English composition for grammar schools

Introduction

The Importance of Composition. Two subjects in the English of the Grammar School are of prime importance — Literature and Composition. Literature is important for its ideas, its formative power; Composition for its development of .thought, of mental initiative and personality, as well as for its training in expression, a power of the highest social value.

Material of Composition. Composition is primarily a training in thought — in the acquisition of ideas and their orderly and effective arrangement. It is the child's thought that must be trained. Nature's wisdom lives in his instinctive interests and aptitudes, and these determine the material to be presented. What the child rejects or cannot handle must be put aside; what he sees and does in the daily round of life — that interests him because it is near, familiar, and his own — that is the starting-point. Outside his own world the dominant mental interest of the child is the story, especially the story that deals with animals, with primitive life, and is touched with wonder. This narrative interest will naturally progress through the fairy tale, the fable, the legend, historical incident, and biography. As the child grows, his growing powers of observation, analysis, and reasoning will permit and call for the varied material offered by nature, human and animal industry, persons, industrial processes, qualities of men and things, and the general questions discussed whenever his schoolmates or his elders gather together.

VI INTRODUCTION.

This material — most of it — must be given the pupil; but he must think it over, and possess it; and the teacher must assure his possession of it by requiring discussion, topical outlines, and reproduction of its content. This material must be interesting. — "No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en." It must be presented in small units — in units to ensure that essential of good teaching — lesson unity, and in small units to suit the child's capacity. This material must have a sequence, a progressive development of theme. Adding knowledge where something already is known means rational and permanent growth. Other studies, particularly Literature, History, and Nature Study, will afford good material as well; for Composition is not merely a branch of English, it is a function of mind.

Initiative and Personality. More than any other school subject Composition calls for the child's own power of doing, his own mental initiative. The process of composition should be interest in the material, made intelligent by discussion, turning to expression. Thought that interests the child has dynamic power to stimulate his own mental activity. When he rewrites a story that he likes he will reproduce his own view of it, and bring his imagination into play. And imagination should be exercised in the school-room as one of the most precious mental gifts. Whatever talent the child has for drawing will respond to the call made upon him to illustrate the story. The play instinct, the instinct of "make-believe" — a vast source of delight and mental growth in children — can be turned to account, at every stage of the study.

The more intelligently and sympathetically the child participates in what he writes, the better. His develop-

INTRODUCTION. Vll

ment should always be up to his subject. Every task should require an effort, but every task should, with effort, be accomplished easily. Work that perplexes the pupil because it is beyond his mental power or experience only damps his spirit and retards his growth.

Expression. Composition is, moreover, the expression of thought in words. The child's language faculty must be nourished and trained. His vocabulary must grow, for words are ideas made current. To give form and structure to his thought, the child must grow in knowledge of phrase-forms and sentence-forms. Reading and conversation are the chief sources of linguistic growth, and the slightest comment and practice will suffice to fix new words and phrases firmly in the memory. The memorizing of passages of good literature, usual in the teaching of Literature, is indispensable training for Composition also, because it plants new thoughts, words, and language-forms, in the learner's mind, and establishes a high standard of expression.

On the formal side, the fundamental study in Composition is the structure of the sentence. The sentence is the tool of all thought — a tool infinitely varied, from the simplest to the subtlest and most complex expression. The understanding of the sentence — its forms and types, its parts and their functions — and of the sentence-group or paragraph — is the basis of all study of expression.

Oral Composition. Expression is both oral and written. The spoken word is valuable for its immediate service in all social and business intercourse that brings people face to face. The written word is valuable for its service in transmitting and recording thought. Much

Vlll INTRODUCTION.

of the training proper to Oral Composition belongs to Reading, but the training that renders speech ready, direct, clear, belongs to Composition. Oral Composition demands sedulous cultivation. Through Oral Composition the child may be trained to speak correctly, readily, and with self-possession. Opportunity for practice abounds. The material for composition can be used for oral discussion; anecdotes, local incidents, happenings in nature for oral telling; till we lead up ultimately to simple argument, speeches, and debate. The rule in all classes should require the pupils to answer and comment in language that is clear, straightforward, correct, and complete.

Written Composition. Written work allows time for its completion — a requisite in sustained work — and it offers a larger field for more complex exercise of thought, imagination, and expression. When expression becomes written, the formal elements of composition teaching call for more attention. There must be a developing plan of instruction that w T ill offer systematic study of capital and italic letters, punctuation, letter forms, business forms, order of words, agreement, government, while there is constant need of the teacher's supervision over the spelling, writing, neatness, and general form of the written themes.

