Language exercises

Preface

The use of language is controlled very largely by habit Hence, language teaching resolves itself into such training as will tend to form correct habits of speaking and writing.

Technical grammar is the science of language. We study it to learn of the construction of sentences and of the forms and uses of words. Such knowledge will doubtless help us to a critical rather than to the ordinary use of language. He who depends upon his knowledge of Grammar to help him through a speech, or even in his every-day conversation, will doubtless find that his thoughts, when they are seeking expression in words, are far from Grammars and grammatical rules. He will find that the fluency and correctness of his speech depend almost entirely upon habits which have been formed by long practice.

Professor W. D. Whitney, in the preface to his Essentials of English Grammar, very truly says : —

"It is constant use and practice, under never-failing watch and correction, that makes good writers and speakers ; the application of direct authority is the most efficient corrective. Grammar has its part to contribute, but rather in the higher than the lower stages of the work. One must be a somewhat reflective user of language to amend even here and there a point by grammatical reasons ; and no one ever changed from a bad speaker to a good one by applying the rules of grammar to what he said."

The teacher, then, should aim in the class-room to give his pupils such training as will tend to form correct habits of expression. He must remember that language is an expression of thought; and, consequently, that correct thinking should precede expression^ The thought of the pupil being clear, the teacher should give frequent opportunities for its expression.

IV PREFACE.

It is the aim of this book to furnish pupils with such exercises as will give them the necessary practice in expression. For this purpose the daily school work is drawn upon to furnish material for language-lessons. Geography and History, as well as the ordinary reading-lessons and Natural History studies, supply an abundance of such material, and it is hoped that these exercises will prove helpful and suggestive to teachers.

Numerous exercises will be found, in which pupils are led to study ivords, with the expectation that such study will add interest as well as value to the language-work. A study of many of the best poems of American writers is also given, with the hope that, even in the early years of school life, children may learn to love what is purest and best in our own literature.

The selections from Holmes, Longfellow, Lowell, Whittier, and the Gary Sisters, which appear in this book, and the portraits at the head of the chapters in Part III., are used by permission of Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Company. We are under a similar obligation to Messrs. D. Appleton & Company, for kindly permitting us to use several selections from the copyright works of William Cullen Bryant. The attention of teachers and pupils is also called to many other poems, which it is hoped they will find time to read. For convenience of reference, a full list of the publications containing the works of the same authors may be found on page 223.

This little book is sent out with a confidence born of many years of experience in the class-room. That it may help to further the language-work now so vigorously prosecuted in most of our schools is the sincere wish of

THE AUTHORS.

Chapter One. LESSOR I

Language.

To the Teacher. — The following lesson should be carefully read in class, and every statement should be fully discussed.

We express our thoughts by means of language, sometimes by speaking, sometimes by writing or printing, and sometimes by signs.

Spoken, or oral, language is addressed to the ear. Written or printed language is addressed to the eye.

Language is made up of sentences, and sentences are made up of words. Oral words are made up of sounds, and written words, of letters which usually represent sounds.

There are about forty sounds in the different words of our language, and only twenty-six letters to represent them. Some letters must, of course, represent more than one sound; thus, the letter a in the word fate has one sound, while in the word fat it has another sound, and in the word far still another.

The words bird, dog, horse, cow, all bring to mind ideas of things that we have seen. The words noise and sound recall ideas of what we have heard; and cold, hot, rough, and smooth make us think of what we have felt. A word does not give us an idea of something that we know nothing about ; it simply recalls to the mind an idea of something that we have known. Hence we say that words are signs of ideas.

LESSON II.

Words.

There are three words in the English language that have only one letter each. Will you name them and use them in sentences?

Some words can be pronounced with one impulse of the voice ; as, boat, ship, cat, bird. Such words have but one syllable, and are called monosyllables (one syllable).

Some words are pronounced with two impulses of the voice ; as, be-lieve, worship, sen-tence. Such words are dissyllables (two syllables).

