i wy>-( PILOT BOOK FOR iENTENCE AND THEME By C. H. WARD, M.A. THE TAFT SCHOOL, WATERTOWN, CONNECTICUT AUTHOR OF "what IS ENGLISH?" MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMY OF TIMB **A pilot is a person possessing local knowledge of shallows, rocks, currents, channels, etc.*' — Century Dictionary. PRICE, FIFTY CENTS SCOTT, FORESMAN AND COMPANY CHICAGO ^EW YORK DRAMATIZATION SELECTIONS FROM ENGUSH CLASSICS ADAPTED IN DRAMATIC FORM SARAH E. SIMONS Head of the Department of Enelish, High Schools, Washington, D, C- CLEM IRWIN ORR Instructor in English in the Central High Schcol, Washington, D. C. Pamphlets for the Pupils (Dramatization Selections Only) First Year High School, paper, 88 pages $0.25 Second Year High School, paper, 90 pages .25 Third Year High School, paper, 87 pages .25 Fourth Year High School, paper^ 95 pages .25 Manual for the Teacher (Cloth, 406 pages $2.00) This series is planned to give practical suggestions for the dramatization of high school classics. One of the most successful of all devices for vitalizing the work of the Elnglish class. The selections are those familiar to students in the secondary schools. The dramatic illustrations offered are type studies and are intended as a working basis for teachers and pupils in developing similar exercises. WHAT IS ENGLISH? A Book of Strategy for English Teachers Cloth. 25S Pages. $U0 By C. H. WARD Master in English. The Taft School Watertown. Conn. A thousand and one suggestions on difHcuItiee encountered in everyday class work. It is not a bundle of fine-spun philosophy — though the under- lying theory is thoroughly sound. An orderly tr^^- ment of the more important problems of teaching English, set forth in a style that is refrerhing and altogether delightful. PILOT BOOK FOR SENTENCE AND THEME By C. H. WARD, M.A. THE TAFT SCHOOL, WATERTOWN. CONNECTICDT AUTHOR OF "what IS ENGLISH?" MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMY OF TIMB **A pilot IS a person possessing local knowledge of shallows, rocks, currents, channels, etc." — Century Dictionary, SCOTT, FORESMAN AND COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK Copyright 1918 by Scott, Foresman and Company HOW TO SHORTEN A COURSE IN SENTENCE AND THEME Some teachers whose time is very limited wish to know the best ways of abbreviating a course in Sentence and Theme. Omission and contraction are dangerous because, as in all education, work half done may not be done at all. But the following list indicates (approximately in order of less impor- tance for teaching rudiments) the lessons which may be omitted in schools that have to sacrifice thoroughness to speed : 1. Lessons 30, 32, 33 (infinitives) ; see comment on Lessons 29 and 32 in the Pilot Book. 2. Lesson 29 (infinitives) and Les- son 34 (difficult gerunds). 3. Lesson 19 (address and excla- mation). 4. Merely call attention emphatically to Lessons 11 (compound adjectives) and 31 (possessives). 5. Lesson 15 (less common prepositions). 6. Lesson 21 (two accusatives). 7. Lesson 26 (participles). 8. Lesson 46 (interrogatives). 9. Lesson 69 (it). 10. Lesson 77 (marks as servants). 11. Les- sons 40 and 68 (ellipses). 12. Lessons 74 (parentheses) and 76 (dashes). 13. Reduce the time spent upon sentence anal- ysis by omitting Lessons 57, 58, 61. 14. Lesson 17 (phrases). 15. Lesson 42 (relatives). 16. Most of the themes. 17. The lessons that deal with elementary rhetoric : 4, 24, 36, 48, 66, 72. 18. It is a temptation for a teacher to reduce the time spent on ''restrictive and non-restrictive," since this is more diffi- cult and less important than some other subjects. But it is an important subject and can be well taught only by thorough- ness. If it can be postponed to the next year (as it is in some schools), teachers can omit or bear lightly on Lessons 27, 28, 38, 43, 44, 53 (and possibly 51 and 52). 19. Omit the exer- cises for Lessons 1, 3, 49, 70, and for the lessons indicated above. 20. Assign only half of the exercise material that is given in the lessons which are studied. 1 462225 THE SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE PILOT BOOK. The original Pilot Book was intended to be merely a discus- sion of reasons and methods. After consultation with teachers had shown that many of them would welcome comment on the punctuation exercises, a complete key to the *' Leaves" was added in a second edition of the Pilot Book. Much correspond- ence with users of Sentence and Theme has proved the desir- ability of a key to all the grammar exercises, which is now pro- vided in a third edition. The desire for this sort of reference- book has been most often expressed by keen-minded teachers of experience; they best realize how the simplest exercise may furnish the most unexpected puzzle, and how the ablest teacher may often save time by the use of the mechanical aids in a manual. The writer will welcome corrections and suggestions for improvement. PILOT BOOK FOR SENTENCE AND THEME GETTING OUR BEARINGS Sentence and Theme is one of countless indications that America's happy-go-lucky days are over. We have learned that laxity and heedless sentimentality are great national perils. With the impulse that drives us toward national vigor this book must accord, or be annihilated. A text-maker is no longer a theorizer to be regarded with indulgence if he means well; he must henceforth — like every laborer — help in the common cause of augmenting national vigor. It is not that more exacting standards of life oblige him to think of *' efficiency," but that increasingly with the years — of peace even more than of war — we must study to be strong, must cultivate vigor of mind if we are to retain the privilege of democracy. Mental sturdiness has not been the burden of recent texts in composition. We have listened to a symphony of * ' artistry ' ' and "skill," supposing with kindly carelessness that if only our eyes were directed at "the large and ultimate aims," all lesser virtues would take care of themselves. The hideous illiteracy fostered by this genial hope has until recently been a veiled subject. * * Oh, we think conditions are not so bad, ' ' has been a customary reply to warnings against the peril that infects us. "Our children are probably about as literate as French pupils," was the guess of an eminent writer on the pedagogy of English only fourteen years ago. But the truth may now be seen in all its grimness by anyone who will read Prof. R. W. Brown's How the French Boy Learns to Write. His simple test shows that our pupils writing our language are eighteen times more illiterate than French pupils writing our language. The colleges of his state discover that the 3 4 PILOT BOOK FOR published standards for the sixth grade are higher than the achievement of entering college freshmen, more than one-third of whom cannot distinguish between a phrase and a sentence. The University of Illinois has taught a large proportion of its freshmen sixth-grade rudiments ; Wisconsin has had to do the same ; Minnesota and Michigan have testified their despair ; Williams has taught freshmen the rudiments of punctuation; and Dartmouth has received certificated candidates who do not know the beginnings of composition. If this has been the condition of that part of high-school graduates who go to college, what must have been the truth about the rest f Only a small part of the blame can be laid upon us teachers ; we have done about what our easy-going society demanded. Those '* ultimate aims" have caused our weakness; now we have a revelation of the humble and essential duties from which we can never be exempt henceforth. High schools have already perceived that slouching sentences, myopic spelling, and ataxic commas are in a very real and practical sense a cause of national weakness; our pretty theory of ^'artistry first ' ' stands revealed as a peril of democracy. Of course we are not going to abandon attempts at simple artistry, any more than we have cast aside our belief in good will toward men. Our work in the coming years will be more beautiful because it will be more in accord with reality. We shall continue to aim — this book aims — as high as ever. But just as we have been wakened to see that democracy can be permanent only after we have learned the value of corn and the nobility of conscription, so in composition we now realize that beauty can come only after we have learned the value of semicolons and the nobility of a good sentence. Though we are just opening our eyes to this reality, it has long been patent to French teachers of the mother-tongue. ''The prevailing ideal," says Professor Brown, ''is not to make a great body of literary writers, but to enable boys to record their feelings with accuracy and honesty, and to feel the importance of putting everything into good form. . . . French teachers do not busy themselves with lessons in literary millinery or any other kind of artificial decoration. In the early grades the matters to receive chief attention are ordinary accuracy and conventional correctness. ... In the upper grades one finds comparatively few mechanical faults. . . . SENTiUNCE AND THEME 5 The spirit of the school fosters care and accuracy. ... In cases where the inevitable poor pupil risks violating custom by handing in 'sloppy' ivork, the teacher is likely to regard his action as a personal insult. " As to grammar the Instructions say : * * French is a living language which is known poorly if it is learned by usage. The study of grammar is then a neces- sity. . . . The chief aim is a mastery of the tools of every- day expression." And French teachers have been unwilling to limit themselves to a brief syllabus of correct idioms, but profess faith in ' ' a deep-seated, long-established knowledge of sentence elements. ' ' This knowledge is imparted as an aid in the making of good sentences. Of the importance of sentences French teachers testify : * * If a boy has anything to say, his ability to say it well must depend in large measure upon his skill in handling the sentence. ' ' All the humble rudiments are painstakingly taught by the nation that achieves the highest average of excellence in school composition. They are taught as a fundament without which any superstructure is a sham. Even spelling is made a subject for ''a well-developed con- science " ! In proportion as we develop such a conscience and devote ourselves to building honest foundations, we teachers of English shall do our bit toward making democracy secure. The rapidity with which we have waked to this reality — waked out of our old dream of '^ fluency first" — is astonishing. In 1910 the great majority of schools would have hesitated to say amen to the motto ''accuracy first." Those words would have had a horrific sound. But in 1917 the writer took a straw vote. To a special list of high schools, advertised as using a ' ' fluency first ' ' text, was addressed the query, ' ' Do you believe in fluency first?" Only 7 replies were affirmative; 11 were neutral; 35 declared flatly for "accuracy first." If this little ballot (made by voters selected for their presumed friendliness to "fluency first") shows only 13 per cent in favor of that method, and if there are over 14,000 high schools in the country, it is not impossible that 10,000 believe in ' ' accu- racy first. ' ' This belief now echoed everywhere by so many earnest teachers is well epitomized by Professor Pence of De Pauw University : "I cannot see how any teacher — college or high school — for one minute can put anything above accuracy. For it stands to reason that fluency without accuracy is worthless ; 6 PILOT BOOK FOR but accuracy without fluency may be worth a great deal. I believe so firmly in accuracy first that this is my doctrine, not only in the freshman classes, but even in my seminar course for seniors and graduate students. ■ . . . My expe- rience is that a * clean' writer — by this I mean being accurate in the use of the sentence, in spelling, in punctuation, etc. — is almost invariably the clean thinker, and that the converse is also true. There are exceptions, to be sure, but I would much rather provide for the 99 per cent of my classes than for the exceptional 1 per cent." A similar profession of faith has been published from, the universities of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; and is doubtless held by every body of expe- rienced college instructors in the country. It must be even more true of secondary composition. Sentence and Theme is an effort to train high-school pupils in accordance with this American ideal — this ideal, also, of the woHd 's most literary nation, France. SPELLING The first three lessons are devoted to spelling. Thereafter a list of specially emphasized common forms is placed at the end of most of the lessons through 49 ; and there are reviews at intervals, providing for a second recitation on every word, through 62. One review is insufficient; the words should be studied in short assignments once or even three times more ; the grading of tests should increase in strictness. A few words (especially some proper names) that are found commonly misspelled in any particular school should be added to these lists. There is no nee4 to explain here why these few hundred words require such strong and repeated emphasis; for ex- perienced teachers all understand, and the inexperienced could not be convinced by mere cold type. Suffice it to say that any high -school freshman who habitually spells all these words correctly when his attention is directed at composing ideas is exceptional ; any one who can be trained to do that in one year will exhibit only random and unimportant misspellings of other words ; and those who cannot acquire that much knowl- edge ought not to squander their time on hit-or-miss lists of several thousand words. Spelling troubles are deep-seated ; a scattering attack along the whole broad surface will accomplish SENTENCE AND THEME 'J nothing. Our spelling problem is hardly a question of teach- ing. In the present condition of education pupils are allowed to form wrong habits, to persist in these habits for years, and to fix them almost ineradicably before they enter high school. Our work is mostly unteaching — and getting rid of habits is heart-breaking work. This failure in the grades may be remedied within a decade — is already being attended to by some earnest superintendents ; but the result of their labors is not yet apparent in the secondary schools. Wlien these few hundred ' * demons ' ' are thoroughly attended to in the grades, the spelling sections of Sentence and Theme will be antiquated. They were almost a novelty when the book was written. It is the writer's conviction that spelling tests are much more effective if sentences are dictated. The ability to spell a list of words may not be any evidence that a pupil has acquired the power of spelling in his composition. Some overburdened teachers may not have time for correcting sentences (which require more time than a list), but that they are more effica- cious is indubitable. The recitation-plan expected in Sentence and Theme re- quires devoting the first five or ten minutes to dictating several sentences, each containing four or five of the words in the day 's lesson. The effort to pack more words than that into one sentence is likely to result in unusual matter or strained phras- ing or abnormal association of ideas. Sentences should be natural. This dictation can be made to help fix right habits of diction, sentence-form, and punctuation. It is supposed that the teacher will collect the papers and proceed with the other part of the lesson. Misspellings will be marked with a simple check or line, and all imperfect papers will be returned the following day for correction. It is not possible to suggest any scale of marking that is generally applicable : local standards and conditions vary so widely. But the grading should be strict. Easy marking quite misleads the pupil as to the seriousness of one misspelling. In the first lesson, for instance, the words are so simple and familiar that two misspellings really signifies a zero of achievement. In later lessons it is lenient to consider that a paper with five misspellings is worth anything ; it should probably be marked /:ero for four or for three errors. Leniency will be failure; strictness will be kindly efficiency. In later lessons it will he 8 PILOT BOOK FOR well to distinguish degrees of error: suspitious, when the word is given out for the first time, is a slight matter, because the c was not emphasized ; but suspicius violates the invariable rule that was delated upon ; little should be deducted — perhaps nothing — for misspelling words that were not in the lesson or that were not put upon the board to be copied. The commonest and most recommended device for correct- ing is to require each pupil to enter the words (preferably the whole sentences) in his book kept for the purpose, and then to require from time to time the rewriting of these words that are his special weakness. The writer cannot testify about this method, because in his own work he has been able to get results by severe marking on themes ; but he has no doubt of the value of the individual 's book. If this device is not employed, there should be some kind of penalizing work required — say writing out the sentences a number of times. If only the rewriting of the separate words is required, they should be in this arrange- ment : a list of the correct forms, another list of correct forms, and so on. "Writing down one word fifty times seems to make no impression on the brain-cell that we are trying to reach; going back after an interval of other activities makes some impression. The most effective time for driving home spelling is just after the papers are returned to the class. At that moment the minds are more alert and interested. What needs emphasis at this time is not the unusual singeing, but the everlastingly common stopped. Exhibiting a wrong form is always con- ducive to confusion; after long years of unsympathetically causing trouble for puzzled young brains, the writer unhesita- tingly asserts that putting an erroneous form on the board for comment, or even speaking the wrong letters, is mistaken practice. At the risk of appearing dogmatic he will further assert that lose and all right should never be shown for emphasis in connection with loose and already; lose is helped by move and prove, all right by all wrong. Similar correct forms corroborate each other. BY GEAMMAR TO PUNCTUATION France believes that the ability to compose well ''must depend in large measure upon skill in handling the sentence. ' * And this skill — like a technique of any kind — is not to be SENTENCE AND THEME 9 acquired by vague exhortation. Injunctions like "use more complex sentences", *'use variety of forms" are resultless. Only "deep-seated familiarity" can cause complex sentences to flow naturally from the pen ; only "long-continued familiar- ity" with different forms can produce variety. Though some pupils possess these gifts of style by nature, the great majority cannot achieve them without the same kind of effort that is required to learn to play the violin or to win a set of tennis. That is w^hy this book has "so much grammar." That is why all mere classifications are excluded. Every lesson, every section of grammar has a definite purpose in teaching how to make good sentences. The purpose is never one that the writer imagines might be useful; in every case he has been taught by class-room necessity that the point must be devel- oped if future progress is not to be balked. The five lessons in prepositions are not here because the writer loves phrases, nor has affection for pronouns produced the six lessons on relative clauses. Every lesson is part of a design. The pattern may not always accord witk a preconceived logic of grammat- ical sequence, but it stands as practice has formed it; it is founded on the stricter logic of experience. No theory has directed the taking up of single words before examining entire subjects and predicates; no whim is responsible for studying clauses in lessons 38-53, then going to simple sentences, then taking up complex sentences. That order is suited to the best sequence in punctuation. Adjectives and nouns prepare for verbals ; a study of verbals shows that participles and gerunds do not make statements; acquaintance with prepositions re- veals the fact that phrases are not statements; then it can be revealed by work with pronouns that a phrase and a relative combined are not a sentence ; pupils can be taught that no sub- ordinate clause is a sentence ; can ultimately learn — even the most literal — that two independent statements without a con- junction are not a sentence. Then they can make use of in- struction about semicolons. An important feature of the grammar lessons is the abun- dance of exercises provided in the Appendix (pages 339-364), 600 sentences specially selected and classified for various kinds of practice. For oral work, reviews, or extra assignments a class is not compelled to go over the same familiar sentences, but can gain added knowledge by work with fresh material 10 PILOT BOOK FOE BY PUNCTUATION TO ''SENTENCE SENSE" A very long and arduous experience finally revealed to the author that punctuation is not a process of ' * sticking in marks, ' ' but that it is the greatest of all devices for improving sentence structure. That is why there is ''so much punctuation.'^ Imagine the writer's feelings, after the weary years of slow waking to the truth, to discover that before he was born French teachers knew the punctuation campaign. If he had had the wit to investigate French methods of mother-tongue instruc- tion, he could have escaped the long labor of hacking his own trail to the truth. His discovery is one that might have been smiled at in America; but now, thanks to the French Boij^ must be believed. It is a truth that the punctuating of seven hundred sentences of all sorts is almost an education in itself ; it improves style. ''Rules for the comma" bring no improve- ment ; they may be a minus force. But after thorough practice in the necessary grammatical principles, after full illustration of just how and why commas are used, then the analysis of unpunctuated sentences lays foundations for decent style. The fact of experience is that such drill teaches variety of forms, secures freedom of expression, and is in the end a real stimulus to spontaneity. Since so large a portion of the educational world supposes that punctuation is a matter of feeling or guess-work, it may be well to say here that the code provided in Sentence and Theme is sufficient for all ordinary non-technical needs, that it is precise in almost every detail, and that it is based, not on any composite of ' ' authority, ' ' but on the facts of present usage. Just as the world has only recently learned that cor- rectness of idiom is dependent upon the facts of usage, so it is now learning that rules for punctuation do not originate in rhetorics, but in the great body of usage developed by pub- lishers. Current usage cannot be truly gaged by the customs of book-makers, since their product is usually a compromise^ between an office standard and an author's personal notions.' The usage is most readily observable in the best periodicals. They are brought out with scrupulous and fastidious care; they are conservative and dare not be peculiar ; their codes, representing a great body of careful opinion, are in almost complete accord. It is this usage that authors will follow, that SENTENCE AND THEME H Kipling and Noyes have followed. Upon this usage is based the code that is presented in Sentence and Theme. In some respects that code differs from the usual textbook rules. Such differences are not due to any desire to be original, nor to any assumption of superior knowledge ; they are merely reports of the facts of present-day usage. The code is in very close agreement with the four manuals that best represent modern practice: DeVinne's, Manly and Powell's, Teall's, MacCracken and Sandison 's ; no item is in conflict with more than one of these. In one respect — definiteness — the rules may arouse appre- hension in the minds of some conservative or esthetic teachers, but any ground for such fear has never been observable in the writer's classes. The twenty *' rules" and the numerous *' comments" are not contrived with a view to logical com- pleteness, for the entire code could be comprised in a much simpler plan. But such logical simplicity is the least inform- ing kind of presentation, is hardest for the pupil. Military maneuvers cannot be learned from the compressed logic of a printed sheet, nor chess from a page of Hoyle; no more can the tactics of punctuation be made clear by a concise summary. We can propagate living habits only by a display of so, so that, and so; by emphasizing the comma before for; by dilating upon as that shows a reason ; by making a point of since that means because. After each concrete case is plain — and not till then — does ''non-restrictive adverbial" mean anything. Detailed statement is not for precision simply, but for display, for concreteness. And this precision has no power for evil except in the hands of incompetent teachers. Vague and meaning- less rules are harmful in the hands of the best teacher. THE MOTIVE IN PUNCTUATION Pupils apply themselves more willingly and gain more knowledge if they are kept reminded that all the punctuation lessons have a business-like purpose : to attain the power of making good sentences. That power is the best certificate that a man is educated. It passes current in the world. Without it other education is shabby. Business men value it. Convincing testimony, vehemently expressed, can be gathered in any town from hard-headed men of affairs as to what they think of a high-school graduate who cannot compose good sentences. Such 12 PILOT BOOK FOR testimony may be used persuasively in schools. Here is a sample of what the world of affairs thinks today about high- school education; it is from a report by a Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of New York City : "One principal of a high school wouldn't recommend a single one out of more than 400 graduates *for the lowest clerical job in a banking house. ' Employers told the old, too true story of the weakness of the graduates in the three R's, their carelessness, their defect of personal habits and charac- teristics necessary to business efficiency. Pupils come to the high schools without the knowledge which the grammar schools exist to give them. Slipshod in the rudiments, they are sent to high schools. So our education rests too largely on shallow- ness, pretense." Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering has said editorially : ' ' The average high-school graduate is notori- ously a 'lame duck.' Few there are who can express them- selves in correct English." (See below, lesson 56.) THE IMPORTANCE OF SENTENCES All the exercises in grammpT and punctuation are organ- ized into a coherent whole, a progress step by step to real mas- tery of the sentence. How fundamentally important that mastery is in composition may be judged by the following testimonies, written by four earnest men from four very dif- ferent points of view: Herrick and Damon's Composition and Bhetoric The attention of teachers is called to the emphasis laid upon the sentence and the word. From the period in which the paragraph occupied the center of the stage in rhetorical instruction we are now fortunately emerging. Professor J. M. Thomas, University of Minnesota Students who come to the college teacher from the secondary schools have been given superficial notions about literary movements, but are left in total ignorance of the nature of a sentence. The whole theory of punctuation still remains in worlds beyond their ken. Scrilner's, Editorial, May, 1916. Undoubtedly we must find some way of stiffening with a sense of structure the knock-kneed sentences our young- sters write ; but this will be better accomplished by citations from the newspapers and periodicals than from the shrines. SENTENCE AND THEME 13 Bernard M. Sheridan, Superintendent of Schools, Lawrence, Mass. The fundamental thing, the element upon which all other details of composition depend and upon which the whole superstructure of composition is built, is the mastery of the sentence. THEMES At intervals through the book is material for forty themes. (Why ''so little space" is devoted to themes is explained in the Preface, page 8.) It is not supposed that a school will follow exactly this schedule, or will choose all these topics. The arrangement is one that might be followed by a teacher who had no preferences of his own. Since most teachers can- not assign more than thirty themes in one year, they will find many options. Some teachers will not care for so many humorous episodes or animal stories; others will not wish to attempt much exposition or argumentation. The greatest departure from the topics given will be — and ought to be — in favor of local subjects. Many high-school themes should be on subjects that pupils have experienced at first-hand. Though true imagination is the most admirable quality, vague striving after what is hazily realized produces the poorest composition. The topics suggested are of three kinds: (1) An assort- ment of stories carefully selected for their inherent power to induce plot development to a climax; these are put forward as simple stories, but require more exposition than might be supposed at first sight; (2) some expositions of a **real life" kind ; (3) some arguments on a few of those topics about which students are likely to have lively differences of opinion. Five selections for reading to the class as theme material are given in this pamphlet ; other selections, better suited to special needs, may be found in newspapers, magazines, and lively books. But not so easily as might be thought. The inter- est of one passage will be found to evaporate when it is taken from its setting ; another lacks the essential concreteness. The most common shortcoming is in plot ; unless a passage is anec- dotal in character — returning to the opening situation for its 14 PILOT BOOK FOR climax — it invites poor handling. The material for Theme 37 is wanting in this very particular; some arrangement leading to climax must be urged upon the class. Most experienced teachers agree with the following state- ments about theme-topics: 1. The staple for the first year of high school should be narrative. Most good narratives require some explaining of a situation; an insistent demand that *' things shall be clear," that ''the reader must understand," that ''the situation must be evident, ' ' will be all the while teaching exposition without using that term. 2. What is wildly exciting to an onlooker may be difficult to make exciting to a reader. Good narrative depends, not on the thrilling fact, but on the development of a situation. 3. Pupils are usually most entertaining when they narrate some slight happening, something humorous or unusual which has an element of plot. The wisdom of "not hunting for the big things" can be proved before a class by reading themes that succeed with a slight matter neatly developed. 4. "Something that really happened to you" is the safest advice. But easily realizable situations described in a news- paper are good subjects. 5. A school theme should never be a series of the happenings of a week, or of a day, or even of an hour ; the aim should rather be to make vivid what happened in a minute: what characters were concerned? where? why? what happened? with what result? 6. Limit the subject. 7. Make one thing stand out. 8. Exposition — except as an element of narrative — should attempt only what the writer fully understands and has some interest in setting forth. 9. The most-needed counsel to pupils is: "What does your reader not know?" 10. Pure description is an undertaking of doubtful utility. "My room," "Montgomery Street," etc., are almost sure to produce a catalogue. 11. The best counsel is: "Give an im- pression of one thing by telling the details of life, motion, human interest." The wisdom of furnishing an outline may be questioned by many. But until a class is fully under way, has securely got the idea of "the few main divisions," the presenting of an outline by the teacher is almost certain to be bene- ficial. The method suggested is this : to habituate the student to conventional forms, to impress upon him the general notion SENTENCE AND THEME 15 that a paragraph should always represent some one real, large division, to familiarize him with the idea of the simplicity and obviousness of an ordinary three-title or four-title outline. The kind of outline giyen in the text — a short list of brief titles of paragraphs — is a product of experience. It works. THEME TOPICS No part of our work is more a matter of personality than assigning themes. So far as in him lies every teacher should give topics to which he can feel a pleasant response from the class. A corollary is that as many of the topics as pos- sible should be local and personal, matters which the pupil takes an interest in telling about. Teachers who have been long in the profession gather a sheaf of likely subjects, and gifted teachers may succeed with almost any subject; these will have no interest in the lists below. But there will always be some users of Sentence and Theme w^ho hope for new ideas from a colleague, some who feel that a Pilot Book would be incomplete without the following section for reference in an emergency. The writer might courteously refer them to the hundreds of topics printed in every rhetoric, to the thou- sands displayed in special manuals. Why not? Many of these are full of life, afford variety. Why should the writer not save himself trouble ? There are several reasons why these attractive offerings are likely to prove too fragile when taken from their setting and submitted to classroom handling. 1. Most of them are intended merely to suggest similar subjects in the pupil's own knowledge (*'a day in a mining camp"). 2. They are designed to be applied by teachers who have no use for a Pilot Book Ca moment of suspense"). 3. Many are of just the wrong kind ( ' * a trip across country " ) , leading to * ' a string of things." 4. Many are calculated for students of more maturity than high-school freshmen ("invent a fable"). 5. Others suggest impressions, conditions, characterizations — subjects which require more than average skill (''a trial of patience"). 6. Some that seem animated and matter-of-fact enough will be found in the trial to lack content : the unimagi- native half of the class cannot develop to a climax (''an unwel- come guest"). 