coming between speeches is combined with the speech to which it is most nearly related. 7. Every paragraph should bear directly on the subject of the whole composition. 8. In order to make the paragraphs hang together well there should be some connecting word or words between paragraphs. II. The Outline. (pp. 175–182.) III. Position of Phrases and Clauses. 1. A phrase is a group of related words having neither subject nor predicate. 2. A clause is a group of related words having both subject and predicate. (1) Phrases and clauses may take the place of the parts of speech. 3. The phrases and clauses in a sentence should be placed with due regard to (1) Their grammatical construction. (2) Their importance to the reader. 4. The most important positions in a sentence are the beginning and the end. Therefore unimportant expressions should not be put in those positions. 5. Participial expressions should not dangle loosely at the end of the sentence. They should be placed immediately before or after the word they modify. 6. Relative clauses should follow as closely as possible the antecedent of the relative pronoun which introduces the clause. IV. Figures of Speech. 1. Images used to make an idea clearer or more forcible or more vivid or more attractive give what is called (1) Metaphor, an implied comparison between (2) Simile, an expressed comparison between objects of different classes, generally used with like or as. (3) Personification, a figure in which human characteristics are given to abstract things. V. The Familiar Letter. 1. Make familiar letters as bright and interesting as possible, not only by writing about interesting things but by writing in an interesting manner. 2. Write about the ordinary everyday affairs and thoughts of your life, remembering at the same time to take a proper amount of interest in your friend's affairs. 3. Be careful not to make any personal remark that could be taken in more than one way, and thus give offence to your correspondent. 4. Much liberty is allowed in the wording of the formal address and the formal conclusion. The wording varies with the intimacy of the correspondents. 5. The familiar name of the sender may take the place of the usual signature, though in case the letter should go astray it is better to include also the full name. 6. The rules of composition, with regard to spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and other matters should be strictly followed in familiar letters as well as in other forms of composition. VI. Some Things to be Avoided in the Expression of APPENDIX A A BRIEF REVIEW OF GRAMMAR The Sentence: Subject and Predicate. 1. The sentence is a complete thought expressed in words that are grammatically united. 2. Every complete sentence has a subject and a predicate. The subject is that about which something is asserted. The predicate is that which is asserted of the subject. The subject and the predicate may each consist of only one word, called the simple subject and the simple predicate; or each may consist of a group of words, called the complete subject and the complete predicate; for example, in the sentence given below, the simple subject and the simple predicate are in italics. The complete subject is at the left of the vertical line, the complete predicate at the right. A flock of screaming geese | flew over the neighboring woods. Phrases and Clauses. 1. Sentences may contain in addition to the subject or predicate, groups of related words called phrases or clauses. (1) A phrase is a group of related words having no subject and no predicate. I live in Boston, on a very pretty street. |