PROSE COMPOSITION

WITH ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

By

EDWARD FULTON, Ph.D.

eng

Wort Morris tact

COPYRIGHT, 1911,

BY

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS

RAHWAY, N. J.

KW

PREFACE

In the main, the present work is a revision of the author's Rhetoric and Composition, published some five or six years ago. A radical change of plan and the addition of a number of specimens of the different types of composition have seemed, however, to justify the use of a new title.

The author wishes to repeat here his earlier acknowledgment of obligations to other writers in the same field. He wishes also to express his appreciation of the courtesy of the various publishers who have kindly permitted him to take illustrative material from works copyrighted or authoritatively published by them.

176255

CONTENTS

PART I

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

PAGE

1

3

6

.

1. WRITING AN ART

Imitating good models—The study and application

of principles.

2. WRITING IMPLIES THINKING .

Composition a building up process—Sources of the

writer's material-Individuality in writing-Import-

ance of the habit of observing things.

3. PLANNING THE COMPOSITION

How to secure unity-How to secure coherence-

The management of the beginning and the ending.

4. PARAGRAPHING

The function of the paragraph—The normal para-

graph scheme-Developing the topic-Unity and

coherence in the paragraph—The beginning and the

ending--Length of the paragraph-Providing for

transitions.

5. THE STRUCTURE OF THE SENTENCE

Unity in the sentence-Length of the sentence-Co-

herence in the sentence-Typical causes of incoher-

ence-Interdependence of sentences in the para-

graph—The need of variety-Emphasis in the sen-

tence—The use of the periodic sentence.

6. THE CHOICE OF WORDS

For clearness-For accuracy-For force.

28

43