FOUNDATION ENGLISH PART I EXPRESSION OF IDEAS IN THE SHORT THEME LESSON I I. Preliminaries for the Expression of Ideas. 1. Where may we gain these ideas? (1) By observation of the world about us. The things which we see and hear and do, these offer the most real and vital ideas, because they come within our experience. They offer the facts of life. The great teacher, Horace Mann, once wrote to his sister, who was complaining that she had nothing to write about, "The whole world is before you and offers itself for your selection." "Make the most of this beautiful star-the earth," says Leigh Hunt. (2) By imagination. Building upon fact we may create an edifice of fancy. In other words we may "make up" ideas about things; we may "build a bridge to dreamland for our lay.' (3) By suggestion. The open heart and the receptive mind will never lack ideas. They may be suggested to us by what other people have written or said, by conversing with others, or by listening to conversations. 2. How may we express these ideas? (1) By the medium of language either written or spoken. Language consists primarily of words. A word is the spoken or written sign of an idea. When we put two or more words together, we make a Composition. For example, the word "birds" represents an idea, so does the word "sing." When we put the two words together, we make a composition, and express a new idea that "Birds sing." Composition1 is the putting together of ideas expressed in words. The sum or stock of words which we have at our command we call our Vocabulary. It can be easily seen that if we are to gain ideas by observation, imagination, and suggestion, we shall need a large and varied and forcible vocabulary in which to express them. The Lessons in this book will help us thus to express ourselves. Each Lesson will take up first an essential rule of composition with exercises for practice; and second, written or spoken expression of ideas embodied in so-called Compositions. (2) The form of Composition. In the sense in which the term composition is used in this book, we mean our ideas on a certain subject put together, and either spoken before the class, or written on paper and handed to the teacher for inspection. Sometimes for convenience we call such written compositions, "themes." The oral compositions, for a time at least, will consist largely in reproducing other people's ideas, because the time which we can devote to such work is so short › Expressions in bold face type should be committed to memory. and the supervision so scanty. The work in literature will help greatly in the oral expression of ideas. Moreover, whatever helps in written expression will help also in oral expression. The written compositions for the first part of the year will be short, so that we may have more time to devote to the essentials of correct speech and the gaining of a vocabulary. When we have become somewhat skilled in writing the short theme, we shall try to express our ideas at greater length, in "long" themes. (3) The Preparation of the Manuscript. Every written composition should be spelled carefully, and written legibly and according to a certain form. The copy of the paper thus prepared we will call the manuscript. Following are directions for preparing the manuscript for schools: Margin. Leave about an inch in width at the left of the paper. Bring the writing out evenly at the right of the paper. Write on one side of the paper only, unless instructed to do otherwise. Title. The title is the name of the theme. Write the title so that it will occupy the middle of the first line of the first paper. Do not repeat it on other papers. In writing the title, do one of two things:—either begin only the first word and proper nouns with capitals; or else begin with a capital all words except prepositions conjunctions, and articles; for example, The principle of the Argand lamp. or The Principle of the Argand Lamp. |