The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 427–431 · Part 2: Part Second
118. Verbs and verb-phrases
Goal: Your child finds verbs made of more than one word, like "shall study" and "have been running".
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
What's in the book
Section 427 gives sentences to find verbs in and blanks to fill. Section 428 shows verb-phrases (shall study, have studied, am studying, shall be studying). Section 429 asks for verb-phrases from the reader; Section 430 gives eleven sentences about little Annie and the town crier to find verbs and verb-phrases in; Section 431 gives verbs and verb-phrases to use.
The lesson, step by step
Find the verbs (Section 427)
Read the eight sentences; your child names each verb. Then fill the seven blanks aloud.
Verb-phrases (Section 428)
Read the six sentences about studying geography.
I shall be studying geography soon.
Ask: How many words make the verb here? (Three: shall be studying.)
Little Annie (Section 430)
Read the eleven sentences. Your child names the verb or verb-phrase in each, then makes one similar sentence of their own.
Write (Section 431)
Your child uses eight of the verbs and verb-phrases in Section 431 in sentences, and underlines the whole verb-phrase each time.
Check it gently
Check the underlining: did your child underline all the words of the verb-phrase? Fix any that stopped short.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
I shall be reading after supper.
The birds have flown south.
My aunt is sewing a quilt.
The whole verb-phrase is underlined: shall be reading, have flown, is sewing.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 427 verbs: plays, makes, flies, grinds, falls, leaps, roars, slips. Blanks, possible answers: 1. discovered. 2. was. 3. carried (or saluted). 4. runs (or flows). 5. grow. 6. learns (or studies). 7. are. Section 430: 1. has rung. 2. stands. 3. is telling, are come. 4. would like. 5. shall take. 6. trips, were forced, should dance. 7. turn, are moving. 8. is trundling. 9. passes, jostles, turn. 10. brighten. 11. has seated, pours.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.