the essentials of 
 languageaf grammar 
 
 ALBERT LE ROYBARTLETT 
 
 
 
 m- 
 
 vM 
 
 
 PJ<^ 
 
 f 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 SILVER, BIIRDETt AND COMPANY 
 
EDUCATION DEPT 
 
 
The Silver Series of Language Books 
 
 The Essentials 
 
 of 
 
 Language and Grammar 
 
 Albert LeRoy Bartlett, A.M. 
 
 SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANY 
 
 New York . . . BOSTON . . . Chicago 
 
 1899 
 
EDUCAT-IPIJ^PEFT., '•', 
 
 By Silver, Burdett and Company 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 If, as Bacon says, " A ^vise questioning is the half-way 
 towards knowledge," a wise questioner is the best guide to 
 that destination. Any text-book will fail of its highest ser- 
 vice unless the wise questioning of the teacher, his tactful 
 adaptation of its material to the condition of his pupils, and 
 his sympathetic fidelity to the methods and spirit of the 
 book, give it life and make it a moving influence. 
 
 I have sought to write a lesson book, illustrating, explain- 
 ing, and defining the grammatical facts about words, and 
 the fundamental principles upon which the construction of 
 an English sentence is based ; to add thereto such analyses of 
 a few selections from good American authors, as shall give to 
 pupils some insight into the fulness of beauty and meaning 
 contained in what we term good literature, and shall suggest 
 to teachers methods that may be used in the study of other 
 selections ; and to outline some plans for training the pupils 
 to write English easily, correctly, and gracefully. 
 
 The following simple exercises mil form a useful and 
 strengthening accompaniment to all language work : 
 
 1. In order to express thoughts the pwpil must have that 
 wherewith he may express them — a vocabulary of words in 
 good usage. Such a vocabulary may be made a growing 
 wndy ultimately^ a fuU one, by two methods : 
 
 I. By making a list of such unfamiliar words as may 
 ocdur in eacli chapter, studying them as the dictionary de- 
 fines them and illustrates their use, and then using them in 
 
 M69881 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 sentences. Some one has said that any word belongs to a man 
 who has used it correctly three times. 
 
 II. By the recasting of sentences : first, by substituting 
 synonyms for as many words as possible in the sentences ; 
 second, by using as many antonyms as possible. This work 
 should be a regular practice exercise from the beginning of 
 the study of language, starting, of course, with very simple 
 beginnings, and advancing by easy and very gradual stages 
 to more difficult exercises. 
 
 2. The following jplan for work in com^jposition may he 
 followed : 
 
 I. The writing of single sentences. The leading group 
 of words in a sentence is given, or suggestive words that 
 occur therein. This is called a skeleton sentence. About 
 this group of words the pupils, one after another, construct 
 each a sentence, giving them orally or writing them on the 
 board. Such sentences should be the hest thoughts of the 
 pupils, expressed in correct form. Criticism of these sen- 
 tences follows, whatever is good being noticed and whatever 
 is faulty being kindly corrected. When the pupils have ac- 
 quired grace and facility in writing sentences, then follows : 
 
 II. The construction of the paragraph. A subject is 
 discussed orally, then suggestive words for two or three 
 sentences are placed on the board, the pupils filling out these 
 skeletons as above. The advance work is not only in be- 
 coming familiar with the form of the paragraph, but in 
 gaining the power of arranging sentences, so that their 
 sequence shall be orderly and easy. 
 
 III. A further useful exercise in composition is the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 expansion of a single sentence into a paragraph, or of a 
 succinct paragraph into a fuller one, and the reverse — the 
 contraction of a paragraph into a sentence, and of a long 
 paragraph into a shorter one. 
 
 lY . Last, comes the planning of a studied composition, as 
 is carefully outlined in Chapter L. 
 
 The illustrative sentences and selections in this book have 
 been ^vritten and chosen with two purposes : first — that they 
 shall illustrate clearly the grammatical principle that is 
 being discussed, and second — that they shall have literary 
 value and be in themselves the teachers of something. The 
 pupil, therefore, should be led to appreciate the lesson or the 
 beauty of the thought, as well as to comprehend the gram- 
 matical principle Avhich it illustrates. 
 
 It is only by constant practice that the power of discrim- 
 ination becomes keen, only by repetition that the principles 
 of grammatical construction become familiar, and only by 
 constant and careful exercise that the use of good English 
 becomes habitual. He who teaches the essentials of English 
 in accordance with the spirit of this introduction and of the 
 purpose with which this book has been Avritten will find that 
 he has taught a thousand graces in addition to that of cor- 
 rect speech. He will have heard and obeyed the bidding of 
 those strong lines of Emerson's — 
 
 Go, speed the stars of thought 
 
 On to their shining goals: 
 The sower scatters broad his seed, 
 The wheat thou strew'st be souls. 
 
 — Albert Le Koy Bartlett. 
 Silver Hill, 
 
 Haverhill, Massachusetts. 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Archive 
 
 in 2008 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/det.ails/essentialsoflangOOalberich 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTBB PAGE 
 
 I. The Two Parts of a Sentence .... 13 
 II. The Four Kinds of Sentences. Review of Sub- 
 ject AND Predicate. "The Sparrows," by 
 Celia Thaxter 16 
 
 III. Words as Parts of Speech. A Little Study of 
 
 Words 2% 
 
 IV. The Noun a Word That Names . ... 27 
 V. Selection FOR Literary Analysis : "The Beg- 
 gar," BY James Russell Lowell ... 39 
 
 VI. Common and Proper Nouns. The Franconia 
 Road. "The Great Stone Face," by Na- 
 thaniel Hawthorne 33 
 
 VII. Surnames and Christian Names. The Origin of 
 
 Surnames 36 
 
 VIII. A Story from Longfellow's " The Song of 
 
 Hiawatha" 39 
 
 IX. Review 42 
 
 X. The Writing OF Dates. "The Months." "Mar- 
 jorie's Almanac," by Thomas Bailey Al- 
 
 DRICH 43 
 
 XI. A Few Common Abbreviations and Contractions 49 
 XII. The Parts of a Letter. A Letter from Phil- 
 lips Brooks . . 52 
 
 XIII. Letter- Writing, with Skeleton Letters . . 66 
 
 XIV. Number : the Singular and Plural Forms of 
 
 Nouns 69 
 
 XV. The Number of Nouns, continued ... 74 
 XVI. Selections for Study : The Coming of the Sand- 
 piper ; The Sandpiper's Nest ; The Sand- 
 piper, by Celia Thaxter 76 
 
 XVII. The Possessive Form of Nouns .... 81 
 
 XVIII. The Paragraph 85 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XIX. 
 
 XX. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 XXXIV. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 XXXVII. 
 
 XXXVIII. 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 XL. 
 
 XLI. 
 
 XLII. 
 XLIII. 
 XLIV. 
 
 XLV. 
 
 I'AGE 
 
 The Gender of Nouns . . . . .87 
 
 Review 89 
 
 The Adjective 91 
 
 The Careful Use of Adjectives ... 95 
 
 The Verb 98 
 
 The Correct Usage of Certain Verbs . . 102 
 
 The Adverb 105 
 
 The Personal Pronoun 109 
 
 The Personal Pronoun, continued . .111 
 Sentences for the Study of Personal Pro- 
 nouns 114 
 
 The Preposition 115 
 
 The Conjunction 120 
 
 The Interjection 123 
 
 Review. Extract from "Master Sky- 
 lark" 125 
 
 The Nominative Case 127 
 
 The Agreement of a Verb with its Subject 
 
 Nominative 132 
 
 The Possessive Case 134 
 
 The Objective Case 137 
 
 The Adverbial and Cognate Objectives : 
 
 The Subject of an Infinitive . . . 143 
 The Appositive Use of Nouns . . .146 
 
 Collective, Abstract, and Concrete Nouns . 148 
 
 The Parsing of a Noun 151 
 
 A Selection for Study and Memory: The 
 Little Brook Builds his House, from 
 "The Vision of Sir Launfal," by James 
 
 Russell Lowell 152 
 
 Quotations, and How to Write Them . . 156 
 
 The Titles of Books, Essays, etc. . . . 159 
 The Interrogative Pronoun . . . .161 
 
 The Relative Pronoun 163 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CONJUNC- 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XLVI. The Demonstrative Pronoun .... 
 XLVII. The Agreement of Pronouns with Their An- 
 tecedents .... 
 XLVIII. The Declension of Pronouns 
 XLIX. The Parsing of a Pronoun . 
 
 L. Some Plans for Composition Work 
 
 LI. Phrases and Clauses. The Phrase 
 
 LII. Phrases and Clauses. The Clause 
 
 LIII. The Parsing of a Preposition ; of a 
 
 TioN. Interjections 
 LIV. A Selection for Study and Memory: "The 
 Chambered Nautilus," by Oliver Wen- 
 dell Holmes 
 
 LV, The Predicate and the Appositive Use of 
 
 Adjectives 
 
 LVI. The Comparison of Adjectives .... 
 LVII. The Parsing of an Adjective .... 
 
 LVIII. The Adverb 
 
 LIX. The Comparison of Adverbs .... 
 LX. The Use of Predicate Adjectives after Verbs 
 
 OF Sensation, etc 
 
 LXI. A Lesson for Dictionary Work and for Dis- 
 cussion 
 
 LXII. The Use of Capital Letters .... 
 LXin. The Correct Use of "Shall" and "Will," 
 AND OF "Should" and "Would" 
 
 LXIV. The Simple Sentence 
 
 LXV. The Analysis of the Simple Sentence 
 
 LXVI. The Complex Sentence 
 
 LXVII. The Analysis of the Complex Sentence . 
 LXVIII. The Compound Sentence. Its Analysis . 
 
 LXIX. Sentences for Analysis 
 
 LXX. A Selection for Study and Memory: "The 
 Song of the Chattahoochee," by Sidney 
 Lanier 
 
 PAGE 
 
 165 
 
 167 
 171 
 173 
 173 
 
 178 
 184 
 
 190 
 
 191 
 
 194 
 197 
 202 
 202 
 205 
 
 208 
 
 210 
 214 
 
 217 
 221 
 223 
 226 
 228 
 231 
 233 
 
 235 
 
10 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 LXXI. The Tense of Verbs 240 
 
 LXXII. The Tense of Verbs, continued . . .243 
 
 LXXIII. The Mode of Verbs 247 
 
 LXXIV. The Voice of Verbs 249 
 
 LXXV. Verbs as Transitive or Intransitive . . 251 
 
 LXXVI. Verb Forms. The Infinitive Form . . 254 
 
 LXXVII. Verb Forms. The Participle. . . .257 
 
 LXXVIII. Potential Verb Phrases 260 
 
 LXXIX. The Conjugation of Verbs .... 262 
 
 LXXX. The Parsing of a Verb. " Opportunity," by 
 
 Edward Rowland Sill .... 273 
 
 LXXXI. Alphabetical List of Irregular Verbs . . 275 
 
 LXXXII. A Study OF " Snow-Bound " .... 283 
 
 LXXXIII. A Study of " The Vision of Sir Launfal " . 288 
 
 LXXXIV. The Use of Punctuation Marks . . . 293 
 
 LXXXV. Selections for Dictation, Parsing, etc. . 296 
 
 LXXXVI. Business Forms and Letters .... 302 
 
 LXXXVII. Social Forms 308 
 
 Index 311 
 
 The selections from ivorhs puhlislied iy Messrs. Houghton, 
 Mifflin S Co. are used by the kind permissio7i of the publish- 
 ers and under special arrangements with them. 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF 
 LANGUAGE AND GEAMMAR 
 
THE ESSENTIALS 
 
 OF 
 
 LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 THE TWO PARTS OF A SENTENCE. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. September days 
 
 are beautiful. 
 
 2. The orchards 
 
 give us ripe fruits. 
 
 3. The garden 
 
 is bright with flowers. 
 
 4. The weeds 
 
 grow tall along the country roads. 
 
 5. The long school vacation 
 
 is over. 
 
 Here are five complete thoughts or sentences. What does 
 the first sentence tell us ? the second ? the third ? the fourth ? 
 the fifth ? 
 
 About what are we told something in the first sentence ? 
 What is told about it ? About what are we told something in 
 the second sentence ? What are we told about it ? About 
 wliat are we told something in the third sentence ? What is 
 told about it ? etc. 
 
14 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 A comjplete thought expressed in words is a sentence. 
 
 The first division of each sentence is that about which 
 something is told. 
 
 The second division of each sentence is that which is told 
 about the fi^st part. 
 
 What is t.ie first division of each of the above sentences ? 
 
 the second division ? . 
 _ II. 
 
 ' 1: Tlie robins 
 
 . .^2..; Yellow daisies 
 
 ^ " ' 3'. The children 
 
 4. are in the schoolroom. 
 
 6. have flown away. 
 
 6. nod in the wind. 
 
 Are these complete thoughts ? In which do you find the first 
 division of a sentence ? In which do you find the second divi- 
 sion of a sentence ? Make the first a complete sentence by 
 telling something about the robiyis. Make the second a com- 
 plete sentence. Make the third a complete sentence. Make 
 the fourth a complete sentence by telling'who are in the school- 
 room. Make the fifth a complete sentence. Make the sixth a 
 
 complete sentence. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. The swallows chatter about their flight. 
 
 2. The maples will soon put on their bright colors. 
 . 3. The grass will grow brown. 
 
 4. The warm summer days have gone. 
 6. Each season brings new pleasures. 
 
 About what are you told something in the first sentence ? 
 What are you told about it ? About what are you told some- 
 
THE TWO PARTS OF A SENTENCE. 15 
 
 thing in the second sentence ? What are you told about 
 it ? in the third sentence ? the fourth sentence ? the fifth 
 sentence ? 
 
 That about which something is told is the subject of a 
 sentence. 
 
 That which is told about the subject is the predicate of 
 a sentence. 
 
 Find the subject and predicate of each sentence in I^ II., 
 
 and III. 
 
 lY. 
 
 Find subjects and predicates in the following quotation: 
 
 The wind blows, the sun shines, the birds sing loud. 
 The blue, blue sky is decked with fleecy, dappled cloud ; 
 Over earth's rejoicing fields the children dance and sing, 
 And the frogs pipe in chorus, " It is spring ! it is spring ! " 
 
 The grass comes, the flower laughs where lately lay the 
 
 snow ; 
 
 Over the breezy hill-top hoarsely calls the crow ; 
 
 By the flowing river the alder-catkins swing. 
 
 And the sweet song sparrow cries, "It is spring! it is 
 
 spring ! " 
 
 ^ —From ** Wild Geese," by Celia Thaxter. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Write from dictation the following sentences, drawing a 
 horizontal line under the subject of each : 
 
 The winter lingers late in Norway. 
 
 The children wait long for the singing birds and the 
 flowers. 
 
16 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The people there are very fond of the little birds. 
 
 The fathers and mothers gather the grain from the fields 
 in the autmnn. 
 
 The children go then into the fields and glean what is left. 
 
 The children save their grain until December. 
 
 They make then a Christmas gift for the birds. 
 
 They bind their gleanings together into a sheaf. 
 
 They erect a tall pole in front of each house. 
 
 They tie their sheaf of grain to the top of the pole. 
 
 The sparrows come from all around to eat this Christmas 
 feast. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE FOUR KINDS OF SENTENCES. REVIEW OF SUBJECT AND PREDICATE. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. The growth of a flower is a wonderful thing. 
 
 2. A little seed lies in your hand. 
 
 3. You plant it in the ground. 
 
 4. A blade of green soon breaks through the earth. 
 
 5. The green stalk bears leaves. 
 
 6. A bud grows from the stalk. 
 
 Y. The bud opens and changes into a beautiful flower. 
 
 8. IS'otice the wild flowers. 
 
 9. Learn their names. 
 
 10. Are not the colors of flowers beautiful? 
 
 11. "What flowers do you like the best ? 
 
 12. How wonderful a flower is ! 
 
 13. How gay the poppies are ! 
 
 14. How beautiful even the green grass 
 makes the fields! 
 
THE FOUR KINDS OF SENTENCES. . 17 
 
 In the above sentences thoughts have been expressed in 
 four different ways — to tell you something, to hid you do 
 something, to ask questions, and to express wonder or delight. 
 
 A sentence that tells or states something is a declara- 
 tive sentence. 
 
 A sentence that commands or requests is am. impera- 
 tive sentence. 
 
 A sentence that asks a question is an interrogative 
 sentence. 
 
 A sentence that expresses strong feeling, wonder, sur- 
 prise, delight, anger, contempt, etc., is an exclamatory 
 sentence. 
 
 What ki7id of a sentence is each of the above sentences ? 
 Why ? AVith what kind of a letter, small or capital, does 
 each sentence begin ? What mark follows each declarative 
 sentence ? each imperative sentence ? each interrogative 
 sentence ? each exclamatory sentence ? 
 
 The first letter of a sentence should he a capital letter. 
 
 A declarative or imperative sentence should he followed 
 hy a period (.)/ an interrogative sentence hy an interro- 
 gation m^ark {?) / and an exclamiatory sentence hy an 
 exclamation mark (/). 
 
 What is the subject of each of the first seven sentences ? 
 Who is told to notice the wild flowers ? What, then, is the 
 subject of the eighth sentence ? Who is told to learn their 
 names ? What, then, is the subject of the ninth sentence ? 
 Are not what beautiful ? What, then, is the subject of the 
 tenth sentence ? What flowers does who like the best ? 
 What is wonderful ? What are gay ? What makes the earth 
 
18 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 beautiful ? What, then, is the subject of each of these 
 sentences ? 
 
 Note : The teacher should have the pupil give the com- 
 plete subject in each case, i.e., the growth of a flower, the 
 colors of flowers, even the green grass, etc. Then by simple 
 questions lead the pupils to give the complete predicate of 
 each sentence. The blackboard should be freely used in all 
 of these exercises. The eye is the most direct road to the 
 understanding of a child. 
 
 II. 
 
 Make declarative sentences, using the following sub- 
 jects: — The farmers ; Wild bees ; A little plant 
 
 ; The little nest ; Marjorie : 
 
 and the foUomng predicates : hides in the deep, 
 
 sweet grass. sleeps in every seed. are picking 
 
 apples. build nests in hollow trees. held four 
 
 blue eggs. 
 
 Make imperative sentences bidding the children not to be 
 late at school ; not to frighten the birds ; to be kind to the 
 smaller children ; to obey their fathers and mothers ; to 
 speak the truth always. 
 
 Make interrogative sentences asking about the nearest 
 river or lake ; about birds in winter ; about school vacations ; 
 about the color of some flower ; about the stars. 
 
 Make exclamatory sentences about the swiftness of the 
 birds' flight ; about the intelligence of the dog ; about the 
 roaring of the wind ; about the beauty of the frost ; about 
 the colors of the leaves in autumn. 
 
 Note : After each sentence has been given orally, it 
 should be written on the board by one or more pupils, care 
 
THE FOUR KINDS OF SENTENCES. 19 
 
 being taken that the sentences begin with capital letters, and 
 are followed by the proper punctuation marks. Patience and 
 cheerfulness will lead the children more rapidly and more 
 surely than any sterner agency will drive them. 
 
 III. 
 
 In the following story notice carefully each period, inter- 
 rogation mark, and exclamation mark. Read each sentence. 
 Does it begin with a capital letter ? What punctuation mark 
 follows it ? What kind of a sentence is it ? Why ? What 
 is the subject of each sentence ? the predicate ? (The teacher 
 may well help by questions the child who fails to find the sub- 
 ject or predicate. ) What title do you think we may give to 
 this story ? 
 
 A pair of birds came to an orchard of apple trees in 
 May. The trees were in blossom. How fragrant the or- 
 chard was ! The fields were full of flowers, the grass was 
 groAAang tall, and the busy bees were humming from blos- 
 som to blossom. The birds built a nest in one of the trees. 
 They sang sweetly every morning. Who told the little 
 birds to sing ? Perhaps the flowers told them, or the blue 
 sky, or the winds. They sang about a nest with five little 
 eggs in it. They sang about the sunshine, and the air sweet 
 with blossoms. 
 
 A little sick boy heard the songs of the birds, and he 
 was happy and forgot his pain. His father put a little card 
 on the robins' tree, and the card said : 
 
 A jpair of robins have hired this tree. 
 
 They pay their rent with their songs. 
 
 Do you like to hear them sing f 
 
30 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Please do not frighten them. 
 
 Do not disturb their nest. 
 
 How cheerful their song is ! 
 
 How sad their cries are when they are frightened / 
 
 Note : This story may be used for oral reproduction, and 
 for dictation sentences. 
 
 Write a story about " The Birds' Christmas Feast in Nor- 
 way," based upon the dictation exercises in Chapter I., Part V. 
 
 The following selection is for reading only : 
 
 The Sparrows. 
 
 In the far-ofP land of Norway, 
 
 Where the winter lingers late. 
 And long for the singing-birds and flowers 
 
 The little children wait ; 
 
 "When at last the summer ripens 
 
 And the harvest is gathered in, 
 And food for the bleak, drear days to come 
 
 The toiling people win ; 
 
 Through all the land the children 
 
 In the golden field remain 
 Till their busy little hands have gleaned 
 
 A generous sheaf of grain ; 
 
 All the stalks by the reapers forgotten 
 
 They glean to the very least, 
 To save till the cold December, 
 
 For the sparrows' Christmas feast. 
 
THE POUR KINDS OF SENTENCES. 21 
 
 And then tiu'ougli the frost-locked country 
 
 There happens a wonderful thing : 
 The sparrows flock north, south, east, west, 
 
 For the children's offering. 
 
 Of a sudden, the day before Christmas, 
 
 The twittering crowds arrive. 
 And the bitter, mntry air at once 
 
 With their chirping is alive. 
 
 They perch upon roof and gable, 
 
 On porch and fence and tree ; 
 They flutter about the windows 
 
 And peer in curiously, 
 
 And meet the eyes of the children 
 
 Who eagerly look out 
 With cheeks that bloom like roses red, 
 
 And greet them with welcoming shout. 
 
 On the joyous Christmas morning, 
 
 In front of every door 
 A tall pole, crowned with clustering grain. 
 
 Is set the birds before. 
 
 And which are the happier, truly 
 
 It >vould be hard to tell ; 
 The sparrows who share in the Christmas cheer. 
 
 Or the children who love them well. 
 
 How sweet that they should remember. 
 
 With faith so full and sure, 
 That the children's bounty awaited them 
 
 The whole ^vide country o'er I 
 
23 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 When this pretty story was told to me 
 
 By one who had helped to rear 
 The rustling grain for the merry birds 
 
 In l^orway, many a year, 
 
 I thought that our little children 
 
 Would like to know it, too, 
 It seems to me so beautiful, 
 
 So blessed a thing to do : 
 
 To make God's innocent creatures see 
 
 In every child a friend. 
 
 And on our faithful kindness 
 
 So fearlessly depend. 
 
 — Celia Thaxter. 
 
 [Celia Thaxter, an American poet, born in Portsmouth, 
 JSTew Hampshire, 1835 ; died at the Isles of Shoals, August 
 26, 1894] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 WORDS AS PARTS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Note : This lesson may well be used for reading and for 
 conversation with the class. Its object is to introduce the 
 parts of speech to the pupils^ leaving them to become more in- 
 timately and exactly acquainted with them in the lessons that 
 follow. 
 
 I. 
 
 The pond-lily floats quietly on the lake. Its roots live 
 in the mud, but its beautiful blossoms rest on the surface of 
 the water. Ah, how sweet its perfume is ! 
 
WORDS AS PARTS OF SPEECH. 
 
 In a sentence each word has its own service to perform. 
 Some words are name-words ; some are used to describe name- 
 words ; some are used to take the place of name-words ; some 
 express action ; some modify (limit the meaning of) the action- 
 words ; some show how one word is related to another ; some 
 connect words or thoughts ; some express a feeling. 
 
 1. A word that is the name of something is a noun. Such 
 words are pond'Hly, roots, mud, Uossoms, surface, water, per- 
 fume. 
 
 If you mention the objects that are in the school -room you 
 use nouns : books, desks, pictures, teacher, map, boys, girls. 
 
 2. A word that describes a noun or a word used instead of 
 a noun, is an adjective. Such words are ieautiful, sweet. 
 
 Notice the adjectives in these groups of words : good books, 
 small desks, beautiful pictures, large map, helpful teacher, 
 pleasant boys, happy girls. 
 
 Put these groups of words in sentences. 
 
 3. A word that is used in place of a noun is a pronoun. 
 Notice the pronouns in these groups of words : its beautiful 
 
 blossoms, its roots. In place of what noun is its used ? 
 
 4. A word that tells what a noun or pronoun does is a verb. 
 Such words are floats, live, rest. 
 
 Notice the verbs in these sentences : The birds are singing 
 in the apple-trees. A beautiful ship sailed on the broad, blue 
 sea. The ieachev praises the careful pupil. 
 
 What are the nouns in these sentences ? the adjectives ? 
 
 5. A word that modifies the meaning of a verb is an advert. 
 Such words are quietly, softly, rapidly, gladly. 
 
 Insert softly, rapidly, and gladly, in the sentences in No. 4. 
 
24 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANOUAQE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 6. A word that shows how one word is related to another is 
 2k preposition. Such words are on, in, of. 
 
 Notice the prepositions in these groups of words : sings to 
 his mate, sailed on the river, the work of the pupils. 
 Put these groups of words in sentences. 
 
 7. A word that connects one word or thought to another is 
 a conjunction. 
 
 Notice the conjunctions in these groups of words : the red 
 a7id gold leaves of the maple ; praised him because he studied ; 
 played ttntil it was dark. 
 
 •Put these groups of words into sentences. 
 
 8. A word that expresses strong feeling is an interjection. 
 Notice the interjections in the following sentences : Ah, 
 
 how sweet its perfume is ! Oh, do not waste the golden mo- 
 ments ! What, are you back so soon ! 
 
 See what parts of speech you can recognize in the story in 
 Chapter II., Part III. 
 
 II. 
 
 A LITTLE STUDY OF WORDS. 
 
 The little things called words^ which we use so freely 
 to express our thoughts, and which we must learn to use 
 very carefully and correctly, have, many of them, inter- 
 esting meanings of which we do not think as we use 
 them. We smile, perhaps, when we read of such Indian 
 names as Laughing Water and West Wind and Pearl 
 Feather; but perhaps we may not know that Margaret 
 means a pearl, and John means the gracious gift of God, 
 and Mary means a star of the sea, and Philip means a lover 
 of horses. The dear, old-fashioned names, Patience, Faith, 
 
A LITTLE STUDY OF WORDS. 25 
 
 Hope, Charity, express qualities which we trust belong to 
 all who are so named, but every name by which we call 
 one another has its own meaning, and most of the meanings 
 are pleasant. The Indian mother who calls her little brown 
 daughter Minnehaha, laughing water ^ thinks perhaps of the 
 sweet murmur of the rippling stream, or its bright sparkle 
 when the sun shines on it, and her daughter's voice recalls 
 the music of the water or her bright eyes remind her of its 
 glancing lights. So the mother who first named her daugh- 
 ter Margaret thought of her as a precious pearl, and the 
 father who first named his son John, thought of him as a 
 gracious gift of God. 
 
 It takes but the thought of a moment to understand why 
 the morning-glory is so called, and we can see the day* a eye 
 in the daisy ; but we shall need to use the dictionary to find 
 that the little swaying anemone is the wind-flower^ that the 
 pansy is a thought, that the dandelion is the lion^s tooth, that 
 the cemetery is a sleeping place, or that the little squirrel, 
 whom we see with his bushy tail curved over his back, is 
 called by a name which means shadow-tail. 
 
 A large dictionary tells us all of these interesting facts 
 about words ; it tells us, too, how to spell them and how to 
 pronounce them ; what different meanings a word may have, 
 and much more that it is profitable for us to know. In con- 
 nection with all of our work in language, the dictionary 
 should be carefully studied. If you have a large dictionary, 
 it will be interesting to find in it what these words meant 
 originally : 
 
 school, companion, journey, handkerchief, boarder, 
 good-by, farewell, angel, armor, handsome. 
 
26 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR, 
 
 Note : Helpful books in the study of the origin and 
 meaning of words, are : 
 
 " Short Studies from the Dictionary," Arthur Oilman. 
 " Rambles Among Words," William Swinton. 
 " Words and Their Uses," Eichard Grant White. 
 
 III. 
 
 Sentences for dictation : 
 
 1. Do not let words that do harm escape from your 
 lips. 
 
 2. Words that do harm are profane words, foul words, 
 angry words, and careless words. 
 
 3. What beautiful meanings some words have ! 
 
 4. School comes from a word that means leisure. 
 6. Leisure for what, do you think ? 
 
 Give orally, or write, sentences containing the following 
 words : 
 
 1. her daughter , means 
 
 2. like the , because 
 
 thought. 
 
 3. Did you know shadow-tail ? 
 
 4. The squirrel is called because - 
 
 means a 
 
 5. Oh, here are , meaning glory-of-the-morning, 
 
 and daisies meaning , and pansies for ! 
 
 What words mean the same as harm ? escape ? leisure ? 
 
 What words are the opposite in meaning of harm ? foul ? 
 careless ? 
 
THE NOUN A WORD THAT NAMES. 27 
 
 A word having the same, or nearly the same, m^eaning as 
 another is its synonym. 
 
 A word that is the opjposite in mea/ning of another is its 
 antonym. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE NOUN A WORD THAT NAMES. 
 
 I. 
 
 There was once a child who lived in a little hut, and in 
 the hut there was only a little bed and a looking-glass 
 Avhich hung in a dark corner. Kow, the child cared not at 
 all for the looking-glass, but, as soon as the first sunbeam 
 glided through the casement and kissed his sweet eyelids, 
 and the finch and the linnet waked him with their merry 
 morning songs, he arose, and went into the green meadow 
 and begged flour of the primrose, and sugar of the violet, 
 and butter of the buttercup ; he shook dew-drops from the 
 cowslip into the cup of a harebell ; he spread out a large 
 lime-leaf, set his breakfast upon it, and feasted daintily. 
 
 —From "The Story Without End," by F. W. Carove. 
 
 What was told you in Chapter 111. of the service that words 
 perform in a sentence ? How many kinds of such service did 
 we distinguish ? Into how many classes, then, may we divide 
 words ? What is a noun ? 
 
 Robin, blue-bird, sparrow, are the names of birds; lion, 
 dog, horse, are the names of animals ; book, picture, bell, are 
 the names of objects ; father, mother, sister, are the names of 
 relatives ; anger, love, pride, sorrow, are the names of feelings ; 
 John, Margaret, Mr. Winslow, are the names of people. 
 
28 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 In the above quotation there are twenty-four nouns^ four 
 of which are printed in italics. Make a list of the other twenty 
 nouns. Why is each a noun ? Tell what each names, thus: 
 Corner is a part of a room, casement is a part of a window, 
 lime-leaf is the leaf of the lime-tree. 
 
 Note : If possible the dictionary should be consulted by the 
 pupils, that their definitions may be correct. 
 
 II. 
 
 Give five sentences, each containing the name of something 
 in the room. What is the noun in each sentence ? 
 
 Give five sentences, each containing the name of something 
 at home. What is the noun that you use in each sentence ? 
 
 Give five sentences, each containing the name of some per- 
 son. What is the noun that you use in each ? 
 
 Write three sentences, each containing the name of an 
 animal ; three, each containing the name of a flower ; three, 
 each containing the name of a feeling ; three, each contain- 
 ing the name of some person. Underline the nouns in these 
 sentences. 
 
 Note : The amount of written work may be increased or 
 diminished, according to the needs of the class. It is better 
 to have a few good sentences — sentences that have a thought 
 worthy of expression — than many trivial ones. From the first 
 the teacher should strive to obtain sentences that are the 
 expression of thoughts. 
 
SELECTION FOR LITERARY ANALYSIS. 29 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 SELECT/ON FOR LITERARY ANALYSIS. 
 
 The Beggar. 
 
 1. A beggar through the world am I, — 
 From place to place I wander by. 
 Fill up my pilgrim's scrip for me, 
 For Christ's sweet sake and charity. 
 
 2. A little of thy steadfastness, 
 Eounded with leafy gracefulness. 
 Old oak, give me, — 
 
 That the world's blasts may round me blow, 
 And I yield gently to and fro, 
 While my stout-hearted trunk below 
 And firm-set roots unshaken be. 
 
 3. Some of thy stern, unyielding might, 
 Enduring still through day and night 
 Kude tempest-shock and withering blight, — 
 That I may keep at bay 
 
 The changeful April sky of chance 
 And the strong tide of circumstance,— 
 Give me, old granite gray. 
 
 4. Some of thy pensiveness serene. 
 Some of thy never-dying green, 
 Put in this scrip of mine, — 
 
 That griefs may fall like snowflakes light, 
 
30 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 And deck me in a robe of white, 
 Ready to be an angel bright, — 
 O sweetly mournful pine. 
 
 5. A little of thy merriment. 
 
 Of thy sparkling, light content, 
 Give me, my cheerful brook, — 
 That I may still be full of glee 
 And gladsomeness, where'er I be. 
 Though fickle fate hath prisoned me 
 In some neglected nook. 
 
 6. Ye have been very kind and good 
 To me, since I've been in the wood ; 
 Ye have gone nigh to fill my heart ; 
 But, good-by, kind friends, every one, 
 I've far to go ere set of sun ; 
 
 Of all good things I would have part ; 
 The day was high ere I could start,' 
 And so my journey 's scarce begun. 
 
 7. Heaven help me ! how could I forget 
 To beg of thee, dear violet ! 
 
 Some of thy modesty, 
 
 That blossoms here as well, unseen, 
 
 As if before the world thou'st been, 
 
 O give, to strengthen me. 
 
 — James Eussell Lowell. 
 
 [James Russell Lowell, an American poet, born in Cam- 
 bridge, Massachusetts, February 22, 1819 ; died there, August 
 12, 1891.] 
 
SELECTION FOR LITERARY ANALYSIS. 31 
 
 Imagine a beautiful wood, in which there are strong oak 
 trees, and swaying, -green pine trees. A little brook flows 
 through this wood, its waters babbling and singing on their 
 way to the river, far away. On the banks of the stream the 
 modest violets are growing. A path leads through the wood, 
 past the oaks and pines, along the banks of the little stream, 
 and on until it is lost to sight. Along this path comes a pilgrim 
 (a traveler), with his scrip (a traveler's bag). With this pic- 
 ture in our minds, let us see what he begs, from whom, and 
 why. 
 
 In the second stanza, of whom does he beg ? What two 
 things does he beg of the oak ? Which of these gives strength ? 
 Which beauty ? Describe the oak as you picture it. When the 
 wind blows does it bend it down ? W^hat two things keep it 
 from being blown over ? Which of these especially holds it ? 
 Do you suppose the traveler wishes the steadfastness of the 
 oak to prevent him from being blown over by the wind, or does 
 he mean that he wishes to be steady against temptations as the 
 oak is steady against the wind ? 
 
 In the third stanza, of whom does he beg ? What does he 
 ask the granite to give him ? A blight is something that with- 
 ers or destroys plants. Would it destroy granite ? What is 
 the weather in April ? When we speak of an April day we 
 mean one in which there is sunshine and then showers. By 
 the ''changeful April sky of chance,'" may he mean good for- 
 tune and then bad fortune following each other as blue sky and 
 cloudy sky follow each other on a showery April day ? What 
 great body of water has tides ? Do these tides sweep in with 
 great force ? By the " strong tide of circumstance " may he 
 mean ill-success or misfortune, that it takes strength like that 
 of granite to bear ? 
 
32 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 In the fourth stanza, of whom does he beg ? The pine tree 
 is not a noisy tree. It stands quiet and still, as a man may 
 when he is thinking. The pine tree is not a cheerful tree, 
 like the elm. It is rather a gloomy tree. Pensiveness means 
 gloomy thoughtfulness. Do you see why he thinks the pine 
 tree has pensiveness ? The pine tree is green all the year 
 round. Do you see why he speaks of its never-dying green ? 
 When the snow falls on the pine tree, it is caught by the pine 
 needles, and then the tree looks as if it had a white and green 
 robe on. 
 
 In the fifth stanza, of whom does he beg ? What does he 
 beg of the stream ? The brook sings and is happy, although it 
 is all alone in the forest. So he wishes the brook to give him 
 its content, its merriment, so that if he is neglected and alone 
 he may be full of glee and gladsomeness. 
 
 In the sixth stanza, what does he mean when he says '^ the 
 day was high " ? What word might he have used instead of 
 *^day^^? 
 
 In the seventh stanza, of whom does he beg ? Why did he 
 not beg of the violet before ? Why is the violet called ^^ mod- 
 est " ? " Modest " means here shy ; not bold. 
 
 Note : Children will appreciate the best literature if rightly 
 presented. They sense much more than they may be able to 
 express. The teacher should aim to get the pupils as interested 
 as possible in the poem, to make them form mental pictures 
 from it, and by question and answer to lead them to under- 
 stand it. Then there should be a final reading of it, and it 
 should be left to ripen in the minds of the pupils. Do not use 
 this poem for dictation or composition work. 
 
COMMON AND PROPER NOUNS. 33 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 COMMON AND PROPER NOUNS. 
 
 I. 
 
 A name may be common to a class of objects : boy, book, 
 school, hill, river. These names are not the names of any par- 
 ticular boy, book, school, hill, or river, but each is a name com- 
 mon to its class of objects. If I say, ^'A hoy hrought me these 
 flowers," you are not told what boy. It may be any one of a 
 large number of boys. If I say, *' Tlie hill is beautiful" I do 
 not tell you what hill. It may be any one of a large number 
 of hills. 
 
 A noun that is the common name of a class of objects is 
 a cominon noun. 
 
 A noun may be the name of a particular, or individual ob- 
 ject. It distinguishes that object from others of the same class. 
 Edward Temple is the name of a particular boy ; '^ Black 
 Beauty^' is the name of a particular book ; the John Ward 
 School is the name of a particular school ; Silver Hill is the 
 name of a particular hill ; the Merrimack River is the name of 
 a particular river. If I say, '' Edward Temple brought me these 
 flowers," you are told what boy brought them. If I say, ^^ Sil- 
 ver Hill is beautiful," I tell you what hill is beautiful. 
 
 A noun that is ike name of a particulai^ object is a 
 proper noun. 
 
 Notice with what kind of a letter each of the proper nouns 
 begins. 
 
 Form a rule for the beginning of proper nouns. 
 3 
 
34 THE ESESNTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Write a list of ten common nouns. 
 
 Write a list of ten geographical proper nouns ; of ten proper 
 nouns that are the names of persons. 
 
 II. 
 
 Make a list of ten proper nouns, and of as many common 
 nouns as possible, from the following description : 
 
 There is a beautiful road leading from the village of 
 Franconia through the valley that lies between Mount La- 
 fayette and Mount Cannon. It touches the borders of Echo 
 Lake, emerges suddenly into the plateau where the Profile 
 House is situated, winds past the shores of Profile Lake, and 
 then on and on beneath towering mountains and bare, up- 
 reaching ledges, the music of the winds among the trees, and 
 of the brooks, singing as their waters slip from stone to stone, 
 making melody all the way. A short distance beyond the 
 Profile House, and just as the dimpling waters of Profile 
 Lake are seen in front, as one glances up to the ribbon of 
 blue sky seen between the avenue of trees, he beholds, jut- 
 ting out from the side of Cannon Mountain, a majestic, stern 
 face, the first sight of which is wonderfully impressive. To 
 some it seems like the features of Washington, to others it 
 is the face of a younger man. It is the Profile, the Great 
 Stone Face, carved by a mightier master than man — by the 
 hand of I^ature herself. 
 
 The GrEEAT Stone Face. 
 
 The Great Stone Face was a work of Nature in her mood 
 
 of majestic playfulness, formed on the perpendicular side of 
 
 a mountain by some immense rocks, which had been thrown 
 
 together in such a position as, when viewed at a proper dis- 
 
COMMON AND PROPER NOUNS. 35 
 
 tance, precisely to resemble the human countenance. It 
 seemed as if an enormous giant, or a Titan, had sculptured 
 his own likeness on the precipice. There was the broad arch 
 of the forehead, a hundred feet in height ; the nose, with 
 its long bridge ; and the vast lips, which, if they could have 
 spoken, would have rolled their thunder accents from one 
 end of the valley to the other. True it is, that if the spec- 
 tator approached too near, he lost the outline of the gigantic 
 visage, and could discern only a heap of ponderous and 
 gigantic rocks, piled in chaotic ruin one upon another. Ke- 
 tracing his steps, however, the wondrous features would 
 again be seen ; and the farther he Avithdrew from them, the 
 more like a himian face did they appear ; until, as it grew 
 dim in the distance, with the clouds and the glorified vapor 
 of the mountains clustering about it, the Great Stone Face 
 seemed positively to be alive. — Nathaniel Hawthorne. 
 
 [N^athaniel Hawthorne, a New England romancist, was 
 born in Salem, Massachusetts, July 4, 1804, and died in Ply- 
 mouth, New Hampshire, May 19, 1864.] 
 
 III. 
 
 Sentences for dictation : 
 
 1. The Great Stone Face is on the side of Mount Can- 
 non. 
 
 2. It is sometimes called the " Old Man of the Moun- 
 tain." 
 
 3. Do you not think " The Profile " a prettier name ? 
 
 4. What a stern look the face has ! 
 
 5. As you ride past it, it becomes merely a ledge of rocks. 
 
36 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Complete sentences from the following : 
 
 1. The road passes from , through . 
 
 2. It is a road ; a little flows , singing as 
 
 it slips from to . 
 
 3. A lies at the base of . 
 
 4. Should you not like to see , when is back of 
 
 it, and the clouds ? 
 
 5. How and the face is ! 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SURNAMES AND CHRISTIAN NAMES. 
 
 {Family Names and Personal Names.) 
 
 I. 
 
 The first President of the United States was George 
 "Washington. His father's name was Augustine Washing- 
 ton. His mother's name was Mary Washington. His elder 
 brother's name was La\\T:'ence Washington. 
 
 What was the name of this family f What is the name of 
 your family ? Give the names of five families- 
 
 The name common to the memhers of a family is the 
 fam^ily name or surname. 
 
 What was the distinguishing name of George Washington's 
 father ? of his mother ? of his elder brother ? of himself ? 
 
 The names given to the indimduals of a family to dis- 
 tinguish them are personal names, or given or Christian 
 names. 
 
THE ORIGIN OF SURNAMES. 37 
 
 What is your personal or Christian name ? Give the per- 
 sonal names of five other pupils. 
 
 Sometimes two or more personal names are given to a per- 
 son. All given names except the first are called middle names. 
 In the name Oliver Wendell Holmes, Oliver is the personal 
 or Christian name, W^endell the middle name, and Holmes the 
 surname. 
 
 Which are personal or Christian names, which family names, 
 and which middle names in the following : Betty Alden, Louisa 
 May Alcott, John Greenleaf Whittier, Edward Everett Hale, 
 Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Robert Louis Stevenson, Molly Elliot 
 Seawell, John Eandolph, Mary Powell, John Paul Jones ? 
 
 Give your own personal name, middle name, and surname. 
 Give the personal names and surnames of five of your school- 
 mates. 
 
 All personal names, middle names, and surnames are proper 
 nouns. With what kind of letters should they be begun ? 
 
 Instead of the full name, the initials of one or all of the 
 Christian names may be used. Such initials must always be 
 written in capitals and followed by a period, thus : L. M. Al- 
 cott, John G. Whittier, E. E. Hale, T. Bailey Aldrich, M. E. 
 Seawell. For what does each initial in the above names stand ? 
 
 Note : Piipils should be taught to torite their first Christian 
 name in full, 
 
 II. 
 
 TH£ ORIGIN OF SURNAMES. 
 
 A long time ago, before the year 1000, there were no 
 family names or surnames, and men were distinguished only 
 by their personal names, Edward, Edmund, Alfred, John, 
 
38 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR.. 
 
 Robert, Harold, etc. But there were so many Edwards and 
 Alfreds and Roberts and others of the same personal name, 
 that it became convenient to describe them bj some char- 
 acteristic : by what they did, or where they lived, or how 
 they looked, and so forth. So Harold, who could run as 
 swift as a hare, became Harold Harefoot ; Edward, who was 
 a baker, became Edward Baker, while EdAvard, who was a 
 carpenter, became Edward Carpenter ; Edmund, who lived 
 by the water, became Edmund At water {At means hy)'^ 
 Edmund, who lived by the woods, became Edmund Atwood ; 
 Edmund, who lived by the bridge, became Edmund Bridge ; 
 Alfred, who was tall, was called Alfred Longfellow, and 
 Alfred, who was little, was called Alfred Small ; John, who 
 was the son of John, became John Johnson, and John, who 
 was the son of William, became John Williamson. Then 
 these descriptive names became family names. 
 
 Such a descriptive or family name is called a surname^ 
 because that word means a name above or in addition to the 
 given name. The family name was formerly called, also, a 
 sirname, meaning ^^V^-name, a name derived from the sire — 
 the father or more remote ancestor — of the family. 
 
 Sometimes a name is added to the Christian name and 
 surname to distinguish the person from another who has 
 the same names, thus : Charles Carroll of Garrollton^ John 
 Randolph of Eoanohe, and these additional names are called 
 to-names. 
 
 III. 
 
 Sentences for dictation and completion : 
 
 1. is the President of the United States. 
 
 2. The initials of mv name are — — — . 
 
A STORY FROM " HIAWATHA:' 39 
 
 3. If I write my name in full, it is . ^ 
 
 4. I have three friends named — , — , and — . 
 
 5. The name Margaret means — , and the name John 
 means — . ' 
 
 Complete the following outline of a paragraph : 
 
 Once upon a time there lived a little lad whose 
 
 ran so swiftly that his — called him . His playmates 
 
 were a little white cat, named — , and a little black dog, 
 named — . They played in a little grove on — Hill, near — 
 — Brook. — 's mother used to call them from the door, 
 '" Come, — , and — , and — ." Then they would start in a 
 
 race to the house, and — always got there first, and 
 
 always came last. 
 
 Note : It is a good plan to have the pupils, one after another, 
 read the paragraph, completing it each after his own imagina- 
 tion. As soon as there is too much repetition, or the exercise 
 becomes dull, it should be left. 
 
 Eead the story, substituting synonyms for little, lad, 
 swiftly, called, playmates. 
 
 What are antonyms for little, swiftly, white, always, f/rst ? 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 A STORY FROM LONGFELLOW'S " THE SONG OF HIAWATHA." 
 
 In the lands of the beautiful West there once lived a 
 lovely Indian maiden named We-no-nah. She had grown 
 up tall and slender like a prairie lily, and had married West- 
 Wind. When her little son, Hi-a-wa-tha, was born, Weno- 
 
40 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA3I3IAR. 
 
 nah gave him to her mother, No-ko-mis, to care for, because 
 she knew that she should not live to care for him. 
 
 E'okomis taught the little lad many pretty stories. She 
 told him that when the wild flowers of the forest and the 
 lilies of the prairie fade and die on earth, they blossom in 
 the sky and make the rainbow. 
 
 Hiawatha learned the names of the birds, how they build 
 their nests, where they hide themselves in winter, and how 
 they talk together, and he used to call them " Hiawatha's 
 chickens." He learned, too, how the beavers build their 
 lodges, where the squirrels hide their acorns, why the rein- 
 deer runs so swiftly, and why the rabbit is so timid. He 
 used to talk with these animals when he met them, and he 
 called them " Hiawatha's brothers." 
 
 One day I-a-goo, who was an old Indian and a friend 
 of l^okomis, made a bow for Hiawatha from the branch of 
 an ash tree. The arrows he made of an oak bough, and 
 he tipped them with flint and winged them with feathers. 
 Then he said to Hiawatha, " Go into the forest where the 
 red deer herd together and kill for us a deer with antlers ! " 
 
 So Hiawatha went all alone into the forest, and he was 
 very proud because he was sent to kill a deer with his bow 
 and arrows. The robin and the bluebird sang to him, " Do 
 not shoot us, Hiawatha ! " and the squirrel chattered, '' Do 
 not shoot me, Hiawatha ! " and the timid rabbit sat erect 
 upon his haunches, at a distance, and said, " Do not shoot 
 me, Hiawatha ! " 
 
 But Hiawatha did not talk to them nor notice them on 
 this day, for he thought only of the red deer. He followed 
 the path which led down to the ford across the river, and 
 
A STORY FROM ''HIAWATHA:' 41 
 
 when lie came to the ford he hid in the alder bushes and 
 waited for the deer to come to the river to drink. By and 
 by he saw two eyes looking out from the thicket, then two 
 nostrils, and then the antlers of a deer. And when he saw 
 the antlers, his heart beat fast mth excitement, but he sped 
 an arroAY from his bow and the deer fell dead. 
 
 Hiawatha bore the red deer home, and when lagoo and 
 Kokomis saw him they praised him. They made a feast 
 and the people of the village came and ate the flesh of the 
 red deer, and they called Hiawatha the Strong Heart, for 
 they thought he had done a very manly action. IS'okomis 
 was very proud of her grandson, and she made a cloak for 
 Hiawatha from the beautiful hide of the deer. 
 
 The teacher should not fail to read to the pupils the story 
 as Longfellow tells it in the chapter called '' Hiawatha^s Child- 
 hood.'^ 
 
 This story should be used for a conversation lesson. No 
 title has been given to it. Let the pupils suggest titles and 
 tell why they choose each. How do birds build their nests ? 
 Do they all build alike ? Where did the beavers live, and how 
 did they build their lodges ? Why are animals afraid of man ? 
 Are they afraid of one another ? What do Indians think is 
 manly ? Do their ideas of what is manly differ from ours ? 
 Was it brave in Hiawatha to kill the deer ? Is it manly to go 
 hunting ? etc., etc. 
 
 Another story of Hiawatha, that may bo arranged in the 
 same way, is '^ Hiawatha's Sailing." 
 
 Note : While the story may be used for a review of all that 
 the pupils have learned, and for dictation sentences, the prime 
 
42 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 purpose of its introdiiction is to get the pupils to talk freely on 
 subjects in which they are interested, to teach them to clothe 
 their thoughts in correct expression, and to introduce them to 
 the beauties of good literature. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 REVIEW. 
 
 I. 
 
 Let each pupil mention one thing that he has learned since 
 beginning the study of Language, care being taken that no 
 pupil mentions what another pupil has previously given, and 
 that all the answers are given in complete and good sentences. 
 
 IL 
 
 What are the two parts of a sentence ? Define each. Write 
 upon the board from dictation. The river at the foot of the hill 
 sparTcles in the sunshine. Draw one horizontal line under the 
 subject. Draw two lines under the predicate. Write an 
 original sentence on the board. Draw one line under the sub- 
 ject and two under the predicate. 
 
 Tell the story of ''The Birds' Christmas Feast in Norway.'" 
 
 Name and define the four kinds of sentences, and write one 
 of each kind on the board. Draw one line under the subject, 
 and two under the predicate, of each. (Supply you as the sub- 
 ject of the imperative sentence.) 
 
 What is a noun ? Give five nouns that are the names of 
 objects that you can see ; five of objects that you can not see. 
 Give a sentence containing a noun, and mention the noun. 
 
 Who wrote '' The Beggar'' ? Of whom did the beggar ask 
 
THE WRITING OF DATES. 43 
 
 gifts ? What did he beg of each ? What is another word for 
 pilgrim ? scrip ? 
 
 What is a common noun ? Give five common nouns. What 
 is a proper noun ? Give five proper nouns : the name of a per- 
 son, of a mountain, of a river, of a school, of a town. With 
 what kind of a letter must a proper noun begin ? 
 
 What is a surname ? Why is it called a surname 9 What 
 is a given or Christian name ? What are initials ? How are the 
 initials of a name written ? What is a to-name 9 What was the 
 origin of surnames 9 of to-names 9 
 
 III. 
 
 Let the pupils tell the story of Hiawatha's childhood, each 
 giving a single sentence of the story. Care must be taken that 
 the connection of the story is preserved, and, as always, that 
 the sentences are good sentences. Avoid too frequent use of 
 the pronoun. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE WRITING OF DATES. 
 
