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Notes for
from "With the Buccaneers "
by Howard Pyle
I was looking for an interesting text for sixth
graders when I came across this 110-word sentence that is composed of two
main clauses, one of which is 79 words long and includes two noun absolutes.
My guess is that the sentence is intentionally complicated and long because
it conveys Harry's complex and long-lasting feelings after the death of
the Spaniard.
Perhaps the best way to use this passage is
as a de-combining exercise. 
Make an overhead transparency of the passage, and then, after the students
have done the exercise, have some of them come to the front of the class
and mark on the overhead (with a washable ink pen) how they decombined
sentences. Ask them to give their reasons. (After a student has finished,
the over overhead can be cleaned with a moist paper towel so the next student
will have a "clean slate" to work with.)
-- For the complete text, click
here.
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