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Plain English Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the Plain English novel. A total of 116 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : Plain English.by Marian Wharton.FOREWORD Every generation has added a little to the stor
Plain English.by Marian Wharton.FOREWORD Every generation has added a little to the store of truth of which the human race has possessed itself throughout the long sweep of the centuries. Every truth expressed and preserved by those who lived in the past,
- 116 THE END AND THE BEGINNING As we look back over the study of these thirty lessons we find that we have covered quite a little ground. We have covered the entire field of English grammar including punctuation. But our study of English must not conclude with
- 115 MARKS OF REFERENCE +571.+ On the printed page you will often find the asterisk (*), or the dagger, ([Symbol: dagger]), the section (--), or parallel lines (||), used to call your attention to some note or remark written at the close of the paragraph or on
- 114 He began by saying, "The last words of Ferrer, 'Long live the modern school' might serve as the text for this lecture."The speaker replied, "It was Karl Marx who said, 'Government always belongs to those who control the wealt
- 113 War for defense--and was there ever a war that was not for defense?--was permitted by the International.This sight--what a wonderful sight it was!--greeted our eyes with the dawn.+534.+ The dash is also used to indicate the omission of a word, especially
- 112 The law was placed upon the......books.The world will sometime erect a......to the man of the people.Do not fear to be thought a "high-brow" if you use these words in your every day speech. The very people who may laugh are in their hearts admir
- 111 And there is one Whose faith, whose fight, whose failing, Fame shall placard upon the walls of time.He dared begin-- Despite the unavailing, He dared begin, when failure was a crime.When over Africa Some future cycle Shall sweep the lake-gemmed uplands wi
- 110 "The wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We'll keep our Christmas merry still."+509.+ As a rule we separate by semi-colons those parts of the sentences that are already punctuated by commas. For example: After considerable delay,
- 109 Speak as you mean, do as you profess, perform what you promise.+RULE 2.+ +501.+ +Explanatory and introductory expressions, words in direct address, parenthetical words and phrases, are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.+ Note carefully the
- 108 The state placed a _limitation_--_limit_ upon the sale of liquor within certain _limits_--_limitations_.PLAIN ENGLISH LESSON 29 Dear Comrade: The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in any man or woman. It is the things which we do for o
- 107 +489.+ Two consecutive years may be written 1914-15, but use 1915 rather than '15. In the heading of letters it is better to write the date out in full, as, _May 28, 1915_, instead of 5-28-15.In the back of your dictionary you will find a complete li
- 106 --_Thos. Hood_.While there is a lower cla.s.s, I am in it.While there is a criminal element, I am of it.While there is a soul in jail, I am not free.--_Eugene V. Debs_.When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman?The vilest deeds, like poison
- 105 +476.+ +Use capital letters to begin important words in the t.i.tle of a book or the subject of a composition.+ In t.i.tles the nouns, p.r.o.nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs should begin with a capital, while the prepositions and conjunctions should b
- 104 The prefix _un_ used with adjectives means _not_; for example, _uncertain_ means _not_ certain; _uncommon_ means _not_ common.The prefix _mis_ used with nouns or verbs, means _wrong_. For example, _mistreatment_ means _wrong_ treatment; _to misspell_ mean
- 103 { _Words_--The man works hard.SIMPLE SENTENCES { _Phrases_--The man _on your right_ works _in the CONTAIN ONLY { factory._ { _Words_, The man works steadily +Complex sentences+ { _Phrases_ in the factory _whenever +contain+ { and there is work_.{ _Depende
- 102 Let us finish the a.n.a.lysis of the sentences in the paragraph quoted from Jack London. In the second sentence, _It has increased a thousand-fold_, the personal p.r.o.noun _it_, which refers to the noun _efficiency_, is the subject of the sentence; and w
- 101 The simple sentence contains only words and phrases.+451.+ +A complex sentence is one which contains a princ.i.p.al statement and one or more modifying statements.+ The statements made in addition to the princ.i.p.al statement are made in dependent clause
