LESSONS IN ENG LISH
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BOOK TvVO
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BY

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FRED NEWTON

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,~GOTT

AND

GORDON A. SOUTHWORTH
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, SOMEHVILLE 1 MABB.

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BENJ. H. SANBORN & CO.
BOSTON

NEW YOHK

CHICAGO

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. PROFESSOR OF RllETORIO IN TllE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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PREFACE

LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Two Qoplet Received

JAN 3

1~06

EnllY
. If, I 9(J b
LASS a... XXc, No,
Coc>~n1h1

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"COifY I,

COPYRIGTTT, !!JOG, DY

FllED N. SUOTT
AND

GORDON A. SOUTHWOit'J'H

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BOSTON,

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series of " Lesso~s iif English" ·comprises two books . .
•~: BOOK I, intended to be used within-the third, fourth, fifth, and
:\. sixth grades, covers either two. or three y_ears, according to the
~~ ..amount of time allowed fo1· langujtge work, the age of the
·p_upils, and their previous train11ig;- ·
_~- BOOK II contains a systematic course in grammar and a series
;,_of lessons in composition. It amply provides for the English
;,1 work of the three higher grammar gra~es. • .
In the preparation of BooK I the design has been ,
·.·} (1) To create a liking for good literature by presenting
worthy selections to be read, studied, copied, and learned.
Jo' (2) To help children to taJk and write· more freely about the
many things that they see or know. , Suggestive questions have •
been asked, in order to stimulate thought,' to develop clear ideas,
:, and to enable the learner to report more readily, both orally
:' and in writing, what he has discovered. Provision has been
:c m~de for a great amount of practice in talking and writing.
_. Pains have been taken also to give life, point, and interest to
. the exercises in composition by varying the method of presen, ', t,ation, and particularly by providing a defil!ite reader or hearer
whom the pupil may address himself.
·
. · ·'.J.<-· (3) To make children 1nore and more observing - especially
f-; •':- in the field of natural science - adding to their knowledge, and
· ·'.~~~ leading them to find out for them selves. Many illustrations are
~f..~: set before the children for descriptive and imaginative writing,
·· and help is given iii the form of leading questions.

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IV

PREFACE
PREFACE

( 4) To make conect expression habitnal, by calling for frequent repetition of the right forms, aml by constantly suppressing the wrong.
(5) To secure the use of conect written forms by giving
rnodels for illlitation, and by leadi11g up to simple rules for the
use of capitals, punctuation-marks, and word-forms, with examples and much work for practice.
(6) To give some acquaintance with the elementary pri11ciples of grammar.
In BooJC II the aim has been (1) To place before the student an orderly and intelligible
statement of the principles that determine the structure of
words and sentences, and at the same time to furnish exercises
for practice in the application of those principles.
( 2) To continue upon a ltiglie1' plane the work in composition pursued in the lower grades.
Part I deals somewhat at length with the sentence as the
structural unit in the use oC lang:lulge, be-ca use a koowledge of
its elements antl their relation one to another must logically precede any det:iiled study of words and their forms. The parts of
speech are briefly tr~ated in this connection to give an intelligent idea of the composition and character of the elements of
sentences, as well as to show that classification and inflection
depend upon use.
Part II presents the parts of speech with considernble full. ness of deta,il in their classes, inflection, and syntax. Teachen:;
will, of course, discriminate between what is to Lie learned and
what is given only for refercnce. Attention is called to the
treatment of case; to the unusually foll presentation of infinitives
and participles ; to the tabubted summarie~ at the close of
chapters for purposes of revi ew; and to standard literary selections for study.

Th~oughout the grammar, sentences
for illustration and study
1
. are given in abundance. That the student may learn that t~e
rules that govern form, structure, and good usage are general m
their application, they have been intentionally drawn both from
literature and from the language of ordinary intercourse.
Part III is a systematic course in composition. It is not
intended to be merely an addendum to the grammar, nor a
·series of talks about rhetoric. It provides for continuous and
progressive practice in those kinds of ;vriting . and ~peaking
. which are most suitable for children at this stage of then· school
''; life.
' ;'· : Though both composition and grammar contribute in grea~r
or less degree to the same end - the ability to use .lang~age i~­
telligently and efficiently·- yet they d~ffer e.ssentially i~ then /
character and method of treatment. For tins reason, m the /
arrangement of the book no attempt has been made to inter..,.~.,,._,_.~ 1 ingle exercises in composition with worlr in- gi·afnma'.-. Thelessons have been so framed, however, that they may e~ther be
assigned in connection with Parts I and II or may be used as
an independent course.
In both composition and grammar special emphasis has been
·laid on the choice of the proper word. The tendency toward~ .
- freedom, if not looseness, in the use of forms, and the disposition to ignore certain well-established rnles on the ' part of
latter-day writers and speakers, have been discoura~e~ by
pretty close adherence to the usage of those who are stnv~ng to
maintain the highest standards.
Although these books contain much that is new and unhaokneyed, th ey are not untried. The material which they
contain has been tested in many schools under widely different
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conditions
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' an d I ias l.ueen f·ountl wor k au·Je . 'Tl1ese " Lessons in
t' ~ English " tlo not come Liefore the school public, therefore, as
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PREFACE

strangers knocking at the door and waiting to be introduced;
they appear rather as familiar friends renewing old acquainfance and seeking a wider recognition in a circle where they
have already made their standing goo<l.
The authors are indebted to the following publishers and
authors for permission to use copyrighted material: To Mrs.
Margaret Lee Ashley, a11<l Harper aml Brothers for tli e poem
" The "'\Vind," which originall ' aJ:!P.eared in Harper's Magazine ;
Harper and Brothers for illustration Weapons and
Utensils o tie OZ~
en; to Charles Scribner's Sons for the
excerpt from J. G. Holland's "Bah hood"· to Cyrus T. Clark
o., Decorators, for illustration An Interesting SubJec ; to
oug i on, ifilin & Co. for selections from J. T. Trow bridge's
"Midsummer" and "Midwinter"; to the 'Whitaker & Ray
Company for Joaquin l\lillcr's "Colnmbu8 "; to lWr. James
Whitcomb Riley and the BoLhs-Merrill Colllpany for "The
Prayer Perfect"; to Lolhrnp, Lee & Shepard Co. aml ' Villiam
H. Hayne for a selection from Paul Hamilton Hayne's " ·wm
and I"; to Mr. A. W. Mwufon for per ission to reproduce
the picture of the Bnltirnore Oriole's Nest; o the Youth's
ompanio
o --illustration Boy on Pony.
he aut 10rs are
also under obligation to prominen S1lpmfoten<leuts who have
read proof aud made valuable suggestions.
F. N. S.
JdUArcr, 1906.

G. A. S.

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TO TEACHERS
THESE books presupp~se a wise and capable teach~r ~ho ~ill _
use them with the attainments and needs of her pupils m mrnd,
omitting here and supplementing there according to varying
conditions.
/
Too many teachers think of a text-book as a kind of ma?hinegun, built to fire with deadly precision so many loads a mmu~.
This is a vicious error. A text-book -should be the teachers
friend guide and hel1)er. It may be a; powerful aid and re,;
' it can
' never take the place of the teaclrnr ' s personal
source;
enthusiasm, sympathy, and stimulus;
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In these books teachers will find a great variety of material
which they can use in accortla11ce with their · best judgm~nt.
Exercises are given for copying, for dictation, fpr ~epro<luct10n
of what has been learned, or read, or heard ; for picture study
and description; for letter-writing; for recording the results ~f
· observation and experience; for the use of words and their
synonyms; for practice in the use of correct forms. Selections
from the best literature are given to be studied and learned, and
to fumish suggestions for kindred work from the school read• , , ers; ample provision is made for the correlation of n_ature ;vork
,· .y.• with language; and the elements of grammar are mduct1vely
· presented.
The lessons are not of uniform length ;. they are graded, and
. those of a kind are arranged accordingly; but, in general, they
are not dependent consecu~ively one upon another. The order
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of them, therefore, may often be changed at discretion ; some
may be omitted, some divided; others may be amplified and
dwelt upon.
The inductive method has been followed throughout. ·A
right use of the suggestive questions will lead to habits of
thought, observation, and investigation along given lines.
Other questions may be added, but the direct imparting of information will not often be necessary.
Oral lessons should precede and outnumber written lessons. ·
Each exercise should be the subject of conversation and study
before any attempt is made to write it.
An especial effort should be made by the teacher to see that
the child's thought is clear and distinct in his own mind. The
first thoughts of children are, and perhaps ought to be, more or
less hazy. It is the business of the teacher in English to dissipate
the fog, to disentangle confused ideas, to induce habits of clear
and orderly thinking. Much can be accomplished toward this
end by training the child from the start to grasp firmly the units
. of discourse, - the sentence, t_he paragraph, and the whole composition. This does not mean that children are to learn to talk
about these things, but that they must somehow gradually acquire a sense for them.
A final word of caution may not be out of place. Teachers
of English are apt to attach much importance to the formal
side of their instruction and to assume that a pupil's facility in
i·eciting rules and detecting errors of speech is a sure sign of
progress. The formal side must 11ot, of couri:;e, be overlooked,
but it should never be forgotten that the e nd ·of all instruction
in English is growth in power of expression and appreciation.
·Drill which contrilrn tes to tl1is e1ul is good. Drill which, falling short of this end, merely fill s the child's mind with rules
·and symbols, is a grievous waste of time.

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CONTENTS

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PREFACE

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SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

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PART

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SENTENCE STRUCTURE

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5
5
6
8
9
13
13
15-42
15
18
20
24

PREDICATE . . . . .

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SUJJJECT AND PREDICATE COMBINED
SIMPLE SUBJECT AND PREDICATE.
QF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
OF IMPERATIVE SENTENCES
III.

KINDS OF
NOUNS

wOROS
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PRONOUNS
VERBS

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ADJECTIVES
ADVERBS

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CONJUNCTIONS
INTERJECTIONS .
SUMMARY

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SENTENCE-BUILDING
INCOMPLETE VERBS AND THEIR COMPLEMENTS
COPULATIVE VERDS
TRANSITIVE VERns .
COMPLEMENTS

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COMPLETE VERBS.

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THE ESSENT IAL'> OF A SENTENCE
MODIFIERS
ADJECTIVES
AovFlRBS

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PREPOSITIONS

IV.

1-77
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SUBJECT AND PREDICATE
SUBJECT

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CHAPTER
1. SENTENCE: KINDS
II.

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ADJECTIVE AND AovERD PHRASES
ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB CLAUSES

43-71

43
44
47
50
52
54
56
57
59
60
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CHAPTER

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Continued.

SENTENCE-BUILDING PossESSIVBS .

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APPOSITIVES .

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POSSESSIVE AND APPOSITIVE PHRASES
APPOSITIVE CLAUSES

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SUMMARY: MODIFIEHS
SUMMAJlY: KINDS OF SENTENCES
V.

SENTENCE-ANAJ,YSIS

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OH.APTER

IX .

PnEPOSITIONAL PH1usEs

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C O NTENTS

CONTENTS

63
64
66
67
68
69
70
72-77

V~ms-Continued.

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VERD PHRASES
FUTURE TENSE
PERFECT TENSES
POTENTIAi. FORMS
CONJUGATION
EMPHATIC VERB PHRASES
PROGRESSIVE VEHB PHRASES
. PASSIVE VERB PHHASES .

II. -

PART
VI.

NOUNS

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PARTS

OF

SPEECH

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KIND S . .
INFLECTION
USES

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PAHSING
SUMMAHY
VII.

PRONOUNS
KINDS . .
INFLECTION
USES

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PARSING
SUMMARY
D1nECTIONS FOR THE USE OF
NuMmm FonMs

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CASE FORMS .

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CHOICE OF PRONO UNS
VIII.

ADJECTIV:i;;S
KINDS .

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INFLECTION
USES

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PA HSING
SuMMAnY
DmEC'l'IONS 1wn THE UsE oF

IX.

VEHBS
J<INDR .

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INFJ, EC'l'ION
TENSES

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NuMnEn AND PERSON
VEnDAJ, NouNs AND VEHBAL ADJECTIVES
CONJUGATION

78-243
78
78
82
92
101
104
106
106
114
117
121
122
122
122
126
129

132-143
132
134
138
138
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CONJUGATION
PARSING
SUMMARY

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DmECTIONS FOR THE UsE OF VERB FoRMS.
X .

INFINITIVES AND

p ARTICIPLES

INFINITIVES
FoRMS
USES

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SUMMARY: FORMS FOR PARSING
EXERCISE ·JN

p ARSING

DmECTIONS FOR THE USE OF
PARTICIPLES
KIND S . .

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USES

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SUMMARY: FonMs ' FOH PARSING

p AHSING

EXERCISE IN
XI.

ADVEHBS
KINDS .

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INFLECTION
PARSING

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SUMMAHY

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DmECTIONS FOR THE UsE OF AovEnns
<XII.

HO
144.- 180
144
147
148
149
151
154

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PREPOSITIONS
,USES AND PARSING
DmECTIONS FOR THE UsE

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CONJUNCTIONS
KINDS .

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PARSING
SUMMARY: FORMS FOR PARSING
DIRECTIONS FOR THE UsE ' OF
XIV.

l~TERJECTIONS •

157
160
161
162
163
164
167
168
168
172
174
175
176
187
187
187
188 ;
192
193
1!)4
195
195
196
197
198 1
200-207
200
204
204
205
206
208--211
208
210
212-218
212
216
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216
217
219-220

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CONTENTS

xiii

CONTENTS

CITAPTER
XV.

SENTENCES AND THEm ELEMENTS, ETc.
SUMMARY

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ESSENTIALS OF A SENTENCE
MODIFIERS
INDEPENDENT EXPRESSIONS
. COMPOUND ELEMENTS
ELLTP'l'ICAL SENTENCES .

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CLAUSES AND CLAUSE CONNECTIVES
ANALYSIS OF Cr,AUSES

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V AflIETY OF EXPRESSION

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SELECTIONS FOR ANALYSIS AND PAllSING

234-244
234
237
241

CASE AS A RELATION
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERIJS
SunJuNc'l'!vE MoDE.

PART III. -

LESSON

CHAPTER

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II.
III.

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LESSONS

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RULES FOR PUNCTUATION .

QUOTATIONS . . . . . . . . .

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. IV. · REVIEW OF CAPITALS, PUNCTUATION, ETC .
THE CHOICE OF WonDs

V.

SYNONYMS

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SYNONYMS

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VII .
VIII.
IX.
X .
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.

xv.
XVI.

VARIETY OF EXPRESSION
SYNONYMS DISCRIMINATED
WoRDs RELATED IN MEANING

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RroHT WoRDS AND WnoNo WoRns
EXPHESSIONS TO JJE AVOIDED .

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RIGHT WonDs AND WnoNG Won.ns
WoRns SIMILAH IN Form
WonDs SOME WHAT ALIKE
UNNECESSARY 'VORDS
INAl'PROPJUATE vVonns .

XVII .

B1u AND LrTTLE 'Vo1ws

XVIII.

AMBIGUOUS WORDS . . .

XIX.

V AmETY IN ExPRESSION

XX.
XXL
XXII.

LETTER WRITING .

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251-265
251
252
253
253
255
256
258
259
260
261
261
262
263
264
265

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PAGE

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266
269

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THE ADDRESS AND THE SALUTATION .
THE

BODY,

THE ENDING, AND
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SIGNATURF:

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~ XXIII.

BUSINESS LETTERS (MoDEr, FoRMs)

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REPLY TO AN ADVERTISEMENT (MODEL FoRM)

(MODEL

271
275
279
280
282
285

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xxv.
XXVI.
XXVII.

XXVIII.
XXIX.

xxx.
XXXI.
XXXIII.

244-250
244
245
248

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THE HEADING (OUTLINE MODEL)

FORMS) . . . . .

. XXXIV.

249
CHAPTER II. -

CHAPTER III. -

XXXII.

COMPOSITION

CAPITALS, PUNCTUATION, ETC.

UsE OF CAPITALS

So~rn

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LESSON

NOTES OF INVITAT ION (MODEL FORMS) .
THE ENVELOPE (MODEL FORMS).
TELEGRAMS

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XXXV.
XXXVI.
XXXVII.
XJCXVIII.
XXXIX.
XL.

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NARRATIVES

How TO TELL A STORY

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Inchcape Rock .
The African Chief
'VRITE. The Whi'tefooled Deer .
RETELL. P aul Revere's Ride
STUDY AND 'VmTE. Nauhaught, the Deacon

A STORY TO TELL .

305

STORY To REPRODUCE .

XLIY.

STORY TO

XLV.

STORY TO

XLVI.

STORY TO

306
306
307
307
307

XL VII.

STomEs FROM V Amous SouncEs
CHAPTER V . -

XLVIII.
XLIX.
L.
LI.
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302
303

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H ISTORICAL SKETCHES (Outlines)

XLIII .

XLII.

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LrvEs OF NoTED MEN AND WoMEN, STATESMEN, INVENTORS, AUTHORS

XLI.

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287- 307
287
A STORY TO TIE STUDIED.
An Unwelcome Visitor.
288
A STORY TO COMPLETE
. . . . . . . . . . .
291
A . LETTER AND A STORY
. . . . . . . .
292
A STORY FROM A POEM.
The Oyster and Its ·Claimants
293
A STORY FROM A PICTURE .
The Hunters
294
A SUGGESTED STOHY
. . . . . .
295 /
295 :.
THE MEANING OF THE TERM NARRATIVE
l3IOGHAPHICAL SKETCHES .
. . . . .
297'
THE STORY OF COLUMBUS.
Columbus . Picture, Joaquin
Miller . . . . . . . .. . . . · · .
298
THE STOHY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON , .
300
THE STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN . J.
301
CHAPTER IV. -

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APPENDIX

PAGE

221-233
221
221
222
223
224
224
225
226
228
229

I
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DESCRIPTIONS .

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Midsummer
Midwinter . .

PICTURES IN A PoEM.
STUDY OF A PoEM .

308--327
308
310

DESCRIPTIVE WORDS TO BE SUPPLIED

311

Divided Affection

312
313

PICTURE .

DIRECTIONS FOR DESCRIBING

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CONTENTS
LESSON

PAGE

Llll.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

LIV.

STUDY OF FACES.

LV.
LVI.

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Three Faces . . . .

GEOGRAPHICAL DEscntPTIONS (Outl ines)
DESCRIPTION OF PROCESSES

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Congress of Dogs

· LVII.

A

LVIII.

DESCRIPTION OF ANIMALS (Out.line s) .

LIX.
LX.
LXI.

.

P1cTURE AND A POEM.

DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS (Outline)

Listening f)ogi'

STUDY OF P1cTunE :

Dwsc mPTION OF P1ms0Ns (Oui,li n c)
CHAPTER VI. -

EXPLANATIONS .

315
317
318
319
320
322

325
327

328

LXIll.

lJrnEC'.l'IONS FOR EXPLAINING .

329

EXPLAINING A LOOK

331
331

LXVI.
LXVII.
LXVIII.
LXIX.
LXX.
LXXI.
LX.,"'CII.

POINT OF A STORY

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SOME PASSAGES TO RE EXPLAINED

LXXIII.
LX.,°XIV.
LXXV.
IXXVI.

CHAPTER I

POEM TO LEAHN AND EXPLAIN.

WHAT A PARAGHAPH IS

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PARAGRAPHS TO RE SEPARATED .
ORDER OF SENTENCES .

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The Water Foicl; Concord Hymn .

STUDY OF POEMS.

APPENDIX

II.

CAPITALS, PUNCTUATION, ETC.

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Dw1uvATION ANI> Wu1w Bu11.1>1No
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339
340
342
343

.;1. When we converse with one another or wri~e letters to /
. ":i· ·". our f nen
. d s, the words that belong together fall · mto groups,
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. .·~ -~ each group expressing a single complete thought.
~ , • 1 2. If we were to go into the woQds together, we might say

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1. 1 should like to come here every ~ay.
'
2. Are there any flowers there 7
s. Listen to the brook.
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4. 1 am coming home tomorrow.
6. Will you meet me at the station?
6. . Please show this letter to mother.

344

364

I

Writing to a fri,end, we might say - .

344-364

350
35!)

DEvEr,oPMENT OF Oun LANGllA<rn
INDEX

THE SENTENCE: KINDS

339-343

CHAPTE R VII.- PARAGRAPHS .

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The Prayer P erfect.
Picture, J ames Whitcomb Riley . . . . . . .
333
STUDY OF A POEM. Abou B en Adlwm . . . .
334
MEANING OF A POEM. The Chambered NauWus.
335
ANCIENT 'WEAPONS AND TOOLS (Picture) .
337
AN OLD MILL (Pi c ture)
.
338
SoME I NTERESTING WonDs . .
338
A

PART ONE
SENTENCE-STRUCTURE

328-338

A.N EXAMPLE OF EXPLANATION

LXV.

BOOT\:: TvV 0

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LXIV.

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ENGLISH.
IN
LESSONS
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Such groups of words are called sentences.
3. A sentence is a group of words expressing a single complete
thought.

4. Let

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·
see for what purpose each of t ese sen en1ces IS

used.
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CAPITALS

6. The principal words in titles.

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Thus:

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The President of the United States.
"The Land of the Midnight Sun."

PART THREE

LESSONS IN COMPOSITION
CHAPTER I
CAPITALS, PUNCTUATION, ETC.

LESSON I
THE USE OF CAPITALS

One of the marks of a good writer is the proper use of capital
letters. The most important rules for capitals are the following:
A Capital Letter should be used to begin I. Every sentence.
2. Every line of poetry.
3. Every direct quotation.
.
4. All individual or special names of persons, places, months,
and clays; as William Shakespeare, Spain, September, Saturday, Easter.

'II

7. The words I and 0 should always be capitals.
. [See Appendix II.]
Exercise 1. -

they are needed.

Copy the following passages, using capital letters where
Give a reason for each change that you make.

(a) thus they answered -

hoping, fearing,
some in faith, and doubting some, till a trumpet-voice, proclaiming,
said, "my chosen people, come!"
then the drum,
lo I was dumb;
for the great heart of the nation, throbbing, answered, "lord, we come!"
(b) here we see the very same wolf - do not go near him, anniel
- the selfsame wolf that devoured little red ridinghood and her grandmother.

(c) "When you are older," said james's father, "you can read the
'iliad.'"
"o i know what that is,'' replied james, "it is a story about the gi:ecian
war written by a greek poet named homer. our teacher read some of
it to us last friday."
Exercise 2. - Think of the most interesting story about an animal
that you have ever read or heard. Write it briefly in your o\vn words,
paying particular attention to the use of capitals.

All words macle from them; as Shakespearean, Spanish.

LESSON II
SOME RULES FOR PUNCTUATION

And all abbreviations of them; as Wm., Sept.

5. All names applied to Goel.
244

wrriting is much clearer and easier to understand when it is
properly punctuated, for punctuation-marks show where the
sentences end and how they are divided . . Some of the marks

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247

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

PUNCTUATION

show also the kind of sentence. Other aids to clearness are the
apostrophe, quotation-marks, and the hyphen. The following
are simple rules for these marks.*

6. Quotation-marks [" "] must be used to inclose Every direct quotation, or"e.a ch of the parts i1,1to which it is
divided.
The title of a book or periodical, if the title is long.

1. The Period [.]must be used after -

Every complete sentence that is not a question nor an exclamation.
All abbreviations or initial letters.
A heading, title, or signature, when used alone.
2. The Question-mark[?] must be used after Every complete question.
3. The Exclamation-point[!] must be used after Every expression that is very exclamatory.
4. The Comma [,] must be used to separate from the rest of
the sentence The name of the person spoken to. Thus:
John, come forward.

A direct quotation, or each of the parts of one if it is cliviclecl.
The Comma must also be used to separate The parts of a series of three or more words of the Rame kind.
The flags were red, white, and blue.

The parts of a sentence that is made up of two or more sentences. Thus:
We have come, and you must go.

6. The Apostrophe ['] 111ust he used to denote Possession.
The omission of letters in contracted words.
The plurals of letters, figures, etc. Thus:
Dot your i's.

Your 4's are poor.

• A fuller treatment of punctua tion will be found in Appendix II.

7. The Hyphen[-] must be used to separate The parts of some compound words.
The syllables of a word written on different lines.
Exercise 1. - Tell why each punctuation-mark is used m these
sentences:
1. How many days are there in a leap year?
2. Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust?
3. Boys, have you ever read "Tom Brown at Rugby"?
4.' Now abideth faith, hope, charity.
5. The houses were low, narrow, and dingy.
6. Julius Cresar wrote, "I came, I saw, I conquered."
7. "Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other."
8. Which sounds better, "No, sir, I can't"; or, "Yes, ma'am, I'll
try"?
9. "The Courtship of Miles _S_tandish" was written by Henry W.
Longfellow.
E_x ercise 2. - The old Greeks got on with very little punctuation. ,
They even ran -their words together, as in the following passage. Try \
rewriting this interesting little story, separating the words, and putting \
in punctuation where it is needed.
l\IrPopewhowascrookedandcrosswastalkingwithayoungofficertheofficer
saidhethoughtthatinacertainsentenceaninterrogationmarkwasneededdo
you'knowwhataninterrogationmarkissnarledoutthecrookedcrosslittleman
it.i sacrookedlittlethingthatasksquestionssaidtheyoungmanandheshutup
l\lr Popcforthatday.
Exercise 3. - Think of the most amusing incident that you can
recall. It may be something that you have seen or heard at your home,
on the schoolground , or in the schoolroom. Make a brief story of it;
writing as simply and straightforwardly as you can, as if for a little child
to read. Attend particularly to the pun ctuation .

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

249

QUOTATIONS

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LESSON III
QUOTATIONS

1. When we introduce the exact language of another person into what we are writing, we make what is called a Direct
Quotation. Thus:
Prince Edward and his division were so hard pressed that a message
was sent to the King, asking for aid. "Is my son killed?" said the
King. "No, sire." "Is he wounded or thrown to the ground?" "No,
sire," said the messenger; "but he is very hard pressed." "Then," said
the King, "I shall send no aid; because I am resolved that the honor
of a great victory shall be his."

2. In writing a direct quotation, we must remember three
things:
(1) To begin it with a capital.
(2) To inclose it in quotation-marks.
(3) To separate it from the rest of the sentence by a comma,
unless it is a question or an exclamation.
If the quotation c.onsists of several sentences, it, may be preceded by
a colon [ :]

3. vVhen we introd uce anything into our writing as a thought
or an opinion of another without using his exact language, we
make an Indirect Quotation. Thus:
DIRECT.
lNDIHF:CT.

The King said, "I have lost the hearts of my people."
The King said that he had lost the hearts of his people.

Indirect quotations frequently begin with the word " that,"
and they require no quotation-marks.
4. A Divided Quotation is one which is given in two parts,
with some of the writer's own words between.
Each part should be inclosecl in quotation-marks, an d should
generally be separated from the rest by commas. Thus:
"I propose to fight it out on this line," wrote General Grant, "if it
takes all summer."

6. In writing a conversation between two persons, what
each one says should generally occupy_ a separate , paragraph.
',
Thus:
'i

"Colonel Miller," asked General Brown, "can you silence that battery?"
"I'll try, sir," replied the gallant colonel.
Exercise 1. - Change the direct quotations in this lesson into indirect
quotations.
Exercise 2. - Rewrite the following passage, inserting quotationmarks where they are needed:
The gentleman turned to the boy who was sitting on the log, and said,
Where do you live?
Sir?
Where do you live?
The boy hesitated a moment as if he did not understa-nd him. Then
he said,
I
I don't know, sir. I don't live anywhere.
The little boy in the wagon laughed.
Don't know where you live, said the gentleman. Well, what are you
·
doing out here?
I have been catching butterflies.I

Exercise 3. - Continue this conversation . What will the gentleman
ask next? What will the boy on the log reply? What questions may \
t he lit.tie boy in the wagon ask, and what will be the replies? As the \
gentleman and the little boy drive away, what will they say to each ,
other? ·w rite this all out, paying particular attention to the use of
quotation-marks.

LESSON IV
REVIEW OF CAPITALS, PUNCTUATION , AND QUOTATIONMARKS

Exercises. - Copy one or more of the following selections, or write
from the dictation of your teacher, using capitals and punctuation
marks c<_m ectly. Attend carefully also to the quotations.

250
1.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Over and over again,
No matter which way I turn,
I always find in the book of life
Some lesson I have to learn.
I must take my turn at the mill ;
I must grind out the golden grain;
I must work at my t ask with a resolute will,
Over and over again.

2. William H. Prescott, John L. Motley, and George Bancroft are
distinguished American historians. Prescott wrote "The Conquest of
Mexico." Motley wrote "The Rise of the Dutch Republic." Bancroft
wrote the "History of the United States."

3.

Know old Cambridge? Hope you do.
Born there? Don't say so ! I was too:
Born in a house with a gambrel roof, Standing still, if yo u must have proof.

