1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXVI. - The Cruel Boy

Vocabulary lookup: conduct and tattle. Did George's friend join in his bad behavior? Did he tattle? What did George's friend do?

The Cruel Boy

George Craft is a very cruel boy. He is only six years old, and yet he is very bad. George would catch flies, and pull off their wings and legs, and the laugh to see them hop. The dog and cat are both afraid of George, and will run and hide when they see him. One day, last week, a young friend of his came to see him, and was very angry at his conduct. He asked George how he would like to have his legs and arms pulled off. George hung his head. Why, said he, flies cannot feel much. His friend told him, that he had heard men say that everything that could move, could feel, and that it was wrong of anyone to hurt or kill them. George felt very sorry, when he heard his young friend tell him how bad he had acted, and I hope he will not do so any more.

Vocabulary

George, cruel, hide,
asked, pulled, young,
everything, conduct, heard,
came, laugh, legs,
wrong, angry, wings,
friend, week, and catch.

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXV. - What The Animals Say

Find the words helpful and useful in the story. What is the base word in each? What is a Suffix? What happens to the meaning of the words if you change the suffix to less? Write a short story about your favorite animals. For example: "The dog says..."

What The Animals Say

They fly says, I fly in the air, if the sun is hot. I sip out of the tea cups. If I see a boy at tea, I sit on the rim of the cup and sip his tea. If he sees me, he may try to pat me, if he can. I fly away and up in the air, so he can not get me. I am a swift fly.
The bee says, I fly too, if the sun is hot, and if it is not wet. I sip too, but I do not get in the tea cups. I am helpful. Boys do not try to pat me, for I do not get in the way, and boys can see i am helpful. If they catch me and do anything to hurt me, i will sting them.
The cat says, I do not sip, I lap. I can get a rat, and I can get you, Mr. Fly, if you do not go too far up in the air. I can run, mew, and can lie in the sun. If it is not hot, i lie on the rug, or in my bed of hay.
The rat says, I eat all I can get. The cat may try to get me, if she can, but I can run out of her way.
The hen says, i can fly, but not as far as Tom, the small bird. I lay eggs, and I am useful to men, but fox may get me, and so may the rats.
The fox says, i am sly, and try to eat all the old hens, but the dogs and men hear me, and try to get me. I am so sly, it is odd if the dogs and men can get me at all.

Vocabulary

fly, see, and,
says, eggs, but,
cup, wet, sun,
can, try, tea,
get, air, pat,
boys, sip, bee,
the, off, use,
hot, air, and was.

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXIV - The new Slate

Dictionary lookup: slate (Get a dictionary and look up what slate means). Did the boy have a good imagination? What would you imagine if you had paper or a slate to draw on? Give it a try.

The new Slate

Here is a little boy who had a new slate given to him. It was bought for him by his father, that he might learn arithmetic. One day he made some pictures on his slate. Look here, Charles, I have drawn a boy on my new slate. See what a long nose he has! Ah! He has but one arm. Now I will draw a milk laid with her pail. There, I have drawn a pig and a hen, and a duck. Why the pig has but two legs, and the duck has four. Well, i can rub out two of the duck's legs and give them to the pig. There, now I will draw a man with a whip in his hand. The man has come to put the pig in the pen. Why, the man is not as tall as the pig. I must rub them all out, for they are not well done. There, I have a boy with a nest full of eggs in his hand. he is a bad boy to take a poor bird's nest. and here is Betty, the maid. She has come to take me to bed. Well if it is time, I must go. Put my slate away, that i may have it safe when i want to draw.

Vocabulary
Charles, them, hand, Betty,
done, put, drawn, nest,
long, little, may, maid,
given, what, must, father,
will, draw, picture, pail,
man, new, four, eggs,
now, all, bad, with,
want, have, and duck.

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXIII. - The Kind Boy

Look at the picture before you read the lesson. What do you think happens in this story? Write some "If... then..." sentences. Example: If James keeps the bird, then it might die. What is a compound word? Is there any compound words in the story? Can you think of any compound words made from either blue or bird? have a grammar lesson about the apostrophe.

The Kind Boy

James Bland found a poor young bird on the cold ground. It was all wet, for there had been rain that day. "Ha!" said he, " I will have a fine pet, now." James took it home. He met his sister Ann at the door. "Here, Ann," said he, " is a young blue bird. I found it in the road. We will put it in a cage and keep it." Ann looked at it. "Poor thing," said she, "it is cold. Let us take it to the fire." She took it, and warmed it. As soon as it was dry and warm, it began to chirp and tried to get away. Ann told James that it would be cruel to keep the bird. "See, it wants to go back to its nest. We would not like to be taken from home and kept in a cage." James thought so too, so he took the bird to the door. "There! Go, poor bird," said he, and away it flew. Some boys would have kept it, and maybe it would have died. But James was a good boy, and would not be cruel, even to a bird. I hope that no boy who reds this book will ever rob a bird's nest. It is very cruel and wicked.

