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Let us, then, look to the beginning and the ending of our paragraphs. In self-defense we need to attend to this matter of emphasis; otherwise the reader may lay stress on what we consider of slight importance.

EXERCISES

333. Point out the purpose of the opening and the closing sentence of the following paragraph.

THE SHELL AND THE BOOK

A child and a man were one day walking on the seashore when the child found a little shell and held it to his ear. Suddenly he heard sounds, strange, low, melodious sounds, as if the shell were remembering and repeating to itself the murmurs of its ocean home. The child's face filled with wonder as he listened. Here in the little shell, apparently, was a voice from another world, and he listened with delight to its mystery and music. Then came the man, explaining that the child heard nothing strange; that the pearly curves of the shell simply caught a multitude of sounds too faint for human ears, and filled the glimmering hollows with the murmur of innumerable echoes. It was not a new world, but only the unnoticed harmony of the old that had aroused the child's wonder. — W. J. LONG, "English Literature."

334. Write a paragraph on the three most desirable traits in a boy or a girl, on the three most attractive ways of spending leisure time, or on any other subject.

335. Arrange the following sentences so that they shall make a paragraph which has unity, coherence, and emphasis.

But there was both luster and depth in her eyes.

Neither did her face with the brown ringlets on either side, and the slightly piquant nose, and the wholesome bloom, and the clear shade of tan, and the half a dozen freckles, friendly remembrances of the April sun and breeze-precisely give us a right to call her beautiful.

She shocked no canon of taste; she was admirably in keeping with herself, and never jarred against surrounding circumstances.

She was very pretty; as graceful as a bird, and graceful much in the same way; as pleasant about the house as a gleam of sunshine falling on the floor through a shadow of twinkling leaves, or as a ray of firelight that dances on the wall while evening is drawing nigh. Her figure, to be sure, so small as to be almost childlike, and so elastic that motion seemed as easy or easier to it than rest, hardly have suited one's idea of a countess.

would

336. Make a plan for either the second selection on page 186, or the first on page 254. Can you rearrange the topics so as to give the paragraph greater emphasis? Discuss the present arrangement.

337. Rewrite the following paragraph. Omit useless words, and secure paragraph emphasis.

The Morning Transcript is, in my opinion, one of the best papers in the city. It gives the news from all parts of the world. I like the paper for three reasons: first, it tells me all the news; second, it expresses the ideas plainly so that every one can understand the meaning. This paper tells the exact truth, and most of the people in the city buy it.

111. Emphasis through Proportion. If you were to talk for ten minutes to thirty younger boys and girls, you would probably spend most of your time on what you considered the most important or most interesting topic. In the same way, to give proper emphasis to the most important details of a paragraph, you must give them sufficient space.

EXERCISES

338. In the following extract from a journal, what detail did the pupil wish to emphasize most? Did he secure the emphasis by giving this suggestion the most space, or the best position, or both?

TIMELY SUGGESTIONS ON BIRD STUDY

If one is going to study birds this year, he should begin at once [February 23], so as to know all the species that are now here, for within two weeks new birds will begin to arrive, and in six weeks we shall have thirty more species. There are many important things which are much easier to learn now than later in the season. Get between the sun and your bird; otherwise you will not be able to tell a scarlet tanager from a robin. Do not puzzle over shy, small, sober-colored birds at first; confine yourself to those having marked characteristics. Learn the songs of as many birds as you can. Make notes on everything you observe; you cannot make too many, provided they are accurate. Above all things never hurry. Identify your birds with caution; be sure you are right. Never raise even your glasses hurriedly, for many shy birds will be frightened away by the flash of the sun upon the lens. When in search of birds, pause frequently and you will see and hear much that would otherwise escape you. Therefore the motto of the successful ornithologist should be, "Slow and sure.”

339. Write a paragraph in which you try to secure emphasis both by proportion and by position. First make a list of topics. You may give suggestions in regard to doing something which you know well how to do.

340. Write a paragraph on a subject taken from a book which you have read recently. First make a list of topics. These subjects from "The Last of the Mohicans "may be suggestive:

1. The Night in the Cave. 2. A Character Sketch of Hawkeye. 3. The Basest Character. 4. The Weakest Character. (Compare at least two characters.) 5. David Gamut's Good Qualities.

341. Exchange papers, and write in a single sentence the thought which you consider the most important in each paragraph you examine.

342. Write a theme on one of the following subjects: Caring for Plants; Setting the Table for Dinner; Managing a Canoe; Enjoying a Boat; Learning to Swim.

343. In class, write out and hand in with the theme just written a statement of the following points:

1. What is the main thought of each paragraph and of the theme as a whole?

2. Point out any good connectives, and any lack of connection. 3. How, if at all, is emphasis secured?

344. Give an account of one of your recent experiences. Write in a simple, straightforward way as rapidly as you can. In revising, test the unity, coherence, and emphasis of the paragraph or paragraphs.

345. Exchange themes and criticize (1) form, (2) sentence structure, (3) punctuation, (4) spelling, (5) emphasis (as in Ex. 343), (6) interest.

346. Write a theme on any subject you please.

347. Exchange papers and, as examiner, answer these questions:

1. Is it interesting? Point out what you like best in the work. 2. Is it adequate ? Make a note of any topics which in your opinion should be included.

3. Is it to the point? Make an O in the margin against any sentence which had better be omitted.

4. Can you suggest any improvements in (1) form, (2) sentence structure, (3) punctuation, (4) spelling, (5) unity, (6) coherence, (7) emphasis, or (8) interest?

348. Write an account of to-day's recitation in history. See that your report is (1) adequate and (2) to the point. Make it a valuable record to any pupil who is absent to-day, or to a pupil who may enter the school after to-day.

349. Exchange papers and, as examiner, answer the questions given in Exercise 347.

350. In class, give the substance of what you have learned about writing themes.

112. Development of the Paragraph. In writing independent paragraphs, we have learned much about longer themes. Still more may be learned by examining a few common ways of developing paragraphs, and practice in writing all these kinds will insure considerable variety in our composition work. It must be understood that a paragraph, or a longer theme, often combines two or more of these methods of development, but in the interest of simplicity we shall give our attention chiefly to the illustration of single methods. The different methods of development are the following: (1) by details, (2) by examples, (3) by repetition, (4) by comparison and contrast, (5) by cause and effect. 1. By details. It is often convenient to begin a composition and a paragraph with a general statement which serves the twofold purpose of introduction and topic sentence. One natural development from such a beginning is by details. If we are to develop the subject "The Way of Transgressors is Hard" by details, we may point out that the wrongdoer is shunned by those who were his friends, that he is constantly reminded of the sorrow which his deeds have caused his family, that his own guilty conscience troubles his sleep and makes life a burden instead of a joy, that his health suffers from the constant worry of past misdeeds. Read the following and see page 246, paragraph 1; “Sunset Colors," page 225; and the paragraphs quoted on pages 289-293.

A single day in the life of a civilized man discloses the services of a multitude of helpers. When he rises, a sponge is placed in his hands by a Pacific Islander, a cake of soap by a Frenchman, a rough towel by a Turk. His merino underwear he takes from the hand of a Spaniard, his linen from a Belfast manufacturer, his outer

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