|
painful
steep
sharply rising, vertical
parade
a formal walk or march
squeeze
press together, usually with the fingers
clearing
an opening in the trees
lank
the side of an animal’s body
1.
The penguins moved through the snow in one long
________________________.
2.
It was dark under the trees but sunny in the
_____________________________.
3.
We were not happy about walking up the _____________________
mountain.
4.
Walking up the mountain was ____________________________.
5.
They ____________________________ the fruit until the juice comes out.
6.
The child was nervous when he heard his mother _________ him from the
house.
7.
The horse had a large black spot on its ____________________________.
8.
Adults have more ____________________________ than children do.
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V. UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR:
-ing
PHRASES
A.
Read about -
ing
phrases
The
-ing
form (also called the present participle) is sometimes used to combine
ideas. The sentence:
I followed the pigs with the barrel of my gun, trying to get one of them in
my sight.
can be rewritten as two sentences:
I followed the pigs with the barrel of my gun. I tried to get one of them in
my sight.
The writer’s version is better because it avoids repeating the subject, and the
two actions it closely together.
Note: When using participial phrases, writers must be careful that the
subject of the participle is the subject of the sentence. A sentence like this:
I followed the pigs with the barrel of my gun, picking their way down the hill
is
INCORRECT because
followed
and
picking
have different subjects.
B.
Identify participial phrases
Read the sentences. Underline the -ing form and its subject in each sentence.
1.
They cooked all evening, roasting potatoes, beef, and vegetables.
2.
She climbed the steep mountain, breathing hard and sweating.
3.
He wrote about the modern food system, describing in detail the
operations of a large farm.
C
. Use the grammar
Combine the sentences using a participial phrase.
1.
We bought the dinner. We paid for the meal, the drinks, and the tip.
2.
She worked on a modern small-scale farm. She raised chickens and grew
organic vegetables.
3.
She took care of the chickens. She allowed them to wander free and eat
insects.
4.
They walked through the forest. They moved slowly as they listened for the
sounds of the animals.
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VI. READ IT AGAIN
Read the passage again. Answer the question.
The writer is nervous and excited on his irst hunt. What words in the passage
give you a clue about how he feels?
CHRISTMAS MORNING BREAKFAST
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
This passage comes from
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott. This story about
four sisters was published in 1880, but it has remained popular throughout the
years. In this chapter, the girls have opened their Christmas presents and have
been waiting for their mother, Mrs. March, to come home before they start
breakfast.
B.
Words to know before you read
Match the words to their definitions.
____ 1.
huddle
a. place one thing on top of another
____ 2. suffer
b. quickly, without thought
____ 3.
exclaim
c. thing
____ 4.
impetuously
d. crowd together
____ 5.
article
e. brave
____ 6.
pile
f. say enthusiastically
____ 7.
heroic
g. experience something bad
C.
Reading strategy
Quickly scan the following text for names. Write the names of the four sisters.
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
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121
II. READ
Read the text. Mark the words you don’t know, but don’t stop reading to look
them up.
“Merry Christmas, little daughters! I’m glad you began at once, and hope you
will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down. Not far away from
here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into
one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no ire. There is nothing to eat
over there, and the oldest boy came to tell they were suffering hunger and
cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?”
They were all unusually hungry, having waited nearly an hour, and for a
minute no one spoke, only a minute, for Jo exclaimed impetuously—
“I’m so glad you came before we began!”
“May I go and help carry the things to the poor little children?” asked Beth
eagerly.
“I shall take the cream and the mufins,” added Amy, heroically giving up
the article she most liked.
Meg was already covering the buckwheats, and piling the bread into one
big plate.
“I thought you’d do it,” said Mrs. March, smiling as if satisied. “You shall
all go and help me, and when we come back we will have bread and milk for
breakfast, and make it up at dinnertime.”
Source:
Little Women
, by Louisa May Alcott
III. COMPREHENSION CHECK
Mark the sentences T (True) or F (False).
____ 1.
When Mrs. March comes in, the girls are sitting at the table.
____ 2.
The poor woman has ive children.
____ 3.
Mrs. March learned about the family’s problem from the oldest son.
____ 4.
The sisters are not hungry.
____ 5.
Beth really wants to help take the food to the poor family.
____ 6.
Amy’s favorite breakfast food is cream and mufins.
____ 7.
Jo gets the food ready to take to the family.
____ 8.
The sisters will have bread and milk for dinner.
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Better Reading English
IV. VOCABULARY BUILDING
A.
Adjectives and adverbs
Read the words in the chart. Write the correct form for each word to complete
the following sentences.
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