The Elementary Montessori Material - English Restoration ## Chapter 07 - Prepositions ## VII **PREPOSITIONS** ### Analyses Here also the first exercise is to compose sentences analyzed with the colored cards. This grammar box has five compartments, each with a small title card of the color corresponding to the different parts of speech, red for the verb, black for the noun, brown for the adjective, tan for the article and *violet* for the *preposition*. In the compartment at the rear of the box are six cards with printed sentences. The colored cards do not correspond exactly to the number of words used in the sentences because the words of one sentence which are repeated in the next are not duplicated in the cards. In this case it is the change in preposition only which alters the meaning of the sentence. Here are the series of sentences, some of which the teacher may have used already in previous lessons (commands). ### SERIES A (Prepositions of space relations) —Take the box *with* the colored beads. (con, senza, insieme con).\ Take the box *without* the colored beads.\ Take the box *together* with the colored beads. —Place the prism *under* the cylinder. (sotto a, sopra a).\ Place the prism *upon* the cylinder. \[78\] —Lay the pen *in front of* the ink-well. (avanti a, dietro a, a lato di).\ Lay the pen *behind* the ink-well.\ Lay the pen *beside* the ink-well. —Put the green bead *into* the box. (in, dentro).\ Put the green bead *inside* the box. —Arrange a few beads *between* the red counters. (in mezzo a, tra).\ Arrange a few beads *among* the red counters. —Set one chair *opposite* another chair. (dirimpetto a, accanto a).\ Set one chair *next* to another chair.  **Grammar Boxes, showing respectively four and five parts of speech. (Note: The cards forming the sentence, "Place the blue cone against the pink cube," should have been arranged in one continuous line, not in two lines.)** ### SERIES B (Space relations continued) —Lay the counter *inside* the box. (dentro, fuori, di).\ Lay the counter *outside* the box. —Place a chair *on this side of* the door. (di là da, di qua da, oltre).\ Place a chair *on that side of* the door.\ Place a chair *beyond* the door. —Stand *in front of* the blackboard. (di fronte a, di fianco a).\ Stand *to one side of* the blackboard.\ Stand *to the other side of* the blackboard. —Arrange the chairs *along* the wall. (lungo, contro).\ Arrange the chairs *against* the wall. —Place the blue cone *near* the pink cube. (vicino a, accosto a).\ Place the blue cone *against* the pink cube. ### SERIES C (Possession, material, use, purpose) \[Note:—Such relationships are expressed in English preferably by adjectives: *cloth of cotton* = *cotton cloth;* or by the possessive inflection with *-s:* *the drawing of George = George's drawing*. In Italian they are expressed by the prepositions *di*, *per*, *da*, etc.: *stoffa di cotone* "cotton cloth," *piattino di vetro* "glass saucer." For Signora Montessori's simple exercise we suggest for English the following definitions (Tr.)\].  **Grammar Boxes, containing respectively six and seven parts of speech. (Note: In the sentence on the right, the cards should be in one line, not two.)** —Cotton cloth is cloth *of* cotton.\ Woollen cloth is cloth *of* wool.\ Silk cloth is cloth *of* silk. —The iron triangle is a triangle *of* iron.\ The wooden triangle is a triangle *of* wood. —The glass saucer is a saucer *of* glass.\ The china saucer is a saucer *of* china. —A shoe-brush is a brush *for* shoes.\ A clothes-brush is a brush *for* clothes. —George's hat is the hat *of* George; George's hat belongs *to* George.\ Mary's hat is the hat *of* Mary; Mary's hat belongs *to* Mary. —A drinking-cup is a cup *for* drinking.\ A copy-book is a book *for* copying. ### SERIES D (Direction and source of motion) —Turn *from* the right *to* the left. (da ... a, a ... da)\ Turn *from* the left *to* the right.\ \ —Draw a line *from* the bottom of the paper *to* the top.\ Draw a line *from* the top of the paper *to* the bottom.\ \ —Go *from* your seat *to* the cabinet.\ Go *from* the cabinet *to* your seat.\ \ —Change the pen *from* your right hand *to* your left hand.\ Change the pen *from* your left hand *to* your right hand. \[79\]\ \[80\] ### Permutations The child has built the first sentences on each of the slips with his cards, and he has reproduced the others by changing simply the preposition cards. In this way he has seen how the position of objects relative to each other is determined wholly and only by the use of the preposition. The preposition, therefore, determines the *relation of words*, the relation of a *noun* to some other word, here to another *noun* or to a *verb*. In the phrase, Set one chair opposite another chair, if we take away the preposition, leaving, Set one chair another chair, the relation that formerly existed between the words *chair* and *another chair* is lost. The teacher must not forget the rules for the position of the preposition. The preposition must always precede its object and no other word can come between it and the word or words it controls. Here are some examples of sentences in the above exercises from which the preposition has been taken away by the teacher: Go from your seat the cabinet.