o.f lzis bicycle.

Jn tlt c following sentences, cltange the adjectives to pltrases:

MODEL-H o uses built
1.

L ESSO N X LVIII.
OTHER MODIFIERS.

You have lea rned t hat adj ectives a re use d with nouris to
m od ify their meanin g (see L esso n X X X V I).
. be used
P erh aps y o u hav e noti cecl t hat a g roup Of vv"ords mav
in th e sam e way.
1.

2.

In th e

The hri11t!ll' cow is eat in g g rass.
The cow in lite meadow is eaLing grass.

first

se ntence, tl1 e adJ.cct1.ve brindle m odifies the

no un cow.

In th e second se ntence, th e gro up of wo rd s in t!tc m cad01.v
also m od ifi es th e nou n r ow.
A gro up of wo rds lik e thi s, is call ed a phrase.

75

2.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

of glass a re ha bitati ons without saf ety.

Glass houses are unsa.fe hab ita tions.
J o hn 's watch has a gold chain.
F lorida o ranges are d eli cious fruit.
Ja nuary weather is co ld.
We ma ke wlzeat bread .
VVe wear leather shoes.
L ittle boats should keep near shore .

Jn t!te following sentences change tlte pftrases into ar(jectives :

M oDEL.-Evzl co mmunicati ons co rrupt good mann ers.
1 . Vessels ef large size may ve ntu re more, but boats of very small
size should keep near shore.
2. H a nds in great num/ler make work easily do11 e.
3. Communications, witlz evil associates, co rru pt manners o.f tlie
rig/it kind.
4. Men o/ .few words are the men ef t/ze best kind.
5. Leaks o.f small size si nk ships ef g reat size.

RELATION WORDS.

L ESSO N S JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

LESSON XLIX.

77

important to be able to point out this principal word and
indicate its relation to the other word.
M ODEL-The top of tlte bean-stalk seemed very hi g h.

RELATION WORDS.

THE relati on ex istin g bet wee n a phrase and the word to which
it b elon gs is often shown by one of the little words in, to, at,
upon, by, over, with, etc.
These words used thus are called prepositions.

A preposition is a relation word.

Supply pnpositio11s in tlte following paragraplz, wlzere tlzere are
blanks:

Of tlze bean-stalk is a phrase.
Th is phrase modifies the noun top.
The principal t e rm of this phrase is th e word bean-stalk.
The preposition of expresses the relation of the noun beanstalk to the noun top, which the phrase modifies.

Point out tlze plzrases in tlze following· sentences. Name tlte
princip_a~ term . in eaclz plzrase, a11d indicate the office of the
preposztioll as m tlze model:
I.

H enry' s mother se nt him - - - the store to bu y som e sugar. She
told him to return as soon as possible because she needed the sugar to
use - - - so me fruit she was preserving. - - - his way home, he
met another boy - - - the road, and they went off - - - the woods
to gather nuts. H enr y forgot all - - - his mother's request, and
when they left the woods, he forgot all - - - the sugar too, and left
it lying - - - a log. When nearly home he happened to think
- - - it , and hurri ed back to find it. But it was nearly dark when
he reached the wood the second time, and he could not find it. He
did not ge t home until lon g - - - dark. His father was very much
displeased - - - him , and to mak e him more thoughtful - - - the
future, sent him - - - bed - - - any supper.
You notice that prepositio ns have very little m eanin g. They
are merely relation wo rds. For this reason th ey are more easily
suppli ed wh en o mitted from a sente nce, than nouns or adjecti ves are.
In a phrase, there is a lways one word, call ed the principal
word, related in m ea nin g to the word the phrase modifies. It is

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9·
ro .

The bird in the hand is the most desirable.
The writing on the wall made the king tremble.
The rod of Moses smote the rock .
The waters in the rock gushed forth.
Bucephalus was the name of Alexander's horse.
A cat in mittens catches no mice.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Kindness to old people is always rewarded.
The selfish dog in the manger kept away the hungry cow.
Nobody but me went.

Use tlte following prepositions in sltort sentences :
1n,
into,
of,
for ,
with,

above,
under,
from,
upon,
over,

around,
beyond,
between ,
behind,
before.

A SELECTION TO BE STUDIED.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH CRAll1JlfAR.

79

While the old Dutch clock in the chimney place
Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a fami ly row!

,. 1

(Now mind, I'm simply telling you
What the old Dutch clock declares is true.)
The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, "Oh, clear 1 what shall we do!"
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallo wed this way, and tumbled that,
And utili zed every tooth and claw
In the awfullest way you ever saw;
And, o h! how the gingham and cali co Aew 1
(Don't think that I exaggerate;
I got this from the Chinese plate. )
Next morning where the two had sat,
They found no trace of the clog or cat ;
And some folks think unto this clay
That burglars stole that pair away;
But the truth about that cat and pup
Is, that they ate each other up.
Now, what do you really think of that?

LESSON L.
A SELECTION TO BE STUDIED
THE DUEL.

Th e g ingham dog and t he cali co cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'Twas half past twelve, and what do you think!
Neither of them had slept a wink.
And th e old Dutch cloc k and Chinese plate
Seemed to know , as sure as fate,
Th ere was go in g to !Je an aw ful spa t.
(f wasn't the re, - ! simply sta te

Wh at w:is to ld to me by the Chin ese plate.)
And the gin gham clog went" bow-wow-wow
And the c:ilico cat repli ed" me -ow!"
A ncl the afr was streaked for an hour or so
With frag ments of gi ng ha m and cali co,

1"

(The old Dutch clock, it told me so,
And that is how I came to know. )
EUGENE
I.

F I ELD .

Read the poem carefully.*

*To TH E TEACHER.- Thi s sho ul d be d ivided into several lessons to suit the
ability of the pupil s, and the tim e at th eir di sposal. A week spent in th e stud y of
such a selecti on is well spent.
Eugene Field was a journalist. H e was born in St. Louis in I 850, and died in
Chi cago in 1895. He wrote many interestin g and humorous ske tches in both prose
and verse . His poe ms for children are his best produ cti ons in verse . He has bee n
call ed "poe t-laureate of the little folk."

LESSONS I N ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

A SELECTION TO BE STUDIED.

79

While the old Dutch clock in the chimney place
Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a family row!
(Now mind, I'm simply telling you
What the old Dutch clock declares is true. )

11

11
. I

The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, "Oh, dear! what shall we do !"
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way, and tumbled that,
And utilized every tooth and claw
In the awfullest way you ever saw ;
And, oh ! how the gingham and calico flew !
(Don't think that I exaggerate ;
I got this from the Chinese plate.)

LESSON L.
A SELECTION TO BE STUDIED.
THE DUEL.

The g i ng harn dog and the cali co cat
Side by side o'n the table sat ;
' Twas half past twelve , and what do you think!
Neither of them had slept a wink.
And the old Dutch clock and Chinese plate
Seemed to know, as su re as fate,
Th ere was goin g to be an aw ful spat.

er

wasn't there, - 1 sim ply state
Wh at was told to me b y the Chinese plate.)
And the gin gham dog went " bow-wow-wow!"
And the calico cat replied" me -ow!"
And the air was streaked fo r an hour or so
With frag ments of gingham and calico,

Next morning where the two had sat,
They found no trace of the dog or ca t ;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole that pair away ;
But the truth about that cat and pup
Is, that they ate each other up.
Now, what do you really think of that?
(The old Dutch clock, it told me so,
And that is how I came to know.)
EUGENE FllcLD.

r. Rrnd the p oem carefully.*

* To THE TEACHER.-This shoul d be di vided into several lessons to suit the
ability of tbe pupils, an d the time at th ei r disposal. A week spe nt in the study of
such a selection is well spent.
Eugene Field was a journalist. H e was born in St. Louis in 1850, and di ed in
Chi cago in 1895. He wrote many interesting and humorous sketches in both prose
and verse. His poems for children a re his best producti 6ns in verse. H e has bee n
called "poet-laureate of the little folk."

·I
1.
\ ['

2.

81

ABOUT QUOTATION MARKS.

LESSONS IN ' ENG LISH GRAMMAR.

When we copy the exact words of an o ther we quote.

Answer t!tt"sc qt1cstious.

\.Y hat is a " d uel ?"
\Vhat is meant by a "gi ngham clog?" a
" cali co cat ;" a" Du tch clock ;" a "Chinese plate?" What made
the Chinese plate look ''very blue? '' \Vhat do we mean when we
say people !ooh blue, or f eel bltte? What is a "spat?" What is "a
fami ly row ?" Did thi s duel occur in the day or in the night? What
time ? \Vh o sa w it ? \Vhat do "wallowed," "utili zed," "exaggerate,'' and ' 'burglars '' mean? ·who wrote this poem? Who was
Eugene Field ?

3. l!f/rite t!te story of t!te poem in your own words, without
loolcing at t!tc book.
4. Commit t!te poem to 111emory.
5. R ecite it. S ec !tow well you can express the meaning.

The words quoted are called a quotation.
To sh ow that words are quoted, we use th ese marks(") at the
begin ning , and these (") at the end of the quotati on.
The words of the pe rson usi ng the quotation a re us ually
separated from the words of the quotation, by commas.
Quotations that would make sense if used a lone, always
begin with a capital l etter.

