英语作文初中优秀范文（推荐20篇）

Another new term comes again,so i should have a study plan to promot myself.

firstly ,i descide to finish my homework more carefully than before.And pay more attention to the knowledge which i didn t know it clearly.

secondly,i will do a lot of read to widen the range of my knowledge.and try to combine thoery to practice.

Finally,i will learn to adjust, to be more positive and more helpful.

That s what i plant to do in a new term.

[初中英语作文：the plan for the new term 新学期的打算

It is the duty of every citizen to make the country rich and powerful (To make the country rich and strong is…)。 In order to accomplish this object one must be patriotic (love his country)。 I consider this an unchangeable truth.

How can a student love his country (be patriotic)? I find my answer very simple and clear. He must study hard and store up knowledge so as to serve his (the) country in the future. If every student can do according to what I said, the country will certainly be rich and powerful.

要使国家富强是每个公民的责任。为了达到此目的，必须爱国。我认为这是一条不易的定理。

一个学生如何才能爱国呢?我发觉答复很简单明了。他必须用功读书并积储知识以便将来服务国家。如果每个学生能按照我所说的去做，国家一定会富强。

写作，作为中考英语三大重点模块之一，满分15分，是整张试卷中最难拿满分的部分，也是很多同学头疼的地方。

中考英语作文分四档：第一档（15—13分），第二档（12—9分），第三档（8—5分），第四档（4—0分），每一档都有具体的评分细则。

乐加乐中考研究中心胡赛楠老师强调：“充分认识到写作评分标准的重要性，按照标准要求规范自己的写作并多加修改，才能做到知己知彼、百战不殆。”

首先，审题要准。要点齐全，8分以上；要点不全，直接进入三类文；

其次，一档文应“观点正确”“语言准确”。“观点正确”是文章要积极向上，不可出现反动消极言论；所谓“语言准确”是要忠诚于词汇的惯用法和辨析，要有非常好的文字功底才能达到。

最后，第一档的“句式多样，词汇丰富”与第二档的“语法结构和词汇基本满足文章需要”不同，要求更多的句式和词汇。因此，应在作文中适量使用定语从句、感叹句、倒装句、祈使句等特殊句型；此外，一二档文的差别还在于“逻辑性”，在句式、词汇都相当的基础上，逻辑性强的文章容易得高分。

We have lived in Lida School for more than one year. I enjoy all the time here because it can bring me a lot of things such as feelings, knowledge and other things I need.

There are many trees and flowers around us. The trees are green all the year. When we sit in the classroom and look out of the windows, we can see a big tree shaking its strong arms to us. It is really wonderful.

In some ways, our thoughts are at large. Perhaps it makes our brains creative. I believe that nothing can tie up my mind even it stands for authority. The free life is just like our school life.

In our school, of course, there are both success and failure. We should not be proud but modest because there are too many people much better than myself. Actually, we also should muster up courage and work harder.

I like

We are honest.

We always keep promises.

We often think a lot.

We are never afraid of anything.

So we have our own school life different from others.

[初中英语作文参考：缤纷校园生活

Now I am a middle school student, I will enter high school soon. Everybody thinks that the age of mine is the best age, because we are young and full of vitality. But I want to grow up quickly. I am not afraid of growing old and I want to grow older. In my eyes, age is a gift. As the time goes by, I will become mature. Because the thing I have been through will teach me the lesson and I will learn a lot, becoming a better person. The young and innocent me eager to grow up, I know it takes time to be independent. Age is a gift, so now I cherish every moment.

Nowadays,the whales is in danger.Because many countries kill them for different use,they are dying out.To protect our earth and ocean,especially the diversity of creatures.we must realize that we should take effective measures to protect them.If the whales died out,it would have an important influence on other animals in the sea.Also,the environment will be changed.I sincerely hope that we can make our effort to save them!

