Part 1 — V
Arthur Livingston translation
ADJECTIVES
Analyses
Material: Grammar box.
Various objects already familiar to the children.
New objects.
The material for word analysis consists of small cards for articles (tan), nouns (black) and adjectives (brown). There is one box with three compartments, each section marked with a card bearing the respective title: article, noun, adjective. At the front of the box is a space for other cards containing printed sentences to be analyzed.
Descriptive Adjectives
The child is to read the sentences, find the objects described in them, and finally build the sentences with his cards as follows: suppose the card reads:
il colore verde the green color
il colore turchino the blue color
il colore rosso the red color
The child finds the three colored tablets used in the familiar exercise of the "Children's House" for the education of the sense of color. He places these tablets on his table. Then he builds the phrases out of his word cards:
il colore verde the green color
Beside the completed expression he places the green color-tablet. Passing to the next phrase, he does not disturb the words the and color. He removes only the word green and substitutes for it the adjective blue, at the same time removing the green tablet and substituting for it the blue. Similarly, for the third phrase, he changes the adjective, putting the red tablet at the end. Thus the three different objects were distinguished only by the adjective:
il colore verde the green color
turchino blue
rosso red
All the phrases and sentences refer to objects used in the previous educational material. Occasionally the teacher will have to prepare something herself (e.g., hot, cold, warm, or iced water; clear water; colored water). For this exercise on water, the box contains six slips with the six printed phrases. In the box-sections, the child finds the corresponding word-cards which are exactly in the number needed for the exercise (not corresponding, that is, to the number of words in the phrases, since the articles and nouns are not repeated). There are five groups of such exercises, dealing with various kinds of sensation.
A. Senso Cromatico Sense of Color
il colore rosa the pink color
il colore rosa scuro the dark pink color
il colore rosa chiaro the light pink color
il prisma azzurro the blue prism
il prisma marrone the brown prism
il colore verde the green color
il colore turchino the blue color
il colore rosso the red color
i lapis neri the black pencils
i lapis colorati the colored pencils
l'acqua colorata the colored water
l'acqua incolora the clear water
il colore giallo the yellow color
il colore arancione the orange color
B. Senso Visivo: Dimensioni Sense of Sight: Size
l'asta lunga the long staff
l'asta corta the short staff
il cubo grande the large cube
il cubo piccolo the small cube
il cilindro alto the tall cylinder
il cilindro basso the short cylinder
il prisma marrone grosso the thick brown prism
il prisma marrone fino the thin brown prism
il rettangolo largo the broad rectangle
il rettangolo stretto the narrow rectangle
l'incastro solido the solid inset
l'incastro piano the plane inset
C. Senso Visivo: Forma Sense of Sight: Shape
il triangolo equilatero the equilateral triangle
il triangolo isocele the isoceles triangle
il triangolo scaleno the scalene triangle
il triangolo acutangolo the acute-angled triangle
il triangolo ottusangolo the obtuse-angled triangle
il triangolo rettangolo the right-angled triangle
l'incastro circolare the circular inset
l'incastro quadrato the square inset
l'incastro rettangolare the rectangular inset
la piramide quadrangolare the quadrangular pyramid
la piramide triangolare the triangular pyramid
il prisma azzurro rettangolare the blue rectangular prism
il prisma azzurro quadrangolare the blue quadrangular prism
la scatola cilindrica the cylindrical box
la scatola prismatica the prismatic box
D. Senso Tattile: Muscolare Sense of Touch: Muscular Sense
la superfice piana the flat surface
la superfice curva the curved surface
la stoffa ruvida the rough cloth
la stoffa liscia the smooth cloth
l'acqua calda the hot water
l'acqua fredda the cold water
l'acqua tiepida the warm water
l'acqua fredda the cold water
l'acqua ghiacciata the iced water
la tavoletta pesante the heavy black-board
la tavoletta leggera the light black-board
la stoffa morbida the soft cloth
la stoffa dura the hard cloth
E. Senso Uditivo; Olfattivo; Gustativo Senses of Hearing; Smell; Taste
il rumore forte the loud noise
il rumore leggero the faint noise
il suono acuto the sharp sound
il suono basso the deep sound
l'acqua odorosa the fragrant water
l'acqua inodora the odorless water
l'odore buono the good smell
l'odore cattivo the bad smell
il sapore amaro the bitter taste
il sapore dolce the sweet taste
il sapore acido the sour taste
il sapore salso the salty taste
The teacher who is observing notices whether the child has taken the right objects; if so, she proceeds to the permutations.
