sentence.

In fact, a group of words having its own verb and subject is very commonly used as a

modifier, as in this case.

The fourth sentence is difficult because it has more than one subject.

The seventh sentence is difficult because it is interrogative; the predicate verb is before the complete subject; or, to put it differently, the complete subject comes between different parts of the complete predicate.

The last sentence is difficult because it has no expressed subject; that is, the sentence is all predicate. It resembles an example sentence in section 8.

43. Write a short composition on the blackboard, or consider a paragraph in your geography or history, and determine what words or groups of words are subject substantives and predicate verbs, and what are modifiers. Sometimes you may find a sentence that has two or more sets of subjects and predicates. Do not be puzzled by this; such sentences will be studied later.

MISTAKES IN THE USE OF VERBS:

MAY AND CAN

44. Do you ever say to the teacher, Can I speak? And if you do, does it occur to you, or does the teacher tell you, that the question is nonsense? Of course you can speak. Are you not speaking when you ask the question? What you mean is May I speak? For Can I speak? means Have I the power to speak? and May I speak? means Have

I your permission to speak? Remember, too, that could expresses past time for can, and might expresses past time for may. Tell why the following sentences contain correct uses of these words.

1. May I raise the window?

2. I asked the teacher if I might raise the window.

3.

Do you think I can raise the window?

4. You may try, if you like.

5. He wanted to know if I thought I could lift him.

6. I asked him if I might try.

7. Can a fish speak?

8. May we study together?

45. Write on the blackboard sentences containing the words may, can, might, and could.

COMPOUND PREDICATE VERBS AND SUBJECT SUBSTANTIVES: CONNECTIVE WORDS

46. Sometimes predicate verbs or subject substantives occur in pairs; or there may be several subject substantives for one predicate verb, or several predicate verbs for one subject substantive. Such predicate verbs and such subject substantives are called compound predicate verbs and compound subject substantives. Or, when there are three or more words in the compound predicate verb or subject, we say that the words are in series. In this case commas are used between them. When there are two verbs or subjects, they are likely to be joined by and, or, or but. If there are several verbs or several subjects, one of these little words is usually used between the last two. Because they join, or connect,

they are called, for the present, connective words. There are others besides those mentioned; they will be considered later.

The following sentences contain examples:

1. "A serpent and an eagle were struggling with each other."

2. "A thief hired a room in a tavern, and stayed there some days."

3. "A horse, an ox, and a dog sought shelter and protection from man."

4. "Then Cinderella put her hand into her pocket, and drew forth the other glass slipper."

5. "Something had been originally left out, or had departed."

6. "He, likewise, was a native of the valley, but had spent the greater part of his life at a distance from that romantic region."

7. "They stood, or sat, or reclined upon the grass."

In the first sentence the predicate verb is "were struggling." Since it was both the serpent and the eagle that were struggling, "serpent" and "eagle” are the compound subject substantive. The connective word is "and."

Has the second sentence a compound predicate verb or a compound subject substantive? What is the connective word?

Answer the same question with regard to the other sentences.

What compound predicate verb and what compound subject substantive are in series? What do you notice about the connective in these cases? What about the punctuation?

MODIFIERS

47. Compound predicate verbs and subject substantives may also have modifiers. For example, each of the subject substantives of the first sentence in section 46 has a short modifier of its own; and in the second sentence the two predicate verbs have modifiers.

Determine what are the modifiers of all predicate verbs and subject substantives in the example

sentences.

48. Write some sentences that have compound predicate verbs and compound subject substantives. If the compound parts are in series, be sure to use commas between them, and even before the connective word that joins the last two. Determine what are the modifiers of each verb and each subject.

MISTAKES IN THE USE OF MODIFIERS

49. You use the word this to mean a single thing, as in the expression this man; and you use these to mean more than one thing, as in the expression these men. So also you say that man and those men. This, these, that, and those are very often modifiers, and they should be used as already indicated. But many people make a mistake when one of these words modifies the word kind. Do you say this kind of man and that kind of man? That is, do you use the modifier that means one thing before the word that means one thing? If you don't, you should.

Another very bad mistake is seen in expressions

such as them boys. Them is never a modifier. Say those boys or these boys.

50. Write on the blackboard some sentences containing this, these, that, and those as modifiers.

STUDY OF COMPOUND VERBS AND SUBJECTS

51. In the following passage determine what are the compound predicate verbs and subject substantives, and what are their modifiers:

The cat, the squirrel, the panther, and the bear are all animals that climb trees. Pussy herself is often seen crawling along a big limb, endeavoring to capture a sparrow or a robin. The nimble little squirrel can jump from branch to branch, or even leap from tree to tree, and never fail to grip the bark with its sharp claws. The strong, lithe panther can often reach a low branch with one quick bound, but cannot climb so high as the cat and the squirrel because of his greater weight. The bear, the heaviest of all these animals, climbs more slowly than the others, remains close to the trunk of the tree, and loves to rest in a fork of the larger branches, where he contemplates all below him with security and calmThe short legs, the strong claws, and the powerful muscles of these four animals make it possible for them to be climbers.

ness.

STUDY OF A PICTURE

52. Opposite page 52 there is a picture which you are to study and talk about in class. Answer the following questions about it:

a. What do you regard as the most important thing in the picture? Why?

b. What things are of secondary importance? Why?