INTRODUCTION

Dear Student:

Welcome to World English Institute. WEI is a correspondence school that teaches English through the mail and on the Internet. WEI teachers are Christian men and women who live in the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking nations. WEI reaches out to countries all over the world where people are learning English as a second language.

The WEI Introductory Lesson begins on page two. Please read the lesson carefully. Complete the Answer Sheet and return it to the address shown at the bottom of page six. You will then receive a reply from your teacher, along with Book One of the WEI English course, Book One of the Easy-to-Read Bible Course, and a cassette tape. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

---World English Institute

The Introductory English Lesson
The WEI course is written for students who have studied English at least three years. The vocabulary and grammar studies range from late Elementary to Early Intermediate levels. Beginners may find the course difficult. Advanced students will find it easy. We hope that students on every level will find it interesting and helpful.

In order to understand American English, a person must learn why Americans think as they do. From the beginning, American culture has been influenced by the Bible. Coins are stamped with the sentence, "In God we trust." The pledge of allegiance includes the phrase, "One Nation Under God." To understand American culture, a person must know something about the Bible, the Word of God. Therefore, WEI has used stories from the Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible to illustrate points of English grammar.

English grammar is the correct use of English words in sentences. It is the art of using the English language to express thoughts clearly and effectively. By studying grammar, we learn to connect words so that other people can understand what we say.

1. A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, condition, feeling or event. There are (a) common nouns and (b) proper nouns.

a. A common noun names any of a class of persons, places, things, conditions, feelings, or events. Examples: boy, girl, city, state, country, mountain, river, love, joy, peace. A common noun never begins with a capital letter except at the beginning of a sentence or when used with a proper noun. Examples: Snake River, Lincoln Middle School.

b. A proper noun is the official

name of a person, place, or thing. Examples: David, Mary, Dallas, Texas, Egypt, Everest, and Amazon. A proper noun always begins with a capital letter.

2. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, them, this, that, these, those, who, which, what. "I love you."

3. An adjective is a word that describes or limits a noun or a pronoun. Examples: a, an, the, one, my, our, your, her, his, its, their, red, big, good, evil, tall, short. "Her mother is a good woman."

4. A verb is a word that expresses action or state of being. Examples of action verbs: run, walk, fly, teach, learn, eat, sleep, work. "They walk to school." State of being verbs: be, is, am, are, feel, appear, sound, seem. "They are tall."

5. An adverb is a word that describes or limits a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Examples: today, now, tomorrow, soon, here, there, everywhere, quickly, beautifully, carefully, well, barely, nearly, completely. "They walk quickly."

6. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a word that comes before it, and a noun or pronoun that follows it. Examples: in, at, by, near, to, from, into, before, after, during, until, like. "John ran to school."

7. A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses to one another. Examples: and, but, yet. "The son was hungry and needed money." The conjunction "and" links the first part of the sentence with the second part.

8. An interjection is a word, or group of words, used to express sudden and strong feeling. Examples: Ah! Oh! Wow! Oh no! "Oh! How I want to go home!"

A sentence is a group of words joined together to express a complete thought. Every sentence is made up of two main parts: (1) the subject, and (2) the predicate.

1. The subject is the part of the sentence that tells who or what the sentence is about. For example, "God is love." In this sentence, "God" is the subject. He is the person being discussed.

1. A declarative sentence makes a statement about something and ends with a period (.). Example: "A man had two sons."

2. An interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark (?). Example: "What does all this mean?"

3. An imperative sentence makes a request or gives a command, and ends with a period or an exclamation point (!). Examples: "Hurry!" "Bring our fat calf." In imperative sentences, "you" is understood: (You) bring our fat calf."

4. An exclamatory sentence says something with force and emotion and ends with an exclamation point (!). Example: "Now we can have a party!"

"So the father divided the wealth with his two sons. Then the younger son gathered up all that he had and left. He traveled far away to another country. There the son wasted his money like a fool. He spent everything that he had.

"Soon after that, the land became very dry, and there was no rain. There was not enough food to eat anywhere in the country. The son was hungry and needed money. So he went and got a job with one of the people of that country. The man sent the son into the fields to feed pigs. The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food that the pigs were eating. But no person gave him anything.

"The boy realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food, but I am here, almost dead because I have nothing to eat. I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am not good enough to be called your son. But let me be like one of your servants.’

"While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. The father felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him. He hugged and kissed his son. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am not good enough to be called your son.

"But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and dress him. Also put a ring on his finger and good shoes on his feet. Bring the fat calf. We will kill it and have plenty to eat. Then we can have a party! My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party"

"The older son was in the field. He came closer to the house. He heard the sound of music and dancing. So the older son called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’

"The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back. Your father killed the fat calf to eat. Your father is happy because your brother came home safely!’

"The older son was angry and would not go in to the party. So his father went out to ask him to come in. The son said to his father, ‘I have served you like a slave for many years! I have always obeyed your commands. But you never even killed a goat for me. You never gave a party for me and my friends.

But your other son has wasted all your money on prostitutes. Then he comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!’

1. People seek happiness in the wrong places. The younger son thought happiness was getting away from his father’s control and being free to have fun. In the end, he was miserable because he was looking for happiness in the wrong places.

People in today’s world are making the same mistake. They are seeking happiness in money, drugs, alcohol, sex, thrills, education, power, fame, beauty. But selfish living does not lead to joy. It leads to suffering and shame.

2. God loves us and does not want us to be ruined by evil. The younger son represents any person who turns away from God to seek fame, fortune, and pleasure. The father in the story represents God.

(Please Print Clearly)

Student #: __________________________________________________

City: _______________________________________________________

Province/State: (where you are living now) __________________________

Postal Code: _______________Country: __________________________

Religious Affiliation: ___________________________________________

Age: _________________ Sex:____________________

Marital Status: __________________________________

Number in Family: _______________________________

Occupation: _________________________________________________
(If in school, put "Student.")

1. The younger son left home and _______ his money.
(a) invested
(b) saved
(c) wasted

2. When the younger son realized that he had been very foolish, he decided to ____________.
(a) get drunk
(b) kill himself
(c) go home to his father

3. When the father saw his younger son coming, he _______ him.
(a) turned his back on
(b) yelled at
(c) ran to meet

4. When the older son heard the sound of music and found out that his younger brother had come home, he was very ________.
(a) happy
(b) angry
(c) sad

5. The father in the story represents __________.
(a) God
(b) any king
(c) any earthly father

1. T F When the younger son became hungry, his friends took him in and fed him.

2. T F The younger son became so hungry that the pigs’ food looked good to him.

3. T F The younger son felt that he was not good enough to be called the son of his father, so he decided not to go home.

4.T F The father was angry with his younger son and felt like punishing him for leaving home and wasting money.

1. The younger son said, "Give me my part of all the things we own!" This request is an _______________ sentence.

2. "The son was hungry and needed money. This is an example of a ____________________ sentence.

3. "The boy realized that he had been very foolish." "Boy" is the __________________.

4. "The father felt sorry for his son." In this sentence, "felt sorry for his son" is the ________________.

5.In his excitement, the father said to his servants, "Then we can have a party!" This is an example of an _____________ sentence.

1. Why did the younger son ask for his part of the family wealth, then leave home?

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2.Why did the older brother become angry when he heard the sound of music and learned about the party?

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