 I. 
 
 A full date states the place, year, month, and day. A 
 partial date may state the year, month, and day ; the year and 
 month ; the month and day ; or merely the year. 
 
 A letter or legal paper should contain the full date ; the 
 time of an event may be given with a partial date. 
 
 This letter is dated Concord^ Massachusetts^ April 19, 
 1YY6. 
 
 This will is dated Richmond, Virginia, January 12, 1894. 
 Benjamin Franklin was born Janua/ry 17, 1706. 
 
44 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 He made the journey to Paris in Deceinher^ 17Y6. 
 
 Christmas Day is December 25. 
 
 A five-cent piece dated 187Y is quite a rare coin. 
 
 A date is properly written in the order and form shown in 
 the above sentences. In legal papers, however, the date is often 
 written in full, thus : Dated * the Twelfth Day of January, in 
 the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-four. 
 
 The above dates are read: April nineteenth, seventeen seven- 
 ty-six ; January twelfth, eighteen ninety-four ; January seven- 
 teenth, seventeen hundred six, etc. 
 
 Eead the following dates : October 12, 1492 ; December 
 22, 1620; July 4, 1TY6 ; July 4, 1804; February 3, 1842; 
 March 4, 1897 ; April 19, 1898. 
 
 Write the following dates ; June seventeenth, seventeen 
 seventy-five; August third, fourteen ninety-two; January 
 first, eighteen ninety-eight ; March nineteenth, seventeen 
 hundred nine ; IS'ovember thirteenth, eighteen ninety-seven ; 
 September fourteenth, eighteen seventy-three. 
 
 We date the years from the beginning of the Christian era. 
 A year is divided into twelve months. Instead of writing the 
 name of the month in full, we sometimes write an abbreviation 
 for it. The following are the names of the months and abbre- 
 viations of the names : 
 
 January, abbreviated Jan. 
 
 July, not abbreviated 
 
 February, " Feb. 
 
 August, " Aug. 
 
 March, " Mar. 
 
 September, " Sept. 
 
 April, " Apr. 
 
 October, " Oct. 
 
 May, not abbreviated 
 
 J^ovember, " ]N'ov. 
 
 June, " 
 
 December, " Dec. 
 
THE WRITING OF DATES. 45 
 
 The naines of the months are jp^'oper nouns, and should 
 alioays hegin with a capital letter. 
 
 The year is divided into four seasons : spring, summer, 
 auticmn, and winter. These words are common nouns. 
 
 II. 
 
 Notice the use of capitals in the following verse. Explain 
 the description of each month : 
 
 The Months. 
 
 The new year comes with shouts and laughter ; 
 And see, twelve months are folloAving after. 
 
 First January, all in white. 
 
 Then February, short and bright ; 
 See breezy March go tearing round, 
 But tearful April makes no sound ; 
 May brings a pole with flowers crowned, 
 And June strews roses on the ground : 
 
 A pop ! a bang ! July comes in. 
 
 Says August, " What a fearful din ! " 
 September brings her golden sheaves, 
 October waves her pretty leaves ; 
 
 While pale i^ovember waits to see 
 
 December bring the Christmas tree. 
 
 III. 
 
 Sentences for dictation and completion : 
 
 1. is the first month of the year. It is abbrevi- 
 ated . 
 
46 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 2. The shortest month of the year is . It is ab- 
 breviated . 
 
 3. Do you not think that is the noisiest month of 
 
 the year ? 
 
 4. What pleasant holidays there are in and ! 
 
 5. I was born , , in the season of . 
 
 Complete the following paragraph : 
 
 In the month of , after showery had gone, I 
 
 went into to gather . I found , , , 
 
 and . I heard the merry of , the rippling of 
 
 a , the soft of the wind in the and trees. 
 
 The sun , the sky was , and all nature seemed 
 
 to be beautiful and songful once more. 
 
 IV. 
 
 A POEM FOR CONVERSATION AND MEMORIZING. 
 Marjorie's Almanac. 
 
 Eobins in the tree-top, 
 
 Blossoms in the grass, 
 Green things a-growing 
 
 Everywhere you pass ; 
 Sudden little breezes. 
 
 Showers of silver dew. 
 Black bough and bent twig 
 
 Budding out anew ; 
 Pine tree and willow tree, 
 
 Fringed elm and larch, — 
 Don't you think that May-time 's 
 
 Pleasanter than March ? 
 
A POEM FOR CONVERSATION AND MEMORIZING. 47 
 
 Apples in the orchard 
 
 Mellowing one by one, 
 Strawberries upturning 
 
 Soft cheeks to the sun ; 
 Roses faint mth sweetness, 
 
 Lilies fair of face, 
 Drowsy scents and murmurs 
 
 Haunting every place ; 
 Lengths of golden sunshine. 
 
 Moonlight bright as day, — 
 Don't you think that summer 's 
 
 Pleasanter than May ? 
 
 Roger in the corn-patch 
 
 Whistling negro songs ; 
 Pussy by the hearth-side 
 
 Romping with the tongs ; 
 Chestnuts in the ashes 
 
 Bursting through the rind ; 
 Red leaf and yellow leaf 
 
 Rustling down the wind ; 
 Mother " doing peaches " 
 
 All the afternoon, — 
 Don't you think that autumn 's 
 
 Pleasanter than June ? 
 
 Little fairy snowflakes 
 
 Dancing in the flue ; 
 Old Mr. Santa Claus, 
 
 What is keeping you ? 
 
48 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Tmlight and firelight, 
 
 Shadows come and go ; 
 Merry chime of sleigh bells 
 
 Tinkling through the snow ; 
 Mother knitting stockings, 
 
 (Pussy's got the ball), — 
 Don't you think that winter 's 
 
 Pleasanter than all ? 
 
 — Thomas Bailey Aldrich. 
 
 [Thomas Bailey Aldrich, a poet and novelist, born in 
 Portsmouth, E'ew Hampshire, l^ovember 11, 1836.] 
 
 Hints for conversation : The time of the coming of the 
 birds. When do the robins come ? When do they go away ? 
 Where do they go ? When are they most musical ? What 
 blossoms grow in the grass ? What common weeds sometimes 
 make the hills and fields seem golden ? (See Lowell's '' The 
 Dandelion. '') Of what shape are the dewdrops ? The budding 
 of boughs and twigs. When do they bud ? How do they pro- 
 tect themselves from the cold ? What buds expand earliest ? 
 What is the blossom of the willow tree ? Why is the elm called 
 fringed f What are drowsy scents and murmurs ? When is 
 chestnut time ? The colors of the autumn leaves. Why fairy 
 snowflakes ? ♦ 
 
A FE W COMMON ABBRE VIA TIONS A ND CONTRA CTIONS. 49 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 A FEW COMMON ABBREVIATIONS AND CONTRACTIONS. 
 
 I. 
 
 The names of the days of the week are abbreviated as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 Sunday, Sun. . Wednesday, Wed. 
 
 Monday, Mon. Thursday, Thurs. 
 
 Tuesday, Tues. Friday, Fri. 
 
 Saturday, Sat. 
 The title Mister is always written in its abbreviated form, 
 Mr., and its plural. Gentlemen (Messieurs), is always written 
 Messrs., pronounced Messers. The title of a married woman, 
 Mistress, is always written Mrs., pronounced Missez, and its 
 plural. Mistresses (Mesdames), is represented by the form in 
 the parenthesis. Notice the following : 
 Mr. Kenneth Grahame, 
 Mrs. Alice Freeman Palmer, 
 Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller, 
 Messrs. Thomas and Matthew Arnold, 
 Messrs. Little, Brown & Company. 
 Mesdames Stanton, Willard, and Stone. 
 Mesdames Wells, Gibson, Field, and Drake. 
 The^oUowing abbreviations are in common use : 
 Doctor, Dr. Keverend, Eev. 
 
 Esquire, Esq. Honorable, Hon. 
 
 President, Pres. Governor, Gov. 
 
 Professor, Prof. General, Gen. 
 
 Superintendent, Supt. Street, St. 
 
 Avenue, Ave. Company, Co. 
 
 4 
 
50 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR, 
 
 All titles and ahhreviatioiis of titles hegin with capital 
 letters^ and all abbreviations are followed hy a period. 
 
 Titles indicating reverence and honor should always be 
 read or spoken with the preceding, thus : Rev. Edward Everett 
 Hale should be read the Reverend Edward Everett Hale, Hon. 
 John D. Long should be read the Honorable John D. Long, etc. 
 
 With titles of position joined to a person's name, the is 
 omitted, thus : Pres. Eliot of Harvard College, or Charles Will- 
 iam Eliot, President of Harvard College, etc. 
 
 Eead the following titles and names : 
 
 Rt. (Right) Rev. Phillips Brooks, 
 Dr. Samuel G. Howe, Rev. John Graham, 
 
 Hon. Samuel J. Tilden, Pres. William J. Tucker, 
 
 Rev. Dr. Hall, Dr. Dana, 
 
 Prof. Goodwin, Supt. Edward Brooks, 
 
 Messrs. Silver, Burdett & Company, 
 Mesdames Pay son, Adams, and Walton. 
 
 II. 
 
 Contraction is the shortening of a word in writing or 
 pronunciation by the omission of the initial or some inter- 
 mediate letter. ♦ 
 
 The most common contractions are nH for not, following is, 
 are, was, were, has, have, had, could, would, should, can, do, 
 does, etc. ; W f or would; 've for have; 'II for tvill, and 't lor 
 it. Such contracted forms are properly written as if a part of 
 the preceding or following word. The apostrophe ( ' ) must 
 be written to mark the place of the letters omitted. 
 
A FEW COMMON ABBREVIATIONS AND CONTRACTIONS. 51 
 
 Give the equivalent uncontracted forms of the following : 
 
 The book isn't here. The boys aren't playing. The 
 child wasn't well. The birds weren't able to fly. Charles 
 hasn't his book. The nuts haven't ripened yet. The dis- 
 couraged boy said he couldn't do the problems, and he 
 wouldn't try again. I'll help him if he'll let me. You've 
 tried faithfully. I'd not have given you the problem if I'd 
 thought that you'd find it so hard. 'Tis easy to make mis- 
 takes. 
 
 Note : Pupils should be given repeated drills in the correct 
 use of common contractions. The following forms should be 
 used in varied sentences, at first daily, and later with less fre- 
 quency, until their correct use becomes a habit : 
 
 I'm not — . Am I not — ? (Not is never contracted 
 with am.) 
 
 You aren't — . Aren't you — ? He isn't — . Isn't he — ? 
 We aren't — . Aren't we — ? They aren't — . Aren't they ? 
 We, you, they, weren't — . Weren't we, you, they — ? 
 I, he, it, wasn't — . Wasn't I, he, it — ? 
 
 I, you, we, they, haven't — . Haven't I, you, we, they — ? 
 He, she, it, hasn't — . Hasn't he, she, it — ? 
 
 I, you^ we, they, don't — . Don't I, you, we, they — ? 
 He, she, it, doesn't — . Doesn't he, she, it — ? 
 
 'd represents had or loould j should is never contracted. 
 11 always represents will; shall is never contracted. 
 Use the group of sentences beginning, ^'The book isn't 
 here," for dictation sentences. 
 
52 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 
 
 (A letter from the Rev. Phillips Brooks to his niece.) 
 
 CLa^qaaaX 13, \SS2. 
 
 'kajl v&XjJo^ t/o- XajJojc cl ^^MayUrb, Vruuu uaaX oxy- 
 
 curvcL j^uyrwi) cvy^ axrucL ^dAXK/rrv ixru trVL 
 aXajoX. [ilAAAAyC^<iyu cX A<UyO- CL ^yuMxAJL 
 
 Aixju^nAJA/Y^.^ cvno. VrUL ^AAy-^rtt aXiAi^, yuo~1<L- 
 ixioAO- o-^yu. exru<L cv^ cu x<it/u/run., axrucL trbt 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 58 
 
 <!m3u>^ y\a>-^yyvl cutvtxixru. O'YVUyx^ cX n^ruiX 
 
 cUm>A., x<io- VrwaX w-rvuY]^ yxjl twxl to- ^<U>LMxrKv 
 cuAMo/vi t/t>- Ate. oxioyCMyruA- ^lm^-o^i, umoo- umx4 
 tuxi. to- cbooo-truA. ^xo^it vJp VnJb aXajjX, rix 
 cm3-4aXcUvv t, a/yvdL Vnjuu yxxixL to- x<iwua. cMxt 
 to- o-oox^ cboooJynx/b o-omA^ trbt UMoXeA.. 
 
 JriMx oooAAAt 4M. lo-td oX A:Li<exiA<:iyyvt 
 tni/yiytiA. to- cLo- oi U.xrucUy/\>-tA^, amxL tX 
 Voju'YXAL njA>AAy ^YY\jaAL 'Tvcua^^ yxajaL cu IWcuyt- 
 
 oayo-u>-, o^OAA. uoaaX oo- v-^iAiAZ to- Ido-^llo-oax. 
 JUo- ao- i/vxio- ^m/vi 4ao>uA^ UMa>erru oxo-i^ 
 ott VnAAJL, ayY\y^ Ajul '{y. VruL <io-L'C oAvoL 
 HruA. "iMayiv-aj oAx umXl oyrvcL ^^XAjJpAi/u, vaaX 
 cLo- oax>i ooAAxu Iyvuvyx. o-tt- JrU/OO^ 
 
54 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAM3IAR. 
 
 Our letters should represent ourselves in our neatest dress 
 and with our very best manners. Letters are very often kept, 
 and they are pictures of ourselves. We should make every 
 part of them neat, arrange them carefully, and put into them 
 our best and kindest thoughts, so that if we see them again a 
 long time after they were written, we need not be ashamed of 
 them. Dr. Brooks is writing to a very little girl. He tells 
 her something that will interest her about the children in 
 Venice, where the streets are canals, and the carriages are 
 boats, called gondolas^ and where the little children can swim 
 in the streets. Then he speaks of her vacation in the old home 
 in Andover, and tells her to look after the doll — which perhaps 
 is her own doll — when she goes into his house in Boston. 
 
 If we study this letter, we shall see that there are five parts 
 to it. 
 
 The first part tells where it was written, and when it was 
 written : 
 
 \J<UYUyQJl^, eXt<WU, 
 
 This is called the heading. 
 Then he greets his niece • 
 
 This is called the salutation. 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 55 
 
 Then comes the message that he writes. 
 This is called the hody of the letter. 
 
 Then he signs himself 
 
 This is called the complimentary close. 
 
 And last comes the name, which is the signature. 
 
 I. 
 The Heading. 
 
 The heading of a letter states the place where, and the time 
 when, the letter is written. Study the following models : 
 
 TTUuvclb 4, i^qn. 
 
 J4<lA^MymX'C, LAd^exx. Co-., iTLcuiA., 
 
 Qu/m. 1. i§qq. 
 
56 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The arrangement of the heading is shown by the follow- 
 ing diagram : 
 
 {Place of residence or h usiness) 
 
 {City^ County^ and State) 
 
 {Mouthy doAj^ and yea/r) 
 
 When the heading is written on three lines, the indention 
 from the beginning of the second line to the beginning of the 
 third should be the same as the indention from the beginning 
 of the first line to the beginning of the second. 
 
 Write lieadings for letters from the following places, dating 
 them on the day on which you write them : 
 
 Denver, Colorado ; The Bancroft School, JS'ewport, K. I. ; 
 396 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois ; " The Breakers," Bar 
 Harbor, Maine ; 49 Winslow Street, Plymouth, Mass. ; The 
 Manor House, Stopham, Sussex County, England; The 
 Holland House, J^ew York, N. Y. ; your own home ; your 
 own school. 
 
 II. 
 
 The second part of the letter is the address, that is, the 
 name and title of the person or the firm to whom the letter is 
 addressed, and often the residence or place of business. In 
 writing to relatives or to friends the address is omitted. Study 
 and copy the following addresses : 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 57 
 
 III. 
 
 The third part of a letter is the salutation ; that is, the 
 greeting of affection or courtesy that introduces the hody of 
 the letter. 
 
 Study the following salutations : 
 
 JUexxA^ a-aiJixA.: ITl/i/| ciexiA.Cuyyyo-VoL: 
 
 )k)voJ\. ^'kA. : lTlyv| cUxiA, ^lAA : 
 
58 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The title in the salutation always begins with a capital let- 
 ter^ thus : Dear Aunt Mary, My dear Cousin John, My dear 
 Uncle, My dear Friend, etc. 
 
 If we unite in proper form the heading, address, and saluta- 
 tion, we have the following models : 
 
 TruiAxA 4, i&qn. 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 59 
 
 In business or formal letters, prefix the title Messrs. to the 
 names of firms ; Mr., Mrs., or Miss, to individuals who have no 
 other title, and titles of position or honor— President, General, 
 Professor, Honor aMe, etc. — to the names of those to whom 
 such titles belong. 
 
 lY. 
 
 The fourth part of a letter is the body ; that is, the message 
 that it conveys. If the salutation is preceded by the address, 
 the body follows on the same line as the salutation ; if the 
 salutation is not so preceded, the letter is begun on the line 
 below the salutation, with a proper indention. Study the 
 following models : 
 
60 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 rri/v| cUxiA. nX<)4yruyu: 
 o-oox trix wiAt cLo/vi Q/Jx/t ^^x^L^oni/yvo- tniA 
 
 cX ^rVOyOJ-t AX<1.<L O-MmVL x<iWAAy| U>Uyrb A/O- 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 61 
 
 Y. 
 
 The fifth part of a letter is the complimentary close, the 
 wording of which varies with the relation of the person who 
 writes to the one to whom the letter is written. To relatives 
 you may write : Your loving son. Your affectionate daughter, 
 etc. ; to friends you may write : Your loving friend. Your 
 sincere friend, etc.; to others you may write : Yours sincerely, 
 Yours respectfully. Yours truly, etc. 
 
 The complimentary close should never be abbreviated. 
 
 YI. 
 
 The last part of the letter is the signature of the writer. 
 This should be written very plainly, and the name should be 
 signed in full in letters to those who are not relatives or intimate 
 friends. In letters to relatives and intimate friends, however, 
 one often signs the first name only. 
 
 The signature to a letter should be simply the name of the 
 writer, without any title. The title, inclosed in brackets, may 
 precede the name, or the full address with the proper title 
 may be written at the left and slightly below the signature. 
 
 Study the following models of the complimentary close and 
 signature : 
 
63 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. G3 
 
 \\2 UnAAA/Q/n. ^IajuX, 
 1. ^\yY]yQJiAAA/u omoaaAA, 
 
 yn. 
 
 The envelope should be addressed with great plainness and 
 neatness ; the stamp placed in. the upper right-hand corner ; 
 the name written across the middle of the envelope. Accord- 
 ing to best usage there should be no punctuation marks at the 
 
64 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANOUAOE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 ends of the lines, except to denote an abbreviation, and the 
 name of the State should be written in full. 
 
 I. [wi>-. txLuo^aAyS^ C. J^MiXe. 
 
 rrvcuy^vTx- 
 
 yiii. 
 
 Envelopes should be a very little wider than the paper. 
 The paper should be folded so that it will be a very little nar- 
 rower than the width of the envelope. If it be folded more 
 than once, the upper part of the letter should be the outer fold. 
 If paper wider than the length of the envelope is used, it should 
 be folded in from the right side to fit the length of the envelope, 
 before folding it to fit the breadth. 
 
 Practice in folding, using cheap brown paper or even news- 
 papers, cut to the sizes of note and letter paper, is of advantage 
 to pupils. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The model for the arrangement of a letter is as follows : 
 
THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 65 
 
 {Place of residence or husiness) 
 
 {City^ CoMTity^ and State) 
 
 {Months day^ and year) 
 {Name of person to whom the letter is written) 
 {Address) 
 
 {Salutation) : {Body of the letter^ properly 
 
 paragraphed) 
 
 {Complimentary close) 
 
 {Name of writer) 
 
 Note : It will be of great advantage in teaching the proper 
 form in letter writing to have the pupils draw this diagram 
 until they become thoroughly familiar with the arrangement, 
 indentions, and paragraphing. 
 5 
 
66 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LETTER-WRITING. 
 
 Fill out, first, orally, in the class, then, in writing, out of 
 the class, the following abstracts of letters. As great a variety 
 of sentiments as is possible should be obtained in the oral exer- 
 cise, and these abstracts may be expanded if, in the judgment 
 of the teacher, it is best. A personal letter usually contains 
 inquiries and the answers to inquiries, remembrances to others 
 of the family, etc. Since the nature of these varies with the 
 relation of the receiver of the letter to the writer, they have 
 been omitted in the abstracts. The teacher will decide with 
 the class to whom each letter is to be sent, what personal ques- 
 tions shall be answered, what inquiries shall be made, and 
 what messages sent. She will teach the pupils that when 
 a letter is being answered it should be looked through carefully 
 to see that every inquiry in it is answered, and that such 
 messages as it contains are properly noticed. 
 
 The school exercise mentioned in the third abstract is 
 a very pleasant one. Each pupil brings into the class every day 
 something that he has seen or heard that pleasantly interested 
 him. It is well if this '^sunshine diary ^^ can be kept by each 
 pupil in a notebook. To gather some new idea each day and 
 to express it well, will wonderfully broaden the intelligence of 
 the pupil, and develop ease and grace of expression. Such a 
 diary should not aim above the simple expression of simple 
 things ; — what the pupil notices himself about bee or bird or 
 flower, some word or custom or act that seems to him pleasant, 
 is sufficient. 
 
LETTER-WRITINO. 67 
 
 When these letters are written out of the class, each letter 
 should be in full and proper form ; then folded as if for an 
 envelope. If not placed in an envelope, the address may be 
 placed on the back of the letter, which should be left blank 
 for this purpose. Not more than one letter should be written 
 each week, and it is better to write them less frequently, — once 
 a fortnight, — reviewing the form and varying the several parts. 
 The writing of the five forms below, then, would best extend 
 over a period of ten weeks. The practice in letter writing, 
 however, should be continued throughout the whole period of 
 the child's school life. 
 
 I. 
 
 We had such walk with teacher ! We left 
 
 school Friday at o'clock. Went by 
 
 river, through pastures, saw cows, came to 
 
 brook. It was such a pretty brook ! grew be- 
 side it, and . (Here describe brook.) We saw how val- 
 leys are made, and , and . Miss taught us 
 
 much about geography, and names of . Then we had a 
 
 little lunch. Mamma calls it a " picnic lesson." 
 
 II. 
 
 A dog has come house live. We heard 
 
 barking in field. Didn't see dog. It came to barn. Ate 
 
 out of cat's dish. Mamma found it, so weak could 
 
 hardly stand. Fed it. Lapped hand. Followed into 
 house. Crept under table. Father came home. Said, 
 
 " Halloo ! who's here ? " Dog came out , jumped over 
 
 hands, then sat up . Father said might stay. 
 
 Call it " Maidie," after Sir Walter Scott's dog. 
 
68 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 III. 
 
 Delighted to get such interesting letter. Your account 
 
 of journey to made me wish . Think you will be 
 
 interested in new school exercise. We write each day 
 
 that has pleasantly interested us. Monday I saw ; 
 
 Tuesday I heard ; Wednesday I noticed ; 
 
 Thursday I found ; Friday I read . We write 
 
 nothing but pleasant . calls it a " sunshine diary." 
 
 How do like it ? 
 
 lY. 
 
 Gray, cheerless day. Your letter, however, is so 
 
 sunny . The flower that came in it, the bit of poetry 
 
 , the picture of , are like the of 
 
 the daisy; what you wrote like heart. A bunch of 
 
 is in vase on table, and if the day's eye out of doors 
 
 is , there are twenty twinkling in my . 
 
 How it is to know . Of all flowers the three I 
 
 like best are , , and . I like the because 
 
 , the because , and the 
 
 because . I send you in return 
 
 for the you sent me, and a thought with it. This is 
 
 the thought : The best kind of a letter is one that makes 
 us wish to answer it at once. 
 
 Y. 
 
 When we speak of traveling think going 
 
 far from home. Did hear traveling 
 
 around home ? Many things to see near home. (Here may 
 
NUMBER : SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS OF NOUNS. 69 
 
 be inserted a list of local places of interest.) An old kitchen 
 
 just as it was many years ago. Fireplace big 
 
 great logs settle crane. Tin kitchen 
 
 to put before fireplace. Painted tioor. Beams in ceiling. 
 Bunches of herbs. Dresser with pewter ware. Old chairs. 
 Windows with many panes. Braided rag mat on floor. 
 (A quite full description of any place may be used instead 
 of this abstract for description of an old kitchen.) 
 
 Abstracts for letters may be arranged by the teacher and put 
 upon the board. Suggestive subjects are : A Visit to a Circus, 
 Christmas Delights, A May Party, Fourth of July in our Toicn, 
 Our School Home, Hie Story of the Neio Picture, A Delightful 
 Book, My Collection of Stamps, A Walk with the Postman. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 NUMBER : THE SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS OF NOUNS. 
 
 Wild bees get honey in the early spring from the golden 
 willows. The golden willows send forth a sweet perfume 
 when their l)lossoms open. The garden rose gives us a deli- 
 cious ])erfume, but gives no honey to the bees. The little 
 creatures love the blossoms of the raspberry in simimer. 
 Many bees perish during the season of honey making. A 
 strong swarm of bees loses about one hundred and fifty a day. 
 
 What kind of a sentence is each of these ? What words in 
 these sentences are nouns ? Are they common or proper 
 nouns ? 
 
 Does the word hees make you think of one bee or more than 
 one? ivilloiu? blossoms? roses? creatures? swarm? 
 
70 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 A noun that gives the idea of one {one hee^ one willow^ 
 one rose, etc.) is of singular number. 
 
 A noun that gives the idea of more than one ohject is of 
 plural number. 
 
 What nouns in the above sentences are of singular number? 
 of plural number ? In the story from " The Song of Hiawa- 
 tha/' name the nouns and state of what number each is. 
 
 1. Singular Plural 
 bee bees 
 willow willows 
 rose roses 
 creature creatures 
 blossom blossoms 
 
 How does the plural form differ from the singular in each 
 of the nouns in the above list ? In the same way form the 
 plural of school, teacher, hoy, girl, desk, pen, pencil, crayo7i, 
 hoard, street, car, house, field, tree, fruit, orchard, carriage, 
 horse, river, ocean. 
 
 Give orally sentences containing the plurals of these nouns. 
 
 The 2)lural of most nouns is formed hy adding s to the 
 singula/r. 
 
 2. Singular Plural 
 branch branches 
 circus circuses 
 fish fishes 
 box boxes 
 adz adzes 
 hero heroes 
 
NUMBER: SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS OF NOUNS. 71 
 
 How does the plural differ from the singular in each of the 
 nouns of this list ? In the same way form the plural of stitch, 
 witness, dishy fox, watch, walrus, blush, volcano, potato, glass, 
 sash, lynx, chintz, Irush, church, crocus, lunch, radish, chorus, 
 motto, tomato. 
 
 The plural of nouns ending in ch, s, sh, x, z^ amd of 
 many ending in o not jpreceded hy a vowel^ is formed hy add- 
 ing es to the singular. 
 
 The vowels are a, e, i, o, u. 
 
 3. Singula/r Plural 
 
 lady ladies 
 
 body bodies 
 
 fairy fairies 
 
 fly flies 
 
 city cities 
 
 Is the final y of the singular of these nouns preceded by a 
 vowel ? What are the vowels ? To what letter is the final y 
 changed in forming the plural ? What is then added ? Write 
 upon the blackboard the singular of the following nouns, and 
 form the plural of each : colony, ally, shy, spy, factory, heauty, 
 lilyt butterfly, history, fancy, belfry, poppy, cherry, treaty, 
 geography, eddy, canopy, memory, variety, treaty. 
 
 The plural of nouns ending in y not jpreceded by a 'dowel 
 is formed by changing the final y to\ and adding es. 
 
 4. Eleven nouns ending in f change ftoY and add es. 
 These are: 
 
 Singula/r Plural 
 
 loaf loaves 
 
 leaf leaves 
 
(2 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Singula/r 
 sheaf 
 self 
 beef 
 thief 
 wolf 
 calf 
 half 
 shelf 
 elf 
 
 Plural 
 {Form 
 
 the 
 
 plurals 
 
 of 
 
 these.) 
 
 5. Three nouns ending in fe change f to v and add s. 
 These are wife, hnife^ life. Form the plural of each. 
 
 6. Thirteen nouns in common use form their plurals 
 irregularly. These are : 
 
 Singidar 
 
 man 
 
 woman 
 
 child 
 
 brother 
 
 ox 
 
 goose 
 
 foot 
 
 tooth 
 
 louse 
 
 mouse 
 
 die 
 
 Plural 
 
 men 
 
 women 
 
 children 
 
 brothers ) 
 
 brethren ) 
 
 oxen 
 
 feet 
 teeth 
 lice 
 mice 
 dies ) 
 dice S 
 
NUMBER: SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS OF ^'OUNS. 73 
 
 Singular 
 penny 
 
 pea 
 
 Plural 
 pennies ] 
 pence ) 
 
 7. Some nouns have the same form in the singular and 
 plural. Such nouns are deer^ sheep, trout^ cod, mackerel, 
 salmon. 
 
 Note: The jmpils should learn thoroughly the rules 
 given for the formation of the plural, and should apply 
 them carefully in form^ing the plurals of such nouns as have 
 occurred in the previous lessons, and as are given in the list 
 that follows. The pupils should he drilled with great care 
 in the spelling of hoth the singular and plural forms, should 
 learn the mea/nings of the words, and should use them in 
 sentences. 
 
 Apply the rules for the formation of the plural to the fol- 
 lowing nouns : 
 
 ship 
 
 torch 
 
 folio 
 
 money 
 
 colony 
 
 torpedo 
 
 negro 
 
 foot 
 
 baby 
 
 canary 
 
 enemy 
 
 halo 
 
 shoe 
 
 canoe 
 
 rush 
 
 dairy 
 
 thief 
 
 knife 
 
 strife 
 
 antelope 
 
 deer 
 
 handkerchief 
 
 gentleman 
 
 foster-child 
 
 wharf 
 
 meanness 
 
 rebus 
 
 gentlewoman 
 
 apple 
 
 monkey 
 
 mackerel 
 
 daisy 
 
 bough 
 
 fresco 
 
 grotto 
 
 piano 
 
 solo 
 
 quarto 
 
 cargo 
 
 gypsy 
 
 hoof 
 
 prize 
 
 shelf 
 
 wife 
 
 pony 
 
 zero 
 
 echo 
 
 society 
 
74 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Sentences for dictation : 
 
 1. The poppies grew among the wheat and were bound 
 up in the sheaves. 
 
 2. The children of the heroes cherish the memories of 
 their brave deeds. 
 
 3. At the fair were dishes of beautiful tomatoes, bunches 
 of nice radishes, and cans of cherries. 
 
 4. The feet of the mice which were eating the peas left 
 tracks on the shelves. 
 
 5. Little kindnesses drive away great griefs. 
 
 Complete the following : 
 
 fairies played under tree. table 
 
 toadstool, cups acorn-cups. Six (pi. of butterfly) 
 
 drew queen's . Two (pi. of fly) in beautiful coats 
 
 were her (pi. of footman). The little (pi. of fairy) sang (pi. 
 of chorus) to greet her on her arrival, and (pi. of canopy) of 
 oak (pi. of leaf) were placed over her throne. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE NUMBER OF NOUNS, Continued. 
 
 8. Some nouns that are of plural form are of singular 
 number : as news^ wages^ means, tidings, gallows. 
 
 Complete the following sentences by selecting the proper 
 forms from those in the parentheses : 
 
 Kews {has, have) come that wages {have or has) been 
 advanced in the coal districts. 
 
THE NUMBER OF NOUNS. . 75 
 
 The low wages {is, are) not sufficient to keep the workers 
 from suffering. 
 
 The tidings of Nansen's safe return from his Arctic voyage 
 (was, tuere) received with great gladness. 
 
 Use each of the nouns in No. 8 as the subject of a sentence. 
 
 9. Some nouns, the names of objects consisting of more 
 than one part, are always of jplural number : as trousers, 
 breeches, scissors, t/weezers, tongs, victuals, scales, shears, 
 measles, pincers. 
 
 Complete these sentences by selecting the proper forms 
 from those in the parentheses : 
 
 The tramp's trousers {was, were) very ragged and dirty. 
 
 The gentleman's riding breeches {were, was) of brown 
 corduroy. 
 
 Use each of the nouns in No. 9 as the subject of a sentence. 
 
 10. Some nouns belonging to foreign languages, but in 
 use in English, retain the foreign form of the plural: as, in- 
 dex, indices / awis, axes / radius, radii / phenomenon, phe- 
 nomena j crisis, crises I beau, beaux ; tableau, tableaux. 
 
 11. Tlie plural of proper nouns is formed by the addition of 
 s or es ; this termination is sometimes added to the title and 
 sometimes to the name : the Drs. Smith, the Dr. Smiths ; the 
 Misses Blake, the Miss Blakes ; the Messrs. Griffin, the Mr. 
 Griffins ; the Marys and the Marthas ; the four Georges ; the 
 King Henrys, etc. 
 
 12. In compound nouns (a) consisting of a noun and a modi- 
 fying word or phrase, the noun is made plural in form, i.e., 
 brothers-in-law, hangers-on, goings-f orth ; (b) consisting of parts 
 very closely allied, the plural sign is added at the end, i.e., hand- 
 
76 TIi:^ ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 fuls, spoonfuls, pianofortes ; (c) a feiu have plural forma of both 
 parts, i.e., men-servants, women-singers, knights-templars. 
 
 13. Some nouns when preceded hy a numeral omit the plural 
 sign: a ten-acre lot, a three-foot rule, forty. head of cattle, 
 three pair of shoes. 
 
 14. The plural of figures, letters, and words and phrases, 
 when repetition of their use is de^ioted, is formed hy the apos- 
 trophe and s {'s). The i's and fs and 9's are carelessly made. 
 His Fs and my's and me's are heard too often. Her repeated 
 alas's and dear me's showed deep feeling. 
 
 Put in sentences the plurals of the following words : 
 Mr. Dana Miss Ames sister-in-law handful 
 spoonful cupful s, r; t 8, 9, 6 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 SELECTIONS FOR STUDY. 
 
 Note: Mrs. Celia Thaxter, the author of the following selec- 
 tions, lived on Appledore, one of the Isles of Shoals. Here 
 she delighted especially in the wildness of the ocean, which 
 dashed often in great fury against the rocky edges of the 
 island ; the birds whose lives were companionship to her ; 
 and the little crowded patch of blossoms that she planted and 
 tended, and of which she has told in her delightful book, 
 '' An Island Garden." 
 
 I. 
 
 The Coming of the Sandpiper. 
 I hear the voices of the children at their play, not far 
 away. There are no other sounds. Suddenly from the 
 
SELECTIONS FOR STUDY. 77 
 
 shore comes a clear cry thrice repeated, " Sweet, sweet, 
 sweet." And I say to my neighbor, my brother, working 
 also in his garden plot, "The Sandpiper — do you hear 
 him ? " and the glad news goes from mouth to mouth, 
 "The Sandpiper has come." Oh, the lovely note, again 
 and again repeated, " Sweet, sweet, sweet," echoing softly, 
 in the tide-brimmed coves where the quiet water seems to 
 hush itself to listen. Never so tender a cry is uttered by 
 any bird I know. It is the most exquisitely caressing tone 
 heard in the dewy stillness of morning and evening. He 
 has many and varied notes, and his cry of fear breaks my 
 heart when any evil threatens his beloved nest ; but this 
 tender call of " Sweet, sweet, sweet," is the most enchant- 
 ing sound, happy with a fullness of joy that never fails to 
 bring a thrill to the heart that listens. It is the voice of 
 love itself. — From " An Island Garden,''^ 
 
 n. 
 
 The Sandpiper's I^est. 
 
 It was such a pretty nest, and in such a pretty place, 
 that I must tell you about it. 
 
 One lovely afternoon in May I had been wandering up 
 and down, through rocky gorges, by little swampy bits of 
 ground, and on the rocky headlands, looking for flowers, 
 and I had found many. 
 
 Presently I came to the edge of a little beach, where I 
 was startled by the sound of such terror and distress that it 
 went to my heart at once. In a few moments a poor little 
 sandpiper emerged from the bushes, dragging itself along 
 
78 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 in such a way that, had you seen it, you would have be- 
 lieved that every bone in its body had been broken. Such 
 a dilapidated bird ! Its wings drooped, and its legs hung 
 as if almost lifeless. It uttered continually a shrill cry of 
 pain, and kept just out of reach of my hand, fluttering 
 hither and thither as if sore- wounded and weary. At first 
 I was amazed, and cried out, "Why, friend and gossip! 
 what is the matter ? " and then stood watching it in dis- 
 may. Suddenly it flashed upon me that this was only my 
 sandj^iper's way of concealing from me a nest. The object 
 was to make me follow her by pretending that she could 
 not fly, and so lead me away from her treasure. So I stood 
 perfectly still, lest I should tread upon her precious habita- 
 tion, and quietly observed my deceitful friend. "Dear 
 gossip," I called to her, " pray don't give yourself so much 
 unnecessary trouble! You might know I wouldn't hurt 
 you or your nest for the world, you most absurd of birds ! " 
 As if she understood me, she rose up at once, strong and 
 graceful, and flew off with a full, round, clear note, deli- 
 cious to hear. 
 
 Then I cautiously looked for the nest, and found it 
 quite close to my feet, near the stem of a stunted bayberry 
 bush. Mrs. Sandpiper had only drawn together a few bay- 
 berry leaves, brown and glossy, a little pale green lichen, 
 and a twig or two, and that was a pretty enough nest for 
 her. Four eggs, about as large as robins', were within, all 
 laid evenly with the small ends together, as is the tidy 
 fashion of the sandpiper family. ]^o wonder I did not see 
 them, for they were pale green like the lichen, with brown 
 spots the color of the leaves and twigs, and they seemed a 
 
SELECTIONS FOR STUDY. 79 
 
 part of the ground, with its confusion of soft neutral tints. 
 I could not admire them enough, but, to relieve my little 
 friend's anxiety, I very soon came away, and as I came I 
 marveled much that so very small a head should contain 
 such an amount of cunning. 
 
 Subjects for conversation: 
 
 A description of the island as it is spoken of in this sketch. 
 What expressions tell us about the island ? 
 
 Describe the appearance of the sandpiper as Mrs. Thaxter 
 first saw it. Contrast that description with its appearance after 
 she assured it that she would do it no harm. 
 
 Do sandpipers reason ? Did he reason that she was search- 
 ing for his nest ? Did you ever notice any animal — a dog or 
 a cat — trying to deceive ? 
 
 Describe the nest and the eggs. How did the sandpiper try 
 to conceal its eggs ? Do any other birds try to conceal their 
 nests ? How ? 
 
 Make a list of ten words that are new words to you. Care- 
 fully look up the meaning of each in the dictionary. Use each 
 in a sentence. 
 
 Note : The selection may he used also for a review of such 
 grammatical principles as have been learned. 
 
80 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 III. 
 POEM FOR MEMORY. 
 The Sandpiper. 
 Across the narrow beach we flit, 
 
 One little sandpiper and I ; 
 And fast I gather, bit by bit, 
 
 The scattered driftwood, bleached and dry : 
 The wild waves reach their hands for it. 
 The wild wind raves, the tide runs high, 
 As up and down the beach we flit — 
 The little sandpiper and I. 
 
 Above our heads the sullen clouds 
 Scud thick and swift across the sky ; 
 
 Like silent ghosts in misty shrouds 
 Stand out the white lighthouses high. 
 
 Almost as far as eye can reach 
 
 I see the close-reefed vessels fly. 
 As up arid down the beach we flit — 
 The little sandpiper and I. 
 
 I watch him as he skims along. 
 
 Uttering his sweet and mournful cry ; 
 
 He starts not at my fitful song. 
 Or flash of floating drapery. 
 
 He has no fear of any wrong. 
 
 He scans me with a fearless eye ; 
 
 Staunch friends are we, well tried and strong — 
 The little sandpiper and I. 
 
THE POSSESSIVE FORM OF NOUNS. 81 
 
 Comrade, where wilt thou be to-night, 
 When the wild storm breaks fm'iously ? 
 
 My driftwood fire will bm*n so bright — 
 To what warm shelter canst thou fly ? 
 
 I do not fear for thee, though wroth 
 
 The tempest rushes through the sky. 
 For are we not God's children both — 
 Thou, little sandpiper, and I ? 
 
 The subject of " The Sandpiper" may well be completed by 
 reading to the class another of Mrs. Thaxter^s poems, '' The 
 Wounded Curlew " 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 THE POSSESSIVE FORM OF NOUNS. 
 
 I. 
 Robert's dog is a Scotch collie named Bruce. He is the 
 boy's playmate. He likes to carry the children's baskets, 
 and in the winter he goes coasting with them. He runs, 
 barking in his delight, down the hill, and hauls the little 
 girls' sleds back to the top. 
 
 What noun tells whose dog Bruce is ? How is it spelled ? 
 What noun tells whose playmate he is ? How is it spelled ? 
 What noun tells who owns the baskets ? How is it spelled ? 
 What noun tells who own the sleds ? How is it spelled ? 
 
 Each of these nouns denotes the owner or possessor. How 
 is the spelling of Robert changed to denote that he is the pos- 
 sessor of something ? How is the spelling of boy changed to 
 denote possession ? childreii ? girls 9 
 6 
 
82 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA31MAR. 
 
 Whe7i tliefoTTTh of a noun indicates ownership or posses- 
 sion, it is called the possessive form. 
 
 Notice how these possessive forms are made : 
 
 Singul 
 
 'or 
 
 
 Plural 
 
 man 
 
 man's 
 
 men 
 
 men's 
 
 lady 
 
 lady's 
 
 ladies 
 
 ladies' 
 
 ox 
 
 ox's 
 
 oxen 
 
 oxen's 
 
 story 
 
 story's 
 
 stories 
 
 stories' 
 
 Charles 
 
 Charles's 
 
 
 
 What is added to each singular noun to form the posses- 
 sive ? What is added to each plural noun 7iot eliding in s ? 
 What is added to each plural noun ending in s ? 
 
 Form in like manner the possessives of mother, sisters, fairy, 
 fairies, wolves, fly, Margaret, Gladys, Miss WilTcins, Use the 
 possessives of these nouns in the order in which they are given 
 in the following sentences : 
 
 Washington, when a boy, obeyed his wishes. 
 
 Richard carried his little books. 
 
 The kindness brought the coach to Cinderella. 
 
 The howling could be heard throughout the long 
 
 winter nights. 
 
 The eye is wonderful. 
 
 favorite book is " Beautiful Joe." 
 
 • vacation was spent among the White Mountains. 
 
 Ethel is reading one of stories. 
 
 Note : These sentences should be made complete orally, 
 and then given as dictation sentences to be written by the 
 pupils. 
 
THE POSSESSIVE FORM OF NOUNS. 83 
 
 The possessives of nouns are formed hy the addition of 
 the apostrophe and s ('«), except that plural nouns ending in 
 s add the apostrophe only. 
 
 The possessive termination of singular nouns ending in s or 
 z is pronounced ez, thus : Miss Noyes's is pronounced Miss 
 Noyes-ez, Mr. Brooks's is pronounced Mr. Brooks-ez, etc. 
 
 When the addition of the apostrophe and s would give a 
 succession of more than two s or z sounds, the apostrophe only 
 is added, thus: Moses', Jesus', etc. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. "Master Skylark" is the name of John Bennett's 
 first story. 
 
 2. Mrs. Harriet Prescott Spofford's home is on Deer 
 Island in the Merrimack river. 
 
 3. William Brown, Esquire's, name is written in a plain 
 hand on the fly leaf. 
 
 4. Blake the blacksmith's little lad has won a medal 
 for bravery. 
 
 5. Kipling the story-teller's books have a large sale. 
 
 6. Messrs. Dodd, Mead & Company's store is on Fifth 
 Avenue, Kew York. 
 
 7. Nicolay and Hay's " Life of Lincoln " is very com- 
 plete. 
 
 The possessive sign is added to the last of a combination 
 of names (1), of names amd titles (2 am,d 3), of namss and 
 descriptive words, designating an individual (4 amd 5), of 
 those forming thefrm name (6), amd of those denoting joint 
 ownership or authorship (7). 
 
84 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Change the groups of words in italics in the following sen- 
 tences into possessive forms : 
 
 The life of Sir Philip Sydney was full of noble deeds. 
 This house is owned by Bev. Arthur Goodwin, D.D. 
 The new store of Wilson c§ Low will be opened to- 
 morrow. 
 
 This was the island garden of Mrs. Thaxter, the poet. 
 That is the office of the Governor of Massachusetts. 
 Cedric is the brother of GustaA)a, the little lamie girl. 
 
 III. 
 
 "While it is correct to use the possessive form of nouns that 
 are not the names of beings that have life, it is in better usage 
 
 to use the possessive phrase of . Thus, it is in better usage 
 
 to say " The strength of England lies largely in her navy," than 
 ^^ England's strength lies largely in her navy"; "the color of 
 gold" than "gold's color"; "the puUic buildings of Wash- 
 ington," than "Washington's public buildings." 
 
 Change to better usage : 
 
 Boston's old streets are very crooked. 
 
 San Francisco Bay's entrance is called "The Golden 
 Gate." 
 
 The emerald's color is green, the ruby's color is red, and 
 the topaz's color is yellow. 
 
 The moon's distance from the earth is a little less than 
 240,000 miles. 
 
 The Journey's end; the arrow's flight; the star's bril- 
 liancy ; the earth's yearly journey ; the picture's beauty. 
 
THE PARAGRAPH. 85 
 
 The expressions anybody else, somebody else, nobody else, 
 etc., are regarded as liaving the value of one word, and their 
 possessive form is made by adding 's to the word else, thus : 
 anybody else's, nobody else's, etc. 
 
 Sentences for dictation : 
 
 1. Flowers are more beautiful than birds on ladies' 
 hats. 
 
 2. The humming-bird's beauty has won him the name 
 of a jewel with wings. 
 
 3. Master Skylark's real name was Nick Attwood. 
 
 4. His mother's smile was more to him than the Queen 
 of England's favor. 
 
 5. Mrs. James's roses grow larger than Mr. Adams's. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 THE PARAGRAPH. 
 
 1. The male bird usually selects the place for a nest. 
 
 2. He assists the female in hatching the eggs. 
 
 3. He feeds the little ones, and teaches them to fly and 
 to hunt for food. 
 
 4. His plumage is usually much brighter than that of 
 the female. 
 
 5. The female's colors are less bright, so that she will 
 not be easily seen when on the nest. 
 
 When our thoughts are closely connected with one subject 
 we do not separate them as in the above sentences, but we 
 unite them closely in a paragraph, as follows : 
 
86 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The male bird usually selects the place for a nest. He 
 assists the female in hatching the eggs. He feeds the little 
 ones, and teaches them to fly and to hunt for food. His 
 plumage is brighter than that of the female. Her colors are 
 less bright so that she may not be so easily seen when on 
 the nest. 
 
 A paragraph always begins on a new line, and has an inden- 
 tion at its beginning ; that is, a blank space at the beginning 
 of its first line. The diagram of a paragraph, which should 
 be carefully drawn by the pupils, is as follows : 
 
 Write the sentences at the beginning of Chapter I. as a 
 paragraph. 
 
 Arrange paragraphs from the sentences in Divisions II., 
 III., and v., in Chapter I. 
 
 Fill out the following sentences and write them in para- 
 graphs : 
 
 I. 
 
 An Qgg wonderful thing. 
 
 has shape gives its greatest strength. 
 
 Its color, whether , , or , is always beautiful. 
 
 Its shell has a lining, tough but as silk. 
 
 And within is what may be a life clothed with beauty 
 and overflowing with song. 
 
THE GENDER OF NOUNS. 87 
 
 II. 
 
 A beautiful humming-bird . 
 
 Its wings . 
 
 It found its food trumpet flowers. 
 
 Then it flew to the gay . 
 
 It alighted for a moment on a string that was stretched 
 about the flowers, and looked at me with a great deal of 
 curiosity. I wonder what it thought of me. 
 
 III. 
 
 The snow came wool. 
 
 It filled the full. 
 
 It covered , it hid . 
 
 It lay grass like light. 
 
 And made the old earth look clean and 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 THE GENDER OF NOUNS. 
 
 1. In olden times the men sat on one side of the meeting 
 house, and the women on the other. 
 
 2. The children were taught to do useful work — the 
 girls to spin and weave, the boys to do the work of the farm 
 or of some trade. 
 
 3. Did you ever see the warming pans, the foot stoves, 
 or the spinning wheels that were used in those days ? 
 
 4. The birds were very busy this morning — the mother- 
 bird in watching her brood, the father-bird in getting them 
 food. 
 
88 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 5. The Prince and Princess of Wales, with the Duke 
 and Duchess of York, were present at the celebration. 
 
 All living beings are either male or female. When a 
 noun is the name of a male heing^ the noun is of masculine 
 gender ; of a female heing, it is of feminine gender. 
 
 A noun that is the name of a living heing, hut hy its 
 form does not show whether male or female, is of common 
 gender. 
 
 A 7ioun that is the name of something that has no sex—^ 
 is neither nfiale nor female — is of neuter gender. The 
 word neuter means neither. 
 
 In the above sentences what nouns of masculine gender do 
 you find ? of feminine gender ? of common gender ? of neuter 
 gender? Of what gender is hirdsf father-Mrdf mother- 
 Hrd f What shows the gender of the last two words ? What 
 is the gender of Prince f What is the feminine form that cor- 
 responds to it ? What is the gender of Duchess 9 What is the 
 masculine form that corresponds to it ? 
 
 The following are some nouns in common use, in which the 
 masculine and feminine forms correspond : 
 
 Masculine 
 
 Feminine 
 
 Masculine 
 
 Feminine 
 
 father 
 
 mother 
 
 king 
 
 queen 
 
 brother 
 
 sister 
 
 emperor 
 
 empress 
 
 son 
 
 daughter 
 
 prince 
 
 princess 
 
 uncle 
 
 aunt 
 
 duke 
 
 duchess 
 
 niece 
 
 nephew 
 
 marquis 
 
 marchioness 
 
 husband 
 
 wife 
 
 earl 
 
 countess 
 

 REVIEW. 
 
 89 
 
 Masculine 
 
 Feminine 
 
 Masculine 
 
 Feminine 
 
 groom 
 
 bride 
 
 lord 
 
 lady 
 
 host 
 
 hostess 
 
 beau 
 
 belle 
 
 horse 
 
 mare 
 
 manservant 
 
 maidservant 
 
 ram 
 
 ewe 
 
 he-goat 
 
 she-goat 
 
 lion 
 
 lioness 
 
 
 
 tiger 
 
 tigress 
 
 Jew 
 
 Jewess 
 
 drake 
 
 duck 
 
 Francis 
 
 Frances 
 
 gander 
 
 goose 
 
 Louis 
 
 Louisa 
 
 Of what gend 
 
 er is each of the 
 
 ) following nouns ? 
 
 housewife 
 
 maiden 
 
 lover 
 
 cousin 
 
 maid 
 
 youth 
 
 blacksmith 
 
 hare 
 
 squirrel 
 
 priest 
 
 nun 
 
 women 
 
 poet 
 
 Frenchman 
 
 Italian 
 
 crow 
 
 cattle 
 
 elephant 
 
 chicken 
 
 pullet 
 
 Josephine 
 
 Paul 
 
 )^^m 
 
 teacher 
 
 family 
 
 child 
 
 author 
 
 master 
 
 mistress 
 
 poet 
 
 bachelor 
 
 pupil 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 REVIEW. 
 
 Write the complete heading, giving name of school, place, 
 and date. What is the abbreviation of the month ? of the 
 day ? How many days has this month ? Write the season of 
 the year. What pleasant things in this season ? 
 