Vocabulary

cold, the, boy, wet, sister,
who, way, kept, wicked, cage, good,
warm, cruel, that, nest, looked, ever, rain,
began, back, poor, taken, ground, flew,
bluebird, dry, door, have, thing,
reads, shall, bird, very,
blue, though.

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXII. - The school Girl

Study a science lesson about bees.

The school Girl

Jane rice is a good girl. She goes to school everyday, and she can read quite well. She does what she is told, and is kind to all. One day, as she went to school, she saw a poor bee in the water, on the road. She took a leaf, for fear the bee would sting her, and held it to the bee. The bee took hold of it, with its feet. Jane took it out, and put it where the sun would shine on it. The bee soon got warm and flew away. Jane was glad that she had saved its life.

Vocabulary

leaf, quite, water,
fear, shine, school, warm,
away, would, glad, saved, where.

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXI - About the Moon

Follow up with a science lesson about the phases of the moon. Write sentences in the pattern of, " If we had no moon, it would be called...". Ask the children what day God created the moon, and what else He created on that day.

About the Moon

The moon is very large. See how red it is! It looks like blood! The moon is round now, because it is full moon. It will not be so round the next night. The moon will lose a little, and the next night a little more, and so on until it it is like your bow when it is bent. It will not be seen until after you are in bed. It will grow less and less, until in two weeks there will be no moon at all. After that, there will be a new moon. You will see it just before night, and it will be very thin at first. It will grow round and larger each day, until at last, in to weeks more, it will be a full moon again like this. You will see it rise again behind the trees, in four weeks from this time, just as you see it now. If we had no moon, it would be very dark at night. We could not see to walk, or do anything. When there is snow on the ground, and the moon shines, it is almost as bright as day. When there is no moon, and the stars do not shine, it is very dark.

Vocabulary

moon, more, first, little,
red, bow, again, large, every,
like, because, very, weeks, behind, thin,
blood, new, almost, lose, before, every, snow.

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XX. - John Jones

There isn't any picture for this lesson, so after the children read the story let them draw a picture. Look up what 'hath' and 'advice' means. Ask the children what they are thankful to God for and make them write it all down. Read John 3:16 and Isaiah 41:10 to them. Also discuss the advice the man gave to John.

John Jones

John Jones was a good boy, but he could not read nor write. His mother was poor. She could not pay for him to go to school. She sent him out to help a man at the side of the road to break stones. John could not earn much, it is true, yet it was good for him to be a work. It is well for us all to have work to do. It is bad for us not to work. John was a good boy, and he did not love to play so much that he could not work. He knew t to be right to work, and when his work was done he play. The man for whom John worked was very very kind to john, and gave him a great deal of good advice. One day he said to him, " John, you must always bear in mind, that it was God who made you, and who gave you all that you have, and all that you hope for. He gave you life, and food, and a home. "All who take care of you and help you were sent to you by God. He sent his Son to show you His will, and to die for your sake. "He gave you His word to let you know what He hath done for you, and what He wants you to do. "Be sure that He sees you in the dark, as well as in the day light. He can tell all that you do, and all that you say, and all that is in your mind. "Oh, ever seek this God! Pray to Him when you rise, and when you lie down. Keep His day, hear His word, and do His will, and He will love you, and will be you God for ever.

Vocabulary

have, live, know, pray, good, him,

done advice, down, food, always, hath,

your, some, help, worked, sees, read, very,

hope, mind, kind, word, ever, great,

sent, dark, gave, that, light, you,

whom, seek, die, show, deal,

life, day, bear,

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XIX. - The Lame Dog.

Ask the children if they have seen or taken car of a lame animal. Have them write a paragraph about what they have seen or done. Make a family of words that rhyme with ground and found, and another family of words for town.

The Lame Dog.

One day a man went to take a walk in town. On his way home, he saw a little dog which had hurt his leg. The poor dog was so lame he could not lift his foot off the ground without great pain. When this kind man saw there was no one to take pity on the poor dog, he took him in his arms, and brought him home and bound up his leg. Then he fed him and made a warm place, and kept him in his house for two days. He then sent the dog out of his house, to his old home. Since it was not his own dog, he had no right to keep him, but each day the dog came back for this kind man to dress his leg. This he did till he was quite well. In a few weeks, the dog came back once more, and with him came a dog that was lame. The dog that had been lame and was now well, first gave the man a look, and then he gave the lame dog a look, as much as to say: " You made my lame leg well, and now pray do the same for this poor dog that has come with me."