Words having three syllables are trisyllables (three syllables) ; as, syl-la-ble, im-pid-ses. Words of more than three syllables are polysyllables (many syllables); as, mon-o-syl-la-ble, pol-y -syl-la-ble.

1. What are monosyllables? Select the monosyllables in the first sentence of this lesson.

2. What are dissyllables ? Select the dissyllables in the first sentence of Lesson I.

3. What are trisyllables? Select five trisyllables from Lesson I.

4. What are polysyllables? Find four polysyllables in this lesson.

5. What does the word teacher bring to your mind? the word school? blue? jump?

6. What is meant by Words are signs of ideas ?

iiESSox m.

Letters.

letters are divided into vowels and consonants. A vowel is a letter that represents what is called a pure tone; that is, a tone made by letting the voice flow freely through the organs of speech.

The letters a, e, i, o, u are vowels; y also is a vowel when it has any one of the sounds of the vowel i. No word nor even a syllable of a word can be written without using one of these six letters.

In the word high, only the first two letters are sounded. The last two are silent letters. In the word groan, a is silent. In are, e is silent.

Note..— W, when heard as in few and cow, has the sound of 6o, and is a vowel.

1. In the following words, sound each letter and tell whether it is a vowel or a consonant: crab, from, stem, jump, mind, skip, fond.

2. Which are the silent letters in steam, same, ivalk, sigh, laid, half, calm.

3. Tell whether y is a vowel or a consonant in the following words : my, yes, fly, yonder, dry.

4. What five letters are vowels?

LESSON IV.

Vowel Exercises.

1. From the following list, select the words having the same sound of a:

How many different sounds has a in the ten words ?

2. Select the words having the same sound of e: red, pet, feet, tree, mean, stem, head, steam, see, set.

How many different sounds of e in the words ?

3. Select the words having the same sound of i: fine, thine, limb, climb, pine, mine, rip, ripe, win, wine.

How many different sounds of i do you find ?

4. Select the words having the same sound of o: note, not, lot, coat, comb, stop, throw, go, got, drove.

How many different sounds of o do you find ?

5. Select words having the same sound of u :

How many different sounds of u in these words ?

LESSON V.

Vowel Exercises (Continued).

In the dictionary, a mark placed above or below a vowel shows what sound should be given to it. This aids us in pronouncing the word correctly.

The two most common marks are the macron ( - ) to show the long sound, and the breve ( * ) to show the short sound.

The vowels in the following words are correctly marked :

ate, at, steam, stem ; hide, hid ; hole, hot ; tune, tub.

Give the long and the short sound of each vowel by itself.

Now write the words in the five lists in Lesson IV., and place a macron or a breve over the proper letter in each.

To the Teacher. — Pupils should be taught to use a dictionary as soon as possible after entering upon the fourth year of school. The object of such exercises as the foregoing, is to make the pupil familiar with the marks used in the dictionaries to indicate the proper pronunciation of words. When this object is accomplished, further exercises of this kind should be given occasionally for the purpose of review, but should not be allowed to consume time belonging to other work.

Note. — In this book the grades are numbered from the lowest (first) grade to the highest.

LESSON VI.

Statements.

To the Teacher. — Ask the pupils to look at their slates and to think about them. Then ask them to tell what they have thought. Select a few of the best expressions, and require the pupils to write them. Something like the following may be the result :

1. My slate was bought more than a month ago.

2. My father bought my slate in Chicago.

3. I dropped my slate upon the floor yesterday.

4. A slate is a very useful article.

To the Teacher. — Exercises like the following should be oral, and should lead to familiar conversation with the pupils. After the subject is well understood, pupils may be required to write answers to the printed questions.

