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Correct the following sentences:

1. I understood it was her.

2. Whom do you think I am?

3. That it was him no one can doubt.

4. It may have been her.

5. It surely must be them.

6. Probably it will be me that he will call next time.

7. Here they come! Yes, those are them.

8. I think it is them.

Rule X. Adjectives qualify nouns.

This rule is frequently violated by using an adverb to qualify a noun.

Violation. He appears very handsomely in his costume.
Correction. He appears very handsome in his costume.

Rule XI. A noun expressing measure or time is in the objective case with an adverbial value.

=

That is, it is an adverbial objective; as, 1. He waited an hour for an hour. 2. He died last night during the night. 3. The pole was five feet long = in length.

Rule XII. A noun used to explain or identify another noun is in the same case by apposition.

That is, a noun used to describe another noun has the logical value of an adjective clause; as, Peter, the hermit, lived in a cave. Peter, who was a hermit, lived in a cave. Virginia was named in honor of Elizabeth, the virgin queen. Hermit is in the nominative case; queen, in the objective.

EXERCISE XVIII.

Ten Things to be avoided in Construction.

In this manual we have space in which to refer to a few of the graver errors which are found in newspaper and magazine articles of to-day.

I. Avoid unnecessary repetitions.

This caution is intended to guard young writers against needless repetition (1) of the same word; (2) of the same idea. To repeat frequently the same word or the same idea is to confess to the use of a very limited vocabulary and a scarcity of ideas. Repetition, however, is not always censurable. Emphasis may require a repetition of the same word or the same idea.

II.-Avoid misapplication.

By misapplication is meant using words either with a wrong meaning or in a wrong connection.

TO THE TEACHER: Require the pupil to substitute the proper word for each word printed in italic in the following sentences:

1. I have bought the balance of the books.

2. We had ten pear-trees; neither of them lived.

3. Which of these ten pencils will you take? I will not take either

of them.

4. He had less fruit trees than his neighbor.

5. It did not hurt me any.

6. If you will not go to me, I shall come to you.

7. I expect that some of the boys broke the sled.

8. Let him do like I do.

9. The teacher learned the pupils arithmetic. 10. Do you love strawberries?

III.-Omit unnecessary words.

TO THE PUPIL: The use of unnecessary words is very common with young writers. You should carefully review what you write and strike out every word that does not add to the thought. Every unnecessary word weakens the statement. The habit of using superfluous words and incorrect forms of expression can be dislodged only in one way,-by revising your expressions, whether oral or written. Habit yields only to a fixed purpose and a methodical and persistent effort. What is called genius is often the product of great labor.

TO THE TEACHER: If most of the time now spent in many schools in reciting the facts of grammar were spent in expressing original thought, it would not be long until the average high school graduate could write a correct application for a situation, or express, in ten words, a ten-word message. He cannot do it now, although he has studied text-book grammar for years. He has declined nouns and pronouns, conjugated verbs, compared adjectives and adverbs, imprisoned sentences in diagrams, but still he cannot correctly describe an event nor state a fact in clean, concise English. No amount of memory cramming, no amount of formal blank-filling, no amount of mere recitation of grammatical definitions and rules will materially aid pupils in giving clear expression to their thoughts. Pupils learn to write only in one way,-by writing. Parsing and analysis may serve them indirectly, the former, by way of fixing what little there is of inflection and form; the latter, by way of exhibiting the structure of sentences.

Own

This caution is violated in the following sentences:

Violation.

Correction.

Violation.

Correction.

A second round was fired again.

A second round was fired.

Before you write you must think what to say.

Before you write, think what to say.

Examples for Correction.

1. He indorsed his name on the back of the check.

2. Every man on the face of the earth has duties to perform. 3. He looked for mistakes through the whole essay, but could find none.

4. The last picture was a very beautiful one.

5. She very seldom has her grammar lesson.

6. The last three months have brought an abundant plenty of rain. 7. When will the balloon ascend up?

8. Seaport towns on the Atlantic coast are the great marts for selling Western produce.

9. Thought and expression act and react upon each other mutually. 10. The ancient Romans wore a long, loose, untrammelled robe, which they called a toga.

11. He gave us a glowing description of his descent down into a coal-mine near Pittsburg, Pa.

12. For the first time he gazed upon the limitless expanse of the boundless prairie.

13. It is the universal desire of all in the grammar class to have a half-holiday.

14. Did you ever see that poor, old, widow woman?

15. By the Portuguese law every person is legally obliged to join the army.

Improve the following sentences:

1. Persons who are inclined to be quarrelsome are usually despised.

2. When he heard of the very dangerous position in which we were placed, he hastened at once to our relief.

3. Have you read "Little Men"? It was written by Louisa Alcott.

4. George Washington always acted with courage.

5. A river of great width had to be crossed.

6. Bring forth the goblet of gold.

7. To scale the wall was a task of great difficulty.

8. A man who has courage will not desert his friends.

9. A fox that does not keep awake catches no poultry.

10. A man who often loses his temper is an unpleasant companion.

11. He went to the war against his will.

12. He described the scene with great eloquence.

13. He went to the city on purpose to see Admiral Dewey.

IV. Avoid improper arrangement.

Errors in syntax often arise from an improper arrangement of the elements of the sentence. The elements of a sentence should be so placed as to render their relation and meaning unmistakable. "As the relation of one word or group of words to another is most frequently determined in English, not by the form of the word but by its position, it follows that a very large part of the syntax of our language depends upon the order of words."

In the natural order of words in a sentence, the subject, preceded by word modifiers and followed by phrase and clause modifiers, is placed first, next the predicate verb, followed by its object or complement and modifiers. A sentence that can be made to mean more than one thing is not good English.

This caution is violated in the following sentences:

Violation. The earth appears to be flat on the map.

Correction. On the map the earth appears to be flat.

Violation. I saw a man digging a ditch with a Roman nose.
Correction. I saw a man with a Roman nose digging a ditch.

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