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of others and himself. The comma is used here also. A few appositives also appear, as well as nominatives of address and words in series. Find them and note the punctuation.

150. Examine some story book or a story in your readers, and determine whether or not these matters of paragraphing and punctuating are observed in it. Do the work thoroughly.

SOME CONVERSATIONS WRITTEN BY PUPILS

151. In this section are three conversations written in an elementary school. The pupils endeavored to recall something they had heard or read, and to record it accurately. Also, they had instructions to put each speech and its accompanying explanation into one paragraph, and to punctuate with commas all cases of yes and no, and well when it meant that the speaker was going on to a different topic.

What Puzzled Martha

In class the children were learning the names of important rivers. "We have a very important river in the United States," said the teacher. "What is it?"

"Mississippi," cried all the class.

"Yes the Mississippi is called Father of Waters." Little Martha was puzzled by this statement.

Presently she said, "Well if the Mississippi River is called the Father of Waters, why don't they call it Mister Sippi?"

Martha's parents had this remark put into the Sunday paper under the "Bright Sayings of Little Children."

Seeking Help at Home

“Tell me some humorous conversation," said I to my mother. "Something funny that you've heard."

“Oh, I'm sick of this nonsense," was the aggravated reply. "You always have to write about something, and there's a thousand and one things said and done here every minute. You've conversed enough this afternoon to write a book while you could have been practicing.' "Well I can't think of anything," I whined.

"Well," conscientiously, "you can write about Lena Brown when Janette told her to come in and get cleaned up and she said impudently, 'I will if I want to and if I don't I won't.'

"Yes, but that is n't conversation and I can't make up any."

"Well," in the same manner of tone, "you can write about the time her mother went away and Janette made a pudding, and when she came from the store the pudding was half gone, and Lena declared it was the rats, and that she had n't been in the house.

"Well," complainingly, "that is n't what I have to have. It's got to be more-er-well I can't just explain it, but that is n't just what our teacher wants."

"Well," angrily, "I can't think of anything else for you to write. Everything I do tell you, you whine out, 'Well, that is n't what we have to write.' You can write about that."

And so I did.

What I Overheard

When going home from school last Friday I overheard two girls talking about their lesson.

"I think Miss D- was awfully cross to-day, don't you, Edna?" said Laura in an injured tone.

"Rather, but then I think the class got no more than they deserved."

"But I don't see why she gets so out of patience over the fact that we are doing poor work."

"Now just look here Laura, don't you think Miss Dis unusually patient with us? I am sure I never would be quite so patient. How many times has she told us and told us how to correct those mistakes and how to improve our work?"

"Yes, that's so.

Maybe it takes a good stiff scolding to wake us up to the fact that we are lazy," replied Laura thoughtfully.

(Miss D—, I am sure once in a while we need just such a lecture as we received to-day.)

EXERCISE IN CRITICISM

152. Discuss the following points in class:

a. Which of these conversations do you think has the most humor? Why?

b. You observe that each one of the conversations is about something definite-that each has a point at the end. Is it fair to say that each of the reporters wrote just enough to make the point clear, and no more?

c. One of the conversations ends with a sentence which the reporter did not intend to be humorous, but which is the more humorous on that account. Which one is it?

d. Consider them carefully and determine whether they are properly paragraphed.

e. As you have already been told, the writers were cautioned to put a comma after yes and no, and after well when the word indicated that the speaker

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was going on to a somewhat different thought. Read the conversations through and determine whether the writers always obeyed instructions. If not, why not?

f. Run your eyes over the sentences rapidly, and find words which have the apostrophe because two words have been contracted by the omission of a letter. Which conversation has the greatest number of these contractions?

g. Are there any nominatives of address in the conversations, and are they set off by commas?

h. Study the use of quotation marks and half quotation marks. Be careful to explain precisely why the latter are used. Did all the writers always use quotation marks when they should have done so?

Two MISUSED WORDS

153. In these conversations there are two misused words-two very frequently misused words. They are awfully and aggravated.

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Awful means inspiring awe, and awe, according to Webster, means "Dread; great fear mingled with respect. The pupil who wrote "awfully cross" did n't mean precisely that, but she was nearer right in the use of the word than are those people who say "awful pretty" or "awfully good," for perhaps a little dread had been aroused by the teacher's reproof, and it is certain that the pupil respected the teacher. People who frequently say "awful" simply mean very. Hereafter when you mean very, say very. You will seldom need the word awful.

Aggravate means to make worse. Thus you may say, "My mother's anger was aggravated by my reply," or "My father's illness was aggravated by worry over his business"; but the pupil who wrote "aggravated reply," meant angry reply. She did not mean a reply that had been made worse; that certainly would be nonsense.

The two words are used correctly in the following sentences:

1. The awful effect of war is known only to those who have seen a battle field.

2. We had not been two days at sea when an awful storm overtook us.

3. The king's annoyance was aggravated by the queen's . unruly temper.

4. My little brother's unpleasant moods are aggravated by the petting he receives.

ALL RIGHT

154. Some of the compositions in this book originally contained "alright," which many people think is a word. If you think there is such a word, try to find it in the dictionary; and when you have convinced yourselves that no such word exists, resolve never to write it again. In the next composition exercise you may have occasion to use the expression all right; if you do, be sure to make two words of it.

REPORTING A CONVERSATION

155. Very often in your talks with your friends you report a conversation which you have heard. It

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