New York: Macmillan & Co., Limited, 1905. – 228 р.
That English composition in its earliest stages can be better taught by oral than by written exercises is an impression that for some time past has been gaining ground in educational circles. It is hoped, therefore, that an elementary text-book, prepared as this has been on an oral basis, will not be deemed superfluous.
The examples for practice have been printed in a type larger than usual, so that the beginner may have no difficulty in reading them at sight. He will thus be able to give all his attention to doing whatever the heading to the exercise may require him to do, such as supplying omitted words, correcting errors of grammar or order, analysing sentences orally, recasting the form of sentences, substituting equivalent words, etc.
It is of course open to the teacher at any time to have some of these examples worked out by the student at the desk and shown up to him in writing; and this may be advisable at times for the sake of variety, or for purposes of revision after an exercise has been done orally, or for practice in spelling and penmanship.
The student who uses this book must not expect that because we have given two chapters on "Grammatical Rules bearing on Composition" and appended a large number of exercises to each of them, he can be spared the trouble of acquiring some knowledge of English grammar before he begins, especially a knowledge of Accidence, of the uses of the Parts of Speech, and a few leading grammatical principles. We have attempted in this little book to breathe some life into grammar by giving a great deal of practice in its forms and rules, but not to supply the place of a grammatical treatise.
CONTENTS
Simple Grammatical Rules bearing on Composition
Verb and Subject
Affirmative and Negative Sentences
Nominative and Objective Cases
4 Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
Twenty-seven sets of Exercises.
Formation of Simple Sentences
Nineteen sets of Exercises
Further Grammatical Rules bearing on Composition
Relative and Interrogative Pronouns
Adjectives and Adverbs
Articles
Change of Form in Noun, Pronoun, or Verb
Sequence of Tenses
Twenty-two sets of Exercises.
Combination of Simple Sentences
To Combine Simple Sentences into a Simple Sentence
To Combine Simple Sentences into a Com¬pound Sentence
To Combine Simple Sentences into a Com¬plex Sentence
The Formation of Mixed Sentences
Ten Sets of Exercises
Direct and Indirect Speech
Five sets of Exercises.
Order of Words and Phrases
Two sets of Exercises
The Use and Discrimination of Words
To substitute Equivalent Words
To discriminate Words nearly allied in Meaning
To supply the Opposites to given Words
To supply Words formed with Affixes
To supply Prepositions after certain Words
To substitute one Part of Speech for another
Thirteen sets of Exercises