Yes, in the old gambrel-roofed house looki ng out on the College '
Green, lived Rev. Dr. Abie) Holmes - pastor of the First Church in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, but of wider fame as the author of t he "American Annals" - and t here was born to him t he son, Oliver "\Vendell, who
was to shed new luster on the family name as the bri ghtest of American
poets and essayists. His birthdate is August 29, 1800.
4. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the most popular of American
poets, was born in Portland, Maine, Feb. 27, 1807. His fath er was a
well-known jurist, and, like Bryant, he was descended from John Alden,
the youngest of the /lfayfioicer's Pilgrims.
From 1835, the t ime of hi s appointment as Professor of Modern
Languages and Literature in Harvard University, t ill his death, March
24, 1882, Longfellow lived in the stately old Cambridge mansion occupied
by Washington during the siege of Boston, 1775-76.
5. "Our enemies are before us," exclaimed t he Spartans at Thermopylre. "And we are before them, " was the cool reply of Leonidas.
"Deliver your arms, " came the message from Xerxes. "Come rtnd take
them," was the answer Leonidas sent back. A Persian soldier said :
"You will not be able to see the sun for flying javelins and arrows."
"Then we will fight in the shade," replied a Lacedremonian.

251

SYNONYMS

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CHAPTER II

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THE CHOICE OF WORDS.

LESSON V
SYNONYMS

We of ten find several wor<ls nearly alike m meaning, each
one of which we must learn to use m its proper place. Such
words are called Synonyms. Thus:
Ancient, old, aged, elderly, antiquated, are synonyms, for, in a general way, they have the same meaning; but we say "ancien_t customs,"
"old trees," "aged or elderly persons," "antiquated fashions ."

Synonyms are words that have the same or nearly the same
meaning.
Exercise 1. - 1. Separate the following words into five groups, each
containing five synonyms.
2. Use the words of each group in expressions that will illustrate
their meaning. Thus:
"A plot to rob the bank"; "the arrangement of words 11 ; "a scheme
for raising money 11 ; "a· conspiracy to assassi nate the king."

plot
diminish
liberal
splendid
mishap

mi sfortune
scheme
decrease
generous
gorgeous

grand
calamity
plan
abate
lavish

beautiful
superb
disaster
conspiracy
lessen

reduce
free
magnificent
catastrophe
arrangement

Exercise 2. - 1. Find one or two synonyms for· each of the following words:
Busy; bold; honest; coun terfei t; obscure; barren ; appease; cheerful ;
dead; larceny; defeat; certain ; collect; death; frighten ; censure; frank ;
famous; obstinate; spacious.

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SYNONYMS

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

2. Give one or two words that are opposite in meaning to each of
the foregoing.
Exercise 3. - Read each phrase, substituting synonyms for the
italicized words.
1. Insipid fruit. 2. Gnarlelf oaks. 3. Relentless foes. 4. Chaplet
of flowers. 5. S epulchers of kings. 6. Auspicious omens. 7. Debtor's
assets. 8. l'tfartial music. 9. Voluntary offering. 10. A gluttonous
fellow. 11. Wam:ng power. 12. Obsequi es of a ruler. 13. I mpmdent
methods. 14. Infallible signs. 15. Indelible impressions. 16. l\forchants' liabilit1:es. 17. Raleigh's explorations. 18. Frugal habits.
19. Brutal actions. 20. Benevolent feelings.

LESSON VI

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Exercise 2. - Substitute sentences of C<]Uivalent meaning.
1. The opposing forces stood in battle array. 2. The supply constantly increases. 3. Plants are the habilat?:ons of inseds. 4. They
traversed the lofty mountains that surround this beautiful regi on. 5. The
majority of mankind earn their livelihood by hard work. 6. The army
was animated by the spirit of its leader. 7. Sailors encounter constant
perils. 8. The intelligence was brought by a courier. 9. Our libertie~
were not secured without a struggle.

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LESSON VII

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VARIETY Of EXPRESSION
1

Exercise 1. -The Wide-Awake Debating Club is \o discuss this
<]Uestion: "Resolved, That life in the country is more pleasant for young
people than life in the city." Write what you would say on either side
of the question, if you were a member of the club.

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Exercise 2. - Write what might be said by your opponent on the
other side of the question.

./

Exercise 3. - Rewrite one of the preceding exercises, trying to make
it clear and interesting to a child in the fourth grade. Use the simplest
words and expressions you can think of, but do not change the meaning
very much.

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SYNONYMS

Exercise 1. - Substitute words or expressions as synonyms for the
italicized words.
1. Prepare your lessons. 2. Honor your parents. 3. The thief was
caught. 4. He spoke excitedly. .5. l'eacefiilly slept the weary children.
6. A furious gale was raging. 7. A few dilapidated old buildings still
stand in the deserted hamlet. 8. We urged his going. 9. The Nile overflows once a year. 10. Much fat1:gued we reached the end of our journey.
11. Farm1:ng is a pleasant occupation. 12. There is no cause sacred
enough to justify a violation of the truth. 13. We resolved to make the
attempt in spite of all diffirnlties. 14. The prisoners were condemned
and executed. 15. He addressed the mariners. 16. She was the one who
inherited her uncle's wealth. 17. We awoke as soon as the sun rose.
18. What ou.ght I to do? 19. Af ter the sw1 had gone down, we resumed
the journey t hat to some of us seemed without end.

.

..

LESSON VIII
SYNONYMS DISCRIMINATED

' I II

\I

Very few synonyms have exactly the same meaning. Some-times the difference between two words is so slight that only
careful study will show what it is. Sometimes it is so great .
that one word cannot be safely used for the other in any sefl>.tence. Every one who wishes to use words correctly must be
on the watch for these differences. It is not enough to use the
almost right word ; we must use, if we can, the exactly right
word. If we mean " a mischievous boy, " we must not say "a
•
wicked boy." If we wish to speak of "a large sum of money,"
we must not say "an immense sum of money."
Exercise 1. -

What is the difference between :-a lazy boy
a large man
a large gift
what one wants
he hopes
a trade

and
and
and
and
and
and

an idle boy;
a great man;
a generous gift;
what one needs;
he expects;
an occupationi

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254

LESSONS IN ENGLISH
peeling fruit
a street
a savage dog
an indignant man

mHl paring fruit;
and a road;
and a surly dog;
a nd an angry man.

Exercise 2. - Study the words in each of the following pairs till you
think that you understand the mea11i11g;_ of them. Then use each of the
words so as to show that you can discrimi nate between them.
l. That is healthful which gives health; that is healthy which has
hea lth.
2. To remember is to cnJl to mind readil y; to recollect is to recall
with effort. We can sometimes recollect what we do not remember.
3. Habit is the result of custom. What is customary soon grows to
be habitual.
4. A man's reputation depends on what he appears to be; his character is what he really is.
5. Brave and courageous men do their duty, even though suffering
from fear or disapproval; bold and reckless men neither fear nor care.
6. Crimes arc offenses against, law ; sins are offenses against the right.
7. \Ve convince a man by arg111nc11t.; wr. persuade him by advice
and entreaty.

Exercise 3. - Explain the difference in meaning between the words
of each pair. Thus:
l\Toun(.ains and 1·lo11ds ar" hlyh; 111>1 slR and l.r..,.,s :m• loll.
Do not say "I guess so" if you kno\V enough about the subject to
say "I think so. "

1. high, tall ;
2. glance, look;
3. guess, think;

4. sile11t, riuict;
5. economi cal, sti ngy;
0. hear, u11dcrstan0.;

7. pardon, forgive;
8. ki ll, murder;
0. seo, notice, observe.

Exercise 4. - Discriminate between the words in each pair, a nd use
them in sentences.
7. believe, think;
4. bring, fetch;
1. love, like;
8. learn, teach;
2. export, transport; 5. bear, carry;
6. discover, invent; 9. education, learning.
3. follow, pursue;

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255

WORDS RELATED IN MEANING

'
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LESSON IX
WORDS RELATED IN MEANING

....... -:""'

.

'
Many words in the language are 'connected in mearl~ng, though
they may not be sufficiently alike to be called synonyms. It
wi ll be interesting to study some of them.

' .

Exercise 1. - Find several words or expressions that are related in
their meaning to each of the following. Thus true, correct, definite are
related to "exact," though not strictly synonomous.with it. Explain
the difference in each case.
inquiry
size
exact
ambush
deny
orifice
exchange
banner
error
journey
prudent
ample
ignorant
docile
find
alter ·
culpable
necessary
maintain
taciturn
,. . ..
sagacious
hinder
origm
frighten
msane
speed
strength
future
veracity
frosty
savage
veteran
obstinate
look
dominate
evening
reque~t
certflin
concltr
procrastinate
occupant
aged
Exercise 2 . - Answer these questions Urns:
"A just decision is one that is fair to all parties concerned."
"Authentic reports are such as come .from- a reliable source."
(a) What is a 1. just decision?

2. saltibrio11g clim ntc? 3. man of vcrnri/y? 4. 1·rradoug i:;t.at.PmPnt.? ri. vornrions animal? 6. major£ty of fiYe?
7.
minority of three? 8. plurality of seven? 9. ambiguous remark?
(b) What are 1. sanguinary battles? 2. pugnacious people? 3. contemporaneous
events? 4. tyrannical rulers? 5. arbitrary rules? 6. maritime countries? 7. hospitable persons? 8. authentic reports? 9. junior partners?

Exercise 3. - Study the face of the boy in the picture on the next
page. Does it express wonder, surprise, interest, curiosity, amusement,
amazement, or astonishment? Tell what each word means, and 11how
that the one you have chosen is the best.

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2.SG

LESSONS IN E N G LISH

·-·-------- -- - - ----- -

WORDS: RI G HT AND WRONG
'/'11 l1r ;1 nn idrd .

:ill :1c·ld c•d
l'l'f' Vf' nl :iii \ ' C'
1n1hr·k nown
~P11 1· R

hn.i11 't.
l nin ' I
it <' nin 'I,
l.l wv a in 't.
I hrn11·c·d
Iii {)\\'!~cl
k11 011·pcl
lw drn w ii.
1 seen it.
t.hem I !ting:::
I hpsc smt
Io hrnn n
lo iln C' C
Sf1Z hr•
j11 st :i s Ii 1·c,s
l'lllh f' I'
n•nH•tnhc•r nf
c•I.

u ::-::-:11N x
RIGHT WO R DS AN D W R ONG WORDS

Il1·n· :1 n • f mi li s ls n f 1rn ril s :111 d pl1r:1 s1•:-. Th()sc• 11 11 I hr kf L
arc · 11·()r<I :- 11 1 he · :t Yc1i.J r·d. Tl 1< ·_1· :1rr · 11·c11·d s il1 a l :1r1 · 1101. usrd
In- p1 ·n1 1l1· 11·!10 ki1011· lro 11· lo SjH':1 k a 11d 11Tif (• c·111T1•r·l ly. Tlios<'
011 I !Jc • 1·iµ:lrl an • µ:oriel 11·11r1 Is 11'!1i<'l1 1·1·1·n·liod y 011 µ: 1.rl lo 11 sc'.
l11·:1il llH • li s l:- c·:1rl'i'1illy :11111 rc ·s1d 1·1· ilr :ii l1 c· n ·:i fln 1rl11·1H ·1·c· r yo11
:=: p1·a k ()I ' 1rril <' .1·1111 11·ill 1·ir• H•s1• I Ir e· good 1rnrds a nd s l11111 1111• l;:icl .
'l 'o ii<' :I i•oirlr.t/ .
drmv 11df' d
~ ·n 11r11

T o llf' [1 srd.

dr111n!f•d
y ours

\Von s f,

Olll'f"

nn11·hf' rf'S

llf lll' ii (' l'f'

257

'/'n II!' Tlsrrl.

11tt,;1C' kcd
prev c ~ 111 ivr:
11nknown
gr. n t lnmcn
haven ' t
I a m not
hr> isn't
t hey're not;
l.hrcw
blew
kn e w
he did ii.
I snw it,
I l11 isf' l hin gs
t hi s f: OJ't,
:Lt. hom e
al: once
sa id he
j11st ns lief
rat.her
rr•n1 c: ml )('r
a le

Ex ercise. -- llc·ncl I hl' l'nll o1\' i11 g spn{.r 111·r·s, fillin g t.h c blank s with t he
ri ,t>:hl . ll'fll'd s :
t. My k i l.i l' ll fell i 11 to t.hc· lirnnk a nd 1rn.s d r- -- . 2. I do not li kc
1h- - sorl ,,f npplPs. :{. 11 e 1(11 - - ll' hcrc t he d ug was before he
l11·:m l ii. linrk . 4. \\' (' r :dl c·cl al lh r hou se b11 t nobod y was - - homr .
:) . .l:IC'k s:1id IH • 11·01ild jus t. :1.s I --· go :i s s la.v. Ii. \VIH•11 rn y fat.IH·r
: i.~ k c ·d lti111 11·lt crc • ii i' lil'<'d , !IC' l:1 11 g lt l'd , a 11d s:i.id , "N ow h- -." 7. A
s11ddc·11 !!ll SI. or 11·i11d Iii - - 111 \' h:d. olT. 8. I II rc•pl y l.o I.li e qu r,s tio11
" \\'h :i.1. ;lid 1·011 h•:t.rn :ti. sC"l111c1l .I 11d:1.y'! " 11 1' always said, " J'\ ol hill,!'; I hat
I re· - -- ." ·'I . ~ l y ":1.1111 ·rn is l:i rw· r l.h:111 .v- -. 10. \\111:11 is i.111' 11arnc
nf t it - - l lt i11 gs i11 fh e 11·i11d c111"? II . Ti c had lo d cfp11rl him sclf ll'lt c: n
fllf' li o1· ~ :1lt --- lti111 . 12. \\'hi.-lt 1n111ld .v nu r- - ltn vc:, a pn11 y or
1111 :111loi11oliil1· '! t:{. \Vhil 1· 11·c· ll' l'l'C out nf I.he roo m t he c:tt. jumped on
fl w 1.:d1i<' a 11d ----- up (,hf' 11wnl. 14. G<'o rge \V a~ hing1 o n once t hr- n ~ ih· n ilollnr :11Toss I.h e 1'111 !ll\1:11· ll.ivc•r.

256

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

WORDS : RIGHT AND WRONG
'/',. /)(' i i 1·ni1/r•i/ .
:111:it·k1 1·11
1•n·v<' 1il :ili v1•
111il)(•k111111·11
~!l rd s

gP 11i.11•111(~ 1l

'1 :1i11't.
I :1 i11 'I.
IJ1 • :1i11 'I.
llu •y :1i11 'I.
I liro wc•d
lil11 11·1·d
k llfl \Vf•d
llf' d1111 f' ii.
I Sf'(' Jl i I.
fh cm lhi11 g;.;
I hrsc• so rl
lo l1n1111•

ha n· n 't,
Tarn 11ot
he ~ is11 ' l
lh cy 'rn 11111.

lo

{) Ill' ('

S<''- lw

j11 s l. as li 1·< ·.s
n1l '11•r
l'f 'lll('!l lhc •J' of
c·t

u ::-<~ 11 ~

'<

11<'1'< ' :1r1· 111·0 li;;I :- Ill' 11·llr1l s :111d 1il1r:1.c.: 1·s .

hl ('IV
k I If ~\\'
lw did iL
I S :J\\' ii .
I hosr I hinµ: s
H1i s s ml .
ll t hfllll (~

Ollf'()
s: 1id lu ~
just as li d
rnth"r
n ·mcml1e r
ale
nj-

Th"·"'' llll 1111• 11'1'1

In· 1><·1qil1· 11·li o lrno11· 111 111 lo s 111·:1k :111d 11Til1· 1•0 JT!'!'li.1·.

Tlirnw
ffl us e'.

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Ex erci se.
1·i.g lil 11·1ll'l ls :

RIGHT WORDS AN D WRONG WORDS

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258

LESSONS IN ENGLISH
LESSON XI
EXPRESSIONS TO BE AVOIDED

Study the following sentences a nd note the expressions
which should be avoided. You will probably need to refer to
them many times.
To be A voided.
1. I wish everybody would mind
their own business.
2. I expect you got wet yesterday.
3. If I had have known you were
coming, I should have stayed at
home.
4. He felt kind of sorry at leaving us.
5. This is all the farth er we have
gone.
6. William makes hi s R's just
like I do.
7. Aren 't you rnost through?

To be Used.

1. I wish everybody would
mind his own business.
2. I suppose you got wet yesterday.
3. If I had known you were
coming, I should have stayed at
home.
4. Ile felt rather sorry at leavmg us.
5. This is as far as we have
gone.
6. William makes his R's juRt.
as I Jo.
.
7. Aren't you almost through?

1. 1'heir should be used when the nntrcedrnt i8 plum!, hi.~
when the antecedent is sing ul a r. Sec p. 123, § 298.
.
2 . .Expect refers to the future. \V e can say" I expect tlrn:.
he will come tomorrow," but not "I expect that he came
yesterday."

3. Had known is the past perfect tense of the verb know.
Seep. 238.
. 4. Kind of should be used only in such expressions as "this
kmcl of goods." Avoid also kind o', kinder (in the sense of kind
of), sort o', and sorter.

5. All the farther, in the sense of as far as, 1s simply bad
English.

259

WORDS: RIGHT AND WRONG

6. Like is a preposition and is properly used in such expressions as "He looks like me." As is a conjunctive adverb.
"· \ . ·
See p. 200, § 494.
. \
7. Most is the superlative form of many or much. See p.
135, § 325.
Exercise. - Read or write the following sentences, filling the blanks
with the words that should be used .
1. If you - - come by the morning train I could have met you at
the station. 2. I - - you are tired after your long walk. 3. Dinner
is - - ready. 4. Everyone is expected to bring - - own luncheon.
5. Spring Lake is - - lonesome after the tourists have left. 6. Frank
told me that was - - the lesson went. 8. Why don't you signal to
him - - I do?

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LESSON XII
RIGHT WORDS AND WRONG WORDS

The Wrong Words
1. I can't go without my father
gives me the money.
2. Potatoes are going to be
plenty next fall.
3. Next month I am to have a
raise in my salary.
4. Mr. Smith has rode the same
bicycle for twenty years.
5. When I got up the house
was real warm.
6. Aunt May is feeling some
better this morning. .
7. The old cat came with us a
little ways.

The Right Words
1. I can't go unless my father
gives me the money.
2. Potatoes are going to be
plentiful next fall.
3. Next month I am to have a
rise (or increase) in my salary.
4. J\l r. Smith has n:dden the
same bicycle for twenty years.
5. When I got up the house
was really (or very) warm.
6. Aunt May is feeling sornewhat better this morning.
7. The old cat came with us a
little way.

1. Without is a preposition. Unless is a Subordinating Conjunction. See p. 36 and § 215.
2. Plenty is a noun.

Plentiful is an adjective. ·

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3.
4.
verb
5.
G.
7.

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

WORDS SOMEWHAT ALIKE

261

Raise is a verb. Rise, in this cn.se, is a noun.
Rode is the past tense, ridden the past partici pie, of the
ride.
Real is an adjective, but an adverb is needed.
Some is an adjective. Somewhat is an adverb.
We may sny a way but not a ways.

his mind; 9. 1 cannot - - your invitation. 10. She _-.down · to
rest. 11. The Japanese - - three of the Russian · oruisers: 12. How
long will you - - in San Francisco? ' )3. Although he was, greatly - by the loss of his friend, he did not cease working until he had - - his
purpose.
LESSON XIV

Exercise. - Use the right words to fill the blanks in the following
sentences:
1. Chestnuts are very - - this year. 2. This . check is worthless
- - you sign your name to it. 3. The firm has promised me a - - in
salary the first of November. 4. Nobody has ever - - this mustang.
5. Judge Henson lives a little - - beyoml the stone schoolhouse. 6. The
thermometer is - - higher than it was yesterday. 7. If you will be
- - quiet I will read you a story.

Exercise 1. - (a) From . the dictionary learn the difference in meaning between the words in each of the following pairs:
1. Prescribe, proscribe ; 2. proceed, precede ; 3. impute, impugn ;
4. statue, statute ; 5. species, specie ; 6. respectively, respectfully ;
7. expect, suspect ; 8. convince, convict ; 9. lightning, lightening ; 10.
fly, flee; 11. liniment, lineament; 12. ingenious, ingenuous.; 13.
stationery, stationary.

WORDS SOMEWHAT ALIKE

(b) Use words from the first three pairs to complete these sentences :

LESSON XIII
WORDS SIMILAR IN FORM

\Vords nearly alike in form or pronunciation may have very
different meanings. Such pairs of words require special attention. Study carefully the following list and note the differences.
Except, to leave out,
Affect, to act upon, to infiuence,
Love, to regard with affection,
Lay, reclined,
Sat, took a seat,
Captivate, to charm,
Stop, to halt,

Accept, to receive, to agree to;
Effect, to produce, to accomplish;
Like, to be pleased with, to enjoy;
Laid, placed [see§ 438];
Set, placed ;
Capture, to catch ;
Stay, to remain.

Exercise . - Fill the blanks with the appropriate words selected from
the preceding list.
1. Please - - my thanks for your kindn~ss . 2. How was he - - by.
the news? 3. I - - good music. ;t, Have you ever - - up all night?
5. He - - it away in his safe. 6. He - - in bed until noon. 7. I
- - my neighbors, but I do not - - them . 8. His troubles have - -

1. What did the physician--? 2. In what order did they - - to .
the temple? 3. The band-- the regiment,. 4. You should not--/
wrong motives to me. 5. The lawyer - - the honesty of the witness.
(c) Use each of the remaining words in a sentence or phrase, to show
that you can discriminate between them.
Exercise 2. - Tell the difference in meanings of these words, and use
each word in a sentence :
1. Missives, missiles; 2. emigrants, immigrants; 3. pour, pore;
4. diseased, deceased; 5. prospective, retrospective; 6. luxurious, luxuria nt; 7. equity, iniquity; 8. retaliate, reciprocate ; 9. principal, principle ;
10. rout, route; 11. propose, purpose; 12. contemptible, contemptuous;
13. complement, compliment; 14. human, humane.
Ll~SSON

XV

UNNECESSARY WORDS

Do not use words that are not needed to express the thought
clearly.
For example; got implies action, and should not be used with have
to show simple possession, as in - We have got ten fingers.

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263

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

BIG AND LITTLE WORDS

Exercise 1. - Relieve the following sentences of all needless words
or expressions:
1. I h ave not got any money ldt.. 2. My friend got badly hurt
yesterday. 3. A widow woman called to see you. 4. From whence
came they? 5. Smell of these flow ers. G. Taste of this fruit . 7. You
had ought to read more. 8. I can never find no time. 9. You have
stood up too long: sit down a while. 10. He has lost one-half of his
money. 11.. Put t he vase up on to the shelf. 12. From hence we in fe r
his inabilit.y. 13. This fad, is uni versally known by all . 14. P ayment
must, be m:ulc by t he int.I.er c11d of t.hc month . l!i. You hadn't. ought
to use any un necessary words. Hi. Where have you been to'? 17. Had
I have known it, I should have go11e also. 18. Edward a nd .James they
both went. 19. A strait connects them together.

Exercise 1. - Substitute for the italicized words suitable descriptive expressions.
J. Nice weather; a nice picture ; nice clo the:;; a nice man; a nice lecture;
a nice ride; nice musi c ; a nice plan. 2. An awful pen; awful good;
au'fully pretty; awfully dear; awfully slow. 3. Splendid pudding ;
s7Jlendid entertainment; a perfectly splenrlirl sermon . 4. This sidewalk
is just too lovely for anything. 5. The delay was disgusting. 6. What a
pretty steamship ! 7. Those shoes are a n immense fit,. 8. I just adore
c:iram cls. 9. I hate long stori es. 10. The coffee seems mighty weak.
l l. What a horrid mistake. 12. A pcrf ectly lovely salad.
Exercise 2. - Use correctly in sentences: nice, awful, horrid , splendid,
lovely, disgusting.
Exerci11e 3. - Select. five worcls I.hat may correctly describe a brook,
a speech, music, Niagara Falls , a mountain pRth.

Exercise 2 . - Point out the superfluous words, and show why they
are unnecessary.
1. He is cquall~' as anxious as you. 2. Conr the plants onr. · 3. I
shall always dist.rust. him whPnf'VN he ~pPaks. 4. The jo11nwy will
n~quire thrr:c wrclrn' timr. !i. IZerp off of the .~rnss n. Thi s evidPnre
is wonderful and surprising. 7. You cannot give to a more worthier
object.. 8. He may prohably go, hut. hf' r:rnnot. possibly swrrrcl. 9. HP
was filled with unbounded admiration . 10. I shall first begin by showing the defects, and then aft.crwards I shall fini sh by showi11g t he excellences of the system. 11. He abhorred and detested the idea of being
in debt. 12. The funeral obsequies were largely attended. 13. I was
just going to go. 14. You do very well for a new beginner. 15. The
fort was completely surround ed on ::iii' sides by the Pnemy . 1n. What
you say is very true. 17. Thank those who are coworkers together.
LESSON XVI
INAPPROPRIATE WORDS

A void all unsuitable, or exaggerated, or " slang " expressions.
It is u seless to try to describe all kinds of things by such words as
"nice," "lovely," "awful ," "splendid ," or "perfectly immense"; find
some other adjective that will exp ress your mea ning exact ly, and re. member that it is no disgrace to speak good English everywhere.

LESSON XVTI
BIG AND LITTLE WORDS

The ::;implesl word::; are u::;ually the be::;l.

Never use a lung
Nrvf'f \ISP a
phrase when you can put your thought in a word. Avoid big,
high-sounding expressions like " a Juri<l conflagration" for
"a fire ," "a denizen of the. metropolis ." for "a city man,"
"a monarch of the forest" for " a tree "; especially beware of
old, worn-out phrases such as " trip the light fantastic toe " for \
dance, " in the arms of Morpheus " for asleep. The fewer words
you can use, the better, provided that you make your meaning '
entirely clear.
word whrn a short. nnr will s:iy what. you mPan .

Exercise 1. - Substitute simpler or more appropriate expressions for
those that are italicized.
1. He resides in an elegant mansion. 2. The barn was consumed by
the devouring elem ent. 3. We attended divine service. 4. He was cut
down by the scythe of Time. 5. She was u shered into e:r;istence in l\laine.
6. The streams are bound b11 winter's icy chai:n. 7. The ice broke, and
the boy was launched 1:nto eternity . 8. We were conveyed to the dearest
spot on earth in an express wagon. \). Crowds co ngregated to witness the

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VARIETY IN EXPRESSION

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

265

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race. 10. Divest yourself of your outer habiliments, and stay with us.
11. There were some gorgeously appareled members of the gentler sex
present. 12. Immediately upon our establishment in the hostelry we partook
of a sumptuous repast.

11. Mrs. James only has one child. 12. I have been trying to have
my watch repaired every day this week . 13. I never-expect to be any
taller than I am now. 14. Try to always put adverbs in their proper
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LESSON XVIII

LESSON XIX

AMBIGUOUS EXPRESSIONS

VARIETY IN EXPRESSION

Try to frame your sentences in s11ch a way that they cannot be
misunderstood. Expressions which can niean either of two
things are saiJ to be ambiguous.
Thus the sentence "No one should drink £his water without
being boiled " might be taken to 1nean either (1) "Every person should be boiled before he drinks this water," or (2) " No
one should drink this water without first boiling it."
Exercise 1. - Point out the two meanings which these sentences
may have. Then reconstruct each sentence so that it shall have only
one meaning:
1. Ask how old Mrs . .Jones is. 2. What I want is common sense.
3. The judge told the lawyer that he was not a n a ut hority . 4. I have
not heard from one of my fri ends. 5. She has given me more than you.
6. My fri end 's father died while he was in Europe. 7. I promised her
mother that I would call upon her sister. 8. I had just met my partner
a ruined man. !). 'Ve met the same horse tramping through the snow
in our rubber boots.

The most frequent cause of ambiguity is a wrong order of
the worJs. Try to arrange the parts of a sentence so that it may
convey as cl?arly as possible just the meaning intended.
Exercise 2. - Try . to improve the arrangement of the words in the
followinp; expressions, and explain why changes are needed.
.
I. For sale: soft men 's hat.s, black ladies' glove~, n.nd lc~g;~ings for
children with or without feet. 2. \Ve came very near being killed more
than once. 3. H e bought a new pai r of gloves. 4. Carpets and clothes
beaten and washed. 5. All rivers are not so swift. 6. Solve the next
example to the end but one. 7. l should like to visit you very much.
8. I only recite in the morning. 0. I heard di you said very distinctly.
10. A fine view was obtained from the upper story of Niagara Falls.

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Exercise. - Read the following selection, substituting for the italicized
words a nd phrases others that are synonymous or nearly so. Have you
improved the narrative in any way? Give your reason.
I am sure that you have read accounts of voyages in the Arctic regions.
You have been told of the sufferings of the crews during the long winters,
amid the ice and snow; and you have heard how, during that dismal
pcn'od, there is total darkness, for the sun never rises for weeks and
months together. On the other hand, these northern regions often present a more cheerful picture. During midsummer, the long darkness of
winter is atoned for by perpetual sunshine. At midnight there is still
the full brilliance of day, and the sun, though low, no doubt, has ,not
passed below the horizon. Even in the northerly parts of Europe we can
sec the midnight sun. Lord Dufferin, in his delightful narrative of a
cruise, entitled "Letters from High Latitudes," gives an interesting illustration of the perplexities arising from endless daylight. It appears that
everything went on happily until the fatal moment when the yacht crossed
the Arctic Circle. Then it was that dire tribulation arose among the
poultry. A fine cock was the cause of the trouble. Knowing his duty,~
he always liked to be particular about performing the important task of ,
crowing at sunrise. This he could do regularly, so long as the yacht
remained in reasonable latitudes, where the sun behaved properly. But \
when they crossed the Arctic Circle, the cock was confronted with a
wholly new experience. The sun never set in the evening, and consequently never had to rise in the morning. What was the distracted bird
to do? He did everything~ He burst into occasional fits of terrific
crowi11g at all sorts of hours, then he gave up crowi ng altogether, but
finding that did not mend matters, he took to crowing incessantly. Exhaustion was succeeded by delirium, a nd rather than live any longer in a
universe where the sun was · capable of pranks so heartless, the indignant
fowl flung himself from the vessel and perished in the Arctic Ocean.

