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More Level 5 Exercises

Aesops' Fable # 1:  The Ant and the Grasshopper
Answer Key for Level 5
     Words that remained  to be explained (and some for which a better explanation can now be provided) are in 18-point bold black, with their functions indicated after them. The font size of words aleady analyzed has been decreased. 

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    {In a field} one summer's day (NuA) a Grasshopper was 

hopping about, chirping and singing {to its heart's content}. / An Ant 

passed {by,} bearing  along {with great toil}an ear {of corn} [he was 

taking {to the nest}]. /

     "Why  not come and chat {with me}," [said the Grasshopper],

{"instead of  toiling and moiling } {in that way?"} /

     "I am helping to lay up food {for the winter}," [said the Ant], "

and recommend you to do the same."/

     ["Why bother {about winter}?"] said the Grasshopper/ "we

have got plenty {of  food} {at present}." / But the Ant went {on its 

way} and continued its toil./ [When the winter came] the

Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying (Noun 

Abs - DO of "found" Note #1) {of hunger}, [while it saw the ants

distributing every day (NuA) corn and grain {from the stores}

[they had collected {in the summer}]]. / Then the Grasshopper

knew: /

     It is best to prepare (Inf - Delayed SubjectNote #2) {for 

the days} {of necessity}./
 

Gutenberg Project
Aesopa10.txt

Notes:

1. If we look at this in terms of meaning, the grasshopper did not find "itself," which is what would be suggested if we consider "itself," by itself, as the direct object. Nor, of course, did the grasshopper find "dying." What it found was itself in the state of dying, or "that it was dying." The noun absolute construction lets us see the "itself dying" as a primary "chunk," which then, as a unit, acts as the DO of "found." Thus the grammatical analysis is aligned with the meaning.

2. It means "To prepare ... is best."
 

Progress
Total Words = 150 Words %
L1: In Prep Phrases  51  34
L1: + Adj & Adverbs 24 50
+ L2: S / V / C 54 86
+ L3: Clauses 3 88
+ L4: Verbals 16 99
+ Eight Other 2 100

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