ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

LESSON 1: PARTS OF SPEECH 1.3.2. Feminine nouns refer to female figures or

1. NOUN - is a word that names a person, a place, an female members of a species . e.g. woman, girl, actress,
animal, a thing, or an idea. mother
PERSON -sister, lawyer, classmate, Victoria 1.3.3. Common nouns refer to members of a
PLACE - Philippines, city, bathroom, school species and don't specify the gender. e.g. parent, friend,
ANIMAL -dog, Hawksbill turtle, cat, bird client, student
THING - pencil, pie, cellphone, plane, cloud 1.3.4. Neuter nouns refer to things that have no
IDEA - justice, freedom, love, century gender .
1.1.Singular and Plural -Nouns can be either singular e.g. rock, table, pencil, chocolate
or plural, depending on whether they refer to a single 2. PRONOUN - are words that replace nouns, groups of
or more than one person, place, thing, or concept.
1.1.1. Rule no.1 - To pluralize regular nouns, add s
to the end. e.g. camera – cameras , cup – cups words functioning as nouns, or other pronouns. The
1.1.2. Rule no.2 - Add -es to the end of a singular word that a pronoun replaces or refers to is called its
noun that ends in s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z to make it antecedent. Every pronoun has an antecedent, even if
plural. it's not in the same sentence.
box – boxes , bush - bushes Examples:
1.1.3. Rule no.3 - If a singular noun ends in -y and
the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the Robert wrote his assignment on a paper.
ending to -ies to make the noun plural. (antecedent) (pronoun)
puppy – puppies , bunny - bunnies
Jo and Lyn gave their best.
1.1.4. Rule no.4 - Add -es to the singular noun if it
(antecedent) (pronoun)
ends in -o to make it plural.
2.1. KINDS OF PRONOUN
1.1.5. Rule no.5 - Some nouns undergo no
2.1.1. Personal Pronouns- Personal pronouns
modification when they are pluralized. e.g.sheep –
refer to specific people, places, things, or ideas by
sheep , deer – deer
indicating whether the noun is in the first person,
1.1.6. Rule no.6 Some nouns undergo no
second person, or third person. Personal pronouns,
modification when they are pluralized.
like nouns, can be singular or plural.
e.g. mouse – mice , child – children
Singular Plural
1.2.Kinds of Noun
First Person I, me we, us
1.2.1 Common noun - is a noun that refers to
Second Person you you
people or things in general.e.g.
Third Person he, him, she, her, it they, them
doctor,teacher ,police,lawyer,singer
Third-Person Singular Pronouns
1.2.2. Proper noun - is a name that identifies a
Third-person singular pronouns such as "he" and
particular person, place, or thing.
"him," "she" and "her," and "it" express gender.
e.g.Peter,John,George, Mr. Williams,Sarah
The pronouns "he" and "him" are masculine.
1.2.3. Concrete noun - is a noun which refers to
The pronouns "she" and "her" are feminine.
people and to things that exist physically and can
The pronoun "it" is neuter.
be seen, touched, smelled, heard, or tasted.
First Person - The apple was picked by me.
e.g.chair, clothes,tree,coffee,chalk,radio
"me" refers to the speaker of the sentence.
1.2.4. Abstract noun - is a noun which refers to
Second Person - Samira will buy coffee for you.
ideas, qualities, and conditions - things that cannot
"you" refers to the person being spoken to.
be seen or touched and things which have no
Third Person- Aaron gave him the laptop.
physical reality.
"him" refers to the person being talked about.
e.g.truth,time,danger,friendship ,love
1.2.5. Collective nouns - refer to groups of people 2.1.2.Possessive Pronouns- are pronouns that
or things .e.g. audience,crowd,family,team,army express possession or ownership. Possessive
1.2.6. Mass Nouns – are nouns that can not be pronouns do not require an apostrophe.
counted, also known as Uncountable Nouns. Singular Plural
e.g.wind ,air,cold,heat First Person my, mine our, ours
1.2.7. Count Nouns – are nouns that can be Second Person your, yours your, yours
counted, also known as Countable Nouns. Third Person his, her, hers, its their, theirs
e.g. houses ,cars,money,clothes First Person - The pencil is mine.
