The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 254–257 · Part 2: Part Second

73. The work which words do: the subject

Goal: Your child divides a sentence into the part that names what we talk about (the subject) and the rest.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗ 🖨 Copywork sheet

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

Part Second begins. Section 254 says our language is like a family whose words each have work to do. Section 255 gives short sentences (Plants grow. Fishes swim.) to divide into two parts. Sections 256 and 257 name the subject and give sentences to divide.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Read the opening

    Read Section 254 together.

    Our language is like a family.

    SayIn this part of the book we find out what work each word does in a sentence.

  2. Two-word sentences (Section 255)

    Read the eight short sentences: Plants grow. Fishes swim. Hailstones fall ...

    For each, ask: Which word names the thing? Which word tells what it does? Your child draws a line between the two parts.

  3. The subject

    Read Section 256 and its example.

    Thomas Jefferson | was a great statesman.

    The part of a Sentence which names that of which we think or speak or write, is called the Subject.

  4. Write and divide

    Your child writes a sentence about each of five things from Section 256 (Thomas Jefferson, pine trees, schoolhouse, horses, Africa, Cuba, Germany), then draws a line after the subject.

  5. Divide the book's sentences (Section 257)

    Your child copies the sentences in Section 257, draws the line, and underlines the subject.

  6. Check it gently

    Compare with the Answers. If a line is in the wrong place, ask: "Who or what is this sentence about?" and let your child move it.

  7. What a good result looks like

    Example (written for this guide, not from the book):

    Pine trees | stay green all winter.

    Horses | pulled the heavy wagon up the hill.

    Germany | is a country in Europe.

    The line comes right after the part that names what the sentence is about.

Answers to the book's problems

Section 257, subjects: 1. The maples. 2. The asters. 3. Mount Tacoma (today usually called Mount Rainier). 4. A boy's whistle. 5. Chestnuts. 6. The lizard. 7. Bees. 8. Indians. 9. Potatoes.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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