Monday's Activity, March 25, 2002

Write the parts of speech for the words of this paragraph in the table below.

This was written by an unhappy language-arts student.

The door-monitor said, "Why did you go out without permission?" and beat me. The water-monitor said, "Why did you take water without my permission?" and beat me. The Sumerian monitor said, "You spoke in Akkadian!" and beat me. My teacher said, "Your handwriting is not at all good!" and beat me. The man in charge of neatness said, "You loitered in the street and didn’t keep your clothes straight!" and beat me. The man in charge of silence said, "Why did you talk without permission?" and beat me . . . So I began to hate the scribal art and neglect the scribal art. My teacher took no delight in me.

Sumerian:
1. PEOPLES member of ancient Babylonian people: a member of an ancient people that built the flourishing civilization of Sumer

LANGUAGE Sumerian language: the language spoken in ancient Sumer. It is not related to any other known language. Sumerian is the oldest language preserved in writing, its cuneiform (CUE nee form used in ancient writing system: relating or belonging to any of several writing systems of the ancient Near East, for example, Sumerian or Linear B, in which wedge-shaped impressions were made in soft clay tablets dating from about 3000 BC.)

Akkadian:
1. PEOPLES somebody from Akkad: somebody who was born or lived in the ancient city or region of Akkad
2. LANGUAGE extinct Middle Eastern language: the extinct Semitic language of Mesopotamia. It was written in cuneiform. Sumerian was only used for ancient literature. Akkadian was the modern language of the day. A good Akkadian scribe had to know both languages.

scribal: like a scribe, or what a scribe does scribe: 1. OCCUPATIONS a clerk or public secretary or official Sumerian scribes were very important people.

By the way, the schoolboy wrote down his troubles four thousand years ago.
WORD PART OF SPEECH WORD PART OF SPEECH
The   door-monitor  
said   Why  
did   you  
go   out  
without   permission  
and   beat  
me   take  
water   Sumerian  
You   spoke  
My   teacher  
Your   handwriting  
is   not  
at   all  
good   in  
charge   neatness  
began   hate  
neglect   art