Part 59 (1/2)

+viz.+ (_videlicet_), To wit, namely.

+vol.+, Volume.

+vs.+ (_versus_), Against.

+Vt.+, Vermont.

+W.+, West.

+Wash.+, Was.h.i.+ngton.

+Wed.+, Wednesday.

+Wis.+, Wisconsin.

+wk.+, Weeks.

+Wm.+, William.

+W. N. W.+, West-northwest.

+W. S. W.+, West-southwest.

+W. Va.+, West Virginia.

+Wyo.+, Wyoming.

+Xmas.+, Christmas.

+yd.+, Yards.

+y.+ or +yr.+, Years.

+Zech.+, Zechariah.

+& Co.+, And Company.

SUPPLEMENT.

+Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph+.

SELECTION FROM DARWIN.

Morren says that angleworms often lie for hours almost motionless close beneath the mouths of their burrows. I have occasionally noticed the same fact with worms kept in pots in the house; so that by looking down into their burrows their heads could just be seen. If the ejected earth or rubbish over the burrows be suddenly removed, the end of the worm's body may very often be seen rapidly retreating.

This habit of lying near the surface leads to their destruction to an immense extent. Every morning, during certain seasons of the year, the thrushes and blackbirds on all the lawns throughout the country draw out of their holes an astonis.h.i.+ng number of worms; and this they could not do unless they lay close to the surface.

It is not probable that worms behave in this manner for the sake of breathing fresh air, for they can live for a long time under water. I believe that they lie near the surface for the sake of warmth, especially in the morning; and we shall hereafter find that they often coat the mouths of their burrows with leaves, apparently to prevent their bodies from coming into close contact with the cold, damp earth.

+The Uses of Words and Groups of Words+.--We will break up Mr. Darwin's first group of sentences into single sentences or single statements, each having but one predicate verb.

1. Angleworms often lie for hours almost motionless close beneath the mouths of their burrows. 2. Morren says this. 3. I have occasionally noticed the same fact with worms kept in pots in the house. 4. By looking down into their burrows their heads could just be seen. 5. The ejected earth or rubbish over the burrows may suddenly be removed. 6. The end of the worm's body may then very often be seen rapidly retreating.

Find the two chief words (subject and predicate) in 1. What does _often_ do? What does the group of words _for hours_ do? The group _almost motionless_ describes what things? The group _close beneath the mouths of their burrows_, used like a single adverb, tells what? Find the two chief words in 2. _This_ helps out the meaning of _says_, but it is not an adverb. _This_ is here a p.r.o.noun standing for the thing said. What whole sentence does _this_ take the place of? Find the subject and the predicate verb in 3. What noun follows this verb to tell what Mr. Darwin noticed?

What does _occasionally_ do? What does _same_ go with? What group of eight words tells in what way Mr. Darwin noticed this fact? Find the unmodified subject and predicate in 4. What does the second _their_ go with? What does _by looking down into their burrows_ tell? What does _just_ do? In 5, put _what_ before _may be removed_, and find two words either of which may be used as subject. What is the office of _the_, _ejected_, and the group _over the burrows_? What does _suddenly_ do? Find the subject and the predicate verb in 6. _Retreating_ helps out the meaning of the predicate and at the same time modifies the subject. Notice that _the end rapidly retreating_ is not a sentence, nor is _worms kept in pots_, in 3.

_Retreating_ and _kept_ here express action, but they are not predicates; they do not a.s.sert. You learned in Lesson 16 that certain forms of the verb do not a.s.sert. _Of the worm's body_ modifies what? _Then_ and _very often_ do what?

If you will compare these numbered sentences with Mr. Darwin's, you will see how two or more sentences are put together to make one longer sentence.

You see Mr. Darwin puts our sentence 1 after _says_ to tell what Morren says. What word here helps to bring two sentences together? Change this sentence about so as to make _says Morren_ come last. See how many other changes you can make in the arrangement of the words and groups of words in this sentence. What two words are used to join 3 and 4 together? Notice that these sentences are not joined so closely as 1 and 2, as is shown by the semi-colon. Notice that _if_ has much to do in joining 5 and 6. These are more closely joined than 3 and 4, but not so closely as 1 and 2. How is this shown by the punctuation? Put 5 and 6 together and change their order.

Find, if you can, still another arrangement.