Trumpet of the Swan

Lesson 12

2.

Add punctuation and capitalization.
1) sam asked when are we coming back
2) where is louis asked mr beaver
3) what will I do without a voice thought louis
4) his father said its time for bed
5) watch me said the mother swan and do everything I do
6) call the police yelled the salesgirl
7) some people talk said the cob but never listen

2.
c.1) Sam asked, "When are we coming back?"
2) "Where is Louis?" asked Mr. Beaver.
3) "What will I do without a voice?" thought Louis.
4) His father said, "It's time for bed."
5) "Watch me," said the mother swan, "and do everything I do."
6) "Call the police!" yelled the salesgirl.
7) "Some people talk," said the cob, "but never listen."

Together with your teacher, make a list of two or three possible problems that might be faced by a swan without a voice. What kind of problems might be faced by a person who can't speak? Make a list of four or five of the possible problems of a person who can't speak. Do you think a person who can't speak likes to be called dumb? Look up the word mute. Do you think they would prefer to be called mute?

d. Answers will vary.

Look at the sixth sentence in the second paragraph of the literature passage. Why is a comma used after brightest and smartest?

Adjectives like bright, smart, and intelligent can be described in degrees. If you compare two cygnets, you would say one cygnet is brighter than the other cygnet. This is called the comparative degree. If you compared three or more cygnets, you would say one cygnet was the brightest of all of them. This is called the superlative degree.

Complete the chart.

b. Comparative Superlative

smarter smartest
happier happiest
sweeter sweetest
darker darkest
cleaner cleanest