Vocabulary

day poor there town could same right pain and quite kind take
great found saw off house gone been went lame has home foot
good dog feet man for arms once his then little ground kept

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XVII; About James Smith

Again, in this lesson there is no picture, so have the children draw a picture of Jame's house; as described in the story. Although Ann and James were poor, they still valued learning, love, and work. Talk about these things with your parents and discuss the values of being a child of God.

About James Smith

Ann Smith had but one child, and his name was James. Ann was poor, but she did her best to work hard, that she might pay for her house, and buy food and clothes. her house was small and stood near the road. There were two small rooms in it-one in which to sleep, and one in which to live. She made a bed in the room where she had to live. James slept in this bed. In this room she had one chair, one low stool for James to sit on, a few cups and plates, and some other things that she had bought. In the room where she slept, she had her own bed, and a box made of wood, in which she kept her clothes. James was so fond of her, that he would run to meet her, when she came home from work. When she left him to go to work, he would sit on a large stone near the house door of the house. He would look at her as long as he could see her, and then he would cry, and wish for her to come back to him. James went to school. He studied so much that in a few months he could read. Poor Ann Smith was glad of this. When she came home from work, James would read to her from a large book which a kind friend had given him. Some day I will tell you what was in that book, and i think you will love to hear it, and to read it, as James Smith did.

Vocabulary

food, room, child, Smith,
gone, come, night, things,
went, meet, slept, would,
hate, back, large, friend,
Ann, much, board, school,
poor, work, pains, clothes,
care, made, ready, bought,
had, stool, small, weight,
own, home, stood, James,
door, fond, crate, might,
then, wood, warm, house,
him, look, large, months,
hail, kind, plates, ground

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XVIII; The Thick Shade.

For this lesson read the Twenty-third Psalm and compare it with this lesson. In the vocabulary the words doth (old form of does) and fool should be explained and discussed.

The Thick Shade

Come, let us go into thick shade. It is noonday, and the summer sun beats hot upon our heads. The shade is pleasant cool. The branches meet above our heads and shut out the sun like a green curtain. The grass is soft to our feet, and the clear brook washes the roots of the trees. The cattle can lie down to sleep in the cool shade, but we can do better. We can raise our voices to heaven. We can praise the great God who made us. He made the warm sun and the cool shade, the trees that grow upwards, and the brooks that run along. The plants and trees are made to give fruit to man. All that live get life from God. He made the poor man, as well as the rich man. He made the dark man, as well as the fair man. He made the fool, as well as he made the wise man. All that move on the land are His, and so all that swim in the sea. The ox and the worm are both the work of His hand. In Him, they live and move. He it is that doth give food to all of them, and when He says the word, they all must die.

Vocabulary

come, clear, sleep,
shade, down, heaven,
heads, voices, thick,
soft, pleasant, heat,
cattle, into, branches,
raise, day, upwards,
noon, cool, better,
trees, brook, summer

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XVI - The Good Girl.

This is a great opportunity to work on some hand work. Talk about and explain what hemming, frill, and other sewing terms mean.

Lesson XVI

The Good Girl.

Mama, may I sew today? Yes, my child. What do you wish to sew? I wish to hem a frill for your cap. Is not this a new cap? You may make the frill for me. I shall like to wear a frill that you have made. Here is a bit of cloth which will make a nice frill. You must hem it. I will turn it down for you, but take care not to soil it. Wash you hands, and take care to wipe them dry. Now sit down on your low stool. Now you may go on. You will see best here by my side. You must join these two pieces with a seam. When you have sewn as far as this pin, bring it to me to see. Jane sat down upon her stool and sewed like a little lady. In a short time she said, Mama, i have sewn as far as you told me. Will you look at it? Yes, my child, it is well done. If you take pains, as you have done today, you will soon sew well. I wish to sew well, Mama. Then I can help you make caps, and frocks, and I hope to be of some help to you.

Vocabulary

pray, cloth, wipe, these,
sew, hands, dry, look,
hem, frill, pains, you,
new, clean, stood, hope,
bits, were, seam, told
frocks, bring, shirts, soil,
caps, child, side, low,
sat, down, upon, served,
like, little, lady, short,
time, wish, hope, care,
help

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XV. - Little Henry

For this lesson write a short essay on the last book you read. Talk about the actions and results of James, John, and George.

Lesson XV

Little Henry.