Copy the f ollowing sentences, observwg /ww t!te quotation marks,
capital letters, and commas are used:

L ESSON LI .
ABOUT QUOTATION MARKS.

r. "FATHER," said H arr y one day," A boy .hid in the woods, and
called me names."
2. "What did he call you?" asked the father.
3. "H e began by mockin g me," said Harry . "He said every
thin g r did , and finally call ed me a .saucy fellow."
4. ·' H arry," said his fath er, "you have been listening to an echo.
You must have used the tauntin g name first. "
Y o u wil l notice in th e forego in g sentences, th ere are three
pe rson s speakin g: Harry, hi s fath e r, a nd th e o ne who tells the
incide nt.
Harry' s words, and hi s fath er's wo rds, a re cop ied
who t ell s the story.

qy th e

one

I. "Oh! Dick," cried Tom, "do you know what my fa ther gave
me last week?''
2. "No," said Richard , " tell me what he gave you."
3. " He gave me a pair of beautiful young gray squirrels, said
Tom.

i;

6

··11 ·

Ii
I

LESSONS JN ENGLJSH GRAMMAR.

82

CONTRACTIONS AND QUOTATIONS.

4. "Where did he get them?'' asked Dick eagerly.
5. "He was chopping down a tree in the wood," said Tom,
"and two young squirrels were found inside the tree, which was
hollow.''
6. " How did he catch them?" asked Dick.
7. "When the tree fell," said Tom, "it split open and thre'~ the litt~e
things out upon the ground. They immediately ran back rnto their
nest of leaves, and my brother Dan threw his coat over them and thu~
secured them .''
8. "Where do you keep them?'' queried Dick.
. " I keep them,'' replied Tom, ''in a nice wire cage which has at
9
one end a big wheel for them to play in.''

i::

I·

I

:I :t·,1·

Copy the following sentences, inserting commas, capital letters, periods, question marks, and quotation marks where they
belong:
x. honey- bee said little mabel what are you doing on that rose
2•

the bee
. you have a very pretty plush coat and such lovely gauze wirigs
3
i should like to take you in my hand little bee said mabel
4 . i am glad you like my coat and my wings said the bee but if you
touch me i shall hurt you with my sting
. my sting has poison on it said the bee it i_s the only weapon i
5
have with which to punish people who interfere with me
6. what makes you so much afraid of being disturbed said mabel
7. i am very busy replied the bee it will take me all summer to
gather and store enough honey to keep me from starving in winter
8. one cold dav i r1 the fall a starving grasshopper met an ant who
was spreading gr~m 111 the sun to dry the grasshopper begged her to
give him a few grains to prevent his dying from hunger what were
you doing all summer asked the ant i sang replied the grasshopper
if you sang all summer you may dance all winter was the ant's
reply

LESSON LIL

i am sucking the sweet juice from this flower my little girl said
CONTRACTIONS AND QUOTATIONS.

Explain all the contractions and quotations in the following
poem. Then commit the poem to memory so as to be able to recz'te
it well.
A TEMPERANCE SONG.

I asked a sweet robin, one morning in May,
Who sang in the apple tree over the way,
What 'twas he was singing so sweetly about,
For I'd tried a long time and couldn't find out.
"Oh, I'm sure," he replied, "you cannot guess wrong;
Don't you know I am singing a temperance song?
"Teetotal? why, that's the first word of my lay ;
And then don't you see how I twitter away?

LESSONS JN ENCL/SH CRAMJV.!AR.

SUBSTITUTES FOR NOUNS.

'Tis because I' ve just d ipped my beak in the spring,
And brushed the fair face of the brook with my wing .
Cold water ! cold water 1 that's my sweet song,
And I love to keep singing it all day long.

My is the form of I to denote possession.
Me is its form when it is the object* of a verb, or 1s the
principal term after a preposition.

And now my dear miss, won ' t you give me a crumb
For my dear little nestlings, waiting at home?
And one thing besides,-since my story you've heard,
I hope you'll remember the lay of the bird;
And never forget, wh ile you list to my song,
All the birds to the cold-water army belong."

1.

I love pets.

2.

My p ets a re tame.

3. The pets love me, or The pets run to me.
I, my, and me, like nouns, have plural forms.
We is the plural of I.
Our is the plural of my.
Us is the plural of me.
We love pets.
Our pets are tame.
3. The pets love us, or The pets run to us.
1.

LESSON LIII.

2.

SUBSTITUTES FOR NOUNS.

Singular.

I and We.

HERE are two ways of sayin g the same thin g.
r. John lived with ftis grandmother, and lie was very kind to li er .
H e tried to relieve lzer of work and worry whenever lie cou ld.
2. John li ved with J olzn's grandmother, andJolltl was very kind to
Jolin' s grantlmotlzer. Jolin tried to relieve J olin' s grandmother of work
and worry whenever Jolzn could .

Which is the b etter way? Why?
How do we avoid repeatin g th e words John's, John, a nd Jolzn's
grandmother so many tim es.
The words used as substitutes for
pronouns.

85

nouns, are

called

When the person speakin g, wishes to avoid the use or repetiti on of his own nam e, he may use the pronoun I.

I,
My,
Me,

Plural.

we, =used as subjects.
our, = used as possessives.
us, = used as objects, or with prepositions.

These s ix forms of I may be used as substitutes for the name
of the person speaking.
I is called the personal pronoun of th e first person ;- a personal pronoun, because it is substituted for the name of a person ;-of the first person, because that person is the speaker of
the sentence.

Copy tlze following sentences, filling each blank with one
six forms of the pronoun I.

of the

*To THE TEACHER.-The teacher will need to explai n the terms object and
preposition as used here. This can be done by referring to the Lesson LXV. in
verbs and L esson XLIX. in prepositions.

I

I,

have a dog.
- - - also have a playmate.
Fred is - - - playmate' s name .
- - - often play together.
Fido is the name o f - -·- dog.
Fido loves - - - both.
- - - both love Fido.
Fred gave Fido to - - - on - - - birthday.
- - - birthdays are only a week apart.
Fido allows - - - to put harness on him.

1. - - 2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
IO.

State t!te office of eaclt pronoun supplied.

'·

MORE ABOUT PRONOUNS.

LESSONS .IN ENGL ISH GRAMMAR.

86

Mine is used instead of my when the name of the thing
possessed is omitted ; as, This dog is mine. Mine is larger
than yours.
Ours is used instead of our also, when the name of the thing
possessed is omitted.

LESSON LIV.
MORE ABOUT PRONOUNS.

Singular uses of Y mi.
you have grown,
illustrates
I scarcely knew you ,
Your appearance has changed, "
How has it been with you?

JOSEPH,

You as subject (singular).
You as object.
Your as possessive.
You with a preposition.

Plural uses of You.
Men, you are coward s,
I despise you,
Your country is dishonored,
I shall separate from you.

illus tra tes

You as subject (plural).
You as object.
Your as possessive.
You with a preposition.

The pronoun used as a substitute for the person spoken to, is
you. It has the same form in all uses, except that the possessive
form is your. Whether it represents one or more than one the
form is the same.*
This was not always true.
Once you was used to represent plural nouns only. Now it is
also used to represent singular nouns, but its predicate is still a
plural verb.

Use the plural verbs are, were, or have in each blank of the
following sentences. Cop)' the sentences :
.~ !

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

You - - - once an honored citizen.
You - - - now a villain.
John, where - - - you?
Where - - - you been ?
Why - - - you late to school yesterday?
Why - - - you so careless about your attendance?
- - - you been to school to-day?
- - - you kept after school by the teacher?
- - - you studied your lesson for to-morrow?

State the use of you or your z"n each sentence; that is, whether
it is the subject, object, possessive, or is used with a preposition.
Yours is used instead of your when the name of the thing
possessed is omitted ; as, This dog is yours, or Yours is larger
than mine.
You is called the personal pronoun of the second person.
By ." the second person " is meant the person spoken to.

* Thou is the old singular form of you. Its possessive form is thy. Its object
form is thee. It is still used in the singular instead of you, by members of the
Society of Friends.

MORE ABOUT PRONOUNS.

LESSONS IN ENGL I SH GRAMMAR.

88

Find and nanze t!te persona! pronouns in the foLLowing stanzas _:
Busy-bee, busy-bee,
Always on the wing,
Wait a bit, where yo u have lit,
And tell me why you sing.
Come just a minute, co me
From your rose so red !
" Hum , hum, hum, hum"
Was all the bee said.
Busy-bee , busy-bee,
Always li ght and gay ,
Seems to me, busy -bee,
Your work is only play.
But whi le I mused, I learned
The secret of her way :
Do my part wi th cheerful heart,
And turn my w_ork to play .

L ESSON LV.
MORE ABOUT PRONOUNS.
1.
2.

.
3
4.
.
5
6.
7.
8.

Joe had a watch and wished to sell it.
Frank said he would like to buy it.
Ethel declared she would not have it.
She wanted her brother to buy a gold watch.
Joe declared his watch to be a good time-keeper.
Frank said its case sui ted hirn.
So they disp uted.
Their teacher advised them to end the dispute.

All the pronouns printed in h eavy type in the foregoing sent ences, are used as s ubstitutes for the names of tlzi11gs spoken of.
State tiff office

of each pronoun printed in heavy type.

his
are different forms of he, and are used as substitutes
he
}
for names of mal es.
.
him
she
her

}

are diffe rent forms of she, and are used as substitutes
for names of femal es.
·

it
its

} are different forms of it, and are used as substitutes
for names of things without sex.

they}
their
are used as substitutes for the plurals of na mes of
them
thin gs spok en of.

Study tlze first eight sentences in this lesson, and point out t!te
subject forms of these pronouns.
Point out the possessive forms.
Point out the object f01:ms.
Whiclz !tave the same form f or subject and oqject .'!
These three prono uns, he, she, and it (with their different
forms), are called personal pronouns of the third person.
By" the third person" is meant the person or thing spoken of.
Theirs is used instead of -their when the name of the thin g
possessed is omitted ; as, This book is theirs, or Theirs is t o rn.