如今,鲸鱼是处于危险之中。因为许多国家杀死他们不同的使用,它们灭绝。为了保护我们的地球和海洋,特别是生物的多样性。我们必须意识到我们应该采取有效措施去保护他们。如果鲸鱼灭绝了,它会对其他动物产生重要的影响。此外,环境将被改变。我真诚地希望我们可以使我们的努力拯救他们!

A few days ago, the movie Red Sea Operation was very hot and people were

very impressive about the policemen, who saved the citizens lives in a very

urgent situation, some even sacrificed their lives as the price. We live in a

peaceful country. This is because policemen protect us all the time, and they

are the great persons. March 14th is the policemens day, people make this day

for them and show respect. They deserve the publics praise. They sacrifice so

much, such as the time to accompany their families. Many childrens future dream

is to be a policeman, as this career brings the public hope and future.

Have you ever had a dream about your splendid future or imagined something ueal but interesting or meaningfulTell your closet friend about it now. My Dream I have a dream that I am always young. Then I will have enough energy to do everything whenever I want. Moreover, I dont have to worry about the old age during which I even cant take care of myself. I know that my dream will not come true. However, I think it is lucky that I am young now. So I will treasure my time, enjoy my life and try my best to do everything well.

我有一个梦想就是我永远年轻，然后我就会有足够的精力去做我想做的事情，而且，我就不会因年老无法照顾自己而忧虑。我深知我的梦想不会实现。然而，我很幸运，现在我很年轻。 因此，我一定要珍惜青春好时光，享受生活，并且尽最大努力把每件事情做好。

[我的梦想英语作文三篇

初中英语写作技巧书面表达，首先要抓住所给的提示，然后运用所学词汇、语法及句型，避繁就简，简明表达要讲的内容。小编整理了初中英语写作技巧，欢迎阅读。

一、充分准备。打好基础。

为了提高书面表达水平，平时应加强阅读，应背诵一些句型、段落甚至短文。只要读得多、背得多，就能出口成章，下笔成文。其实，用英文写信，记日记等都是学生力所能及且行之有效的练习写作的好方法。

二、仔细审题，明确要求。

对题目所提供的信息要认真分析，明确要求，做到心中有数。要对所提供的信息加以分析、整理，使之更加具体化、条理化，为开始动笔做好准备工作，还要搞清题目的要求，以便根据不同的题材、体裁，写出不同格式，风格各异的文章，此外，还要注意人称、时态、地点等信息，避免出错。

三、抓住重点。寻求思路。

根据题目所提供的信息，草拟提纲，寻求逻辑次序，确定如何下手，否则，语无伦次的文章将不会被人接受，也不可能得到高分。

四、遣词造句，表达规范。

用词要适当，不可逐句把提示汉译英，亦不可生拼硬凑，不要硬拿英语单词到中文句子里去对号，否则写出中文式英语，闹出笑话。一般来讲，写作时，应尽量选出你有把握的词，尽量使用短句(简单句)。如果有的单词不会写，有的思想不会用英语表达，你可以设法绕开，最好找一个同义词、同义句，或近义词、词组短语来代替。要正确使用关联词，如and，or，but，so，because，since等，以便行文自然流畅。

五、修改润色，锦上添花。

作文写完之后，应注意检查修改，修改时先从全局修改。首先要检查主题是否明确，表达方式是否恰当，接下来检查所写内容是否切题，该交待的内容是否交待了，最后检查所用时态、人称是否符合要求，最后是否一致。

写完后，还应仔细校阅1—2遍。校阅要逐词逐句进行，注意检查语法、拼写、标点、大小写等方面的错误。校阅是自检的最后一关，应严肃认真的进行，尽可能地消灭一切差错，增强文章的效果。

因此，要写好一篇作文，不仅需要具有丰富的思想内容，掌握扎实的词汇、语法及修辞等方面的语言基本功，而且还需要掌握因不同思维方式和文化背景而形成的英语特有的篇章机构模式 惟有这样才能进行最有效的书面交际活动。