- 100 --_Lincoln_.Exercise 9 In the following poem find all of the a.s.sertive, interrogative and imperative sentences. Mark all of the simple sentences and all of the complex sentences. Mark all of the dependent clauses and determine whether each is used as a
- 99 Adjective, _conscious_.Adjective phrase, _in the ranks_.Adjective clause, (_none_).+Complete subject+, _Conscious solidarity in the ranks_.Modifiers of the predicate: Adverb, _now_.Adverb phrase, _in our day_.Adverb clause, (_none_).+Direct object+, _free
- 98 The men supported the party _which fought for their rights_.Here the clause, _which fought for their rights_, is an adjective clause introduced by the p.r.o.noun _which_, and it modifies the noun _party_, which is the object of the verb _supported_.3. +An
- 97 This is a _compound_ sentence, formed by uniting two simple sentences.Both of the clauses are independent and are of equal rank. Neither depends upon the other. They are united by the co-ordinate conjunction _and_. We can combine these sentences in a diff
- 96 Excuse Excuse Abuse Abuse Grease Grease Sacrifice Sacrifice Device Devise +Tuesday+ Intent Intend Advice Advise Relief Relieve Cloth Clothe Reproof Reprove +Wednesday+ Ascent Ascend Strife Strive Mouth Mouth Grief Grieve Bath Bathe +Thursday+ Exile Except
- 95 _Good_ books are helpful.Adverbs may be placed either before or after the verbs they modify, thus: The men _then_ came _quickly_ to the rescue.The adverb _then_ precedes the verb _came_, which it modifies; and the adverb _quickly_ is placed after the verb
- 94 I like _to study_.He asked _to go_.I want _to learn_ all that I can.In this last sentence, the infinitive, _to learn_, is the direct object of the verb _want_. The object of the infinitive, _to learn_, is _all that I can_. All of this taken together with
- 93 Can the _work_ be accomplished quickly?Must our _youth_ end so quickly?+423.+ +The real subject comes after the verb when we use the introductory word it.+ As for example: It will not be safe _to go_._To go_ is really the subject of the sentence. _To go w
- 92 Little child _lives_ are coined into money.Defenseless, helpless _children_ suffer most under capitalism.Every neglected _child_ smites my conscience in the name of humanity.The thrilling, far-sounding _battle-cry_ shall resound.Note that in all of these
- 91 "Br--r--r--r--r--r--r--r--r--."18. What _are_ the _machines saying_?19. _They are saying_, "We are hungry."20. "_We have eaten_ up the men and women. (There is no longer a market for men and women, they come too high)-- 21. _We ha
- 90 Peace will be.......Poverty is.......Fill the blanks in the following sentences with a phrase used in the predicate complement.His service was _for his cla.s.s_.Socialism is.......The workers are.......The message shall be.......The government is.......Th
- 89 The tailor made him a coat.+409.+ _Coat_ is the _direct_ object of the verb _made_. But we have another object in the p.r.o.noun _him_. We do not mean that the tailor made _him_, but that the tailor made him a _coat_. _Coat_ is the direct object and _him_
- 88 The busy, industrious men with families work hard.The busy, industrious men with families work hard in the factory.Our simple predicate, _work_ is now enlarged. It is modified by the adverb, _hard_ and the adverb phrase, _in the factory_. So our complete
- 87 Note the spelling of the following words: Autumn, solemn, column, kiln, hymn, condemn.+THURSDAY+ We have a number of words containing a silent _b_. Notice the spelling of the following words: Doubt, debt, dumb, limb, thumb, lamb.+FRIDAY+ A number of words
- 86 Law, martyr, society, education, inventor, commander, freedom, Eugene V. Debs, Karl Marx, Kaiser Wilhelm, The Balkan, Lawrence, Colorado, Calumet.ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTION +399.+ We have found that every word in a sentence bears some relation to every other w
- 85 +394.+ +We have a number of words which we use to introduce our sentences.+ They are such words as, _so_, _well_ and _why_. These are ordinarily adverbs, but when they are used merely to introduce a sentence they retain little of their adverbial force. Fo
- 84 Exercise 1 Mark the interjections in the following sentences. Which express surprise? Which joy? Which sorrow? Which disgust?1. Alas! We shall never meet again.2. Bravo! You have done well.3. Pshaw! Is that the best you can do?4. s.h.i.+p ahoy! All hands
- 83 Our list of words in this week's lesson contain some of the most common words which we use ending in _ible_ or _able_. The words for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all end in _able_; the words for Thursday, Friday, and Sat.u.r.day will end in _ible_.