1. How many thoughts are expressed on your slate?

2. How many groups of words have you used in expressing those thoughts?

3. A group of words expressing a complete thought is called a sentence. How many sentences have you used?

4. A sentence that states, or tells, something, is called a statement. How many statements have you made ?

5. With what kind of letter have you begun each sentence ?

6. What mark have you placed at the end of each sentence ?

I/ESSOX VII.

Questions.

To the Teacher. — Place some object, as, for instance, a book, before the class. Ask them to think about it. Let the pupils ask questions about it. Require them to write a few of the most sensible questions. Something like the following may be the result:

1. What is the name of the book ?

2. To whom does the book belong?

3. Of what is the book made ?

4. How much did the book cost?

5. Where was the book bought ?

Answer in oral sentences.

1. Of what were you thinking when you asked the first question? Ans. I was thinking of the name of the book.

2. Of what were you thinking when you asked the second question ? the third ? the fourth ? the fifth ?

3. What is a sentence f

4. Are the five groups of words which you have written sentences ? Why ?

5. What one name, then, will include both statements and questions?

6. With what kind of letter does each sentence begin ?

7. What mark is placed at the end of eacli question ?

8. Make a rule for the use of capital letters in sentences.

9. Make a rule for the use of the period.

10, Make a rule for the use of the interrogation point.

IiESSOK Till.

Study carefully the spelling, capitals, and punctuation in this lesson.

Dictation Exercise.

Deaf and dumb people can neither speak nor hear. They have a sign language. Did you ever see them use this language ? Do they talk rapidly with it ?

Many deaf mutes have been taught to speak. Then they are no longer mutes.

Answer in complete sentences.

1. Which words in the dictation exercise are dissyllables? Which is a trisyllable? How many monosyllables ?

In rapidly, why is y a vowel ? Give a reason for each punctuation mark. Why are the capitals used? What are mutes? What are deaf mutes?

LESSOIST IX.

Review.

1. Make one statement about each of five different things in the room.

2. How many sentences have you used ?

3. With what kind of letter does each sentence begin ?

4. What mark have you placed after each sentence ?

5. Ask five questions about the same things.

6. What words, in the five questions begin with capital letters, and why ?

7. What mark is placed after each question ?

8. How many kinds of sentences have you used, and what are their names ?

WESSON X.

The Sentence.

Copy the following groups of words, and complete those that are not sentences :

Every thing that breathes is an animal.

An old man in tattered clothing.

When in Boston did you enjoy ?

Do little birds have a language ?

On Christmas-day should we not remember the poor?

While on my way to school this morning.

1. Tell which of the foregoing groups of words are not sentences, and why they are not.

2. Copy from your reading book five short statements and five questions. Have you copied sentences? How can you tell?

3. Give one rule for the use of capital letters, one for the use of periods, and one for the use of interrogation marks in the sentences which you have copied.

LESSON XI.

Information Exercise.

First, answer each question separately, and then combine each group of answers into one sentence.

1. Give, in one sentence, the names of five animals ; of five plants, in another ; of five minerals, in another.

2. Do animals grow? move about? breathe? feel? die?

3. Do plants grow ? move about ? breathe ? feel ? die ?

4. Do minerals grow? move about? breathe? feel? die?

IiESSON XII.

Information Exercise.

To the Teacher. — Lessons like this and the preceding are very suggestive, and niay require all the time that can be given to language-work for two or three days. Oral exercises should precede written, as pupils should not be required to write what they do not clearly understand.

Kefer to Lesson XI. and answer the following questions :

1. How do animals and plants resemble each other?

3. How do animals and plants differ from each other?

2, How do minerals differ from animals ?

4. How do minerals differ from plants?

5. How do minerals resemble plants?

A whale, a fly, an elephant, a sparrow, a tiger, a snail, a beetle, a spider, a snake, and a worm are animals that differ widely from one another. Make two statements about each one.

IiESSON XIII.

A Story. (Original.)

