show how a married woman and an unmarried woman should sign their names: Yours sincerely, Helen E. Metcalf (Mrs. James A. Metcalf) Sincerely yours, (Miss) Helen E. Metcalf There is often a sixth part to the letter. This consists of the inside address, or the introductory address, and is the same as the superscription on the envelope. This inside address is always used in business letters and also frequently in letters of a formal nature. It tells definitely to whom the letter is addressed and thus serves as quick reference, making it unnecessary to refer to the envelope. It saves much time in the handling of business correspondence and makes for accuracy and efficiency. The inside address is written just above the salutation and is punctuated the same as the superscription. The following form will illustrate: Mr. Charles D. Banks Birmingham, Alabama Sometimes the inside address is put at the end of the letter in the lower left-hand corner. This fashion seems to be growing in favor when writing formal letters that are not of the strictly business type; for example: Very truly yours, Mr. Joseph C. Brooks 37 Corporal Street Hartford, Conn. (Miss) Grace Peters 6. The superscription. The superscription is the address that is placed on the envelope containing the letter. This should be written neatly, accurately, and legibly. If the letter is addressed to someone in a city, it should contain the name of the person, the street and number, city, and state. If the person addressed lives in the country, the rural route number should be given. In order that your letter may be returned should it not reach its destination, your name and address should be placed on the upper left-hand corner of the envelope. It is better to write out in full the name of the state instead of using an abbreviation. Abbreviations like Va., Vt., N. M., O., and N. J., are liable to be misconstrued, especially if the handwriting is illegible. A period after an abbreviation is the only punctuation mark needed in the writing of the superscription unless the town or city and state are written on the same line. A comma should then follow the name of the town or city. 47. LABOR-AIDING MACHINES I STEAM Away back in the early ages, man learned that fire used for cooking and heating added greatly to his comfort, but it took him a long time to discover that heat could aid him in his work. The discovery was made in England, where they were having great difficulty in working the tin mines. It kept five hundred horses and many men busy to pump the water out of the mines. This was a tedious and expensive method but it was the only one known until Thomas Savery in vented a steam pump. The pump was a clumsy affair, but it could pump more water than many horses, and it showed that heat had power. The genius of Thomas Savery was but a beginning. Other inventions and improvements followed in quick succession until now we have a marvelous number of labor-saving and labor-aiding machines. Oral work. Can you imagine what human life would be without steam? Make a list of the ways in which steam is useful to you every day. Tell what change it would make in your life if you could have no steam. Take for your topic sentence, "We have a vast number of labor-aiding machines." Complete the paragraph by naming over the labor-saving or labor-aiding machines that you know about and by telling something about each one; for example: "The vacuum cleaner is a machine which cleans the dust from floors and fabrics by suction. The sand-blast machine is a device for cleaning stone, brick, or marble." Written work. Read in a magazine the description of some new labor-saving or labor-aiding machine. Write the description, using as many of your own words Consult the dictionary for the meaning Should any be added to your personal as you can. II ELECTRICITY Your teacher will help you plan for a discussion of how electricity adds to our pleasure, comfort, and usefulness. You will want to tell about Benjamin Franklin's discovery and of the marvelous inventions of Thomas A. Edison. Imagine doing without electric lights, phonographs, and moving pictures. These are only three of the inventions of Mr. Edison, who began to make experiments when he was a mere lad employed as newsboy on a train. Bring to class magazine articles about the uses of electricity. Find pictures or drawings of electrical devices. Make your part of the discussion as interesting as you can. Written work. Write a brief story of the life of some inventor whose achievements have added to the pleasure or usefulness of mankind. 48. THE CLAUSE I 1. The seaplane expedition which started from Long Island in May, 1919, made its first landing at the Azores. 2. Two of the seaplanes were disabled while they were crossing the Atlantic. 3. The plane which succeeded in crossing was the NC-4. What seaplane expedition is referred to in the first sentence? When were the two seaplanes disabled? Which plane is referred to in the third sentence? Notice that each of the above questions has been answered by a group of words. Look at each group and see how it differs from a phrase. A phrase does not contain either a subject or a predicate. You will notice that each of the italicized groups of words in the above sentences contains both a subject and a predicate. a clause. Such a group of words is called Read the clause in the first sentence. If it is used alone, it would not express a thought completely. If you found it written alone, you would ask, "What was it that started from Long Island in May, 1919?" Such a clause is called a dependent or subordinate clause, because it depends on or modifies some word in the sentence. Read the sentence, omitting the subordinate clause. Does it express a complete thought? The part of the sentence that can be used alone is called the main or principal clause. called an adjective. What word is modified by the subordinate clause in the first sentence? A word which modifies a noun is This clause, like an adjective, modifies a noun and is, therefore, called an adjective or adjectival clause. Find another clause which modifies a noun. What word is modified by the subordinate clause in the second sentence? What is the name of a word which modifies a verb? This clause is used as an adverb and is called an adverb or adverbial clause. Not all subordinate clauses are used as adjectives or adverbs. In the sentence, "What we shall do tomorrow will be decided by the weather," the clause printed in italics is used as a noun--the subject of the verb, will be decided. The noun clause has various uses; for example: Predicate nominative "The truth is that I did not know him." Object of verb-"I sincerely hoped that he would return." Object of preposition-"I had no reason for refusing the position except that it required me to leave home." |