Copy the f ollowing sentenas, using p ersonal pronouns
third person for the nouns in italics :
Spring is co ming. Spring will soon be here.
See the trees. The trees are putting forth leaves.
3. These trees bear fruit. Tlze .fruit is luscious.
4. Call the dog. I suspect the dog is chasing the cat.
r.

2.

'

of the

Iii

RE VIEW OF PRONOUNS.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

91

Say many times,*

5. Where is Ann' s knife? I fear Ann's knife is lost.
6. Jennie found my knife. J ennie has good eyes.
7. Where is John? Is Jolin at home.
8. Will has some pears. Will is fond of pears.
. Will eats one of tlze p ears. Tlze fla vor of tlze p ear is delicious.
9
10 . Will and Will's father till a large farm.
r. Will and Will's father's farm is near the city.
1

It is I,
It is he,

It was I,
It was he,
It was she,
It was they,
It was we.

It is she,
It is we,

It is they.

LESSON LVII.
LESSON LVI.

REVIEW OF PRONOUNS.

AFTER L1' IS AND 11' WAS.

I.

2.

THE s ubj ect form of the personal pronoun should be used after

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

the expressions It is an d It was.
We should say
It is I
}
It is he
singular forms.
It is she
It is we

It

. th ey

IS

}

8.

9.
IO.

plural forms.

I I.

I 2.

Supply the subject form of the personal pronouns after It was
in the fo!lo<ving expressions:

3.

14.

15 .

r. Who called ? It was - - -.
2. Mary, who whispered?
It was - - - .
3. Did you or they make the noise ? It was - - - -.
4. Did you or Jane lose a penci l? It was.---.
. Pupils, were you in the wrong, or was 1t some one else?
5

I

16.

It was

WHAT is a pronoun?
Why do we need to use pronouns?
Name the pronoun of the first person.
How many forms has I?
What are its singular form s ?
What are its plural forms?
Make a sentence containing the sing ular s ubj ect form of I.
Make a sentence containing the singular obj ect form.
Make a sentence containing the singular possessive form.
Make a sentence containing the plural s ubj ect form .
Make a sentence containing the plural 9bject form".
Make a sentence containing the plural possessive form.
What does plural mean?
\ Vhy is I called a personal pronoun ?
Why is it of the first p erson ?
When are the form s mine and ours used?

*To THE T EACHER.-The repetiti on of these e xpress ions many times will educate the pupil's ear to the correct form . Mistakes in the use of personal pronouns are
more common in oral language, than in written.

THE LIFE OF THE SENTENCE.
LESSONS !N ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

92

LESSON LVIII.
ANOTHER REVIEW LESSON.

the pronoun of the second person.
2 . Why is it a personal pronoun?
3. How many forms has you?
4 . What is the subject form?
5. What is the possessive form?
6. Are there any plural forms?
·
t for a plural noun used
. What form
is use d as a su bst"t
1 u e
7
•
•
;>
as subject; as object; as possessive .
8. Was you always used in the singular?
_ What is true of the predicate of you ?
9
IO. W hat is the old singular form for you ?
I I. W hat is the possessive form of thou?
12. What is its object form?
13 . When is yours used?
. Make sentences to illustrate all the forms of you.
14
1. NAME

l
I

I
\
I

I
ll

LESSON LIX.
ANOTHER REVIEW LESSON.

the pronouns of the third person.
Which of them is used as a substitute for names of males?
~: Which is used as a substitute for names of female's?
. Which is used as a substitute for names of thmgs that
4
have no sex?
I. NAME

5.
forms
6.
7.
8.
9.
IO.

93

What is the plural pronoun corresponding to the singular
he, size, and it.'?
.
What is the possessive form of they.'?
What is the object f~rm?
When is theirs used ?
Make a sentence containing the singular subject form he.
Make a sentence containing the singular possessive form

of he.
Make
Make
and it.
I 3. Make
14. What
I 5. Make
I I.

I 2.

a sentence containing the singular object fortn of he.
a sentence containing all the singular forms of she
a sentence containing the different forms of they.
forms of pronouns are used after It is and It ~•as?
sentences containing the different_ uses.

LESSON LX.
THE LIFE OF THE SENTENCE.

THERE is one word in every sentence that is more important
than any other word in the sentence. Without this important
word the sentence would not express a thought; and if it did
not express a thought, you know, it would not be a sentence.
The name of ~his important word is the verb. It is the part of
the sentence that tells something. It is always in the predicate
of the sentence.
Sometimes the verb alone is the predicate ; as, Birds fly.
Sometimes the verb and its modifiers form the predicate ; as,
Birds live on seeds and insects.

I'

MORE ABOUT VERBS.

L ESSO NS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

94

The verb sometimes expresses action; as, Horses run.

Here

95

LESSON LXI.

run expresses action.
The verb so metimes states that so mething exists, o r has being;
as, There an fi sh in the sea. H ere are asserts being,-asserts

MORE ABOUT VERBS.

that the fish h ave existence.
The ve rb sometimes expresses the state of being or condition
of something; as, The boy sleeps. H ere sleeps asserts condition.
We say, the refore, that the verb expresses action, being, or

S OMETIMES several words taken together form a verb ; as,
Spring has come.
H ere has come form one verb. The two words taken together
assert the action.

condition of som e s ubj ect.

The flowers have been frozen.
Here the three words have been frozen form the verb.
three taken together assert the action.

S upply verbs for t!tc followiug s11f::jects:
Hens - - - .
The cow - - -.
Horses - . - -.
Colts - - - .
Flowers - - - .
Ships - --.

The wind---.
Wasps - - - .
Babies-- - .
Birds - - - .
Dogs - - -.
Bells - - - .

Poi~t out the verbs in the following sentences and state w lzich
contain one and w!ticlz more than one word:

John 's father owns an orange grove in Florida.
John had seen orchards of apple trees.
3· He had never seen an orange orchard.
1.

2.

(Tbe word never h ere stands between the parts of the verb.)

Copy tlze follow i11g smtmces, supplying verbs for the blanks m

4·
5·
6.
7·
8.
9·

eac!t:
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

The child ren - - - on the bank of a ri ver.
One child - - - into the water.
A large dog - - - the child from drowning.
Bees - - - honey from flowers .
Bees - - - honey in hi ves for winter food.
The old hen - - - her nest under the barn.
The old hen - - - out from h er hidi ng place with seven little ·

chicks.
8. Jane - - - an invitation to the party .
9. The rai n - - -, and the floods - - -, and the winds - - and - - - upon that house; and it - - - not, for it - - - founded
upon a rock .

These

10.
l 1.

12 .
l

3·

14:

15.
16.
11 ·

An orange orchard is called an orange grove.
Oranges hang to the trees by stems.
They are like apples in this respect.
Some oranges have rough rinds.
The rind is the skin of the orange.
The rind is filled with little oil-sacks.
Orange oil .is made from these oil-sacks.
Inside the rind the pulp is found .
We eat the pulp of oranges.
The pulp is arranged in folds .
These folds are called segments.
Each segment is covered with a thin skin.
This thin skin can be removed easily.- .
Then you will find great quantities of cells.

LESSONS JN J:.'NCLIS H GRAMMAR.

96

18 . A cell is a sack.
19· Each cell is filled with juice.
20.

2 I.
22.

24.

The orange has no core.
I ts seeds arc encased in large cell s.
The color of the orange is called orange.
Cut an orange seed.
Examine it closely.
Describe it to your teacher.

LESSON LXII.

MORE ABOUT 7HE PECULIAR FAMJL Y

•

97

Notice the followin g sentences, which illustrate its uses.
I
I
I
I
I

am
am
am
am
am

sick,
well,
happy,
reading,
a teacher,

I am
am
am
am
am

I
I
I
I

lame,
blind,
going home,
in trouble,
afraid.

These are a few-only a very few-of the uses of I am.
You see that while this little verb mn is so very particular
about its subj ect, it is not at all particular about the words that
come after it in the predicate.

Make ten sentences. using am in eaclz.
A PECULIAR FAMILY.
An1,, 'i :>, nre, 'was, wm·e.

HE RE a re five wo rd s that need to be studi ed carefully in order
that yo u may learn to use them co rrectly .
They are verbs. Perh aps it would be truer to say they are
different forms o f the same ve rb. Each form has its own use
and its ow n meani ng .
Am a l ways has the pronoun I for its s ubj ect. It is a very
particular little verb, a nd will have nothin g to do with any oth~r
word for its s ubj ect. Out of all the tho usands of nouns, there ts
not one th at is acceptable to this little verb; and of all the pronoun s, th ere is o nl y thi s one little p ro noun I that can be the
subj ect of am.
I

mn.

These are t wo very littl e word s.
Am is never use d without I.
We mi g ht be tempted to call am a selfish little verb, if it
were not so ve ry useful. We could not possibly get along
without it.

LESSON LXIII.
MORE ABOUT THE PECULIAR.. FAMILY.
A1n, is, a're, was, were.

THE next member of thi s peculiar family is the word is.
It is not so particular about its company. Any noun in the
sin g ular number may he the subj ect of i's, and al so the sin g ular
personal pronouns of the third person, lze, size, and z't; as,·
J olzn zs, man i's, he zs, size is, £t is, etc.
Two connected nouns in the singular must have a plural
verb; as, The rnan and the boy a'r e, etc.
While is accepts singular subjects, are, tl:ie plural of zs, takes
plural subjects; as, we are, tlzey . are, bo_ys are, etc . .
There is, however, one singular subject that is acceptable to
this verb are,-just one of all the thousands we have in our
lan g uage. This is the singular pronoun y ou.
W e say you are, never you is.
7

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Supply subjects for is and are in tlte followiug sentences:
and - - - are pupi ls in th is school.
2 . - - - are anxious to learn the co rrect use of lang uage.
(Supply a pronoun .)
3. Many - - - of this school are stud ying grammar.
4. - - - is postmaste r in our town.
(Use a prope r name with a title.)
5. - -- is a very accommodating postmaster.
(Supply a pronoun .)