 If you were to teach some one how to write a letter, what 
 directions would you give him ? (The teacher can aid the 
 
90 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 pupils to arrange in order the suggestions that they offer. 
 Training in orderly tliinhing — sequence — is invaluable. ) Write 
 in proper form and order on the board the several parts of a 
 letter, written in this school, to-day, addressed to the chair- 
 man of the committee for, this school, and signed by the writer. 
 What can you tell him of interest for the body of the letter ? 
 Write on the board the proper address for the envelope. Show 
 where the stamp should be placed. Draw on the board a 
 model for the arrangement of a letter. (The lines should be 
 drawn straight with a blackboard ruler.) What is the ''^sun- 
 shine diary " ? 
 
 Give each one noun and tell how to form its plural. Write 
 the singular and plural forms on the board. In how many dif- 
 ferent ways is the plural of nouns formed ? Give examples of 
 each. Why are scissors, tongs, scales, always plural ? 
 
 Tell the story of the sandpiper's nest. 
 
 Write a noun on the board and show how its possessive form 
 is made. Show how the possessive form of the singular and of 
 the plural is made from each of these nouns : lily, wolf, Mr. 
 Harris, guardsman, valley, hooh-luyer, mouse, fish, lily of the 
 valley, manservant. 
 
 Of what gender is each of the above nouns ? Give the cor- 
 responding forms, masculine or feminine, of any of the nouns 
 in the list in the preceding lesson. 
 
THE ADJECTIVE. 91 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 THE ADJECTIVE. 
 
 I. 
 
 Under a spreading chestnut tree 
 
 The village smithy stands ; 
 The smith, a mighty man is he, 
 
 With large and sine\7y hands, 
 And the muscles of his brawny arms 
 
 Are strong as iron bands. 
 
 His hair is crisp, and black, and long, 
 
 His face is like the tan; 
 His brow is wet with honest sweat ; 
 
 He earns whate'er he can, 
 And looks the whole world in the face, 
 
 For he owes not any man. 
 
 —From *'The Village Blacksmith," by 
 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 
 
 Name the nouns in the above stanzas. What words describe 
 the first noun ? What does smithy mean ? What word de- 
 scribes it ? W^hat word is used to describe man in the third 
 line ? What kind of hands did he have ? What word describes 
 arms in the fifth line ? What does brawny mean ? What de- 
 scriptive words in the sixth line ? What are strong ? What, 
 then, does strong describe ? What does iron describe ? Write 
 on the board in a vertical column the nouns in the first stanza, 
 and place before each the word or words that are used to 
 describe it. Do the same with the nouns in the second stanza. 
 
92 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Give a sentence using large to describe house ; using small 
 to describe house ; using hlach to describe something that we 
 burn ; something that we use in school ; using wliite to de- 
 scribe something that we may see in winter ; something that we 
 use in school ; using each of the following words to describe 
 something : happy, sweet, good, leautiful, light, interesting, 
 cross. Hue, patient, ripe, round, bright, glad. What word de- 
 notes a quality the opposite of happy ? sweet ? good 9 beautiful f 
 Put into sentences the words that denote these opposite quali- 
 ties. 
 
 Words that describe are adjectives, 
 
 II. 
 
 1. The twenty-third psalm is called the Shepherd 
 Psalm. 
 
 2. In yonder meadows the sheep are grazing. 
 
 3. These daisies were picked near the birthplace of 
 John a. Whittier. 
 
 4. That face looks very mischievous, thought Pan- 
 dora. 
 
 5. Those mountains are the Alps. 
 
 What word points out the psalm ? the meadows ? the dai- 
 sies ? the face ? the mountains ? 
 
 Words that designate {point out) a particular object are 
 
 III. 
 
 1. There were four pale eggs in the sandpiper's nest. 
 
 2. Some flowers have beauty but no fragrance. 
 
 3. " Then the little Hiawatha 
 
 Learned of every bird its language." 
 
THE ADJECTIVE. 93 
 
 4. Each star in the sky is a fiery sun. 
 
 5. All living creatures should be treated kindly. 
 
 How many eggs were in the nest ? How many flowers are 
 spoken of ? Of how many birds did Hiawatha learn the lan- 
 guage ? Hoio many stars in the sky are fiery suns ? How many 
 animals should be treated kindly ? 
 
 Words that limit {tell how many) are adjectives. 
 
 A word that is used to descrihe, to designate^ or to limit a 
 pa/rtioula/r noim is a/n adjective. 
 
 Name the adjectives in the following selections, and state 
 whether they describe, designate, or limit, the noun which each 
 modifies : 
 
 1. Is there a nicer place in which to play than an old 
 apple orchard ? In the lightly swinging branches you find 
 prancing horses, and on many a mad ride they carry you. 
 The larger ones are steep paths leading up mountain sides. 
 — Ah ! it is good to get into the cool of the dear friendly 
 trees. And just now, more than ever, they seem friendly 
 to you, boys and girls ; for they are heavy with apples — 
 beautiful red and golden apples, that tempt you to clamber 
 up into the green sea of leaves above. 
 
 —From " Plants and their Children," by Mrs. Dana. 
 
 2. This flower is the most sociable of all flowers. It is 
 the starry innocent, the Houstonia. It is fond of dwelling 
 with many friends about it. And so you will find a whole 
 family of them living so close together that the ground is 
 white with their delicate beauty. In the space of a few 
 inches there are a thousand blossoms, and each of these lit- 
 
94 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR 
 
 tie flowers is as perfect as if the warm sun and the soft rain 
 and the gentle breezes nourished it alone. 
 
 3. I^ear yonder copse the village preacher's modest 
 mansion rose. 
 
 4. These little flowers of the air are humming-birds. 
 
 5. Twelve articles are a dozen ; twenty articles are a 
 score ; a hundred years are a century. 
 
 lY. 
 
 The words the, a, an, are classified properly as adjectives, 
 but are called articles. 
 
 Tlie is used to give definiteness (to denote a particular object) 
 to the noun which it modifies^ and it is called the definite article. 
 
 1. The girl had learned the names of all the common 
 wild flowers. 
 
 2. The boys carried the Christmas tree to the church. 
 
 Sometimes it is used to show that the genus, or class of 
 objects, is meant. 
 
 The song of the robin is a cheerful sound; meaning not one 
 robin, but robins as a gerius. 
 
 The vice of the swearer is a repulsive one; meaning not 
 one man who swears, but the class of men who swear. 
 
 Frequently the is used before titles : 
 
 The Duke of York ; the Eev. Lyman Abbott. 
 
 A and a7i are indefinite articles, and are used with singular 
 nouns only. An is used before words beginning with any 
 vowel sound except U, and a before all consonant sounds, and 
 the sound of H. Words beginning with h and accented on the 
 second syllable are preceded by an instead of a. 
 
THE CAREFUL USE OF ADJECTIVES. 95 
 
 Place the proper form, a or a7i, before the following 
 nouns : 
 
 Apple, echo, idea, ocean, undercurrent, union, European, 
 utter failure, house, historical novel, history, field, good 
 idea, strong undercurrent, orang-outang, humble romance, 
 wharf, hotel, youth. 
 
 An adjecti/ve derived from a proper noun hegin^ with a 
 capital letter : 
 
 The American spirit; the English pride; the Spanish 
 soldiers ; the Mosaic law ; the Jewish religion ; Websterian 
 oratory ; Koman art. 
 
 YI. 
 
 Use adjectives to describe the shy, the grass, a geramium 
 leaf, a winter day, a suminer day / to point out some hook in 
 the room, some hoy in the class, something that is near you, 
 something that is away from you y to limit trees, rivers, 
 hills, seasons, men. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE CAREFUL USE OF ADJECTIVES. 
 
 {A Chapter for Conversation with the Class.) 
 
 I. 
 
 While we are learning about adjectives, we should also try 
 to learn to use them correctly. Some people who are careless 
 in their use of language use certain adjectives to describe 
 almost everything. They have an elegant time, the cake is 
 elegant, flowers are elegant, the song of the bird is elegant ; 
 
96 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA3IMAR. 
 
 almost everything that pleases them is elega7it. But if an 
 excursion has given us pleasure or delight it is better 
 to speak of it as a pleasant or delightful time ; if the cake 
 pleases our taste we may say that it is delicious ; flowers are 
 beautiful J the song of the bird may be stveet or musical. 
 
 Lovely is another overworked adjective. Whatever draws 
 our love or admiration is lovely, — a mother's smile, an act of 
 kindness, a face that shows beauty of soul. But a dress is not 
 lovely but beautiful, candy is not lovely, a house is not lovely 
 but handsome, a tree is not lovely but beautiful or graceful. 
 
 A beautiful face is one that is pleasing to the eye, and that 
 shows nobility of character ; a handsome face is one the 
 features of which are good and well proportioned ; a pretty 
 face is one that has softness and delicacy, like that of a child. 
 Beauty means much more to us than mere prettiness. 
 
 Mountains are grand because they are of striking magni- 
 tude ; sunsets are often gorgeous because they are brilliant in 
 color ; an accident or a thunderstorm may be awful, because 
 it causes the feeling of awe. Can we correctly say that a 
 hat is awfully pretty ? that a person is dreadfully proud ? 
 
 We should avoid extravagant expressions, such as perfectly 
 lovely, perfectly awful, etc. 
 
 We should avoid the use of slang. We should be as careful 
 to have our speech clean as to have our faces or clothes clean, 
 and slang in our speech is like mud on our faces or garments. 
 
 II. 
 
 Discuss the differences in meaning and the correct use of 
 the following groups of adjectives : 
 
 Latest; Last. The boy who came latest stands last in 
 the line. 
 
THi: CAREFUL USE OF ADJECTIVES, 97 
 
 Many • Much. Mcmy boys spend too much money for 
 trifles. 
 
 Bound / Determined. If I am not hound to help him, I 
 am determined to help him. {Bound means under necessity^ 
 determined means resolved.) 
 
 Mut^cal y Common. The love of the mother and daugh- 
 ter is mutual. (Each gives love to, and receives it from, the 
 other.) • 
 
 The little pony is the common property of the two broth- 
 ers. (It belongs to both of them.) 
 
 Odd ; Funny. The shape of this book is odd (miusual), 
 and the pictures in it dcc^fwnny (causing mirth). 
 
 Mad ; Angry. The boy is not mad (insane) ; he is only 
 cmgry. 
 
 Prominent ; Eminent. He is a promine7it (attracting 
 notice) citizen, but not an eminent (highly distinguished, in 
 a good sense) one. 
 
 Continual • Continuous. The dropping of the water is 
 continual (an act constantly repeated) ; the roaring of the 
 torrent is cmitinuous (uninterrupted). 
 
 Liable / Likely. If you do ivrong you are liable to (sub- 
 ject to, exposed to) punishment. 
 
 It is likely (probable) that to-morrow will be a holiday. 
 
 Healihfid ', Healthy ; Wholesome. Healthfid (produc- 
 ing health) exercise and wholesome (promoting health) food 
 make healthy (in good health) bodies. 
 
98 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 III. 
 
 Select proper adjectives for the blanks in the following 
 sentences : 
 
 1. The journey was a one ; the people were , 
 
 the refreshments , the scenery , and the weather . 
 
 2. It was such a babe, and the love of the mother 
 
 made her face . The father's face was , but showed 
 
 no marked character. 
 
 3. The procession was • , the fireworks , but the 
 
 noise of the cannon was . 
 
 4. The boy was not to be the in his class. 
 
 6. The taunts made the man . 
 
 6. The dress of the clown was very ; his perform- 
 ance very . 
 
 7. Eat food ; take exercise ; and so grow into 
 
 a man. 
 
 8. He is our friend. 
 
 9. To be in a community is honorable ; to be 
 
 is not always so. 
 
 Give original sentences using correctly the adjectives in No. II. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIl. 
 THE VERB. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. Barn swallows build their nests of mud. 
 
 2. The tailor bird sews leaves together for his nest. 
 
 3. Night hawks lay their eggs on the bare ground. 
 
THE VERB. 99 
 
 4. The blue jay robs the nests of other birds. 
 
 5. The chimney swifts glue their nests to the inside of 
 chimneys. 
 
 What kind of a sentence is each of these ? What is the 
 subject of the first sentence ? the predicate ? What one |rord 
 in the first sentence tells the action of the barn swallows ? 
 What word in the second sentence tells the action of the tailor 
 bird ? AVhat word expresses action in the third sentence ? in 
 the fourth ? in the fifth ? Write these action-words on the 
 board. Write before each the subject — the word that shows 
 what acts. 
 
 A word that expresses action exerted hy the svhject of a 
 sentence is a verh. 
 
 AVhat is the verb in the first sentence ? the second ? the 
 third ? the fourth ? the fifth ? 
 
 Find the verbs in the selection on p. 15, from *'Wild 
 Geese/' by Celia Thaxter. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. This branch was broken from the cherry tree. 
 
 2. An oriole's nest has been hung from it. 
 
 3. The eggs have been hatched. 
 
 4. The nest has been left by the birds. 
 
 5. It has been torn by the wind. 
 
 What is the subject of each sentence ? the predicate ? 
 
 What two words in the first sentence tell the action received 
 by the branch ? What three words in the second sentence tell 
 what action has been received by the nest ? What words denote 
 action received in the third sentence ? in the fourth ? in the 
 fifth? 
 
100 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 A word or group of luords that tells the action received hy 
 the subject of a sentence is a verb. 
 
 Write a list of the verbs in the preceding sentences. "Write 
 before each verb its subject. 
 
 Find the verbs in these sentences : 
 
 1. Washington has been praised for his truthfulness. 
 
 2. The bees are invited by the flowers to visit them. 
 
 3. The sandpiper has been lamed by a stone. 
 
 4. The stone was thrown by a careless boy. 
 
 5. The mng of the little bird has been broken. 
 
 Write a list of the verbs in these sentences, with the subject 
 of each before it. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. The sunshine lies on the brown barn floor. 
 
 2. The baby is sleeping in the hammock. 
 
 3. The door of the little cottage stands open. 
 
 4. A picture of Lincoln hangs on the wall. 
 
 5. An old gray cat sits on the doorstep. 
 
 What is the subject of each sentence ? the predicate ? 
 
 What words express the state of the subject in the first sen- 
 tence ? in the second sentence ? in the third ? the fourth ? 
 the fifth ? 
 
 A word or group of words that expresses the state or con- 
 dition of the subject of a sentence is a verb. 
 
 Write a list of the verbs in the above sentences. Write 
 before each verb its subject. 
 
THE VERB. 101 
 
 Find the verbs in these sentences : 
 
 6. All kinds of trees have flowers. 
 
 Y. A little plant sleeps within each seed. 
 
 8. The leaves lie thick beneath the naked trees. 
 
 9. The brown stalks of weeds stand along the country 
 roads. 
 
 10. The autumn mist rests upon the meadows. 
 
 Write a list of the verbs in these sentences, with the sub- 
 ject of each before it. 
 
 lY. 
 
 1. The eagle is our national bird. 
 
 2. The groves were full of singing birds. 
 
 3. The name of the king of the lions was Tawny 
 Mane. 
 
 4. The monkeys seem very playful. 
 
 5. The flowers are very lovely, — proses and lilies and 
 orange blossoms. 
 
 What words in the first sentence describe the eagle ? in the 
 second sentence describe the groves ? in the third sentence tell 
 the name of the king of the lions ? in the fourth sentence de- 
 scribe the monkeys ? in the fifth sentence describe the flowers ? 
 
 What word in the first sentence connects the subject with 
 the words describing it ? in the second sentence connects the 
 subject with the words completing the statement about it ? in 
 the third sentence ? the fourth sentence ? the fifth ? 
 
 A word connecting the subject of a sentence with a word 
 or group of words completing the statement about it is a 
 verb. 
 
 Such a verb is called a copula or bond. 
 
103 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 '^^o^h'^r^' — ' ! I . . ' ^ ^- — '■ 
 
 A verb is a word expressing action given or received hy 
 
 its subject, expressing the state or condition of its subject, or 
 connecting its subject with a word or group of words com- 
 pleting the statement about it. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 THE CORRECT USAGE OF CERTAIN VERBS. 
 
 Only such definitions have been given to the following verbs 
 as shall show the distinctions in their use which the best usage 
 observes. Drill in this correct usage should be begun early, 
 and continued until the habit of using them correctly is fixed. 
 Hence this lesson should be one for repetition, review, and the 
 arrangement of new illustrative exercises by the teacher. 
 
 I. 
 
 Teach, taught, teaching. To give instruction. 
 Learn, learned, learning. To obtain knowledge. 
 
 1. The best of instructors may teach us, but we ourselves 
 must learn our lessons. 
 
 2. Experience has taught me; I have learned to be 
 patient. 
 
 Sit, sat, sitting. To take a certain position. 
 
 Set, setting. To place or put ; to sink or settle down. 
 
 3. We sat on the outside of the coach ; it was pleas- 
 anter than sitting inside. 
 
 4. The hen sits on a dozen eggs. She is the only sit- 
 ting hen in the flock. 
 
THE CORRECT USAGE OF CERTAIN VERBS. 103 
 
 5. We set the hen on a dozen of eggs, but she refused 
 to sit. 
 
 6. Some one has set a hot dish on this table. 
 
 Y. The boat sets low in the water. The sun was set- 
 ting. ^ 
 
 Lie^ lay, lain, lying. To rest in a certain position. 
 Lay, laid, laying. To put or place. 
 
 8. The ship lies at anchor where it lay yesterday, and 
 where it has lain for a week. 
 
 9. The children laid the wreath on their father's grave. 
 
 Wish, wished, wishing. To desire. 
 
 Want, wanted, wa/ntiruj. To feel the need of, and there- 
 fore to desire. 
 
 10. The children wished to see the beautiful pictures. 
 
 11. The path was rough, and the children wanted their 
 stout shoes. 
 
 Get, got, getting. To obtain. 
 Have, had, having. To possess. 
 
 12. lie has got riches by being prudent and careful. 
 
 13. He has beautiful silks in his store. 
 
 Guess, guessed, guessing. To form a judgment without 
 certain knowledge. 
 
 Think, thought, thinking. To judge. 
 
 Reckon, reckoned, reckoning. To count or compute. 
 
 14. The boy has guessed the riddle. 
 
 16. The boy thinks that this is the answer. 
 If). The boy has reckoned the cost of the flour. 
 
104 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Stoj)^ stoj>j)ed, stopping. To bring to a halt. 
 Stay, stayed, staying. To remain. 
 
 17. A coach stopped before the door of the house where 
 we were staying. 
 
 18. The peddler stops at many doors, but he does not 
 stay long at any of them. 
 
 May, might. Expresses possibility or permission. 
 Can, could. Expresses power or ability. 
 
 19. The travelers may see the Passion Play. 
 
 20. May we not drive in the park ? 
 
 21. Can you see the Isles of Shoals from Portsmouth ? 
 
 22. Might he not have misunderstood you ? Could he 
 not have misunderstood you ? 
 
 Give the reason for the choice of verbs in each of the above 
 sentences. Put each verb in an original sentence. 
 
 II. 
 
 Supply with the proper verbs the blanks in the following 
 sentences : 
 
 1. us how to use these words correctly, for we 
 
 2. The men on the deck of a boat which low 
 
 in the water, 
 
 3. The little child had quiet all day. 
 
 4. They the child on a bed of soft moss. 
 
 5. I do not need these clothes, but I them. 
 
 6. I need these garments, and therefore I them. 
 
 T. Did you any fish ? you any bait ? 
 
 8. Can you what is in this box ? 
 
THE ADVERB. 105 
 
 9. Do you that it is raining ? 
 
 10. I that you are from the West. 
 
 11. Did you at the hotel or merely there ? 
 
 12. I think that I do the work of the higher class. 
 
 -I try? f 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE ADVERB. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. " By yonder sandy cove, where, every day, 
 The tide flows in and out, 
 A lonely bird in sober brown and gray 
 Limps patiently about." 
 
 How does the tide flow ? How does the bird limp ? 
 
 2. A very little act of kindness may produce a great 
 deal of happiness. 
 
 How little an act of kindness ? 
 
 3. The Concord river flows very slowly. 
 How does the Concord river flow ? How slowly ? 
 
 Words that omswer the question how are adverbs. They 
 inodify only verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. 
 Such adverbs are adverbs of manner. 
 
 Find the adverbs (words that answer the question how) in 
 the following sentences : 
 
 4. Kobert of Lincoln is gayly dressed. 
 
 5. He is merrily swinging on briar and weed. 
 
106 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 6. " Silently, slowly, stately and free. 
 
 Cities of coral under the sea 
 Little by little are builded." 
 
 7. The exceedingly low rate of wages causes much suf- 
 fering. 
 
 8. The wretchedness in the poorer parts of London is 
 very largely caused by intemperance. 
 
 What does each of these adverbs modify? Write a list of 
 the adverbs in these sentences and place after each the word 
 which it modifies. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. Let us do what we can to-day. 
 
 2. The Indians formerly lived in New England. 
 
 3. " I once had a sweet little doll, dears." 
 
 When shall we do what we can ? When did the Indians live 
 in New England ? When did I have a sweet little doll ? 
 
 Woi'ds that answer the question when are acherhs. Siwh 
 adverhs modify only verhs. 
 
 Such adverbs are adverhs of time. 
 
 Find the adverbs in the following sentences : 
 
 4. I will tell you to-morrow about the jewel weed. 
 
 6. Sometimes the brooksides are yellow with its quaint 
 blossoms. 
 
 6. Once I thought it only a common weed, but lately I 
 have learned to admire it. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. Here is the Old Manse. 
 
 2. There is Concord Bridge. 
 
THE ADVERB. 107 
 
 3. Yonder is the statue of the Minute Man. 
 
 Where is the Old Manse ? Where is Concord Bridge ? 
 Where is the statue of the Minute Man ? 
 
 Words that answer the question where are adverbs. Such 
 admerhs modify only verbs. 
 
 Such adverbs are ad/verbs of place. 
 
 Find the adverbs in these sentences : 
 
 1. Here is the home of Washington. 
 
 2. Here is the home of Washington; yonder is his 
 tomb, and below the Potomac river flows. 
 
 3. Afar off lies the wreck of the Hesperus. 
 
 lY. 
 
 An adverb is a word tliat modifies the meam/lng of a 
 verb^ adjective, or other adverb. 
 
 Words that answer the question how, when, or where, are 
 adverbs. , 
 
 Find the adverbs in these sentences : 
 
 1. Suddenly a peal of thunder fell upon his ears. 
 
 2. The rain fell more and more rapidly. 
 
 3. The tiny brook, which ran laughing near our home, 
 was quickly swollen to a raging torrent. 
 
 4. Here and there and everywhere, little streams of 
 water sprang into being, running this way and that, as if 
 seeking but not knowing the way to the larger stream. 
 
 5. The tall and very slender birches bent nearly to the 
 ground before the strong wind. 
 
108 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Supply suitable adverbs for the blanks in the following 
 sentences : 
 
 A Quiet Scene. The clouds moved , the wind blew 
 
 , the river flowed , a boat at anchor rocked . 
 
 By supplying different adverbs make the above a wild scene. 
 Supply adverbs of time in the following : 
 
 The crocus blooms than the violet. 
 
 The blue-bird comes than the robin. 
 
 there have not been so many robins in my orchard 
 
 as . 
 
 we were in ^N'ew York, we are in Philadel- 
 phia, we shall be in Washington. 
 
 Supply adverbs of place in the following sentences : 
 
 is the first blood of the Revolutionary War 
 
 was spilled. 
 
 is the tomb of Washington. 
 
 Supply as many suitable adverbs as possible for each of the 
 following blanks : 
 
 The brook flows ; the bird flies ; the lamp 
 
 burns ; the drum beats ; the time passes ; 
 
 the price is cheap ; the child is clothed. 
 
 Write a paragraph, uniting in it the sentences under lY. 
 
THE PERSONAL PRONOUN. 109 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 THE PERSONAL PRONOUN. 
 
 Frank brought some beautiful wild roses to his mother. 
 " They grew," he said, " near the sea, and I picked them 
 for you while the dew was on them." 
 
 Whom does his represent ? What noun could you use in 
 place of his? What noun could you use in place of they? 
 What noun does they represent ? What noun could you use 
 in place of he f What noun does he represent ? Who picked 
 the roses ? What noun could be used in place of If For 
 whom did Frank pick them ? To whom is he speaking ? What 
 noun could be used in place of you 9 What noun does them 
 represent ? 
 
 Make a list of the words in the above selection that stand 
 for, or represent, nouns. These words are pronouns. (The 
 word pronoun means in place of a noun.) 
 
 A pronoun is a word that represents a noun. 
 
 In what Frank said he uses /in place of his own name, you 
 in place of the person to whom he is speaking, and they and 
 them in place of the objects of which he is speaking. 
 
 /, my, mine, me, represent the person speaking. If Mary 
 is speaking, they mean Mary ; if Harry is speaking, they mean 
 Harry ; if the teacher is speaking, they mean the teacher. 
 We, our, ours, us, mean a number (two or more) of persons 
 of whom the speaker is one. You, your, yours, thou, thy, 
 thine, thee, represent the person spoken to. He, his, him, her, 
 hers, it, its, they, their, theirs, them, represent the person or 
 
no THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 thing spoken of. All of the pronouns in italics in this para- 
 graph are called personal pronouns. 
 
 A personal pronoun is one that rej^resents the. person 
 speaMng, the person addressed^ or the person or thing spoken of. 
 
 A personal pronoun representing the speaker is of the first 
 person; one representing the person addressed is of the second 
 person; one representing the person or thing spoken of is of 
 the third person. 
 
 From the following conversation make a list of the pronouns 
 of the first person ; then a list of those of the second person ; 
 then a list of those of the third person. 
 
 " Pray, who are you, beautiful creature ? " inquired 
 Pandora. 
 
 " I am to be called Hope ! " answered the sunshiny 
 figure. 
 
 " Your wings are colored like the rainbow ! " exclaimed 
 Pandora. 
 
 " Yes, they are like the rainbow," said Hope, " because I 
 am partly made of tears as well as of smiles." 
 
 " And will you stay with us," asked Epimetheus, " for- 
 ever and ever ? " 
 
 " As long as you need me," said Hope, " I promise never 
 to desert you. Again and again you shall see the glimmer 
 of my wings on the ceiling of your cottage." 
 
 —From " The Paradise of Children," by Hawthorne. 
 
 What personal pronoun occurs in Pandora^s first speech ? 
 Does it represent the speaker or the person spoken to ? Whom 
 does it represent ? What pronoun occurs in the answer of the 
 sunshiny figure ? Of what person is it ? Whose wings does 
 
THE PERSONAL PRONOUN. Ill 
 
 Paudora say are colored like the rainbow ? Whom does your 
 represent ? What form of Hope does it represent ? What 
 form of the pronoun, then, is your 9 
 
 [The teacher, by similar questions, should make plain the 
 use of the other personal pronouns in the selection.] 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 THE PERSONAL PRONOUN, Continued. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. My father and I are studying history together. 
 
 2. You and I will go into the woods to cut a Christmas 
 tree. 
 
 3. You and Edward and I are invited to visit Mount 
 Yernon. 
 
 Notice the order of the subjects in the above sentences. The 
 speaker mentions himself last, the person addressed first, when 
 other persons are associated. 
 
 Arrange the pronouns in the parentheses in proper order 
 in the following sentences : 
 
 4. (I and you) will prepare the breakfast, and then (you 
 and Mary) may wash the dishes while (I and Charles) catch 
 some trout for dinner. 
 
 5. (I and the guide) selected this place for our camp, but 
 (Mr. Murray and you) prefer a place nearer the lake. 
 
 6. (Mr. Murray, I, you, and the guide) are to go in two 
 canoes, (Mr. Murray and you) in the first one, (I and the 
 guide) in the second one. 
 
112 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. I offer myself as a soldier in this cause. 
 
 2. I myself will plead with him not to be unjust. 
 
 3. You wrong yourself by keeping company with the 
 vicious. 
 
 4. You yourself have done him many kindnesses. 
 
 5. He that wrongs his friend wrongs himself more. 
 
 6. He himself saw tears in the queen's eyes. 
 
 Myself, yourself, thyself, himself ^ herself, itself, ourselves, 
 yourselves, themselves, are compound personal pronouns, used 
 as reflexive when the subject receives his own action, as in 
 sentences 1, 3, and 5 ; and as emphatic when used to make the 
 pronoun more prominent, as in sentences 2, 4, and 6. 
 
 III. 
 
 The pronouns thou, thy, thine, thee, and ye, are used only in 
 sacred writings, in addressing the Deity, in poetry, and among 
 the Society of Friends. 
 
 1. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall shew 
 forth thy praise. — Ps. LI. v. 15. 
 
 2. But seek ye first the kingdom of God. — St. Matthew, 
 YL V. 15. 
 
 3. " Good-bye, sweet day, good-bye ! 
 
 I have so loved thee, but I cannot hold thee. 
 Departing like a dream, the shadows fold thee. 
 Slowly thy perfect beauty fades away : 
 Good-bye, sweet day ! " 
 
THE PERSONAL PRONOUN. 113 
 
 IV. 
 
 1. He was a boy who loved manly games, but he did 
 not neglect his studies. 
 
 2. She studied her lessons with her brother. 
 
 3. Some thoughtless boy has hit the bird with a stone. 
 Its leg has been broken. 
 
 4. The kite would have flown high, but its tail became 
 entangled in the branches of a tree. 
 
 The pronoun he in its three forms (he, his, him) always 
 represents a male being, and is therefore of masculine gender ; 
 the pronoun she in its three forms (she, her, hers) always repre- 
 sents a female being, and is therefore of feminine gender ; the 
 pronoun it in its two forms (it, its) represents the lower forms 
 of life (animals, birds, fishes, insects) when the idea of sex is 
 not important, and all nouns that have no sex ; it is of neuter 
 gender. All other pronouns have the gender of the noun 
 which they represent. 
 
 Y. 
 
 1. The ship, how beautiful she is ! 
 
 2. The ocean, how 
 
 " His beard of snow 
 Heaves with the heaving of his breast." 
 
 3. The North Wind breathes his chilling breath on all 
 the tender flowers. 
 
 4. The city has called her children home to celebrate 
 her birthday. 
 
 Is a ship masculine or feminine ? the ocean ? the North 
 
 Wind ? a city ? 
 8 
 
114 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Sometimes we speak of things that have not life as if they 
 were persons, ^^q QdM i\\\^ personifying iham. If we think of 
 the thing personified as having the qualities of a woman — gen- 
 tleness, beauty, grace — we make it feminine. If we think of it 
 as having the qualities of a man — strength, power, sternness — 
 we make it masculine. 
 
 Why do we make ship feminine ? ocean masculine ? the 
 North Wind masculine ? the city feminine ? 
 
 If you were to personify each of the following nouns, 
 would you make it masculine or feminine, and why ? 
 
 a mountain the South Wind music the violet 
 
 the oak tree the birch tree a river a steamer 
 
 the sun the moon a star the earth 
 
 a house when the family return for Thanksgiving, 
 a strong wind that breaks down the trees, 
 a gentle wind that cools and refreshes us. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 SENTENCES FOR THE STUDY OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS. 
 
 In addition to the study of the pronouns in these sentences, 
 as of first, second, or third person ; singular or plural number ; 
 masculine, feminine, or neuter gender ; reflexive or emphatic, 
 etc., the sentences marked with a star should be used for dicta- 
 tion and for oral repetition, to emphasize the habit of using 
 correct forms. 
 
 1. I am in the wrong. 
 *2. It is I who am in the ^vrong. It was I who broke 
 the bottle. 
 
THE PREPOSITION. 115 
 
 *3. It was he who sang so sweetly. 
 
 *4. Either you or he will be appointed to West Point. 
 
 *5. The choice lies between you and him. 
 
 6. You wrong yourselves when you seek to wrong 
 another. 
 
 7. They who tell lies spread nets for their own feet. 
 
 8. " Come to me, O ye children, 
 
 For I hear you at your play." 
 
 9. " In your hearts are the birds and the. sunshine, 
 
 In your thoughts the brooklets flow ; 
 But in mine is the wind of Autumn 
 And the first fall of snow." 
 
 10. " Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country's, 
 thy God's, and Truth's. 
 
 11. The sun came forth from his curtain of clouds. 
 
 12. The moon has thrown her silver beams upon the 
 sparkling river. 
 
 *13. If you and we win this victory, then the reward 
 will be yours and ours, and the praise will be for you and us. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE PREPOSITION. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. " The pine trees on the hilltops are clothed with 
 fadeless green ; 
 The brooklet in the valley sings on, although un- 
 seen; 
 
116 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAM3IAR. 
 
 The deep blue sky above us smiles to the earth be- 
 low — 
 
 The earth all white and sparkling with the glory of 
 the snow ! " 
 
 What part of speech is trees f are clothed ? fadeless 9 hrooJc- 
 let f sings 9 blue ? smiles ? earth f white ? sparhling ? 
 
 There is in the above stanza another class of words, the rela- 
 tion class, called prepositions. On shows the relation in posi- 
 tion of the trees to the hilltops; in shows the relation in 
 position of the brooklet to the valley ; ahove shows the relation 
 in position of the sky to us ; loith shows the relation in material 
 of are clothed to green ; to shows the relation in direction of 
 smiles and earth ; toith shows the relation in material of white 
 and sparkling and glory ; of shows possessive relation of snow 
 to glory. These relation words, on, with, in, ahove, to, with, 
 and of, are prepositions. It will be noticed in the above ex- 
 amples that each preposition is followed by a noun. A pre- 
 position may, however, be followed by a pronoun, as in the 
 following sentences : 
 
 2. I saw the hilltops and the pine trees on them. 
 
 3. There is a green that lives through the cold of win- 
 ter. The pines are clothed with it. 
 
 4. I love the valley and the brook that sings in it. 
 
 A preposition is a word that shows the relation hetween 
 a noun or pronoun following it and some other word in the 
 sentence. 
 
 A preposition is said to govern the noun or pronoun that 
 follows it. 
 
THE PREPOSITION. 117 
 
 II. 
 
 5. Dear little face, that lies in cobLirh content 
 
 Within the gracious hollo^w that God made 
 In every human shoulder^ where lie meant 
 Some tired head /<:>/• comfort should be laid I 
 
 6. Dream thy sweet dreams ujpon nvy quiet heart. 
 
 I watch thy slumber ; naught shall do thee ill. 
 —From "Slumber Song," by Mrs. Thaxter. 
 
 What hollow is meant ? Lay your hand upon it. What 
 little head is laid there ? Why is this called a slumber song 9 
 
 What word does the group of words in calm content modify. 
 Place this group of words after the word that you think it 
 modifies. What word does the group of words within the gra- 
 cious hollow modify ? Place it after that word. Does for com- 
 fort modify head or laid 9 Place it after each to see which 
 gives the better meaning. Does upon my quiet 'heart modify 
 dream or dreams 9 Place it after each to see which gives the 
 better thought. 
 
 What is the noun in the first group of italicized words in 
 the above paragraph ? What is the preposition ? What is 
 the word that the group modifies ? The preposition, then, 
 shows the relation between what two words ? Answer the 
 same questions about the other groups of words. 
 
 In the following selection find the prepositions and tell be- 
 tween what words each shows relation. (Determine first the 
 prepositional group of words, then the word that this preposi- 
 tional group modifies ; the relation is between the noun or pro- 
 noun in the prepositional group and the word which this group 
 modifies.) 
 
118 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 A poor boy who lived in the city of Lyons, in France, 
 obtained the opportunity of attending without expense a 
 school made up mainly of boys from rich families. He went 
 wearing a blouse such as is often worn by the poorer classes 
 in France. When he entered the schoolroom his first glance 
 showed him that his was the only blouse there. He saw 
 the boys tittering, and from every side he heard their 
 whispers, " He has come in a blouse ! " As days went by 
 the master never called him by his name. When he spoke 
 to him, it was, "Come here, What's-your-name ! " or, " What 
 are you about, What's-your-name ? " Another would have 
 been discouraged and failed in his work, but this boy said, 
 " If I am to take any position in this school, I must work 
 twice as hard as the others." In this way he won success, 
 and when he became a great author he wrote a pretty little 
 story for children, and called it, " Little What's-his-name." 
 —The Story of Daudet's Youth. 
 
 " There was a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea. 
 And, oh, it was all laden with pretty things for thee ! 
 There were comfits in the cabin and apples in the hold ; 
 The sails were made of silk and the masts were made of 
 
 gold; 
 The four-and-twenty sailors that walked about the decks 
 Were four-and-twenty white mice with chains about their 
 
 necks ; 
 The captain was a duck with a compass on his back. 
 And when the ship began to sail, the captain cried, 
 
 ' Quack, quack ! ' " 
 
THE PREPOSITION. 119 
 
 III. 
 
 Supply prepositions in the blanks in the following sentences, 
 and then write the sentences connecting them into a paragraph : 
 
 1. There was once an oak tree a hill. 
 
 2. A squirrel had built his nest its trunk. 
 
 3. lie used to play the branches, and chatter 
 
 the leaves, and the leaves would softly whisper back 
 
 him. 
 
 lY. 
 
 I. The boy went home this morning, and he is still at 
 home. 
 
 After verbs of motion, go, come, arrive, etc., home is an 
 adverb ; therefore, it is incorrect to place a preposition before 
 it. After words denoting stay or rest the preposition at should 
 be placed before home. 
 
 Use home or at home correctly in the following blanks : to 
 
 go ; to come '; to arrive ; to remain ; to 
 
 be ; to-stay ; to bring . What is the difference 
 
 in meaning between ''^The gentleman saw Mr. Allison home," 
 and '^ The gentleman saw Mr. Allison at home " ? 
 
 II. Among the pupils of the school there is much good- 
 natured rivalry. Between the leader of the first class and 
 the leader of the second class there is a strong friendship. 
 
 Among has reference to more than two ; between to two. 
 
 Use among or between correctly in the following blanks : 
 
 the nations of Europe ; England and the United 
 
 States ; North and South ; these many good books ; 
 
 Whittier's and Longfellow's poems. 
 
120 THE ESSENTIALS OF GRAMMAR AND LANGUAGE. 
 
 III. One should be very careful in stepping off the cars. 
 
 Off is a preposition in such a sentence as this, and should 
 not be followed by of. 
 
 Give sentences containing this use of off. 
 
 lY. The girl is like her mother in grace and gentleness, 
 but more like her father in her love for music and literature. 
 
 Following the adjective Wke the preposition to is commonly 
 not expressed but understood. The noun that follows is the 
 object of this preposition to. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 THE CONJUNCTION. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. The meadows and the river lie between the towns. 
 
 2. The blackbirds fly over the meadows and then 
 slowly soar down to the ground. 
 
 3. When the meadow is full of yellow cowslips it looks 
 as if father Sun had crumpled up sunbeams and scattered 
 the bits over the meadow. 
 
 I wish to make the same statement about the meadows 
 and the river. I have therefore joined them by and. I wish 
 to make two statements about the blackbirds. I join these by 
 and. Why do I use and in the third sentence ? 
 
 4. The river runs rapidly but quietly. 
 
 5. The brook ripples slowly and musically over the 
 pebbles. 
 
THE CONJUNCTION, 121 
 
 What is the joining word in sentence No. 4 ? Why is it 
 used ? What is the joining word in sentence Xo. 5 ? Why is 
 it used ? 
 
 That part of speech that joins or connects words or grmips 
 of words is a conjunction. 
 
 II. 
 
 What does each of the conjunctions in the following selec- 
 tion connect ? 
 
 The summer came, and all the birds were dead ; 
 The days were like hot coals ; the very ground 
 Was burned to ashes ; in the orchards fed 
 Myriads of caterpillars, and around 
 The cultivated fields and garden beds 
 Hosts of devouring insects crawled, amd found 
 l^o foe to check their march till they had made 
 The land a desert without leaf or shade. 
 
 —From "The Birds of Killingworth," by Longfellow. 
 
 III. 
 
 Join by conjunctions the sentences of each group so that 
 they will make one sentence. Use the conjunction given before 
 each group, thus : 
 
 And. April has brought the willows. April has brought 
 the lilacs. April has hrought the willows and the lilacs. 
 
 1. And. We heard the roar of the ocean. We felt 
 the salt air in our faces. 
 
 The morning is the best time for labor. The evening is 
 the best time for rest. 
 
123 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 2. Bitt. The humming-bird is very small. The hum- 
 ming-bird is intelligent. 
 
 The peony is tall and brilliant. The violet is modest 
 and fragrant. 
 
 3. If. We should never know how sweet sleep is. We 
 were never tired. 
 
 The robin takes our cherries. He repays us by destroy- 
 ing the worms. 
 
 4. Because. Ireland is the Emerald Isle. There are fre- 
 quent showers there. 
 
 Gold is more valuable than iron. It is less abundant. 
 
 5. Neither — nor. We should not speak evil. We 
 should not listen to it. 
 
 6. Either — or. Mrs. Fessenden will preside. Miss 
 Palmer will preside. 
 
 He is ill. He has met with an accident. 
 
 7. As. The day is for action. The night is for rest. 
 The lion is bold. The fox is sly. 
 
 Notice the difference of use between as as, and so 
 
 as, in the following sentences : 
 
 Thou art as good as thou art beautiful. 
 You are not so wise as you are witty. 
 
 When the assertion is negative, so is used instead of the 
 first as. 
 
 The use of like as a conjunction in such sentences as " He 
 uses English like an ignorant man does/" " Please speak like I 
 do/" etc., is not correct. As should be used, the sentences 
 being, ^'He speaks English as an ignorant man does," ''Do as 
 I do,"" etc. 
 
THE INTERJECTION. 123 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 THE INTERJECTION. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. Oh, look where the lilac bush, stout and tall, 
 
 Is hiding a robin's nest ! 
 
 2. Alas, the wind has torn the flag to tatters ! 
 
 3. Ah, how wonderful the snow-crystals are ! 
 
 4. Hurrah, hurrah, for the flag we love ! 
 
 5. Halloo ! halloo ! the lost child is found. 
 
 In expressing surprise, pain,, pleasure, or any strong emo- 
 tion, or in seeking to attract the attention of someone, we 
 often use such words as ah, ohy 0, alas, hurrah, halloo. These 
 sounds or words are called interjections. While classed with 
 the parts of speech, they are not properly so included, since 
 they are used not to aid in the expression of a thought, but to 
 express a feeling. 
 
 In the sentences above. Oh expresses surprise, Alas ex- 
 presses grief. Ah expresses admiration. Hurrah expresses joy 
 and praise, and Halloo is used to attract attention. 
 
 A word or expression itsed merely to express strong emo- 
 tion^ or to attract attention^ is an interjection. 
 
 After an interjectimi used independently^ or after a 
 sentence introduced hy an interjection, an exclamation point 
 is used. 
 
 The interjections oh and do not differ in what they ex- 
 press, oh being used in ordinary prose, and usually in poetry 
 
124 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 and in prose that is solemn or dignified. It is in good usage 
 to put a comma after oh, but not after when followed by 
 another word. 
 
 II. 
 
 What are the interjections in the following sentences ? 
 What feeling do you think each expresses ? 
 
 6. " Oh, then he was magnificent, all azure, gold, and 
 flame ! 
 But, woe is me ! an autumn breeze from out the 
 northwest came. 
 
 Y. " ' Alas ! ' I said, ' no power on earth your glory can 
 recall ! 
 Did you not know, dear sunflower, that pride 
 must have a fall ? ' " 
 
 8. " Little Scotch terrier, little dog Kags, 
 
 Looks in her face, and his funny tail wags : 
 ' Ha, ha ! ' laughs little Gustava." 
 
 9. Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes. — 
 
 Psalm CXIX. v. 33. 
 
 Sentences for completion and dictation : 
 
 1. how strong the is ! 
 
 2. how sorry I am for your misfortune ! 
 
 3. Let us cheer " Old Glory." ! ! 
 
 4. ! ! Where are you ? 
 
 5. " , ! " came a jolly laugh. 
 
REVIEW. 125 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 I. 
 
 (Master Skylark is awakened by a little bunch of flowers that 
 is thrown in through his window. He springs up, looks out, 
 and sees Master Will Shakespeare, laughing.) 
 
 "Good-morrow, sir," said Nick, and bowed. "It is 
 a lovely day." 
 
 " Most beautiful, indeed ! How comes the sun ? " 
 
 " Just up, sir ; the river is afire with it now. Oh — oh ! " 
 Nick held his breath, and watched the light creep down 
 the wall, darting long bars of rosy gold through the snowy 
 bloom of the apple-trees, until it rested upon Master 
 Shakespeare's face, and made a fleeting glory there. 
 
 Then Master Shakespeare stretched himself a little in the 
 
 sun, laughing softly, and said, " It is the sweetest music in 
 
 the world — morning, spring, and God's dear sunshine; it 
 
 starteth kindness in the heart, like sap in a withered bud." 
 
 —From "Master Skylark," by John Bennett. 
 
 This is from a story of three hundred years ago. Why is 
 Nick called " Master Skylark "? In what month of the year do 
 you think this morning was ? Do you find any expressions that 
 are different from what we use now ? Look up the word mor- 
 row in the dictionary and see if the use of it here is correct. 
 Why does he describe the day as lovely 9 Examine in turn each 
 adjective, and tell what meaning or picture it presents to you. 
 
 Why may we call the sunshine dear 9 Make a list of the 
 
126 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 adjectives in the selection, each followed by the noun which it 
 modifies. 
 
 Make a list of the verbs, and state of each whether it is a 
 verb of action, exerted or received, of state or condition, or a 
 copula. What is the subject of each ? 
 
 Tell about each pronoun which you find in this selection, 
 of what kind it is, of what person, what number, what gender, 
 and whom or what it represents. 
 
 Find the adverbs in the selection, tell what kind of an ad- 
 verb each is, and what it modifies. 
 
 Find the prepositions, and state the word that each gov- 
 erns, and the words that are related by it. 
 
 Find the conjunctions, and state what they connect. 
 
 What is the one interjection, and what feeling does it 
 represent ? 
 
 II. 
 
 Which is the longest senteiice in this selection ? Which is 
 the shortest, and what is its subject ? its predicate ? What 
 kinds of sentences do you find here ? What one kind do you 
 not find ? Explain the use of capital letters. What proper 
 names do you find ? what Christian names ? what surname ? 
 what title ? 
 
 III. 
 
 Out of the adjectives that are in the selection, select the one 
 that would best describe each of the nouns in italics in the sen- 
 tences below. 
 
 The shadow of a cloud that quickly passes. A flower that 
 has lain in the sun. A song. The cheeks of a child. The 
 hlossoms of a cherry tree. The blossoms of a peach tree. The 
 song of any song-bird. The selection itself. 
 
THE NOMINATIVE CASE. 127 
 
 AVrite each of the list of adjectives in a sentence. The 
 same may be done with the lists of the other parts of speech, 
 if time allows. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE NOMINATIVE CASE. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. The humming bird builds his nest in the form of a 
 small cup. 
 
 2. He places it on a horizontal limb. 
 
 3. The nest is covered with lichens. 
 
 4. It looks like a knob on the branch. 
 
 5. The child has sharp eyes who can discover a hum- 
 ming-bird's nest. 
 
 What is the subject of the verb builds? places? is cov- 
 ered ? looks ? has ? can find ? 
 
 The subject of a verb is in the nominative case. 
 
 Name the subject nominatives in the above sentences. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. Have you ever seen a humming-bird, Harry ? 
 
 2. I once had a tame one, Miss Standish. 
 
 3. " Take heed, O youth, both brave and bright. 
 
 Battles there are for you to fight ! 
 Stand up erect, and face them all, 
 Nor turning flee, nor wavering fall." 
 
128 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 4. " O my children, 
 
 Life is sunshine, life is shadow ; 
 Life is checkered shade and sunshine ; 
 Rule by love, O Hiawatha ! " 
 
 Who is addressed in the first sentence ? in the second ? in 
 the third ? Who are addressed in the last selection ? 
 
 A noun or pronoun %ised merely to name a person or 
 thing addressed is in the nominative case hy address. 
 
 Name the nominatives hy address in the above sentences. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. The scarlet barberries have been called September's 
 blushes. 
 
 2. The bird is an exquisite architect ; the beaver is a 
 most skillful bridge-builder ; the silkworm is the most beau- 
 tiful weaver ; and the spider is the best net-maker. 
 
 3. The y assail mansion was the headquarters of Wash- 
 ington in Cambridge from July, 1775, to March, 1776. It 
 became the home of the poet Longfellow in 1837. 
 
 4. The Yassall mansion is called the " Craigie House." 
 
 What is the predicate in the first sentence ? Does Septem- 
 ber's blushes mean the same thing as barberries ? What is the 
 first predicate in the next sentence ? What noun means the 
 same thing as bird 9 In the next predicate, what noun means 
 the same thing as the subject ? Notice in each of the other 
 sentences that some noun that means the same thing as the 
 subject of the sentence forms a part of the predicate. 
 
THE NOMINATIVE CASE. 129 
 
 A noun fomiin<i a part of the predicate and meaning 
 the same person or thing as the subject is a predicate 
 nomiuative. 
 
 Name the predicate nominatives in the above sentences. 
 
 IV. 
 
 1. The flowers having been killed by the frost, the gar- 
 den looked sad and desolate. 
 
 2. The cage Avas vacant, the squirrel having gnawed 
 his way out of it. 
 
 3. President Garfield having died, Vice-President Ar- 
 thur became his successor. 
 
 In the above sentences the flowers having been hilled by the 
 frost, the squirrel having gnawed his way out, President Gar- 
 field having died, do not express complete thoughts, nor do 
 they modify the statements made in the sentences. They are 
 independent elements, and the nouns President Garfield, squir- 
 rel, flowers, are each a nominative independe^it or absolute. 
 
 A noun or pronoun that stands independently of govern- 
 vng words in a sentence is an absolute nominative. 
 
 V. 
 
 A noun or pronoun that is the subject of a verb, that is 
 used as a term of address, that, forming apart of the predi- 
 cate, meoMS the same person or thing as the subject, or that 
 stands independently of any governing word, is in the nom- 
 inative case. 
 
 There are four kinds of nominative case : the subject nomina- 
 tive, the nominative by address, the predicate nominative, and 
 the absolute nominative. 
 9 
 
130 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 YI. 
 
 Find the nominatives in the following selections, and state 
 what kind of a nominative each is : 
 
 1. The rain has ceased, and in my room 
 
 The simshine pours an airy flood. 
 
 2. Civility costs nothing ; but it buys everything. 
 
 3. " O gentle bees, I have come to say 
 
 That grandfather fell asleep to-day ; 
 
 So, bees, sing soft, and, bees, sing low, 
 
 As over the honey-fields you sweep 
 
 To the trees abloom and the flowers ablow ; 
 
 Sing of grandfather fast asleep ; 
 
 And ever beneath those orchard trees 
 
 Find cheer and shelter, gentle bees." 
 
 — From "Telling the Bees," by Eugene Field. 
 
 4. Oh, the love of a lad for his mother, the love of a 
 mother for her son — unchanged, unchanging, for right, for 
 wrong, through grief and shame, in joy, in peace, in ab- 
 sence, in sickness, and in the shadow of death ! 
 
 " My boy ! " was all she said ; and then, " My boy — ^my 
 little boy ! " 
 
 And after a while, " Mother," said he, and took her face 
 between his strong, young hands, and looked into her 
 happy eyes, " Mother, dear, I ha' been to London town ; I 
 ha' been to the palace, and I ha' seen the Queen ; but, 
 mother," he said with a little tremble in his voice, for all he 
 
THE NOMINATIVE CASE. 131 
 
 smiled so bravely, "I ha' never seen the place where I 
 Avould rather be than just where thou art, mother dear ! " 
 
 —From "Master Skylark." 
 
 (What is the subject of the first verb, ims9 Is hoy the sub- 
 ject nominative, or the nominative by address ?) 
 
 5. Mr. Gibson says that field mice are often the winter 
 tenants of sparrows' nests. 
 
 6. The fringed poly gala is a sly flower ; it offers one 
 shoAvy flower to him who sees it, while it hides another in 
 the earth. 
 
