The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 58–60 · Part 1: Part First
21. Titles, and addressing an envelope
Goal: Your child writes titles like Mr., Mrs. and Dr. correctly and addresses an envelope.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
- Two envelopes or envelope-sized slips of paper
What's in the book
Section 58 explains titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Master, Dr., Capt., Esq., M. D., Jr.) with examples and rules. Section 59 asks for the names and titles of ten persons. Section 60 shows Harold May's envelope in handwriting, as a pattern.
The lesson, step by step
Read about titles
Read Section 58 together.
Every Title attached to a person's name should begin with a Capital Letter. If a Title is abbreviated, it should be followed by a Period.
Note: the book also says Master and Miss take no period, because they are not shortened words. (Ms. came into use later.)
Study the examples
Read the six example sentences at the bottom of page 68. Ask your child to point to each title and say what it stands for: Capt. for Captain, Gen. for General, Dr. for Doctor, Rev. for Reverend, Jr. for Junior, Esq. for Esquire, M. D. for Doctor of Medicine.
Write names with titles (Section 59)
Your child writes the names and titles of six to ten people they know or have read about: a doctor, a neighbor, a teacher, a pastor, a soldier in history.
The envelope (Section 60)
Look at Harold May's envelope on page 69. The name goes in the middle, with the rest of the address on the lines below, and the stamp at the upper right.
Your child copies it, then addresses two envelopes to people they know.
Then and now
The book puts the city and state on separate lines. Today we put the city, the state and the ZIP code together on the last line. Either way, no commas are needed at the ends of the lines.
Check it gently
Check titles: a capital and, if shortened, a period. Your child fixes any slip. Then check that the envelope could really reach the person.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
Dr. Ruth Moss
Capt. James Hart
Mr. Paul Lee, Jr.
Every title begins with a capital, and every shortened title has a period.
Answers to the book's problems
Titles in the examples: Capt. (Captain), Gen. (General), Dr. (Doctor), Rev. (Reverend), Jr. (Junior), Esq. (Esquire), M. D. (Doctor of Medicine).
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.