Exercise 74

The few following suggestions for practice in paragraph construction are given by way of outline. Additional subjects and exercises will readily suggest themselves to teacher or student.

These topics are intended to apply only to isolated paragraphs—"paragraph themes." As has been suggested, more latitude in the matter of unity is allowed in compositions so brief that more than one paragraph is unnecessary.

Write paragraphs:

  1. Stating the refusal of a position that has been offered to you, and giving your reasons for the refusal.
  2. Describing the appearance of some building. Give the general appearance and then the details.
  3. Explaining how to tie a four-in-hand necktie.
  4. Stating your reasons for liking or not liking some book or play.
  5. Describing the personal appearance of some one of your acquaintance.
  6. To prove that the world is round.
  7. To prove that it pays to buy good shoes. (Develop by illustration.)
  8. Showing by comparison that there are more advantages in city life than in country life. [a]

Write paragraphs on the following subjects:

  1. My Earliest Recollection.
  2. The Sort of Books I Like Best.
  3. Why I Like to Study X Branch.
  4. My Opinion of My Relatives.
  5. The Man I Room With.
  6. Why I Was Late to Class.
  7. What I Do on Sundays.
  8. How to Prevent Taking Cold.
  9. How to Cure a Cold.
  10. My Best Teacher.
  11. My Favorite Town.
  12. Why I Go Fishing.
  13. My Favorite Month.
  14. What Becomes of My Matches.
  15. Baseball is a Better Game than Football.
  16. The View from X Building.
  17. Why I Go to School.
  18. My Opinion of Rainy Days.
  19. My Most Useful Friend.
  20. Why I Dislike Surprise Parties.
  21. Why I Like to Visit at X's.
  22. The Police Service of X Town.

CHAPTER X

LETTER-WRITING

Note to Teacher.—For the purpose of training in composition, in the more elementary work, letter-writing affords probably the most feasible and successful means. Letter-writing does not demand any gathering of material, gains much interest, and affords much latitude for individual tastes in topics and expression. Besides, letter-writing is the field in which almost all written composition will be done after leaving school; and so all training in school will be thoroughly useful. For this reason, it is suggested that letter-writing be made one of the chief fields for composition work.