- 82 5. Liberty _for_ me _and_ slavery _for_ you means slavery _for_ both.6. The greatest thing _in_ the world _is for_ a man to know _that_ he _is_ his own.7. Nothing can work me damage _except_ myself.8. He _that_ loveth maketh his own the grandeur _which_ h
- 81 16. Attention is the stuff that memory _is made_ of.17. A great writer has said that grace _is_ beauty in action; I say that justice _is_ truth in action.18. If we do not _plant_ knowledge when young it will give us no shade when we _are_ old.19. You can
- 80 We have practically finished the study of the different parts of speech.We are now in possession of a knowledge of the tools which we need to use in expressing ourselves. We are ready to make practical application of this knowledge in writing and speaking
- 79 These noun clauses are used in apposition.Exercise 3 Complete the following sentences by inserting the appropriate conjunctions and p.r.o.nouns in the blank s.p.a.ces: 1. Can you tell......Germany has a million fighting men?2. Would you be pleased......th
- 78 9. If _we_ knew the facts we could not be misled.10. Inform yourself before _you_ seek to teach others.11. We must unite in order that _we_ may possess power.12. It is more than the _heart_ can bear.13. May you have courage to dare ere _you_ have ceased t
- 77 +354.+ +Adverb clauses of manner.+ These clauses will answer the question _how_, and are introduced by such subordinate conjunctions as, _as_, _as if_, _as though_, etc.Study _as though_ you were in earnest.Come _as if_ you had been called.Do _as_ I say,
- 76 +Tuesday+ Honest--Deceitful Fearful--Fearless Punctual--Tardy Identical--Different +Wednesday+ Thoughtful--Thoughtless Rich--Poor Attentive--Inattentive Industrious--Lazy +Thursday+ Quickly Lovely Clearly Cleanly +Friday+ Homely Truly Courtly Nearly +Sat.
- 75 1. Those words will inspire us to dream and to dare.2. We shall learn to produce and to distribute.3. To be or not to be, that is the question.4. Puffing and panting, the great engine pulled up to the station.5. A cringing and trembling coward fears to de
- 74 ADVERBS +340.+ +Co-ordinate conjunctions are also used to connect adverbs.+ This gives us the power to describe the action expressed in verbs without the tiresome repet.i.tion of the verb. For example: He spoke _fluently_ and _eloquently_.Exercise 7 In th
- 73 1. John and Henry are going home.2. Music and painting are fine arts.3. The grounds and buildings of our public schools have cost millions.4. The time calls for brave men and women.5. We struggle for truth and freedom.6. Will you study English or arithmet
- 72 Note that these sentences are made up of two or more simple sentences combined; and each of these simple sentences is called a clause, and each clause must contain a subject and a predicate.Exercise 2 Rewrite the following simple sentences, using conjunct
- 71 There are a few prepositions which might really be called derivative prepositions.1. A few prepositions are formed from verbs. These are really participle prepositions, for they are the present participles of the verbs but have come to be used like prepos
- 70 The price is _below_ cost.There were _under_ fifty present.Say instead: The price is _less_ than cost.There were _fewer_ than fifty present.+326.+ Do not misuse _over_ and _above_. These prepositions have reference only to _place_. They are incorrectly us
- 69 Would you say: The invention of gunpowder, or gunpowder's invention?The destruction of Louvain, or Louvain's destruction?The siege of Antwerp, or Antwerp's siege?The boat's keel, or the keel of the boat?COMMON ERRORS +322.+ Preposition
- 68 The man went _under_ the house.The man went _without_ the house.The man went _into_ the house.The man went _by_ the house.The man went _beyond_ the house.The man went _to_ the house.enemy city soldiers cannon man machine woman factory children school gove
- 67 +Guilty+, of (not for). He is guilty _of_ the crime.+Incentive+, to (not for). It is a great incentive _to_ action.+Receive+, from, (not of). Received _from_ John Smith, thirty dollars, etc.+FRIDAY+ +Infer+, from, (not by). I infer this _from_ your remark
- 66 _In the dark_ one night I lay _upon my bed_. And _in the dark_ I dreamed a dream. I dreamed G.o.d took my soul _to h.e.l.l_.And we came where h.e.l.l opened _into a plain_, and a great house stood there. Marble pillars upheld the roof, and white marble st
