This book is based on a new idea in language-teaching. In place of word-lists and rules, the learner is here given a number of examples of statements made in Basic English. Taking the 850 words in A B C order, all the uses they may have in Basic (other than the special uses, or ‘idioms’) are covered, so if anyone got these examples by heart he would, in theory at least, have a complete knowledge of Basic for use. That, however, is not the true purpose of the book, and for the normal person it would certainly be a waste of time. The suggestion is that, after working with The Basic Way to English or Basic Step by Step or The Basic Teacher, the learner will be able to make use of Basic by Examples for testing his knowledge; and it is hoped that this simple experience of the words in operation will give him greater control of the material of his new language. Some of the uses will be new to him and will have to be noted; others will be old friends, but though the earlier books will have got these into his head, meeting them again will be a help in getting them to the end of his tongue and the point of his pen.

But Basic by Examples is not designed to be of use to the learner only. It will be of equal value to the teacher in the school-room. Quite commonly, when the language a person is teaching is not his mother tongue, he is put at a loss if requested to give examples. To the teacher who is not very expert, the examples given in this book will be a guide in such times of doubt, and with these before him, a number of other examples of the same sort will probably come into his head.

In framing these examples, the writer did not have a completely free hand, because the form of the book made it necessary for them to be kept inside the limits fixed by a line of print, with the key word placed more or less in the middle of the statement. But care has been taken to see that, as far as possible, the examples given are part of the living language. It is very important for the learner to get into his head, from the start, word-groups which will be of use to him later. So frequently, however, his teachers make him say things which he would be laughed at for saying outside school hours. For example, in one much-used English-French handbook, a hotel servant is made to say to a newcomer, "Will you have the kindness to follow me?" In the same book, a man says, on meeting a friend, "I have the honor to salute you", a statement which has probably not come from the lips of an Englishman for the last 100 years. A number of other examples might be given from books of this sort. Not all the Basic examples are of equal value for everyday purposes, but at least they may all be used by anyone who has reason to do so without making him seem foolish.

It will be seen that a number of the words have been used in examples which are designed to give light on their sense. This has not been possible all through, but statements like "The Queen had a ring on one finger of her soft hands’ and "Estonia became a nation after the Great War" do not give much room for doubt.

Certain changes based on new rulings about the senses of the Basic words have been made in this printing, which is, for this reason, not completely in agreement with the 1947 printing of The Basic Words. It may further be pointed out that changes of use (name of thing used as name of quality, and so on) and the senses of words formed by the addition of endings are more fully covered than in earlier printings.

C. K. OGDEN

KEY

Sloping Print.   Words in sloping print are used as different sorts of words from the black-print words (for example, liquid used as the name, not of a thing, but of a quality).

Only the commoner -er  forms are given, and for most of the words which have -ing  and -ed  forms it has been judged enough to give only one or the other. The -ly  forms are given only when their range of sense is more limited than, or, different from, that of the word from which they are formed.

        BASIC BY EXAMPLES

Here is	a	list of all the words.
Every word is put into	an	example.
There is frequently one	able	man on a committee.
There are tall trees	about	the house.
There is no one	about (E)	the streets at this time.
I saw someone walking	about	in the garden.
What is the story	about (E)	the last owner?
The house has	about (E)	twelve rooms.
He gave us an	account	of his journey.
Waiter, let me have the	account (S)	as quickly as possible.
This fruit has an	acid	taste.
When acted on by an	acid	the paper becomes red.
She gave him an	acid (E)	look.
Joan said	acidly	that Tom was in debt again.
A great branch was placed	across	the railway line.
Do not go	across	the field.
We have a house	across (E)	the road.

      Page 11 of 172.

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This book is now out of print, so we will expand the sample. And move the file to /texts.bbx.html.