1.2.8. Compound nouns - are nouns made up "mine" refers to the ownership of the speaker.
of two or more words. Second Person - This calculator is yours.
e.g. Backyard,Basketball,Skateboard, "yours" refers to the ownership of the person being
1.2.9. Possessive nouns – are nouns that spoken to.
shows ownership. It uses (‘s) Third Person- Her book is missing.
e.g. Vicky’s house , Baker’s recipe, "her" refers to the ownership of the person being
1.3. Gender of nouns talked about.
1.3.1. Masculine nouns refer to words for a male 2.1.3. Indefinite Pronouns - refer to no particular
figure or male member of a species. e.g. man, boy, actor, person, thing, or quantity. Hence the name, indefinite.
father Everyone in the class needs to come up with an idea.
"everyone" refers to an unspecific person in class.
 ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

Can someone message her?

"someone" refers to an unspecific person. The lion itself kills the elephant.
2.1.6. Relative Pronouns- is a pronoun that introduces a
How much will it cost to build a house?
relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun because it
"much" refers to an unspecific amount.
"relates" to the word that its relative clause modifies.
(Singular) (Plural)
e.g.Which,That,Whose,Whoever,Whomever,Who,Whom
Anybody Someone Another
Both The driver who won the race trained hard.
Anything Something Each
Few The dress that I bought yesterday is really nice.
Everybody Somebody Either
Many Spaghetti, which we eat earlier, is my family’s favorite.
Everyone Nothing Neither Other 2.1.7.Reciprocal Pronouns- is used to express a mutual
Everything No one Much
Other Little action or relationship. There are two reciprocal
Nobody
pronouns: Each other,One another
Everybody wants to join the party.
Maria and Juan gave each other gold rings on their
(subject)(singular)(verb) (singular)
wedding day.
Everything needs to be ready.
Terry and Jack were talking to each other over the
(subject)(singular)(verb) (singular)
phone.
Nobody helps me in my project.
The students congratulated one another on their
(subject)(singular)(verb) (singular)
graduation day.
Both of them make chocolates.
The players blamed one another for losing the game.
(subject)(singular)(verb) (singular)
3. Verb - is a word that expresses an action or a state of
Few of them walk home.
being.
(subject)(plural)(verb) (singular)
Aaron danced to his favorite music. "danced" in the
2.1.4. Reflexive Pronouns- is a type of pronoun that sentence above expresses an action of the subject
refers back to a noun or pronoun within a sentence. This "Aaron."
pronoun can act as an object in a sentence. Aaron is a member of the school's dance club. "is" in
Singular Plural the sentence above expresses the state of being of
First Person myself ourselves the subject "Aaron."
Second Person yourself yourselves 3.1 Verb and Time - Using verbs, one can
Third Person himself, herself, itself themselves identify whether an action occurred in the past, is
First Person - I bought myself flowers. occurring in the present, or will occur in the future.
"myself" refers back to the subject of the sentence. Verbs express time through these tense forms.
Second Person - You help yourself with the dinner. Aaron played basketball. Past
"yourself" refers back to the subject of the sentence. Aaron plays basketball. Present
Third Person- She ordered herself a cake.. Aaron will play basketball. Future
"herself" refers back to the subject of the sentence. 3.2 Action Verbs - describes what someone or
something does. Remember that action verbs are not
(Singular) - Myself, always physical actions; they can also be mental
Yourself,Himself,Herself,Oneself,Itsel actions.
(Plural) – Ourselves,Yourselves,themselves Physical Action: Aaron read a book. -"read" expresses a
physical action done by the subject "Aaron."
Jen finished the assignment herself. e.g. run, skip,play,sing,draw,walk, eat,sleep,watch,wave
(female)(singular) (female) (singular) Mental Action: Aaron thought of an idea.- "thought"
expresses a mental action done by the subject "Aaron."