All teaching of formal elements, rules, terms, definitions, should be introduced by oral discussion. These are not ends in themselves; they should be taught merely as aids to expression. All theory, all rules, should be introduced slowly, for, to be effective, a little theory needs much practice.

The correction of themes is a hard but a necessary part of the teacher's work. It may be made less a burden

INTRODUCTION. ix

to the teacher (i) By reducing the length of the written work. Make the rule that compositions must be brief but interesting; use a time limit — ten minutes — for written class work. (2) By using more oral composition. (3) By criticising orally themes read aloud. (4) By making the pupil his own critic and the critic of his schoolmates' work. (5) By using correctional symbols. 1

English Grammar, Grammar should be correlated with both oral and written composition. Underlying all composition is the structure of the sentence; and all expression is pervaded with relationships of concord, government, variations of the form and order of words. The laws of Grammar are only the good habits of speech, and the knowledge of Grammar is the knowledge of the rules under which all good writers and speakers work. Grammatical rules are, therefore, only short cuts to correctness. To keep the abstractions of Grammar intelligible, the teaching must be constantly associated with practice in both oral and w T ritten composition. Grammar in the early years of the study should be Composition-

1 The following symbols are suggested : —

Grade of Work: — A, very good. B, good. C, fair, D, indifferent. F, poor. To emphasize these marks, double the letters — AA, FF, etc.

S. The spelling is faulty; consult the dictionary and correct.

Cap. There is an error in the use or non-use of capitals; consult the rules, pp. 142-144, and rewrite the word.

Ital. There is an error in the use or non-use of underlined words; consult the rules, p. 147, and rewrite the word.

P. There is an error here in the use or non-use of the proper punctuation mark; consult the rules, pp. 152-185, and correct.

Tr. Something is out of order here; transpose it

/\. Something is omitted here; fill in what is lacking.

d. Something written here is unnecessary; strike it out.

X INTRODUCTION.

Grammar, the law drawn from actual usage should immediately be applied in practice, above all in the practice of composing illustrations of the rule. Thus the teaching will be kept vivid, personal, near the child's life and activity. Current vulgarisms and errors of speech should be repressed by the teacher's authority, and the teaching enforced by class drill on the right forms of demonstratives, tenses, concord, government, and so forth. Where the teaching is carried into thought and constructions beyond the child's average speech, the sentences used should have a good content of thought for the sake of the potential value of ideas.

Effective Expression. The first problem of teaching is to secure facility of expression, but as facility grows the problem turns to that of effectiveness of expression. By insisting on effective expression, the pupil will be prepared for the principles of effective writing, just as the insistence on correctness has dominated his training

?. The statement underlined is doubtful as to fact or meaning; modify it. The word underlined is of doubtful propriety; use a better word.

Gr. An error in grammar is made here (concord, government, inflection, etc.); correct it.

Sent. The structure of the sentence is not good; the sentence lacks unity or is awkward; recast it.

U. The paragraph is not well constructed; it may lack indentation; it may lack unity, — if so make a new paragraph beginning at this mark □ ; or it may lack orderly arrangement, — recast it.

Brev. The expression lacks brevity; do away with unnecessary

words.

Dev. Develop this thought to give it more prominence.

Int. The writing lacks interest; say something more worth while.

Force. The part marked lacks force; improve.

Mod. The sentence or paragraph does not follow on easily after

the preceding; it needs some connecting word or some adjustment.

INTRODUCTION. xi

in the elements of form. The arrangement of the words of the sentence, of the sentences in the paragraph, the laws of unity, coherence, emphasis, the figures of speech, and qualities of style can be studied in simple fashion, and the principles exercised and applied in the pupil's own work. This study will suffice for the beginnings of Rhetoric usually made in Grade VIII. But the study, like the study of Grammar, should yield its chief result, not in definitions, but in an intelligent appreciation of good writing and increased effectiveness in expression.

Difficulties in Teaching Composition. A subject that involves training in thought, in original power, in expression, is not a subject easy to teach. As a school study, Composition is still unorganized. Many teachers do not see clearly the ends to be attained in the study; they lack an organic method of instruction; all teachers need a mass of material of composition — models, exercises, themes — which they themselves have little time to select and prepare; and they are burdened with the almost intolerable burden of theme correction.