Permutations
At this point, the teacher should recall (in dealing with Italian) the grammatical rules for the position of adjectives, some of which (the fundamental ones) will certainly be very useful to her in executing these first permutations:—
I. In general, the adjective follows the noun. If placed before the noun, it is less conspicuous; if placed after, it assumes more importance and has a different force.
II. When the adjective is used to signify the exclusive superlative of a quality, it is not only placed after the noun, but is preceded by the article. (Umberto il buono, "Humbert the Good.")
Example:—The child has composed the following phrase with his cards: il triangolo rettangolo "the right-angled triangle." The teacher can interchange the words thus: il rettangolo triangolo, "the triangle right-angled." Similarly also, for other phrases:—
il prisma rettangolare azzurro the rectangular blue prism
il rettangolare azzurro prisma the prism, rectangular, blue
i lapis neri the black pencils
i neri lapis the pencils black
il colore rosso the red color
il rosso colore the color red
Both the meaning and the child's habits show him the normal position of the adjective. In some phrases, such as,
il rumore leggero the faint sound
il sapore dolce the sweet taste
the placing of the adjective before the noun renders the meaning vague, figurative, emotional, or generic, whereas it would be clearly descriptive and precise were the adjective in its normal position:
il dolce sapore the taste sweet
il leggero rumore the noise faint
(In English the normal position of the adjective is before the noun. The permutation develops a strong rhetorical flavor, of which the child will become conscious later in his studies on poetic inversions.—Tr.)
After the teacher has made these changes, if they have interested the child, she may say for example: "The adjective comes after its noun" (for Italian); "The adjective comes before its noun" (for English). In this way she will have given a lesson in theoretical grammar.
Inflection of Adjectives
(Exclusively for the Italian language)
Another exercise to be done at the table deals with the formation of the singular and plural of adjectives in the two genders. This exercise brings the child in contact with a great many adjectives of quality. Two series, one of twenty masculine, the other of twenty feminine adjectives (in the two numbers) and two other series, twenty singulars and twenty plurals (in the two genders), form four groups of cards, one-half of which (tied separately) serves to direct the placing of the other half. Here are the words in their groups:
Singolare Plurale
acuto acuti sharp
allegro allegri joyous
attenta attente careful, attentive
basso bassi low
buona buone good
caldo caldi hot
cattiva cattive bad
dolce dolci sweet
duro duri hard
educata educate educated, well mannered
felice felici happy
fredda fredde cold
grande grandi large
grazioso graziosi graceful, pretty
gioiosa gioiose merry
gentile gentili kind
italiano italiani Italian
rabbioso rabbiosi angry
largo larghi broad
lento lenti slow
malata malate ill
odorosa odorose fragrant
arioso ariose airy
prezioso preziosi precious
piena piene full
pesante pesanti heavy
pulito puliti clean
rozza rozze rough, uncouth
rosso rossi red
robusta robuste robust
sincero sinceri sincere
studioso studiosi studious
stretto stretti narrow
stupida stupide stupid
vecchia vecchie old
morbido morbide soft
leggiera leggiere light (weight)
lunga lunghe long
grosso grossi thick
colorita colorite colored
Maschile Femminile
alti alte tall
bello bella beautiful
brevi brevi short, brief
biondo bionda blonde
chiaro chiara clear, light (of color)
corto corta short
coraggiosi coraggiose courageous
disordinato disordinata disorderly
dolce dolce sweet
debole debole feeble
esatto esatta accurate
freddo fredda cold
grazioso graziosa graceful
grande grande large
garbati garbate polite
gentili gentili kind
italiani italiane Italian
inglese inglese English
lento lenta slow
svelto svelta lithe
ottimo ottima best, excellent
ordinato ordinata orderly
pigri pigre lazy
pallido pallida pale
piccolo piccola small
ruvidi ruvide rough
serio seria serious, honest
suo sua his, her, your
sgarbato sgarbata rude
tuo tua thy
timido timida timid
ultimo ultima last
vostro vostra yours
zoppi zoppe lame
zitto zitta silent
carino carina dear
liscio liscia smooth
obbediente obbediente obedient
contenti contente content, happy
allegro allegra joyous
Here, just as with the four noun forms (masculine, feminine, singular and plural), class games may be found useful. The plural forms may be dealt out to the class, while one child reads aloud the singulars, one after the other. The child, who, in a given case, has the proper plural, reads his card in answer. Similarly, for masculine and feminine.