-R. S. Ball.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LETTER-WRITING
- -- - - - - - -- -- - - - - - -- -- - ·-- -

(c) When it would be of any use to tell the county, give that next. It
sometimes happens that in one ~tate there are several towns with similar
names, so that the name of the' 'cpunty is needed to ?istinguish them;
and if a town is small and little known, it may hasten the delivery of the
reply to add the county.
.

CHAPTER III
LETTER- WRITING

(d) Next comes the name of the state, unless you are .sure that it is

not needed.
LESSON XX
THE HEADING

The most general use of written language ~is for Letters
which we send addressed to absent persons, to whom we have
something to say.
1. Kinds. - Letters may, of course, be written upon any subject.
They may serve in transacting business; they may give or ask for information or advice; or they may take t he place of ordinary conversation between fri ends and acquaintances. Sometimes they arc formal,
sometimes familiar.
2. Form. - By custom a formal
parts:
4.
1. The Heading,
2. The Address,
5.
6.
3. The Salutation,

267
- -- - -- - - - - " -

letter is made to consist of six
The Body of the Letter,
The Complimentary Ending,
The Writer's Signature.

3. The Heading of a letter should give the place and date of
writing. If a reply is to be sent to the place of writing, the
letter should show exactly where to send it by mail. If a
reply is to be sent elsewhere than to the place of writing, the
fact should be indicated after the signature. (Form 8.)
1. Place. - If in a city or in any other place where they need to be
known, give ,(a) the name or number of the house, and the name of the

street (or else the post-office box). Thus: Turner's Inn, Green St.; or
Park Sq. (Forms 1 to 26.)
(b) Always give the name of the city, town, or post-office to
which replies are to be sent.

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2. Time. - In familiar letters, and whenever it needs to be known, give
first the day of the week. (Forms 4 and 12.) \ In other letters, give
only the day of the month, the month, and the year. We may write
24 May, 1906, or May 24, 1906.

3. Position of Heading. - The heading may occupy one, two, or
three lines, according to the space it requires. It begins an inch or more
from the top, and about half way across the page toward the right. Each
of the following lines, if one is not enough, should begin a little farther
to the right. Always put the whole of the date on one line.
·
4. Heading Omitted. - Except in business letters, the heading is
often omitted, and the place and time are given at the left of the page
after the signature. (Forms 19 and 26.)
5. Punctuation. - Put ·commas after every part, except between
the name and the day of the month, a nd between the name and the ;
number of the street or post-office box. Put a period after abbreviations,\
and at the end of the whole.
'
Exercise. - Examine carefull y the forms on pp . 273-279. Then write
the following as headings properly arranged:
1. Oct. 25, 1D06, Saratoga, State of New York, 217 Spring St.
2. I am in Andover, in Oxfor<l Co., in Maine, at the Eagle Hotel,
July 21, 1907.
3. At Home on Washington's Birthday, 1906, Thursday.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

4. Outline model of letter showing in<lentions an<l arrangement of parts.

269

LETTER-WRITING

LESSON

xxf

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THE ADDRESS AND THE SALUTATION
THE ADDRESS
I. Headin g.

The Address of a letter consists of the name and title of the
person or firm to whom it is written. Sometimes, especially
in business letters, the residence or place of business is added.
2. Address .

3. Salutation,

4. Body of Letter .

5.

Complim~rnhry

enOing.

6. Signature.

1. Name and Title . - To the name of the person addressed it is
polite to add an appropriate title.
(a) Before the name we may wr!te:
Mr. in addressing a man.
Mrs. [Mistress] in addressing a married woman.
Messrs. [Messieurs] in addressing two or more men.
Miss (pl. Misses) in addressing an unmarried woman or a girl.
Master (pl. Masters) in addressing a boy.
I
Rev. or The Rev. before the full name or some other title in
addressing a clergyman; as, The Rev. C. F. Howe; Rev. Mr.
Howe; The Rev. Dr. Howe; not Rev. Howe.
Hon. in
addressing members of Congress,
and a few other high
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officials.
;
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Dr. in addressing a physician; or any person who has one of\; --.
the titles M.D., Ph.D., D.D., LL.D., etc.
·.\
(b) After the name we may write:
•
Esq. in addressing lawyers, many government officers, ·. and
sometimes other gentlemen, though it is now U\)ed less often
than formerly.
(c) In addressing the President of the United States, or the Governor of a State, the following forms may be used:
To the President,
To His Excellency, - - - Executive Mansion,
Governor of the State o f - - - Washington, D. C.
Sir: (or Your Excellency).
Sir: (or Mr. President).
(d) There are many other titles, such as Gen ., Col., Supt., which
may be used in addressing the persons to whom they rightfully belong.

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271

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LETTER-WRITING

(e) Sometimes two or more different titles are used together; as,
Prof. Wm . Hale, M.D., LL.D.; but if both have the same meaning, as
Dr. and Af.D., they should not be used together. With Esq., no other
title should be used; and we should not say Jlfr. Dr. Brown.
2. Residence . - By residence is meant the name of the post-office and
state; sometimes also the street and number where a person receives
letters.
3. Arrangement and Position. - The address may, like the heading,
occupy one, two, or three lines. The first line should contain nothing
but the name and title, and should not be indented from the left margin.
Each of the following lines should be indented somewhat more than the
one before it.
"
In business letters the address should be given on the two· or three
lines below the heading. In faim:Ziar letters, if given in full, it should
begin on the line below the signature. In other letters it may be written
at the encl instead of at the top, especially when the heading is very long.
(Form 11.)

2. Position. - If the address consists of three lines, the salutation
may be indented as much as the second line. (Form 18.)" .If it consists
of one or two lines, the salutation should be written a little to the right.
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(Forms 13, 16.)
If the address is omitted here, the salutation should begin at the left
margin of the line below the heading.
Although usage is not uniform, there is a tendency among typewriters
to place the salutation by itself on the line below the address without
indention. This is done so that the body of the letter may stand alone.

THE SALUTATION

The Salutation is a courteous or affectionate greeting that
serves to in.troduce the body of the letter.
1. Form. - Its form depends upon who is writing, who is aclclressecl,
and what degree of intimacy or friendship there is between the two.
Hence there are many forms from which to choose, though only a few can
be given here. ·w here several forms are given in succession, the first
are the most formal, the last are the most familiar.
(a) In business or formal letters of any sort we write:
Sir (pl., Sirs or Gentlemen);
Madam (pl., Ladies);
Dear Sir or Sirs;
Dear Madam;
My clear Sir.
My dear Madam.
A young unmarried woman is addressed simply as (for example) Miss
Brown, or Dear Miss Brown.
(b) In more familiar letters, we may use one of the preceding forms,
or such as these:
Friend Brown;
1\1 y dear Neel ;
Cousin Clara;
Dear Brown;
My dear Friend;
My dear Mother.

Punctuation. - After the salutation, use a comma, a colon, a comma
and a dash, or a colon and a dash, according to the degree of formality
with which the letter begins. The comma is the least formal.
Exercise. -After studying the forms on pp. 274-277, write the various addresses and salutations that you might use 1. In writing to you.r father; your brother or sister; your uncle; your
·
grandmother; your cousin.
2. In writing to ah intimate. friend; to your teacher; to a physician;
to a neighbor.
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3. In 'writing to a clergyman who is a stranger to you; to the chairman of your school committee; to the superintendent of schools . . / :

LESSON XXII .
THE BODY, THE ENDING, AND THE SIGNATURE

I.

THE BODY .

/

1. Contents. - Do not make such needless remarks as "I now take
my pen in hand," or "I will now close," but begin with something worth
saying; express yourself clearly and concisely in complete sentences
grouped into paragraphs according to the sense; and stop when you
have done. Use simple words, avoiding slang. Careless or illegible
penmanship may not only occasion costly mistakes, but it shows a want
of respect.

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272

273

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LETTER-WRITING

2. Position, Form, etc. The Body begins under the end of the introduction, or if that is long, on the same line with the salutation. There
should be a narrow margin at the left extending the whole length of
the page; we should write legi bly, without crowding, and never divide a
syllable at the end of a line.

(a) The signature is to be written distinctly on the line following the
complimentary ending, and indente~ about half the width of the page.

11.

Tim

ENDING

The Complimentary Ending is a courteous assurance of good
faith, res pr.ct, or affection, which is added at the end of a letter.·
One should say something that is in keeping with the style of
, letter he has written, and with his relations to the" person addressed; and he should at the same time express his feelings
truthfully.
1. Form. -

(a) In business or form al letters t he common forms are :
Yours truly;
(Very) trnly yours;
(Very) respectfully yours.
Yours respectfully;
And in extremely formal letters, surh as arc sometimes written to high
officials Form 11, or somethin g similar, may be used. (Forms 1 to 2G.)
(b) For fri endly or familiar letters there is a great vari ety of other
forms, some of which are given in the models. Other examples are :
Faithfully yours;
With highest, rpgards;
Yours ever ;
Most truly yours;
Yours sincerely;
Your loving sister;
Your devoted son;
Ever most gratefully yours. (Forms 3, 6, 8.)
"Yours, etc.," is vulgar.
2. Position. -The conclusion begins on the line following the body
of the letter, and is indented about one-third the width of the page. If
it is long, it should be a rran ged in two or three lines, like the heading
and the address. (Forms, pp. 274- 277.)
BL

Tim

SIGNATURE

The Signature shows the name of the person who writes or
dictates the letter. When a person writes as an officer of any
sort, he should add his official name (Form 14); and when hJ
signs for another person, he should give both names. (Form
17.)

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(b) In all business, formal, or extremely important letters, it should

·1

be written in full, and in every other letter when there might possibly
be a doubt as to who sent it.

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(c) A lady when writing to a stranger should so sign her name as to
show whether she is to be addressed as Miss or as Mrs. (Form 19.)

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Place and Date, or Address, at the End. - (a) When the place and
date are not given as a heading, they are to be added in the same form
at the left of the page, on the line below the signature. (Forms 19 and
26.) Or(b) The address may be put here if omitted a:t the beginning.

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(Form

11.)

(c) The place to which a reply is to be sent should be given here, i~
it is not the same as the place of writing. (Form 8.)
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Observe carefully the position, capitals, and
punctuation of the parts of a letter as given in these forms.
Model Forms. -

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[Form 2]

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274

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LETTER-WRITING

[Form 4)

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[Form 5]

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l. Your father wishes you to bring your copy-book home that he
may see your improvement in penmanship. Write a letter to your
teacher, asking permission to do this~ '. You may say which book you
mean, when you would like to take it, or how your father came to ask
about your writing. (Use Forms 1, 24, 25.)
2. Your teacher thinks you have been rather careless in your writing,
and wishes your father to wait until the close of the term before exam- .
ining the book. Write to your father a letter explaining the matter
fully. (Use Forms 1, 2, 3.)
3. A friend of yours named - - , has invited you to drive next Saturday afternoon. Write to your mother, who is in an adjoining town,
asking leave to go, and telling her all you know about how many are
going, where you are to go, and how late you are to stay. (Follow
Forms 2, 3, 12.)
4. Your mother has a plan to receive comp,any at that time, and
wishes you to be at home. Write to your friend about the matter,
expressing your thanks and regrets.· (Use Forms 5, 6, 12.)
5. Miss Elsie White, of 13 Oak St., Louisville, Ky., has received a
Maltese kitten by express from her friend Mary Ford, who lives in Cincinnati. She is much pleased, and writes a letter acknowledging the
gift, and mentioning some traits that she has discovered in her new pet.
Write Elsie's letter. (Select from Forn:is 4 and 12, 5, 7, and 24.)

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LESSON XXIII
BUSINESS LETTERS

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Exercises. - Upon a properly shaped page, write the very best letter
you can, whether long or short, and whatever the subject. Refer to the
preceding forms and directions. Only constant practice can give you
facility.

275

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A Business Letter should be business-like. Generally it is
brief. Always it should be clear, straightfor~ard, and: to the
point. Whatever does not bear directly on the matter,in hand
may be safely omitted.
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The reply to a business letter should acknowledge its receipt, give
its date, and refer to its contents. We may say, for example, "Your
favor of the 28th ult., in answer to our inquiries, is at hand," etc.
None but the most common abbreviations are to be used, and no
figures except in connection with dates and large sums of rrioney. The
sign & is to be used only in the name of a firm.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

276
Model Forms.

Observe carefully the a<ldress, salutation and

LETTER-WRITING

l

277

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ending of the forms below.

[Form 15]

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[Form ' l6]

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[Form 19]

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278

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LETTER - WRITING

Exercises. - 1. Write to Messrs. Geo . Beck & Sons, Rochester, N.Y.,
asking them to send you six varieties of Rower seeds, whi ch yo u may
name in a column, with t he price of each set o pp o:~ ite . Write as if you
inclo,;eci a postal order for fi[ ty cents. (Select what yo u think appropri ate forms.)
2. Write to the postmaster in yo ur city or town to ask the cost of
sending books through the mail. Before writing decid e exactly what
you mean to ask.
(Compare Forms 7, l.'i, 18, 25, 14, 17.)
3. Write the a nswer that, n,s an offi<'.er of the Government, he sends
you . (Select parts of Forms 13, 14, 11.)
4. Monroe & H emy arc ex prrssmr•n doing business n,t; 14-7 Spruce
St. Write them to call for your trunk in time for a certa in train which
you wi sh to take at the nearest railroad station. Be very definite.
5. Write to t he publishers of this book, asking to have a copy of it
sent to some person who lives in a neighboring town, a nd who has asked
you t c buy a copy for him. Write as if you were to inclose payment.
(Use Forms 0, 18.)
6. Samuel Underhill, who lives at 745 University Ave., Knoxville,
T enn., incloscs an express mon ey order for one dollar and seventy-five
cents t o Perry Mason Co., publi shers of The Youth's Compam:on , Boston,
Mass., as the subscription price of t hat ma.ga?.ine for . a year. Write
his letter. · 7. Write to Wm . Constable & Co., asking t hat some samples of dressgoods be sent to yo ur mother's address. Give them some idea of the
kind wanted . They do business in Broadway, New York City.
8. lVlrs. Betsey Trotwood, who lives in Fresno, Cal., at 95 E lm St.,
has received a tub of butter from Ra lph La ne, a farmer living in
Oleander, Cal. It was sent with t.11c understanding that it might be
exchanged. It is not satisfactory, and :Mrs. T. writes accordingly.
Reproduce her letter. (Use Form Hl.)
9. Dr. Thomas F. Snow lives on Revere St., Bosto n, at Number 96.
H e wishes to purchase n residence in one or the s uburb~ , costing not over
$5,000. H e writes to Geo. II . Cha pin & Co., !teal Estate A1rcnts, Journal
Building, Boston, telling t hem what he wants, nnd asking t hem to communi cate with him. \Vri te his letter. (Use Forms 7, 18, 25.)
10. They reply to Mr. Snow, describin g t wo places they have for sale,
- one in Arlington, and the other in l\lelrose. They give him an idea
of the size of each house, of the location, price, terms of payment, etc.,

and invite him to call to see them. Write their letter. (Use Forms
8, 12, 17.)
11. Write to your grocer to send yqu "on account" a definite quantity of four kinds of groceries. You may complain of the quality of the
last oil he sent you, and explain how it burns. You will try a different
brand.
12. As clerk for Bond Brothers, dealers in hay and grain, \)4. Portla nd St., Lowell , Mass., write to the Freight Agent of the B. & M. R.R. ,
Portla nd , Me., in cp1iring about the delay in the shipment of three carloads of hay consigned to your firm on a certain date.

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LESSON XXIV
R EPLY TO AN ADVERTISEMENT

Study this model form . Then write one or more of the letters called for by the exercises.
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[Form 20]

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LE5SONS IN ENGLISH

Exercises. - 1. FOR SALE. A farm of thirty-five acres, all under
cultivation. Price reasonable, and terms easy. For full particulars,
address LEM UEL MASON, Sharon, Mass.
Edward Poorman answers this adverti sement. His address
P. 0. Box 315, Providence, R. I. Write his let.tor.
2. l\fr. Mason replies, giving a full description of the farm, stating ·
price, reasons for selling, and other facts whi ch a purchaser might wish
to know. Write his letter.
3. TO LET. A small house, in a pleasant, retired situation.
particulars, address .Jos. B. AnNoLD, P. 0. Box 1492, Chicago, Ill.
Dr. Allan Downs, who li ves at 3!.lG Madison St., in the same
answers this advertisement, asking information. Write his letter.
4. Mr. Arnold replies, describing the house and giving its location,
telling rent, etc.
Write his letter.
5. WANTED. A boy in a hardware store to learn Uie business.
Must be honest, willing to work, and ready to give up the use of tobacco
if desired. Address, stating age, residence, qualifications, and references, FRANK PumNGTON & Co ., 294 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio.
Guy Wheeler, who lives in Sandusky, Ohio, answers this advertisement. Write his letter.

LETTER-WRITING
(Form 22]

281

INVITATION ACCEPTED

:Form 23]

INVITATION NOT ACCEPTED

Informal invitations and replies are written in the first person, and
may follow one of the forms in preceding letters or that given below.
[Form NJ

LESSON XXV

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NOTES OF INVITATION, ETC.

Formal invitations and replies are written in the third person upon .
note-paper or cards. They are dated at the bottom, and no signature ·
is added. The followine; models may be used.
(Form 21.)

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(Form 25]

FORMAL INVITATION

[Form 26)

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282

283

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LETTER-WRITING

Exercises. - 1. Write for your mother to her fri ends, Mr. and Mrs.
John F. Ayer, a formal invitation to dinner next Wednesday at six
o'clock.
2. They send a formal acceptance. Reproduce it. .Or 3. They formally decline on accou nt of a previous engagement.
Write their declination.
4. Alice Harrison Doe invites her cousin, Mary Sands, to spend the
holidays with her, and tells some of her plans for Christmas Day, and
the week following. Alice lives at the Armington Home, Philadelphia,
and her cousin at 213 Murray Ave., Harrisburg. Refer to a previous
visit. (Use Forms 9, 26.)
5. Miss Mary's mother is ill, and she is unable to come. Write the
reply in which she tells what she is busy about.

2. Position. The superscription should generally be on the lower
half of the envelope, and each succe~sive line should begin a little farther
toward the right.
·
3. Punctuation is meant to be n help to the reader; and on envelopes
where there is nothing but the address, and where the parts of that are
already separate enough, the best usage is to omit terminal points, as
in the models. It is better to give the name of the state in full, on a
separate line.
4. Return Address. The name and address of the sender are often
placed in the upper left-hand corner, that the letter may be returned
if not delivered. This is sometimes an important addition, as when
it is not certain that the letter is rightly addressed, or when the full
name of the writer is not given inside. (Form 29.)

LESSON XXVI
THE ENVELOPE, ETC.

,,

Fold a letter-sheet by turning up the lower edge to meet the upper ·
evenly. Then fold twice the other way -- first the left edge, then the
right, making the distance between the folds a little less than the width
of the envelope.
Fold the lowest third of a note-sheet toward the top, then fold the
upper end toward the bottom. If the sheet is wider than the length
of the envelope, fold it in the middle from the bottom to the top, and
then from left to right. If the envelope is nearly square, fold the paper
once in the middle.

The Superscription, or address upon the envelope, is chiefly .
for the benefit of post-office officials, and should be written so
fully and so distin ct,ly as noL Lo hinder in any way t.hr, spc0dy
delivery of the letter.
1. Contents. Besides the name and title with the post-office and
state, there must be sometimes the street and number; sometimes the
county; and sometimes the nanw of the pcrnon to whose care the letter
is sent - all arranged as shown in Forms 27-30.

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5. The stamp should be evenly placed, right end up, abou,t an eighth
of an inch from the upper right-hand corner. Inclose a stamp to p;:i,y
for sending the reply, when you think it is only fair to do so . .
Exercises. - Rule rectangles on ·slate or paper, making them the
exact shape of some envelope, and copy the ;models on p. 284. Then
·
write envelope addresses to the following:
1. To your father, mother, brother, sister, or some classmate; to some
clergyman of your acquaintance; to a friend, in care of his or her father,
whose post-office box is numbered 47.

2. To a doctor of divinity named Gilbert Shaw, living in Cincinnati
at 24 Wilson Sq.

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3. To Emmett, I(ent & Co., a firm of lumber dealers, doing business
in Clinton, Illinois. Clinton is in De Witt Co.
4. To the wife of John Alden, who lives in the capital of Ohio, at 91
Garfield Avenue.
5. To a firm composed of Miss Decker and Miss Fitz, whose millinery
rooms are on Cumberland St., No. 201, Nashville, Tennessee.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

284

TELEGRAMS

285

Forms of superscription:
LESSON XXVII

11

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The parts of a telegram are (1) the name and address of the
person to whom it is sent, (2) the body, and (3) the signature
of the sender.
Telegraph companies do not charge for the name and address
or for the signature, and hence these may be given in full. For
the body of the message, however, there is a fixed charge for
ten words or less, and an extra charge for each word over ten.
The message, therefore, does not usually exceed ten words.
The art of writing a telegram consists in saying clearly what
yo u have to say in the fewest words possible. The forms of
courtesy used in letters are generally omitted.
Figures, decimal points, and dollar signs are couhted as separate words, and : compound words as one word. Numbers
should be spelled out. If there is any question how the words
of your telegram should be counted, inquire at the local tele-·
graph office .
The following is a good telegram:

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GEORGE

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TICKER,

Evansville, Ind.

Oct. 28, 1906.

FRANK SIMONS.

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Exercises. - 1. You were to join your father at a hotel in a neighboring city at a oertain hour, but you have missed the train. Telegrarh him, telling him what has happened and when you will arrive.
Use ten words or less in the body of the message.
2. On your arrival at the Central House, Denver, from Chicago, you
find your baggage missing. You telegraph at once to the baggagemaster at the station in Chicago making inquiries, describing trunk,
and giving orders. Use not more than fifteen words in the body of the
message.

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Convention at Auditorium, . Chicago, Thursday afternoon at two .
Bring credentials.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

HOW TO TELL A STORY

3. Yesterday you sent an order to Samuel Pease & Co., St. Louis,
Mo., for four Monarch refri gerators, sir,c No. 4. You find now t hat you
should have sent for three of size No. 4 and one of size No. 5. Send a
telegram correcting the error.
4. When Edward Birney reaches the fishing camp on Carp Lake.,
near Provemont, Mich ., he finds that he has left his steel fishing-rod .in ··
t he closet of his room at home. He teleµ;raphs to hi s father at 624
Cheny St., Elkhart., Ind., explaining the matter and aski ng him to send
the rod by express. Write the telegram.
5. When you bought your ticket at Forest City, you were in such
haste to catch t he t ra in t hat you left your pocket-book lyi ng on the
ticket-seller's window. You are now at Sumach Junction. Telegraph
to t he t icket-agent at Forest City, describin g the pocket-book, telling .
him how much money it contains, a nd asking him to send it by the conductor of t he next train.
6. Reduce each of the following telegrams to ten words or less, not
coun ti ng the address and signatu re :
NEW
OLIVER !'OST,

Yomc, September 2, 1906.

626 Orange Avenue, Tampa, Fla.

Your letter has been received, but I cannot read t he name of the
steamer on which you say your fath er is coming. Please . telegraph it
to me at once.
F. l'. STANTON.
C rn <JAGO,

Miss

C uAHLOTT E FmEU MAN,

J1mc 5, 1907.

Little Rock, Ark.

There are three t runks in t he Sant.a Fe baggage room one of which ·. ,
may be yours. You must send me a fullei· descrip tion .
T. c ..J O H NSON .
Co t.OH.A 1>0 8 1'BI N<;S, CO L .,

SAMUE L

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March 24.

Lawrence\'i ll e, 1\linn .

Yo ur son Frederi ck has had a relnpse and is now rl n.ngerously ill.
You had better come on at once a nd bring Mr'!. ~1 arsh with you.
STEP H EN L ANGDON .

287

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CHAPTER IV

II

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NARRATIVES

LESSON XXVIII

1:

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HOW TO TELL A STORY

1;

A story must (1) begin right, (2) it must be told in the
right order, (3) it must end right, anc.l (4) it must contain
only what is necessary. Here is an example of a gooc.l story
well ·told. As you read, notice what is told first, what follows,
and how the story ends.
My brother Frank was sent to the post-office for a letter. When he
came t here, t he poor child found a big dog at the door of the office, and
was afraid to go in. It was just t he dead part of the day in a coun try
:'illage, when even the shops are locked up for an hour, and Frank, who
1s very shy, saw no one whom he could call upon. He t ried to make
Miss Evarts, the post-office clerk, hear; but she was in the back of the
office. Frank was fri ghtened, but he meant to do his duty. So he
crossed t he bridge, walked up to t he butcher 's shop in the other village,
- whi ch he knew was open - spent two pennies for a bit of meat, and
carried it back to tempt his enemy. He waved it in the ai r, called the
dog, and threw it into the street. The dog was much more willing to
eat the meat than to eat Frankie. He left his post. Frank went in'
and tapped on the glass, and Miss Evarts came and gave him the letter.
Frank came h;lme in triumph, a nd pa pa said it was a fin er piece of duty
performed than the celebrated sacri fi ce of Casabianca's would have
been, had it happened that Casabianca ever made it. -E. E. Hale.
1 . This story begins right because it tells first precisely the things we
must know to understand what follows. Thus the beginning gives the
name of the boy and tells what he was asked to d·o.

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288

A ST·O-RY TO BE STUDIED

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

9

2. It. is in t he right order because the evcnt.s are told just as they
happP.11P.<l :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Seeing the big dog at the door.
Looking for help.
Trying to make l\.li ss Evarts hear.
13uying the meat.
Tempting the dog away.
Getting t he le tter.
Going home.

3. It ends right because it closcg with t.hc last thing that we want to
know.

There is nothing else to tell.
4. It contains all that we want. to hear at this time about Frank and
the dog, and it contains nothing more.
Try changing the order of the happenings nm! see whether the story
is made better or worse.
Exercise . - A fri end of yours is at the hospital with a broken ankle. To amuse him and take his mind off hi s pain, write for him a story about
something t hat has hap pened in yo ur school since he left . Choose the
most interesting in cident you can think of. 13efore you write con sider
how you will begin, how you will end , and in what order you will tell
the story.
LESSON XXIX
A STORY TO BE STUDIED

10
11

12
13
14
15

'

16

17
18
19

20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35

One fine spring morning when every one was working busily, the
yelping of hunters' hounds broke the stillness, and before any one
had time to rush to the windows' to see what was the ~atter, a fox
dashed in at the open schoolroom door with a pack of hounds close
upon it. In a second everything was in an uproar. The fox, once
in the room, turned about as if it wanted to go back, but the hounds
in the door blocked the way, so with growls and snarls it leaped over
the benches, scattering the screaming children right and left, and
kn ocking over a little girl who still sat in her scat as if paralyzed
by fear.
Some of the children scrambled under benches to get out of the
way, others huddled together in corners, and a few nearest the door
rnshed out, while the teacher, who tried to ma ke himself heard in
the confusion, shouted, "Out at the door, everybody!" The fox
made for the farther corner of the room, and as the hounds closed in
upon it, in the general hubbub, the last of the children were finally
pushed out at the doorway by the teacher, and from the screams
of the fox and the noise of tumbling bodies they could tell that the
death struggle was taking place inside.
A group of hunters came riding up, and several hurried into the
schoolroom to the hounds' assistance. They had guessed what had
taken place when they heard the shouts of the children, but were too
far away to call off the hounds. They seemed heartily sorry to
think they had caused such a disturbance. The children now had
great sport talking over their unexpected visitor with the hunters
and their teacher, and in putting things in order in the schoolroom
but all work for that day was over.
- Katherine Klingel.

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AN UNWELCOM.g VISITOR

Read the first paragraph of this story.
1
Many years ago, when m11ch of our land wns sti ll C1ovcred with
2 thi ck woods, a li ttle frn,me schoolhouse stood at the edge of a large
3 forest. Oft en the child ren in R<·lwol would tremble to hear the
4 wolves howling near by, a nd somct,imcs, at piny outside, the sight
5 of a pair of f-icry eyes in t he underbrush would make them scamper
6 for the schoolhouse ; y<'t they loved to collect a t the windows and
7 watch the troops of gay hunters who passed on their way to the
8 forest.

What is told us in this para.graph? Does anything happen in this
part of the story? If not, what is this paragraph for? Why not leave
it out? What is the use of telling us where the schoolhouse stood?
Do we need to know this in order to understand and enjoy the rest of
the story? Why say anything in this paragraph about the fears of
the children? About the hunters? Why not leave those things until
the end?

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290

A STORY TO COMPLETE

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Read the second paragraph.

