The Montessori Elementary Material / The Advanced Montessori Method

by Maria Montessori

Series IX
(The forms of the verb)

The roll contains the two forms of the verb, active and passive, in sections. The analysis is conducted on the chart for the simple sentence:

Active Voice	Passive Voice	Reflexive
(Action performed by subject)	(Action performed by agent)
Mary dresses the little girl.	The little girl is dressed by Mary.	The little girl dresses herself.
The teacher praised Charles for the drawing.	Charles was praised by the teacher for the drawing.	Charles praised himself for the drawing.
The little girl excused George for his roughness.	George was excused for his roughness by the little girl.	George excuses himself for his roughness.
The janitor accused the boy.	The boy was accused by the janitor.	The boy accused himself.
The old man liked Albert very much.	Albert was very much liked by the old man.	Albert liked himself very much.
The nurse tucked the child into the warm bed.	The child was tucked into the warm bed by the nurse.	The child tucked himself into the warm bed.
The girl rocked her little friend to sleep in the rocking-chair.	The little friend was rocked to sleep in the rocking-chair by the little girl.	Her little friend rocked herself to sleep in the rocking-chair.
The teacher saw Henry in the large mirror.	Henry was seen in the large mirror by the teacher.	Henry saw himself in the large mirror.
The angry boy hurt Louis.	Louis was hurt by the angry boy.	Louis hurt himself.

Series X
(Use of the personal pronoun)

The sentences previously given for analysis in teaching the personal pronouns can be used over again at this point for analysis on the sentence-chart.

—The children wrote a letter to their mother
The children wrote her a letter
They wrote it to her
—They gave their mother a surprise
They gave her a surprise
—I told father all about it
I told him all about it
—Charles soothed his sister with a kiss
He soothed her with a kiss
—Will you give your drawing to the teacher?
Will you give her your drawing?
Will you give it to her?
—Don't think badly of your schoolmates
Don't think badly of them
—Show those dirty hands to the teacher
Show her those dirty hands
Show them to her
—Tell the story to the children in the other room
Tell it to the children in the other room
Tell it to them there

The exercise in permutation brings out the relative positions of the direct and indirect objects; as also the conditions under which the preposition to is required before the indirect object.

II
Compound and Complex Sentences

Here we are dealing with a number of propositions (clauses) which combine into one complete meaning. The clauses fit together in the sentences just as did the various elements in the simple sentence. The material for the analysis is therefore analogous to that used in the analysis of the simple sentence: strips of paper in rolls on which are written the sentences to be analyzed, and a chart with spaces where the detached pieces may be placed, according to the designation of these spaces.