Well, Henry, what have you read in your new book? I read of three boys who went to school. Each of them had a fine large cake. James ate so much that it made him sick. George kept his so long that it got dry, and was not fit to eat. John gave some of his cake to each of his school mates, and then took a piece himself. he gave the rest to an old blind man. The old man could not see to work for his food. So John gave him a share of his cake. How kind John was! I love kind boys and girls. We must be kind and good to the blind. If we were blind, we would be glad to meet with kind folks, who would give us something to eat. When I have read my book, Ann, I will lend it to you, and I will read to Jane. I dare say it is a nice one. I am sure you will take care of it. Aunt says, that no one but a bad girl will tear or soil a book. How glad I am to have a kind aunt and a good book.

Vocabulary

Henry, James, George, Ann,
book, poor, got, thing,
dry, blind, made, have,
long, more, then, that,
large, glad, kept, much,
took, good, girls, fine,
some, rest, was, went,
mates, piece, boys, see,
aunt, says, none, soil

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XIV - The Lame Man

In this lesson study the Vocabulary; especially scarcely, hardly, and barely. make the children look these words up in the dictionary and find the difference in their meaning. Talk about nutrition and the importance of eating healthy. Also, talk about how our Lord Jesus Christ healed the lame and the sick.

The Lame man.

See that poor man. he is lame and has no hat on his head. John, will you give him your old hat? Yes, you will. You will be glad to help him. We must feel for the lame, and do all we can to help them. John, you are a kind boy, and I love you. Poor old man! He is sad-he is in want. Ah, see how pale he is! He is sick. Come in poor man, come in. We will give you a bit of cake to eat, and some milk. John will give you a hat. Look now at that sick boy. He is not sick for want of food. he had a cake sent to him and he was told not to eat to much of it, yet he did. The cake has made him sick. See how his face is pale and sad. If he had not done that, he would not be ill. Now he is so sick he can scarcely go out this fine day. he can not run, nor jump, nor play. I hope you will not act like this boy. Mind what is said. Do not eat more than is said. Do not eat more than is good for you, so that you will not look pale like him or feel sick as he does.

Vocabulary

that, poor, man, lame,
must, feel, help, them,
will, give, him, your,
told, none, sent, done,
come, cake, some, milk,
much, that, made, face,
hope, mind, what, said,
more, than, jump, may,
pale, good, been, does

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Spelling

1. Vowels, consonants and syllables

Words are built up from vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z). Vowels and consonants are combined to make syllables, building blocks of sound, which is one unit of sound.

God has one syllable, God.
Jesus has two syllables, Je and sus.

2. Long and short vowels

Vowels have different sounds depending on the word they are in.

God, map and did all have short vowel sounds at the beginning – say the words. Do you hear how the o, a and i sound?

Jesus, made and life all have long vowel sounds at the beginning. Say these words. Do you hear the longer, more breathy sound of the e, a and i?

Double consonants

Vowels followed by twin consonants have a short sound and make words that have more than one syllable.

daddy, penny, witty, mommy, sunny

Long vowel sounds can be made by adding a magic e

Change the short vowel sound into a long vowel sound by adding a silent e to the end of the word. Silent final e makes the preceding vowel say its name.

kit –> kite
to-> toe
bath -> bathe

Silent final e ensures that we never end an English word with u or v.

Exceptions: love, give, have, true, blue, glue

Vowel Sounds

'eh' - as in 'let', 'ih' - as in 'hit', 'ee' - as in 'see', and 'ae'- as in 'cat'
'long ah' - as in 'car', 'short ah' - as in 'got'
'long uh' - as in 'put', 'short uh' - as in 'up', 'oo' - as in 'through'

3. Two vowels together are called diphthongs

Some words have two vowels together. When this happens, the vowels usually make one sound rather than two.

You can practice them HERE!

Note: The following diphthongs are pronounced differently in British and American English. British English drops the 'r' sound and pronounces a slight 'uh' - 'hair' becomes 'hehuh'. In American English the 'r' is strongly pronounced - 'hair' becomes 'hehrrr'.

Diphthong Sounds

'ay' - as in 'day', 'ai' - as in 'sky'

'ay' as in 'day'	'ai' as in 'die'
bay	buy
pay	pie
day	die
table	tie
gay	guy
cake	kite
say	sigh
zany	Zaire
shape	shy
Jake	jive
chase	child
hey!	hi

'ou' - as in 'home', 'ow' - as in 'mouse', 'oi' - as in 'boy'

'ou' as in 'home'	'ow' as in 'house'	'oi' as in 'boy'
bowl	bow	boy
Pope	pow-wow	poise
don't	Dow	doily
toe	towel	toy
go	gouge	goiter
cope	cow	coy
soap	sour	soy sauce
zone	zowie!	(none)
show	shower	(none)
Jones	jowl	join
chose	ciao!	choice
home	howl	hoist

'ieh(r)' - as in 'near', 'ehi(r)' - as in 'hair'

'ieh(r)' as in 'near'	'ehi(r)' as in 'hair'
beer	bear
peer	pear
dear	dare
tear (drop of water)	tear (rip)
gear	garish
clear	Claire
seer	snare
sheer	share
jeer	Jerry
cheer	chair
here	hair

Captain, taught, bead, weight, believe, boat, does, boil, sound, guess, build

When you find i and e together

"i before e, except after c"

i usually comes before e unless it follows c; if we say /ā/, we can also use ei.

