The Person Who Shirks His Share of the Work Do they look rather difficult? There is an easy way to begin to think out any subject. It is to think of some illustration, some story, that the subject makes you think of. For example, can you think of some person who has not played fairly on the playground, and what he has done that was unfair? And can you tell whether this was right or wrong, and why? And it is plain that if many of you can think of such examples, and can tell why the actions were right or wrong, you will soon find yourselves making an outline. DEBATES 232. In several places in this book you have made outlines of subjects or studied outlines that were made for you. In the latter cases you have filled out the outlines. By this time, then, you should be able to make a fairly good outline of an easy subject and speak or write from it. In order to follow up this kind of work, you will have some debates. To begin on, look over this list of subjects and select one to use first. Resolved that we have more school hours and no studying at home. Resolved that we have school all the year round, and that each pupil take his vacation when it is most convenient. Resolved that women vote at all elections and for all public officers. Resolved that football be abolished. Resolved that every school have a garden. Resolved that we have more handwork in school. Resolved that once each week we have a public-speaking exercise in which many pupils shall speak, and that every time a speaker makes a mistake in his English he be interrupted and be compelled to correct the error. When you have selected a subject, analyze it in two ways for and against. Those of you who are in favor of the subject as stated are said to be on the affirmative; those who are not in favor of it as stated are on the negative. Two pupils will go to the blackboard, and each will record the reasons on his side as they are given him. When you have all the material you can get, each pupil in the room will arrange it into as good an outline as he can make, and write it out in good form. Then appoint two committees, one for the affirmative and one for the negative; each committee will take the outlines prepared on its own side of the subject, decide which two, or three, or four are the best, and appoint the makers of these outlines to speak before the room on some day you determine upon. Before that day comes, select three judges from among you. On the appointed day, the speakers will address the class, first some one for the affirmative, then one for the negative, and so on until all have spoken. The judges will then go out of the room and determine among themselves who spoke the better. When they have made up their minds, they will return to the room and one of their number will announce their decision. PART III THE PARTS OF SPEECH FUNCTION 233. In the preceding pages you have studied the main parts of the sentence-predicate, subject, and so on. Now you are to study single words, and groups of words that are used as single words are used. For example, you know that a single word may be a subject, and you know that a whole clause may also be used as a subject; the clause, in such a case, is used as a single word is used. You know, too, that a single word may be an object, and you know that a whole clause may be an object; the clause, in such a case, is used as a single word is used. The use of words in grammar is usually called function; and it is the use, or function, of words that determines what they shall be called. For example, certain words have the function of connecting other words or groups of words; and these, as you have already learned, are called connectives. In the same way, other words have other functions, and are given names that are intended to describe these functions. All these names together are called the parts of speech. The parts of speech, in the order in which they are discussed in this book, are the conjunction, the 259 preposition, the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, and the interjection. THE CONJUNCTION 234. The conjunction is treated first because other parts of speech may be joined by it. If you are able to recognize coördinating conjunctions, for example, and to tell immediately what they join, you are thereby saying what parts of the sentence have the same function and therefore the same name. To illustrate, when you know that and is a conjunction and that it joins two words or groups of words of the same rank, you thereby understand that these two words or groups of words have the same function and are the same part of speech. This will help to make the analysis of the sentence easy. There are two kinds of conjunctions-coördinating and subordinating. COÖRDINATING CONJUNCTIONS 235. Conjunction is from two Latin words that mean joining together. Coördinating is also from the Latin, and it implies that the two words joined are of the same rank, that is, that they have the same function. For example, and is a coördinating conjunction, and it may join two subjects, or two verbs, or two objects, or two phrases, or two clauses. Other coördinating conjunctions are but, or, nor, either, neither, however, yet, hence, therefore. You will find that sometimes two of these conjunctions are used together, like either and or, and neither and nor. In the following sentences tell what words are coördinating conjunctions, and what words or groups of words they join. If possible, explain the punctuation as you go along. I. "The lion and the lamb shall lie down together." 2. The moon and the sun are the cause of the tides. 3. The tides are caused by the moon and the sun. 4. The traveler took up his pack and went out into the night. 5. The captain sent some of the sailors to get up the anchor, and others to set sail. 6. That darkness was coming on and that rain would fall was clear to all. 7. They knew that darkness was coming on and that rain would fall. 8. Did the fox say the grapes were sour because they really were so, or because he could n't get them? 9. The hare was the faster runner, but the tortoise won the race. 10. Not the hare, but the tortoise, won the race. 11. Neither threats nor entreaties moved him. 12. He was moved neither by threats nor by entreaties. 13. Both sun and rain influence the growth of plants. 14. I like to read; hence my father gets me many books. 15. I like to read; therefore my father gets me many books. 16. It will either rain or snow. SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS 236. Subordinating conjunctions join subordinate clauses to the words they modify. Thus, in When the wagon comes, we'll all take a ride, "when" is a subordinating conjunction joining its clause to "take." Sometimes the subordinate clause is |