The Montessori Elementary Material / The Advanced Montessori Method

by Maria Montessori

Principal Clause	Coordinate Clause	Question	Subordinate and Attributive Clauses
He rose from his chair	and left the room	when?	as he said this
The two friends shook hands	and said	what?	that they would always be faithful to each other
Brer Rabbit threw the stone on him	and laughed	when?	when the wolf came out
A smiling old man appeared	and asked	what?	what he might do for her
		when?	when the lady knocked on the door
The children walked along in the forest	and became very hungry	why?	because they had had nothing to eat since morning
The king's face grew very red	and he angrily ordered	what?	that the deceitful general be put to death
The captain told the children to keep off the deck	and a sailor carried them to their state-rooms	why?	because the wind was blowing hard
The dogs began to bark	and the people all ran into the streets	when?	as the uproar of the combat increased
There was once a beautiful house	and a fine road led up to it	where?	where that tree now stands
He had left the village	and mounted the steep
	under the alders now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, is heard the tramp of his steed		that skirt its edge (attributive).
		when?	as he rides

Series V
(Correlative Sentences)

The clauses are here dependent upon each other:

—The flowers were so beautiful that we picked them all.
—That day he was so lazy that he did not get his work done.
—She sings much better than she plays.
—The more one studies, the more one learns.
—Either you return your objects to their places or some one else must do it.
—Not only was the man very cross, but he actually punished the little boy.

Test Card

Principal Clause	Question	Subordinate Clause
The flowers were so beautiful	with what result?	that we picked them all.
That day he was so lazy	with what result?	that he did not get his work done.
She sings much better	than what?	than she plays.
The more one studies	with what result?	the more one learns.
Either you return your objects to their places	with what result?	or some one else must do it.
Not only was the man very cross	with what result?	but he actually punished the little boy.

Series VI
(The Order of Clauses in Sentences:
Sentence Forms in Prose and Verse)

Our material makes it very easy for the children to understand the mutual dependence of the subordinate clauses. We take the commonest cases within easy reach of the children. There are clauses of the first degree of subordination, dependent directly on the principal clause. There are others of the second degree of subordination which depend on a subordinate clause (clause subordinate to a subordinate). We have the same situation in coordinates. We have the first degree of coordination when the clause is parallel with the principal clause, and the second degree when the clause is parallel with a subordinate clause.

Since the slips have as many sections as there are clauses, the clauses may be arranged on the table in the order of their subordination, keeping, for example, the principal clause to the left, and arranging the subordinate clauses downward and downward to the right. Take, for instance, the sentence:

—The old man liked to tell stories; and he would laugh heartily when the women were frightened at the terrible things that he had to relate.