- 65 But this is not all. You can readily see that the use of a different preposition changes the meaning of the sentence. It means quite a different thing to say, _The boys are hiding in the bushes_, and to say, _The boys are hiding beyond the bushes_. So the
- 64 6. _Sensible_ men readily understand their economic slavery.7. _Intelligent_ people will not always submit to robbery.8. _Senseless_ arguments cannot convince us of the truth.USED AS ADVERBS +301.+ These phrases may be used in the place of single adverbs
- 63 12. I looked quick--quickly in the direction of the sound.13. The sun is s.h.i.+ning bright--brightly today and the gra.s.s looks green--greenly.SPELLING LESSON 17 In our study of adjectives we have found that we use them to express some quality possessed
- 62 _Really_ is the adverb form of the adjective _real_. You might have said: I am really glad to know it.But never use _real_ when you mean _very_ or _quite_ or _really_.+We use the adjective _some_ many times when we should use the adverb _somewhat_.+ For e
- 61 _Only the address can be written on this side._ We mean that nothing but the address can be written on this side._The address can only be written on this side._ We mean that the address cannot be printed, but must be written._The address can be written on
- 60 5. I will be able to speak more effectively when I have studied the subject.6. Those who argue most ably are those who are in complete possession of the facts.7. He needs to take a course such as this very badly.8. I am too weary to go farther today.9. Th
- 59 Synonyms are words which have the same meaning. For example: Allow, permit; lazy, idle.Our spelling lesson for this week contains a list of most of the commonly used h.o.m.onyms. Look up the meaning in the dictionary and use them correctly in sentences. Y
- 58 +289.+ You can always distinguish between adjectives and adverbs by this rule: Adjectives modify _only nouns_ and _p.r.o.nouns_, and the one essential characteristic of the adverb, as a limiting word, is that it is _always_ joined to some other part of sp
- 57 slowly here now gently loudly never soon carefully n.o.bly down seldom easily Use the following adverbs in sentences to modify adjectives: quite very more too most less nearly so Use the following adverbs in sentences to modify adverbs: too very quite les
- 56 Relief Achievement Reprieve Lien Siege PLAIN ENGLISH LESSON 16 Dear Comrade: We have been tracing the development of written speech in order that we might have a clearer understanding of our own language. We have found how our earliest ancestors communica
- 55 4. In stating a comparison, avoid comparing a thing with itself. For example; _New York is larger than any city in the United States_. In this sentence, when you say _any_ city in the United States, you are including New York; so you are really comparing
- 54 DESCENDING COMPARISON +271.+ The change in form of adjectives in the positive, comparative and superlative shows that one object has more of a quality than others with which it is compared. But we also wish at times to express the fact that one object has
- 53 So these words are p.r.o.nouns when they stand alone to represent things--when they are used in place of a noun. They are adjectives when they are used _with_ a noun to limit or qualify the noun. For example, I may say, _This tree is an elm, but that tree
- 52 "Is it so with all?" he asked."It is so with all," answered the weaver, "with the young as well as with the old, with the women as well as with the men, with the little children as well as with those who are stricken in years. The
- 51 7. I had to take a--an upper berth.8. He joined a--an union.9. It is a--an unique book.10. He is a--an unruly member of society.11. He told a--an untruth.12. He wears a--an uniform.13. It is a--an honor to be chosen.+253.+ When a singular noun is modified
- 50 Study them carefully and determine which are qualifying and which are limiting adjectives. Note that the possessive nouns and possessive p.r.o.nouns are _not_ adjectives. _Its_ in the phrases _its cruel fangs_ and _its savage claws_, is a possessive p.r.o
- 49 Some words ending in silent _e_ retain the _e_ before the suffix beginning with a vowel, to prevent a change in the p.r.o.nunciation or to preserve the ident.i.ty of the word. Notice the following words: peace peaceable courage courageous singe singeing c
- 48 8. She brought it to me.......9. If......and I join you, will you go?10. They must not quarrel over......and me.Exercise 6 Complete the following sentences using the correct form of _they_, _them_, or _themselves_ in the blank s.p.a.ces: 1. They gave.....