The Plan of This Text-Book. Any method in a subject so complex as Composition must, to be effective, be embodied in a text-book for class use. The present book aims to offer, on the method, material, and in the spirit outlined, a practical text-book for the VI, VII, and VIII Grades of the Grammar School. It presupposes, as preparation for it, language lessons in the earlier grades — lessons that will embody its principles modified to the needs of the youngest minds ; for Composition is the same thing, whether in the kindergarten or the college.

The book is planned to cover the work of Grade VI on

Xll INTRODUCTION

pp. i-ioo. Grade VII might review the work of Grade VI, giving greater attention to the elements of form and to topical outlines; it should use greater freedom in the choice and treatment of composition themes; and should cover the kinds of words and elements of style, and advance in composition into description (about p. 232). Grade VIII might review the earlier parts, taking the more difficult subjects, but devote most attention to the principles of effective writing and cover the elements of exposition, argumentation, and persuasion.

Interest will be added to the class work if the teacher, while keeping to this general scheme for the development of his subject, varies narration with simple expositions or intersperses commercial forms with descriptions, and so on.

The term " Lesson" used in the division of this book means a topic division, not the work to be done in a class period. Usually a " Lesson" will cover several class periods; but whatever time is taken to cover a Lesson, the law of lesson-unity need not be broken; one part should be done in each period, done clearly, fully, then on to the next part in the next period.

The present edition of this work presupposes the study of formal Grammar after Grade VI by means of an independent book.

The Place of Composition. Composition is the central subject of the elementary school course. Rightly pursued, it can aid — no subject more — in the development of the child's faculties; while, at the same time, it can train in the child a power that will later be of constant service in the world of thought and affairs. And, rightly taught, it can be a joy in child life.

Table Of Contents

PAGE

Introduction V

Chap. I. — Familiar Scenes and Incidents. — Lessons i-x i

The Sentence, p. 2; Kinds of Sentence: Assertive (Declarative), Interrogative, Imperative, p. 4; Exclamatory, p. 6. Structure of the Sentence : Its Main Parts — Subject and Predicate, p. 9; Subject Understood, p. 11; the Simple Sentence, p. 15; the Compound Sentence, p. 19; Clause and Link-word, p. 19; Coordination and Subordination, p. 21; Principal Clause and Subordinate Clause, pp. 21, 22; the Complex Sentence, pp. 26, 27; the Complex-Compound Sentence, p. 29. Elements of Form : Capital Letters, pp. 2, 13; Margin and Indentation, p. 10; Punctuation of the Simple Sentence, pp. 2, 4, 6; of the Subordinate Clause, p. 22.

Chap. II. — Fables. — Lessons xi-xvii 32

Structure of the Sentence : Parts of the Subject — the Bare Subject and its Attributes, pp. 32, ^^; the Subject or Predicate Understood, pp. 35, 36; the Compound Subject, pp. 37, 38; Parts of the Predicate — the Bare Predicate (Verb) and its Modifiers, pp. 41, 42; the Subject and Object, p. 45; Direct and Indirect Object, p. 48; the Predicate Complement, p. 52. Elements of Form — Punctuation : Quotation-marks for Direct Narration, p. 34; Comma with a Series, p. 38; the Paragraph, pp. 43, 52. Topical Outline, 35.

Chap. III. — Folk-lore and Fairy-tales. — Lessons xviii-xxi 56

Structure of the Sentence : Analysis of the Simple Sentence, p. 57; of the Compound Sentence, p. 60; of the Complex Sentence, p. 64; of the Complex-Compound Sentence, p. 68.

xiii xiv CONTENTS

PAGE

Chap. IV. — Saints' Lives and Old-World Legends. — Lessons xxii-xxviii 70

Words: The Noun, pp. 72, 73; Number, p. 76; in Nouns, pp. 77, 80, 82, 83; in Adjectives, in Pronouns, in Verbs, p. 83; Gender Nouns — Masculine, Feminine, Neuter, pp. 86, 87; Case — Nominative, Objective, Possessive, pp. 91-93; Means of Indicating Case, pp. 95, 96.

