The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 434–437 · Part 2: Part Second
120. Verbs of action and their objects
Goal: Your child finds the object of a verb, the word that names the receiver or result of the action.
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 434 gives thirteen sentences to sort verbs into those that express action and those that do not. Section 435 explains the object of the verb: the receiver of the action (the hunter killed the bear) or its result (the man built the wall). Sections 436 and 437 ask for objects and for a three-column table of subject, verb and object.
The lesson, step by step
Action or not? (Section 434)
Read the thirteen sentences. Your child sorts the verbs into two columns: action, and not action. Remember the book counts actions of the mind too.
Receiver or result (Section 435)
Read the eight sentences and the explanation.
The hunter killed the bear.
The man built the wall.
Ask: Did the bear receive the action? Was the wall there before the building, or is it the result?
The table (Section 437)
Your child rules three columns, Subject, Verb, Object, like the book's model, and fills them in for eight of the twelve sentences.
Check it gently
Compare with the Answers. If an object is wrong, ask: "Killed what? Built what?" The answer to "what?" after the verb is the object.
Your own
Your child writes three sentences with objects: one receiver, one result, one of their choice.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
The dog chewed my slipper. (slipper receives the action)
Mother baked a pie. (the pie is the result)
Dad painted the fence.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 434, verbs that do not express action: is (6, twice, "is right" and "[is] wrong"), Am (7), am (9), were (11), will be (12). All the others express action (some, like "like" and "felt", are actions of the mind, which the book counts as actions): like, felt, grew, obeyed, glided, halted, cried, said, can trust, strewed, froze, nipped, shrivelled, stiffened, made, spoke. Section 437 (subject | verb | object): 1. The soldier | began | his story. 2. I | heard | a loud noise. 3. The story | surprised | me. 4. The noise | frightened | the horse. 5. I | have described | Tom's school days. 6. Tom | followed | his guide. 7. The deer-slayer | tossed | the tomahawk. 8. The crew | understood | the situation. 9. The pilot | gave | the command. 10. Ichabod | wore | a small wool hat. 11. The party | had reached | the road. 12. They | found | the horse.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.