1.

- --

A FAM/LY OF E I G H T

3· - - - was gathering bugs and worms for them
(Supply a pronoun. )
.
4 · T he - - - was t ryrn
· ~ t o catc h a hen for his
· supper.
5· - - - was too cunnrng for the fox, and roosted . be ond his
reach. (Supply a pronoun.)
y
6. The - - - and the - - - were watching each other.

Supply was or w ere as predicates zn
· earn'
sentences:
r.
2.

LESSON LXIV.
MORE ABOUT THE PECULIAR FAMILY.
A ·i n, ·is, a1·e, was, and wm·e.

Was is always used to t ell about the past.
It w ill accept for its subj ect a ny ·noun in the singular. number,
and a ny singular pronou n exce pt you.
It seems to h ave been offended when you was brou ght into the
ranks of sin g ular s ubj ects. W e may say,
I was, he was, Jolm was, ltorse was, anything was, but never

3.
4.
5·
6·
7·
8.
9·
ro.

Copy the f ollowing sentences, supplying subjects f or was and
w ere.
was the tallest king of the Israeli tes.
The - - - was feeding her young.

I. - - -

2.

ef

the. fiollowinf!'

The boy - - - flyin g his kite.
H~s t\~o sisters - -- watching him .
Hi s kite - .-· - made of pa per an d t h 111
' stn·ps of wood
The paper and the wood - - - faste ned togeth
'th .
.
Bi ts f
.
er w1 paste.
o paper - - - tied together to make the kite's tail
- - - you there to see the kite?
·
- - - the kite high in the air?
Yes, it - - - very high.
There - -- many boys out flying kites.
They - - - having fine sport.

LESSON LXV.

y ou was.
Were is th e plural of was. W ere also t ells of the past. It
t akes for its s ubject a ny plural n oun or pronoun. You see it is
quite liberal; it makes no exceptions.
We may say, we were, tltey were, things were, p eople were, etc.

99

A FAMILY OF EIGHT.
r.
2•

3·
4·
5·
6.
7·
8.
9·

JOHN studies his lesson .
John is studying his lesson.
John has studied his lesson.
John will study his lesson.
John does study his lesson.
John must study his lesson.
John may study his lesson.
John can study his lesson.
John shall study his lesson.

~

100

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Notice how the little words is, has, will, does, must, may,
can, and shall, help the verb study express its various
meanings.
W£ll study has a very different meaning from what it would
haYe if will we re not used.
The same is true of the other combinations.
These eight little verbs, whose chief office is to help other
verbs, are called a uxiliary verbs.
The word auxiliary means helping.
A verb and its aux iliary verb are considered together, as one
verb. Will study, in the fourth sentence, is called a verb, just as
studies in the first sentence is.

Copy the following sentences, filling each blank with one of the
auxiliary* verbs:
William - -- broken his sled.
Mr. Wood - - - mend William's sled.
3. He - - - mend it once before, but he - - - broken it a
second time.
4. It - - - snowing to-day, and if his sled - - - mended, William
- - - coast to-morrow.
5. He - - - take care of his sled, for it - - - break more easily
next time.
6. He - - - not load it too heavily, or he - - - ruin it.
7. William and his brother - - - used this sled many winters.
8. The snow - - - fallen all day, and the ground - - - covered
six inches deep.
r.

2.

TRANSITIVE VERBS AND OBJECTS.

IOI

9· If it - - - not become too warm there - - - be fine sleighing
and coasting.
10. Boys and girls - - - take care to keep warm, or they - - freeze their fingers and toes.

Point out the verbs you have made by supplying auxiliary verbs.

LESSON LXVI.
TRANSITIVE VERBS AND OBJECTS.

John saws wood.
\Vhat is the subject of this sentence? . Why? (See Les. XI.)
What ·is the predicate of this sentence ? Why ? (See Les. XI.)
What is the verb of the predicate ?
What kind of word is wood .? Why?
Certain verbs like saws always have a noun to help them
express the predicate meaning. If we should say J~!m saws,
you can see that the predicate meaning would not all be expressed. It takes the noun wood to complete the predicate.
Notice that the subjectJohn names the om~ who performs the
action.
The verb saws asserts the action performed.
The noun wood names what receives the action.
A verb expressing action received by a noun is called a
transitive verb; as, Horses eat oats.
Here eat is a transitive verb.

* D o is another form of did; would is another form of will; could of can;
11lig ht of 1Jtay; should of shall; had of has.
Am, are, w en, and is are also different forms of the same verb. (See Practical
English Grammar, Lesson 84.)

The word which receives the action of a transitive verb 1s
called an object.
Oats is the object of the transitive verb eat.

WORDS J OlN.ED JN MEA N ING TO f7E k .BS.

LESSON S IN E NGLISH GRA M MAR.

102

I n tlze f ollowing sentences, tltere are eiglzt transitive v erbs, and
tw o not transiti<1e. Find the transitive verbs. S tate in wn"ting
w ftat word is tlu object of eaclz, alld why.
MODEL-Birds built nests.
Buzld is a transitive ve rb. The noun nests is its obj ect,
beca use it names what receives the acti on ex pressed by the verb.
1.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
1 0.

Hens lay eggs.
Cows eat g rass.
Ca ts catch m ice.
Ca in slew Abel.
Dogs run swi ftly.
T he man reads h is paper.
T he whale has a small throat.
T he little bi rd built her nest in a t ree.
T he fish swam away.
T he squi rrel can crack a nut.

In the tenth se ntence, the verb consists of t wo words.
are they ?

103

5. In how many is the verb more than two words ?
6. How many of the verbs a re transitive verbs ? *
7. How many possessive nouns or pronouns are found 111
these sentences ?
8. How many pronouns are found? H ow used ?
9. Point out the adj ectives used.
IO. Which a re descriptive adj ectives ?
What does each
modify?
I I. Which a re definitive adj ectives? What does each modify?
I 2 . Point out the phrases used? . What does each modify ?
I 3. Name the preposition of each phrase.
14. Name the p rincipal term of each phrase.

LESSON LXVIIT.
WORDS JOINED IN MEANING TO VERBS.

Which

LESSON L XV II.
SOME REVIEW QUESTIONS.

I.

JoHN awoke early .

He slept soundly.
3. He went away.
2.

Notice that early joined in meaning to the verb aw oke, changes
the meaning so as to make the verb tell wltcn h e awoke.
S oundly joined in meanin g to the verb slep t, changes the
meaning so as to mak e the verb tell how he slept.
Awa; joined in meaning to the verb w ent, changes the meanin g
so as to make the verb tell w here he went.
1

Answer tlte f ollowing questions about the tw enty-five sentences
Zit L esson L X I.
W hat is the subject of eac h sentence ?
2. Wh at is the predicate of each ?
3. In h ow many is t he verb one wo rd ?
4 . In how many is the verb two wo rd s ?
I.

Words used to change the meaning of verbs are called
adve1·bs.
* T o THE TEACHER.-In answeri ng th e questi ons confine the pupil's atte ntion onl y
to transitive verbs in the acti ve voice. Passi~e voice fo rms are too di ffic ult for
beginners. Se e Lessons 89, 90, 9 1, and 92 in the Practical English Grammar.

\;
I

I

ro4

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Adverbs sometimes modify adjectives; as, This 1s a very
good apple.
Here the word v ery modifies the adj ective good.
What does good modify?
Adverbs sometimes modify other adverbs; as, John talks
quite distinctly.
Here the word quite modifies the adverb distinctly.
What does distinctly modify?
What do we mean by modify? (See Lesson XXXVI.)

Point out the adverbs in tlze following sentences and tell wlzat
eaclz modifies:
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Did you ever see a peach?
The peach is a very pretty kind of fruit.
It is nearly round .
Its skin is covered with very fine hairs.
We sometimes call thi s hair fuzz .
How pretty the cheek of the peach is !
Where did the peach grow?
In the centre of the peach is a very rough, brown stone.
How rich the pulp of the peach is !
Sometimes the pulp clings to the stone.
The peach is then tailed a clingstone.
In a freestone peach, the pulp does not cling to the stone.

LESSON LXIX.
MORE ABOUT ADVERBS.

will return soon.
2. Robert will return sooner.
3. Fred will return soonest.
r.

] OH N

105

MORE ABOUT ADVERBS.

In these sentences the adverbs soon, sooner, and soonest express
the time of returning, in different degrees.
Changing the form of the adverb to express different
degrees is called comparison. .
The comparative and superlative degrees are formed from the
positive in the same way as with adjectives. (See Lesson XLII.)
Only a few adverbs can be compared.

Write the comparison of eaclz of tlie following adverbs:
far,
(much) .

often,
hard,

soon,
long,

The comparison of muclz is irregular.
Positive.

much, ·

Comparative.

Superlative.

more,

most.

Like adjectives, many adverbs that cannot be compared may
be made to express different degrees, by being modified by more
and most; as, I laugh merrily; Jane laughs more merrily;
Harriet laughs most merrily.

Copy tlze following sentences, filling eack blank witlz one of tlze
adverbs in the following lists :
correctly,
very,
never,

swiftly,
always,
exceedingly,
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

patiently,
back,

ohn will return - - -.
He came - - - yesterday.
He walks - - - .
It is - - - dark .
He will - - - go away.
The river flows - - .
]

soon,
rapidly.