They are too young to go out by themselves. e.g.know,realize,hope,decide,believe, imagine,guess,feel
(plural) (plural) 3.3 Linking Verbs- expresses a state of being and
2.1.5. Intensive Pronouns- is a type of pronoun that also relates the subject to other parts of a sentence. Be verbs
refers back to a noun or pronoun within a sentence.
Unlike reflexive pronouns, this pronoun only emphasizes and sense verbs are considered linking verbs. Be verbs
the noun or pronoun in the same sentence. are the most commonly used linking verbs.
Aaron was a basketball team captain in high school. "was"
Singular Plural
expresses a state of being of the subject "Aaron."
First Person myself ourselves
Other be verbs are am, is, are, was, were, be,been, and
Second Person yourself yourselves
being
Third Person himself, herself, itself themselves
3.4 Sense Verb describes one of the five senses:
(Singular) - Yourself, Myself, Himself,Herself,Oneself,
sight, hearing, smell, and touch.Other verbs that can be
Itself
considered as linking verbs are the
(Plural)- Ourselves , Yourselves, Themselves
following:appear ,become, feel,stay,grow,
Remember: Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns look,remain,taste,seem,smell, sound ,turn
have different uses. Aaron became a professional basketball player. "became"
expresses a state of being of the subject "Aaron."
I, myself is beautiful.
4.Adjective- is a word that describes a noun in greater
The man himself proves the truth. detail. It modifies or describes a noun. An adjective
describes the kind, quantity, or amount of something.
You, yourself must do it.
 ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

The flowers are beautiful. - "beautiful" describes the She took notes during the meeting. "during" indicates
subject "flowers" in the sentence above. the connection between "notes" and "meeting."
Rosa Maria has two gardens.- "two" quantifies the noun 6.1Prepositions of Time - show the relationship of
"gardens" in the sentence above. time between the nouns and the other parts of a
4.1 Forms of Adjectives - Adjectives have forms to sentence.
indicate the degree of comparison. The comparative He bought a car last year. "last" indicates the time
form compares two nouns or pronouns, while the connection between the subject and the act of buying
superlative form compares three or more nouns or a "car."
pronouns. School starts on Monday. We will arrive at noon.
Positive Comparative Superlative 6.2Prepositions of Place -is a preposition that is used
sweet sweeter sweetest to describe the location of something or someone.
clever more clever most clever I am at home. "at" indicates the location of the
little less least subject.
4.2. Descriptive Adjectives - are the most common She knocked at the door. The bill is in my wallet.
types of adjectives. This kind of adjective tells something 6.3.Prepositions of Direction- describe how a person
about a noun by describing a quality or trait. or thing moves or is directed with respect to other
Appearance – plain ,clear,clean,tall,rough people and things.
Color- red blue, yellow,white,brown Samira went to the mall. -"to" shows the movement of
Shape - broad,narrow,round,square,wide the subject from one place to another.
5. Adverb- modifies or qualifies a verb, an adjective, or The school is across the bank. She came home from
another adverb about how, where, when, or how much school.
something is. 7. Conjunction - is a word that links other words,
5.1 Adverbs Modifying Verbs - answer questions regarding phrases, or clauses together. Conjunctions can be
where, when, how, and to what extent an action occurred classified as coordinating, subordinating, or
when they modify verbs. correlative.
Samira often travels abroad."often" qualifies the 7.1Coordinating Conjunction- connect words, phrases,
frequency of the verb "travels." In this case, the adverb and sentences that are equivalent or coordinate.
modifies the verb. Samira and Aaron are classmates.-"and" here functions
Samira booked a ticket here. "here" answers the as a coordinating conjunction.
question, "Where did Samira book a ticket?" The food was delicious but expensive. "but" above
She barely managed to budget her pocket money. connects two adjectives: "delicious" and "expensive."
"barely" answers the question, "To what extent did she There are seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and,
manage to budget her pocket money?" nor, but, or, yet, so.