Do not go We have a house If you do a kind My daughter is The fight in the third Henry Irving was With such expert This is not a play to be Make the water red by the The boys are learning to do £20 is a very small A small I saw an The event will be good He undertook the I sent him a letter B comes George did not come till If you do not get to sleep He put the steps The old men were The owners made an There seems to be no The representatives were in A little sea The bedding is being That man has an He gave away It was The noise went on John has We are The letter is We have enough money	across across (E) act acting act (E) acting (E) actors acted addition addition (S) addition (E) adjustment advertisement advertisement (E advertisement (E) after after after again against against (E) agreement agreement (E) agreement air aired air (E) all all all (E) almost almost among among (E)	the field. the road. you may be rewarded. as cook this week. was badly done. the part of Shylock. the play will be good. by schoolboys. of a little red ink at school to his income will put the machine right of his book in the paper for the school of the new food the meeting A. you had gone. you will be tired. the wall. any change in the law. with the Workers. about what the prisoner said about most things. will be good for him. outside the window. of authority. his money. he had. through his talk. a hundred stamps in his book ready now. my papers. us for a good meal.
He has a great	amount	of money.
There were signs of	amusement	on his face.
My mother takes pictures for	amusement (E),	not for profit.
Playing cards is a common	amusement (E)	in the army.
I'll undertake the	amusement (E)	of the baby.
She took off her hat	and	her gloves.
The sailor took out his pipe	and	had a smoke .
Make the	angle	greater between AB and BC
He put a seat in the	angle (E)	of the room.
From one	angle (E)	the question seems simple
It made me	angry	to see him using the whip
What a strange	animal	man is !
We saw the	animals (S)	on the farm.
He gave the wrong	answer	to my question.
My friend is very bad at	answering	letters.
Why is Willie not	answering	the teacher ?
These questions were	answered	by the prisoner.
Have a look at the	ant	for an example of industry
Have you had	any	food ?
I didn't take	any	of the wine.
Is your mother feeling	any	better today?
I am pleased to see	any (E)	friend of Anne's.
Please send me	any	of the books on Napoleon.
I saw a strange-looking	apparatus	for testing the heart.
The school is in need of	apparatus (E)	for physical training.
Eve gave Adam an	apple	and then there was trouble
The designs had the	approval	of the authorities.
There is only one	arch	supporting the bridge.
The church has a high	arched	roof.
The trees made a green	arch (E)	over our heads.
The horse is	arching	its neck.
He was wounded by an	archer (E)	in the wood.
They had an	argument	about the value of science.
There is a strong	argument (E)	for government control.
The woman had one	arm	round the baby.
His hand was resting on the	arm (E)	of the seat.
The nations are still making	arms (E)	for use in war.
The men were	armed	_with knives and sticks.
A body of	armed	men came down the street.
Is your son in the	army	or the air force?
The police were attacked by an	my (E)	of workers.
The rules of Japanese	art	are very complex.
We no longer have the	art (E)	of writing letters.
The beer here is	as	good as it was before.
She is not as old	as	her brother.
This is the same	as	the other.
I am talking to you	as (E)	your father would.
We will not go by air	as (E)	we have not enough money.
She gave him a kiss	as (E)	a reward.
The cart will be	at	the station for you.
They came into the room	at	the same time.
I put money into the business	at (E)	his suggestion.
His mother's pleasure	at	seeing him was touching.
Were you firing	at (E)	the birds?
The newspaper made a violent	attack	on the Government
A great army is	attacking	the town.
Copper is readily	attacked	by certain acids.
At the end of the day Caesar's	attackers	were forced back.
One of the boys had a sudden	attack (E)	of coughing.
The sailor made an	attempt	to get back into the boat
He was wounded while	attempting	to go back for a friend.
This trick has not been	attempted	on the stage before.
The boys gave no	attention	to their work.
The garden is in need of	attention (E)	at this time of the year.
The sea is acted on by the	attraction	of the moon.
The place hasn't the	attractions (E)	of a seaside town.
The smell of flowers is for the	attraction (E)	of insects.
The teacher has	authority	over the boys.
Those in	authority	are not necessarily right.