7. Very few apply to a whole class. This is 16 PILOT BOOK FOE a most important consideration when outlining for structure is to be emphasized. A class should have as many options as possible during the year, and originality of treatment should be stimulated in every way. But the unresourceful youth is happier and better taught if an interesting subject is set and a definite mode of treatment offered. To present outlines of several options consumes too much time. Often in the course of a year there will be occasion for a topic that all can feel contented with ; and after a teacher has supposedly thought of something that everyone in the class can appropriate {e. g., *'a practical joke"), he is all too likely to hear from several, * ' I never saw one. ' ' Finding the right topics is hard — at least for some of us. If only a few of the ideas that follow appeal to each one who looks through them, the writer will be well satisfied. For convenience the topics are arranged in three groups, though the classification is in some cases arbitrary. The out- lines represent merely one possibility. Teachers are urged and pupils should always be invited to alter and adapt. One ele- ment of an outline should always be insisted on: be specific; name that Bible or that elephant or those ' ' dead ' ' boys. Such a division-title as "going to church" is provocative of vague- ness, because it does not name the specific business of that paragraph — which may have been ' ' muddy stockings " or ' ' the longing to pray." In preparing outlines the writer has had in mind themes of 250 to 350 words. Each title represents a main division of material, which may in most cases be developed as one paragraph. I. STORIES The safest and easiest way of getting narrative subjects suitable for every member of a class is to read an episode from an interesting book, requiring the development of the climax as a theme. Preliminaries must be curtailed, digressions avoided; the aim is to drive every sentence toward that one purpose. * ' Double-barreled ' ' themes are the worst kind ; ' ' one topic only ' ' is the motto. If time is available, a whole chapter may be read, to give the class the full setting; but they are to "pick out that one topic," limit themselves to the one affair. Here are three examples from Tom Sawyer: SENTEIs^CE AxND THEME 17 Chapter IV a. (Easier for the unskilful) Tom trades for tickets. a. (Better for those that have skill) "Showing off" before Judge Thatcher. (Tom's possession of yellow tickets may be mentioned incidentally.) b. Tom receives the Bible. c. The Judge commends him. d. The fatal question. Chapter IX a. Getting up the coffin. (The opening sentence may tell where the boys were watching.) b. The quarrel, in dialogue. c. The murder. Chapter XVII a. The funeral sermon. b. The "dead" boys appear. c. Old Hundred. Many short stories furnish good material. KIPLING 'S Moti-Guj a. Why Moti-Guj was mutinous. b. He defies Chihun. c. He defies Kala Nag and Nazim. d. Chihun 's baby — the climax of successful mutiny. Here, as in Chapter IX of Tom Sawyer, the emphasis may be changed to that of the author's climax by treating earlier parts summarily — i. e., to ''How Potter was fooled" and to * * How Moti-Guj became obedient again. ' ' If a wild-west story (very wild) is wanted for variety, it may be found in 0. Henry's A Chaparral Christmas Gift. a. Why the Lanes were anxious on Christmas eve. b. Santa Claus appears. c. He speaks with Mrs. Lane. d. Mr. Lane is the Christmas gift. The author has taken pains to show that the Frio Kid has "a spot of good," but otherwise the slight and rapid allusions may have to be explained to the class : the Kid played Santa Claus, was about to shoot Lane, but decided to make a Christmas gift of him to his wife. In the case of stories not thus ready-made a warning should 18 PILOT BOOK FOE be given against an ''introduction." Our young people are so familiar with 5,000-word magazine stories beginning with (as they suppose) rather aimless dialogue that many are prone to go through a similar flourish, which kills space without getting anywhere, and which causes bad proportion. Teach- ers will probably do well never to mention such abstractions as ''setting," "characterization," and the like, for these lead to false efforts and produce chunks of dead stuff in a theme. Pupils are much more likely to need the injunction to begin promptly and to stop the instant they are through. Outlining a long story or a play is apt to be a pernicious task, for it leads to "a string of things"; but a dramatic episode — "some one part" — is always good. Examples of good situations for narrative are : first sight of the cannibals in Robinson Crusoe, Harvey goes overboard {Captains Cour- ageous) , the shooting of Lorna {Lorna Doone), the climax of a Wonder Book story, of The Pit and the Pendulum. Subjects for reproduction are to be found everywhere, but not so easily as might be supposed ; for there are several requisites : 1. an episode fairly complete in itself, 2. interest in a character, 3. plot development in brief space — i. e., a decided change of for- tune or reversal of situation for a character. Many an excit- ing situation that looks promising will be found when tested not to have sufficient plot for a good climax. This is not a question of making pupils joyous; it is the very significant matter of teaching them what a proper conclusion is. Unin- ventive minds are likely to be untaught — or mistaught — if they are left too much to their own devices. It is probable that in our composition teaching we have been lured into putting an improper emphasis on invention, originality ; that we have not given enough attention to insuring good structure and emphasis by the nature of the material and by providing preliminary discussion.* An example of insufficient climax is this situa- tion : A brags that in a day's angling he can get a bigger fish than B; at night his largest fish is so nearly the size of B's *See R. W. Brown's How the French Boy Learns to Write, pages 75-81. ' ' The teacher regards the pupil as a learner who needs direction. . . . There seems to be no fear whatever of destroying the pupil's self- reliance. It seems to be taken for granted that a boy may develop self- reliance through foresight as well as through unaided struggle." But French teachers seem cautious of giving older pupils a ready-made outline. SENTENCE AND THEME 19 largest that he agrees to decide by weighing; while he goes to borrow scales, B's friends put nails down the throat of B's fish. There is a capital situation. Can you so provide for the less ingenious half of the class that they will produce a worthy ending ? Many old tales that seem hackneyed to teachers will furnish entertaining models for youngsters : the escape from the cave of Polyphemus, David and Goliath, the Monitor and the Merri- mac, or (less surely) The Lady or the Tiger? Certain anecdotes lend themselves to expansion into themes. The teacher outlines in two minutes the skeleton story; the class is to furnish setting, details, variations — ''to fill it out." 1. A woman who is in a great hurry to catch a train sup- posed that she had put into the fare-box of a bus, instead of a nickel, a five-dollar gold-piece; the driver could not unlock until the end of his run; the woman needed her money for train-fare and was in despair ; a kindly old gentleman offered to ride on and recover the gold-piece, and gave her a five-dol- lar bill ; when the woman bought her ticket at the station, she found that she had not made a mistake in the bus^the gold- piece was in her purse. A caution should be given against "suppose" early in the story; no doubt of the error must appear. Clever writers may conclude with the remark of the generous old man at the end of his bus-ride. 2. A suburbanite shoots a cat that has been noisy in his back yard ; next morning he decides to put the body in a market basket and commit it to a watery grave as he crosses on the ferry .to his place of business ; an unexpected meeting with a friend makes him forget the burial; at night an accident on the ferry again causes him to forget ; there is excitement and scrambling among the passen- gers ; when he reaches home his wife exclaims, ' ' That 's not our basket ; ' ' she is right ; in it is a large, juicy steak. Narratives in which the writer puts himself into the place of an animal or an object are often acceptable exercise, though they tend to cause an aimless series of events. A general good plan is a. How I began. b. A chapter of doings or wanderings. c. The big event of mj life. d. How I am getting on now. 20 PILOT BOOK FOR Very literal pupils have done creditably with ' ' a fence-post. ' ' More likely objects are a dime or a knife, because these have adventures. A raisin has diversified chapters of biography. Narratives of personal experience are best secured by setting a general topic which has some kind of example in the most uneventful young life. **A test of courage" or "an exciting adventure" will meet denial from many in the class, but '* just in time" will correspond to something that happened in the lives of almost all. The event may have been quite trivial; "I couldn't make a whole theme out of it," thinks pupil. Teacher replies that merit in a theme is making some- thing vivid : the arrival of a telegram just in time to save a life is no easier in itself — no more a guarantee of success — than the arrival of a policeman just in time to give me a shock and keep me from making a fool of myself on halloween. A campaign against a troublesome rat or woodchuck is more likely than a Peninsular Campaign to produce interesting re- sults. Nearly every child has lived through some little nar- rative that centers about ' ' I forgot ' ' — to mail a letter, to set the alarm, to notice the nunibers, that I had another invitation. However slight in substance or lacking in tragedy, the for- getting was important and had climactic effect at the time : if that effect can be got on to paper, the theme is good. Most persons were (1) badly scared before they were sixteen or (2) had a close shave of some kind or (3) took a chance of some kind or (4) told a lie. II. DESCRIPTION In talk among teachers nowadays and in recent texts there is evident a lessening faith in pure description. Most pupils dislike the task; few can produce good results. Still life like * ' my room " or " this building ' ' is deadly business. In assign- ing description attention should always be drawn to the possi- bilities for life, motion, humanity. Description should not be limited to an instant of time, like a photograph, but extend to some enlivening action — to a ''moving" picture. ''When the bell rings" (school or factory) may be charted: 1. Conditions just before. • 2. Conditions immediately after. SENTENCE AND THEME 21 3 and 4. Assorted sights and doings that convey the reality to one who has never seen it. 5. The throng disappears. Pupils should be persuaded not to use ** conditions " in their private outlines ; since they knov^ their particular scenes, they must be specific. ' ' A post-office crowd " is a similar topi i. Easier and better is ''at the soda fountain." a. The fixtures. b. The clerks and their troubles. c. Customers. d. Some episode. ''A crowded trolley" is a possibility; each section should show a phase of crowding. a. Edging my way in. b. Cheery and peevish ways of the crowd. c. The worried conductor, d. The man that swore he had paid. Any subject as large as "at the circus" is likely to cause that greatest fault in description — a catalogue, another form of the ''string of things." In proportion as a subject can be limited, description improves in ordinary school art. So "at the menagerie" is safer. a. Into the crowd and odors under the canvas. b. Noises. c. The ring of caged animals. d. The crowd that feeds and comments. e. The cage where I spent most time. Any descriptive subject can be treated in a variety of ways. The professional often manages a close that gives "dominant tone," the prevailing or most striking impression. He might summarize in some fashion the blend of noise and beast and person. But authors often work by the plan outlined above — from the first general impression, through large details, to some item on which attention is last fixed. This order is better for the ordinary school author: it leads to something definite instead of to an inconclusive vagueness. A "sum- mary" is almost certain to fizzle. 22 PILOT BOOK FOR Many subjects of a narrative sort may be treated dcvserip- tively if the effort is made to picture the situation: instead of involving characters in a plot we look at them as they form a scene. ''At a baseball game" might yield a. The whole crowd and the people next me. b. The score and the feeling at the moment in the seventh inning. c. The situation on the diamond at the moment (out, on bases, at bat). d. The play. e. Hooting the umjjire. Youth loves a story and will infallibly overdo the narrative element, but criticism for that should be lenient. ''Telling about ' ' an illness may be valid description if the effort is made to "show us just how it was" at a particular time — feelings, room, medicine, food, mother, doctor. We all have a weak- ness for telling about our ailments ; nearly every child has been ill or been operated on, has at least seen some invalid or sick friend. Every person likes to tell about "that queer dream" if he can get an auditor ; this is primarily an effort to convey a pic- ture ; pupils often enjoy describing a dream. ' ' An accident ' ' will furnish a descriptive topic for a large majority of the class ; if several protest ignorance, an optional may be assigned. But all should be able to write : a little acci- dent vividly told is better than a head-on-collision vaguely given. The writer once had the opportunity to contrast before a class a worthless theme describing a wreck" in the South Pacific with a clever description of what a snowball accom- plished; yet the first writer had really been on a burning steamer in a lonely part of the ocean, and so had a splendid chance. Mark Twain's description of a tick on a desk will help to prove that small matters may be good topics. If a class shows a fondness for "big stuff," it may be gratified by reading (after some preliminary explanation) the fight at the lake in Flight of a Tartar Tribe. Parkman's account of the capture of Quebec (in Montcalm and Wolfe) is a stirring narrative affording fine material for a description of Wolfe on his way down the river. a. What the enterprise meant to Wolfe. b. His weak body, strong courage. SENTENCE AND THEME 23 c. On the silent river. d. Eeciting the Elegy. Any * * first time " is a good topic. Such memories are vivid, and everyone can make a selection of some * ' first ' ' : earning money, seeing- a play, learning that Santa Claus was a myth, sitting up till midnight. The aim is to picture a situation. A list of ' ' scenes ' ' will furnish or suggest a topic to every- one : unloading (ship, circus train, van), a fight (beware of pure narrative), a street faker, a flood. Rather fanciful, and to be tried with caution, is an attempt to picture a commonplace for one who has never seen it — a snow fort for a boy who has lived in Honolulu. a. What a snowflake is like. b. What a storm of them is like. c. Melting snow. d. Eolling a big ball. e. Building the fort and defending it. Other similar efforts might be, though they are dangerously artificial, to describe for one who has never seen it: surf, prairie, forest, a locomotive, a theater, a hill of corn. Anyone who has seen the burning of a building or a prairie or a forest likes to tell about it. If the topic is a fire, the unlucky ones may tell about a bonfire, fireworks — or describe the burning of a single match. a. Striking, flaring up, and settling down. b. The big flame — blue, reddish, and smoky parts. c. The water that runs away from the flame. d. Dying down, last spark, the corpse. To eat is human ; most youngsters recall some meal that is not hard to describe : at a birthday party, at a restaurant, at a picnic, while camping, when convalescing, at midnight in the pantry. a. The unexpected invitation. b. The gay room, the people, the waiter. c. Ordering. d. The mere food. e. Something that was best or funniest. 24 PILOT BOOK FOR Much more successful than might be guessed, even with unimaginative youths, is '*a person I admire." For some rea- son ''an odd character" (though perfectly good) is not likely to result so well. a. The first I knew of him — poor impression. b. Finding out what sort he was. c. The way he treats people. d. An anecdote that shows why you have to admire him. Nearly everyone has had some pet that he is willing to tell about. a. Puff as a kitten. b. A good mouser. c. A parlor ornament. d. Almost cremated in the oven. e. You never quite know what he is going to do. Clever pupils who wish to attempt something original may get surprising results if they will put a house-fly under a microscope. His eyes are faceted head-lights ; on his face hang two bologna sausages with a plume stuck in each ; his sucker is big and complicated beyond belief ; his legs are an aggregate of marvels and horrors. Any part of a fly is enough for a theme. A firefly, in the grass and out, is a theme almost ready- made. A June-bug may prove almost an education to any hith- erto unobservant person who will notice carefully the wonders there are to be seen. A certain teacher once stirred up some excitement in a class of eighth-grade boys by requiring them to measure off a square foot of ground and report their explorations. The writer has never tried this, but he is sure there are remark- able discoveries possible if a teacher can get up the exploring fever. III. EXPOSITION There is no fixed boundary between description and expo- sition. A picture of the man I most admire is description ; an analysis of why I like him is exposition. Hence for the rhet- orician characterization may belong in this group ; but young minds work more freely if their attention is directed to por- SENTENCE AND THEME 25 traying a friend than if they are instructed to dissect him. Anatomizing is foreign to the nature of adolescence, which prefers to put everything into a story, will rather reluctantly enlarge a segment of a story inta a description, and will only very reluctantly select the elements of a picture for an explana- tion. A teacher does well to ally himself with this disposition, rather than to try to transform it. Let him say when he wants exposition, ''Make it all clear" — for that is picturesque. Let him say, "Tell things in order" — for that is a whiff from story-land. Let him use "explain" as little as possible, "expo- sition ' ' never. There 's a good deal in a name. As in description the still life is to be avoided, so in expo- sition the still result is apt to be a corpse. "Furnishing my room ' ' is likely to be a lifeless string of girlish things ; ' ' build- ing a camp" will probably be a list of clanking boyish items. "The manufacture of paper" is, for the average student, an invitation to set up paragraphs like building-blocks. Even so active a title as "summer work" is sure to be a signal for an unorganized diary. These are not of necessity improper topics, but all of an able teacher's ingenuity is needed to inject life into them. If the assignment is "Explain something that you know about to those of us who don't know," some of the boys will be able to tell about a wireless outfit. They must remember that "we" know none of their technical words, that we must be told in language we understand, that we want to begin at the beginning of the sending apparatus, pass through that to the air, to the receiving antennae, to the faint sounds of the sparks. Others can tell about a gasoline engine. They must begin with the spark, which ignites gasoline, which ex- plodes, which fills a cylinder, in which is a piston — and so on m order. An account of a telephone will almost surely get tangled up unless it follows a time order — a kind of biog- raphy of a transmitted sound-waye. The girl who makes a pie should proceed from an empty table in the kitchen to a dining table at which sits a hungry boy — with small space for "getting materials together," and with interest directed at what the eater would like to know. Such a mixed lot of expositions may contain several prod- ucts that the class will enjoy hearing. One boy has made a trick boat (without using a paragraph for "assembling mate- 26 PILOT BOOK rOE rials") that would tip into the water anyone who got into it, unless he knew exactly where to step. Another has made a mouse-trap out of a barrel and a piece of stiff paper. Another has told of a submarine — made out of a wash-boiler — in which he explored the bottom of a pond. Such original contrivances should be invited : ' ' Tell about something in such a way that the class would like to hear it read ; don 't tell us where you bought the nails; don't make your account sound like next, next, next." . So much for the first set of compositions. For a second set the assignment may again be "something that you know about." Eesults will probably be no better, for some of the unusual material has been used up. A third set may be extracted with difficulty ; pupils are getting graveled for mat- ter. And power of construction is not being increased; the mental muscles are not getting variety of exercise. It will probably be necessary to set a common topic, suggesting an outline rather definitely, which pupils may follow unless they can get up one more to their own liking, as they should always be urged to do. Many of the subjects below are of a scientific nature ; sci- ence is becoming increasingly a cultural part of education. Subjects of this kind are attacked with better spirit and yield more readable themes than social questions, occupations, proc- esses. Many of them may be worked out in storified form. Each will require presentation by the teacher; an outline statement of the facts, hints for lively touches, a scheme for orderly development can be given in a few minutes. This means that the teacher must prepare an oral recitation that will tell in simple language, concisely, vividly, the interesting details — an easy task compared with what we require of pupils ! — especially since every library has so many books of popular science. Scientific accuracy is not the prime consideration: some exaggeration or embellishment or error may be passed unchallenged in a theme that proceeds in a straight line with what purports to be explanation. That proper sequence — that * ' straight line ' ' — is alpha and omega. What is a volcano? a. Not a boiling of the molten interior. b. Wrinkling and sliding of the earth's crust. SENTENCE AND THEME 27 c. The tremendous heat caused by such friction. d. Examples of results. e. Volcanic areas. A shooting-star a. Tramps of the interstellar spaces. b. Their speed and how * * solid ' ' the air is against such speed. c. The collision. d. Some meteors pierce our armor of air. ''What is a cold?" There is no estimating the increase of health that might result in a school if every student knew the answer. If a physician with a knack for simple exposition will speak on this subject for ten minutes, or instruct a teacher how to speak, he can benefit his community. The story of yellow fever a. The days of fumigating. b. Mosquito experiments. c. and d. History of the life of a germ. Diphtheria and its anti-toxin is a really romantic chance for exposition. The biography of an iceberg is a suitable topic if properly presented to the class. Much more interesting is the life of a beetle. So few children know that an egg becomes a voracious grub that eats and bores mightily, which becomes a mummy, which metamorphoses astonishingly in this dead state, which emerges as a beetle that never grows any larger. More varied is the life of a moth — from jaws and hairy, leggy length to short-lived, fluttering beauty. A chapter of the life of a bee (try some Maeterlinck) is too wonderful to be true. A good book on ants or wasps is a south-sea voyage of exposition. When a youth first gets the concept of a tiny world in infinite space, he receives a most wholesome mental shock. a. A little pellet, infinitely hot a few miles down, sailing through infinite cold. b. What ''93,000,000 miles to the sun" means. c. The hugeness and heat of the sun. d. The littleness of the sun, remoteness from its fellow suns. 28 • PILOT BOOK FOR Related subjects are (1) a comet: appearance, size, thin- ness, vast orbit, popular fears; (2) knowing what time it is: by my watch, which depends on the school clock, which de- pends on a regulator, which depends on marvelous clocks at Washington, which are (astronomically) very irregular, which depend on observations of the stars, which tell us what time it is. ' ' How America got its name " is an odd chapter of history. The data are given, in complicated form, in Fiske's Discovery of America, vol. II, pages 136-144. A teacher who presents these simply and vividly will perform more than one kind of service. Such a book as Keller and Bishop's Commercial Geog- raphy will perform several similar services if parts of certain chapters are read aloud : on rubber, on wheat, on cotton. Of a more homely kind are (1) ''a squeeze play": state clearly each step in an inning that leads to such a play, the situation when the running begins, advantages of, danger of, an account of a particular one or two. (2) ''What makes a ball curve?" Physicists have labored long to explain, but probably a good teacher of physics can give, with illustrations, an exposition that high-school pupils can reproduce. He may preface by saying that thirty years ago the professors denied the possibility. The puzzle is a very curious one. The ' ' spit- ball" has been written up in Collier's. (3) "The domino trick." The performer leaves the room while a set of domi- noes is matched up on the table ; he can call out the numbers at the ends of the row. He enters again, looks over the domi- noes, turns some upside down, jumbles them, and again retires ; again he can call the end numbers. He can repeat ad lib. The explanation is that each time he extracts (unnoticed) one domino ; the number of spots on each end of this will always be the numbers at the ends of the set-up row on the table. (4) Real sparks can be struck from the boys of a class by requiring an answer to this question : ' ' There is a runner on second and one on third, none out ; the runner from third tries to go home, sees he can't make it, gets back safely to third; meantime the runner from second has reached third ; both men •are touching the bag ; the third-baseman tags each. Which is out ? ' ' Most boys think the runner from third has been ' ' forced off" and is therefore out, but technically he is entitled to the SENTENCE AND THEME 29 base till he has reached the next base. There is no such thing as being ''forced off," and the runner from second is out. The play has happened and been decided in professional base- ball. Pupils should not be told the right solution ; their task is to make a complete and accurate statement of the play (where the ball was hit, how fielded, etc.) and to close with a clean-cut reason for deciding which man is out. A theme with the right answer may be worth zero ; one with the wrong answer may be worth 100. COMMENTS ON LESSONS AND THEMES It is hoped that the following comments will not appear an impertinence. The writer 's aim is, not to obtrude his opinions or recommend his own practice, but to furnish explanations of his design, so that teachers may have clearer notions of how to use or vary or depart from that design. The directions call for written work to be prepared by pupils every day, and these directions are specific. Such changes as are made by a teacher to fit his own needs should therefore be clearly announced to the class. The lessons as they stand in the book are supposed to require, for study of text and preparation of written work, about three-quarters of an hour. Some will require over an hour if the full exercise is assigned. Pupils are likely to get a firmer grasp of a lesson if they write out the exercises than if they merely prepare for oral recitation. The burden of correcting so many papers can be lightened in two ways: 1. By hearing recitations read from the papers. Such recitations go more rapidly, cover more ground, than when there is pausing to think out an answer. 2. By grading papers on only a fraction of the work. Practice will make it possible to look at certain words or sentences on each of a set of long papers in a surprisingly short time. If, for instance, a class has written out a list of all the predicate nominatives in 34 sentences, it is better teaching to see all the papers, grading on the basis of sentences 7, 17, and 27, than not to report to the class on their papers. 30 PILOT BOOK FOB LESSON 1 The plan of recitation implied in the text is this: 1. When the class enters, it sees on the board a question — e.g.: How would a business man talk to a poor speller? — Six minutes Pupils are told that they must not write hurriedly, must not jot down memoranda, must not scribble at random. They are to write a brief paragraph — leaving a margin at the left and indenting. They must write in complete sentences, and must not use abbreviations. They had best use one minute for planning what they are going to say, four minutes for writing, and one minute for reading over what they have written. They must be definite; vagueness is the greatest fault. It is better to give two definite details in four carefully written lines than to scribble a page of *'the general idea." 2. When time is up, several sentences will be dictated for spelling —e.g. : (1) Every once in a while he asks if I have enough money. (2) Weren't you surprised to see him stretch his hand toward the crowd? (3) This sentence meant nothing to my friend before a comma was put in; then he got the sense of it. (4) I believe that he is too timid to go across the fields alone at night. The class should be told to put a question mark after the second sentence, and to use a semicolon in the third. It will be well also to have written on the board tyereTi'*, comma, timid, fields, so that the class may copy the correct forms. Dictation should never be hurried. The class should listen to the entire sentence before beginning to write; then the sentence should be dictated in two or three or four word-groups; no punctuating according to this grouping should be tolerated; all necessary punctuation should be dictated until the class has had drill in the principle involved. After the writing is completed another slow reading is advisable for ' ' checking up. ' ' 3. The teacher had best assume that there will be no errors. If by a miracle there are none, the class will not feel that it has done anything to be proud of; if there are many errors — the class will get the point. 4. The rest of the period may be spent in a quiz on the text, and in giving out short sentences for oral spelling: He wouldn 't have gone if he had Tcnovm. I'm very tired. Don't do that again. He has a weak heart. 5. In assigning the next lesson the teacher should announce definitely any changes he wishes to make in the directions as printed in the Exercise. LESSON 2 Sentences for dictation are suggested merely because they may save time for some teachers. It may be well to have on the board for refer- ence people, something, gate, key, appear, used to, remedy, change. SENTENCE AND THEME 31 1. At the beginning of the play two people are arguing about some- thing that happened the night before. 2. We were stopped by a gate that barred our way, but a small boy appeared with a key and opened it. 3. The idea of omitting a final e had never occurred to him before, but he is becoming used to it. 4. We are hoping that he will be benefited by using this simple remedy. 5, When he was writing, he preferred to have the light shining from his left, and so I offered to change seats. The writer 's practice has been to dwell on the regular words for dic- tation tests, seldom giving the exceptional forms. And he has usually found that the commoner forms are harder than those that are less known — e.g., occurred is likely to be missed oftener than repeU^^d. This is probably because there is a long-established habit of ''occu^ed" but no such habit of 'repeled." "The easiest words are hardest." The recitation period can be usefully occupied by sending one pupil at a time to the board to recite on a verb form according to so'ne such demands or questions as these: (1) Write shovel. How many conditions must be true if a final consonant is to be doubled? Name them. Is the first true of shovel? Is the second true? Is the third? Should the I be doubled in shoveling? (2) Write despair. Name the three conditions for doubling. Is the first one true of despair? Is the second? Should you double, or not? Write despairing. (3) Write soften. Where is the accent? Pronounce it — force your tongue to pronounce it — with the accent on the last syllable. Should you double if the accent is on the first syllable? Write softening. (4) Write become. What must be done before adding ing? Erase the e. Add ing, attaching the m to the i. Many pupils have no conception of the terms "accent" or "stress," but they are sensitive to the fact of accent. Thus a boy may say that broaden is accented on the last syllable; tell him to "hit" the den with his voice; he may be unable to do this; then say for him "broaden," "broadenning." (Unless your experience is different from the writer's, do not put that wrong form on the board.) A squad may be sent to the board to put on their sentences. The underlining to indicate italics should be insisted on. A whole hour spent on this sort of drill will be time valuably used. Indeed an hour will be all too short. The subject will need review many times. * ' It has been my privilege, ' ' writes one wise teacher,* * ' to follow one pupil through the four years' course of English with the one word benefiting, only to be compelled to explain the derivation and the rule for doubling ten times to the same individual during the fourth year." The only exception to this rule for doubling a final consonant is chagrined. Handicapped, kidnapped, etc., have a doubled consonant be- cause of the strong secondary accent on the last syllable. Combated is not exceptional (as stated in the Chicago Manual for Writers) ; the t is single because the dictionaries have asserted that the verb is 'accented on the first syllable. LESSON 3 Suggested sentences for dictation: 1. I stayed at my seat and studied algebra; then I played tennis. •Ida M, Daly, Advanced Rational Speller. 32 , PILOT BOOK FOE 2. When he loses control of himself, he cries ; however, that does not prove that he is a coward. 3. She tries to make, him break his promise, but he insists on writing to his uncle. 4. Lying on the door-step was the very bill with which he had paid his debt; he wondered how long it had lain there. 5. He was tying up a number of parcels that were piled upon his desk. 6. The boy hurries through the crowd, not knowing that his father is pursuing him. On the board may be put tennis, however, does, coward, promise, in- sists, uncle, door-step, deht, parcels. Emphasis should be put on the semi- colons and the comma before hut. The principles and groups of words may well be gone over three or four times. Particularly useful will be repetitions of ''lose, move, and prove, " ' ' laid, paid, and said, ' ' cries and tries, tying, the principal parts of lie. The past tense lay is almost unknown to our youth, and lain is extinct in their vocabulary. The majority of the class will not learn Lesson 3 thoroughly in one recitation (though their papers for the day may be errorless), but a good beginning can be made with even the most backward pupils. LESSON 4 Any changes of the directions given in the text, or any additions to them, should be definitely announced. How do you wish themes folded? Where should the name of the writer be? Is any dating or heading re- quired? Must themes be written in ink? In a book? On any particular kind of paper? LESSON 5 In "ten o'clock," ten is really the noun, modified by the coalesced phrase o'clocTc; but no time should be spent in dwelling upon this oddity, nor should it be marked an error if o 'clock has been called a noun. The most useful topics for a written test — because they will refer to some sentence-errors on the first theme — are ''The importance of semi- colons" and "Why we study grammar." The semicolon campaign can- not be begun too early nor pursued too vigorously. If there is time to spare in this recitation after all the nouns and verbs have been disposed of, the class will profit by the following kind of exercise (announced as referring to the first theme). Write on the board a number of short, simple sentences: 1. It is ten o'clock. 