我有一个非常严厉的英语，老师我的英语老师姓郝，中等个，戴一副近视眼镜平时她一头如波浪线一样的美发，秀美且整洁，非常漂亮。

每天的英语课总有意象不道的知识，但是也有如水一样多的作业。我认为老师是为我们好，为了提高学习成绩，为了拿着一份满意的分数，为了打好英语的基础。老师您辛苦了，您劳累了。

老师您知道吗？记得初一上册，我是一个错单词很多小女孩，有一次您找我谈话，对我教育告诉我记单词的方法，通过和您与我的谈话启发了我，与现在相比我的错单词是越来越少，奥秘也一点一滴积累。老师我谢谢您！

其实每次您布置的作业避免很多。也会遭遇许多同学的默默言辞，但是我明白您是有您的道理的，您也为我们花了不少时光，您也为我们操出了几根银丝。

在我心中有一支永不熄灭的蜡烛，永远燃烧着生命之火，永远都充满着生机与活力，这支蜡烛是不是很像在我们身边的一位很值得我们敬佩的人呢？他在课上给我们讲做人的道理；在课后是我们的益友，如果同学遇到不明白的问题，她还会耐心地教导我们，没错，他就是我们的老师，“蜡烛时刻在提醒着我们，要处处为他人着想。”这也许是老师常说的吧！

一年了，老师曾为了我们掉过多少“珍珠”？而我们呢？却时常惹她生气，心中真是难过，也很后悔：我，一名中学生，没有全身心地努力。老师，我想对您说：“您为我们操劳，任劳任怨；您带我们进入知识的海洋，在那里遨游，使我们懂得书中的乐趣；您精心备课，与我们一起品味书中美妙的午餐；您如好朋友似的关切我们；是您，是您，还是您！您像一根红烛，为后辈奉献出所有的光和热！您的品质和精神，可以用两个字来形容那就是——燃烧！不停的燃烧！您像一只会说话的小鸟，来为我们讲课，是那么得丰富多彩，每一个章节都仿佛在我面前打开了一扇窗户，让我看到了一个斑斓的新世界……

老师谢谢您！

[我的英语老师初中叙事作文

I like reading novels, because in the novels, I can imagine the world that

the author creates, I treat myself as part of the novels, it feels like that I

witness all the incidents. I especially like to read short novels, because I

don’t have so much to read the long novels, I am studying in the high school, I

have many subjects to learn. I have little time only on the weekends. Short

novels only costs me about one day to finish reading, while the long novels will

take me more than a week to finish, if I hang on reading part of it, I will

think about it all the time and can’t focus my mind on studying. What’s more, I

like to read novels more than twice, so it is easy to do for me to read short

novels. I gain so much for read these short novels.

Main Characters: The little prince, the pilot, the rose, the fox, the snake, etc.

Despite I’ve not in my childhood yet, I still prefer reading fairy-tale stories. The tales, which accompany with me in my old days, often make me think of some precious experience and sensation which only belong to children. This summer I’ve review this kind of tale, which was published in 1940. It’s the world-famous fairy-tale by the French author, Antoine de St-Exupery, The Little Prince.

As many other fairy-tales, the outline of The Little Prince is not very complex. ―I‖, the narrator of the story, is a pilot whose plane has something wrong and lands in the Sahara. In this occasion, the pilot makes the acquaintance of the little prince, a little boy from another planet, the Asteroid B612. The little prince has escaped from his tiny planet, because he has some quarrel with a rose, which grows on his planet. In that case he left his own planet and took an exploration at some neighbor asteroids.

On his all-alone journey, the little prince meets different kinds of people, which includes a king, a conceited man, a tippler, a businessman, a lamplighter and a geographer. From these people he gets a conclusion that the grown-ups are very odd. Following the instruction of the geographer, he descends in the Sahara, on the earth.

