Q: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially known for its dictionaries.

In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as G & C Merriam Co. in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1843, after Noah Webster died, the company bought the rights to "An American Dictionary of the English Language" from Webster's estate. All Merriam-Webster dictionaries trace their lineage to this source.

In 1964, Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc. acquired Merriam-Webster, Inc. as a subsidiary. The company adopted its current name in 1982.

In 1806, Webster published his first dictionary, . In 1807 Webster started two decades of intensive work to expand his publication into a fully comprehensive dictionary, "An American Dictionary of the English Language". To help him trace the etymology of words, Webster learned 26 languages. Webster hoped to standardize American speech, since Americans in different parts of the country used somewhat different vocabularies and spelled, pronounced, and used words differently.

Webster completed his dictionary during his year abroad in 1825 in Paris, and at the University of Cambridge. His 1820s book contained 70,000 words, of which about 12,000 had never appeared in a dictionary before. As a spelling reformer, Webster believed that English spelling rules were unnecessarily complex, so his dictionary introduced American English spellings, replacing "colour" with "color", "waggon" with "wagon", and "centre" with "center". He also added American words, including "skunk" and "squash", that did not appear in British dictionaries. At the age of 70 in 1828, Webster published his dictionary; it sold poorly, with only 2,500 copies putting him in debt. However, in 1840, he published the second edition in two volumes with much greater success.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who bought Merriam Webster?
2. Who bought them in 1964?
3. What is Merriam Webster most known for?
4. What type of book is that?
5. What was Webster's first name?
6. What did he own the rights to?
7. When did he pass away?
8. Who purchased the rights to his dictionary after that?
9. When did Webster first publish a dictionary?
10. What about before that?
11. How long did it take him to expand that into something bigger?
12. Did he learn a lot of languages?
13. How many?
14. For what purpose?
15. What was his goal in creating this book?
16. Did people across the country say things differently?
17. Where did he finally finish his work?
18. Where at?
19. Where else?
20. How many words had never been in a dictionary before?
A: 1. G & C Merriam Co
2. Encyclopdia Britannica
3. Dictionaries.
4. A reference book.
5. Noah.
6. An American Dictionary of the English Language
7. 1843
8. George and Charles Merriam.
9. 1828
10. 1806
11. 2 decades.
12. Yes
13. 26
14. Help him trace the etymology of words.
15. Standardize American speech
16. Yes
17. 1825
18. Paris
19. University of Cambridge
20. 12,000
Q: Bill and Steve went to the park. It was a nice Saturday afternoon. They both rode their bicycles to the park. Bill and Steve were hoping to use the swings, but when they showed up, the swings were being used by Anne and Susan.

"Can we use the swings?" Bill asked the two girls, hoping they were almost done.

"Not now," said Anne. "We have only been here for a little bit."

Bill was disappointed, but there were so many other things to do at the park. Bill and Steve went to the slide. Up and down they went, faster and faster, every time! It became a race, Bill and Steve ran back to the ladder as quickly as they could so they could go down again.

After a half hour, the two boys were very tired from climbing the ladder and flying down the slide so quickly over and over. They went to their bikes to go back home. As they started going home, they saw Anne and Susan had left. They could use the swings before going home!

Answer the following questions:
1. Who were the swings being used by?
2. Who did Bill go to the park with?
3. What day was it?
4. Was it morning?
5. How did they get to the park?
6. What did they hope to do when they got there?
7. What did they ask?
8. What did Anne say?
9. How did Bill feel?
10. Was there anything else to do?
11. Where did the boys go up and down?
12. Did it take them two hours to get tired?
13. How long did it take?
14. Why did they go to their bikes?
15. What did they see as they started home?
16. What could they do then?
17. How many kids total, were at the park?
A: 1. Anne and Susan
2. Steve
3. Saturday
4. no
5. on their bikes
6. use the swings
7. to use the swings
8. not now
9. disappointed
10. yes
11. the slide
12. no
13. half and hour
14. to go home
15. that Anne and Susan left
16. use the swings
17. four
Q: CHAPTER VII

Dick and Veronica returned laden with parcels. They explained that "Daddy Slee," as it appeared he was generally called, a local builder of renown, was following in his pony-cart, and was kindly bringing the bulkier things with him.

"I tried to hustle him," said Dick, "but coming up after he had washed himself and had his tea seemed to be his idea of hustling. He has got the reputation of being an honest old Johnny, slow but sure; the others, they tell me, are slower. I thought you might care, later on, to talk to him about the house."

Veronica took off her things and put them away, each one in its proper place. She said, if no one wanted her, she would read a chapter of "The Vicar of Wakefield," and retired upstairs. Robina and I had an egg with our tea; Mr. Slee arrived as we had finished, and I took him straight into the kitchen. He was a large man, with a dreamy expression and a habit of sighing. He sighed when he saw our kitchen.

"There's four days' work for three men here," he said, "and you'll want a new stove. Lord! what trouble children can be!"

Robina agreed with him.

"Meanwhile," she demanded, "how am I to cook?"

"Myself, missie," sighed Mr. Slee, "I don't see how you are going to cook."

"We'll all have to tramp home again," thought Dick.

"And tell Little Mother the reason, and frighten her out of her life!" retorted Robina indignantly.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who was following the two?
2. Why?
3. how?
4. What did the two bring?
5. a lot of them?
6. what were their names?
7. What did Veronica do with her stuff?
8. did she leave them around?
9. what did she do with them?
10. Where was Mr. Slee taken to?
11. Was he happy with the state of the room?
12. how do you know?
13. What did Robinas agree with?
14. what was needed in the room?
15. What did Mr Slee agree with?
16. Where did Veronica go?
17. to do what?
18. what?
19. Was Mr. Slee thin?
20. what did he have a habit of?
A:
1. Daddy Slee
2. bringing the bulkier
3. pony-cart
4. parcels
5. yes
6. Dick and Veronica
7. took off her things
8. no
9. put them away
10. the kitchen
11. no
12. He sighed
13. what trouble children can be!
14. a new stove
15. Robena being able to cook
16. upstairs
17. to read
18. The Vicar of Wakefield,
19. no
20. sighing