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BASIC ENGLISH

()PERATIONS
roo 3tc
TIIINGS ,---/\---\ QUALITIEB
l0oGhooral r 5ll O9Poeltr
IDUGI?tot rrtal. irrr |errrr
co{r | lrDDLl 'trlt
Sltvarrr actD I IAD
;;;- ^ccourr
I rcr BtrEct | trrt
i.,-"r
;- II ^ll'.tlgl_.__ :I:--
ERRot I:::
trrNo :il""
aror?
auroxAttc
tlaurtTuL
I Elftlr
I ELOI
;:.' I ^orusrxrxr
ioi'snrrse"ut avENT xtNE lx^rs
'llADB
urNu?r sHAMr aLlcr I crrrerr
;;;' I ic"ni"irt
-- exemPtl BOrLtro I crol,D
il'.. I ;t" rxcHANo! r'11 . :I::' couu:tr

THE ABC OF BASIC ENGTISH


arroat I
l;- I ixouxt axrstaxca xoNEY ttDB
BnoKrtr I cruBl.
;;;" I irtussrrrr lx"ANstoil roNtr alo'.
XIOWN I DATX
;:-"; I elrt*rel BxPERtENGg xoRNlNo alLK
ctaar I oaro
::" l;;;;;; axPaRt so"rf,n cnrrrc^! I DaAl
;: I ipi^irtur tAGt xorro* 'rLvrt
lllrll cxrn I orutcrtr
| ^prnor^t PALL rouNT^lt 9lzl cr.rlt I orrrlnrrrt
"irr
;;;- | encurrrrt t^xrlt 19Y:- ::t:-.
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I i-^".
I iit"""t
irtxrr
taan
talLtNG
xu$tc
N^ra
t'atlolr
xtlg
'LE'P
3lrP
sLoP'
ct"ran
corxota
corrlrx
cot lctoua
I Dlltt
I DrY
lrlIlc
I tisBt t
THE F'IRST STEP
il; l"ir"iitr"r. trcrtor' ::*:
rrELL cu? I P8!ALa
;;;i,r I ir*^"ttor rra'.D r'Ewi Drst | lool'lsx
lEIiJ" I iitit'o.i"t tlo't trrcr{t sutlr DaPrxDEta? I tu"uR3
;;;- l;;;;--- Nor$a 6'.,r'' I oRE€ll

In learning any language it is necessary


3x'Ezl EAnLt
ll^iitt I 'rni
PLAlrt Nori ELAI?IC I ILL
;;;- "iii*"r
I iii" tLt't? NUHa:R sNow
rLf,c?Rtc Ir.mr
;;--- I ti"i"lour ?Lowal os3ERvatlol 6oaF
f,eua! | L Tll
li"o"" l;;;;;t roLD ort't rocrr?l ra? I lrrr
i;I;;' l:ll'.. :::3"
ll-" Itii" PoR.,
3l'.*^",o,
oPt'tor'
oRDEr
ii!:
3oRt
rintrr.t
PtRrt
rrxrD
I r-oosr
I LouD
lLor
first of all to have some idea of the differ-
;;;;
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].l.
I
I "i-obo
"i"*
1.5""
?RI&ND
tRox?
lRutt oRNAPltrt
'ouxD
onc^xra^tlor ::Y:-
3P^cl
3taca
Fl.ar'
rncr
rRlguaxr
lutxso
I rAnsot
I oLD
ent sorts of words in that language. There
i-J | "*i*s eLAst owtat
are more than 1,500 separate languages
tuLL I oPPDSltt
6ir. | "^"^o coLD 119: ::i:I
rrArarlrt oBNTJRaL | ?uDl.lc
iiiiucr I ;.;i;,. covEnnt tlrt PArr oooD I roucn
;- - -- I cRAtI{ taltf? traAr onaat I taD
".otrer onasa t^Pal 3IBEL
.rir.r
;-*
iit"
I iuitolto
l.vlr-
I iu""t :i11.-
cRouP :i::
?AsrB gavuB't
:ll;"
11191
3roNl
onaY
rraxorr.o
nAPtY
Iurr
I rrcnrr
I 6goit
still in use, and they are as different as the
:;'- I ."sixtit c.owal trARD I SHUI
li"
;;-
I iGtci
l;;;;ia
GurDr
ranBour
?EAct
-
PaRsot ::::-
sroR? rrf,at.tnv
xtctf
I srurr.r
I 3L@ clothing of those who make use of them ;
ii"t',. lillr, *llro" ;llil :Il::il." BoLLor lsrnr