LESSON XXX

Why <loes the writer tell us at the beginning that the children wet:e
working busily? Do we need to know that right here? Why not watt
until the fox has come in before telling us the children were busy? Why
not wait until the end of the story before saying this? Why tell about
the yelping of the hounds before tellinµ; about, the dashing in .of tl~e
fox? Name all the happenings in the order in which they come m this
paragraph. Do you see why they should come in this order?

Read the third paragraph.
Could you put the second sentence first?

291

Why not?

Read the last paragraph.

A STORY TO COMPLETE

What you see here is a clipping 'from a New York paper.
It contains a true story of a brave little boy. Unfortunately
the latter part of it has been torn away and lost. See, however, whether you cannot complete the story. You will fin<l some
help in the opening sentences, an<l the questions below may
suggest what to write.
ew or s ow
us
t'esence'. of· mind ·and oou1·age tor one llO
YQun& one day la11l week whi;n fire broke
•o ut an · hla. .11cbool. He proved· a hero .on the
oc~lon li:nd a\·ertea a panic •. The boY'IJ .
name la Tony Rufflno. He ls eleven ,yea.rs
old · and· a.tlends public schopl No '~S on
Clark street,. whtch achooJ . h~,,1,500 pup!ls,
Just bcto're the noon rec""" IMt Munday fire , ... a.s dlec.o'veteci undl!r a sta.rrway
and· the principal waa at once notlfl.ed, and
.an alarm sent to . l}le fire di.partment. .Jm.
mcd ,il.tely the prfnclpal sounded thP. nre:. .
drill .amrm '3-rid the .chudrenl wh1> were' aoustomed ·tO such <Trills, has ened lo march
;
ut ti.a usual. ('l'he building· being bul two.,
&torle-s high It has no flre escapes.) One ot
' !
th~ ctass rooms nea·r the 11talrway filled
p "1lth 11moke and you can Imagine the .
xcltemenl a.m-0ng the fifty boys and girls
n the room. It Is a rule Iii the school .that ·
fire drills t.he g ··rls pass 01rt first. T .h e.
t , moke
however, got the better of one
. y·e goqd sense and he made a tush .tor"
111 the door. Others prepared to follow hln1(
;
a,11<2 confusion W!ls Imminent when .'bne
·a maU_ boy, Master Tony Rumno Jumped '.'.
out and faced the l!"ader with 1h ·
.
_man'dlrt1f 1;1lr ·of e · Major Ge e
0

What does it t ell first? What next? What is the last sentence
about? Could the last sentence be put anywhere else in the story?
Why not?
Exercise. - Make a list of all the things that are told in the story.
You may write it in this way:
Paragraph I.
1. What is told first.
2. What is told next.
1. What happe ns first .
Paragraph II .
2. What happens next.
3. What happens third.
Paragraph III . 1. What hap pens first.
2. What happens next.
Paragraph IV . 1. What happens first.
2. What is told next.
3. What happens last.
In line 11 why does the writer say "rush to the windows"? Why
not "go to the windows"? In line 12 we are told that the fox "dashed
in at the open schoolroom door "? Why not say that the fox "came
in at the open schoolroon1 door "'1
Why use the word sr,rcaming in line HI? Would it not be just as
well to say "Scattering the child ren righ t and left"?
Notice the word scrambled in line rn. Would it be as well to say
"Some of the children crawled under benches"? Why not? Why
use huddled in line 20? Why not say "Others stood together in
. corners"?

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1. What did Tony say to the boy who made a rush for the door?
2. What did the boy say and do? 3. What· happened then? 4. Did
the children march out in order? 5. How long did it take them to
reach the sidewalk? 6. When did the fire-engines come? 7. Was
the building saved?
Try retelling the whole story (1) as Tony might have told it to his
father or mother when he went home at noon; or (2) as one of the girls
might have told it to a girl in another room that afternoon; or (3) as the
principal might have told it in a letter to the superintendent .

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LESSON XXXI
A LETTER AND A STORY

The following letter waR writt.cn l>y General Robert E.
to his SOIL It contains many thoughtR tha.t arc worth noting
and remembering.
Am.INGTON

I-IousE, April 5, 1852.

MY DEAR SON: - I am just in the act of leaving home for New
Mexico. My fine old regiment has been ordered to that distant region,
and I must hasten on to see that they are properly cared for. I have
but little to add in reply to your letters of l\Jarch 26, 27, and 28. Your '· l ;
letters breathe a true spirit of franlrn ess; they have given myself and ,. .·
your mother great pleasure. You must study to be frank with the
world; frankness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what
you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted that you
mean to do right. If a friend asks a favor you should grant it if it is
reasonable; if not, tell him plainly wh y you can not; you will wrong him and ,
yourself by equivoc:ition of any kind . Never do a wrong thing to make .
a friend or keep one; the man who requires you to do so is dearly pur- ,' , ,
chased at such a sacrifice. Deal kindly but firmly with all your clas.~- · \"'
mates; you will find it the poli cy which wears best. Above all, do not ."
appear to others what you are not. If yo u have any fault to find with "
any one, tell him, not others, of what you complain; there is no more ·,
dangerous experiment than that of unclcrtaking to be one thing before '
a man's face and another behind his back.
We should live, act, and say nothing to the injury of any one.
is not only best as a matt.er of principle, but it is the path of peace and
honor.
In regard to duty, let me, in conclusion of this hasty letter, inform
you that nearly a hundred years ago there was a day of remarkable .
gloom and darkness - still known as the dark day - a clay when the
light of the sun was slowly cxt.inguishccl as if by an cc·lipsc. The leg- ' .:
islature of Connecticut was in ses>1io11, a11cl n.s its mcrnbcrs saw tho un- . ~
expected and unaccountable darkness coming on they shared in the 1 ;'.
general awe and terror. It was supposed by many that the last day, ·
the day of judgment, had come. Someone, in the consternation of • "'
the hour, mo.ved an ad journment. Then there arose an old Puritan .> -,
legislator, Davenport, of Stanford, and said if the last day had come •

A STORY FROM A POEM

293

he desired to be found at his place doing his duty, and therefore moved
that candles be brought in so the house could proceed with its duty.
i'here was quietness in that man's .mind, the quietness of heavenly
wisdom and inflexible willingness to obey present duty. ·Duty, then,
is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things,
like the old Puritan. You cannot do more; you should never wish to
do less• Never let me and your mother wear one gray hair for any
lack of duty on your part. Your affectionate father.
Exercise . - Retell in your own words the story of "The Dark Day."

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A STORY FROM A POEM

R ead the following story carefully.
THE OYSTER AND ITS CLAIMANTS

- La Fontaine.

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LESSON XXXII

Two travelers discovered on the beach '
An oyster, carried thither by the sea.
'Twas eyed with equal greediness by each;
Then came the question whose was it to be.
One, stooping clown to pounce upon the prize,
Was thrust away before his hand could snatch it;
"Not quite so quickly," his companion cries;
"If you've a claim here, I've a claim to match it;
The first that saw it has the better right
To its possession; come, you can't deny it."
"Well," said his fri end, "my orbs are pretty bright,
And I, upon my life, was first to spy it."
"You? Not at all; or, if you did perceive it,
I smdi it long before it was in view;
But here 's a lawyer coming - let us leave it
To him to arbitrate between the two."
The lawyer listens with a stolid face,
Arrives at his decision in a minute;
And, as the shortest way to end the case,
Opens the shell, and eats the fish within it.
The rivals look upon him with dismay: "This Court," says he, "awards you each a shell;
You've neither of you any costs to pay,
And so be happy. Go in peace. Farewell!"

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LESSONS LN ENGLLSH
E x ercise. - T(·ll in .1·(111 r 1111·11 "·" n l...: " ;; l• •n· lik1 · t l1 i:' . "r I 11·1• (· lii1>1 111111 ks
1i 11 i!i 11g :1 11111 . '!' IH· 1:111·.1 ·('1' i11 1lti ..: 1·:1..;•· 111:1.1· II(' :1 "' 111ir n ·I. Y11 11 111 :1y
\ !:'( ' 1\I(' f11 ll n\\·i11 g 111 1t li 111 •:
Tl11· l:1\\ .1·1·r :111.\ Iii ., t'1 ·1·.
., _ Tiii' 1·1·n li1·1 r1· 111 l1 ·rr•1I.

I. Ti ii' di s1·111·1·n·
., Tiii' ri1·:i l 1·l:i i11 1...:.
:L 'I Ill' rli ...: p11tr· .
u: ~~ 1, ::

/\.

STORY

l ' ROM

\\\
/\.

JU5

NAR RAT IV E S
111' 11 11' 111·11 111< ·11 '1
111 :111 s :1 .\ ·i11µ: 'I

\\"l1iC' l1 is i l l<' \)l'i lc ·r 111111(('1' ?

\\' \t;i( . is c•: t!' lt

\\ ' l1 :tl 1r ill r•:lf'lt 1>1 11· ,J() :1s 1111' :u1i1n :il <'O ll l<'S

0 11 ?

\\ "11 :1 1 11·ill ill' (ill' 0 11l1·f11t1< ' rd' ill<' s (l'llggl r·?
Exe rci se. - \\ ' 1·i I<' 1.lt1 • s t nn· s11ggr·;; I('d h1· I Ii <• pi,.1.11rr.. Jl,.f nrn 1niti n g, 1·1111...; irl r• r 1·:1n· l'1ill y ( I ) '111 11· _1·1111 11· ill l1(•g i1 1, Cl) i11 wlt :Jf. r)l'( \N Lli e
1·1·1·11 1:' 11·ill 1>1·1 ·11r, (_ :)) IH111· .1· "1 1 ll' ill l1ri11.g t lH · s to ry 1o :lll e11d.

111

P I C TURE

i
/\. SUGGESTED STORY

II

1.

( '" 111 111il I l1is s t :111 z:1 lo ltl! ' lllfJI'\'
\\ '1• r1· I sn I :1 II 1" r• •;rr·l1 t I1r• p11 l1•
<Jr µ: r:i sp 1IH· 111 '1':1 11 11·it 11 111.1· s pa11 ,
11 \ll SI IH' llll':I S\11 '1'.\ IJ.1· Ill.I' ...:0 111 :
TIH· 111i11rl ·, 1lw ;; f·:1 11 d:in l 111' t ii <· 11 ian.

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Exercise. - · Tn· 111 aki11g 11p " "l"n· I l1 :it ll' ill bri11 g 011 L Lim t li o 11g;h t.
of i lt r•"<' 1·r·1·sr·s. L<'I i1 1>1 · n l101 1t I 11·11 h11.1·s , l•:rl ll':t rrl lk ll a11 d .Jo lt11 Di xoll.
l<d\\':1rrl is !: ill :1 11rl s f r111 1µ: , h11t i1w li1 H·rl lo 1>1 • s(' lfis lt a 11rl 111·r· rhc:tri 11 g;.
'l'IH· :q 1pr:1r:1 111'(' :11HI l'\1 :1r:11•tr·r ol' .1 1.!111 11 1:1.1· IH· a1 1.1 ·flt i11µ: ,1·ou please.

!I

TJ-m M E ANIN G OF

A111 d 11('1' 11 :11111·
:llld

\' ()!'

rm

TH~~

t \1< · s l11ri <·s 111:11 _\"1111 lt :i\"('

Sl(1f'i <•S 1rl' :tl tV ki11rJ , is

:I

TERM " NARRATIVE "
I J<'(' ll

'!

IHit. i11 g ,

11111'/'f//ll'C-' .

.i\ 11r1rr11 /i11c i" a11 o rrl!·rl y :111!1 1·f1 1111 r•cLed acco unt. of w hat
lias s1J111<·I i111l' l :1k <· 11 p l:t!'<'. mi s i111 :1gi1H'd t o l1 nvc takt·n p lan' .
111 w rifi11 g:i. 11:1rr:ili 1· r· (ii. :111.1· ki 11rl --

\ . I>" 1Hil l>1 ·g i11 :1 0'1·1111 ·111 ·1 · 11111 ii \"!Il l 11 :11·1· I li 111 t.!!; ltl ii I ltn 11 1g l1

11-lE ll lHI 1 E llS

111 thi s pid111 ·,,

II"! '

"'<'I ' \11 11 lt1111l(·r;: ;111 :-; ir1md\' 11·;tf(· lii11 g l lll'

:tpprn :ll' \1 111' .'-'(>Ill<' 11 ilil :111i1 11: 1!.
f;1 r :111·:1y IS ii '/

yf'l '?

\\ !1:11 is 1111' :111i111:il ?

\\ "11:11 IS ii d1 1i1 1µ: ''

11 1111·

I l:1 s ii ,".('(' II 1111· l11111 l1· rs

~I u(h· ( ltc· 1':1c ·c·s (I r 1111 · l1111!1 1· 1·s.

\\ ' lti<'lt is 111<' hr:11·1·r

:111rl l\1111 1\1 .i11 s l " "''' ii i.'-' 111 (•111!.
:!. l\ 1·1· p I Ii!' ()n l1 ·r i11 11· !1i!'l 1 i IH· !'1·1·11l s <t<'(' tlrn •d , 11111( •:.:s y o u
lt :I\.(' a g (H•1 I f'<•:1 c;o 1t 1'11 r 1'111i (\\l' i11g s 11 111 1• rd !H'r llll'I li () rl .

::.

~ l1 · 1it i!Jlt l' \' l' I T

\l( ' ill l 111 :11 is 111 '!'<l 1· rl 111 g i v r·

('.l( •:1r i1!r-:1 o r ll' !i :ll l1 :1 p1 11· 11 1·rl

Lil('

r r:t rl !:I' a

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294

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Exercise. - T ell in yo m own word!':• Rtory like this, of two chipmunks
finding a n11t. The lawyer in t hi s r.:isc may be a squinel. You may
use the following uulline:
'
4. The ln.wyer and hi s fee.
5. The verdi('t rendered.

1. The disr.overy .
2. The ri val claims.
3. The di spute.
I~ESSON

XXX DI

A STORY FROM A PICTURE

NARRATIVES

295

of the two mcll? Which is the better hunter? What is each
man saying? What will each one do as the animal comes on?
What will be th e outcome of the struggle?
Exercise. - Write the story suggested by the picture. Before writing, consider carefully (l) how yo11 will begin, (2) in what order the
events will occur, (3) how you will bring Lhe story L.o an end.

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LESSON XXXIV
A SUGGESTED STORY

Commit this stanza to menwry:
' '

Were I so tall to reach t he pole
Or grasp the oecan with my span,
I must be measured by my soul:
The mind 's the standard of the man.
Exercise. - Try making up a story that will bring out the thought
of these verses. Let it be about two boys, Edward Bell and John Dixon.
Edward is tall and strong, but inclined to be selfish and overbearing. ·
The appearance a nd character of J ohn may be anything you please.

LESSON XXXV
THE MEANING OF THE TERM "NARRATIVE"

THE HUNTERS

In this picture we see two hunters anxiously watching the
approach of so me wild animal. What is the animal? How
far away is it ? What is it doing? Has it seen the hunters
yet? Study the faces of the hunters. Which is the braver

Another name for the stories that you have been writing,
and for stories of any kind, is narratives.
A narrative is an orderly and connected account of what
has sometime taken place, or is imagined to have taken place.
In writing a narrative of any kinll 1. l>o not bl~gin n RClltOll C() ll!ILiJ you have thought it through
and know just how it is to end.
2. K eep the order in which the events occurred, unless you
have a good reason for following some other method.
3. Mention every point that is needed to give the reader a
clear idea of what happened.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

LESSONS IN ENGLISH
Exercise 4. -

Each of the following may be the subject of a narrapersonal experiences. Begin by making an outline
similar to those provided in previous exercises.
1. The Fourth of July. 2. Christmas. 3. Saturday Afternoon. 4.
A Day in. the Country. 5. An Evening at the Fair. 6. A Shopping
Expedition. 7. A Visit to the Museum. 8. How I Helped on the
Farm. 9. A Day at the Seaside. 10. The Surprise Party. 11. A
Base-hall Match. 12. The Toboggan Slide. 13. A Candy-pull. 14.
A Day in the Kitchen. 15. A Journey. 16. A Rainy Day. 17. An
Out-of-door Geography Lesson. 18. A Fire. 10. Caught in the Rain.
20. l\Iy Experience with the Toothache. 21. An Eventful Day. 22.
My First Disobedience. 23. A Day on my Bicycle.

4. Say most about what is most important or interesting,
and omil"uscless details.
5. Make the nnrrnJ.ive a Cl111nrct<'d whol e, but do not string
sentences together with "ands."
6. ·write naturally, as you ·would talk, and use no words
whose meaning you do not know.
7. Arrange your thoughts by topics, and make a separate
parngraph for each distinct topic.
8. Try to punctuate carefully as you write.

t.iv!~ about your

Exercise 1. - Observe carefully t,he events of a day or half-day in .
your school, making notes of what happens if need be. Next day nar- .
rate these events in the form of a letter to your uncle or aunt, following
the order in which they occurred.
Say most about what is most important., but omit nothing that
is needed to make t,he account complete. Try to make it clear and
interesting.
l\fail this letter if your teacher :tpproves a nd thinks it is well enough
written .
Exercise 2. - Narrate your experience with some pet animal - a
dog, a cat., a horse, a bird, or rabbits, etc. Observe this order, and make
a connected whole:
1. What pet; kirnl or breed, name. 2. Size, color, age, value. 3.
How and when obtai ned. 4. When or where kept. 5. Food; what,
how often, by whom. 6. Habits, day and night. 7. Friends and enemies, or likes and dislikes. 8. Intelligence; tricks, anecdotes. 9. What
became of it, how much affection yo u have for it, or why it was worth
.
.
pettmg.

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Exercise 5 .. -- Under the direction of your teacher, visit with a companion some one of the following in the neighborhood of your school
Then make an outline, and write an account of your visit.
A Cotton Mill ..
A Shoe Factory.
A Grist Mill.
The Custom House.
A Machine Shop.
A Bookbinder's.
The Poor House.
The Court House.
The Old Mill.

The Telephone Exchange.
The Ship Yard.
A Newspaper Press Room.
A Cemetery.
The Old Fort. ·
- The Lighthouse.
The Falls.
A Brick Yard.
A Woodland Road.

·
LESSON XXXVI
,
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

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Exercise 3. - Tell how you spent your last. pleasant holiday. The .
following outline may help you.
.,
1. Your subject. 2. Pleasant ex pectations; what preparation ma<le; ·,
what hoped for. 3. The night before. 4. The morning; first occupe.- .
ti on; plans for the day; company. 5. The afternoon; where; with whom. .
6. The dinner. 7. The evening; all details. 8. Feelings; surprises; ,
disappointments; enjoyment.

Exercise 1. - 1. What is a biography?
2. Write a biography of your father, or brother, or some acquaintance .
3. What is an autobiography? Write one, using these suggestions:
Your name - birthplace and date - names and occupation of parents - place of residence - everits in your life - travels - schools attended - different studies - out-of-school lessons, such as music or
elocution - other occupation or pursuits - habits of rising- work to

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

do - fondness for work - spor ts - hooks rroail ·- kind of readi11µ; preferred - friends - natural disposition - plans for future education for business - ub jecl in life.

In collecting materials this may serve as an
OUTLINE i:o1• A DwwtAt'lIJCAL S KETCH

I. Introduction. Name, and how best known.
II. Birth. Time, pince, :inrl - gcncr:i lly -- ancestry.
III. Childhood and Youth. Education ; preparation and training for ·
life-work; early pursuits, habi ts, disposition.
IV. Chief Events of Life, public and private, in their order.
V. Death. Time, place, circumstances.
VI. Characteristics. Personal appearance and bearing; mental and
moral qualities; likes and di sli kes, ability and culture.
VII. Results of Life. Development of self ; example to others; service
to individuals, to the country, to ·the world.
LESSON XXXVII
THE STORY OF COLUMBUS

Exercise 1. - Learn what you can about the life and character
Columbus, and then write a bioµ;r aphi cal sketch. You will find Irving's
"Life of Columbus" a good book for thi s purpose. The following questions will suggest what you arc to look for.
1. When and where was Columbus born? 2. What is known about
his early life? 3. Why did he become a sailor? 4. What led him to
think of a voyage to the West? 5. Where did he seek aid? 6. Where
did he find aid ? 7. What happened on hi s first voyage? 8. When
and where did he land? 9. How was he received on his return? 10.
What other voyage dirl lw make? 11. Whn.t led to his imprisonment?
12. What happene1\ on hi s laflt voyage? 1:3. Where a nd when did he
die? 14. What were the greatest and best traits of his character? 15.
What was it in him that made him succesRful?
Exercise 2. - After reading the following poem tell the story of the
first voyage as the mate might have told it to another sailor upon his
return.

THE STORY OF COLUMBUS

299

COLUMBUS•

[1492).

Behind him lay the gray Azores,
Behind the Gates of HerculeR;
De fore him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: "Now must we pray,
For lo I the very stars are gone.
Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?"
"Why, say, 'Sail on! sail on! and on!"'

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"My men grow .mutinous day by day; ·
My men grow ghastly wan and weak."
The stout mate thought of home; a spray
Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
"What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,
If we sight naught but seas at dawn?"
"Why, you shall say at break of day,
'Sail on! sail on! sail on I and on!' "
They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
"This mad sea shows his teeth to-night.
He curls his lip, he lies in wait,
With lifted teeth, as if to bite!
Brave Admiral, say but one good word!
What shall we do when hope is gone?"
The words leapt like a leaping sword:
"Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on I"·
Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck A light! A light! A light! A light!
It grew, a starlit flag unfurled I
It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
Its grandest lesson I "On! sail on 1"
- Joaquin Miller.
• From tho " Complete Works" of Joaqui n Miller, copyrighted and publfshed by the
Whitaker & Ray Company, San Francisco. By permission.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Exercise 3. - A friend of yours who has not; read the life of Columbus
cannot understand why so great and good a man was put in chains.
Tell him the story of that part of Columbus's life. Where will you
begin? With wh at will you end?

Joaquin Miller

.Joaquin Miller, the author of the poem
in this lesson, was born in Wabash Dis- ' ,
trict, Indiana, Novm1ber 10, 1841.. His '·
real 11an w is Ci11cim1at11s Jlitier Miller.
Most of his_lifo has been spent upon the ·
Pacific Coa~t, and hi s poems and other
writings are mostly abo ut life in that region. His first volume of poems, published m 1871, was call ed "Songs of the
Sierras."

V. Death. At Mount Vernon, Dec. 14, 1799 ; mourned at home
and abroad.
VI. Characteristics . Sou nd judgment, self-control, dignity, firmness, unselfishness, patriotism, self-sacrifice; one of the world's great
men .
VII. R e.mlts of Life. Brought Revoluti on to a succP-ssf11] 1ss11e.
Established the government. Held in a ffection by all Americans. His
life 1111 example a nd an in spirati on. "First« in war, first in peace, firs t
in the hearts of his coun tryme n. "
Exercise. - Make a study of t he Life of Washington as yo u find
it given in books, and then write a biographical sketch. Use the precedi ng notes, and follow t he directions given in Lesson 36.
Try to express the facts in yo ur own language without dependence
upon the words of the books that you may consult, and remember that
the quality of what you write is of more importance than the quantity.

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Outline
\V ASIIINGTON

I. Introduction. "The Father of his Country"; first President
.
the United States.
II. Birth . Virginia, Feb. 22, 1732; E ngli sh ancestors ; father died "
when his son was quite yo ung; mother a remarkable woman; his devo- •
tion to her.
III. Childhood and Youth . Plttin and practical education ; influence
of brother Lawrence; a n athlete ; habits ; s trength of character; a sur- ·
veyor at sixteen.
.
.
IV. Chief Events of fafc. Marriage; home at Mount Vernon; mi~· \ ,
sion to Venango ; hi s first campaign; his part in Braddock's Expech~ _ .''
ti on; the Revolu t ion; commander-in-chief; around Boston; in New.
York and New J ersey; defence of Philadelphia; Valley Forgo; Monmouth; Yorktown ; in constit utio nal convention ; chosen president;
events of his administration : farewell address.

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THE STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

THE STORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON

GEORGE

I II

LESSON XXXIX

LESSON XXXVIII

Use the following outline an<l notes for a sketch of the life

301

STORY OF LINCOLN

au'~t notes for a sketch of t he life of
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

I. Introduction. Sixteenth Pres. of U. S., during Civil War. His
place in history.
II. Birth. Kentucky, F eb. 12, 1809. Ancestors from England with
Wm. Penn. Father could neither read nor write. :Mother remarkable
woman.
III. Childhood and Youth. Had but a few months' schooling. Toiled
all clay on farm, read by light of log-fire at night. "The Bible,'" " Pilgrim's Progress,'' "JEsop's Fables " hi s favorites. Borrowed lawbooks at night to study, returned them in the morning.
IV. Chief Events of his Life. In 181G hi s father moved to Indiana.
At 11, he met a great loss in death of mother. At 19, on a flatboat to
New Orleans. At 21, moved to Illinois, helped build log-cabin, split
3,000 rai ls for fence. Then 3ucce113ively clerk, captain in Black Hawk
war, bookkeeper, postmaster, surveyo r, and lawyer. At 25, in Legislatme. Home in Springfield. Married in 1842. In Congress, 1846.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Candidate for U. S. Senator in 1858. Defeated. President, 1861 till
death. Condition of country and conclu!lt of war a great anxiety and
responsibility. Emancipated slaves, 1863.
V. Death. Assassinated April 14, 1865. Mourned at home and
abroad.
VI. Characteristics. Tall, awkward, ungainly. Common sense, honesty, fidelity, kindness, patriotism. "Plain man of the people." One
of the grent men of history.
VIL llcsu/ts of l.,1:fe. Wisc comluct. of gre:it war. Saved the Union.
Freed the slaves. Remembered with aITection :incl gratitude. Next
to Washington.
Exercise. - Make a study of the Life of Lincoln as you find it given . ·
in books, and then write a biographical sketch. Use the preceding ·
notes, and follow the directions given in Lesson 3G.

HISTORICAL SKETCHES

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at 18 - chosen Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard at 28 his home, a house occupied by Washington in 1775-76 - Charles Kingsley said of his face that it was the most beautiful he had ever seen Poems noted for sweetness and purity - His courteous, pure, beautiful
life the best poem of all - Died March 24, 1882 - The inheritance of
his writings.
Exercise 3. - Prepare outline notes, as in Lesson 38 and write
sketch of the life of one or more of these

11,

A UT II ORS

William Shakespeare.
Sir Walter Scott.
Washington Irving.
Edgar Allan Poe.
William Cullen Bryant.
Alfred Tennyson.

Ralph Waldo Emerson.
James Russell Lowell.
John Greenleaf Whittier.
Sidney Lanier.
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Nathaniel Hawthorne.

,.

LESSON XL
LIVES OF NOTED MEN AND WOMEN

LESSON XLI
HISTORICAL SKETCHES

Exercise 1. - Prepare notes according Lo the plan given, and
sketches of one or more of these
STATESMF.N AND INVENTORS

John Adams.
Benjamin Franklin.
Alexander II amilton.
Thomas Jefferson.
Andrew Jackson.
Daniel Webster.
Henry Clay.
John Hay.

llobert Fulton.
Eli Whitney.
James Watt.
George Stephenson.
S. F. B. Morse.
Charles Goodyear.
l~lias Howe.
Thomas A. Edison.

Exercise 2. -- Write a sketch of the Life of Longfellow, using any · ·
facts that you can remember from your reading. Those suggested here
will not be enough.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the best beloved of American poets
- Feb. 27, 1807, Portland, l\fo. - Bowdoin College, at 14, graduated

Historical events are incidents in the life of a people or
nation. They are parts of the ·s tory of the life of mankind ;
and the doings of the chief actors make up so large a part of
history that a record of events is often little more than a sketch
of the life of some prominent man.
Thus, a biographical sketch of Columbus necessarily includes a narrative of the "Discovery of a New World,'' and to tell of the "Conquest
of Mexico" is to sketch the life of its conqueror, Hernando Cortez.
Exercise 1. - Prepare the outline and notes, and write a sketch of
011e of the following, or of any other distinguished man you may choose,
so as to show the part he played in history.
Hernando Cortez.
Ferdinand de Soto.
La Salle.
Henry Hudson.

William Penn.
John Paul Jonei:;.
Robert E . Lee.
Ulysses S. Grant.

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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Generally something like the following will serve

305

HISTORICAL SKETCHES

Exercise 2. - Prepare the outlines and write a historical sketch on

"B urgoyne 's I nvas10n,
. " or on one of these subjects:
OUTLINE Flllt A

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VIL

I IISTOHICA L SK ETC II

Introduction. The subject : why interesting or important.
Cause or Purpose. What led to the event.
Time and Place.
Principal Actors, and their relations to one another.
Details, given in natural order.
Effect produced at the time.
Conclusion. Thoughts or reflections on the event as a whole.
Influence on the nation's life or future history.

The writing of a good historical sketch, or; for that matter, of
anything else, requires a clear knowledge of the subject, which must
come from reading, study, and conversation. Note-taking is often
helpful.