Chap. V. — Nature Themes. — Lessons xxix-xl . . . 100

Words : The Adjective, p. 102; the Pronoun, pp. 106, 107; the Verb, p. 112; the Adverb, p. 115; the Preposition, p. 11 the Conjunction, pp. 122, 123, 125; the Interjection, pp. 128, 129. Summary of the Parts of Speech, pp. 129, 130 Functional Values : Phrases and Clauses — Adjective, Adverb, Noun, Preposition, Conjunction, Verb, pp. 133, 134 Elements of Form : Capital Letters, pp. 142-144 Italic or Underlined Letters, p. 147. Developing a Theme, pp. 136-138. Topical Outline, p. 138.

Chap. VI. — Letters. — Lesson xli-xliv 151

Letter-writing: The Familiar Letter, p. 151; Its Parts, pp. 156, 157; Addressing the Envelope, pp. 158, 159; Paper and Ink, p. 159; the Formal Personal Letter, p. 163; Formal Invitations, pp. 163, 164; the Business Letter, pp. 167, 168. Elements of Form — Punctuation: The Period, pp. 152, 153; the Interrogation, pp. 159, 160; the Exclamation, p. 160; Quotation-marks, p. 160; the Comma, pp. 165, 166, 168, 169. Letter Forms: The Familiar Letter, p. 158; the Envelope, p. 159; the Formal Private Letter, p. 163; Invitations, p. 164; the Business Letter, pp. 167, 168.

Chap. VIL — Commercial Forms. — Lessons xlv-

xlvii 173

Business Forms : The Bill, Invoice, and Statement of Account, pp. 173-175; the Receipt, p. 177; the Check, p. 178; the Note, p. 179; the Due-bill, p. 179; the Postal Card, p. 182; the Telegram, p, 183; the Advertisement, p. 183.

CONTENTS XV

PAGE

Elements of Form — Punctuation : The Semicolon, p. 175; the Colon, pp. 179, 180; Parenthesis, p. 180; the Dash, p. 184; the Apostrophe, p. 185; the Hyphen, p. 185. Examples of Commercial Forms : Bill for Merchandise, p. 174; for Services, p. 175; the Receipt, p. 177; the Check, p. 178; the Note, p. 179; the Postal Card, p. 182; the Telegram, pp. 182, 183; the Advertisement, p. 183.

Chap. VIII. — Historical Narrative. — Lessons

xlviii-lv 188

Narration: Narration and Narrative, p. 191; Principles of Narration, p. 191; Unity, p. 191; Order of Details, p. 191; Interest, p. 192; Plot, p. 192; Resolution, or Denouement, p. 195; Ending, p. 195; Proportion, pp. 198, 199. Elements of Style: Person, pp. 199, 200; Number, p. 200; Agreement or Concord, pp. 200, 201, 218; Order of Words, pp. 203, 204, 208, 209; Choice of Words, concrete or abstract, pp. 21 1-2 13.

Chap. IX. — Description. — Lessons lvi-lxvi 22c

Description: Description Defined, pp. 232, 233; Its Principles — Plan, Coherence, Point of View, Development, Significance, Salient Characteristic, Unity of Theme and Tone, p. 233. Elements of Style : Choice of Words — Simplicity, p. 222; Verb Forms — Strong or Weak, pp. 224, 225, 228; Purity, p. 234; Precision, p. 237; Number of Words — Conciseness, p. 240. Figures of Speech : Figure of Speech Defined, p. 245; Figures of Contrast, p. 246; of Resemblance, pp. 246, 247; of Association, pp. 250, 251; of Manner of Expression, pp. 254-256.

Chap. X. — Expository Composition. — Lessons

lxvii-lxxiii 261

Exposition : Exposition Defined, pp. 263, 264; Its Principles — Plan,Unity, Topic Sentences, p. 266; Need of Simplicity and Clearness, pp. 266, 269, 270. Qualities of Style — Simplicity: Its Elements, pp. 275, 276; Clearness: Its Elements, pp. 281, 282.

xvi CONTENTS

PAGE

Chap. XII. — Persuasion. — Lessons lxxv-lxxvi . . 290

Persuasion: Persuasion Denned, p. 292; Its Principles, p. 292. Qualities of Style — Force : Its Elements, pp. 294- 298; Peroration, p. 298.

Chap. XIII. — Special Qualities or Style. — Lessons lxxvii-lxxx 299

Qualities of Style : Modulation, p. 299. Symmetry, pp. 301, 302; Balance, p. 301; Parallel Construction, p. 302. Melody, p. 302. Picturesqueness, pp. 304,305. Pathos, pp. 306-307. Humor, pp. 309, 310.