106

LEA.RNING TO USE CONJUNCTIONS.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

7.
8.
9.
ro.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
ro.
. 1 r.

He wrote that sentence---.
He waited - - - for the train.
Owls have - - - large eyes.
Everybody should - - - be polite.

Make sentences in wlzich t!te following words shall be used as
adverbs:
here,
when,
fast,

often,
never,
far,

soon,
brightly,
much,

· really,
badly,
seldom.

These connecting words are called conjunctions.
I.
2.

3.

LESSON LXX.

4.

5.

THE longer way : John goes to school.
Mary goes to school.

6.
7.

The shorter way: John and Mary go to school.

8.
9.

Notice that by means of the little word and we are enabled to
connect the two subjects Jolm and Mary, and use the same
predicate for both.
John rides to school.
Mary walks to school.
The same little word and enables us to connect these two
statements into one sentence, and say,
John rides to school, and Mary walks.

Do you like birds or insects best?
John rides, but Jam es walks.
I will go skating if you do.
John did it, for I saw him.
Peaches or pears will suit me.
I will win, or die in the attempt.
He rejoiced, yet. he was silent.
He will resign, unless he is paid.

Make
Make
Make
Make
Make
Make
Make
Make
Make

a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a

sentence
sentence
sentence
sentence
sentence
sentence
sentence
sentence
sentence

in which and shall connect two nouns.
in which and s!tall connect two statements.
in which or shall connect two nouns.
in which or shall connect two statements.
in wlzic!t but shall be used as a connective.
using for as a connective.
using for as a preposition.
using if as a connective.
using yet as a connective.

LESSON LXXI.
LEARNING TO USE CONJUNCTIONS.

Combine the following groups of sentences into single sentences
by using C011jitnctions :
MODEL.

Point out the connecting words in the following sentences, a11d
state whet!ter t!tey connect words or statements:
An insect has a head, and a thorax, and an abdomen.
A grasshopper has six legs and four wings.
3. Bees and wasps are insects.
1.

James goes to school}
John goes to school
James, John, and Philip go to schooL
Philip goes to school

2.

Notice that when more than two words are connected by con-

--- - - - -

1t,,
I
I

108

LFSSONS I N

£/\'CLISH GRAMM AR.

I

LESSON LXXIl. .

109

junctio ns, a ll th e conju nct io ns may be omitted except the last.
This is t o imp rove th e sou nd, when it is read o r spoken.
1.

2.

Th e robin li11ilds its nest of coarse hay.
The robin builds its nest of mud.
Th e robin builds its nest of sti cks.
The
The
The
Th e

du ck 's feath ers are soft .
du ck' s feat hers are o il y.
hen 's fea thers are stiff.
hen ' s feathers are dry.

T o c o mbin e th e fo rego in g sentences use and twice a nd but once.
3. The
The
The
The

duck has a broad bill.
clu ck has a flat b ill.
hen has a short bill.
hen has a curved bi ll.

4. The du ck' s legs are placed far back on the body.
The hen' s legs are placed near the middl e of the body .
5. Each hand has a thumb.
Each h:rn cl has fo ur fingers.
6. Is the thumb the most usefu l ?
A re the fingers the most usefu l?
7. The stomach is a powerfu l organ.
The stomach is inj ured by some substances.
8. The
The
The
The

bones
bones
bon es
bones

of
of
of
of

old people are hard.
old people are brittle.
children are soft .
ch ildren bend easily.

9. Willie gathered som e walnuts.
Anna gathered som e waln uts.
Willi e ga thered some strawberries .
Anna gath ered some strawberries.

LESSON LXXII .
Copy the following p oem.
Be careful to begin every line with a capital letter.
B e careful to use t!te com1nas, question marks, quotation marks,
a11d ot!ter marks correctl11.
Be careful to notice tlte~tseof tlte apostroplze(see L esson XXXIV.).
Count the conjunctions in tlzis poem.
THE CHICKEN'S MISTAKE.

A little downy chick one day
Asked leave to go on the water,
Where she saw a duck with her brood at play,
Swimming and splashing about her.
Indeed, she began to peep and cry,
When her mother wou ldn't let her,
"If the clucks can swim there, why can ' t I?
Are they any bigger or better?"

.

-

I08
I'
I

LESSONS .IN EtVCL.!SH

GRAMMAR.

LESSON LXX]l. .

junctions, a ll th e conjunct ions may be o mitted except th e last.
This is to improve the sou nd, when it is read or spoken.
I.

The robin bui lds its nest of coarse hay.
The robin bu il ds its nest of mud.
The robin bu ilds its nest of sti cks.

2.

The
The
The
T he

duck's feathers are soft.
duck 's feathers are oily.
hen's feathers are stiff.
hen' s feathers are dry.

To c o mbine th e foreg o ing sentences use and twice and but once.
3. The
The
The
The

duck has a broad bi ll.
du ck has a flat bill.
hen has a short bill.
hen has a curved bill.

4. The duck' s legs are placed far back on the body.
The hen' s legs are placed near the midd le of the body .
5. Each hand has a thumb.
Each hand has four fingers.
6. Is the thumb the most usefu l ?
Are the fingers the most useful?
7. The stomach is a powerful organ.
The stomach is injured by some substances.
8. The
Th e
The
The

bones
bones
bones
bones

of
of
of
of

old peopl e are hard.
old people are brittle.
chil d ren are soft.
child ren bend eas ily.

9. Willie gathered some walnuts .
Anna gath ered some wa lnuts.
Willie gathered some strawberri es.
Anna gathered some strawberries.

LESSON LXXII.
Copy the following p oem.
Be careful to begin every line with a capital letter.
B e careful to use tlte commas, quest£on marks, quotation marks,
and otlter marks correcth1 •
Be careful to notice t!te~se of tlte apostrophe (see Lesson XXXIV.)_:
Count the conjunctions in this poem.
THE CHICKEN 'S MISTAKE .

A little downy chick one day
Asked leave to go on the water,
Where she saw a duck with her brood at play,
Swimming and splashing about her.
Indeed, she began to peep and cry,
When her mother wouldn't let her,
"If the ducks can swim there, why can't. I?
Are they any bigger or better?''

I IO

WORDS EXP.RESSJNG FEELING.

LESSONS J N E i\'GLJSH C RA Mil1A R.

Then the old hen answered, "Listen to me,
And hush your fooli sh talking;
Just look at your feet, and you will see
They were onl y made for walking."

LESSON LXXIII.
WORDS EXPRESSING FEELING.
1.

But chi ck y w istfu 11 y eyed the brook,
And didn't half beli eve her,
For she seemed to say, by a knowing look,
Such stori es couldn't decei ve her.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

And as her mother was scratching the ground
She muttered lower and lower,
" I know I can go there and not be drowned,
And so l think 1'11 show her. "

',l
I'
1 1

I
11

III

Then she made a plunge where the stream was deep,
And saw too late her blunder ;
For she had hardl y time to peep,
When her fooli sh head went under.
And now I hope her fate will show
The child my story reading ,
That those who are older sometimes know
What you will do well in heeding ;
That eac h content in hi s place should dwell,
And envy not hi s brother ;
For any part that is acted well
Is just as good as anoth er ;

OH ! my tooth aches.
Hark! I hear a dog barking.
Bow-wow ! I am little dog Dime.
Hurrah! The Fourth of July is here.
Hush! Don ' t wake the baby.
" Cluck ! Cluck !" said the old hen.

Study the words oh, hark, bow-wow , hurrah, hu~h, and cluck
used in the foregoing sentences.
They are not nouns, or adjectives, or verbs, or pronouns, or
any kind of word of which you have learned the name.
They are not used to express our thoughts, but they are used
to express our feelings, or to imitate sounds.
W e learned in Lesson VIII. about exclamatory sentences.
These are somewhat like exclamatory sentences, although
they are not sentences at all.
They have no subjects, no
predicates, and do not express thoughts .
They are emotion words. They express those fe elings that
have very little or no thought mixed with them.
These emotion words are called interjections.*
The word interjection means thrown between. Interjections
a re expressions of emotion, or · imitations of sounds, thrown in
between our sentences.

For we all have our proper spheres below,
And this is a truth worth knowing:
You will come t0 gri ef if you try to go
Where you never were made for going .
PHCEBE C ARY .

* The teach er should refer to Lesson 121 of th e a uthor's larger work for full
information in regard to interj ections. They are not, strictly speaking, parts of
speech.

J.

II2

LESSONS IN ENGL ISH GRAMMAR.

EIGHT KINDS OF WORDS

113

Point out the inter.fcctio11s in t!te following:

In Lesson XXXV I. y_ou learned about adjectives.

r. " Bow-wow!" said the dog .

In Lesson LX. you learned about verbs.

2. "Mew-mew!" said the cat.
3. "Cock-a-doodl e-do!" replied the rooster, who came up to join
the company.
4. '' Cut-cut-cut -ah !" cackled Biddie, who always will have her say.
5. Just then the sheep walked up unobserved, and looking through
the fence, startled them all by saying in loud tones, "ba-a '"
6. "You horrid creature !'' shrieked Biddie, as she jumped to one
side, and cast one of her fierce glances at the sheep : "If I had a
voice like yo urs, I ' d never use it.''
7. "Tut-tut!" said the rooster, who tried to soo the the ruffled
nature of his dame, " I think you misunderstand our woolly neighbor."
8 . "Hark !" said the cat, as she began to crouch and crawl noiselessly away. "I heard a mouse squeak. "
9. "Oh! You're always imagining you hear mice squeak , " said the
dog, who had the utmost disdain fo r any vermin smaller than a chi pmunk.
ro. Just then, "bang!" went a gu n out behind the barn, and the dog
sprang forward and over the fence with such a splutter as to knock Biddie
over and disarrange her feathers, while the sheep had to make a big bound
to prevent him from alighting on her back, as he came over the fence.
r r. "Goodness gracious!' ' cried Bidd ie to her partner, "hadn't we
better go somewhere by ourselves and scratch for worms ? We' ll get
killed if we keep in such company as thi s."

