COMPOSITION EXERCISES.

a.

We may briefly describe a place by answering the following questions:

1. What is it? 2. Where is it? 3 What is it noted for?

1. It is a great city.

MODEL: "Chicago."

2. It is in the State of Illinois.

3. It is noted for its trade in grain.

These statements may be thus combined:

Chicago, a great city in the State of Illinois, is noted for its trade in grain.

Make statements of each of the following places, and combine into a sentence.

1. Boston.

2. San Francisco.

3. Cincinnati.

4. New Orleans.

5. Baltimore.

6. The place you live in.

b.

We may briefly describe a building, such as a house, a church, or a railroad depot, by answering the following questions:

1. What is it? 2. What is it used for? 3. What are its principal parts? 4. What is it built of?

1. It is a building.

MODEL: "A house."

2. It is used for a dwelling-place.

3. Its principal parts are the walls, roof, floors, rooms, windows, doors, and halls.

4. It is built of wood, brick, or stone.

Combined. A house is a building which is used for a dwelling-place. It is built of wood, brick, or stone, and its principal parts are the walls, roof, floors, rooms, windows, doors, and halls.

Make statements of each of the following objects, and combine

into two sentences.

1. A church.

2. A railroad depot.

3. A barn.

4. A jail.

C.

5. An asylum.

6. Our post-office.

The following story is to be read aloud to the class, and pupils are then to write what they can remember of it. (This is called an abstract from memory.)

DON'T GIVE TOO MUCH FOR THE WHISTLE.

When I was a little boy about seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pockets with spending-money. I went directly towards a shop where toys for children were sold; and being charmed with the sound of a whistle, in the hands of another boy that I met by the way, I offered him all my money for it. I then came home, and went whistling over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers, sisters, and cousins, hearing of the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for the whistle as it was worth. This put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and they laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vexation. This little event was afterwards of use to me, for often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself: “Don't give too much for the whistle;" and so I saved my money.-Benjamin Franklin.

SECTION II.

THE SENTENCE AND ITS ELEMENTS.

IX.-DEFINITION OF THE SENTENCE.

Fire burns.

Analysis. Here something is named-"fire." Something is said about fire-(it) "burns."

Explanation. Whenever we say something about anything, we express a thought. A thought expressed in words is called a

sentence.

DEFINITION. A sentence is a combination of words expressing a complete thought: as

1. Rain is falling.

2. The stars are distant.

3. The merry schoolboy whistles loudly.

RULE FOR CAPITALS. — The first word of every sentence should begin with a capital letter.

NOTE.-A sentence is made up of words; but words thrown together at random do not form a sentence: they must mean something before they can be a sentence. A pupil was told to write a sentence on air. She wrote these words: "The air that we breathe." Now these words are not a sentence, for the reason that they do not make any complete statement. They might easily be converted into a sentence by saying, "The air that we breathe is sweet," or "The air that we breathe is a fluid."

EXERCISE 9.

Supply such words as will convert into sentences the following incomplete collections of words.

MODEL: "In 1492 Columbus discovered America."

5. When Washington had cut down the cherry-tree

6. The city of New York is ......

7. The Empire of China

8. was a great patriot.

......

X.-KINDS OF SENTENCES.

I. A sentence may take one or other of these forms:

1. Declarative. It may simply express a statement, or declare something: as, "The sun shines." Such a sentence is called a declarative sentence.

2. Interrogative. It may ask a question: as, "Are you ill?” Such a sentence is called an interrogative sentence.

8. Imperative. It may express a command: as, "Go away." Such a sentence is called an imperative sentence.

4. Exclamative.-It may express a wish: as, "May every blessing attend you!" Such a sentence is called an exclamative

sentence.

II. RULE FOR TERMINAL MARKS.*-A declarative or an imperative sentence is closed with a period (.); an interrogative sentence, with an interrogation point (?); an exclamative sentence, with an exclamation point (!).

EXERCISE 10.

a.

Copy on slates or paper the following sentences.

Exchange

exercises for correction as to (1) spelling, (2) capitals, and (3) terminal marks.

1. The farmer mows the waving grass.

2. Tell me what you want.

3. What are you doing? Where are you going?

4. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

5. Our brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

6. Oh! call my brother back to me !

I cannot play alone.

The summer comes with flower and bee;

Where is my brother gone?

b.

Form sentences of the kinds indicated, using the following

words:

STATEMENTS.

Washington......

Gold......

Our state..

Many ships....

QUESTIONS.

COMMANDS.

..is......situated? Cease....

....steam-engine? Write.........

....discovered....? Send......

Did......know........ ? Honor..

* A terminal mark is a mark of punctuation placed at the end or termination of a sentence.