5.2 Adverbs Modifying Adjectives - When it describes an 7.2Subordinating Conjunction- connect independent
adjective, an adverb can answer questions about how clauses to dependent clauses.
much the adjective describes the noun. She started reading when she was five. "when" above
Samira is quite happy with her vacation. - "quite" connects two clauses: the independent clause and the
answers the question, "To what extent is Samira happy?" dependent clause.
The flights going to Japan are fully booked. - "fully" Independent clause –can stand alone.
answers the question, "To what extent are flights to Dependent clause – cannot stand alone.
Japan booked?" Let's stay until the show is over. -"until" here functions
The vacation trip was very memorable.- "very" qualifies as a subordinating conjunction.
the adjective "memorable." In this case, the adverb Here are some of the commonly used subordinating
modifies the adjective. conjunctions: after, although, as, as if, as soon as,
5.3 Adverbs Modifying Adverbs - When an adverb because, in order that, since, than, though ,till ,unless,
modifies another adverb, an adverb can answer questions when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, while
regarding the extent to which that adverb modifies the 7.3 Correlative Conjunctions -are used in pairs to
other adverb. connect words, phrases, and clauses.
Samira travels quite frequently. "quite" answers the Both Samira and Aaron were there.-"both" and "and"
question, "To what extent does Samira travel here function as correlative conjunctions.
frequently?" Either Samira or Aaron will continue the report. -
The flights going to Japan are almost fully booked. - "either" and "or" are used in pairs and function as
"almost" answers the question, "To what extent are correlative conjunctions.
flights to Japan fully booked?" Not only the staff but also the president joined the
The trip yesterday ended up quite badly. - "quite"
qualifies the adverb "badly." In this case, the adverb meeting.- "not only" and "but also" are used in pairs
modifies another adverb. and function as correlative conjunctions.
8. Interjection - are words or phrases that
6.Preposition- is a word that shows the connection communicate emotion or exclamation.An interjection
between a noun or pronoun and another word in a has no grammatical relationship with any other word
sentence. They describe the relationship in terms of in the sentence.
sequence, space, and logic. Yay! We won the game.
The apple is on the table. "on" indicates the connection The interjection used in the sentence above is "Yay!",
between "apple" and "table." which expresses excitement.
 ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

Cheers! You did very well. In simple future tense, use the word “will” or “shall”
The interjection used in the sentence above is and the verb must not be changed.
"Cheers!", which expresses joy. My dad will be late at work. Hanna shall see you
8.1 Some interjections are capable of standing on their soon.
own. As long as the emotion attributed to these Negative sentences: (not) She will not return what she
interjections is appropriate for the situation, they are stole.
acceptable. Let’s try using a shortcut.Will + Not = Won’t
Awesome! Wow! - amazement and excitement. Examples used in the sentences:
Yes! Absolutely! Okay! -different levels of I won’t let you hurt me. Our best friend won’t tell a lie
agreement. on us.
8.2. Some interjections are derived from the sounds 2.2. Progressive Verb Tenses – show continuous or
associated with the emotions they evoke. repeated action. – on-going action
Ugh! Grrr! - annoyance and anger. 2.2.1 Past Progressive Tense =Helping verb
Awww! Ouch! - displeasure or pain. (was/were) + main verb + -ing
8.3.Some interjections can be used to introduce a
sentence, but the sentence can still make sense
without them.
Hello! How are you? "Hello!" introduces the sentence,
"How are you?"
Hey! You look good today. - "Hey!" introduces the ✔ A past activity in progress while another
sentence, "You look good today." activity occurred.
Some of the Commonly Used Interjections At 6:00 yesterday I was eating dinner.
Bravo!,Aha!,Eureka!,Hurray!,Gee,Phew!,Oh!, Ah! ✔ Two past activities in progress at the same
LESSON 2: TENSES OF VERBS time.
2.1 Simple Verb Tenses - describe actions without While I was answering the phone, my wife was cooking
specifically stating whether the actions are completed or dinner.
ongoing. 2.2.2 Present Progressive Tense =Helping verb
2.1.1Simple Past Tense – it indicates an action that (am/is/are) + main verb + -ing
was started and ended in the past.