Traveling on the earth, the little prince, who sees a garden of five-thousand roses, is overcome with astonishment and sadness, as he considers his rose is unique in the universe before. At that time a fox appears. The fox, who tell the little prince about the meaning of the word ―tame‖, becomes his new friend. At the time to say farewell, the fox makes him know that his rose is unique because she is his rose and tamed by him. From that the little prince begins to treasure friendship and be responsible to his rose.

At the anniversary day of his descent of the earth, rejecting the pilot’s advice, he goes back to his own planet by bite of a snake. ―It’s too far. I can not carry this body with me. It’s too heavy.‖ he said. He tells his friend, the pilot, he must be responsible for his rose, so he has to go back. At the end the author doesn’t tell us the ending directly. Maybe it’s more significant for us to imagine, and for more, think over.

[小王子初中英语读后感

（1）以单数名词或代词，动词不定式短语作主语时，谓语动词要用单数;主语为复数时，谓语用复数，例如：

He goes to school early every morning.

The children are playing outside.

To work hard is necessary for a student.

（2）由and或both……and连接的并列成分作主语时，谓语动词用复数。例如：

Both he and I are right.

Mr Black and Mrs Black have a son called Tom.

但并列主语如果指的是同一人，同一事物或同一概念，谓语动词用单数。例如：

His teacher and friend is a beautiful girl.

The poet and writer has come.

（3）由and连接的并列单数主语之前如果分别由each, every修饰时，其谓语动词要用单数形式。例如：

In our country every boy and every girl has the right to receive education.

Each man and each woman is asked to help.

（4）主语是单数时，尽管后面跟有 but ,except, besides, with 等介词短语，谓语动词仍用单数。例如：

The teacher with his students is going to visit the museum.

Nobody but two boys was late for class.

Bread and butter is a daily food in the west.

（5） 一些只有复数形式的名词，如people, police, cattle, clothes等作主语时，谓语动词要用复数。例如：

A lot of people are dancing outside.

The police are looking for lost boy.

（6）由each, some, any, no, every 构成的复合代词作主语时，谓语动词都用单数。例如：

Is everybody ready?

Somebody is using the phone.

（7）有两部分构成的物体的名词，如glasses, shoes, trousers, chopsticks, scissors 等作主语时，谓语动词用复数。例如：

Where are my shoes? I can’t find them.

Your trousers are dirty. You’d better change them.

如果这类名词前用了a pair of等，则往往用作单数，谓语动词的单复数形式往往取决于pair的单复数形式。例如：

Here are some new pairs of shoes.

My new pair of socks is on the bed.

The computer is a very useful machine. It is the most important invention

in many years. People use it widely today in many ways.

Most computers have memories. People can store information in them and take

it out at any time. Computers are getting smaller and smaller, and working

faster and faster.

Computer can do many kinds of work. Now in many large factories there are

very few people. Computers do most of the work. They really help a lot.

I have always had a wish in my heart, which is to go to the sea. This summer holiday, July 25, afternoon. We went to the changzhi railway station and sat down to the sun. The sound of the sound train slowly disappeared into the horizon.

On the train I saw the tall of taihang mountain, the Yellow River, the spectacular, sat for 7 hours, we finally come to rizhao railway station, the train get off a hot muggy, I know that I have come to rizhao.

Leave me the deepest reflected in sunshine is square, we went to the square, flew under the waves in the breeze of show more beautiful sea, it is really so beautiful sea grand, turbulent waters under the sway of sea breeze, contemplating the spirited, Mercedes, growled, rolled towards the shore. In rows of sea water, the waves of spray, and the thousands of beads of water, are sent to the sea. At this time. I admire the fact that the ancients could write such phrases as "the waves of the waves, the thousands of snow." I left 10,000 square beaches.

Seafood in the afternoon, we went to the supermarket, smell I go in I hate seafood flavor, under the advice of family I just know some seafood is delicious, I ate a lot. The suns seafood is cheap for 50 yuan for a 5 yuan sunshine.

In the two days of sunshine, we went to the sea by the sea. The journey is short but the scenery is always in my heart.