Logical and Grammatical Agreement of Nouns and Adjectives
(For Italian Exclusively)
Another table exercise consists in arranging two groups of fifty cards, of which twenty-five are nouns (constituting the directing group), while the other twenty-five are adjectives. The nouns are put in a row and the child looks among the adjectives (which have been thoroughly shuffled) for those which are best suited to the different nouns. As he finds them he places them by the nouns with which they belong. Sometimes the nouns and adjectives placed together cause a great deal of merriment by the amusing contrasts that arise. The children try to put as many adjectives as possible with the same noun and develop in this way the most interesting combinations. Here are two groups which come prepared with the material:
Nome Aggettivo Adjective Noun
contadina allegra happy peasant-girl
casa bella beautiful house
zia brava good aunt
mamma cara dear mother
professore alto tall professor
meastra magra thin (lean) teacher
lavandaia pulita neat washerwoman
marinaio robusto strong sailor
carrettiere abbronzato sunburnt wagon-driver
bambino buono good child
lavagnetta rettangolare square slate
foglio bianco white paper (sheet of)
panchetto basso low bench
prisma grosso thick prism
vaso largo broad vase
foglia verde green leaf
circolo perfetto perfect circle
pizzicagnolo grosso fat butcher
testa unta oily (dirty) head
gomma densa hard, dense rubber
fanciullo stizzito cross, angry child
figlio obbediente obedient son
pietra nera black rock, stone
latte bianco white milk
formaggio tenero soft, tender cheese
carne fresca fresh meat
vino rosso red wine
disegno grazioso pretty drawing
perla lucente shining pearl
vetro trasparente transparent glass
ragazzina impertinente impertinent lass
asino paziente patient donkey
gallina grassa fat hen
topo agile quick, nimble mouse
acqua limpida clear water
saponetta odorosa perfumed, fragrant soap
medico bravo good doctor
giardiniere bizzarro surly gardener
cane arrabbiato mad dog
manicotto morbido soft muff
gatto arruffato ruffled cat
colombo viaggiatore travelling (carrier) pigeon
uomo brontolone grumbling man
ragno pericoloso dangerous spider
serpente velenoso poisonous snake
medicina amara bitter medicine
nonna indulgente indulgent, kind grandmother
babbo severo strict father
vespa maligna cruel wasp
cassetto ordinato orderly box
For a class game with these lists, the nouns may be placed on one table and the adjectives on another. Moving as during the "silence" lesson, each child selects first a noun, and then an adjective. When the selections have all been made, the pairs are read one after the other amid general enthusiasm.
Descriptive Adjectives
commands (Individual Lessons)
The study of the adjective may furnish occasion for giving the child a knowledge of physical properties (of substances) so far unknown to him. For example, the teacher may present a piece of transparent glass; a piece of black glass (or any opaque screen); a sheet of white paper with an oil stain. The child will see that through the transparent glass objects may be seen distinctly; that through the oil stain only the light is visible; that nothing at all can be seen through the opaque screen. Or she may take a small glass funnel and put into it a piece of filter paper, then a sponge, then a piece of waterproof cloth. The child observes that the water passes through the filter paper, that the sponge absorbs water, and that the water clings to the surface of the waterproof. Or take two glass graduators and fill them with water to different heights. In the case of the graduator filled to the very top, the surface of the water is convex; in the other, it is concave.
The commands are printed on little slips of paper which are folded and all held together by an elastic band with a series of brown cards containing the adjectives used in the commands. Here is the material prepared:
—Fill one graduator with water to the point of over-flowing, and another not so full. Notice the form assumed by the surface of the water in each case and apply the proper adjective: convex, concave.
—Take various objects such as filter paper, cloth, a sponge, and see whether water can pass through them, applying the adjectives: permeable, impermeable, porous.
—Take a piece of clear glass, a sheet of black paper, a sheet of oiled paper; look at the light through them, applying the adjectives: transparent, opaque, translucent.
Object lessens demonstrating comparative weights may also be given by putting successively into a glass of water, oil, alcohol colored with aniline, a piece of cork, a little leaden ball (to be dropped). Then the command would be:
—Compare the weights of water and of colored alcohol; water and oil; water and cork; and water and lead. Then tell which is heavier and which is lighter than the other.