Clues in time:Yesterday,Last week,Few minutes ago,
Earlier,
An English verb can be regular OR irregular.
Examples : Brush - Brushed,Cook - Cooked Open -
Opened, ✔ A planned activity.
Note : Regular verbs ending in “consonant” form their Sofia is starting school at BSANHS tomorrow.
past tense by adding–ed and adding the last letter of ✔ An activity that is occurring right now.
the word and –ed at the end. Jan is watching TV right now.
Close - Closed ,Taste -Tasted , Smile -Smiled, Care - ✔ An activity that is in progress, although not
Cared actually occurring at the time of speaking.
Note :Regular verbs ending in “e” form their past tense Sara is learning English at TSU
by adding –d at the end. 2.2.3 Future Progressive Tense = will be + main verb +
Apply – Applied,Carry -Carried,Bully -Bullied -ing
Note :Regular verbs ending in “y” form their past and
past participle forms by changing y into –ied, end of
the verb.
Write - Wrote ,Break - Broke Bring - Brought
Note : Irregular verbs form their past tense in different
patterns.
Cut -Cut, Hit – Hit, Beat – Beat, Cost – Cost, Hurt - Hurt ✔ An activity that will be in progress.
Note : Some Irregular verbs don’t change in their past Tomorrow Sam will be studying for the test on
tense form English.
Examples used in the sentences: Next week, I will be going to Cebu.
Carla dropped her cellphone on the floor. I will be visiting my Grandmother later.
She forgot to do her assignment.
LESSON 3: Phrases, Clauses and Sentences
2.1.2 Simple Present Tense- it indicates an action that
A phrase is a group of words meaning something.
is still happening.In simple present tense, the verb ends
A phrase is any group of related words that has no
with /s/ /es/ /none/
subject predicate combination.
Danny catches the ball. Maria writes a letter to a friend.
The words in a phrase act together so that the phrase
They catch the ball.
itself functions as a single part of speech.
2.1.3 Simple Future Tense- – it indicates an action
For example, some phrases act as nouns, some as verbs,
that is about to happen in the future.
some as adjectives or adverbs.
Clues: Soon,Tomorrow,Later,Someday
Remember that phrases cannot stand alone as
Next time/day/week/month/year
sentences.
After few minutes/few hours/ few days
 ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

Kinds of Phrase (Noun phrase as a subject)

a.) Prepositional Phrase- Each prepositional phrase I want a cute puppy for Christmas.
begins with a preposition (in, of, by, from, for, (Noun phrase as an object to the verb "want")
etc.) and includes a noun or pronoun that is the LESSON 4: MODALS
object of the preposition. Modal Verbs are auxiliary or helping verbs which modify
E.g. in the room, from the teacher, by the river or change the meaning of the main verbs. You use modal
Adjectives -The woman in the trench coat pulled verbs in giving advice or suggestions, in making requests,
out her cellular phone. ( The prepositional phrase or in giving predictions and prohibitions.
here acts as an adjective describing the noun List of Modal Verbs with sample sentences:
woman.)
Adverbs-Most of the audience snoozed during the
USE Modal Sample Sentence
tedious performance. ( The prepositional phrase
here acts as an adverb modifying the verb snoozed.) really certain will, shall, must Jahna’s debut party will
b.) Phrases Containing Verbals won’t/will not, be planned
Participial Phrase -begin with a past or present shan’t/shall secretly.
participle and is followed by its objects and not, can’t/cannot
modifiers  very likely Should The traffic is not heavy.
used as adjectives. ought to We should be there
Example: before
Sniffing the fresh air, Jim realized he had found
paradise.( In the preceding sentence, the present Possibility May, might, could It may rain today.
participle sniffing introduces the participial phrase, Strong  Must,have to, The plan must be
which includes the participle’s object (air) and its obligation need to accomplished without
modifiers (the, fresh). This participial phrase acts as her
an adjective modifying the subject of the sentence
 weak should, ought to I should see a dentist. I
(Jim).)
obligation have a bad breath even
The soldiers, trapped by the enemy, threw down though I brush my teeth
their guns.( Here, the past participle trapped regularly.
introduces the participial phrase trapped by the
enemy. The entire phrase acts as an adjective  no needn’t/need not I need not brush my
modifying the subject of the sentence (soldiers). obligation don’t need to/ teeth now. I will just do
do not need to, it later.