- 47 +10.+ +Remember that _me_, _him_, _her_, _them_, _us_ and _whom_ are always object forms+. Never say, _They charged he and I too much_. Say, _They charged him and me too much_. In an attempt to speak correctly and follow the niceties of English, this mist
- 46 +An interrogative p.r.o.noun is a p.r.o.noun used to ask a question.+ RELATIVE p.r.o.nOUNS +232.+ There is one other cla.s.s of p.r.o.nouns which plays a great part in our speech and is a wonderful help to us. For example, suppose I want to tell you sever
- 45 Words that end in a double consonant or any two consonants, keep the two consonants, no matter what suffix they take; as, _indent_, _indented_; _skill_, _skilled_, _skillful_.The only exception to this rule is when the addition of the suffix throws the ac
- 44 G.o.d said, "Thy hands are pure. Lift up thy robe."I raised it; my feet were red, blood-red, as if I had trodden in wine.G.o.d said, "How is this?"I said, "Dear Lord, the streets on earth are full of mire. If I should walk straigh
- 43 Agreement +219.+ p.r.o.nouns are very agreeable members of the co-operative commonwealth of words. They strive to agree with their antecedents.Sometimes we do not allow the p.r.o.noun to agree, and then our sentence is incorrect.+A p.r.o.noun must agree w
- 42 Form sentences of your own containing all these p.r.o.nouns.POSSESSIVE FORM +211.+ You will note in these sentences above that we have used the p.r.o.noun _my_ and _your_ and _his_ and _her_ as _my principles_, _your friend_, _his rights_, _her freedom_.
- 41 +The word for which a p.r.o.noun stands is called its antecedent.+ KINDS OF p.r.o.nOUNS +204.+ The Latin language has had a great deal of influence upon English. Many of our words are taken from the Latin. You remember that all of the names of our parts o
- 40 There are but few rules which can be learned to aid in the spelling of English words. The spelling of words must be largely mastered by concentration and effort of the memory. It will help you to memorize the correct spelling if you will write each word a
- 39 +201.+ +Do not say _says I_ or _thinks I_.+ Says I, "Will you go?"Says he, "That's what will happen."Thinks I to myself, "I'll show you."These are incorrect. Say instead: I said, "Will you go?"He said, &qu
- 38 +191.+ Do not use one verb for another of similar form but different meaning. The following are the most common of these: +Lay+ (incomplete verb, requires an object) meaning to place or to put; as, _to lay the book down_. Princ.i.p.al parts: _Present_, la
- 37 +185.+ The verb is perhaps the most difficult part of speech to master because it has more form changes than any other part of speech.In this lesson we are going to emphasize the most important things to remember in the study of the verb and also call att
- 36 Do you hear the children weeping, O my brothers?Political freedom can exist only where there is industrial freedom.Political democracy can exist only where there is industrial democracy.Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow.If there is anythi
- 35 He ought to pay us our wages.This means, _He owes it to us to pay us our wages now_.He ought to have paid us our wages.This means, _He owed it to us to pay us our wages some time in the past_.+180.+ The present infinitive is used with the helping verb _ou
- 34 You should be with us in this fight.They should never fear defeat.+172.+ _Ought_ could be used in all these sentences and express practically the same meaning. _Should_ used in this way implies obligation.Exercise 2 Study carefully the following sentences
- 33 Handkerchief Headquarters Lawsuit Lockout Bookkeeper +Wednesday+ Motorman Newspaper Pasteboard Postage-stamp Postmaster +Thursday+ Salesman Second-hand s.h.i.+rtwaist Sidewalk Staircase +Friday+ Trademark Time-table Typewriter Tableware Sewing-machine +Sa
- 32 Notice carefully the use of the infinitives in the following sentences.Underscore all infinitives.1. To remain ignorant is to remain a slave.2. Teach us to think and give us courage to act.3. Children love to be praised, but hate to be censured.4. To obey
