EXERCISES FOR THE TENTH CHAPTER

  1. Collect good examples of speech reports.
  2. Take notes on oral speeches and write reports of varying lengths. Practice taking notes in the proper way and write the report at once—perhaps as an impromptu in class. The instructor may send his students to public lectures or read representative speeches to them in class.
  3. Write reports of speeches from printed copies of the speech; that is, edit them in condensed form.
  4. Take one lead and experiment with different beginnings, playing up the same idea in each case.
  5. Discuss speeches to determine the newsiest and timeliest thing in the speech—the statement to be played up in the lead.
  6. In the body of the report try to use as much direct quotation as possible, use complete sentence quotations, do not mix quotation and summary in the same paragraph or sentence. Study the rules regarding the use of quotation marks.
  7. Have the students write running reports of speeches—that is, have them write their report as they listen to the speech and submit their report in this form. Naturally the lead must be written later.

EXERCISES FOR THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER

  1. Collect representative interview stories.
  2. Have students interview various people without the aid of a note book; have them bring back quoted statements by the use of their memory. Have them interview some one who will criticize their manner and method.
  3. Have a definite reason or timeliness for every interview—have the student map out a definite campaign beforehand. Try writing out the questions beforehand in shape to fill in the answers.
  4. Write interview stories from the results of these attempts.
  5. Begin the same interview story in various ways.
  6. Write an interview story in which the feature is a denial or a refusal to speak; tell what should have been said and what the denial or refusal signifies.
  7. Study the form of the body of the report (see Speech Reports).
  8. Write stories which are the result of several interviews on the same subject; arrange them informally and formally.

EXERCISES FOR THE TWELFTH CHAPTER

  1. Collect examples of good court reports.
  2. Attend and report actual cases in the local courts (preferably civil courts).
  3. Determine what is the most interesting thing in each.
  4. From this, write court reports—reports of the cases which the students have heard.
  5. Experiment with the various beginnings for the same report.
  6. Try summarizing a case in one paragraph.
  7. Practice getting down testimony verbatim.
  8. Practice summarizing testimony in indirect form.
  9. Practice writing out the testimony in full in the various ways.
  10. Write testimony with action in it for the sake of human interest.
  11. Show how all of these may be combined into one good court report.

EXERCISES FOR THE THIRTEENTH CHAPTER

  1. Notice how various newspapers treat social news; study the reason in each case; collect examples.
  2. List the facts of a wedding story; write short and long wedding stories.
  3. Write wedding announcements, beginning in various ways.
  4. Write engagement announcements.
  5. Write up receptions, banquets, dinners, etc.; report actual functions.
  6. Write announcements for the same functions.
  7. Write up some unusual social story as a news story.
  8. Practice writing obituaries and simple death stories with accompanying obituary. Write sketches of the lives of prominent people.
  9. In these exercises use actual events as subjects.

EXERCISES FOR THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER

  1. Study sporting stories for their material and method.
  2. Report a football game or some other sporting event.
  3. Make a running account of a football or baseball game.
  4. Write a brief summary of the game to be sent out as a dispatch, limiting it to 150 words.
  5. Write up the same game in 200-300 words; attach a condensed running account of the same length.
  6. Write a long story of the same game, following the outline given in the text; attach a detailed running account by periods or innings; compile tables of players and results for the end.
  7. The study of sporting news may be taken out of its logical place and studied during the baseball or football season.