 Y. This duller blossom being hidden in the earth, the 
 seeds which it contains are planted there. 
 
 Note : The terms stiiject and predicate are applied to the 
 two divisions of a sentence ; the terms subject no7ninative, or 
 subject of the verb, and predicate verb, or verb, are applied to 
 the essential word in each. 
 
 Use the following nouns and pronouns in sentences : 
 
 As subject nominatives — 
 
 spiders they the robin the street 
 
 we autumn circus holidays 
 
 As nominatives by address — 
 
 boys Mary child I^ero 
 
 men rose river the name of the teacher 
 
 As predicate nominatives — 
 
 the Profile shadow-tail pearl weaver 
 
 exercise home Hiawatha brothers 
 
132 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 
 THE AGREEMENT OF A VERB WITH ITS SUBJECT NOMINATIVE. 
 
 Learn the following forms : 
 
 
 
 Singular 
 
 Plural 
 
 1st person 
 
 I am 
 
 we are 
 
 ^d person 
 
 you are 
 thou art 
 
 you are 
 
 M person 
 
 he is 
 
 they are 
 
 1st person 
 
 I was 
 
 we were 
 
 2d person 
 
 you were 
 thou wast 
 
 you were 
 
 3d person 
 
 he was 
 
 they were 
 
 1st person 
 
 I have 
 
 we have 
 
 2d person 
 
 you have 
 thou hast 
 
 you have 
 
 M person 
 
 he has 
 
 they have 
 
 1st person 
 
 I had 
 
 we had 
 
 2d person 
 
 you had 
 thou hadst 
 
 you had 
 
 3d person 
 
 he had 
 Singular 
 
 they had 
 
 1st person 
 
 I run, play, 
 make, etc. 
 
 study, learn. 
 
 2d person 
 
 you run, play, 
 make, etc. 
 
 study, learn, 
 
 - 
 
 thou runnest. 
 
 playest, stud- 
 
 
 iest, learnest 
 
 , makest, etc. 
 
 3d person 
 
 he runs, plays, i 
 makes, etc. 
 
 studies, learns. 
 
AGREEMENT OF VERB WITH SUBJECT NOMINATIVE. 133 
 
 Plural 
 
 \st person we run, play, study, learn, 
 
 make, etc. 
 2d person you run, play, study, learn, 
 
 make, etc. 
 i^d person they run, play, study, learn, 
 
 make, etc. 
 
 It will be seen that verbs have different forms as their sub- 
 jects nominative differ in person and number. We say that a 
 verb has the same person and number that its subject has. 
 Hence the rule : 
 
 A verb must agree in person and number with its subject 
 nominative. 
 
 Supply the proper forms of the verb in the following sen- 
 tences : 
 
 You not at home yesterday. 
 
 We sorry not to see you. 
 
 He not going to the library. 
 
 they sick on the sea voyage ? 
 
 you not sorry that it rains ? 
 
 he not fortunate to get the position? 
 
 you not seen the collection of pictures! 
 
 The birds not learned to fly yet. 
 
 Supply subjects for the following sentences : 
 
 had seen the great T^atural Bridge. 
 
 are disappointed not to stay in San Francisco 
 
 longer. 
 
134 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 was beautiful in California. 
 
 Has seen how the buds are protected from the 
 
 winter's cold? 
 
 State the number and person of each verb in the selections 
 in Chapter XXXIII., VI., thus : has ceased is a verb of the 
 third person, singular number, in agreement with its subject, 
 rain. 
 
 Write a sentence using spiders as a subject nominative ; as 
 a nominative by address ; as a predicate nominative ; and as 
 an absolute nominative : the thought being the beauty of the 
 spiders' webs, for one set of sentences ; the seeming cruelty of 
 the spider, for another set of sentences ; and, the usefulness of 
 spiders, for a third set of sentences. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE POSSESSIVE CASE. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. The President's home in Washington is called the 
 Executive Mansion. 
 
 Who is represented as the owner of the home in this sen- 
 tence ? By what form of the noun is ownership expressed ? 
 
 2. We have read Holmes's poem, " Grandmother's Story 
 of Bunker Hill." 
 
 What is the first possessive form in this sentence ? The 
 second ? Do these forms represent the owner or the author 9 
 
 3. Whitney's cotton gin separates the seeds from the 
 cotton fibers. It was invented by Eli Whitney in 1792. 
 
THE POSSESSIVE CASE. 135 
 
 What is the possessive form in this sentence ? Does it 
 represent owner, author , or inventor 9 
 
 4. The sun's warm rays start the grass to growing. 
 
 5. There is no warmth in the moon's light. 
 
 Could we say the warm rays /rom the sun ? The light /roTTi 
 the moon ? Do not these possessives represent source 9 
 
 6. The milliner's window was gay with a display of 
 ladies' hats. 
 
 What is the first possessive form in the above sentence ? 
 Does it denote ownership ? What is the second possessive 
 form in this sentence ? Does it denote the owner or describe 
 the kind of hats ? 
 
 7. The moon's distance from the earth is about 240,000 
 miles. 
 
 8. The boys enjoyed a week's vacation in the Maine 
 woods. 
 
 In the above sentences the possessive form moon's does not 
 denote possession, nor does the form tveek's denote ownership. 
 These forms are modifiers of the nouns distance and vacation. 
 In the first sentence it tells what distance, in the second sen- 
 tence it tells how long a vacation. 
 
 Every possessive form is a modifier of some noun. It may 
 express actual ownership, or some other modifying relation. 
 
 Noitn^ and pronouns haA)ing the possessive form are in 
 the possessive case. 
 
 State what nouns in the above sentences are in the posses- 
 sive case and tell what noun each modifies. 
 
136 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 II. 
 
 Find the pronouns in the possessive case in the following 
 selections, state what each modifies, and what noun each repre- 
 sents. 
 
 1. Washington established his home at Mount Yernon. 
 
 2. Whittier thought " The Pageant " the best of his 
 poems of winter. 
 
 3. On balancing boughs 
 
 Birds were singing their carol, a jubilant hymn 
 to the Highest. 
 
 4. " O Bluebird, up in the maple tree. 
 
 Shaking your throat with such bursts of glee, 
 How did you happen to be so blue ? 
 
 Did you steal a bit of sky for your crest ? 
 
 And fasten blue violets into your breast ? 
 Tell me, I pray you, tell me true ! " 
 
 5. " In and out 
 
 The chipping sparrow, in her coat of brown, 
 Steals silently lest I should mark her nest." 
 
 6. The boy whose speech is true and whose conduct is 
 pure and honorable, has made a good beginning of life. 
 
 III. 
 
 Change to the possessive form each of the following posses- 
 sive phrases (write each on the board) : 
 
 The shell of an egg ; the life of a bird ; the beauty of 
 the nest ; the color of the clouds ; the length of the river ; 
 the noise of the falls ; the hut of the trapper ; the fidelity of 
 
THE OBJECTIVE CASE. 137 
 
 the (log ; the tears of the child ; the reflection from the 
 water ; a vacation lasting two weeks ; a visit lasting a 
 month ; a sickness continuing a year ; the rewai'tl of him 
 who endures ; the loss of him whose house was burned. 
 
 In which of the above is the possessive form in better usage, 
 and in which the possessive phrase 9 
 
 Let each pupil write a sentence containing one of the above 
 as a possessive form, and two sentences, each containing one of 
 the above possessive phrases. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI, 
 
 THE OBJECTIVE CASE. 
 
 The Direct Object of a Verb, 
 
 1. The red-eyed vireo makes a dainty nest. 
 
 2. He chooses a slender sapling for his home. 
 
 3. He hangs a basket of birch-bark from the fork of 
 one of its twigs. 
 
 4. He lines this basket with white dry leaves, a bit of 
 wasp's nest, or some delicate woolly substance. 
 
 5. The mother-bird lays four beautiful white eggs in 
 this soft cradle. 
 
 What word expresses action in the first sentence ? What is 
 the subject of that verb ? What does the vireo make ? What, 
 then, is the object of the action ? 
 
 What is the subject, what is the verb, and what is the 
 object of the action of the verb, in the second sentence ? 
 
138 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 in the third sentence ? in the fourth sentence ? in the fifth 
 sentence ? 
 
 The direct object of a verb is that noun or pronoun that 
 receives the action exerted by the subject. 
 
 The direct object of a "verb is in the objective case. 
 
 A noun or pronoun in the objective case is governed by the 
 verb of which it is the object. 
 
 What nouns in the above sentences are the direct objects of 
 verbs, and therefore in the objective case ? 
 
 Make complete sentences by supplying direct objects in the 
 following : 
 
 The Indians built . They caught for their 
 
 food. The women wove coarse . The men shot 
 
 with arrows. In the woods I saw , I heard , and I 
 
 found . The children are bringing . They will 
 
 make . They like . The rivers carry on 
 
 their waters ; they turn . The sun warms ; it 
 
 gives and . 
 
 State the subject of each of these sentences. What nouns 
 are in the objective case ? By what verb is each governed ? 
 
 Find the direct objects of verbs in the following sentences : 
 
 The G-reat Artist paints most beautiful pictures, and the 
 poor may see them as well as the rich. The brown, bare 
 earth is His canvas. He warms it with the rays of April's 
 sun, and moistens it with her gentle showers, and, lo ! green 
 grass clothes the hillsides ; leaves, soft and delicate as silk, 
 cover the dark boughs of the trees; a thousand blossoms 
 delight our eyes, wondrous in color, marvellous in perfume. 
 
THE OBJECTIVE CASE. 139 
 
 varied in form. No human artist has on his palette such 
 pinks as the Great Artist gives to the apple blooms, such 
 blues as those ^vith which He paints the violets, such gold 
 as that with which He gilds the common dandelion and 
 buttercup. 
 
 II. 
 
 The Indirect Object of a Verb'. 
 
 1. Hawthorne has told us many interesting stories in 
 "The Wonder Book." 
 
 2. My brother sent me a photograph of the Capitol in 
 Washington. 
 
 3. The great prostrate trees showed the men the 
 strength of the hurricane. 
 
 4. Olive Thorne MiUer teaches her readers many inter- 
 esting facts about birds. 
 
 5. Do me this favor, — bring me a branch of holly. 
 
 6. We asked him the way to Shadow Town Ferry. 
 
 What has Hawthorne told ? What is the direct object of 
 has told ? To whom has Hawthorne told the stories ? May 
 we correctly say '^Hawthorne has told to us, etc. ? What is 
 the direct object of sent in the next sentence ? What preposi- 
 tion may we insert before me 9 In the third sentence what 
 preposition may we insert' before the men 9 What is the direct 
 object of shoioed9 What is the direct object of teaches in the 
 fourth sentence ? Before what word may we insert to 9 In 
 the next sentence what may we insert before me9 In the last 
 sentence what may we insert before him? 
 
 Certain verbs, tell, send, show, teach, do, bring, ask, etc., 
 are generally followed by an objective noun or pronoun before 
 
140 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 which tOy for, or o/, may be inserted without changing the 
 meaning. Such an objective is the indirect object of the verb. 
 The direct object, stating what is told, sent, shown, etc., 
 usually follows. 
 
 The indirect object of a verb is in the objective case. 
 
 What are the indirect objects in the following sentences ? 
 
 Y. Teach thy tongue silence. 
 
 8. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he 
 still taught the people knowledge. 
 
 9. The dear God give thee safety from all perils of soul 
 or body. 
 
 10. So all the little animals gave him the freedom of 
 their city. The birds shoAved him their nests, hidden in 
 leafy branches, or concealed in tall tufts of grass ; the squir- 
 rels taught him their language ; the great eagle brought 
 him her two most beautiful feathers to wear in his cap. 
 
 III. 
 
 The Predicate Object. 
 
 1. The Indians made Smith a prisoner. 
 
 2. John Smith named the country New England in 
 1614. 
 
 3. While on board the Mayflower the Pilgrims chose 
 John Carver their governor. 
 
 4. Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton secre- 
 tary of the treasury. 
 
 5. We have called Virginia the Mother of Presidents. 
 
 Verbs meaning to make, name, appoint, choose, call, and 
 the like — called factitive verbs — may be followed by two 
 
THE OBJECTIVE CASE. 141 
 
 objects : one, the direct object of the verb, naming the object 
 that receives the action ; the other, supplementing or complet- 
 ing the meaning of the verb, the predicate object. 
 
 The predicate object of a verb is in the objective case. 
 
 Name the predicate objects in the above sentences. 
 
 lY. 
 
 The Object of a Preposition. 
 
 Of all the lovely ways leading out of the small town of 
 Stratford, the way to Shottery was the loveliest to the 
 thinking of the young Shakespeares and to the heart of 
 their mother. The small hamlet was a short mile from 
 Stratford, and thither the children made constant pilgrim- 
 ages, traversing the little path that wound across the 
 meadows, now beneath the shade of stately elms through 
 which the sunlight flickered in shifting patterns, now by 
 tangled hedges where the flowers nodded a welcome and 
 the birds sought to detain them with their songs. 
 
 — From "Will Shakespeare's Little Lad," by Imogen Clark. 
 
 In this selection are sixteen prepositional phrases. Give 
 
 each preposition and the noun of its phrase, thus : of 
 
 waySf of town, etc. 
 
 In a prepositional phrase the noun or pronoun related by 
 the preposition to some other word in the sentence is the object 
 of the preposition. 
 
 The object of a preposition is in the objective case. 
 
142 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Y. 
 
 A noun or pronoun that is the direct^ indirect, or pred- 
 icate ohject of a verh, or the object of a preposition, is in the 
 objective case. 
 
 A noun or pronoun in the objective case is said to he 
 governed by the verb or preposition of which it is the object. 
 
 Find the objectives in the following selection, state what 
 kind of an object each is, and by what it is governed : 
 
 When thy father was no older than thou art he found 
 the little beast at Snitterfield, harried by some boys who 
 threw sticks and stones at the small creature and lamed him 
 so that he could run no more, but was at the mercy of his 
 persecutors. It was then that thy father came upon them 
 at their evil work and gave them a good threshing, both 
 with his fists and his tongue, till they were forced to run 
 away, for they were both cowards at heart, as are all who 
 attack poor dumb things, or fight the helpless. When they 
 were gone, thy father searched for the little dog and found 
 him at last under some bushes, whither he had craAvled to 
 be out of harm's way. He lifted him gently in his arms, 
 for the thin, yellow body was covered with cuts and bruises 
 and one small paw dangled helpless-like. The little creature 
 just looked for a moment out of his sad, hunted eyes, then, 
 seeing only kindness in my Willy's face, he put forth his 
 tongue and kissed the hand that held him. 
 
 In the above quotation from ^^Will Shakespeare^s Little 
 Lad/^ Mistress Shakespeare tells Hamlet Shakespeare, her 
 grandson, the story of the little dog whom they call Silver. 
 
THE ADVERBIAL OBJECTIVE. 143 
 
 The last seutence gives you examples of the indirect object 
 and the predicate object. Find them, and name the direct 
 objects. 
 
 Write sentences containing nouns used as the direct object 
 of a verb, the indirect object of a verb, the predicate object j and 
 the object of a preposition. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 I. 
 
 THE ADVERBIAL OBJECTIVE. 
 
 1. We floated two miles down that beautiful stream. 
 
 2. We camped a weeh in one of the prettiest spots on its 
 banks. 
 
 3. The canoe weighed tTwrtaj jpounds. 
 
 4. Our week in the Maine woods co^i forty dolla/rs. 
 
 5. Thursday we reached home. 
 
 In the above sentences the italicized words are equivalent 
 to prepositional phrases, a distance of two 7niles, during a week, 
 a weight of thirty pounds, the sum of forty dollars, on Thurs- 
 day ; the nouns are therefore in the objective case. The pre- 
 positional phrases, however, have the force of adverbs. We 
 therefore call these nouns, miles, week, pounds, dollars, Thurs- 
 day, adverbial objectives. As objectives they are governed by 
 prepositions that are understood, while adverbially they may 
 modify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. 
 
 Nowns of measxire (of distcmce^ time, weight, cost, value, 
 and the like), a/nd nouns used to denote the time of cm occur- 
 rence, are sometimes used adverbially. They are then ad- 
 verbial objectives. 
 
144 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Find the adverbial objectives in the following sentences : 
 
 6. The storm lasted a week, and during this time we 
 went not a mile from the cabin. 
 
 Y. That night many a brave ship was broken by the 
 fury of the gale. 
 
 8. Eighteen dollars' worth of gold weighs one ounce. 
 
 ^. The sun that brief December day 
 
 Kose cheerless over hills of gray. 
 
 10. All day the gusty north- wind bore 
 The loosening drift its breath before. 
 
 II. 
 THE COGNATE OBJECTIVE. 
 
 1. He dreamed a dream of life in the city, of noisy 
 ways and hurrying men, of crowded tenements and magni- 
 ficent palaces. 
 
 2. The poor man lived his life in want and the rich 
 man lived his life in abundance, yet trouble knocked at the 
 door of each. 
 
 3. Many a man unknown to fam.e lives the life and dies 
 the death of a hero. 
 
 The word cognate means related. When the objective 
 has a meaning closely related to that of the verb it is called 
 a cognate objective. 
 
 Such cognate objectives are to dream a dream., to live a life, 
 to die a death, to dance a dance, to dance a waltz, to speak a 
 I, etc. 
 
THE SUBJECT OF AN INFINITIVE. 145 
 
 III. 
 
 THE SUBJECT OF AN INFINITIVE. 
 
 An infinitive is a verb form in which the verb is preceded 
 by to either expressed or understood. 
 
 1. I desire you to learn the habits of birds. 
 
 2. The birds wish their nests to be secure against 
 enemies. 
 
 What is it that I desi?'e in the first sentence ? What is the 
 full object of desire ? AVhat is the complete object of wish in 
 the second sentence ? What does the predicate adjective 
 secure modify ? What, then, is the subject of the infinitive 
 to be? 
 
 • 3. They thought me to be of English birth. 
 
 4. They judged him to be innocent of any wrong in- 
 tention. 
 
 What is the object of the verb thought in the third sen- 
 tence ? What is the subject of the verb to be ? In what case 
 is it ? What is the object of the verb judged in the fourth 
 sentence ? What infinitive is a part of that object ? What is 
 the subject of the infinitive ? In what case is it ? 
 
 Ths siibject of an infinitive is in the objective case. 
 
 Note : The preposition to is omitted from the infinitive 
 form after certain verbs — see, hear, feel, bid, make, Tcnow, and 
 some others — when such infinitive is preceded by a subject. 
 
 Find each infinitive in the following sentences, the subject 
 of the infinitive, and state the case of such subjects : 
 
 5. I heard the bells ring. 
 
 10 
 
146 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAM3IAR. 
 
 6. We saw the blue Khine sweep along. 
 
 7. They bade us be of good courage. 
 
 8. The teacher made the boy see his mistake. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 THE AP POSITIVE USE OF NOUNS. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. Miles Standish, the Puritan Captain, sent John 
 Alden, his messenger, to Priscilla, the Mayflower of Ply- 
 mouth. 
 
 What is the subject nominative of the verb sent 9 What 
 group of words is used to describe that subject nominative ? 
 What is the noun in this group of words ? 
 
 A noun used to describe or characterize another noun or a 
 pronoun is in apposition to it. Thus, Captain is in ap- 
 position to Miles Standish. 
 
 What other nouns are used appositively in the sentence 
 given ? 
 
 What nouns are in apposition in the following sentences, 
 and to what is each in apposition ? 
 
 2. Then lagoo, the great boaster, 
 He the marvellous story teller, 
 He the traveller and the talker, 
 
 3. He the friend of old Kokoniis, 
 Made a bow for Hiawatha. 
 
THE APPOSITIVE USE OF NOUNS. 147 
 
 4. This river, the Merrimack, turns more cotton spindles 
 than any other in the world. 
 
 5. It AYas he, the boy whom they had called coward 
 because he Av^ould not fight, who had risked his life to save 
 that of John Dean, his enemy. 
 
 6. The fault is mine, John Dean's. 
 
 II. 
 
 An appositive noun is of the sa/rae case as the noun or 
 pronoun to which it is in apposition. 
 
 Complete the following sentences by using appositive 
 nouns : 
 
 1. John Armstrong, , shoes a horse well. 
 
 2. Please record next my name, . 
 
 3. You, , may tell me the story of Hiawatha's 
 
 shooting the deer. 
 
 4. " The Barefoot Boy " was written by Whittier, 
 
 5. The governor of this State, , will be 
 
 present at the State Fair. 
 
 How can you distinguish an appositive from a predicate 
 nominative ? 
 
 Use each of the following nouns, first as an appositive, and 
 then as a predicate nominative : 
 
 The general ; housekeeper ; his Shetland pony ; the 
 largest city in the United States; the first public school 
 in America ; the most northern town in the United States ; 
 the first president ; the chairman of the school committee ; 
 my favorite book ; the smallest bird ; the largest animal. 
 
148 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 III. 
 
 In the following selection find the appositive nouns, and 
 the predicate nominatives : 
 
 Many a E'ew Englander, who had passed his boyhood 
 and youth in obscurity, afterwards attained to a fortune 
 which he never could have foreseen even in his most ambi- 
 tious dreams. John Adams, the second President of the 
 United States, and the equal of crowned kings, was once a 
 schoolmaster and a country lawyer. Hancock, the first 
 signer of the Declaration of Independence, served his ap- 
 prenticeship with a merchant; Samuel Adams, afterwards 
 governor of Massachusetts, was a small tradesman and a tax- 
 gatherer ; General Lincoln was a farmer. General Warren 
 a physician, and General Knox a bookbinder. General 
 Nathaniel Greene, the best soldier, except Washington, in 
 the Kevolutionary army, was a Quaker and a blacksmith. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 COLLECTIVE, ABSTRACT, AND CONCRETE NOUNS. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. The drove of sheep belongs to the Town Fann, 
 
 2. The drove of sheep were bleating piteously. 
 
 3. The I*^ew England States is the northeastern division 
 of the United States. 
 
 4. The New England States are Maine, New Hampshire, 
 Yermont, Massachusetts, Rhod^ Island, and Connecticut. 
 
COLLECTIVE, ABSTRACT, AND CONCRETE NOUNS. 149 
 
 5. The committee is desirous of taking the wisest action 
 in this matter. 
 
 6. The committee are of differing opinions as to what 
 the wisest action is. 
 
 A single name is sometimes used to denote a collection of 
 individual objects of the same kind. A drove of sheep, a hevy 
 or swarm of bees, a. flock of birds, a school of fish, are examples 
 of such collective nouns. Men acting or associated together 
 may form an army, senate, committee, jury, etc. 
 
 A collective iiouu is a noun^ of singular number in 
 form^ naming a collection of individuals of the sa/me hind, 
 
 A verb in agreement with a collective noun is of singular 
 numher when the noun is thought of as a single hody / it is 
 of plural number when the noun is thought of as a number 
 of individual objects. 
 
 In the first sentence we think of the drove of sheep as a 
 whole, in the second sentence as a number of individual sheep. 
 Explain the number of the verb in each sentence. Explain the 
 number of the verb in each of the other sentences. 
 
 Select the proper form of the verb in each of the following 
 sentences, and give reasons for your choice : 
 
 7. The United States {is^ are) a powerful nation. 
 
 8. The United States {madntain, maintains) the Monroe 
 Doctrine. 
 
 9. The United States {have, has) each its own State 
 government. 
 
 10. The Girls' Friendly Society {7neet, meets) on Wed- 
 nesday. 
 
150 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAM 31 AR. 
 
 11. The football eleven of the Lowell High School {has^ 
 have) arrived. 
 
 12. The football eleven {is^ are) at {its^ their) several 
 homes. 
 
 II. 
 
 A flower is beautiful, fragrant, delicate ; it grows, withers, 
 dies ; it has size, shape, color. Our idea of a flower is made 
 from these qualities. When we think of iron, we have in mind 
 not alone that it is dark in color, but that it is hard and 
 heavy. Our idea of snow is of something that has form and 
 size ; that is white, cold, opaque, and crystalline. 
 
 A concrete noun is one that presents to us the notion 
 of several qualities united in one object. 
 
 An abstract noun is one that names a quality. 
 Nouns that are names of feelings^ actions, and powers are, 
 also, abstract nouns. 
 
 Abstract nouns of qualities are beauty, fragrance, delicacy, 
 hardness, blackness, size, shape, etc. 
 
 Abstract nouns of feelings are love, anger, sorroiv, pride, 
 sliame, etc. 
 
 Abstract nouns of actions are groivth, motion, choice, separa- 
 tion, deiiial, etc. 
 
 Abstract nouns of powers are memory, sight, smell, touch, 
 taste, etc. 
 
 Describe some object, writing upon the board the qualities 
 that it has, the things that it can do if capable of action, etc., 
 and then from this list of qualities and actions form abstract 
 nouns. 
 
THE PARSING OF A NOUN. 151 
 
 Selection for discussion of concrete and abstract nouns : 
 There hung just inside my window a box of strings, and 
 for two or three days, no matter how many I put into it, 
 when I went to look the next time none could be found. I 
 had talked to the little girls about it and scolded the little 
 boys in the house, but no one knew anything about the 
 matter, when, one afternoon, as I Avas sitting there, a beauti- 
 ful bird fluttered down from the willow tree, perched on 
 the ANdndow-sill, winked his bright eye, and without saying 
 "If you j^ease," dipped his naughty little beak into the 
 string-box and flew off with a piece of pink twine. 
 
 — Kate Douglas Wiggin. 
 
 The above selection contains no abstract nouns. The dis- 
 cussion should be about the abstract nouns that are suggested 
 by words in this selection. Thus : string suggests length, color, 
 strength; beautiful suggests ieautg ; etc. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 THE PARSING OF A NOUN. 
 
 I. 
 
 Parsing is tlie gra/mrnatical description of a word, to- 
 gether with a statement of its relation to other words in the 
 Sentence. 
 
 In parsing a noun state, in order : 
 
 I. The kind of a noun that it is. 
 II. Its person, number, and gender. 
 III. Its case, Avith the reason for it. 
 
152 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 This (III.) includes, for the ^N^ominative Case, the state- 
 ment of what verb it is the subject nominative or the 
 predicate nominative; for the Possessive Case, what noun 
 it modifies ; for the Objective Case, of what verb or prepo- 
 sition it is the object. 
 
 If the noun is nominative by address, or nominative 
 absolute, it should be so stated ; and if it is an adverbial or 
 cognate objective, its relation should be explained. 
 
 If it is the subject of an infinitive, the infinitive should 
 be named. 
 
 If it is an appositive, the noun which it explains should 
 
 be named. 
 
 II. 
 
 Eeview the Cases of Nouns by parsing the nouns in the 
 sentences given in Chapters XXXIII., XXXV., XXXVI., 
 XXXVII., XXXVIII. and XXXIX. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 
 
 I. 
 
 The little brook had had a very merry time all summer. 
 It had chattered and laughed ; it had played hide-and-seek 
 with the roots of the trees along its way ; it had sparkled 
 at the sun and smiled at the flowers and listened to the 
 songs of the birds and the whispering of the leaves and the 
 music of the winds; it had stolen among the mosses and 
 washed the long leaves of the tall bulrushes and carried 
 many a fairy-boat of branch and leaf adown its dimpling 
 
A SELECTION FOB STUDY AND MEMORY. 153 
 
 waters. But when the leaves left the tall trees and hovered 
 near to the ground, and the little buds put on their water- 
 proof cloaks, and the North Wind said, " The cold is com- 
 ing!" the little brook rippled, ''It is time to build my 
 winter palace." So he threw across his home long and 
 slender beams of ice crystals. Then across these beams 
 he wove the most marvelous ceiling, all of crystal. He 
 imitated the leaves of the forest and the branches of the 
 trees ; he hung silvery mosses so that they seemed to grow 
 downward ; he carved beautiful fern leaves of ice ; he left 
 long windows like glass for the gladness of heaven to shine 
 through, and open doors where he might breathe the 
 delightful cold air of winter; he caught and bent down 
 the tops of the bulrushes, and hung them thick with dia- 
 mond drops; he imprisoned the beams of the sun and the 
 moon and made them light his Avinter palace. Such a 
 wonderful palace as it was ! Did I say that the little 
 brook built it ? Oh, no ! he employed the most wonderful 
 builder in the world — that roguish, elfin fellow. Jack Frost. 
 
 II. 
 
 Down swept the chill wind from the mountain peak. 
 From the snow five thousand summers old ; 
 
 On open wold and hilltop bleak 
 It had gathered all the cold, 
 
 And it whirled it like sleet on the wanderer's cheek ; 
 
 It carried a shiver everywhere 
 
 From the unleaved boughs and the pasture bare ; 
 
 The little brook heard it and built a roof 
 
 'Neath which he could house him, winter-proof ; 
 
154 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 All night by the white stars' frosty gleams 
 
 He groined his arches and matched his beams ; 
 
 Slender and clear were his crystal spars 
 
 As the lashes of light that trim the stars ; 
 
 He sculptured every summer delight 
 
 In his halls and chambers out of sight ; 
 
 Sometimes his tinkling waters slipt 
 
 Down through a frost-leaved forest crypt, 
 
 Long, sparkling aisles of steel-stemmed trees 
 
 Bending to counterfeit a breeze ; 
 
 Sometimes the roof no fretwork knew 
 
 But silvery mosses that downward grew ; 
 
 Sometimes it was carved in sharp relief 
 
 With quaint arabesques of ice-fern leaf ; 
 
 Sometimes it was simply smooth and clear 
 
 For the gladness of heaven to shine through, and here 
 
 He had caught the nodding bulrush-tops 
 
 And hung them thickly with diamond drops. 
 
 That crystalled the beams of moon and sun. 
 
 And made a star of every one : 
 
 l^o mortal builder's most rare device 
 
 Could match this winter-palace of ice ; 
 
 'Twas as if every image that mirrored lay 
 
 In his depths serene through the summer day, 
 
 Each fleeting shadow of earth and sky — 
 
 Lest the happy model should be lost — 
 Had been mimicked in fairy masonry 
 
 By the elfin builders of the frost. 
 
 —From "The Vision of Sir Launfal," 
 
 by James Russell Lowell. 
 
A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 
 
 155 
 
 Lowell says that this picture of the little brook was 
 drawn from one near Watertown, which really " runs too 
 smftly for Frost to catch it." 
 
 III. 
 
 Words for dictionary study. Find the meaning suitable to 
 the idea in the selection, and write it opposite the word : 
 
 wold 
 
 unleaved 
 
 gleams 
 
 groined 
 
 arches 
 
 matched 
 
 beams 
 
 crystal 
 
 spars 
 
 lashes 
 
 trim 
 
 crypt 
 
 aisles 
 
 counterfeit 
 
 fretwork 
 
 relief 
 
 quaint 
 
 arabesques 
 
 bulrushes 
 
 device 
 
 match 
 
 serene 
 
 model 
 
 mimicked 
 
 
 masonry 
 
 elfin 
 
 
 What is the difference between tmleaved and leafless 9 Did 
 
 you notice any 
 
 interesting derivations in looking up the mean- 
 
 ings of these words ? 
 
 
 
 What is meant by snow ^2;^ thousand summers old? Are 
 there any mountains where the snow never melts, even in sum- 
 mer ? Which would give the idea that the wind stripped the 
 leaves from the branches, unleaved or leafless 9 Did you ever 
 watch the freezing of water ? How is ice formed ? What 
 things have you noticed imitated in the ice over a brook ? in 
 the frost pictures on windows ? What is the gladness of heaven 9 
 What are the diamond drops on the bulrushes ? A crystal of 
 ice, like a diamond, scatters a ray of light. What two lines in 
 this extract give that idea ? What did the little brook take as 
 the models for the decorations of his palace ? What is fairy 
 masonry 9 Where have you seen fairy picture-making 9 What 
 do we call the elfln builder of the frost ? 
 
156 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Note : Lowell^s description of June, the companion picture 
 to this, should be carefully read and explained to the class, and 
 may be made a study like this. If the story is told in pr^e 
 before it is read in poetry the pupils grasp the meaning and 
 appreciate the beauty of it more easily and fully. The appre- 
 ciation of beauty in young people is often like a seed planted 
 in the ground — the first green blades of growth appear not at 
 once, but long after. But the seed has not perished, and in 
 due time it "^ climbs to a soul in grass and flowers/^ 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 QUOTATIONS. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. a. My mother taught me how to sew. 
 
 h. Mary says, " My mother taught me how to sew." 
 c. Mary says that her mother taught her how to sew. 
 
 2. a. I make a pet of my horse. 
 
 h. Frank says, " I make a pet of my horse." 
 c. Frank says that he makes a pet of his horse. 
 
 3. a. Kindness makes all animals intelligent. 
 
 1). "Kindness makes all animals intelligent," said 
 Frank's brother. 
 
 c. Frank's brother said that kindness makes all ani- 
 mals intelligent. 
 
 4. a. Where did Longfellow live ? 
 
 h. " Where did Longfellow live ? " asked Miss Gray. 
 c. Miss Gray asked where Longfellow lived. 
 
QUOTATIONS. 157 
 
 5. a. He lived in the Craigie House, in Cambridge. 
 h. " He lived in the Craigie House, in Cambridge," 
 replied Alice. 
 
 ^ c. Alice replied that he lived in the Craigie House, 
 in Cambridge. 
 
 What did Mary say ? (Answer in the exact words of Mary. ) 
 What did Frank say ? What did Frank's brother say ? What 
 did Miss Gray ask ? What did Alice reply ? 
 
 In each of the above groups of sentences, the second sen- 
 tence quotes the exact words of the first, and the third sentence 
 quotes the thought but not the exact words of the first. 
 
 A quotation that gives the exact words of some speaker or 
 writer is a direct quotation. 
 
 A quotation that gives the thought hut not the exact words 
 of s&ms speaker or writer is an indirect quotation. 
 
 When a question is indirectly quoted it is called an in- 
 direct question. 
 
 The marks ( '' ") that inclose a direct quotation are called 
 quotation marks. 
 
 A direct quotation is usually separated from the rest of the 
 sentence by a comma, but quoted questions are followed by an 
 interrogation point, and quoted exclamations are followed by 
 an exclamation mark. The second quotation mark is placed 
 after the punctuation point that closes the quotation. 
 
 II. 
 
 Study the quotations in the following story. Explain the 
 use of capitals, quotation marks, and the punctuation marks 
 following the quotations : 
 
158 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Once upon a time a clever barber in Germany had a pet 
 starling that had learned to talk. The barber had the habit 
 of repeating certain phrases over and over again, and the 
 clever bird would repeat them also. " !No man could hme 
 done that better," the barber would say when he had shaved 
 a customer ; or, " I am the best barber in Germany." When 
 he spoke of any plans for the future he would add, " If the 
 fates are willing." And he often told one story that ended 
 with the words, " B}^ keeping bad company." The starling 
 once flew away from his cage and joined some other star- 
 lings Avho were going to rob a farmer's grain field. But 
 they were all caught in a net which the farmer had set for 
 them. When the farmer came to take them out of the net, 
 he Avas astonished to hear one of the birds say, " No man 
 could have done that better." " Who are you ? " asked the 
 farmer. " I am the best barber in Germany," replied the 
 bird. "Then hoAv came you here?" asked the farmer. 
 " By keeping bad company," answered the bird. ^ " Do you 
 wish," said the farmer, " that I should let you go ? " " If 
 the fates are willing," answered the little starling. 
 
 In the following conversation notice the use of quotation 
 marks, and the arrangement of the several parts : 
 
 (A Highland laddie, wounded unto death, desires John 
 Broom, a lad who is his devoted friend, to comfort and 
 soothe him by reading from the Bible.) 
 
 " Is there a Bible on yon table, laddie ? Could you read 
 a bit to me ? " 
 
 * Note : When a quotation is divided, quotation marks are 
 placed around each part of the quotation. 
 
THE TITLES OF BOOKS, ESSAYS, ETC. 159 
 
 There is little need to dwell on the bitterness of heart 
 with which John Broom confessed — 
 ^" I can't read big words, McAllister." 
 " Did you never go to school ? " asked the Scotchman. 
 "I didn't learn," said the poor boy, "I played." 
 
 —From "Jackanapes," by Mrs. Ewing. 
 
 Use sentences 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and this last selection, for 
 dictation work. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 THE TITLES OF BOOKS, ESSAYS, ETC. 
 
 1. Captain January. — Laura E. Richards. 
 
 2. Old Times in the Colonies. — Charles Carleton Coffin. 
 
 3. The King of the Golden River. — John Ruskin. 
 
 4. The Story of a Short Life. — Juliana H. Ewing. 
 
 5. Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill. — Oliver Wen- 
 dell Holmes. 
 
 6. An Order for a Picture. — Alice Gary. 
 
 7. A-Hunting of the Deer. — Charles Dudley Warner. 
 
 8. Strawberries. — John Burroughs. 
 
 9. The Princes in the Tower. — John E. Millais. 
 
 10. The Sisters.— Henry E. Abbey. 
 
 Here are the titles of two books, two short stories, two 
 poems, two essays, and two pictures, with the names of the 
 authors and painters. The important words of such titles (the 
 first word and all others except prepositions, conjunctions, and 
 articles) begin with capital letters. 
 
 11. " Captain January " is a delightful book. 
 
160 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 12. Miss Duncan has read to us " The Story of a Short 
 Life " and " Jackanapes." 
 
 13. " Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill " is a very 
 spirited ballad. 
 
 14. I like "A-Hunting of the Deer," and " StraAvberries." 
 
 15. " The Princes in the Tower " represents two little 
 ill-fated English princes. 
 
 16. "The Sisters" represents an old-fashioned room 
 with a piano in it, at which one of the sisters is seated, 
 while the other stands near her. 
 
 When the titles of books, essays, etc., are used in sentences, 
 they are inclosed in quotation marks, but they are not sepa- 
 rated from the rest of the sentence by commas. 
 
 Write from dictation the following titles : 
 
 17. Under the Lilacs. — Louisa May Alcott. 
 
 18. A Child's History of England. — Charles Dickens. 
 
 19. The Little Green Door.— Mary E. Wilkins. 
 
 20. Stories and Poems for Children. — Celia Thaxter. 
 
 21. The Song of Hiawatha. — Henry W. Longfellow. 
 
 22. We are reading " Timothy's Quest." 
 
 23. The children recited " The Sandpiper." 
 
 24. May I take " The Jungle Book " ? 
 
 25. This is an extract from "A Spray of Pine." 
 
 26. We are to write a composition on " The Bee's Visit 
 to the Flowers." 
 
 27. I have seen a beautiful picture called " By the 
 Eiverside." 
 
 28. There is a picture of two squirrels and a bird called 
 " A Piper and a Pair of ISTut crackers." 
 
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN. 161 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. "Who knows where the rose gets its color ? 
 
 2. To whom shall I send these roses ? 
 
 3. In whose garden did they grow ? 
 
 4. "Which is the surer road to success, idleness or in- 
 dustry ? 
 
 5. Which will you choose, the path of duty or the path 
 of ease ? 
 
 6. What gives the cloud its silver lining ? 
 
 Y. What have you learned of the honeybee ? 
 
 What kind of sentences are these ? Answer the first ques- 
 tion in a complete statement ; i.e., No one knows where the rose 
 gets its color. Answer the second question, substituting for 
 luhom, the little sick girl. Answer the third question ; the 
 fourth ; the fifth. Answer the sixth, substituting for what, the 
 sun. Answer the seventh question, substituting for what, the 
 industry. 
 
 Who, whose, lohom, which, what, are words used in place of 
 nouns. They are, then, what part of speech ? They are used 
 in interrogative sentences. They are, then, what kind of pro- 
 nouns ? 
 
 An interrogative pronoun is one used in asking 
 questions. 
 
 The interrogative pronouns are who, whose, whom, which, 
 11 
 
162 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 what. WhOj tvhose, whom, represent persons only ; lohich 
 represents persons or things, and ivhat represents anything 
 except persons. 
 
 Notice the interrogative pronouns in the following sen- 
 tences : 
 
 8. What shall I do to make this rosebush blossom ? 
 
 9. Here are red roses and white roses. Which do you 
 prefer ? 
 
 10. Who will carry the roses to the little sick girl ? 
 
 11. Whose rose is this that is lying on the desk ? 
 
 12. Whom do you wish to see ? 
 
 13. "JSTow who has thought out all these things? 
 
 Who planned and made them all ? 
 The One who counts the shining stars, and suffers 
 none to fall." 
 
 Write sentences containing each of the interrogative pro- 
 nouns. 
 
 II. 
 
 Complete the following sentences by supplying interrogative 
 pronouns : 
 
 1. is at the door ? 
 
 2. did you call ? 
 
 3. is this beautiful book ? 
 
 4. is the book that you are reading ? 
 
 5. is your answer to that question ? 
 
 6. do you like the better, " Master Skylark " or 
 
 " Will Shakespeare's Little Lad " ? 
 
 Answer each of the above questions. In the fifth, imagine 
 some question and give an answer to it. 
 
TEE RELATIVE PRONOUN. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 THE RELATIVE PRONOUN. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. He who knows where the rose gets its color, knows 
 where the lily gets its perfume. 
 
 2. The little girl to whom I sent the roses was made 
 very happy by them. 
 
 3. The lady in whose garden they grew sends many 
 flowers to the sick. 
 
 4. The road which leads to success is industry. 
 6. Choose the path which duty points out. 
 
 6. Tell me what you most desire. 
 
 Y. What you have done shows great kindness. 
 
 8. The sailors that we saw are of the ship "Golden 
 Gate." 
 
 9. Time that is lost is never found. 
 
 What is an interrogative sentence ? Are, then, the words 
 who, whom, whose, which, what, in these sentences interrogative 
 pronouns ? 
 
 What word does the group of words, who' knows where the 
 rose gets its color, modify ? Does who mean the same per- 
 son as he? In the second sentence, what group of words 
 modifies girl? What word in that group means the same 
 person as girl? What word in the third sentence means the 
 same person as whose ? In the fourth sentence what group of 
 words modifies road? What word in that group means the 
 
104 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 same thing as road ? What word in the fifth sentence means 
 the same thing as j!;fl^Zf ? What word in the eighth sentence 
 means the same persons as sailors? What word in the ninth 
 means the same thing as time ? 
 
 These pronouns^, used in groups of words and meaning the 
 same person or thing as the word that the group of words 
 modifies, are relative pronouns. They refer or relate to the 
 modified word. The modified word is called the antecedent of 
 the relative pronoun. 
 
 In the sixth and seventh sentences we might use that which 
 in place of what. What, then, is both antecedent and relative ; 
 or we may call it a relative pronoun whose antecedent is not 
 expressed. 
 
 A relative pronoun is one that relates to some word 
 which the group of words of which the jpronoun is a part 
 modifies. 
 
 The relative pronouns are : who, luhose, whom, which, what, 
 that, and as when it occurs after such and same. Who, whose, 
 whom, refer to persons only ; what, that, and as, refer to 
 persons or things ; and which refers to things only. 
 
 II. 
 
 Notice the relative pronouns in the following sentences : 
 
 10. The boy who thinks before he speaks makes few 
 mistakes. 
 
 11. " Once in an ancient city whose name I no longer 
 
 remember, 
 Raised aloft on a column, a brazen statue of Jupiter 
 stood in the public square." 
 
 12. Ko man is your friend who advises you to do wrong. 
 
THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN. 165 
 
 13. " There is a bird, a plain brown bird, 
 
 That dwells in lands afar, 
 Whose wild, delicious song is heard 
 With evening's first white stai*." 
 
 14. We should honor men for what they are, not for 
 what they have. 
 
 15. They gave to the travelers such food as they had. 
 
 16. In the old wooden bridge over which we crossed 
 were many swallows' nests. 
 
 17. He who says what he likes shall hear what he 
 doesn't like. . 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN. 
 
 1. Here are two photographs ; this is a view of Niagara 
 Falls, and that is a view of the Natural Bridge in Virginia. 
 
 2. These are the tiny seeds of the poppy, and those are 
 the winged seeds of the maple. 
 
 3. In these are hidden splendor of buds and blossoms ; 
 in those the strength of a tree and the glory of its leaves. 
 
 This in the first sentence stands for the photocfraph that is 
 here ; that means the photograph that is there. This and that 
 are pronouns that point out. In the second sentence what does 
 these mean ? those ? In the third sentence by what words may 
 we replace /f/ze^e? those? What do these pronouns do ? Which 
 points to the nearer object, this or that? these or those? 
 
 A demonstrative pronoun is one that points to the 
 object to which it relates. 
 
166 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The demonstrative pronouns are : this, and its plural, these 
 (pointing to something near) ; that, and its plural, those (point- 
 ing to something farther away). 
 
 Notice the demonstrative pronouns in the following sen- 
 tences. To what does each point ? Is it near or farther 
 away ? 
 
 4. "These are my jewels," said Cornelia, resting her 
 hands on the shoulders of her little sons. 
 
 5. That is the spider's palace that lies sparkling with 
 dewdrops. 
 
 6. " For those that wander they know not where 
 
 Are full of trouble and full of care." 
 Y. This is the ]N^ational Monument, 555 feet high. 
 
 8. These are Thy daily gifts, the vital air, the constant 
 sun, the sure foundation of the earth, the overarching sky. 
 
 Note : Remembering that the office that a word performs in 
 a sentence determines what part of speech it is, it is apparent 
 that adjectives that do not denote quality may be used as pro- 
 noiins, thus: 
 
 9. One sent coal to the poor woman, another flour, a 
 third cloth. 
 
 10. Several spoke in praise of this measure. 
 
 11. Many perished on the severe journey. 
 
 These are called adjective or indefinite pronouns. 
 
 Pronouns that limit a following noun share the quality of 
 the pronoun with that of the adjective, thus : 
 
 12. What books do vou like best ? 
 
AGREEMENT OF PRONOUNS WITH ANTECEDENTS. 167 
 
 13. You may have what books are here. 
 
 14. These men brought provisions for the poor family. 
 
 These are called pronominal adjectives. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 THE AGREEMENT OF PRONOUNS WITH THEIR ANTECEDENTS. 
 
 The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun which it 
 represents. 
 
 A pronoun must agree with its antecedent iii gender, 
 number, a/ad person. 
 
 1. De Soto was buried in the waters of the Mississippi, 
 which he discovered in 1542. His men built boats in which 
 they sailed down the river to its mouth. 
 
 Name each pronoun in the above sentence ; state its ante- 
 cedent ; give its gender, number, and person, and the reason. 
 
 2. He that filches from me my good name, 
 
 Robs me of that which not enriches him 
 
 And makes me poor indeed. 
 
 —Shakespeare. 
 
 Give the gender, number, and person of each pronoun in 
 the above quotation, and state its antecedent. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. If each of the pupils did his very best, how happy 
 the teacher would be ! 
 
 2. Every one of the children brought his little gift for 
 the poor. 
 
168 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA3UIAR. 
 
 When the antecedent of a pronoun includes both the mascu- 
 line and feminine gender, the best usage makes the pronoun 
 masculine. In the first sentence each is both masculine and 
 feminine since the pupils are boys and girls. The awkward 
 form, Ms or her, and the plural form, their, are not in as good 
 usage as the singular masculine form his. 
 
 Explain carefully the use of his in the second sentence. 
 
 3. The contractor and his men worked day and night 
 to complete their task. 
 
 4. Carl and I have our lessons to learn. 
 
 5. You and Anna have done your work beautifully. 
 
 When a pronoun has two or more antecedents connected by 
 and, it is of plural number. If the antecedents are of differ- 
 ent persons, the pronoun is of the first person if either ante- 
 cedent is of the first person ; but otherwise it is of the second 
 person. 
 
 Explain carefully the number and person of their, our, 
 your. 
 
 6. l^either the silk nor the velvet has lost its brightness. 
 
 7. Either the silk or the velvet has lost its brightness. 
 
 When a pronoun has two or more antecedents, each of 
 singular number, connected by nor or or, it is of singular 
 number. 
 
 8. The committee is sitting in its new chamber. 
 
 9. The committee have gone to their homes. 
 
 When the antecedent of a pronoun is a collective noun, the 
 pronoun is singular if its antecedent is thought of as a single 
 object, and plural if it is thought of as a collection of in- 
 dividual objects. 
 
AGREEMENT OF PRONOUNS WITH ANTECEDENTS. 169 
 
 When it is difficult to make the pronoun agree • with its 
 antecedents because of their being of different genders, it is 
 better to change the construction of the sentence so that each 
 noun may have its representative pronoun. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. One of the books that are most valued by me is lost. 
 The one of my books that is most valued by me is 
 
 lost. 
 
 Determine the antecedent and the number of that, and 
 state why the verb is are valued in the first sentence, and is 
 valued in the second. 
 
 2. The typewriter is one of the most valuable helps 
 that {has, have) been invented in this century. 
 
 Select correct form for the verb in the above sentence, and 
 give reason for your choice. 
 
 3. I who tell you this saw the occurrence. 
 He who tells you this saw the occurrence. 
 
 Why tell in the first sentence, and tells in the second ? 
 
 Explain the gender, number, and person of the pronouns in 
 the following sentences : 
 
 4. My brother and I have enjoyed our visit to England. 
 
 5. You and your sister will find many beautiful scenes 
 for your cameras in your tour through California. 
 
 6. If every scholar has his lesson perfectly prepared this 
 afternoon, we will walk to Echo Bridge. 
 
 7. The boy and his companions have filled their baskets 
 with chestnuts. 
 
170 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Insert proper pronouns in the blanks in the following sen- 
 tences ; or, if preferable, change the construction : 
 
 8. I^either the man nor the woman has found 
 
 ticket. 
 
 9. Each in own way rose and spoke. 
 
 10. The man and his wife have brought luncheon. 
 
 (If the thing possessed belongs to them in common, the 
 pronoun their may be used.) 
 
 11. If any boy or girl finds the book, will please 
 
 bring it to the desk. 
 
 12. The flock of sheep hurried to grazing ground. 
 
 13. The flock of sheep had been out in rain and dust. 
 
 The whiteness of (fleece, fleeces) was turned to a dirty 
 
 gray. 
 
 14. If the manufacturer and the workman differ in 
 
 opinions, it is because have different interests in 
 
 view. 
 
 15. The pupil's father who has been promoted is much 
 pleased ; but the little girl's mother who has lost her pro- 
 motion feels very sorry. 
 
 A relative pronoun should not refer to a noun or pronoun 
 in the possessive case. Change the construction of the last 
 sentence. 
 
 Change the awkward construction of the following sen- 
 tence : 
 
 16. Mr. Whittier's sister's poems, to whom he alludes in 
 " Snow Bound " as " our youngest and our dearest," are 
 included in the volumes of his complete works. 
 
THE DECLENSION OF PRONOUNS. 171 
 
 CHAPTER XLVm. 
 
 THE DECLENSION OF PRONOUNS. 
 
 The Personal Pronouns. 
 
 FIRST PERSON. SECOND PERSON. 
 
 Singular Plural Singular Plural 
 
 Nom. I we you, thou you, ye 
 
 Pos. v[iy,mine our, ours your, yours, thy, thine your, yours 
 
 Obj. me US you, thee you 
 
 
 THIRD PERSON. 
 
 
 
 Singular 
 
 
 Plural 
 
 Masc. 
 
 Fern. 
 
 Neu. 
 
 M. F. N. 
 
 he 
 
 she 
 
 it 
 
 they 
 
 his 
 
 her, hers 
 
 its 
 
 their, theirs 
 
 him 
 
 her 
 
 it 
 
 them 
 
 JV^om. 
 
 Pos. 
 
 Obj. 
 
 Note: The forms mine, ours, yours; thine, hers, theirs, are 
 independent possessives — that is, they are used without any 
 following noun naming the thing possessed. They are used in 
 the nominative and ohjective cases only. 
 
 The Comjpound Personal Pronouns, 
 
 SINGULAR. 
 
 Utp. 2d p. Sdp.M. Sdp.F. Sdp.N. 
 
