A few adjectives of two syllables may be compared by adding er and est; as, Some adjectives use other words to express different degrees of the same quality; as, bad, worse, NOTE. These forms are called irregular; that is, they are not formed according to the usual rule. WRITTEN EXERCISES. I. /Write sentences, using the following adjectives in comparing Use the following in comparing different things. Remember to use the comparative degree when speaking of two things: Let us watch the bees as they pass to and fro from their hive. First of all we see some half-dozen around the door. They are there to warn off intruders. If we approach too near the front of the hive, one of these sentries will dash forward with an angry buzz; and, if we do not wisely take the hint, the brave little soldier will soon return with help from the guard-room to enforce the command. There are three substances required in the hive, - pollen, or bee-bread, the food of the young bees; wax to make the combs ; and honey for the support of the community. The bees that are passing and repassing the sentries are not all laden alike. Some of them have little yellow or red tufts on their legs, others have none. But all that return are laden. Those with tufts on their legs have been collecting pollen from flowers. The honeygatherers and the wax-gatherers carry their stores in their throats. To understand how the pollen is carried, we should examine a bee's hind leg with a microscope. The upper joint is flattened, and its edges are surrounded with stiff hairs, which form a sort of basket. When the bee enters a flower, it takes a plunge into the pollen. The pollen is brushed down into the little basket, till a good-sized ball is formed. If the bee cannot complete its load in one flower, it will always seek out another of the same kind. It will not mix the pollen of two different kinds of flowers. The honey-gatherers and the wax-gatherers draw in the sweet juices from flowers by their trunks. The trunk serves as a mouth and a pump. The liquid passes through this into the throat, and is thus carried to the hive. Adapted from Good Words for the Young. What do we first see around the door of the hive? What do these bees do? Why are they called sentries? What is an intruder? What three substances are required in the hive? What is pollen? What is meant by the community? What are the bees that are passing and repassing the sentries doing? Describe a bee's hind leg. How does a bee collect pollen? How do the honey-gatherers and the wax-gatherers collect their stores? Into how many parts is this selection divided? The different parts into which a prose composition is divided are called paragraphs. State the number of paragraphs in this piece, and tell what each is about. WRITTEN EXERCISE. Write from memory what you have learned about the Bees. Tell I. What bees are first seen around a hive. 2. What three substances are required in the hive, and the use of each. 3. How a bee collects pollen and carries it to the hive. 4. How the honey-gatherers and the wax-gatherers collect their stores. Write in paragraphs, making one paragraph for each heading above. Leave a margin half an inch wide at the left of your paper. Leave a space half an inch long at the beginning of the first line in every paragraph. LESSON XVI. COMPOSITION. MIGRATION OF BIRDS. Find out what you can about the Migration of Birds, and then tell in your own words 1. What the migration of a bird is. 2. Mention the common migratory birds in your locality, and tell at what time they arrive in spring, and when they depart in autumn. 3. Tell why these birds migrate. State whether they feed upon insects, worms, fruit, seeds, fish, or other food, and show what effect the cold weather has upon their supply of food. 4. Tell how they migrate. Tell at what season and in what direction they take their flight; whether they travel in the daytime or at night, alone or in flocks; and how far they go. Write one paragraph for each of the foregoing topics. Do not forget to leave a space in the first line, when you begin a new paragraph. What is an adjective? point out special things. ORAL EXERCISE. Mention five pronouns. Mention five adjectives that may be used to how many things are meant. Give five adjectives that may be used to show what kind of things are meant. |