so that no sort of word or form of dress has


tralontat.t I lol|t
;-- | iii^ix arAtrt'o la"----- :Y:::^n"t rrrD I oosro
i"a I cnrt.r HEA? FLBaiunf lttcaB Lrr(3 I t"rctar
:;; I 1""""i urLP ?ot't Lrvrro I nrero
3ux*rn
so wide a distribution as to seem natural
ltlstolt Por6ot 'uGGEsrtoN
l;; I cJoti LoNo I
ilJ"t I ;;;' f,o'.a to'-rsr sttPPoR?
rAL! I watTl
'lrtlf
;;--- I ioi"utr soPa toRTEn tuRPtl!! IANTIfD
I io""o"t ltouR ?o6trtor swrx
lit".
;#;-
;;;
;;;
I ii"ititi".
I iotn"^*t
I ioole^"t"o"
eu'out
tca
IDEA
?owDEr
EowEn
tRtcE
taLr
'Ygtar
tastl
IAIINIAL
in all parts of the earth.
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cot""t,tto.
ii""-to"
ioirnict,ort
lrPULS!
trcRalas
lNDuatrv
?RlN?
Paoc''r
PnoDUcl
tax
t'Actlllrc
taNDlxcv
tltst
fn one country it may be the right thing
INK PRoFl"
ti"
;;
I co"t*ou
l;;;--- trtrc? tRotantv rrronv
to put a gold ring or a silver chain round
iii""
;l'
ir-
lttit'
lii"t'ot
I iouo"
iiilxili:'
tNvrirtol'
leo'
h#"'
PuNtsllulrt
?unPost
i**,
tl..l
Tlr' the neck ; in another, the space between
iirorot I iouxt*t ,BLLY tuotl 19:-
;;;;-
;;;-
fi';,
I ;;;;i
l it^ir
| ;;;;;
ior"
iounrrY
iuocr
QUALT'Y.-
guEcrror
n^!l--
- rouc.
tRADi
tnArrs?orr
the chest and the chin may be covered by
raNor ttrot(
iiii""
il;--
;;;*
liii,"r
I ;;;;-
li*'
lurr
ircr
rtse
rA?!
lll---^-
?rou'L!
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lwtst
oullt
IIAD'
rrD
I
I
Dlor3.
I WITA
'gorr'^xo'root'
jewels and ornaments ; or by a coloured
I ir**""t xNowLBDor la^cllor TTGULAI I
:li:i:"
;;;

li;^."
il;;'--
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sl:,^o'
r^ucn
r^uc' nnconD
nnconD
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vALUr
YllYl
if,aPotllrEl!
nroBr
nootlD
|
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I
gurrrrorr
ov lrvlnstor
rro
too'-
cloth, for comfort ; or a soft collar may be
LAw ltoRst vrR'r
I oi,rortrr
;;;
x(it,
:::;
I DAY
t '"i"n
GIAD
rE^txttlo
La^tr.t
REr^ttOr
t'Lrclotl
vf,tA'l
vlaw
aaltr
crcurD
lEP^nltl
I
I
I
opsrrmrr
eno
common-{hanged to a stiff one at night.
So it would be foolish to go everywhere
i ;;;.. 1"".t l1l:.Ll:*"^tt'":o^t"-'
RBeuBst w^L( rEntout I rlotourt
;;H l iiii.,". Lartar wat atr^&t I coNJrrclta
I 'l :;;;. I ti""re LBva! aEsPEct gllootl. I lx tuB'
iiiiiit"" LrFr tast wAsB
I | "iJ,". Ltcst rsw^R3 il:ff' |
.