 Nom. and Obj. myself yourself himself herself itself 
 
 thyself 
 
 PLURAL. 
 
 \st p. 2d p. 3d p. 
 
 Nom. and Obj. ourselves yourselves themselves 
 
173 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The Interrogative Pronoims. 
 Singular and Plural Singular only 
 
 Nom. who which what 
 
 Pos. Avhose 
 
 Obj, whom which what 
 
 The Relative Pronouns. 
 The relative pronouns, who^ which^ what., have the same 
 forms as the interrogative pronouns ; and that is used with- 
 out change of form in the nominative and objective cases 
 
 only. 
 
 The Demonstrative Pronouns. 
 
 The demonstrative pronouns, this, that, these, and those, 
 are used in the nominative and objective cases only; this 
 and that being singular, and these and those being plural. 
 
 The Indefinite Pronouns. 
 The indefinite pronouns are : 
 
 Distributives : each, neither, either. 
 
 Of number and quantity : many, some, any, all, few, both, 
 
 one, none, aught, naught. 
 
 Compounds: no one, nobody, nothing, some 
 
 one, somebody, something, 
 any one, anybody, anything, 
 every one, everybody, 
 everything. 
 
 Comparatives : such, other. 
 
 Peciprocal Pronotm Phrases. 
 one another each other 
 
 Each other refers reciprocally to two persons, one another 
 to more than two. 
 
SOME PLANS FOR COMPOSITION WORK. 173 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 THE PARSING OF A PRONOUN. 
 
 I. 
 
 In parsing a pronoun we state, in order : 
 
 I. The class — personal, interrogative, relative, demon- 
 strative, indefinite. 
 
 II. If personal, of what person — first, second, third; 
 whom it represents ; if relative, the antecedent. 
 
 III. Its person, number, and gender. 
 
 IV. Its case, with the reason for it. 
 
 n. 
 
 Eeview pronouns by parsing those that are found in Chapters 
 XXVI., XXVIL, XLIV., XLV., XLVI., and XLVII. . 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 SOME PLANS FOR COMPOSITION WORK. 
 
 In grammar grades all composition work should be 
 thoroughly discussed in the class. The aim of the work 
 here is not to obtain originality of matter, but clearness and 
 beauty of expression. The class work is properly to plan 
 the composition, and then to discuss the thoughts that may 
 be written under each subdivision. The home work of the 
 pupil is to recall the plan and the thoughts that are to be 
 written under each ; to clothe the outlines of these thoughts 
 with suitable language correctly expressed; to capitalize, 
 punctuate, and paragraph correctly; and to see that the 
 
174 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 form of the composition is according to the model, that its 
 whole appearance is neat, and that it is folded as the teacher 
 may direct. The criticism should be by the teacher to the 
 pupil personally, or by the class in a discussion of the best 
 ways of expression, paragraphing, etc. The corrected form 
 of a composition should always be required. This corrected 
 form should be in the form of a newly written copy, and 
 not by interlinings of the first copy. Written corrections 
 by a teacher are usually disregarded by the pupil. 
 
 The form of the composition. Paper of letter size (about 
 eight inches wide by ten inches long) should be used, and as 
 soon as practicable the pupils should become accustomed to 
 the use of unruled paper. 
 
 The title should be written one and one-half inches from 
 the top of the page, and so spaced that the initial and final 
 letters shall be at equal distances from the edges of the 
 sheet. 
 
 The body of the composition should be begun one inch 
 below the title. A margin of one inch should be left at the 
 left of the body of the composition, and a margin of one- 
 half inch at the right. The indentions of the paragraphs 
 should be one-half inch. 
 
 The pages should be written upon in order, and num- 
 bered. 
 
 The composition should be folded evenly and once only, 
 lengthwise of the sheet. Placing the folded sheet with the 
 fold at the right, beginning one and one-half inches from 
 the top, write the title ; below that, the name of the writer ; 
 and below that, the date when given to the teacher. 
 
SOME PLANS FOR COMPOSITION WORK. 
 
 175 
 
 
 TITLE. 
 
 » 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 525 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 M 
 
 fc 
 
 
 
 IV. 
 
 1—1 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 !z; 
 
 
 
 W 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 s 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 i 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 ll 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 fe 
 
 
 
 ' tf 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 fo 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 fc 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 H^l 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
176 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The Planning of the Composition. Supposing that the sub- 
 ject for the composition is ^^ A Country Eoad," the teacher 
 writes this upon the board. Then suggestions for topics are 
 asked of the class. As these are given, they are written, not 
 under the subject, but at one side. After the teacher has 
 drawn from the class a sufficient number of topics, the order 
 of their arrangement should be discussed. There should be, 
 also, an introduction to the subject. Perhaps we may give 
 such an introduction as this : 
 
 As I was once driving with m j father from Haverhill to 
 Hampstead, we came to a road that branched off at the 
 right. It looked so cool and shady, so quiet and inviting, 
 that my father turned the horse into it and we drove slowly 
 along it. 
 
 Then the plan, as arranged, may be like this : 
 Introduction — Where we found the road. 
 
SOME PLANS FOR COMPOSITION WORK. 177 
 
 Time of season at which we explored it. 
 
 The trees, shrubs, flowering plants, and weeds that lay 
 along it. 
 
 The scattered houses along the way, and any interesting 
 things noticed about them. 
 
 The little animals seen along the way ; the birds. 
 
 The sunshine sifting through the trees. 
 
 The end of the road. 
 
 The little schoolhouse that was at the corner. 
 
 The delights of such a ride. 
 
 Other subjects which may be planned in the same way are . 
 
 An Old Barn. 
 
 " The barn was low and dim and old. 
 
 Broad on the floor the sunshine slept. 
 And through the windows and the doors, 
 
 Swift in and out the swallows swept." 
 A Trout Brook. 
 A City Street, and its Sights. 
 The Snowstorm. 
 
 The Schoolroom Clock, and What it Sees. 
 Miss Cherry-Blossom's Party. 
 
 In Mrs. Dana's " Plants and their Children/' will be found 
 a wealth of material that may be used in compositions on 
 flowers. 
 
 The Stories Told by the Tiles of an Old-Fashioned Fire- 
 place. (Describe what they may have seen.) 
 Faces that the Mirror Sees. 
 
 The Story of an Echo. 
 12 
 
178 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 PHRASES AND CLAUSES. 
 
 Groujps of words may he used to perform the office of a 
 noun^ an. adjective^ or an adverh. 
 
 When such a group of words does not contain a subject 
 and a j^redicate., it is called a phrase. 
 
 When such a group of words contains a subject and a 
 predicate^ it is called a clause, 
 
 I. 
 
 The Phrase as a Noun. 
 
 1. To help others is the secret of happiness. 
 
 What is the secret of happiness ? What is the subject of 
 the verb is^ Is this subject a word or a group of words? 
 Does this group of words contain a subject and a predicate ? 
 What name do we apply to it ? Like what part of speech is it 
 used ? 
 
 2. The children wished to visit the Old Manse at Con- 
 cord. 
 
 What did the children wish ? What is the object of the 
 verb wished'^ Is it a word or a group of words ? What name do 
 we apply to it ? AYhy ? Like what part of speech is it used ? 
 
 3. It was interesting to see the scene of the Concord 
 fight. 
 
 What group of words means the same thing as it f How 
 do you know that this group of words is a phrase ? Like what 
 part of speech is it used ? 
 
PHRASES AND CLAUSES. 179 
 
 A phrase used to perform the office of a nou7i is a noun 
 phrase. 
 
 Why may we say that each of the phrases in the above sen- 
 tences performs the office of a noun ? 
 
 Find the noun phrases in the following sentences. Why 
 do you think that each is a noun phrase ? 
 
 4. To relieve the wretched was his pride. 
 
 5. Being faithful in little duties makes us worthy of 
 great trusts. 
 
 6. Hygiene teaches us to keep the pores of the skin 
 open. 
 
 7. To watch a spider building his web is a lesson in 
 patience. 
 
 8. The hunter loves roaming the forests in search of 
 game. 
 
 9. To breathe the fragrant air of the forest is a pleasure. 
 
 II. 
 
 Hie Phrase as an Adjeetwe, 
 
 1. Contentment is a pearl of great price. 
 
 What group of words modifies ^earZ^ This phrase performs 
 the office of what part of speech ? 
 
 2. " All at once I saw a crowd, 
 
 A host of golden daffodils." 
 
 What group of words modifies liostf This phrase performs 
 the office of what part of speech ? 
 
 3. The smell of clover in the fields, of blooming rye on 
 the hills, of the mid grape beside the woods, and of the 
 
180 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 sweet honeysuckle and spiraea beside the house, often comes 
 back to him who lived, as a child, in the country. 
 
 What phrases modify smell f Find four other phrases that 
 are used as adjectives in the above sentence, and tell what 
 noun each modifies. 
 
 A phrase used to jperform the office of an adjective is an 
 adjective phrase. 
 
 Find the adjective phrases in the following selection, and 
 tell what each modifies. 
 
 The warm breath of the meadow comes up in your face ; 
 to your knees you are in a sea of daisies and clover ; from 
 your knees up you are in a sea of solar light and warmth. 
 ISTow you are prostrate like a swimmer, or like a surf -bather, 
 reaching for pebbles or shells ; then like a devotee before a 
 shrine, or naming his beads, your rosary strung with luscious 
 berries. 
 
 —From "Picking Wild Strawberries," by John Burroughs. 
 
 III. 
 The Phrase as an Adverb. 
 
 1. " The mistletoe hung in the castle hall, 
 
 2. The holly branch shone on the old oak wall." 
 
 What group of words tells where the mistletoe hung ? where 
 the holly branch shone ? What does each of these groups of 
 words modify ? These phrases are used as what part of speech ? 
 
 3. The trees are heavy with leaves, and the gardens full 
 of blossoms. The whole atmosphere is laden with perfumed 
 sunshine. 
 
PHRASES AND CLAUSES. 181 
 
 What group of words modifies the adjective heavy? full? 
 the verb is laden f These phrases are used as what part of 
 speech ? 
 
 A phrase used to perform, the office of a/n adverh is am, 
 adverbial phrase. 
 
 Find the adverbial phrases in each of the following sen- 
 tences. Why do you think each an adverbial phrase ? What 
 does each modify ? 
 
 4. Keep your* friends by fidelity, conquer your foes by 
 courtesy, win all by goodness and kindness. 
 
 5. The martins came promptly on the first day of April, 
 and took up their quarters in the boxes that we had pre- 
 pared for them ; and soon all sorts of birds arrived by 
 thousands, and made the island alive with soimd and 
 motion. 
 
 6. " Can you put the lily back on the stem. 
 
 And cause it to live and grow ? 
 Can you mend the butterfly's broken wing 
 That you crushed by a hasty blow ? " 
 
 lY. 
 
 Find the phrases in the following sentences ; determine of 
 what kind each is ; state what word each adjective phrase or 
 adverbial phrase modifies. 
 
 1. It is not right to say an unkind thing. 
 
 2. To observe the habits of animals or of birds is a 
 most delightful study. 
 
 3. September is the month of tall weeds. They give a 
 rich color to the roadsides. Along the country ways there 
 
18.2 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 grows an abundance of golden-rod and of blue and purple 
 asters. Here and there, like flame, appear the leaves of the 
 crimson sumac ; while behind the fence, or crowning the 
 rocks, appears the dark green of the cedars mth a still fire 
 of woodbine at its heart. 
 
 4. The fish all run down stream in the fall, except the 
 trout. By mid-October the toads and the turtles have 
 buried themselves in the earth. The black bear mil go 
 into winter quarters when the snow comes. He does not 
 like the looks of his big tracks in the snow. They tell 
 too plainly about his comings and goings. 
 
 5. " Towards the sun his hands were lifted, 
 
 Both the palms outspread against it, 
 And between the parted fingers 
 Fell the sunshine on his features, 
 Flecked with light his naked shoulders, 
 As it falls and flecks an oak tree 
 Through the rifted leaves and branches." 
 
 Write sentences containing the following phrases : 
 
 1. To speak the truth — 
 
 2. Sharing our pleasures with our friends — 
 
 3. Washing the dishes — 
 
 4. Playing football — 
 
 5. To travel in foreign countries — 
 
 6. — to see the bright stars at night. 
 Y. — to learn the habits of bees. 
 
PHRASES AND CLAUSES. 183 
 
 8. — to avoid bad company. 
 
 9. — to be courteous to everyone. 
 
 10. — by saving little sums of money. 
 
 11. Of the sun ; of the flowers ; of the horse ; of a kind 
 word ; in the city ; in the country ; in Central Africa ; in 
 the school ; protecting his little birds ; helping the smaller 
 children ; guiding his boat ; finding a crow's nest ; sleeping 
 on a bed of fir balsam ; of clear, cool water ; of dry fire- 
 wood ; into the river ; between the two tents ; above the 
 dark woods ; through the thick branches ; along the deep, 
 dark stream ; on the ice. 
 
 Write a composition on A Camp in the Woods, and under- 
 line all the phrases that you use. 
 
 The plan for the composition may contain the following 
 hints : Keason for camping out ; place selected for the 
 camp ; pitching the tent ; spreading the boughs for the bed ; 
 cooking ; the sports of the day ; the occupations of the 
 evening ; strange sounds and sights in the forests. 
 
 Note : Phrases are sometimes named from the word which 
 introduces them, thus, prepositional phrase, participial phrase, 
 etc. Since the service that a word or group of words performs 
 determines the part of speech under which it is classed, it is 
 better to hold to this one principle (of service) in naming. We 
 may, however, say that the phrase is introduced by a prepo- 
 sition, a participle, etc., thus : Tlie child was cradled in a 
 manger, "/w a matiger " is an adverbial phrase of place, intro- 
 duced by the preposition in, and modifying the verb ^^ was 
 cradled" 
 
184 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAIIMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 CLAUSES. 
 
 I. 
 
 The Clause as a Nov/n. 
 
 1. That idleness is the mother of mischief has been 
 proved by many examples. 
 
 Wliat has been proved ? Is the subject of lias been proved 
 a word or group of words ? Does this group of words contain 
 a subject and a predicate ? What name may we apply to it ? 
 Like what part of speech is it used ? 
 
 2. Philip E'olan said that he would go to sleep. 
 
 What did Philip Nolan say ? What is the object of saidf 
 Is it a word or group of words ? Does it contain a subject and 
 predicate ? Like what part of speech is it used ? 
 
 A clause used to perform the office of a noun is a noun 
 clause. 
 
 Find the noun clauses in the following sentences : 
 
 3. When misfortunes come is the time to test friend- 
 ships. 
 
 4. I saw that the little boat was in danger; that it 
 could escape the rocks seemed impossible ; that it would go 
 over the falls seemed unavoidable. 
 
 5. " Tommy thought there was no one to see him, 
 
 I^one in the road, or the fields, or the wood ; 
 
 But all the willows, and all the grasses, 
 
 And clouds and daisies could see where he stood." 
 
CLAUSES. 185 
 
 11. 
 
 The Clause as an Adjective. 
 
 1. There cannot be a man who loves the old flag 
 as I do. 
 
 What group of words modifies man f This clause performs 
 the office of what part of speech ? 
 
 2. He read all the foreign papers that came into the 
 ship. 
 
 What word does the clause that came into the ship modify ? 
 It performs the office of what part of speech ? 
 
 3. The barn swallows Avho build in barns or covered 
 bridges usually line their nests with soft feathers. 
 
 What is the clause in this sentence ? What does it modify ? 
 Like what part of speech is it used ? 
 
 A clause used to jperforrrb the office of an adjective is an 
 adjective clause. 
 
 Find the adjective clauses in the following sentences ; tell 
 what each modifies ; give a reason for calling it a clause ; for 
 calling it an adjective clause : 
 
 4. I would not honor on my list of friends the man who 
 needlessly sets foot upon a worm. 
 
 5. Weeds that give food to neither bee nor beast fur- 
 nish seeds to the fall and winter birds. 
 
 ^ 6. He who walks in other people's tracks makes no dis- 
 coveries. 
 
 7. " Dare to be true ! Nothing can need a lie ; 
 
 A fault which needs it most grows two thereby." 
 
186 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND QRAM3IAR. 
 
 8. " He prayeth best who loveth best 
 
 All things both great and small ; 
 For the dear God who loveth us, 
 He made and loveth all." 
 
 9. " All the buttercups standing together, 
 
 All the wild roses that stood by the way. 
 Laughed and rustled, ' See Tommy, see Tommy ! — 
 Tommy played truant to-day.' " 
 
 III. 
 
 The Clause as an Adverb, 
 
 1. When the Indian paddled his canoe on the Merri- 
 mack, its waters turned no mill wheels. 
 
 What clause denotes time in this sentence ? the time of 
 what verb ? What verb does the time-clause modify ? It per- 
 forms the office of what part of speech ? 
 
 2. Where the great cities of Manchester, Lawrence, and 
 Lowell are now, there was only an unbroken solitude. 
 
 What clause denotes place in this sentence ? The clause 
 modifies the thought of what statement ? 
 
 3. While the winter weather is most severe the blanket 
 of snow protects the roots of the little plants. 
 
 4. Before the snow had ceased to fall the sun broke 
 through the western clouds. 
 
 What clause in each of the above sentences is an adverbial 
 clause ? Why may we call it an adverhial clause ? 
 
 5. If any other man was ill, Philip Nolan was the 
 kindest nurse in the world. 
 
CLAUSES. 187 
 
 6. Then if anybody was sick or died, he was always 
 ready to read prayers. 
 
 7. If you do not know the story of Philip Nolan, you 
 will enjoy reading it in " The Man Without a Country." 
 
 In these three sentences the modifying clauses are condi- 
 tional clauses. They state under what conditions the principal 
 statements are true. They are adverbial clauses. 
 
 A clause used to jperform the office of an adverb is an 
 adverbial clause. 
 
 Find the adverbial clauses in the following sentences ; state 
 why they are adverbial clauses, and what each modifies : 
 
 8. In the Paradise of Children, whenever a child wanted 
 his dinner he found it growing on a tree, and, if he looked 
 at the tree in the morning, he could see the expanding blos- 
 som of that night's supper. 
 
 9. While this old world was in its infancy, there lived 
 two children named Epimetheus and Pandora. 
 
 10. Once on a time, when Pandora entered the cottage 
 where Epimetheus lived, she saw a great box. 
 
 11. Although she was warned not to open the box, she 
 did open it. 
 
 12. As she opened it, a great cloud of little beings 
 rushed out. 
 
 13. When they had come out, they began to annoy the 
 whole world, for the name of each one was Trouble. 
 
 14. " When to the flowers — so beautiful — 
 
 The Father gave a name, 
 Back came a little blue-eyed one 
 (All timidly it came) 
 
188 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 And standing at its Father's feet, 
 
 And gazing in His face, 
 It said in low and trembling tones. 
 
 With sweet and gentle grace : 
 ' Dear God, the name Thou gavest me 
 
 Alas ! I have forgot.' 
 Then kindly looked the Father down, 
 
 And said, ' Forget-me-not.' " 
 
 lY. 
 
 What are the clauses in the following sentences ? Of what 
 kind is each, and what do the adjective and adverbial clauses 
 modify ? 
 
 1. How Hiawatha built his light canoe is told in the 
 chapter entitled, " Hiawatha's Sailing." 
 
 2. The Birch Tree said, " Take my cloak, O Hiawatha ! " 
 and the Cedar said, " Take my boughs, O Hiawatha ! " and 
 the Fir Tree said, " Take my balm, O Hiawatha ! " 
 
 3. He who swims against the tide needs strong arms. 
 
 4. He who reigns within himself, and rules passions, 
 desires, and fears, is more than a king. 
 
 5. When the Breton sailor puts to sea, his prayer is, 
 '^ Keep me, my God, for my boat is so small and Thy ocean 
 is so wide ! " 
 
 6. But, oh, how silently yet how truly does the faint 
 color that is seen on the willows across the snow, speak to 
 me of softer skies and golden weather ! 
 
 7. A weed seems never to lose its courage ; when it 
 cannot have the best ground, it will accept the poorest. 
 
CLA USES. 189 
 
 8. He who speaks evil of another to you, will speak evil 
 of you to another. 
 
 Y. 
 
 An adjective clause introduced hy a relative jyronoun is 
 called a relative clause. 
 
 Find the relative clauses, their verbs, subjects nominative, 
 relative pronouns and antecedents, in the sentences preceding 
 and in the paragraph that follows : 
 
 In his own room David had gathered the treasures which 
 he loved best ; the rod that had been his companion in 
 many a joyful fishing excursion, the rifle which he had 
 never used to destroy life since he saw the reproachful eyes 
 of the wounded deer, the medal which he had won "by 
 honorable deportment and faithful effort," in the district 
 school. Above the cap that his father wore in the war he 
 had hung a little silken flag like that for which his father 
 had died. Over his desk hung a picture of his mother, 
 beneath which he had placed a vase that was seldom with- 
 out flowers, and lying on the desk, worn with use, was the 
 Bible which was her last gift to him. The books here were 
 those which were like old friends : " The Swiss Family Kob- 
 inson," "A Child's History of England," " The Franconia 
 Stories," " Henry Esmond," and " Lorna Doone." 
 
 Insert relative clauses in the following sentences : 
 
 1. The snow, which , was unbroken by any 
 
 track when morning came. '^^ 
 
 2. The men, whose , broke paths through the 
 
 drifted roads. 
 
 3. The little birds, whom , sought food in the 
 
190 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR, 
 
 sheaf of wheat the kind farmer had put outside his 
 
 door for them. 
 
 4. The well-curb, over , looked like a Chinese 
 
 roof. 
 
 5. A huge drift, , was tunneled through. 
 
 6. The sun, not seen three days, shone upon 
 
 a world of white. 
 
 When a sentence is composed of two or more clauses^ each 
 independent of any other, the clauses are said to be coordinate. 
 
 When a clause bears the relation of a noun, an adjective, or 
 an adverb to any other clause, it is said to be a subordinate 
 clause. The clause to which it bears such relation is said to be 
 principal to it. 
 
 Classify as principal or subordinate the clauses in the illus- 
 trative sentences in this chapter. 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE PARSING OF A PREPOSITION. 
 
 In parsing a preposition, state : 
 I. What kind of a phrase it introduces. 
 II. To what word it shows the relation of its object. 
 Parse the prepositions in Chapter XXXVI ; IV, V. 
 
 II. 
 THE PARSING §F A CONJUNCTION. 
 In parsing a conjunction, state : 
 
 I. What kind of a conjunction it is — coordinate, if it 
 connect words, phrases, or clauses that are coordinate (inde- 
 
A SELECTION FOE STUDY AND MEMORY. 191 
 
 pendent of each other) ; subordinate, if it connect a subor- 
 dinate clause to a principal clause. 
 
 II. If coordinate, what elements it connects ; if subor- 
 dinate, what kind of a clause (noun, adjective, or adverbial) 
 it introduces, and to what it joins it. 
 
 Conjunctions occurring in pairs — both, and ; not only, hut ; 
 either, or; thoiiyh, yet — have the joining force of a single 
 word, and should be parsed together. 
 
 Parse the conjunctions in Chapter XLI. 
 
 III. 
 
 INTERJECTIONS. 
 
 Interjections, having no grammatical relations to any other 
 words, are simply named as interjections, and classified by the 
 feeling which each expresses. 
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 
 
 In preparation for the study of the selection given beyond 
 — '^ The Chambered Nautilus '* — the class may be shown, if 
 possible, the shells of the paper nautilus and the pearly 
 nautilus, or pictures of these mollusks. Then they should 
 learn the facts given in the following introduction. Thus they 
 may be led to see how the poet's fancies build upon simple 
 facts : that, like the painter or the sculptor, he fashions com- 
 mon material into something of wonderful beauty. 
 
 In the Southern seas, and especially in the Mediterranean 
 in the neighborhood of Messina, there is found a kind of 
 floating polyp or cuttle fish vnih. eight arms, two of which 
 
192 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 are expanded into broad webs which once were thought to 
 be sails for the little mollusk — sails which it spread to the 
 breeze that it might be wafted over the " unshadowed seas." 
 So the poet calls this little argonaut — 
 
 " The venturous bark that flings 
 On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings 
 In gulfs enchanted." 
 
 These webbed arms are not sails; they are the hands 
 with which the little creature grasps his boat, or shell, when 
 swimming. They fashion, too, the boat, for they give the 
 secretion of which it is made ; they mend and repair it Avhen 
 any break comes in its delicate texture, soldering like skil- 
 ful workmen into its crevices any chance bit of shell that 
 comes in their way. The boat in which the nautilus rides 
 is very thin, like paper ; it is transparent, and so flexible 
 that when wet its sides may be pressed together. The little 
 occupant of the boat may leave it at his pleasure, since he is 
 attached to it only by the grasp of the two arms, but some- 
 times in fright — ^for the paper nautilus is very timid — he 
 loses his boat, and dies because bereft of it. 
 
 There is another nautilus, the pearly nautilus, whose 
 shell is like pearl, beautiful in texture and color. Unlike 
 the paper nautilus, the pearly nautilus is attached to his 
 shell. This shell is chambered, and in the outer chamber 
 lives its tenant. These chambers are air chambers, and the 
 nautilus has such control over them that the shell swims or 
 sinks at his pleasure. He lives in deep water, but sometimes 
 floats along the shore, his tentacles outspread, but not re- 
 sembling the purple sails of the paper nautilus. 
 
A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 193 
 
 After reading the poem a dictionary study should be made of 
 unfamiliar words. Then every line of the poem should be talked 
 over with the pupils, every possible picture should be presented, 
 and the choice of words and the beauty of expression brought 
 to their consciousness. They must see the change that comes 
 in the fourth stanza, and express in their own prose the mean- 
 ing of the last two stanzas. Then they should recall by mem- 
 ory the sequence of pictures and ideas. After this careful and 
 interesting work, the memorizing of the poem requires but 
 little effort. 
 
 The Chambered IN^autilus. 
 
 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 mngs 
 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 pearl ! 
 
 And every chambered cell, 
 Where its dim dreaming life Avas wont to dwell. 
 As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell. 
 
 Before thee lies revealed, — 
 Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed ! 
 
 Year after year beheld the silent toil 
 
 That spread his lustrous coil ; 
 
 Still, as the spiral grew, 
 He left the past year's dwelling for the new, 
 13 
 
194 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 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 wandering 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 rings. 
 Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings : — 
 
 Buil'd 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. 
 Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea ! 
 
 —Oliver Wendell Holmes. 
 
 [Oliver Wendell Holmes, an American poet, born in Cam- 
 bridge, Massachusotts, August 29, 1809 ; died October 7, 1894.] 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 THE PREDICATE AND THE AP POSITIVE USE OF ADJECTIVES. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. The garden is not pretty now. 
 
 2, The roses have been beautiful, the lilies have been 
 exquisite, the violets have been abundant ; but a severe 
 storm has broken the stalks and shattered the flowers. 
 
PREDICATE AND APPOSITIVE USE OF ADJECTIVES. 195 
 
 3. The children were tired and silent, but after they 
 had rested they became \erj merry and sportive. 
 
 What is the predicate in the first sentence ? What adjective 
 forms a part of it ? What noun does that adjective modify ? 
 What is the relation of that noun to the predicate verb ? 
 
 Analyze the first three predicates of the second sentence in 
 the same way. 
 
 What is the first predicate in the third sentence ? the last 
 predicate in that sentence ? Analyze each to show the relations 
 of the adjectives to the predicate verb and to the subject nomi- 
 native. 
 
 An adjective forming apart of the predicate of a sentence 
 and modifying the subject nominative of the predicate verb 
 is a predicate adjective. 
 
 Such adjectives are used to complete the meaning of the 
 verbs isj become, appear, look, seem, sound, taste, feel, and some 
 others. 
 
 Find the predicate adjectives in the following sentences, 
 and state what noun each modifies : 
 
 4. At the approach of day the birds were very songful, 
 but as the sun rose higher they became more quiet. 
 
 5. The earth appeared freshened by the rain ; the grass 
 looked greener, the air seemed clearer, and the sound of the 
 bells, heard across the blossoming meadows, was more 
 musical. 
 
 6. The food looked coarse but it tasted delicious, and 
 after eating heartily of the supper that the neat housewife 
 had kindly prepared for us, Ave felt greatly refreshed. 
 
196 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAM3IAR. 
 
 A predicate adjective may follow an infinitive to complete 
 the statement about the suhject of the infmitive. 
 
 Find the predicate adjectives in the following sentences, and 
 state the case of the noun or pronoun which each modifies : 
 
 7. America expects every son of hers to be brave and 
 loyal. 
 
 8. I wish you all to be happy, to become wise, to appear 
 courteous, and to seem gentle. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. The man, tired and hungry, was grateful for the 
 food and rest that we gave him. 
 
 2. I love the house, so homelike yet so humble ; the gar" 
 den, so fragrant with flowers and with memories ; the dear, 
 familiar river, still sparkling as in the days of my happy 
 childhood. 
 
 3. And if my feet have trodden streets prouder than 
 the old country road, and I have lived in palaces more mag- 
 nificent than I could imagine in those older days, yet if I 
 could find the old content and the dear, familiar faces there, 
 I would gladly live once more in the little brown cottage, 
 and wander no farther than along the grass-grown road and 
 the field paths that were its neighbors. 
 
 Adjectives sometimes stand in a relation that is less close 
 than that of an attributive adjective. They are placed after 
 the nouns which they modify, are separated from them by a 
 comma, and are equivalent to a qualifying clause or introduc- 
 tory to one. This is the appositive use of adjectives. 
 
 In the three sentences that are given above, find the adjec- 
 
THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES. 197 
 
 tives that are used appositively, state what each modifies, and 
 change the group of words in which each is found into a quali- 
 fying clause. What kind of a clause other than qualifying is 
 each ? 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. Blanca Peak is 14,463 feet high; Mont Blanc is 
 15,781 feet high ; Mt. Everest is 29,002 feet high. 
 
 2. Blanca Peak is a high mountain. 
 
 3. Mont Blanc is higher than Blanca Peak. 
 
 4. Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. 
 
 In this set of sentences we have made a statement in regard 
 to Blanca Peak — that it is a high mountain. 
 
 We compare two mountains, Mont Blanc and Blanca Peak, 
 and state that Mont Blanc is the higher. 
 
 We compare Mt. Everest with all the mountains of the 
 world, and state that it is the highest. 
 
 5. Philadelphia is a large city. 
 
 6. Chicago is a larger city than Philadelphia. 
 Y. New York is the largest city of the three. 
 
 In this set of sentences we state that Philadelphia is a large 
 city. 
 
 We compare two cities, and state that Chicago is the larger. 
 
 We compare three cities. New York, Chicago, and Phila- 
 delphia, and state that New York is the largest of the tliree. 
 
 We have changed the forms of the adjectives high and large 
 
198 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 to make a comparison between two objects, and to make a com- 
 parison of one object with more than one other object. 
 
 The form of the adjective that we use in a simple state- 
 ment is the positive form ; in a comparison of one object with 
 one other, the comparative form ; and in a comparison of one 
 object with more than one other, the superlative form. 
 
 The comparison of an adjective is a change of its expression 
 to indicate a higher, or the highest, degree of what is denoted 
 by the adjective. 
 
 An adjective is of the positive degree when its form 
 indicates no comparison. 
 
 An adjective is of the comparative degree when it 
 indicates comparison of one object with one other. 
 
 An adjective is of the superlative degree when it 
 indicates comparison of one object with more than one other. 
 
 8. Kalph is a tall boy ; Harry is taller than Kalph ; 
 Fred is the tallest of the three. 
 
 9. Fred is careful ; Howard is more careful than Fred ; 
 Arthur is the most careful of all the boys. 
 
 Of what degree of comparison is each adjective in the pre- 
 ceding sentences ? 
 
 Of the following adjectives which are positive, which of the 
 comparative degree, and which of the superlative degree of 
 comparison ? Which indicate no comparison, which a com- 
 parison between two objects, and which a comparison between 
 more than two objects ? 
 
 happy more thoughtful richer 
 
 longest most industrious colder 
 
THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES. 199 
 
 cold 
 
 coldest 
 
 strongest 
 
 strong 
 
 stronger 
 
 friendly 
 
 most friendly 
 
 more beautiful 
 
 sweet 
 
 sweetest 
 
 pleasanter 
 
 loveliest 
 
 Put each form in a good sentence. 
 
 Supply adjectives in these blanks ; state of what degree each 
 is, and why : 
 
 10. To-day is than yesterday. 
 
 11. The sun is than the moon. 
 
 12. The dog is the of all animals. 
 
 13. The Spring wore her dress. 
 
 14. The Mississippi is - — than the Amazon. 
 
 15. London is than Paris. 
 
 16. The days in winter are than the days in sum- 
 mer, but the nights are . 
 
 11. February is the month of the year. 
 
 18. The flowers are all gone. 
 
 II. 
 
 Regularly the comparative form of adjectives of one syllable 
 and of some of two syllables is made by adding the syllable -er 
 to the positive form ; the comparative form of most adjectives 
 of two syllables and of all adjectives of more than two syllables 
 is made by prefixing the word more ; the superlative form of 
 adjectives of one syllable and of some of two is made by adding 
 the syllable -est to the positive form ; the superlative form of 
 most adjectives of two syllables and of all adjectives of more 
 than two syllables is made by prefixing the word most to the 
 positive form. 
 
300 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Write the regular comparison of the following adjectives, 
 and use each form correctly in a sentence : 
 
 brave 
 
 beautiful 
 
 wise 
 
 lovely 
 
 easy 
 
 mischievous 
 
 strong 
 
 polite 
 
 kind 
 
 thoughtful 
 
 rapid 
 
 swift 
 
 slow 
 
 lazy 
 
 happy 
 
 Note : Final y, when not preceded by a vowel, is changed 
 to i before adding -er or -est. 
 
 The following adjectives are compared irregularly. Learn 
 carefully their comparison: 
 
 Positive 
 
 Comparative 
 
 Superlative 
 
 good 
 
 better 
 
 best 
 
 bad, ill, or evil, worse 
 
 worst 
 
 little 
 
 less 
 
 least 
 
 rtiuch 
 
 more 
 
 most 
 
 many 
 
 more 
 
 most 
 
 late 
 
 later | 
 latter ) 
 
 latest ) 
 last i 
 
 
 far 
 
 farther 
 
 farthest 
 
 old 
 
 " older 1 
 elder f 
 
 oldest 1 ^ 
 eldest ) 
 
 
 
 further 
 
 furthest 
 
 fore 
 
 former * 
 
 foremost ] 
 first i 
 
 
 
 hind 
 
 hinder 
 
 hindmost 
 
 * Older and oldest apply to persons or things ; elder and eldest to per- 
 sons only. 
 
THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES. 201 
 
 Positive Co7)iparativ6 S^iperlative 
 
 inner inmost | 
 
 innermost ) 
 nether nethermost 
 
 upper upmost ) 
 
 uppermost ) 
 nigh nigher nighest | 
 
 next ) 
 outer outmost | 
 
 outermost ) 
 top topmost 
 
 utmost ) 
 
 uttermost 
 
 Study the adjectives in the following sentences. What 
 kind of an adjective is each ? What does it modify ? Of what 
 degree of comparison is it ? How is it compared ? 
 
 The patient humble bee glides over the golden butter- 
 cups, humming to himself as he goes, so happy is he. 
 Down to the flowering nettle in the mossy-sided ditch, up 
 into the tall elm, along the banks of the purling brooks, far 
 inside the deepest woods, he wanders. His nest is under the 
 rough grasses. The great oak may tremble in the storm, the 
 heavy rain deluge the little flowers, the thick grasses be 
 bowed, and the fierce blasts may tear the green oak leaves, 
 but his home remains safe. The storm passes; the air is 
 sweeter and richer for the rain, like verse with a rh3nne ; 
 there will be more honey in the flowers. Humble the bee is, 
 but wild — always wild, and humming to his flowers. 
 
 — Arranged from " The Pageant of Summer," 
 
 by Richard Jeffries. 
 
202 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR, 
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 THE PARSING OF AN ADJECTIVE. 
 
 In parsing an adjective we state, in order : 
 
 I. The class to which it belongs — descriptive, desig- 
 nating, or limiting. 
 
 II. Its use — attributive, predicate, or appositive. 
 
 III. Its degree of comparison — positive, comparative, or 
 superlative. 
 
 lY. The noun or pronoun which it modifies. 
 
 Exercises in parsing adjectives may be given upon the selec- 
 tions in Chapters XXI., LY., and LYI. 
 
 CHAPTER LVIIl. 
 THE ADVERB. 
 
 {A review and expaiisiori of Chapter XXV.) 
 
 1. Kemember now thy Creator. 
 
 2. " Often I think of the beautiful town 
 
 That is seated by the sea." 
 
 3. Always the sun is shining somewhere. 
 
 4. "Up and down the village street 
 
 The mimic army passed." 
 
 5. Many men have suffered severely in defence of their 
 country. 
 
 6. " Therefore be at peace henceforward. 
 
 And as brothers live together." 
 
 7. Hiawatha journeyed westward. 
 
THE ADVERB. 203 
 
 8. When Hiawatha built his canoe, he 
 " Closely sewed the bark together, 
 Bound it closely to the framework." 
 
 In the above sentences certain words limit or modify the 
 meanings of the verbs. Now limits the time of the verb 
 remerriber ; often gives the idea of repetition to the verb think ; 
 always of continuance to the verb is shining ; somewhere of 
 place to the verb is shining ; up and down of direction to the 
 Yerh passed ; severely of degree to the verb have suffered j there- 
 fore of cause, and henceforward of time, to the verb be (see 
 also section IV., following) ; together of manner to the verb 
 live; westward of direction to the yexh journeyed ; when of 
 time to the verb built; closely of manner to the verb sewed, 
 and closely of manner to the verb bound. 
 
 Words that limit or modify the meaning of verbs are adverbs. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. The house where Whittier was bom is a very old 
 New England farmhouse. 
 
 2. The screech owl has quite long ear-tufts of feathers 
 which stand up very straight over his yellow eyes. He is 
 finely mottled above with brown, black, and dark orange. 
 
 What part of speech is old in the first sentence ? What 
 word modifies it ? What part of speech is long in the second 
 sentence ? What word modifies it ? What other words in that 
 paragraph modify adjectives ? 
 
 Words that modify the meaning of adjectives are adverbs. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. The hour-hand of a clock moves very slowly, but the 
 minute-hand moves quite rapidly. 
 
204 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 2. The cold and the snow have come too soon. 
 
 3. The robins have flown far away. 
 
 Read the first sentence, omitting very and quite. What do 
 slowly and rapidly modify ? What part of speech is each ? 
 What word modifies each ? Read the second sentence, omitting 
 too. What does soon modify ? What word modifies soon 9 
 What does away modify ? What modifies away 9 
 
 Words that modify the meaning of adverhs are adverhs. 
 
 lY. 
 
 1. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
 days of my life. 
 
 2. We never looked upon a fairer sight than the glory 
 of the sun upon the mountain snows. 
 
 3. " Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid 
 
 Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire." 
 
 In the above sentences the adverbs surely, never, and per- 
 haps, modify each the sense of the complete sentence rather 
 than any particular word in it. 
 
 An adverb is a word that modifies the meaning of a 
 verl)^ adjective, or another advcrh, or the sense of a complete 
 clause or sentence. 
 
 An adverb that modifies a complete clause or sentence is 
 termed a modal adverb. 
 
 The adverbs Yes and No, used independently in answer to 
 questions, have the value of complete sentences to which they 
 give an affirmative or negative meaning. They are therefore 
 modal adverbs. 
 
 An adverb used to introduce a question is an interrogative 
 adverl. 
 
THE COMPARISON OF ADVERBS. 205 
 
 An adverb serving as a conjunction becomes an adverbial 
 conj unction f for the service that a word performs determines 
 what part of speech it is, and any subordinate relation that it 
 holds may be expressed by an adjective modifying the noun 
 that names its service. 
 
 An adverb sometimes modifies a prepositional phrase, as in 
 the sentence The road goes far beyond the limits of the town. 
 
 The prepositional phrase, beyond the limits of the town, modi- 
 fies adverbially the verb goes. The adverb far modifies the 
 prepositional phrase. It will be seen that this is the use of an 
 adverb to modify another adverb. 
 
 There, used to introduce a sentence but not to indicate the 
 adverbial relation of place, is an expletive, the term meaning 
 that it is used merely io fill out the sentence. 
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE COMPARISON OF ADVERBS. 
 
 1. The horse goes swiftly,. 
 
 The electric cars go more swiftly. 
 The steam cars go most swiftly. 
 
 2. The robin sings sweetly. 
 
 The bobolink sings more sweetly. 
 The song-sparrow sings most sweetly. 
 
 3. The boy ran fast, the man ran faster, but the horse 
 T2J1 fast est. 
 
 4. Mary writes often, Annie writes oftener, and Alice 
 writes oftenest. 
 
206 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 5. Robert does his work well, Arthur does his work 
 better, and Philip does his work hest 
 
 The form of most adverbs of manner and degree may be 
 changed to express a higher, and the highest, degree of what 
 is denoted by the adverb. This is termed comparison of 
 adverbs. 
 
 Adverbs are compared generally by prefixing to the simple 
 adverb more to form the comparative degree, and most to form 
 the superlative degree. 
 
 Compare in this way the adverbs formed in section IV. of 
 the preceding lesson. 
 
 Some adverbs add to the positive -er to form the compara- 
 tive, and -est to form the superlative, thus : positive soon, com- 
 parative sooner, superlative soonest. 
 
 Compare in this way the following : fast, near, often, loud. 
 
 The following adverbs are irregular in their comparison : 
 
 Positive 
 
 Com^parative 
 
 Superlative 
 
 well 
 
 better 
 
 best 
 
 ill 1 
 
 badly f 
 
 worse 
 
 worst 
 
 
 
 near 
 nigh 
 
 nearer 
 
 nearest 
 
 
 
 fore 
 
 further 
 
 furthest 
 
 far 
 
 farther 
 
 farthest 
 
 late 
 
 later 
 
 latest ) 
 last S . 
 
 
 
 (rath) 
 
 rather 
 
 Note : Rath is an old word, not now in use, meaning 
 quichly ; hence, rather means more qicickly, sootier. 
 
THE PARSING OF AN ADVERB. 207 
 
 II. 
 
 THE PARSING OF AN ADVERB. 
 In parsing an adverb we state, in order : 
 
 I. What kind of adverb it is — time, place, cause, man- 
 ner, direction, etc. 
 
 II. Its degree of comparison. 
 
 III. The verb, adjective, adverb, phrase, clause, or sen- 
 tence, which it modifies. 
 
 Parse the adverbs in the following sentences : 
 
 1. In early summer the nests that still have eggs in 
 them are not, like the nests of the earlier spring days, easily 
 found. 
 
 2. The tall growth of the grass quite covers the nests 
 of the birds who build on the ground. 
 
 3. A crow rises lazily from the field, and flies heavily 
 into an apple tree, cawing hoarsely and dolefully in his 
 flight. 
 
 4. A little brown bird scolds sharply from the apple 
 tree, and then, all at once, with a quick flight, dives into 
 the hedge. 
 
 5. Presently he will be back again in the apple tree, 
 watching sharply the strange and unwelcome being who has 
 come so boldly into his domain. 
 
 6. Birds differ as much in their characteristics as men 
 do, but they resemble men quite closely in caution and 
 curiosity. 
 
 Note : When several words are used as a single adverbial 
 expression, as all at once in the fourth sentence, it is best to 
 parse them together as a phrase adverb. 
 
208 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LX, 
 THE USE OFPREDICATE ADJECTIVES AFTER VERBS OF SENSATION, ETC. 
 
 1. The rose smells sweet — not sweetly. 
 
 The modifier represents a quality of the subject noun, not 
 a manner of action of the predicate verb. 
 
 2. In her plain drab gown the Quakeress looked 'beauti- 
 ful — not beautifully. 
 
 The modifier represents a quality of the subject noun, not a 
 manner of action of the predicate verb ; hence we properly use 
 an adjective — not an adverb. 
 
 3. The music sounds distinct^ but the trumpet sounds 
 distinctly. 
 
 The quality of distinctness belongs in the first clause to the 
 music, not to the action of the verb ; in the second clause, the 
 quality of distinctness belongs to the action of the verb and 
 not to the trumpet. This difference may be seen if we use the 
 verb is. We may say, The music is distinct, but we cannot say. 
 The trumpet is distinct. 
 
 The error of using an adverb instead of a predicate adjective 
 in such sentences as the above is very common. A careful 
 analysis of the following sentences will establish a method of 
 deciding in such cases between the adverb and the predicate 
 adjective. 
 
 4. How sweet the flowers smell ! 
 
 Does sweet denote a quality of the flowers, or the manner 
 of action ? Compare : Thefiowers are sweet. The flowers sway 
 gently. 
 
o 
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 10, 
 
 THE USE OF PREDICATE ADJECTIVES. 209 
 
 The prisoner appears innocent. 
 
 The prisoner felt glad to be released. 
 
 The flowers were arranged beautifully. 
 
 The flowers looked beautiful, as they were arranged. 
 
 His cough sounds bad. 
 
 The boy sounds his r's badly. 
 
 Give the correct forms of the following sentences : 
 
 11. The piano sounds (bad^ hadly) because it is out of tune. 
 
 12. It sounds {])ad, hadly) to hear anyone swear. 
 
 13. She feels {bad, hadly) because her mother is ill. 
 
 14. She feels {bad, hadly) because she has done wrong. 
 
 Note : Some recent authors would use had when moral 
 badness is implied, and hadly when the feeling arises from 
 something else than the moral badness of the subject. This 
 distinction has not, however, the authority of usage. It is 
 interesting to analyze such sentences as the above, noticing 
 whether moral badness is or is not implied. 
 
 15. An old shoe feels {easy, easily). 
 
 16. The apple in my desk feels {soft, sofUy). 
 
 17. The boy feels {soft, softly) in his desk for his pen. 
 
 18. She looked {innocent, innocently) to me. 
 
 19. She looked {innocent, innocently) at me. 
 
 Explain these sentences : 
 
 20. I gladly felt in my pocket for a coin for the poor 
 man, and I felt glad to help him. 
 
 21. The oaths that the organ man uttered when his 
 organ sounded {Ijad, hadly), sounded ij)ad, hadly). 
 
 14 
 
210 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 22. When I heard the voice of my dear mother it 
 sounded {good, well) to me. 
 
 23. I knew that his health was restored because his 
 voice sounded so {good, well). 
 
 24. The carriage rides easy. The carriage rides easily. 
 
 Which of these last sentences would represent the feeling 
 to the person within the carriage ? Which would represent 
 the way in which it rolls over the road ? 
 
 25. As you tell the story it sounds different. As you 
 play the trumpet it sounds differently. 
 
 Is each of these sentences correct ? Explain. 
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 A LESSON FOR DICTIONARY WORK AND FOR DISCUSSION. 
 
 A teacher who had grown weary in correcting composi- 
 tions, fell asleep late one evening over her work. From 
 her light slumber she was aroused by the noise of voices 
 that sounded much as they do when they are heard over a 
 telephone. As the teacher's senses grew more keen, she 
 found that the voices came from some little beings that 
 seemed to be sitting on the pile of compositions and hold- 
 ing a discussion there. They were Familiar Words who 
 were discussing their wrongs. 
 
 " The children are not entirely to blame for misusing 
 us," said the first speaker. " They do as the big people 
 with whom they associate do — their fathers and mothers, 
 for example." 
 
A LESSON FOE DICTIONARY WORK. 211 
 
 " But their fathers and mothers may not have been 
 taught how to treat us, and these children have," said a 
 little fellow ; " although I have reason to complain very 
 severely of the treatment that nearly everyone gives me. 
 Now my name is Of, and I am not very big, but that is no 
 reason why everybody should take advantage of me. I am 
 the most mercilessly overworked word in the dictionary. 
 People say that they ' consider of ' and * approve of ' and 
 ' accept of ' and ' admit of ' all sorts of things. Then they 
 say ' all of us ' and ' both of them ' and ' first of all,' and 
 they tell about looking ' out of the window ' or cutting a 
 piece of bread ' off of the loaf.' " 
 
 " Pshaw ! " said the word C^?, " I am not much bigger 
 than you, and I do twice as much work. People ' wake up ' 
 in the morning and ' shake up ' the bed and ' wash up ' and 
 ' dress up ' and ' draw up ' to the table and 'eat up ' and 
 
 * drink up ' their breakfast. Then they ' jump up ' from the 
 table and ' hurry up ' to ' go up ' to the corner where the 
 street car driver ' pulls up ' and the passengers * ascend up ' 
 the steps and ' go up ' into the front seats, and the conductor 
 ' takes up ' their fares. All that is done before people ' get 
 up ' town and ' take up ' their day's work. From that time 
 until they ' put up ' their books and ' shut up ' their offices 
 I do more work than any two Avords in the book, and even 
 after business hours I am worked until people ' lock up ' 
 their houses and * go up ' to bed and ' cover themselves up ' 
 and ' shut up ' their eyes for the night. All this is not half 
 of what I have to ' put up ' with, and I am a good deal 
 
 * worked up ' over it." 
 
 " I do a great deal of needless work," said But. " People 
 
212 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 say that they have no doubt ' but that ' it will rain, and 
 that they shouldn't wonder ' but that ' it would snow." 
 
 " What I complain of," said the word As, " is that I am 
 forced to associate so much with the word Equally. Only 
 yesterday a man said that he could see ' equally as ' well as 
 another man. I don't see what business Equally had in 
 that sentence." 
 
 " We, too, ought to be granted divorce," said a clamor 
 of many voices, among which could be distinguished those 
 of these couples : Cover Over, Enter In, From Thence, Go 
 Fetch, Have Got, Latter End, Continue On, Converse To- 
 gether, Ne\o Beginner, Old Veteran, Retmrn Bach, Rise Ujp^ 
 Sinh Down, They Both, Try And, More Perfect, Seldom 
 Ever, Almost Never, Feel Badly, United Together, Over 
 Again, Repeat Again, and others. 
 
 When quietude had been restored, the word Rest said, 
 " It is much worse to be cut out of your own work. I am 
 ready to perform my part in the speech of the day, but 
 almost everybody passes me and employs my awkward 
 friend Balance. It is the most common thing in the world 
 to hear people say that they will pay the ' balance ' of the 
 debt or will sleep the ' balance ' of the night." 
 
 " I should like to protest," said Among, " against Mr. 
 Between doing my work. The idea of a man saying that he 
 divided an orange ' between his three children ' ! " 
 
 " It is no worse," said Fewer, " than to have people say 
 that there were ' less ' men in one army than in the other." 
 
 " IS'o," added More Than, " and no worse than to have 
 them say that there were ' over ' 100,000 men." 
 
 " My friend Liable is doing nearly all of my work," said 
 
A LESSON FOR DICTIONARY WORK. 313 
 
 Likely. " People say a man is ' liable ' to be sick or * liable ' 
 to be out of town, when the question of liability does not 
 enter the matter at all." 
 
 "That fellow Such is doing all of my work," said So, 
 " People say that there was never ' such ' a glorious country 
 as this, when they mean, of course, that there was never so 
 glorious a country elsewhere." 
 
 " I heard someone say," said Yery^ that she was awfully 
 glad that it was going to be vacation, and she was a 
 teach — " 
 
 At this instant a slight breeze, or possibly some other 
 cause, toppled the uppermost composition upon the desk, 
 and when the teacher had replaced it, it was evident from 
 the silence that the convention had adjourned. 
 
 —Adapted from "Language that Needs a Rest," 
 
 by Willis Brooks Hawkins. 
 
 After the study and discussion of the correct use of these 
 words, the pupils should write sentences containing them prop- 
 erly used. Make a list of these words in the order in which 
 they occur, and number them. "Write sentences containing 
 •words one, two, and three, for one day ; luords two, three, and 
 four, for the next day ; words three, four, and five for the next 
 day, etc. 
 
 In this way each word will be written in three different 
 sentences on consecutive days, by each pupil, with the advan- 
 tage of dwelling upon their correct use the longer time. 
 
