A meteor lights up Pensacola beach in Florida.
A meteor blazes over Pensacola beach in Florida, USA. Meteor comes from the Greek word μετέωρος (meh-TEH-o-ros), meaning ‘lofty, high up’. Seeking to apply his principle of using words derived from Old English instead of Greek or Latin, William Barnes turned to the Old English noun ‘welkin’, meaning the heavens. The word may still be found in dictionaries but it would draw some blank stares if anyone used it. How different things would be if Charles Wesley had left his much-loved Christian hymn Hark! the herald angels sing as he first wrote it: ‘Hark, how all the welkin rings!’.
Worksheet No. 8
These Worksheets are based on textbooks written by NL Clay (1905-1991) and used in English schools from the 1920s to the 1960s. They focus on vocabulary, sentence structure, and clear speaking. They are best studied in pairs or small groups, because that allows you to pool ideas and encourages you to speak; but you may of course share your sentences with me.
Composition
For each group of words, compose a single sentence that uses at least one of them. They are generated randomly from a list of very common English words.
I. Collection. Per. Seat.
II. Measure. Fill. Reality.
III. Child. Kind. Remain.
See more Spinners.
Homonyms
A boxer and a jeweller would probably not be thinking of the same thing if someone said the word ‘ring’ to them.
Show that these words might also mean different things to different people.
IAggregate. IIBattery. IIICannon. IVFile. VLock. VIServe.
Barge owner. Billiard player. Builder. Burglar. Electrician. Hairdresser. Injury lawyer. Prisoner. Secretary. Soldier. Statistician. Tennis player. Waiter.
See more Homonyms.
Grammar
Adverbs (words that indicate in what manner something was done) often end with -ly, e.g. slowly, neatly. However, the ending -ly is not an infallible guide to spotting adverbs.
Use each of the words below in a sentence, and say what part of speech it is (e.g. adverb, adjective, noun etc.).
IFairly. IIFrankly. IIIFriendly. IVImply. VLily. VIPoorly. VIIShyly.
See more in Truly, Madly.
Englished
Scholar and poet William Barnes (1801-1886) suggested that we should replace words taken from Latin and Greek with words borrowed from Old English, e.g. we should use ‘outleave’ instead of ‘omit’.
For which English words did Barnes suggest these alternatives?
NB These are Barnes’s made-up words. You won’t find any of them in a dictionary, though you will find the separate elements there, e.g. tout, welkin. ‘Spell’ (news) is found today in the word ‘gospel’.
ISky-sill. IITouting-sheet. IIIWeapon-stay. IVWelkin-fire. VWire-spell.
IArmistice. IICircular letter. IIIHorizon. IVMeteor. VTelegram (or email).
Narration
Turn these notes into a short passage of continuous prose.
Once upon a time... A dog. Nipped heels. A pest. Owner embarrassed. Tied bell on dog. People now warned. Avoided dog. Dog proud of bell. Old dog spoke to him. Said bell nothing to be proud of. Given for bad behaviour. Fame isn’t the same as notoriety.
See The Dog and the Bell.
Elocution
Speak each group of words out aloud, making the difference in pronunciation clear.
IDivide, defied. IIDoth, does. IIIDrove, trove. IVMad, mud. VPuzzle, puddle. VIRole, whole. VIIRule, you’ll. VIIITimes, teams.
Read this short passage out aloud, clearly and without haste.
Multiplication is vexation
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three doth puzzle me
And Practice drives me mad.
From an Elizabethan manuscript, dated 1570.
