noun) that is called its object. The preposition and its object are called a prepositional phrase. The following words are used as prepositions: There are many other prepositions, but the ones given above are used most frequently. Make a prepositional phrase with each of the words given above by adding a noun or a pronoun as the object of the preposition. Thus: STOP LOOK LISTEN' across: across the street into: into the water Correct Usage Object of Preposition When a pronoun is the object of a preposition it takes the same form as if it were the object of a verb. Use me, him, her, us, and them as objects of prepositions. Read aloud the following sentences with the correct form of the pronoun: 1. Mother will sit between you and (he, him). 2. Won't you sit by Mary and (I, me)? 3. Mary does not speak to (she, her). 5. Tom went home with Harry and (I, me). When you read a good book do you not wish to tell some one else about it and to interest him in reading it, too? Just as Just as we introduce one friend to another friend, so we like to make our book friends known to people who will enjoy them. In telling some one else about a book we have read, we should try to do two things. In the first place, we should give an idea of what the book is about. This does not mean that we should tell the story; we should let the book do that. In the second place, we should give our own feelings and impressions of the book. The following paragraphs about books were written by pupils. Read them to see if you would care to read the books they describe. THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP The Old Curiosity Shop is one of Charles Dickens's best-known works. It relates the adventures of Little Nell and her grandfather, who are forced to become beggars through the persecutions of Quilp, a dwarf, who is a master of the art of tormenting people. Little Nell and her grandfather had such a hard life that when you read about them you want to cry. But the book is not all sad. There are times when you laugh over the ridiculous people they meet and their funny ways of talking. I enjoyed all of the book, and I think others who like good fiction would have as much pleasure in reading it as I did. A MINSTREL IN FRANCE Harry Lauder, the great Scotch singer, is the author of this book. As soon as war was declared, Lauder's only son, Captain John Lauder, went to the front, where he was killed. His last words to his men were "Carry on." Harry Lauder felt the death of his son so keenly that, although he was too old to fight, he determined to do something to "carry on." His work was to cheer the soldiers in camp with his stories and his songs. A Minstrel in France tells of his experiences in the camps. It is well worth reading. JERRY Jerry is the story by Jack London of a dog in the East Indies. Jerry was captured by head-hunters, and had some interesting experiences before he found a home. It is one of the most absorbing books I ever read, and I think most boys would enjoy it. If you have not read Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey, you will enjoy doing so. It is the true story of a young American who joined the British army before the United States had entered the war. He fought in the trenches for some time until he was wounded while 作 going "over the top." He was not able to go back into the war, but he has done good work since as a writer and a lecturer. I never really understood how the trenches were arranged until I read this book. The book is not sad, for the author saw the funny side whenever there was one to see. In some places in the book the English isn't good, but the story is interesting all the way through. Plan a short talk (four to six sentences) on a book that you have read and liked. Try to give the class an idea of what the book is about, without telling the story of it. Show why you enjoyed it. Be as definite as possible. The statement "The book is interesting" does not tell anything definite about the book. Recognizing Sentences Tell which of the following groups of words are sentences, which are clauses, and which are neither. Give the subject substantive and the predicate verb of each sentence and clause. 1. As soon as I come home 2. This book tells the experiences of a dog 4. To go back over the road 5. The author saw the funny side of things 8. Before we started on our journey 9. While reading in the library 10. The Old Curiosity Shop was written by Dickens Stories of Experiences The books that give us pleasure are those that tell of the experience of others. By experience we do not mean simply outward events, such as accidents, fires, and fights, but we mean especially the way in which outward events affect people. Guy Empey's Over the Top, for example, holds the attention not only because it relates the incidents of war, but because it tells how the war made him and other soldiers feel. Leave out the feelings and impressions of the writer, and you leave out the best part of the book. |