6. Is a girl of sixteen allowed to compete? 7. Is he the salesman? 8. Which is the best grade to buy for our purpose? 10. We inclosed stamps in the last letter. EXERCISE 4 UNDERSTANDING SENTENCES: FINDING THE Substantive is a convenient term because it covers both nouns and pronouns, just as municipality covers both towns and cities. It is a name for the words that stand for what we talk and think about, the words that we might say represent the substance of our thinking. Of course the subject element of every sentence must be a substantive or a group of words used like a substantive. Point out the subject substantive in each sentence of Exercises 2 and 3. (We might talk about predicate substantive, meaning either noun or pronoun used as predicate element, but this term. is not generally used.) What three elements of a sentence may be substantives? Illustrate. Practice pronouncing substantive; it affords good training in articulation. EXERCISE 5 USING OBJECT FORMS OF PRONOUNS CORRECTLY The direct object always represents some other person or thing besides the actor involved in a transitive act. (The only exceptions are themselves, himself, etc., in such sentences as "He cut himself.") It therefore stands for a different person or thing from the subject substantive and is a different form whenever there is a different form to use. But there are only six substantives in common use that have a different form for the object; these are the six pronouns that you have learned. What are they? What is the object form of I? he? she? we? they? who? The only mistake that you are likely to make in the use of most of these object forms is to use them instead of the subject forms as subject and predicate elements. Then, too, you often mispronounce some of them. Never say 'im, 'er, 'em, 'um, dem (or hit for it). Also never say theirselves or hisself, but always themselves or himself. Whom in questions is the object, who is subject substantive or predicate element; in the use of this pronoun you are likely to make mistakes. Fill the blanks in these sentences with the proper forms and give the reason for your choice. EXERCISE 6 SENDING A GOOD MAIL ORDER1 Either decide on something that is really needed for your school or classroom or choose from the advertisements in magazines some article to order or some rules for a competition to send for. Write a clear, courteous, and definite letter in good form ordering the chosen article. Be sure that each sentence contains all needed elements and is properly capitalized and punctuated, and that every word is correctly spelled. 1 1 Ordering something may be part of a larger project. See Appendix G. PROBLEM XX APPLYING FOR A POSITION Of course every boy and every girl will stay in school as long as he or she possibly can, but sometimes it is necessary or desirable to earn some money at the same time. Many vacation jobs are open to young people who have learned to use their heads and hands intelligently; often the best thing a boy or girl can do with a summer is to give efficient service somewhere and start a bank account at the same time. Perhaps some of you are even thinking of leaving school at the end of the term or of the year in order to make your own living or help your families. It will do no harm to think about getting a job, even if the day for seeking it is a long way off, for every human being should fit himself for useful work somewhere. The occupations open to men are almost innumerable, enough to suit all tastes and talents. One trouble with giving up an education to go to work very early is that a boy seldom knows exactly what he does want to do with his life until he has explored his own abilities and the world's possibilities a little more than he has had a chance to do at fourteen or fifteen years of age. One thing the junior high school and the senior high school and college are for is to give people such a chance. Another trouble is that having only the narrowest foundation in knowledge and training, a boy who leaves school early has practically forced himself to build a small and narrow place for himself in the world, to take the hardest and the least interesting jobs. Of course schooling is not the only chance for an education, as Abraham Lincoln proved, but it is the easiest way it is opportunity. Not many boys can go far without it, and as competition grows keener and requirements grow higher it is going to be more and more essential to success. - The occupations open to women have been fewer and less profitable than those open to men, but times are changing, and any girl of today is likely to find equal opportunities with the boys to do anything for which she is willing to qualify herself. It is well for girls as well as boys to think ahead in this matter, for every girl should be able to earn her own living. EXERCISE 1 DISCOVERING WHAT EMPLOYERS OFFER AND EXPECT A study of the "Help Wanted" columns of a great newspaper is interesting and illuminating. If you choose you may each examine them in some issue of a city daily or Sunday paper, to find out what different occupations are possible in a city or near it. Sometimes you will even find advertisements for farm labor and gardeners, suggesting whole groups of other occupations that may not be represented in the city paper at all. What different occupations do you know of that are not mentioned? Make a list together and group the jobs according to the kinds of interest or ability they demand. Some advertisements are reproduced below so that you can all study them together. Study them with these two |