The Elementary Montessori Material - English Restoration ## Chapter 10 - Conjunctions ## X **CONJUNCTIONS** ### Analyses Material: This box has eight compartments for the title cards, which are tan (article), black (noun), brown (adjective), red (verb), violet (preposition), pink (adverb), green (pronoun), and *yellow* (*conjunction*). It also has the usual place for the sentences that are to be analyzed. These again are given in groups. **GROUP A\ Coordinate Conjunctions\ (Copulative, Disjunctive, Illative, Adversative)** —Put away the pen *and* the ink-stand.\ Put away the pen *or* the ink-stand.\ Put away *neither* the pen *nor* the ink-stand, *but* the paper.\ \ —The table, therefore, is bare *and* in order.\ *For* all your things are in their places.\ \ —Do not leave the objects you use here and there about the room, *but* put them all back in their places.\ \ —Speak to your nearest school-mate not aloud *but* in a whisper.\ \ —Move your table forward a little, *but* only a little *and* without making any noise. \[114\]  **Grammar Boxes, showing respectively eight and nine parts of speech.** **GROUP B\ Subordinate Conjunctions\ (Time, condition, cause, purpose)** —You can push down a key of the piano without making any sound *if* you push it down slowly. —You could write with your left hand *if* you "touched" the letters with that hand. —You will get silence from the children *as soon as* you write "silence" on the blackboard. —That child is happy: he always sings *while* he works. —Always shut the door *when* you go from one room to another. —Everybody must be orderly *in order that* the "Children's House" may look neat. **GROUP C\ Subordinate conjunctions, *continued*\ (Cause, concession, alternative)** —The "Children's House" is attractive *because* it is pretty and *because* it is so easy to keep busy all the time. —I shall give it to you *since* you have asked me for it very politely. —We shall go to walk in the park rather *than* in the crowded streets. —I shall give you that toy *although* I should have preferred to let you have a beautiful book. —You may promise to go and visit him to-morrow *provided* you keep your promise. \[115\]  **The children are permitted to work at their various occupations in complete freedom. (*The Lenox School, Montessori Elementary Class, New York.*)** ### Permutations The removal of the conjunction destroys the relationship between the words, and this brings out its function in the sentence: Put away the pen and the ink-stand.\ Put away the pen the ink-stand.\ \ Put away the pen or the ink-stand.\ Put away the pen the ink-stand.\ \ You could write with your left hand if you touched the letters with that hand.\ You could write with your left hand you touched the letters with that hand. The conjunction must be placed between the words it connects: otherwise the meaning is changed or destroyed: Put away the pen and the ink-stand.\ Put and away the pen the ink-stand.\ \ The "Children's House" is attractive because it is pretty.\ The "Children's House" is attractive it is pretty. ### Lessons and Commands on the Conjunctions Subject: Coordinate conjunctions: and, or, neither, nor (e, o, nè). Commands:— —Come to "silence" where you are *and* move only at my call. —Come to "silence" where you are *or else* move silently among the chairs. —Walk on tip-toe about the room, being careful *neither* to meet *nor* to follow one another. Subject: Declarative: that (che). Command:— —Tell two of your schoolmates *that* you know a conjunction. \[116\] Subject: Adversatives: but, however, instead (ma, invece). Command:— —Form two lines; now one line face about turning from left to right; the other line, *instead*, turn in opposite direction. —Form in one long line and advance; when you reach the end of the room, do not stop, *but* turn to the left. Subject: Condition: if (se). Command:— —You will be able to hear this drop of water fall, *if* you remain for a moment in absolute silence. Subject: Time: while, when, as soon as (mentre, quando, appena). Command:— —A few of you walk about among the tables; then stop in the center of the room, *while* the others gather round you and try to cover your eyes with their hands. —One of you start to leave the room. *When* you are about to cross the threshold, the others will block the