314 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA31MAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LXII. 
 THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS. 
 
 Begin with a capital letter : 
 
 The first word of a sentence, 
 
 The first word of every line of poetry, 
 
 Every proper noun, 
 
 Every proper adjective (adjective derived from a proper 
 noun). 
 
 All names applied to God and to Jesus Christ, 
 
 The names of religious denominations, of political parties, 
 of great historical events, and of days designated for 
 patriotic, religious, or memorial observance. 
 
 Common nouns personified, 
 
 The names of the months. 
 
 The names of the days of the week, 
 
 The words North, South, East, and West, when meaning 
 sections of the country, but not when meaning points of the 
 compass. 
 
 Titles of honor and respect. 
 
 Titles of relationship when forming a part of the 
 address. 
 
 The words sir, madam, and their plurals, sirs, gentle- 
 men, mesdames, when used in the salutation of a letter, 
 
 The first word of a direct quotation. 
 
 The important words in the titles of books, essays, and 
 other literary articles. 
 
 The words I and are always ^vritten in capitals. 
 
THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS. 215 
 
 Justify the use of capitals in the following selections : 
 
 1. Character is what we are ; reputation is what others 
 think us to be. 
 
 2. When the English Pilgrims went to Holland, they 
 were quiet and happy for awhile, but they were very poor ; 
 and when the children began to grow up, they Avere not 
 like English children, but talked Dutch, like the little ones 
 of Holland, and some grew naughty and did not wish to go 
 to church any more. 
 
 3. Glory to Thee, my God, this night, 
 For all the blessings of the light ; 
 Keep me, O keep me, King of kings. 
 Beneath Thine own almighty wings. 
 
 — Thomas Ken. 
 
 4. The church of the Episcopalians was of brown stone. 
 A gilded cross rose from its graceful tower, and a broad lawn 
 of well-kept greensward surrounded it. 
 
 5. Come, gentle Peace, and vvith your presence heal the 
 land o'er which the iron heel of War has trampled. 
 
 6. First April, she with mellow showers. 
 Opens the way for early flowers ; 
 Then after her comes smiling May 
 In a more rich and sweet array ; 
 Next enters June and brings us more 
 Gems than the two that went before ; 
 Then lastly July comes, and she 
 
 More wealth brings than all those three. 
 
 —Egbert Herrick. 
 
216 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 7. The storm detained us in Portsmouth from Wednes- 
 day to Saturday. 
 
 8. Strive as God's saints have striven in all ages : 
 
 Press those slow steps where other feet have trod : 
 For us their lives adorn the sacred pages, 
 
 For them a crown of glory is with God. 
 Soldiers of Jesus ! blest who endure ! 
 Stand in the battle ! The victory is sure. 
 
 9. I look hopefully forward to the time when peace 
 and unity shall hold sway over the whole land ; when there 
 shall be no North, no South, no East, no West, but one 
 undivided country. 
 
 10. The President of the United States, the Governor 
 of the Commonwealth, the Mayor of the city of Boston. 
 
 11. My dear Sir : My dear Madam : My dear Mother : 
 My dear Aunt Mary : 
 
 12. Will you kindly give this copy of "Will Shake- 
 speare's Little Lad " to my aunt, Miss Louisa Pyne ? 
 
 13. Please give my loving wishes to Aunt Louisa. 
 
 14. A German poet says, " Kindness is the golden chain 
 by which the world is bound together." 
 
 15. David Crockett said, " Be sure you're right — then 
 go ahead ! " 
 
 16. Sarah Orne Jewett wrote " Tales of S^ew England." 
 IT. I have been reading " At the Back of the North 
 
 Wind," by George Macdonald. 
 
 18. In support of a measure so profoundly patriotic, 
 party lines were swept aside, and Kepublicans and Demo- 
 crats voted only as loyal sons of one common country. 
 
THE CORRECT USE OF ''SHALL'' AND ''WILL." 217 
 
 CHAPTER LXIII. 
 
 THE CORRECT USE OF "SHALL " AND " WILL." AND OF "SHOULD " 
 AND "WOULD." 
 
 1. I shall see the general to-morrow. 
 
 2. You will see the general to-morrow. 
 
 Each of these sentences states simply a future act — some- 
 thing that naturally will happen — simple futurity. 
 
 3. I will see the general to-morrow. 
 
 4. You shall see the general to-morrow. 
 
 Each of these sentences expresses a future act that will 
 happen because of the determination, wish, or willingness of 
 the speaker — distinct volition. ( Volition means an exercise 
 of the will.) 
 
 To express simple future action^ use shall in the Jurst per- 
 son and will in tJie second and third persons. 
 
 To express future action that will happen hecause of the 
 determination, wish, or willingness of the speaker, use will in 
 the first person, and shall in the second and third persons. 
 
 What do shall and will express in each of the following sen- 
 tences ? 
 
 5. I shall never go to that place again. 
 
 6. I will never go to that place again. 
 
 Y. If I buy " Betty Alden " I shall not keep it. I will 
 give it to you. You ^vi\\ read it Avith much pleasure, and 
 it will strengthen your interest in the early colonial history. 
 
318 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 8. His memory is very good, and I am sure that he will 
 not forget his promise. 
 
 9. He shall not forget his promise, for I will remind 
 him of it. 
 
 10. "We shall never again behold the army marching 
 with unbroken ranks, but we will not forget the dead 
 heroes. We will cover their graves with flowers, we will 
 recount their deeds of heroism, we will teach the children 
 to love and honor them, ^o, their lives and deeds shall 
 not be forgotten. 
 
 Decide if simple futurity or distinct volition is to be ex- 
 pressed by the following sentences, and insert shall or will 
 accordingly. 
 
 11. I be happy to do you a kindness. 
 
 12. You be sorry if your friend goes away. 
 
 13. You not make so great a sacrifice for me; I 
 
 not allow it. 
 
 14. If you give me " Evangeline," I value it highly. 
 
 15. We always be delighted to see our friends. 
 
 n. 
 
 1. Mr. Sumner says, " I shall see the general to- 
 rrow." 
 
 2. Mr. Sumner says that he shall see the general to- 
 morrow. 
 
 3. Mr. Sumner says, " I will see the general to-mor- 
 row." 
 
 4. Mr. Sumner says that he mil see the general to- 
 morrow. 
 
THE CORRECT USE OF ''SHALL'' AND ''WILL." 219 
 
 A direct quotation is one in which the actual words, of the 
 speaker are used, such words being inclosed in quotation 
 marks, as in the first and third sentences above. 
 
 An indirect quotation is one in which the thought, but not 
 the exact words of the speaker, are given, as in the second and 
 fourth sentences above. 
 
 In indirect quotations shall {or should) is used when the 
 exact words of the speaker contained shall {or should), and 
 will {or would) is used when the exact words of the speaker 
 contained will {or would). 
 
 Why are should and tvould used in the following sentences ? 
 
 5. My mother said, "I shall give you Hawthorne's 
 * Wonder Book ' for your Christmas gift. You will find it 
 very interesting." 
 
 6. My mother said that she should give me Haw- 
 thorne's " Wonder Book " for my Christmas gift, and that 
 I would find it very interesting. 
 
 7. Frank's father said to him, " I shall go to Washing- 
 ton during your vacation, and I will take you with me." 
 
 8. Frank's father said to him that he should go to 
 Washington during his vacation, and that he would take 
 him with him. 
 
 9. The little girl thinks that she shall not be afraid of 
 the animals in the cages. 
 
 What is her direct thought ? What does shall express ? 
 
 10. The little boy thinks that he will try to learn " The 
 Wreck of the Hesperus." 
 
 What is his direct thought ? What does will express ? 
 
320 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 11. I am afraid that I shall not be able to go to the 
 seashore. 
 
 12. My father is afraid that I will not consent to go to 
 the seashore. 
 
 13. My father is afraid that he shall not be able to go 
 to the seashore. 
 
 What is the direct thought in each of the above sentences ? 
 Explain the use of shall and will. 
 
 Quote these thoughts indirectly after the following past 
 tenses : 
 
 I was afraid that ; My father was afraid that I ; 
 
 My father was afraid that he . 
 
 III. 
 
 1. Shall you see the general to-morrow? I shall see 
 him. 
 
 2. Will you ask him to call upon me ? I will ask him. 
 
 3. Will you please lend me your book ? I will, with 
 pleasure. 
 
 4. Shall you need it before to-morrow? I shall not 
 need it. 
 
 6. Will there be a holiday next week ? Monday will 
 be a holiday. 
 
 6. Shall Lester be allowed to be disobedient ? IS'o, Mr. 
 Eandolph, Lester shall not be allowed to be disobedient. 
 
 In asking questions use shall {or should) invariahly in the 
 first person^ and in the second or third person use that form 
 of the verb which the answer will cordain — shall {or should) 
 if the answer will contain shall {or should), will {or would) if 
 the answer will contain will {or would). 
 
THE SIMPLE SENTENCE. 231 
 
 Insert the right auxiliaries in the following sentences : 
 
 7. you be at home this evening, and, if you are, 
 
 — you show me your photographs of Italian views ? 
 
 8. " I go to the feast ? " said an engineer in Hol- 
 land one stormy day, " or I stay to help take care of 
 
 the dykes ? " He thought a moment, then said, " Take care 
 of the dykes I must and ." 
 
 9. you like to hear the story of " The Paradise of 
 
 Children " ? 
 
 10. you study the harder if I take the time to tell 
 
 it to you ? 
 
 11. " I thrash the enemy to-day, or die a-trying," 
 
 said General Houston, on the morning of the battle of San 
 Jacinto. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIV. 
 THE SIMPLE SENTENCE. 
 
 1. The robin is our best-known bird. 
 
 2. Robins build strong, compact nests. 
 
 3. They build a frame of twigs and weed stems in the 
 crotch of a branch. 
 
 4. They line this with mud. 
 
 5. The birds mold this mud with their breasts. 
 
 6. The soft inner lining of the nest is formed of hair 
 and dry grass. 
 
 What is the subject of each of these sentences ? the predi- 
 cate ? What is the subject nominative of each of these sen- 
 tences ? the predicate verb ? How many subjects nominative 
 
223 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 in each sentence ? How many predicate verbs ? How many 
 complete thoughts in each sentence ? 
 
 7. The flight and song of the robin are characteristic. 
 
 8. He flies rapidly and moves through the air in straight 
 lines. 
 
 What are the subjects of each sentence ? the predicates ? 
 What are the subjects nominative in the first sentence ? Is 
 each the subject of the same predicate verb ? What is the 
 subject nominative of the second sentence ? What are the 
 predicate verbs ? Has each predicate verb the same subject 
 nominative ? 
 
 9. Eobins and bluebirds come early in the spring and 
 delight us with their sweet songs. 
 
 What are the subjects nominative of this sentence ? the 
 predicate verbs ? Is each predicate verb the predicate verb of 
 the first subject nominative ? of the second subject nominative ? 
 
 A simple sentence is one containing a single sub- 
 ject nominative or a group of subjects nominative, and a sin- 
 gle predicate verb or a group of predicate verbs, and is the 
 expression of a single complete thought. 
 
 The expression of a single complete thought may con- 
 tain: 
 
 One subject nominative and its predicate verb. 
 
 Two or more subjects nominative, and one predicate verb 
 which is common to them. 
 
 One subject nominative, and two or more predicate verbs 
 of which it is the common subject nominative. 
 
THE ANALYSIS OF SIMPLE SENTENCES. 223 
 
 Two or more subjects nominative, and two or more predi- 
 cate verbs common to all of the subjects nominative. 
 
 The subject of a sentence is the nominative noun or pro- 
 noun and all of its modifiers ; the subject 7iominative of a sen- 
 tence is the nominative noun or pronoun alone. 
 
 The predicate of a sentence is the predicate verb with all of 
 its modifiers ; the predicate verb of a sentence is the verb alone 
 of the predicate. 
 
 Write the model sentences given, drawing a single horizon- 
 tal line under the subject of each sentence, and two horizontal 
 lines under the predicate, thus : 
 
 The robvn is our best known bird. 
 
 CHAPTER LXV. 
 THE ANALYSIS OF SIMPLE SENTENCES. 
 
 The analysis of a sentence consists of : 
 
 I. The separation of the sentence into its subject 
 and predicate. 
 II. The statement of what is the subject nominative, 
 and what are its modifiers ; and of what is the 
 predicate verb, and what are its modifiers. 
 III. The statement of the relation of the several parts 
 of any modifier consisting of more than one 
 word. 
 
224 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Illustrative Analyses of Simjole Sentences. 
 
 1. The sweet singing of the birds quickly aroused me 
 from my light slumber. 
 
 The sweet singing of the hirds quickly aroused me from 
 
 TYiy light sluTnber. 
 
 Subject nominative^ singing 
 
 The 
 
 sweet 
 of birds 
 
 the 
 
 Predicate verh. aroused 
 
 me 
 
 quickly 
 from slumber 
 
 my 
 light 
 
 The modifiers of each word lie beyond the vertical line that 
 follows it. A dash beyond that line shows that there is no 
 further modification. 
 
 Note : The value of grapliic analysis is in its being done 
 with greater economy of time^ and with less fatigue and 
 nervous tension, than oral analysis. Furthermore, it shows to 
 the teacher almost at a glance whether or not the pupil under- 
 stands the construction of a sentence and the relation of its 
 several parts. If the teacher thinks it wise to have oral analyses 
 given, it will be found the best plan to make graphic analyses 
 first, and to use these as bases of the oral work. The system 
 
THE ANALYSIS OF SIMPLE SENTENCES. 
 
 225 
 
 of graphic analysis here given is extremely simple, and a care- 
 ful study of the illustrative models will easily make one master 
 of it. 
 
 2. Mounted on Kyrat strong and fleet, 
 
 His chestnut steed with four white feet, 
 
 Roushan Beg, called Kurroglou, 
 Son of the road and bandit chief, 
 
 Seeking refuge and relief. 
 Up the mountain pathway flew. 
 
 -From "The Leap of Rouslian Beg," 
 
 by Longfellow. 
 
 Sulj, nom., Eoushan Beg 
 
 called-Kurroglou | - 
 son I of road | the | - 
 
 chief 
 mounted 
 
 bandit I - 
 
 Kyrat 
 
 on 
 
 strong 
 
 § 
 
 Q. 
 
 (steed) 
 
 his I- 
 chestnut 
 with feet 
 
 fleet I - 
 steed 
 
 (see helow) 
 
 I seeking 
 
 refuge 
 
 four I - 
 white 1 - 
 
 relief 
 
 Pred. verb, flew | up pathway 
 
 the I - 
 mountain 
 
 The brace signifies that the word following it is an apposi- 
 
 tive. 
 
 15 
 
226 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Analyze the following sentences : 
 
 3. The groves were God's first temples. 
 
 4. Honor thy father and thy mother. (What is the 
 subject ?) 
 
 5. How faithfully the dog guards his little master ! 
 
 6. The moon and the myriad stars shone in the 
 heavens. 
 
 Y. How beautiful the eyes of the patient oxen are ! 
 
 8. So the autumn came and passed. 
 
 9. He was not killed, but was severely injured. 
 
 10. Wonderful things are hidden away in the heart of 
 a little brown seed : the stalk and the leaf, and the blossoms 
 so gay, and the delightful fragrance. 
 
 11. " Over my shaded doorway, 
 
 Two little brown-winged birds 
 
 Have chosen to fashion their dwelling. 
 
 And utter their loving words." 
 
 CHAPTER LXVI. 
 THE COMPLEX SENTENCE. 
 
 1. What you have done is the deed of a hero. 
 
 What is the first verb in this sentence ? What is its sub- 
 ject nominative ? What is the subject of the verb is? What 
 kind of a clause is What you have done 9 
 
 2. Last spring I saw a meadow that was full of cowslips. 
 
 What is the first verb in this sentence ? What is its subject 
 nominative ? What is the second verb in this sentence ? AVhat 
 is its subject nominative ? AYhat kind of a clause is that was 
 full of cowslips 9 
 
THE COMPLEX SENTENCE. 237 
 
 Let us put a wavering line over the modifying clause of this 
 sentence : 
 
 Last spring I saw afield iJiat was full of cowslips. 
 
 3. I thought of the beautiful Field of the Cloth of Gold 
 of which I have read. 
 
 Find each verb in this sentence and its subject nominative. 
 Which of these verbs is in a modifying clause ? What does the 
 clause modify ? What kind of a clause is it ? Write the sen- 
 tence, drawing a wavering line over the modifying clause. 
 
 4. The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a plain in France 
 Avhere the king of France and the king of England met in 
 1520. 
 
 Find each verb in this sentence and its subject nominative. 
 Which of these verbs is in a modifying clause ? AVhat does it 
 modify ? What kind of a clause is it ? Write the sentence, 
 drawing a wavering line over the modifying clause. 
 
 5. If you read the history of England you will learn 
 the interesting story of this meeting. 
 
 What is the first verb in this sentence ? What is its subject 
 nominative ? What is the second verb ? What is its subject 
 nominative ? Which of these verbs is in a conditional or 
 modifying clause ? What does this conditional clause modify ? 
 What kind of a clause is it ? Write the sentence^ drawing a 
 wavering line over the modifying clause. 
 
 In each of these sentences the wavering line over the noun or 
 the modifying clause shows the subordinate clause ; the rest of 
 the sentence is the principal thought, called the principal clause. 
 
 A complex sentence is one containing a clause used 
 as a noun or as a modifier. 
 
228 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVIl. 
 THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX SENTENCES. 
 
 The following are given as models for the analysis of com- 
 plex sentences. They should be carefully studied : 
 
 1. What you heme done is the deed of a hero. 
 
 This is a complex sentence with a subordinate noun 
 clause. 
 
 Subj. nom. {sub. noun clause), What you have done | - 
 {analysis of noun clause) 
 subj. nom., you | - 
 pred. verb, have done | what | - 
 
 Pred. verb, is-deed | of hero | a | - 
 The hyphen connecting is and deed shows the predicate 
 relation of deed. 
 
 2. Last spring I saw a meadow that was full qf cowslips. 
 This is a complex sentence with a subordinate adjective 
 
 clause. 
 
 Subj. nom., I I - 
 Fred, verb, saw 
 
 meadow a | - 
 
 {adj. clause) that was full of 
 cowslips I - 
 spring I last [ - 
 
 {analysis of adjective clause) 
 subj. nom., that | - 
 pred. verb, was-full | of cowslips | - 
 
 3. I thought of the beautiful Field of the Cloth of Gold 
 where the hing of France and the king of England met 
 mT52a 
 
THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX SENTENCES. 
 
 229 
 
 This is a complex sentence with a subordinate adjective 
 clause. 
 
 Suhj. nom., I | - 
 Pred. verb, thought 
 
 of field 
 
 the I - 
 
 beautiful I - 
 
 of Cloth I of Gold I - 
 
 {adj. dause) where the 
 king of trance and the 
 king of England met in 
 1520 I - 
 
 {analysis of adjective clause) 
 king of France | - 
 
 nom.. 
 
 king 
 
 of England | - 
 
 2>red. verb, met 
 
 where | - 
 in 1520 I - 
 
 4. If you read the history of England you will learn the 
 interesting story of that meeting. 
 
 This is a complex sentence Avith a subordinate adverbial 
 (conditional) clause. 
 
 Subj. nom., you | - 
 
 Pred, verb, will learn story the | - 
 
 interesting I - 
 of meeting I that | - 
 {adverbial clause) If you read the 
 history of England | - 
 
 {analysis of adverbial clause) 
 
 subj. nom., you | - 
 
 yred. verb, read | history the | - 
 
 of England | - 
 
 learn-7/^-read. 
 
230 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA3IMAR. 
 
 5. " For when the heart goes hefore, lihe a lamj)^ and 
 
 illumines the pathway^ 
 Many things are made clear, that else lie hidden hi 
 
 darlinessP 
 This is a complex sentence containing a subordinate 
 adverbial clause and a subordinate adjective clause. 
 
 Svhj. nom., things Many | - 
 
 {adj. claused that else lie hidden in 
 darkness [ - 
 
 {analysis of adjective clause) 
 
 subj. nom,. that I hidden 
 
 in darkness | - 
 else I - 
 
 pred. verb, lie | - 
 
 (adv. clause) when the heart 
 goes before, like a lamp, and 
 illumines the pathway | - 
 
 Pred. verh, are made-clear 
 
 {analysis of adverbial clause) 
 
 subj. nom., heart 
 
 the 1 - 
 
 
 like 1 lamp 
 
 goes 1 before [ - 
 
 pred, verbs, P 
 
 
 a - 
 
 illumines | pathway | the | - 
 are made clQ^x-when-goe^ and illumines 
 For is merely an introductory word. 
 
 Use the following order in the analysis of complex sentences : 
 I. Find the subject nominative of each verb. 
 II. Determine the full clause of which each verb and 
 its subject nominative are a part. 
 III. Select the principal clause. 
 ly. Decide what kind of a clause each subordinate one is. 
 
THE COMPOUND SENTENCE. 231 
 
 Y. Analyze the principal clause, placing each sub- 
 ordinate clause in such relation to it as its kind (noun, ad- 
 jective, or adverb clause) determines ; then — 
 
 YI. Analyze each subordinate clause as if it were in 
 itself a sentence. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVIII. 
 THE COMPOUND SENTENCE. 
 
 1. Little deeds of kindness make life pleasant; great 
 deeds of self-sacrifice make life noble. 
 
 With what punctuation marks may we close a complete 
 sentence ? How many sentences are there in the above illus- 
 tration ? What is the subject nominative of the first verb ? 
 of the second verb ? Is either of these clauses a noun clause, 
 or modifying clause ? Are the two statements independent 
 thoughts, neither modifying the other ? 
 
 2. He who sows courtesy reaps friendship ; and he who 
 plants kindness gathers love. 
 
 How many independent thoughts are there in the above sen- 
 tence ? What is the first thought ? the second ? What kind 
 of a sentence is the first thought in itself? the second ? 
 
 3. " The birds are glad ; the brier rose fills 
 
 The air with sweetness ; all the hills 
 Stretch green to June's unclouded sky." 
 How many independent thoughts are there in the above 
 selection ? What kind of a sentence is each thought ? 
 
 A compound sentence is the expression in one sen- 
 tence of two or more independent thoughts. 
 
 The several independent thoughts that are joined to form a 
 compound sentence are its elements. If tlie elements are in 
 
232 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 themselves simple sentences the sentence is called a compound 
 sentence witli simple elements. If one, two, or more, of the ele- 
 ments are in themselves complex sentences, the sentence is called 
 a compound sentence xoitli one, two, or more, complex elements. 
 
 The analysis of a compound sentence consists in stating what 
 kind of a compound sentence it is, and what are its elements ; 
 and then analyzing its elements as simple or complex sentences. 
 
 The following are illustrations of the analysis of compound 
 sentences : 
 
 '^ There, too, the dovecote stood, with its meeh and innocent 
 inmates 
 Murmuring ever of love, while above in the variant breezes 
 N'umherless noisy weathercocks rattled and sang of mutation?'^ 
 
 This is a compound sentence ^vith two simple elements. 
 I — First Element. 
 
 Suhj. nom., dovecote 
 
 The I - 
 with inmates 
 
 (Murmuring) 
 
 its I - 
 meek | - 
 and 
 
 innocent | - 
 Muraiuring 
 
 There | 
 
 too i - 
 
 Pred. verb, stood 
 
 ■Second Element. 
 Suhj. nom., weathercocks 
 
 ever ] - 
 of love 
 
 rattled 
 Pred. verbs, and 
 sang 
 
 IN'umberless | - 
 noisy | - 
 
 above | - 
 
 the I - 
 variant I ■ 
 
 in breezes 
 of mutation 
 
 Note : Too and above are really modal adverbs. See page 
 
 304. 
 
SENTENCES FOR ANALYSIS. 238 
 
 Me who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare. 
 And he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere. 
 
 This is a compound sentence with two complex ele- 
 ments. 
 
 First Element. 
 
 Suhj. norn., He 
 
 {adj. clause) who has a thousand 
 friends I - 
 
 {analysis of adjective clause) 
 rt suhj. nom., who | - 
 
 ^ pred. verb., has | friends | thousand | a | - 
 
 Pred. verb., has not | - 
 
 friend | a | - 
 to spare | - 
 
 ' — Second Element. 
 
 Bubj. nom., he | {adj. clause) who has one enemy 
 {analysis of adjective clause) 
 suhj. nom., who | - 
 ^ed. verb, has | enemy | one | - 
 
 Pred. verb, will meet 
 
 him I - 
 everyAvhere 
 
 CHAPTER LXIX. 
 
 SENTENCES FOR ANALYSIS. 
 
 1. Gratitude is the fairest flower that springs from the 
 soil ; and the heart of man knoweth none more fragrant. 
 
 2. The fairest flowers may grow in the blackest soil. 
 
 3. " The days are stilled, and the long nights hushed, 
 
 And the- far sky bums like the heart of a rose ; 
 And the woods, with the gold of autumn flushed, 
 Lavish their splendors in crimson snows." 
 
234 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 4. This meadow is the playground of the red- winged 
 blackbird. 
 
 5. As we stroll along he flies over our heads. 
 
 6. He calls out o-ha-lee^ and then soars slowly down to 
 the ground. 
 
 7. His red wings are like a soldier's epaulets. 
 
 8. " The little bird sits at his door in the sun, 
 
 Atilt like a blossom among the leaves, 
 And lets his illumined being o'errun 
 "With the deluge of summer it receives." 
 
 9. " His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings, 
 
 And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings ; 
 He sings to the wide Avorld, and she to her nest, — 
 In the nice ear of IN'ature which song is the best ? " 
 
 10. Many a boy values the Bible that his mother gave 
 him, because she gave it to him. 
 
 11. " In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine, 
 
 In your thoughts [is] the brooklet's flow." 
 
 12. As a pinch of lampblack will soil the whitest fabric, 
 so idle gossip will blacken the reputation of the purest man. 
 
 13. He lives long who. lives well; and time misspent is 
 not lived but lost. 
 
 14. " The green earth sends her- incense up 
 
 From many a mountain shrine ; 
 From folded leaf and dewy cup 
 
 She pours her sacred wine. 
 " The mists above the morning rills 
 
 Else white as wings of prayer ; 
 The altar curtains of the hills 
 
 Are sunset's purple air." 
 
A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 235 
 
 15. " The lettuce is to me a most interesting study. Let- 
 tuce is like conversation : it must be crisp and fresh, and so 
 sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it. Lettuce, 
 like most talkers, is apt to run rapidly to seed. Blessed is 
 that sort which comes rapidly to a head, and so remains, 
 like a few people I know ; growing more solid, and satis- 
 factory, and tender at the same time." 
 
 16. There is a beautiful Indian apologue which says that 
 a man once said to a piece of clay, " What art thou ? " The 
 reply was, "I am but a lump of clay, but I was placed 
 beside a rose and caught its fragrance." 
 
 17. An apologue is a story that is intended to convey 
 the teaching of some excellent lesson. 
 
 18. This apologue teaches us that if we associate with 
 what is good, we shall receive some of its goodness. 
 
 CHAPTER LXX. 
 A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 
 
 Song of the Chattahoochee.* 
 
 Out of the hills of Habersham, 
 Down through the valleys of Hall, 
 
 I hurry amain to reach the plain. 
 
 Run the rapid and leap the fall. 
 
 Split at the rock and together again, 
 
 Accept my bed, or narrow or wide. 
 
 And flee from folly on every side, 
 
 ♦ From " Poems of Sidney Lanier." Copyright, 1884, 1891, by Mary D. Lanier, and pub- 
 lished by Charles Scribner^s Sons. 
 
236 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 With a lover's pain to attain the plain, 
 Far from the hills of Habersham, 
 Far from the valleys of Hall. 
 
 All down the hills of Habersham, 
 
 All through the valleys of Hall, 
 The rushes cried. Abide, ahide, 
 The wilful waterweeds held me thrall. 
 The laving laurel turned my tide. 
 The ferns and the fondling grass said, Stay^ 
 The dewberry dipped for to work delay. 
 And the little reeds sighed. Abide, abide, 
 
 Here in the hills of Habersham, 
 
 Here in the valleys of Hall. 
 
 High o'er the hills of Habersham, 
 
 Yelling the valleys of Hall, 
 The hickory told me manifold 
 Fair tales of shade, the poplar tall 
 Wrought me her shadowy self to hold. 
 The chestnut, the oak, the walnut, the pine, 
 Overleaning, with flickering meaning and sign, 
 Said, Pass not, so cold, these manifold 
 
 Deej) shades of the hills of Habersham, 
 
 These glades in the valleys of Hall. 
 
 And oft in the hills of Habersham, 
 
 And oft in the valleys of Hall, 
 The Avhite quartz shone, and the smooth brook-stone 
 Did bar me of passage with friendl}^ brawl. 
 And many a luminous jewel lone 
 
A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND 3f EMORY. 237 
 
 — Crystals clear or a-cloud with mist, 
 
 Kuby, garnet, and amethyst — 
 
 Made lures with the lights of streaming stone 
 
 In the clefts of the hills of Habersham, 
 
 In the beds of the valleys of Hall. 
 
 But oh, not the hills of Habersham, 
 And oh, not the valleys of Hall, 
 Avail : I am fain for to water the plain. 
 Downward the voices of Duty call — 
 Downward, to toil and be mixed with the main ; 
 The dry fields burn, and the wheels are to turn, 
 And a myriad flowers mortally yearn. 
 And the lordly main from beyond the plain 
 Calls o'er the hills of Habersham, 
 Calls through the valleys of Hall. 
 
 —Sidney Lanier. 
 
 [Sidney Lanier (La-n5r'), a Southern poet, born in 
 Macon, Georgia, February 3, 1842; died in Lynn, IS'orth 
 Carolina, September 7, 1881.] 
 
 Where is the Chattahoochee river ? Where does it rise, in 
 what direction does it flow, and what water does it join ? 
 Why should Lanier sing of this river ? 
 
 For dictionary study : 
 
 
 
 amain 
 
 wilful 
 
 thrall 
 
 laving 
 
 fondling 
 
 dewberry 
 
 manifold 
 
 fair 
 
 wrought 
 
 flickering 
 
 glades 
 
 bar 
 
 brawl 
 
 luminous 
 
 a-cloud 
 
 crystals 
 
 ruby 
 
 garnet 
 
 amethyst 
 
 lures 
 
238 TEE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 streaming clefts fain main 
 
 myriad mortally yearn lordly 
 
 Or — or is a rare expression for luhether—or. 
 
 Pain, which sometimes means anxious effort, has here the 
 meaning of haste. 
 
 For to work, for to water ; for was once commonly used 
 before the infinitive form, but is not so used now. 
 
 Order of study : 
 
 1. Read the poem for its general meaning and spirit, 
 carefully observing the rhythm. 
 
 2. Study the pictures that it presents. 
 
 3. Study it for its music — rhythm, rhyme, alliteration. 
 
 4. The lesson of fidelity to duty, as illustrated in the 
 last stanza. The beneficence of the river. 
 
 Suggestions and hints : Out of the hills, because the be- 
 ginnings of a river are from the many little springs and rills that 
 are in the mountains ; hurry, run, leap, split, express just the 
 movement of the river in such places ; flee from folly may mean 
 that he does not listen to the voices that delay him from the 
 distant duty. 
 
 The poplar tall leans over and her shadow falls into the 
 water and seems to be held within its depths ; the overleaning 
 chestnut, oak, walnut, and pine, cast watering shadows within 
 the water, their branches waving like arms that beckon and 
 would detain ; the smooth brook-stone made a little obstacle to 
 his passage, and murmured as he went on. 
 
 V^^hy friendly brawl ? How did the luminous Jewels seek to 
 detain him ? 
 
 Is there another kind of rhyme in any of these lines than 
 
A SELECTION FOR STUDY AND MEMORY. 239 
 
 that of the final words — Hall, fall ; wide, side ; stay, delay, 
 etc.? 
 
 Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter or sound at 
 the beginning of two or more words in close or immediate suc- 
 cession ( Cent. Diet.). J'lee/rom/olly, ?^?ilful waterweeds, Zaving 
 /aurel, are examples. It was used in poetry before the rhyming 
 of final words was introduced. Study the various examples of 
 alliteration in this poem. Do they add to the music of the 
 poem ? In what four ways is this poem made musical ? Does 
 the rhythm (the movement) of the poem suggest the flow of a 
 river ? 
 
 What duties lie before the stream ? After it becomes 
 " mixed with the main" what becomes of its waters ? 
 
 Note : A short list of poems, essays, etc., suitable for liter-, 
 ary and grammatical study, and for composition work, is given 
 below. All of these may be found in very inexpensive editions : 
 
 Poems : Longfellow., The Building of the Ship, 
 
 The Courtship of Miles Stan- 
 dish, 
 Evangeline. 
 Whittier^ Selected stanzas from "The 
 Last Walk in Autumn," 
 The Tent on the Beach, 
 Snow-Bound. 
 Lowell, The Dandelion, with which 
 
 may be read a little poem by 
 John Albee, " Dandelions," 
 The Vision of Sir Launfal. 
 Ilohnes, The Living Temple. 
 
 Bryant., The Flood of Years. 
 
240 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Essays, etc. : 
 
 Burroughs, Birds and Bees, 
 Strawberries, 
 A Spray of Pine, 
 A Spring Eelish. 
 
 Hawthorne, The Old Manse. 
 Warner, A-Hunting of the Deer. 
 
 Ilolmss, My Search for the Captain. 
 
 Thoreau, Wild Apples. 
 
 Lincoln, The Gettysburg Speech. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXI. 
 
 THE TENSE OF VERBS. 
 
 I. 
 
 1. I hear the rippling of a little hrooh expresses simple 
 action at \hQ present time. 
 
 2. I heard the rippling of a little hrooh expresses simple 
 action in past time. 
 
 3. I shall hear the rippling of a little hrooh expresses 
 simple action in future time. 
 
 In the above sentences the form of the verb only is changed 
 to show the time of the action. The tense of the verb means 
 the time of the action as determined by the form of the verb. 
 Present tense means present time, past tense means j^ast time, 
 and future tense means future time. 
 
 What is the tense of each verb in the following sentences ? 
 
 4. The torrents of I^orway leap down from their moun- 
 
THE TENSE OF VERBS. 241 
 
 tain homes with plentiful cataracts, and run brief but glori- 
 ous races to the sea. 
 
 5. The streams of England move smoothly through 
 green fields and beside ancient, sleepy towns. 
 
 6. Once at sunset I came to an open space beside the 
 Stillwater river. 
 
 7. It was early spring, and the young leaves on the 
 trees were tiny. 
 
 8. On the top of a small sumac sat a veery. 
 
 9. I saw the pointed spots on his breast, the swelling of 
 his white throat, and the sparkle of his eyes, as he poured 
 out his whole heart into a long, liquid chant. 
 
 10. The slender sapling will grow into a graceful lady- 
 birch, and bend over the trout-hole. Other generations of 
 boys will come with rod and line to draw the speckled 
 beauties from their deep, silent haunts. And I, perhaps, 
 shall accompany them, for they may be my sons or grand- 
 sons, and I shall remember the delights of my boyhood days. 
 
 II. 
 
 1. I have heard the rippling of the little hrook expresses 
 action as occurring before the present time, but completed 
 at the present time. 
 
 2. I had heard the rippling of the little hrooh expresses 
 action as occurring before some past time, but completed at 
 that past time. 
 
 3. / shall have heard the rippling of the little hrook 
 represents action as occurring before some future time, but 
 completed at that future time. 
 
 The forms of the verb that denote completed action are 
 16 
 
242 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 called perfect forms. When the form of the verb shows that 
 the action is complete at the present time, the verb is of pres- 
 ent perfect tense ; complete at some past time^ of past perfect 
 tense; complete at some future time, of future perfect tense. 
 What is the tense of each verb in the following sentences ? 
 
 4. The brook has built a roof of ice over its waters. 
 
 5. The trees have covered the earth with a blanket of 
 brown leaves. 
 
 6. The buds of the horse-chestnut trees have put on 
 their waterproof cloaks. 
 
 7. The fruit had been gathered and stored away in the 
 bins in the farmer's cellar. 
 
 8. The flowers had planted their seeds in the ground. 
 
 9. The woodchucks had gone to their long winter sleep. 
 10. Before spring comes the squirrel will have eaten his 
 
 little store of nuts, the woodchuck will have consumed his 
 fat and will have grown lean, and the little birds that shel- 
 ter themselves in the Avoods will have grown tired of the 
 
 cold and the storms. 
 
 III. 
 
 1. lam listening to the rippling of a little hrooh expresses 
 the action as continuing or progressing at the present time. 
 
 2. / was listening to the rippling of a little hrooh repre- 
 sents the action as continuing or progressing in some past 
 time. 
 
 3. I shall he listening to the rippling of a little hrooh 
 represents the action as continuing ov progressing in some 
 future time. 
 
 4. / have heen listening is a progressive action complete 
 at the present time. 
 
THE TENSE OF VERBS. 243 
 
 5. / had been listening is a progressive action com- 
 plete at some past time. 
 
 6. / shall have been listening is a progressive action 
 complete in some futm*e time. 
 
 The forms of verbs that denote progressive action are 
 called jprogressiwe forms. Their tenses are named present 
 progressive, past progressive, future progressive, present per- 
 fect progressive, past perfect progressive, amd future perfect 
 progressive. 
 
 What is the tense of the verbs in the following sentences ? 
 
 7. We are watching the flight of a balloon. 
 
 8. The victorious troops are marching through the 
 streets ; their banners are flying, their drums are beating, 
 and the throng of onlookers is cheering their every step. 
 
 9. We had been watching a little sailboat afar out on 
 the waves. It had been going with great swiftness before 
 the \vind, when all at once the wind changed. 
 
 10. When you arise at seven the sun will have been 
 shining a full hour, the birds ^\ill have been singing for 
 three hours, and your pony will have been calling for his 
 master to come and give him his breakfast. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXII. 
 THE TENSE OF VERBS, Continued. 
 
 All statements have reference to present, past, or future 
 time. The form of a verb in a sentence determines the time to 
 which the statement has reference. 
 
244 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The time as expressed hy the form of the verh is tlie tense 
 of the verb. The word tense means time. 
 
 The tense-form of the verb also expresses the action or state 
 as a simple fact without reference to completeness or incom- 
 pleteness {indefinite) ; as complete {perfect) ; and as incom- 
 plete (progressive) ; thus — 
 
 Indefinite (Simple) Peefect Progressive 
 
 Pres. I listen I have listened I am listening 
 
 Past I listened I had listened I was listening 
 
 Future I shall listen I shall have listened I shall be listening 
 
 Perfect Progressive 
 Present I have been listening 
 Past I had been listening 
 Future I shall have been listening 
 
 Learn thoroughly the following forms 
 
 Present 
 
 Indefinite 
 
 Progressive 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 I listen 
 
 I am listening 
 
 2d 
 
 you listen 
 
 you are listening 
 
 3d 
 
 he listens 
 
 he is listening 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 we listen 
 
 we are listening 
 
 2d 
 
 you listen 
 
 you are listening 
 
 3d 
 
 they listen 
 
 they are listening 
 
 Past 
 
 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 I listened 
 
 I was listening 
 
 2d 
 
 you listened 
 
 you were listening 
 
 3d 
 
 he listened 
 
 he was listening 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 we listened 
 
 we were listening 
 
 2d 
 
 you listened 
 
 you were listening 
 
 3d 
 
 they listened 
 
 they were listening 
 
THE TENSE OF VERBS. 
 
 245 
 
 Future 
 
 Indefinite Progressive 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 I shall listen I shall be listening 
 
 2d 
 
 you will listen you ^vill be listening 
 
 3d 
 
 he will listen he will be listening 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 we shall listen we shall be listening 
 
 2d 
 
 you will listen you will be listening 
 
 3d 
 
 they will listen they will be listening 
 
 Present 
 
 Perfect 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 I have listened 
 
 2d 
 
 you have listened 
 
 3d 
 
 he has listened 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 we have listened 
 
 2d 
 
 you have listened 
 
 3d 
 
 Past 
 
 they have listened 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 I had listened 
 
 2d 
 
 you had listened 
 
 3d 
 
 he had listened 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 we had listened 
 
 2d 
 
 you had listened 
 
 3d 
 
 Future 
 
 they had listened 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 I shall have listened 
 
 2d 
 
 you vnW have listened 
 
 3d 
 
 he will have listened 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 we shall have listened 
 
 2d 
 
 you will have listened 
 
 3d 
 
 they ^vill have listened 
 
246 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GEAJUIAB. 
 
 Present 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 2(1 
 
 3d 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 2(1 
 
 3d 
 
 Past 
 
 1st person singular 
 
 2d 
 
 3d 
 
 1st " plural 
 
 2d 
 
 3d 
 
 Future 
 1st person singular 
 2d 
 3d 
 
 1st " plural 
 2d 
 3d 
 
 Perfect Pkogressive 
 
 I have been listening 
 you have been listening 
 he has been listening 
 we have been listening 
 you have been listening 
 they have been listening 
 
 I had been listening 
 you had been listening 
 he had been listening 
 \ye had been listening 
 you had been listening 
 they had been listening 
 
 I shall have been listening 
 you will have been listening 
 he will have been listening 
 we shall have been listening 
 you will have been listening 
 they will have been listening 
 
 Give the tense, person, and number of the following forms, 
 thus : / liear, present indefinite tense, first person, singular 
 number ; tliey had heard, past perfect tense, third person, 
 plural number ; you will have heen hearing, future perfect 
 progressive tense, second person, singular or plural number. 
 
 (1) He lives, (2) she reached, (3) they will help, (4) you 
 have made, (5) we had believed, (6) they will have fought, 
 
THE MODE OF VERBS. 247 
 
 (7) the day is passing, (8) the Turks were lighting, (9) the man 
 will be working, (10) we have been wandering, (11) you had 
 been playing, (12) the tree Avill have been growing, (13) I 
 finish, (14) he will have finished, (15) he will have been 
 finishing, (10) they will cross, (17) they had been crossing, 
 (18) they will have crossed, (19) they crossed, (20) you write, 
 (21) he wrote, (22) we shall write, (28) they have written, 
 (24) you had written, (25) I shall have written, (26) we are 
 writing, (27) the girls were writing, (28) the ladies will be 
 writing, (29) the men will have been writing, (30) they had 
 been singing. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIII. 
 THE MODE OF VERBS. 
 
 1. We refuse to listen to evil. 
 
 2. Shall we refuse to listen to evil ? 
 
 3. If we refuse to listen to evil we shall rebuke those 
 who speak it. 
 
 4. Though you speak no evil, it will harm you to listen 
 to those who do. 
 
 5. Go and tell those who speak evil that silence is better 
 than such speech. 
 
 6. Refuse to listen to evil. 
 
 The first sentence makes a statement as a fact. The second 
 sentence asks a direct question. 
 
 In the third sentence, If ive refuse to listen to evil expresses 
 not a fact but a condition. In the fourth sentence, Though you 
 speak no evil expresses something not as a fact, but as a sup- 
 position. 
 
248 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The liftli sentence expresses two commands. The sixth 
 sentence expresses an exhortation. 
 
 The mode of a verh is its tnanner of expressing. 
 
 The preceding sentences illustrate the three modes : the 
 indicative, which is the mode of direct assertion or inter- 
 rogation ; the subjunctive, which is the mode of supposed or 
 conditional assertion; and the imperative, which is the mode 
 of command. 
 
 The indicative mode is the mode of direct assertion 
 and interrogation. 
 
 The subjunctive mode is the mode of supposed or 
 conditional assertion. 
 
 The imperative mode is the mode of command. (The 
 form of command often expresses merely a wish or an ex- 
 hortation.) 
 
 Of what mode is each verb in the following sentences ? 
 
 7. " The windows of the wayside inn 
 Grieamed red with firelight." 
 
 8. Are you so much offended that you will not speak 
 to me? 
 
 9. Should any man speak evil of another to you, it is 
 well to ask why he speaks it. 
 
 10. When opportunity knocks at your door, admit her, 
 lest she come not again. 
 
 11. " Do thy duty ; that is best ; 
 
 Leave unto thy Lord the rest." 
 
 12. " Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; 
 they toil not, neither do they spin." 
 
 ^ 3. Would that the king were here ! 
 
THE VOICE OF VERBS, 249 
 
 14. JSliould you meet the king, be not afraid. 
 
 15. " Oh, square thyself for use ! A stone that may 
 
 Fit in the wall is not left by the way." 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIV. 
 THE VOICE OF VERBS. 
 
 1. The children are bringing the holly for Christmas. 
 
 2. The holly has been brought from the woods. 
 
 What is the subject nominative of the first sentence ? What 
 words represent the action ? AVhat word represents the doer 
 of the action ? What word represents the receiver of the 
 action ? 
 
 An analysis of this sentence is : children, the doer of the 
 action ; are bringing, the action ; Jiolly, the receiver of the 
 action. The doer of the action is the subject of the verb. 
 
 In the second sentence is holly the doer or the receiver of 
 the action of the verb ? 
 
 An analysis of this sentence is : holly, the receiver of the 
 action ; has been brought, the action. 
 
 The receiver of the action is the subject of the verb. 
 
 Analyze the following sentences in the same way : 
 
 3. All animals love and protect their little ones. 
 
 4. The tender plants within the seeds are protected by 
 the hard covering of the seed. 
 
 5. The birds that sing the most sweetly are most loved. 
 
 6. " Give fools their gold, and knaves their power ; 
 
 Let Fortune's bubbles rise and fall ; 
 Who sows a field, or trains a flower, 
 Or plants a tree, is more than all." 
 
350 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAH. 
 
 The voice of a verh shows 'whether the suhject of the 'verb 
 exerts or receives the action of the verh. 
 
 A verh is of active voice when its suhject exerts the 
 action expressed hy the verh. 
 
 A verh is of passive voice when its suhject receives the 
 action expressed hy the verh. 
 
 In the following sentences determine of each verb whether 
 it is of active or passive voice, and state the reason for your 
 decision : 
 
 7. An oriole builds her nest each year in an elm tree 
 near my window. The nest is built very carefully, and hung 
 by strong strings from a very slender branch. The wind 
 swings it like a cradle. The nest is swung, too, by the 
 motions of the birds. Sweet little morning songs are sung 
 by the father and mother birds when the first rays of the 
 sun flush the east. The parent birds feed their little brood 
 with soft caterpillars, which they swallow and then disgorge 
 before putting them in the open beaks of the nestlings. The 
 old birds are very fond of cherries and mulberries, and often 
 the farmers' tender peas are picked by little flocks of these 
 beautiful birds. But in return for the cherries and peas 
 which are taken by them, they destroy the caterpillars 
 which ravage the apple trees. 
 
VERBS AS TRANSITIVE OR INTRANSITIVE. 251 
 
 CHAPTER LXXV. 
 VERBS AS TRANSITIVE OR INTRANSITIVE. 
 
 1. The children bring flowers. 
 
 AVhat is the subject of this sentence ? What is the verb ? 
 AVhat is the object ? Who are represented as acting ? What 
 word states the action ? What word represents the receiver of 
 the action ? If I say The children bring, do I express a com- 
 plete thought ? Which is incomplete, the subject or the predi- 
 cate ? Can you think The children bring without thinking 
 of what they bring ? 
 
 The word tra7isitive means passing over, and a verb is 
 transitive when it represents an action as passing from the doer 
 of the act to some expressed receiver of the act. In the sen- 
 tence given, children is the doer of the act, and Jlotvers the 
 receiver of the act. 
 
 2. Honeybees love the fragrant flowers of the basswood. 
 
 3. They cannot reach the nectar in the long flower 
 tubes of the red clover. 
 
 Are the verbs in these sentences transitive ? Explain. 
 
 4. Flowers are brought by the children. 
 
 5. The fragrant flowers of the basswood are loved by 
 the bees. 
 
 6. The nectar in the long flower tubes of the red clover 
 cannot be reached by them. 
 
 Do sentences 4, 5, and 6 differ in meaning, or merely in 
 form of expression, from sentences 1, 2, and 3 ? What word 
 represents the doer of the act in the fourth sentence ? The 
 receiver of the act ? Of what voice is the verb ? 
 
352 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Analyze the fifth sentence., stating the doer of the act, the 
 receiver of the act, and the voice of the verb. Analyze thus 
 the sixth sentence. Are the verbs in these sentences (4, 5, and 
 6) transitive ? 
 
 A verb is transitive when the doer cmd the receiver of 
 the action which the verh rejpresents, are hoth expressed. 
 
 If the verb be of active voice, the doer must be its subject 
 nominative, and the receiver its direct object. If the verb be 
 of passive voice, the doer must be the object of the preposition 
 by in an adverbial clause denoting agency, and the receiver 
 must be the subject nominative of the verb. 
 
 A verb is intransitive when either the doer or the re- 
 ceiver of the action which the verb represents is not expressed. 
 
 7. The hunter shot the deer. 
 
 8. The hunter shot at the deer. 
 
 Of what is deer the object in the first sentence ? Is, then, 
 the verb shot in this sentence transitive ? Of what is deer the 
 object in the second sentence ? Is, then, shot transitive in this 
 sentence ? 
 
 It will be seen that it is not the verb itself but the use of 
 the verb that determines whether it be transitive or intransi- 
 tive. The verb shot has a direct object in the first sentence, 
 and is there transitive. It has not a direct object in the sec- 
 ond sentence, and is there intransitive. 
 
 A verb used intransitively and followed by a preposition 
 in the active voice, when used in the passive voice frequently 
 retains the preposition with an adverbial force, thus : 
 
 9. a. The men shot at the' great moose. 
 
 b. The great moose had been shot at by the men. 
 
VERBS AS TRANSITIVE OR INTRANSITIVE. 253 
 
 10. a. The thieves had tampered with the lock. 
 
 h. The lock had been tampered icith by the thieves. 
 
 11. a. The largest bequest in this will provides for the 
 
 maintenance of a free public hospital. 
 h. The maintenance of a free public hospital is pro- 
 vided /br by the largest bequest in this will. 
 
 Apply the definitions and principles relating to transitive 
 and intransitive verbs to each of the numbered sentences in 
 this chapter. Discuss with especial care the verbs in sentences 
 9, 10, 11. 
 
 12. We see, we hear, we breathe, we speak. 
 
 13. We see the far-stretching sea, we hear the music of 
 its waves as they break upon the shore, we breathe the cool, 
 salty air, and it constrains us to silence, not to speech. We 
 speak no word. 
 
 14. Once upon a time there dwelt by the sea a little 
 maid. She loved the sea. Every wave that whitened the 
 face of the vast sea was dear to her ; every bird that floated 
 over it, every sail that glided across it, brought her a thrill 
 of joy. She thought, " The north wind fights me ; the west 
 wind plays with me; the east wind sighs, and is always 
 ready to weep ; the south Avind loves and kisses me." 
 
 —Adapted from "The Spray Sprite," by Mrs. Thaxter. 
 
 15. The bullets of the enemy severely wounded the 
 brave soldier. 
 
 16. The brave soldier was severely wounded by the bul- 
 lets of the enemy. 
 
 17. The brave soldier was severely wounded. 
 
254 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 18. The great blue heron spread his wings and grace- 
 fully flew away. 
 
 19. The oil spread over the waves and quieted their fury. 
 
 20. The Chinese fly kites of many curious designs ; birds, 
 flowers, dragons, all fly in the breezes that blow over that 
 orient land, and men and children alike take delight in the 
 sport. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVI. 
 THE INFINITIVE FORMS. 
 
 An infinitive is a verb-forTn consisting of the prepo- 
 sition to followed hy the present or perfect tense form of a 
 verb. It has the nature of the verh and that of some other 
 part of speech — the noun., the adjective., or the adverh. 
 
 1. I remember the black wharves and the slips, 
 
 And the sea-tides tossing free. — Longfellow. 
 
