Elementary English Composition

LESSON XI.

MEMORIZATION.-PSALM I.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

THEME: GIDEON'S VICTORY.

The seventh chapter of Judges, assigned to the pupils for private reading, will furnish the material and model of this study. The story may be reviewed in class and the outline made.

EXERCISE I. Gain brevity in the following by using one word in place of the italicized expression; e.g., Italy is a country bordering on the sea = Italy is a maritime country: (1) The boy that is easily frightened suffers much from those who are at school with him. (2) The boy given up to thought will prove the better scholar than the boy given up to talk. (3) This cottage covered with vines is situated quite near to the forest. (4) In the distance you see a castle entirely surrounded by the ocean. (5) That is the Duke's seat, and that of his ancestors. (6) The family have held it for ten generations, one following after another..

The

EXERCISE II.-Gain fullness of expression by adding appropriate adjectives to each of the following; eg., sailor sank unknelled, uncoffined, and alone. (2) The road is

(1) The

weather is

(3) The river flows

(4) The

valley lies sky is

beneath our eyes.

(5) The

(6) The sea spreads before us

(7) The shore extends

(8) The wind grows

(9) The

fog descends

(10) We return home

PUNCTUATION-(Continued).

The Colon.-I. The colon (:) is usually a mark of a greater division in the clauses of a sentence than that denoted by the semicolon:

You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand,

Such as I am though for myself alone

I would not be ambitious in my wish,

To wish myself much better; yet, for you

I would be trebled twenty times myself;

A thousand times more fair.

When the subordinate clauses are subdivided by semicolons, the main clauses are usually separated by colons.

2. Note the punctuation in the following:

Quoth the Raven: "Nevermore."

The story is as follows: "We were separated by a storm in the latitude of 73°"

The colon is frequently strengthened by a dash, in which case the quotation usually forms a new paragraph.

The colon is preferred to the comma (see Comma 7) when the quotation contains several sentences.

When the quotation depends directly on a preceding word no stop is required :The Queen never left off shouting "Off with his head!" or "Off with her head!" Note also the publishers' imprint,-New York: The Macmillan Co.

The Dash.-I. Note the punctuation of the following, where the writer suddenly breaks off his discourse :— From the top of the mountain, he could see he not see?

what could

2. Note the effect produced by the pause that the dash suggests here:

Strike-for your altars and your fires;
Strike-for the green graves of your sires.

3. Note how the parenthesis is marked in the following:

Farewell! for in that word that fatal word- there breathes

despair.

Her voice was ever soft, gentle, and low, —an excellent thing in woman.

The comma is likewise used; see Comma 4. Sometimes the two are combined. The dash indicates also omitted words or letters :-His Grace the D— of W—, It is sometimes used with exemplifications:-The answer is in three words-health, peace, competence.

EXERCISE III.- Punctuate, assigning reasons (1) The question then is this Had Charles I. broken the fundamental laws of England? (2) At last the Gryphon said to the Mock Turtle drive on old fellow.

(3)

Old Grimes is dead that good old man

We ne'er shall see him more.

(4) Sweet is revenge especially to women.

(5)

In faith 'twas strange 'twas passing strange,
'Twas pitiful twas wondrous pitiful

She wished she had not heard it yet she wished
That Heaven had made her such a man.

(Indicate the broken words of the speaker.)

(6) The ancient time-piece says to all Forever never never forever. (7) The illuminations began before we arrived and I must confess that upon entering the gardens I found every sense overpaid with more than expected pleasure the lights everywhere glimmering through the scarcely moving trees, the full-bodied concert bursting on the stillness of the night the natural concert of the birds in the more retired part of the grove vying with that which was formed by art the company gaily dressed looking satisfaction and the tables spread with various delicacies all conspired to fill my imagination with the visionary happiness of the Arabian law-giver and lifted me into an ecstasy of admiration.

COMPOSITION. Draw up a formal outline and tell the story of "Gideon's Victory."

ADDITIONAL THEMES.

COMPOSITION 1. Joseph sold into Egypt (Genesis xv). 2. The story of Daniel (Daniel vi). 3. The story of the Prodigal Son (Luke xv). 4. The story of Ruth (Book of Ruth).

CHAPTER IV.-CLASSICAL MYTHS.

LESSON XII.

MEMORIZATION.-ARIEL'S SONG IN "THE TEMPEST."

Where the bee sucks, there suck I:

In a cowslip's bell I lie ;

There I couch when owls do cry,

On the bat's back I do fly

After summer merrily.

Merrily, merrily shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

THEME: ECHO.

-William Shakspere.

In olden days there was a nymph or spirit living in the woods whose name was Echo. She had a gift for telling charming stories. Whenever she told a story her hearers would sit and listen with no notion how time was passing. Even Jupiter, king of gods and men, was among those who liked to hear the wonderful tales that Echo told. But Jupiter had a wife, and Juno grew angry because he left beautiful Olympus, the home of the gods, to go to the woods where Echo lived and told her stories. It was a dangerous matter to incur the wrath of the Queen of Heaven, and Juno punished happy, merry Echo by taking from her the power of speech. She could tell no more pretty stories; she could only mimic and repeat the last words of others. This troubled her so that she pined away, and at last she became only a voice. To this day you may hear her calling among the hills, sending back the last words of every cry.

EXERCISE I. A.-Make two connected sentences about each of the following:—(1) a nymph, (2) living in the

woods, (3) the ancient gods, (4) mimicking a person, (5) the echo among the hills.

B. Re-state the following sentences, but use other words to express the meaning of the italicized words :(1) Echo had a gift for telling charming stories. (2) It was a dangerous matter to incur the wrath of Juno. (3) Juno took from her the power of speech. (4) Echo was so unhappy that she pined away.

C.-(1) Tell how people listened to Echo's stories. (2) Tell why Juno was angry at Echo. (3) Tell how Juno punished Echo. (4) Describe an echo.

Gain variety of expression by noting many aspects of an action; e.g., the door creaks and bangs; the boys laugh and shout.

EXERCISE II.-Add two or more verbs descriptive of the sounds made by each of the following: (1) The wind. (2) The trees. (3) The sea. (4) The fire. (5) The clock. (6) The tea-kettle. (7) The bell. (8) The chain. (9) The waggon. (10) The crowd.

EXERCISE III.-Add to each of the following the verb that expresses its characteristic cry; e.g., The owl hoots. (1) The dog (4) The hen

cat

(2) The hound

(5) The pig

(3) The (6) The