2. Then it began to rain. 3. He couldn 't understand the signal. Call attention to them as complete statements, beginning with a capital and ending -^ith a period. Then just to the left of these write : 1. We ought, to be going. 2. For several minutes there was not a breath of air. 3. The motorman was puzzled. Then explain that since the first two are ' ' closely connected in meaning, ' ' we can express the sense better by using a semicolon and a small letter. Erase the periods and capitals and substitute. Emphasize the idea that SENTENCE AND THEME 33 commas will not answer, that they are * ' not strong enough ' ' to separate two statements that are as a matter of grammar independent. Say that it and then are the two words that we should be most wary about. Urge them to take pains to use such semicolons. In assigning Lesson 6 what added directions have you to give as to the model to be followed? May pupils have two or three columns on one page? The writer finds that his time and patience are conserved — and the pupil better taught — if papers are required to be perfectly uniform in arrangement. ' ' Number to correspond ' ' is the command that facilitates the grading of papers. Comments on Exercise. I. Verbs: climbed, ran, waited, was, brought, seemed, passes, honked, scuwied, were sharpened (though sharpened may be called a mere participle, and were the verb), caught. II. Nouns: moon, sky, minutes, ten, night, air, movement, life, ears, footfalls, rabbit, path, steps, streets, traveler, window, wedge, geese, heads, way. South, mice, leaves, ears, air, squeaks. III. The two places are after afraid and after leg. (There should be a comma and a small letter after around.) LESSON 6 The writer believes that committing the lists of pronouns to memory is wasting time. In assigning Lesson 7 it may be well to say that the personal pro- nouns, especially its and their, will be included in the spelling test. The class should be habituated to giving *Hhe whole verb*' — is dropped, should fail, would burst. These should not be called ''com- pound" verbs, for that term must be reserved for the two or more verbs that have a common subject. They may be called ''phrasal" verbs or "verb phrases," but it is better to call them just "verbs," to get the class accustomed to "the whole verb." The converse idea — "nothing but the verb" — should be insisted on from the beginning; pupils are prone to include predicate adjectives and adverbs, as in was warm, got up. See further comment under Lesson 8 below. Useful preliminary work can be done by warning the class against such mere participles as "Jackson riding," "messenger telling." To say in the lesson so insistently that participles and infinitives are not verbs may seem like dogmatism. As an academic question it might be argued that verbals are parts of the verb, are verb forms — that in a sense they are verbs. The writer has not the least interest in asserting or denying a mere definition. If he were, he would quote the Century Dictionary (see under verb): "Infinitives and participles are not verbs." The writer is, however, earnestly interested in a method of teaching American youth what a sentence is. They will never be on firm ground until they realize the essential difference between the verb that makes a predication and the verbal that cannot predicate. To go into these niceties of definition with a class is merely to cause perplexity without imparting knowledge. The way of wisdom (and, incidentally, of perfectly sound scholarship) is to insist from the beginning that ' ' verbals do not make statements ' ' — that they are not verbs. Comments on Exercise. 1. line goes. 2. sun rose. 3. we came, troubles began, negroes called, we were. 4. to stay was, to avenge was. 34 PILOT BOOK FOR 5. chance is. 6. pleasure was. 7. smell was rising. 8. Tilton stood. 9. messenger had come. 10. they sank, waters smoothed and left. 11. Queen was recovered, anglers reached. 12. sign was. 13. bruit came. 14. motion is, slowness can see. 15. fortress was. 16. sting is. 17. diflSi- culty is, it seems. 18. hunters carry, powder is poured, bullet is droppea, stock is struck, work is done. 19. danger is. 20. blow should fail, bullet should start and roll, gun would burst. 21. hand and casualties have been. 22. hunters make, this increases. LESSON 7 Nearly all pupils think of any word after a verb as an "object." That mere position always means ''object" to them. An object after the verb is so regularly recited correctly that the matter requires little emphasis. Indeed, it ought almost to be kept out of sight. What needs infinite emphasis, what pupils should be told to think of first, is predi- cate nominative. That is the hardest subject in grammar. Inexperi- enced teachers may be deceived because this lesson goes easily. Expe- rienced teachers will expect the whole battle for predicate nominative to come after the class has had objects. Suggestions for spelling dictation (have on the board don't, guide, basement, couldn't, calmly) : 1. Don't be too sure that everything is all right. 2. At last the guide led us to their basement ; in fact, he took us two stories below the basement. 3. He was quite satisfied except in one way; he couldn't get used to that short lunch-hour of theirs. 4. In spite of his quiet tone we knew that he was too angry to talk calmly. 5. Are the buttons, needles, etc., all there? Is everything in its place? Comments on Exercises. 1. He sub., secretary p. n. 2. sword sub. ^. answer sub., sample p. n. 4. cap sub. of can be. 5. cottage sub., kind p. n. 6. hitch sub. 7. obedience sub., duty p. n. 8. Bob sub. of was, fellow p. n., he sub. 9. muff sub., thing p. n., we sub. 10. decision sub., disappointment [). n. 11. inhabitants sub., race p. n. 12. idea sub. of entered. 13. home sub. of was (calm and quiet are predicate adjectives, not required in this les- son). 14. friends sub. 15. something sub. 16. Alderman Popkins sub., one p. n. 17. air sub. 18. bat sub., mitt sub. 19. store-keeper sub. 20. man sub., giant p. n. 21. house sub. of is, place p. n. 22. man sub., thief p. n., he sub. 23. bed sub,, item p. n. 24. coat sub,, pair sub. 25. orchard sub., city p. n., orchard sub., orchard and bushes sub. of meet, apple-tree p. n. after is, home p. n. after has been (The where clause is the sub. of is, and the relative that is the sub. of has been, but the class is not prepared for these.) 26. Morin sub., purchase sub., transaction p. n, 27, proces- sion sub. 28, circle sub. 29. yell sub. 30. animal sub., Gila Monster p. n. (Animal might be called the p. n.; the question is a very subtle one.) 31. snakes sub., enemies p. n. 32. cause sub., failure p. n. 33. mass sub., scars sub. , . LESSON 8 There is no generally accepted program of teaching transitive and intransitive. The normal plan seems to the writer to be this: Since we know that a verb is transitive active only by knowing that it has a direct SENTENCE AND THEME 35 object, pupils should be taught about objects. This may be illogical, may seem a wrong order to the psychologist ; but is effective in practice. Pupils readily learn what an object is; then they can be taught that a verb which has an object is transitive active. Phrasal verbs are further explained in succeeding lessons. They will not be fully understood until the class has studied predicate adjectives, prepositions, adverbs, infinitives, gerunds, and participles. The notion of what a verb-phrase is may well be built up slowly by occasionally calling attention to the matter. If a lesson in the subject is desired at this point, the verbs in the classified sentences in the Appendix (Nos. 165-206) are adapted to the purpose. Comments on Exercise. Only two objects are given. Since stu- dents are prone to call everything an object, it is well to give objects sparingly and to keep attention centered on predicate nominative. 1. Mar- garet sub., pupil p. n. 2. Gerard sub. 3. Dominicans sub., order p. n. 4. club sub. 5. Pedro sub., companion p. n. 6. hand sub., owl sub. 7. grandmother sub., deal obj. 8. he sub. 9. this sub., side p. n. 10. thing sub., eating p. n. 11. he sub. of two verbs, mouth obj. of opened, Pep- perell sub. of two verbs. 12. ants sub., people p. n. 13. Loss sub., calamity p. n., he sub., philosopher p. n. LESSON 9 The writer has found that he always removes a big stumbling block from the path of progress in verbs when he removes ''has an object" from the definition of transitive. He insists from the outset that pupils who have associated "object" with transitive must get rid of the notion. For a transitive passive verb has no object; one of the stubbornest con- tests in grammar is to annihilate the ' ' object of a passive. ' ' The exi- gencies of warfare forced the writer to the procedure outlined in the text. 1. Find the subject. 2. Is the subject acted on? If so, the verb is transitive passive. 3. Is the subject acting? If so, we must take the fourth step. 4. Is there an object? If there is, the verb is transitive active. 5. If there is no object, the verb is intransitive. Transitive active is easy. The struggle is to distinguish between passive and intransitive. Some grammars imply ** intransitive active," though they do not say it. This does not confuse adult minds, but it betogs the minds of pupils and wrecks the nerves of teachers. The writer never tolerates it in class. He insists that a transitive verb is always in either the active or the passive voice, that an intransitive verb has no voice. A teacher is always capable of better work as soon as he realizes that in his own mind he cannot tell whether a verb is transitive or intransitive until he has first observed whether the subject is acting or being acted on. Many teachers whose grammatical notions are founded on Latin do not realize that in English an intransitive verb hardly exists. Many textbooks express the notion that ''most intransitives in English may also be used transitively." But the only rational procedure with a class is to state the fact just the other way round: "Most English verbs are 36 PILOT BOOK FOR used both transitively and intransitively; we do not know about a verb until we see it in a sentence. ' ' How true this form of statements is may be gaged by an assertion in a recent good text that ''roared what?" would be an absurdity, and that cough, drift, and listen ' ' admit no object"; yet transitive uses of each of these verbs are listed in the Century. And even though the Century gives no examples of vanish and happen used transitively, it is unsafe to assert that they are by nature incapable of taking an object. It is, however, safe, wise, and eternally necessary to insist that no part of to be ever takes an object. Comments on Exercise. 1. ran intr., was intr. 2. was startled pass. 3. slept intr. 4. is intr. 5. has been picked pass., is taken pass. 6. failed intr., was parched pass., shrank intr., filled act. Suggestions for spelling dictation (have on the board opportunity, motorman, sorrow) : 1. I am too busy now to tell stories. 2. The busier a man is, the happier he is. 3. They quit school at the earliest oppor- tunity and go into business. 4. Luckily for us the motorman 's clumsiness did not cause the heavily loaded car to leave the track. 5. Though lone- liness may not make him happier, may it not make his sorrow easier to bear? LESSON 10 In the Exercise is an intimation that abbreviations may well be used in preparing written grammar lessons (''if you write out modifies in full"). Abbreviations save time for the pupil, so that he can do a longer assignment; they are perfectly intelligible to the teacher. That is the argument for. The argument against is shown in the College Entrance Board 's Document No. 80, in which candidates are advised that ' ' mod. ' * is not a customary form, and that the Board prefers to have answers written out in full. If a class is allowed to abbreviate, it should be warned that it is merely being indulged in a doubtful way in order to save time. Comments on Exercise. One in the first line and many in the fifth are not adjectives, but pronouns modified by the of phrases. One is a p.n., and many is the obj. of with. 1. hundred and square kilometers, great glaciers. 2. strangest battlefield. 3. no and better idea, this and homely comparison, loose, jagged, and splintered rock, white glue. • 4. rocky points. 5. glacial peaks, eternal ice. 6. two hours. 7. rugged crag, that day {red and lustrous strictly modify that, not crag; but the class ' is not prepared for this), sheer and dark crag. 8. none. 9. Maytime sun. 10. forty and tough miles, record time. 11. fit modifies they; 0. K. modi- fies feet, as a pred.. adj. after to be; this day's (though there is really no way to tell in English whether this modifies day 's or run) . 12. twenty miles. 13. three minutes, black sun (a predicate adj.). 14. last mile, twenty miles, hardest and heart-breaking uphill. The class should now understand that the common and "easy" words of previous lessons may at any time be included in the sentences dictated for a day 's spelling exercise. Teachers must be cautious, and to some extent lenient; but there must be no leniency in the case of review words that have had special emphasis in class. If, for example. SENTENCE AND THEME 37 several pupils missed led (Lesson 7) and if it was dwelt upon in class, it should be slipped into the dictation for several subsequent lessons. In the following suggested sentences for Lesson 10 are included meant and surprise from Lesson 1, occurred and writing from Lesson 2, cries and lose from Lesson 3. 1. Archie meant to surprise his parents with a basket of luscious peaches. 2. It had not occurred to him that they would be suspicious of such a glorious present. 3. The policeman was unconscious of the cries of the frightened child. 4. By writing a letter to a famous author you cannot lose anything, and you may gain an autograph. LESSON 11 Pupils are with difficulty persuaded to insert these necessary hyphens in compound adjectives. Convincing examples of the need of hyphens can be found in nearly any set of themes. Pupils who are most careless in this regard are often the very ones who persist with the needless hyphen in today and the erroneous hyphens in together, witlwut, etc. Comments on Exercise. The directions to ** insert necessary com- mas'* apply simply to the pairs of compound adjectives in nos. 5 and 11. To have printed these commas would have been to help the student too much. A comma is not needed in no. 5 between well-Tcnown and down-town, since these are not co-ordinate in value; nor between gray- colored and adohe in no. 11, for the same reason. 1. down-hill, low- priced. 2. gray-bearded, easy-going, real-estate. 3. sleeve-valve, high- priced. 5. seedy-looking, well-known, down-town, self-possessed, well- dressed, well-to-do. 6. twenty-five-mile, fast-growing, ten-story. 8. self- respecting, over-anxious, ill-fitting. 9. dark-haired, brown-eyed, twenty- three-dollar. 10. bilious-looking, high-pitched, Punch-and-Judy. 11. mud- coated, sun-baked, gray-colored. 12. rim-fire. 13. give-and-take, good- natured. 14. old-fashioned, new-fangled. 15. clean-cut, out-of-doors. 17. blood-red, rose-colored. 18. hook-and-ladder, ten-minute. 19. bubble- like, mosquito-pTOof. 20. well-known, loop-the-loop, seventy-foot, four- foot. THEME 5 A Buffalo woman had exactly this experience in her oTra city. LESSON 12 Comments on Exercise. 1. easily remove. 2. ever been done, rarely are prepared. 3. then went, out went, in dived, headlong dived. 4. sometimes could see, not see; would loom is modified by again, up, grimly, away, and inland {far really modifies away). 5. often seemed (little to care), occasionally would gobble, ravenously would gobble. 6. went is modified by naturally, forward, and unfalteringly ; surely knew, never return {alive is a predicate adjective). 7. stood is modified by thereupon, up, and more {once really modifies more, but this is a sub- tlety) ; spolce is modified by vehemently and again; deeply had been grieved. Suggestions for spelling dictation (have on the board alley, grape- fruit, dozen) : 1. Nevertheless, I disagree with him altogether and shall 38 PILOT BOOK FOR be disappointed if I have to wait until the end of the week. ( This bring- ing in of shall is an example of how the spelling dictation may be made to teach idiom.) 2. There, without saying a word, he disappeared into a narrow alley. 3. They almost always walked home together. 4. Al- though grape-fruit used to be sold for fifteen cents apiece, they are already down to a dollar a dozen. LESSON 13 The distinction between "modal" adverbs and conjunctions may seem ill-advised, considering that many rhetorics and grammars call still, moreover, nevertheless, etc., conjunctions. If the writer were disposed to argue this matter as a scholastic question, he could make out quite a case by citing the inconsistencies of classification that appear in the Century, where still and moreover are entered only as adverbs, and nevertheless is entered only as a conjunction. But such academic bickerings have no place in discussions of high- school work. "We are concerned only with those plain and fundamental distinctions that are of direct importance in teaching young people to avoid sentence-errors. The difference between while and however is pre- cisely such a distinction — of the greatest moment in teaching sentence- structure; while may be used with a comma, but a however that intro- duces a clause must never appear with that weak mark before it. Gram- marians and business colleges and university examiners are all agreed that a comma there is the primal sin in composition. The textbook that lists while, however, and moreover as conjunctions will infallibly put that semicolon before moreover in its illustrative sentence. Evidently we school-teachers are required to enforce this distinction, must contrive some method of enforcing it vigorously and unequivocally. What possible methods are there? Only two. One way would be to call all these logical connectives conjunctions (for they do indubitably serve to link thoughts), and then to teach that some of these conjunctions, for an undefinable reason, require semicolons. But -this classification leaves teachers unconvinced and pupils untaught. Moreover, it is not in accordance with dictionary authority; for many of the words listed in rhetorics as ** connectives " are classified only as adverbs in the dic- tionaries. Hence the writer has found that in practice the only successful way is to follow the lead indicated (but not carried out completely) by the dictionaries — viz., to give the name of adverb to all those connectives that are merely logical in function, that are not written with commas as true grammatical conjunctions are. For that is the fact of composition: moreover, nevertheless, however, indeed, etc., are independent adverbs. Comments on Exercise. 1. so undeniably, undeniably clear, prob- . ably disputed, seriously disputes. 2. today shall be, certainly shall be, then could. 3. out, abroad, and again go. 4. only lately, lately spelled, right spelled. 5. up bunked, forward bunked. 6. hardly will do, well will do, absent-mindedly studying. 7. on continued, over continued. 8. just outside, outside stands {outside of might be called a compound preposi- tion, like inside of on page 81, no. 5; in reality the so-called compound SENTENCE AND THEME 39 prepositions consist of an adverb plus a preposition; they *^may" be called compound), once may be seen, apparently are, little better, indeed are supposed, here erected, there erected, up winds, indeed is, most in- fested". For spelling dictation : 1. The sullenness of the clerk made me think that he was not going to accommodate me. 2. Before you recommend a novel to a business man, think twice. 3. I have never, so far as I can recollect, seen such a shining example of heroism. 4. Tying a can to a dog's tail is a meanness that may be worse than committing some kinds of crime. LESSON 14 Since the spelling test would be entirely composed of words contain- ing the diphthong ie, it might seem too easy to* be worth while. But it will be worth while as a preliminary step toward the "ie and ei" rule. If too, all right, disappear, and omitted are included in the dictated sen- tences, several perfect marks will probably be spoiled. The experiment Is worth trying. In announcing Lessen 15 say that this list will be reviewed. This rule for ie and ei was first printed, in a different form, in the New York Times in 1897 and has been checked up in practice every year since. It is a fact that, even for adult minds, no definition of preposition means anything except to a person who already knows what a prepo- sition is. Comments on Exercise. In course could stow, of day course, after breakfast went, into hold went, at work remained, until night remained, of hold length, from stem length, to stern length, with raising began, in after-part raising, against partition raising, of **run" partition, to beams filling, by hand crowding, with oars pushing, of hides ''book," from twenty-five hides, to fifty hides, at backs doubled, into one another put, like leaves put, of book leaves. For spelling dictation : 1. I believe the trouble will disappear if we are not too fierce about it. 2. I grieve to say that I was relieved when the visit was over. 3. A long sermon may be all right, but most of us prefer a brief one. 4. I omitted the chief item, the account of the siege of Vicksburg. LESSON 15 It is convenient in class work to apply ''phrase" only to preposi- tional phrases. The fact of practice is that "phrase" is not really needed in any other sense for school grammar. We may use "verb phrase," "phrasal infinitive," etc.; but have no use for "phrase" Avithout a qualifier except in connection with prepositions. Pupils are cnly left in a haze if such complex groups as the following are called 1 hrases: 1. to have been concerned with such an affair; 2. coming quietly down the shaded walk; 3. the hour for our departure having arrived. These may be logical thought-groups containing no subject or predicate; logicians may need a name for such groups; but a pupil who is allowed to speak of these all in a lump acquires none of that power of analysis wJiich the logician had to acquire before he lumped them together. The 40 PILOT BOOK FOR pupil gets nowhere until he is shown that (in No. 3, e.g.) hour is a nomi- native absolute modified by a prepositional phrase and a participle. Whitney, in his grammar, discusses nominative absolute without employ- ing ' *■ phrase " ; he was wise and logical in so doing. In rhetoric the need may possibly be different; there the whole thought-group may need to be spoken of together. But this is dangerous in grammar work. Comments on Exercise. No. 1. before bringing had, of animals bringing, by men bringing, of late have taken, to raising have taken, in numbers raising. No. 2. in desert lives, from that different, of bear that, over sand to walk, without sinking to walk, of effort deal, through sand-storms can live, with ease can live, without water can go, for time can go, in body to store, for use to store, without food can travel, on back hump, of fat mass, into blood taken. No. 3. at length set, in style set, {})ut is an adverb of degree modifying /ew), in fact was missing, to inn was dispatched, for it to search, of Venetians carriage, out of breath came (though in reality it is like a predicate adjective after camCy modifying John), without purse returned, with landlord and household returned, at heels landlord and household, by sorts accompanied, of grimaces and contortions sorts. For spelling dictation : 1. As we were coming home across the field, we heard weird cries issuing from the deserted house. 2. I cannot be- lieve that my niece was lying to me. 3. With all his little might the baby seized the turtle, but was too weak to keep it from slipping into the water. 4. The fellow must be either an innocent fool or a bold thief. LESSON 16 Comments on Exercise. No. 1. on couch seated, with details was entangled, in war-dresses were dressed, from account was (or clear), in transporting used, {for troops may modify transporting, but seems to be- long with stores), after seeing had met, to hunt had had gone, in ravine had hid, in which were. (The whole which clause modifies hattle, but within this clause in which modifies were.) {After might be explained as a preposition with weeTcs for its object, but is really an adverb, mean- ing later, modifying arrived.) No. 2. near Debeque has developed, be- cause of action has attracted, with regularity belches, at night looks, during periods looks (though it is possible to say the phrase modifies night), into steam converts, to beauty adds, with fire glowing, above ground rises, in air spouts, for more has maintained, with regularity has maintained. For spelling dictation : 1. Are you sure that you gave a receipt for the money he paid you? 2. After he had stopped smoking for a week, he was co'nceited enough to believe that his bad habit was broken en- tirely. 3. If he had not been drinking three cups of coffee, he would not have been too nervous to receive his guests. 4. We deceive our- selves by using such weird examples from a book about spiritualism. LESSON 17 Comments on Exercise. No. 1. in making are being employed, with view are being employed, of children have been taken (the phrase can SENTENCE AND THEME 41 hardly be said to modify taken), for purpose have been thrown, for ex- amination and comparison can be stopped, of course can be repeated. No. 2. in way would reach, from column learned, in button-hole to wear, in tie to wear, on head to wear, at Y. O. G. R. meet, at ten meet, by maneuvering managed, at Hotel Cecil to interview, on night would be placed. No. 3. in Constantinople had been, for tea invitation, for hour blocked, on hill floating, in moonlight floating, with woods floating (a good example of how aimlessly with often modifies). No. 4. of pros- perity reports, to lands travel, at rate have been piling, for decade was prospering, before war were losing, on balances were losing, into account is taken, by people is taken, out of misfortune are making, in display were, before war were, with exclamation will break, in irritation will break, with end will break (a curious bit of modifying), in sight end, among ideas is, for fear declare, in army will be, like Rumania waiting. For spelling dictation : 1. Two of the foreign passengers planned to smuggle in some ribbons, veils, etc. 2. Roots of the pepper tree will force their way to water by piercing cement pipes. 3. If the machine weighs more than a ton, it ought to be shipped by freight. 4. Don't be too sure that the bill is not a counterfeit. 5. So long a sentence does not seize a reader's attention; neither does it make him fall in love with the writer. LESSON 18 From this point the text emphasizes the idea that better sentences will result if pupils do not invariably begin with the subject. This does not mean that any sentence which begins with the subject is, by its form, poorer than one which begins with a modifier. It means only that pupils are prone to begin every sentence with the subject and the immediately following verb; that a long sequence of such sentences is monotonous; that in a mature style sentences are varied; that pupils should ripen their style a bit by frequently presenting sentences that do not begin with the subject. Emphasis is directed at shaking pupils out of the lazy habit of monotonous form. Also ''beginning with a modifier" is usually the best solution for disposing coherently of several modifiers. Comments on Exercise. 1. When we arrived at last at our destina- tion, we found the place swarming with. 2, During a rainy season some time ago this Alaskan village. 3. With the aid of a motor car this policeman is able. 4. A Belgian hairdresser has woven out of human hair a picture that is thirty inches long and twenty inches wide; it represents a steamer, with red funnels and a black hull, moving in a gray sea. 5. For the purpose of stimulating interest in bicycle-riding a firm in San Francisco recently conducted an endurance bicycle-race in its store window. 6. From that minute on for two weeks the sound. 7. By this time we were getting. 8. After a substantial supper in the farm-house we were shown. 9. For the first hour or so in the particular place where you are stationed you keep figuring. 10. By means of a device recently patented in Brazil submarines can be tested. 11. For a long time he raged. 12. With his overcoat still on his arm, Wilson opened. 13. By one swift glance around the dirty room Jones knew. 14. Without letting anyone know of my desire, I have. 15. On that 42 PILOT BOOK FOB occasion Martin had been lucky enough to fall in with an official who had. 16. The other day in a magazine I saw. 17. Upon' this special paraffin coating that he was selling hot water was allowed to run con- tinuously for twenty-four hours. 18. In this emergency Ernest desper- ately telephoned to. 19. While we were fooling with the sail, a heavy gale had begun to blow from the southwest. 20. About a week later I got by express a parcel valued at $200. THEME 8 The animal stories outlined for Themes 8, 13, 21, and 37 are told by Ellen Velvin in her Wild Animal Celebrities, Moffat, Yard and Company ; she vouches for the truth of all of them. LESSON 19 Comments on Exercise. Sentences 1 and 11 contain no nomina- tives. 1. 2. Lincoln sub. 3. he sub., kinds sub. 4. lord address, you sub. of do think, mercy sub. of might be shown. 5. they sub., they sub., specks p. n. 6. Mr. Murray address, you sub. of 're. 7. each, neither, and that sub- jects; result p. n. 8. some, others, and it subjects. 9. water sub. of is heated, steam sub. of is generated, this sub. of possesses. 10. this sub. of would have been, meal p. n., wines sub. 12. part sub., exercise p. n., re- sult sub., success p. n. after could be called. 13. Canada sub., wilder- ness p. n. The emphasis in spelling should be on the most common ie words, especially believe; next in importance is ei after c, especially receive; the most-needed exceptional forms are seize, weird, friend. It may be suggested also that teachers will do well to find out whether the very commonest and simplest words are now known infallibly by all — too, their, all right, across, among. For spelling dictation: 1. In spite of the advice of his friends he tries to keep the old quarrel stirred up. 2. You will surely receive either a good-sized check or a notice of an increase in salary. 3. I was seized with fright when I saw that dirty piece of paper. 4. Look toward them and wave your handkerchief. 5. I believe the view will be better from the other end of the porch. LESSON 20 ** Don't understand words" is a good motto, though in some later lessons real ellipses are taken up — with as and than, omitted relatives, etc. Grammar work is attacked with more interest in proportion as the class feels that the lessons have a practical, business-like purpose. * ' Ob- jective predicate" and ** retained object" (in Lesson 21) may not be important for the mere study of nouns ; but without a knowledge of them infinitives and clauses and restrictive participles will often seem insoluble mysteries. Comments on Exercise. Nearly all students are so fond of saying "object" that experienced teachers try to anticipate the fondness and to discourage the everlasting ''object." So strong is the tendency among students that it may fairly be called a disease, and may be named SENTENCE AND THEME 43 *' object! vitis. ' ' Students afficted with this weakness will be aston- ished to learn that sentences 6, 7, and 8 contain no objects; foe in C is a p. n. 1. place, obj., retreat obj. pred. 2. him obj., humble obj. pred. 3. watch obj. 4. him ind. obj., reputation obj. 5. scapegrace ind. obj,, fortune obj. 9. wine obj., thing obj. pred., us ind. obj., proof obj. 10. himself obj., free obj. pred. 11. itself obj., children obj. LESSON 21 Comments on Exercise. 1. no objects. 2. ball obj., yards mod. 7iad driven, caddy ind. obj., dime obj., home mod. walked (but home may be called an adverb). 3. time mod. can talk, miles mod. away. 4. dis- tance mod. had driven, sight ret. obj. 5. trouble obj. of caused, us ind. obj., experience obj. 6. cub ind. obj., home obj., rod mod. long, feet mod. wide. 7. way mod. do, woodsmen ind. obj., notion obj., deal mod. more. 8. part mod. were carried. (This will seem untrue to some, because part apparently explains way; illustrate by a phrase like ''for a part" or "during a part.") 9. him ind. obj., privilege obj. 10. les- son, suffering, and health are ret. objs. For spelling dictation: 1. I can usually write sentences that are grammatically complete, but sometimes I accidentally use a comma for a period. 2. The old miser never suffered for the crimes he had com- mitted. 3. His letters were really very well written. 4. Speaking sarcastically to a customer is generally poor business. 5. He was for- merly an errand-boy for a camera-man, but has finally become one of the actors. THEME 10 This Outlook editorial appears in five paragraphs. A school outline may correspond to the first four; the fifth may be omitted or combined with the fourth, or given special emphasis. 1. Selecting pupils. 2. The kind of pupils. 3. The effect on pupils. 4. The Cleveland conditions exist everywhere, (or, better) 5. The need of clean teeth. Some time ago an experiment was carried on in a Cleveland school under the auspices of the National Dental Association and other dental societies to discover if bad teeth had any effect on mentality. Ten den- tists, with nurses and attendants, visited the Marion School by arrange- ment with the Board of Education and inspected the teeth of the 846 students. Forty pupils from five grades — approximately ten per cent of the children in those grades — were made a special class for observation and study. These children were to have their teeth put into perfect con- dition free, be made to brush their teeth three times a day and to eat properly. A five-dollar gold-piece was offered to each child who continued faithful throughout the test. Twenty-seven of the forty got their gold- pieces. The test lasted a year and a half. Before anything else was done two psychological tests were held by 44 PILOT BOOK FOR Dr. Wallin, the noted psychologist, to determine the capacity of the children in memory, accuracy of perception, rapidity and accuracy of thought, and spontaneity of thought. Two more tests were held while the children 's teeth were being treated ; and two others a sufficient length of time after the mouths were put in perfect condition. Among the children were some who were well-behaved, earnest, and bright, while some were disobedient, reckless, and troublesome. The selections for the class were made wholly according to the dental charts, only children with teeth in bad condition being chosen. Most of the children had sallow, muddy complexions, and suffered from headaches, liver complaint, heart trouble, and other ills. When the teeth had been put in perfect condition, and the children had learned how to eat properly — sensitive teeth had formerly prevented them from chewing their food properly — these ailments disappeared, complexions cleared, and deportment improved wonderfully. In short, the children were simply made over. But the most striking change, per- haps, was mental. The psychological tests made after the teeth had been treated showed an average gain in mentality for the entire class of 99.8 per cent. In other words, treating the teeth almost doubled the mental capacity of these children. They could do the same amount of work better and in much less time than before the test. Striking though all this is, the most significant thing brought to light by this and other teeth investigations, perhaps, is the fact that practically all children suffer from defective teeth. The city of Boston found that eighty-four per cent of its children had defective teeth or mouths. The New York City Department of Health found that prac- tically ninety-nine per cent of New York children suffer likewise. In the Marion School at Cleveland Dr. Ebersole's committee found three among eight hundred and forty-six children with perfect teeth. Many of these imperfections are doubtless slight; but many are of a serious nature. It is evident that many of our children, because of dental deterioration induced by new modes of living, are being badly handicapped. Confirming the findings by the Cleveland investigators are the results obtained by treating the teeth of the insane at Blockley, the Philadelphia almshouse. No one, of course, would be so absurd as to claim that prophylactic dentistry can make a genius out of a blockhead or a sane person out of one suffering from organic brain disease. But it is cer- tainly becoming more and more clear that an intelligent care of the mouth and teeth is essential to a normally healthy condition of both the tody and the mind. LESSON 22 Comments on Exercise. 