Write a true story about some animal that you have known. Please to note carefully the following suggestions :

a. Be sure that each thought is complete before writing it in a sentence.

b. Be sure to begin each sentence with a capital.

c. Be sure to punctuate every sentence.

d. Write as well as you can.

e. If you have any doubt whatever about the spelling of a word, find it in the dictionary, or ask to have it written on the blackboard.

/. Do not try to write too much.

WESSON XIV.

Information Exercise.

First oral and then written.

1. Are birds, fishes, and insects animals ?

2. Which do you think are the five most useful animals ?

3. Tell why each is useful ?

4. What is the largest animal that you have seen ?

5. Of what use, if any, is he to man ?

6. Tell a story that you have heard or read about this animal.

To the Teacher. — It is expected that very many questions will be asked and answered during the discussion of such lessons as the foregoing. Demand complete statements for all answers. New or difficult words should be written upon the blackboard. Such lessons should stimulate children to find out things for themselves. Hence, close the lesson with questions to be answered next day.

liESSOX XV.

Information Exercise.

1. Name five important food plants.

2. Which plant do you think feeds the most people ?

3. Name three plants that are useful for clothing.

4. What is the largest plant that you have seen ?

5. Give some of its uses.

6. Name some plants that are cultivated only because they are beautiful.

7. Do you think such plants are useful ?

LESSOR XVI.

Information Exercise.

Some minerals are called metals. Gold, silver, copper, mercury, lead, tin, etc. are metals.

1. Name six useful metals.

2. Which do you think most useful ? Give reasons.

3. How are minerals usually obtained ?

4. Brass is made from two other metals. What are they?

5. From what is steel made?

6. From what mineral is window glass made ?

LESSON XVII.

Dictation and Classification.

Study spelling, capitals, and punctuation.

Dictation Exercise.

Every thing in the world" is either animal, vegetable, or mineral. Things that we get from animals are called animal productions. Things that we get from plants are called vegetable productions. Every thing else is mineral. So there are only three classes of objects. When we say a thing is animal, vegetable, or mineral, we classify it.

Classification Exercise.

Classify the objects named below, thus : Corn is a vegetable production.

salt cotton leather hair pepper stone bread milk eggs coffee ivory water ribbon butter candv paper

LANGUAGE EXERCISES.

IiESSON XVIII.

Story from a Picture.

Write a story from the picture above, using the following hints :

The little boy and girl that you see in the picture are brother and sister. Where do they live? Do you think they are playing truant, or is it a holiday? Which is older, the boy or the girl, and what are their names?

They have been out playing and have found a strange dog. I wonder what has happened to him! They found him lying by the side of the road and crying piteously. He looked up at them as though he would like to tell them what had happened. The children could hear the noise of a carriage that had just been driven by. Has he been run over, or has he been bitten by another dog? What are the children trying to do? Why do they pity the poor dog?

When they have bound up the poor dog's foot, do you suppose they will take him to their own home? What a nice playfellow he will make if he gets well !

iLESSOX XIX.

Pronunciation and Classification.

Pronounce very distinctly the following words according to the marking :

happiness

Write in separate columns the monosyllables, the dissyllables, and the trisyllables, arranging the words in each column alphabetically.

Use each word in an oral sentence, speaking very distinctly.

LESSON XX.

Commit the following selection to memory, studying the meaning of each sentence :

A WORD TO BOYS.

You are made to be kind, boys, — generous, magnanimous. If there is a boy in school who has a club-foot, don't let him know you ever saw it. If there is a poor boy with ragged clothes, don't talk about rags in his hearing. If there is a lame boy, assign him some part in the game that doesn't require running. If there is a hungry one, give him part of your dinner. If there is a dull one, help him get his lesson. If there is a bright one, be not envious of him ; for if one boy is proud of his talents, and another is envious of them, there are two great wrongs, and no more talent than before. If a boy has injured you, and is sorry for it, forgive him. All the school will show by their countenances how much better it is than to have a great fuss. — Horace Mann.