Outline and notes for a sketch of
BURGOYNE'S INVASION

I. Introduction. Important event of Revolution. Its influence
the result.
II. Object. Plan to divide the country. Clinton going north from ·
New York City, Burgoyne going south to meet him.
Ill. Time, Place. June-Oct., 1777. Canada; N.Y.; Vt.
IV. Principal Actors. Burgoyne, St. Leger, Baum; Schuyler, Gates;
Stark. Duty of each.
V. Details. Route via Lake Champlain and the Hudson; 8,000 men; ·
English; Hessians; Indian allies. Expedition of St. Leger to Ft. Schuyler via St. Lawrence and Oswego (Oriskany), and of Col. Baum to Ben- '
nington. Tfoth dcfcate<L Capt.me of Fts. Ticonderoga, Crown Point, >,
Edward. Two batUcs at 8nrnt.oga. Lost. Defeat; no rctrf)at; no pro- · "
v1s10ns. Surrender of army, OcL. l7 , G,000 men.
VI. Effect. Americans encouraged. France
pendence.
VII. Conclusion. Victory timely, as it followed defeats.
influence in ending the war.

The Discovery of America.
The Landing of the Pilgrims.
The Battle of Quebec.
The Iloston Tea-party.
Battle of Lexington .
Battle of Ilunker Hill.
Arnold's Treason.

Battle in Manila Bay.
.
The Burning of the Capitol.
Lewis and Clarke's Expedition.
An Incident of the Revolution.
Our National Flag.
Naval Battle at Santiago de Cuba.
Searching for the North Pole.

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Exercise 3. - Write a ·little history of the State in which you live.
Exercise 4. _:_Prepare an outline, and write a brief history of
Your native town.
The city in which you live.
The city of Washington.

New Orleans.
Cuba.
Chicago.

California.
Florida.
Texas.

LESSON XLII
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INCHCAPE ROCK

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Listen to the reading of Robert Southey's story of "The
Inchcape Rocle" Then retell it to the 'class in your own words
with the help of the following outline:
Introduction. Condition of air, sea, and ship.
Why the holy Abbot placed a bell on the rock.
How the sea looked on a certain day.
Sir Ralph .walks the deck in merry mood.
Proposes to vex the Abbot.
·
Details
Cuts the bell from the float.
of
His voyage, success, and return.
Story.
A storm encountered.
Anxiety about the Inchcape Rock.
Fate of the ship.
Conclu3ion. Effect on Sir Ralph,

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306

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

STORY FROM POEM
7. The ride to Medford. 8. Lexington village, its appearance.
ride ended. 10. The result.

LESSON XIJIII

307
9. The

THE AFRICAN CHIEF

Read the story of "The African Chief" by W. C.
Then tell it to the class, using the following outline.

LESSON '.KLVI

Bryant ~

NAUHAUGHT,THE DEACON

Read and study carefully Whittier's story of "Nauhaught,
The Deacon." Then write it from the following outline. Make
several direct quotations.

Introduction. Description of captive. Appearance . History.
Request for freedom. Offers ornaments.
Details
The refusal and inte1.1tion of captors.
of
Disclosure of gold concealed in hair.
Story.
Request renewed, and reasons given.
Again denied, but gold taken. .
·
Conclusion. Effect on the chieftain.

1. Nauhaught and hi's circumstances. 2. His dream. 3. He visits
his traps. 4. His success. 5. Thoughts of home and of his needs. 6.
His prayer. 7. He finds the purse. 8. The conflict with temptation.
9. Reasons for keeping the money; for not keeping it. 10. The noble
resolve. 11. He visits the inn and finds the owner. 12. The reward.
13. His feelings as he goes home. 14. The angel.

1

LESSON XLIV
THE WHITE-FOOTED DEER

LESSON XL VII

Read W. C. Bryant's story of "The White-Footed Deer."
Then write it as if you were telling it to a little child.
following outline will be a help.

STORIES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

After reading one of the following stories make an outline
of it. Then write the story in your own words.

1. The time and place. 2. Appearance of deer and her habits.
The protection of the cottage dame. 4. Tradition of the Indians.
The hunter's success. 6. His fatal shot. 7. The red-men's revenge.
8. Desolation .

1. Bruce and the Spider.

LESSON XLV
PAUL REVERE'S RIDE

Read and retell Longfellow's story of " Paul Revere's Ride."
Imagine that you are Paul Revere telling the story to a grandchild. You may use the following outline.
1. The time. 2. The signal light. 3. The object of the
Your listening friends discover the · movements of the British.
impatient watching. 6. The signal at last! You mount and are offl

1

B. Barton.*
Small Beginnings.
C. Mackay.*
The Milkmaid.
J. Taylor.*
The Nantucket Skipper.
J. T . Fields.
God's Judgment on the Wicked Bishop. R . Southey.
Incident of the French Camp.
R . Browning.
Arnold Winkelried.
Montgomery.
The Sandpiper.
Celia Thaxter.
The Little Match Girl.
Hans Christian Andersen.
The Choice of King Midas.
Hawthorne.
11. Horatius at the Bridge.
Macaulay.
12. The Story of Ruth.
Bible.
13. The Legend of Bregenz.
A. A. Procter.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

* Bryant's

Library of Poetry and Song.

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308

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Cl!.\ l'TE!t V
DESCRIPTIONS

LEt;:SO.N XL\' 111
PICTURES IN A POEM

DESCRIPTIONS

309

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Sweet woodland music sinks and swells,
The brooklet rings its tinkling bells,
The swarming insects drone and hum,
The partridge heats Its throbbing clrum.
The squirrel leaps among the boughs,
And clmtter8 in his leafy house.
The oriole flashes by; and, look!
Tnto thP mirror of tlw brook,
Where the vain bluebird trims his coat,
Two tiny feathers fall and float.
- J . T. Trowbridge.

MIDSUMMEll*

Through all the long midsummer-day
The meadow-sides are sweet with hay.
I seek the coolest sheltered scat,
Just where the field and forest meet, Where grow the pine trees tall and bl:ind,
The ancient oaks austere and grand,
And fringy roots and pebbles fret
The ripples of the rivulet.
I watch the mowers, as they go
Through the tall grass, a white-sleeved row.
With even stroke their scythes they swing,
In tune their merry whetstones ring.
Behind the nimble youngsters run,
And toss the thick swaths in the sun.
The cattle graze, while, warm and still,
Slopes the broad pasture, basks the hill,
And bright, where summer breezes break,
The green wheat crinkles like a lake.
The butterfly ancl humhl chec
Come to the pleasant woodR with me;
Quickly before me runs the quail,
Her chickens skulk behind the rail;
High up the lone wood-pigeon sits,
And the woodpecker pecks and flits.
" Copyrighted by 11.onghton, Mifllin & Co., lloston.

Exercise 1. -This poem is full of beautiful pictures. Mark the lines
that please you best, and commit them to memory. Then, closing
the book,. write a description of the picture that you see most clearly.
Exercise 2. - Answer these questions about the poem, or other
questions that your teacher may ask:
1. What is the meaning of "bland"? Why has the poet used it in
speaking of pine trees? 2. Do you know what "austere" means?
Are all trees austere? 3. Why is "fret" a good word to describe the
appearance of the rivulet? What other words might be used in its
place? 4. What does "nimble"- tell you that would not be told by
"quick," "busy," "brisk," or "active"? 5. What is a swath? 6. Is
"crinkles" the best word to describe the appearance of a wheatfield ,
or a lake when a sudden puff of wind strikes it? Why not use "quivers," \ ·
"ripples," "billows," or "tosses"? 7. What do young quails do when
they "skulk"? Is the word ever applied to persons? 8. How can •
a brooklet "ring tinkling bells"? 9. What is a "throbbing" drum,
and why is this the right word to describe the sound made by the partridge?
10. What is the difference between droning and humming? What
kinds of insects make a droning sound? a humming sound! 11. What is
the meaning of "chatter" when it is applied to persons? Why is it
properly used here of the noise made by a squirrel? 12. Why is
"flashes" used in describing the oriole? Why not say "qarts" or
"glides" ? 13. What do you think is the poet's purpose m qe~cfiping
all of these objects and living things? Is he successful?
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LESSONS IN ENGLISH

LESSON XLIX
STUDY OF A POEM
MIDWIN'l;EH*

The speckled ~ky is dim-with snow,
The light flakes falter and fall slow;
Athwart the hill-top, rapt and pale,
Silently drops a silvery veil;
And all the valley is shut in
By flickering curtains gray and thin.
But cheerily the chickadee
Singeth to me on fence and tree;
The snow sails around him as he sings,
White as the down of angel's wings.
I watch the slow flakes as they fall
On bank and brier and broken wall;
Over the orchard, waste and brown,
All noiselessly they settle down,
Tipping the apple-boughs, and each
Light quivering twig of plum and peach
On turf and curb and bower-roof
The snow-storm spreads its ivory woof;
It paves with pearl the garden walk;
And lovingly round tattered stalk
And shivering stem its magic weaves
A manUe fair as lily-leaves.
The hooded bee-hive, small and low,
Stands like a maiden in the snow;
And the old door-slab is half hid
Under an alabaster lid.
• Copyrighted by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston.

311

DESCRIPTIONS
All day it snows: the sheeted post
Gleams in the dimness like a ghost.; ·
All clay the blasted oak has stood
A muffled wizard of the wood;
Garland and airy cap adorn
The sumach and the wayside thorn,
And clustering spangles lodge and shine
In the dark tresses of the pine.

\

The ragged bramble, dwarfed and old,
Shrinks like a beggar in the cold; ,
In surplice white the cedar stands,
And blesses him with priestly hands.
-J. T. Trowbridge.
Exercise 1. - Mark the lines of this poem that you most enjoy, and
commit them to memory. · Answer as many of the following questions as you can.
·
1. What is the "silvery veil"? Have you ever seen anything like
it? 2. What makes the twigs of the plum and peach tree quiver? 3.
What is the meaning of the word "woof"? Why is it used here? 4.
What does alabaster look like? : 5. Why does the poet call the oak
tree "a muffled wizard"? 6. Are there any sounds to break the silence?
What are they? 7. Do you know why the bramble is called "ragged"?
8. Which of these words best describes the feeling of the poet as he
views the scene: joyful, cheerful, sad, somber, melancholy, pensive, calm'/
\

Exercise 2. - Describe in your own words the part of the scene that
you remember best.

I.JESSON L
DESCRIPTIVE WORDS TO BE SUPPLIED

Exercise 1. -Think of all the words that might be used to fill the
blank in the following poem. Select the one that will best describe
the motion of the reeds or the sound as the wind sweeps through them.
Give your reasons for choosing this word.

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LESSO N S J N ENGLISH
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Exercise 3. -- .l ~x n. rnine I.h e f:lc·n of t h e donk ey O il p . 324 .
1rnnl r·:i.n yo u t hink of t.h :d, wi ll d 1~ s c· ril JC it acc urately?

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313

DESCRIPT I ONS

Exercise 4. -

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111:1 1. 11·ill ('.\:ll' lh· d1 •snil ll' ,.,,,. " r:IJ'I'. ~ ll .! :,l'.1'.s l. '"' "" ls -- 11·l1 y d 11 y u11
1·hoo:-;1' ! \\ ' li.1· d " .1'<> 11 rl'jf'i- 1 'I

/\ de sc ription :-; Ji1111l'1 IH' :-;1i 11-ril 1<-11
pi d 11n : i11 (.IH : 111i111I (Ir t IH' n·:11l 1·r .
( )IJ:-;1·n·1: cnrdt1ll y ( I HN' 1f i n •1/ i u11 s:

:ti'i

l,(I

proilt1cc a c lc ::1r

I . l.1::irn :i ll .1·rn 1 f':lll :1h"11f. 11·l1:il ·' "'i i :11·1' lo rl1'Sf'r il H•: ( o ) Hy obse r\·:il inn; (/1) Hy 1:x pl' ri11l1'11 f. · (r·) I \y n·:1di11g :i.11d ~ l. 111' .v ; (rl) By inquiry.
4. I lo 1101. lry In writ e :i. dcs l'l'ijlf i1111 111' a11 o h ,11:f' L 111ilcs:'l yo u call sec it or

LE SSONS I N ENGL l S J-1

DE SC RIPTIONS
Exercise 3. - l·:.-; :1mi 1w 1111' f:1r·r · 11f 1lt n rl1111k e y 1>1 1 p . :!2'1.
11·,,rrl r· :111 _1·11 11 i lti11 k 11f ilt :1.I. ll' iil tJ 1.,·w rilH ~ ii. :tr"c· 11r:1.l.c ly'I

1111 1111 · ol :tl1· :111.J 1! .. 11 11 1!11· !10\IJ'lll'.

Exerc ise 4.. -

( I ·, ' I' 1111 · 11 11·:i ol 1111· " " i 11 11<· 11'· :
:'< o w
\

\\"f' :--; i 11 g:. ; 11 1d
11 \\" \\('

\\'l 1i:--: 1 Ii•

\V li :.i t.

l'i111l \\' Ol'tl s 111 d1 ·s1Tiilf' 1 1 11 ~ r:11·r:s 1J f l111 : l wo llH ~ ll

Ill

1lt c pi1·lm" 0 11 p. :!!J-1.

tion · \\ t ' 11 11111 n1.
ll P \\. \ \"('

313

.'-'itdl.

1 ~ _1· 1111 • .~r " " " .1 " 1 1 ·111 .~ 1 · .J r i1 ·1·r .

Tl 11 ·1 1 11 .~ li 1!11·
11 ·1., ls 11·1· '-'111'>'1"
.\ l irl 11 11 · lil .1· -l1 ·:11·1·s 11 1· 1111 11·1·r.
T 11 I l11 ·ir 1·1·1·1· lll': 11·l s II"' 1·n·1·1"

Exercise 2.
.\ .-; .1·11 11 n·:1 rl 11 11 ' 1'111!1111 i11 g d 1•>< Tifil i!l11 In· I 11 (li t·l 111""
Il l .1·11111· 111i11rl :1 .s 1·!1 •:iJ'h· :t .s .1 ·111 1 1·:111 1111 · l:ti'<'. 1111 • 111111111l:1i11 .s . :t lld 1111·
\' I 1:11

I

Tit "" .. 1,," >."I' f;·.,111 I Ill' 1'1 .111 111·i11 ;.-; j1 1s 1 11,,. ri;.::ld \l'11rrl .s I() Iii! 1111·

:il inq>lh
,;.::1·111 1.1·

sl r·1' 11h ·
s lrn1· ! \'

1 1n · c·i 1 ~ if 11 1 1 :-: l y

s11·ir1 !1·

s l11 ·1·1·
r111·i1" 1s l_1·

" ' " II ks :

s11I 11_1·
r:t (l id I .1 ·

'· 'l'lt c· \:tl; 1· i.s :di111 1I Ii i'! .1· 1i1i l1·s illll ;,'.. :1 111 1 1I!!· 1·:1 s l1 ·1·11 1·11rl .,f ii r11 11 ·; f:tr i11
TI H'.' <' 11111t1tl1 :1i11 ..: :ti'!' \' 1·ry 1l: 1r k : 11111 :--: 1q11 llt'r . :1111 1
ll11 ·i r s id1 ·s ri ."1'
frr>111 11 11' 111:11·;.::i11 111' 1!11· 11:1l 1·r "" llt:tl i11 111:111 1· 1il :11·1•s

: 1111<1 11 .~ tlH · n 11111111:1i1 1:-:.

l l11 ·n · i ~

:-:1· : 11'4T I .\ ' l'llfl l ll !'flt' :1 r1 1:td : d 1111g

1111·

:·-: I H I!('

l 11d1 ·1·d , .\ ' flll

go g ~ ' IH ' l' ­

:ilh· 111 Jl t:!f 1•111 l 1il' 1111' l:t! d • ill :t Sit-; llltl'!': :llt• I :I ." .\'Il l\ ;11! 1·; l \l"I'. 1111 • 1111111 11 1:ti11 "' •1•111 s I 11 s l 11 1I _1·11 11 i II 1·111 11 fl 11· l 1·I.1 :1 I I I II' 1·11 d 1if I I 11 · l:i I;, ·.
I \ 11 I \\ I11 •11
\ ' () II .~ 1 · 1 IH' : ll' !11 1111' 1· 11d , .\ ' tHI :-: t '( ' ; 1 Jl: l lTtt \\ \ ': 111 1•\' ll] l ! ' llll l ,t.!_ l wf11 n · _\' llll,
11·i1!t l1ig lt 111 11 11 11l:i i11 s l)\J 1•i 1! 11 ·r l1: 111d. :11 1rl 1!11· l:i11 ·r 1: 111 1111 · ll11 11 · i11 ;~ 1·1·ry
i ll'I 11·1'!' 11 .~ r 1°1 ' 11 :1111 1 i l!':t11lif11 I l1:11tl; .s i11 I ill' 111idd l1· 11 1' ii . "
Dl 'l1!1 Ef1

READ I N G

AFFE C T ION

l ' AC l ~ S

\ 1>1 i1·1· t 111 · 1·\ 11r1·,s i1111 "" I ill' 1':11.,. 1•! 1lir· d 11g
\\ ' 11:1 1
d 11<·s i I 1111 ·: 111" \ ': 111 1·111 1 11111 I "'11 11 1· 111111 I I I 1:1 I 1ri 11 d 1·.s niI11 • ii ., \ \ 1i: 1!
11·111 tl il 111· :-::i.1· if 111 · 1·11t tld " lll':tk '.' 11 ·1,_1 lt:t " 111 · 1111 1 l1i s 11:111· "" 1111· li111,.
.~i rl ',- k111 ·1··: l ,1 11 1k :i i t ill' .~i rl ' ." 1':1 1·1·
11,. _1 11111!1i11!, . .d11 · ;., 1n · i 11 .~ · 111 l•·:i <i·
1
11 11 .\ · 0 11 li11d 11 11.\ · \\< 1rd 11 r 1d1n 1'-1' 1'111 1 \\ il J dt ·:-·w ril w lll'r f ; 1r ·1•'!
l l11 · dog'.

DIRECT I ON S

Exe rcis e J .

FOR DESCRIB I NG

,\ desc r iptio n s l1" 1il.! /11· :c.11 11 J" i l ( 1· 11 us t.o p n1d 1wc a c l1·;ir
p ie ·( I i i'! ' ill i

/I('

llli llrl

0 1'

I /1 1• l'c•:tilt' J' .

( ll 1:-1·n ·c· (': 1rdttll v 111 1·:-1· 1/ irl'1-iiu11.-< :
I . l .i·:irn :di _1·111 1 1·:111 :1' 111 111 11' 11 :11 1· 1111:11·1' 111 il l':w l'il )(': (11 ) l ly 11lisc r-

Exercis e 2.

'1'111·11 111 1111 · 11i,. 1111·1·." 11 11 I'-: :\/". J1' i11d :t 11n1·,J 11r (1'1 1·:i s1:
I li:tf . 11·ill 1•\ :11·i l_1· d1 'S1T il11 • 1·:11"!1 1':11 ·1·
~ 11 .!! ,l_'. 1'.'; I . 11'1•r1I ,; ·-- 11' !1y 1!0 y11 11
l'J\lll N' '! \\ ' li_1 · ,J11 _1·11 1! J'l •j1 •f' I 'I

v :il i1111 ; (/1 ) By " ' l"' ri11w1ll ; (!') 1',_1· r1 •: 1di1t .l.'. :111 d s l. 11dv ; (ii) l\y i11q11iry.
:2. J)11 11 01. t ry J.o 1Hil c :1 d1·s 1'l'i!'I i1111 111' :111 o lJ.ir·c l. 111il c.s:o; yo 11 c:.111. sec it or

I
/.
1'

I~

314

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

remember it distinctly. 3. After lrnving gath ered the material for your
description, arrange it in order according to one of the plans or outlines
given .
4. Think every senten ce carefully through before beginning to write
it. Arrange what you say in separate paragraphs, according as it pertains to one or another branch of your subject.

5. Use no word or expression of whi ch th e meaning or the appli cation
is not clear to you. 6. Learn to select words that exactly describe the
quality to whi ch you wish to refer. Do no t be too proud nor too lazy to
use a dictinnary.
7. Avoid in all your language, whether spoken or written, every slang
expression - not only because slang is vulgar, but also because it is a
great hindrance to the growth of one's vocabul ary.
Exercise 1. - Write as if for a fri end who is at a distance a nd has
never visited you a clear and vivid description of your schoolhouse and
schoolroom.
1. Describe the ·building: (a) its locatlon; whether pleasant, conven- '
ient, and so on. rb) Its surroundings; yard , trees, etc. (c) Its age,
size, shape, material; archi tecture, whether plain or ornamental. (d)
The entrances, stairways, corridors, arrangement of rooms, dressingrooms, etc.
2. Describe your room: (a) In what part of the building. (b) Size,
shape; qoors, windows. (c) Furniture; seats, number, arrangement.
(d) Walls, blackboards, maps, orn aments. (e) Such improvements as
you can suggest .

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Exercise 2. - In the same general
The church you attend.
10.
The house you live in .
11 .
Your sitting-room.
12.
Your grandfather's !tome.
n.
A mill.
14.
The nearest railroad station. l.').
A blacksmith's shop.
lG.
The gymnasium.
17.
18.
The ball-field.

way describe The largest public building in town.
A railway car.
A chi ldren's play-room.
A farm er 's kiLchen.
A coun t ry store.
An old garret.
The public library.
A day in a trolley-car.
An automobile.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

315

Exercise 3. - Take for your subject 1. My Garden. Tell its situatioh; its form and size; how inclosed;
how the beds are arranged; what they contain ; just how y'ou have managed it this year; what you expect to gather or to raise; what you can
find in it to interest you if you will. Write simply and naturally, as
you would talk to a friend .
2. What I see from my Piazza.
3. What I see on my Way to
School.
4. The View from a . Hill-top.
5. An Hour in the Woods.
6. Learning to f?wim.
7. What the City Boy saw in the
Country.
8. Autumn Foliage.
9. How the Coal was got into the
Cellar.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

The Organ-Grinder.
A Game of Hide and Seek.
Mowing the Lawn.
The Tin Peddler.
The Broken Axletree.
How the Moving was done.
On a Street Corner.
Scenes in an Electri c Car.
The Street Vender.
Scenes at a Railway Station. ·
Harvesting our Crop.

LESSON LIU
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

In describing an object it is of ten a help to compare or contrast it with something better known - showing how the two
agree or differ in appearance, structure, qualities, use, and
so on.
Exercise 1. - Compare the following with respect to (a) ' Form, (b)
Parts or Structure, (c) Use.
1. A pin and a needle.
8. A leaf and a flower.
fl. A bolt and a lock.
2. A spoon and a fork.
10. A pocket and a purse.
3. A shovel and a pickaxe.
4. A pail and a box.
11. A fireplace and a stove.
12. A thermomete,r and a barom5. A sled and a boat.
eter.
6. A fence and a wall.
7. A watch and a clock.
13. A chair and a sofa.

.....

' I~'

316

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

317

STUDY OF FACES

I

·'

1

11

Exercise 2. - Compare the following as to their (a) Appearance, (b)
Qualities, (c) Use.
1. Butter and cheese.
2. Cotton and wool.
3. Cotton and linen.

4. Leather and rubber.
5. Silk and flax.
G. Flour and meal.

Exercise 3. - Compare the following with respect to their (a) Size,
(/1) Parts, (c) Habits.
1.
2.
3.
4.

J

Ij
I\"
ii

THREE FACES

Exercise 1. - Look carefully at these pictures. Are they three portraits of the same boy, or portraits of three different boys? Give reasons
for your opinion.

!!,1: i

':!

,.i.!

5. Wolf and lamb.
6. Fly and spider.
7. Frog and turtle.
8. Butterfly and humming-bird.

Horse and cow.
Hen and duck.
Cat and dog.
Horse and camel.

I~ I

llii'!I
I:

·. 111

Exercise 4. - Compare the following, . showing, in an orderly way,
points of likeness and of difference.
1. Two of your classmates.
2. Summer and winter.
3. Two churches.

I

j/,

LESSON LIV

I'\.11!,
. I

4. A doctor and a clergyman.
5. A farmer and a miner.
6. A telephone and a telegraph
instrument.

~l

.1il

::·:

:1r1
· I1

Exercise 5. - · In the picture on p. ;321, find two dogs that look very
much alike. Point out. the likenesses and differences.

'\
Exercise 6. - Examine this face carefully. ·i
Then find in this book or elsewhere a face
that resembles it. Ppint out the likenesses
and differences.
Exercise 7. - In the front part of Webster's ·, ·
" International Dictionary" arid opposite
p. 1612 of the "Standard Dictionary" are
pictures .of the Great Seals of the States.
Finding t\rn that are nearly alike, tell the .
likenesses and differences.

I

/ 1.

J
I

J
I

I

I

1
i

I

!

Exercise 2. - Choose the face that you like best 1 and dei;;cribe it as
accurately as you can.

'-·

'·

318

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

DESCRIPTIONS

.i.

319

t'
I

I
LESSON LV
GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIONS

The description of co untries, cities, rivers, mountains, and
of other natural or politicnJ divisions reqttires careful observation and inquiry, as well as read in g and study. The order
in which such subjects may be treated is shown by the followmg
OUTLINES

I. A

C I TY

on TowN

I. Situation. County and state or the like; on or in sight of what
shore, river, lake, mountain, railroad, or important city - giving
distance and direct.ion .
II. Size. Area and population, compared with some other city
or town . Variety of inhabitants.
III. Streets and Roads. Quality and direction. Principal means
of approach and transportation .
IV. Buildings and Public Works. Number and character. Library,
post-office, comt-housc, churches, schoolhou ses, parks, bridges, monuments, etc.
If a place of note - the reason.
V. Leading industry. M:1.11ufacturcs - what kind . Commerce - with what places. Agriculture - what products.
VI. Surroundings. Character of the suburbs; natural scenery;
places of historic interest.
VII. History. Brief mention of specially interesting
remarkable growth and prosperity, or of disasters.
1£. A

CouNTJtl' on STATJ<;

I . Situation. In reference to the whole region; to other states, etc. ·
II. Size. Arca, or length and breadth, as shown by comparison:
Population.
III. Physical Features. The coast, surface, mountai ns, riverR,
lakes. The climate n;nd soi l.
IV. Products : (a) animal; (b) vegetable; (c) mineral.

!

V. Cities and Towns. The more important. For \\'hat noted.
VI. Trade and Manufactu;es . ., Imports, exports, and articles
manufactured.
\
VII. People. Race, nationali ty; chief occupations; character; education; religion; government. Other matters of interest.

i

Exercise 1. - Following the general plan given above, describe l. The city or town in which you live.
2. One or more of the most important cities in the United States.
3. One or more of the following:
Dublin
Rome
Moscow
Paris
London
Mexico
Florence
Tokio
Birmingham
Berlin
Cairo
Vienna
Calcutta
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Panama
Pekin
Cape Town
Manila
Havana

d

11
'I

l

!:

I·1
1,

·I ·

Exercise 2. - After collecting the necessary information from either
persons or books, arrange it according to the preceding plan in 1. A description of your native state or country.
2. A description of one or more of the foll owin~:
England
Scandinavia
Spain
Florida
Holland
New York
Italy
Chile
Greece
Mexico
France
Japan
Russia
Scotland Australia
Java
Brazil
China
Pennsylvania Ireland
Palestine
India
Egypt
Germany California

LESSON LVI
DESCRIPTION OF PROCESSES

.

\~
•

To tell how an ar ticle is made, or how anything ' is done,
requires a thorough knowl edge of the process anJ considerable
skill in expi·ession. We must ·
1. State the object of the process; the difficulty, frequency of it, etc.
2. Describe the material used; the tools, utensils, and everything
else required .
3. Mention the persons engaged in the work.
4. Narrate the details of the operation from beginning to end, tel~
ling exactly what is done.

~'
·~

::-

l.

-

ll~

A PICTURE AND A POEM

LESSON S I N ENGLISH
Exercise. - - T :1k1• :1." :1 s 1il 1.i1·1·I 11·!1i 1· li nT r .,f I l11·s1· p nw1 ·s., 1'." ,·, 11 1 :in·
f:t111ili:1r 11·il li. 1•1·1·p:1n· :111 1111ili 111'. :111 .J 11Til 1· :1 description 111' ii .
1.

.,

~( ' lli11 .!.!:
~I :1ki11 g

1'.
":1 T:iltl
l\1 •11.

II

:i . 11 ; 11·111·:-:~ i I lg' :1 I lnrs1'.
·I. \l:iki11 g : 1 l\"il 1'.
:l . \1:1 k i11 g- : 111 . \ J ll 'flll.
Ii . ( :1 ·l !i11g ~ 111 • 111 · r
~ l1111 •i 11 !-'.

I! ll J'St'.
I\ II i l.J i II ,!! :1 I I 1111 .' t '.
!I. i\l:1ki11!-'. Tr:q1 s.
JO . i\ l:1ki11 g lhi<' ks.
I .

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"

A

PICTUR E

L:i .1· i 11g 11111 :1 I '.: 1s1•-I '"II

(: 1'1111 IH

l_

I :!. Tl"' \I :11111f:11·l11 r1 • 111' l 11>1.l 1· 1"1
I" Pri 11li11 ~~ :1. :\ 1•11·s 1>:11 ll'r.
I I. T :1ki11 g ( ':i n ' 111' I 1!:11>1 s.

...

1.-..
11 ;

11 .. 1\" I11 l'l:i y 111 1· 1":11·1 1ril1• ( ::11111 •.
I t1·11 , ., .r l '.11i l1J;: Iii :.: 111111 ....;1• _
11 .. 11
I 7. Tl11 · f ':1 n· 11f :1 f ':111 :1rr .
1 .~.
l .:1_1·i 11g 1111 1 ·1 ' 1'1 · 1111i :-: - 1·• 11 !J'I. .
!!I Tlw ( '11i11ir1 g n l' :1 ~ ih ·1· r l>11ll:ir.
:!II . \I ;1k i11g ('11lln11 i11l n ( 'Jn il1.