1. that with region. 2. states with Ar- gentina, Brazil, Chile. 3. cacao with one. 4. brown, drab, gray, and green with colors. 5. practice with the statement that * ' we exchanged books' ' (an irregular construction for which students should not be held responsible; the sentence is useful as showing that a writer should realize what he is about in trying to use appositives; also useful as showing that mere grammatical formulas may not cover all peculiar idioms). 6. no appositive. 7. brig with one (some students may be SENTENCE AND THEME 45 puzzled because this is not the meaning, because ' * it doesn 't make sense ' ' ; but it is the real grammar; the singular brig could not be in apposition with the plural sights). 8. brother with I. 9. worriment with binominals. 10. iniquitous apjjos, modifier of law, body with legislature. 11. prison with library, description with pamphlet. 12. Bible with * * Book ' ' ; one, another, lot with lions; one with Benaiah; place with den; bear and bears with bears. 13. no appositive. 14. frigid, torrid, and temperate with zones. 15. pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmegs with §pices. For spelling dictation: 1. At first we were not disturbed by this article in the morning paper, but later we grew suspicious about it. 2. Whose property was it originally? 3. The vase was made by a skilful workman, but its form was not very pleasing. 4. Our school had to be divided, while theirs remained in one building. 5. A boy ought to be guided by certain definite principles. 6. We were told that the old lady was dying of pure loneliness. LESSON 23 Comments on Exercise, par. 1. he skipping, piercing quality, par. 2, we trying, par. 3. thing inclosing (does not really modify bandbox) . par. 4. ridges bristling, whirling mists, par. 5. I being, officers looking, officers running (as a predicate adjective), par. 6. shambling run, 'they performing, we getting, troops lifting, par. 7. officers laughing, par. 8. none. par. 9. clearing atmosphere, she recalling. LESSON 24 ' ' Aimless repetition ' ' is merely an outward symptom of an inward defect. A pupil who learns to avoid it has matured his style in several respects. In a set of specific directions for improving form this adjura- tion to avoid repetition would rank high for direct effectiveness. Comments on Exercise. 1. He said he would do that, provided our man would guarantee to keep us quiet. (But the repetition of us need not be objected to.) 2. The melon looked ripe enough, but when we tasted it, we found it rather green. 3. Simply omit the last through {pass is better than go). 4. Eepeating watch is good emphasis. 5. For the second "the grounds" use "they." 6. This is from Macaulay's Essay on John- son ; the repetition of * * Hervey ' ' is good ; a pronoun for * ' Harry Hervey ' ' would be ambiguous. 7. You wait for the explosion which comes about three seconds after the bomb is first heard approaching. In that brief time you do a lot of thinking, feeling each moment as if the missile were coming right for the small of your back. They dropped sixteen bombs that morning, but, though one fell within fifty feet of where I was lying, nobody was hurt. 8. As it grew dark, the horizon was lighted by a weird, whitish glare which w'ould glow brilliantly for thirty seconds and then almost die out and appear again. After a few minutes I learned from the driver that the glare was made by * ' star shells, ' ' which are sent up from the trenches at frequent intervals to make an illumination. Theme A. In the second paragraph my home is repeated from the first paragraph; grounds, cover, and many are poorly repeated. In the 46 PILOT BOOK FOR third paragraph there are three porches, four Jiouses, four sides; leads, through, and garden are awkwardly repeated. Theme B. In the first paragraph there are six reads and three months; easy and easiest occur three times; reported three times. In the second worlc is repeated, and memory and memorizing occur three times. In the third study and studied occur three times. In the fourth examina- tion and question are repeated, and 07ie is used three times. For the second book use *'to find something interesting in the large assortment," for the third use ' * the reading until, ' ' for the fourth ' ' volume^ ' ' for the fifth *'the assignment until," for the sixth '4t," for the eighth ''such classics as. ' ' Oral exercise, page 127. Substitute thus for twelve of the composi- tions: for the 2d ''to write about a page," for the 4th "from all of them, ' ' for the 6th ' ' those, ' ' for the 7th ' ' they, ' ' for the 8th ' ' themes, ' ' for the 10th and 11th omit, for the 12th omit "of composition," for the 14th "in the writing of the eighth," for the 15th omit, for the 16th "give 95% as the highest mark." LESSON 25 A series of exercises on participles only would be ineffective. Eeal teaching is done by "mixing up" subjects; discriminating between the two kinds of verbals is what produces results. Comments on Exercise. 1. rustling obj. of heard, cracking obj. of with. 2. fleshing obj. of with (for scalping see page 173, sec. 152), watch- ing obj. of without. 3. banking and railroading sub. of account, manu- facturing and mining sub. of do. 4. solidifying obj. of of, breaking obj. of of, washing obj. of by. 5. chewing sub. of was, chewing o6j. of of, gnawing obj. of to relieve. 6. In 6, 8, 9, and 10 are gerunds that are objects of help; most students use "not help but" with an infinitive; at- tention should be called to the preferable idiom with the gerund. 7. bath- ing obj. of for. 10. stealing obj. of in. 11. being obj. of about (the construction with there is a curious idiom, a kind of imitation of the expletive there with a verb, as if "there are now so few"; vessels may be called a kind of predicate after leing, though with a verb and an expletive there it would be a subject), looking obj. of of. 12. acquiring sub. of was, dancing, leaping, and creeping objs. of by. 13. sinking obj. of of, warning obj. of without. Exhibiting the wrong form is almost always bad policy; hence the displays on page 131 are somewhat dangerous. Use them with caution, keeping the emphasis on ' ' the silly sounds produced by the silly spell- ings. " Note that separate has been shown on pages 63 and 129; see how many of the class can spell describe, casually mentioned on page 129. Sentences for dictation may be: 1. There was a certain captain in the regiment who could not make a prompt decision. 2. Try to describe the villain by contrasting him with his lovable daughter. 3. There are very few occasions on which vengeance is really desirable. 4. Her goWn of changeable silk was very noticeable in that ragged crowd. 5. The lions were perfectly peaceable until we tried to separate them. 6. She was as firm as the immovable mountains. SENTENCE AND THEME 47 LESSON 26 The writer has found it safer in practice to call participles ''active" only when they have an object, thus following out the teaching that a verb is intransitive if the subject acts, but there is no object. Whitney suggests this treatment by calling ing participles ''present.'* Almost universal custom, however, calls them ' ' active. ' ' Comments on Exercise. 1. Chinamen named, going, and looking (if going and looking were gerunds, the possessive Chinamen 's would have to be used), cats fighting, cork drawn, noise made. 2. father leaving, he sneaking (pred. after came). (Was tired is a verb in form and had per- haps better be recited so, but we really feel that tired is a participle be- cause it is followed by of). 3. swallows chirping. 4. seat unchanged (pred, after continued), house built, gable-end tapering and having. 5. coaches stopped and robbed, gang mounted, fellows holding and wearing. 6. edition printed. 7. him stealing, obj. pred. LESSON 27 This lesson makes a beginning of the long and arduous campaign to establish the "feel" for the difference between restrictive and non-re- strictive. The best formula the writer has been able to devise is this: Does the modifier mean "that particular," or does it mean "and in addition ' ' ? From here on attention is frequently called to the distinction in order that pupils may gain familiarity Avith this most elusive subject long before they have to punctuate non-restrictive relatives in lesson 47 or non-restrictWe adverb clauses in 50. The distinction between restric- tive and non-restrictive is bafiling to most pupils — is so subtle that most teachers despair of explaining it ; yet no textbook devotes much space to it. With astounding lack of sympathy we have held the subject up to dazzled young eyes, given them a glimpse of it, and returned it to its dark sanctuary. Yet the ability to distinguish is fundamental for the proper use of clauses. The writer has' been constantly experimenting for ten years, gathering a caution from this puzzled brow and gaining a hint from that smile of relief, as a preparation for this approach to a matter that has been considered minor. Comments on Exercise. (The participles modify appositively un- less otherwise specified in this key.) 1. wife and daughters dressed, hair plastered, faces patched, trains bundled, trains rustling (the last four are "absolute" constructions, described on page 228; such participles are not commonly spoken of as modifying appositively, but that is the grammatical fact about them). 2, we looking, paths made. 3, leading city (attributive), (milling is strictly a gerund meaning "a city for mill- ing"), Minneapolis taking. 4. tribes called, tribes inhabiting (called is so non-restrictive that it is set off by parentheses). 5. dwellings built, Venezuela meaning. 6. amusements designed, taste uneducated and un- developed, people unsophisticated (attributive), I bored (pred.), me tired (obj. pred.), improbabilities glaring (attributive), humor canned (at- tributive). 7. firewood needed, ponies piled, shocks walking, train equipped 48 PILOT BOOK FOR (attributive). 8. Graves transformed. 9. they holding and passing. 10. follies exaggerated. 11. clothing worn. 12. advantages possessed. For spelling dictation: 1. After waiting forty minutes on that crowded porch I was too tired to care what became of me. 2. The prisoners grow accustomed to their filthy surroundings. 3. The Turks meant to keep on pursuing the Armenians across the dreary plain. LESSON 28 Comments on Exercise. 1. whale-boat painted. 2. I being. 3. man bought. 4. persons interested. 5. officers suspected. 6. we having. 7. we pulling. 8. money earned. 9. hills surrounding (Icnowji is really a participle, and well-Jcnown is not like the compounds described on page 135, sec. 113 ; but Tcnown should hardly be required of pupils) . 10. officers attached. 11. decorations made. 12. teachers equipped. 13. Oliver be- ing, men trained. 14. truth illustrated. 15. she knowing, she taking. 16. trophies gathered {huniing in 16 and 17 is really a gerund because it means ' ' trips for the purpose of hunting ' ' ; the trips were not doing the hunting). 17. snakes preserved (stuffed and mounted modify attribu- tively). 18. specimens, curios, and trophies gathered. 19. David in- censed. 20. companions marooned. LESSON 29 The lessons on infinitives have less direct effect in composition than any other lessons in the book. Since the analysis of any particular in- finitive construction is of small direct value in composition, many teachers consider a complete study of infinitives unnecessary. The writer used to be of their opinion — and was continually grieved to find his pupils supposing every little while that a word-group like to minister to the soldiers, luho needed a woman's tenderness was a complete predicatior Universities have been pained at discovering the same ignorance among their freshmen. Only a thorough study of all constructions will rid a whole class of this error for all time. The objective in all the study is the making of one kind of half-sentence fault impossible. The concept most helpful for gaining that objective is "Infinitives are always like nouns. ' ' Our grammars have never recognized how very common and useful and idiomatic the infinitive constructions are in English. Most teachers have small conception of the frequency and importance of infinitives in our language. If, however, a class is pressed for time, Lessons 29, 30, 31, and 33 can be better omitted than any others. No teacher should use more of these lessons than he has faith in. Comments on Exercise. 1. to sail sub. of is, to know p. n. after is. 2. to shout and sing obj. of wanted. 3. to brag sub. of may be, to hear obj. of want. 4. to tell obj. of dare, to be done p. n. after was. 5. to go sub. of is. 6. to see obj. of wishes. 7. gaze obj. of but. 8. get obj. pred. of saw. 9. do obj. pred. of saw. 10. to do p. n. after was seen (some- what like ''was seen as a doer"). 11. to do obj. pred. of wanted. 12. to learn in apposition with effort, to play obj. of to learn. 13. to want obj. of am beginning, to rest and have obj. of to want. 14. to have deceived SENTENCE AND THEME 49 Rub. of is, to turn obj. of told (her is the indirect obj.). 15. to gradu- ate sub. of would be, to study obj. of the gerund having had. 16. tc use sub. of is, to pick and wrap objs, of do need. For spelling dictation: 1. A grammar lesson doesn't seem to affect him unpleasantly. 2. At the beginning of the next hour he stopped hia preparation for the algebra recitation. 3. One senator offered a resolu- tion for a separate treaty with Peru. 4, His secretary prided herself on being a descendant of John Alden. 5. Our separation from England was not complete in 1776. LESSON 30 Comments on Exercise. 1. to tell sub. of would do. 2. to use sub. of is. 3. to try obj. of beg (you is ind. obj.), to pay obj. of to try. 4. to go obj. of ask (me is ind. obj.) 5. none. 6. to raise obj. of endeavor- ing. 7. none. 8. to make, have, and study p. n. after is. 9. to see sub. of is, to overcome obj. of trying, to congratulate sub. of is. 10. to make obj. pred. of wants, to have sub. of won't do, interfere obj. pred. of to have, to do obj. of ought. 11. to have seen sub. of is. 12. to find sub. of seems. 13. to impress in apposition with attempt, same for to urge. 14. to resign p. n. after seemed. 15. to say obj. of should have. 16. wait obj. of except. 17. to be p. n. after is said, to train sub. of is said. 18. to conceal sub. of is, to know obj. pred. of should want. 19. to deny sub. of is, to get obj. of hopes. LESSON 31 Experienced teachers need no explanation of the amount of space and the violence of the emphasis used for possessives of names ending in s. Comments on Exercise II. 1. Dickens's novels than Burns 's poems. 2. Miss Pross's anger against the Frenchmen's bloodthirstiness. 3. Wil- liam's wages by Mr. Williams's brother. 4. Witches' prophecies. 5. Nobody's business, the lady's age. 6. Nancy's love for Squire Cass's son. 7. Baby's cry, Mr. Brooks's fears. 8. Glavis's keen eyes, of the fishes' tails. 9. Children's ears by the thrushes' twitter. 10. This booby's character at the Robbinses' ball. For spelling dictation: 1. The Joneses' dinner was always a very simple meal. 2. Mr. Jones's knowledge of Dickens's novels was very slight. 3. That is nobody's business. 4. Mrs. Phelps's bad temper had been caused by stumbling over the children's toys. 5. James's feelings were deeply stirred by the people 's indifference to his little invention. 6. The boys' hearts beat high at the sight of this lady's check-book. 7. The Adamses' pride in their wealth was ridiculous. 8. Who knows one of Burns 's songs by heart? LESSON 32 To some teachers the '* object of to" is novel. The reason for this analysis is threefold. In the first place, it is the fact of the history of English grammar. In the second place, it is the scholarly explana- tion: all the four great dictionaries, all authoritative works on English philology, and all the authoritative grammars speak of infinitives as 50 PILOT BOOK FOR "noun-like words"; neither Matzner nor Whitney nor Sweet nor Jesper* sen has a word to say about an infinitive as an adjective or an adverb. What grammarians could be named worthy to oppose to such men as these? (See Kittredge and Farley's grammar, page 136; see the Inter- national under to ; see ' ' The Next C. G. N. Eeport ' ^ in the English Journal tor September, 1919.) These two reasons are slight compared with the third — the need for simplicity and uniformity in presenting elementary grammar to average pupils. If a sacrifice of scholarship would make the path easier for pupils, scholarship would have been sacrificed most gladly by the writer of Sentence and Theme. He was thinking almost entirely of ease and simplicity for pupils. He has tried the way of "infinitives are nouns or adjectives or adverbs as the case may be" and has found that way confusing to ordinary ninth-grade minds. Here is the reason: in the study of the other verbals and of every part of speech we begin with an invariable definition in terms of the use in the sentence — ' ' a noun is a name " ; "a verb asserts " ; "a participle is like an adjective," etc.; if, then, we have to begin with infinitives by say- ing, ' ' This part of speech is like three other dissimilar parts of speech, ' ' we cause perplexity. The writer knows by experience that this is often the case. He knows that backward eighth-grade boys learn "object of to" easily — indeed too easily ; they are, for some queer reason, too fond of it. Teachers who have for years accustomed their minds to the "three kinds of words in one" treatment may find it hard to readjust to a new mental habit, but untaught and unprejudiced children find the way of "always like nouns" an easy one. The "object of to" analysis is entirely a matter of form; it is not a different explanation or a different logic. In "he went to look" the verb is modified by ta looTc. It may be as logical and proper to say that "the infinitive modifies" as to say that "a prepositional phrase modifies ; " a seasoned grammarian may find the former more compact and may consider the latter an unnecessary rigamarole. But a compact anomaly is hard for students. The easy way for them is to start with "infinitives are always like nouns," and then to learn the grammatical fact of "object of to." Teachers should consider the needs of boys and girls. Comments on Exercise. 1. to be shipped p. n. 2. to have been caused p. n. 3. to find mod. scoured. 4. to try sub. of is, to get obj. of to try, to inform sub. of is, to buy sub. of is. 5. to resort mod. shall be forced (like "forced to resorting"). 6. to preserve sub. of is, to be obj. pred. of need suppose, to issue mod. is appointed. 7. to blame p. n. 8. to be done p. n. after remains or mod. remains, to build p. n. 9. to investigate mod. has appointed (can be said to mod. Commission). 10. to be mod. order (like "for the order or purpose of being"), to pay mod. agreed (can possibly be called obj. of agreed), to take mod. to pay. 11. to doubt mod. reason. 12. to undertake mod. able, to lead mod. man. 13. to do mod. nothing, to think mod. paused, to have mod. chance. 14. to use mod. something, to keep mod. strong. 15. to hear mod. aston- ished, to give mod. were going. i\r spelling dictation: 1. The constant repetition of a word may finally \ave some effect in teaching the spelling of it. 2. The teacher SENTENCE AND THEME 51 will be in despair if the lesson doesn't produce some benefit. 3. In writing a description of the circus he omitted the item of greatest in- terest. 4. I don't know whether I ought to describe each separate part of the machine. 5. She used beautiful statio»ery for her letters. 6. Why should capital and labor be enemies? LESSON 33 Comments on Exercise. 1. to be p. n., to realize mod. moment, to be obj. of claim, to have obj. of used, to give sub. of remains. 2. to be mod. seems (see top of page 170), to be p. n. 3. to be mod. happened (see page 166, sec. 139, no. 1), to assist mod. presence, to drink mod. forced, to play obj. of contrived, to take mod. stood, to cry obj. of thought (see sec. 141). 4. to be mod. have (see top of page 170»). 5. to tell p. n. (see sec, 143, no. 5), to prevent mod. occurred, to hear obj. of care. 6. to sleep mod. time, to share and roost objs. of want, to finish mod. left. 7. to learn and to work ret. objs. of was allowed. 8. to con- clude mod. is. 9. explain obj. of dared, to return ret. obj. of was ex- pected, to tell p. n. (see sec. 143), take obj. pred. of let (see sec. 142), happen obj. pred. of let. LESSON 34 Comments on Exercise. 1.' showing, staying, and vagabondizing objs. of by. 2. banking describes business (like "the hardware busi- ness"; the business does not do the banking, but the factor does do the controlling, and controlling is therefore a participle). 3. showing obj. of of, dressing obj. of toward, coaxing obj. of in. 4. climbing obj. of in, changing obj. of of, getting obj. of with, caring obj. of in. 5. tilling sub. of had been, excavating p. n. 6. coming obj. of of, blockade-run- ning p. n., getting obj. of in, reading sub. of is, reading obj. of like. 7. looking obj. of kept, increasing obj. of of, bettering obj. of for, usher- ing obj. of of. 8. being refreshed obj. of after, having acted obj. of for. 9. prospering obj. of of, being obj. of to, affording obj. of of, anchoring obj. of affording, becoming obj. of for. 10. having pointed obj. of after, quarreling sub. of might be, trying obj. of quit, stopping obj. of toward, wrangling obj. of stopping. 11. raising obj. of stop, producing obj. of in. 12. turning obj. of in, coasting describes privilege (like "library privilege.") For spelling dictation: 1. Haven't you had trouble in your history course? 2. Didn't he know that we weren't ready? 3. I shan't be happy if you aren't with us. 4. Wasn't he thoroughly surprised? 5. It doesn't seem to me that you're quite fair. G. If you won't mind, I'll lean on your shoulder. LESSON 35 A complete key to all the punctuation ''Leaves'* is given in the back of the PUot Book, beginning at page 79. The rules for punctuation in Sentence and Theme differ in only a few minor details from those given in all the authoritative manuals 52 PILOT BOOK FOR revised since 1900 : Manual for Writers by Manly and Powell, Punctua- tion by F. H. Teall, Why We Punctuate by W. L. Klein, The Practice of Typography by T. L. DeVinne, The King's English by H. W. and F. G. Fowler, Manual of Good English by MacCracken and Sandison. The writer has not been so bold as to interpret modern usage without diligent consultation of the interpretations of other men. He has even examined two or three dozen rhetorics, just to be on the safe side, but finds that for the most part these report some customs that the scrupulous periodicals discarded a generation ago — notably the combi- nation of dash and comma, and the semicolon before e.g. Not that it matters greatly which code or combination of codes is taught in a school. But a teacher works with more assurance if he knows that he is teaching something real, perfectly definite, and founded on a great body of easily accessible usage. To search literature for answers to questions of usage in words requires so much time that most of us have to depend upon dictionaries; but answers to questions of usage in punctuation may be readily found by looking at copies of the Outlook or the Nation or the Independent. A teacher who is skeptical about any of the twenty rules in this book, or is skeptical about any manual, may easily look up the facts of modern custom. And pupils — boys at least — study with more conviction if they feel that their school work is with practical matters, if they realize that commas are carefully considered in the offices of the Saturday Evening Post and Sears, Eoebuck and Company, if they know that great sums of money have been lost because of commas misplaced in laws and wills. Commas are very business-like realities. They are not ' ' just our English lesson," but are a part of life, existing for reasons more powerful than the demands of elementary education. The code here given was got up in 1909, revised after three years of testing in the class-room, has been severely tested every year since, and has been again revised for use in this book. Experience shows that the result of such thorough drill is not to chill the ardor of imaginative youth, but to preserve youth from appearing uneducated when it commits thoughts to paper. Teachers who are dubious about devoting this amount of time to ''mere marks" may well consider that in the French system of elementary education children are thoroughly instructed in punc- tuation from their eighth to their twelfth years, and that thereafter heedless pointing is not tolerated. This is not a matter of ''sticking in marks"; it is a process of producing decent sentences, of training chil- dren in expression. A more complete exposition, with extended comments and sugges- tions for teaching, is given in Chapter VIII of the writer's What Is English?, Scott, Foresman and Company. A brief summary of the Twenty Rules is given in Lesson 77. Punctuation Leaves is a device for enabling pupils to accom- plish a maximum of work in a minimum of time. They may be used effectively for oral recitation if a teacher has not time to correct them as written exercises. Committing the rules to memory accomplishes nothing at all. The whole attention of pupil and teacher must be directed toward establishing a habit. SENTENCE AND THEME 53 LESSON 36 This sort of exercise in stating the topic of a paragraph is so valu- able that it may well be extended. No further material is printed in the text because any school classic or interesting history will furnish good specimen paragraphs. Long paragraphs are to be avoided. The two requisites demanded in the text are cardinal in naming topics: 1. Be specific. It is astounding to see how many pupils will fight shy of any concrete particular, but will give vague, abstract, all-inclusive topics. 2. Name what one matter the sentences are all about. The work of detecting what all the sentences have in common trains a pupil to think about having all the sentences of his own paragraph directed to one purpose. Comments on Exercise. Paragraphs of "Clothing for Ornament": 1. The clothing of savages is, in the main, not for protection. 2. The early savage races used clothing as an ornament, for vanity. 3. The laughable vanity of savages in wearing a bit of civilized clothing. 4. Uncomfortable clothing endured for the sake of vanity. 5. The dis- comfort of ornamental rings. 6. The discomfort of rings in ears and nose. 7. Modern protective clothing is ornamental. Paragraphs of "Mr. Babcock's Clients": 1. The envelope full of documents to be taken to Plum Hill. 2. The jolting, clattering ride to Plum Hill. 3. Mr. Babcock's six-foot oflSce. 4. Babcock's figuring of discounting Varnum's note. 5. Babcock's being startled at seeing Martin. THEME 17 Attention should be drawn to exactly what is said about the motor- cycle: the boy supposed it had broken down; the corporal "grunted and continued to potter"; at the end, very briefly, we are simply told that the boy "did not think to wonder at." A natural topic-division is: 1. Meeting. 2. Getting acquainted. 3. The attractions of soldiering. 4. Gathered in. Pupils should be cautioned that, though the narrative might be continued, this compact form about the one episode is better structure and is more interesting. A tall, gaunt farmer-boy had been plowing the lower forty of Old Man Huggins's farm. The road to the mountains lay along one side of the field, and as the boy turned and started to plow his furrow toward the road, he noticed that a motorcycle had stopped just beyond the fence. "Broke down," the boy commented to himself, as he saw the tan-clad rider dismounting. Over the mule's huge back he watched as he drew nearer. "Why, the rider was in uniform; he must be a soldier!" Sure enough, when the fence was reached, the boy saw that the stranger was dressed in the regulation khaki of Uncle Sam, with the U. S. in black letters at the vent of the collar and two stripes on the left sleeve. "Broke down?" the boy queried, dropping his plow-handles. 54 PILOT BOOK FOR The corporal grunted and continued to potter with his machine. ''You in the armyf the boy continued, leaning on the fence. ' ' You bet ! ' ' assented the soldier. Then, looking up and taking in the big, raw-boned physique of the youngster, ''Ever think of joinin'?" "Can't say's I did." "Got any friends in the army?" "Nope." "Fine life." The motorcycle was attracting little of the recruiting officer's attention now, for he was a recruiting officer, and engaged in one of the most practical phases of his work. "Them soldiers have a pretty easy life, don't they?" Evidently the boy was becoming interested. The recruiting officer laid down his tools,, pulled out a pipe, and sat down comfortably under a small sycamore tree at the roadside. "Not so very easy," he replied, "but interesting and exciting." He paused for a minute to scrutinize the prospective recruit more closely. To his experienced eye the boy appeared desirable. Slouchy, dirty, and lazy-looking perhaps; but there were nevertheless good muscles and a strong body under those ragged overalls. The corporal launched into hisr story. For twenty minutes the boy listened open-mouthed to the stories of post life, where baseball, football, and boxing divided the time with drilling; of mess-halls where a fellow could eat all he wanted to, free; of good-fellowship and fraternal pride in the organization; of the pleas- ant evenings in the amusement rooms in quarters. And then of the life of the big world, of which the boy had only dreamed; of the Western plains; of Texas, the snowy ridges of the great Rockies, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, the Philippines, Hawaii, the strange glamor of the tropics, the great wildernesses of the frozen North. "It seems 'most like as I'd like to' join, " was the timid venture. "What's your name?" "Steve Bishop." ' ' All right, Steve ; come in and see me the next time in town, ' ' said the corporal, rising. ' ' We '11 talk it over. ' ' And, mounting his motorcycle, he was gone down the road in a whirl of red dust. Nor did the farmer boy think to wonder at the sudden recovery of the apparently stalled machine. "Missionary work," explains the corporal. "We never beg 'em to join; but we do sort of give 'em the idea. Like joinin' the Masons, you know," he said, winking and giving me the grip. LESSON 37 The comma with the and that joins the last two items has a smaller majority of usage in its favor than any other rule in the book. The Saturday Evening Post, for example, and the Montgomery Ward cata- logue do not use the comma. The teaching of two generations ago was that the comma should be used, of one generation ago that it should not be used. Today a majority of careful periodicals use it; it is expected by college examiners; and is recommended bj^ all the manuals. SENTENCE AND THEME 55 LESSON 38 The writer will be grateful for any suggestions about devices for teaching the distinction between restrictive and non-restrictive. Every bit of tactics in the text has resulted from some measure of success in the class-room, has been found useful in practice; but improvements can doubtless be made, and the best attack can be developed only by the con- certed efforts of a generation of teachers who sedulously seek the avenues by which light may be made to enter literal minds. The importance of the subject may be estimated when one reflects that all punctuation within the sentence is of only two sorts: separating items of a series or separat- ing non-restrictive elements. The first is comparatively easy; the second causes most of our difficulties. Comments on Exercise, ("t. p." means ^'that or those particu- lar.") 1. t. p. half-dollar that, t. p. one that. 2. t. p. wheels which. 3. that kind of air of self-conceit that is. 4. t. p. time of which, that sort of highly favored places which. 5. the sort of man who, the sort of ideas that. 6. for that sort of persons whose. 7, t. p. chains that. 8. that kind of horse that would. 9. the kind of opinion that, t. p. opinion that, 10. of the sort of people whose. For spelling dictation: 1. He is coming on Wednesday for the marriage of his daughter. 2. It may be all right to have women in Congress, but how about the White House? 3. I am particularly anxious that we should have a separate room for our art work. 4. Americans used to think that the twenty-second of February was a rather solemn day. 5. We can't feel too sure that a college education is necessary. 6. Doesn't it cost more than a quarter? LESSON 39 Grounding an average class thoroughly in the constructions of rela- tives takes more time than a teacher can realize. A class that seems to have a fair understanding may after an interval of two weeks seem to have lost its understanding. The average class will not learn properly how to handle relatives, even after it has been through the review offered in Lesson G in the Appendix, and sentences 258-313. Two or even six more lessons may be needed. The writer believes in this method of reviewing after an interim and would have suggested it more frequently in his arrangement of lessons if he had not feared that the table of contents might seem haphazard. Comments on Exercise. (The modified word is given first in each case.) 1. i)istol which he pointed, burglar who confronted. 2. build- ing that had been erected, travelers who had seen. 3. one who had seen, kind (or possibly playing) that they have. 4. shops that we visited, articles that he had. 5. broadsword that had been used, knight who died, battle of wHich he had spoken. 6. judges who had, millions over whom they had. 7. man whose conscience is, opportunity that is offered. 8. manager in whom we have, manager from whom. 9. tax that is developed, all that it needs. 10. parade which took place, company that was made. 11. manager who lived, contractor who did. 56 PILOT BOOK FOR LESSON 40 Comments on Exercise. 1. all that it needs, can that you see. 2. policeman that we had, one that we have. 3. rule that we had, answer that you ought. 4. debates that they hold. 5. none. 6. ship that he entered. 7. evidences that we have. 8. life that he had laid {he thought is parenthetical; see page 207, sec. 184). 9. struggle that he had. 10. box that they sent, pleasure that they had given. 11. feeling that I have, question that you ask. 12. tennis that we get, mosquitos that we are bitten by. 13, everything that he needs, everything that his visitors need, pleasure that he likes. 14. wealth that Captain Kidd buried, boat that he showed. 