Graded Lessons in English Part 7

LESSON 17.

Select and write all the verbs in the sentences given in Lessons 28, 31, 34, and tell why they are verbs.

LESSON 18.

SENTENCE-BUILDING.

From the following nouns and verbs, build as many sentences as possible, taking care that every one makes good sense.

Poems, was conquered, lambs, rebellion, stars, forests, shone, were seen, were written, treason, patriots, meteors, fought, were discovered, frisk, Cain, have fallen, fled, stream, have crumbled, day, ages, deer, are flickering, are bounding, gleamed, voices, lamps, rays, were heard, are gathering, time, death, friends, is coming, will come.

+To the Teacher+.--Before this recitation closes, let the teacher open up the subject of Lesson 19. See "Hints for Oral Instruction."

LESSON 19.

p.r.o.nOUNS.

+Hints for Oral Instruction+.--We propose to introduce you now to the _third part of speech_. +T.--+If I should ask who whispered, and some boy should promptly confess, what would he say? +P.--+_I_ whispered.

+T.--+Would he mention his own name? +P.--+No. +T.--+What word would he use instead? +P.--+_I_.

+T.--+Suppose that I had _spoken to_ that boy and had accused him of whispering, how should I have addressed him without mentioning his name?

+P.--+_You_ whispered. +T.--+What word would be used instead of the name of the boy _to_ whom I spoke? +P.--+_You_.

+T.--+Suppose that, without using his name, I had told you what he did, what should I have said? +P.--+_He_ whispered. +T.--+What word would have been used instead of the name of the boy _of_ whom I spoke? +P.--+_He_.

(Repeat these questions and suppose the pupil to be a girl.)

+T.--+If I should tell that boy to close his book, when his book was already closed, what would he say without mentioning the word book?

+P.--+_It_ is closed.

+T.--+If I should accuse several of you of whispering, and one should speak for himself and for the others whispering with him, what would he say? _We_ whispered.

+T--+Suppose that a boy should inform me that all of the boys on that seat had whispered, what would he say? +P.--+_They_ whispered.

_I, you, he, she, it, we_, and _they_ are not names, but they are used instead of names. We call such words +p.r.o.nouns+.

+DEFINITION.--A _p.r.o.noun_ is a word used for a noun+.

+CAPITAL LETTERS--RULE.--The words _I_ and _O_ should be written in capital letters+.

a.n.a.lysis and Parsing.

+Model.--+_You will be rewarded_.

+Oral a.n.a.lysis--+This is a sentence, because----; _you_ is the subject, because----; _will be rewarded_ is the predicate, because----.

+Parsing.--+_You_ is a _p.r.o.noun_, because it stands for the name of the person spoken to; _will be rewarded_ is a verb, because----.

1. We think.

2. She prattles.

3. We have recited.

4. I study.

5. You have been seen.

6. It has been decided.

7. He was punished.

8. They are conquered.

9. Thou art adored.

Compose nine similar sentences, using a p.r.o.noun for the subject of each, and diagram them.

+To the Teacher.--+Call special attention to the agreement of the verb with _I_ and _you_. See Notes, p. 164.

Before this recitation closes, explain "Modified Subject." See "Hints for Oral Instruction."

LESSON 20.

MODIFIED SUBJECT.

+Hints for Oral Instruction.--+The _Subject_ and the _Predicate_ may be considered as the foundation on which every sentence is built. No sentence can be constructed without them.

You have already learned that these parts _alone_, sometimes make a complete structure; but we are about to show you that they are often used as the foundation of a structure, which is completed by adding _other_ parts.

I hold in my hand several pieces of metal, with letters and other characters stamped on them. What do you say I have in my hand? +P+.--Money.

+T.--+Yes. What other word can you use? +P.--+_Coin_. +T.--+Yes. I will write on the board this sentence: _Coin is stamped_.

The subject _coin_ is a general name for all such pieces of metal. I will write the word _the_ before this sentence. _The coin is stamped_. I have now made an a.s.sertion about one particular coin, so the meaning of the subject is limited by joining the word _the_.

I can again limit the meaning of the subject by putting the word _a_ before it. The a.s.sertion is now about one coin, but no particular one. I point to the piece near me and say, _This coin is stamped_. I point to the one farther from me and say, _That coin is stamped_.

When words are joined to the subject to limit its meaning, we say that the subject is _modified_.

The words _the, a, this_, and _that_ modify the subject by limiting the word to one coin, or to one particular coin.

We can modify the subject by joining some word which will tell what _kind_ of coin is meant.

Here is a coin dated 18--. We can say, _The new coin is stamped_. Here the word _new_ tells what kind of coin is meant. What other words can I use to modify _coin_? +P.--+_Beautiful, bright, new, round, silver_. +T.--+These words _beautiful, bright, new, round_, and _silver_ modify the subject by telling the qualities of the coin.

We call the words _the, beautiful_, etc., +Modifiers+.