Part 12 (1/2)

The man was old.

The weather turned cold.

The day grew stormy.

The boy became ill.

The concert proved successful.

What kind of man is referred to in the first sentence? What part of speech is ”old”? What part of the sentence does it modify? In what part of the sentence does it stand? Could it be omitted? What then is its duty with reference to the verb? What are its two duties?

(It completes the verb ”was” and modifies the subject ”man.”)

Lead the pupils to deal similarly with ”cold,” ”stormy,” ”ill,”

”successful.”

_Comparison, Abstraction, and Generalization, or Organization:_

What two duties has each of these italicized words? Each is called a ”Subjective Predicate Adjective.” What is a Subjective Predicate Adjective? (A Subjective Predicate Adjective is an adjective that completes the verb and modifies the subject.)

2. CONDENSATION OF VAPOUR

_a.n.a.lysis, or selection:_

The pupils should be asked to report observations they have made concerning some familiar occurrences like the following:

(1) Breathe upon a cold gla.s.s and upon a warm gla.s.s. What do you notice in each case? Where must the drops of water have come from?

Can you see this water ordinarily? In what form must the water have been before it formed in drops on the cold gla.s.s?

(2) What have you often noticed on the window of the kitchen on cool days? From where did these drops of water come? Could you see the vapour in the air? How did the temperature of the window panes compare with the temperature of the room?

(3) When the water in a tea-kettle is boiling rapidly, what do you see between the mouth of the spout and the cloud of steam? What must have come through that clear s.p.a.ce? Is the steam then at first visible or invisible?

The pupils should be further asked to report observations and make correct inferences concerning such things as:

(4) The deposit of moisture on the outside surface of a pitcher of ice-water on a warm summer day.

(5) The clouded condition of one's eye-gla.s.ses on coming from the cold outside air into a warm room.

_Comparison, Abstraction, and Generalization, or Organization:_

In all these cases you have reported what there has been in the air. Was this vapour visible or invisible? Under what condition did it become visible?

The pupils should be led to sum up their observations in some such way as the following:

Air often contains much water vapour. When this comes in contact with cooler bodies, it condenses into minute particles of water. In other words, the two conditions of condensation are (1) a considerable quant.i.ty of water vapour in the air, and (2) contact with cooler bodies.