In Lesson LXVIII. you learned about adverbs.
In L esson XLIX. you learned abo ut prepositions.
In Lesson LXX. you learned about conjunctions.
In L esso n LXXIII. you learned about interjections.
Th ese e ig ht kinds of words are called parts of speech.
Eve ry word in a se ntence mu st b e one of these parts of speech.
No o ther kind of word is used. D o n 't you think it is interesting
t o know that all the thousands upon thousands of words we use,
can be put in these eight classes. If yo u learn all there is to
know about each one of these eight kinds of words, you know
a ll about every word in the En g lish lan g uage.
But we mu st not forget th at the re are very many things to
learn abo ut each one o f these .. Ju st take a look at the m any
thin gs we studied about nouns , b etween L esso ns XVI. and
XXX IV. ;-there were proper nouns, ini'tials, abbreviations, number, possession, etc., and about each of these the re were m a ny
thin gs to r em e mber.
Then, y ou know, many things were
o mitted,-left for you. to lea rn when you are older.
But you can feel s ure that after yo u have lea rn ed all about
these eight parts of speech, you will then kn ow all abo ut all the
wo rds of the la ng uage.

I n t!te following paragraph, name the parts
L ESSON L XX IV.
THE EIGHT KINDS OF WORDS.

Y ou have no w learn ed abo ut eight d iffe rent kinds of words,
used to m ake th e sentences we use in talking and writing.
In L esso n XVI. you learned about nouns.
In L esso n LIII. yo u lea rn ed abo ut pronouns.

of speech:*

A poor man found a ve ry large turnip in hi s garden.
"I will carry it to the king," he said. " I will present it to him .
*The teach er will bring out in the study of thi s se l e ~l i o n as many as possible of
the points th at ha ve been studied in th e prev ious lessons,- such as punctuation, q uotat ions, parag raphs, phrases, etc. Also have the pupil point out subj ects, predicates,
and modifiers wh ere th e relations are easil y see n, but do not distract the pupil by
callin g attention to difficult constructio ns that h e has not yet studi ed.
8

---_)

l

!

:I

l4

LESSONS JN ENCL/SH CRAJl1iVJAR.

He can then see what good crops we haye, and it wi ll make him
glad."
So he carri ed the turnip to the king 's castle. The king took it, and
admi red its great si ze and beauty. Then he said some kind words to
the poor man, and gave him three pieces of gold.
A ri ch farmer li ved near the poor man. He heard about the kindness the king sho wed to the poor man , and he said, ''I have a big
calf. I will take it, and give it to the king. If he gave three pieces
of gold for a turnip, he will give much more for a calf."
Then he tied a rope around the calf's neck and led it to the castle.
"Good kin g," said he, "I wish to make you a present of this calf.
I have fed it, and brought it up with great care. It is the finest calf
in the country."
The king knew the thoughts of the ri ch farmer. He said, "I do
not want any calf. J have no use for a calf. " The man begged very
hard to get the king to tak e the gift. H e said, "I will never be happy,
if I must take the calf back to my home.''
"Very well!" sai d the king, "I wi ll take it, and in return I will
give you a present. It cost me three times the val ue of your calf. "
Then he gave the farmer the big turnip.

LESSON LXXJX.

115

LESSON LXXVI.

See how many good questions you can write about pronouns.*
See Lessons LIII. to LVII.

LESSON LXXVII.

See how many good questions you can write about verbs.
See Lessons LX. to LXVIII.

LESSON LXXVIII.

See how . many good questions you can write about adjectives
and adverbs.
See Lessons LXVIII. a nd LXIX.

L ESSON LXXV.

Write fifteen good questiolls about nouns.

I'

Mak e th e questions ask about the things you learned in
L esso ns XVI. t o XXXIV.
If you can ~ ake more than fifteen good questions, do so.
'vVrite the questions so th ey can be easil y unde rstoo d, and let
them ask about o ne thin g only.
This is what is mea nt by a good question. You should also
be able to answer all the questions you write.

LESSON LXXIX.

See how n·zany good questions y ou can write about prepositions,
conjunctions, and interjections.
See Lessons XLIX . and LXX. and LXXIII.
·Xe The teacher sh ould spe nd enough time on thi s and each of the lessons on this
page to secure a thorough familiarity with the parts of speech here re viewed. Make
h'lsle slowly here.

l 16

.KINDS OF SENTENCES.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

LESSO N LXXX.
KINDS OF SENTENCES.
WHAT is a sentence? (See Lesso n I. )
What do we call a group of related sentences ? (See Lesson IV .)
3. In making paragraphs, what four things are important? (See
Lesson V. )
4. What is an interrogati ve sentence? Write one. (See Lesson VI.)
5. What is an exclamato ry sentence ? Write one. (See Lesson
VIII .)
6. What is an imperati ve sentence? Write one. (See Lesson VII.)
7. What is a declarative sentence ? Write one. (See Lesson I X.)
8. How sho uld each of these fou r kinds of sentences be punctuated?
i.

2.

LESSON LXXXI.
OTHER KINDS OF SENTENCES .

T o find o ut whethe r a sentence belon gs t o o ne o f these four
classes, we stu dy its 111eaning. If its meaning is a qu estion we
call it interrogative; if a command , we call it imperative; if it
d ecla res a fact , we ca ll it d eclarative; and if it ex presses an
e motion, we call it exclamatory.
The refore, according to meaning, we have four kind s of
sentences.
We shall no w stud y se nte nces according to their form .
John rid ~s .
H enry walks.
These two sentenc es may be united thu s:
J ohn rid es a nd H enry walk s;

117

Or thus:
John rides but Henry walks.
And and but are the connectin g words.
What are s uch words called? (See Lesson LXX.)
Two sentences united by a conjunction into one sentence, as
in this example, form a conipownd sentence.

A sentence having one subject and one predicate is called
a s·i mpte sentence.

Study the .following sentences and state which are simple and
w hich are compound.
The boy tried to ride the donkey.
The donkey threw him off his back .
3. The boy tried to ride the donkey, but the donkey threw him off
his back .
4. Th e girl was going to sink, but John caught her.
5. Moses smote the rock, and the waters gushed forth.
6. Moses was angry with the Israelites.
7. Send men to Joppa, and call fo r Simon Peter.
8. Simon Peter was one of Christ' s disciples.
9. A thorn may be small, but it pricks keenl y.
1.

2.

Notice th at wh en simple sentences have been united to form
compound sente nces , they are no longer sentences, but parts o.f
sentences. Th ey differ from oth er parts o.f sentences, s uch as
phrases, in containin g a s ubject a nd a predicate.

A part of a sentence containing a subject and a predicate is
called a clause.

A simple sentence is not a clause, because it is not a part of
a sentence.

Point out the clauses in the comj'ound sentences above.

j '

118

CLAUSES AS MODIFIERS.

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

LESSON LXXXII.

LESSON LXXXIII.

A COMPOUND sentence may consist of m ore than two clauses.
Here is o ne with three clau ses :

CLAUSES AS MODIFIERS.

Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have
g reatness thrust upon them.
N otice-

1.

That the clauses of compound sentences are separated by
commas.

Copy tlte .followz'ng sentences, using marks o.f punctuatz'on and
capitals where tlzey belong:
take plenty of exercise or you r body will become weak
the way was long the wind was cold and the minstrel was infirm
and old
3. united we stand bu t divided we· fall
4. men may come and men may go but I go on forever
5. study this 1.esson carefully and yo u will never have any difficulty
with com pound sentences
6. a simple sentence has one subject and one predicate but a compound sentence has more than one
7. a clause has one subject and one predicate but a clause is not a
simple sentence
8. the farm er gave the king a fine calf but he could not deceive
the king
9. t.he· little chi ck tri ed to swim but it was drowned for disobedie nce

2.

The industrious boy will succeed.
The boy who is industrious will succeed.

These two sentences have the sam e m eanin g . In the first,
what kind of word is indu strious? What does it modify?
In the second sente nce the clause who z's £udustrio11s is used in
the same way. It m odi fi es the no un boy.
A clause used to modify a noun is called an adjective clause.

The boy wi ll succeed if he is industrious.

1.

2.

19

Y o u have learned that adjectives modify no uns, that adverbs
modify verbs, and that phrases modify other words.
In this lesson yo u will learn that clauses sometimes m odify
words.

1.

2. That when a compound sentence has more than two
clauses, the conjunction is generally omitted between all but
the last two.

I

H o w ma ny cl a uses h as this sentence?
R ead the first clause.
R ead the second clause.
What does the second cla use modify?
A clause used to modify a verb is called an advm·b clause.

Fz'nd the adjective and adverb clauses in ·tlze .followz'ng smtences, and tell w!tat eaclz modijies:
The boy who is industrious will succeed.
The boy will succeed if he is industrious.
3. The boy who tri ed to ride the donkey, was thrown off his back.
4. The seed whi ch we planted, has become a large tree.
5. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid .
1.

2.

LESSONS JN ENCLJSH GRAMMAR.

120

6. Beggars might ride, if wishes were horses.
7. John was tired, because he had worked all day.
8. You should carry an urnbrella when it rains.
9. If you tr y hard , you will succeed.
H ere the adverb clause stands first.
10 .

The grass is growing rapidly since it rained.

r 1. Never eat till you are hungry.
12. The sap, which flows from the maple trees, is boiled till it
becomes sugar.

