Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

Mastering the Three Rs of an Old-Fashioned Education

Daniel Smith

• Publisher: Michael O'Mara
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781782430445
• eBook ISBN: 9781782430537
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Grammar & Punctuation

Most of us suffer from the odd gap in our knowledge. But what if those gaps happen to be gaping chasms that threaten to cave in if not soon filled? Worry not, for the answer is at hand. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic harks back to a golden age of teaching, providing a comprehensive introduction to the three Rs: the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. With everything from reading efficiently and mastering grammar, to grasping paper and mental arithmetic, this comprehensive tome rallies through the gamut of fascinating content, including: Grammar tests; How to write and form letters properly; Exercises for mastering fractions, decimals and rounding to the nearest; Tips for tackling everyday maths conundrums, such as adding bills and working out percentages and much more besides!In a fitting tribute to the education system of yesteryear, this nostalgic book provides a solid foundation in the key areas of learning that will mean everything else just falls into place.

ALL IN THE RIGHT ORDER
GRAMMAR

Now you’re a speed-reading aficionado with masterful skills in comprehension, the time has come to test your written language skills. And the best place to begin is with every schoolboy’s favourite: grammar.

PART AND PARCEL: PARTS OF SPEECH

Our alphabet contains twenty-six letters (five vowels – a, e, i, o and u – and twenty-one consonants), which can be arranged into hundreds of thousands of words. To give you some idea of how many hundreds of thousands there are, the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for over 170,000 words currently in use.

Every word has its own meaning and purpose but each one can be classified, rather handily, into one of eight basic groups known as parts of speech.

Mix and Match

To get things started, I’d like to test your prior knowledge of the eight parts of speech. Match each part of speech listed in Column A with its correct definition from Column B and appropriate examples from Column C. Don’t forget to write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Exercise 1

Column A		Column B		Column C
1) Noun		A word that adds meaning to a verb.		On, behind, during
2) Verb		A ‘naming’ word for a person, thing or place.		You, us, something
3) Pronoun		A ‘doing’ word that describes an action or a state of being.		Yikes, hurrah, shh
4) Adjective		A ‘stand-alone’ word that expresses emotion.		Until, and, though
5) Adverb		A word used before a noun or pronoun to express the relationship between it and another object.		Beautiful, colourful, broken
6) Preposition		A word used as a substitute for a noun, usually referring to a participant in the sentence or a noun already mentioned.		Car, dog, France
7) Conjunction		A word that describes a noun.		Vaguely, avidly, slowly
8) Interjection		A ‘joining’ word that links together sentences, phrases or clauses.		To be, to drive, to swim

Exercise 2

Hopefully the previous exercise has shaken up those old brain cells and reminded you of the basics. But, as ever, there’s no rest for the wicked – now it’s time to consolidate that knowledge. In this exercise, write on a separate sheet of paper any examples of the parts of speech indicated in brackets at the end of each sentence.

1) I enjoy watching football. (Noun)

2) Jack knew himself very well but didn’t trust them. (Pronoun)

3) Either we win the lottery or I’ll have to go back to work. (Conjunction)

4) The pupil had the neatest handwriting in the school. (Adjective)

5) The dog sprinted across the beach. (Verb)

6) ‘Good grief!’ said the woman as she inspected her new haircut. (Interjection)

7) She despises custard with her apple pie. (Pron...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Dedication and Copyright page
• Contents
• Introduction
• SECTION I: READING
• Speedy Gonzales: Speed-Reading
• Comprende? Comprehension
• SECTION II: WRITING
• All in the Right Order: Grammar
• Written in Ink: Handwriting
• SECTION III: ARITHMETIC
• Your Number’s Up: Mathematics
• Answers
• Index