I was helped by the education	authorities (E)	in all the towns I went to
He is an	authority (E)	on old books.
Did someone give you the	authority (E)	to put up this sign ?
You will see a number of	automatic	machines in the station.
The baby was	awake	long before we got up.
	B
The mother took her	baby	in her arms.
Did you see the	baby	sheep, John ?
There is a garden at the	back (S)	of the house.
The painting is on silk	backed (E)	with stiff paper.
It is best to have a	back	seat at the pictures.
He has a bent	back (E)	like an old man.
There are hairs on the	back (E)	of the hand.
Put your coat over the	back (E)	of the seat.
There is no need to go	back (E)	the same way as we came.
I came across the man six months	back (E)	when I was in hospital.
The driver is	backing (E)	his automobile into the road.
That picture's only a	bad	copy of a Renoir.
The meat was	badly	cooked and had no taste.
Only a very	bad (S)	boy would be cruel to a dog.
The meat may go	bad (E)	in the warm weather.
The dog's bite was not very	bad (E)	but it gave the baby a shock
The table has been	badly	damaged.
The cook took a	bag	of sugar from the shelf.
The porter will put your	bags	in the train.
It is hard to keep your	balance	on a rolling ship.
The schoolgirls are	balancing	on one leg.
The dog is good at	balancing	bits of sugar on his nose.
The force at this end is now	balanced (E)	by the weight at the other.
The earth is a	ball	moving in space.
The boy sent his	ball (S)	through the window.
She has a white silk	band	round her hat.
The curtains are	banded	with blue.
The trouble was caused by a	band (E)	of rough boys.
The King's supporters are	banding	themselves together.
There is a	band (E)	playing in the square.
Stone was used for the	base	of the building.
Only part of this book is	based	on a true story.
There is a hospital at the	base (E)	for the wounded.
A number of British ships are	based	at Malta.
Get a	basin	of water quickly.
The farms in the river	basin (E)	are very fertile.
I keep a special	basket	for the eggs.
A Japanese	bath	is generally made of wood
There is time for a quick	bath (E)	before you go out.
The woman is	bathing	her baby.
You will	be	better after the operation.
To be or not to	be (E),	that is the question.
There may be strange	beings (E)	on Mars.
We have all	been (E)	to the theatre tonight.
There is a	beautiful	view from the window.
This is a	beautiful (E)	example of false reasoning.
He put on his coat	because	the wind was cold.
Put out the light over the	bed	before you go to sleep.
The stones in the river	bed (E)	are round and smooth.
The machine is	bedded	in the stone floor.
In the garden there is a	bed (E)	full of blue flowers.
All this new	bedding (E)	is quite clean.
There is yellow dust on the	bee	from the flowers.
I will get the room ready	before	the discussion.
2 comes	before	3.
They may not get back	before	the rain comes.
Have you done this	before,	or is it your first attempt?
The accounts were	before (E)	him on the table.
The boy has a bright future	before	him.
In hospital the man's	behaviour	was quiet and normal.
At one time men had a	belief	that the earth was flat.
In the opinion of the church	belief (S)	s necessary for well-being.
It is my	belief (E)	that she has a. secret trouble.
I have not much	belief (E)	in his power to make me well
Hearing the sound of the	bell,	the porter went to the door.
The wheel got	bent	in the smash.
There was not one	berry	on that plant last year.
There is a road	between	the river and the farm.
They did nothing	between	meals.
There was a fight	between (E)	the two dogs.
They had only one bone	between	them.
The feathers of the male	bird	are brightly coloured.
At the time of his	birth	his mother was quite young.
Though he was of good	birth (E),	he had little education.
Friends, we are present at the	birth (E)	of a new idea.
All the words are printed on a	bit	of paper the size of a stamp.
He gave me a threepenny	bit (E)	in exchange for three pennies.
The tooth got worse with every	bite	he gave.
He took a small	bite (E)	of the cake.
The skin round the	bite (E)	was very red.
The powder has a	bitter	taste.
The loss of his money was a	bitter (E)	blow to your father.
Last winter was	bitterly	cold.
His years in prison made him a	bitter (E)	and unhappy man.
The woman said	bitterly	that she had no money.
She put on a	black	dress after his death.
White mixed with	black	makes grey.
I gave him a	black (E)	look when he went out.
Butter is dear in the	black	market.
A knife with a long, sharp	blade	is used for cutting meat.
With his hand on his	blade (E),	he took a quick step forward.