15. feelings that I had, coat that I was throwing, letter that you gave. 16. dislike that he has, food that you set. LESSON 42 Comments on Exercise. 1. he whoever goes. 2. vice which he did not acquire. 3. matter that man must settle. 4. governor-general who is. 5. stone by which the crew keep. 6. thing that he read, ^* Ship- wreck '* with which he was delighted, "Shipwreck" of which he could repeat pages. 7. gods which your fathers served. 8. specimen which Ramaji had mounted. 9. canyon whose bottom we could not see. 10. oranges that you brought (from here on there are frequent parenthetical clauses like ''you say"). 11. object that I had. 12. him whoever got. 13. fruit that is best. 14. broker who would lend. 15. everything that we had. 16. snakes which may be seen, holes into which they retreat. 17. Shiennes of whom many wore. 18. cherries which squaws had dried. 19. king who was. 20. nothing that we need {that is the obj. of of). 21. one who won. 22. nabob whom everybody envied. 23. him whoever draws. 24. he who had. 25. this that dare {dare is subjunctive, and so has no s) . LESSON 43 Comments on Exercise. 1. who, I will add, appeared to be. 2. for some particular line that might. 3. ridiculous to say "and I will add that he returned on these many days." 4. and I will explain, by the way, what the box had formerly been used for (it would make sense to write this clause as restrictive, but the author wanted to show the other meaning). 5. and at this door I took the liberty of knocking. 6. and here in this apartment I saw Linton. 7. who, he explained, were cer- tainly oflScers of justice. 8. that kind of resolute front. 9. and I Avant to explain how very long a row it was out to the vessel. 10. and Clar- ence did not dare. 11. an expression, I may add, which meant (this appositive effect is often useful for bringing out the non-restrictive meaning of a clause). 12. and I will add an explanation of why the whole life depends. 13. those particular Dutch merchants who, and I might explain that these suburbs are on higher land and are pleasanter to live in. For spelling dictation: 1. I sincerely hope he will entirely recover. SENTENCE AND THEME 57 2. *' Safety first" is surely a useful motto. 3. Could you learn to spell separate by writing it ninety times? 4. We know definitely that little birds arc not peaceable in their nests. 5. Agnes 's uncle was immensely pleased with the arrangement. 6. I shall be extremely obliged if you , will answer immediately. LESSON 44 Comments on Exercise. ("Non" means that there should be a comma; "res" means that there should not be a comma.) 1. who nou (there is only one Lloyd George), that res (a kind of settlement that). 2. who res (any particular person whatever). 3. which non (refers to the whole statement very loosely). 4. who res (any particular man who), who res (any particular actor who). 5. that res (that particular one that is largest), which non (there is one U. S. government), that res (a certain transport). 6. which non (it is not "that particular pay which is desposited"). 7. that res, which non. 8. in which res. 9. which non. 10. which non. 11. which non, the res (understood after circumstance). For spelling dictation: 1. Civilized people ought not to criticize before they know what they are talking about. 2. We had lost the address of the man who was to furnish supplies. 3. He meant to show his heroism by approaching close to the bull. 4. My opinion is that the sun will net be shining when we arrive. 5. Don't be too severe in your criticism of her actions. 6. There is one syllable that stretches to the length of eight letters. [The syllable is straight,] LESSON 45 Comments on Exercise. 1. that P. was getting obj. of saw; whether we shouldn't, etc. obj. of asked. 2. that he wanted appos. with idea; how much we would ask obj. of to know. 3. you must hurry obj. of feel (for you feel see the note on page 367). 4. that everything has resulted obj. of admit. 5. that he had a spirit obj. of denied, that his temper was, that his deportment was, that his hatred was objs. of must acknowledge. 6. how he did it sub. of is, he had strength obj. of thouglit. 7. none. 8. that communities can be freed, that amount can be reduced, that rate can be lowered subs, of has been demonstrated, that appropriations be sub. of is. 9. whether they could tell obj. of to ask, how country felt obj. of could tell. 10. none. 11. that fellow should have had sub. of is, where we had been obj. of to ask, that he docsn 't know in appos. with proof, how a gentleman ought obj. of does know. For spelling dictation: 1. I couldn't imagine why he slammed the door so hard. 2. It occurred to me that I had better look around for some way to earn a few nickels. 3. His complete apologies removed the hard feelings that he had aroused. 4. If she wants us to think siie is an angel, she ought not to lose her temper so easily. 5. The boy replies pleasantly as soon as he has been paid. 6, Tunnels are not made on the level prairies. 58 PILOT BOOK FOR LESSON 46 The writer used ''wliat=that which" for many years, but feels sure that he is nearer the truth and is teaching more effectively since he changed to the procedure indicated in the text. Comments on Exercise. I. 1. one that you met, res. 8. That causes the water has no real antecedent (though if students say that push is the antecedent, they are excusable; see page 307; the real syntax is ''it, the force that causes the water, is the push."), pulleys in which one is, non. 11. Pope and cardinals who had entered, non. 13. force which princes could bring, res {trained is merely a passive participle). 15. meals which were, non. 17. those who have watched, res. II. 1. what you would have thought may be called the object of wonder (though we can hardly think of a sentence in which wonder would have a noun for an object; ef. sentence 6), where you lived obj. of to tell. 2, that a saucer will freeze sub. of is said. 3. what I re- garded obj. of at. 4. none. 5. that proportion would die sub. of was feared, if elk could be dipped obj. of doubted. 6. that company should turn may be called the object of insisted. 7. that he will have obj. of believes. 8. what would be obj. of of. 9. how fellow would continue obj. of to see. 10. what might be revealed obj. of to ascertain. 11. none. 12. they had seen and had obj. of said, that previsions might give obj. of except. 13. that force would be obj. of saw. 14. that regiment should advance and make in appos. with orders. 15. that price was ret. obj. of were informed. 16. that men should have obj. of to believe, which is way obj, of of. 17. why aviator cuts may be called the object of wondered. 18. that he would be disfigured in apposition with bets. 19. that they remembered obj. of to see, what Sandy had said obj. of remembered. 20. that the Erie Canal was completed sub. of was. LESSON 49 For spelling dictation: 1. In my judgment a library is not so im- portant as our athletics. 2. He is top practical a man to care much for argument. 3. What is the difference between a tragedy and a comedy ? 4. Truly I don 't know what the shepherds do in bad weather. 5. I grew weary of the ninth chapter after I had made three separate translations of it. LESSON 51 Comments on Exercise. Examples of the following used restrict- ively are given in the lesson: as if, as though, before, whenever, after, while; an example of if is on page 250, of unless on page 251, of when and where on page 238 ; I have not seen him since he returned from Brazil ; the accident happened just as I was turning the corner. LESSON 52 The attack upon the ' ' so " habit is another specific way of improving style inwardly by securing what might seem to be a merely superficial change. SENTENCE AND THEME 59 Comments on Exercise. 1. while non because it means but. 2. when non because it means **and after that they are" (the where clause is noun, obj. of to). 3. when is naturally understood as restrictive; a comma would mean '*and I will add that they have to." 4. as if res; means ** whizzing in just such a way as if." 5. than res, comparison with sooner. 6. while res ; means * ' watched at the particular time while"; for non, adding a reason. 7. as though res, in that particular way. 8. so that non, showing result. 9. since res, that particular time when. 10. so non, showing result. 11. since non, showing a reason. 12. though non, meaning but. THEME 23 This elephant story is told as fact by Popular Mcclmnics for Decem- ber, 1916. The dates and the names of towns are given. LESSON 53 Note the statement on page 252 about ' ' make sense either way. ' * It is a clue for avoiding much trouble and wasted time. Disputes about because may be very subtle, and they are not worth while. Attention must always be centered on ^'what does the comma mean?" There can never be any dispute about that. If a student can explain what meaning is conveyed by using or not using a comma, and if that meaning makes sense, he has recited correctly. So for the other conjunctions. Comments on Exercise. 1. unless res; means "except under the particular condition of finding that." 2. if res; means "I should under that particular condition," 3. as closely res, as shown by '*just. " 4. until res; "until that particular time." 5. as res; "in just that particular way"; when res. 6. as non, giving a reason. 7. because may be restrictive, showing that "I don't like for this particular rea- son"; but after a negative it is more natural to say, "and the reason why I don 't like is " ; while res. 8. as non, giving a reason. 9. none. 10, if res; should like only under one particular condition." 11. seeing is really the kind of preposition described on pages 81-82, sec. 59; hence the clause is a noun clause, object of seeing; the phrase is a loose, non- restrictive modifier. 12. whether non, very loosely added. 13. the more slowly you go is non, like those in sec. 218. 14. unless res. 15. as and if res; second as non, giving a reason. 16. till non, like "until finally" below the middle of page 250. 17. when res, as non, when res. THEME 26 The material of "Americans First" (abridged from an OutlooTc article) is in three natural divisions: 1. "What was wrong in Detroit. 2. The plan for setting things right. 3. The success of the plan. Division 1 In the great manufacturing city of Detroit, where half the motor, cars in the country are made, three-fourths, of the population was born of 60 PILOT BOOK FOR foreign parents. There are Russians, Poles, Italians, Jews, Hungarians, Rumanians, Greeks, Belgians, and Armenians. During the hard times of 1914 factories ran down, and 80,000 men lost their jobs. Great melan- choly mobs of the jobless prowled through the chilly streets. The Board of Commerce organized relief work; it undertook to find employment for those who were out of work. This effort was successful in the cases of those foreign laborers who could speak English, but most of the sixty thousand men who knew only the tongue of the land of their birth re- mained jobless. Then and there the Board of Commerce found the germ of the trouble. They learned that most of the unemployment was due to the inaMlity of foreign laborers to fit American jobs, which ivas due pri- marily, of course, to their inability to understand English. Division 2 Thereupon the members of the Board of Commerce went to work to remedy the evil by striking at its root. They assisted the Board of Edu- cation in opening night schools where the foreigners might learn English. In all factories posters were placed on bulletin-boards urging the men to go to school in order to ' ' become better citizens and get better jobs. ' ' In all factories slips bearing similar advice were inserted in pay envelopes. Every one in Detroit jumped into the campaign with enthusiasm. Saloon- keepers pasted on saloon walls the posters adjuring the alien to embrace Uncle Sam, department stores put slips of information about the night schools in the packages of every customer who looked like a foreigner, ministers preached ''Americanization" in the churches of the foreign quarters, and the editors of foreign newspapers harped on the same key in editorial addresses to their people. Whenever an Italian or Polish young woman drew a book from the public library, she found therein one of the ubiquitous slips telling how her friends who knew no English might learn it free. The Board of Health, the Poor Commission, the juvenile courts, the Associated Charities, the employment bureaus, the Boy Scouts, and the Young Men's Christian Association all put their shoulders to the wheel which has been rolling Detroit out of the mire of hyphenism. On three nights a week during the first half of the school year these grown-up pupils study English. A fourth night is given over to recrea- tion — dances, moving-pictures, and the performances of glee clubs and orchestras formed by the music-loving foreigners. On this night also the men who want it are given instruction in methods of applying for jobs and for naturalization. The manufacturers of Detroit have agreed to give the preference among job applicants to those who have studied at flie night schools, and an up-to-date attendance card with a good word from the night school teacher is an almost certain open sesame to a job. Division 3 ''Americans first." Those words are on the tongue of every De- troiter today. Detroit is today a wonderful spectacle of team work. There is none of the petty jealousy between different agencies working toward the same goal which usually is found in even the most praise- . worthy movements engaging many men. Never have I seen a city so united for a common end, not even in the case of a city fighting a deadly epidemic. In its great desire to digest the alien ingredients which it kas SENTENCE AND THEME 61 swallowed Detroit has achieved what Maeterlinck calls *'the spirit of the hive." The Italian workman who has taken the time after his hard day's work to go to the night school is warmed to the bottom of his warm heart when "de bigga boss" drops in for a look at the school, as **de bigga bosses" frequently do, for the two hundred and fifty manufactur- ers who are cooperating with the Board of Commerce and the Board of Education realize well how much can be accomplished by personal atten- tion. The lunch-hour talks held in Detroit factories just before the open- ing of the schools each year, when the presidents of corporations urge their employees to learn English and become Americans, indicate how firmly the business leaders of Detroit have caught the *' America first" idea. One prominent business man was asked, "Does it pay?" * * Well, ' ' he replied, ' ' we haven 't figured it out in dollars and cents, for we have not been interested in that aspect of it, although I 'm in- clined to believe that any auditing test would show that it does pay in that way, too. Certainly it pays in a larger sense. It pays in that it promotes industrial efficiency and organization. ' ' Before we began sending our employees to night school there were among our men conflicting industrial cliques. German workmen would object to working with Russians, or vice versa. Men of one race could hardly tolerate a foreman of another race. "But since we launched our policy of 'Americans first' all that has disappeared. Of course the Germans are still proud of their descent, just as the Belgians or Italians are, but they don 't talk about it in the shop as they usfed to, and they don't fight about it any more. "The most important thing about this Americanizing of foreign workmen is that it promotes industrial peace. It has been a hard blow at the padrone system. When our men have grievances now, they are able to come to us and tell us about them, instead of going to a dishonest boss of their own nationality, who fans the fire for his own ends. This work produces unity and team work in the shop. That is its most impor- tant benefit — it leads to team work. ' ' Detroit business men have tasted the satisfaction that comes to him who is a smooth unit in one great smoothly running machine. Detroit will continue to be for "Americans first." LESSON 56 Real stimulus is given, real relation to life is established, every time a class is reminded that hard-headed business men consider a textbook subject important. If a class hears that the Hamilton Watch Company set up a school to teach its office force how to write less conventional letters, more correct and more appealing, the class feels differently toward its composition work — yes, differently toward dry grammar and punctua- tion. The National City Bank of New York has a night school in whicli employees learn about lie and lay, about phrases and clauses; as a matter of business the Bank wishes its clerks to know those subjects; as a mat- ter of sound pedagogy we teachers should let pupils know what banks and factories think. If some prominent business man in your city can be 62 PILOT BOOK FOE induced to testify — in person or in writing — that he cares a great deal about carefulness, accuracy, real knowledge of sentence elements, he may do more for sound education in five minutes than a teacher can do in five weeks. If pupils feel that all this analysis of sentences has a business- like purpose, they work very much better. Comments on Exercise. 1. horse was stamping; animal in appos.; phrases mod. stamping. 2. difficulty is to fill; in experiment mod. difii- culty; aside from making is a loose parenthetical mod. of is; tight is obj. pred. ; at start mod. to fill. 3. bandits swarmed; in neighborhood mod. swarmed; at hours mod. swarmed; victimizing mod. bandits; in week mod. victimizing. 4. pilot failed; probably mod. failed; bewildered mod. pilot; handicapped mod. pilot; to counteract is hardly an object, but is really a modifier of failed. 5. to dye has been found wise ; because of shortage mod. has been found (though possibly mod. wise) ; field-gray is obj. pred. LESSON 57 Comments on Exercise. 1. (you are) going; to sell mod. going; present is in appos. with watch. 2. (you) look; for moment and at picture mod. look; going mod. man; over falls and in barrel mod. going. 3. movement is known ; of f elloAv and during weeks mod. movement. 4. your record is good ; to be, etc., mod. is, judging is a kind of preposition (see sec. 59), and the phrase mod. is in a loose way (cf. no. 5, page 262) ; at all mod. good. 5. knowing is different; all is a pronoun, obj. of know- ing; about streets mod. all (or possibly knowing); from being mod. different; able is pred. adj.; to find mod. able. 6. he Avas; of aristocracy mod. was; family being mod. was. 7. captain stood; eyes flashing, face red mod. stood; swinging and yelling mod. captain. 8. he called some- thing; picking and shaking mod. he; about getting, etc., mod. something. LESSON 58 A pupil writes more agreeable sentences when he has learned to sub- stitute for a compound form, with a repeated subject, the simple form, with a compound verb. If the four lessons in diagraming simple sen- tences had only the one purpose of exhibiting the following distinction, they wouM be well worth while: Mrs. Thrale was unrestrained, so she had .... Mrs. Thrale was unrestrained and had .... Comments on Exercise. 1. wall was broad, afforded, and inclosed. 2. guide hunts, selects, and pitches {left is a passive participle). 3. Con- gress will adjourn and will take; having appropriated and beating mod. Congress. 4. forecastle was, was, and had; being kept mod. forecastle (it is not an absolute because there is no noun or pronoun with it) ; quite mod. comfortable, like **an entirely comfortable," but might ha said to mod. had. 5. Ave tumbled ; keeping and keeping mod. we ; on is an adverb; with has two objects, strength and help; for fear mod. keep- ing; after oarsmen giving mod. tumbled in a very loose way, showing what was being done while we tumbled. 6. she gave and ran and bounded and ran; in midst mod. gave; uttering and holding mod. she. 7. we SENTENCE AND THEME 63 landed, crossed, descended, and found; before gateway and under block- house mod. found; riding mod. we; erected mod. blockhouse; to defend mod. erected. LESSON 59 Comments on Exercise. 1. we broke and moved; on 25th, late, and in afternoon mod. broke ; once mod. more ; more mod. moved. 2. Lily made and landed; borrowing mod. Lily; sick, etc., are appos. adjs. 3. loss and disappearance forced and obliged; to do mod. forced; to get and to attend mod. obliged. 4. Gaston sat and stared; taken mod. Gas- ton; motionless is a prcd. adj.; gripping mod. Gaston. 5. building meant, required; among workmen mod. enthusiasm, loyalty, and efficiency (or possibly required); speaking and intent mod. workmen; breaking is in appos. with purpose. 6. we came and met; long -mod. after; after leaving, late, alternoon, and in midst mod. came; leading mod. trail. 7. I compelled and made and washed; drink is obj. pred. ; chafing mod. I. 8. lights grew and could be seen ; brighter and brighter and numerous are pred. adjs. mod. lights; so of the participle moving. LESSON 60 Most classes will need a review of clauses preparatory to diagraming complex sentences. Material is provided in Lessons E, F, and G and in sentences 258-363, in the Appendix. The important element in a good review is that it should contain a mixture of subjects, so that a pupil is obliged to think, to be on the alert. Comments on Exercise. 1. people are impressed; who clause mod. people ; that clause mod. sign-language. 2. you may train ; if clause mod. may train; that clause mod. something; as a cowboy can draw mod. as and as. 3, feature is ; that clause is p. n. ; as clause mod. spells ; accord- ing to dictionary mod. spells. 4. matters were; when he found mod. were; returning mod. he; with child mod. waiting. 5. he dies; two if clauses mod. dies. 6. it Avas {it refers vaguely to my action of the preceding clauses) ; when clause mod. was; while clause mod. stroked; that I could disguise mod. feeling (or perhaps sadness). 7. mother cautioned; to remember mod. caution; two that clauses are objs. of to remember ; that she met mod. men ; because clause mod. were. 8. dis- tance is increased ; until clause mod. is increased ; which clause mod. miles; that they wish mod. point. LESSON 61 The campaign against and is another way of improving style by spe- cific instruction. We get nowhere by vague exhortation to ' ' make one idea stand out " ; we achieve results only when we specify, when we point to and, when we read aloud with exaggerated emphasis /'and, and, and," when we inquire and inquire and inquire why it is impossible to use who or when or while or after, and why it is impossible to put some of these clauses at the beginning of the sentence. Comments on Exercise. 1. (you) allow; when clause mod. allow; upon coming mod. drift; doing mod. him; what clause is obj. of doing; 64 PILOT BOOK FOR as the dead man's float might be called an elliptical clause (see page 272), but should not be required or discussed. 2. explosion startled; that clause mod. so; before clause mod. looking. 3. I had; when clause mod. had; how clause and who clause are objs. of to know; that I hadn't is obj. of to confess; though clause mod. the had that follows. 4. he brought and turned; after hour mod. brought; which clause mod. hour; that he met mod. tourists; that he had run away from mod. parents. 5. he was tickled and enjoyed; until assassin shot mod. enjoyed; after load mod. shot; about time mod. shot; the stage went mod. time. 6. we came and had; than clause mod. sooner; for clause mod. wished; that we could see mod. so. 7. he took, put, turned, but could make out; what it was obj. of to see; that he held mod. pin; what it was obj. of could make. 8. Codfishing is; because clause mod. is; which plow and crash mod. steamships; cutting and destroying mod. steamships. LESSON 62 Calling the semicolon a ''half period" is not a mere playful whim. Every such expression for making functions concrete is an engine for driving home useful concepts. Comments on Exercise. 1. apparatus weighs; that three or four could be carried is estimated. 2. in the first clause the which clause mod. water, that clause is obj. of except and phrase mod. resembled ; in sec- ond clause the when clause mod. disappeared. 3. two clauses; spinning- wheel fell, spinning began and ceased; in first 'clause the which clause mod. spinning-wheel; in second clause the since clause mod. began. 4. three clauses; we could get, we must have, much has; without phrases mod. could get; to eat mod. food; over mod. working; materials is obj. of working. 5. two clauses; crowd had noticed, they rose and shoved; when clause mod. rose; with mob-spirit mod. rose; 6. tAvo clauses: storekeeper is, he will save but will be ; to hear mod. first ; if clause mod. will save and will be; as clause mod. inquires; the two verbs of the sec- ond clause are joined by not only, but also; to go mod. able; who clause mod. those. LESSON 63 The comma after an introductory adverb clause is one of the few remaining moot points in punctuation. It appears to be dying, like the comma after a phrase; but is still much in favor, or is assumed to be necessary, by school and college authorities. THEME 30 This is not to be assigned as an exercise in reproducing details accu- rately, but as a suggestion for an account of how detectives actually go about their work. Invented details may be supplied by pupils. Atten- tion should be drawn to the last paragraph : it is not merely the final item of a series; it is different in kind; it shows a trick without which all the rest of the work would have come to naught. This account is given in an Outlook editorial. The reports of some of the feats of detective work accorfiplished by SENTENCE AND THEME 65 modern policemen are as entertaining and no less bizarre sometimes than the feats accomplished by Sherlock Holmes and Monsieur Lecoq in the pages of fiction. Komance is not dead. The report of a remarkable piece of detective work by Sergeant John F. Brennan, of the New York City Police Department, is as thrilling as a tale by Conan Doyle or Gaboriau. On June 24, 1916, at about midnight. Foreman John McHugh, of the New York Street Cleaning Department, while driving in a light buggy near Sixty-ninth Street and Park Avenue, was run down and killed by an automobile speeding on him from behind. No one saw the accident, and there was no description of the car to provide a clue for the police, but Patrolman John G. Dwyer, who discovered the wreck of the buggy, had the presence of mind to examine the street for even the minutest evidence. This is what was found : Twenty-one pieces of glass, none more than two inches long; a nickel-plated lamp-rim six inches in diameter, stamped ' ' Ham Lamp Company, Rochester, New Y'ork " ; a piece of automobile tire about three inches long. With this material Brennan went to work. In the Police Headquar- ters Training School he 'had been teaching members of the Traffic Squad that to the expert automobiles have almost as much individuality as human beings. Trying to put his own theories into practice, this is what he learned : The pieces of glass proved to be from three lenses, one a plain glass, one a mirror lens, and a third a concave-convex lens. Measurement of the curves of the glass fragments led him to believe that the first two lenses were eight inches in diameter, and that the third was six inches. Soot on the concave-convex lens told him it had been used on an oil lamp. The fuel burned with the mirror lens he knew was gas. From a date on one of the glass fragments and an investigation of the patents issued on that date he learned the name of the maker of the lens. Measurement of the piece of rubber proved it to be from a four-inch tire. On the splin- tered shaft of the buggy he found gray paint. Being familiar with the history of automobile development, Sergeant Brennan knew that the combination of eight-inch gas head-lights, six-inch oil side-lights, and four-inch tires was characteristic of the earlier Packards. With only the slight evidence which we have just enumerated, and his own knowledge of motor cars, he determined that the car which had run down Foreman McHugh was a 1909 Packard, Model 18, with nickel-plated lamps and gray body. Moreover, as the car had been in an accident, he knew that it probably needed repairs. To make a long story short, a search of repair shops and garages led to the discovery of the car Brennan wanted in a garage in Allenhurst, New Jersey. But there was not yet evidence enough, after interviewing the owner of the car, to warrant his arrest. Here Brennan showed that he under- stood human nature as well as automobiles. Believing that if the owner of the car which Brennan had found were guilty he would become nervous and consult his lawyer, Brennan found the name of the man's legal adviser, and, hiding himself in a telephone booth near the entrance to the lawyer's office, waited "for many perspiring hours — it was July" — until the motorist appeared. Then the man was arrested and was placed under $5,000 bail, awaiting trial. 66 PILOT BOOK FOR LESSON 64 The most generally applicable and most commonly used Comment on Rule 13 is number 6 — ' ' Compound sentence when the subject changes. ' ' Experience shows that this motto hits about nine-tenths of the necessary applications in school themes. LESSON 66 Comments on Exercise. First par. In the first 4 sentences we have almost the subject-and-verb-first type, but the monotony is somewhat broken by apparently in no. 1, by one such in no. 3, and by nearest in no. 4. No. 5 begins with a participle that has a clause for an object; no. 6 begins with an if clause; no. 7 with a phrase. No. 1 is really complex (with the elliptical as clause). No. 2 is simple with two verbs. No. 3 will be called compound by most students, but is complex; the and joins two because clauses. No. 4 is compound. No. 5 is complex. No. 6 is compound, the first clause being complex. No. 7 is complex; the who clause has two verbs. Second par. In the first sentence a that clause comes between the subject and the verb; the second begins with a phrase; the fourth begins with adverbs and a phrase; the fifth with adverbs; the seventh with a when clause ; the eighth with a phrase ; the tenth with a phrase. Teachers should emphasize the idea that it is well to have some sentences begin with the subject and verb, that the fault is having many sentences begin so. No. 1 is complex; 2, 3, 4, and 5 are simple; but very different in form; 6 is compound, each clause being simple; 7 is compound, the first clause having two subordinate clauses; 8 is compound, the first clause containing a subordinate clause; 9 is compound; 10 is simple. Third par. In each case the subject comes very early, but there are variations: in 1 there is an expletive it; in 3 there are three phrases be- tween the subject and the verb; in 5 there is a however; 6 begins with thus. No. 1 is complex; 2 is simple; 3 is compound; 4 is simple; 5 is complex, with the how clause; tracer has two verbs, knows and can com- pute; 6 is complex, with a that clause and an although clause. LESSON 68 Comments on Exercise. There are no independent statements in nos. 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 14, and 17. 2. Semicolon is required after later in 2 (perhaps period is preferable between statement and question), after sir in 4, question mark after then in 5, semicolon after to in 8 (dash is preferable). No. 9 should read: ''Want a ride?" the driver sang out. "Sure thing," I answered. In no. 11 the why might be understood to be an interjection; hence the only punctuation required would be a comma after why. But probably the speaker is repeating the why of the other speaker, and so the punctuation should be: Why? Because I tell you to. It would be proper to put quotation marks around why. In no. 12 a semicolon after matter. No. 13 should be: Who? I? Wrong again. In 15 a period may be preferable after house, between the statement and JSEiNTEJNCE AND THEME 67 the question. In 16 a semicolon after vain. No. 18 should read: What next? Isn't there something else we can do? All right; good bye. LESSON 69 This exposition of expletive it with a relative clause is not given in textbooks, is somewhat difficult, and need not detain a class for extra lessons if the slow minds fail to grasp it; but is essential to a complete understanding of relatives. Comments on Exercise. 1. impers. 2. expl. 3. expl. 4. both its have an antecedent, something referred to in a previous statement. 5. first it expl., second it refers to some antecedent. 6. impers. 7. impers. 8. expl. 9. first it impers., second it refers to flag. LESSON 70 Comments on Exercise. There are no independent statements in nos. 1, 4, and 10. In 2 a semicolon after up; in 3 after helmet; in 5 after $9,000,000; in 6 after succession, after horseback, after foot, as ex- plained on page 299, comment 1 (a period after succession would bring out the sense better, since the four items are not coordinate in impor- tance; for the possibility of commas with the last three items see page 314, no. 5, but this possibility should not be discussed at this point with an average class); in 7 after air; in 8 after it (period is preferable) ; in 9 after efforts; in 11 after isolated; in 12 after right; in 13 after boulevard. LESSON 71 We may judge how topsy-turvy our American system of education is by reading Mr. Sheridan's standard — not theoretical — for what the av- erage child should have achieved with simple sentences at the end of the third grade: * * The majority of the class should be able to write a para- graph [of three or four short sentences] composed of sentences gram- matically complete, correctly capitalized and punctuated, and free from misspelled words." When that standard is generally lived up to in the United States — or even that standard for the seventh grade — Rule 17 may not need such zealous insistence. But that will be the golden age for secondary teachers. At present Rule 17 would be the most important item in the curriculum for a considerable fraction of our university freshmen. Comment 5 should receive no emphasis. It announces a dangerous truth — dangerous, that is, for pupils who are still prone to sentence- errors. Experience has shown — what the writer would never have guessed — that "comma blunder" or "comma fault" is a misleading term to about one pupil in four. That fourth dullard receives from * ' comma fault ' ' the impression that * * I ought to have put in a comma. ' ' THEME 33 The writer heard the lecture and saw the red drops just as described. 6g PILOT BOOK FOR LESSON 72 No kind of effort is so likely to waste time, to spoil the emphasis upon matters of real importance, and to convey positive untruth as atten- tion to ''bad English." Since 1900 a revulsion of judgment has come about in reference to such ' ' badness. ' ' It will usually be found that our pet antipathies are based on ignorance. A few examples from the author 's recent experience are : That dived is obsolete and dove the estab- lished form; that like as a conjunction is in frequent use by English nov- elists; that shall and sJiould with the first person are all but dead (cf. President Wilson's ''We would be unwilling"); that different than is used in the published writings of Professors W. L. Phelps and F. T. Baker; that due to at the beginning of a sentence had all but established itself before we teachers knew that it existed. The point is — we should remind ourselves of this frequently — that unsympathetic attack upon current idiom breeds distrust of our judgment in attacking idioms that are not acceptable among careful people anywhere. Comments on Exercise. There are no errors in 1^ 4, and 14. Many students will declare that shall and should in these sentences ^^ don't sound right." The following are the corrections that should be made: 2. kind of way. 3. is a play in which. 