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'isii
i.'ii.t
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I i""iiu.tor
li:i11""""""
r.lxr" rtrYrt{u
ili:r
:11T.:
w^rsl
1il'
3tRAtctlt
srFoNo
I
I
""*u."."-
NUMAnlt.s.
cuR*Exevt with the question, " What sort of ' collar '
do they have here ? " It is better to say :
suDDat I crr.crom,
t'AY
I iffi.r
;':;-
;;;-
I oto"-ttton
I .ro*crror
I oi.iou**t
":;;[
rtst
t,OOt(
Loss
LovB
lo..D
noLL
aoor
wrAtllD'
wf,EK
swEBT
TALI
trlci
I AxD
I rr.Trrrarloral
I tPnrs
$;r
;;;.
fi
I ;;;;;;;"
I oiitrsr
I otscusr
uacurrt
xAll
ItP-
RULa
Run
::i1""
wrND
wlNE
Trcnt
tlRRtt
I tx 'axo!aE
I ronr. " What, if anythiilB, do they put on their
rl
I
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;;;;J;;"
lii:;ll'"t;""
I ;il;;;
- llxl"* ii!! lcA'.a Iill:
*'ooD
TRUt

necks ? f' Or, again, " How are the legs


ffiil-' I ooJrt 'ARr3t
r^se acts*c! wooL
:
romi I DRINr ulaL lEA 19:: wtDt I ro
x*A3uit ta^t woRrc
I
il;;-
lii*" I 6"ii;tto
fi**" wlsr I nno'a FARAntt
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l, *:*". t'aoaY
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Yeea
vatl.tt
rooro
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crrrnroc*.
rnouro.
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"t
ri ell Rrhs Rlu,cmrd. Ccffirl dr U.SJ'
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;
ri
ti
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covered ? " Then we are at least taking
a general point of view, and there is less
,tl
danger of getting a wrong answer-or no
answer at all. l. Thtngs
It is the same with words. There may Of the 850 Basic Words, ro less than 600
not be ' nouns ', ' adjectives ', ' verbs', afe names of. Things. ft is important to
or 'pronouns ' ; but everywhere there are have a good number of names for Things,
things. So the first and most natural because if we went about with a knowledge
question about a Language ls, " What only of the names of Thitrgs, we would be
n:unes has it for Things ? " able to make ourselves clear for a very
So we will make a start with'the names great part of the time.
of things ; but first of all it is necessaxy
to get a sort of map of the system in its Even without the n:unes of things, xre
complete form. might, no doubt, get a long way by
O; page xii are all the Basic words ft pointing, and by other acts and signs. The
very small print. This baby list is only for trouble is that sometimes it is not clear
those with very sharp eyes, and by what we are pointing at ; one thing gets
turning to the folding page at the front in the way of another, and we may not be
you will see what words are in the 850 near enough to make ourselves ctrear.
and why the system is so simple. When But if we have a knowledgr of the ?rames
you get to the end of the book you will of things, it is much more probable that
be able to put this statement into verse.l our hearers will be in a position to see
Basic, however, is not designed for mak- from the signs on our faces, or from our
ing verses, and we a^re interested here in how behaviour, what we woutd have said if we
it is that we are able to get things done had made use of other sorts of words.
by the use of the four chief sorts of words. The names of things take the place of
a Though the uords you see in th'is baby size pointing ; the other words, to which we are
May be clear to readers w'ith aery) sharp eyes, coming later, take the place of the other
You'll go to the list at the front, ,if you'rc wisa, signs which we make.
Fot the answers to'all yowr Whats and Whys. :

3
ft'!1,r1't!:y,
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(a) Nauns oF Prcrgnenrn Tnrucs Questlons and Examples
If you are good at making pictures with " The
iri' At a meal, for example, if we say
ll
tt,
'i
SevenPicture-makers " (p. 15), see which of them
itl
Lr
i
n'Apple " when the fruit comes in, we may are rightly named by your friends ; and why they
,li' r

go wrong when they give a wrong answer.


