Philo & Sophia · 754 AUC

Tales of the Library of Alexandria

In which Philo and Sophia never leave the library, the garden, or the harbour, and eight ordinary afternoons turn out to hold the whole architecture of a sentence

Alexandria, in the first year of the hundred and ninety-fifth Olympiad. Philo is a young Jewish scholar who studies and copies scrolls at the Great Library. Sophia is a Greek woman who works and teaches there — some of the younger clerks say she is touched by the goddess of wisdom herself — and who often meets Philo among the stacks to debate philosophy, language, and the nature of the world.

Each lesson below contains a short story featuring Philo and Sophia, a simple explanation of one part of speech, examples drawn directly from the story, and three practice questions. Read each story aloud once for enjoyment, then reread it hunting for the part of speech it teaches.

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Lesson One: Nouns — The Scrolls of the Library

Philo walked through the great hall. The library held thousands of scrolls, and every scroll told a story. Sophia stood near a tall column, holding a map of the stars. "Philo," she said, "this papyrus shows the constellations of Egypt, Babylon, and Greece." A scribe carried a basket of ink and reed pens toward a table. Outside, the harbor sparkled, and ships from Rome, Carthage, and Judea rested at anchor. Philo touched the scroll gently, for wisdom, he believed, deserved reverence.

A. Naming places

Find five nouns naming places in the story.

B. Naming ideas

Find two nouns naming ideas rather than things you can touch.

C. Your turn

Write three sentences of your own about the library, using at least one noun in each.

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Lesson Two: Pronouns — A Riddle at the Reading Table

Sophia sat down beside Philo. "I have a riddle for you," she said. "It concerns a scroll that no one can read." Philo raised an eyebrow. "Who wrote it?" he asked. "No one knows," Sophia replied. "They say it belonged to a priest, and he hid its meaning in a code." Philo picked it up carefully; it was older than any scroll he had seen. "May I study it?" he asked. "You may," Sophia said, "if you promise to share what you find with me."

A. Find them all

Find every pronoun in the story and say which noun each one replaces.

B. Swap it in

Rewrite this sentence, replacing the underlined noun with a pronoun: "Philo opened the scroll, and the scroll was very old."

C. Your turn

Write two sentences about Sophia without using her name more than once — use a pronoun the second time.

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Lesson Three: Verbs — The Debate in the Garden

Philo and Sophia walked into the garden behind the library. Birds sang among the fig trees. Sophia argued that the stars moved in perfect circles. Philo disagreed; he believed the heavens followed a hidden order no eye could fully see. They debated for an hour. Sophia laughed and pointed at the sky. Philo smiled and wrote her words on a wax tablet. The sun set, and shadows stretched across the garden path.

A. List them

List every verb in the story in the order it appears.

B. Sort them

Which verbs show physical action, and which show mental action (like believing or disagreeing)?

C. Your turn

Write three sentences describing what Philo does in the library, using a different verb in each.

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Lesson Four: Adjectives — The Gift from Judea

A merchant arrived with a heavy chest from Judea. Inside lay a beautiful blue robe, a small silver lamp, and three ancient coins. Sophia examined the smooth silver lamp with delight. "This is a rare gift," she said. Philo lifted the old coins and studied their worn faces. "This coin," he said, "is older than the great library itself." Sophia held up the soft blue robe against the bright afternoon light.

A. Find them all

Find every adjective and name the noun it describes.

B. How many?

Which word tells "how many" instead of "what kind"?

C. Your turn

Describe your own imaginary gift using at least four adjectives.

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Lesson Five: Adverbs — The Storm on the Harbor

The wind blew suddenly, and the sky darkened quickly. Philo ran anxiously toward the harbor, where Sophia stood watching the waves crash violently against the stone wall. "Come inside!" he shouted loudly. Sophia turned slowly and smiled calmly, unafraid of the storm. They walked back together, speaking softly as the rain finally stopped.

A. Match them up

List each adverb and the verb it describes.

B. Find one

Which adverb tells how Sophia smiled?

C. Your turn

Rewrite this sentence adding an adverb: "Philo walked toward the library."

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Lesson Six: Prepositions — A Walk Through Alexandria

Philo and Sophia walked through the market, past the fishmongers, and along the harbor wall. They climbed up the steps of the lighthouse and looked out over the sea. Beneath them, sailors loaded crates onto ships. Sophia leaned against the railing, and Philo stood beside her, watching the sun sink below the horizon.

A. Find the pairs

Find every preposition and the noun that follows it (this pair is called a "prepositional phrase").

B. Sort them

Which prepositions describe direction? Which describe position?

C. Your turn

Write two sentences describing where you are sitting right now, using at least one preposition each.

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Lesson Seven: Conjunctions — A Disagreement, and a Friendship

Philo believed in one God, but Sophia honored many gods. They disagreed often, yet they remained close friends. Philo could study the Torah, or he could study Greek philosophy, and he often did both. Sophia respected his faith, for she valued wisdom wherever it was found. "We may believe differently," she said, "but we can still learn from each other."

A. Find the joins

Find every conjunction and say what two ideas it connects.

B. Swap it out

Try replacing "but" with "yet" in one sentence — does the meaning change?

C. Your turn

Write a sentence about Philo and Sophia using the conjunction "because."

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Lesson Eight: Interjections — Surprise in the Scriptorium

"Aha!" cried Philo, holding up an old scroll. "I have found the missing passage!" Sophia rushed over. "Oh! Let me see it." "Behold," Philo said, unrolling it carefully, "the very words the scribe hid a hundred years ago." "Wow," Sophia whispered, "this changes everything we believed." "Indeed!" Philo laughed. "Alas, we must copy it before the ink fades further."

A. List them

List each interjection and describe the emotion it expresses.

B. Find the odd one out

Which interjection expresses sorrow or regret rather than joy?

C. Your turn

Write three interjections you might use if you discovered something amazing.

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The eight, at a glance — for copying out