70 REVIEWING DON'T AND DOESN'T Use in each of the blanks in these sentences one of the words in the list below. 1. Doesn't seem lonely when mother is away? doesn't want to do it. don't think he will come. 2. 3. doesn't make any difference to me. doesn't intend to sell his horse. 4. 5. 6. Doesn't 7. Don't 8. look like his father? sing beautifully. don't know anything about it. 9. Don't feel well, to-day? 10. doesn't hear a word you say. 3. Why 4. They she tell him so? seem to care what happens. 5. We will go, if it ———— rain. 6. 7. Fred the boys want to go fishing? like to work in the garden. 8. that dog look hungry? 9. Her mother pictures. 10. We allow her to go to the moving get out of school until four o'clock. 11. John's big brother- get home until six. 71 A TRUE STORY HOW BUFFALO BILL GOT HIS NAME The Kansas Pacific railroad was being constructed across the plains, and when the track-laying began it was not long before the locomotives reached the heart of the country where roamed the vast herds of buffalo. To build this roadbed twelve hundred men were engaged, and, as the roving Indians were very troublesome, it became difficult to obtain a supply of fresh meat with which to feed such an army of workmen. "We must have hunters to kill buffalo for us," said one of the Goddard brothers, who had a contract for boarding the employees. "Who would be a good man?" "I suggest William Cody," said a frontiersman. "He is a young fellow who is a good rider and an excellent shot." So one day when he was in Hays City, the scout was approached. "Will you become hunter for us?" asked the elder Goddard. "We shall need twelve buffaloes a day; that is, twenty-four hams, as we use only the hump and the hind quarters." "It will be dangerous work," replied Cody. “I shall be obliged to go from five to ten miles a day, accompanied by only one man with a light wagon to transport the meat. I shall have to have good pay, for I shall be in constant danger of my life from roving redskins." "We will give you a good salary," Goddard answered. "How would five hundred dollars a month suit you?" "I will do it for that." "Then consider yourself engaged." Thus the bold and daring Cody began his career of buffalo hunter for the railroad. During his engagement, a period of about a year and two months, he killed four thousand two hundred and eighty buffaloes and had many exciting adventures with hostile redmen. He was nicknamed Buffalo Bill by the road hands, and the name stuck to him through life. He said, "I have never been ashamed of it:" and there is no reason why he should have been. How many of you have ever heard of Buffalo Bill? Tell what you know about him. Have you ever seen a real Wild West Show or one in moving pictures? Tell about it. 72 REVIEWING MARKS OF PUNCTUATION Pixey was a little girl who had a pet parrot One day when Pixey came home from school her Aunt Letty called Come here Pixey do you see what your Polly has done She has chewed the toe off my pink satin slipper and has pulled the buttons off every shoe I have. Oh you little wretch and Aunt Letty started towards Polly with her slipper uplifted Look out there Go away go away cried Polly Polly mad Polly mad Read the above story to yourselves. How many of you find it easy to get the thought? What makes it hard for you to understand the story? Now copy the story on paper, sentence by sentence. Notice the different kinds of sentences which the writer uses to express the different kinds of thought. What kind of thought has Aunt Letty when she sees her slipper? Show her thought by the marks you use when she speaks to Polly. Read what Aunt Letty said to Pixey. Read what Polly said to Aunt Letty. What marks will help to make their thoughts clearer? Where will you place the marks? How many find it easier to read? What other marks will make the story still clearer? For what purpose are marks of punctuation used? What mark do you place at the end of each question? Now exchange papers with your neighbor and write answers to the questions asked. What mark do you place after your answers? Read the questions and answers, in turn, around the class. 74 USING A AND AN On the street the other day, I saw a French and an Italian officer. The Frenchman wore a uniform of light grayish blue and a black cap with a red band on it. The Italian wore a gray uniform with a cap of the same color. An English soldier in an aviator's uniform passed by and saluted the other two. Name the words before which a is used. Name the words before which an is used. Make a list of the words before which a is used. Make a list of those before which an is used. Draw a line under the first letter of every word in each list. What kind of letters begin the words in the first list? In the second? Before what sounds, then, is a used? Before what sounds is an used? A is used before words which begin with a consonant sound. An is used before words which begin with a vowel sound. The letter u is a vowel, but it often has the consonant sound. Copy the following list, putting a or an before each expression. Tell why you use a or an in each case. |