Notice the phrase-within-a-phrase here. By the
don’t have to/
enemy is a prepositional phrase modifying the
do not have to
participle trapped. Remember that phrases can act
as modifiers in other phrases)  permission can, may, could, May I borrow your pen?
Gerund Phrase- At first, it may look like a participial might 
phrase because gerund phrases begin with the -ing
no can’t/ cannot, may You cannot go out
form of a verb (riding, seeing, talking, etc.) and have permission not, without a quarantine
objects and modifiers. But a gerund phrase always must not pass.
acts as a noun in a sentence, not as an adjective. It
can serve as the subject of a sentence, the object of a offer will, shall I will bring your things
verb or preposition, or the complement of a linking here. 
verb. request will, would, could Will you open the
Example: windows?
Riding the black stallion terrified Hugo.( The gerund
phrase Riding the black stallion acts as a noun and is  promise Will I will come back after
sunset.
the subject of the verb terrified.)
The police officer reported seeing the suspect.(The decision Will I will eat now.
gerund phrase seeing the suspect is the direct object
of the verb reported. Notice that the entire phrase,  advice and shall, should, You should wear
suggestion shouldn’t/ appropriate attire for
not just the word suspect, is the direct object.)
should not your
Noun Phrase- are groups of words that function like a job interview.
noun. Typically, they act as subjects, objects, or
prepositional objects in a sentence. Noun phrases are  ability can, could The students can sing
simply nouns with modifiers. Just as nouns can act as harmoniously.
subjects, objects, and prepositional objects, so can general  truth can, may We can avoid the
noun phrases. The modifier can come before or after truth COVID-19 by following
the noun. If it comes before the noun it's likely to be health protocols.
an article, possessive noun, possessive pronoun,
adjective, or participle. Modifiers that come after the
LESSON 5: CONTEXT CLUES
noun include prepositional phrases, adjective clauses,
participle phrases, and infinitives Context clues are words that appear in sentences to
Example: help understand the meanings of difficult words.
The spotted puppy is up for adoption. Context clues are of different types:
 ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

1. Definition or restatement - the unfamiliar word is another, it mattered not. On he went, climbing blindly
defined in a sentence . upward -- ever upward towards the high bare summit of
Example : A treasure hunter is a person who searches what is known as Obatsuyama, the mountain of the
for treasures from sunken ships and ancient tombs to “abandoning of the aged.”
obtain valuable relics and artifacts. The eyes of the old mother were not so dim but that
(treasure hunter definition: a person who searches for they noted the reckless hastening from one path to another,
treasures) and her loving heart grew anxious. Her son did not know the
mountain’s many paths and his return might be one of
2. Synonyms- a similar word is placed in the same
danger, so she stretched forth her hand and snapping the
sentence to know the meaning of the unfamiliar word.
twigs from brushes as they passed, she quietly dropped a
Example : It is common for Filipinos to feel compassion
handful every few steps of the way so that as they climbed,
or pity for the suffering of their fellowmen.
the narrow path behind them was dotted at frequent
(synonym of compassion : pity)
intervals with tiny piles of twigs. At last the summit was
3. Antonyms- an opposite word is placed in the same reached. Weary and heart sick, the youth gently released his
sentence. burden and silently prepared a place of comfort as his last
Example: Among the siblings of thin body structure, Isabel duty to the loved one. Gathering fallen pine needles, he
is the only one who is portly.(antonym of portly : thin) made a soft cushion and tenderly lifted his old mother onto
4.Example- samples are provided in the sentence to it. He rapped her padded coat more closely about the
understand the meaning of the unfamiliar word stooping shoulders and with tearful eyes and an aching heart
Example : In ancient times, some of our forefathers he said farewell.