我心中一直有一个愿望，那就是去大海边看看。今年暑假的7月25日，下午。我们来到了长治火车站，坐上了到日照的专列。随着呜~呜~呜~的声音火车慢慢的消失在了地平在线。

在火车上我看见了太行山的高大，黄河的波澜壮阔，坐了7小时的火车我们终于来到了日照火车站，一下车闷热闷热的，我知道我已来到日照。

在日照给我留下最深映现的是万平口，我们到了万平口，哗哗哗的海浪在微风的吹拂下显的海更美丽了，那真的是太美了大海的气势恢弘，汹涌的海水在海风的吹拂下，似群群烈马，奔驰着，咆哮着，向岸边卷来。一排排海水，激起如雾的浪花，化做千千万万的水珠又汇向大海。此时;我真佩服古人能写出“惊涛拍岸，卷起千堆雪”这样的绝句。我依依不舍的离开了万平口海滩。

下午，我们来到了海鲜超市，我一进去就嗅到了我最讨厌的海鲜味，在家人的劝阻下我才知道有的海鲜好吃，我一口吃了一大把。日照的海鲜很便宜长治50元的日照买5元。

在日照的两天，我们在海边赶海。捕小鱼，行程虽短但，但美景却常绕在我心中。

Teacher is a great job in most students’ eyes. When they are asked what

they want to be in the future, most will say they want to be a teacher and make

a contribution to the society. Indeed, we have access to the teachers all the

time and they have great influence on us. So being a teacher is a ideal job for

most students, but for me, I want to be a librarian. I like reading books so

much and once I have time, I will be immersed in these novels. Books broaden my

vision, though I can’t travel to the places, I can still know about these famous

sites from these books. Being a librarian can make me have a lot of time to

read.

Because the Palace Museum is a place of five thousand years of brilliance

and ancient culture, so he has long been a tourist attraction in my heart, and

this summer vacation I have finally made a dream come true.

In Beijing I will ride my father and mother went to the tiananmen square,

across tiananmen square, the meridian gate of the world-famous greeted the hall

of supreme harmony, the hall of supreme harmony majestic, magnificent, colorful

glazed tile, such as a long arranged very neat. Curved corner with a monster,

four up the eaves of the cock appear grand hall of supreme harmony, to the hall

of supreme harmony, seventy-two large andalusite carved dragon painted chicken

shows the architecture of the feudal monarchy. The golden roof reflects the

majesty and status of the ancient Chinese emperors. The great hall looked solemn

and solemn, but the beauty of the appearance was so monotonous and heavy that I

was in vain. I dont know why I feel as if a group of puppets are standing

respectfully on either side of the house. Incense sticks up in the incense

burner, and the emperor sits high in the temple. The Palace Museum, a symbol of

the ancient kingship, has been invaded by a brick and a brick. It is far from

the palace of Buckingham Palace.

In the afternoon, we in addition to the front door, look back at taihe

light standing in tiananmen square, this magnificent buildings, so the layout of

the orderly, so solemn, not amazing, hope this trip to the Forbidden City will

become my eternal memory.

Wechat is a new app that almost all the people use on their phone. you can video chat when every you want and its for free. also you can talk through that app. its very convience. You can sreach for people who live around you who are using the same app. but at the same time, people are addict to it. they can not live without it. and people are having less and less conversation face to face. even worse, some people got tricked in this app, and lost lots of money. so this app can be good or bad, depend which way you using it.

我最喜欢的动物1

My favorite animals are swans.they are white.They can swim very well.I think they look like a beautiful girl in a white dress.They have a pair of wings and they can also fly well.I believe they are angles from the sky.They bring us love and make us happy.They are always friendly to us.We cant hurt them,because they are our friend.I love them!I like dogs,too.They are not beautiful,but they are the best friends.They keep the thieves away.Dogs have the best listening and eyes.They can hear in the noisy ,see in the dark.If we are in danger,they will help us at once.And they dont mind their lives.So,I love them.

