Orthography | Page 2

be made very profitable to
those pupils for whose use it is prepared.
The teacher will find, however, that the teaching of this subject will
require much careful labor on his part. The mere learning of the
meaning of prefixes and suffixes and of the roots themselves, with the
brief remarks on the meaning of some of the words, will need to be
supplemented by a careful mastery of it all on his part. And to this must
be added much thought of his own, together with careful research in the
great dictionaries. But to the earnest and intelligent teacher, such
thought and research will yield very rich fruit in his own thinking, and
in his use of English speech.
I cheerfully commend the book as a move in the right direction; and as
adapted, in my opinion, to do much to supply a serious lack in the
present work of the schools.
Normal, Ill., Aug. 18, 1904. E. C. H.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS.
1. From the lists given in this book omit such words as in your opinion
are beyond the vocabulary of your pupils.
2. All words given for the first month's work are either defined or
illustrated below the lists. This is done to help make clear the method
of showing their literal significance. Further along in each year's work
only the most difficult words are explained. Insist that pupils in every
case where it is possible define or illustrate so as to show the literal
meaning, else much of the value of the study is lost.
And, moreover, the ordinary, or current meaning, where it differs from

the literal, should be given. Very many of the words have various uses.
Thorough work requires that these be illustrated. This necessitates a
free use of the dictionary.
It is strongly urged that the pupils (with the aid of the teacher when
necessary) try to find an appropriate sentence to illustrate each word
and write the same in an orderly way in a note book for the purpose.
In work of this kind a teacher should not underrate the value of reviews.
By this means fix facts on the minds of your pupils, especially the
meanings of roots and prefixes. Since these meanings are given in a
single word, reviews may proceed rapidly.
One convenient method of recitation in this subject is to send pupils to
the blackboard without their books, assign them by turns words to be
analyzed according to the examples given under "Directions to Pupils",
and then let each pupil read to the class what he has written on the
board.

DIRECTIONS TO PUPILS.
Given in the seventh and eighth years' work of the State Course of
Study are 45 prefixes, 64 roots, and 33 suffixes,--in all 142 elements or
component parts of words. In this book a list of words is furnished to
illustrate each element, the average number of words in each list being
about eleven, and the total number of different words analyzed, or
partially analyzed, is over 1200.
TO ANALYZE A WORD.
1. Name its component parts--root, prefix, and suffix--and give the
literal meaning of each.
2. Combine these meanings in a definition, supplying additional words
if necessary, to make the sense complete. In exceptional cases, however,
the exact literal meanings of the parts cannot be put together in a good
definition. One or more of the parts must then be omitted entirely, or

represented by words which are not exactly literal.
3. Give an illustration of the use of the word.
(Caution: Carefully distinguish verbs, adjectives and nouns. Do not
define adjectives as nouns or verbs, or vice versa. Do not, for
illustration, say audible is that which can be heard; but rather say
audible means capable of being heard.)
EXAMPLES.
avert: (1) a, away + vert, turn. (2) To turn away; to ward off. (3) The
evils which exist are necessary to avert greater evils.
deify: (1) dei, god + fy, to make. (2) To make a god of; to praise and
revere as if a deity. (3) The people of India deify the Ganges River.
hostile: (1)host, enemy + ile, belonging to. (2) Belonging to or having
the characteristics of an enemy. (3) Yon tower which rears its head so
high invites the hostile winds.
portable: (1) port, carry + able, capable of. (2) capable of being carried
or moved from place to place; not stationary. (3) A portable
photograph gallery stopped for three days at the cross-roads near my
home.
benefactor: (1) bene, good + fact, make, do + or, one who. (2) One who
does good; especially one who makes a charitable donation. (3) "He is
a true benefactor and alone worthy of honor who brings comfort where
before was wretchedness, who dries the tear of sorrow."