PLURAL

We play in the yard.
We go every day.

We have a book.

You play with me.

You have some candy.

You are here.

We are here.

SINGULAR

I play in the yard.
I go every day.

I have a book.

You play with me.

You have some candy.

You are here.

I am here.

Read the following sentences, changing the subjects from the plural number to the singular number. Explain what changes, if any, are made in the predicates.

1. They study the "Fourth Reader" every day.

2. The boys go quickly on all errands.

3. The girls sing many songs sweetly.
4. The fire bells ring loudly.

5. Horses often trot very fast.

6. Tulips blossom early in the spring.

7. We have new summer suits.

8. Little children often cry for a drink of milk.
9. Birds drink from the fountain in my garden every

morning.

10. Boys, you came to school too early.

II. They have mowers to cut the grass.

From the list of verbs on the next page, copy in one column those that may be used with singular noun subjects; in another column, those that may be used with the pronoun subjects, he, she, or it; in a third column, those that may be used with plural noun or pronoun subjects; in a fourth column, those that may be used with the pronouns I and you as subjects. Are any two of your lists alike?

From the following list of verbs,

priate predicates for the subjects.

choose appro

Be careful to change, if necessary, the form of the predicate to

make it agree with the number of the subject.

75. A DRILL, AND REVIEW

a. From the list below write in one column the nouns in the singular number (6).

b. Write in a second column the nouns in the plural number (9).

c. From the following list name the verbs that

may be used with singular noun subjects (9).

d. Name the verbs (9) that may be used with plural noun subjects.

e. Select from the list below the pronouns (8) in the singular number. Write them in one column. f. Write the pronouns in the plural number (7) in another column.

g. Which pronouns may be either singular or plural?

Choose the correct forms of the verbs to use in

the following sentences:

every day. (go) 6. That horse

us. (see)

sugar. (eat)

(bite) 7. This cat
8. You

-water. (drink)

peaches. (like)

76. A COMPOSITION

Something Going On

A long time ago, when Jim and Dan Ayres were boys, they lived on a farm in Virginia. One Sunday morning their father started them to Sunday school. After they had loitered along the way for a mile or two, Jim Ayres noticed a commotion over beyond what they called the Big Woods.

"What's that!" Jim said, stopping. It was getting late by this time, and Dan replied, "I don't know, but we'd better hurry up and get to Sunday school, or we'll get a whipping."

Then they hurried on, but the commotion over beyond the Big Woods broke out again faintly. It was very unusual, and Jim stopped and listened. He had never heard anything like it before, although he was a big boy twelve years old. After listening awhile, he said,

"I'm going over there!"

"Better not," Dan said. "You know father whips hard." But the strange commotion continued, so Jim said he was going, whipping or no whipping. Dan followed, but kept saying they would catch it when they returned home. E. W. HOWE

Think of an appropriate ending for the story. The picture on the opposite page tells you what really happened, but you may finish the story in any way you wish. Write the story from the beginning. Be careful to punctuate the quotations correctly, and to put the apostrophe in each contraction.

When you have finished your story, read it through carefully to see if you have begun every sentence with a capital letter. Do your sentences that express feeling end with exclamation points? Did you begin the name of every place with a capital letter? How many contractions did you use correctly?

77. A LANGUAGE LESSON

A very common error is that of using the incorrect form of the verb to show a singular or a plural subject. If the sentence is short, a mistake is not