(c) Catch it. Catch her. Catch him. Catch them. (d) I can catch every one. (e) Every desk is new. As you read each of the following questions, answer it: (a) Can you catch her? VI. SPEAKING WORDS CLEARLY AND DISTINCTLY 1. The boy in the story on page 17 spoke so carelessly that he left out letters from words. He said: las' for last w'at for what fightin' for fighting We must learn to speak each word so clearly and so distinctly that every letter which should be sounded, can be heard. Speak the words in this way last, what, where, fighting. 2. Below are some words that are often spoken so carelessly that letter sounds are omitted. Read them clearly and distinctly. Read the following sentences. If you speak every word clearly and correctly, your teacher and classmates will mark you 100 %. (a) Are you an American? (b) Where did you get your beautiful new desk? (c) Which would you rather have, thirty thousand cents or three hundred dollars? (d) At last the room has been swept; now I must dust it. (e) Can you catch the ball when I throw it? (f) Three thin dogs crept under the wharf and slept there. (g) I think the third wheel is white. (h) "Just a crust of bread!" he whispered. (i) While the storm lasts, the snow falls thick and fast. (j) Again eleven children were late. CHAPTER TWO LEARNING TO OBSERVE CAREFULLY, TO THINK Note to the teacher: Before taking up the first lesson of this chapter, do not fail to read and to think over the opening paragraphs of Chapter Two of your Manual. Then, before taking up each section in this book, you will want to consult the corresponding section in your Manual. I. TWO STORIES TO STUDY The Simple Traveler A lad, who had lived all his days in a little valley, once made up his mind to see the world. With high hopes he set out on his travels. As he climbed the mountain north of the village, his friends and neighbors stood watching him, that they might wave a final good-by before he disappeared on the farther side. When the lad reached the top of the mountain, he turned and waved his cap to his friends; then he set his face again towards the north. Suddenly the youthful traveler stopped. He stared straight before him for a moment, then turned and ran TWO STORIES TO STUDY 29 down the mountain towards his home. The wondering people hurried to meet him. When he came within sound of their voices, they called to him: "Why have you returned?" Why did you go no farther?” 66 "O friends!" he cried, "I had to come back. A great piece of the blue sky has fallen and is lying in the valley beyond the mountain. I could not walk over the sky." Then how the people laughed ! "Why do you laugh? What I tell you is true," cried the boy, surprised and beginning to be angry. "No, lad," answered an old man, "what you tell us is not true. What you saw was not a piece fallen from the sky; it was only an image of the blue sky mirrored in the waters of the lake that lies at the foot of the mountain." A SWISS LEGEND The Sailor's Story A Greek sailor was once on board a fishing vessel that spent some hours cruising along the Pacific coast of the United States. From the ship he saw but few people, not more than three or four, on the shore. Two of these people chanced to be cripples. On his return to his own country he told his friends that there were very few people in the United States and that most of them were cripples. Did the lad tell the truth about what he saw beyond the mountain? Did the sailor tell the truth about the people of the United States? Did either one mean to tell what was not true? What was the matter in each case? Suppose the lad, instead of turning back and hurrying home to tell of the fallen sky, had gone on until he came to the edge of what he thought was sky. He might not have known the name lake, and he might still have had to return; but he would then have been able to describe truly what it was that stopped his farther travels. Imagine yourself that boy. Go down the far side of the mountain to the lake; find that you can go no farther; learn all you can about the lake that stops you; return to your home on the other side of the mountain; and then describe to your friends what you saw, what you came upon that made you turn back. turn back. You might begin something like this: As I began to descend the far side of the mountain, I saw something glistening in the sunshine away down in the valley. It spread out, smooth and level, from the foot of the mountain to the base of the mountains beyond. It was bright blue like the sky; white clouds were floating in it. Complete your description with the discoveries you make as you draw nearer to the water. |