Source Books for Composition 314

Index 315

ENGLISH COMPOSITION

FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOLS

ENGLISH COMPOSITION

FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.

Chapter I.— Familiar Scenes And Incidents. Lesson I

L Oral Composition. — Tell what you can see in this picture of a school-house.

"A Country School-House." Photograph by L. S

I. Where does the school-house stand? What is its shape? Of what is it built? What can you say of its color?' Its windows? Its chimney? Its belfry? The school-yard? The trees? What is the school for?

2. Is it like the school you go to? Where is it? What is its shape ? Its material ? Its color, etc. ?

II. The Sentence. — To speak or write about things, we have names for things. Note the things in the school-room. Note the name for each thing. Note the things shown in the picture. Give the name for each thing in the picture.

Can you think something about each of the things in the picture? For example:

The school-house has stone walls.

Trees are growing by the school-house.

Say what you think about: i. The school. 2. The bell. 3. The school-yard. 4. The trees. 5. The pupils.

A complete thought expressed in words is called a sentence.

Exercise i. — Which of the following groups of words states what we think about a thing: 1. The school-house stands back a little from the road. 2. The trees of the school-house. 3. The school-yard is large enough to play in. 4. The windows in the wall. 5. The school-house is built of large, square-cut stones. 6. Rising up from the farther end the belfry.

Exercise 2. — In the preceding exercise complete the groups of words that do not state anything, so that they make statements and become sentences.

Elements of Form.— Punctuation. Note how a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends usually with a period.

The old school-house is built of gray stone.

III. Written Composition. — i. Write down what you can say about the school-house in the picture.

2. Write down what you can about your own school-house and yard, as if you saw them from the road.

Begin each sentence with a capital letter and end each with a period. Make a picture of the school-house, if you like, to go with your story.

The written work completed, the pupils may exchange books and mark (X) any errors in the use of capitals, punctuation marks, and spelling. The exercises returned, some of the compositions may be read aloud, to see which pupil has seen and remembered most about the school.

LESSON II.

I. Oral Composition.— An incident in the school-room. Study this picture.

What is the picture about ? What sort of room do you see?

What time is it?

What is the boy's name? What is the girl's name? What was the girl going to do? What did the boy wish to do for the girl? What has happened? Where did the ink splash

and fUn? HOW did "The Spilled Ink." Painting by G. Igler.

they try to stop it ? What did the boy say ? What did the girl say? What did the teacher say?

II. Kinds of Sentences.— Sentences are of different kinds. The following sentences express the thoughts that girls write well and boys help the girls. Note any differences you can in the way the thought is expressed:

(i) Girls write well. (i) Boys help the girls.

(2) Do girls write well? (2) Do boys help the girls?

(3) Write well, girls. (3) Boys, help the girls.

(1) The sentence that asserts or declares something is called an assertive or declarative sentence.

Girls write well. Boys help girls. Boys do not help girls.

(2) The sentence that says something as a question is called an interrogative sentence.

Do girls write well? Does the boy help the girl?

(3) The sentence that says something as a command or entreaty is called an imperative sentence.

Write well, girls. Help the girls, boys. Do not run, boys. Exercise i. — (1) Some pupils suggest things in the picture, others suggest statements — make declarative sentences — about them.

(2) Some pupils suggest things in the school-room, others ask questions — make interrogative sentences — about the things.

(3) Imagine the ink spilled, the ceiling coming down, a fire breaking out, give to the other pupils the appropriate commands — make imperative sentences.

Elements of Form.— Punctuation. Note that the interrogative sentence is marked by a question mark (?) (also called interrogation mark or interrogation point or query).

Does the boy help the girl? Do not girls write well?

III. Written Composition.— i. An Incident in the School-room.

Write a series of sentences telling the story in the picture at the head of this Lesson. Take care that each sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period.

2. Tell about any incident that has happened in your own school.

When the written work is completed, the pupils may exchange books and mark ( X ) any errors in the use of capitals, punctuation marks, and in spelling. When the books are returned and corrected, two or three of the compositions that the readers think interesting may be read aloud entire by the writers.

LESSON III.

I. Oral Composition. — Study this picture.

"Seaside Pleasures" Photograph by E. J. Rowt

Tell all you can see in this picture: What is the scene? Where is it? What do you see in the distance? What kind of day is it? What month?, Is the sun shining? What time of day is it? What color is the sky? the water? the sand? Who are the little children? Where do they come from ? Where are their shoes and stockings ? What are they doing? What else did they do? How long did they stay by the shore ? What did they say when they went home ?