 2. To remember our friends is one of the delights of 
 life. 
 
 3. I wish to remember this beautiful poem, " My Lost 
 Youth." 
 
 4. I am glad to have remembered the poem so well. 
 
 5. The wish to be remembered is common to all men. 
 
 6. My mother is pleased to have been remembered by 
 you. 
 
 The infinitive forms in these sentences are : to remember, 
 to have remembered, to be remembered, to have been remembered. 
 Like a verb, infinitive forms may have a subject, govern an 
 object, and be modified ; while in a sentence they perform the 
 office of a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. 
 
THE INFINITIVE FORMS. 255 
 
 The first sentence above illustrates remember as a verb ; the 
 second illustrates the present active infinitive form, to remem- 
 her, as the subject of the verb is, and as governing the noun 
 friends ; the third illustrates the infinitive form, to remeinber, 
 as the object of a verb. Does it take any object ? The fourth 
 sentence illustrates the use of the perfect active infinitive iorm, 
 to have remembered, as an adverb, as governing an object, and 
 as modified by an adverb. What does it modify, what is its 
 object, and by what adverb is it modified ? The fifth sentence 
 represents the present passive infinitive form, to be remembered, 
 as an adjective. What does it modify ? The sixth sentence 
 illustrates the use of the perfect passive infinitive form, to 
 have been remembered, as an adverb. What does it modify ? 
 
 Note : In accordance with the best usage an adverb should 
 never be so placed as to separate the parts of an infinitive form. 
 It should be placed before the infinitive form, or directly after 
 the form or its object. Thus : 
 
 You hoAje had time to carefully prepare your lesson, is 
 incorrect, and should be, You have had time to prepare care- 
 fiilly your lesson. 
 
 Place correctly in each of the following infinitive phrases 
 the adverb that follows it : 
 
 7. To do one's duty — faithfully. 
 
 8. To observe the rights of others — carefully. 
 
 9. To have borne suffering — patiently. 
 
 10. To be told our faults — kindly. 
 
 11. To treat all people — courteously. 
 
 Use suitable adverbs in connection with the following 
 phrases : 
 
256 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 12. To have fastened . 
 
 13. To have spoken . 
 
 14. To have been treated . 
 
 15. To destroy the property of others . 
 
 16. To try to improve . 
 
 Give complete sentences containing the above phrases. 
 
 Infinitive forms are classified as simple — when the pres- 
 ent, or root, form of the verb follows the preposition to; 
 and compound — when any other form of the verb follows it. 
 They have two tenses — present 2l\\^ present perfect^ and may 
 have active Sind passive voice. 
 
 The following are the infinitive forms of the verb remember : 
 Active Passive 
 
 I^resent 
 to remember to be remembered 
 
 Present Perfect 
 
 to have remembered to have been remembered 
 
 In parsing an infinitive form, state : 
 I. From what verb it is formed. 
 11. Its classification — simple or compound. 
 III. Its tense — present or present perfect. 
 lY. Its voice — active or passive. 
 
 Y. Its use — as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb — and 
 the word to which it is related by that use. 
 
THE PARTICIPLE. 257 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVII. 
 THE PARTICIPLE. 
 
 A participle is a word formed from a verb, andpo/r- 
 takhig of the nature of a verb and of that of some other part 
 of speech. 
 
 The Participle as a Verbal Adjective. 
 
 1. The children, breaking the string, let the kite sail 
 away. 
 
 In this sentence breaking is formed from the verb break ; it 
 expresses action exerted ; it governs an object, string ; it 
 modifies cliildren. Breaking is a present active participle, 
 partaking of the nature both of the verb and adjective. 
 
 2. The plate, broken into many pieces, lay upon the 
 floor. 
 
 In this sentence broken is formed from the word break ; it 
 expresses action received ; it modifies plate. Broken is a past 
 passive participle, partaking of the nature both of the verb and 
 adjective. 
 
 Analyze in the same way the participles in the following 
 sentences : 
 
 3. Notice the delicate perfume borne from the blossom- 
 ing willows. 
 
 4. The bees, bearing honey, fly straight from the wil- 
 lows to the hive. 
 
 5. " Covering many a rod of ground 
 
 Lay the timber all around." 
 17 
 
258 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 6. " there Avas heard 
 
 The sound of hammers, blow on blow, 
 Knocking away the shores and spurs." 
 
 7. The books, lying upon his desk, and the pictures, 
 hung upon the wall, showed the taste of a scholar and 
 artist. 
 
 Participles^ when placed immediately hefore the noun 
 which they modify^ lose the nature of the verb and retain that 
 of the adjective only^ thus ; 
 
 8. The breaking waves dashed high. 
 
 9. The broken plate lay on the floor. 
 
 10. The blossoming willows send forth a delicious per- 
 fume. 
 
 II. 
 
 The Participle as a Verbal Noun. 
 
 1. Guiding the canoes through the rapids requires quick 
 judgment and a firm Avrist. 
 
 In this sentence guiding is formed from the verb guide; 
 it governs an object, canoe ; it is the subject nominative of the 
 verb is. Guiding is a participle, partaking of the nature both 
 of the verb and noun. 
 
 2. Drilling raw recruits into trained soldiers requires 
 much time. 
 
 In this sentence drilling is a participle formed from the 
 verb drill; it governs an object, recruits ; it is the subject 
 nominative of requires. Drillijig is a participle, partaking of 
 the nature both of the verb and noun. 
 
 Analyze, in the same way, the participles in the following 
 sentences : 
 
THE PARTICIPLE. 259 
 
 3. The President is desirous of establishing peace. 
 
 4. Not the fear of the punishment, but the fear of doing 
 wrong, should restrain us. 
 
 5. Laughing and singing frighten away sorrow. 
 
 Participles^ when preceded hy the article and followed hy 
 the preposition of, lose tlie nature of the verb amd hecome 
 nouns^ thus : 
 
 6. " I found Him in the shining of the stars, 
 
 I marked Him in the flowering of His fields." 
 
 III. 
 The Adverbial Force of the Pa/rticiple. 
 
 1. The brook ran rippling and purling on its way. 
 
 In this sentence rippling and purling describe the action 
 of the brook rather than the brook itself ; they modify ran 
 rather than hrooh. They have, then, an adverbial force. 
 
 2. She stood wringing her hands in her grief. 
 
 3. The children came talking and laughing. 
 
 After verbs of condition and motion the p^articiple fre- 
 quently qualifies tJie verb as well as the subject of the verb. 
 
 lY. 
 
 Participles are classed as simple — formed without any 
 auxiliary ; and compound — formed by the use of the parti- 
 ciples of the auxiliary verbs be and have. They have three 
 tenses — -present^ past, and perfect, and may have active and 
 passive voice. 
 
260 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The following are the participles of the verb remember : 
 Active Passive 
 
 Present remembering being remembered 
 
 Past remembered 
 
 Perfect having remembered having been remembered 
 
 In parsing a participle, state : 
 
 I. From what verb it is formed. 
 
 II. Its classification — simj^le or compound. 
 
 III. Its tense — present, past, or perfect. 
 
 IV. Its voice — active or passive. 
 
 Y. Its use — as noun, adjective, or adverb, and the word 
 to which it is related by that use. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVIII. 
 POTENTIAL VERB PHRASES. 
 
 Certain verhs^ can, could, may, might, must, should, 
 would, expressing power., possibility^ obligation^ or permis- 
 sion, are used as auxiliaries with the infinitive forms of other 
 verbs in verb phrases called potential verb phrases. 
 
 In these phrases the preposition to of the infinitive form is 
 suppressed. 
 
 While can is considered a form of present tense and could 
 of past tense, may of present tense and might of past tense, 
 must of both present and past tense, should the past tense of 
 shall, and would the past tense of will, the tense of the verb 
 phrase is not expressed by these auxiliaries. 
 
POTENTIAL VERB PHRASES. 261 
 
 The tense of the potential verh phrase is deternmined hy the 
 infinitive, hy some adverb of time^ or hy its relation to tlie 
 rest of the sentence. 
 
 1. / ca/n see you no\o means / am able now to see you., 
 the tense hfsiw^^ present. 
 
 2. / can see you to-morrow means / shall he ahle to- 
 inorrow to see you., the tense \yid\VL^ future. 
 
 3. / may have heard is a possibility — modification of a 
 simple past tense, I heard yesterday, or of a present perfect 
 tense, I have heard at some time before now. 
 
 If could or might be substituted in each of these sentences, 
 the definiteness, but not the tense, of the phrase will be changed. 
 Could expresses greater indefiniteness than ca7i, might than 
 may, should than shall, and would than will. 
 
 Determine the tense of the potential verb phrase in each 
 of the following sentences : 
 
 4. I may be helping you by this explanation. 
 
 5. I may help you to-morrow. 
 
 6. I may have helped you in the completion of your 
 task. 
 
 7. I may have helped you yesterday. 
 
 8. I might hear the roaring of the ocean if I were 
 nearer it. 
 
 9. I might hear the roaring of the ocean if the wind 
 should blow from the east. 
 
 10. I might have heard the roaring of the ocean yester- 
 day. 
 
 11. I might have been rich if my ships had not been 
 shipwrecked 
 
262 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 12. I sat where I might hear the roaring of the waves. 
 
 13. I must be busy. 
 
 14. I must do this to-morrow. 
 
 15. I must have broken the pitcher yesterday. 
 
 16. I must have walked this road a hundred times. 
 
 17. I should tell you (ought to tell you). 
 
 18. I should tell you if it were best. 
 
 19. I should tell you to-morrow if I should be given 
 permission. 
 
 20. I should have told you before now (ought to have 
 told). 
 
 21. I should have told you yesterday if it had been per- 
 mitted. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIX. 
 THE CONJUGATION OF VERBS. 
 
 The conjugation of a verb is an orderly arrangement 
 of its different forms to exjpress voice, mode, tense, person and 
 number. A verb is said to have the person and number of 
 its subject nominative. Conjugation includes the potential 
 verb phrases and the infinitive and participle verb forms. 
 
 A conij)lete verb is one that lacks no form of a 
 full conjugation. 
 
 A defective verb is one that is lacking in some forms 
 of a full conjugation. 
 
 An auxiliary verb is one that is used to assist in the 
 formation of the conjugation of other verbs. 
 
 The principal parts of a verb are the present (that 
 used with the pronoun I in the present tense, indicative 
 
CONJUGATION OF THE AUXILIARY VERBS. 263 
 
 mode), the past (that used with the pronoun I in the past 
 tense, indicative mode), and the present and past participles. 
 
 A regular, or weak, verb is one that forms its past 
 tense and past participle by adding -d or -ed to the present. 
 Verbs of more than one syllable change a final y to i before 
 adding -ed. 
 
 An irregular, or st/rong, verb is one that forms its 
 past tense or past participle by a change either in the 
 spelling or the pronunciation of the body of the word. 
 This class includes those verbs in which the added d has 
 been changed to t. 
 
 A redundant verb is one that has more than one 
 form for its past tense or past participle. 
 
 Note : In the modern use of English, the pronoun you is 
 universally used for both the singular and plural forms. The 
 conjugations of verbs given in this book have been made to 
 conform to this usage, the singular form, tliou, being placed in 
 brackets. 
 
 CONJUGATION OF THE AUXILIARY VERBS. 
 
 In the conjugation of a verb, shall and will, should and 
 would, have and had, and the several tenses of the verb he, 
 are used as auxiliaries. 
 
 
 Shall and Will. 
 
 
 1. 
 
 2. 
 3. 
 
 Singula/r 
 I shall, wiU 1. 
 you will, shall (thou Avilt, shalt) 2. 
 he will, shall 3. 
 
 Plural 
 we shall, will 
 you will, shall 
 they will, shall 
 
264 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Should and Would. 
 Singular Plural 
 
 1. I should, would 1. we should, would 
 
 2. you would, should (thou wouldst, 2. you would, should 
 
 3. he would, should shouldst) 3. they would, should 
 
 Have. 
 Present Tense. 
 
 1. I have 
 
 2. you have (thou hast) 
 
 3. he has 
 
 Past Tense. 
 
 1. I had 
 
 2. you had (thou hadst) 
 
 3. he had 
 
 Future Tense. 
 
 1. I shall {or will) have 1. 
 
 2. you will {or shall) have (thou 2. 
 
 wilt [or shalt] have) 
 
 3. he will {or shall) have 3. 
 
 1. we have 
 
 2. you have 
 
 3. they have 
 
 1. we had 
 
 2. you had 
 
 3. they had 
 
 we shall {or will) have 
 you will {or shall) have 
 
 they will {or shall) have 
 
 Be. 
 
 The forms given under the verb he are from three verbs, 
 he, am, and was, that once were separate verbs but of the 
 same meaning. 
 
 Present Tense. Past. Pres. Part. Past Part. 
 Prin. Parts, be, am was being been 
 
CONJUGATION OF THE AUXILIARY VERBS. 265 
 
 INDICATIVE MODE. 
 
 Present Tense. Past Tense. 
 
 Singular Plural Singular Plural 
 
 1. I am 1. we are 
 
 2. you are 2. you are 
 (thou art) 
 
 3. he is 
 
 3. they are 
 
 1. I was 1. we were 
 
 2. you were 2. you were 
 (thou wast, 
 
 or wert) 
 
 3. he was 3. they were 
 
 Singular 
 I shall (or will) be 
 you will {or shall) be 
 (thou wilt [or shalt] be) 
 he will {or shall) be 
 
 Future Tense. 
 
 Plural 
 
 1. we shall {or will) be 
 
 2. you will {or shall) be 
 
 3. they will {or shall) be 
 
 Present Perfect Tense. 
 
 Singular Plural 
 
 I have been 1. we have been 
 
 you have been 2. you have been 
 
 (thou hast been) 
 he has been 3. they have been 
 
 Past Perfect Tense. 
 Singular Plural 
 
 1. I had been 1. we had been 
 
 2. you had been (thou hadst been) 2. you had been 
 
 3. he had been 3. they had been 
 
266 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Future Perfect Tense. 
 
 Singular Plural 
 
 1. I shall {or will) have been 1. we shall {or will) have been 
 
 2. you will {or shall) have 2. yoa will {or shall) have 
 
 been (thou wilt [or been 
 
 shalt] have been) 
 
 3. he will {or shall) have 3. they will {or shall) have 
 
 been been 
 
 SUBJUNCTIVE MODE. 
 
 The subjunctive mode is usually, but not always, in- 
 troduced by conjunctions implying condition, concession, or 
 purpose — if, tliougli, sinless, except, lest, that ; but these con- 
 junctions are not a part of the verb. 
 
 
 Present Tense. 
 
 Past Tense. 
 
 
 Singular 
 
 Plural 
 
 Singular Plural 
 
 1. 
 
 I be 
 
 1. we be 
 
 1. I were 1. we were 
 
 2. 
 
 you be 
 
 2. you be 
 
 2. you were 2. you were 
 
 
 (thou be) 
 
 
 (thou wert) 
 
 3. 
 
 he be 
 
 3. they be 
 
 3. he were 3. they Avere 
 
 
 
 Future Tense. 
 
 
 Singular 
 
 Plural 
 
 1. 
 
 I should {or would) be 
 
 1. we should {or would) be 
 
 2. 
 
 you would 
 
 {or should) 
 
 2. you would {or should) be 
 
 
 be (thou 
 
 shouldst [or 
 
 
 
 wouldst] be) 
 
 
 3. he would {or should) be 3. they would {or should) be 
 
CONJUGATION OF THE AUXILIARY VERBS. 267 
 
 
 Pkesent Perfect Tense. 
 
 
 Singular Plicral 
 
 1. 
 
 I have been 1. we have been 
 
 2. 
 
 you have been (thou have 2. you have been 
 
 
 been) 
 
 3. 
 
 he have been 3. they have been 
 
 
 Past Perfect Tense. 
 
 (The forms are those of the Indicative Past Perfect). 
 
 Future Perfect Tense. 
 Singular Plural 
 
 1. I should {or would) 1. we should {or would) 
 
 have been have been 
 
 2. you would {or should) 2. you would {or should) 
 
 have been (thou have been 
 
 wouldst [or shouldst] 
 have been) 
 
 3. he would {or should) 3. they would (c*/* should) 
 
 have been have been 
 
 IMPERATIVE MODE. 
 
 Singular and Plural 
 be 
 
 INFINITIVE FORMS. 
 
 Present Tense. Perfect Tense. 
 
 to be 
 
 to have been 
 
 
 PARTICIPLES. 
 
 Present. 
 
 Past. Perfect. 
 
 being 
 
 been having been 
 
268 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Note : The verb do, in its present and past forms, is used as 
 an auxiliary in the active voice in simple interrogative sentences, 
 and in emphatic declarative and imperative sentences, thus : 
 
 INTERROGATIVE FORM OF THE INDICATIVE MODE. 
 
 Sing. 
 
 Pli 
 
 Sing. 
 
 Plu. 
 
 Sing. 
 
 
 Present. 
 
 
 Past. 
 
 1. 
 
 do I hear ? 
 
 1. 
 
 did I hear ? 
 
 2. 
 
 do you hear ? 
 
 2. 
 
 did you hear ? 
 
 
 (dost thou hear ?) 
 
 
 (didst thou hear ?) 
 
 3. 
 
 does he hear ? 
 
 3. 
 
 did he hear ? 
 
 1. 
 
 do we hear ? 
 
 1. 
 
 did we hear ? 
 
 2. 
 
 do you hear ? 
 
 2. 
 
 did you hear ? 
 
 3. 
 
 do they hear ? 
 
 3. 
 
 did they hear ? 
 
 VTIG FORM OF THE INDICATIVE MODE. 
 
 
 Present. 
 
 
 Past. 
 
 1. 
 
 I do hear 
 
 1. 
 
 I did hear 
 
 2. 
 
 you do hear 
 
 2. 
 
 you did hear 
 
 
 (thou dost hear) 
 
 
 (thou didst hear) 
 
 3. 
 
 he does hear 
 
 3. 
 
 he did hear ' 
 
 1. 
 
 we do hear 
 
 1. 
 
 we did hear 
 
 2. 
 
 you do hear 
 
 2. 
 
 you did hear 
 
 3. 
 
 they do hear 
 
 3. 
 
 they did hear 
 
 TIC 
 
 1 FORM OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE 3I0DE. 
 
 
 Present. 
 
 
 Past. 
 
 1. 
 
 I do hear 
 
 1. 
 
 I did hear 
 
 2. 
 
 you do hear (thou 
 
 2. 
 
 you did hear (thou 
 
 
 dost hear) 
 
 
 didst hear) 
 
 3. 
 
 he do hear 
 
 3. 
 
 He did hear 
 
COMPLETE CONJUGATION OF A REGULAR VERB. 
 
 Present. 
 Plu. 1. we do hear 
 
 2. you do hear 
 
 3. they do hear 
 
 Past. 
 
 1. we did hear 
 
 2. you did hear 
 
 3. they did hear 
 
 EMPHATIC FORM OF THE IMPERATIVE MODE. 
 do hear 
 The form of the verb following the auxiliary do is 
 the infinitive with to suppressed. 
 
 COMPLETE CONJUGATION OF A REGULAR VERB. 
 Model: Love. 
 Present Past Pres. Part. Past Part. 
 Prin. Parts. love loved loving loved 
 
 INDICATIVE MODE. 
 Present Tense. 
 
 
 ACTIVE VOICE. 
 
 
 PASSIVE VOICE. 
 
 Sing. 
 
 1. 
 
 I love 
 
 1. 
 
 I am loved 
 
 
 2. 
 
 you love 
 
 2. 
 
 you are loved 
 
 
 3. 
 
 he loves 
 
 3. 
 
 he is loved 
 
 Plu. 
 
 1. 
 
 we love 
 
 1. 
 
 Ave are loved 
 
 
 2. 
 
 you love 
 
 2. 
 
 you are loved 
 
 
 3. 
 
 they love 
 
 Past Ten 
 
 3. 
 
 8E. 
 
 they are loved 
 
 Sing. 
 
 1. 
 
 I loved 
 
 1. 
 
 I was loved 
 
 
 2. 
 
 you loved 
 
 2. 
 
 you were loved 
 
 
 3. 
 
 he loved 
 
 3. 
 
 he was loved 
 
 Plu. 
 
 1. 
 
 we loved 
 
 1. 
 
 we were loved 
 
 
 2. 
 
 you loved 
 
 2. 
 
 you were loved 
 
 
 3. 
 
 they loved 
 
 3. 
 
 they were loved 
 
370 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Future Tense. 
 active voice. 
 
 Sing. 1. I shall {or will) love 
 
 2. you will {or shall) love 
 
 3. he will {or shall) love 
 Plu. 1. we shall {or will) love 
 
 2. you will {or shall) love 
 
 3. they will {or shall) love 
 
 1 
 
 PASSIVE VOICE. 
 
 Sing. 1. 
 
 2. 
 
 Flu. 
 
 Sing. 1. 
 
 2. 
 
 3. 
 Plu. 1. 
 
 2. 
 
 3. 
 
 I shall {or will) be loved 
 
 2. you will (^T' shall) be loved 
 
 3. he will {or shall) be loved 
 
 1. we shall {or will) be loved 
 
 2. you will {or shall) be loved 
 
 3. they will {or shall) be loved 
 
 Present Perfect Tense. 
 
 I have loved 
 you have loved 
 he has loved 
 we have loved 
 you have loved 
 they have loved 
 
 1. I have been loved 
 
 2. you have been loved 
 
 3. he has been loved 
 
 1. we have been loved 
 
 2. you have been loved 
 
 3. they have been loved 
 
 Past Perfect Tense. 
 
 I had loved 
 you had loved 
 he had loved 
 Ave had loved 
 you had loved 
 they had loved 
 
 1. I had been loved 
 
 2. you had been loved 
 
 3. he had been loved 
 
 1. we had been loved 
 
 2. you had been loved 
 
 3. they had been loved 
 
COMPLETE CONJUGATION OF A REGULAR VERB. 271 
 
 Future Perfect Tense. 
 
 ACTIVE VOICE. PASSIVE VOICE. 
 
 Sing. 1. I shall {or will) have loved 
 
 2. you will {or shall) have loved 
 
 3. he will {or shall) have loved 
 Plu. 1. we shall {or. will) have loved 
 
 2. you will {or shall) have loved 
 
 3. they Avill {or shall) have loved 
 
 1. I shall {or will) have been loved 
 
 2. you will {or shall) have been loved 
 
 3. he will {or shall) have been loved 
 
 1. Ave shall {or will) have been loved 
 
 2. you will {or shall) have been loved 
 
 3. they Avill {or shall) have been loved 
 
 SUBJUNCTIVE MODE. 
 
 Present Tense. passive voice. 
 1. 
 
 2. you love 2. 
 
 3. he love 3. 
 Plu. 1 . we love 1. 
 
 2. you love 2. 
 
 3. they love 3. 
 
 Past Tense. 
 Sing. 1. I loved 1. 
 
 2. you loved 2. 
 
 3. he loved 3. 
 Phi. 1. we loved 1. 
 
 2. you loved 2. 
 
 3. they loved 
 
 active voice. 
 Sing. 1. I love 
 
 I be loved 
 you be loved 
 he be loved 
 we be loved 
 you be loved 
 they be loved 
 
 I were loved 
 you were loved 
 he were loved 
 we were loved 
 you were loved 
 3. thev were loved 
 
273 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Future Tense. 
 
 ACTIVE VOICE. 
 
 Singular 
 
 1. I should {or would) 
 
 love 
 
 2. you would {or should) 
 
 love 
 
 3. he would {or should) 
 
 love 
 
 Plural 
 
 1. we should {or would) 
 
 love 
 
 2. you would {or should) 
 
 love 
 
 3. they would (t*/* should) 
 
 love 
 
 PASSIVE VOICE. 
 
 Singular 
 
 1. I should {or would) 
 
 be loved 
 
 2. you would {or should) 
 
 be loved 
 
 3. he would {or should) 
 
 be loved 
 
 Plural 
 
 1. we should {or would) 
 
 be loved 
 
 2. you would {or should) 
 
 be loved 
 
 3. they would {or should) 
 
 be loved 
 
 Present Perfect Tense. 
 
 I, you, he ; we, you, they, 
 have loved 
 
 I, you, he; we, you, they 
 have been loved 
 
 Past Perfect Tense. 
 
 I, you, he ; we, you, they, 
 had loved 
 
 I, you, he; we, you, they, 
 had been loved 
 
 Future Perfect Tense. 
 
 I, you, he ; we, you, they, 
 should {or would) have 
 loved 
 
 I, you, he; we, you, they, 
 should {or would) have 
 been loved 
 
THE PARSING OF A VERB. 273 
 
 IMPERATIVE MODE. 
 
 ACTIVE VOICE. PASSIVE VOICE. 
 
 love I be loved 
 
 INFINITIVE FORMS. 
 
 ACTIVE VOICE. PbESENT TeNSE. PASSIVE VOICE. 
 
 to love I to be loved 
 
 Present Perfect Tense. 
 to have loved | to have been loved 
 
 PARTICIPLES. 
 
 active voice. Present. passive voice. 
 
 loving I being loved 
 
 Past. 
 loved 
 
 Perfect. 
 having loved | having been loved 
 
 CHAPTER LXXX. 
 THE PARSING OF A VERB, 
 
 In parsing a verb we state in order : 
 I. Whether it is regular or irregular. 
 II. From what verb derived, and the principal parts. 
 III. Whether transitive or intransitive; if transitive, 
 what word represents the doer, and what the receiver, of 
 the action. 
 
 lY. If it have voice, whether it is of active or passive 
 voice. 
 
 V. Its mode, tense, person, and number. 
 YI. Its subject. 
 
374 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 In the earlier exercises in parsing, the reason for each 
 statement should be given. 
 
 Parse the verbs in the following : 
 
 Once upon a time a mighty battle was being waged in a 
 plain. There was a great cloud of dust, and the sound of 
 shrieks and of swords striking upon swords and shields. 
 The king's son was being driven back, beaten. On the 
 edge of his line there was a coward. He did not call him- 
 self a coward, but he looked at the sword in his hands and 
 said to himself, " Of course I can do nothing with this old 
 dull blade. If I had the sword that the king's son has I 
 might do much." So, being a coward, he broke the sword 
 that he had, and threw the parts away. Then he stole 
 aAvay from the field. The king's son was pressed hard. 
 His sword was struck from his hand. He was wounded ; 
 and, retreating, he came to the place where the coward had 
 thrown away his sword. He snatched the broken hilt from 
 the sand, and, resolving to do his mightiest with this wea- 
 pon, he once more gave the battle cry and rushed against 
 the enemy. And, lo ! his courage saved the day. He drove 
 the enemy back, and won a noble victory. 
 
 Opportunity. 
 
 This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream : 
 There spread a cloud of dust along a plain ; 
 And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged 
 A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords 
 Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince's banner 
 Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes. 
 
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS. 275 
 
 A crav^en hung along the battle's edge 
 And thought : " Had I a sword of keener steel — 
 That true blade that the king's son bears — but this 
 Blunt thing ! " He snapt and flung it from his hand, 
 And lowering crept away, and left the field. 
 Then came the king's son, wounded, sore bested, 
 And weaponless, and sav\^ the broken sword, 
 Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand, — 
 And ran and snatched it, and with battle shout 
 Lifted afresh, he hewed the enemy down, 
 And saved a great cause that heroic day. 
 
 — Edward Rowland Sill. 
 
 [Edward Rowland Sill, an American poet, born in Wind- 
 sor, Connecticut, 1841 ; died in Cleveland, Ohio, February 
 
 27, 1887.] 
 
 Why is this poem called " Opportunity " ? What is the 
 great lesson that it teaches us ? 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXI. 
 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS. 
 
 When a verb has more than one irregular form for the past 
 tense or the past participle, the preferable form is placed first. 
 When a regular form of the past tense or perfect participle is 
 also in use, the letter R. is placed opposite the part. A star fol- 
 lowing the R. indicates that the regular form is tlie preferred 
 form ; otherwise the irregular form is the preferred one. 
 
276 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Present. 
 abide 
 
 Past. 
 abode 
 
 Past Partici;ple. 
 abode 
 
 am {see be) 
 
 
 
 arise 
 
 arose 
 
 arisen 
 
 awake 
 be, am 
 
 awoke, B. 
 was 
 
 awoke, E. 
 been 
 
 bear 
 
 bore 
 bare 
 bore 
 bare 
 beat 
 
 j borne 
 ( born 
 borne 
 
 (to bring forth) 
 bear 
 
 (to carry) 
 beat 
 
 j beaten 
 1 beat 
 
 begin 
 behold 
 
 began 
 beheld 
 
 begun 
 beheld 
 
 bend 
 
 bent 
 
 bent 
 
 bereave 
 
 bereft, K.^ 
 
 bereft, E.^ 
 
 beseech 
 bet 
 
 besought 
 bet, R. 
 
 besought 
 bet, E. 
 
 bid 
 
 j bade 
 Ibid 
 
 j bidden 
 (bid 
 
 bind 
 
 bound 
 
 bound 
 
 bite 
 
 bit 
 
 bitten 
 ' bit 
 
 
 
 bleed 
 
 bled 
 
 bled 
 
 bless 
 
 blest, E. * 
 
 blest, E. -"- 
 
 blow 
 
 blew 
 
 blown 
 
 break 
 
 broke 
 
 broken 
 
 breed 
 
 bred 
 
 bred 
 
 bring 
 build 
 
 brought 
 built, E. 
 
 brought 
 built, E. 
 
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS. 277 
 
 Present. 
 
 Pad. 
 
 Past Participle. 
 
 burn 
 
 burnt, E * 
 
 burnt, E. ^ 
 
 burst 
 
 burst 
 
 burst 
 
 buy 
 
 bought 
 
 bought 
 
 can 
 
 could 
 
 
 cast 
 
 cast 
 
 c^st 
 
 catch 
 
 caught 
 
 caught 
 
 chide 
 
 chid 
 
 j chidden 
 (chid 
 
 
 
 choose 
 
 chose 
 
 chosen 
 
 cleave 
 
 cleft 
 1 clove 
 
 cleft, E. 
 ( cloven 
 
 (to split) 
 
 cling 
 
 clung 
 
 clung 
 
 clothe 
 
 clad, E. * 
 
 clad, E. * 
 
 come 
 
 came 
 
 come 
 
 cost 
 
 cost 
 
 cost 
 
 creep 
 
 crept 
 
 crept 
 
 crow 
 
 crew, E. * 
 
 crowed 
 
 cut 
 
 cut 
 
 cut 
 
 dare 
 
 durst, E. * 
 
 dared 
 
 deal 
 
 dealt 
 
 dealt 
 
 dig 
 
 dug, E. 
 
 dug, E. 
 
 do 
 
 did 
 
 done 
 
 draw 
 
 drew 
 
 drawn 
 
 dream 
 
 dreamt, E. * 
 
 dreamt, E. * 
 
 drink 
 
 drank 
 
 drunk 
 
 drive 
 
 drove 
 
 driven 
 
 dwell 
 
 dwelt, E. 
 
 dwelt, E. 
 
 eat 
 
 ate 
 
 eaten 
 
 fall 
 
 fell 
 
 fallen 
 
378 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Present. 
 feed 
 
 Past. 
 fed 
 
 Past Participle. 
 fed 
 
 feel 
 
 felt 
 
 felt 
 
 fight 
 find 
 
 fought 
 found 
 
 fought 
 found 
 
 flee 
 
 fled 
 
 fled 
 
 fling 
 
 fly 
 
 flung 
 flew 
 
 flung 
 flown 
 
 forget 
 forsake 
 
 forgot 
 forsook 
 
 j forgotten 
 ( forgot 
 forsaken 
 
 freeze 
 
 froze 
 
 frozen 
 
 get 
 
 gild 
 gird 
 
 got 
 
 gilt, K. * 
 girt, K. 
 
 (got 
 
 1 gotten 
 gilt,R.* 
 girt, E. 
 
 give 
 
 go 
 
 grind 
 
 gave 
 went 
 ground 
 
 given 
 
 gone 
 
 ground 
 
 grow 
 hang 
 have 
 
 grew 
 hung, R. 
 had 
 
 grown 
 hung, E. 
 had 
 
 hear 
 
 heard 
 
 heard 
 
 heave 
 
 hove, E. * 
 
 hove, E. * 
 
 hew 
 
 hewed 
 
 hewn, E. * 
 
 hide 
 
 hid 
 
 j hidden 
 (hid 
 
 hit 
 
 hit 
 
 hit 
 
 hold 
 hurt 
 
 held 
 hurt 
 
 held 
 hurt 
 
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS. 379 
 
 Present 
 
 Past 
 
 Past Participle. 
 
 keep 
 
 kept 
 
 kept 
 
 kneel 
 
 knelt, K. 
 
 knelt, R. 
 
 knit 
 
 knit, K. * 
 
 knit, R. * 
 
 know 
 
 knew 
 
 known 
 
 lay 
 
 laid 
 
 laid 
 
 lead 
 
 led 
 
 led 
 
 leap 
 
 leapt, R. * 
 
 leapt, R. * 
 
 learn 
 
 learnt, E. * 
 
 learnt, R. * 
 
 leave 
 
 left 
 
 left 
 
 lend 
 
 lent 
 
 lent 
 
 let 
 
 let 
 
 let 
 
 lie (to recline) 
 
 lay 
 
 lain 
 
 lose . 
 
 lost 
 
 lost 
 
 make 
 
 made 
 
 made 
 
 may 
 
 might 
 
 
 mean 
 
 meant 
 
 meant 
 
 meet 
 
 met 
 
 met 
 
 mow 
 
 mowed 
 
 mown, R * 
 
 pass 
 
 past, R * 
 
 past, R.* 
 
 pay 
 
 paid 
 
 paid 
 
 pen (to inclose) 
 
 pent, R.* 
 
 pent, R * 
 
 put 
 
 put 
 
 put 
 
 quit 
 
 quit, R. 
 
 quit, R. 
 
 rap 
 
 rapt, R.* 
 
 rapt, R * 
 
 read 
 
 read 
 
 read 
 
 rend 
 
 rent 
 
 rent 
 
 rid 
 
 rid 
 
 rid 
 
 ride 
 
 rode 
 
 ridden 
 
 ring 
 
 rang 
 
 rung 
 
280 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Present. 
 
 Past. 
 
 Past Participle. 
 
 rise 
 
 rose 
 
 risen 
 
 rive 
 
 rived 
 
 riven, K.* 
 
 run 
 
 ran 
 
 run 
 
 saw 
 
 sawed 
 
 sawn, R* 
 
 say 
 
 said 
 
 said 
 
 see 
 
 saw 
 
 seen 
 
 seek 
 
 sought 
 
 sought 
 
 sell 
 
 sold 
 
 sold 
 
 send 
 
 sent 
 
 sent 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 shake 
 
 shook 
 
 shaken 
 
 shall 
 
 should 
 
 
 shear 
 
 sheared 
 
 shorn, E.* 
 
 shed 
 
 shed 
 
 shed 
 
 shine 
 
 shone 
 
 shone 
 
 shoe 
 
 shod 
 
 shod 
 
 shoot 
 
 shot 
 
 shot 
 
 shOAV 
 
 showed 
 
 shown, R. 
 
 shrink 
 
 j shrank 
 1 shrunk 
 
 j shrunk 
 ( shrunken 
 
 
 shut 
 
 shut 
 
 shut 
 
 sing 
 
 ( sang 
 1 sung 
 
 sung 
 
 
 
 sink 
 
 sank 
 
 sunk 
 
 sunk 
 sunken 
 
 
 sit 
 
 sat 
 
 sat 
 
 slay 
 
 slew 
 
 slain 
 
 sleep 
 
 slept 
 
 slept 
 
 slide 
 
 slid 
 
 j slid 
 slidden 
 
 
 
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS. 281 
 
 Present. 
 
 Pad. 
 
 Past Participle. 
 
 sling 
 
 slung 
 
 slung 
 
 slink 
 
 slunk 
 
 slunk 
 
 slip 
 
 slipt, R.* 
 
 slipt, R * 
 
 slit 
 
 slit, R. 
 
 slit, R. 
 
 smell 
 
 smelt, R.* 
 
 smelt, R.* 
 
 smite 
 
 smote 
 
 smitten 
 
 sow 
 
 sowed 
 
 sown, R.* 
 
 speak 
 
 spoke 
 
 spoken 
 
 speed 
 
 sped 
 
 sped 
 
 spend 
 
 spent 
 
 spent 
 
 spill 
 
 spilt, R.* 
 
 spilt, R.* 
 
 spin 
 
 spun 
 
 spun 
 
 spit 
 
 (spit 
 I spat 
 
 spit 
 
 
 
 split 
 
 split 
 
 split 
 
 spoil 
 
 spoilt, R.* 
 
 spoilt, R.* 
 
 spread 
 
 spread 
 
 spread 
 
 spring 
 
 sprang 
 
 sprung 
 
 stand 
 
 stood 
 
 stood 
 
 stave 
 
 stove, R."^ 
 
 stove, R.* 
 
 stay 
 
 staid, R.* 
 
 staid, R * 
 
 steal 
 
 stole 
 
 stolen 
 
 stick 
 
 stuck 
 
 stuck 
 
 sting 
 
 stung 
 
 stung 
 
 stride 
 
 strode 
 
 stridden 
 
 strike 
 
 struck 
 
 j struck 
 ( stricken 
 
 
 
 string 
 
 strung 
 
 strung 
 
 strive 
 
 strove 
 
 striven 
 
282 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 Present. 
 
 Past. 
 
 Past Pa/rticijple. 
 
 swear 
 
 swore 
 
 sworn 
 
 sweat 
 
 sweat, K. 
 
 sweat, R.* 
 
 sweep 
 
 swept 
 
 swept 
 
 swell 
 
 swelled 
 
 swollen, R.* 
 
 swim 
 
 j swam 
 ( swum 
 
 swum 
 
 
 
 swing 
 
 swung 
 
 swung 
 
 take 
 
 took 
 
 taken 
 
 teach 
 
 taught 
 
 taught 
 
 tear 
 
 tore 
 
 torn 
 
 tell 
 
 told 
 
 told 
 
 think 
 
 thought 
 
 thought 
 
 thrive 
 
 throve, R. 
 
 thriven, R. 
 
 throw 
 
 threw 
 
 thrown 
 
 thrust 
 
 thrust 
 
 thrust 
 
 tread 
 
 trod 
 
 j trod 
 ( trodden 
 
 
 
 wake 
 
 woke, R.* 
 
 woke, R.* 
 
 wear 
 
 wore 
 
 worn 
 
 weave 
 
 wove 
 
 woven 
 
 weep 
 
 wept 
 
 wept 
 
 wet 
 
 wet, E* 
 
 wet, R.* 
 
 whet 
 
 whet, R * 
 
 whet, R.* 
 
 will 
 
 would 
 
 
 win 
 
 won 
 
 won 
 
 wind 
 
 wound 
 
 wound 
 
 work 
 
 wrought, R.* 
 
 wrought, R.* 
 
 wring 
 
 wrung 
 
 Avrung 
 
 write 
 
 wrote 
 
 written 
 
A STUDY OF ''SNOW-BOUND.'' 283 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXII. 
 A STUDY OF "SNOW-BOUND." 
 
 " Snow-Bound " is a poem which school children always 
 read with pleasure. It is a picture of the thoughts, the 
 reforms, the scenes of a Kew England that lies almost dimly 
 behind us. It is rich in reflections on life and change, and 
 in expressions of faith and hope — reflections and expressions 
 which John Bright said are unexcelled in any poem in the 
 English language. 
 
 The class should first read the poem through for the 
 story. This reading is not made critical, but references are 
 looked up and such explanations are given as are needed to 
 make the meaning of the lines clear to the pupil. It is the 
 second and critical reading that should be used to bring 
 out the full meaning of the poem, to develop insight and to 
 uncover riches that the first reading fails to disclose. To 
 this reading should be given all the riches of information, 
 all the thoughts and suggestions that the poem may inspire. 
 And then may be made a full analysis like the following — 
 and when we have so analyzed it the poem is ours : 
 Title, " Snow-Bound." 
 
 Mottoes, Extracts from Cornelius Agrippa's Occult 
 Philosophy, and from Emerson's " The Snow 
 Storm." 
 Description of the snow storm, lines 1-115, 
 The signs of its coming, lines 1-18, 
 The falling of the snow, lines 31-46, 
 
284 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The appearance of the unbroken snow, lines 47-65, 
 
 The digging of the path, lines 6Y-80, 
 
 The solitude made by the snow storm, lines 97-115. 
 
 The building of the fire, lines 116-142, 
 
 A picture — The moon shining upon the snow, lines 
 
 143-154, 
 A picture — The hearth. 
 
 Eetrospective and reflective, lines 175-211. 
 
 The fireside amusements. 
 
 Stories told by the father, lines 224-255, 
 Stories told by the mother, lines 256-305, 
 Stories told by the uncle, lines 333-349, 
 Stories told by the aunt, lines 360-365, 
 Stories told by the schoolmaster, lines 446-447. 
 
 Portraits : 
 
 The father, lines 66-7, and from his stories. 
 
 The mother, from her stories. 
 
 The uncle, lines 307-349. 
 
 The aunt, lines 350-377. 
 
 The elder sister, lines 378-385. 
 
 The younger sister, lines 393-397. ' 
 
 The schoolmaster, lines 438-485. 
 
 The guest, lines 510-562. 
 Reminiscent and reflective, lines 400-437. 
 Reflective, lines 485-509. 
 Reflective, lines 563-589. 
 The close of the evening, lines 590-613. 
 The night, lines 614-628. 
 The breaking of the roads, lines 629-656. 
 
A STUDY OF " SNOW-BOUNDr 285 
 
 Snow-bound no longer, lines 656-714. 
 Keflective, lines 715-759. 
 
 The allusions : 
 
 "A Chinese roof," line 62. 
 
 " Pisa's leaning miracle," line 65. 
 
 " Aladdin's wondrous cave," line 77. 
 
 " Egypt's Amun," line 90. 
 
 " The chief of Gambia's golden shore," line 215. 
 
 " Dame Mercy Warren," line 219. 
 
 " St. Fran9ois's hemlock trees," line 229. 
 
 " Cocheco town," line 259. 
 
 " Painful Sewell's tome," line 286. 
 
 " Chalkley's Journal," line 289. 
 
 "The child of Abraham," line 305. 
 
 " Apollonius of old," line 320. 
 
 " Hermes," line 322. 
 
 " Surrey's hiUs," line 331. 
 
 " White of Selbourne," line 332. 
 
 "Pindus born Aracthus," line 475. (Why is Araxes 
 
 ^VTong ?) 
 " Dread Olympus," line 478. 
 " Petruchio's Kate," line 536. 
 " Sienna's saint," line 537. 
 " Calvin's creed," line 669. 
 " Ell wood's meek, drab-skirted, muse," line 683. 
 " The heathen nine," line 684. 
 " Ypsilanti's Mainote Greeks," line 697. 
 " Flemish pictures," line 746. 
 
 After such careful reading, the poem may be used in 
 
286 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAM3fAR. 
 
 composition work. While the poem suggests many sub- 
 jects, it is better to base the written work upon very few 
 themes, and to treat each of these with much care. A few 
 subjects, with suggestions for their treatment, are given 
 herewith : 
 
 A New England Snow Storm. 
 
 In preparation for writing on this subject we need to 
 
 read and discuss not only the description of the storm in 
 
 this poem, but 
 
 Emerson's " The Snow Storm," in full. 
 
 Parts of Lowell's essay, "A Good Word for 
 
 Winter," 
 
 " The Pageant," by Whittier, 
 
 and " The Frost Spirit," by Whittier. 
 Plan : 
 
 The signs of the coming storm, 
 
 The beginning of the storm. 
 
 The beauty of the snowflakes, 
 
 A picture of the earth clothed with snow. 
 
 Its forms of grace, 
 
 Its fantastic shapes. 
 
 The footprints of the wind in the snow, 
 
 The tracks of little animals, 
 
 The snow that falls damp from windless skies. 
 
 The storm that is driven by the north wind. 
 
 The beauty of Nature in her snowy garments, 
 
 A walk through a snow-robed forest. 
 
 Snow as a blanket over the earth. 
 
 What resemblance do you find between the concluding 
 
 lines of the second division descriptive of the fall of the snow 
 
A STUDY OF '' SNOW-BOUND." 287 
 
 and the lines quoted from Emerson's "The Snow Storm"? 
 
 What differences ? Which is the more accurate ? Which is 
 
 the more vigorous ? How long did the falling of the snow 
 
 last ? Compare Emerson's description of the masonry of the 
 
 north wind with Whittier's description of the marvellous 
 
 shapes wrought by the snow. Whittier wrote to a friend in 
 
 1885 : " I think ' The Pageant ' is the best snow picture I have 
 
 ever made, a good deal more artistic than 'Snow-Bound.'" 
 
 Why? 
 
 The Whittier Home. 
 
 What lines in the poem give us any suggestions about 
 the house or its surroundings ? lines 55-65, 81, 120 et seq., 
 590 et seq., 615, 635. 
 
 What passages tell us of the home habits ? the reading ? 
 
 Situation of the house, its history, description, plan of 
 
 the house and the kitchen, the guests that have been within 
 
 its walls, etc., etc. 
 
 The Portraits. 
 
 Compare the characters of the father and mother. 
 Compare the portraits of the two sisters. 
 What member of the family group is not sketched ? 
 Compare the vivid portrait of the schoolmaster with 
 the one described in Goldsmith's "Deserted Village. " 
 Harriet Livermore and Lady Hester Stanhope. 
 
 See " Gleanings from the Merrimack Yalley, 
 Sheaf Number One," by Kebecca I. Davis, 
 and Kinglake's " Eothen." 
 Does the main interest of this poem lie in the description 
 of the storm, or of those who were snow-bound ? 
 
 What does the poem teach us of the religious faith of the 
 author ? 
 
288 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXIII. 
 A STUDY OF "THE VISION OF SIR LAUNFAL" 
 Order of study : 
 
 I. The story of how the poem was written. 
 
 It was written by James Russell Lowell in the freshness 
 of the new year, 1848, and in a state of mental activity and 
 exaltation so exuberant that the poem was created within 
 forty-eight hours, the poet scarcely eating or sleeping during 
 that time. It was published in December of that year and 
 met with immediate favor. 
 
 See, in " Letters of James Russell Lowell," page 148, his 
 letter to C. F. Briggs, containing the poet's own appreciation 
 of this poem. 
 
 II. While the poem has as its theme a subject borrowed 
 from the Arthurian legends, its story is not based upon any 
 old tale; it is the poet's own invention, "a picture of 
 mediaeval knightly quest set in a frame of ISTew England 
 scenery." It is well, however, to study somewhat the story 
 of " The Holy Grail " before reading Lowell's poem. The 
 following books are of value to one who wishes to make a 
 study of the Arthurian legend : 
 
 Tennyson : His Art, etc. — Stopford A. Brooke. 
 The Arthurian Epic. — S. Humphreys Gurteen. 
 Essays on Tennyson's " Idylls of the King." — H. Little- 
 dale. 
 
 The Holy Grail, and Sir Galahad. — Tennyson. 
 
A STUDY OF ''THE VISION OF SIR LAUNFAL^ 289 
 
 III. The reading of the poem for the story, with such 
 explanations merely as shall make the story and text clear. 
 
 IV. The analysis, as in " Snow-Bomid " — the pupils 
 making the summary. 
 
 Such a summary is the following : 
 
 Picture — An organist improvising a theme, which at 
 first is vague and indistinct, but which gradually acquires 
 plan and purpose, lines 1-8. 
 
 Our blinded and downcast eyes prevent our seeing the 
 nearness of heaven, lines 9-12. 
 
 The voices of Nature to man, lines 13-20. 
 
 Earth, material things, demand a price before they 
 become ours ; but the beauty of Nature, the gifts of heaven, 
 spiritual things, are ours for the asking, lines 21-32. 
 
 The bounteous delights of June, and the high-tide of 
 the year, lines 32-79. 
 
 Its influence on the heart of man, and on Sir Launfal, 
 lines 80-95. 
 
 Sir Launfal declares his quest, lines 96-105. 
 
 He sleeps and there comes to him a vision, lines 105-108. 
 
 The droAvsy warmth of summer besieges in vain the 
 chilly, churlish castle that 
 
 '^ — alone in the landscape lay 
 Like an outpost of winter, dull and gr&y," 
 lines 109-120. 
 
 Summer compared to a besieging army, lines 121-127. 
 19 
 
290 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRA3IMAR. 
 
 Sir Launfal goes forth on his quest, lines 128-139. 
 
 Contrast between the brightness of the season and the 
 gloom of the castle, lines 140-146. 
 
 At the gate Sir Launfal meets a leper who is repulsive 
 to him, but he gives him gold from a sense of duty, and the 
 leper declines the gift, lines 147-159. 
 
 The teaching of the leper, lines 160-1 Y3. 
 
 Description of winter and the building of the little 
 brook's house, lines 1Y4-210. 
 
 The joy and laughter within the hall, lines 211-225. 
 
 Sir Launfal, shelterless, is driven away from his own 
 porch, lines 226-239. 
 
 The bleakness of winter, lines 240-249. 
 
 Sir Launfal, turned away from his earldom, does not 
 bemoan his loss, for he has learned wisdom and patience 
 through suffering, lines 250-257. 
 
 In the cold he muses on the scenes of the past, lines 
 
 258-272. 
 
 From this reverie he is roused by the begging of the 
 leper, lines 273-279. 
 
 He recognizes in the beggar the image of Christ, and 
 gives to him in the name of Christ, lines 280-287. 
 
 The leper recognizes in him the same knight who threw 
 gold so haughtily to him before, but the spirit of his giving 
 now turns the mouldy crust to wheaten bread, and the 
 water to red wine, lines '288-301. 
 
A STUDY OF ''THE VISION OF SIR LAUNFAL." 291 
 
 Then Sir Launfal sees the leper transformed to Christ 
 himself, lines 302-309. 
 
 The second lesson of the leper, lines 310-327. 
 
 Sir Launfal knows that the Holy Grail, the gift that 
 makes men see the glories of the spiritual kingdom, may be 
 found in his own castle, lines 328-329. 
 
 That mail stronger than steel — the armor of pure pur- 
 pose, unselfish charity, and sympathy — must be his who 
 v^rould find the Holy Grail, lines 330-334. 
 
 The castle gate is thrown open, and the wanderer is wel- 
 comed, lines 335-336. 
 
 Summer's long siege is over, and where gloom reigned 
 before, there she " lingers and smiles the whole year round," 
 lines 337-347. 
 
 y. study for their exquisite descriptions of nature, and 
 memorize, the preludes of the first and second parts. 
 
 The first prelude is a fit symbol for the fresh life, the 
 youth and strength, of the young knight. IS'ot yet has 
 experience, like the summer of the year, ripened the heart 
 into mellowness. Youth is self-confident; it gives from 
 what it has, not from what it is. It is not introspective ; 
 the passing sight, the surface show, attract or repel. It is 
 a joy and delight in what it is ; it is radiant, glomng. Its 
 quest lies before it, far in the future ; the treasure of life 
 is to be found in some far-off time, some distant land. It 
 may throw a crust to the beggar, but it has with him no 
 common experiences in suffering to cause it to give sym- 
 pathy with its alms. 
 
292 THE ESJSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 The teacher should dwell upon the poet's choice of 
 language. Every word fits exquisitely, and fairly overflows 
 with meaning. Read the description of June in "Under 
 the Willows," and notice the difference of treatment ; or, 
 rather, how infinite are the riches of this month when a 
 poet discloses them to us. 
 
 In the prelude to the second part, we are introduced to 
 winter — the old age of the year; the clod no longer feels 
 the stir of might ; blossom and tree no longer clothe the 
 earth with their varied and brilliant hues. The snow that 
 hides all bespeaks purity and peace. Yet winter has its ac- 
 tivities. The season of youthful confidence of Sir Launfal 
 is over ; the rime of winter is in his hair, the badge of the 
 poor and suffering he wears deep in his soul. IN'ot all his 
 search has brought him the Holy Grail, but confidence has 
 been replaced by content, pride has yielded to patient humil 
 ity. He sees no longer in the wretched leper the beggar in 
 need of food, but the brother, as all men are brothers, the 
 image of Him who died on the tree. 
 
