176 USING THE POSSESSIVE PLURAL 1. The soldiers' uniforms are of khaki. 2. We enjoyed the Indians' war dance. 3. The men's meeting was held at eight o'clock. Notice that the uniforms were the property of more than one soldier, the war dance was performed by many Indians; the meeting was held for many men. When a plural noun shows possession, the apostrophe iş generally placed after the s. When the plural form does not end in s, the apostrophe is placed before the s just as in making the singular possessive. Write sentences using the following in the possessive form. 1. dolls belonging to more than one girl When a plural noun ends in s, the possessive form is made by placing an apostrophe after the s. 177 FINDING A STORY IN A PICTURE Look at the picture on page 183 carefully. Answer each of the following questions in a sentence. 1. Where are these boys? 2. Why did they come to the country? 3. Why are two of them building a fire? 4. What have they all been doing? 5. What will they do after the fire is built? Now make up a story about the picture. Give the story a title. Write it, leaving a blank line between the title and the story. Write the story in one paragraph. Make every sentence help along the story thought. 178 LEARNING TO COPY Copy the following. Where are the commas placed? Why? No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, No-vember! -Hood. 179 SPEAKING WORDS CORRECTLY OU AND OW SNOWFLAKES Out of the sky they come, Some in the empty nest, Dressed in a fleecy gown, Over her head-the sun. -Frank Dempster Sherman. As your teacher reads this poem, try to see the picture the poet makes. How many stanzas are there in this poem? What part of the picture does the first stanza make? the second? and third? 180 READING Six of you may stand, taking the reading position. Read the following, in turn. Be sure to speak correctly the sound of ow (ä-ōō) in out, gown, crown. 1. Out of the sky they come, wandering down the air; 2. Some to the roofs, and some whiten the branches bare; 3. Some in the empty nest, some on the ground below, 4. Until the world is dressed all in a gown of snow. 5. Dressed in a fleecy gown, out of the snowflakes spun; 6. Wearing a golden crown over her head-the sun. Each of the six may read one part of the thought in the poem. Notice that you did not read by lines. In reading a poem, you do not always pause at the end of a line. If you do, sometimes you will not give the poet's thought. Now listen while your teacher reads the poem, watching the lines as she reads. Where does the reading-pause come in the third and fourth lines of the first stanza? Where does the reading-pause come in the third and fourth lines of the second stanza? Where does the reading-pause come in the third and fourth lines of the third stanza? Who would like to read the whole poem to the class? Remember that reading aloud is giving the poet's thought or message to others. 181 LEARNING TO WRITE LETTERS THE BUSINESS LETTER The letters that you have written so far have been friendly letters, in which you have chatted with your friends just as if you had been talking with them. There is another kind of letter which you will be obliged to write often in the course of your life. That is the so-called business letter, or the formal letter. An example of such a letter is one in which you subscribe for a magazine. Here is a model of the business letter. 1028 Calvert Street Baltimore, Md. September 10, 1918 The Youth's Companion Perry Mason Company Gentlemen: Please send me "The Youth's Companion" for one year, beginning with the issue of January 1, 1919. I inclose a money order for two dollars ($2.00), your subscription price. Very truly yours, John Belmont Compare this letter with the friendly letter on page 104. What difference of form do you note? Is there a difference in the way of writing the heading? Look at the salutation. What do you notice above the salutation? This part of a business letter is called the introductory address. The salutation in the letter is Gentlemen: This is the usual way of beginning a letter which is addressed to a |