To the Teacher. — One or two conversation lessons may well be had upon the foregoing extract. Be sure that each sentence has suggested its appropriate thought.

Chapter Two. IiESSON" I

Proper Names.

The name of a particular person, place or thing is called a, proper name, or proper noun; as, John, Chicago, England.

Dictation Exercise.

Write the following sentences, and then select the proper nouns. Notice carefully the spelling and capital letters.

1. Sleepy Hollow is near the Hudson River.

2. Is not Bunker Hill in Boston ?

3. The home of George Washington was in Virginia.

4. In what State is the city of New York ?

5. The cajrital of the United States is on the Potomac.

6. Benjamin Franklin lived in Philadelphia.

7. George Washington was inaugurated President of the United States on April 30, 1789, at New York.

Oral Exercise on the foregoing sentences.

1. Give reasons for the punctuation.

2. Which proper nouns contain more than one word ?

3. Make a rule for writing each word in the proper names.

4. Classify the. words in the proper names according to the number of syllables.

5. Select the statements in the dictation exercise.

6. Select the questions.

7. Change the first statement into a question.

8. Change the first question into a statement.

9. Tell some story about George Washington.

10. State two or more facts about Benjamin Franklin.

WESSON II.

Proper Names (Continued).

1, Write five sentences, each containing the name of a boy and the name of the place where he lives.

2, Write the same of five girls whom you know.

3, Write a short account of a visit to one of these boys or girls.

Note. — Read the suggestions in Lesson XIII., Chapter One, before writing.

;LESSO]sr in.

Names and Dates.

Oral and then ivritten.

Be sure of the capitals and of the spelling of the words that you will use in writing the answers to the following questions :

Answer in complete sentences and use no abbreviations.

1. When is your birthday ?

2. On what date is Christmas ?

3. Which is the shortest month ?

4. Which months have thirty-one days ?

5. Which months have thirty days ?

6. Which is the middle day of the week ?

7. On which days is there no school ?

8. On which day of the iveek are your lessons poorest?

9. When is Washi no-ton's birthdav ?

10. On what date are you answering this question ?

Make a new rule for the use of capitals.

LANGUAGE EXERCISES.

L.ESSON IV.

Story from a Picture.

Write a story from this picture. The girl, the boy, and the dog are the same that you saw on page 12.

Suggestions.

What have the children been doing? Was it good fun? Did the sticks float down the stream ? What did Carlo do ? How long had they been playing?

What was the little girl trying to do when she fell off the bridge ? Was the water very deep ? Why did Carlo plunge into the water after the little girl? Could the brother help her? Did mamma and papa hear him when he called? What might have happened ?

Was the little girl sick for a long time? I wonder whether Carlo used to go into the sick-room to see her? Was she glad that they had so good a dog? Do you suppose that papa and mamma were sorry that the children had taken pity on the poor, lame dog?

LESSOR V.

Vowel Sounds.

Some of the vowels have other sounds besides the long and the short sounds.

The letter a has a different sound in each of these words : cane, can, tall, far, ask.

You know the names of the first two sounds of a. The third is called broad a, and the fourth Italian a. The fifth sound is the hardest of all to learn. It is just midway between short a and Italian a. It should be heard in such words as ask, grass, branch., dance, glass, task.

1. Tell which of the following words have broad a and which have Italian a : far, fall, are, palm, talk, all, star, squall, mark, hard ? Mark the a in each word.

2. Write five other words containing broad a, and five containing Italian a.

WESSON VI.

Vowel Sounds (Continued).

The sound of o in move, of oo in moon, and of u in rude, are all exactly alike. The sound is called long oo, and the vowels are marked as you see them.

The sounds of o in wolf, oo in foot, and u in bull, are all alike. The sound is called short oo.

1. Pronounce the following words with the long oo sound, and tell how the vowels should be marked : v^hose, soon, true, prove, do, room, fruit, canoe, rule, brute.