Words that don’t have a c before the ie, it’s i before e:

believe, piece, niece

Words that have a c before the ei, it’s e before i:

receive, deceive, conceit, ceiling

/ā/: vein, neighbour

exception: Their has an ei but no c.

neither, foreign, sovereign, seized, leisure, either, weird, protein, heifer

/ur/ - Complex diphthong:

Five spellings for /ur/: er, ur, ir, wor, ear:
her, nurse, first, works, earth

4. Hard and soft consonants

c does not have it's own sound. Hard c sounds like k and soft c sounds like s

The letter c followed by e, i, or y says /s/:

cent, city, cycle

followed by another vowel c is said as /k/:

cat, cot, cut, scar, scotch, scuttle

Hard g and soft g

The letter g can also make a hard or a soft sound.

The g followed by e, i, or y usually sounds like /j/ but can say /g/:

gentle, giant, gypsum;

BUT exceptions: get, girl, give.

Followed by any other letter g says /g/: gap, God, gut

5. Plurals

A plural is more than one thing. Plurals can be tricky to spell, but there are some simple rules that will help you. It all depends what the word ends with.

For most nouns, the plural form includes the letter "s" at the end of the word:

dogs
trees
turtles

Nouns ending in s, z, ch, sh, and x
Nouns with these letters at the end call for an "es" in the plural form. This added syllable makes pronunciation easier.

beaches
foxes
wishes

Nouns ending in o
Some nouns ending in o are pluralized with an "s," while others call for "es." These words must be memorized, because there is no simple rule to explain the differences.

echoes	heroes	potatoes	vetoes
autos	memos	pimentos	pros

Source: Hodges' Harbrace Handbook, 13th edition

If a word ends in f, change the f to a v and add es.

half -> halves
leaf -> leaves
hoof -> hooves

Nouns ending in y
To form the plural of nouns ending in y, drop the y and add "ies."

Family becomes families
Story becomes stories
Baby becomes babies

But, if a word ends in ey, just add an s.

monkey -> monkeys

Some words are the same when they are singular (just one) and plural.

I’ve got one sheep.
I’ve got lots of sheep.

And some words change without an s:

child -> children
mouse -> mice

Irregular plural forms
There are several other irregularities in the plural forms of English nouns. Here are examples:

Man becomes men
Woman becomes women
Fungus becomes fungi
Thief becomes thieves (note that not all words ending in "f" follow this patttern: roof/roofs)
Species remains species
Medium becomes media
Person becomes people

6. Prefixes

A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify or change its meaning. This is a list of the most common prefixes in English, together with their basic meaning and some examples.

