9. Most trees flower in the spring.

10. Summer is almost here. It is a hot season in most

countries.

11. If you can walk a little farther with me, I will talk with you further about the subject.

Show that each word in special type is correctly

used.

Little, less, and least refer to quantity. Few, fewer, and fewest refer to number.

Most should never be used to mean nearly. Almost should be used only as an adverb meaning nearly.

Far has two forms of the comparative and of the superlative, according to the meaning. Farther and farthest are used to express distance of space or time; further and furthest are used to express advancement and progress.

He that ruleth his tongue is better than he that taketh a city. THE BIBLE. Much tongue and much judgment seldom go together.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

WASHINGTON IRVING.

A tart temper never mellows with age.

A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use. WASHINGTON IRVING.

Her voice was ever soft, gentle, and low; an excellent WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

thing in woman.

Section 5. Oral Composition

1. Describe Dame Van Winkle.

2. Imagine a woman the exact opposite of Dame Van Winkle in every respect. Describe her to the class.

3. Tell what effect you think it would have had on Rip Van Winkle if his wife had been like the woman last described.

4. Imagine a different ending for the story. Begin with Rip's return to the village. Choose such a title as will fit your story.

Section 6. Written Composition

Imagine that you, or some one else in your own neighborhood, return home after an absence of twenty-five years in a foreign country. Write of this return: what is seen and heard in and about your own home as you imagine it to be twenty-five years from the present time. If you choose, write this in the form of a letter dated twenty-five years from now.

Section 7. Review

Complete and write these sentences and tell why the form you select is correct:

1. Every boy and girl in the room 2. Each bush and each tree

industrious.

full of blossoms.

Use in sentences, comparative and superlative forms of happy, unhappy, attractive, fat, bad, small.

Give directions for the use of most and almost; further and farther; fewer and less; fewest and least.

CHAPTER XIV

TRUE HEROISM

Section 1. Dictation

The following story is told of Sir Philip Sidney, a knight of the English army, who fought for the freedom of the Dutch.

Write the selection from dictation.

In the year 1586, on the battlefield of Zutphen,1 Sir Philip Sidney lay dying. A true nobleman and valiant soldier, he had fallen while fighting bravely in the service of his adopted country.

After the battle his friends sought to relieve his suffering, and brought him a cup of water to quench his raging thirst. With a look of gratitude he reached eagerly for the water; but as he was lifting it to his mouth he saw another dying soldier staring at it with burning eyes.

Sir Philip paused, and handed the cup to the soldier, saying, "Friend, drink! Thy need is greater than mine.”

Section 2. Oral Composition

Tell the story of Sir Philip Sidney.

An act may be kind, generous, magnanimous, and not necessarily heroic. Compare some heroic deed of history with that of Sir Philip Sidney. In what re

1 A town of the Netherlands. The battle was fought in the war to free Netherlands from Spain.

spects are the deeds alike? unlike? What adjectives best describe each?

Tell stories of kind, unselfish, generous, magnanimous, and heroic deeds.

Section 3. Review of Verb-Forms

The words in the columns below are forms of verbs in daily use.

Write the four forms of each verb from the dictation of the first form given.

The form used with shall or will to show future time is always like the first form given. Examples: shall or will know, shall or will grow, shall or will fly. Use these verbs in oral sentences until you can use the different forms without a mistake. Each pupil selects for practice the verbs which he finds most difficult to use correctly in every-day conversation.

.

Write ten sentences, each telling of an American hero or heroine, or of a heroic deed. In these sentences, use as many different verbs and verb-forms as possible.