5. oughtn't you, a sort of knob. 6. that kind. 7. in order that his wound might, omit near-by, or say "passing." 8. so that I could. 9. that Stanley was. 10. a kind of hurry. 11. that kind of. 12. a yawl is a sloop that has. 13. to the back of the seat in front of her, a sort of trance. 15. that men were. 16. how- ever makes no sense, for the second statement carries on and proves the first; one chapter in the book which describes how they weathered. 17. cancer is a disease in which healthy tissue grows. 18. this kind; however makes no sense, because the very fact that the disease is frightful would naturally make doctors careful to use antiseptics; oughtn't they. THEME 37 The material for "Toby" may be handled in a variety of ways. The safest for uninventive pupils is not the order of the extract, but this : 1. Toby's nature. 2. Toby's trick as we saw it from the audience. 3. How he had learned it. The principle involved is "Don't give away the secret in the middle of the theme." Toby was one of a band of seals and sea-lions that performed at the New York Hippodrome. He was a very ordinary-looking little fat seal, with a short neck, no visible ears, a spotted body, and a very meek and gentle expression in his dark eyes. But he was the most impatient and noisy member of the herd. When feeding-time came and the fish were thrown into the water, Toby would thrash about with his right flipper, splashing water all over the spectators. Why did he use this right flipper in this peculiar way? Because he had got so used to beating the drum in the Seal Band. He was the star SENTENCE AND THEME 69 performer, a greater drawing attraction than all the rest of tht Band together. When being taught his tricks he was a good, obedient little fellow and did his best at all times. The most remarkable thing about him was the way in which he seemed to understand all his master meant. For instance, the trainer told me that the way in which hig best trick was developed was through playing with him. One day Toby beat the drum at the wrong time just as the trainer turned his back, and when the trainer pretended to be surprised, Toby promptly did it again as soon as the trainer turned around. This trick was dearly loved by the children at the performances. It was such fun to see the little black seal wait for his master to turn his back, and then beat the drum, and pretend, when his master looked around again, that he had been doing nothing. As the trick was finally developed it looked to the audience as if one member of the Band was thoroughly unruly. The seals were lined up on a row of chairs — one with a trombone, another with a cornet, a third with cymbals, and Toby with a drum. The trainer took his place as leader, rapped with his baton, and looked his musicians over. When his eye was directed at the other end of the line, Toby would give the drum a whack; and the crestfallen, ashamed way in which he hung his head when his master looked at him was really a comical sight. But it was far more comical when, with baton uplifted to give the signal to start, the trainer would look around, and "bump, bump" would go the drum again, amidst roars of laughter and delight from the children. LESSON 77 Comments on Exercise. (Numbers refer to sentences) 1. excite- ment and fright. 2. a broken and changed construction. 3. comma shows that to break is not a modifying infinitive; it does not mean "grew for the purpose of breaking." 4. comma shows that what follows say is not an object clause; it is a mere interjection. 5. the ands are joining verbs that belong with the same subject, you; the comma shows that a new independent clause is beginning. 6. comma shows that the second verb is not exactly co-ordinate with the first; it means ''and then later went on." 7. comma shows that the like phrase is not a close modifier. 8. some is a pronoun of address. 9. and joins two coordinate verbs; soldiers (being) after them is an absolute, not a close modifier. 10. commas show that then is not a closely modifying adverb of time, but parenthetically shows a reason. 11. and joins two co-ordinate verbs; the dash sets off a loose, humorous, appositive modifier. 12. and joins a pair of coordinate predicates, each containing an object and an objec- tive predicate; the semicolon is used because the second clause is punctu- ated within itself by commas; the comma after and shows that a paren- thetical phrase is beginning. 13. comma shows that made and fell are not coordinate; it means "and then at a later moment." 14. I trust is a side-remark; it is spoken as a question. 15. broken construction. 16. not a question, but an exclamation. 17. same as no. 10. 18. for ten years is shown to be a very disconnected modifier; and joins two similar adverbs. 19. spoken as a sentence, as of separate importance. 20. "My 70 PILOT BOOK FOR answer is no; as a separate statement I say thanlc you. 21. no as a mere detached adverb; as an entirely different remark I say not any for me. 22. spoken as two statements of independent importance; *' there are three of us" is spoken so as to show astonishment. Comments on the Appendix. Lesson A, page 339. 1. porter ind. obj., quarter obj. 2. difference sub. of is shown, Macbeth and Banquo objs. of between, act obj. of in. 3. year mod. was, house obj. of completing. 4. stethoscope obj. of uses, instrument in appos. with stethoscope, examination obj. of for, move- ments obj. of of, heart obj. of of. 5. years mod. hac lived, death obj. of about. 6. list obj. of through, attention obj. of paying, items obj. of to. 7. shoe sub., sizes mod. large. 8. way mod. walked, S. F. obj. of to. 9. feet mod. high. 10. mile mod. run; minutes may be called obj. of in, and less than may be said to modify five (strictly there is some ellipsis like "in less time than five minutes is time"; the point is that minutes is not adverbial). 11. hour mod. ago. 12. place obj. of named, El Nido obj. pred. 13. secretary pred. noun. 14. McClellan obj. of considered, failure obj. pred. 15. fellow ind. obj., suit obj.. clothes obj. of of. 16. General J. ind. obj., deal obj., trouble obj. of of. 17. clerks ind. obj., vacation obj., year mod. allow. 18. view obj., channel obj. of of. 19. lesson obj. 20. report obj. 21. Counselor obj. pred., title in appos. with Counselor. 22. dollars obj., Alexander sub. (owe is understood with did.) 23. sail is obj. of at. 24. coat sub., money obj. (but student should be applauded if he says that money is adverbial modifier of cost), store obj. of in. 25. years mod. ago. 26. food obj. of without, days obj. of for. 27. story obj., collection obj. of took {up is an adverb modifying tooTc), benefit obj. of for. 28. slope, obj. of down, mill sub., grist obj., flour obj. of of. 29. scabbard obj. of of, sword sub. 30. shrouds obj. of up. Sentences 31-81, page 340. 31. sample pred. nom. 32. right obj. of to. 33. plant obj., Indian Corn obj. pred. 34. man obj., fellow in appos. with man, loss obj. of for. 35. Fisher sub., prize 1st obj. 36. ship sub. 37. Charles address, ticket sub., night mod. gave. 38. answer p.-xid. nom. after to be, book obj. of according to, result pred. nom. 39. cottage sub., kind pred. nom., estate obj. of of. 40. bully sub., word in appos. with bully, day mod. may be, adjective pred. nom. 41. earth address. 42. King ind. obj., obedience obj. 43. friend ind. obj., grudge obj., harm obj. 44. Miss P. sub., dragoon ind. obj., dish obj., coffee obj. of of. 45. tomatoes sub., vegetables pred. nom. after to be esteemed. 46. reason obj. pred. 47. John F. sub.. Bishop in appos., Rochester obj. of of. Chancellor pred. nom., years obj. of for. 48. prisoner ind. obj., comfort obj. 49. lady address. 50. knee nom. abs. 51. Canadians ind. obj., consignments obj., year mod. send. 52. England ind. obj, oppor- tunity obj. 53. couch obj. of took, resting-place in appos. 54. husband, sub., Orpheus in appos., idol pred. nom., Thracians obj. of of. 55. urchin's possesses mishap, mishap sub., bystanders obj. 56. sacrifice sub., heart in appos. with sacrifice. 57. Moors ind. obj., permission obj., condi- tion obj. of on. 58. horses ind. obj., grain obj. 59. Carnegie's possesses offer, offer obj. of would accept. 60. man obj., harm obj. 61. current SENTENCE AND THEME 71 sub., sea obj. of unto, wind srub. 62. place sub., home obj. of like. 63. children ind. obj., stories obj. 64. nephew ind. obj., home obj. 65. ring obj., band in appos., emerald obj. of of. 66. babe address, wave obj. 67. shrewdness sub., years obj. of after, millionaire obj. pred. 68. man ind. obj., due obj., judgment obj. 69. deer's possesses horns, horns obj, 70. Thor and Woden subs., gods in appos., names obj., week-days obj. of to. 71. Smith ind. obj., leeway obj. {all is an indefinite pronoun). 72. exile obj. pred., soldiers ind. obj., suffering obj. (though suffering may be called a gerund). 73. emperor obj. pred., victory obj. of after. 74. fannel sub., scarf in appos., priest's possesses arm, arm obj. of on. 75, "Seelin sub., napkin nom. abs., arm obj. of under. 76. none. 77. evening mod. gathered, week mod. after. 78. Bowker obj., councilman obj, pred., ward ohj. of from. 79. scarecrow sub., terror in appos., birds obj. of to. 80. home mod. run (or may be called a pure adverb). 81. commander obj., leader obj. pred., conspiracy obj. of of. Lesson B, page 342. 1. was intrans. 2. is intrans. 3. will be run- ning intrans. 4. seemed intrans. 5. is intransr. 6. may have been in- trans. 7. grew intrans. 8. became intrans. 9, attracts act., is intrans. 10. will set act. 11. perished intrans. 12. arose intrans, 13. was born pass, (but this is a matter of form and of the history of the idiom; we do not feel nowadays that he was born hy his mother), has become in- trans. 14. seemed intrans. 15. form act. 16. stood intrans,, was intrans., danced intrans. 17. dawned intrans., rippled act., fluttered intrans, 18. approaches act. 19, can give act, 20. would think intrans. 21. produced act. 22. has become intrans., has been encountered pass., must be in- trans., does require act. Lesson C, page 343. 1. he turning, gathering, fainting. 2. porridge sweetened, served, bowl cracked, dish satisfying, giant tired. 3. who leaving, wicket unlocked, stair winding. 4. companions walking, heads bowed, companions murmuring. 5. words cheering, I standing. 6. mouth gaping, fissure cracked, plain wasted. 7. none. 8. British depending. 9, we saying, door arched, secured, person grave-looking, 10, darkness growing, moon waning, 11, none, 12, he sacrificing, wanderer exiled, 13. none. 14. sea gnashing, flashing, mortal scheming, portal shining. 15. none. 16. none. 17. street decorated, architecture striking, street running, houses built. 18. light waning, sigh boding. 19, horseman stationed. 20. they leaving, road beaten. 21, cottage \)uilt, stones dressed, cottage having, windows and doors decorated, stone hewed. 22. orbits darkened, figure wasted, bowed, stricken. 23. fellow learning. 24. none. 25. Hyacinthus excited, being. 26, I shaken, dreading. 27, he saying (for full-maned see page 135, sec, 113,) 28. artist trained, glance taking. 29. grave deserted, he being dejected, brooding (a pred. adj. after sat). 30. path (or it) tempting, being bordered, bank being laid. Lesson D, page 345. 1. to continue mod. tendency, to read mod. left, to be spoken sub. of had offended, to have experienced mod, ini?ult (as. if **this was, for him, an unusual in^lt for being experienced"), to rap sub. of would have given, to suggest mod. presumed (can hardly be an object), to understand mod, failed, to find mod, able, to do mod, anything, to speak obj. of had caused (similar to ''had caused him I 72 PILOT BOOK FOR trouble"), to say mod. some understood word (see page 170, sec. 145), to quarrel ^b. of would be, to bring and summon objs. of told (man is in- direct), to address mod. came, to bid mod. determined. 2. to fit mod. given, to re-enter mod. to fit, to alio v obj. of had petitioned (commandant is ind. obj.), or to allow mod. had petitioned, to go and get objs. of to allow (certain is ind. obj.), to prove mod. chance. 3. to pause and take subs., to mention obj. of permit (us is ind. obj.), to be found pred. nom., to have pred. nom., to permit ret. obj. (or may mod. as if '^ induced into permitting"), to be granted obj. pred. after permit. 4. to draw and tell mod. signal, shudder obj. pred., to mod. obj. of began, to follow mod. invited, choose obj. of bade (Mm is ind. obj.). 5. to take obj. of pur- posed, to get obj. of undertook, to carry mod. enough (or possibly big), to be pred. nom. after is thought, to pack sub., buy obj. pred., to hang mod. scissors, to be retained mod. bodkin, to buy sub., to be made obj. of ought. Lesson E, page 346. 1. until I feel, shall move. 2. where you like, may go; as you like, as. 3. as if he had received, acted. 4. that lowering was, so. 5. because friend has requested, to sign. 6. so that we had, snowed. 7. that ye might have and have, am come. 8. if you will have, will meet. 9. if it were, would have told. 10. if you do not, will miss; for you will miss, must hurry. 11. as the knight was, imposed. 12. where streets intersect, to be regulated; while cars are passing, hold. 13. that I have written, so. 14. that travelers visited, so. 15. as though it were, lift. 16. though it has, believe. 17. none (the that clause is the object of except; but except that could be called a compound conj. joining an adverb clause to was). 18. where sentence contained, to live. 19. unless I am, has been done; that no one will suspect, so. 20. when he rose, gazed; as he passed, saw. 21. if lungs receive, are. 22. if you can catch, does matter. 23. if you should go, is (a good example of how grammar will expose loose and careless modifying). 24. if he were, should have delivered. 25. as population had been trained, were prepared. 26. what- ever they do, treat (an infinitive) ; as we can, as. 27. whatever task may be, do. Lesson F, page 348. 1. that you cannot learn, sub. 2, 3, 4. none. 5. that being flogged was, obj. 6. none. 7. who told him, obj. of wonder; that I was, obj. of told. 8. I don't know, obj. of suppose; whether answer is, obj. of do know. 9. how we could learn, sub. of was; where he had gone, obj. of could learn. 10, 11, 12. none. 13. that (he) ought, obj. of believe. 14. what we could do, obj. of have done. 15. what fol- lowed, sub. of was. 16. none. 17. how they avail, obj. of do see. 18. that he was, obj. of showed. 19. what a boy earns, obj. of will spend. 20. what you say, sub. of may be. 21. none (in order that introduces an adverb clause). 22. what I should do, obj. of asked. 23. that he de- served, sub. 24. that you are quitting, pred. nom. 25. if I understood, obj. of asked; what was being said, obj. of understood. 26. that I told, obj. of denies; he was in danger, obj. of told. 27, 28, 29, 30. none (in 30' that is a relative; see page 307). 31. what the chances are, obj. of has asked; that we shall dock, in appos. with chances. 32. none. 33. when tourists would begin, obj. of knew; that they should reach, obj. of had, or of had arranged (like *'had their arrival all arranged"; had SENTENCE AND THEME 73 is really the verb and arranged is a participle used as an obj. pred., but the distinction is subtle and idiomatic). 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39. none. 40. that every bottle was smashed, obj. of found. 41. none. Lesson G, page 350. 1. none. 2. (that) we had, dish. 3. (that) you have commanded, ship. 4. who was a wrjter, man. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. none. 10. which he avouches, this. 11. who shows me, painter's; which I shall see, that. 12. who is liberal, Boyle. 13. whoever wins, an understood he. 14, 15. none. 16. where he expected, regions. 17. which a tree or bush affords, cover. 18, 19. none. 20. who hear, those. 21. who came, all. 22. when the note was presented, day. 23, 24, 25. none. 26. who denies, anyone. 27. whom the stevedores had, man. 28. which improved naviga- tion, nations. 29. which she did, to withdraw. 30. that enables, refers to some unexpressed word for which expletive it stands (see page 307). 31, 32, 33. none. 34. whom she loved, friends. 35. who think, people. 36. whose blood is, man. 37. which I could love, business. 38. of which the body was composed, elements. 39. that man could wield, sword. 40. that he had wrapped, bottle. 41. who are, friends. Part II, sentences 1-22, page 351. 1. Florida sub., peninsula p. n. 2. Bruce sub., eyes nom. abs. 3. Bermuda sub., island in appos., paradise p. n., harbor sub. 4. Carnegie, sub., Croesus sul). of understood verb. 5. senator p. n., judge p. n. 6. men sub. 7. bulb sub. 8. citizen sub. 9. men sub., lumberjacks and longshoremen in appos., being p. n. 10. thing p. n. 11. Harvey address. 12. telephone sub., invention p. n. 13. black- berries sub. 14. Mr. Dean sub., marksman in appos. 15. number sub. (the plural verb with this singular noun is a curious idiom). 16. no nominative noun. 17. contract sub., architect sub. 18. child address, flowers, p. n. 19. herb p. n. 20. Yale and Harvard in appos. with which. 21. force sub., gallants nom. abs. 22. burden p. n., grievance p. n. Sentences 23-123, pages 351-355. 23. fear sub., fellow obj., Her- cules obj. pred. 24. King sub., marshal ind. obj. {to advance is the obj.). 25. Ferson oljj., chairman obj. pred., meeting obj. of of (can hardly be called a gerund). 26. words sub., sounds p. n. after being, anything obj. of can mean. 27. Druids sub., priests in appos., Stonehenge obj. 28. dinner obj. of after, custom p. n. 29. kitchen p. n., place in appos., machine-room obj. of like. 30. way mod. did go, car sub., bridge obj. 31. jokes sub. of can be forgiven (the sentence = *'I feel [t/iat] these jokes can never be forgiven") , sir address. 32. society obj,, Ku-Klux- Klan obj. pred. 33. things sub., talent and practice in appos. 34. dog ind. obj., name obj. 35. Gaston obj., man obj. pred. 36. voters p. n., corpses p. n. 37. man's possesses house, house sub., castle p. n., dungeon p. n. after to be. 38. time obj. of since. 39. mercy and miracles nom. of exclam., turn obj. of gave. 40. distance obj. of at, miles mod. away. 41. squirrel's possesses life, life sub., confinement sub. of understood is, jail obj. of in. 42. waves obj. of over, roar sub. 43. Fargus obj., coward obj. pred., rest mod. will hate, life obj. of of. 44. summer mod. had drifted, launch sub. 45. lie sub., Duncan ind. obj., chance obj., trip obj. of for. 46. north obj. of in, thunder-head sub. 47. cripple obj. pred., life obj. of for. ±8. Mr. Smoot ind. obj., interview obj. 49. code sub., set in appos., rules obj. of of, century obj. of for, law p. n. 50. fellow ind. obj., salary obj. 51. body obj. pred. 52. code sub. (Morse is used ^4, PILOT BOOK FOR to describe code, and so is like an adjective), system in appos., dots and dashes objs. of of. 53. week mod, reported. 54. horse-thieves obj., cattle- rustlers sub., term ret. obj., jail obj. of in. 55. morning mod. was cleared 56. Farman ind. obj., service obj. 57. Solomon, obj. pred. 58. Archbold ind. obj., salary obj. 59. child ind. obj., bow and arrow objs. 60. Tom ind. obj., cent obj. 61. ofl&ce ind. obj., particulars obj. 62. crown sub., ambition in appos., means obj. of by. 63. beggar ind. obj., coin obj. 64. man ind. obj., company obj., way mod. kept {home is really an adverb modifying Icept, but the syntax is difficult and doubtful). 65. beach obj. of along, breakers sub. 66. angles obj. of at, road obj. of to, turnpike sub. 67. lawn obj. of beyond, tower sub. 68. lighthouse p. n. 69. zeal sub., years mod. later, preacher p. n. 70. outbreak obj. of at, Civil War obj. of of, time in appos. with outbreak, excitement obj. of of. 71. war sub., link in appos., chain obj. of in, events obj. of of, destiny obj., America obj. of of. 72. licenses sub., city ind. obj., income obj. 73. thing obj., health in appos. 74. wages sub., cents in appos. 75. son ind obj., fortune obj. 76. mine sub., California ind. obj., wealth obj. 77. engage- ment nom. abs., proprietor ^b. 78. attic sub., junk-heap p. n. 79. head obj., idea sub., fire-escape obj. of using. 80. home sub. 81. King p. n., man p. n. 82. son sub., George p. n. 83. victory sub., Bouvines obj. of at, opponents ind. obj., strength obj. 84. flag sub. 85. truce obj. of for, Easter-tide obj. of till. 86. grape-fruit obj,, morning mod. gave, treat in appos. 87. equinox obj. of before, day in appos., March obj. of of. 88. vice sub., stinginess in appos., rebuke obj. 89. man sub., favors obj. of for, sycophant p. n. 90. canal sub., failure p. n., investment p. n. 91. wretch p. n., man's possesses death, death obj. 92. man p. n., terms obj. of during, judge p. n. 93. temple sub., heap p. n., ruins obj. of of. 94. well nom. abs., brook obj. of upon. 95. Mr. Carter ind. obj., suc- cess obj. 96. Xenophon sub., general p. n. 97. invention sub., phono- graph in appos., Edison ind. obj., fame obj. 98. immigrants ind. obj., bundles obj. 99. hireling p. n., man p. n. 100. village sub., city p. n., harbor sub. 101. crowd obj. of among, strikers obj. of of, feeling sub., distrust obj. of of. 102. proposal sub., law p. n., result p. n., boys obj. of for. 103. London nom. of exclam., place obj. of of. 104. boy pred. after to be; it is objective case because to he takes the same case after it as before it (errand is used like an adjective, as in ''messenger boy"). 105. day mod. came, yard obj. of into, mountebank sub. 106. man sub., face nom. abs., anger obj. of with. 107. conduct p. n., man in appos. with you, years mod. old. 108. failure sub., error p. n., ball sub., fielder obj. of by. 109. soldiers sub., sword nom, abs., hand obj. of in. 110. corporal p. n. (a perplexing construction, since, if it is expletive, corporal might seem the real subject; but the subject of may have been has suffered ellipsis; see page 307). 111. night mod. took, brother pred. in objective case (see no. 104 above). 112. way ret. obj.. King obj. of addressing. 113. boy sub., Stuyvesant p. n., pupil p. n., months mod. had been. Jack p. n. 114. place obj. of at, carriage sub., temple sub. 115. times obj. of at, horizon obj. of on, sail sub. 116. winds sub. 117. recess obj. of in, distance obj. of at, seat sub., traveler's sub. 118. prohi- bitionist p. n. 119. distance sub., eyes obj. of to, stretch p. n. 120. Bruce sub., heart nom. abs., sorrow obj. of with. 121. '64 obj. of imtil. Grant 3ub., general p. n. 122. game obj. of into, athlete p. n., invalid p. n., SENTENCE AND THEME 75 life obj. of for. 123. man sub., spade and bucket objs. of with, mess obj. of to dig, clams obj. of of, article p. n., food obj. of of, settlers obj. of with. Sentences 124-164, page 355. 124. impers. 125. impers. 126. explet. 127. explet. 128. 1st explet., 2nd ordinary. 129. impers. 130. explet. 131. 1st explet, 2nd ordinary. 132. explet. 133. both ordinary. 134. ordinary. 135. ordinary. 136. 1st explet., 2nd ordinary. 137. impers. 138. ordinary. 139. impers. 140. explet. 141. ordinary. 142. impers. 143. explet. (like those on page 307). 144. ordinary. 145. impers. 146. impers. 147. impers. 148. explet. 149. impers. 150. explet. ("to Evanston" may be called the real sub.). 151. impers. 152. explet. 153. explet. 154. explet. 155. explet. 156. impers. 157. ordi- nary. 158. explet. 159. explet. as an obj. (the real obj. is the if clause). 160. impers. 161. impers. 162. impers. 163. explet. as an obj. 164. ordinary. Sentences 165-206, pages 356-358. 165. would have been. 166. appeared, was, might have been woven, drooped. 167. do know, is doing, inquired. 168. was, was, had stamped, seemed. 169. was leaving, fails, was, had passed. 170. must be mixed, will offset. 171. felt, gave. 172. will be subjected. 173. must let, have been telling. 174. can be per- suaded, has acquired. 175. would be awarded. 176. shall declare, might have been destroyed. 177. am reading, were filled. 178. would have escaped, had been given. 179. did have, could have been. 180. have been doing, are going. 181. had acted, would have been honored. 182. should think, could have failed. 183. have made, let, are planning. 184. did make, might be tied. 185. can have been counting. 186. lost, awoke. 187. is, would be, became. 188. has. 189. stands. 190. fell, made. 191. lived. 192. throws, are moving. 193. occurred, were lying, was made. 194. might anchor, (might) laugh, might be hitched, may invite (may) save. 195. could open, had, had fallen, forced, knelt, found, was, fright- ened. 196. had feared, had expected. 197. have been developed, must be worked, are pressing (or pressing may be called a participle meaning **of a pressing sort"). 198. is, 's, has been, has killed, is, is coming, is, get, brings. 199. should have absented, obliged. 200. would have occurred, liad heard. 201. might have been, had informed. 202. shall have, shall Jiave been proved. 203. will listen. 204. has come. 205. should count, are hatched. 206. may be, will overlook, has been written. Sentences 207-257, pages 358-360. 207. to be obj. of should like, to obey obj. of could refuse. 208. to take obj. of besought, refusing obj. of in. 209. go obj. of let, to hold obj. of try. 210. leaving obj. of after, to prevent mod. order, having obj. of of, catch obj. pred. 211. being sent obj. of to. 212. to break mod. tempted. 213. to be thought obj. of dread. 214. having obj. of of. 215. throwing p. n., to try sub., to convince obj. of to try. 216. having obj. of with, speculating obj. of of. 217. to be and to have objs. of deserved. 218. having done obj. of of. 219. to be obj. of dare. 220. being seized sub. 221. to do obj. 222. having granted obj. of after, to build in appos. with (or mod.) contract, to refuse mod. position. 223. murmuring and adding mod. rivulet, imposing mod. sol- emnity. 224. to be done p. n., fooling obj. of for. 225. to have obj. of hate, go obj. pred. of to have. 226. being mod. morning, leaving mod. 76 PILOT BOOK FOR hat, finely-modeled mod. head, curling, parted, and close-cropped mod. hair. 227. to thank obj. of have, choosing obj. of for. 228. listening mod. me, hurried mod. words, long-lost mod. friend, stumbled mod. friend. 229. to know obj. pred., betting sub. 230. trying mod. woman, to tie obj. of try- ing, taken mod. rope, bent mod. shoulders. 231. to be killed p. n. 232. to be seen obj. 233. to be registered obj. 234. to forgive mod. took (or time). 235. being and spending objs. of to, uttering obj. of without. 236. folded and stuck mod. pieces, split mod. sticks, written, indicating and saying mod. messages, fishing and hunting subjs. of would be allowed.- 237. knowing obj. of of, to do obj. of wants. 238. seeing obj. of after, having sub. of would be. 239. doing obj. of of, being driven obj. of with- out. 240. made mod. pitcher, enameled mod. basin, polished mod. table. 241. to be awakened obj. of can bear. 242. consisting mod. costume, fast- ened mod. stockings, plaited mod. frill, tied mod. neck-cloth. 243. to quit obj. of tried, smoking obj. of to quit, to be broken mod. too (or was, or possibly strong). 244. to be doing p. n. 245. withering mod. desolation, shrunken mod. life. 246. being talked obj. of could stand. 247. aged, seen, filled, and breathing mod. faces. 248. being shot sub. 249. to please in appos. with (or mod.) attempt, to be suspected obj. pred. 250. to be hanged sub., liking obj. of to. 251. stir obj. pred. 252. Granting obj. of before, paying obj. of on. 253, goaded mod. bull, stinging m9d. banderillas, pawing mod. bull as a pred. adj. 254. to look and get mod! goes. 255. to prevent mod. teach, being cheated obj. of to prevent. 256. having mod. he, antiquated mod. machines (an example of the many participles that have lived after the verbs have become obsolete), rushing mod. trade, new- fangled mod. over. 257. to give and to endure in appos. with (o;r mod.) desire, self -chosen mod. discipline. Noun and Adjective Clauses in Sentences 258-313, pages 360-362. 258. he sent mod. presents, he had wrapped mod. one. 259. (It is more consistent, easy, and useful to regard do you thinTc as interjected, and to say that the sentence contains no other clause. But it is possible to argue that who is going to win is the object of do thinTc. See page 207, sec. 184, and the note on page 367.) 260. the audience had examined mod. hat (for do you tJdnlc as interjected, and what was found as the main clause, see No. 259 above). 261. whdse ring you are wearing obj of to know. 262. (There is no real clause, for there is no verb; but which to choose may be called an ellipsis for something like ''which one he ought to choose.") 263. whatever you buy obj. of for. 264, whoever should copy mod. an understood he (or it may be called a noun clause obj. of to; but the con- sistent method of the text is to say that what and whatever form noun clauses, that all other relatives from adj. clauses), what he had written obj. of should copy. .265. whom we find mod. Englishmen. 266. what you tell me sub. of is, what I predicted p. n. 267. whoever sows mod. an un- derstood he (see no. 264 above). 268. who you are obj. of know, they disqualified mod. man. 269. whatever you buy sub. 270. what winter has frozen obj. 271. that hands would be uplifted obj. 272. that he at- tended mod. school. 273. I could take mod. medicine. 274. whither he bent mod. monastery, to which he had been accustomed mod. one. 275. where shop was situated mod. alley. 276. who did it obj. 277. none (see no. 259 above). 278. that I couldn't understand mod. something. 279. of whom I have read mod. fairy. 280 none (see no. 259 above). 281. before SENTENCE AND THEME 77 time was called mod. minute. 282. whence needles came mod. factory. 283. what would degrade obj. of to do. 284. which may come mod. things. 285. what T. meant obj. 286. what was scene obj. of to. 287. when O. did mod. time, after the rest had gone p. n. (but this is unusual and sounds adverbial; students are rather excusable if they fail to notice it). 288. no noun or adj. clause. 289. while law was mod. years. 290. whoever happens mod. an understood him (see no. 264 above). 291. none. 292. whichever you prefer obj. 293. none. 294. you are concealing mod. one. 295. whatever we want obj. 296. who is responsible obj. (me is ind. obj.). 297. he cared mod. animal. 298. whatever they can find obj. of to eat. 299. whichever you point mod. an understood antecedent, as in no. 264 above (for the anomalous that clause with the adj. sure see the note to page 221 on page 367). 300. I hate mod. month. 301. you applied for mod. number (for the that clause with sorry see note on page 367). 302. who was responsible obj. of to. 303. none (see no. 259 above). 304. who was kneeling mod. Oswald, whom he hated mod. man. 305. which minds could think of mod. everything. 306. whose walls are guarded mod. city, which are mod. carrion-birds. 307. I am writing mod. letter. 308. none. 309. what is best obj. of to know. 310. no noun or adj. clause, 311, 312, none. 313. how white he got obj. All Clauses in Sentences 314-363, pages 362-364. 314. where we were sitting obj. of of. 315. because he is a brute p. n., that he is miserable sub. 316. that they lived obj., that flowed mod. land. 317. that they were English sub., that was heard p. n. 318. that you have lost sub. 319. I am to be lodged obj. of said (see page 291, comment 5). 320. that the grapes were obj.; I had hung mod. grapes, where mice could get mod. had hung. 321. while the other shall anoint mod. shall maintain (or while may be coordinating, like hut), lest the roast should burn mod. shall anoint. 322. who had made mod. Jerry, when he went mod. had made. 323. you might have seen obj., we saw mod, play. 324. that I am mod. thing, that it may snow p. n., that we shall have mod. so. 325. what made a man p. n. 326. because every one was crowding and would step mod. was, so that it could be oj^ened mod. would step. 327. what you can af- ford obj., that may seem mod. contributions. 328. who demanded mod. man, that what had happened should not be told obj., what had happened sub. of should be told. 329. Whether he will die obj. of can say, until a month has passed mod. can say. 330. that taxes should be sub., for money-bags had grown mod. was (for is often called coordinating in grammars, but is commonly subordinating in school use; see page 244, sec. 215; the distinction is a pure subtlety). 331. that they should throw obj., because he was mod. should throw. 332. had N. 's mind been mod. would have been imprisonel. 333. if you allude mod. will grieve and offend, before I give mod. allude. 334. how I like sub., after I've fought mod. like. 335. since men could be convinced mod. was determined, that they should be persecuted sub. 336. than he began mod. sooner. 337. that she saw mod. day. 338. what report indicated obj. of from. 339. although this does seem mod. grow^ where they have mod. seem (or possible), as I Jhave described mod. grow. 340. what sort he had passed obj. of inquir- ing, that he had got obj., after clock struck obj. of till. 341. if C. K. told obj. of wonder, where chart was and how it could be found objs. 342. as he said mod. doubted, whether he had been born obj. 343. as we 78 PILOT BOOK FOR did know mod. were, but that crowd might be obj. 344. that I wap ret. obj. 345. that they would return obj., if any were pursuing mod. would return. 346. as he heard mod. as (or as soon as he heard mod. dropped), what he was obj. 347. he paid us mod. compliments, that we knew mod. so, how we ought obj. 348. if you don't like mod. don't quit and begin, you have begun mod. book. 349. if he coughs or betrays mod. is. 350. if he outlives mod. shall find, that he was obj., than he thinks he is mod. higher, he is obj. of thinks (it will hardly do to call he thinlcs interjected). 351. you now have mod. money, as you have paid mod. as (see no. 346 above), you owe mod. bills. 352, which he thinks mod. horns, as they afford mod. thinks. 353. that she would put p. n., lest mystery should be discovered. 354. whether man can be elected sub., where feeling is mod. can be elected, than it was mod. more. 355. what has been said obj. of after, that Sir R. has gone obj. of inform, with whose character they are acquainted mod. Sir R., I hope is interjected. 356. that we could help mod. so. 357. if you believe mod. mu^t admit, that trout can be caught obj,, when water is mod. can be caught, that we have had obj., when we fished mod. have had, that were mod. pools. 358. when you read mod. don't know, in which W. says mod. passage, his countrymen helped obj. (whether to helieve is not a clause). 359. none. 360. that all swore mod. so, who heard mod. all, he ought obj., than the H. was paying mod. bigger. 361. though [he was] shy and distrustful mod. complied (though this is a common form of ellipsis, students are ex- cusable for thinking that there is no clause). 362. who are waiting mod. those, where the coach halts mod. inn {sounded is not to be explained as an elliptical clause, but as an appositive participle). 363. when we were mod. was sent, where we were received mod. board. JSENTENCE AND THEME 79 A KEY TO THE ''LEAVES" The writer would never have thought of supplying this key to punc- tuation, for it looks like an offer of such aid as no teacher requires. But he has assurance from a variety of sources that many teachers will find the key helpful for occasional reference, as a time-saver. And it is much more than an "answer book." It gives warning of typical errors that may be anticipated, and suggests some minor tactics that have been useful in practice. See the notes on Leaf 1, sentences 15 and 20; Leaf 2, sen- tence 5, etc. Leaf 1— Rules 1 and 2 1. Yes, I am quite willing tcgo. 2. Why, you old scrapbook-maker, how dare you? 3. My dear fellow, can't you see that this is absurd? 4. No, not until you hear the signal. 5. By the powers, Tom Morgan, it's good for you. 6. No, I can listen to no such terms as you propose. 7. Yes, certainly, my dear Castlewood. 