if say-" Please
I
i , tt '
be almost as clear as we Or might your pictures have been more clear ?
l;:t give me an apple ". Is it a help to your merqory to get some of t]re
l, names two by two ; like boy and girl, sun anrd
The simplest words of all, then, are the iltoon, harnmev and nail,, horse and cart, needle
lil n€unesof the separate things which it is and thread ? If so, make a list of those which
li' go naturally together.
possibleto get by pointing ; the things Put together all the words in the 200 which
l,li
rl.
'
round the room, the things which are are names of different parts of clothing (boot,
coat, collar, dress, gloae, hat, pochet, shirt, shoe,
moved or marketed everywhere, one by shirt, soch , stoching , trowsers) . You have, in
,ill,
rl.
one. l addition, button, hooh, and band, which may go
ll'l';, vrith them.
Itii"
I
l'; ';
In Basic there are 200 of these, and when Now do the same with the parts of tb.e body
I'
the things of which they are the signs are which is dressed with so much care (arm, chin,
,i': ha'ir, leg, hnee, ?nu,scle, nerae, stomach, throat, toe,
ir::;f not themselves present to be pointed at and tongwe).
iii
by the learner, a picture will do equally Then take the things in connection with the
rii building of a house (arch, board, brich, floor, Pife,
rli:
well.2 roof , screu), windou and the rest) ; and from those
,,I
\ i
ri
.' r If you are ready to make complete statements go on to such as may be seen in a roorn (bath,
, ,''
;l
from the very start, you may say This is , . , . book, box, bwlb, curtain, cush'ion, drauer, loch,
oaen and the like). In this way you will quickly
:

€very time yoo do any pointing at things in


i:
:'
the room or at pictures. But most learners will get an idea of the different worC-groups in the
I
be wiser to go quickly through the first,20 pages Basic system.
,i ; ;
before making any decision about the best form What general word might these be grouped
iiii of simple statement. trnder : cup, egg, forh, plate, potato, spoon, tray ?
lit
tl, r Afrong the 200 there are four words which (meal).
tl',r .area little different from the rest. These Make a list of l0 names among the 200 about
'i,i,i". whose sound, form, and sense you have no doubt
i ll
are angle, circl,e, l,ine, squ,a,re. They ate not
' ' ,, ..
r

material things ; but they may be pictured, and whatever. Let them be names of things which
,
I
,i,'
t. .i'
l't the pictures give everything which is needod. are generally near-to be touched or seen.
i,l{l These will be of use later as a sort of frame in
which new words m.ay be fixed for purposes of
learning. A different list will probably be
necessary for every country ; but if the sounds
are simple enough, here are 12 from which you
may be able to make a selection: hand, head,
booh, box, door, h,at, man, paint, paper, side, table,
tree.
4
(b) cENERAL NAMEs There are 50 words of this sort,
Sometimes, though there may be no and because they are names of substances
doubt that a word is used for a material they are almost as simple to get fixed in
thing, it is hard to give a clear picture of the memory as the words which go with
the thing itself ; a huilding,for example, or pictures. Here is the list :-
amine. This is because there are different Air , blood, brass, bread, butter , cnnttuas,
sorts of buildings whictr themselves have chalk, cheese, cloth, coal , copper , corh, cotton,
pictures (such as church, howse, hospital) ; dust, earth, glass, gold, ice, ink, iron, leail,
and beca.use a mine is not a separate thing. leather, linen, rneat, milk, mist, oil,, paid,
All such words are grouped among the paper, paste, powder, rice, sal,t, sand, silk,
400 " General names ". silaer, smoke, s?Low, soap, sowp, stearn, steetr,
{
Then there are solid substances ; metal,s, stone, sug6[r , t'in , uater , w6lr6 , wine, wood,
for example, like copper. These are utool.
certainly very material. In fact they are Another important group of the general
what things are made of ; but only a little names, of which it is frequently possible to
of them is in any one place, and even give the sense by pointing (arrd sometimes
then it generally has the form of some by pictures) is that of the parts or diaisions
other thing with a common name. So it of material things. Such are back, base,
is hard to make good pictures of sub- body, cover, edge, end, front, ruiddle, page,
stances. But it is pot)tibl* to take a bit side , tof .
of any one of them and make a change in its Then there are persons, named sometimes
form or, with the help of a business man, in relation .to set6 ar .farnily (rnan, wnrna.fi,
get money for it. With these come the father , rnoth,er, son, daughter, brother, sister),
triquids, like blood and milk, and sometimes because of what they do
Air, mist, smohe, and steam, may (cook, jwdge, rna,llatger , porter , seraant) ;