As an answer the child should give a little written exercise something like the following: Water is heavier than oil, etc. The children actually perform these little experiments, learning to handle graduators, funnels, filters, etc., and to pour the last drops of water very carefully so as to obtain the concave and convex surfaces. They acquire a very delicate touch in pouring the colored alcohol and oil on the water. Thus they take the first step into the field of practical science.
To continue the study of adjectives of quality, there is a series of commands relating to the comparative and superlative. An example of the comparative crept into these experiments on weight. Here are additional commands where the little slip and the brown cards are kept together.
—Take the blue stairs or any other objects and put with each object the proper adjectives from the following list: thick, thin, thickest (Ital. grossissimo), thinnest (Ital. finissimo).
—Take the eight tablets of the color you like best, arrange them according to shades and apply the proper adjectives of quality from the following: light, lightest, dark, darkest.
—Take the series of circles in the plane insets, and pick out the circles which correspond to these adjectives: large, small, intermediate.
—Take the cloths or other objects adapted to these adjectives: smooth, smoothest, rough, roughest, soft, softest.
—Take the cubes of the pink tower or any other objects adapted to these adjectives: large, largest, small, smallest.
—Grade a number of objects according to weight so as to fit these adjectives to them: heavy, heaviest, light, lightest.
Adjectives of Quantity
commands (Individual Lessons)
Just as above, the slip is tied with the series of brown cards by an elastic band. Thus a group is formed. In our material the following three groups are available:
—Take the counters and make little piles which correspond in quantity to these adjectives: one, two, three, four, five, six, etc.
—Take the beads and make little piles of them to fit these adjectives: few, none, many, some.
—Decide first of all on some definite number of beads (two) and then make other little piles to fit these adjectives: double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, sextuple, tenfold, half, equal.
Ordinals
(Individual Commands)
—Build the blue stair and on each step place the proper adjective from the following: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth.
—Place the following adjectives on the different drawers of the cabinet, beginning with the top drawer: first, second, third, fourth, fifth.
—Differentiate between the drawers of the cabinet by the following adjectives, beginning with the lowest: first, second, third, fourth, fifth.
Demonstrative Adjectives
(Class Lessons)
As occasion may offer, the teacher may assemble a group of children and give them a few simple explanations on the meaning of certain words: questo, "this" (near us); cotesto, "that" (near you); quello, "that" (over there away from both of us). (Note: English lacks the demonstrative of the second person.)
Then she can distribute these commands which require collective actions of the class:—
—Gather in that (codesto) corner of the room near you; then all of you come over to this (questo) corner near me; then all of you run over to that (quello) corner over there.
—Choose one of your school-mates and tell him to put a box on this (questo) table; a small plate on that (quello) table over there.
—Tell one of your companions, pointing at the place, to put a green bead in this (questo) vase; a blue one in that (codesto) vase; a white one in that (quello) vase over there.
Arrange the children in groups in three different places in the room, and then give this command:
—Let that (quello) group over there take the place of this (questo) group. Let that (codesto) group break up, the children going back to their tables.
Possessive Adjectives
(Class Lessons)
In like manner the teacher explains the meaning of the words my, your, his, her, etc. She may do this with a simple gesture. Here are the commands:
—Point out various objects saying: This is my slate; that is your slate; that (over there) is her slate.
—Point at the different seats, saying: That (over there) is his place, that is your place, and this is my place.
—Pass around the little baskets, saying: This is my basket. Whose is that other basket? Is it your basket? And this one? Ah, this one is his basket.
—Let us take a turn around the room and then return to our seats. You go to your seat and they will go to their seats. Then we will divide up our things. Let us put our things here and their things there. We will go to your seats and you go to their seats. Meanwhile they will get up and then come over here to take our places.
[Signora Montessori does not differentiate between the possessive adjective and the possessive pronoun; perhaps because there is in Italian no characteristic pronominal form. Strictly speaking the Italian predicate form mio (e.g., Questo libra è mio) is adjectival, while the form il mio (i.e., with the definite article) is pronominal (e.g., Questo è il mio). English has, however, the pronominal possessives: mine, yours (thine), his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, used also as predicate adjectives. The above exercise should therefore he repeated later under the subject of pronouns in a slightly different form.—Tr.]