8. No, perhaps not, my lady. 9. Isn't there some mistake, my dear General Webb? 10. Really, niy dear fellow, I am one of the principal men of Kalau- papa. 11. Say, kid, who wrote this skit? 12. Yes, he will do as well as Captain Holt or Bishop Collier. 13. Can you come up to supper. Doctor? 14. What have you done, you silly Maria? 15. But surely. Father, thou hast not forgotten the road. (Such sentences as 15, 17, and 22 are in form statements ; the period is normal. But pupils who feel them as questions should be approved for using question marks.) 16. She's the only mother you've got, boy. 17. Suppose, my good friend, that you should fail in this effort. 18. What do you think it will amount to. Uncle Bill? 19. Do you want to be one of them. Mart, and stand guard with me against the night-riders? 20. I bow before your will, O Gods. (This sentence and 29 below may well be followed by exclamation marks. The teacher's policy should be : Strictness for what is unmistakable — like the vocatives — leniency with any variation that the pupil can give his reason for. Attention should be centered on the main issues for the par- ticular lesson.) 21. I say, Mr. Riggs, do you allow such things to pass muster in this office? 22. Then I take it, sir, that you are not in favor of this motion. 23. Tastes are very different, little man. 24. Here comes the Duchess, boys. 25. It really seems to me, Mac, as if you never spoke a serious word in your life. 80 PILOT BOOK FOR 26. "Well, you poor little coward, what are you going to do when you really have troubles that amount to something? 27. Oh, what a sight was there revealed, dear friend! 28. Come in, stranger, and let us show you what old-fashioned south- ern hospitality is really like. 29. Gracious! I'll have to confess, sonny, that I never once thought of such a thing. (See comment on sentence 20 above.) 30. Can 't you see that nobody in this village gives a continental about such foolish news? 31. I say. Captain, do you think that fog-horn has got to be kept go- ing all night? 32. Mercer would be outclassed if he got among a crowd of first-class engineers. Leaf 2— Rule 3 1. He is an author, a journalist, and an editor. 2. It is divided into British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana. 3. The Duke of Burgundy is a hot-brained, impetuous, pudding-headed, iron-ribbed dare-all. 4. Add to that the powder, pork, and the bread-bags. 5. For Bat that first month of school was a time of mixed heaven and torment. (Most pupils will put a comma after Bat. Since they can give no reference to warrant this, they should be told that it is an error.) 6. I don 't care whether I go on, stay here, or return home. 7. Then Grabo returned to his chair^ drew in his breath deeply, and filled his pipe for a smoke. 8. One loves friends, another money, another influence. 9. The other day a man walked into a barber's shop, deposited upon a table a number of articles, and arranged them with artistic care. 10. The professor, the pharmacist, and myself had been sitting for some little time without any decided results. 11. Meat and vegetables and groceries and clothing and a few other little things are somewhat higher than in town. 12. Slowly, slowly, slowly the days succeeded each other. 13. A rope badly tied, a signal given too soon, a slip in a tight place may send some other poor devil off into the open. 14. Through Blaine, Randall, Carlisle, Reed, and Crisp new powers were accumulated. 15. Police-courts, churches, schools, sober old convents, the Wall Street region lay all in a merry squeeze below. 16. Honduras is bounded by Guatemala on the northwest, the Carib- bean Sea on the north, Nicaragua on the southeast and south, the Pacific Ocean on the south, and San Salvador on the south- west. 17. Then he advanced to the stockade, threw over his crutch, got a leg up, and with great vigor and skill succeeded in surmounting the fence. SENTENCE AND THEME 31 18. Cut down your coal bills, cut out your doctor 's bills, and promote your family's health and comfort. 19. Any coffee can be made a clear, delicious, healthful beverage. 20. He was patient, full of importance, and grand in the pride of his instinct. 21. Our very hearty supper consisted of steak and onions, salad and cheese, ice cream and cake. 22. We turned and twisted and glided and bumped on our way through the utter darkness of the tunnel. 23. It will do him good to suffer and learn wisdom by a whole sum- mer 's privation and hardship. Leaf 3— Rule 4 1. We, the people of the United States, do ordain and establish this Constitution. 2. Your money or your life, gentlemen. 3. It seems curious that John Smith, everyday American, can enjoy one luxury that Julius Caesar himself could not. 4. Do you think that President Grant can really be called a military genius? 5. The death of Frederick Eemington, artist, writer, and sculptor, is a serious loss to American art and to a wide circle of friends. (Attention may well be called for a moment to the slightly con- fusing series of four commas. A pair of dashes would show up the three appositives much better.) 6. Send for our 42-page book, ''The Story of Banking by Mail," giv- ing full particulars about our system. 7. I started a workshop, a kind of manual-training school, for all who were interested. 8. One of Dante's admirers called the poem the Divine Comedy. 9. Has any boy or girl ever written any such sentence? 10. Put one or two cans of potted tongue down on your list of sup- plies. 11. On the inner side a third man lifted a tool called a "gun," a ponderous pneumatic hammer. (No objection should be made to a comma before called, but the only one needed is after gun. Hammer is not described by a pair of coordinate adjectives; the pneumatic hammer is ponderous.) 12. I believe that one savings-bank president, the late John Harsen Rhoades, materially shortened his life by his labors. 13. William Brew, foreman of the stock room of the Blake & Johnson Company, has resigned. 14. He was the son of John Milton, a scrivener. 15. This well-timed punishment made the fellow a good servant for- ever after. 16. On one such night we scaled Sheridan Glacier, a great, dead thing of ice and desolation. 17. Soon after this another bear, the counterpart of Joe's running- mate, approached across the same bluff. 82 PILOT BOOK FOR 18. Mr. Bryan, the recognized leader of the Democratic party, ap- peared at the Capitol. 19. Judge George Nelson, a kinsman of Mrs. Leigh and one of the most distinguished criminal lawyers in the country, was taking lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Leigh one day. 20. People did not then have the choice of going to California by either land or water. 21. I once knew a man, a tinner by trade, that lived in a two-family house. 22. My uncle Thomas thought the long passage from the Prophet Jere- ' miah rather oppressive. 23. Then through a door at the back a woman stole in, a dark, un- pleasant-looking woman. 24. This country hospital, or sanitarium, has lately been bought by A. M. Droach, M. D. Leaf 4— Rule 5 1. We set our watches back at Detroit, Michigan, at Cheyenne, Wyoming, and at Ogden, Otah. 2. Please address me at 17 Grove St., Wheeling, West Va., until further notice. (The abbreviations in sentences 2, 3, etc., are used for names of states in order to give practice in using the periods. The abbreviations should be discouraged in themes.) 3. Doyle hit the ball over the fence for a home run yesterday in Marlin Springs, Tex., which saved the side from a shut-out. 4. He died on April 14th, 1879, in Libertyville, Iowa, on his farm after a long illness. 5. On Nov. 10, 1728, at Pallas, Ireland, Oliver Goldsmith was born. 6. A new world's stock-car record was made at the Ascott Park track, Los Angeles, on Sunday. 7. John Cameron Stoddart of Englewood, N. J., was elected captain of the swimming team for next season. 8. On May 14th a most interesting motor-boat race was held at Tampa. 9. The college is at Williamstown, Mass., in the heart of the Berk- shires. 10. In June, 1904, and again in June, 1905, the Prince of Monaco was seen in Madrid. 11. Many letters directed to Watertown, Mass., are sent to Watertown, N. Y. 12. Why should you wait until 1915 for so great a pleasure as this? 13. Send your letter in care of Mr. J. P. Holbrook, 27 Lynn St., Yar- mouth, N. S. 14. Mrs. Ainley died at Economy, Pa., Dec. 25, 1892. 15. He was born at Brattleboro, Vt., Sept. 8, 1811, and died at Niagara Falls, Canada, April 13, 1886. 16. In the outskirts of Concord, Mass., on April 19, 1775, the hardy, fearless yeomanry encountered the British. SENTENCE AND THEME 83 17. In a remote, secluded, and altogether charming valley near Con- cord, N, H., he built his little cabin. 18. A great ice-gorge had formed at Fort Deposit, Md., only a few days bef(?re that memorable day of the blizzard, March 12th, 1888. 19. This collected edition of the year 1859 fills three very large, im- posing, morocco-bound volumes. 20. Its first recorded appearance was on February 4, 1841. 21. In Philadelphia, a village in New York state, these delicious, creamy cheeses are made by the tens of thousands. 22. On January 10, 1842, in Marietta, Ohio, a momentous and memor- able decision was reached by an obscure committee. 23. In June, 1836, in September, 1841, in December, 1846, this curious heavenly visitant was reported by the astronomers. Leaf 5— Rule 6 1. Paper, pens, ink, etc., are all included in the term "stationery." 2. I lost no time, of course, in telling my mother all that I knew. (Little time should be used — perhaps none — in discussing whether commas should be used around of course. This is mostly a mat- ter of what impression the writer wished to give. But of course here, then in 3, nevertheless in 12, too in 15, for instance in 18, indeed in 19 would ordinarily be set off. The teacher should expect the commas.) 3. Is it, then, all plain sailing for the common people? 4. A similar development, although not so rapid, is taking place on the farm. 5. He was almost too tired to move. 6. The only practical way of considering professional crime is to view it from the standpoint of the criminal. 7. Then, all forgetful of self, she wandered into the village. 8. The horse-trader, curiously enough, had left his door unlocked. 9. The use of tobacco for smoking, chewing, snuffing, etc., is far from its only use. 10. J. M. Douglas, Jr., captained the track team. 11. Don't imagine for a minute, however, that we were not afraid of the burglar. 12. Nevertheless, he was not elected to the board. 13. I couldn't find it, though, anywhere in the basement. 14. I abominate the use of "etc." in sermons or dignified speeches. 15. I feel, too, that the second team deserves much praise. 16. Imagine the touch of such an act on the sore heart of a betrayed and penniless man. 17. Why should any reasonable visitor come so early and stay so very late? 18. For instance, we have one at Portsmouth and one at Boston. 19. It is the most interesting sermon, indeed, that I ever heard in this church. 20. This, at least, is the opinion of some able constitutional lawyers. 34 PILOT BOOK FOE 21. Parsons, strangely enough, had neither heard nor smelled. 22. His work, like that of Mr. Zerrahn, has been obscured by the great advance of younger men. 23. But, in any event, the navy yards at Boston, New York, Phila- delphia, and Norfolk are all that are really required. 24. They generally travel single file after the Norwegian fashion. {After the Norwegian fashion need not be set off, nor liTce a cheese in 29. The emphasis in class should not be upon "Did you set it off?" but upon "Why did you or did you not set it off ?") 25. So, in the first place, they can be voted only in very strong Democratic districts. 26. Mr. Arrow, first of all, turned out even worse than the captain had feared. 27. Thou dost not, then, know the river. 28. Then Madame Defarge acknowledged their courtesy by nodding and giving them a quick look. 29. They kept him in a dark place like a cheese until he had the full Tellson flavor and blue mold upon him. (See comment on 24 above.) Leaf 6— Rule 7 1. This thing of having every possible comfort provided for him will never make the boy manly and self-reliant. 2. The little fellow, thinking his manners were at fault, snatched his cap off his head with a blush. 3. But my mother, frightened as she was, would not consent to take a fraction more. 4. Thinking of them sets me to recalling stanzas from Watts 's hymns. 5. The buccaneers remained rooted to the ground, their eyes starting from their heads. 6. An attendant upon the archers having been dismounted, Quentin Durward was accommodated with his horse. 7. One day his mother saw him go skimming past the house, his sled hitched to a farmer's ''bob." 8. Producing a play with a company of outside actors may have been the New Theater's duty toward its patrons. 9. Having briefly outlined the struggles of Japan for recognition since her opening to Europeans half a century ago, let us now look into the internal workings of this remarkable empire. 10. Lafayette's baseball team will make a trip through New Eng- land in April, playing West Point, Brown, Dartmouth, and Wesleyan. 11. Wending her quiet way, she entered the door of the almshouse. 12. The Duke, bending over to kiss her hand, disappeared through the door, the curtains falling together behind him. 13. Walking three miles in such a howling, stinging snowstorm is not the easiest work in the world. 14. Strictly speaking, this could not be laid at the door of the Bella. SENTENCE AND THEME 35 15. We went careering along down the street at about fifty miles an hour. 16. The boat I was in, having some start, shot far ahead of her consort. 17. Still keeping a careful back to Matty, the little one whispered another message in her father's ear. 18. It is becoming just a habit for farmers to take vacations. 19. You ought to get over the simple-minded habit of supposing every word in ing to be a participle. 20. There being no prospect that it would stop snowing, we resigned ourselves to a delay of another day 21. Franklin T. Smith, better known as "Happy" Smith, associates in New York with thieves and disreputable citizens. 22. McCarty stood against the wall, Ma eyes gleaming. Leaf 7— Rule 8 1. I was the only person present permitted to make a speech, upon the conclusion of which we gaily adjourned upstairs to the .theater. 2. Sir Ernest Shackleton, who holds the Antarctic record for fur- thest South, expressed himself unequivocally. 3. Lucky was he who found that stone in the nest of the swallow. 4. Then it was that there came into my head the first of the mad notions that contributed so much to save our lives. 5. Quentin, who carried the notions of his own importance pretty high considering how destitute he was of means to support them, being somewhat mortified by the innkeeper's reply, did not hesitate to avail himself of a practice that was common enough in that age. (The- considering how clause is purely debat- able. All such debatable cases are opportunities for driving home the idea of Lesson 77: "There is no hard-and-fast rule about an author's meaning, but there is an absolutely hard-and-fast rule about what mark to use when you have decided on the meaning. In 5 a good idea to emphasize is : " Don 't break up the continuity of the who clause unless you have to.") 6. Great was the slaughter that took place among the soliciting staffs of both corporations. 7. The rectorship of Grace Church, which has been vacaiit since the death of the Rev. Dr. Huntington last summer, has been offered to the Rev. Dr. Charles Lewis Slattery, rector of Christ Church, Springfield, Mass. 8. We had to take passage on the Normania, which seemed very crowded and unpleasant in comparison with the commodious Celtic. 9. Mrs. Stowe's first novel was Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book which did not attract much attention in the magazine in which it came out as a serial. 10. The way in which he can keep seven carving knives and three Indian clubs in the air is a marvel. 86 PILOT BOOK FOE 11. Among all who came young Gabriel only was welcome. 12. But the facts that stand are that the change of the old system was absolutely compelled by altered educational conditions. 13. The captain's order to mount at once and ride for Dr. Livesey would have left my mother alone and unprotected, which was not to be thought of. 14. He tossed a copy of the paper to Whittier, who immediately looked in the corner in which the poetry was usually printed. 15. Dr. Harkness, who is the Professor of Administrative Law and Municipal Science at the State University, told the Parlor Socialists a lot of things about New Zealand. 16. And in the hollow thereof was found the nest of a magpie, into whose clay-built walls the necklace of pearls was inwoven. (The clause is clearly non -restrictive ; it does not mean * * that particular nest,'' because only one nest is thought of.) 17. There are indeed only three large American transportation sys- tems tjiat the Harrimaa power does not actually control. Leaf 8— Rule 8 1. George Marsh's case is more common than those people suppose who have never lived anywhere except in their own homes. 2. That is a question which is hard to answer. 3. About ninety-five per cent of the cases of aldermanic and legis- lative bribery that have been investigated in the past twenty- five years have been found to have their sole source in a public utility company. 4. A flagon of champagne stood before them, of which the elder took a draught. 5. Harvard, which was the scene of Longfellow's activities from 1836 to 1854, was a far more attractive place than Bowdoin. 6. A great national agricultural show was outlined by the National Corn Association, which has in its ranks leading farmers of fifteen states. 7. The papers admit that Joe Shea of Omaha outpointed **Kid" Murphy of Des Moines in the fight which took place last night in the Music Hall. 8. Quentin was much surprised at the causeless offense which these two decent-looking persons had taken at a very simple and civil question. 9. A ** pinch hitter" is a man who bats best in an exciting emer- gency. 10. Curling mosses waved like banners that hang on the walls of ancient cathedrals. 11. I was surprised at the coolness with which John avowed his knowledge of the island. 12. Of course the thing which we call College Spirit is no other than a provincial patriotism. (Of course ** feels" restrictive, but th^ question needs no debating if a pupil can tell why.) SENTENCE AND THEME 37 13. Pete, our Indian, was apparently the sole being on the ranch at that moment who was honestly earning his wages. 14. The changes which had taken place in the Scottish kingdom had induced the old baron to resign all thoughts of returning to his native country. 15. It seemed likely at this time that a general reconciliation would put an end to those quarrels which had been weakening and disgracing the government of Bengal. 16. So saying, he filled him a brimful cup, which the coutelier drank off. 17. During the whole migration of the larvae, which evidently occu- pies a considerable time, they are living on their stored reserve food. 18. Mr. Barsted, who was up for district attorney, is very well spoken of by all who have watched his career as a criminal lawyer. Leaf 9— Rule 8 1. These bilge-keels on cattle-steamers, which are placed low enough to prevent the rolling of the boat from exposing them, really do reduce the motion a great deal. (It is difficult to suppose that the writer had ''some other bilge-keels" in mind; the clause is clearly non-restrictive.) 2. In the meantime the Indians, smarting under the repulse of the Yosemites by Savage, sent messengers to all the tribes who could aid them. 3. It was a curious world into which the immigrant from the dull South Russian village had come. 4. The traveler who wishes to visit this place has to go first to the little town of Brigue. 5. Carefully then were covered the embers that glowed on the hearth- stone. 6. An important feature of the work is the care with which the records are kept. 7. The apartments of this courtly and martial sage were far more splendidly furnished than any which the messenger had yet seen in the royal palace. 8. Raging outside was the worst blizzard that had visited this locality in fifteen years. 9. "Will this next midnight be a propitious hour in which to commence a perilous journey? 10. Each man cannot be allowed to judge for himself what laws are good and what laws are bad. 11. He tried to borrow money at four per cent, which is lower than he had any right to expect. 12. They saw the column of smoke that arose from a neighboring dwelling. 13. The person whom she thus addressed muttered an inaudible answer and retreated back through the barrier-gate. 88 PILOT BOOK FOR 14. A reporter has to describe the gowns that are seen in the parterre boxes, which is an unpleasant duty for a real lover of music. 15. The most efficient battleship is the one which embodies the maxi- mum amount of all-round military efficiency on the minimum amount of displacement. 16. Being in fear of having his lucrative contract canceled, he reluc- tantly turned over his balances, among which we found certain items which could only be explained on the ground of gross irregularity. 17. The^ clever part of this complicated scheme was that Russia picked out the one nation whose alliance with her for the open- ing up of the Persian Gulf would make it absolutely impossible that England should go to war over the matter. 18. They chose to halt at the small, shabby tenement-house by the river, through the doorway of which the bridal pair disappeared. (The bridal pair did not halt ''at that particular tenement-house through whose door they disappeared"; no, they halted, and then disappeared.) Leaf 10— Rule 9 1. I met him both at London and Paris, where he was performing piteous congees to the Duke of Shrewsbury. 2. He was an active player of tennis and baseball at sixty years of age, when most men are satisfied with a round of golf. 3. Captain Smith was for some months in Virginia, where it is said his life was saved by Pocahontas. 4. A few minutes of hard pulling at the oars got us around the point to a position from which we could look down the length of the Santa Barbara channel, where we saw a brig standing in for the anchorage. 5. It was when a new dawn had shown them the place in clear light unwitched by evening shadows and calm that Piet made his decision. (There is a subject clause at the end — ''that Piet," etc. — ; no comma should separate this noun clause. The sentence is constructed without any "disjunction in meaning," like the one discussed in Sec. 192. The same noun clause is seen in 10. The participle unwitched is purely debatable.) 6. He has made himself dictator in Nicaragua, where revolutions are an everyday affair. 7. I just want to ramble about wherever my fancy happens to lead me. 8. I had been sitting there in the same position for four hours and had been getting very drowsy, when I was roused by a stealthy step on the porch. 9. At Cambridge Longfellow lived in the charming old Craigie House, where Washington had had his headquarters during the siege of Boston. 10. It was when I was very young and quite inexperienced that I thought our American society was really democratic. (See com- ment on 5 above.) SENTENCE AND THEME 89 11. Where the pools are shadowed by the overhanging clumps of laurel is the likeliest spot for fishing on a hot afternoon. 12. About one o'clock in the morning we reached Gamp Androscoggin, where we persuaded a sleepy cook to make us a pot of coffee. 13. A deer can run for hours if shot when his stomach is empty. 14. We have reached a day when no man whose judgment is worth considering will deny that there exists a close alliance between the great insurance companies and speculative Wall Street. 15. We had got ourselves all comfortably tucked in for the night and had wished each other pleasant dreams, when that con- founded old loon began his wailing. 16. In time they reached the point in the road where the river path started on its wandering career. 17. We were seated cosily about the fire in the rusty grate, when suddenly a gust of wind blew the door open. 18. We want to spend our vacation where everything is perfectly quiet and peaceful. 19. Speak when you are spoken to, my boy, and not otherwise. 20. This, my friend, is Greenside, where witches were burned and tournaments held in former days. Leaf 11— Rule 9 1. Prom where he lay he could look down the hill-slope and across meadows. (This sentence begins with a preposition which has a noun clause for its object; there is no excuse for a comma after the phrase.) 2. The prince entered while the princess was speaking. 3. He was eating a little supper at the Zinkand Grill with some of his friends, where I saw him at about eleven o'clock. 4. My heart was beating fiercely when we two set forth in the cold night upon this dangerous venture. 5. Recitations continue like this until eleven-ten, when we have recess for fifteen minutes. 6. The happiest period of the day was when we sat around the stove inside the tent and ate our warm meal. 7. This will not be forgotten when I make my report to Colonel Sahib. 8. My young lord viscount was exceedingly sorry when he heard that Harry could not come to the cock-match with him. 9. His sensations were very similar to those he had felt when a care- less carpenter had once dropped an oak two-by-four on his head from the second story of a building. 10. I think, after all, I had better leave when the rest of you begin to eat your dessert. 11. They supposed that where Napoleon won his battles was on the actual field of the fighting. 12. We found the old dug-out within ten feet of where we had left it when we broke camp the summer before. 90 PILOT BOOK FOE 13. You will not get so heated if you walk on the side of the street where the buildings make a shade. 14. I remember vividly the feelings which almost oppressed me when I first sat down in my chair in the Senate chamber. 15. The place whither Mr. Simon next traveled was Bar, where that merchant arrived with a consignment of broadcloths, valuable laces from Malines, and letters for his correspondent there. 16. The first time I ever saw Mr. Shaw in the flesh was when he took his call after the first production of ''Captain Brassbound's Conversion. ' ' 17. Going over the side, I asked him where the boy was. 18. The officer whom Leighton thus addressed scarce deigned to look at him while he was speaking. 19. A candy-store was his next point of call, where he feasted with more delight than ever did the young Gargantua. 20. The wind blows wherever it wants to. 21. They came back by way of Good Hope, when Hirst took his first experience of sea-sickness, thinking he had been poisoned. 22. Then he rose and, swinging up his burden with some difficulty, followed to the bank of the stream, where he found the canoe just as he had left it ten days before. Leaf 12— Rule 10 1. This time, as the distance was short, I did not mount. 2. Such was the vision Evangeline saw as she slumbered beneath the tree. 3. No regulation for such places of meeting is observed, so that all lives would be endangered if a fire should happen during the spectacle. 4. The washout on the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Bail- road in southeastern Nevada is as great a catastrophe of its kind as any American railroad has had to meet. 5. As the tug had gone back, we were forced to remain on board. 6. I have never visited the place since that summer. 7. Such a view as here presents itself can rarely be seen elsewhere. 8. Don't go just because I wish it. 9. He had been sent to protect them as they passed through the dangerous forest. 10. I wish very much that he would join us, as he is a companionable fellow. 11. It is difficult to get a lion's skin in perfect condition, for they are generally mangy and scarred with the marks of encounters with other beasts. 12. It is not necessary to use so much time, for you may abbreviate the work as much as you like. 13. It was a shade cooler in the press-room than in the of&ee, so I sat there during the rest of that hot night. 14. A boy never ought to go to college because his parents tliink it will be good for him socially. SENTENCE AND THEME 91 15. 1 advise against this, as it would make it necessary to pay up at once. 16. This is quite cold enough, as the rooms don't heat up quickly in the morning, 17. Many a weary year had passed since the burning of Grand-Pre. 18. I suppose I shall have to go, since you urge me so strongly. 19. Inevitably there will be desertions, so that sometimes an expedi- tion is seriously depleted. 20. We had our tackle ready for work as soon as the first rays of sun- light appeared in the east. iJl. Everybody was glad to see it turn cold, as we had not yet had any skating. I'L*. The expression on his face as he said these words was not at all pleasant. •2:>. It had become a menace to the State, so the people put an end to it. Leaf 13— Rule 10 1. In Samarkand there are no decent hotels, so you must seek quar- ters in numeras, or numbered apartments. (We clearly have an explanation of numeras, an appositive.) 2. There is probably ten times as much cooked food sold in Chicago today as there was ten years ago. ;;. This is, as you might say, a side-splitting tragedy. 4. My experience convinces mc that hypnotic suggestion is of no value as a help to the moral reform of the drunkard, because it does not break the power of the habit. 5. No, I shouldn't, because it is clear, as I told you before, Percy, that he too is imposing on you. (). This seemed to me one of the most absurd reasons that could possi- bly be given, because a man who has never had a thorough training in finance ought not to expect to be given the manager- ship of a Stock Exchange house. 7. I began to feel pretty desperate at this, for I felt altogether help- less. 8. The counterfeit presentment of me was so perfect that I did not know whether I was on the stage or in the audience. 9. Roger, it seemed, might take certain legal steps. 10. Since Saturday our association has been in negotiation with rep- resentatives of the company. 11. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. 12. Of these the work in wood will probably have the widest popular appeal, for the exhibition is specially interesting in furniture. (For of these cf. the remark about for Bat, Leaf 2, above. But if a pupil can argue that the phrase seems parenthetical, he must be allowed his comma.) 13. This is as clev6r and devilish a device for cheating laborers out of their hard-earned nickels as I have ever seen in my life of twenty-two years as policeman. 92 PILOT BOOK FOR 14. There would have been no earthquakes and tornadoes in a world of man's making, because it would have been a piece of finished machinery. 15. The newspaper that is not afraid to make enemies often attains the greatest success, as has been proved many times in the last decade. 16. To go to the theater as often as possible seemed his one ambition in life. 17. Do you mean to say that you are trying for a place on the team simply because it will make» you more popular? 18. But her mother had announced that she could not bear to walk in the streets and see the British soldiers disfiguring the once hallowed scenery of the place, so it was no wonder that Miss Bloemfontein declined to take afternoon tea with those enemies. 19. The hypocritical old miser had set his heart on this so earnestly that not even my most violent appeals to his sense of honor could change his mind in the least. Leaf 14— Rules 8, 9, and 10 1. They found me with so many broken bones that I scarcely seemed to have a chance of recovery. 2." She reached back her hand preparatory to shutting the door, when Mr. O'Rourke set one foot on the threshold and frustrated the design. (She did not ' * reach back when he set " ; she reached back, and then he set.") 3. Mr. Walter Camp, who is a high authority on football, declares that a sure remedy is the increase of the distance which must be gained if a team is to keep the ball. 4. I am sure this map of the city will be much more convenient for finding your way about, even if it does take longer to unfold it. 6. Hours later, when the day was on its journey and the city well aroused, the doctors issued a bulletin. 6. It will not take long to learn the wisdom of the man who declared it to be impossible to shoot ahead of a canvasback or redhead, 7. On Sunday he was preaching to his congregation and had just reached the second head of his discourse, when the church door was cautiously opened. 8. It was nearly six o'clock yesterday evening when Wolter, who is in the citj"^ jail charged with the murder of Ruth Wheeler, abandoned the show of bravado and unconcern that has char- acterized his actions since his arrest. 9. The university pays all the expenses and organizes the week's festivities for those youngsters who made the best showing with their corn at the various State contests. 10. The invalid had just asked that her couch might be drawn as neaf to the 'window as possible. 11. The builder of this trestle certainly deserves praise, for it is built in a very difficult place. SENTENCE AND THEME 93 12. This is a case that must remain two or three years in the Hospital School before it can be diagnosed. 13. The same constitution which guarantees absolute freedom of religious worship also allows freedom of speech. 14. Perhaps you know that the storks that inhabit the island that lies not more than six hundred yards from Lilliput are now about to attack us again. 15. Eealizing that the old man might be somewhat deaf, I sounded my bicycle bell, which was a specially loud one, still more violently. 16. Jones, Lettson, and Brown saved the lives of all those in the third vein who escaped that day. 17. You will find that you have put a high bank between yourself and the town as soon as you have walked down the path from the trolley line to the old fort at Leeson Park. 18. Any woolen fabric that is to be made into a garment should be thoroughly shrunk before cutting. Leaf 15— Rules 8, 9, and 10 1. One cause of the appearance of pellagra here lies in the con- sumption of corn that has been sent to market before it is thoroughly dry. 2. Out of this he had to meet his life-insurance premium, which left two hundred and sixty dollars actual cash on hand from the savings of the year. 3. This is one of the mysteries that offer a field for future science. 4. We neglected work and searched everywhere, although we had no hope of finding the little fellow's nickel. 5. Florida is so easily reached and the small towns along the Indian River afford such an extended range of accommodations that no definite scale of prices exists. 6. Through remarkable detective work on the part of Mr. Robert Wilson, who has been called an evangelist of civic righteousness, direct evidence was obtained that certain ordinances had been secured by cash bribes. 7. Finally we reached the so-called "port" of Yreka, where my friend had agreed to wait until my steamer arrived. 8. A six-masted schooner now on the stocks at Bath, Maine, which will be ready for launching in December and which has not yet been named, will be three hundred and twenty-five feet long. 9. You feel certain that whatever he undertakes he will carry through. 10. Wfc congratulate our readers that this leadership will be exercised through the columns of the OutlooTc, which will be the exclusive channel for the expression of his views on political, industrial, and social topics. 11. I would rather it were with that loon of a provost than any one else. 94 PILOT BOOK FOE 12. I was no sooner certain of this than I began to feel sick, faint, and terrified. 13. Musie-lovers have a treat in store, as the company plays a great number of instruments. 