497 1 supp.txt JOHN HANCOCK TAX-EXEMPT SERIES
------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Bond Fund John Hancock Large Cap Growth Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Balanced Fund John Hancock Large Cap Value Fund ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ John Hancock Biotechnology Fund John Hancock Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Core Equity Fund John Hancock Mid Cap Growth Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Core Growth Fund John Hancock Multi Cap Growth Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Core Value Fund John Hancock New York Tax-Free Bond Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock California Tax Free Income Fund John Hancock Real Estate Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Financial Industries Fund John Hancock Regional Bank Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Focused Relative Value Fund John Hancock Small Cap Growth Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Growth Trends Fund John Hancock Small Cap Value Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Government Income Fund John Hancock Sovereign Investors Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Health Sciences Fund John Hancock Strategic Income Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock High Yield Bond Fund John Hancock Technology Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock High Yield Tax-Free Fund John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- John Hancock Intermediate Government Fund ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
Supplement to the Statement of Additional Information SALES COMPENSATION From July 30, 2001 through September 28, 2001 participating Selling Brokers will receive the full applicable sales charge on sales of Class A shares (a 25 basis point additional payment on sales of Class A shares of $1 million or more), a 50 basis point additional payment on sales of Class B shares, and a 25 basis points additional payment on sales of Class C shares. July 30, 2001