What did he really mean to say? How should he have expressed it? Under Truth, copy into your Pentangle Language Book the following: Words that deny are called negatives. Never use two negatives in one sentence. IV. GIVING THE TRUE MEANING OF Read the following sentences to yourself. Do not read them aloud, for nobody in the Pentangle Club wants to hear such sentences. (a) I don't want nothing. (b) I didn't see no accident. (c) My father doesn't work there no more. (g) I haven't nothing. (h) He hadn't nothing to say. What are the two negatives in each sentence? See how they destroy each other. Rewrite each sentence, making it really a negative or denying sentence. Try to express each in two ways, as (a): I don't want anything. I want nothing. V. CORRECTNESS 177 PURITY, THE SECOND POINT IN THE Pronouncing Words Correctly One way to keep the speech of America pure is to pronounce all words correctly. The following words are often mispronounced. Read each one, pronouncing it correctly. If you are not sure of the exact pronunciation of any word, find it in the dictionary. VI. CORRECTNESS, THE THIRD POINT IN THE LANGUAGE PENTANGLE Don't "Don't" means do not. Doesn't Would you say, "John do not play ball well"? What would you say? Use don't only where do not can be used. Use doesn't only where does not can be used. 1. Copy the following sentences, writing "don't" or "doesn't" in place of the dashes. Before writing either "don't" or "doesn't, "make sure which you should use. Do this by saying to yourself, in place of the dash, "do not" or "does not," to make sure which is correct. For example : The boy want to go. Say first to yourself, The boy does not want to go. (i) the train stop at Troy? (j) No, it -stop until we reach New York. 2. Copy the following sentences, using in place of the dashes: I, you, he, she, they, or we. VII. CLEARNESS, THE FOURTH POINT IN THE LANGUAGE PENTANGLE 1. Read the following groups of words, speaking every word clearly and distinctly: 2. Read the following sentences, speaking all words clearly and distinctly, but especially the groups above: (a) Did you see the sun rise this morning? (b) Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight? (c) It isn't the first time I have risen early just to see this sight. (d) Let me tell you, I never saw a more gorgeous sunrise than the one I saw this morning. (e) Don't you know how many days there are in February? (f) There are twenty-nine in a leap year; in other years there are twenty-eight days in February. (g) Please give me my book. (h) Did you know I lost my book this morning? (i) Please let me borrow your book. (j) Have you studied your lesson? VIII. BEAUTY, THE FIFTH POINT IN THE LANGUAGE PENTANGLE Finding Beautiful Words Below are some lines taken from beautiful poems. Copy them and underline the words that you think help to make the poem beautiful. 1. Waters gushed, and fruit trees grew, 2. Down in a garden olden Chanced near a rose to grow. FRANK DEMPSTER SHERMAN 3. The rosy clouds float overhead, And now the sandman's gentle tread |