82 . METHODS IN TEACHING 



in many words should be carefully guarded against, lest 

 mere verbiage takes a hold upon the writer. The study of 

 figures of speech in the literature of the year will probably 

 lead to some embellishment of the pupils' papers. While 

 these efforts should meet with encouragement, they also need 

 guidance, so that a florid, unnatural style is not developed. 



The study of the sentence and the paragraph can not be 

 relaxed, for the power of the children over them is weak 

 and vacillating. Study the effect produced by long and 

 short sentences; illustrate changes in emphasis resultant 

 upon transposition of words, phrases, clauses. We are deal- 

 ing with children, and only childish results can be expected ; 

 but there should be a steady, even if slow, growth in power 

 over written expression. 



Fifth grade pupils need to know the subject, predicate, 

 and object of a sentence in order to discriminate in the use 

 of nominative and objective cases. A faint conception of these 

 features of a sentence begins in the more favored fourth 

 grades; pupils of fifth grades, even where the language 

 difficulties are greatest, make this knowledge clearer, not 

 for grammatical purposes, however, but for use. Some 

 illustrative papers, uncorrected, follow. 



I 



The subject of a sentence is that part of a sentence which 

 denotes that about which we are thinking. 



The predicate of a sentence is that part of a sentence 

 which asserts something about the subject. 



The strong man works. 



The sharp knife cuts. 



The watchful dog barks. 