l;i
be put in the same division because comm on acts (a shaka , & bite, a grip , a kick, a
lr
I .;, they are made of material parts and &iss, a laugh, a smile, a cowgh, a sneeze<r
their behaviour is like that of substances ; driaing, reading, teaching, andwriting) ; the
and foods, like bread, butter, t"q cheese. divisions of time (minute, houcr, doy, night,
6 7
ueek, rnonth, year); birth and death, Questions and Examples
sutnnler and winter, peace and zsa,r, Make a list of general names used for a number
of things which themselves have pictures (animal',
question and enswer, c&u,se and effect, uork apparatus, building, insect, instrument, machine,
and flay, Profot and /oss, art and science, plant, structure, aessel,l. Make a list of those
which are not separate from the other material
col,aur and form, Iaw, crime, and punish- things round them (harbour, mine, mountain,
ment, prose and aerse; words for thefeelings riaer, road, waae).
Put the 50 names of material things into four
(like pleaswre and pain, hope and fear, loue groups so that you may say ' a bit of ' (chalk,
and hate, belief and doubt) ; words for the bread, and so on) ,' arnass of ' (coal, stone, and so
on), ' a drop of ' (blood, utater, and so on), ' a
senses(like touch, taste , and smell) . grain of.' (pouder, rice, sand). Which will come
At this point you will have got some into more than one group ?
Because it is possible Jor all of them to be
idea of more than half the names of measured, you may say " an a,tnou,nt of " any
things and almost half the complete Basic of them. What other things (in addition to
material substances) are frequently said to be
word-Iist. So this is the right place for measured, in the sense that ' an amount of '
a little note about the other general nanres them is talked about for purposes of comparison,
though we are not able to put them in the
which are not names of material things, or scales ? (agreement, approual, change, competit'i,on,
parts of material things, like the great erp ansion, growth, increase, organization, pleastcre,
quality , shame and so on).
mass of the words which we have taken
first. As separate words, they are happity f{ere is a list of 100 of the simplest names of
things which the learner will be wise to get into
all quite as simple as the names of material his head at a very early stage :-
things to get into the memory ; but their apple, baby , bach , ball , bed,, bell, bird, boat, booh,
hox, boy, bridge, brothar, cat, coat, col,our, country,
behaviour when put with other words is ootu, doy, door, dress, d,r'inh, egg, fall,.father, firc,
sometimes not so regular. A little more fly, front, garden, gi,il, gra,ss,
.fish, floor, flouer,
hair, hand, hat, head, help, hole, horse, hou,se,li,ght,
attention has to be given to them, till any looh, tna%, milh, rnoney , mother, na,rne, need, n'ight,
tricks they may have are clear from nose, pa'int, paper, picture, P'ig, flace, plant,
examples. With so small a number of Play , pull ,
rain, ring , roorn, rlun, sand , school , shoe ,
side, s'ister, shy, sleep, snou), song, start, st'ich,
words this is not hard ; and most of the stop , story , street, surnrnel, sr,tn, table, ta'i|,,
thing , thought, top , tozun, train, tree, toun, Lcse , ualk ,
necessary knowledge will come auto- zuash, utater, aa!, uind, wind,ou, winter, u)ood,
rnatically from the examples themselveso worh, year.
from hearing others, and from reading.
(c) FoRMs FoR NUMBER Queetlons and Examples
Rule.When a word is used for two or Make a list of all the words with the endings
s and x, and put all the forms for the ' plural '
more things qf the same sort, an ' s ' is (more than one) in writing, so that you may see
put at the end of it. how simple and natural the business of ' plurals '
is in Basic English. Would you have put
There a-re four which make a change of ' glasss r, of ' taxs ', if you were free to give all
form--foot (feet) , tooth (teeth) , rna.n (men1, ' plurals ' their most natural form in writing-
for a smooth sound at the end ?
wornan (women). The sense of. trousers and The wool of. sheep is cut with scissors to make
scfssors makes it natural for them to have lrousers tor men (and sometimes uomen). That
gives you 5 of the changes of form. Why do the
the 's ' ending, but we may say " one other 2 not get into the system ? (Because
Itg of his trousers ", or " one blade of their feet and their tceth are not good for the
digestion).
the scissors ". There is no change for Put a mark against any of these words which
sheep. These facts may be sad, but what have been given the wrong ' plural' form :
leafs, boxes, sea,s, arches, clys, potatos, traies,
are seven among such a number ? And if horses, sleep, sheep, smashs.
you do go wrong it is not very important. There is one word which is not ever used in the
' plural '. You may be able to see which it is if
For talking, only {hese have to be spe- you go through the list of general names. (News).
cially kept in mind.l Give some examples of words which, ovon
without the addition of ' s ', give the idea of
number (group, comrnittee, fatnily) .
r What is the use of the s on all these words ?
In addition to the four changes of form, We say : " T. have two sheep ". Why not say :
there may be some change in ttie last ihree " I have tvro brother " ? The answer is that in
letters (though the sound is much the same as if this example it is clear enough, but " Come with
gnl)t ' r ' had been put at the end) of words ending your brother " is not clear if more than one
i\ f, fe, y, ,s, ft, sE, ch, or o, for writing. Here ii brother is to come with you. So Basic, like other
t4" compl-efs list-but you will probably be Ianguages, is happy to tnake the change, even
wise to make no attempt to get it into your head ifa small number of the 850 words are hot quite
l,t at this point :
ir regular.
(1) Leoaes, selues, shelacs, hniaes.
_(?) All ending in y with a stopped souncl (see p.
17q before it (that is, all batboy-, doy, hty, mdnhey,
?l?y,./a,y, tra!, and way) have ine y chang6d -
into ies; as 6rrtny, armies, and berry, bcrries.
(3) All ending in s, fi, sh, ch, or o have cs at
tJre end and not simply s; as arch, arches, and
match, rnatches.

