PART V.

ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION.

INTRODUCTION.

1. Composition is the art of expressing thought by means of words combined in sentences.

TO THE TEACHER.-See Appendix, p. 263, Sug. 13.

Exercises like the following should precede the lessons in composition given in this work:

1. Conversation-lessons. These lessons should be (1) on topics with which pupils are familiar, and (2) on topics with which they may become familiar by observation or reading.

2. Copying exercises. Pupils may be required (1) to copy part of their reading-lesson, geography-lesson, etc., and (2) to copy from dictation.

3. Oral and written descriptions of familiar objects and pictures.

4. Exercises in committing and reciting beautiful extracts, poems, etc. These exercises should be continued through the entire course.

Written recitations are an important part of a course in composition, and should not be omitted.

In the "INTRODUCTION" the following subjects are briefly considered: 1. Capital Letters; 2. Punctuation; 3. Use of Words; 4. Use of Sentences; 5. Figures of Speech.

CAPITAL LETTERS.

2. The following words should begin with capital letters:

1. The first word of a sentence.

2. The first word of a line of poetry.

3. The first word of a direct quotation. (7, 6.)

4. Names representing the Deity.

EXAMPLES.-"Trust in Providence."

"Thou Great First Cause."

And also, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Saviour, the Holy Trinity, etc. Pronouns representing the Deity are generally capitalized, when used in direct address without an antecedent; as, "O Thou that hearest the mourner's prayer," etc. But see the Holy Bible.

5. Particular names, and words derived from them.

EXAMPLES.-John Smith, France, Augustan, French.

We write "The Red River," because both words are needed to form the name, and "The Ohio river," because the word river is not part of the name. 6. Titles, and abbreviations of particular names and titles.

EXAMPLE.-Prof. Jas. W. West, A. M.

Titles like sir, madam, your honor, etc., are usually not capitalized. 7. The names of things regarded as persons.

EXAMPLE.-" Out of the bosom of the Air."

8. The names of the months and of the days of the week.

9. The important words in a heading.

EXAMPLE.-"A song entitled 'The Last Rose of Summer.'" 10. Words of special importance.

EXAMPLE.-"The Centennial Exhibition."

The names of religious sects and political parties should usually begin with capitals.

11. The pronoun I and the interjection O should be written with capitals.

EXERCISES.

3. Explain the use of the capitals in your geographylesson. In your reading-lesson.

4. Copy the following sentences, using capitals where necessary:

1. god might have made the earth bring forth enough for great and small, the oak-tree and the cedar-tree, without a flower at

all.'-mary howitt. 2. carlyle wrote a work entitled "the french revolution." 3. do you think any one should begin a letter by saying, “i take my pen in hand to let you know that i am well"?

1. A four-line stanza.

PUNCTUATION.

5. Punctuation is the art of dividing written composition by means of marks, or points.

"Punctuation is based upon grammatical analysis."-Westlake.

"The purpose

of every point is to indicate to the eye the construction of the sentence in which it occurs."-A. S. Hill.

6. The Principal Points used are the comma, the semicolon, the colon, the period, the interrogation-point, the exclamation-point, the dash, marks of parenthesis, brackets, and quotation-marks.

The Comma (,).

7. The Comma is used

1. Between every two words or phrases of a series of more than two in the same construction.

EXAMPLES.- -"Carlyle's translations of Goethe's works are powerful, accurate, and graceful." "God's spirit is in us, around us, and above us."

2. Between two words or phrases of equal rank, when the conjunction is omitted.

EXAMPLE." Sober, industrious men are needed."

3. To set off appositive nouns and adjective clauses that are explanatory, but not restrictive.

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EXAMPLES." John Bunyan, an illiterate tinker, wrote 'Pilgrim's Progress,' the great allegory." Geoffrey Chaucer, who is called the father of English poetry, died in the last year of the fourteenth century."

4. To set off transposed phrases and clauses.

EXAMPLES." Since the time of Chaucer, there have been only two poets who at all resemble him."-Lander. "If Swift's life was the most wretched, I think Addison's was one of the most enviable."

5. To set off interposed words, phrases, and clauses.

EXAMPLES." It was, indeed, of no avail." "The dervise, in the Arabian tale, did not hesitate to abandon his comrade." "And so, as Tiny Tim observed, 'God bless us, every one!""

6. To set off short quotations informally introduced. EXAMPLE." Who said, 'Let us have peace' ?"

7. To set off independent elements. EXAMPLE.-"Fly, brother, fly!"

8. Frequently, to mark the ellipsis of a word. EXAMPLES." Burke was a statesman; Cowper, a poet." "Tickets, fifty cents."

9. Sometimes, at the end of a long subject.

EXAMPLE." The Convention which assembled at Paris in 1792, decreed that royalty was abolished in France.”

10. Sometimes, between the members of a compound sentence that are not subdivided by commas.

EXAMPLE.—“ We love Burns, and we pity him."—Carlyle.

11. When necessary to prevent ambiguity.

What does the adverb modify in "He who breaks his promises frequently loses the confidence of his friends"?

EXERCISES.

8. Copy ten sentences, to illustrate the first ten rules for the comma.

9. Supply omitted commas:

1. Macaulay is learned vivacious and elegant; Sydney Smith vigorous and witty.-Underwood. 2. Morally the general superiority of women over men is I think unquestionable.

3.

Between the dark and the daylight

When night is beginning to lower

Comes a pause in the day's occupations

That is known as the children's hour.-Longfellow.

The Semicolon (;).

10. The Semicolon is used

1. Between the members of a compound sentence that are subdivided by commas.

EXAMPLE." He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father."-Dickens.

2. Between members that are loosely connected.

EXAMPLE. "I'll answer him by law; I'll not budge an inch.”—Shak. 3. Before as, viz., namely, etc., when they introduce examples or illustrations.

EXERCISES.

11. Copy two sentences that illustrate the first rule.

12. Punctuate:

1. It was now Miss Gilbert's office to engage the audience and her little troop of infantry was put through its evolutions and exercises, to the astonishment and delight of all beholders.-Holland. 2. In 1848, Donald G. Mitchell visited Europe for the second time and on his return he published "The Battle Summer.”

The Colon (:).

13. The Colon is used

1. Before an enumeration, or a quotation introduced by "as follows," or an equivalent expression.

EXAMPLE.-"The following persons were elected: President, John Doe; Vice-President, Richard Roe."

2. Sometimes, to separate the members of a compound sentence that are subdivided by semicolons.

14. Punctuate:

EXERCISE.

The Chair makes the following appointments Orator Edward Brooks Essayist Florence Dean.