German composition

Section 88. A CURIOUS⁠[1] INSTRUMENT. I.

Reading edition

Section 88. A CURIOUS⁠[1] INSTRUMENT. I.

A gentleman⁠[2], just returned⁠[3] from a journey to (S. 72, N. 4) London, was surrounded by⁠[4] his children, eager⁠[5], after the first salutation was over, to hear the news, and still more eager to see the contents⁠[6] of a small portmanteau, which⁠[7] were, one by one, carefully unfolded and displayed to view. After⁠[8] having distributed amongst the children a few small presents, the⁠[9] father took his seat again, saying, that⁠[10] he must confess he⁠[11] had brought from town⁠[12], for his own use, something far more curious and valuable than any⁠[13] of the little gifts (S. 16, N. 10) they had received. It was, he said⁠[14], too good to⁠[15] present to any of them; but he would, if⁠[16] they pleased, first give them a brief description of it (S. 4, N. 5, B), and⁠[17] then perhaps they might be allowed to inspect it.

Notes in this chapter

Note 5 · A. To sneer at something, über etwas spotten; B. ‘at it’ = there at, darüber. The English pronouns ‘it’, ‘them’, ‘that’, and ‘those’, depend Note 10 · Supply the relative pronoun ‘which’, for: The relative pronoun can never be omitted in German; to spill, vergießen.Note 4 · When the preposition ‘to’, in connection with a verb denoting motion, stands before the names of countries, towns, islands, etc., it must be Note 1 · merkwürdig.Note 2 · The noun ‘gentleman’ may be used in its unaltered form in German.Note 3 · heim´kehren; for the constr. see S. 7, N. 3, B.Note 4 · von; to surround, umrin´gen.Note 5 · Say ‘who after the first salutations were eager (begierig)’.Note 6 · der Inhalt, which has no plural.Note 7 · Since the antecedent of the pron. which (i.e. Inhalt) has no plural in German, the constr. of the passage ‘which — to view’ must be altered.Note 8 · Construe accord. to S. 55, N. 1; to distribute, vertei´len; amongst, unter, with the acc. The direct object must be placed before the words Note 9 · Say ‘he sat down again and said’.Note 10 · that he must confess, er wolle es nur gestehen.Note 11 · This passage is best introduced by the conj. daß. Read carefully App. §§ 28 and 30.Note 12 · aus der Stadt, which place before the p. p. (mitgebracht).Note 13 · irgend eins.Note 14 · Say ‘he continued’.Note 15 · See S. 19, N. 7, and supply here the pron. es; to any = to one.Note 16 · Say ‘if they wished it’.Note 17 · und dann dürften sie es sich vielleicht ansehen.