Prefix		Meaning	Examples
a-	also an-	not, without	atheist, anaemic
a-		to, towards	aside, aback
		in the process of, in a particular state	a-hunting, aglow
a-		of	anew
		completely	abashed
ab-	also abs-	away, from	abdicate, abstract
ad-	also a-, ac-, af-, ag- al-, an-, ap-, at- as-, at-	movement to, change into, addition or increase	advance, adulterate, adjunct, ascend, affiliate, affirm, aggravate, alleviate, annotate, apprehend, arrive, assemble, attend
ante-		before, preceding	antecedent, ante-room
anti-	also ant-	opposing, against, the opposite	anti-aircraft, antibiotic, anticlimax, Antarctic
be-		all over, all around	bespatter, beset
		completely	bewitch, bemuse
		having, covered with	bejewelled
		affect with (added to nouns)	befog
		cause to be (added to adjectives)	becalm
com-	also co-, col-, con-, cor-	with, jointly, completely	combat, codriver, collude, confide, corrode
contra-		against, opposite	contraceptive
counter-		opposition, opposite direction	counter-attack, counteract
de-		down, away	descend, despair, depend, deduct
		completely	denude, denigrate
		removal, reversal	de-ice, decamp
dia-	also di-	through, across	diagonal
dis-	also di-	negation, removal, expulsion	disadvantage, dismount, disbud, disbar
en-	also em-	put into or on	engulf, enmesh
		bring into the condition of	enlighten, embitter
		intensification	entangle, enrage
ex-	also e-, ef-	out	exit, exclude, expand
		upward	exalt, extol
		completely	excruciate, exasperate
		previous	ex-wife
extra-		outside, beyond	extracurricular
hemi-		half	hemisphere
hyper-		beyond, more than, more than normal	hypersonic, hyperactive
hypo-		under	hypodermic, hypothermia
in-	also il-, im-	not, without	infertile, inappropriate, impossible
	also il-, im-, ir-	in, into, towards, inside	influence, influx, imbibe
infra-		below	infrared, infrastructure
inter-		between, among	interact, interchange
intra-		inside, within	intramural, intravenous
non-		absence, negation	non-smoker, non-alcoholic
ob-	also oc-, of-, op-	blocking, against, concealing	obstruct, occult, offend, oppose
out-		surpassing, exceeding	outperform
		external, away from	outbuilding, outboard
over-		excessively, completely	overconfident, overburdened, overjoyed
		upper, outer, over, above	overcoat, overcast
peri-		round, about	perimeter
post-		after in time or order	postpone
pre-		before in time, place, order or importance	pre-adolescent, prelude, precondition
pro-		favouring, in support of	pro-African
		acting for	proconsul
		motion forwards or away	propulsion
		before in time, place or order	prologue
re-		again	repaint, reappraise, reawake
semi-		half, partly	semicircle, semi-conscious
sub-	also suc-, suf-, sug-, sup-, sur-, sus-	at a lower position	submarine, subsoil
		lower in rank	sub-lieutenant
		nearly, approximately	sub-tropical
syn-	also sym-	in union, acting together	synchronize, symmetry
trans-		across, beyond	transnational, transatlantic
		into a different state	translate
ultra-		beyond	ultraviolet, ultrasonic
		extreme	ultramicroscopic
un-		not	unacceptable, unreal, unhappy, unmanned
		reversal or cancellation of action or state	unplug, unmask
under-		beneath, below	underarm, undercarriage
		lower in rank	undersecretary
		not enough	underdevelope

7. Suffixes

Suffixes are letters you can add to the end of words to change their meanings. For example, the suffix -less means without.

Suffix	used to make	meaning	example
-able, -ible, -ble	adjectives	possible to	acceptable, noticable, convertible, divisible, irresistible
-age	nouns	a process or state	shortage, storage
-al	adjectives	connected with	experimental, accidental, environmental
-ance, -ancy,	nouns	an action, process or state	appearance, performance, pregnancy, constancy
-ant, -ent	nouns	a person who does it	assistant, immigrant, student
-ation	nouns	a state or action	examination, imagination, organization
-ee	nouns	a person to whom something is done	employee, trainee
-en	verbs	to give something a particular quality, to make something more	to strengthen
-ence, -ency,	nouns	an action, process or state	coincidence, patience, potency, presidency
-er	nouns	a person who does something	rider, painter, baker, builder, teacher
-ese	adjectives	from a place	Japanese, Chinese, Viennese
-ess	nouns	a woman who does somthing as a job	waitress, actress
-ful	adjectives	having a particular quality	beautiful, helpful, useful, thankful
-hood	nouns	a state, often during a particular period of time	childhood, motherhood
-ian	nouns	a person who does something as a job or hobby	historian, comedian, politician
-ical	adjectives from nouns ending -y or -ics	connected with	economical, mathematical, physical
-ify	verbs	to produce a state or quality	beautify, simplify, purify
-ish	adjectives	1.describing nationality or language	English, Swedish, Polish
		2.like something	babyish, foolish
		3.rather, quite	longish, youngish, brownish
-ist	nouns	1.a person who has studied something or does something as a job	scientist, typist
		2.a person who believes in something or belongs to a particular group	capitalist, pacifist, feminist
-ion	nouns	a state or process	action, connection, exhibition
-ive	adjectives	to be able to, having a particular quality	active, effective
-ize, -ise	verbs	actions producing a particular state	to magnetize, to generalize, to modernise, to standardise
-less	adjectives	not having something	hopeless, friendless
-like	adjectives	similar to	childlike
-ly	adverbs	in a particular way	badly, beautifully, completely
-ment	nouns	a state, action or quality	development, arrangement, excitement, achievement
-ness	nouns	a state or quality	kindness, sadness, happiness, weakness
-ology	nouns	the study of a subject	biology, psychology, zoology
-or	nouns	a person who does something, often as a job	actor, conductor, sailor
-ous	adjectives	having a particular quality	dangerous, generous, religous
-ship	nouns	showing status	membership, citizenship, friendship
-wards	adverbs	in a particular direction	backwards, upwards
-wise	adverbs	in a particular way	anticlockwise
-y	adjectives	having the quality of the thing metioned	cloudy, rainy, fatty, thirsty, greeny

Worksheet Quiz

Lessons in this series:

• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Spelling
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Punctuation
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Language struc...
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Compound and c...
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Adjectives and...

BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Punctuation

English writing reading spelling grammar worksheets are coming.

English: Spelling and Grammar - Language structure

1. Phrases

A phrase is a group of words that could be replaced by a single part of speech – for example, a noun.

is a group of words that functions as a single unit of a sentence.

Examples:

the house at the end of the street (example 1) is a phrase. It acts like a noun.

It contains the phrase at the end of the street (example 2), a prepositional phrase which acts like an adjective.

Example 2 could be replaced by white, to make the phrase the white house.

Examples 1 and 2 contain the phrase the end of the street (example 3) which acts like a noun.

It could be replaced by the cross-roads to give the house at the cross-roads.

2. Sentences

A sentence is a grammatical unit of one or more words. A sentence has a capital letter at the beginning and ends with a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark. It must have a verb in it and make sense.

A simple sentence is called a clause. A clause consists of a subject and a verb.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.


A conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, phrases or clauses together like: and, but, although, when, whenever and because.

3. Types of sentence

Different types of sentence do different jobs.

Statements
A statement is a sentence that simply tells the reader something.

The fox Jumps.

Questions

Why did the fox jump over the lazy dog?

Exclamations

The fox jumped high!

Wake up you lazy dog!

Commands
(Commands usually start with a verb.)

Catch the quick brown fox.

4. Paragraphs

A paragraph is a unit of sentences that are all about the same thing:

Begin with a topic sentence,

-states main point for this paragraph

Give details, reasons, and examples to support your topic,

-sentence

End with a closing sentence.

-Restate main point for this paragraph

example:

The fox jumped. The fox jumped high! Why did the fox jump over the dog? The dog was lazy. Wake up you lazy dog! The fox jumped over the lazy dog.

Do you see the indent?

Worksheet Quiz

Lessons in this series:

• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Spelling
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Punctuation
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Language struc...
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Compound and c...
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Adjectives and...

BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Compound and complex sentences

English writing reading spelling grammar worksheets are coming.

BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Adjectives and adverbs

1. Adjectives

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (the name of a thing or a place).

It was a terrible book.

The word terrible is an adjective. It tells us what the book (the noun) was like.

Where can I put an adjective?

Adjectives can come before or after the noun.

The book he read on holiday was terrible.

Try putting adjectives in different places in your sentences to make your writing more interesting.

Using more than one adjective

If you want to describe a noun in detail, you can use more than one adjective.

He had a mouldy, smelly, overpriced sandwich for lunch.

When you have a list of adjectives like this, separate them with commas.

2. Adverbs

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that describes a verb (an action or a doing word).

He ate his breakfast quickly.

The word quickly is an adverb – it tells us how he ate (the verb) his breakfast.

What’s an adverbial phrase?

Sometimes more than one word can do the adverb’s job. This is called an adverbial phrase.

He ate his lunch really quickly.

The words really quickly are an adverbial phrase. Words like very, more, really and extremely are often used to make an adverb even stronger.

Where can I put an adverb?

Adverbs and adverbial phrases don’t always come after the verb.

He quickly ate his lunch.

Try putting adverbs and adverbial phrases in different places in your sentences to make your writing more interesting.

Worksheet Quiz

Lessons in this series:

• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Spelling
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Punctuation
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Language struc...
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Compound and c...
• BBC English: Spelling and Grammar - Adjectives and...

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XIII - The Walk

There is no picture for this lesson, so have the children draw a picture of a place where they like to go for a walk. Talk about Creation and do a little science lesson on the sun, moon, and stars.

The Walk.

Come, Mary, get your bonnet, and we will take a walk. See, the sun is in the west. It is going to set. How large it looks. We may look at it now. It is not so bright now, as when it was up high in the sky. It will soon be out of sight. Now it is almost gone. How red the clouds are. We can see the moon, and all the pretty stars, when the sun sets. The moon is not so bright as the sun. See the pretty bright stars. Some of the stars are as large as the world. But they are so far away, that they look small. Papa, is the sun as large as the world? Yes, my son, and a great deal larger, but it is far away.

Vocabulary

hat, high, away, Mary,
walk, sky, small, pretty,
take, now, make, larger,
come, gone, sight, bonnet,
get, red, papa, going

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XII - Robert and his Horse

In this lesson talk about the day that God created the land animals and do a science lesson on meat eating animals and non-meat eating animals; carnivores and herbivores.

Robert and his Horse.

