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Here we use charts with printed lists of words which may be hung on the wall. The children can look at them and also take them in their hands.

List I

SUFFIXES: AUGMENTATIVES, DIMINUTIVES, PEGGIORATIVES, ETC.

buono (good): buonuccio, buonino, buonissimo

casa (house): casona, casetta, casettina, casuccia, casaccia, casettaccia

formica (ant): formicona, formicuccia, formicola, formichetta

ragazzo (boy): ragazzone, ragazzino, ragazaccio, ragazzetto

lettera (letter): letterina, letterona, letteruccia, letteraccia

campana (bell): campanone, campanello, campanellino, campanino, campanaccio

giovane (youth): giovanetto, giovincello, giovinastro

fiore (flower): fioretto, fiorellino, fioraccio, fiorone

tavolo (board): tavolino, tavoletta, tavolone, tavolaccio

seggiola (chair): seggiolone, seggiolina, seggiolaccia

pietra (stone): pietruzza, pietrina, pietrone, pietraccio

sasso (rock): sassetto, sassolino, sassettino, sassone, sassaccio

cesto (basket): cestino, cestone, cestello, cestellino

piatto (plate): piattino, piattello, piattone

pianta (plant or tree): piantina, pianticella, pianticina, pianterella, piantona, piantaccia

fuoco (fire): fuochetto, fuochino, fuocherello, fuocone, fuochettino

festa (festival): festicciola, festona, festaccia

piede (foot): piedino, piedone, pieduccio, piedaccio

mano (hand): manina, manona, manaccia, manuccia

seme (seed): semino, semetto, semone, semaccio, semettino

semplice (simple person): semplicino, semplicetto, sempliciotto, semplicione

ghiotto ("sweet-tooth"): ghiottone, ghiottoncello, ghiottaccio, ghiottissimo

vecchio (old man): vecchietto, vecchione, vecchiaccio, vecchissimo

cieco (blind): ciechino, ciechetto, ciecolino, ciecone, ciecaccio

Note:—The rôle of augmentative and diminutive suffixes in English is vastly less important than in Italian. Here are a few specimens:

lamb—lambkin duck—duckling bird—birdling nest—nestling goose—gosling mouse—mousie girl—girlie book-booklet brook—brooklet stream—streamlet poet—poetaster

The child's exercise is as follows: he composes the first word in any line with the alphabet of a single color (e.g., black). Next underneath and using the alphabet of the same color, he repeats the letters in the second word which he sees also in the first. But just as soon as a letter changes he uses the alphabet of another color (e.g., red). In this way the root is always shown by one color, the suffixes by another; for example:—

buono

buonuccio buonino buonissimo

For English:

stream

streamlet lamb lambkin

Then the child chooses another word and repeats the same exercise. Often he finds for himself words not included in the list which is given him.

In the following chart the suffixes are constant while the root varies. Here the suffix changes the meaning of the word. From the original meaning is derived the word for a trade, a place of business, an action, a collective or an abstract idea. Naturally, the child does not realize all this at first but limits himself merely to building the words mechanically with the two alphabets. Later on, however, as grammar is developed, he may return to the reading of these charts, which are always at his disposal, and begin to realize the value of the differences.

List II

macello (slaughter)	macellaio (butcher)
sella (saddle)	sellaio (saddler)
forno (oven)	fornaio (baker)
cappello (hat)	capellaio (hatter)
vetro (glass)	vetreria (glaziery)
calzolaio (shoe-maker)	calzoleria (shoe-shop)
libro (book)	libreria (book-store)
oste (host)	osteria (inn)
pane (bread)	panetteria (bakery)
cera (wax)	cereria (chandler's shop)
dente (tooth)	dentista (dentist)
farmacia (pharmacy)	farmacista (druggist)
elettricita (electricity)	elettricista (electrician)
telefono (telephone)	telefonista (telephone operator)
arte (art)	artista (artist)
bestia (beast)	bestiame (cattle)
osso (bone)	ossame (bones, collective)
corda (string)	cordame (strings, collective)
foglia (leaf)	fogliame (foliage)
pollo (chicken)	pollame (poultry)
grato (grateful)	gratitudine (gratitude)
beato (blessed)	beatitudine (blessedness)
inquieto (uneasy)	inquietudine (uneasiness)
grano (grain)	granaio (barn)
colombo (dove)	colombaio (dove-cote)
paglia (straw)	pagliaio (hay-stack)
frutto (fruit)	frutteto (orchard)
canna (reed)	canneto (brake)
oliva (olive)	oliveto (olive-grove)
quercia (oak)	querceto (oak-grove)