r0 ll
(d) A and rHE Questioils,, and Examples
Sometimes a thing is talked about as any If we are on an island and we have only one
knife, would you say : Give me a, knife, or thc
one of a group which has the same name ; knife ?

sometimes as a special example about which If your house has 4 doors-one at the front,
one at the back and two at the sides-would you
something has been said before. say : Let us go in at a front door, or the front
A man door ? Would it be possible to go in at the side
door ?
The //ta/r:" that man of whom you have
On a bright night we generally take a look at
knowledge ". the moon, not a rnoon. Why ? (Because it is
If anyone says, " Please give me a not wise to see more than the one moon). Are
there any other things which would generally
camer& " , you are then free to make the be talked about with the, beeause there is only
selection from all the possible cameras in one of them ? (Yes, the stcn, the shyl.
the stores ; so that if your friend gets a Why do we generally give a push and a. hick,
not the push and the hich ?
good one it will be a pleasing surprise. Make a selection of words like behaaiour, with
But if he says the camera, you are limited which, because of their sense, a(n\ will probably
be least used (attention, control, cotton, s'i,laer,
to the special camera which he has in his thunder, and so on).
mind (one which, in his opinion, is equally What would be the sense of. a catton, a siluer
a pai,nt
-What?
clear in your mind).l words are there which do not ever take
We do not say ' a gold ' (ot ' iI sno* '), a before them ? (damage , learnimg , news, tran sport,
waiting, weather).
because gold is not one of the things which
Make this story complete, putting in a and the
are all in front of us to be talkcd ahout or as needed and giving reasons :
pointed at; only part of it is cvcr there. Mr. Anyman. Please give me - ccwnera, on
-
shelf there.
Some names of ' things ' which are very un- Mrs. Anyuoman. Are you going to take
like natural things are loolced on as if they picture ?
h[r. Anyman. Yes, if baby will keep quiet.
were names of substances ; for this reason -
lltlrs. Anywornan. She has smile on her face,
we do not say ' a behaviour ' ,' a learning ', now. Do be quick. -
or'a Mr. Anyman. Now ! But there seems to be
damage'. ma,rh on her nose. -
Mrs. Anywoman. No, it was fly,so that will
I So the is a sort of pointing ' adjective '- be the chief thing in -
Picture.
not quite so strong as this or that, to which we -
are coming later.
ii;
'l' I
T2 13