There is no	blood	coming from the wound.
Men of the same	blood (E)	are at war with one another.
He gave the nail a	blow	with a hammer.
There was a sudden	blow (E)	of wind.
His death was a great	blow (E)	to all his friends.
The sky is	blue	in summer.
This shade of green has more	blue	than yellow in it.
The money was under a	board	in the middle of the floor.
My father is	boarding	up the broken window.
The rules of the club are on the	board (E)	by the front door.
The hole in the	boat	is letting in water.
All the animal's	body	is covered with hair.
The police got the	body (S)	out of the river.
He has a long	body (E)	and short legs.
The sun is the brightest	body (E)	we see in the sky.
Science is a	body (E)	of knowledge based on facts.
When the water is	boiling	we will have some tea.
There is a crack in the	boiler (S)	of the engine.
A kettle is a vessel for	boiling	water in.
She is	boiling (E)	the cloths to make them white
The fowl is	boiling	in a great pot.
Quick	boiling	is best for rice.
A broken	bone	gives much pain.
The cook is	boning	the meat.
This comb is made of	bone (E),	and that one of metal.
I got the	book	from the library.
There is no hope of	booking (E)	seats for the play.
A room has been	booked	at the hotel.
The right	boot	is a little tight for me.
We will have a	bottle	of beer.
The wine is ready for	bottling	now.
She had 8.	box	full of clothing.
The apples are being	boxed	for the market.
They have taken a	box (E)	for the play.
We sent the	boy	to school.
The structure of the	brain	is very complex.
He was put in prison for	braining	a policeman.
Men may have	brains (E)	without being interesting.
The foot	brake	is out of order.
Put on the	brake	when you go down the slope.
The smash was caused by	braking	suddenly on a wet road.
He was seated on a	branch	of the tree.
The left	branch (E)	of the road goes to London.
Some animals have	branching	horns.
There is a	branch (E)	of the business here.
Psychology is a	branch (E)	of science.
Ornaments of	brass	were on the tables.
He took the	bread	out of the basket.
The blow sent all the	breath	out of my body.
Take a deep	breath (E)	before jumping into the water
The old man is	breathing	very slowly.
In a town, one is	breathing	dust in all the time.
There was not a	breath	of wind.
The builder put another	brick	on the wall.
The doorway of the church was	bricked	up because it was unsafe.
That low	brick	building is the school.
They made a	bridge	across the river.
The river is	bridged	by the railway here.
The sun was	bright	this morning.
The room was	brightly	lighted.
He is a very	bright (E)	boy at school.
You are not looking very	bright (E)	this morning.
Babies are pleased by	bright (E)	colours.
There was a	bright	red sky this morning.
The egg was	broken	by the fall.
This foolish rule is	broken (E)	by almost everybody.
She has a	brother	but no sister.
Her eyes are	brown	like her hair.
You seem older in	brown	than in green.
Here is a small	brush	for your nails.
The woman is	brushing	her long hail
If you give your dress a	brush (E)	the dust will come off.
The water in the	bucket	is not clean.
The store is the great	building	at the end of the road.
There is more	building (E)	going on now.
We will get a	builder	to do the work.
They are	building	a new hotel near the station
I'm planting a	bulb	in this flower-pot.
A rubber	bulb (E)	was part of the apparatus.
The electric light	bulb	is smashed.
The match made a deep	burn	on the table.
The fire is	burning	very brightly.
There is a smell of	burning	rubber somewhere.
All his papers were	burned	in the fire.
The gas	burner (S)	is making a noise.
There has been a	burst	in the water-pipe.
We did not have any	burst	pipes last winter.
There was a sudden	burst (E)	of flame from the gun.
Judging by their talk, their	business	was probably teaching.
Men are generally better at	business (S)	than women.
Father is not a good	business	man.
Mr. Brown is the owner of a coal	business (E)	in the town.
It is your	business (E )	to take letters to the post.
She is not young	but	she is still beautiful.
The prisoner may see no one	but	his sister.
I have no	butter	on my bread.
The cook is	buttering	bread for tea.
The loss of a	button	is not very important.
She was	buttoning	her coat as she went out.
Put your finger on the	button (E)	of the electric bell.
Their house is	by	the sea.
Has anyone gone	by (E)	you on the road?
Watching the trains go	by	is his only amusement.
Is the book	by (E)	a man, or a woman?
The window was broken	by	the ball.
He is older than his brother	by (E)	ten years.

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