Here is a fine horse. Has the horse been fed? Give him some hay and some oats. The horse lives on grain; he does not eat meat. men eat meat, bears eat meat. Horses, sheep, and cows do not eat meat. May I ride on the horse? No, you are to small. When you grow to be as big as John, you may ride.

Vocabulary

fed, fine, been, grain,
hay, oats, give, small,
too, ride, meat, sheep

Lessons in this series:

• First Reader:Lesson XVII
• First reader: Lesson XVI
• First Reader: Lesson XV
• First Reader: Lesson XIV
• First Reader: Lesson XIII
• First Reader: Lesson XII
• First Reader: Lesson XI
• First Reader: Lesson X
• Penmanship practice paper
• McGuffey's 1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson I
• First Reader: Lesson II
• First Reader: Lesson III
• First Reader: Lesson IV
• First Reader: Lesson V
• First Reader: Lesson VI
• First Reader: Lesson VII
• First Reader: Lesson VIII
• First Reader: Lesson IX

BBC English: Writing - Story planning

English writing reading spelling grammar worksheets are coming.

BBC English: Writing - Story beginnings and endings

Writing a story: Beginnings and endings

1. Beginnings

The beginning of a story is where you introduce your readers to your style, setting and characters. Often a writer will give his characters a problem to solve. This keeps the reader interested, as they’ll want to find out what happens.

Style

It’s important to get your style right from the beginning of a story, so readers get the feel of your story early on.

Whatever sort of story you are writing, use adjectives (words that describe nouns) and adverbs (words that describe verbs) to make your writing more interesting.

If you are writing a ghost story, for example, choose dark, scary adjectives to create a dark, scary atmosphere (feeling).

You can also choose whether your story will have lots of characters, dialogue (people talking) and action, or long, slow descriptive pieces of writing. Or all of those things!

Setting

Your setting is the place and time where your story takes place. Letting your readers know where and when your story is set will help them picture the scene.

By using descriptive language and the right words you can create the right atmosphere around your setting. Two stories can be set in exactly the same place, but feel completely different because of the words the writer chooses to use.

Characters

When you introduce characters (people) you need to describe them so that the reader gets a feeling for what they are like. Some authors, such as Dickens, give their characters names that help describe what they are like. For example Mr Slyme is a slimy character.

Also think about the words you give your characters to say (dialogue). Make sure the words they use and the way they say things suit the sort of people they are.

2. Endings

Don’t leave any questions unanswered at the end of the story and make sure your reader knows what happens to all your characters - unless you are planning a sequel (second part), in which case don’t tell the reader everything! Then they’ll want to read your next story to find out what happens.

BBC English: Writing - Letters or Emails

BBC English: Writing - Leaflets

BBC English: Writing - Instructions

BBC English: Writing - Comment

BBC English: Writing - Argument

BBC English: Reading - Poetry

Poetry

1. Some types of poetry

Narrative poems

Some poems tell stories. These poems tend to be quite long and often rhyme. Before writing and books were common, people used narrative poetry to tell stories. The rhymes and the rhythm made the stories easy to remember and pass on to other people.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a good example of a narrative poem. It tells the story of a sailor left alone on a boat when the rest of the crew dies.

Poems that follow a fixed form (pattern)

Some types of poetry follow a particular pattern. Haiku, for example, is a form of Japanese poetry where there must be only three lines. The first line must have 5 syllables, the second 7 syllables and the third 5 syllables.

Revising English
Learning about poetry
Not all poems rhyme!

Shape (or concrete) poetry

Some poems are written in a shape that shows what the poem is about.

Nonsense poetry

Some poems use made-up words to describe things, or just to make a nice sound.

In the froogle
Did the Boogle
Make a grabjous cheep

Shushup right now
That squalky row
Is keeping me from sleep!

Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and Spike Milligan are good authors to read if you like nonsense poetry.

2. Features of poetry

There are some particular types of language you can look out for in poetry.

Rhyme

This is where words with the same sound are used.

Shushup right now
That squalky row
Is keeping me from sleep!

Now and row rhyme.

Alliteration

This is when words start with the same sound. You’ll also find this used in advertising and newspaper headlines.

The slippery snake came sliding.

Similes

A simile describes something by comparing it to another thing using like or as.

The snake moved like a ripple on a pond.
It was as slippery as an eel.

Metaphor

A metaphor is a word or a phrase used to describe something as if it were something else.

A wave of terror washed over him.

The terror isn’t actually a wave, but a wave is a good way of describing the feeling.

Metaphors and similes make poetry more descriptive and interesting and are often used in other forms of writing.

Personification

Poets often give human feelings and actions to objects or ideas.

The friendly rain fell gently over the fields.