我最喜欢的动物是天鹅。它们很洁白。它们很擅长游泳。我觉得它们看起来像一个穿着白色连衣裙的美丽女孩。它们替一对翅膀,并且可以飞。我相信它们是从天上来的。它们给了我们关爱,并且让我们快乐。它们对我们总是很友好，我们不能伤害他们，因为它们是我们的朋友。我爱它们!我也喜欢小狗，它们并不美丽，但他们是最好的朋友。它们可以防小偷。小狗有最好的听力和眼力。它们能在吵闹的环境中辩听出来,在黑暗中辩认出来.如果我们处于危险之中,他们将帮助我们脱离危险.它们从不吝啬它们的爱。所以，我爱它们。

我最喜欢的动物2

l like small animals, like the small animals to count my little black dog.

My little black dog she is cute! In black, shiny hairs, eyes with two white spots, like two white beads. On the head and on his thighs hair is very long, like a horse head to the ground. Straight ear, as if time in listening to what passed around. Thick and long broom tail swing, from time to time as a cleaner for free! More funny is that it always speaks with a wet nose toward me, like a sick child, seems to be very poor, in fact, I know it really want to play with me. In the invitation to me!

The little black dog temperament is very docile, very human nature. I get along with it for a long time, in love, it seems very understand me. Whenever I am angry, it squatted beside me quietly motionless and seems to want to accompany me through the sad time. I am happy, it will run up to and around me, "an auf" cried, very agreeable.

The puppy experience dangerous also have several times. Is the first time fell into the river, fortunately, was found to pull up, feed it to take medicine, good soon. And on several occasions by poison poison dog several times, but also by early treatment, will have to escape. From then on, it can sniff out those toxic food, what food non-toxic. Later, our dog never in poison. It very sharp!

I love my dog. I hope it will stay with me, to accompany me joyful growth!

我喜欢的小动物，最喜欢的小动物要数我家的那条小黑狗了。

我家的小黑狗可逗人喜欢啦!一身黑亮亮的绒毛，眼睛上面有两个白点，颇像两颗白色珠子。头上和大腿上的毛很长，像马鬓一样拖到地面。直楞楞的耳朵，好象时刻在倾听着周围有什么动静。又粗又长的扫帚尾巴不时摇摆着，像一个免费清洁工呢!更逗人的是它总翘着潮湿的鼻子向着我，像一个生病的孩子，看起来似乎很可怜，其实，我知道它很想和我玩。在向我发出邀请呢!

小黑狗的性情很温顺，很通人性。我和它相处久了，产生了感情，它好像很理解我。每当我生气的时候，它就静静地蹲在我身边一动也不动，似乎想陪我度过那难过的时间;我高兴的时候，它就会围着我跑来跑去，“汪汪汪”地叫着，很讨人喜欢。

小狗的经历危险也有几次。第一次是掉进了河里，幸好被人发现拉了上来，喂给它吃药，不久就好了。还有几次是被毒狗的人毒了几次，幸好也被及早治疗，才得脱险了。从那以后，它就能嗅出那些食物有毒，哪些食物无毒。后来，我家的狗再也没中过毒。它够机灵吧!

我喜欢我家的小狗。我希望它永远伴随我左右，陪我快乐成长!

我最喜欢的动物3

My home have a clever dog flow li, it has a beautiful name - the ball ball.

Ball ball body white as snow, two big eyes, nose and smooth detour, tail short, chopped far look like a small ball.

It particularly fond of sleep. One time, I take a shower, its in the sitting room east and west, then walk to a bedside table, really boring lives had a good stretch, belly up, carefree lying on the ground. Surface tilted his head to left, two small claw tightly embrace together, very intoxicated with close my eyes and fell asleep. When I take a shower, when he was looking for it to play, see it was fast asleep.

