The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 71–73 · Part 1: Part First
24. Practice addressing envelopes
Goal: Your child writes addresses neatly and correctly, the way they go on an envelope.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
- Ten envelope-sized slips of paper
What's in the book
Section 71 asks the child to cut ten slips of paper to stand for envelopes and address them (to father, teacher, self, and seven persons described in words), marking the place for the stamp. Section 72 explains street numbers and post-office boxes; Section 73 gives six more addresses to write.
The lesson, step by step
Look back at the pattern
Look at the envelope on page 69 again. Name on the first line, then street, then town, then state, each on its own line.
Read Section 72
Read about Mr. Newell in the city (street and number needed) and Mr. Ashton in a small town (no street needed, maybe a box number).
The number of the box should be written in the left-hand lower corner of the envelope.
Address the slips
Your child cuts slips of paper and addresses five or six of them: your own home, a relative, and three or four of the people described in Sections 71 and 73. Draw a small box at the upper right for the stamp, straight and neat.
Read the description carefully
Each description in the book hides the address in a sentence. Help your child pull out the parts: title and name, building or street, city, state. Example: number 4 in Section 71 is a physician, so his name gets "Dr."
Check it gently
Compare with the Answers. Check one thing at a time: capitals for every name and place; periods after abbreviations like Dr., St., Ave.
Then and now
Today a ZIP code goes after the state, and many people put the city, state and ZIP on one line. The book's way, with each part on its own line and no commas at line ends, still reaches the right place.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
Mrs. Anne Ward
18 Cherry Street
Salem
Oregon
Each part on its own line, a capital for every name, and the stamp box neat in the upper right corner.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 71, number 4: Dr. William O. Pratt / 224 Union Square / Ithaca / New York. Number 7: Miss Anna Carey Dwight / Hampshire Arms / Savannah / Georgia. Section 73: 1. Mr. Harry T. Atwood / 1725 Amherst Street / Buffalo / New York 2. Mrs. John R. Fletcher / 54 North Clinton Street / Chicago / Illinois 3. Miss Helen C. Mills / Denver / Colorado, with P. O. Box 1537 in the lower left-hand corner 4. Mr. Orville H. Wood / Montreal / Province of Quebec / Dominion of Canada 5. Mrs. Alfred E. Bartol / Windsor Hotel / Richmond / Virginia 6. Mr. Henry O. Towne, President, Maryland Steel Company / Annapolis / Maryland (A slash marks a new line. Street may be written St.)
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.