lt'i,
L:t,
r
2. Qualities Questlone and Examples
There are lso names of quarities See what groups of names of qualities it would
be possible to make ; in relation, for example, to
(' adjectives ').1 They are used before colour, form, size and feeling.
the names of things to give some special Put together all the words like red, which are
names of simple qualities, starting with the
idea about the thing-a red book, the hard colours (blue, green, yellow, broutn, blach, g/a!,
sea.t, cold air.z whitel-wordg like sharp, haril and soft,sweet and
bitter, warrfi and cold which are the nearest to the
sensiis ; then the names of simple feelings like
t_A
, the, an! , all, eae1y , ilo, olhcr , soma, haffy, sad, tircd.
a"nd such rtg,g".neralry saidto be ' rajutti""r;i Make a list of the ' adjectives ' which are least
in the sense ttrat they-are put with th" ,ro*es of liko names of simple sense-qualities (chcaf and
things-; blt we.Inay iet thim come in separately d,ean, hanging, political, and so on).
as and *h"lt_they are needed. See piges li, A third selection will have in it all the words
and l SG.
2,9, 45, which do not seern to come naturally into the
I This not-e is only for those first group or the second. You wilf probabty
who are troubled
by doubts about th6 existence of qrr*iiti.r, *rr"" put quiah into this third group ; if so, it will
ti]gy corne to the business of p6itttitt g it ;h" bo becaase quich is used of motion, and motion
difierent sorts of things named Ly worcis. The is not a material thirrg;, or a sense, or a feeling,
simples.t o"T:r qualities are ttioru which ;;t but a change of place. There may be more than
somethi.ng about,ofour feelings and experieo..rj one opinion about the sorts of qualities, so that
about the effect of things on the r*rri" of touch tJre size of the groups given in different answers
(hard), or on the sense 6f colou , (riif , or on our will be very different. But your ansurer will be
ideas of value (good). other *oi.tr-'hur* taken of use in getting a general idea of the sorts of
the same form, but most of them are not narnes ' adjectives ' in the Basic language.
of sense-qlalities of any sort. As with the names
of things (p. 8) some names of qualitio ur* names These 25 names of qualities will probably be
ot lrery complex fictions. tho simplest to get by heart first :-
This fact,ltrat,qualities are so different, gives bl,ach, blue, clean, cold, dirty, first, good, graat,
us one reason *hy- we. will not necessaiitl be grecn, hard, high, hind, last, lihe, long, neu, old,
open, ready, red,, right, round, s6trne, straight, white.
Ilti"g.ggod senssby simply gettins-tfru *rai
rn tne nght.ord-er. by the rules I as when we say, Which are the five which go best with the dog
' a married book ' or ' a red answer '. in this picturel ?
But wtrrin
the words are in their right praces it ir ;i il;;
possible_ for others to be iertiin thai we travJ-^ii
knowlegqu of the ru_19s, and a,rrc ;rtiG
attempt to say something.
i,
,tl

I " The Seven Picture-Makers " here used may


be had from the Orthological Institute at ttre
price of I l- (25 cents).
t4 l5
I

ryi t\

(a) + .
Questlons and Examplee
oPPosrrES
$f
\Mords like good, and bad have opposite
Make a list of the 10 words among the 50
opposites which are not in the list of twos (awahe,
senses, and it
is a good idea to get such blue, certain, complete, d,elicate, ill, ?teu), safe,
secret, wrong). Of these, neu is the opposite
words into your head together. 50 of the of old (page 56) ; blue is the opposite of the
names of qualities have opposites, and 40 of colour of an orange (page 95) ; urong, of an
expansion of the sense of right ; secret, of an
these are themselves names of qualities :- expansion of the sense of open. The opposite of
Go o d-bad, str aight-b ent, sw eet-bitt er, r.u arm-
delicate is frequently strong or rough ; of ill,
rI
healthy or well (pag" 79\. What General
cold, kind-cruel,, bright-dark, liaing-dead, Names give opposites of awahe, certain, com-
li!" ch,eap-dear , same-different, clean-dirty , wet-
plete, and safe ?
'tt Make a list of ' adjectives ', like electric and
dry, true-false, strong-feebl,e, male-fcmale, political, which have no opposites of any sort in
lf the Basic list.
uise-foolish, past-futu,re, red-green, first- What are the opposites of these words : tight,
last, early-IAte, right-left, tight-loose, quiet- smooth, sarne, suteet, priaate ?
I i'
ll Ts present or past the opposite of. futwre ?
,i loud, high-Iou , separate-mixed,, wide-narrors , Do you see any quality which might be the
fi opposite of fat ?
yo%ng-old, prir.tate-public, smooth-rough,
ha/fy-sad, I,ong-short, open-shut, compler- Flere are most of the opposites in verse :
Sweet-b'itter, wid,e-narrou), quich-slow,
simple, qwick-slow , great-small, hard-soft , T hi,ch-th'in, liaing-de ad, any -no,
S hut-op en, fir st-|, ast,
ho llow -s oli d, g en er a,l- s p e ci al,, normal - str a% g c, Great-small,, fwture-past, 1

thick-thin, black-white, C heap -dea;r, l, ate-early, high-lout.

