Plain English Part 40

There are but few rules which can be learned to aid in the spelling of English words. The spelling of words must be largely mastered by concentration and effort of the memory. It will help you to memorize the correct spelling if you will write each word a number of times. This gives you a visual image of the word. Then spell it aloud a number of times. This will give you an auditory image.

Words which you find difficult to master, write in a list by themselves and review frequently. There are a few rules, however, which are helpful to know. There is one rule of spelling we want to learn this week concerning words formed by adding a suffix.

+A word of one syllable which ends in a single consonant before which stands a single vowel, doubles the final consonant when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added.+

For example: _mat_, _matted_, _matting_; _sun_, _sunned_, _sunning_.

_Mat_ ends in _t_, a single consonant which is preceded by the single vowel _a_,--so you double the _t_ when you add the suffix _ed_ or _ing_, which begin with a vowel.

Notice these: _Blend_, _blended_, _blending_; _Help_, _helped_, _helping_.

These words do not end in a single consonant, so you do not double the consonant.

Notice also: _Lean_, _leaned_, _leaning_; _Rain_, _rained_, _raining_.

These words end in a single consonant, but before the consonant is a double vowel, _ea_ in _lean_ and _ai_ in _rain_. So we do not double the final consonant.

This same rule holds true of any suffix, beginning with a vowel, as _er_ and _est_, for example: _sad_, _sadder_, _saddest_. _Slim_, _slimmer_, _slimmest_.

Learn to spell the following words. Add the suffixes _ed_ and _ing_ to the words for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Add _er_ and _est_ to the words for Thursday, Friday and Sat.u.r.day.

+Monday+

Chat Cheat Grin Groan Suit

+Tuesday+

Sap Soap Bet Beat Rot

+Wednesday+

Talk Teach Gain Stir Plan

+Thursday+

Thin Dear Flat Cheap Straight

+Friday+

Clean Brief Fair Shrill Wet

+Sat.u.r.day+

Strong Great Mad Fleet Fat

PLAIN ENGLISH

LESSON 12

Dear Comrade:

In this lesson we are beginning the study of still another part of speech. You will notice that in words, at least, we give credit and place in society only because of _work performed_. In the society of men, people are given place and position too often because of outward dress and form or because of some special privilege. They are not given their place in society because of the work which they do or because they perform any useful function. In fact, in our topsy-turvy world, those who perform no work at all, but are simply parasites upon society, have claimed for themselves the best of everything and the highest positions.

Surely some time we shall see a society as successfully organized as our society of words, when men will be received, not because of that which they possess, but because of that which they do and are. Man has really laid the foundation for an ideal commonwealth in his organization of words into a spoken and written language.

When we think back across the centuries and think of the primitive man as he dwelt in trees to protect himself from the wild animals, we wonder what sort of speech he used then. Possibly it was only a little more articulate than the speech of some animals.

But man had within him the instinct to question, and this has been the root of all his progress. We can imagine these primitive men witnessing the wonder of fire, as the terrible unknown G.o.d of the lightning set fire to the forest in which they lived; but after the fear had subsided, some adventurous, inquiring forefather of ours ventured near the ashes, and began to investigate concerning this fearful and wonderful thing.

So gradually they discovered the use of fire, and with it a wonderful new future opened before the primitive man. With these great discoveries, he needed a better form of communication with his comrades, so articulate speech developed. But when we go back into the beginning of written speech, it is difficult for us to trace it to its beginning.

The first evidence we find was of man as a sign maker. On the walls of caves in France and Belgium and here in America, we have found rude sketches which the scientists tell us date back to the Ice Age and the Old Stone Age. Here the primitive man has drawn for us crude pictures describing different phases of his life, the animals about him, the hunt and the chase, and in these pictures we find the very beginning of our alphabet of to-day.

How much more wonderful it makes our spoken and written language to know that man has developed it himself. It has not been handed down by some G.o.d or powers above; but the spirit of rebellion against the things that be; the great desire to know more and to find out the reason _why_ of all the things around us,--these have been the forces that have led the race from the animal-like beings that lived in trees to the race of today that understands in a large measure the laws that govern life.

It is only as we, through this spirit of rebellion, this same divine discontent with the things that are, seek to do our own thinking that we can add our share to the heritage of the race. Let us have the same courage that must have inspired the heart of that primitive man who dared to venture and inquire concerning the fearful things of nature round about him. Let us think for ourselves. Ask always the question "why" and demand the reason for all things. Thus we shall free ourselves and help to free the race.

Yours for Education,

THE PEOPLE'S COLLEGE.

IN PLACE OF A NOUN

+202.+ You remember in our study of the parts of speech we found that we have one part of speech that can be used in place of a noun. This is a very helpful part of speech for it saves us a great deal of tiresome repet.i.tion. Notice the following sentences:

John Smith is a machinist.

John Smith works at the machine.

The machine is John Smith's master.

This is awkward and the repet.i.tion is tiresome. So we say instead:

John Smith is a machinist.

He works at the machine.

It is his master.

You readily understand who and what we mean by _he_ and _it_ and _his_, and we will all agree that the latter is a much better way of making the statements. These words like _he_ and _his_ and _it_, which we use in place of the noun, we call _p.r.o.nouns_. _Pro_ means literally in the Latin, _for_ or _in place of_; so when we say p.r.o.noun we are practically saying, in place of a noun.

+A p.r.o.noun is a word that is used in place of a noun.+

+203.+ The word for which a p.r.o.noun stands or the noun in whose place it is used is called its antecedent. _Ante_ means _before_ and _cedent_ comes from the Latin word meaning _go_, hence antecedent means literally, _going before_.

Notice this sentence: _The manager spoke to the men before he left and told them to stop at the office_. _Manager_ is the antecedent of the p.r.o.noun _he_, and _men_ is the antecedent of the p.r.o.noun _them_.