6. In one corner we found a trunk with a rusty lock, and an old cedar chest.

7. The trunk easily came open and disclosed its contents.

8. These were a box of old letters and a moth-eaten uniform. 9. The chest contained a broken pistol, a collection of curious stones, and a few moldy books.

10. We sat down on the edge of the chest and read some of the letters.

C. Make three interesting sentences illustrating each of the following:

1. Compound sentence.

2. Compound predicate.

3. Compound subject. (Use some of the six troublesome pronouns.)

4. Both subject and predicate compound.

5. Compound predicate element.

6. Compound linking element.

7. Compound object. (Use the six troublesome pronouns.)

In each of these sentences that you have made number the essential elements and underline the coördinating conjunction. Use these three verbals somewhere and spell them correctly: lying, dying, tying.

EXERCISE 6

STUDYING COMPOUND ELEMENTS OF MORE THAN TWO MEMBERS: THE SERIES

You have already seen that compound sentences and compound elements may consist of three coördinate parts, as in the ninth sentence in Exercise 5, B. What are the three parts of the object there? Indeed, as you can see, there might be as many parts as were needed to complete

the list. Some of the compound sentences that you have made in oral themes may have had many parts, all strung together with and's. You know that such a string of statements is not really a sentence. Very seldom could it be the expression of a single thought, although it may be called grammatically correct.

A compound sentence or compound element made of more than two coördinate parts is called a series. The word series expresses the idea of one coming after another bound together like the links in a chain, as a serial story comes out in successive connected parts. The parts of a series in the sentence are called members. As you will notice, each member of the series is separated from the next by a comma. Often the last member is joined to the others by and (sometimes by but or or), but the comma is also used before the conjunction; as, "We dashed down the street, rushed up to the ticket window, and scrambled aboard just in time." This compound predicate consists of three parts; each member of the series is separated from the next by a comma. If the comma were omitted before the and, the last two members would seem to be more closely joined in thought than the other two. Occasionally they really are, and then the comma is omitted; as, For dinner we had turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, salad, ice cream, olives, coffee, bread and butter." The comma is seldom omitted, but you see that using it or omitting it can help to express an exact shade of meaning.

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Rule 8. Use commas to separate the parts of a series composed of more than two coördinate members. If the last member is joined to the rest by a conjunction, use a comma before the conjunction unless the last two members are more closely joined than the rest.

A. Make one sentence of each kind called for under C, Exercise 5, giving each compound sentence or element three or more coördinate members. Be sure to punctuate every series correctly. You might dictate some of these sentences to each other for board work to see whether all will recognize the series and punctuate them correctly.

B. As you have already noticed, the comma is used before and, but, or, or nor joining compound sentences even when there are only two parts. It may be used to separate two coördinate parts of a compound predicate, but generally any compound element of only two parts joined by a coordinating conjunction should not be divided by a comma. In the following sentences find the coördinate parts or members, the series, and the coördinating conjunctions. Give the essential elements of each sentence and classify the verbs and verb phrases. Explain the use of each comma and dictate to each other some of the sentences containing series. Who can explain the semicolons in the eighth and the tenth sentence?

1. At a meeting of the North Carolina Forestry Association in Wilmington a most successful lesson in forestry was given to six hundred children. 2. These children gathered in the auditorium of the H. school and took part in a guessing contest. 3. The contest was originated by the Association, but it was worked out by the teachers of the city schools. 4. Each child had a list of sixteen common North Carolina trees and a blank sheet of paper with lines numbered from one to sixteen. 5. At the bottom of the sheet was a line for the child's name, one for his grade, and one for his school. 6. Lantern slides showed the form and characteristics of each tree. 7. The State Forester at the same time described the habits, distribution, and uses of the different trees. 8. Each tree was shown; and then the lights were turned up for a moment, and the children wrote down the name of the tree on

their paper. 9. Afterwards two reels of moving pictures were shown. 10. One showed forest fires; the other gave a lumbering scene. 11. Meanwhile a number of teachers examined and marked the papers. 12. Four children guessed all sixteen trees correctly, and drew the first four prizes. 13. Four children guessed fifteen trees, six children got fourteen right, and two got thirteen right. 14. Would n't your school or class enjoy a similar contest?

EXERCISE 7

USING COÖRDINATION EFFECTIVELY IN A STORY OR AN EXPLANATION

The sentences in Exercise 2, A and B, in Exercise 5, B, and in Exercise 6, B, suggest a great variety of topics, incidents, and pictures. Choose from among them one which gives your memory or imagination a jog or one which stirs your desire for information, and plan an interesting theme to read in class. Write this theme, making it as real and as clear as you can. It will be interesting to see what a variety of subjects the class will choose.

After you have made the first draft, look over your sentences and underline every coördinating conjunction. Try to decide exactly what words each connects and whether the coördination is real or false. If you have false coördination, correct it; if you have superfluous and's, leave them out. In your final draft of the theme underline again each coördinating conjunction which you decide to leave in any sentence. Later, put some of these sentences on the board and let other members of the class show what parts of them are coördinate. You may not be able to tell the grammatical construction of all these parts, but you should be able to see the coördination in thought and form. A study of the effective use of coördination in Fabre's account of the red ants may help you in this exercise. See Appendix G.