Graded Lessons in English Part 22

LESSON 53.

NOUNS AND p.r.o.nOUNS AS MODIFIERS.

+Hints for Oral Instruction+.--In the sentence, _The robin's eggs are blue_, the noun _robin's_ does what? +P+.--It tells what or whose eggs are blue. +T+.--What word names the things owned or possessed? +P+.--_Eggs_.

+T+.--What word names the owner or possessor? +P+.--_Robin's_.

+T+.--The noun _robin's_ is here used as a _modifier_. You see that this word, which I have written on the board, is the word _robin_ with a little mark (') called an apostrophe, and the letter _s_ added. These are added to denote possession.

In the sentence, _Webster, the statesman, was born in New Hampshire_, the noun _statesman_ modifies the subject _Webster_ by explaining what or which Webster is meant. Both words name the same person.

Let the pupils give examples of each of these two kinds of +Noun Modifiers+--the +Possessive+ and the +Explanatory+.

a.n.a.lysis and Parsing.

+Model+.--_Julia's sister Mary has lost her diamond ring_.

sister (Mary) | has lost | ring ===============|============'============= Julia's | her diamond

+Explanation of the Diagram+.--_Mary_ is written on the subject line, because _Mary_ and _sister_ both name the same person, but the word _Mary_ is inclosed within marks of parenthesis to show that _sister_ is the proper grammatical subject.

In _oral a.n.a.lysis_, call _Julia's_ and _Mary_ modifiers of the subject, _sister_, because _Julia's_ tells whose sister, and _Mary_ explains sister by adding another name of the same person. _Her_ is a modifier of the object, because it tells whose ring is meant.

_Julia's sister Mary_ is the _modified subject_, the predicate is unmodified, and _her diamond ring_ is the _modified object complement_.

1. The planet Jupiter has four moons.

2. The Emperor Nero was a cruel tyrant.

3. Peter's wife's mother lay sick of a fever.

mother ======== wife's Peter's

4. An ostrich outruns an Arab's horse.

5. His pretty little nephew Arthur had the best claim to the throne.

6. Milton, the great English poet, became blind.

7. Caesar gave his daughter Julia in marriage to Pompey.

8. London, the capital of England, is the largest and richest city in the world.

9. Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, was sold by his brethren to the Ishmaelites.

10. Alexander the Great [Footnote: _Alexander the Great_ may be taken as one name, or _Great_ may be called an explanatory modifier of _Alexander_.] was educated under the celebrated philosopher Aristotle.

11. Friends tie their purses with a spider's thread.

12. Caesar married Cornelia, the daughter of Cinna.

13. His fate, alas! was deplorable.

14. Love rules his kingdom without a sword.

LESSON 54.

SENTENCE-BUILDING.

Nouns and p.r.o.nouns denoting possession may generally be changed to equivalent phrases; as, _Arnold's treason_ = _the treason of Arnold_. Here the preposition _of_ indicates _possession_, the same relation expressed by the apostrophe (') and _s_. Change the following possessive nouns to equivalent phrases, and the phrases indicating possession to possessive nouns, and then expand the expressions into complete sentences.

+Model+.--The _earth's_ surface. The surface _of the earth_ is made up of land and water.

The earth's surface: Solomon's temple; England's Queen; Washington's Farewell Address; Dr. Kane's Explorations; Peter's wife's mother; George's friend's father; Shakespeare's plays; Noah's dove; the diameter of the earth; the daughter of Jephthah; the invasion of Burgoyne; the voyage of Cabot; the Armada of Philip; the attraction of the earth; the light of the moon.

Find for the things mentioned below, _other_ names which shall describe or explain them. Add such names to these nouns, and then expand the expressions into complete sentences.

+Model+.--_Ink_.--_Ink, a dark fluid_, is used in writing.

Observe the following rule.

+COMMA-RULE.--An _Explanatory Modifier_, when it does not restrict the modified term or combine closely with it, is set off by the comma+.

+To the Teacher+.--See Notes, pp. 176, 177.

New York, rain, paper, the monkey, the robin, tea, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, world, peninsula, Cuba, Shakespeare.

Write three sentences, each of which shall contain a noun or p.r.o.noun denoting possession, and a noun or p.r.o.noun used to explain.

+To the Teacher+.--For additional exercises in the use of possessive modifiers, see Notes, pp. 182, 183.

LESSON 55.

a.n.a.lYSIS AND PARSING.

MISCELLANEOUS EXAMPLES IN REVIEW.

1. The toad spends the winter in a dormant state.

2. Pride in dress or in beauty betrays a weak mind.

3. The city of London is situated on the river Thames.

4. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769, on an island in the Mediterranean.

5. Men's opinions vary with their interests.

6. Ammonia is found in the sap of trees, and in the juices of all vegetables.

7. Earth sends up her perpetual hymn of praise to the Creator.

8. Having once been deceived by him, I never trusted him again.

9. Aesop, the author of Aesop's Fables, was a slave.

10. Hope comes with smiles to cheer the hour of pain.

11. Clouds are collections of vapors in the air.

12. To relieve the wretched was his pride.

13. Greece, the most noted country of antiquity, scarcely exceeded in size the half of the state of New York.