way compelling you to stop. —All of you ready! *As soon as* I say "Go!" run to the other end of the room. Subject: Purpose: so that, in order that (affinchè, perchè). Command:— —One of you stand in the middle of the room; the others try to pass near him quickly *so that* he cannot touch you. —I am going to whisper a command: listen in perfect silence *in order that* you may hear what I command. Subject: Alternative: rather than (piuttostochè, anzichè). \[117\] Command:— —Those children who would *rather* work *than* go out of doors rise from their places. Subject: Cause: because, since (perchè, poichè). Command:— —Before beginning to work let us become entirely quiet, *because* then we can think about what we are going to do. Subject: Exception: except, save (fuorchè, salvochè). Command:— —Get the counters and place one on every table in the room *except* on this one. Gather up all the counters *save* the red ones. Return all the counters to their box. ### Comparison of Adjectives **Series A** —Of these two long rods, this one is the *longer*.\ Of these three rods, which is the *longest?*\ \ —This rod is *longer* than that.\ That rod in the *longest* of the three.\ Which is the *longest* of the series?\ \ —This cloth is *smoother* than that.\ This cloth is *smoothest* of all.\ \ —Of these two shades of red which is the *darker?*\ Of all these shades of red which is the *darkest?*\ \ —Of these two prisms which is the *thicker?*\ This prism is *thicker* than that.\ Of these three prisms, which is *thickest?*\ \ —Which of these two children is the *taller?*\ Which is the *tallest* child in the room? \[118\] **Series B** —Which of these two pictures is the *more* beautiful?\ This picture is *more* beautiful than that.\ \ —Which of these three pictures is *most* beautiful?\ Which is the *most* beautiful picture in the room?\ \ —Which of these two games is the *more* amusing?\ This game is *more* amusing than that.\ This game is *most* amusing of all.\ \ —This drawing is good.\ That drawing is *better*.\ That drawing is *best*.\ \ —There are some beads on this table.\ There are *more* beads on that table.\ There are *most* beads on that table.\ \ —There is a little water in this glass.\ There is *less* water in that glass.\ There is *least* water in that glass.\ \ —Of these two children John is the *elder*.\ Of these three children Mary is the *eldest*.\ Mary is *older* than John.\ John is *older* than Laura. A set of exercises may be arranged to bring out the paradymns of comparison by means of suffixes (*-er*, *-est*) and of adverbs (*more*, *most*). Here the series of cards for the positive adjectival forms are, as usual, brown, the phonograms for *-er* and *-est* in lighter and darker shades of brown respectively. The cards for *more* and *most* as adverbs are colored pink. When properly arranged, the cards appear as follows: | long | tall | thick | smooth | | ---- | ---- | ----- | ------ | | long *er* | tall *er* | thick *er* | smooth *er* | | long *est* | tall *est* | thick *est* | smooth *est*\[119\] | | short | dark | light | rough | | short *er* | dark *er* | light *er* | rough *er* | | short *est* | dark *est* | light *est* | rough *est* | | beautiful | amusing | interesting | | *more* beautiful | *more* amusing | *more* interesting | | *most* beautiful        | *most* amusing        | *most* interesting | A second exercise contains cards for each of the forms for these same words. There are three colors: brown, light brown and dark brown (superlative). There are in addition similar cards for the adjectives of irregular comparisons, and three title cards: *Positive*, *Comparative*, *Superlative*. The exercise results as follows: | *Positive* | *Comparative* | *Superlative* | | -------- | ----------- | ----------- | | long | longer | longest | | tall | taller | tallest | | thick | thicker | thickest | | smooth | smoother | smoothest | | short | shorter | shortest | | dark | darker | darkest | | light | lighter | lightest | | rough | rougher | roughest | | beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful | | amusing | more amusing | most amusing | | interesting        | more interesting        | most interesting | | old | elder | eldest | | many | more | most | | good | better | best | | bad | worse | worst | | little | less | least |