- 31 _To be_, or not _to be_, that is the question._To have_ and _to hold_ is the problem.He likes _to travel_.You note in all of these infinitives _to_ is used with the simple form of the verb.+153.+ _To_ is generally omitted after verbs like _help_, _hear_,
- 30 THE PEOPLE'S COLLEGE.PARTICIPLES +147.+ We have found that the verb has five forms, made by internal changes in the verb itself,--the present time form, the s-form, the past time form, the present participle and the past participle.We have also found
- 29 Exercise 4 Underscore all the verbs and verb phrases in the following quotation.Write all the time forms of the transitive verb, _lose_, as the time forms of the verb _see_ are written in the foregoing table.When we study the animal world and try to expla
- 28 They will have seen. They will have been seen.+146.+ But these are not all the phases of time which we can express. We have progressive, continuous action. So each of these six time forms has a progressive form.+PRESENT PROGRESSIVE+ +Active+ +Pa.s.sive+ _
- 27 _Singular_ _Singular_ I see. I am seen.You see. You are seen.He sees. He is seen._Plural_ _Plural_ We see. We are seen.You see. You are seen.They see. They are seen.Note that the only change in the verb form in the present ACTIVE is the _s-form_ for the t
- 26 Past Perfect Progressive _Singular_ _Plural_ 1st. I had been seeing. We had been seeing.2d. You had been seeing. You had been seeing.3d. He had been seeing. They had been seeing.+140.+ +The future perfect progressive describes an action which will be prog
- 25 Idealism Pledge Ache Acre p.r.o.nunciation +Sat.u.r.day+ Idle Idol Mutual Wealthy Neighbors PLAIN ENGLISH LESSON 8 Dear Comrade: You have often read the words _organic_ and _inorganic_ but did you ever stop to think of the meaning of these words? We say a
- 24 Future Perfect _Singular_ _Plural_ 1. I shall have seen. We shall have seen.2. You will have seen. You will have seen.3. He will have seen. They will have seen.Exercise 3 Read carefully the following quotation. All of the verbs and verb phrases are writte
- 23 You will have earned your money before you get it.I shall have worked thirty days when pay-day comes.Can you not see a difference in saying, _I shall work thirty days when pay-day comes_, and _I shall have worked thirty days when pay-day comes_? The first
- 22 10. You will soon see the reason.11. You shall never want for a friend.12. They shall some day see the truth.13. We will not fight against our cla.s.s.14. We will stand together.PERFECT TIME +121.+ Past, present and future, being the three divisions of ti
- 21 When there are two consonants following the vowel, divide between the consonants, as for example, _in-ven-tion_, _foun-da-tion_, etc. Never divide a digraph, that is, two consonants which are sounded together as one sound, as for example, _moth-er_, _catc
- 20 DOING DOUBLE WORK +113.+ We have found now three forms of the verb, the _simple form_, the _s-form_, and the _past time form_, and, in addition, the _I-form_, or the first person form of the verb _be_. There are no other real verb forms, but there are two
- 19 1st person--I call. We call.2nd person--You call. You call.He } 3rd person She } calls. They, or } call.It } The men } The man } +105.+ You notice in this table we use the expressions _first person_, _second person_, and _third person_. _I_ and _we_ indic
- 18 SPELLING LESSON 5 We often have two vowels used in the same syllable as a single sound, as _ou_ in _round_, _oi_ in _oil_, etc.+A diphthong is a union of two vowels to represent a single sound different from that of either alone.+ Sometimes we have two vo
- 17 Exercise 4 Complete the following sentences by adding an object or a complement.1. Perseverance in your study will bring.......2. The great need of the working cla.s.s is.......3. We shall never acknowledge.......4. By the sweat of no other's brow sh