LESSON LX

I have a little sister, they call her Peep-peep;
She wades in the water, deep, deep, deep;
She climbs the mountain, high, high, high;
My poor little sister, she has but one eye.

I WRITTEN

This is another riddle. Note that you would not need the comma after sister in the last line if she were not repeated. Study the rime. Write from memory, and verify.

II ORAL HOW may a star be said to wade the water and climb the mountain?

III ORAL Repeat riddles in class. Keep a collection of all the riddles that you find. Your parents can probably tell you some very old ones.

They that wash on Monday
Have all the week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not so much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday
Wash in very shame;
They that wash on Friday

Wash in utmost need;

And they that wash on Saturday,

Oh, they are slugs indeed.

LESSON LXI

Three little boys a-sliding went
Upon a summer's day;

The ice proved thin, they all fell in,
The rest, they ran away.

I WRITTEN Such forms as a-sliding are very common in verse. The a is shortened from in or on. We often hear a-swimming and a-skating. You see the same a in abed, aboard, and so on. If we said The rest ran away, we should need no comma in the last line. Write the rime from memory, and verify.

II WRITTEN Look thru your readers and other books for forms similar to a-sliding. If you find any, copy them for class.

III ORAL Read in class the examples you have found of the use of forms similar to a-sliding.

What are little boys made of, made of?
What are little boys made of?

"Snaps and snails and puppy-dogs' tails;

And that's what little boys are made of."

What are little girls made of, made of?
What are little girls made of?

"Sugar and spice and all that's nice;

And that's what little girls are made of."

LESSON LXII

Polly, Dolly, Kate, and Molly,
All are filled with pride and folly;
Polly tattles, Dolly wiggles,
Katie rattles, Molly giggles;

Whoe'er knew such constant rattling,
Wiggling, giggling, noise, and tattling?

I WRITTEN These three couplets need careful study. Notice whoe'er for whoever. The rime begins and ends with a series. What word repeats the subject of thought? Write from memory, and verify.

II WRITTEN Tell which one of the four girls had the most serious fault and why you think so.

III ORAL After study, name in class the person or thing thought about in each of the following sentences, and name the word which repeats the subject of thought:

1 The smith, a mighty man is he.
2 The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday.

3 And the South Wind, he was dressed
With a ribbon round his breast.

4 They all climbed up on a high board-fence,
Nine little goblins with green-glass eyes.

LESSON LXIII

Jerry Hall, he is so small

A rat could eat him, hat and all.

I WRITTEN There is something new here. The word-group hat and all belongs with Jerry Hall, even tho it is not closely attached. For that reason there is a comma before hat. Small means stingy. Write from memory, and verify.

Rule 22 Set off by commas a descriptive wordgroup, unless it is closely connected.

II WRITTEN Memorize the rule for today. Write it from memory.

III ORAL Look thru your readers for short descriptive word-groups, not closely connected. Read several of these in class.

The man in the moon

Came down too soon

And asked the way to Norwich; (nor'rij)

He went by the south,

And burnt his mouth

With eating cold-peas porridge.

LESSON LXIV

Tom, Tom, of Islington,
Married a wife on Sunday,
Brought her home on Monday,
Hired a house on Tuesday,
Fed her well on Wednesday,
Sick was she on Thursday,
Dead was she on Friday;
Sad was Tom on Saturday
To bury his wife on Sunday.

I WRITTEN Study the story of Tom of Islington. Of Islington is a descriptive word-group. Write from memory, and verify.

II WRITTEN Copy the following lines, and point off according to your rule, noting that line 4 is different from the rest. What special name was given in Rule 16 to the descriptive group in 2? Review the rule for appositives. Is an appositive one sort of descriptive word-group?

1 Tom who was of Islington had a sad story. 2 Tom the man of Islington had a sad story.

3 Tom of Islington had a sad story.

4 Tom Tucker and Tom of Islington are not the same person.

III ORAL Look thru your readers to find examples of short descriptive word-groups. Read several of these in class.