English Examples

teach	teacher
sing	singer
work	worker
cater	caterer
wring	wringer
conduct	conductor
direct	director
launder	laundry
seam	seamstress
song	songstress
priest	priestess
mister	mistress
cow	cowherd
piano	pianist
art	artist
pharmacy	pharmacist
drug	druggist
physic	physician
prison	prisoner
house	household
earl	earldom
king	kingdom
count	county
real	reality
modern	modernness
good	goodness
sad	sadness
aloof	aloofness

The child's exercise with the two alphabets will be as follows:

frutto	frutteto
canna	canneto
oliva	oliveto
quercia	querceto

For English:

song	songster	songstress
art	artist	artless	artful

List III

PREFIXES

nodo (knot): annodare, snodare, risnodare

scrivere (write): riscrivere, trascrivere, sottoscrivere, descrivere

coprire (cover): scoprire, riscoprire

gancio (hook): agganciare, sganciare, riagganciare

legare (bind): collegare, rilegare, allegare, slegare

bottone (button): abbottonare, sbottonare, riabbottonare

macchiare (spot): smacchiare, rismacchiare

chiudere (close): socchiudere, schiudere, richiudere, rinchiudere

guardare (look at): riguardare, traguardare, sogguardare

vedere (see): travedere, rivedere, intravedere

perdere (lose): disperdere, sperdere, riperdere

mettere (put, place): smettere, emettere, rimettere, permettere, commettere, promettere, sottomettere

vincere (overcome): rivincere, avvincere, convincere, stravincere

For English:

cover: uncover, discover, recover

pose: impose, compose, dispose, repose, transpose

do: undo, overdo

place: displace, replace, misplace

submit: remit, commit, omit, permit

close: disclose, foreclose, reclose

arrange: rearrange, disarrange

The child's exercise with the two alphabets will be as follows:

coprire

scoprire

ricoprire

For English:

place

displace

replace

List IV

COMPOUND WORDS

cartapecora (parchment)

cartapesta (papier maché)

falsariga (guide)

madreperla (mother-of-pearl)

melagrana (pomegranate)

melarancia (orange)

biancospino (hawthorn)

ficcanaso (busybody)

lavamano (wash-stand)

mezzogiorno (noon)

passatempo (pastime)

ragnatela (cobweb)

madrevite (vine)

guardaportone (doorkeeper)

capoluogo (capital)

capomaestro ("boss")

capofila (pivot-soldier)

capopopolo (demagogue)

caposquadra (commodore)

capogiro (dizziness)

capolavoro (masterpiece)

giravolta (whirl)

mezzaluna (half-moon)

mezzanotte (midnight)

palcoscenico (stage)

acchiappacani (dog-catcher)

cantastorie (story-teller)

guardaboschi (forester)

lustrascarpe (boot-black)

portalettere (letter-carrier)

portamonete (pocketbook)

portasigari (cigar-case)

portalapis (pencil-case)

portabandiera (standard bearer)

guardaroba (wardrobe)

asciugamano (towel)

cassapanca (wooden bench)

arcobaleno (rainbow)

terrapieno (rampart, terrace)

bassorilievo (bas-relief)

granduca (grand-duke)

pianoforte (piano)

spazzacamino (chimney-sweep)

pettorosso (redbreast)

For English:

sheepskin

cardboard

shoestring

midnight

midday

noontime

redbreast

appletree

afternoon

moonlight

starlight

doorknob

bedtime

daytime

springtime

flagstaff

rainbow

workman

housekeeper

pastime

chimneysweep

sheepfold

barnyard

sidewalk

snowshoe

shoeblack

firefly

steamboat

milkman

bathroom

streetcar

lifelike

pocketbook

inkwell

tablecloth

courtyard

honeycomb

beehive

flowerpot

buttonhole

hallway

midway

storekeeper

horseman

masterpiece

bookcase

The children read one word at a time and try to reproduce it from memory, distinguishing through the two alphabets the two words of which each one is composed:

carta pecora bianco spino piano forte spazza camino lava mano

For English:

moon light work man

In the following chart the words are grouped in families. This chart may be used by children who are already well advanced in the identification of the parts of speech. All the words are derived from some other more simple word which is a root and of which the other words, either by suffix or prefix, are made up. All these roots are primitive words which some day the child may look for in a group of derivatives; and when he finds them he will realize that the primitive word is a noun, adjective, or a verb, as the case may be, that it is the word which contains the simplest idea, and so the derivatives may be nouns, adjectives, verbs or adverbs.

On these charts appear various word-families. The teacher is thus spared the trouble of looking them up. Furthermore the child will some day be able to use them by himself. The exercises based on these are still performed with two different alphabets of different color so that the child can tell at a glance which is the root word.