...... 11. I shall not tell you, you promise to keep the secret. ...... ...... ...... Name the class and subdivision of each word in the following exercise: a. The spider is a cunning fellow. He makes his living by his arts and stratagems. He lives by snares and plots; and yet he is an interesting little creature. He exhibits wonderful skill and in genuity in weaving his nest, and possesses extraordinary pa a tience and perseverance. The thread of the spider is a soft substance, which is contained in a little bag in the body of the insect. b. Little Ann had a famous dog. His name was Grip. One day Ann went out to visit a poor woman, and took Grip with her. Grip had not gone far until he saw a cat. He immediately gave chase; but the cat ran up a tree, and was safe. Grip stood at the bottom, and barked with all his might; but the cat never heeded him. C. Three or four years before Watt patented his steam-engine and Arkwright his spinning-jenny, there was born in a New England farm-house a boy whose work was needed to complete theirs. His name was Eli Whitney. Eli was a born mechanic. It was his nature to invent and construct. When a mere boy, he made pins and walking-canes, and thus earned money to support himself at college. In 1792 he went to Georgia. A friend with whom he stayed begged him to invent a machine to separate the seeds of cotton from the fibre. He shut himself up in his room and brooded over the difficulty. At length his rude-looking machine was finished. It was put in motion. It was evident to all that it could do the work of hundreds of men. Eli had gained a great victory for mankind. In that rude hut in Georgia, cotton was crowned king, and a new era was opened for America and the world. d. Then came a burst of thunder sound The boy-O, where was he? Ask of the winds that far around With fragments strewed the sea With mast, and helm, and pennon fair, 1. There.... 1. 2. on ...... ...... COMPOSITION EXERCISES. a.-Filling Blanks. THE MARTINS. an amusing story...... of two martins. 2. One spring, back to their old nest, they ...... a sparrow ...... already possession of it as her own. 3. When the martins ...... to in, the sparrow at them, and ...... not 4. The swallows ...... some of their companions to their aid; but, what they they not the sparrow ......) that they last they away, and the sparrow (that, if sparrows her to the nest in quiet. 6. But the next day they all ...... back. 7. There ...... more than a hundred martins, and each a bit of clay in its beak. 8. Then they to work, and up the door of the nest with the clay; so that the poor sparrow and ...... of course for want of food and air. What happens to sugar if you leave it in the water? If you put sugar into tea, what happens to the sugar? tea? FRUIT-TREES. At what time of the year do fruit-trees blossom? When is the fruit ripe? When do the leaves fall from the trees? Are there any trees which are in leaf all the year round? c.-Composition from Outlines. BREAD.. Made from wheat-crushed in the mill-sifting or separating into the bran and the flour-the flour then formed into dough by being well mixed with water-leavening the dough—mixing it with yeast or old leaven-rising-baking-bread made from Indian corn, barley, and rye—how these kinds compare with wheaten bread. [Girls may add a recipe for making any kind of bread or cake.] d.-Abstract from Memory. TURNING THE GRINDSTONE. When I was a little boy, I remember, one cold winter's morning, I was accosted by a smiling man with an axe on his shoulder. "My pretty boy," said he, "has your father a grindstone ?" "Yes, sir," said I. "You are a fine little fellow," said he; "will you let me grind my axe on it?" Pleased with the compliment of "fine little fellow," "O yes, sir,” I answered, “it is down in the shop." "And will you, my little man," said he, patting me on the head, “get me a little hot water?" How could I refuse? I ran, and soon brought a kettleful. "How old are you? and what's your name?" continued he; "I am sure you are one of the finest lads that ever I have seen; will you just turn a few minutes for me?" Tickled with the flattery, like a little fool, I went to work, and bitterly did I regret it. It was a new axe, and I toiled and tugged till I was very tired. The school-bell rang, but I could not get away; my hands were blistered, and the axe was not half ground. At length, however, it was sharpened, and the man turned to me with, "Now, you little rascal, you've played truant; scud to the school, or you'll catch it!" It was hard enough to turn a grindstone, but to be called a little rascal was too bad. e.-Letter-writing. Write a letter to your teacher, giving an account of some picnic, excursion, exhibition, play, or accident. NOTE. Carefully read the "Directions for Letter-writing," page 171. SECTION IV. MODIFICATIONS OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH XLIX.-MODIFICATIONS DEFINED. A noun may denote one or more than one of the objects named: The distinction between one and more than one is called number. A noun may be the subject of a verb, or the object of a verb, or it may denote that the person or thing named possesses some thing. 1. Mother [subj.] loves baby [obj.]. 2. Baby [subj.] loves mother [obj.]. 3. The boy's kite is torn [poss.]. These differences in the form or use of nouns are called case. An adjective may denote a quality in different degrees: thus 1. John is a tall boy. 2. James is taller than John. 3. Richard is the tallest boy in the class. The changes to denote different degrees of a quality are called comparison. |