AND A

"

POE M

Exercise 1. ·- :\flfor n •: 1di11 ,u; 1111 · 1'11J l,."·i11 g ." l11rv li11d i11 Iii" 1•i1 ·l11n'.
" Tli f' ( 'n 11 g rf'ss o f llogs , " :1 d ou; lik t• Jl:ir l . I h·sni!.1 · li i111 . 1: i11d <>i l11 ·r
dog:'< 111:1 1 111 i,u;lil IH' l' rillf't ' :11 1.J ~ 11·: ill rn1· :111 .J li ll l1• \l11 s i1·. 1111 11· d 11 1-. 111
k110\\· \\·hi1 ·'1 d11gs to l' h"o~ c'?
011 hi " 111 ornin g m1111d ~ Iii <' .\J ,,, ,,.,.
( :1 11'" I 11 J,•:irn 111111· :ill I lii11 g·s L1 w :
~ 1·:1ri·llt' s 1>:1., l 11r1 • :iflpr p:1s l 11r1 ',
~ '"''' I ' :1111! 1·:11111· ''.'." ·" " ·ii 11 1·: 11·1·:
1\ 11.J . f11r s il1•11<·1· " r for I :ilk.
I II' 11:1111 c11111rnd1•s i11 hi s \\':i lk :
h 111r d11gs. <': 1t ·h p:iir 111' dilf1 ·n ·11I l11·1·1·d.
I )j , f i11g11i "l11•d I"." f111· s1·1 ·11I. :11 1.J I 11 · 0 r,, ,. " I " '''' I.

1>1 ·1·11 1111 ·
n11 s l !'ii.

l'I \'f' J'

Tlii1d1· hy :1 ""' ' 11i u; lii. 's frn s L;
l '.111 . 1111 ' 11i111hl1· !inn· li :i.1.li
Ll'I 1s i<-d
T11 I J, ,. i"" · :1111! s: >l'1•h· 1·1·nsst'd;
~ !11 · !1:11 Ii 1·r11ss1·d . :111d 11·it li1111t.
l11 ·1·d

'\II :1n · l'n l lnll' i II !!; "I r1111 " I"'"" ,
\\ ' i11 •11 J11 I f 111 · in ', S il f J1i11J y
s pn ·:id ,
lln ·;i ks - :111d I 111 : gr:1d1n111ul,
I J:irl , is 11 1·1· rl11·ad 1

I

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l\1·lt.1•r f:il "
l'ri111·,, :incl
~11· :1!!t111' ·-·
~ ....
1111' 111 ,.J, .,,,·i11g- '" lli e
s p11rl 1

'

~111 si1·

l1: 1s "" IH·:ir f. 111 f11lln l\',
l.i 11 lc \ l 11s i1·. s li 1• stops sliorl.
~!11• h:il Ii IH'il lll'r ,ri sh 11 nr
l11 ·:11·t ,
1J..r." is 111111· :1111>1 l11 •r p:irl:
.\ l11 1· i11 ,u; •T•·al.11r" s ill' , :11111
l11·:1 v1·!
.\11d f1111dk slr i'·'"" l11 •r s lr11g.!.! li11 .!.!: 1'ri1 •111 J 111 ~: I

II
1
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:I h:Jl'f' llt'ft>l't' hi Ill .°' f ;11·f 1•.J I
I llf I li1 '.\. lh· i11 1·:11·111 ·s l 1· li :1."•':
1-: ,· 1·n · 1l11g is '':1g1· r- lll':irl1 ·1 l.
.\II 1Jw 1'0111· :m· i11 lh1 · r:11·1· :
.\1 1d lii P li:in· " ·111>111 ti" '.' . 1111r.<111"
hll l)\\"S fl'lllfl i1 is l illl'f· 11 li:ii I 1• d11 ;
I l1• r ""JlC' is ll< ':JI': 111> I 11 r11 s l11 · 111:1kr•s ;
1\111 , lik" :111:irn>11·1 111 fli t· ri ,-, .,. !:1k1»-<.

321

1-'1 ·11111 1111' I.rink '"". 1'"11·:-: :-: 111:
- 1J'l'l1· l 11 ·s..
\ · t·n· li:i 11d s :is .1 ·1111 \\·1111 Id s:iy !
,\11,J :if lli1 ·I i11 g 11111:111 ;; s ill'
1'1·l f'i11· s .
,\ ,.; ill' lm •:ik s 1111· It ' ( ' :111·:1.\'.

I

I
I•

320

LE S SONS IN ENGLISH

A PICTURE AND A POEM

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
G.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Setting a Table.
.Making a Iled.
Harnessing a Horse.
Making a Kite.
Making an Apron.
Getting Supper.
Shoeing a Horse.
Building a House.
Making Traps.
Making Bricks.

11. Laying out a Base-ball Ground.
12. The Manufacture of Pottery.
13. Printing a Newspaper.
14. Taking Care of Plants.
15. How to Play my Favorite Game.
Hl. How a Beaver Builds his House.
17. The Care of a Canary.
18. Laying out '.1 Tennis-court.
19. The Coining of a Silver Dollar.
20. Making Cotton into Cloth.

Deep the nver was, and
crusted,
Thinly by a one night's frost;
But the nimble hare hath
trusted
To the ice, and safely crossed;
She ha.th crossed, and without
heed
All are following at full speed,
When lo! the ice, so thinly
spread,
Breaks - and the grayhouncl,
Dart, is overhead!

LESSON LVTI
A PICTURE AND A POEM

On his morning rounds the Master
Goes to learn how all things fare;
Searches pasture a fter pasture,
Sheep and cattle eyes with care;
And, for silence or for talk,
He hath comrades in his walk;
Four dogs, each pair of different breed,
Distinguished two for scent, and two for speed.

Better fate have Prince and
SwallowSee them cleaving to the
sport!
l\fosic has no heart to follow,
Little Music, she stops short.
She hath neither wish nor
heart,
Hers is now another part;
A loving creature she, and
brave !
And fondly strives her struggling friend to save.

Sec a hare before him Rtnrt<'rl !
-OIT they fly in earnest. chase;
Every dog is cagcr-lwart.ed,
All the four arc in the race:
And the hare whom they pursue,
Knows from instinct what to do;
Her hope is near: no turn she makes;
But, like an arrow, to the river takes.

From the brink her paws she
stretches,
Very hands as you would say!
And afflicting moans she
fetches,
As he breaks the ice away.

Exercise 1. - After reading the following story find in the picture,
"The Congress of Dogs," a dog like Dart. Describe him . Find other
dogs that might be Prince a nd Swallow and little Music. How do you
know which dogs to choose?

:i!i
!1

Exercise.~ Take as a subject whichever of these processes you are

familiar with, prepare an outline, and write a description of it.

321

.

.

!i
11
I'

!·j

:,
!i
I

:1

Ir

!I

:i:1

322

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

DESCRIPTIONS

For herself she hath no fears, Him alone she sees and hears, Makes efforts with complainings; nor gives o'er
Until her fellow sinks to reappear no more.
-

Wordsworth.

Exercise 2. - Tell in your own words the story of Dart.

LESSON L VIII
DESCRIPTION OF ANIMALS.

Exercise 1. - From what you already know about The Camel, write as ··
good a description as you can without making an· outline.
Learn what you can about camels from books, and persons, study
the outline below, and then follow it, add to it, or use parts of it in rewriting your description.

In gathering material for the description of an animal we
may follow an outline similar to that here applied to THE CAMEL

I. Introduction. The camel a large beast of burden; famous as
"The Ship of the Desert."
II. Place where found. Arabia, Africa, Central Asia.
III. Size, Shape, and Covering. Eight feet high; much larger than
a horse ; ungainly; humps (one or two) on back; covered with rough,
dark brown hair.
IV. Parts. Head small, like a sheep's, no horns; teeth unlike those
of most herbivorous animals - more like a dog's, and Ruite<I to ten.ring
off twigs and shrubs; neck long, no mane; horly bulky; legs long, slender i
knees provided with a cushion; feet broad, soft
V. Food.. Thorny shrubs, date leaves, beans:
VI. Habits and Qualities. Chews the cud; seldom needs water; has
great endurance; patient, obedient, kneels for burden; vicious towards
its own kind.

323

VII. Uses. (a) Beast of burden: 300 pounds five or six miles an
hour. (b) Its milk a favorite beverage. (c) Flesh salted for food. (<f)
Fat melted for butter. (e) Hair made into cloth.
'i
VIII. Conclusion. Indispensable in long journey across deserts; anecdotes, etc.
Exercise 2. - Write a description of one or more of the following,
making an outline of what is important to be said.
Elephant
Lion
Bear
Wolf

Beaver
Crocodile
Fox
Whale

Frog
Spider
Bee
Silkworm

Tiger
Raccoon
Sheep
Butterfly

Horse
Cow
Reindeer
Cod

In collecting material for the description of a bird the outline
below may be followed. In every case, when possible, the observation and study should be from the object itself.
DESCRIPTION OF BIRDS

I. Appearance: Form; size; actual and comparative; bill, length,
how adapted for use; feet, size; toes, number, length, position, adaptation
for mode of life.
II. Color: Above; below; distinguishing ~arking; differences between male and female; young.
·
III. Name: Significance of; by whom given; change in different
localities; variety in one locality.
IV. Food: Kinds in summer, in winter; where and how obtained.
V. Nest: When built; where; by w~om; material used; ~ow made;
3ize; shape; time required for building.
VI. Eggs: Number; color and markings; sil':c; time of incubation.
VII. Young: Covering; food; time in nest; learning to fly.
VIII. Enemies: What; why to be feared.
IX. Song: Characteristics; when; birds having similar song.
X. Migration: When; where; why; routes; le~ders.
XI. Value to man.
XII. Personal Observations.

.

'

..

,,

'

\r·, .

324

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Exercise 3. - In the same gcncrn.I way ma.kc a study and description
of the following, using the ou tline or such parts of it as may be helpful.
Woodpecker
Jay
Oriole
Cedar-bird

Bobolink
Mocking-bird
Bluebird
Kingbird

Sparrow
Chickadee
Owl
Crow

325

DESCRIPTIONS

Swallow
Blackbird
Meadow-lark
Hawk

LESSON 1,lX
'·'.

\

DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS

I

Exercise 1. - Select some plant, either wild or cultivated, of which
you know the looks and habits very well, and try to describe it. Remember the stem, bran ches, leaves, flowers, and fruit; the shape, size,
and color of all the parts; when it starts, when it blossoms, when it
dies, etc.

It is one th ing to be acquainted with a plant - to know how
it grows, how it behaves, and how it differs from other plants
in its stem, its leaves, its flowers, and its fruits. This comes
only by the study of plants themselves.
It is quite another thing to know of what u se a plant is to
man, and what treatment it receives.
A general description of a plant as producing something useful to man may follow this
OUTLINE

I. Use, Value.

Fo.r food, clothing,

buildin~

material, etc.

II. Place Where Found, and How Discovered.
ized; wild or cultivated.

Native or natural-

III. Genera.I Appearance. Height, size, trunk, bark, branches, foliage, flowers, fruit. Method of propagating.
Exercise 4. - Examine the face of thi s donkey carefully. Then,
closing your book, t,ell everything you can about the donkey's appearance.

IV. Part Used. Method of gathering or collecting it, and of pre/
paring it for its final use.

Exercise 6. - Find in the pi cture on p. 321 a dog whose expres'3ion .
is much like that of the donkey. Point out the resemblances and differences.

Exercise 2. - After reading and asking questions, or after a conversation-lesson in school, mal(e an outline, and give a general description of the plant from whi ch we get

Exercise 6. - Learn the name of some animar that once existed but
is now extinct. (If you do not know this word look it up in the dicHaving gathered all the information you can about it,
tionary.)
describe it for your classnrntes.

F lour
Rice
Corn
Figs

Sugar
Cotton
Coffee
Dates

Flax
Tea
Cork
Almonds

Rubber
Tobacco
Cocoa
Bananas

Mahogany
Oranges
Potatoes
Peanuts

326

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

DESCRIPTIONS

LESSON LX
LISTENING DOGS

Exercise 1. -The two
dogs appear to be listening to some sound
t hat comes from within
the house. What is the
sound a nd what causes
it? If there is some person in the h01ise, tell
who it is and what he
(or she) is doing or saying. Describe t his person. If he appears at
the door wh at will he
say, and what will the
dogs do?
Exercise 2. - Describe brieAy the attitudes of the two dogs.
Exercise 3.- Find
in the pictme on p. 321
two dogs which closely
resemble these. Point
out t h e resemblances
a nd differences.
Exercise 4.- Ruppose
that you have taken a
snap-shot of these dogs
with yom ca.mem. In
taking the picture you
stood a little way behind
them, but just before
you pressed the button
you whistled sharply.
Describe the picture thus
taken.

327

LESSON LXI
DESCRIPTION OF PERSONS

It is easy to recognize a person, to distinguish him in a
crowd, and to learn his ways; but it is hard to convey clearly
to others the means of picturing to themselves one whom they
have not seen, or of understanding his character. \Ve must
do the best we can to describe truthfully the I. Figure. .Whether large, tall, stout, well-proportioned, or the
opposite.
II. Face. Features, complexion, eyes, hair, etc.
UL Manners. Peculiarities of appearance, bearing, action, dress,
and speech.
IV. Traits of Character. Disposition, habits, peculiar traits, mental
power, source of reputation.
Exercise 1. - After making an outline, describe one or more of the
following: 9. An Indian.
1. Your father.
10. The most peculiar person
2. Your most intimate friend.
you know.
3. The family doctor.
11. A clergyman.
4. A baby.
5. The oldest person you ever saw. 12. An. Englishman .
13. A Chinaman.
6. Yourself.
14. An Italian.
7. A tramp.
15. The ideal boy or girl.
8. A farmer.
Exercise 2. - Give directions to an artist for painting a portrait 9£
some boy or girl in your school. You need not give the name. Describe
t he person so accurately that the artist will have no excuse for mistakes.
Write good naturedly and avoid hurting a nyone's feelings.
Exercise 3. - Describe one of the historical characters mentioned on
pp. 302, 303.
Exercise 4. - Describe some character that you have read about in a
story or poem.

I '-~:.

,;t

32G

LESSONS I N ENGL I SH

DESCR I PTIONS

LI STEN I NG

f .

Exercise l.
d! i_~>

:q1p1·: tr

1(' t Ii 1 1 .~~

j (I

DOGS

Tl11· I''"'
I 11

,-. .: 1q 111 '

lu· Ji...: :--: 1 l! t t HI

111:11 ··11111· ··" r1 .. 111 11 i1l 1i11
1IH' 11 1111 -<1· \\ ' Ii:il i." 111<'
:--01 11111

: l tlf l

\\

11:!!

(nr ~ lw ) is di 1 i11 ~!·

iq·

:--:: 1, ._

I )1•s1 Til " ' I l1 is 111 ·r·

s111 1. 1r Ill' "I 'I"'" I"" :11
1111 · il 1111 r " ·1i:il 11· i11 111·
'''-'" :1 111 I ll' l 1:1 I 11·ill 1111·
tl1 l g"S dn 't

Exerci sfl 2.
111• S<TilH• I1ri1 ·lh 1111· :ii Ii i 11t\1•s 111' 1111· I 11·11 d 11g.'<.
E xercise 3. · l' i1 11 l
1111' pi 1·l 1111' 11 11 I" : :1 I
I \\'Cl d11 ~s 11 l1i 1· li 1·l11.'<1 ·l1·
n·s1•111hf l' t li 1'.' I'.
I '11i11I
<il l t t I 1(' l'l ''t· 111 I>l: 1111 ·1·s
:l il t I 'Ii ll1 'l'l' lll 'I' >'.
Ill

-... ,
,.

II

(.,

...

fr~':!Y,~~·-;

II 1>< 1·:1 :~ 1· 111 n·1·11µ·111 1.c· :1

J'l' l'.'-'1111, 111

cli><li11g11i :·d1

l1i111 i11 :t.

1T1111·1I . :11 111 111 !1·:11'11 Iii ~' 11·:i n : : !nil ii is li:1rd lo c·11111·1·y 1·1":1rl y
' " ol l11 ·r>< 1111· 1111·: 111 s 11f 11i1·l 11ri11 ~~ lo I !11 •111 sl' h·1·s c1 111 ~ 11·'111111 1 IH• y
J1 :11·1· li ll l Sl'f' ll , or of lllliiNsi: 111iJi11g iii .'-'

(• !J a r:wi<or.

\\'e lllllst

1· ;1 11 :--;1·:...:

ii 'I Ir 1111·1·1· is ""1111 ' 111 ·1'·
' "II 111 1111 • IJ, 11 1s1· 1 I I' ll
1r li11 ii is :11 11 I 11·li:1i. 111·
111 .~-.

DESCRIPTION OF PERS ONS

Exer cise 4.
~1 1111 111 :: 1·
tli:il .\'1111 11: 11·1· l:ik 1· 11 :1
::11:q1-s l11il nr I l11·si· il11!.':>'
\\ i I I 1 .,., 11 1r 1·:•r1H·r ;1
I 11
l:1ki11 .~ I Iii · 11i1 ·l 111·1· } l'! I
sl 111H I :1liltk11·:1 .1· lw lii 11 d
tl11·111 , l>11 f j1 1:-< I lwl'm\'.
."llll Jll'l 'SSt •d i I 11 • f>11 I I ll ll
\'11 11 11· l1i s l 11·1I ." li :1r1il y
I )1·s1·ril >I' 1111· pi .. l 11i·r· I li 11s
l:1k1 •11.

1lo 11 11 • l 1c•,.: I 11·1· c:1 11 lo ilc·s 1· ril 11· l rnllifiill .v llw I. Figure.

\\'111'1 l1c :r l:ir~1'. f:il I, ,, I rn1 I., 11·c ll -prnpn rt io111'd, q r th e

11 111 11>,'< ill'.
11 . F ace . 1"ml111·1 ·s, 1·1J111pl< '.\ i1111. ,._,.,., , li:1ir , ('l.c'.
111 Manners. l '1•1·1ili:1ril i1•s 11f " i'I H·: 11-,11w<', lwar i11 g, :1 ('l i1111 , drc :ss,
:111il ' I 11 ·1·1·li .
I\' Traits of Chara.cter.

lli sp"s ili1111 , l1:1l>il s, l'l'<' lllim tr:iit s, 111c11t.a l

IH )\\"t'I" , :. . : 11111'1'1' 111" l"l ' lllil : 11 i ! Hl.

.\ 1' 11 ·1· 11 i: 1k i11 C'.· :11 1 1111tli1ll', describe <lilt ' or 11111r" 11f tl1 c
Exercise 1.
l'1ill11 11·i11 g ·
!). .\II I 111l i:i11.
I . \' 11 m 1':11 1ll'r.
10. Ti le' 111 11s f. p1·1·1ili:1r pl'rso11
·1
1'111 11· 111n."f i111 i111 :il t' fri 1· 11 d.
\' 11\I k110\\'.
.•. Tiii' f:1 111il 1· d1ll'l11r .
I I . ,\ l'l1 •rg_1· 111:111.
I. \ h:il n-.
I:.!. .\ 11 l ·: 11.~li s l1111 : 111.
:>. Tl w nldt '.-i l 1w rs11 11 Yllll 1·1·n s:ill'
i::.. \ ( 'lii11 a rn:lll .
Ii. Y11111 -,;1·fl'.
I I. :\ 11 It :ili :111 .
1.
I r: 11 1q >.
I :>. ' l'lw id1·:1 I h m· 11r gir l.
·"· .\ r:, I'll 11'1'.

Exercise 2.
1: i1· 1· ilir1·1· 1i .. 11 s 111 :111 :11·1i .' I fm p:1i11ti11 .~ :i pml'r:iit nf
l 1oy 11r !..'" irl i11 \' (1111 · :.. : 1·!1111.I
Y1111 111 ·1·d 111d . g:i v1 • f.111' 11:11111• .
I )f'scrih(~
1111' i11 ·r:'< •ll "' ' :11· 1·1 11·:1l1· l.1 · 111 :1 1 11,..:irl rs l 11·ill li: 11·1· 1111 l'..\•· 11 -;1· 1'111· 111i .-; l:ik1 ·s .
\\'ril t· µ:1>111 ! 11:1l 11 n·dh· :111d :1\·11id l111 rt i11 µ:· :111 y 11111!'s fc,.•li11 gs.

:.; n 11w

Exercise 3.

ExP.Tcis e 4.

I l1·sni l ll' 11111 · ., r t 111 · l1i s t11ri1·:1 l l'li:1r:u·t1·rs 1111·11lill11C•d

011

••

328

CTLi\ PTI~ n YT
EXPLANATIONS

LESSON LXII
AN EXAMPLE OF EXPL/\NATION

Read carefully t lw fo llowing explanation ::mJ be prepared
to answer the questions below :
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23

EXPLANATIONS

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

You will often read, in books, of measuring t he height of a.
moun tain , or other lofty place, by t he barometer; a nd to most people
this is qui te a myste ry. T he expla.11a(.iu11 of it is, however, very
simple. It is this: The eart h is surrounded on all sides by t he
atmosphere, which t hough very light, has a cer tain weight, and
presses with considerable force upon t he ground, a nd upon everything t hat is exposed to it. If, however, yo u go up from t he gro und,
as, for insta nce, when you ascend a moun tain, t he hi gher yo u go,
the less t he pressure is. Thi s is naturall y to be expected, for t he
higher you go in such a case, t he less air t here is above you to press.
Now, a barometer is ~t n instrument to measure the pressure of the
air, just as a thermometer measures the heat or coldness of it. An
a neroid barometer is a kind in whi ch t he air presses on a curiously contrived rin g or b a nd of brass, a nd accordin g as it presses
more or less, it moves a n index like the hand of a watch, which is
placed on the face of it .
The way in whi ch yo u use Sll<'h an inst.rumcnt to mr.asurc the
height of a mountai n is t his: Yo u look at the instrument when
you a re at the bottom of t he mountain, before yo u begin your
ascent, a nd see how it stands. There is a little index like t he hourhand of a watch, whi ch is movable. This you sot at t he poin t where
the other index stands when yo u arc at the foot of t he mountain .
Then you begin your ascent. You shut up your barometer if you

24
25
26
27
21'
20
30
31
32
33
34

35
3G

329

please, and put it in your knapsack, or in a box, or anywhere else
you please. Wherever you put it, the pressure of the air will find
it out, and penetrate to it, a nd as you gradualiy rise fr om the surface of t.he earth , the index, which is connected with t.he curious
brass ring:, moves slow ly backward as tli e pressure diminishes.
This motion cont.inucf1 n.s long n.s you continue ascending. If yo u
come to a level place, it remains stationary as long as the level
continues. If you descend, it goes forward a little, and then begins
to go back again as soon as yo u once more begin to asce nd. Then,
when you get to the top of the mountain, you look at it, and yo u
see at once how mu ch the pressure of t he a ir has dimini shed. From
this, by a n easy calculation, you tell at once how high you have
come.

I

I

1. What is it that the writer is trying to explain? In what words
does he tell this? 2. What does the writer tell us in lines 4-10? Why
does he say this at the beginning rather tha n the end? 3. What does
he tell about in lin es 11-16? To what is t he barometer compared? Why?
4. What is the difference between these two instruments? How are
they alike? 5. What is told in lines 17-36? Could we have understood
t hi s part if it had come first? 6. Notice t he words that are used. Are
. t here a ny t hat you do not understand?

Exercise 1. - Explain to some one who is younger than you are how
you can measure the height of a tree without climbing t o the top of it.
Before t alking or writing consider carefully what you will say and in
what order you will say it.
Exercise 2. - E xplain how a fish can raise and lower itself in the
water.
Exercise 3. - Expla in how a boat can sail against the wind.

LESSON LXIII
DIRECTIONS FOR EXPLAINING

In order to explain anything we must first make sure that
we understand it very well ourselves, for how can a writer
hope to make clear to others what is not clear to himself?

...

-~--

.. . - -

L E S SO N S I N ENGL I SH
\\ ' Ji c• JJ

\\"( ' : I/'! '

.

(

EXP L AN A T IONS

,. ; \JJ'(• fJ1 ;1f 11·1· llll<! <' f'.-; 1: 11 1,J IJ H• ,. ; 111 ).il'<' f . 11"1' .-; J) 1)1tiiJ

lhink nl' :ill llH ' ililTc· rc· 11I il1 i1 1g ,. ; 11 1· 11: 111' 111 ,. ; :1v :1l ,1 11if ii. :111il
:-:!'(. I h 1·111 il n11·11 i11 ( l1< ·ir p rn p<' r 1m J,. 1·.

E XP LAININ G

A ~ooil 1r :1.1· (n h q .!; ill :111 1•\ pl :1 11 :1l in11 i.-; lo ,. ; (:!11 · 1•\: 1!' 11 1· 1r l1 :1L
ii . i:-: 11·r, 111!':111 In <' .\ pl:1i11 :111,J l1n11· 11 <' i1tl<'tlfl 11, <'.\ pl:1i11 ii .
:1,..; 11·1: wriff- if i,. ; m·ll ill 1il1,. ; 1·1 ·1·1· i llf'.«1· pn·1·:111I if) 11 ,..;:

A.

LOOK

'l'IH :P.

J. l1H • iJi1• ,. ; i111p l1•,. ; ( l:J11 g 11 :1g1• [ H' '-'" il il1•.
2. Tc ·ll 1l11 f' i lii11 g; :11 :1 I i11 11·.
:{.

F n ll cl\r :1 il c· li11if P pl r111.

4. T c· ll I l1i11 g,..; i11 1IH · o nl1 •1· 111 11·lii <' l1 11 11·.1·

:)!"< '

111 ·1•il 1•il .

G. ('0 111 p :m· i llC' I lii11 g (n 111' 1·\ 1il :1i1 11 ·il 1r i11 1 ,. ; n111f •i l1i11 g 1·l,. ; c•
1rlii<'li fill' ri ·:1il <' I' :ilr1·:11 1'· l; 11 01r.-: :1 i11llif :1 ,..; , 1'1w <' .\:111qil <' , :1 li:1rn 111 d c·r 1r il Ii :1 ( li1 ·r111 0 111l'( 1• r.
Exercise 1. ·-- .\11 llid - f:1 -; Jii11111'd r1·1111 ·d 1· f,,,. 1111.'-'1'-l,j,.,..J i-; 11111111 :i l:1rµ:1•
hr:i s:< d ll11r- k1·.1· 11J1 illf • 1,:i" k 11 1" 11 ,,. 111 .,·I; . .\ 1111l l11 •r 1·,. 111 ,.il.1· j, 111 l:1k"
~!' l'N: il ill11µ: hn ·:it Ii " <1 111· ri µ: lil :1r1,.,. 1111· 11 i lll ·1·. 1: i11 d 11· 11.1· 1·il l11 ·r "r
tii P~C n' ll lf'd i1·s . ,, ,. 1)1111 1 11f 111 .. 111. "1111111.\ 1·llf'1·k 111" l1l1·1 ·d i11;.:-. T l1<' 11
111:1k c :t 1·:i rd 11I <' .\ J'l: 111:il i<111 f11r -;ll 1n1·1111 " 11·!1" ./111'> 110 >1 111 1d"1"-.: f:i11 d .
Exercise 2 . .-- ~ll 11H · 111· 1·, 1111 " :1r1,.,. ""'· i11 .µ: :i il :i>\1 ,, f li;_! l1l11 i11 .!.'. """ ' ''"
Ill rt Iii 111' 11·Ji j1.. '1 011· 1":11· :111·:1.1· iI 11·:1 -;. ,.. i 11.I 111 111" 1\1i .-.: j, i\ 1\111', :11 11 I ,., l'l :1i II
it, 111 sn11 11' 0111• \1·1111 cl rn·s 11 111 111 1d1 ·r-.:l:111d ii .
Exercise 3 . · l•:.\ 1d :1i1, 111 :1 .1·11 111 1µ: 1"1·i1 ·11d nf .1 ·1111rs 111111· 1111 · ~~ 1 ·: q d1 11 ··
phn1H: n ·1m 1du """ 1llf• s11111 11 ! " r I '11 · 1·11i 1"'

N11f i('<' 1lit• l'.\ JH '1•:-:C' 1n11 011 f IH · 1': 1t •1•

11 f ( IH ' ilng .

:-:1 ·1· 11 :1 li 111 11 :111 fa c·c· 11· i t li 1hc· :-::1 1w : 1· x 11rt ·C':-: io11 ?
n11 ·:111 ?

\\ "l1: i1

Il nv(' yo u <'Vc·r
\\ ' l1a t d ues ii

mntld fill' il 11g ,. ; :1.1• ii' 11 <' could l:tlk ?

What.

11·nril :-: \l'l)tilil y n11 11 ,. ; c· 1o d1 ·:-: nih" Iii :-: f'i1:11':1 1·Lc·1'?
Exerci 8e 4.
1, l·: s:-; t i i'J
THE

J,X V

PO INT OF /I STORY

lt t-; 1,J I It <' f() ll () 1r i11 g ,. ; fo ri f•:-: .