14. Another Insurgent is Mr. Harbrou, who only yesterday was nomi- nated as a Eegular for a place on the Eules Committee. 15. No, for I have not yet told you the terms which you demanded to hear from me. 16. A variety of operations have been devised for this purpose, most of which give great relief. 17. This is true in so complete a sense that Englishmen resent the suspicion that the ruling passion of generations no longer sur- vives in these islands. 18. I wrote a letter to my friend in New Mexico asking him to buy for me a riata, which is the Spanish name for a rawhide rope. Leaf 16— Rules 8, 9, and 10 1. Only five days later Commander Eobert E. Peary, who has devoted many years of his life to the quest, announced that he had nailed the Stars and Stripes to the north pole. 2. Clarence was usually so restless and fidgety in church that his mother was obliged to reprove him from time to time. 3. The trouble with William was that he was the hero of a very different world from this one. 4. Those who were prompt in reaching the hall were sorely tried by the forty-five-minute delay. 5. He acted through all this trying emergency as though nothing unpleasant was happening. 6. Leaning back in his chair, unmindful of the little streams of water which dripped from the melting snow on his boot-heels, Ebenezer remarked that he thought we were going to have a change of weather. 7. Perhaps our readers would be surprised to know what we our- selves consider the most important aspect of this case. 8. As Henry had scarcely done a thing toward making the camping arrangements, we asked him to go to the spring for a pail of water. 9. Hoffman answered them in a booming bass, to which the workers outside replied with laughter and shouts of encouragement. 10. Copper, which with the exception of silver is the best heat-con- ductor known, is universally employed in constructing incuba- tors for laboratory use. (It is better not to ''break up the con- tinuity^' of the which clause by setting off the ivith phrase.) 11. Mr. Glavis also testified that Swartz told him that he would get some other magazine to print a story about the saving of the Alaska coal fields. 12. It was too heavy now for Mr. Cameron, who found his casting arm seriously crippled by rheumatism. SENTENCE AND THEME 95 13. Rural Free Delivery, which was begun in the United States twenty years ago as an experiment, has been extended year by year. 14. Base and circumference are perfectly balanced in weight, putting side strains where they can be resisted and preventing acci- dental stripping from rim. 15. Mr. Buchanan, who six years ago had helped to elect a Democrat, was now aMiated with the Republicans. 16. By displaying bottles of sweetened water he enticed the bears * into his automobile, where they drank greedily while he drove them home to their cages. 17. Public smoking has become so general that the mere suggestion of the rights of the non-smoker will doubtless cause some amuse- ment to the smoker. 18. It is now evident that popular opinion has refused to believe that high prices are wholly due to the increased supply of gold. Leaf 17— Rule 11 1. Through Dr. Stiles 's later investigations a new and startling aspect of the negro problem came to the surface. 2. A. month after David 's arrival he was sleeping in stables. 3. In the last summer of the four-year cycle the salmon leave the mysterious depths of the sea and return to the places of their birth. 4. If you set any value on the photographs your friends give you, don't you think it only fair for you to return the compliment in kind? "i. As there was nothing better to do, I strolled along with him. 6. He said that if they seemed to rise into the air when they van- ished, good luck would follow the ship. 7. If you do not put that knife this instant into your pocket, I promise upon my honor you shall hang at next assizes. 8. If I give the word to turn about, they would rise at once. 9. Since you think it is my duty to go with the rest, I suppose I must give up the bridge game. 10. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. . 11. He was a very busy man, working for his own pocket all the time, so it is doubtful if he ever felt entirely free to go into the ^* graft" question. 12. Whenever you think the psychological moment has arrived, give me the signal that we agreed on. 13. But when they saw the second mate waiting for them in the sparred gallery, they went about ship at once. 14. Whatever little differences arose from time to time among them were amicably adjusted by the elders. 15. When the riders were beyond the castle, it was necessary for some time to ride with great precaution. 16. Whatever the reader may think of this simple ditty, it had a powerful effect on our hero. 96 PILOT BOOK FOR 17. The habit of attending exclusively to his own wants and interests had converted him into one of the most selfish animals in the world. 18. However successful he may be in college, he may still fail to suc- ceed in business. 19. If it seems queer that Holmes had such a small practice, remem- ber that people are afraid of a doctor whose knowledge is not confined to pills and powders. 20. If the conduct of the men had been alarming in the boat, it became truly threatening when they had come aboard. 21. We believe that after the violent slump in the price of stocks there will shortly be a reaction toward higher prices. 22. While these mysterious preparations were under way in the cellar, the family awaited the performance as patiently as possible. 23. One cool evening late in October our neighbor announced excitedly that the aurora borealis could be seen. Leaf 18— Rule 12 1. The company of course was deeply concerned, not only at the loss of the gold, but also at the curious accident which had allowed the ship to get so far out of her way. 2. It seems so easy to make a speech two months from now, but when the time comes it proves to be as full of duties as all other times. 3. He was declared out for interfering with the ball while the short- stop was trying to field it. 4. At the banquet last night Mr. Barstow spoke for the faculty, while Herford, 1917, spoke for the class. 5. And the trail is still being followed, not perhaps as some of the press would like with brass bands and loud acclaim, but quietly and persistently. 6. It is quite possible that he was guilty of a disastrous military blunder, but there was no disagreement between his professions as a Christian and his practice as a soldier. 7. All physical sports involve danger and have caused death, but a great many people believe that the hazard which football players incur is out of proportion to the benefits of the game. 8. There was not a breath of air moving nor a sound but that of the surf booming half a mile away along the beaches and against the rocks outside. 9. The man who is actually doing the active work is as cool as an iceberg, while those who have nothing to do but watch arc nervously exhausted. 10. I was in favor of removing our troops as quickly as possible from both, but after the Boxer uprising I recognized the necessity of keeping on the railway at Kharbin three or four battalions of infantry, a battery, and a hundred Cossacks. 11. However, that is neither a poor reason nor a good apology, because we all know perfectly well what you really think. SENTENCE AND THEME 97 12. The whole story of the spice-trade is interesting, but it is also a sad example of the misery which men will cause one another in order to satisfy the desire for money or for the luxuries that money will buy. 13. Nothing is left but the blacksmith's sledge and the scythe of the mower. 14. I had thought up to that moment of the adventures before me, not at all of the home that I was leaving. 15. The hope which the physician could hold out for the child's recov- ery was but a feeble one. 16. The man on the street may not be able to tell you the name of the President of the Republic, but he knows a great deal about the laws of the country. 17. The British Columbia fishermen take their salmon in much the same manner as the Americans, though there are more gillnetters at work iu northern waters. Leaf 19— Rule 13 1. English and Egyptian officials extended greetings, and one enthu- siastic admirer presented Mrs. Roosevelt and Ethel with a bunch of flowers. 2. First make the people rich, and then they will be profitable to you. 3. These delusive visions have passed, and writers of books have awakened from their misleading dreams. 4. The business knowledge and experience which Mr. Forbes brought to this task were of immense value. 5. After making his statement he lays the resolutions on the table, and from the time they are adopted by the house these resolu- tions have the force of law. (A strict application of Rule 11 might require a comma after house, but it is better logic to say, **This is not an introductory adverb clause; it is a restrictive adjective clause modifying time." The teacher should not raise the point at all.) G. At ten o'clock Mr. Brown retired to his berth, and what happened thereafter Mr. Brown testified to under oath. 7. It was hard work getting the job to running, and I didn't have much time for poking into things. 8. John's troops made the first attack against the ^ate, and those who were guarding it soon yielded. 9. The poem is planned and developed strongly and unconventionally. 10. The captain and Gray were already examining him, and I saw with half an eye that all was over. 11. I need these goods at once and should be obliged if you could give the order your immediate attention. (A comma befor nd \tould show good judgment, for the need and should he obi I are not ' ' similar items in a series ' ' — they are really different moods. But if a pupil can give the right reason ["two verbs with a commott subject"], he has recited properly.) 98 PILOT BOOK FOR 12. Albany was nearly four hours away, and the papers must not be kept waiting so long to know how the old soldier was faring on the way. 13. Early in life George Moses, now the American Minister to Greece, wanted a job as a page in the N€w Hampshire Legislature, and he needed it too. 14. Silver paused, and I could see by the faces of George and his late comrades that these words had not been said in vain. 15. The Company was convicted and fined $168,000, four times as much as had been previously collected from any violator of the anti- rebating laws. 16. Such a shoe as this will not be very heavy, and it should be tough and springy. 17. He was determined to be the first who should carry the formidable news of the insurrection and the murder of the bishop to Duke Charles. 18. The farmers have contributed liberally to the support of the numerous colleges of the state, and Mr. Carnegie has settled the library question for most of the county seats. 19. There yonder shall be the kraals, and we will live between the sea and the veld. Leaf 20— Rule 13 1. The McBeth people and the B & H line say they'll tie their boats up indefinitely, and you know what that means. 2. The hints of the jester had not been lost on Leo, and they were confirmed by the look and manner of Tristan. 3. He sat up and saw a shower of red sparks shoot into the darkness far forward. 4. The Sunday papers will be out in the morning with stories about the end of Cannonism and Tsarism, and perhaps a few of them will say what I said about the House. 5. When your eyes pain you after only an hour's work, you ought to have them attended to at once, or you may find they are seriously injured before the end of the term. (Sentences 5 and 6 are a pretty pair of illustrations: In 5 the or is not joining similar items; in 6 or is joining two exactly similar noun clauses.) €. Only one in ten, it is said, knows what can be raised on his land for the best profit or where he is making and losing money. 7. The summer broke on that sunny land, and still Antonio continued his daily visits. 8. Houses that he has riot previously dealt with seek information from concerns of which he is an old customer, and these new creditors are generally reassured. 9. Everybody he knew and Mrs. Sherman knew was asked to drop around, and the way they dropped astounded even those cynics who rent the carriages in this Capital. 10. Yet the interest of the audience is enchained from the very first, and no play of recent times has done more to prove that the SENTENCE AND THEME 99 happenings of common domestic life may be just as tragic and dram'atie as those of the most lurid Drury Lane melodrama. 11. They were of the world, and I felt that they could not understand William nor the way he lived. 12. It is a good plan to experiment first, and there is excellent oppor- tunity for experiment in your school. 13. This building must be put up exactly according to specifications, or your firm must answer for it in court. 14. If we compare English Rugby football with American football, we find that the English game is far quicker and gives more oppor- tunity for flashes of imagination. 15. Altogether the Armenian rug merchants went to a great deal of trouble and expense in their efforts to bilk their sole creditor, and it was a rude shock to them when the District Judge said plainly that he didn't believe them. (Pupils are over fond of setting off such introductory adverbs as altogether, indeed, still. The teacher had best not raise the point; the best answer if a pupil queries is, *'You may use the comma if you think the word is parenthetical.") 16. The information that the young heiress was in the hands of the brigands added fresh and more pointed thorns to Toynbee's reflections. 17. Hunter brought the boat round under the stern port, and Joyce and I set to work loading her With powder-tins, muskets, bags of biscuits, kegs of pork, a cask of cognac, and my invaluable medicine chest. Leaf 21— Rule 13 1. Able-bodied men were scarce in those days, and the draft was being called into requisition. 2. Evidently a powerful magnet of some sort was hidden within the lower part of the deck, and it was this that was causing the compass in the pilot house to go astray. 3. The casing cannot be injured by working loose or by the wearing- of sand and dirt that works in behind the rim. 4. But the great man unbent and assured the Secretary of the Treas- ury that he was glad his play had made such a hit. 5. Deep sympathy was felt in this country for the sufferers, and whole shiploads, of potatoes were hi^rried to Ireland. 6. I want to go to Chihuahua and see a bull-fight, for they are said to be fiercer there than in the City of Mexico. 7. The attempt to get a breath of fresh air meant the admission of an icy-cold blast, and the indignation of the other two men can be imagined. 8. Here on the Zuyder Zee the wind blows bitterly at times, and I was interested to see how the skating Hollander takes advan- tage of it. 9. Come here and see if you can make anything out of this unreadable scrawl. 100 PILOT BOOK FOR 10. I uttered my perfunctory wish to be shown over the sanitarium. and the one-armed man led me directly into a ward. 11. We were glad to see that our host had already lighted a tire and made up two beds of pine boughs. 12. I heartily wish you had come yesterday and inspected these goods, for today they are all marked a higher price. 13. All afternoon I was wandering up one street and down the next, trying to find the little shop where I had bought the bracelet the day before. 14. For a fortnight we have had no rain, and the surface of the macadam roads is covered with pulverized particles of filth. 15. One of the best traveling salesmen in our employ was a physical wreck from dyspepsia and stomach trouble. 16. A ramble across country on a summer day involves nothing more serious than a pleasant fatigue and gains nothing more impor- tant than wholesome pleasure. 17. "We finally put them over the scales at fifty cents a head, and I figured out that it would be necessary to do a large business , to make any money on that basis. 18. We had met in such very different kinds of places as the alleys of Tunis and the streets of Salem. 19. The financial transactions between the merchant of this country and his South American customers are all carried on through European banking concerns. 20. When you go home in the afternoon and get ready for exercise, are you able to forget all your business worries? Leaf 22— Rule 14 1. "Thank you, Jimmy," he murmured very softly as he felt of the point of his jaw and winked one eye at Miss Macy. 2. ''1 have won!" exclaimed Melissa with a touch of triumph in her voice. 3. Mr. Randolph held the younger man's hand in a long clasp as he said, "Good-by, my boy, and luck to you." 4. "Well," he answered meditatively, "there was a time not many years ago when nobody dared go over the trail. ' ' 5. "Did some of your people get left?" I asked, wishing to show some attention to the embarrassed old lady. 6. "The arrangement," he grumbled, "may not be permanent, because we are merely making an experiment." 7. "I guess," said Mr. Abner, "that some of the folks that thought you made a mistake when you married will change their minds now. ' ' 8. Though this screaming headline impressed Dillon as being impor- tant, he did not want to betray his feelings, and so merely grunted, "That's all foolishness, my boy, however fine it sounds." 0. Thereupon the Giant cried out to the Dwarf, "Let us get one vic- tory more, and then we shall have honor forever." SENTENCE AND THEME 101 10. "But can't you tell me," said I after a loxi^.p^tusGj briuging 2»Ay; hand down on the table with a bang, "what under heaven you thought you were going to accomplish by all this precious non- sense?" 11. "I vow, my dear sir," returned he, "that I am amazed at all this, nor can I understand what it means." 12. Thus saying, I left my family and descended to the common prison, where I found the prisoners very merry, each one being pre- pared with some jail-trick to play upon me. 13. He scowled at me a little deeper, squared himself uncomfortably in his chair, and exclaimed indignantly, "If you were only absolutely worthless and I could have the satisfaction of curs- ing you out, I'd feel better." 14. The lucky 7th were first to arrive at the camping-grounds, and' consequently found practically everything done for them in the way of preliminary labor. 1 '). She very politely informed me that I was not interesting and that she wanted to be left alone for a while, so that she could finish her morning's work. 16. "I am a peasant," he said, apparently addressing them all, but with his eyes upon Francis, * ' from a country where life is very hard, and that is fortunate for me." 17. The man of whom we had hired our saddles only shrugged his shoulder and replied, "Who knows?" 18. "No," said the shopkeeper with a singular expression on his face, "I had a little daughter die the other day, and it's the custom to give a fandango when anybody dies." Leaf 23— Rule 14 1. "Why is there so much opposition in the Church to the moving picture?" asks the Secretary of the National Board of Censor- ship in the columns of the Churchman. 2. In the meantime the emperor held frequent councils to debate what course should be taken with me, and I was afterwards assured that the court was under many difficulties concerning me. 3. "I' don't quite understand," I answered, "whether you mean the right way of holding the rake or the right way of going about my business in this new country. ' ' 4. ' ' Yes, that may be all straight, old man, if everybody who is inter- ested agrees that it's honest," replied my friend rather dubiously. 5. " I 'm not comfortable, and you know that I 'm not, and there *s no sense in asking if I am," growled Lucius, showing a temper that we had never seen in him before. 6. "There's a letter for you, Mrs. Torrance," I said gently, inserting it into one hand that rested on her knee, "which ought to be read at once, for it needs an answer," (Whether the meaning is said gently or gently inserting is purely debatable.) 102 PILOT BOOK FOE •7 ''Wt^lT/' 'T reflscted, "there was never a pleasanter or more harm- less sight, and it will be a burning shame to scold them. ' ' 8. "Then God be with you, good people," said she and went along, but her sprightly foot came flat on the ground now and no longer struck it with little jerks and tapping heel. 9. As the channel grew shallower at every step, I came in a short time within hearing and, holding up the end of the cable by which the fleet was fastened, I cried in a loud voice, "Long live the most puissant Emperor of Lilliput. ' ' 10. ' ' Poor Wolf ! " he woi;ild say, ' ' thy mistress leads thee a dog 's life of it, but n6ver mind, my lad, for whilst I live, thou shalt not lack a friend to stand by thee." (Considerable latitude must bo allowed for punctuating the first six words. A period and capital might properly follow say, or a comma might suffice after Wolf.) 11. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Commerce, • and Industries of South Carolina says in his 1915 report, "It is easy to see that there was during the first six months a rapid drift away from the employment of children that are under the age of fourteen years. " 12. "So please you, reverend father," said Gerard, **my hand trem- bleth too much at this moment, but last night I wrote a vellum page of Greek and another of Latin." 13. "I can't sleep in this place," he used to say, huddled up in a pathetic bundle there on the wide veranda of his Newport home, "because these waves make me nervous." 14. "Since I can get out the very first thing in the morning," he went on, looking at her with what she took for an amused smile, "it wouldn't be sensible to loaf about until night." 15. But one Sunday Mr. Hatfield announced from the pulpit, "If there be any of you that cannot quiet his own conscience, let him come to me." Leaf 24 — Rules 15 and 16 1. The piano stood open littered with music; a tea-table ready for service was drawn close to the firej a faint smell of macaroons T^^as in the air. 2. The sliding bulk took on an outline; it made a vague tracery against the faint sky; each instant it was plainer to see. 3. Some 200,000,000 marbles are used in this country every year, and of course it is the boys who buy a large proportion of them; but many millions are purchased by the Standard Oil Company, by various manufacturers, by dealers in railway supplies, and by puzzle-makers. (A semicolon before but shows the two big members.) 4. We have often propounded this question to ourselves — namely, if Kipling had been an artist, wouldn't he have been C. JD. Gibson? 5. As one who played the game he had the virtues of a gamester: SENTENCE AND THEME 103 self-control in a crisis, faithfulness to promises, and ability to accept defeat without a whine. (Rule 11 would call for a comma after the introductory as clause, but the teacher should make no point of requiring it.) f?. We have been struggling for something even beyond the accom- plishment of three-cent fares or municipal ownership or the city's ownership of the streets or any of those questions. 7. Americans at school and college are far more methodical and vigorous in their training; they make more of a business of it; they specialize more. 8. The San Francisco Argonaut says of McCarthy: **He is a coarse, ignorant, pretentious, and vicious product of low life, a born hoodlum, a born bully." 0. As I lay watching here in the pasture at night, every few minutes a toad would hop past me in the grass, or I could see a wee, black bunch coming down the narrow cowpaths in the faint light, bobbing leisurely along with a hop and a stop, moving slowly toward the pump to join the band of his silent friends under the trough. 10. This word, owing to ignorance of its original Oriental form, has a great variety of spellings — for example: simitar, scimitar, cvmi- tar, and more than a dozen others. 11. If the roofs are flat, enormous weights of snow gather on them, straining the whole house; but the snow slides off steep roofs as soon as it begins to melt, thus relieving the strain. 12. Northward we could look over Harlem and far up the Hudson; to the west across Jersey City and Hoboken out to the Ramapo Hills, Orange Mountain, and Newark Bay; southward down into the harbor crowded with vessels and tugs; and eastward over the end of Long Island out to the misty, gray ocean, black here and there with the smoke of the ships endlessly coming and going. (Crowded might be called non-restrictive and black restrictive, but probably the author felt them the other way. No time should be used for these questions; time is needed to show the need of the three semicolons.) 13. But they gave the usual evasive answer — namely, *' There is plenty of time for that." Leaf 25— Rules 15 and 16 1. The terms used in this new game are mostly the same as in croquet — namely: mallets, wickets, balls, borders, rovers, and several others. 2. When a stout customer tried on a suit, she was led to the con- cave mirror, and so saw her figure as it would be with the measurements reduced; but when a thin person came in to try on clothes, she was taken to the convex mirror, where the opposite effect is produced. 3. His character is so high, his aim so pure, his intellect so clear that nothing can prevent approval from the people in the long 104 PILOT BOOK FOR run except two amiable human traits: blind confidence in those about him and dislike of controversy. 4. In three years he was raising an average of more than two hun- dred bushels of potatoes to the acre, had built up a good busi- ness, selling direct to large consumers in his own locality, and today has storage facilities for holding his crop until prices advance. 5. When a man is ready to build his ** igloo, '^ he first of all draws a circle in the snow with his knife, and after he has cut out the blocks which he intends to use, he fits them around this circle, each row leaning a little further toward the center and being stuck to the next lower row, so that the whole will not cave in. 6. The object of a picture-puzzle is threefold: to put the pieces together before the lease expires, to hold your job while you are putting them together, and to keep the hired girl from sweeping the unfinished picture into the garbage-can before you can get up in the morning. 7. *' Tossing hides" was always wet work, and if the beach was stony, it was bad for our feet; for of course we always went barefooted on this duty, as no shoes could stand such constant wetting with salt water. 8. There they all were: Al Foster, who was a sheet-writer for a bookmaker at the race-tracks; Yriuski, the palm-reader, who rented the entire lower floor; Jastrow, the sidewalk ticket- speculator; and Beals Emerson, a silent young man who w^orked somewhere down town. 9. The rare sight of the fox's clean, sharp track in the dust or in the mud along the margin of the pond adds flavor to a whole day's tramping, and the glimpse of one in 'the moonlight trot- ting along a cow-path or lying low for Br'er Rabbit is worth many nights of watching. 10. This miniature railway train was made by using flower-pots to serve as wheels, steam-cylinders, bell, etc.; and properly shaped wire racks filled with bulbs represented the body of the engine, the tender, and the box-cars. 11. Several bits of modern slang can be found in Shakespeare's trage- dies — for instance, *'good night." Leaf 26— Rule 17 (In the great majority of cases from here on semicolons are best for separating the independent clauses. But occasionally a period is much to be preferred or is necessary — e.g., Leaf 27, 13 and 20; Leaf 28, 6 and 16; 29, 3; 31, 9 and 13.) 1. Soft coal lights easily and burns with a bright flame; it is the chief fuel for producing steam, and the railroads consume great quantities of it. 2. It is not revolution, however; it is industrial and social change. 3. Bury me in the sea; it has been my home, and I love it. SENTENCE AND THEME 105 4. The Sanitarium is not merely a place where people regain more or less health; it is far more than that. 5. Most of them, however, realized that they had very little chance of securing this prize; nevertheless they kept steadily on with that one object in view. 6. The old man pulled forth a little bag; it contained his last pipe- ful of tobacco, the one that he had been betting. 7. Brace up, boy; what's the matter with you? 8. The day was the hottest since Col. Koosevelt reached civilization, the southwest wind resembling a sirocco. 9. If this breaks, it is considered good luck; if not, bad luck. 10. They are made in Pittsburgh, in Chicago, in St. Louis, and along the Wisconsin Eiver; and some day they will be made at Muscle Shoals and at the Great Falls of the Missouri. 11. Congressman Hobson is not entirely devoted to war; it is possible that he enjoys motoring between periods of preparation for battle with the Mikado of Japan. 12. I said the dining-place was a shed; this is misleading. 13. Mr. Morgan accepted the keys, thanked those who had constructed the building, declared the theater open, and dedicated it to the citizens of New York. 14. The squire made no bones about the matter; he despised the captain. 15. But it was not its size that now impressed my companions; it was the knowledge that seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay somewhere buried below its shadow. 16. ''That's as you please, sir," said the captain j "you'll find I do my duty. ' ' 17. This is not merely my thought; it is what our nation hopes for and what our Sovereign desires. 18. "I see,*' said the doctor; "you wish to keep this matter dark and to make a garrison of the stern part of the ship. ' ' 19. The first portion of the article is devoted to the technical details of construction of the airship; the last deals with the man himself. 20. Her wrapper was as neat as her figure; even the lace at the throat was clean. 21. There are of course many exhibitions in the moving picture line that give praiseworthy entertainments, but there are very many more that pander to low passions and have nothing but the dollar in sight and think of nothing but the film which will draw the biggest crowd without pulling the house into the police- court. Leaf 27— Rule 17 1. But enough of this; I am wandering from my subject. 2. About half-way down the slope to the stockade they were col- lected in a group; one held the light; another was on his knees in their midst. (Mere rules are satisfied by the two semicolons, but a different mar^ after group would show the two members of 106 ^iLOT BOOK FOR the sentence. A colon would show that what follows explains group; a period would show separateness of statement.) 5. All men liked Jack Drayton; women liked him even better. 4. The emperor lays on the table three fine silken threads of six inches long; one is blue, the other red, and the third green. . 5. To get to this mountain you have to take the boat at Lucerne and go to a small town near the base, where you are met by a curiously small engine attached to a remarkably large car. 6. *'You are a visitor here I suppose," he said; "will you tell me where I can find the head of the establishment?" 7. That was the end of the night's business; soon after, with a drink all round, we lay down to sleep. (A pupil is perhaps excusable for not setting off the with phrase, since the text says little about non-restrictive prepositional phrases (they are not very common). But the meaning is not ''soon after with a drink.") 8. Not infrequently it is the case that the chart shows no storm at all, there being just a group of irregular lines covering the face of the map. 9. The sixth had only risen upon his elbow; he was deadly pale, and the blood-stained bandage round his head told that he had recently been wounded. 10. Alas! it was too late; the flames had already cut off his escape through the window. 11. For children the story is all magical and beautiful; for the learned men it is inspiring. 12. ''Eat something, my girl," he said to her; "it will be the best thing you can do." 13. "It's a conspiracy," said the woman, pointing to a chair. "Sit down, for we want to talk to you seriously about Mrs. Maynard. How did you find herf " (See general comment on Leaf 26.) 14. I boldly told him I should be ready for him at any time; never- theless I was sadly scared. 15. It appears they were at their wits' end what to do, the stores being so low that we must have been starved into surrender long before help came. 16. "Hey there! " yelled my fisher friend. "Where the deuce are you goin"? Ain't you got no eyes?" 17. Another time he came and was silent for awhile; then he put his head on one side and looked at me. IS. I then advanced forward near half a mile, but could not discover any sign of houses or inhabitants; at least, I was in so weak a condition that I did not observe them. 19. Those intended for apprentices are dismissed at seven years old; the rest are kept to eleven. 20. Aloysius Dorgan climbed laboriously into a dress suit and stood admiringly before a mirror. "I guess I'm bad," said Mr. Dorgan. (See general comment on Leaf 26.) SENTENCE AND THEME Leaf 28— Rule 17 107 Z The man who banks the game is a speculator calculating shrewdly the percentages; tne man who plays the game is a gambler only. {Calculating is deoatable.) 2. My first impulse Wc*s to take my family and leave this house entirely; my second thought was that I could not take even my usual family vacation in the mountains. 3. *' Edgar," she said, *'can you come down for a minute? A man wants to see you. " A She dropped one of the books she w^as carrying; he picked it up for her; she thanked him. ~). You cannot run away from a weakness; you must kill it or be • killed by it. 6. "No, no, it is not possible," Mrs. Bronson said emphatically. * * You cannot see clearly for yourself, or else you would have turned back long ago." (See general comment on Leaf 26.) 7. These one-room, ungraded country schools belong to the pioneer era w^hen farmers reaped wheat with a scythe, threshed it with a flail, and hauled it twenty miles to market through mud half- way to the wagon-hubs. 8. To one that asked him, *'May a Mohammedan be saved?" he replied, ''You may be saved without knowing that." 0. "We must dig the thing out," he said; "it will be heavy to lift, though; take a pair of spades and see how big it is." 10. I hear you are a member of the Senate committee that has the San Domingo treaty under consideration," he said, "and I wish 3'ou would support it; won't you do that?" 1 1. "See here! " I exclaimed. "I have no time to fool away. If you have a sensible request to make, make it, and I'll give you a civil answer. Who are you anyway?" (A pupil who uses a period after exclaimed should be applauded, because "see here" is in form an independent statement. In fact, howevner, it is a mere exclamation, and a comma is a proper mark if the pupil Tcnows the reason. The safe rule for school use is to consider such exclamatory beginnings of quotations as separate sentences — e.g., ' ' Hurrah ! " he shouted. ' ' They 're on the way. ") 12. "He is a tramp athlete" used to be a common expression heard nearly every year in reference to some player on the big teams. (No comma is called for after the quoted expression, but the use of it by a pupil should not be called an error.) IS. Where the dust cleared away, the buffaloes could be seen flying over the plain, while behind them followed the Indians, riding at furious speed and yelling as they launched arrow after arrow into their sides. 14. "I might say," he said, "that wages aren't any object; isn't that fair? All I want is work and no feed and no sleep; isn't that fair?" 1'-. "I am very sorry," he said apologetically, "but the prison rsgu- 108 ' PILOT BOOK FOR lations do not allow admittance to the public; it is against the rules." 16. I began to tell him that the people who had once lived in the house were now elsewhere, when he interrupted me. "Come t