2. Pronounce the following words with the short oo sound, and tell how the vowels should be marked : push, good, foot, pull, woman.

3. Review Lesson V.

LESSON VII.

Information Exercise.

Study the following description of the fly until you can write it correctly from dictation :

THE FLY.

The fly is an insect, and so it has six legs and its body seems to be almost cut into three parts. On its head it has two large eyes ; and if you could look at it through a strong glass, you would see that each eye is made up of a great many small eyes.

It has two wings, with which it can fly ; and the wings move so fast that they hum when the fly darts through the air.

It has three pair of legs, and with them it can walk or run ; but it does not jump.

Its feet are so made that it can walk up a wall or a pane of glass, or even crawl on the flat ceiling of a room.

Wood's "Natural History Reader."

Note. — The teacher may find it convenient to divide the dictation exercise above into two short ones. Similar extracts, containing valuable information, may be selected and dictated to the class.

A few judicious conversation and observation lessons on the "Fly" will prepare the pupils for the language lessons which follow.

Consult elementary works on Natural History, and, if possible, lead the children to examine specimens with the aid of magnifying glasses.

Conversation Exercise.

Suggestions.

Tell what you know about each topic below. Be sure that your thoughts are properly expressed in sentences.

1. The fly, an insect. Why? Its eyes, legs, feet, trunk.

2. The egg — the grub — the hard shell.

3. When the fly stops growing.

4. How the fly eats.

5. How it keeps itself clean.

lessok yra.

Composition.

Write a description of a fly, following the order of the " Suggestions " in Lesson VII. Add anything of interest that you have learned.

LESSON" IX.

Words and their Opposites.

1, What are the opposites of rough, siveet, brittle, long, up, right, east, north, swift, best?

2, Write sentences each of which shall contain one of the foregoing words and its opposite.

Accented Syllables.

Words of more than one syllable have what is called an accented syllable; that is, a syllable which is pronounced with a stronger impulse of the voice than the others in the same word. Thus, in the words yesterday, playing, and garden, the first syllables are accented. In the dictionaries such syllables are marked as follows :

3, Separate the following words into syllables, and mark the accented syllable in each -.—delay, honest, becoming, syllable, others, belong, incomplete, believe, follow.

Review.

1. Arrange the words, in the list above, alphabetically.

2. Classify them as to syllables.

3. Mark the accented vowel in each word to indicate its sound.

4. Is y a vowel or a consonant in the word syllable f Why?

LESSOR" X.

Dictation Exercise.

Study carefully the spelling, capitals, and punctuation of the following exercise :

To the Teacher. — Dictate each sentence distinctly and but once.

Bunker Hill is in Boston, the capital of Massachusetts. The battle of Bunker Hill was fought in June, 1775. The Americans fought on one side, and the British on the other. The British troops were assisted by the ships in the Charles River. Were the British or the Americans, victorious? Where is Bunker Hill Monument?

1. Arrange in a column and separate into syllables all the dissyllables, marking the accented syllable of each word.

2. Arrange and mark in the same way the trisyllables ; the polysyllables.

3. Give reasons for the use of periods and question marks in the dictation exercise above.

LESSON XI.

Pronunciation.

Pronounce distinctly the following words as they are marked :

class bron chi' tis re cess'

root stamp'ing chance

1. Use each word in an oral sentence.

2. Arrange all the words alphabetically, and mark, from memory, the accented vowels as in the dictionary.

LESSON XII.

Dictation Exercise.

Study carefully the following sentences, and find out the answers to the questions :

To the Teacher. — Require each question to be written after one reading, and then have the answer written in a complete sentence.

1. On what date is (or was) Easter Sunday this year?

2. What occurs the first Monday of every December?

3. What takes place, every fourth year, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November?

4. How many days between Ash-Wednesday and Easter Sunday?

5. What usually comes the last Thursday of November?

6. What is the Friday before Easter called?

7. Can there ever be five Saturdays in February ? Explain.