was calm. 9. They lived in a village. It was many miles from a railroad. 10. The poor suffered. The good man mourned.

Exercise 9.—Combine the simple sentences, making compound sentences.

1. The wind blew freshly from the shore. The uneasy billows tossed up and down. 2. Eustace sat under a tree. The children gathered round him. 3. Cowards are cruel. The brave love mercy. 4. Charms strike the sight. Merit wins the soul. 5. He invited his guests to remain longer. They wished to start before the heat of the day. 6. The heaven was above his head. The sand was beneath his feet. 7. The water trickled among the rocks. A pleasant breeze rustled in the dry branches. 8. The commander was badly wounded. His men were scattered. 9. It was half-past eight in the evening. The conflict had raged for an hour. 10. The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork.

Exercise 10.—Combine the following statements into simple sentences. In each group express the idea of one statement by a modifying word or phrase.

Examples. 1. She lay down. She was sorrowful. Sorrowfully she lay down. 2. She had no shoes. She had to go barefoot. Having no shoes, she had to go barefoot.

1. He looked back. He saw a cloud of dust. 2. He sprang to his feet. He ran after the messenger. 3. He donned the white cockade. He fought for the exiled prince. 4. We climbed the mountain. The day was cool. 5. We started for home. The sun had set. 6. He lifted his eyes. He looked toward heaven. He thanked God. 7. It was early morning. He rowed across the lake. 8. He left early. He wished to catch the train. 9. He was very studious. He won the scholarship. 10. I went for a ramble. I took little Annie with me. 11. John is a blacksmith. He lives in the village. 12. He shoes horses. He does it skillfully. 13. The bluebird sings. He tells us spring is here. 14. We feared to start. The night was stormy. 15. The watchman was weary. He slept at his post.

Exercise 11.—Combine the following statements by using relative pronouns.

Examples. The flames lit the wreck. They shone on the dead. The flames that lit the wreck shone on the dead.

1. We heard the roll of ponderous wheels. They roused us from our slumbers. 2. Travelers are surprised at the beauty of the spot. They occasionally come upon it by accident. 3. Our throats are choked with the dust. It lies thick along the road. 4. He drank a cup of cold water. This refreshed him. 5. Along came a flock of sheep. They were being driven to market. 6. I went to live in a country village. It was more than a hundred miles from home. 7. The water gushed from a little spring. It sparkled in the sunshine. 8. The villagers were kindly people. They welcomed strangers. 9. I watch the sunrise stealing down the steeple. This stands opposite my chamber window. 10. Up came a gallant youth. He wore a scarf of the rainbow pattern crosswise on his breast. 11. He found under it a slender little boy. The boy wailed bitterly. 12. The Puritan saw the boy's frightened gaze. He endeavored to reassure him. 13. Here is a little outcast. Providence hath put him in our hands. 14. A young man was on his way to Morristown. He was a peddler by trade. 15. A little canary bird sings sweetly. It hangs in its gilded cage at my window.

Exercise 12.—Fill the blanks with conjunctions selected from the following list.

and, also, likewise, moreover, besides, furthermore,
but, yet, however, nevertheless,
or, either, nor, neither,
therefore, hence, then, accordingly.

1. They had been friends in youth, —— whispering tongues can poison truth. 2. The waves beside them danced, ---- they outdid the sparkling waves in glee. 3. The sun sank to rest; —— we lingered. 4. I came, I saw, —— I conquered. 5. He wanted to live, —— he wanted to work. 6. The owl has a backbone; —— it is a vertebrate. 7. Our forest life was rough; —— dangers closed us round. 8. Knowledge comes; —— wisdom lingers. 9. 'Tis winter now, —— spring will blossom soon. 10. We had guns; ---- we had an abundance of ammunition. 11. I go, ---- I return. 12. All the rivers run into the sea; —— the sea is not full. 13. It is storming; —— we will not go. 14. He forgave his enemy; —— he was merciful. 15. He is not tired, —— he is lazy. 16. The day proved clear; —— we began our journey. 17. They had —— locks to their doors —— bars to their windows. 18. I assured him of my willingness; —— he hesitated. 19. He proved himself honest; —— I trusted him. 20. The storm raged; —— we pushed on.

Exercise 13.—Two ideas are sometimes stated as of equal importance (compound sentence), when one is really dependent upon the other (complex sentence).

Example. "I was on my way to school yesterday morning, and I met my cousin Raymond."

To revise such a sentence as this, decide which clause contains the main idea, and make this the principal clause, putting the subordinate idea in a subordinate clause.

E.g. "As I was on my way to school yesterday morning, I met my cousin Raymond."

Reconstruct the following sentences, making them complex instead of compound:—

1. The sun was hot, and we rested in the shade.

2. We visited Stratford, and here Shakspere lived.

3. The poor man was bent with age, and he staggered under the heavy load.

4. The old woman lived in a little cottage, and it stood on the edge of the woods.

5. I was walking along the country roads, and I saw some wild strawberries.

6. The little boy carried a bundle, and it seemed very heavy.

7. The night was chilly, and we built a fire in the grate.

8. I wished to pass away the time, and I read a newspaper.

9. He was very ambitious, and he wished to become President.

10. She struck a match, and it burned with a feeble light.

3. Variety in the Use of Sentences:—All your sentences must be simple, or complex, or compound; but there is no reason why you should use one of the three kinds in preference to another. If you examine a passage which you think interesting, you will be quite likely to find that some sentences are simple, some complex, and some compound. The variety is pleasing. If all the sentences had been of one kind, the result would have been decidedly monotonous.

Pupils sometimes ask whether they should use long sentences or short sentences. This question is really answered in the preceding paragraph, for a simple sentence is usually shorter than a complex or a compound sentence. The fact is that what we like is variety. Until you are more experienced in composition, it will be well for you, in general, to use comparatively short sentences,—that is, sentences of not more than twenty-five or thirty words. You should feel at liberty, however, to follow your own taste in such matters, provided that your sentences are not regularly of about the same length and about the same form, so that your writing is lacking in variety.

Be particularly careful, moreover, to avoid the sentence which is so long as not to be easily understood, such as the following:—

I rose softly, slipped on my clothes, opened the door suddenly, and beheld one of the most beautiful little fairy groups that a painter could imagine, consisting of a boy and two girls, the eldest not more than six, and lovely as seraphs, who were going