ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE 7 1 



work and development of the pupils. Constant effort is 

 made to bring the children into mechanical ease and accu- 

 racy in the use of the rules already learned. 



Many adjectives, appropriate for nouns in common use, are 

 suggested and used. Gradually, these displace those that 



have been used loosely or incorrectly. Chil- 

 Adjectives 



dren need this drill upon adjectives, as is 



indicated by the exaggeration and inaccuracy in their use 

 heard on all sides. The comparison of all the adjectives in 

 use is learned, adding materially to the vocabularies. Plurals 

 of all nouns used by the children are taught. The posses- 

 sive singulars are given, but the possessive plurals are left 

 for fifth grades unless the pupils show themselves especially 

 proficient in acquiring them. 



The principal parts of all the verbs learned in the third 

 grade are reviewed, and as many more are taken as the chil- 

 dren can master. The individual teacher 

 must be the guide here, for classes differ 

 greatly in language development and abilities. The follow- 

 ing are some of those considered most important for this 

 year's drills: shall and should, distinguished from will and 

 would; may and might, distinguished from can and could; 

 lie and lay; ride, set, hear, lead, sink, drink, swim, hide, 

 show, shoe, throw, rise, know, spring, slide, write, shake, 

 drive, grow, choose. As in the third grade, the conjugation 

 of the present and the past tenses is learned as are the prin- 

 cipal parts of all the verbs studied. Sentence drill with the 

 verbs is the important part of the work. 



A sufficient study is made of the sentence to see clearly 

 the subject, predicate, and object. Clauses are used, as in the 



