The myself when my fur is stroked the wrong way." cat's back was arched, and it stretched its claws. "But its not kind to hurt the baby," said the Airedale dog. "Its little arm has had to be bandaged." "I don't care," said the cat. "Its a naughty baby, anyway. Its always crying, and its voice is shrill.' The cat meowed and the dog barked so loudly that the canary, in its alarm, flapped its wings against the bars of its cage. "Its frightening me to death to hear them quarrel," said the poor little bird. 283 USING ABBREVIATIONS 273 Washington Ave. Mr. J. T. Crane, Sec. and Treas. of Crane Mfg. Co. Detroit, Mich. Dear Sir: In accordance with a letter which we received on the 29th ult. from Reuben Starr, Esq., your legal adviser, we are shipping you f. o. b. one dozen Acme rubber tires and one dozen Paramount do. They should reach you by the 5th inst. at the latest. Yours truly, J. L. Pierpont. In this business letter, find six abbreviations which are already familiar to you. Write them in a list one under the other, and opposite each abbreviation write out the word for which it stands. There are several new abbreviations in this letter. It is well for you to know what these abbreviations mean when you see them. But it is not well for you to use many of them. Esquire is a title for a lawyer. It is sometimes used in addressing a letter instead of Mr. but must always follow the name. The word ultimo means in the month preceding the present month. The word instant means in the present month. The abbreviations ult. and inst. should never be used anywhere except in a business letter. there it is better to avoid them. Even Free on board is a term frequently used in shipping freight. The word ditto means the same. It is used to avoid writing the same word over. Do you see any reason for using the abbreviations Sec., Treas., and Mfg.? 284 PUTTING ONLY IN THE RIGHT PLACE Here are four questions, each of which has two answers. One answer is correct; the other is incorrect. 1. Have you heard whether Kate will come to the party? Answers: a. No, I only wrote to invite her yester day. b. No, I wrote only yesterday to invite her. 2. Shall we ask your cousins to go driving with us? Answers: a. No, the car only holds five. b. No, the car holds only five. 3. Do you enjoy playing tennis?, Answers: a. No, I only like to play quiet games. b. No, I like to play only quiet games. 4. Is that your best hat? Answers: a. Yes, I only bought one new hat this Spring. b. Yes, I bought only one new hat this Spring. When you use the word only, you show that the word which it serves or modifies is in contrast to some other word. Therefore you must be careful to place it next to the word it modifies. In the answer to question 1, "I only wrote" means that you wrote instead of telephoning to Kate. But what you wish to show is that you wrote yesterday, not earlier. So only must be placed next to yesterday, since that is the word to be contrasted. Only must be placed next to the word which it serves. 1. Look at questions 2, 3, and 4. Explain what contrast is made by a and what by b in each case. Is a the correct arrangement in any case? Why not? 2 Answer the following questions, using the word only and placing it correctly. a. How many weeks of vacation do you have? d. How long ago did you buy that book? e. Does your teacher give you much work to do at home? f. Have you been studying music long? 285 WRITING THEIR CORRECTLY The crowd cheered their leader. They threw their caps into the air. Their shouts could be heard five blocks away. Their voices grew hoarse with shouting. What part of speech is their? For what noun does it stand in each of these sentences? What noun follows it in each sentence? Their shows possession of the noun that follows it. If you are in doubt when writing the word, ask yourself, "Does it stand for a person or thing? Is it followed by the noun that it possesses?" If so, then the word is t-h-e-i-r. The word their is a pronoun. Their is always followed by the noun that it possesses. Copy the sentences that follow. How many times does the pronoun their occur? Be careful each time you write it. Notice that their is always followed by the noun that it possesses. The Scots were a brave, free people. They lived in their island home where their fathers had lived before them. Their fields of grain were in the valleys, and their flocks and herds fed on the hillsides. Then the Northmen came across the sea to plunder their country. But the Scots fought bravely and defeated their enemies. So the robbers went back to their ships and sailed away. 286 USING THE TELEPHONE Mrs. White was very busy on Tuesday morning. "Tom," she said, "please call Mrs. Clark on the telephone. I want to talk with her." Tom took the receiver from the hook, and this is what Mrs. White heard. "Spruce, 1440-J, please." "Is this Spruce 1440-J ?" |