\ Place a chair the door.\ Lay the counter the box.\ Place the prism the cylinder.\ The china saucer is made china. To give the child an idea of the normal position of prepositions a series of permutations may be made leaving the preposition and its object in their normal positions. In this case some meaning is still left to the sentence: \[81\] Stretch a string from the door to the window.\ From the door to the window stretch a string.\ Stretch from the door a string to the window.\ From the door to the window a string stretch.\ From the door stretch to the window a string. But the child will recognize that the right sentence is the simplest and the clearest: Stretch a string from the door to the window. On the other hand if we separate the preposition from its object or invert their normal position, the meaning is entirely lost: Stretch a string the door from the window to.\ Stretch a string from the door window to the.\ String from the stretch door to the a window. And likewise with these other sentences: Run from the wash-stand to the table.\ Run wash-stand table (*definition of motion lacking*).\ Run wash-stand from the table to the.\ From the run wash-stand to the table.\ Wash-stand from the to the run table. ### Lessons and Commands on Prepositions The teacher may also take groups of children and give them short lessons on the preposition to explain the meaning, selecting if possible two or three synonyms or antonyms each time. The lessons should always he practical and full of action. The child should come to understand in this case the relationship established by this or that preposition between the object (noun) and the action (verb) to be performed. As soon as this has been made clear by the teacher the commands are distributed to the children who put them into execution. Here is the material that we use: \[82\] Subject: > Of (di). Command:— > —Go and get a boxful *of* counters. Go and get a glass *of* water. Bring me a piece *of* cloth. Subject: > near (to), next (to), beside, far away from (vicino, accosto, lontano). Command:— > —One of you boys stand in the middle of the room. Now you others go and stand *near* him. One of you stand *next* to him on the right, another *beside* him on the left. Now all go *far away from* him. Subject: > in, into, inside, out of (in, dentro, fuori). Command:— > —Rise from your chairs and go *into* the next room. Stay *in* that room a moment and then come back *into* this one. Go back on tip-toe and lock yourselves *inside* the next room. Come *out of* the next room *into* this one. Subject: > On this side of, on that side of, beyond (di là da, di qua da, oltre). Command:— > —Leave your places and form a circle *on that side of* the door; form a circle then *on this side of* the door. All of you go and stand somewhere *beyond* the door. Subject: > except, save (tranne, eccetto). Command:— > —All the children, *except* George and Mary, walk on tip-toe around the room. > > —All the children, *save* George and Mary, walk on tip-toe around the room. \[83\] Subject: > side by side with, opposite, in front of, along (di fianco, di fronte, avanti). Command:— > —Form a line *side by side* with each other. > > —Form a line *along* the wall *opposite* the door. > > —Form two lines *in front of* the piano. Subject: > before, behind (dirimpetto, dietro). Command:— > —Two of you come and stand *before* me. > > —The rest of you go and stand *behind* me. Subject: > on, about, along (su, secondo, lungo). Command:— > —Each of you place one counter on the table. Now arrange the same counters *along* the far edge of the table. Now scatter the same counters *about* the center of the table. Subject: > between, among (fra, in mezzo a). Command:— > —One of you go and stand *between* the door and the piano. > > —Place ten white counters on the table. Now go and scatter two or three red counters *among* the white ones. Subject: > from, to, as far as (da, a, fino a). Command:— > —Rise and walk *from* your places *to* the piano; wait a moment and then continue *as far as* the door of the next room. Subject: > around, about (attorno, intorno). Command:— > —Walk in couples, arm in arm, *around* the room twice; when\[84\] you reach the piano on the second round, form a circle *about* the piano. Subject: > toward, against (verso, contro). Command:— > —Take your chairs and move them three steps *toward* the wall in front of you. Next, arrange your chairs in a row with their backs *against* the wall behind you. Subject: > across, through (attraverso, per). Command:— > —Roll your handkerchiefs into balls and throw them *across* the room. > > —Pick them up as they lie and try to throw them *through* the door into the hall. Subject: > With, without (con, senza). Command:— > —Walk around the room *with* your chairs in your hands. > > —Walk around the room *without* your chairs. Subject: > to, in order to, so as to (per). Command:— > —Wash your hands *in order* not *to* soil the cloth. Then close your eyes and feel this cloth *so as to* recognize it.