10. Correct Usage—Saw, Seen
Reading edition
Some time ago we began to learn about the correct use of the word saw. Some pupils use saw when only seen is correct, and seen when only saw is correct. The following sentences show the correct use of these two troublesome words:
1. I saw some ants busily at work.
2. Have you seen them?
3. Have you ever seen a grasshopper at work?
4. I never saw one.
5. But I have often seen ants at work.
6. Has your brother seen the ant hill in the field?
Oral Exercise. 1. In any of the sentences above do you find saw used with have or has? Do you find seen used in any sentence without have or has? Can you make a rule for the use of saw and seen?
2. Using what you have just learned about saw and seen, fill the blanks below with the correct one of the two words:
1. The grasshoppers —— the ants, and the ants —— them.
2. I have —— many ants and many grasshoppers.
3. Has any one ever —— this grasshopper doing any work?
4. I once —— two ants carrying a heavy grain of wheat together.
5. I —— them at work.
6. Have you —— the ants carrying grain this summer?
7. My brother once —— a beehive.
8. He —— hundreds of bees.
9. I have never —— butterflies gathering food for the winter.
Game. 1. The teacher sends one of the class from the room. The remaining pupils close their eyes. The teacher tiptoes to one of them and shows him a pencil (or a book or a cap) belonging to the pupil in the hall. When that one returns to the room, he asks each of his classmates in turn, "George (or Fred or Mary), have you seen my pencil?"
The answer is, "No, Tom (or Lucy or John), I have not seen your pencil," until at last the pupil is reached who has seen it. He answers, "Yes, Tom, I have seen it."
Then he in turn leaves the room, and another round of the game begins.
2. The teacher points to one pupil after another and asks each, "What did you see on your way to school?"
The answers come:
1. I saw many children all going in the same direction.
2. I saw a poster of the circus that is coming to town next week.
3. I saw a farmer driving a cow.
4. I saw a policeman.
Each answer begins with the words I saw. After half a dozen pupils have spoken, the one who gave the most interesting reply[23] takes the teacher's place. He asks his classmates a question beginning with the words What did you see? He might say:
1. What did you see at church last Sunday?
2. What did you see when you visited your grandfather?
3. What did you see when you went to the woods?
After half a dozen answers, another pupil becomes the questioner. Each pupil tries to ask interesting questions and to give interesting answers.[20]