50 opposites are formed by putting un- bef.ore H ard,-soft, si,mple-compler, blach-white,


the name of the quality, though till the loarner Red-green, public-Priaate, wrong-right, i

becomes expert in the art of writing it will be L eft-rig ht, fe ebl e - str ong,
best to make use of not.r Rough-smooth, short anil long,
S h oll, o w, m al, e -f em al, e, I o o s e -t'ig ht,
o l,i d, -
t able, automatic, beautiful, bcnt, brohcn, cutain, , Wise-foolish, bent-straight, old and, new,
chemical, clean, cleAr, comtnon, complcte, complcr, Warm-cold, cruel-hind, false and trorc,
conscious, cut, clastic, elcctric, cqual, ferlile, fircd, Bright-d,ar h, happy-sad,
free , frequent, k aPPy , he althy , important , hind , Clean-d,irty, g o od-b ad,,
lihc, married, medical,, military, mixcil, naturAl, ' Loud'quiet, wet-dry, orange-bl,ue.
necessary , norrnal , open,p arallel,phy sical , political,
probable, Q%iet, ready, regular, rcsponsible, safc, NorB : Some of the un- forms on the opposite
smooth, solid, straight, suteet,lircd', truc, wisc. page, ,such as unsrnooth, unsolid, unstraight, and
Un- may be used in addition with a number of unsweet are not pleasing to persons over 40 because
t}ne -ing aia -ed fiorms (see p. 82). they have not been in general use. But why not ?

l6 17

L
-;

t
t'
:fi
I
t
t,

d
u
il
(b) rs and ARE Questlons and Examplee
i rI
'.b

.[s and a.re are two forms of the word Da Take the name of anything in the list, such as
I 'f paymenf, and put different ' adjectives' with it
(about which more is said on page 100). in turn (on abl,e fayment, an aci,d, payment, a
a,iolent payment, cJ stichy paymenl and so on).
To make simple statements, the word is See which of them make sense in your opinion.
(are, when there is more than one thing) is Then take those which make good sense, such as
put between the name of the thing and the o quich payment, and put the word is (or arcl
before one of the other ' adjectives ' which go
quality, or between two names of things. naturally with payment (A quich payment is
Was (were, when there is more than one strange ; slow paytnents &re natural ; a second
payment is necessary and so on) ; till you are quite
thing) takes the place of rs for the past. certain how a payment may be talked about.
I
A ball' is round. Words ale signs, Then do the same with burst, flog, and Pig. Now
N
.lr
for the first time you are making complete state-
F
The cows 6we marriad. The last examph ments, such as are used in normal discussion.
{
ti
was foolish. Put all the natural statements you are able to
make about thc sad, story and sad storics (The sad,
fI
:t, Round, rnarricd, and foolish :tre said to story is ready ; sad stoyies are freqwent) into
V
\
be qualities or properties of the things past time. What makes you so certain that
t some of the possible statements would be foolish ?
t
{
,r, named. But some qualities and names, If it is the sense of the words, take care to get all
when put together, do not make sense, the possible senses of the statement quite clear ;
I
\ if it is our experience of things, keep in mind
like example 31 ; and you will have a better the fact that our experience may get wider.
knowledge of any language if you are able Certain names of qualities are in need of special
to give reasons why any two words will attention because they are less freely used than
the others. Some may only be used before the
not go together (p. 14 note, and p. l8l). name they go with, such as chief, future, same.
(c) AND and oR Others, as lihe, awahc, are not put before
the thing or person, but generally come after
Anil is used for joining words together :
some form of the operator bc.
The nca,n and the uofna,n a're tnerried.
Or is used for the idea of one of two :
The ]na,n or the uolnan ts tnarried.
For other uses of the ' conjunctions '
tnd and or, see page 58.
J,
^-
IJ
x Most languages have thie grouP- of quality
words, and Jtrange errors of thought m?-y be
^a.^^.
is
The baby awahe.
produced by them. But in general- talk or
buginess letiers it is not hard to Put the words
together so that they will make some rort of sense. t9
18

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