Higher Lessons in English Part 8

+Caution+.--So place adverbs that there can be no doubt as to what you intend them to modify. Have regard to the sound also.

+Direction+.--_Place the, italicized words below in different positions, and note the effect on the sound and the sense_:--

1. I _immediately_ ran out.

2. _Only_ one was left there.

3. She looked down _proudly_.

4. _Unfortunately_, this a.s.sistance came too late.

+Direction+.--_Construct on each of these subjects three sentences having modified subjects and modified predicates_:---

For punctuation, see Lesson 21.

+Model+. ---- _clouds_ ----.

1. _Dark, heavy, threatening clouds are slowly gathering above_.

2. _Those, brilliant, crimson clouds will very soon dissolve_.

3. _Thin, fleecy clouds are scudding over_.

l. ---- ocean ----.

2. ---- breeze ----.

3. ---- shadows ----.

4. ---- rock ----.

5. ---- leaves ----.

+Direction+.--_Compose sentences in which these adverbs shall modify verbs_:--

Heretofore, hereafter, annually, tenderly, inaudibly, legibly, evasively, everywhere, aloof, forth.

+Direction+.--_Compose sentences in which five of these adverbs shall modify adjectives, and five shall modify adverbs_:--

Far, unusually, quite, altogether, slightly, somewhat, much, almost, too, rather.

LESSON 16.

REVIEW.

TO THE TEACHER.--In all school work, but especially here, where the philosophy of the sentence and the principles of construction are developed in progressive steps, success depends largely on the character of the reviews.

Let reviews be, so far as possible, topical. Require frequent outlines of the work pa.s.sed over, especially of what is taught in the "Introductory Hints." The language, except that of Rules and Definitions, should be the pupil's own, and the ill.u.s.trative sentences should be original.

+Direction+.--_Review from Lesson 8 to Lesson 15, inclusive_.

Give the substance of the "Introductory Hints" (tell, for example, what three things such words as _tick, are,_ and _remain_ do in the sentence, what office they have in common, what such words are called, and why; what common office such words as _ripe, the,_ and _eight_ have, in what three ways they perform it, what such words are called, and why, etc.). Repeat and ill.u.s.trate definitions and rules; ill.u.s.trate what is taught of the capitalization and the abbreviation of names, and of the position of adjectives and adverbs.

Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.

(SEE PAGES 150-153.)

TO THE TEACHER.--After the pupil has learned a few principles of a.n.a.lysis and construction through the aid of short detached sentences that exclude everything unfamiliar, he may be led to recognize these same principles in longer related sentences grouped into paragraphs. The study of paragraphs selected for this purpose may well be extended as an informal preparation for what is afterwards formally presented in the regular lessons of the text-book.

These "Exercises" are offered only as suggestions. The teacher must, of course, determine where and how often this composition should be introduced.

We invite special attention to the study of the paragraph.

LESSON 17.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AND PREPOSITIONS.

+Introductory Hints+.--To express our thoughts with greater exactness we may need to expand a word modifier into several words; as, A _long_ ride brought us _there_ = A ride _of one hundred miles_ brought us _to Chicago_.

These groups of words, _of one hundred miles_ and _to Chicago_--the one subst.i.tuted for the adjective _long_, the other for the adverb _there_--we call +Phrases+. A phrase that does the work of an adjective is called an +Adjective Phrase+. A phrase that does the work of an adverb is called an +Adverb Phrase+.

As adverbs modify adjectives and adverbs, they may modify their equivalent phrases; as, The train stops _only at the station_. They sometimes modify only the introductory word of the phrase--this introductory word being adverbial in its nature; as, He sailed _nearly around_ the globe.

That we may learn the office of such words as _of, to_, and _at_, used to introduce these phrases, let us see how the relation of one idea to another may be expressed. _Wealthy men_. These two words express two ideas as related. We have learned to know this relation by the form and position of the words. Change these, and the relation is lost--_men wealth_. But by using _of_ before _wealth_ the relation is restored---_men of wealth_. The word _of_, then, shows the relation between the ideas expressed by the words _men_ and _wealth_.

All such relation words are called +Prepositions+ (Lat. _prae_, before, and _positus_, placed--their usual position being before the noun with which they form a phrase).

A phrase introduced by a preposition is called a +Prepositional Phrase+.

This, however, is not the only kind of phrase.

+DEFINITION.--A _Phrase_ is a group of words denoting related ideas, and having a distinct office, but not expressing a thought+.

+DEFINITION.--A _Preposition_ is a word that introduces a phrase modifier, and shows the relation, in sense, of its princ.i.p.al word to the word modified.+

a.n.a.lysis and Parsing.

1. The pitch of the musical note depends upon the rapidity of vibration.

TO THE TEACHER.--See suggestions in Lesson 12, concerning the use of diagrams.

pitch depends ==========|================= The of upon note rapidity -------- ------------ the musical the of vibration ---------

+Explanation+.--The diagram of the phrase is made up of a slanting line standing for the introductory word, and a horizontal line representing the princ.i.p.al word. Under the latter are drawn the lines which represent the modifiers of the princ.i.p.al word.

+Oral a.n.a.lysis+.---_The_ and the adjective phrase _of the musical note_ are modifiers of the subject; the adverb phrase _upon the rapidity of vibration_ is a modifier of the predicate. _Of_ introduces the first phrase, and _note_ is the princ.i.p.al word; _the_ and _musical_ are modifiers of _note_; _upon_ introduces the second phrase, and _rapidity_ is the princ.i.p.al word; _the_ and the adjective phrase _of vibration_ are modifiers of _rapidity_; _of_ introduces this phrase, and _vibration_ is the princ.i.p.al word.

TO THE TEACHER.--See suggestions in Lesson 12, concerning oral a.n.a.lysis.

+Parsing+.--_Of_ is a preposition showing the relation, in sense, of _note_ to _pitch_; etc., etc.

TO THE TEACHER.--Insist that, in parsing, the pupils shall give specific reasons instead of general definitions.

2. The Gulf Stream can be traced along the sh.o.r.es of the United States by the blueness of the water.

3. The North Pole has been approached in three princ.i.p.al directions.

4. In 1607, Hudson penetrated within six hundred miles of the North Pole.