II. Kinds of Sentences. — A sentence may take the form of an exclamation to express a strong feeling.

What a wave it was! Won't he catch it!

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

The sentence that expresses sudden, strong feeling is called an exclamatory sentence.

The exclamation is often found expressed in a declarative, or interrogative, or imperative sentence.

Look out for that wave! Who would be a coward slave?

Elements of Form. — Punctuation. The exclamatory sentence is usually marked in writing by an exclamation mark ( ! ) But the interrogative sentence, even when exclamatory, often ends with its regular point (?).

Exercise i. — Suppose a fire-engine were coming down the street, or a runaway horse, suggest the exclamatory sentences that would be appropriate.

Exercise 2. — If an accident happened in the street, what exclamatory sentences might you hear?

Only sentences are to be accepted, not mere exclamations.

Exercise 3. — If you came suddenly on the scene of the picture above, what exclamatory sentences might you utter ?

Exercise 4. — Make different kinds of sentences completing the following. Tell the kind of sentence you

make: 1. return to school. 2. is our

teacher. 3. How glad L — are to see one another!

4. opens at nine o'clock. 5. Hark! . 6.

take our seats. 7. stops. 8. begins again.

Exercise 5. — Make sentences about the following. Vary the kind you make : 1. The fall of the year. 2. The end of the holidays. 3. The beginning of school. 4. Meeting other boys (or girls).

Exercise 6. — Tell the kind of sentence each of the following is: 1. The shades of night were falling fast. 2. That is the way for Billy and me. 3. Let us stand here. 4. Would the ship would come! 5. How yellow the leaves look! 6. I heard the ripple washing in the reeds. 7. The whale-ship came back from her long voyage. 8. Sink me the ship, master gunner. 9. The path of duty is the way to glory. 10. The foe, they come ! they come! 11. What a piece of work is man! 12. What! would you have a serpent sting thee tw T ice?

III. Written Composition. — Write the story of a day by the shore. Use the scene of the picture.

Be careful to write the title and the sentences with the proper capital letters and punctuation marks. Vary the sentences used.

COMPOSITION FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.

LESSON IV.

I. Oral Composition. — The Story of an Outing

Hiliffr

'V

"Tennyson's Brook at Somersby." Photograph by Edwin Nainiy.

1. Study the picture. Tell the class what you think is the story of the day's outing that the picture suggests.

2. Tell the class how you have spent a day by the water. Tell where you like to go. Whom you like to go with. How you get there. The best kind of day to go. How the place looks when you reach it. What you do when you are there. How you feel when you get back home.

Let the sentences be short, clearly spoken, and varied.

II. The Structure of the Sentence.— Its Main Parts.

Note that a sentence has parts:

The brook | runs. The grass | is green. The fish ! swim about in the water.

The girl j has caught a trout.

What are these main parts? (1) The thing we speak about, and (2) What we say about it. The thing we speak about is called the subject of the sentence. What we say about the subject is called the predicate of the sentence.

Exercise i. — Point out in the following sentences (i) The thing we speak about, and (2) What we say about it: 1. The man is sitting by the tree. 2. The girl holds a fishing-pole. 3. The banks of the stream are high and steep. 4. The trees bend over the stream. 5. The man and the girl walked home in the evening.

Exercise 2. — Point out in the following sentences: (1) What you are speaking of, and (2) What you say about it: 1. The moon shines bright. 2. The little stars sparkle in the heavens. 3. There come the Indians ! 4. Over the water speeds the canoe. 5. The stroke of paddle hardly breaks the silence of the night. 6. The very trees seem asleep.

Exercise 3. — Point out (1) the subject and (2) the predicate in each of the following sentences: 1. A drop of ink may make thousands think. 2. The poet makes songs and ballads. 3. Our children love to read about fairies. 4. Our little girls have read all about Cinderella and the Sleeping Beauty. 5. The teacher once told us the story of Goldilocks. 6. The pen is mightier than the sword.

Exercise 4. — Add a predicate to each of the following:

IO COMPOSITION FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.

i. This month . 2. The holidays . 3. The

harvest . 4. The apples . 5. The leaves

. 6. The birds . 7. The weather .

8. Boys and girls .

III. Written Composition. — 1. Write a free composition on some outing of your own by river or lake, etc.

[The Title.] The Story 0} an Outing.