It is not only love to sleep, also very greedy. Remember once, we eat the delicious ribs, the ball ball saw this, he swallowed the mouth water, see it, I really dont have the heart to, had to throw a bone to the ground, the dog jumped up, quickly, he grabbed the bones, climbed to the bed, the Wolf to eat it, eat with relish.

This is my familys good sleep and greedy ball ball, do you like it?

我家有一只聪明怜俐的小狗，它有一个好听的名字—球球。

球球全身毛白如雪，铜铃大眼，鼻子滑漉漉的，尾巴短短的，远看就像一个小茸球。

它特别喜欢睡觉。有一次，我去洗澡，它在客厅东走走，西逛逛，实在无聊了便走到床头柜下，抻了个懒腰，肚皮朝上，悠然自得的躺在地上。小脑袋向左面歪着，两只小爪紧紧的抱在一起，很陶醉的闭上眼睛睡着了。等我洗完澡，正想找它玩的时候，看到它已经呼呼大睡了。

它不但爱睡觉，还很贪吃。记得有一次，我们吃着香喷喷的排骨，球球看见了，馋得直流口水，看到它的样子，我真的不忍心，只好向地上抛了一块骨头，小狗跳了起来，迅速地叼住了骨头，爬到了床底下，狼吞虎咽地吃了起来，吃得津津有味。

这就是我们家贪吃好睡的球球，你们喜欢它吗?

There is a library in our school. It is open from eight oclock in the morning till half past five in the afternoon. We often go there to borrow books.

We can borrow five books at a time and keep them for two weeks. If we cant finish reading them in two weeks, we can go and renew them. The librarian is always ready to help the students. If the book you want is out, she will help you to choose another one. We always take good care of the borrowed books. We can also look through newspapers and magazines in the reading-room, but we are not allowed to take them out of the reading-room.

When memory began for me, my grandfather was past sixty-a great tall man

with thick hair becoming gray. He had black eyes and a straight nose which ended

in a slightly flattened tip. Once he explained seriously to me that he got that

flattened tip as a small child when he fell down and stepped on his nose.

The little marks of laughter at the corners of his eyes were the prodnct of

a kindly and humorous nature. The years of work which had bent his shoulders had

never dulled his humour nor his love of a joke.

Everywhere he went, "Gramp" made friends easily. At the end of half an hour

you felt you had known him all your life. I soon learned that he hated to give

orders , but that when he had to, he tried to make his orders sound like

suggestions.

One July morning, as he was leaving to go to the cornfield, he said :

"Edwin, you can pick up the potatoes in the field today if you want to do that.

" Then he drove away with his horses.

The day passed, and I did not have any desire to pick up potatoes. Evening

came and the potatoes were still in the field. Gramp, dusty and tired, led the

horses to get their drink.

"How many bags of potatoes were there?" Gramp inquired. "I dont know.

"

"How many potatoes did you pick up?"

"I didnt pick any. " "Not any! Why not?"

"You said I could pick, them up if I wanted to. You didnt say I had to.

"

In the next few minutes I learned a lesson I would not forget: when Gramp

said I could if I wanted to, he meant that I should want to.

Gram hated cruelty and injustice. The injustices of history, even those of

a thousand years before, angered her as much as the injustices of her own

day.

She also had a deep love of beauty. When she was almost seventy-five, and

had gone to live with one of her daughters, she spent a delightful morning

washing dishes because, as she said, the beautiful patterns on the dishes gave

her pleasure. The bird, the flowers, the clouds-all that was beautiful around

her- pleased her. She was like the father of the French painter, Millet, who

used to gather grass and show it to his son , saying , "See how beautif ul this

is ! "

In a pioneer society it is the harder qualities of mind and character that

are of value. The softer virtues are considered unnecessary. Men and women

struggling daily to earn a living are unable, even for a moment, to forget the

business of preserving their lives. Only unusual people, like my grandparents,

manage to keep the softer qualities in a world of daily struggle.

Such were the two people with whom I spent the months from June to

September in the wonderful days of summer and youth.