The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-02-01
What Is the Best Method to Teach
Grammer in the Public Schools.
Prize-Winning Papers in the Teachers Contest

AOS'SOlllll5' Lam VI space pTOIlDlJS me
from giving any large number of ex-
amples Of Mechanical Devices; but
there will be given enough of them to
help any teacher to understand what is
meant by these devices. And it is felt
sure that day by day any teacher may
| fine others to suit his own needs as the
lessons and needs arise.
The parts of speech should be thor
Oughly drilled into the minds of the
student. For no student can ever I'M
derstand Grammer any further than his
mastery of the parts of speech extends.
A verb is a word that denotes action,
being or state. Now the problem pre-
sents itself, how shall the student be
enabled to understand what this defini-
ton means, what is meant by action,
being or state?" Tie definition Of
anything is Of no value whatever, I'M
less the terms in which it is expressed,
are thoroughly understood by the one
to whom the definition is given. A verb
denotes action: They wiggle the fin
GER ''wiggle" here is verb; wiggle
the finger and the child will laugh, for
then he readily understands how mere
word may denote faction" A verb
denotes being; the teacher himself
may here stand perfectly still, and say
81 am" he does not move, so there is
no action; he does not claim or maintain
any particular position or state of his
body, for he may either lean forward,
or represent himself as lying down;
there would still be no antagonism to
the claim that the teacher may make
in saying Il am, that he EXISTS. To
illustrate what is meant by the word
state, the teacher may stand erect
on his feet and say Il stand"; here he
claims one particular position or STATE
of his body. There may be no action
whatever; there is also more than "be-
ing expressed by the statement, q
stand'; for that claim includes, besides
state or position, existence also, for it
would be impossible for the person to
stand without being" Here, there
fore, we have in concrete form, exem-
plified by the finger, the person of the
teacher, and the position of his body,
the meaning or the three abstract terms,
faction, being or state. These are the
Mechanical Devices used in helping the
child to understand the definition of a
verb in terms he can comprehend.
Verbs are of two kinds, transitive
and intransitive. The former may take
an object, the other can not. The stu
dent often experiences great difficulty
in deciding whether a verb is transitive
or intransitive. By putting Can you"
before and anything" after the verb
in the sentence any student can readily
tell to which class the verb in the SEN
tence belongs. If the answer to the
question is yes, then it is transit
tive verb; if no, then intranstive.
For example, Can you eat anything?"
Yes; therefore "eat" is transitive.
Can you laugh anything?" No; there
fore laugh" is intransitive. The Me
chanical Device to tell if a verb in the
sentence is transitiye or intransitive. is
Can you anything?"
After one has found that verb is
transitive, how may its object be found?
This may be done by putting whom"
or ''what" after the verb. An exam
pie: They build houses. They build
what? Answer, ''houses." There
fore, ''houses" is the object of the
transitive verb build" How is the
subject of a verb found? By placing
who" or what" before the verb.
An example: ''Who" build houses?
| Answer, They build Therefore,
"they" is the subject Of the verb
"buid. Here the Mechanical Device to
find the object of a verb is to put
Whom or 'What" AFTER and to find
the subject put "Who" or What Be
FORE the verb. The object Of preposi-
lions and Of participIes may be found in
the same way.
Lack of space prevents me from Civ
ing large number Of devices by which
the abstract terms of Grammer may be
easily understood. Most any principle
in the science may be explained in the
same way. However, there is a limit
to its possibilities. The writer does not
claim that this system of teaching
Grammer, here crudely explained, is alb
solute in its application. Its usefulness
is limited; like anything else of value,
it may be abused through being used to
excess. But the writer does strongly
maintain that such methods as he has
here chosen,to call Mechanical, will often
be found very valuable to the teachers
in Garrett County, in overcoming a
great many of the difficulties experience
ed in teaching technical terms and eX-
pressions in Grammar. The devices
cost nothing, except thought, and it is
largely through their Responsiveness
that they are so strongly recommended
to the teachers of Garrett County.
However, the first aim in teaching
- Ill Il