5.5 Grammar in Use

As Chapter 5 is a poem, we focus first on its poetic devices, then on a useful grammar point.

1. Rhyme scheme

The poem is written in rhyming couplets — pairs of lines that rhyme one after another (AA BB CC …). For example, snow rhymes with go, and throng with along. This steady, paired rhyme gives the poem a gentle, song-like flow that suits its tender subject.

2. Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words. In “helping hand,” the h sound repeats. Alliteration makes a phrase pleasant to say and easy to remember.

3. Imagery

Imagery is language that creates a picture in the reader’s mind. The phrase “Alone, uncared for, amid the throng” lets us see the old woman standing helpless in a busy, indifferent crowd. Strong imagery makes us feel the scene, not just read it.

4. Contrast

The poem leans on contrast — placing opposites side by side. The careless crowd and the merry, thoughtless schoolboys are set against the one kind boy; the old woman’s loneliness is set against the warmth of the boy’s help. Contrast makes the act of kindness shine all the brighter.

Devices at a glance Rhyme: couplets (AABB…) · Alliteration: “helping hand” · Imagery: “amid the throng” · Contrast: the careless crowd vs the one kind boy.

Practice. Name the device:

  1. “helping hand”
  2. “Alone, uncared for, amid the throng”
  3. The thoughtless crowd set against the one kind boy.
  1. Alliteration   2. Imagery   3. Contrast

A grammar point: degrees of comparison

Adjectives have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative (comparing two), and superlative (comparing three or more).

Positive Comparative Superlative
kind kinder kindest
old older oldest
happy happier happiest
careful more careful most careful

For example: the one boy was kinder than the rest, and perhaps the kindest of them all.

Practice. Fill in the correct degree:

  1. The kind boy was ___ (thoughtful) than the others. (comparative)
  2. Helping the old woman was the ___ (noble) act of the day. (superlative)
  3. The street grew ___ (slippery) as the snow melted. (comparative)
  1. more thoughtful   2. noblest (most noble)   3. more slippery