Tl11 •11 ,..;i:1l1• :1:-: 1·k a rl y a :-: y ()tl

c:111 flit· po i11 [, pf r: a\'lt s(.llr y, f li :1L i::;, 11·l1:i f. lite :-:Lory 11wa11s .

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330

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

331

EXPLANATIONS

When we are sure that we understand the subj ect, we should
think of all the different things we want to say about it and
set them down in their proper order.
A good way to begin an explanation is to state exactly what
it is we mean to explain and how we intend to expl ain it. Then
as we write it is well to observe these precautions:

LESSON" LXIV
EXPLAINING A LOOK

\

1. Use the simplest language possible.

2. Tell one thing at a time.
3. Follow a definite plan.
4. Tell things in the order in which they are needed .
5. Compare the thing to be explained with something else
which the reader already knows about as, for example, a barometer with a thermometer.
Exercise 1. - An old-fashioned remedy for nose-bleed is to put a large
brass door-key on the back of the neck. Another remedy is to take
several long breaths one right after t he ot her. Find why either of
these remedies, or both of them, should check the bleeding. Then
make a careful explanation for someone who does not understand.

\.\

Exercise 2. - Some persons after seeing a fl ash of lightning can t ell
in a little while how far away it was. Find how t his is done, and explain
it to some one who does not understand it.

Notice the expression on the face of the dog. Have you ever
seen a human face with the same expression? What does it
mean? What would the dog say if he could talk? What
words would you use to describe his character?

Exercise 3. - E xplain to a young friend of yours how the graphophone reproduces the sound of the voice.
Exercise 4. - Which is the brightest star in the heavens?
where it is. Explain to someone how to find it.

Lee,rn

LESSON LXV
THE POINT OF A STORY

Exercise 6. - E xplain how the No rt h Star may be found by one
who is lost on the plains or in the desert .

Read the following stories. Then state as clearly as you
can the point of each story, that is, what the story means.

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332

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

A POEM TO LEARN

(a) Two men once sat in a public meeting listening to a speech.
When Lhe meeting was over, one said to the other, "What did you think
of that speech?" His friend replied, "It reminded me of a poplar tree
that grew in my father's orchard. It was tall and beautiful, but it
bore no fruit."

(/J) We know not fully what we are

(b) A farmer once came to a neighboring lawyer, expressing great
concern for an accident which he said had just happened. "One of
your oxen," said he, "has been gored by an unlucky bull of mine, and
I should be glad to know how I am to make you reparation." .
"You are a very honest fellow," repli ed the lawyer, " and will not
think it unreasonable that I expect one of your oxen in return."
."It is no more than justice, to be sure,'' said the farmer. "But
what did I say? I misspoke myself. It is your bull that has killed
one of my oxen."
"Ind eed," said the lawyer, "that alters the case. I must inquire
into the affair, and if - "
"And if!" exclaimed t.he farmer; "the business, I find, would have
been concluded without an 1:f, had you been as ready to do justice to
others as to exact it from them."

(c) You're always sure to detect
A sham in the things folks most affect;
Bean-pods are noisiest when dry,
And you always wink with your weakest eye.

LESSON LXVI
SOME PASSAGES TO BE EXPLAINED

A young friend of yours in his reading has come upon the
following lines of poetry. He does not know precisely what
they mean.
Explain them to him so clearly that he cannot fail to understand them.
(a) The key of yesterday I threw away,
And now to-day,
Before to-morrow's fast closed gate
Hopeless I wait,
In vain to pray, in vain to sorrow;
Only the key of yesterday unlocks to-morrow.

333

Still less what we might be;
But hear faint voices from the far
Dim lands beyond the sea.

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LESSON LXVII
A POEM TO LEARN

. .I

James Whitcomb Riley, popularly
known as " The Hoosier Poet," was
born in Greenfield, Indiana, in 1853.
Most of his verses are in the Hoosier
<lialect, and are distinguished by their
homely humor and pathos, and their
musical rhythm. His first book of
poems " The Ol<l Swimmin' Hole," was
published in 1883.

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JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

THE PRAYER PERFECT
Dear Lord I kind Lord I
Gracious Lord I I pray
Thou wilt look on all I love,
Tenderly to-day I
weed their hearts of weariness;
Scatter every care
Down a wake of angel-wings ,
Winnowing the air.

33-!

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

335

MEANING OF POEM

Bring unto the sorrowing
All release from pain;
Let the lips of laughter
Overflow again;
And with all the needy
0 divide, I pray,
This vast treasure of content
That is mine to-day!*

The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came agai n, with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest ;\
Anti lo! Beri Adhem's name led all the rest!
- Leigh Hunt.

Exercise 1. - 1. Is this a true story? Give it in your own words, trying not to leave out any idea expressed in the poem. What is the lesson
it teaches? 2. What docs tri:lie mean here? Is it specially appropriate? Why? 3. Do you think the name Abou Ben Adhcm adds
interest to the poem more than some more familiar name would have
done? 4. What three names are given to the visitor? 5. Is this
better than repeating the word angel? Why it rather than he'I 6. Explain like a lily in bloom; all sweet accord; exceeding peace; bold. 7. Is
cheerly the usual form?

Exercise.-A child t.o whom thiR poem has been read wishes to know
what is meant by the Inst three lin es of t.hc first stamm. Explain them
to him as carefully as you can. Use simple words and make the meaning perfectly plain. Explain also what is meant by "weed their
hearts," and "Let the lips of laughter overflow again."

LESSON LXVJIT
LESSON LXIX
STUDY OF A POEM

MEANING OF A POEM
ABOU BEN ADHEM
THE CHAMBEllED -·NAUTILUS

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe in crease!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw within the moonlight of his room,
!\faking it ri ch, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And, to the presence in the room; he said,
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head ,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord!"
"And is mine one?" asked Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spake more low,
But, cheerly still; and said , " I pray thee, then,
Write me as one· that loves his fellow-me n."

This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main, -The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair. .
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearll
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed, Its irised ueiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed I
. '

* From "Rhymes of Chi ldhood," copyrighted and 1n1hlishl')d by the Bobbs-Merrill
Company, Indianapolis. By permi sgion.

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LESSONS I N ENGL I SH

DESCRIPTIONS

,'-;/u 11 si1111s . :1 111! 1'11(11/ n ·1'fs! 7. l•: x pn•ss 1IH · ..I1 id l.lt 111 1g:liL o f
1lw lirs l s l.:1 11 7.:i. s i11qtfy i11 yu 11r 11 11·11 l:1 11 g: 11 ag:1 ', i11 I 1\'11 pr11s1> s1• 1tl !'11r·cs.
s l ·: ~p l :ii 11 i11 :1 f' i111il:1 r 11·:1v 1.lt c· "hid I li o 11g:lt1. i11 C':t<' lt "f (ft p foll mY ing:
s t :1117.:i s. !I. l>o ·' " 111 di :<<'OV(' I' :111 y J1l :t 11 i11 I.h r. poe m a f< a \\' lt o i< •? HJ.
\\.''1 :11 is I hi' :q1Jll'lljll'i:tt<'111•ss nf th e• 1:1 ,.: I. li11<'. fn111't11 s t·:1117.:t.'! ·1 I. Commit.
th e· ll' l111l c· 111 11•111 t o 111 1• 111 ory. I:!. :-; t11d y th e a ul hor and sr1111 e of hi s
11t l11·r I " 11 •111 :' _
//l r1111."

Y1·:i r :i r11 ·1· y1·:1 r l "' l11 ·lil 1111' - il .. 111 1.. iJ
Tl 1:1I ,.: 11n ·: 11! hi " 11 1,.: I r11 11 ." 1·11il :
:-; I i ii , :I" 1111• >' Jlir:i l .!.'. 1" ' 11'.
11 1· 11'1'1 11 11' p:1,.: I .'·1·:1 r ',.: d m·l li 11;c: 1'11 r 1111 • 111 •11-,
:-;1,,l1 · ll' il 11 s11r1 " I"!' ii " "h i11i 11 .!.'. :m·l111·:1 .1· 1111 .. 111g h .
l \11ill lijl ii ,.: id\1• " "" '"
:-;1n·l1· l11 ·d i 11 I1i." !:i s l - r1111111 I 11,, 1111 " :111 .i !, 111·11· 1111' 11 ld 1111 111 •1r1 "
'l'l1:11d,s l"1r t 111 · l11 ·: 11·,. 1d1· 1111 "'"" .'. '.1 ' 111'< •11 .!• lil !,_,. 1111 ·1·
( ., , i Id 111' t I11 ' II : II 11ll'ri11 µ; ,.:1•:1.
( ':1 ,.: t fr11111 li1 ·r l:i p. fml11r11 1
0
l r11 111 I '1.1· dc•:1d li J1 s :1 ,.1,.:1n·r 11ot" i" !111r11
'1''1 :111 1'\ '< ' I' 'l'ri t 1111 lil 1·11· frn 111 11 rl':1l l1 ;:i1 '1 11n 1'
\ \'f, i !1 • 1111 111 i llC ' f ' :I I' it ri 11 .C:"'•
Th r 1111c: li Iii <' d c•1•11r·:11·r·s 111' t l11111gl il I 111·: 11· :1 \·11i<'1' lh:il :-ill:-'.';

ANCIENT WEAPONS AND TOOLS

Exercise . - I 11 t.hi f< pi1 ·t 1m• ·'"' 11 sC't' so 11 w o f t-.l1C' 11·pn.po11 i'l :111d tools
11 sr" I h1 · 1'11 · n1lf' i1• 11 t. 1· li iT-d ll'!' il n s 111' 1\ri w 11 :1. Sc•(' wli<'lhC'r liy s tudying
I 1"'111 y111 1 (';111 t1 ·ll h 1J11· C:t!' li 11·:1 s 111 a il l' n 11d 11·h at. it. wa s used for .

l \1 1i lif ti 11 •1• l I llll'f' SI :1 t t• I.\ · 111:111 ,.: i11J lc' . I ) 111_1· ,:11 1!1 ,
.\ s t 111 · s11·ift s1•:1 ,.:1111 s r1oll l
I .. ·:1,.,. t 1n · 11111·- 1·:111 It"" p:1,.: I 1
l,1 •t 1·:11· !1 Iii'\\. t 1• J11J1l1 ', 1t11ltf1•r lit:1 1t tit1· l;1,.:I,
:-;1i11t 1111 ·1· rr1)11l 111•:1\'f ' ll 11·it l1 :I " "1111' 1111 1)'1 ' \':l " t,
Till t ''"" :ti l1• 11 ;! t It art frf' t'.
J.(':l\·i11.!! t l1i111 • fllll .!.'.1'1111'11 ,;h1 •1l l1y li f1•' ,.: lllll'1'>'ti 11 ,!.'.
-

,.:t• ;J

!

( 1. II'

" "'"'' "' ·

lk:u l :1 d 1·,.:ni 1iti"11 111' 1111• 11 :1 11t il11s. Tn· 111 li11d :i 11i<'tllrt '. n 1· :r s llf' ll ,
if , .., 11 :m · 111 ·: 11·" 11111 ..,.· 111 11 .,f 11 :tl11r:il lii ,; t11 n " \ 11l 1111 h · k 111 ·11· 11 111,.11 ,i1 ,.1 11t
d ilt'f11r<' 1s: :11 . \ 111 l1111 g: :if l1·r ll1i ,.: llr. 11 111111"" llTfllr · tl11 • 1"1.·111 . '1'111 ·
old ( :n ·1·l\ 11 ; 11t11 · i ~ 1u 11tld11 s , 111e ·:111i11 g: :1 ~:1 il111 '.
Exercise .
'11 ·1"/

"

I . I" ii 1111 ·: 1111 tl1:r l 11 11· 11:111 til11 s /,,//., lik1· 1111' :r 11i ,,r li11 ·
\\ ' l1:1t I.' lllf ':lllt 11_1· s/n/(' .,.if/1 s11/I s/111 .' :;_ f l111•,.: llt1 • 11:111ii l11-;

~ :ii i 1111 tl11 · i' 111·r:1 1·1· :ti! 1lw ti111 .. ? -t. 1.- it '" '"" ." "" ". 111111! " '" ·It .. 11:11111,. ·r
St'r\·1·s a s ii -..: l1011w'! .). J·:x pl:1i1 1 or d1 ·fi11 ". g-i,·i11g: s_\ · 11011 ,, · 111 s ,,·lw11 ·' · 111 1

c·:1r 1; 1111< ·/ s

/1I!/'' ·

r'l'.'f/J/ 1 /11 s/ n111 s ,

<'Or//

1·1'11r1s .

11 11 :-:. /111(ln1r< ·d 111o i11 . l' "''l'lnl 11·i11ys

1

/r isnl ,

n ·11/ i .-.: 1111/1 ·s.'·•,

Si1 ·r·11 , '/'rt'tn11 , /nw - ru11//r ·rl, 11 11n ·s / inf/ , /l'lfllrl1"' ill!/

h1'(fl 'f'lll.'t

}Jlf 'SS U!/< '.

f\.

\\ 'l1 :il

j....;

1 lw l'(IJllll ' f ' I i n11

337

s.111. "" 111/1u ·

h1 •I \\ '1•1· 11

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336

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

337

DESCRIPTIONS

turous, Siren sings, and coral reefs? 7. Express the chief thought of
the first stanza simply in your own language, in two prose sentences.
8. Explain in a similar way the chief thought in each of tl:ie following
stanzas. 9. Do you discover any plan in the poem as a whole? 10.
What is the appropriateness of the last line, fourth stanza? 11. Commit
the whole poem to memory. 12. Study the author and some of his
other poems.

Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spirnl grew,
He left the past year's dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wan<lerinl!: sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn!
While on mine ear it rinl!:s,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings: -

LESSON LXX
ANCIENT WEAPONS AND TOOLS

Exercise. - In this picture you see some of the weapons and tools
used by the ancient cliff-dwellers of Arizona. See whether by studying
them you can tell how each was made and what it was used for.

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
~aving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!
- 0 . TV. Holmes.

Read a description of the nautilus. Try to find a pi cture, or a shell,
if you are near a museum of natural history. Nobody knew much about
it before 1830. Not long after this Dr. J°Iolmes wrote the poem. The
old Greek name is nautilus, meaning; a sai lor.
Exercise. - 1. Is it meant that the na11t.il11R toils like the ant or the
bee? 2. What is meant by stole with soft stP71? 3. Docs the nautilus
sail on the surface all the time? 4. Is it known how long each chamber
serves as its home? 5. Explain or define, giving synonyms when you
can; JJocts feign, 11nshadowed main , purpled wings, iri.sed, rent, sunless,
crypt, lustrous, Siren, Triton, low-vaulted, unresting, wandering sea, on mine
ear it rings, heavenly message. 6. Whn.t. is the con.nection between ven-

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PARAGRAPHS

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

339 -

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LRSS( >N LXXl

CHAPTER VII

AN OLD MILL

PARAGRAPHS
LESSON LXXIII
WHAT A PARAGRAPH IS

Exercise. - These pictures show the kind of mill with which the old
Romans ground their wheat. The picture on the left shows the mill
itself. The picture on the right is an old piece of sculpture showing how
the mill was used . Wri te an explanation of the pictures, entitling it
"How wheat was gro und 2000 years ago ."

LESSON L;xxn
SOME INTERESTING WORDS

bedlam

cynosure

sincere

sycophant

porcelain

Exercise . - These words have a curious and ihtercsting history.
Look them up in t he dictionary and find in any other way all you can
about them. Then explain how each one came to mean what it docs.
The following outline may be used:
1. The derivation of the word.
2. Its earliest use.
3. The changes it, has gone through.
4. Its present meaning and use.

If we examine the language that we use in speaking or in
writing, we shall find that it consists of larger and smaller
groups. Groups of words join . to form sentences; groups of
sentences join to form paragraphs; groups of paragraphs join
to form speeches or written compositions.
Further, when we consider these groups separately we see
· that in each case the elements of the group - the words,
the sentences, and the paragraphs - have com_e together because they belong together. They are all needed in the group
in which we find them in order to express some single, definite
idea. Thus, all the words in a sentence have come together
in order to express the one idea of that sentence: all of the
sentences in a paragraph have come together in order to express
the one idea of that paragraph; all the paragraphs of the composition have come together to express the one idea of that
composition.
Read carefully the following group of sentences:
The water was full of vessels of all kinds, coming and going, or
lying at anchor. These vessels were all of very peculiar forms, being
built in the Dutch style, and not painted, but only varnished, so as to
show beautifully the natural eolor of the wood of which they were made.
They had what might be called fins on each side, which were made to
be taken up or let down into the water, first on one side and then on the
other, as the vessel was on different tacks in beating against the wind.

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356

LESSONS

~N

ENGLISH

WORD-BUILDING

LIST OF PREFIXES FOR REFERENCE*

A or ab, abs, away from; adverb,
abhor, abscond.
A, an (G) not, without; atheist,
anonymous.
Ad, to, toward; adjoin, admix,
adapt.
For ease of speaking, t he d of ad
is usually changed to match a followin" consonant, a nd so we often
. ac, af ,
have "'with the same rneamng
ag, al, an, ap, ar, as, or at; accost,
affix, aggressive, alluring, a nnex,
approach, arrange (set to rights),
assist (give help to), attach.
Amb, am, all round; ambiguous
(not direct).
Amphi (G) on both sides; amphitheater.
Ana (0) up, back again; analysis
(taking to pieces).
Ante, before; anteroom.
Anti, ant (G) against, opposite;
• antidote, antartic.
.Apo (G) away from; apostle (one
sent out).
Bene, well; benefactor.
Bis, bi, twice, two; biped.
Cata (G) down; cataract.
Circum, arounrl, also circu; circumnavigates, circu itous.
Con, with, torrthcr; also col, com,
cor, co; <'.011vr11tio11, ro lli~io11 ,
combine, corrcspo11d, <'.ooperatc.
Contra, apainst, also counter (F)
contradi ct, co unter-bal anc~ .
De, down, from ; depress, deliver.
Dia. (G) through, across; diameter.

Dis, di, in two, apart, also dif; disband, divorce, different.
Duo, du, two; duodecimo, duet.
Epi (G) upon, to; epitaph (upon a
tomb).
Eu (G) well; eulogy.
Ex, e, out, from, also ef; exhale,
erase, efface.
Extra, beyond; extravagant.
Hemi, half; hemisphere.
In, into, u.pon, also ii, im, ir, en,
em; intrude, illumine, implant,
irrigate, enlighten, embalm.
In, not, a l8o ii, im, ir; infirm, illegal, imprndent, irregular.
Inter, between; interrupt.
Ob, ago:inst, also of, op; obstruct,
offend, oppone11t.
Pen, almost; peninsular.
Per, through, thoroughly; perforate,
perfect.
Post, after; postscript.
Pre, before; predict.
Pro (LG) before; programme .
Re, hock, again, also red; reform,
redeem.
Semi, half; semicircle.
Sub, under, also for ease of speaking as before, sue, suf, sup, sur,
sus, su; subscribe, succumb,
suffi x, support., suncptitious
(n< ~c pi 11µ; 1111d<•r), R\IS)lr)JHI.
Super, 11J111v1', over , also sur (F)
superi nte nd, surpass.
Trans, tra, across , beyond; transport, traverse.

• The abbreviati on (L) s ta111\s for Latin, (G) for Greek, (F) for French, (E) for English;
but all listed forms n.r e Latin unl e ss othe rwise mark ed.

SUFFIXES-

357
.

What is added at the end of a word to make a d~rivative

IS

a Suffix.

LIST OF SUFFIXES

Able (E) and ihle (E) form ad- Er and est (E) make comparajectives meaning that may be;
tive and superlative adjectives; .
readable, perceptible.
greater, greatest.
·
Aceous or acious mearu; containing Er (E) and or (L) denote the one
something, 'or rather so and so;
who does; singer, collector.
herbaceous, loquacious.
Ern (E), also erly, form adjectives
Age denotes a collection or sum
denoting direction; northern,
total; also a state or a process;
southerly,
1
herbage, leakage, marriage; till- Et and let (E) make diminutives,
age.
something small or young; lanAI and an mean relating to; brutal,
cet; leaflet.
Roman.
Ful (E) and less (E) make adjecAnce, ancy, and ence, ency, make
tives . meaning full of, or withabstract nouns; utterance, brilout; hopeful, hopele8s.
liancy, persistence, decency.
Fy (L) and ize or ise (G) form
Ant or ent (L) denotes the one who
verbs meaning to make so and
does so and so; attendant, stuso; purify, crystallize, fertilize.
dent.
le and ical (GL) mean belonging
Ary, ory, or ry form nouns that
to; heroic, logical.
denote a place or a collection; Ile makes an adjective meaning
granary, dormitory, pleasantry.
easy to, or belonging to; fragile,
Ary and ory also make descriptive
puerile.
adjectives; honorary, explana- Ine means belonging to; crystaltory.
line, feminine.
Dom (E) makes a noun showing Ing (E) makes a verbal noun . or a
where something has power or
participle; hunting, seeing.
prevails; kingdom, freedom .
Ion (L) makes n noun denoting
Ed (E) makes a passive participle
action; confusion, assertion.
or an adjective; rowed, four- Ish (E) m~ans somewhat h'ke, or
oared.
belonging to; . boyish, bluish,
En (E) makes a passive participle
Spanish.
or an adjective denoting mate- Ism or sm (G) forms nouns of
rial; beaten, oaken.
action or result; despotism .
En (E) also forms verbs meaning to Ist (G) makes a noun meaning
make a_thing so and so; strengthen
one who has to do with; journawiden.
list.

358

LESSONS IN . ENGUSH

Ive gives the idea inclined to; restorative.
Lent and ose, ous make adjectives meaning full of; frnudulent jocose, famous.
Like (E) and ly, meaning "like,"
make adjectives a nd advabs;
godlike, godly, honestly .
Ling (E) forms a name for ~ome­
thing small or young ; duckling.
Ment denotes the means or t he
actwn; inducement, payment.
Mony makes an abstract noun;
testimony.

Ness (E) with an ad jective makes
the name of the quality; brightness.
Pie or ble makes an adjective
meaning fold; cruadruple, double.
Ship (E) and hood denote shape
or condition; fe llowship, manhood.
.
Some (E) and y (E) form descriptive ruljechvcs; winsome, rus ~y.
Ty makes an abstract noun; punty,
crucltv.
Ward (E) makes a n adjective or
an adverb to show direction;
seaward .

STEMS

Often from n, single old form rnn,n y n ew words have _h~en
made by vnrying the prefixes and suflixei:;, or by combmmg
one word with :-mother .
We do not always see an older word in each of these new
ones, for the form of a word changes by use. But we commonly find some syllable, or group of letters, called the Stem,
which shows from what the word was first made.
When two or more words have t.he same stem, they must
have been derived from th ~ s~me ori ~inal so urce. W e shal~
therefore, find some con nection m meanmg among them, thoug .
they may look and sound very unlike.
LI!'\T OF

Ag, do, act; agile, agitate, age nt,
transact.
Alt, high; altitude, alta~, exalted,
(very high), alto (a high part).
Anim, l·i fe, 1m:nd; a nimal, a nimated,
unanimous, mag na nimous.

STl~MS

Ann

year· annual, biennial, an-

n~ls · (yedrly records).

Aper, open; aperture, April.
Apt, fit ; apt, adapt.
Arch (G) be first, rule; monarch, . .
archaic (ancient), architect .

LIST OF STEMS

359

Art, skill; artist, artifice.
Coron, crown; coronet, coronation,
Aud, hear; a udible, audience, audi- ' · corolla.
\
tor.
Corp, body; corpse, corps, corpuAur, gold; auriferous, a uri ole.
lent, corporation.
Bas, low;. base, basement, bass, debelieve, tru,~t; credible, cred it,
Cred,
base, (0) basis.
creed, credence.
Bat, .~ trike; batter, battle, battery.
Cur, care; accurate, cura ble, secure
Bit, bite; bitter, bit, bits.
(free from care), curate.
Brev, short; brevity, abbreviate,
Curr,
cur, run; current, excursion,
bri ef.
course.
Cad, cid, cas, fall, be/ all; cascade, Cycl, circle; cycle, tricycle.
casual, accident, incident, deDent, tooth; dentist, trident, inciduous (leaves), cadence (faldent.
ling on the ear) .
Di, day ; diary, diurnal, meridian.
Cant, chant, sing; canto, incanDiet, say; di ctation, dictionary,
tation, cha nt, enchant.
contradi ct, predict, verdi ct .
Cap, capit, head; cap, cape, capiDign, icorth; dignity, dignified, intal, captai n, decapitate.
dignity.
Cap, capt, take; captive, captor,
Do, dit, give; donation, editor, ex- 1 ·
accept, reception, capacity.
traditio n. ·
Carn, flesh; carnage (sla ughter),
Domin, dam, lord, /,ady; domineer,
carnivo rous, carnal, carna tion.
dominion, dame, madame.
Ced, ceed, go, yield; precede, reDorm, sleep ; dormant, dormicede, exceed, proceed, procession.
tory.
Celer, su11ft ; celerity, accelerate.
Due, lead, draw; duke, introduce,
Cent, hundred; century, centenproduce, abduction, educate (to
nial, centiped, cent, percentage
draw out one's power).
(a mount on a hundred).
Equ, equal; unequal, inequality,
Cinct, ,g ird; cincture (girdle) , preecruity, (fair or equal treatment),
cinct (encircled place).
iniqui ty (unfairness).
Clin, c.liv, lean; incline, decline
Fa, speak; affable, fabl e, infant,
(fm11 :nv:iy from), refu se, rcdi11e,
preface, ineffable.
declivity (leaning ground, slope) .
Fae, fie, face; sU1:facc, superficial.
Commod, suitable; commodious,
Fact, feet, do, rnake; benefactor,
accommodate, commodity, moeffect, confectioner, perfect. ·
del, modest.
Felic, happy; felicity, Felix.
Commun, common; communicate
Fer, hear; fertile, transfer, suffer,
or commune (make common),
refer.
community.
Fess, aclcnowledge; profess, confesCor, heart; cordial, comageous,
. sor.
concord (having hearts together,
trmt; fidelity, con fide, diffiFid,
agreemrmt.), discord.
dent, infidel.

360

I

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Fin, end; finish, final, finite (with
an e?ul), infinite, superfine (over
finished).
Form, shape; deform, reform, formality.
Fort, strong; fortify, fortitude,
force.
Frag, frac, break; fragile, fragment,
fracture, fr action, infringe.
Fun, fus , pour, rnelt; fount, foundry,
funnel, fu se (to melt).
Gen, ge.n er, kind, birth; genus, gender, genteel, a nd generous (of
good birth), degenerate, generation.
Gest, carry; di gest, gesture.
Grad, gress, step; gradual, grade,
progress. congre8s.
Gran, grain; granary, granule,
granite .
Graph, gram (G) write; autograph,
biography, geography, phonograph , diagram, grammar.
.
Grat, thanks, favor; grateful, gratis,
gratify, gratuity.
Gross, large; gross, engross (write
large), grocer.
Hor, shudder; horrid, horrify, abhor.
Hospit, guest; hospital, hospitality,
hol'lpitable.
Integr, whole; in teger, integrity.
Ject, throw; eject, reject, projec. tion, interjection.
Judie, n :ght; judicial , prejudice,
judgment. Cf. jur.
Junct, join; junction, conjun ction,
disjunction, adjoin, joint.
Jur, jud, right; injury, justice,
judge.
Lat, hear; legislate, dilate, collation.

Leet, leg, pfrk nut, read; sclcrt,
election, col\ect, lecture, legible,
legend.
Leg, law; legal, legislate, legitimate.
Liber, free; liberal, liberate, liberty, deliver (set free).
Lin, flax; linen, lining, lin t, linseed .
Lingu, tongue; la nguage, linguistic.
Liter, letter; li teral (letter for letter) , literary, literature, illiterate.
Loe, place; locate, dislocate, locomotive.
Log (G) talk, account.: prologue,
dialogue, geology.
Loqu, talk ; loquacity, loquacious,
colloqui al, eloquence, soliloquy,.
vcn tri loquist .
Lud , 71/0.y , rlrwdnP. _: 111cli crom1, prelude, delusion.
Mag, maj, great; magnify, magna11i111011s, magnificent, magnit ude, magistrate, majesty, major.
Maj, large; majority, ma jesty,
mayor. Cf. mag.
Man, hand; manual, manage, manufactu re, ma nuscript.
Man, stay; permanent, mansion,
rema in .
Mar, sea; marine, mariner, maritime, merma id.
Mater, mother; ma tern al, matron.
Med, heal; medicine, medicate,
remedy.
Medi, inidrllr,; medium, Mcd iterra11 ca11, mcdinwal, immediately
(righ t in t he midst of things).
Mens, measure; commensurate,
mensuration, immense.
Ment, m in d; mental, demented,
memento, mention .
Mere, gnnds; merchant, mercantile,
commerce.

