II Grammar Made Interesting and Easy To Remember
Of late there has risen, from college professors and from business executives, a
demand for more correctness in speech. Let no one who is ambitious to better him-
self and to improve his chances for success fail to heed this warning. In the lessons
that follow, the beginner or one who has studied grammar before may find, in simple,
clear, and interesting form all that is essential in the subject.
(1) The Value of Grammar
English grammar shows us not only what it is correct to say but why it is correct.
You may be told that you shouldn't say I seen him when he done it, but can you ex-
plain why it is not correct? Perhaps your English speech is fairly exact. Would you
not like to test it and make certain that it is correct? A mechanic may be able to put
together the parts of a machine, but unless he knows the reason for each step he is
apt to make mistakes.
(2) The Sentence as a Tool of Power
A sentence is a group of words which expresses a complete thought.
A Guide to Self-Education
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Exercise 1
Study these groups of words and decide which combinations of groups would ex-
press complete thoughts:
1. The Norwegian peasant. 2. Is tall and muscular. 3. He has blue or gray eyes.
4. An intelligent man. 5. Although he is somewhat slow. 6. In the expression of his
thoughts. 7. He is better educated. 8. Than the small English farmer. 9. His wife
and children. 10. Even if they are not especially pretty. 11. They have a pleasant
appearance.
Try to write what is given in these eleven groups, so that what you write will ex-
press complete thoughts. For example, combine the first and second groups and
you will have formed a sentence.
Now a complete sentence has two parts; one of these names something, and the
other tells something about the thing named. The first is called the subject and the
second is called the predicate. In the sentences you have made, name the subject and
the predicate. For example, in the first sentence the subject is peasant, and the predi-
cate is is tall and muscular.
In every sentence there is some one word or its substitute that may be called the
simple subject and another that may be called the simple predicate. In the sentence
The old house stood on the hill, the simple subject is house and the simple predicate is
stood. The entire subject, The old house, we call the complete subject and the entire
predicate, stood on the hill, we call the complete predicate. Find the simple and
complete subjects, and the simple and complete predicates in the sentences you
made about the Norwegian peasant. In the first sentence peasant is the simple sub-
ject and is is the simple predicate.
Sometimes the order of a sentence is changed, and it is not so easy to find the sub-
jects and predicates. In the sentence On the mountain was a tower, you will call tower
the simple subject and was the simple predicate.
Exercise 2
Find both the simple and complete subjects and predicates in these sentences:
1. In the houses are found three rooms.
2. On festive occasions appear the natives in gorgeous costumes.
3. Is the building an old one?
4. Where do the farmer and his wife eat their meals?
5. From the ceiling are hung rough wooden shelves.
6. By the side of the child went the tiny dog.
Now you will find it interesting to experiment on sentences in other books. Do not
get discouraged if you find long sentences that are puzzling.
(3) The Parts of Speech -- A Treasure Hunt
Let us organize a treasure hunt. The treasure is to be found in this selection from
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography:
At that time I established myself in Philadelphia. Alas! no good bookseller's
shop could be found in any of the colonies to the south of Boston. In New
York and Philadelphia the printers were stationers. They sold almanacs, bal-
lads, and a few schoolbooks. Those who loved reading must send for their books
from England. The members of the Junto had a few. We had left the ale-
house, where we first met, and hired a room in which we held our club. I then
The Parts of Speech
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proposed that we commence a public library. This library soon afforded me
the means of improvement by constant study, and I set apart an hour or two
each day for this. This repaired in some degree the loss of the learned educa-
tion which my father once intended for me. Reading was the only amusement
which I allowed myself.
Now for the hunt. You have learned, in your early schooling, to identify the eight
parts of speech. But perhaps it is not as clear as it once was. So before you start on
the hunt, let us review.
A noun is a word that stands for a definite object or idea. Examples. The boy is
tired. Happiness is worth seeking for.
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Examples. They are here. I
know who is lost.
A verb is a word that asserts, or commands, or asks a question. Examples. He
looks tired. Go quickly. Has he any money?
You will find the verb often expressed by more than one word. Examples. He could
go. They were asked to go. He has been sent.
An adjective is a word used with a noun to describe or limit the noun. Examples.
The old house has many loose shingles. We include the articles a, an, and the in the
adjectives.
An adverb is a word that modifies or changes the meaning of a verb, adjective, or
other adverb. They may tell how, when, where, why, or how much. Examples. He
ran very slowly on the exceedingly rough walk.
A preposition is a word introducing a noun and relating it to some other word.
Examples. He lived in the house across the street.
A conjunction is a word joining words or groups of words. Examples. John and
James went home, but we remained. The word and connects words; the word but con-
nects statements. In some cases the groups are called clauses. This is when the
groups contain both subjects and predicates. Sometimes the conjunction connects a
dependent, or subordinate, clause to the clause on which it depends. Examples.
Henry ran because he was afraid. The man asked if he might go.
Notice this sentence: The man who spoke was an orator. In the word who we
have an example of a word that may be classed both as a pronoun and as a conjuc-
tion. Can you tell why? It is usually called a relative pronoun and classed under
pronouns.
Notice this sentence: Light the lamp and the light will give a light flicker. This
shows that the same word may be used as different parts of speech. Remember that
it is the way a word is used that determines what part of speech it is.
An interjection is a word having no relationship to the rest of the sentence, and ex-
pressing strong feeling. Example. Alas! he was lost.
Exercise 3
Now with these definitions in mind you should be ready to start on the treasure
hunt. On a paper arrange columns, with the names of the parts of speech as headings.
In the columns put the words in the Franklin selection, being sure to get each word in
its proper place. It will not be necessary to repeat the same word after it has once
been listed.
WEBSTER'S
New AMERICAN
DICTIONARY
COMPLETELY NEW AND UP TO DATE. PLANNED AND
WRITTEN BY MODERN EDUCATORS AND LEXICOGRAPHERS
ESPECIALLY TO SERVE THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
OF SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND SELF-EDUCATION AT HOME
Managing Editor
LEWIS M. ADAMS
Editor-in-chief
EDWARD N. TEALL, A.M.
C. RALPH TAYLOR, A.M.,
Author of Self-Education Department and Associate Editor;
Editor "The Home University Encyclopedia," "New American Encyclopedia,"
author of "Vital English"
Simplified Self-Education Treatises on:
GRAMMAR PUNCTUATION VOCABULARY TESTS
WRITING PRONUNCIATION WORDS MISPRONOUNCED
SPEAKING CAPITALIZATION DANGER FLAGS
Illustrated -- Self-Pronouncing -- Synonyms -- Antonyms
This Dictionary is not published by the original pub-
lishers of Webster's Dictionary, or by their successors
1959
B O O K S, I N C .
NEW YORK
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