In this sentence there is one adjective clause and one adverb clause.

LESSON LX XX IV.

PRACTICE JN NAMING CLAUSES.

121

Find the ac{jective clauses, the adverb clauses, and the noun
clauses in the .following sentences :
r. Captain Lawrence said, "Don't give up the ship."

Captain Lawrence, who was commander of the Chesapeake, said,
"Don't give up the ship.''
3. When Captain Lawrence was wounded, he called to his comrades,
"Don't give up the ship."
4. While they were carrying Captain Lawrence below, he exclaimed,
"Don't give up the ship."
5. In Trinity church-yard, in New York City, is the tomb of Captain Lawrence, who was a brave commander.
6. When the cat is away, the mice will play.
7. Persons who will not accept advice, cannot be helped.
8. That which cannot be cured, must be endured.
2.

THE NOUN CLAUSE.
r. J OHN said that he fe lt sick.
2.

That the earth is round has been proved.

In the first sentence, the clause, that he felt sick is the object of
the verb said.
The obj ect of a verb is us ually a no un . This clause takes the
place of the noun.

A clause used as a noun is called a noun clcu.ise.
In the second sentence, the clau se, that the eart!t is round, is
the s ubj ect of a verb. For that r easo n, it is also a no un clause.

Find tlze noun clauses in the .following sentences:
r. We believe that the earth is round.

John sai d that the donkey threw him off.
3. That J ohn was scared is certain.
4. Harry thinks that he is right.
5. That Harry is mi staken is believed by his friends.
2.

LESSON LXXXV.
PRACTICE IN NAMING CLAUSES.

In tlze .following paragraph, wlzich sentences are compound.'?
Point out the noun clauses, the ac{jective clauses, and the adverb
clauses:
Once there was a cobbler who sang from morning to night. He was
very poor, but he was always happy. He lived near a banker who was
very rich. The banker did not sing, because he was never happy.
The cobbler's singing woke the banker every morning, and the banker
wanted to have it stopped. He offered the cobbler a large sum of
money if he would be quiet. The cobbler took the money home, but
it did not make him happy. He could not sleep, because he feared
that somebody would steal it. He grew sad, because he could not
sing. At last he took the money from its hiding place, and he ran
with it to the banker's house. "Take back your gold," he cried.

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

122

INDEPENDENT. CLAUSES.

A compound sentence has two independent clauses. It may
have more than two.
Now, we must have a name for sentences that have one
independent and one dependent clause. Such sentences are
called complex sentences.

LESSON LXXXVI.
INDEPENDENT CLAUSES.

THE clauses of a compound sentence are so sli g htly related
th at th ey seem almost like separate sentences.
1.
2.

H ere are three complex sentences :
Mary lost the bracelet which her uncle gave her.
Mary wept when she lost her bracelet.
3. /-fer uncle said that he would buy her another bracelet.
i.

2.

H e was very poo r, but he was always h'.lppy.
H e was very poor. H e was always happy.

Th e first is a co mpo und sentence h av ing two clauses.
second con sists of t wo simple sentences.

123

The

Clauses that are only slightly related to each other are called
indep end ent clauses.
The clauses of a co mpound sentence a re always independent
clauses.
Adj ective clau ses, adve rb clauses, and noun clauses are always
closely related to the words with which they are used.
The mi ce will play, wizen the cat is away.
N otice how cl osely t he adverb clause w!ten t!te cat is away, is
related to the verb will play, which it modifies.
Clauses closely rela.t ed to the words with which they are
used, are called d ep enclcnt clau,ses.
A si mple se ntence h as no clau se, becau se, as you will remember, a clau se is a part of a sentence, havin g a s ubj ect and a
predicate; while a simple sentence is not a part of anythin g.

Point out tlte dependent clause in eacli.
Name each of the dependent clauses.
Notice that a complex sentence h as one independent cla use,
and one dependent clause. It may have more than one dependent
clause, but never more than one independent clause.
Dependent clauses are always adjective clauses, adverb
clauses, or noun clauses. ·

Name t!te clauses in each of the following sentences, and then
state w!tether the sentences are simple, complex, or compound.
Diogenes was the name of a man who li ved in Corinth. He loved
to live a simple life. H e wore old, torn clothes, and he went barefoot. A tub was his dwell ing place. One day he threw away his
drinking cup, because he saw a boy drink from the hollow of his
hand. King Alexander visited Diogenes, and he tried hard to get
acquainted with him . Diogenes lay in the sunshine, when the king
He scarcely noticed the king, but the king was
made his visit.
greatly interested in him. When the king was ready to depart, he
offered to grant any favor whi ch the wise man might desire. · "Get
out of my sunshine, then,'' said· Diogenes.

I

LESSONS JN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

124

HOW TO WRITE DESCRIPTIOll'S.

125

LESSON LXXXVII.
SENTENCES CLASSIFIED.*

S entences

~: I~~:~~:~~~:e.
t.

{

3.

mpera 1ve.
4. Exclamatory.

.
l

Simple.
Complex.
3. Compound.

} .

according to meaning.

I.

S entences

Clauses.

2.

\ In dependent.
( D ependent.

} according to form.
Adjective clause.
2. Adverb clause.
3. Noun clause.
I.

{

Nam e t!te cla11ses in caclz of tlze follow ing sentences:
A deer, who happened to be drinking in a clear lake, was impressed
with the beauty of his horns, which he saw reflected in the water.
(Three clauses. )
At the same time he observed that his legs were very
slender. (Two cleu ses.)
"I would be a fine creature if I did not have such a despicable set
of spindle-shanks. ' ' (Two cbus<s. ) Thus spoke the deer.
While he was talkin g to himself, he heard the noise of a pack of
hounds, and away he bounded through the forest. (Three clauses .) While
he was passing through a thicket, his horns became tangled in the
bushes. (Two cla uses. ) He was held fast and the hounds tore him to
pieces. (Two claus es.) The legs which he despised would have borne him
away safely, if the horns which he was so proud of had not brought
him to ruin. ( Fou r clauses .) The deer was like many persons, who do
not appreciate the ir advantages. (Two c la uses.)

* The teacher should conlinue th e subj ect of ana lysis of sente nces by dauses
unti l every pupil. is famili ar with eve ry kind of sentence and every kind of clause.
Care should be tak en, howeve r, to de vise exercises contain ing se ntences not too difficult.

LESSON LXXXVIII.
HOW TO WRITE DESCRIPTIONS OF BIRDS AND ANIMALS.

IN writing descriptions, we should follow some order, so that
they may be pleasant to read, and easy to understand.
following order is perhaps as conveni ent as any:

The

Size,
r.

Write of the appearance

{

Color,
Parts.

2. Wri te of its habits.
3. Write of its uses.
4. Write any interesting story or experience.

MODEL.

THE ROBIN .

The robin is about as large as the catbird or the thrush. It is
about nine inches long from the point of its bill to the tip of its

124

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMA R.

HOW TO WRITE DESCRIPTIONS.

125

LESSON LXXXVII.
SENTENCES CLASSIFIED.*

S entences

~: I~~~~:~~~~~e.
t'

{

3. mpera 1ve.
4. Exclamatory.

l

Simple.
Complex.
3. Compound.

} .

.

according to meanmg.

1.

S entences

Clauses.

2.

\ Independent.
( Dependent.

} according to form.

Adjective clause.
Adve rb clause.
3. Noun clause.
I.

{

2.

LESSON LXXXVIII.

Name the clauses in each of the following sentences:
A deer, who happened to be drinking in a clear lake, was impressed
with the beauty of his horns, which he saw reflected in the water.
(Three clauses. )
At the same time he observed that his legs were very
slender. (Two clauses.)
"I would be a fine creature if I did not have such a despicable set
of spindle-shanks.'' (Two clauses.) Thus spoke the deer.
While he was talking to himself, he heard the noise of a pack of
hounds, and away he bounded through the forest. (Three clauses.) While
he was passing through a thicket, his horl1s became tangled in the
bushes. (Two clauses.) He was held fas t and the hounds tore him to
pieces. (Two clauses.) The legs which he despised would have bonie him
away safely, if the horns which he was so proud of had not brought
him to ruin . ( Four cla uses.) The deer was like many persons, who do
not appreciate their advan tages. (T wo clauses.)

* Th e

teacher should cont inue th e subject of analys is of sentences by dauses
until eve ry pupil. is fam il iar with every kind of sentence and every kind of cl ause.
Care should be tak e n , however, to devise exercises containing sentences not too difficult.

HOW TO WRITE DESCRIPTIONS OF BIRDS AND ANIMALS.

IN writing descriptions, we should follow some order, so that
they may be pleasant to read, and easy to understand. The
followin g orde r is p e rhaps as convenient as any :
1.

Write of the appearance

Size,
Color,
{
Parts.

2. Write of its habits.
3. Write of its uses.
4. Write any interesting story or experience.

MODEL.

THE ROBIN.

