Thirty Days Hath September

Thirty days hath* September, [*hath is an old way to say has or have]
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
except February alone
which has four and twenty-four
till leap-year gives it one day more.

1. CONVERSATION
Please answer the questions in complete sentences.
a. What do September, April, June, and November have in common?

____________________________________________________________

2. Questions that ask about things in common can be answered with BOTH or ALL.
For example,
a. Q: What do you and your husband have in common?
A: My husband and I have an interest in travel in common. We both like to travel.

b. Q: What do you and your classmates have in common?
A: We all are studying English.

c. Q: What do you and your partner have in common?
A: ________________________________________________________________

3. What does “all the rest” refer to in this poem?
_____________________________________________________________

4. Use the only with a noun, for example, the only meal, the only book,
the only student I am the only student from Japan in this class.
Your turn. You write a sentence with the only.
___________________________________________________________

5. What is different about February?
________________________________________________________________________



6. How often does “leap year” come?
________________________________________________________________________

7. GRAMMAR Count and non-count nouns

count nouns singular plural
a/an/one book books
a/one child children
an/umbrella umbrellas


non-count nouns singular
coffee
rice
furniture
homework
news
advice

ALL THE . . . = ALL OF THE
e.g. All (of) the restaurants in Chinatown are expensive.
We ate all the rice in the refrigerator.


8. all the (all the + a noun non-count or plural )

Your turn. Please write all the + count noun
a. ________________________________________________________________

all the + non-count noun
b. _______________________________________________________________

or all my/your//his/her/our/their (all my + a noun non-count or plural )
all my + count noun
c. _______________________________________________________________

all my + non-count noun
d. _______________________________________________________________



9.Find the subjects and verbs in the rhyme. Underline the subjects with one line.
Underline the verbs with two lines.

10. What is “it” in the last line? ___________________________________

11. Choose has or have for the following sentences:

a. September, April, June, and November ___________________ _______ days.

b. All _________________________ __________ 31 days.

c. February ____________ ______ days.

d. In leap-year, February __________ ______ days.

12. Is the poem a mnemonic [a memory help]? ____yes _____no
13. If yes, why? ____________________________________________________



14. Knuckles

1 There is also a mnemonic [a memory help].
2 Count on the knuckles of one's hand to remember the numbers of days of the months.
3 Count knuckles as 31 days, depressions between knuckles as 30 (or 28/29) days.
4 Start with the pointer knuckle as January,
5 6 Count one finger at a time towards the pinky knuckle (July), saying the months as you go.
7 Then jump back to the pointer knuckle (now August) and continue for the remaining months.


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