German composition

Section 58. THE BEQUEST. II.

Reading edition

The father continued: “I leave to my son James my money⁠[1], amounting⁠[2] to four thousand pounds⁠[3].” “Ah, father,” said⁠[4] James, of course in⁠[4] great affliction, “may (App. § 34) heaven give you life and health to enjoy the gift yourself.” The⁠[5] father, then addressing the spendthrift, said: “As⁠[6] for you, Dick, you⁠[7] will never come to good; you will never be rich. I leave you a shilling to (S. 19, N. 7) buy⁠[8] a halter.” “Ah, father,” said Dick in a most⁠[9] melancholy voice, “may heaven give you life and health to enjoy the gift yourself!”—Anonymous.

I will buy a hat. Ich will mir einen Hut kaufen.

We have built a house. Wir haben uns ein Haus gebaut.

Supply, therefore, the necessary pronoun after the conjunction um; a halter = a rope, Strick, m.

Notes in this chapter

Note 7 · The Supine is used to express purpose, and must be employed whenever the English ‘to’ is used in the meaning of ‘in order to’, or ‘for the p Note 1 · ‘money’, here = ready money, bares Geld.Note 2 · to amount to something, sich auf etwas belaufen. See S. 16, N. 4.Note 3 · Das Pfund, one pound English money, never takes the sign of the Plural in German, and the same refers to ‘die Mark’, a German coin correspon Note 4 · said = exclaimed; in = with.Note 5 · Say ‘Upon this the father addressed himself (sich wenden) to (an) the spendthrift and said’.Note 6 · As — Dick, Was dich betrifft, Richard.Note 7 · Introduce this clause by the adverbial conjunction so, and see App. § 15; to come to good, zu etwas Rechtem kommen.Note 8 · The German language, as a rule, requires that the person for whose benefit an action is performed, is clearly indicated. When this is not do Note 9 · Render ‘most’ here by ‘höchst’.