191. A LANGUAGE LESSON

Mistakes are often made by confusing certain contractions with possessive pronouns or possessive adjectives. Read the following paragraphs, making a list of these words and noticing that neither a possessive pronoun nor a possessive adjective require an apostrophe.

In the Attic

The children were visiting Aunt Martha, and it was a rainy day. Aunt Martha had suggested many things to entertain them, but nothing seemed to strike their fancy.

Finally she said, "Would n't you like to go up to the attic? You may play with anything you find there." The children started at once. Attic was a magic word with them.

"Let's play that everything here is ours," said Mary. "Oh, yes, and let's decide which will be John's, which will be yours, and which will be mine," cried Dick.

"I'll be an old lady of long ago," said Mary, “and these dresses will be mine."

"Then this is hers," said Dick, as he tossed over an oldfashioned hat. "As for me, I'll be a soldier."

"This helmet is yours, of course," said John, passing it to him.

"And that must be his, too!" exclaimed May, pointing to an old sword.

"Both Uncle David and Uncle Paul were soldiers, and these things must be theirs," said Dick, as he opened a trunk containing soldiers' uniforms.

The Darning Needle

"So you're disposed of," said the darning needle to herself, as the bit of bottle was carried down the gutter.

"I remain here, for I'm too fine. But that's my pride, and my pride is honorable. I could almost believe I had been born of a sunbeam, I'm so fine. It really appears to me as if the sunbeams were always seeking for me under the water. Oh, I'm so fine that my mother cannot find me. If I had my old eye, which broke off, I should cry. But, no, I should not do that. It's not genteel to cry."

One day two street boys were grubbing in the gutter, where they sometimes found old nails, farthings, and similar treasures. It was dirty work, but they took great delight in it.

"Oh," cried one who had pricked himself with the darning needle. "There's a fellow for you. Here comes an eggshell along." And they stuck the darning needle fast in the eggshell.

From The Darning Needle, by HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN Make a list of the contractions in the paragraphs above, and write after each the words that have been shortened; as, you're for you are.

Write sentences, using correctly the contractions, possessive pronouns, and possessive adjectives in this lesson. Try to join your sentences into brief paragraphs.

192. COMPARISON

Examine the adjectives in the following sentences: 1. Mary has a large apple.

2. John has a larger apple.

3. Harry has the largest apple.

"Large," "larger," and "largest" are forms of the same adjective, expressing three degrees of size. "Large" tells the kind of apple. "Larger" indicates the same kind, only to a greater degree

when compared with the first apple. "Largest indicates that the object has the most of that quality when compared with the other two.

The simplest form of the adjective is called the positive degree.

The form that shows a higher degree of a quality is called the comparative degree.

The form that shows the highest degree of a quality is called the superlative degree.

From the study of the words above find what letters must be added to a word in the positive degree to form the comparative degree. Then write a clear statement telling how the comparative degree is formed.

What letters must be added to the positive degree to form the superlative degree? Write a statement telling how the superlative degree is formed. Follow the rules you have made, and write the three degrees of these adjectives: warm, ripe, large, fast, proud, sweet.

Sometimes the comparative degree shows a less degree, and the superlative degree the least degree, of a quality; as, weak, weaker, weakest.

a. Compare small, young, cheap.

b. From the following sentences, make a list of ten