believed in amulets, such as pearl of the crocodile, pearl of The trembling mother’s voice was full of unselfish
the ax, bullet necklace, and bag of herbs to protect them love as she gave her last injunction. “Let not thine eyes be
from harm.(Amulets examples: pearl of the crocodile, pearl blinded, my son.” She said. “The mountain road is full of
of the ax, bullet necklace, bag of herbs) dangers. LOOK carefully and follow the path which holds the
5. Inference or inferring meaning- to understand the piles of twigs. They will guide you to the familiar path farther
meaning of the unknown word, one has to make a guess down.” The son’s surprised eyes looked back over the path,
then at the poor old, shriveled hands all scratched and soiled
based on the description given in the sentence
by their work of love. His heart broke within and bowing to
Example : When one shows belligerence, harsh words,
the ground, he cried aloud: “oh, Honorable mother, your
disruptive actions, and offensive behaviors can be
kindness breaks my heart! I will not leave you. Together we
observed.(belligerence: harsh words, disruptive action,
will follow the path of twigs, and together we will die!”
offensive behavior)
Once more he shouldered his burden (how light it
LESSON 6: “THE STORY OF THE AGED MOTHER” seemed now) and hastened down the path, through the
 A Japanese Folktale written by MATSUO BASHO. shadows and the moonlight, to the little hut in the valley.
 He was recognized as the greatest master of Haiku. Beneath the kitchen floor was a walled closet for food,
Summary which was covered and hidden from view. There the son
Long, long ago there lived at the foot of the hid his mother, supplying her with everything she needed,
mountain a poor farmer and his aged, widowed mother. continually watching and fearing she would be discovered.
They owned a bit of land which supplied them with food, and Time passed, and he was beginning to feel safe when again
they were humble, peaceful, and happy. the governor sent forth heralds bearing an unreasonable
Shinano was governed by a despotic leader who order, seemingly as a boast of his power. His demand was
though a warrior, had a great and cowardly shrinking from that his subjects should present him with a rope of ashes.
anything suggestive of failing health and strength. This caused The entire province trembled with dread. The order
him to send out a cruel proclamation. The entire province must be obeyed yet who in all Shining could make a rope of
was given strict orders to immediately put to death all aged ashes? One night, in great distress, the son whispered the
people. Those were barbarous days, and the custom of news to his hidden mother. “Wait!” she said. “I will think. I
abandoning old people to die was not uncommon. The poor will think” On the second day she told him what to do.
farmer loved his aged mother with tender reverence, and the “Make rope of twisted straw,” she said. “Then stretch it
order filled his heart with sorrow. But no one ever thought upon a row of flat stones and burn it on a windless night.”
twice about obeying the mandate of the governor, so with He called the people together and did as she said and when
many deep and hopeless sighs, the youth prepared for what the blaze died down, there upon the stones, with every twist
at that time was considered the kindest mode of death. and fiber showing perfectly, lay a rope of ashes.
Just at sundown, when his day’s work was ended, he The governor was pleased at the wit of the youth
took a quantity of unwhitened rice which was the principal and praised greatly, but he demanded to know where he had
food for the poor, and he cooked, dried it, and tied it in a obtained his wisdom. “Alas! Alas!” cried the farmer, “the
square cloth, which he swung in a bundle around his neck truth must be told!” and with deep bows he related his
along with a gourd filled with cool, sweet water. Then he story. The governor listened and then meditated in silence.
lifted his helpless old mother to his back and started on his Finally he lifted his head. “Shining needs more than strength
painful journey up the mountain. The road was long and of youth,” he said gravely. “Ah, that I should have forgotten
steep; the narrow road was crossed and re-crossed by many the well-known saying, “with the crown of snow, there
paths made by the hunters and woodcutters. In some places, cometh wisdom!” That very hour the cruel law was
they lost and confuse, but he gave no heed. One path or
 ENGLISH 8 – FIRST QUARTER

abolished, and custom drifted into as far a past that only

legends remain.