The robin is about as large as the catbird or the thrush. It is
abo ut nine inches long from the point of its bill to the tip of its

126

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

tail, and when its wings are stretched out they measure, from tip
to tip, about thirteen inches.
Its head and tail are nearly black, while the rest of its body is
of a reddish brown color. Its breast has so much of a reddish
cast, that the robin often goes by the name " Robin Red-breast."
The under part of its body and tail are almost white. It has a
yellow bill tipped with black, has brown eyes, and brownish legs
and feet.
While robins are rearing their young, they go in pairs; but at
other times they coll ect in flocks. They build their nests in
trees, under porches, on fence-rails, in banks by the road-side,
and in many oth er places. Their nests are made of mud, leaves,
dried grasses, and similar materials. When the nest is finished,
four or five green eggs are laid in it, and they are hatched in
about two weeks. A pair of robins generally rears two broods
m a season.
The robin is a very useful bird, because it eats th e insects and
worms that would inj ure the crops. Scientists tell us that each
young robin while in the nest requires enough in sects eve ry day
to weigh more than its own body. When we consider the num- .
ber of bugs and worms a single pair of robins will eat and feed
to their young in a si ngle season, and remember also that they
stay with us from early sprin g till late in the fall, we can form
some notion of how useful they are.
A squ irrel once undertook to steal the eggs from a robin's
nest, but the old robin s flew at him so fi ercely, and pecked him
so hard with their sharp bills, that he was glad enough to
scamper away and let their nest alone.*

*To TH E TEACHER.-Ex erc ises in d escription of this kind should be repeated
again and again, and m ay be m ade the basis for many reviews.

EXERCISES IN COMPOSITION.

127

Notice that this description has five paragraphs.
What is talked of in the first ?
What two things are talked of in the sec~nd?
What is talked of in the third ? What in the fourth?
i·n the fifth ?
Describe a sparrow in the same way.

What

Suggestions for Additional Exercises in Composition.
I.

Many excellent exercises may be had by having the pupils
commit to memory stanzas of poetry like the following, and then
recite them, discuss their meaning , and reproduce the th.ought in
their own words :
SONG OF THE STEAM.

Harness me down with your iron bands,
'"
Be sure of your curb and rein,
For I scorn the power of your puny hands
As a tempest scorns a chain !
How I laughed, as I lay concealed from sight
For. many a countless hour,
At the childish boast of human might
And the pride of human power.
I blow the bellows, I forge the steel
In all the shops of trade;
I hammer the ore, I turn the wheel
Where my arms and strength are made;
I manage the furnace, the mill, the mint,
I carry, I spin, I weave,
And all my doings I put into print,
On every Saturday eve.
·
- CUTTER.

-•
128

-

•

•

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

EXER CISES IN COMPOSITION.

THE QUARREL.

THREE WISHES.

129

!"

!
The Mountain and the Squirrel
Had a quarrel:
And the former called the latter "Little Prig,"
Bun replied" You are doubtless very big !
But all sorts of wind and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year and a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track.
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put.
If I cannot carry forests on my back
Neither can yo u crack a nut."
--EMERSON.

IL
Dictation exercises to drill the pupil in the use of capital let
te rs, in punctuation, in makin g paragraph s, in spellin g , penmanship, etc., a re valuable, and can be taken from alm.ost any reader
or child's story book or paper.

An old man and his wife lived in a hut in the woods, where they
earned their living by gathering sticks. One night as they sat grumbling over their hard lot a fairy appeared to them and said : · ''Fret no
more, you may have three wishes granted you. Ask whatever you
please.'' The.. old people were delighted, and began to plan as to
what .wealth they should have. The old woman stooped to rake the
fire, and said unthinkingly "What fine coals! I wish I had a vard of
pudding to fry there.'' No sooner said than down tumbled ~ square
of pudding upon the coals. "You old goose!" shouted her husband ,
'' to waste that wish ! I'm sure I wish the pudding was on your nose.''
Up it fl ew and fixed itself there. They had now but one wish left.
All they could do was to wish the pudding off again. So their wishes
•
left them as before, only that they were wiser.

IV.
Many exercises in letter-writin g may be used . This kind of
composition is generally much neglected. In addition to its
value as a means of improving expression, it is of great practical use to the students. Good lette r-writers are scarce: and
yet who does not need to write letters? (See Lesson XXL)

v.
Expanding proverbs into paragraphs to show their m eaning
and application is also a valuable exercise.
Mo DEL.

III.

" STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT."

Stories for reprodu cti on are also usefu l, but have been (and are
likely to b e) used too much ; that is, to such a n extent as to
crowd out other, and p erhaps more valuable, exercises. Fables
like the f~ ll owi n g may be used :

This proverb is evidently drawn from the experience of the blacksmith. When he wants to shape a piece of iron, he puts it in his fire
and makes it red-hot ; then with a few quick blows of his hammer he
can forge it into a bolt, a horseshoe, or whatever he desires. But if

r

-

-

• -

LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

he is dilatory and lets the iron cool after taking it oat of the fire, all
his blows are vain j he has lost the opportunity.
There is another proverb like this in meaning, which probably first
came fr9m some farmer- " Make hay while the sun shines. " When
a good hay-day comes, the thrifty farmer always improves it; he will
not take the chance of to -morrow 's being wet. A few rainy days may
damage hi s crop ; so, while the weather is good, he g_ets his hay in.
These two proverbs teach us that we must improve our opportunities,
while circumstances are favorable. We must not put things off, as so
many are tempted to do, to their great injury . Shakespeare says,
" There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortu::ie;"
but if we do not take it at the flood, it will soon ebb, and we shall find .
to our sorrow that we are too late. The man who has a good business,
and neglects it till it gradually leaves him, does not make hay while the
sun shines. The boy who has the opportunity of receiving a good
education, and fails to improve it, does not strike while the iron is
hot,-and for him it never gets hot again .
QUACKENBOS.

Other proverbs that may be ex panded :
The early bird catches the worm.
An ounce of preve ntion is worth a pound of cure.
3. Take care of the cents, and the dollars will take care of themselves.
4. A word to the wise is sufficient.
5. A cat in mittens catches no mice.
6. A new broom sweeps clean.
7. Every cloud has a silver lining .
8. A stitch in time saves nine.
9. Birds of a feather flock together.
IO . Least said is soonest mended.
1.

2.

INDEX.
Can,

Abbreviatipns, 36, 37, 38 , 39.
Apostrophe, 56 , 57, 60.
Adjectives, 62, II5.
definition of, 62.
denoting quality , 62, 63.
practice in use of, 64.
importance of, 64.
kinds of, 65.
descriptive, 65.
definitive, 66.
comparison of, 68.
A, 73, 74.
An, 73, 74·
Aln, 96, 97, 98.
Are, 96, 97, 98.
Auxiliary words, 100.
A1lverbs, 103, 104, II5 .
comparison of, 105,

a helping word,

1

~·

Connecting words, 106, 107.
Conjunctions, 107, II7, n8.
Clause, II7, II9.
adjective, 119, 123, 124.
adverb, II9, 123, 124.
. noun, 120, 123, 124.
independent, 122.
de pendent, 122.

Composition,
d esc riptions, 125.
memory exercises, 127 .
dicta tion exercises, 129.
expanding exercises, 129.
letter-writing, 129.

Does, a h elping word, 99 .
Exclamations, 16, 23.
Exclamation mark, 16, "3· 24, 29.
English,

Capital letter, 16, 34, 35, 37, 39, 81.
Commands, 22.
Comma, 24, II8 .
raised, 56.

technicalities of, 3.
mechanical teaching of, 3.

Contractions, 60, SI.
Comparison,

of adjectives, 68.
Field, Eugene, 79.
of adverbs, 105.
positive degree of comparison, 68.
His, her, hiln, 89.
comparative degree of comparison, 68 .
He, 89, 90.
superlative degree of comparison, 68.
Jlas, a helping word, 99.
how to form different degrees of comparison, 68, 69, 70, 7i.
·
Initials, 36.

I

131

~ - ---INDEX."

132

It, 89.
Its, 89.
I, 90.
Is, 96, 97, 98.
a helping word, 99.

Language, 13.
definition of, 13.
English, 13.
gesture, r+
spoken, 14.
written, 14.

Letter-writing, 40, 41, 42, 43, 129.
lllodifiers, 62, 74, u9 .

Must, helping word, 99.
May, helping word, 99.
My, 1nine, 86.
Nouns, 33, II4.
definition of, 33.
proper, 35 .
substitutes for, 84.

Number,
singular, 44.
plural, 44-55.

Ownership, 55, 59.
Object, ror.

Ours, 86.
Preface, 3.
Period, 16, 36, 39.
Paragraphs, 17, 18, 24.
inde nting of, 18.
analysis o f, 19.

Punctuation mnrks, 24.
Possessives, plural, 56.
Phrase,
definition of, 75.

Question, 16, 21.
Question mark, 16, 21, 24.
Quotation, 81, 83.
Quotation marks, 80.

Were, 96, 97, 98, 99.
WUL, a helping word, 99.
We, 84.

Verb, 94, 95, II5.

· definition of, 76.
Pronouns, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, II$.
definition of, 84.
personal, 85.

definition of, ror.
transitive,

101.

Words, II.

III.

III.

-

spoken,

II .

written,

II.

You, 86, 97.
singular uses of,. 86, 97.
plural uses of, 86.
pronoun of second person, 87.
Yours, 87.

groups of, II, 12.

Was, 96, 97, 98.

Relation words, 76.
Sentence,
definition of, 12.
life of, 93.
beginning of, 15, 16.
ending of, 15, 16.
groups of, 17.
simple, II6, 124.
compound, II7, II8, 12~. 124.
parts of, 26.
s ubj ect of, 26.
predicate of, 27.
interrogative, 22, 31, II6, 124.
imperative, 22, 29, n6, 124.
exclamatory, 23, 29, 31, n6, 124.
declarative, 24, 31, n6, 124.
complex, 123, 124.
Subjects, 117.
proper place, 28.
. und erstood subjects, 29.
She, 89, 90.
Shall, a helping word, 99.

Speech,
parts of, u3.
how many, 113.
Theirs, they, them, their, 89.
This, that, 71, 72.
Titles, 37.

,.

INDEX.

Preposition, 76, u5.

Interjection, n o ,
definition of,

J ·[ J

.,

133

