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Better Reading English
2.
spread
a.
to cause something to reach more and more people
b.
to make something bigger by extending it
3.
ire
a.
to shoot a gun
b.
to dismiss an employee
4.
load
a.
to put ammunition in a gun
b.
to put things in a vehicle
5.
chase
a.
to run after in order to catch
b.
to seek the company of someone of the opposite sex
6.
pause
a.
to stop temporarily
b.
to interrupt the operation of a recording device
7.
echo
a.
to express agreement
b.
to continue to have signiicance
8.
emerge
a.
to come out (as information)
b.
to come into view
V. UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR
A.
Read about
hardly
Hardly
is an adverb with several closely related meanings.
It can mean
almost not
or
almost none
, particularly when used with
ever
or
any
.
We
hardly ever
visit them.
There were
hardly any
people left.
This meaning is used in the poem:
Hardly
a man is still alive. . .
It can also mean
just
.
The people had
hardly
arrived when the battle started.
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Because this meaning deals with time, it is often used with the conjunction
when.
Because the meaning of
hardly
is negative, in standard English it is not used in
negative sentences. (Double negatives are normally avoided.)
Note:
Hardly
is not the adverb for
hard. Hard
can be an adjective or an adverb.
That was
hard
work.
He works
hard
.
The adverbs
scarcely
and
barely
are very close in meaning to
hardly.
Rewrite or combine the sentences using
hardly
.
Examples:
He had spread the alarm. The British came right away.
He had hardly spread the alarm when the British came.
There were almost no chairs in the room.
There were hardly any chairs in the room.
1.
We almost never go to the movies.
2.
He had just loaded the gun. Then he had to ire.
3.
He closed the book. He fell asleep immediately.
4.
There were almost no professional soldiers in the army.
5.
They almost never spoke about the problem.
VI. READ IT AGAIN
Read the poem again. Answer the questions.
1.
What two names are used for the British army?
2.
Why does Longfellow say that Paul Revere’s word would “echo for
evermore”?
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THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
The U.S. Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. This
document, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, explains why the United
States declared independence from Great Britain. The excerpt here contains
the most famous lines from the Declaration.
B.
Words to know before you read
_____ 1.
self-evident
a. change
_____ 2.
endowed
b. eliminate
_____ 3.
unalienable*
c. basis
_____ 4.
end
d. given
_____ 5.
alter
e. goal
_____ 6.
abolish
f. come from
_____ 7.
derive
g. clear; obvious
_____ 8.
foundation
h. something that cannot be taken away
*This word was used in the Declaration of Independence, but the more usual
form is “inalienable.” It’s almost always used to describe rights.
C.
Reading strategy
At the time this was written, English did not have the modern rules for
capitalization. Writers often capitalized words they felt were important. Look
through the text quickly. Write the words and phrases that are capitalized here
but wouldn’t be in a modern text.
_________________________________ ______________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________
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II. READ
Read the text. Mark the words you don’t know, but don’t stop reading to look
them up.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to
abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
III. COMPREHENSION CHECK
Circle the letter of the phrases with the same meaning.
1.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .
a.
We believe that it’s clear that all men are created equal.
b.
We can provide evidence that all men are created equal.
2.
. . .that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. . .
a.
that God has rights that cannot be taken away
b.
that God has given men rights that cannot be taken away
3.
. . .Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed. . .
a.
Governments have power because the people agree to give it to them.
b.
Governments can take power from the people they govern.
4.
. . .That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it. . .
a.
People have the right to change or eliminate any government.
b.
People have the right to change or eliminate government that takes
away their rights.
5.
. . .institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to
effect their Safety and Happiness.
a.
create a new government based on these ideas and set up in a way that
will allow people to be safe and happy
b.
create a new government based on these ideas and set up in a way that
is destructive to safety and happiness
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IV. VOCABULARY BUILDING
A.
Word families
Read the word families in the chart.
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