Exercise.

each modifies:

Select the adverbs and tell what word

1. The lamp glowed brightly.

2. The man sighed wearily.

3. The impatient woman answered sharply.

4. The long war was finally ended.

5. A squirrel skipped merrily from branch to branch.
6. The child was too happy to speak.

7. I counted the eggs very carefully.
8. Jack was wearily climbing the hill.

9. Bob was too young to be admitted to the troop. 10. Luckily he found the lost purse.

Adverbs like adjectives are compared to show positive, comparative, and superlative degrees.

The word preposition comes from a Latin word which means "to place before." It is usually placed before a noun or a pronoun and shows a certain relation between these words and others in the sentence.

1. We walked through the woods.

2. We walked to the woods.
3. We walked near the woods.

1. The flower in the lake is a lily.
2. The flower by the lake is a lily.
3. The flower from the lake is a lily.

1. Three of the Indians came toward us.
2. Father came for us at ten o'clock.
3. My cousin came with us part of the way.

In the first group of sentences, the words in italics show the relation between the noun woods and the verb walked. In the second group, they show the relation between the noun lake and the noun flower. In the third group, they show the relation between the pronoun us and the verb came.

The words in italics are prepositions. The preposition and the noun or pronoun that follows it make a prepositional phrase; for example: through the woods, in the lake.

Between what parts of speech does the preposition in each of the sentences in the first two groups show the relation?

A preposition is a word which introduces the phrase and shows the relation between a noun or pronoun and some other word or words in the sentence.

The preposition and the related word or words that follow it form a prepositional phrase.

The important word which follows the preposition in a prepositional phrase is a noun or a pronoun.

Some of the principal prepositions are:

In the following sentences select the prepositional phrases. Name the preposition in each phrase.

Ask

the question, "Between what noun or pronoun and

what other word does it show relation?"

Name the

object of the preposition or the principal word in each

phrase:

1. Across the narrow beach we flit,

One little sand-piper and I; .

Above our heads the sullen clouds

Scud black and swift across the sky.

2. So through the valley and over the height,
In silence I'll take my way.

3. Over hill and over hollows

Flit a band of soft-winged swallows.

4. Out of the bosom of the Air,

Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

5. Over hill, over dale,

Through bush, through brier,
Over park, over pale,

Through flood, through fire,

I do wander everywhere.

6. He walked around the building.

7. This is just between you and me.

8. Beyond the Alps lies Italy.

9. The members of the class were in school.

10. Every one of the boys was there except you.

11. During the night a storm swept over the country.

12. He spoke to me concerning the matter.

13. He is, without doubt, the best tennis player in America. Write ten sentences, each of which contains a prepositional phrase. Underscore the prepositions.

There are a few cases in which a combination of words shows relationship just as single prepositions do. They are called compound prepositions but are thought

of as making only one preposition. The following are

1. I will take this book instead of that one.

2. He was kept out of school on account of a sprained ankle. 3. They stood in front of the door.

4. The orator spoke in behalf of peace.

5. For the sake of the cause they went to the meeting in spite of the storm.

6. According to the latest report he had gone. 7. He went West by way of Chicago.

There is one wrong combination, more or less frequently used as a compound preposition. This is the combination in back of. The word in should not be used with the words back of. Leave out the word in. Note the following:

The garden is back of the house.
The coat is back of the door.

The car is back of the street.

41. INTERJECTIONS

"Oh, John, look at Martin sprinting around to third base! Isn't he a splendid runner? Ah, there he goes again! He'll get 'home' this time. He's in! Good work, Martin."

"Hurrah!" cheered the crowd as Martin's foot touched the plate.

"Pshaw!" said the pitcher as the crowd cheered. "That means they'll take me out of the box, I suppose."

In these paragraphs, taken from a magazine story about a game of baseball, note the words which the speakers use to express excitement or strong feeling: oh, ah, hurrah, pshaw, etc. Words of this sort are called interjections. The word interjection comes from two Latin words which mean "thrown into." You can readily see, then, that interjections are appropriately named, since they are not directly connected with any other words in the sentence, but are merely "thrown in" to express excitement or strong feeling. Give sentences containing the following interjections:

Men of courage perform great deeds during times of stress. On Christmas Eve carols were sung by the waits in old England.

What men perform great deeds? When do they perform great deeds? When were the carols sung? By whom were the carols sung? Where were they sung?

1. Notice that you have answered each question by using a group of words. Each of these groups answers one question and is used as a part of speech.

2. What word does the phrase of courage modify? What part of speech is it? What single word could you use instead of the phrase of courage?