Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition · Lesson 22 · Part 1: Part I: The elementary course
21. Sentence-making with articles and adjectives
Goal: Your child uses the right articles, builds sentences from a few given words, and knows when not to put a comma between adjectives.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and a pencil (or a slate)
What's in the book
Lesson 22 has sentences with blanks for articles, a model for pointing out articles, word groups to build into sentences, and blanks to fill. Page 35 adds a rule about adjectives that form one expression with a noun, and sentences to punctuate.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Ask: Which article is definite? Which is indefinite? When do we use an?
Fill in the articles
Do these aloud:
Such — law is — disgrace to any state.
— fox is cunning.
— wise son maketh — glad father.
Point out articles
Use the book's model sentence:
The man was riding in a wagon.
Your child names each article and says definite or indefinite.
Build sentences
Write sentences from the book's word groups, adding words to make complete sense:
Flowers, the, garden.
Nests, birds.
Winter, go, robins, where.
No comma here
Look at the book's example: "I saw a little old man." The rule says an adjective is not separated by a comma when the adjective and noun form a single expression, like "old man."
Then punctuate:
Mary is a gentle sensible and well-behaved girl.
The good man was loved esteemed and respected.
Check together
Check articles, commas and capitals with the answers.
Use it today
Find a sentence in today's reading with two adjectives before a noun. Is there a comma between them?
Answers to the book's problems
Articles: Such a law is a disgrace to any state. Repeat the first four lines in concert. The fox is cunning (or A fox is cunning). A wise son maketh a glad father. Punctuation: Mary is a gentle, sensible, and well-behaved girl. The good man was loved, esteemed, and respected. "The kind old man" needs no comma, like the book's "little old man." For the other three, talk it through: put a comma where you could say "and" between the adjectives. Built sentences will vary, for example: The flowers in the garden are blooming. Fishes live in the sea. Birds build nests. Where do robins go in winter?
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.