Graded Lessons in English Part 29

+A _Definitive Adjective_ is one that modifies by pointing out, numbering, or denoting quant.i.ty+.

SENTENCE-BUILDING.

Place the following adjectives in two columns, one headed _descriptive_, and the other _definitive_, then build simple sentences in which they shall be employed as _modifiers_. Find out the meaning of each word before you use it.

Round, frolicsome, first, industrious, jolly, idle, skillful, each, the, faithful, an, kind, one, tall, ancient, modern, dancing, mischievous, stationary, nimble, several, slanting, parallel, oval, every.

Build simple sentences in which the following _descriptive_ adjectives shall be employed as _attribute complements_. Let some of these attributes be _compound_.

Restless, impulsive, dense, rare, gritty, sluggish, dingy, selfish, clear, cold, sparkling, slender, graceful, hungry, friendless.

Build simple sentences in which the following _descriptive_ adjectives shall be employed.

Some of these adjectives have the _form_ of _participles_, and some are _derived_ from _proper nouns_.

+CAPITAL LETTER--RULE.--An Adjective derived from a proper noun must begin with a capital letter+.

s.h.i.+ning, moving, swaying, bubbling, American, German, French, Swiss, Irish, Chinese.

LESSON 74.

CLa.s.sES OF VERBS.

+Hints for Oral Instruction+.--_The man caught_ makes no complete a.s.sertion, and is not a sentence. If I add the object complement _fish_, I complete the a.s.sertion and form a sentence--_The man caught fish_. The action expressed by _caught_ pa.s.ses over from the man to the fish.

_Transitive_ means _pa.s.sing over_, and so all those verbs that express an action that pa.s.ses over from a doer to something which receives, are called +Transitive verbs+.

_Fish swim_. The verb _swim_ does not require an object to complete the sentence. No action pa.s.ses from a doer to a receiver. These verbs which express action that does not pa.s.s over to a receiver, and all those which do not express action at all, but simply _being_ or _state of being_, are called +Intransitive verbs+.

Let the teacher write transitive and intransitive verbs on the board, and require the pupils to distinguish them.

When I say, I _crush_ the worm, I express an action that is going on now, or in present time. I _crushed_ the worm, expresses an action that took place in past time. As _tense_ means _time_, we call the form _crush_ the _present tense_ of the verb, and _crushed_ the _past tense_. In the sentence, The worm _crushed_ under my foot died, _crushed_, expressing the action as a.s.sumed, is, as you have already learned, a participle; and, as the action is completed, we call it a _past participle_. Now notice that _ed_ was added to _crush_, the verb in the present tense, to form the verb in the past tense, and to form the past participle. Most verbs form their past tense and their past participle by adding _ed_, and so we call such +Regular verbs+.

I _see_ the man; I _saw_ the man; The man _seen_ by me ran away. I _catch_ fish in the brook; I _caught_ fish in the brook; The fish _caught_ in the brook tasted good. Here the verbs _see_ and _catch_ do not form their past tense and past participle by adding _ed_ to the present, and so we call them _Irregular verbs_.

Let the teacher write on the board verbs of both cla.s.ses, and require the pupils to distinguish them.

DEFINITIONS.

CLa.s.sES OF VERBS WITH RESPECT TO MEANING.

+A _Transitive Verb_ is one that requires an object+. [Footnote: The _object_ of a transitive verb, that is, the name of the receiver of the action, may be the _object complement_, or it may be the subject; as, Brutus stabbed _Caesar_, _Caesar_ was stabbed by Brutus.]

+An _Intransitive Verb_ is one that does not require an object+.

CLa.s.sES OF VERBS WITH RESPECT TO FORM.

+A _Regular Verb_ is one that forms its past tense and past participle by adding _ed_ to the present+. [Footnote: If the present ends in _e_, the _e_ is dropped when _ed_ is added; as, lov_e_, lov_ed_; believ_e_, believ_ed_.]

+An _Irregular Verb_ is one that does not form its past tense and past participle by adding _ed_ to the present+.

SENTENCE-BUILDING.

Place the following verbs in two columns, one headed _transitive_ and the other, _intransitive_. Place the same verbs in two other columns, one headed _regular_ and the other, _irregular_. Build these verbs into sentences by supplying a subject to each intransitive verb, and a subject and an object to each transitive verb.

Vanish, gallop, bite, promote, contain, produce, provide, veto, secure, scramble, rattle, draw.

Arrange the following verbs as before, and then build them into sentences by supplying a subject and a noun attribute to each intransitive verb, and a subject and an object to each transitive verb.

Degrade, gather, know, was, became, is.

A verb may be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another. Use the following verbs both ways.

+Model+.--The wren _sings_ sweetly.

The wren _sings_ a pretty little song.

Bend, ring, break, dash, move.

LESSON 75.

CLa.s.sES OF ADVERBS.

+Hints for Oral Instruction+.--When I say, He will come _soon_, or _presently_, or _often_, or _early_, I am using, to modify _will come_, words which express the _time_ of coming. These and all such adverbs we call +Adverbs of Time+.

He will come _up_, or _hither_, or _here_, or _back_. Here I use, to modify _will come_, words which express _place_. These and all such adverbs we call +Adverbs of Place+.

When I say, The weather is _so_ cold, or _very_ cold, or _intensely_ cold, the words _so, very_, and _intensely_ modify the adjective _cold_ by expressing the _degree_ of coldness. These and all such adverbs we call +Adverbs of Degree+.

When I say, He spoke _freely, wisely_, and _well_, the words _freely, wisely_, and _well_ tell how or _in what manner_ he spoke. All such adverbs we call +Adverbs of Manner+.

Let the teacher place adverbs on the board, and require the pupil to cla.s.sify them.

DEFINITIONS.

+_Adverbs of Time_ are those that generally answer the question+, _When?_

_+Adverbs of Place are those that generally answer the question+, Where?

+Adverbs of Degree are those that generally answer the question+, To what extent?