361

I

Pass, step ; pass, trespass, passenger.
Past, feed; pasture, repast, pastor.
Pat, pass,. suffer; patient, passive,
compasswn.
Pater,. father; paternal, patron,
patnmony· (what is inherited
from a father) .
Ped, foot;. pedal, biped, quadruped,
pedestrian, impede, (get before
the feet), centiped.
.
Pel,. pul, drive; pelt, propel, expel,
dispel, · repulse,
compulsion,
pulse.
Pen, .punishment; penal, penalty,
pemtent. ·
Pend, hang; penda nt, pendulum,
s11l'lpPn<l , depend . indcpcndcncr.,
appendix.
Pet, ask, seek ; petition, appetite,
competitor.
·
Petr (G) stone; petrify, petroleum,
saltpetre,
Phil, love; philanthropy, philosophy.
Phon (G) sound; . phonetic, euphony, symphony.
Physi (G) nature; physical, physiology, physician.
Pict, paint; picture, depict.
Plac, please; placid, implacable.
Pie, plet, full; complete, plenty,
supplement.
Plen, full; plenty, replenish. Cf.
pie.
. ·
Pli, plic, fold; complicate pliable
multiply, duplex.
'
'
Plum, feather ; plume, plumule.
Plumb, wad; plumber, plumb.
Po~, -pos, ]Jlace, put; postpone, pos1t10n, opposite, opponent, post,
posture, transpose.

·~

LIST OF STEMS

M~rg, me:s, dip; submerge, ~merge,
1mmers1on.
Meter, rneasure; metric, diameter.
M~gr, .rem~ve; migrate, emigrate,
nmrugratwn.
Mir, wonder; miracle, mirror, mirage, admire.
Mit, mis, send; remit, transmit, admit, missionary, missile, dismiss,
message.
Mon, advise, re?nind; monumen t ,
admonish, monitor.
Mort, dead; immortal, mortify
(ca use to do) .
Mot, move; ·commotion, promote,
remote, motor.
Mult, many; multitude, multiplication.
Mun, gi ft; remunerate, munificent.
Na~, be born; nati ve, natural, nat ion.
Nav, ship; naval, navy, navigate,
nauti cal.
Not, know; notice, notify, notorious, denote.
Numer, nyrnber; numerous, enumerate, innumerable, numerator
(what shows number of parts) .
Nunci, nounce, announce; enunciate, pronoun ce, renounce.
Ocul, eye; oculist, ocular (as ocular
weakness).
Pan (G) all; panacea, panorama
pa ntheism .
'
Par, equal; parallel, compare, pa ir,
separate.
Par, get ready; prepare, repair, apparel.
Parl (G) speak; parlor, parley, parli a ment, parlance.
Part, 71art; particle, partial, partner, par tition.
,

1

1

'

.\ I

\I

\,

•

362

LESSONS IN ENGLISH

Port, carry; porter, portable, export, import, transport, port,
portfolio, report, dcportmc11t,
(way of carrying one's self) .
Pot, dri:nk; potable,
potation,
(draught).
Potent, able; impotent, potentate,
potential or possible.
Prehend, take ; prehensile (as a
monkey's tail), comprehend, apprentice (one who is taking up
a trade).
Prim, first; primary, primitive,
prime, primer, primrose, primeval (belonging to the first ages).
Punct, pung, prick;
puncture,
punctual, punch, pungent.
Quant how much, amount; quantity.
Quart, quadr, four; qniulrupcd,
quadrangle, quart, quart.er.
Quer, ques, seek, ask; query, inquire, question, request.
Quiet, still; disquiet, quietude, requiem.
Ra.di, root; radical, eradicate, radish.
Ra.p, rep, seize; rapacious, rapid,
rapture.
Ra.t, reason; rational, ra tify (to
decide that a t hing is reaso11a/1le).
Reg, rect, straighten, rule; regular,
regal, rectify, rector, correct,
direct.
Rid, tis, laugh; ridi cule, deride,
risible.
Riv, brook, source; river, derive.
Rog, ask; interrogate, arrogant.
Rupt,
break;
rupture, abrupt
(broken ofT sharp), corrupt.
Sacr, sanct, sacred; sacrifice, consecrate, desecrate, sanctuary.

Sal, lcnp; sally, assail, salient.
Sal, salt; saline, t=mlarl.
Sanct, holy; sanctuary, sancti fy,
saint. Cf. sacr.
Sat, enough; satisfy, sate, satiate-,
saturate.
Sci, know; scientist, orrmiseient,
conscious.
Scop (G) see ; telescope, microscope, scope (field of vision).
Scrib, script, wn:te; scribble, scripture, subscribe, describe, inscription , postscript.
Sec, cut; bi::>ect, section, sect (division).
Sen, old; senior, senate, seni le.
Sent, sens, feel, think; sentiment,
sentence, dissent, sense, sensual.
Sequ, fnllow; sequel, subsequent,
consec11tivc, prosecute.
Serv, keep; preserve, conservatory,
reservoir.
Sist, stand; assist, insist, resist.
Cf. sta.
Sol, alone; solo, solitary, £JOli tude.
Son, sound; sonorous, resonant,
consonant.
Sort, fate, lot; sort, consort.
Spec, spic, look; spectator, prospect, inspect, conspicuous.
Speci, look, k?:nd; species (all that ·
lnok alike), special (of a particular
kind). Cf. spec.
Spir, breathe; inspire, expire, conspiracy (whispering together),
spiritual.
Sta, stat, stant, stand; statue, station, stable, dist:tnt, circumst.:tnccs (smroundings).
Stell, star; ~tqll:;ir 1 constellation,
Stella.

LIST OF STEMS
String, strict, l1ind; stringent, strict,
(boa) constrictor, restrain.
Stru, build; structme, destruction,
obstruct, instrument.
Su, follow ; sue, suite, suit, pursue.
Suad, urge; suasion, persuade.
Sum, take; resume, consume, presume.
Surg, r.ise; surge, insurgent.
Tact, tang, touch; cont,act, contagions, tangible, attain.
Tail, cut; tailor, detail, retail.
1'eg, tect, cover; integument, det ect, protect.
Tempor, time; temporary, extemporary.
Tend, tens, tent, stretch; extend,
tendon, tendency, tension, tent.
Test, witness; testimony, attest.
Tort, twist; tortuous, torture, distort.
Tract, draw; extract, subtract, retract.
Trit, rub; trite (worn out), cont.rite
(worn and penitent), trituration.
Trud, thrust; protrude, intrude.

363

Un, one; unit, · unite, union, uniform, unanimous, wique (the
only one of a kind).
Und, wave; inundation, undulate,
redundant.
Ut, us, use; utensil, utility, usual,
abuse.
Vad, go; invade, pervade, evade.
Val, be strong; valiant, equivalent,
convalescent.
Ven, course; convent, advent,
event.
Vers, vert, turn; invert, divert,
verse, controversy.
Vi, way; viaduct, deviate, impervious.
Vic, vine, conquer; vidur, invincible, convict.
Vid, vis, see; vision, vista, visible,
visit, provide, evident.
Viv, live; revive, survive, viands,
vivid, vivacity.
Voe, call; vocal, vocation, .vociferous, provoke, convoke, voice.
Volv, roll; revolve, convolvulus.
Vot, vow; devote, votive, vote.

Exercise. - 1. Define any of the words in the Selections for Study
by giving (a) the meaning of the stem, (b) of prefix or suffix.
'
2. Arrange several groups of words having (I) the same stem, (2)
the same prefix, (3) the same suffix, and give the meaning of each word.
3. Make a list of words that are compounded of two or more simple ; •
words. Discriminate carefully in the use of the hyphen.

'·

.,

INDEX

INDE X
[The number• refer to 7>agea.]

A or an, 133.
Co mpa ri son, 204.
Construction, 205; modify what,
A few abbreviated expressions, 220.
Abou Ben Adhem, study of, 334.
204; independent, 220; as conAbsolute construction , 100, 197.
jun ctions, 20 1 ; as modifiers, 59 ;
Abstract nouns, 81; personified, 89,
modifiers of, 223; parsing, 204;
117.
position, 20G; errors in use, 20."i;
Active voice, 169.
summ a ry, 205.
Advcrh-clausc, G2; construction, 225.
Active participle, 196.
Adje cti ves, 24-27, 132-1 43; kin ds,
Advcrh-phrnse, Gl ; as m odifier, GO .
132 ; conjunctive, 134 ; desrripAdvcrhinll y, no un s used , 97 .
tive, 133; interrogative, 134 ; lim Advertisements, 279.
iting, 133; numeral, 134; part,iAgreement, pronouns, 123; ad jeecipial, 133; predicate, 25, 45;
t ives, 140 ; verbs, 182.
proper, 133; verbal, 151.
Ambiguous expressions, 2G4.
Comparison,. er and est, 135; with
Analysis, 72 ; general directions, 72.
more mid most, 137 ; adj ectives,
Anal ysis, m arkin g, 58, 73, 225; modnot compared , 137, irregu lar,
els, 72; complex sentence, 119.
136 ; number, 137.
And for to, 195.
Construction, 138; appositive, 138;
Antecedents, 20, 109 ; agreement, 123;
attribu tive, 57, 138 ; colllplecollective, 12G; joined, 195.
Ant,icipati ve subject, 119, 188.
m ent, subjective, 138; obje<"tivc,
138 ; independent, 220; as mod iApostrophe, !Jl.
fiers, 57; as pronouns, 11 2; modiAppositi ve, 6G; adj ective, 138; case
fiers of, GO; parsing, 138; posiof, 128; clauses, 68; m odi fie rs,
tion , 140; errors in form, 141 ;
GO; no un or pronoun, G6; part,if' iple, l!J7; phrases, 67.
in use, 140; summa ry, 139.
Adje ctive clause, Gl, 108, 22.5; co nArrangement, see Orcl er.
struction, 225.
Art.id es, 133; form , 133; re peated,
Adjective phrase, as modifier, GO.
140.
As, conjun ction , 215 ; conjun ctive adAdje ctive pronouns, 11 2.
Adverbs, 27; kinds, 200; conjun cti,·r .
verb , 225; relative pronoun, 109.
Asse rt ive senten ce, 3.
201; interrogative, 203; lllodnl,
203; responsive, 203; simple, 20'l .
Attributive adj ective, 138.
364

365

Auxilia ries, 160; be, 168; do, 167;
of transitive ' verbs; 145;
;i hav~, m ay, can, 162; must, 163; ·, .
passive phrases, 1.70.
shallr will, 161; choice between,
Complete verbs, 44, 5Z....54.
179; should, 164; meaning of, 180.
Complex sentence, G9 ; analysis, 73,
119.
B e, complete or copulative, 146; conComplex compound sent ence, 119.
jugation of, lGG.
Compound element, 223.
Biographical sketches, 297.
. Compound words, gender, 90; plural,
Business letters, 275.
87; possessive, 91.
Compound sentence, 38; analysis 119.
Capitals, 244, 344.
Concord Hymn, study of, 105,
Case, as a form , 90; as a relation, 235;
Conjugation, 154, 164-167· be 16G·
nouns, 91, 235; possessive, 91;
give, 164; passive and pr~gres~ ·
pronouns, 115 ; appositive prosive phrases, 172; s-forms, 182;
noun, 128 ; independent or with
solemn forms, 173.
pa rti ciple, 128; used as subject
Conjun ctions, 36--39; auxiliary, 213;
and complement of indirect predco-ordinating, 213; classes of coicate, 128, wrong forms, 126.
ordinating, 213; correlati ve, 213;
Choice of words, 251-2G5; of prosubordinating, 214.
nouns, 129.
Use, 217; compound elements, 224;
Chambered Nautilus, The, study of,
parsing of, 21 G; phrase, 216; er335.
rors, 217; summary, 217.
Clause, def., 62; kinds, 62; adjective,
Conjun ctive adjective, ,134; adverb,
61, 225 ; appositive and restri c201; pronouns, 108--111.
tive, 130; adverb, 62, 215, 22.5;
Connectives, 225.
dependent or subordinate, 62 ; Construction, absolute, 99, 197 ; adindependent or principal, 62;
jectives, 138; adverbs, 204 ,
noun, 225.
clauses, 225; conjun ctions, ~lG;
Constru ction , 225 ; as modifiers,
inde pendent, 99; infiniti ve, 188;
108; as an essential, 110-112.
interj ection, 219; nouns, !)2;
Clause, connective, 29G.
participles, 196; phrases, GO;
Collective nouns, 81; as antecedents,
prepositions, 210; pronouns, 117 ;
123; as subjects, 183.
verbs, 17.
Comparison, 134 ; adjectives, 13.'i.
Copulative verbs, 44- 47.
Compa rison, adverbs, 204; errors in,
Copying, exercises, 249.
141; irregular, 136.
Correlatives, 213.
Complement, 50; of infinitive and
participle, 188; objective, 51;
Dare, 150.
subjective, 46, 50; as objects, 50;
Declension, 116.
case of, 127; inf. as, 188; of verbs,
Demonstrative adjective, 134; pro43--52; of copulative verbs, 145;
· noun, 113.

a4f

,l

;

.\

366

INDEX

Derivation, 355-363.
Descriptive adjectives (or qualifying), 24-27.
Descriptive writing, 308-329; directions, 313; comparison and contrast, 315 ; geographical writing,
318; of processes of manufacture,
319; animals, 322; birds, 323;
plants, 325; persons, 327; slang
to be avoided, 314.
Dictation Exercises, 250.
Distributives, 113.
Elements, compound, 224; independent, 223; order, 12.
Elegy, Gray's, study of, i'43, 233.
Elliptical construction, 224.
Emphatic u se of compound personal
pronoun, 107.
Emphatic verb-phrase, 167.
Envelopes, 282-284.
Errors, adjectives, 140; adverbs, 205;
infinitives, 194; conjun ctions,
217 ; possessives, 95; pre positions,
210; pronouns, 122 ; verbs, 176;
in words, forms of, 256-261; unnecessary, 261; confounded, 261;
in choice of, 260; in order of,
264; double meaning of, 264.
Essential subject and predicate, 9.
E ssentials of a sentence, 54 .
Exaggerations, 262.
Exclamation, noun s used independently in, 99.
Exclamatory words, 220, 223.
Expansion of words, 229; of phrases,
229.
Explanations, example of, 328; directione for, 330; of a look, 331 ;
the point of a story, 331; of
some passages, 332.

Expletive, 204.
Expressions to be avoided, 258.
False syntax, sec Errors.
Feminine nouns, 89.
Forms of nouns, changes in, 82-92.
Future tense, 161.
Future perfect tense, 162.
Gender, 83; common, 89; nouns, 88;
pronouns, 117.
Gerund, inf. in in g, 152.
Histori cal sketches, outlines, 303--305.
History of Language, 350.
Imperative senten ces, 3, 13; mode,
157; subject omitted, 13.
Imperfect participle, 196.
Incomplete verbs, 43--56.
Independent constru ction, nouns, 98;
other parts of speech , 220.
Independent expressions, 223.
Indicative, 157.
Indirect object, 96.
Infinitives, 152-187 ; kinds, 152;
without to, 191.
Construct.i on , 188-192 ; as abstract nouns, 192; as adjective,
190; as ad verb , 190; as indirect
predicate, 191; as object, 188;
as object of a preposition, 189;
as subject, 188; as subjective
complement, 188; gerund sometimes used as noun , 192 ; with
anticipative it, 188; with object,
l.51. ; modifiers of, 223; parsing,
192; errors, 194; summary, 1112.
Inflection , 82; adj ectives, 135; adverbs, 204; nouns, 82--88; pronouns, 114-117; verbs, 147-174.
Interjections, 39; kinds, 219; uses,
219.

INDEX
Interrogative adjective, 134; adverb,
203; pronoun, 107; antecedent,
10.7; constructions, 117.
Interrogative sentences, 3; order, 13.
Intransitive verbs, 48, 53; as transitive, 14 7; made passive, 171.
In verted order, 13.
Invitations, 280.
Irregular comparison, 136; plurals,
88.
Irregula r verbs, 155; principal parts,
237.
It, a nticipative subject , 119; used
indefinitely, 119.
Italics, 345.

367

_
Need, 150.
sentence, 167.
Negatives, errors in u8e, 206.
Nominative ease, 91, 235.
Nouns, 16-18, 78-105; kinds, 78;
meaning, 79; concrete or abstract, 81; collective, 80; common, 80; gender, 88-90; fem inine, 89; masculine, 89; neuter,
89; proper nouns, 80; meaning,
79; verbal, 82, 187.
Forms or inflection, 82; case, 90;
possessive, 91; number, 83--88;
proper nouns, 80; plural, 86;
rules for, 86-88; of compounds,
87; of foreign words, 87.
Letters, figures, et c., plural, 84.
Construction or uses, 92-100; adLetters, 266-284; business, 275; inverbially, 97; as appositive, 66;
vitations, 280; models, 268; enas complement, 44; as objective
velopes, 281-284.
complement, 50; as subjective
Letter-writing, 266; address, 269;
complement, 46; independently,
body of letter, 271 ; complimen99; as indirect object, 96; as post ary ending, 272; folding, 282;
sessive, 64, 167; as object of
formal invitations, 280; form s, · preposition, 63; of verb, 44; as
273--277; heading, 266 ; salutasubject, 16 ; with participle, 100 ;
tion, 270; signature, 272; supermodifiers of, 222; pa rsing, 101;
scription, 281-284.
summary, 104.
Limiting adjectives, 25; as pronouns,
Noun-clause, 69, 110, 111; connec112.
tive, 225; constru ction, ' 225;
Litera t,ure, study of, 308, 310, 316,
equivalents, 190.
320, 333--335, 343.
Noun-ph rases, as adverbs, 97; posLives of noted men and women, 302.
sessive of, 94.
Notes of invitation, 280.
Masculine nouns, S!J; pronouns, 117.
Number, nouns, 83--88; adjectives,
Modifiers, .56- 70, 222; of verbals, 223;
137; pronouns, 114; special rules,
84, 85; verbs, 149.
primary, 64 ; secondary, 64; inverted order, 74; summary, 69.
Numerals, 134.
l\fode, 157.
Objective case, 236.
Narrative-writing, 287-307; dire cObjective compl ement, 50.
tions for, 295.
Objective pronouns, 127.
~ ., Negative

I
11

368

INDEX

170; from intransitives, 147171; with complement, 170;
when used, 170.
Past perfect, 162.
Past tense, 149; formation, 149 ; misused, 178; past subjunctive, 181.
l'erfect infmitive for µresen t , HJ5.
Perfect parti ciple, 196; misused, 178.
l'crfect lcusc phrases, l 02 .
l 'e rso n, of pronouns, 10/; of verus,
149.
Personification, 117.
Phrases, 23; emphatic, · 1G7; infinitive, 187; parti ciple, 196; pasParagraphs, 339.
sive, 1G8-l71; perfect. 162; posParsing, 101, 121, 138, 174 ; n.dj ecscssive, 93 ; prepositionnl, 63 ;
. ti ves, 138; n.d verbs, 205; conprogressive, 168; veru, lUU-164.
junet ions, 216; infinitives, HJ 2;
As adjectives and acl ve rbs, 31; as
n01ms, 102; order, 102 ; partiappositives, 67; equivalent to
ciple , 197; preposition s, 210;
clause, 197; independent, 223;
pronouns, 121; verbs, 174.
as an essenti al, 63; as subjective
Partiripial adj ective, 133.
co mplement, 63.
Participles, 196 ; imperfect , 196; past,
Phrases, analysis, 63.
153, 196; perfect, 196 ; present,
Phrase-adverbs, 204.
153, 196.
Phrase-conjunctions, 216.
Construction, 196; absolutely, 197;
n.s adjectives, 133 ; as ad verb, Phrase-prepositions, 209.
Pictures to be studied, Boy and Toad,
196; as appositive, 197; equiva· 256; Three F aces, 317; Donkey,
lent to cla use, 197 ; in perfect
324 ; Dogs, 321 ; Dogs Listening,
phrase, 162 ; as objective com326 ; Girl and Dog, 331; Weapons
plement, 196; as subj ective co mand Tools, 337; Old Mill , 338;
plement, 196 ; modifiers, . 223;
The Hunters, 294; Divided
nouns used with, 100 ; parsing,.
Affection, 313.
Hl2; suffix, 15~ , HJ2 ; smrnnary,
l'lurnl , 84.; of name with title,
l!J7; verbal nxlj ncti ves, 153.
86.
Participle-phrnse, I !JG.
Parts of speech , 15-42, 78-221; de- P oems to be studied, Columbti8, 299;
Midsummer, 308; Midwinter,
cided by use, 24; summary, "'0Story of Da rt, 320; The
310;
42.
Water Fowl, 142, 343; The
Passive pa rti ciple, 196.
Prnver P erfect, 333; Chambered
P assive phrase, 169; conjugation of,
Nm;tilus, 335; Ahou J3cn Ad172; exercises, 171; formation,

Object of verbs, 47-51, 145 ; definition,
50; object of infiniti ve, 151 ; of
participle, 151; of proposition,
34 ; direct, indirect , 96; infini tive
as object, 188; in passive,
171; wrong case-form, 127.
One another, misused, 130.
Other, misused, 141.
OrdPr of wordR, in ve ti.ed . 1;~; wrong,
264 ; adverbial expressions, :LOti;
prPpMition anrl ohjf' d ,, 20S:
questions, 13; of senten ces, 342.

I
I

I ND EX

369

113; d istributive, 113 ; indefinite ·
conjunctive, '111 ; interrogative,
107 ; personal, 107; posscssi,·c,
Position of words, see Order.
118; reciprocal adjective, 113;
Possessive, 91; avoid· awkward use
reflexive, 107 ; relative, 109; an\, of, 95; - - case (as a relation),
tecedent of, 20; as connective,
235; - - case-form, 90; con108; meaning, lOQ.
nected nouns, 94; form at ion of,
Forms or inflection, 114-117; agrce91; meaning, 92; nouns, 91 ;
111Pnt, 12:3; wit.Ii ro llecti\·r antep hrm;rs. li 7; phmsr prrfrITPd .
cedent, l 2ti ; with conne cted an95; pronouns, 116; double form,
tecedents, 124; rasc , 126; of n p1 I Fi; rnle s for llS<' of - -, \l:~;
positive, 128; independent or
with modifiers, 64; without noun, ,
with participle, 128; nominative
118.
Potential forms, 163.
- -, 115; objective case, 11 5 ;
Predicate, 6; essential, 10; indirect,
possessive case, 115 ; declension,
116; gend er, 117 ; number,
190; modifi ed , 8; simple, 9.
Predi cate-adjective, 25, 45; ' con114.
struct.ion, I :38; infinitive n.s, 188.
( :onstruction , 117 ; as adjf'dives,
Predicate-noun, 45; construction, 45.
118; with participle, 100; choice
of, 129;-- meaning, 109;modPrefixes, 356.
Preposition, 30-35; use, 208 ; after its
ifiers, 222; - - parsing , 121 ;
object, 208 ; as adverb, 209; as
- - errors in use of, 122; reconjunction, 209; combined with
flexive use of compound personal - - , 107; rule for - - as
verb, 171; . independent, 220;
with infinitive, 189; - - parsobject, 127; wrong case forms, ,, ..
12G; as subject, 126; as object,\ :··
ing, 210; - ' - errors, 210.
127; wrong number forms, 122- 1 \1
Prepositional phrase, 34, 63, 66; use
31; as adj ective, 31; as ad verb,
26; summary, 122; test quef?31; for possessive, 95; with moditions, 131.
Proper adjective, 133; - - noun, 70.
fiers, 64.
Present participle, 153, 196.
Punctuation, 243, 345.
Present perfect, 162.
Present t ense, 148; potential, 163;
Quotation, 2481 349.
subjunctive, 181.
Principal parts, 156; list, 237; of
R egular verbs, 156.
auxiliaries, 161; alike, 155; conRelative prnnoun, 108; construction,
fu sed, 176.
117.
Progressive verb-phrase, 168.
Reproduction of stories, 291, 292,
Pronouns, 106; kinds, 106; adjective,
300-302, 305-307, 320, 334.
112; conj11nctive, 108; compound
Responsives, 203.
personal, 107; demonstrative,
hem, 334; Concord Hymn, 105,

~4~.

.1

;!

370

INDEX

SentenceR, 1- 13; defini t ion of - - , 2;
kind s, 1-4, 221; essentials of, 1;4 ;
assertive, 3; romplcx, n!l ; r•omplex comp01111d, l 19 ;.c·.on 1pot11Hl,
38; elliptical, 224; cx rl rurmtions,
4; imperative, 3; interrogat.ive,
3; simple, 38; stru cture, I ;
subject, 5 ; complete subject, 6 ;
simple. !) ; predi f'at•~. (i; co1t1pletc, 10 ; simple, fl; 1t1odili1,r, 11.
Sentence-analysis, 72- 77.
Sentence-building, 43-71.
S-form of verbs, 150; d irection s for
using, 182-185; exercises, 18.5;
spelling of, 154.
Shall, will, 179; use of, 179- 180.
Simple senten ces, 38; analysis, 72.
Singular number (nouns) , 84-88 .
Slang, 314 .
Special rules for number, 84.
Spelling, plurals, 8'1; verbs, 154.
Stems, 358.
Stories, how to tell - - , 287; - -· to
b e studied , 288; - - to complete, 291; - - and letter, 292 ;
- - from poem, 293; - - from
picture, 294; - - suggested,
295; of Columbus, 299; of Washington, 300; of Lincoln, 301;
In ch rape Rock , 305 ; African
Chief, 306 ; White-footed Drer,
30G; R evere's Ride, 306; Nauha u11:ht,
307; from various
sources, 307.
Study of Literature, Abou Ben Adhem, 334; Chambered Nautilus,
335 ; Concord H ymn, 105, 343;
Elegy, The, 143, 233; To a Water
Fowl, 142, 343:
Subject , 5; a ffirm ative and negat.ive,
186; anticipative, 119 ; collective,

183; connected , 184; indefinite,
119; infinitive as, 188 ; inverted
order, l~ ; 1t1odificd, 10; nouns
ns, 221; prono1111R :t.8, 12H; ruks
for pronouns as, 120; simple, 9;
third, singular, 182 ; thou, 173 ;
wrong case-form , 12G.
Rubj ective, complement, 4G, 50; infiniti ve as, 188 ; phrase, 222.
S11hj11n <'tive, 158; forn is, 24 1; 111'11,
181.
Rubstitute for compa rison of adjerti ves, 136, 141.
Ruffixes, 357.
Summary adj ective, 139; adverb,
205 ; clauses, 225; con junctions,
217 ; infini tives, 192; nouns, 104;
participles, 197; pronouns, 122;
sentences, 221 ; verbs, 175.
Synonyms, 251-54; exercises in ,
251-54; - - disr.riminated, 253 .
Sy ntax, see Constru ction.
Telegram , 285.
Tenses, 148; errors, 176 ; names, 1G2 ;
special meanin g, 149.
Tense-phrases, future, 161; perfect,
162.
Titles, plural of, 86.
Tran sitive verbs, 47-52: u sed intransitively, 147 ; with objective
complement, 50; with two objeds, 145.
Transposition, 74.
Use, see Construction .
1.Jscs of noun s, 92--100.
Variety of expression, 228, 253.
Verbal adj ectiYcs, 151- 154.
Verbal nouns, 151-154; infinitives,
187.
.

INDEX
Verbs, 20-24, 144-186; kinds, 1 44;-~
complete, 44, 52, 144; copulative, 44-47, 50, 144-146; factitive, 145; impersonal, 145; incomplete, 43--56, 144-146; intransitive, 145; as trnnsitive,
14G; transitive, 144-147; as intransitive, 145.
Inflection, 148- 174; auxili aries,
161-165; combined with prepositions, 171 ; conjugation, 154,
164-174 ; double forms , 156; emphatic phrase, 167; gerund, 192;
imperative, 158; indicative, 157;
infinitive, 187-194;' mode, 157159; number and person, 149;
participles, 196; passive verb
phrase, 168-171; perfect tenses,
162; perfect t ense phrases, 160164; potential forms, i63; prinl'ipal part11, 156; prin cipal part.g
confu sed , 176 ; progressive verb
phrases, 168 ; regular and irregular, 155 ; irregular - - , list of,
237-240; s-fornis, 182-186; solemn forms, 173; spelling, 154;
subjunctive, 158; tense forms,
147-174; voice, 169; with different meanings confused, 177.
Constru ction , 174; agreement, 150 ;
with collective subject , 183; with
connected subjects, 184-86; with
it for subject, 145; with relative
as · subject, 186; with comple- .
ment, 43--52; gerund construction, 188-192; shall or will, 179;

371

in subjunctive forms, 18 1; transitive - with indirect object,
145; transitive verbs (a few)
with second objective complement, 145; errors in form, 175-186; forms, dirr ctions for, 170186; forms, improper, 178; verb
necessary to S<'nknre, 14 I ; vcrh.
one of two, omitted , 18(i; parsing, 174; parsing exercises 175;
summary 175.
Verb-phrase, 22-24, 160--64; formation, 160; emphatic, 167; future
tense phrase, 161; passive phrase,
168-171; perfect tense phrases,
161; potential phrases, 163; progressive verb phrase, 168; exercises, 173.
Vocatives, 223.
Voice, 169.

.~

I

Will for shall, 179.
Words, choice of, 251-265; common
errors in choice of, 256-260; - confonnded, 260; double meaning of, 264 ; exaggerations, 262;
incorrect forms, 256, 257; kinds \
and use of, 15--42 ; synonyms, ,:\
251-253; nnnecessary words, 261;
\'
wrong order of, 264.
Words, related in meaning, 255;
right and wrong, 259; that sonnd
alike, 261; similar in form , 260;
unnecessary, 261 j inappropriate,
262; big and little, 263; some inI\
teresting - - , 338.

ii

