"As there was no stepping-stone and no bridge," in which the subjects "stepping-stone" and "bridge" follow the predicate verb ""was."

123. Go through the sentences again and determine what the objects are. This is often very simple, as in the second sentence, in which "a mess of beans" is the complete object and "mess" the object substantive. The group objects are more difficult. One kind, the quoted sentences, is more difficult, but the quotation marks will help you. Another kind is in the seventh paragraph. Here "that we have been lucky to escape with our lives" is the object of "think." You will notice that in this sentence all the quoted words are the object of "answered" and that "answered the Bean" comes between different parts of the quotation.

Do not expect to find objects for all the predicate verbs. Only transitive verbs have objects.

124. Again, go over the sentences and determine what object substantives accompany such connective words as in, of, and on. If you can, determine what such groups of words, as, for example, "in a certain village," modify. This particular group of words modifies "lived," because it tells where the woman lived. In the next sentence "of beans" is such a group of words, and it modifies "mess." Remember that in all such cases the object substantive following a connective word is not of the same rank as the word to which it is joined.

125. The author seems to have violated our rule for the use of capital letters by beginning Coal,

Straw, and Bean with capitals. But there is a reason for this. What is it?

A PUPIL'S LETTER

126. In this section is given a letter written by a boy in an elementary school. The author has been more successful in expressing his joy in receiving the gift of a fox terrier than he has in writing his sentences accurately. His uncle will therefore be more pleased with the spirit than with the form of the letter.

You will notice two or three differences between the form of this letter and that of the business letter in section 91. First, this boy evidently lives in a small town, where there is no free delivery of mail, for the street and the number are not given. Second, the address is not given, for this is a letter of friendship, not a letter of business, and only the salutation is necessary. Third, since this is a letter of friendship and people like to get long letters from their friends as much as business men like to get short ones from their correspondents, the boy has written a rather long letter-that is, for a boy. Doubtless the uncle would have been pleased with a much longer communication.

Lawrenceburg, Ky.

September 29, 1913

DEAR UNCLE JACK,

Last Saturday morning I woke up and looked out of the window out into the yard and what do you think I saw it was a little fox terrier puppy and believe

me I got into my clothes so fast that my mother was surprised to see me get dressed so quickly.

Then I ran out in the yard and saw in the "pup's" collar and I read it and saw that it was from you, Uncle Jack and I was so full of joy that mother thought some one had left me a gold mine and I am so glad that I dont know how to thank you.

Affectionately

ARTHUR HENSON

EXERCISE IN GRAMMAR

127. This letter may be used for a study in grammar. Consider the following points:

a. Do you notice that all the first paragraph appears to be one sentence? The second paragraph also is written as one sentence. Read the paragraphs aloud and determine whether they should be broken up into two or three sentences each. Do you not think that the second paragraph has rather more and's than are necessary? What will you do about it?

b. In the first sentence the word "out" appears twice. In which case can it be spared?

c. There is one place in the letter where the writer should have used an apostrophe. Find it.

d. What does "saw in the 'pup's' collar" mean? It sounds bad. Correct the expression.

e. What do you think of the punctuation of the complimentary close?

f. If you will look back to the story by Grimm in section 120, you will find in the second paragraph the words "Dear friends." These words are an address. Now when words are used as an address

in a sentence, they are to be set off with commas. The boy who wrote the letter in the previous section has used a name as an address; has he punctuated it correctly?

ANOTHER LETTER

128. Here is another letter that is more appreciative than correct. When you read it, you will probably think that dogs are the only presents that boys ever receive.

DEAR EDWARD,

Bloomington, Ind.
October 27, 1913

I am dropping you these few lines to let you know that I received your birthday present and I thank you very cordially, for that was just the kind of dog I want bully for you.

Before that dog is very old I will have him trained so well you won't know him from a circus dog. I suppose you remember the dog that use to pull the cart. Well, I will have this dog train far better than that. Well, I guess I will close for this time, I remain Very sincerely yours

ROBERT MOORE

EXERCISE IN GRAMMAR AND SPELLING

129. Make the following study of the letter: a. Read the letter aloud and determine whether or not the writer ended the sentences where he should have ended them. Did he do better or worse than the other boy in this respect? Determine what the end punctuation should be.

b. Have you discovered that the writer failed to finish two words? Which are they?

c. This writer used an apostrophe in one of his words. Why?

d. It must be confessed that the spelling of "received" had to be corrected before this letter was printed. Can you tell when the e comes before the i? e. What do you notice about the punctuation of the complimentary close?

f. The last sentence of the letter begins with the word

"Well," and there is a comma after it. When this word begins a sentence, it means that the writer is leaving one topic of his discourse and is passing on to the next, as in this case the writer leaves the topic of training the dog and goes on to say that he will close. In reading such a sentence the reader makes a little pause; that is why the comma is used. You should remember this, and always use a comma after well when it is the first word in a sentence, unless, indeed, it modifies something, as in "Well done," remarked my uncle. In this case there is no pause after "Well."

g. The letter begins with the statement, "I am dropping you these few lines, etc." This, like "I take my pen in hand," is a very absurd way of beginning a letter. The other boy began in a much better

way.

SOME SUBJECTS FOR LETTERS

130. You have now had examples of both business and social letters, and you know that a business letter should be short and to the point, and that a