Exercise 83. Development

1. Quickly the little maiden descended the marble steps to bathe her face in the refreshing sea.

What is the subject of the sentence? (Choose the base of the subject, § 17). The copula? The predicate attribute? (Choose the base). What does it express? What is the object? (The base).

Read the words selected. You see that, although they do not express the entire thought of the speaker, they do make a sentence. We will now examine the remaining parts of the original sentence.

What does the word quickly show something about? What does it show about the descending? Since it shows something about the descending, we say it is added to1 the verb descended.

What does the word the show? (That some particular maiden is meant). What does the word little show something about? What does it show about the maiden? We say the words the and little are added to the noun maiden.

What are you told about the descending besides the manner? What words are needed to show fully the purpose of the descending? To what are the words, to bathe her face in the refreshing sea, added?

What does the second word the show? The word marble? Material of what? To what are the words the and marble added?

1 Sometimes the words modifies or qualifies are used instead of is added to.

2. Many joyous children made the old house gay with their talk and laughter.

What is the base of the subject? What is the copula? What is asserted of the subject of thought? What words are needed to express this action? What, then, is the predicate attribute? What sort of act is the act of making gay? What is the object in the sentence? What does the word gay do besides helping to express the act? What part of the sentence is it then? How many parts have we found in this sentence?

Read the sentence, omitting all the words except those described. You see the words, Children made house gay, make a sentence, although they do not tell us all that the speaker wished to express. Read the remaining parts, omitting these words. Do they make a sentence? We will examine these remaining parts.

What does the word many show? Number of what? What does the word joyous show something about? What does it show about them? Since the words many and joyous show something about the children, we may say they are added to the noun children.

What does the word the show? (That the speaker had some particular house in mind). What does old show something about? What does it show about the house? To what are the words the and old added?.

What do the words with their talk and laughter show something about? Can you tell what they show about the act of making gay? Since they show something about this act, they are added to the words made gay.