 So the gift that without the giver was bare, becomes now, 
 when given aright, the bread and the wine that satisfy the 
 suffering soul ; nay, more, it makes Christ himself look out 
 of the eyes of the one fed. And the voice that was calmer 
 than silence says : 
 
 " The holy supper is kept indeed 
 In whatso we share with another's need : 
 Who gives himself with his alms feeds three — 
 Himself, his hungering brother, and Me." 
 
THE USE OF PUNCTUATION MARKS. 293 
 
 In the " Vision of Sir Launfal," the poet's delight in 
 Nature is exuberantly visible. It covers the simple story 
 with such a rich growth of vine and bloom that the theme 
 is almost lost to sight ; we reach down through a mass 
 of summer blooms, or our hands are filled with the crystal 
 jewels of winter, when Ave search for the lessons of the 
 j)oem. 
 
 In the work with the class the poem is not for compo- 
 sition work. Its value is for developing insight and spir- 
 ituality ; for the teaching of the highest morals ; and for 
 impressing upon pupils, in their most impressible years, what 
 the poet does for us ; for his genius does what the crafts- 
 man's art does for the diamond — ^it takes the plain facts, the 
 simple truths, and so glorifies them that they gleam and 
 flash with a beauty and a light that is both fascinating and 
 elusive. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXIV. 
 THE USE OF PUNCTUATION MARKS. 
 
 The Period. A period is used : 
 I. At the end of every sentence that is not interrog- 
 ative or exclamatory. 
 
 II. After an abbreviation. 
 III. Before a decimal fraction. 
 
 The Com/ma. A comma is used : 
 I. To indicate the smallest interruptions in continuity 
 of thouglit or grammatical construction, the marking of 
 which contributes to clearness {Cent. Diet). 
 
394 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 II. To separate the names of persons from titles or 
 abbreviations of titles following. 
 
 III. In writing numbers, to separate the periods — thou- 
 sands from hundreds, millions from thousands, etc. 
 
 The Semicolon. A semicolon is used : 
 To mark a division in a sentence too distinct or inde- 
 pendent to be marked by a comma. 
 
 The Colon. A colon is used : 
 I. After the salutation in a letter. 
 II. After an introductory word or clause followed by 
 a statement of particulars, or by illustrations of its meaning. 
 III. After a clause introductory to the quotation of a 
 long sentence, a number of short sentences, or a separate 
 paragraph. 
 
 The Interrogation Point. — The interrogation point is used: 
 After every complete direct question. 
 
 The Exclamation Point. — The exclamation point is used : 
 I. After an interjection used independently. 
 II. After a sentence beginning with an interjection. 
 III. After a sentence that is purely exclamatory, or that, 
 being an invocation or command, denotes deep feeling or 
 great earnestness. 
 
 The Apostrophe. — The apostrophe is used : 
 I. To mark the omission of a letter at the beginning, 
 within, and, sometimes, at the end of a word. 
 II. To denote the possessive case. 
 III. Before s in forming the plural of a letter or a figure. 
 
THE USE OF PUNCTUATION MARKS. 295 
 
 Quotation Mai^ks. — Quotation marks are used : 
 
 I. To inclose a direct quotation. 
 A quotation within a quotation has single quotation 
 marks, and if there be a quotation within this inner quota- 
 tion it has the double marks. 
 
 II. Commonly the titles of books, essays, etc., when 
 used in sentences, are inclosed by quotation marks ; but some- 
 times they are printed in italics instead of being so inclosed. 
 
 The Parenthesis am.d the Bracket. — A parenthesis is used : 
 I. To inclose an explanatory or qualifying clause, sen- 
 tence, or paragraph, inserted in another sentence without 
 being grammatically connected with it {^Cent. Diet.). 
 
 A bracket is used : 
 II. To inclose a word, phrase, clause, or sentence, in- 
 serted within a sentence or paragraph, but not explaining or 
 qualifying the context. Its use is mainly to inclose correc- 
 tions, missing words, or some added statement that does not 
 affect the meaning of the sentence or paragraph. 
 
 The Dash. — The dash is used : 
 I. To mark a sudden transition or break of continuity 
 in a sentence, more marked than that indicated by a comma 
 {Cent. Diet.). 
 
 II. To inclose a parenthetical clause that is more closely 
 related to the sentence than parentheses would indicate. 
 III. To mark omissions. 
 
 A dash should rarely be used after another punctuation 
 point. 
 
296 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXV. 
 SELECTIONS FOR DICTATION, PARSING, ANALYSIS, ETC. 
 
 1. Duty and to-day are ours. 
 
 2. I pray Thee, God, that I may be beautiful within. — 
 Plato. 
 
 3. Thou must be true thyself if thou the truth would 
 teach. 
 
 4. The prayer of Seneca's pilot was : " O Neptune, you 
 may save me if you will ; you may sink me if you will. 
 But whether you save me or sink me, I must keep my 
 rudder true." 
 
 5. Idle gossip is like a pinch of lampblack: there is 
 apparently no limit to the blackening that it may do. 
 
 6. It is sometimes discouraging to tell the truth only 
 to discover that you are not believed. But Time reveals 
 truth as well as falsehood. 
 
 7. "The King 
 
 Sent to him, saying, 'Arise and help us there ! ' " 
 
 8. " Along the roadside, like the flowers of gold 
 
 The tawny Incas for their gardens wrought, 
 Heavy with sunshine droops the goldenrod." 
 
 9. To the far woods he wandered, listening. 
 And heard the birds their little stories sing 
 
 In notes whose rise and fall seemed liquid speech. 
 
 — George Eliot. 
 
 10. A ray of light may give glory to the most common 
 thing — a pool of water, a brown bare bough, a grain of 
 
SELECTIONS FOR DICTATION, PARSING, ETC. 297 
 
 dust : so love may give glory to the most common action. 
 And there is this difference between the service that we 
 perform from the sense of obligation and the service that 
 we perform from the impulse of love — that the first is 
 dull and sombre, and the second is sun-illumined and 
 glorious. 
 
 11. The life of a river, like that of a human being, con- 
 sists in the union of soul and body, the water and the banks. 
 They act and react upon each other. The stream makes and 
 moulds the shore ; hollowing out a bay here, and building a 
 long point there ; alluring the little bushes close to its side, 
 and bending the tall, slim trees over its current ; sweeping 
 a rocky ledge clean of everything but moss, and sending a 
 still lagoon full of white arrowheads and rosy knot-weed far 
 back into the meadow. The shore guides and controls the 
 stream ; noAV detaining and now advancing it ; now bending 
 it in a hundred sinuous curves, and now speeding it straight 
 as a wild bee on its homeward stretch; here hiding the 
 water in a deep cleft overhung with green branches, and 
 there spreading it out, like a mirror framed in daisies, to re- 
 flect the sky and the clouds ; sometimes breaking it with 
 sudden turns and unexpected falls into a foam of musical 
 laughter, sometimes soothing it into a sleepy motion like the 
 flow of a dream. 
 
 —From " Little Rivers," by Henry Van Dyke. 
 
 12. Kich gift of God ! a year of time 1 
 
 What pomp of rise and shut of day, 
 What hues wherewith our northern clime 
 Makes autumn's drooping woodlands gay. 
 
298 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 What airs outblown from ferny dells, 
 And clover blooms and sweetbrier smells, 
 What songs of brooks and birds, what fruits and flowers, 
 Green woods, and moonlit snows, have in its round been 
 ours ! 
 
 And I will trust that He who heeds 
 
 The life that hides in mead and wold. 
 Who hangs yon alder's crimson beads, 
 
 And stains these mosses green and gold, 
 Will still, as He hath done, incline 
 His gracious care to me and mine ; 
 Grant what we ask aright, from wrong debar, 
 And, as the earth grows dark, make brighter every star ! 
 —Stanzas VI. and XXVI., from " The Last Walk in Autumn," 
 by John Greenleaf WmTTiER. 
 
 13. The last hour of light touches the birds as it touches 
 as. When they sing in the morning, it is with the happi- 
 ness of the earth; but as the shadows fall heavily about 
 them, and the helplessness of the night comes on, their 
 voices seem to be lifted up like the loftier poetry of the 
 human spirit, with S3riiipathy for realities and mysteries past 
 all understanding. 
 
 A great choir was hymning now. On the tops of the 
 sweet old honeysuckles, the catbirds; robins in the low 
 boughs of maples ; on the high. limb of the elm, the silvery- 
 throated lark, who had stopped as he passed from meadow 
 to meadow ; on a fence rail of the distant wheat-field, the 
 quail — and many another. 
 
 — From "A Kentucky Cardinal," by James Lane Allen. 
 
SELECTIONS FOR DICTATION, PARSING, ETC. 399 
 
 14. Near Cambridge Coininoii stands an old elm, bearing 
 at its base a stone with the inscription, " Under this tree 
 Washington first took command of the American Army, 
 July 3, 1775." Upon the one-hundredth anniversary of this 
 day, the citizens of Cambridge held a celebration there, and 
 Lowell, the poet, read a poem, " Under the Old Elm," of 
 which the following is a part : 
 
 "Words pass as wind, but where great deeds were done 
 
 A power abides transfused from sire to son : 
 
 The boy feels deeper meanings thrill his ear, 
 
 That tingling through his pulse lifelong shall run, 
 
 With sure impulsion to keep honor clear. 
 
 When, pointing down, his father whispers, " Here, 
 
 Where we stand, stood he, the purely Great, 
 
 Whose soul no siren passion could unsphere, 
 
 Then nameless, now a power mixed with fate." 
 
 15. For full two hours the procession of boats, borne on 
 the current, steered silently down the St. Lawrence. The 
 stars were visible, but the night was moonless and suffi- 
 ciently dark. The general was in one of the foremost boats, 
 and near him sat a young midshipman, John Eobinson, 
 afterwards professor of natural philosophy in the University 
 of Edinburgh. He used to tell in his later life how Wolfe, 
 with a low voice, repeated Gray's " Elegy in a Country 
 Churchyard " to the officers about him. Probably it was to 
 relieve the intense strain of his thoughts. Among the rest 
 was the verse which his own fate was soon to illustrate : 
 
 " The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 
 
300 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said, as his recital ended, " I would rather 
 
 have written those lines than take Quebec." None were 
 
 there to tell him th«,t the hero is greater than the poet. 
 
 —Francis Parkman. 
 
 16. November woods are bare and still ; 
 
 November daj^s are clear and bright ; 
 Each noon burns up the morning's chill ; 
 
 The morning's snow is gone by night ; 
 Each day my steps grow slow, grow light, 
 
 As through the woods I reverent creep. 
 Watching all things " lie down to sleep." 
 
 I never knew before what beds. 
 
 Fragrant to smell and soft to touch. 
 The forest sifts, and shapes, and spreads; 
 
 I never knew before how much 
 Of human sound there is in such 
 
 Low tones as through the forest sweep, 
 When all wild things "lie down to sleep." 
 
 Each day I find new coverlids 
 
 Tucked in, and more sweet eyes shut tight ; 
 Sometimes the ^dewless mother bids 
 
 Her ferns kneel down full in my sight ; 
 I hear their chorus of " good night " ; 
 
 And half I smile and half I weep, 
 Listening while they " lie down to sleep." 
 
 November days are bare and still ; 
 
 November days are bright and good ; 
 Life's noon burns up life's morning chill ; 
 
 Life's night rests feet which long have stood ; 
 
SELECTIONS FOR DICTATION, PARSING, ETC. 301 
 
 Some warm, soft bed in field or wood 
 
 The mother will not fail to keep 
 Where we can " lay us down to sleep." 
 
 —"Down to Sleep," by H. H. 
 
 17. The torrents of Norway leap down from their moun- 
 tain homes with plentiful cataracts, and run brief but 
 glorious races to the sea. The streams of England move 
 smoothly through green fields and beside ancient, sleepy 
 towns. The Scotch rivers brawl through the open moor- 
 land and flash along steep Highland glens. The rivers of 
 the Alps are born in icy caves, from which they issue forth 
 with furious, turbid waters ; but when their anger has been 
 forgotten in the slumber of some blue lake, they flow down 
 more softly to see the vineyards of Italy and France, the 
 gray castles of Germany, and the verdant meadows of Hol- 
 land. The Delaware and the Hudson and the Connecticut 
 are the children of the Adirondacks and the White Mountains, 
 cradled among the forests of spruce and hemlock, playing 
 through a wild woodland youth, gathering strength from 
 numberless tributaries, to bear their great burdens of lumber 
 and to turn the wheels of many mills, issuing from hills to 
 water a thousand farms, and descending, at last, beside new 
 cities to the ancient sea. —From "Little Rivers." 
 
 18. After a day of cloud and wind and rain 
 Sometimes the setting sun breaks out again. 
 
 And, touching all the darksome woods with light, 
 Smiles on the fields, until they laugh and sing. 
 Then like a ruby from the horizon's ring 
 
 Drops down into the night. —Longfellow. 
 
302 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 19. A long way down that limpid water, chill and 
 bright as an iceberg, went my little self that day on man's 
 choice errand — destruction. All the little fish seemed to 
 know that I was one who had taken out God's certificate, 
 and meant to have the value of it ; every one of them was 
 aware that we desolate more than replenish the earth. For 
 a cow might come and look into the water, and put her 
 yellow lips down; a kingfisher, like a blue arrow, might 
 shoot through the dark alleys over the channel, or sit on a 
 dipping withy-bough with his beak sunk into his breast 
 feathers ; even an otter might float down the stream, liken- 
 ing himself to a log of wood, with his flat head flush to the 
 water top, and his oily eyes peering quietly ; and yet no panic 
 would seize other life, as it does when a sample of man comes. 
 
 — From " Lorna Doone," by R. D. Blackmore. 
 
 20. Close to my heart I fold each lovely thing 
 
 The sweet day yields ; and, not disconsolate, 
 "With the calm patience of the woods I wait 
 For leaf and blossom when God gives us Spring ! 
 — ^From " A Day," by Whittier. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXVI. 
 
 SOME COMMON BUSINESS FORMS AND LETTERS. 
 
 The best way to impress upon pupils the correct forms 
 used in business transactions, is to procure the printed forms 
 used by business houses and place them before the class for 
 study and for copying. 
 
SOME COMMON BUSINESS FORMS AND LETTERS. 303 
 
 * These would include bill-heads, blank receipts, telegram 
 blanks, and such forms as are used in business Avith banks 
 and are properly connected with the subjects of arithmetic 
 and bookkeeping. A few forms are given below. 
 
 I. 
 
 BILLS AND BILL-HEADS. 
 
 The form of a bill-head varies somewhat, according to 
 the taste of the firm using it. Three forms are given below : 
 
 1. 
 
 F. C. Wilson & Company, 
 
 Dealers in Groceries, Fruits, and Comfits 
 
 55 Merrimack Street 
 
 Kiverton, Mass., February 23, 1899. 
 Sold to Mr. Richard Eand, 
 
 1 bbl. Flour 
 5 gals. Kerosene 
 
 3 lbs. Coffee 
 
 2 lbs. Tea 
 
 4 lbs. Kuts 
 1 doz. Oranges 
 
 3 lbs. Candies Cob. .50 1 50 11 12 
 
 1898 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 18 
 
 Dec. 
 
 23 
 
 Dec. 
 
 29 
 
 1899 
 
 
 Jan. 
 
 14 
 
 
 20 
 
 
 $ 
 
 c. 
 
 $ 
 
 
 5 
 
 25 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 Y5 
 
 
 40 
 
 1 
 
 20 
 
 
 Y5 
 
 1 
 
 50 
 
 
 13 
 
 
 52 
 
 
 40 
 
 
 40 
 
 
 50 
 
 1 
 
 50 
 
 11 
 
 Received Payment, 
 
 F. C. Wilson & Co., 
 by A. F. W. 
 
304 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 2. 
 
 Riverton, Mass., March 1, 1899. 
 Mr. Frank Howard 
 
 Bought of Brooks Bros. 
 
 Dealers in Dry Goods, Oarpets, etc. 
 
 Here follow the items 
 arranged as in the Mil 
 j[>receding. 
 
 3. 
 
 Riverton, Mass., April 8, 1899. 
 
 Mr. Charles F. Clarke 
 
 To James A. Hale, Bookseller, Dr. 
 
 Here follow the items 
 arranged as before. 
 
 II. 
 RENT RECEIPT. 
 
 cJlDtvettotif (ylbadd,, B. \ i8g ^ 
 
 SleceiveJ nf €<W<^W. 3^n^v<xmA 
 
 ^ 4^^^^ g)nl.Ur, jot 
 
 cJoent of 
 
 iTUt 
 
 \^^Y\y 
 
 Sn<Ling^^MA}^_i8g9_ 
 
 ^(^tzeet fat ^^ 3montfi 
 
 15. 
 
 vlcuooo^ hjlAMyA.. 
 
SOME COMMON BUSINESS FORMS AND LETTERS. 305 
 
 III. 
 
 Note : Every business letter should be carefully dated, 
 aud should contain the full address of the sender and of the 
 firm or individual to whom it is sent. It should be concisely 
 written, but should state so clearly and fully the subject mat- 
 ter as to allow of no mistake concerning its meaning. The 
 model business letter has three characteristics — clearness, con- 
 ciseness, and courtesy. 
 
 1. 
 
 An Order. 
 
 427 Washington Street, Kiverton, Mass., 
 August 1, 1899. 
 
 Messrs. Littl?], Brown & Company, 
 
 254 Washington Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 My dear Sirs : Please send me by the American Express, 
 with bill by mail : 
 
 4 "Will Shakespeare's Little Lad," Clarke. 
 6 " Lullaby Land," Field. 
 
 5 " Border Wars of Kew England," Drake. 
 5 " The Golden Age," Grahame. 
 
 4 " A Little Girl in Old Kew York," Douglas. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 William Duncan. 
 
 20 
 
306 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 2. 
 
 A Reply. 
 
 Little, Brown & Company, 
 
 Booksellers and Stationers, 
 
 254 "Washington Street, 
 
 Boston, Mass., August 2, 1899. 
 Mk. William Duncan, 
 
 427 Washington St., Riverton, Mass. 
 
 My dear Sir : We this day send you books by American 
 
 Express, agreeable to your kind order of January 21st. 
 
 We have not in stock the " Lullaby Land," but will send it 
 
 immediately on receipt from the publishers, to whom our 
 
 order for it has been sent. We inclose bill for books 
 
 forwarded. 
 
 Yery truly yours, 
 
 Little, Brown & Company, 
 
 by A. C. F. 
 
 3. 
 An Order. 
 
 "Hillside Cottage," 
 Littleton, New Hampshire, 
 
 December 15, 1898. 
 Messrs. Harper & Brothers, 
 New York, E". Y. 
 My dear Sirs: Please find inclosed check for $9, for 
 which send the following publications for one year to the 
 addresses given : 
 
 1 " Harper's Monthly Magazine " to the 
 
 ReV. Arthur Raymond, 
 Elk Rapids, Antrim Co., Michigan. 
 
SOME COMMON BUSINESS FORMS AND LETTERS. 807 
 
 1 " Harper's Weekly " to 
 
 Mr. Kalph Gardiner, 
 
 Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. 
 1 " Harper's Kound Table " to 
 
 Master Frank Madison, 
 
 Jefferson, New Hampshire. 
 Please send receipted bill with each, and discontinue 
 when the subscription expires. 
 
 Yery truly yours, 
 
 Lewis Percival. 
 4. 
 
 Advertisement. 
 
 Wanted : A young man of good education, trustworthy, 
 and without any careless habits, as clerk in a grocery store. 
 Address with references and in own handwriting. 
 
 The Cleveland Grocery Co., 
 731 Broad Street, Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 5. 
 
 A Reply. 
 
 Rockport, Ohio, 
 
 August 26, 1899. 
 The Cleveland Grocery Co., 
 
 Y31 Broad Street, Cleveland, Ohio. 
 My dear Sirs : In answer to your advertisement in the 
 Cleveland Daily Journal of August 25, I respectfully make 
 application for the position. I am nineteen years old, tall, 
 strong, and of good health. I am a graduate of the business 
 department of the Rockport High School, have no bad hab- 
 its, and am desirous of securing a position where advance- 
 
308 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR. 
 
 ment will be possible. I refer you, by their permission, to 
 
 the Rev. Robert Young, pastor of the Congregational 
 
 Church ; Mr. Edwin Shores, principal of the High School ; 
 
 and Mr. Willis Mathews, postmaster, for such inquiries as 
 
 you may desire to make about me. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 Francis Lowell. 
 6. 
 
 An Advertisement. 
 Wanted : A young man, eighteen years old, strong, and 
 of no bad habits, a graduate of an excellent grammar school, 
 desires employment in some manufactory. References fur- 
 nished. Address 
 
 Clinton R. Floyd, 34 Everett St., Riverton, Mass. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXVII. 
 A FEW SOCIAL FORMS. 
 
 Under "Social Forms" may be grouped all formal let- 
 ters and notes, invitations, acceptances, regrets, excuses, 
 letters of introduction, etc. 
 
 1. 
 An Invitation. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Chester Rollins request the pleasure of 
 Mr. Sydney Merrill's company for Thursday evening, 
 November 3d, at eight o'clock. 
 " The Laurels," 
 
 43 Chestnut Lane, 
 October 2nh. 
 
A FEW SOCIAL FORMS. 309 
 
 2. 
 
 An Acceptance. 
 
 Mr. Sydney Merrill accepts with pleasure the invitation 
 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Chester KoUins for Thui*sday evening, 
 
 November 3d. 
 
 118 Woodland Terrace, 
 
 October 29th. 
 
 3. 
 
 Regrets. 
 
 Mr. Sydney Merrill regrets that a previous engagement 
 for the same evening prevents his acceptance of the kind 
 invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Chester EoUins for Thursday 
 evening, November 3d. 
 
 118 Woodland Terrace, 
 
 October 28th. 
 
 4. 
 
 An Excuse for Absence. 
 
 Will Miss Prince kindly excuse the absence of Henry on 
 
 Thursday morning, April 3d, as he was too ill to attend 
 
 school. 
 
 (Mrs.) Julia A. Harlow. 
 2(> Marion Street, 
 
 Friday morning, April 4th. 
 
 5. 
 
 A Request for Dismissal. 
 
 Will Miss Sherman kindly dismiss Frances from school 
 
 at 10.30 on Friday morning, April 3d, in order that she may 
 
 accompany her mother to Cambridge. 
 
 John Russell. 
 81 Hancock Street, 
 
 Thursday, April 2d. 
 
310 THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE AND ORAMMAIi. 
 
 A Letter of Introduction. 
 
 36 Winthrop Place, 
 
 Riverton, Massachusetts, 
 June 1, 1898. 
 Mr. Edward Dana, 
 
 37 East Fifty-third Street, 
 ]!^ew York. 
 My dear Sir : I take pleasure in introducing to you the 
 bearer of this letter, Mr. Clement Alden, who is to enter 
 business in your city. He is a young man of excellent 
 character, of superior education, and of refined bearing. 
 As he is without acquaintances in New York, such advice, 
 assistance, or personal interest as you may be able to give 
 him will be warmly appreciated by him and by me. I am, 
 with kind remembrances. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Edwin Millward. 
 
 The little harque has reached its port, 
 
 The anchor^ s dropped, the sail isftcrled; 
 
 Its tenants o'er the changeful sea 
 Swift seeh the wider world. 
 
 What hear they forth f Fullness, we trust, 
 
 Of grace and graciousness of speech : 
 
 What freight of Wisdom it convoyed, 
 
 Or Love, helongs to each. 
 
 —A. L. B. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 The Roman Numerals Refer to Chapters, the Arabic to Pages. 
 
 A and an, articles, 94. 
 Abbreviations, a few common, 
 xi. 
 
 how to read, 50. 
 
 how to write, 50. 
 
 of days of week, 49. 
 
 of names of month, 44. 
 
 of titles, 49, 50. 
 Abstract nouns, defined, 150. 
 Active voice, defined, 250. 
 
 of infinitives, 256. 
 
 of participles, 259. 
 
 of verbs, 250. 
 Address, Nominative case by, 
 
 128. 
 Adjectives, xxi. 
 
 Appositive, Iv., 196. 
 
 as pronouns, 166. 
 
 Careful use of certain, xxii. 
 
 Choice of, 96-98. 
 
 Comparison of, Ivi. 
 Regular, 199. 
 Irregular, 200, 201. 
 
 Classes of, 92, 93. 
 
 Clauses as, 185. 
 
 defined, 92, 93. 
 
 Descriptive, 92. 
 
 Designating, 92. 
 
 Exercises in use of, 95, 98. 
 
 Limiting, 93. 
 
 Modifiers of, 203. 
 
 Parsing of, Ivii. 
 
 Predicate, Iv., Ix., 195. 
 after verbs of sensation, 
 etc., Ix. 
 
 Pronominal, 167. 
 
 Adjectives, List of, compared 
 irregularly, 200, 201. 
 Phrases as, 179, 180. 
 Adverbial clauses, 186, 187. 
 conjunctions, 205. 
 objective, 143. 
 phrase, 180, 181. 
 Adverbs, xxv., Ivii. 
 Classes of, 203, 205. 
 Clauses as, 186, 187. 
 Comparison of, lix. 
 Regular, 206. 
 Irregular, 206. 
 defined, 107, 204. 
 List of, compared irregu- 
 larly, 206. 
 Modal, 204. 
 Modifiers of, 204. 
 modify prepositional 
 
 phrase, 205. 
 Parsing of, 207. 
 Phrase, 207. 
 Phrases as, 180, 181. 
 Position of, with infini- 
 tives, 255. 
 Agreement of verb with subject 
 
 nominative, 133. 
 Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 48. 
 Alliteration, defined, 239. 
 Alphabetical list of irregular 
 
 verbs, Ixxxi. 
 Analysis 
 
 of complex sentences, Ixvii. 
 of compound " 232-233. 
 of simple sentences, Ixv. 
 Sentences for, Ixix. 
 
812 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Antecedents 
 
 Cognate objectives, 144. 
 
 of different genders, 168. 
 
 Collective nouns, 149. 
 
 of different numbers, 168. 
 
 defined, 149. 
 
 of different persons, 168. 
 
 Verb in agreement with, 149. 
 
 of pronouns, defined, 167. 
 
 as antecedent of pronoun, 
 
 two or more, 168. 
 
 168. 
 
 Antonyms, 27. 
 
 Colon, The use of, 294. 
 
 Anybody else's, etc. , 85. 
 
 Comma, The use of, 293. 
 
 Apostrophe, 294. 
 
 Common gender, 88. 
 
 Apposition, defined, 146. 
 
 Common noun, defined, 33. 
 
 Appositive use of adjectives, 196. 
 
 Comparison 
 
 of nouns, xxxviii. 
 
 of adjectives, Ivi. 
 
 Articles, 94. 
 
 of adverbs, lix- 
 
 definite, 94. 
 
 defined, 198. 
 
 indefinite, 94. 
 
 Comparative degree, defined, 198. 
 
 As— as, so— as, 122. 
 
 Complete verb, defined, 262. 
 
 Auxiliary verbs, 263. 
 
 Complex sentences, Ixvi. 
 
 defined, 262. 
 
 Analysis of, Ixvii. 
 
 Conjugation of, 263-267. 
 
 Order of, 230-231. 
 
 
 defined, 227. 
 
 Be, as an auxiliary verb, 264. 
 
 Complimentary close of letters, 
 
 Conjugation of, 264r-267. 
 
 61. 
 
 Bracket, The, 295. 
 
 Composition work, Plans for, 1. 
 
 Business Forms, Ixxxvi. 
 
 Model for, 175, 176. 
 
 
 Outlines for, 177. 
 
 Case, 
 
 Subjects for, 177. 
 
 Nominative, xxxiii. 
 
 Compound personal pronouns, 
 
 Objective, xxxvi. 
 
 112. 
 
 of nouns in apposition, 147. 
 
 Compound sentence, Ixviii. 
 
 Possessive, xxxv. 
 
 Analysis of, 232-233. 
 
 Chambered Nautilus, The, 193. 
 
 Order of, 232. 
 
 Christian names, vii., 36. 
 
 defined, 231. 
 
 Clauses, li.-lii. 
 
 Concrete nouns, defined, 150. 
 
 as adjectives, 185. 
 
 Conjugation, Ixxix. 
 
 as adverbs, 186, 187. 
 
 defined, 262. 
 
 Coordinate, 190. 
 
 of am or be, 264-267. 
 
 defined, 178. 
 
 of auxiliary verb, 263. 
 
 as nouns, 184. 
 
 Emphatic form of, 268. 
 
 Principal, 190. 
 
 Interrogative form of, 268. 
 
 Relative, 189. 
 
 Progressive form of, 244- 
 
 Subordinate, 190. 
 
 246. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 313 
 
 of shall and will, 263. 
 
 Exclamatory sentence, defined, 
 
 of should and would, 264. 
 
 17. 
 
 of have, 264. 
 
 Expletive, 205. 
 
 of a regular verb {love)^ 269. 
 
 Extracts from 
 
 Conjunctions, xxx. 
 
 A Day — John G. Whittier, 
 
 Adverbial, 205. 
 
 302. 
 
 Exercises for the use of, 121, 
 
 The Great Stone Face- 
 
 122. 
 
 Nathaniel Hawthorne, 34. 
 
 defined, 121. 
 
 An Island Garden— Celia 
 
 Parsing of, 190. 
 
 Thaxter, 76. 
 
 Contractions, 50. 
 
 A Kentucky Cardinal — 
 
 Common, 51. 
 
 James Lane Allen, 208. 
 
 Exercises in the correct use 
 
 The Last Walk in Autumn 
 
 of, 51. 
 
 —John G. Whittier, 208. 
 
 Copula, 101. 
 
 Lorna Doone— R. D. Black- 
 
 
 more, 302. 
 
 Dash, The, 295. 
 
 Master Skylark — John Ben- 
 
 Dates, The writing of, 43-45. 
 
 nett, 125. 
 
 Daudet's Youth, The Story of, 
 
 The Pageant of Summer — 
 
 118. 
 
 Richard Jeffries, 20 L 
 
 Days of week, Abbreviations of, 
 
 The Paradise of Children- 
 
 49. 
 
 Nathaniel Hawthorne, 
 
 Declarative sentence, defined, 
 
 110. 
 
 17. 
 
 The Sandpiper's Nest— Celia 
 
 Declension of pronouns, xlviii. 
 
 Thaxter, 77. 
 
 Defective verbs, defined, 262. 
 
 Slumber Song— Celia Thax- 
 
 Definite article, The, 94. 
 
 ter, 117. 
 
 Demonstrative pronouns, xlvi. 
 
 Story of Daudet's Youth, 118. 
 
 defined, 165. 
 
 Telling the Bees— Eugene 
 
 Description , The F r a n c o n i a 
 
 Field, 130. 
 
 Road, 34. 
 
 Under the Old Elm — James 
 
 *'A Country Road," 176. 
 
 Russell Lowell, 299. 
 
 Descriptive adjectives, 92. 
 
 The Vision of Sir Launfal — 
 
 Designating adjectives, 92. 
 
 James Russell Lowell, 
 
 Dictionary work, Ixi., 237, 238. 
 
 xli., 153, 154. 
 
 Direct quotations, 157. 
 
 Wild Geese— Celia Thaxter, 
 
 defined, 157. 
 
 15. 
 
 how written, 157. 
 
 Will Shakespeare's Little 
 
 
 Lad— Imogen Clarke, 142. 
 
 Each other, 172. 
 
 The Village Blacksmith— 
 
 Envelope, how addressed, 63. 
 
 H. W. Longfellow, 91. 
 
314 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Factitive verbs, 140. 
 
 Infinitive forms, Simple, 256. 
 
 Feminine gender, 88. 
 
 Tenses of, 256. 
 
 First division of a sentence, 14. 
 
 Voices of, 256. 
 
 Five parts of a letter, xii. 
 
 Interjection, The, xxi. 
 
 Franconia Eoad, The, 34. 
 
 defined, 128. 
 
 Future perfect tense, 241. 
 
 how treated, 191. 
 
 Future tense, 240. 
 
 What it expresses, 123. 
 
 
 Interrogation point, use of, 
 
 Gender, xix. 
 
 294. 
 
 Common, 88. 
 
 Interrogative form of the verb, 
 
 Feminine, 88. 
 
 268. 
 
 Forms of, of certain nouns. 
 
 Conjugation of, 268. 
 
 88, 89. 
 
 Interrogative pronouns, xliv. 
 
 Masculine, 88. 
 
 defined, 161. 
 
 Neuter, 88. 
 
 Interrogative sentence, defined. 
 
 of nouns, xix. 
 
 17. 
 
 of pronouns, 118. 
 
 Irregular comparison 
 
 Government of nouns and pro- 
 
 of adjectives, 200, 201. 
 
 nouns, 142. 
 
 of adverbs, 206. 
 
 
 Irregular verbs, 
 
 Have, as an auxiliary verb, 268. 
 
 defined, 263. 
 
 Conjugation of, 264. 
 
 List of, 275. 
 
 Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 35. 
 
 
 Hiawatha, Story from, 89. 
 
 Lanier, Sidney, 287. 
 
 Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 194. 
 
 Letter, A 
 
 
 from Phillips Brooks, 52. 
 
 Imperative mode, 248. 
 
 -Writing, 66. 
 
 sentence, defined, 17. 
 
 Letters, 67-69. 
 
 Indefinite articles, 94. 
 
 Abstracts for, 63. 
 
 Indefinite forms of the verb, 
 
 Address of, 56. 
 
 244. 
 
 Body of, 59. 
 
 Independent possessives, 171. 
 
 Complimentary close of, 61. 
 
 Indicative mode, 189. 
 
 Heading of, 55. 
 
 Indirect quotation, defined, 157. 
 
 how folded, 64. 
 
 should and ivould in, 219. 
 
 Model for arrangement of, 
 
 Infinitive forms. The, Ixxvi. 
 
 65. 
 
 Compound, 256. 
 
 The Parts of, xii. 
 
 defined, 254. 
 
 Salutation of, 57. 
 
 omit to after certain verbs, 
 
 Signature to, 61. 
 
 260. 
 
 Subjects for body of, 67- 
 
 Parsing of, 256. 
 
 69. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 315 
 
 Like, 122. 
 
 
 Number, xiv. 
 
 Lowell, James Russell, 30. 
 
 
 Plural, defined, 70. 
 
 how formed, 70-76. 
 
 Marjorie's Almanac — T. B. 
 
 Ald- 
 
 Singular, defined, 70. 
 
 rich, 30. 
 
 
 
 Memory, Poems for (see Poems). 
 
 Objective case, xxxvi., 142. 
 
 Model forms for 
 
 
 adverbial, 143. 
 
 analyses of sentences 
 
 , see 
 
 Predicate, 140. 
 
 Ixv., Ixvii., Ixviii. 
 
 
 direct object of verb, 137. 
 
 compositions, 175, 176. 
 
 
 of preposition, 141. 
 
 letters, 65. 
 
 
 indirect object of verb, 
 
 Mode of verbs, Ixxiii. 
 
 
 139. 
 
 defined, 248. 
 
 
 Cognate, 144. 
 
 Imperative, 248. 
 
 
 subject of infinitive forms. 
 
 Indicative, 248. 
 
 
 145. 
 
 Subjunctive, 248. 
 
 
 One another, when to use, 
 
 Modifiei-s 
 
 
 172. 
 
 of adjectives, 203. 
 
 
 Opportunity— E. R. Sill, 274. 
 
 of adverbs, 204. 
 
 
 
 of clauses, 204. 
 
 
 Paragraph, 
 
 of nouns, 92, 93. 
 
 
 Model for, 86. 
 
 of sentences, 204. 
 
 
 Sentences to be grouped in, 
 
 of prepositions, 205. 
 
 
 86, 87. 
 
 of verbs, 203. 
 
 
 Parenthesis, The, 295. 
 
 Months, The, 45. 
 
 
 Parsing (see under several parts 
 
 Abbreviations for the names 
 
 of speech). 
 
 of, 44. 
 
 
 Participles, Ixxvii. 
 Active, 259. 
 
 No, modal adverb, 204. 
 
 
 Adverbial force of, 259. 
 
 Nouns, 23, 27, 28. 
 
 
 Compound, 259. 
 
 Classes of, vi. 
 
 
 defined, 257. 
 
 Abstract, 150. 
 
 
 Parsing of, 260. 
 
 Collective, 148, 149. 
 
 
 Passive, 259. 
 
 Common, 33. 
 
 
 Simple, 259. 
 
 Concrete, 150. 
 
 
 as verbal adjectives, 257. 
 
 Proper, 33. 
 
 
 as verbal nouns, 258. 
 
 Appositive use of, xxxviii. 
 
 Parts of a sentence. Two, i., 
 
 Parsing of, xl. 
 
 
 13, 14. 
 
 defined, 23. 
 
 
 Passive voice. 250, 
 
 (See, also, under Case, 
 
 Gen- 
 
 Past perfect tense, 242. 
 
 der, Number, and Person.) 
 
 Past tense, 240. 
 
316 
 
 mDEX. 
 
 Period, The use of, 293. 
 
 Possessive case, xxxv., 134. 
 
 Person, 110. 
 
 form of nouns, xvii. 
 
 Personal Pronouns (see Pro- 
 
 of pronouns, 135, 136. 
 
 noun). 
 
 Independent, 171. 
 
 Personification, defined, 114. 
 
 phrase, when preferred, 84. 
 
 Phrase, The, li. 
 
 Potential verb phrases, Ixxxiii. 
 
 Adjective, 179, 180. 
 
 Predicate 
 
 Adverb, 180, 181. 
 
 of a sentence, 15, 223. 
 
 defined, 178. 
 
 verb, 223. 
 
 Noun, 178, 179. 
 
 Predicate adjectives, Iv. 
 
 Participial, 183. 
 
 after verbs of sensation, Ix. 
 
 Possessive, 84. 
 
 defined, 195. 
 
 when preferred, 84. 
 
 Predicate nominative, 131, 223. 
 
 Prepositional, 183. 
 
 Predicate object, 140. 
 
 Plural number, 70. 
 
 Prepositional phrase, 183. 
 
 of nouns, xiv., xv. 
 
 Prepositions, xxix. 
 
 how formed, 70-76. 
 
 Careful use of, 119, 120. 
 
 Poems : 
 
 defined, 116. 
 
 The Beggar — James Russell 
 
 Object of, 141. 
 
 Lowell, 29. 
 
 Parsing of, 190. 
 
 Down to Sleep— H. H., 
 
 Present perfect tense, 241. 
 
 300. 
 
 Present tense, 240. 
 
 The Chambered Nautilus — 
 
 Principal clause, 190. 
 
 Oliver Wendell Holmes, 
 
 Principal parts of a verb, 262. 
 
 191-194 
 
 Progressive forms of a verb, 244. 
 
 Marjorie's Almanac — 
 
 Pronouns, 
 
 Thomas Bailey Aldrich, 
 
 Antecedents of, 167. 
 
 30. 
 
 Adjective, 166. 
 
 The Months, 45. . 
 
 Compound personal, 171. 
 
 Opportunity — Edward Row- 
 
 Declension of, xlviii. 
 
 land Sill, 274. 
 
 defined, 109. 
 
 The Sandpiper— Celia Thax- 
 
 Demonstrative, 172. 
 
 ter, 80. 
 
 Interrogative, 172. 
 
 The Sparrows — Celia Thax- 
 
 Indefinite, 172. 
 
 ter, 20. 
 
 Classified list of, 172. 
 
 The Song of the Chattahoo- 
 
 Independent possessive, 171. 
 
 chee — Sidney Lanier, Ixx. 
 
 Personal, xxvi., xxvii., xlvii. 
 
 Positive degree 
 
 Compound, 112, 171. 
 
 of adjectives, 198. 
 
 Relative, 163-164. 
 
 of adverbs, 205, 206. 
 
 Reciprocal pronoun phrases, 
 
 defined, 198. 
 
 172. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 817 
 
 Pronouns, 
 
 
 Sentences, Simple, Ixiv. 
 
 Parsing of, xlix. 
 
 
 Two parts of, 13, 14. 
 
 Sentences for the study of. 
 
 defined, 222. 
 
 xxviii. 
 
 
 Shall and icill, The correct use 
 
 Proper nouns, 33. 
 
 
 of, Ixii., 219-220. 
 
 Punctuation marks. The use of, 
 
 Should and would. The correct 
 
 Ixxxiv. 
 
 
 use of, 219-220. 
 
 
 • 
 
 in indirect quotations, 219. 
 Signature to letter, 61. 
 
 Quotation marks, 157, 160, 
 
 295. 
 
 Sill, Edward Rowland, 275. 
 
 Quotations, xlvi. 
 
 
 Simple sentence, Ixiv. 
 
 defined, 157. 
 
 
 Simple tenses, 244. 
 
 Direct, 157. 
 
 
 Singular number (see Number). 
 
 Divided, 158. 
 
 
 " Snow-Bound," AStudyof, 283. 
 
 How to write, 157. 
 
 
 Social Forms, 308. 
 
 Indirect, 157. 
 
 
 "Song of the Chattahoochee, 
 The," 235. 
 
 Reciprocal pronoun phrases 
 
 ,172. 
 
 Somebody else's, etc., 85. 
 
 t t rn ml H c\r\ 
 
 Redundant verbs, defined, 
 
 263. 
 
 "Sparrows, The," 20. 
 
 Regular comparison 
 
 
 Strong verbs, 263. 
 Subject, 
 
 distinguished from subject 
 
 of adjectives, 199. 
 of adverbs, 206. 
 
 
 Regular verbs, 263. 
 
 Conjugation of, 269. 
 Relative pronouns, xlv. 
 
 
 nominative, 131, 223. 
 nominative, 223. 
 of a sentence, 15. 
 
 defined, 164. 
 
 
 of infinitive, 145. 
 Subjunctive mode, defined, 248. 
 Conjugation of, 266. 
 
 Selections for study and 
 
 mem- 
 
 Signs of, 266. 
 
 ory (see Poems anc 
 
 l Ex- 
 
 Subordinate Clause, 190. 
 
 tracts). 
 
 
 Subjects 
 
 Semicolon, The use of, 294. 
 
 
 for compositions, 176-177. 
 
 Sentences, 
 
 
 for letter-writing, 67-69. 
 
 Analyses of, 228-235. 
 
 
 Superlative degree, defined, 198. 
 
 Complex, Ixvi. 
 
 
 of adjectives, 198. 
 
 Compound, Ixviii. 
 
 
 of adverbs, 206. 
 
 Declarative, 17. 
 
 
 how formed, 199. 
 
 Exclamatory, 17. 
 
 
 Surnames, vii. 
 
 Imperative, 17. 
 
 
 defined, 36. 
 
 Interrogative, 17. 
 
 
 Origin of, 37. 
 
 Kinds of, ii., 17. 
 
 
 Synonyms, 27. 
 
318 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Tense, Ixxi,, Ixxii. 
 
 Verbs, 
 
 Future, 240. 
 
 Emphatic forms of, 268. 
 
 Future perfect, 241. 
 
 Factitive, 140. 
 
 Past, 240. 
 
 followed by preposition 
 
 Past perfect, 241. 
 
 with adverbial force, 252. 
 
 Present, 240. 
 
 Intransitive, 252. 
 
 Present perfect, 241. 
 
 Irregular, 263, 275. ^ 
 
 defined, 244-246. 
 
 ITodes of, 248. 
 
 Conjugations of, 244. 
 
 Parsing of, Ixxx. 
 
 Thaxter, Celia, 22, 76. 
 
 Person and number of, 133. 
 
 The, article, 94. 
 
 Progressive forms of, 242. 
 
 There, expletive, 205. 
 
 Eedundant, 263. 
 
 Titles of books, essays, etc. , how 
 
 Eegular, 263. 
 
 written, xliii. 
 
 followed by indirect object. 
 
 To-naraes, 38. 
 
 139. 
 
 Transitive verbs, 252. 
 
 of sensation followed by 
 
 Two parts of a sentence, i., 13, 14. 
 
 predicate adjectives, 208. 
 
 
 Transitive, 252. 
 
 Verb phrases, Potential, Ixxviii. 
 
 Tenses of (see Tense). 
 
 Verbs, xxiii. 
 
 Voices of (see Voice). 
 
 Agreement with subject 
 
 Vision of Sir Launfal, The, 
 
 nominative, 132. 
 
 Ixxxiii. 
 
 with collective noun, 
 
 Voice, Ixxiv. 
 
 149. 
 
 defined, 250. 
 
 Auxiliary 
 
 Active, 250. 
 
 defined, 262. 
 
 Passive, 250. 
 
 List of, 263. 
 
 
 Conjugation of, 263- 
 
 Weak verbs, 263. 
 
 264. 
 
 Words as parts of speech, iii.. 
 
 Conjugation of, 269. 
 
 22. 
 
 Complete, defined, 262. 
 
 Little Study of, A, 24. 
 
 Correct use of certain, xxiv. 
 
 
 Defective, defined, 262, 
 
 Yes, modal adverb, 204. 
 
STEPPING STONES TO LITERATURE. 
 
 By Sarah Louise Arnold, and Charles B. Gilbert, 
 
 £uprrbi0or of £ci)ool0, )So0ton, MaB». ^uprrmtenlient of i^cijools, Netoartt, K. J. 
 
 A First Reader. 128pp. 1 30 beautif ulillustrations. Introductory price^ 
 30 cents. 
 
 The first reader of this delightful series initiates little learners into 
 the world of letters by means of simple stories and rhymes concern- 
 ing children and animals, the natural objects of interest to children. Its 
 illustrations are language lessons in themselves, and its vertical script 
 presents choice thoughts in choicest dress. 
 
 A Second Eeader. 160 pp. 100 beautiful illustrations. Introductory price, 
 40 cents. 
 
 In this Reader the lessons are a little longer and more complex. The 
 child's imagination is stimulated by charming fairy tales which have 
 become child classics. He is given a taste of the best poetry. The 
 lessons for seat work are interesting and instructive. 
 A Third Reader. 224 pp. Beautifully illustrated. Introductory price, 
 50 cents. 
 
 The ethical principle is strongly enforced in the Third Reader by 
 apposite fables and fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and others. 
 Beautiful pictures emphasize kindness to animals. There are numerous 
 poetical gems for pupils to memorize. 
 
 A Fourth Reader. 320 pp. Beautifully illustrated. Introductory Price, 
 60 cents. 
 
 The child is here given his first distinct introduction to mythology, 
 through the myths of Greece and Rome, the Hiawatha myth, etc. 
 Kingsiey's " Water Babies " and other choice writings appear in full ; 
 these enthrall the imagination and cultivate the taste. 
 A Reader for Fifth Grades. 320 pp. Attractively illustrated. Intro- 
 ductory price, 60 cents. ' 
 
 A Reader for Fifth Grades contains a galaxy of illustrious names. 
 Both poetry and prose are of a high order, and will give pupils a genuine 
 love of good literature. The Norse legends are introduced, and most 
 of the mythological selections bear upon history. 
 
 A Reader for Sixth Grades. 320 pp. Choicely illustrated. Introductory 
 price, 60 cents. 
 
 This Reader contains an unusual number of spirited poetical selec- 
 tions, full of fire and patriotism, such as will irresistibly appeal to grow- 
 ing youth. The myth is succeeded by history, as the tales of Ancient 
 Rome, etc. The love of adventure and sport is also catered to. 
 A Reader for Seventh Grades. 320 pp. Finely illustrated. Introduc- 
 tory price, 60 cents. 
 
 A Reader for Seventh Grades is devoted to American literature, and 
 contains choice representative selections from leading writers of all sec- 
 tions of the country. It will familiarize young people with our best 
 authors, and inspire a just national pride. 
 
 A Reader for Higher Grades. 336 pages. Attractively illustrated. In- 
 troductory price, 65 cents. 
 
 In A Reader for Higher Grades the best representative English 
 literature is presented, of both late and earlier periods. This Reader 
 makes a fitting climax to a remarkable series. 
 
 Our list comprises superior text-books for every ^ade of instruction. 
 
 SILVER, BURDETT & COMPANY, Publishers, 
 
 Boston «. New York - Chicago 
 
Valuable Literature Books* 
 
 By Fred Lewis Pattee, M.A., Professor of English and Rhetoric in 
 the Pennsylvania State College. 
 
 A HISTORY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE 
 
 With a view to the Fundamental Principles underlying its Develop- 
 ment. 12 mo. 487 pages. Cloth. Introductory price, ^1.20. 
 THIS is practically a history of the rise and development of American 
 hterature, in which the influences of race, epoch, and environment are 
 all caref utly noted, and our literature is shown to be closely connected with 
 the distinctive events of each historic era. Interesting chapters on the 
 First and Second Colonial Periods indicate the beginnings of our literature ; 
 '* The First Creative Period " marks its opening individuality ; while later 
 chapters take up "The Cambridge Poets," "The Historians," "The 
 Later Poet*:," " Woman in Literature," " The Humorists," etc. Graphic 
 biographical data of each author are given, followed by a summary of his 
 writings and the critical estimates of literary judges, with suggested and 
 required readings, etc. 
 
 Of the many commendations of this book from distinguished scholars 
 and educators, in all sections, we cite the following : 
 
 Prof. J. H. Gilmore, University of Rochester, N.Y. — I have no hesitation in pro- 
 nouncing Professor Pattee's the best history of American literature for the use of schools and 
 colleges now before the public. 
 
 Prof._ Granville H. Meixel, Midland College, Atchison, Kan. — As. a handbook for 
 class use it has no equal. The plan is admirable, the proportion of the parts well maintained, 
 the scope adequate, the suggestions for reading and study excellent, and the critical estimates 
 impartial, appreciative, and stimulating. 
 
 Prof. H. A. Shands, Soidhivestem University, Georgetown, Texas. — I have never 
 read a better characterization of our American authors in so condensed and convenient a form 
 As a reference book, both for student and teacher, it is almost invaluable. 
 
 READING COURSES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE. 
 
 For Schools, Colleges, Reading Circles, etc. 12 mo. 55 pages. Cloth. 
 Introductory price, 36 cents. 
 
 THREE courses are presented in this valuable series, as arranged for 
 Professor Pattee's work with his own classes. Course I. embraces the 
 five great periods in our literary history, and includes only the choicest 
 work of the best WTiters. Course II. is devoted to contemporary American 
 fiction, and Course HI. as an appendix to this, gives the best short stories. 
 The references to biographies and critical works given with each author 
 form a most valuable feature of the book. 
 
 The Independent (N.Y. ), in a critical notice of the book, says : 
 
 " Nothing can be more useful to the student, especially if he is reading by himself at 
 home, than such a carefully prepared, systematic course as this. It gives, in a way, the best 
 aid that a teacher can offer in telling him what to read, and in putting every work he does 
 read in its right relation with all the others." 
 
 THE FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. 
 
 A Study of the Development of English Thought and Expression from 
 Beowulf to Milton. 12 mo. 394 pages. Cloth. 
 
 IN this volume the author has aimed to show that the Hterature of England 
 has been a gradual growth ; that it has flowed out of the national life 
 and is inseparably connected with the national history, civil and religious. 
 The spirit of the age, the condition of the different classes, the gradual 
 development of new ideals and new institutions, the various influences 
 from outside that have helped to modify and to mold native characteristics, 
 have all been carefully noted at each step. The foundation period is all 
 that is embraced in this study, beginning with Beowulf and the earliest 
 English writers, and closing with the great era of Shakespeare and Milton, 
 when the language and literature had settled into their permanent forms. 
 Our list includes superior text-books for all departments of instruction. Catalogues 
 and descriptive circulars mailed free on application. 
 
 SILVER, BURDETT & COMPANY, Publishers, 
 
 - BOSTON. NEW YORK. CHICAGO. 
 
; 
 
YB 36428 
 
 M69881 ?^ro 
 
 roue 
 
 DEPT. 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UBRARY