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EXERCISE 5

TELLING SOME EXPERIENCE AS INTERESTINGLY AS YOU CAN IN TWO MINUTES1

Recall some incident that you have seen or taken part in which you can make interesting to the class in a twominute talk. If it is hard to think of anything, perhaps you will find suggestions in some of the preceding exercises, especially the last one. Try to improve at least fifty per cent on your last talk. What two definite things will the class have in mind in judging what you say? What three definite things in judging how you say it?

The following story of a cat's courage and sagacity may prove suggestive. What good details are given?

The first time we moved we were anxious about our cats.. I had two, the head of the family and one of his descendants, quite as strong as himself. We decided to take the grandfather, if he consented to come, and to leave the grandson behind, after finding him a home.

My friend Dr. Loriol offered to take the younger cat. The animal was carried to him at nightfall in a closed hamper. Hardly were we seated at the evening meal, talking of the good fortune of our tomcat, when we saw a dripping mass jump through the window. The shapeless bundle came and rubbed itself against our legs, purring with happiness. It was the cat.

I heard his story next day. On arriving at Dr. Loriol's he was locked up in a bedroom. The moment he saw himself a prisoner in the unfamiliar room, he began to jump about wildly on the furniture, against windowpanes, among the ornaments on the

1 TO THE TEACHER. Pupils who succeeded well with limitation of subject and interesting details in Exercises 1 and 2 may be excused from this repetition and, instead, may begin some individual project. See Appendix G.

mantelpiece, threatening to make short work of everything. Mrs. Loriol was frightened by the little lunatic; she hastened to open the window; and the cat leaped out among the passers-by. A few minutes later he was back at home. And it was no easy matter: he had to cross the town almost from end to end; he had to make his way through a long labyrinth of crowded streets, among a thousand dangers, including boys and dogs; lastlyand this perhaps was even harder - he had to pass over a river which ran through the town. There were bridges at hand, many, in fact; but the animal, taking the shortest cut, had used none of them, bravely jumping into the water, as the streaming fur showed.

I had pity on the poor cat, so faithful to his home. We agreed to take him with us. We were spared the worry: a few days later he was found lying stiff and stark under a shrub in the garden. Someone had poisoned him for me. Who? It was not likely that it was a friend! — J. HENRI FABRE

EXERCISE 6

DRILLING TO CORRECT ERRORS MADE BY THE CLASS

Keep on the board a list of the most noticeable grammatical mistakes. not the mistakes themselves made by the class while working on this problem. It might be well to appoint a small committee each day to note such errors, and afterwards put them on the board. The rest of the class should give their whole attention to more important criticisms. As the list grows, see which errors are most frequent. (Compare with those given in Appendix A.) Devise and play games for correcting the worst of these.

PROBLEM III

TELLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES CLEARLY

EXERCISE 1

SEEING THE NECESSITY OF MAKING SEPARATE
SENTENCES FOR SEPARATE THOUGHTS

Read this account of a small adventure.

details do you notice?

THE BLOW-OUT

What good

We were going down a steep hill when the car skidded and a loud report was heard directly under us and someone screamed on the back seat and father stopped the car in as short a space as possible and all five of us got out to see what was the matter. The back tire on the right side was flat and there was a large ragged hole in it and I got the jack and began to take the tire off while father unbuckled the spare casing from the side of the car, but before I finished someone said that they could not find any inner tubes. I finished my job and we got ready to run into town on the rim and just as father started the engine I happened to think that there was an inner tube under the back seat and we soon had the new tire on and started on our way.

In spite of the good details, is the incident well told? How many sentences are there as written?

Close your books and let some member of the class read the story aloud. Does it sound much like some people's talk? How many and's are there? Is the incident as you

listen to it perfectly clear? If it is n't, can you tell why? How many separate thoughts are expressed?

With your books closed let someone now read the second version.

THE BLOW-OUT

We were going down a steep hill when the car skidded and a loud report was heard directly under us. Someone screamed in the back seat. Father stopped the car in as short a space as possible. All five of us got out to see what was the matter. The back tire on the right side was flat and there was a large ragged hole in it. I got the jack and began to take the tire off while father unbuckled the spare casing from the side of the car, but before I finished someone said that they could n't find any inner tube. When I finished my job we got ready to run into town on the rim. Just as father started the engine I happened to think that there was an inner tube under the back seat. We soon had the new tire on and started on our way.

Is the incident clearer to you now? What made it clearer? If we are to speak and write with real clearness, it is necessary to separate sentences. In speaking, the greatest fault of those who have not learned better is the "and habit." Do you know what is meant by this? Why is it bad? How do you indicate the end of a sentence in writing? in speaking?

EXERCISE 2

MAKING AN INCIDENT CLEAR BY SEPARATING

SENTENCES

Perhaps you remember some little adventure of

your own.

If so, tell the class about it. Perhaps you have fallen off a bicycle, or been spilled in the snow, or met a strange animal in the barn, or slipped on an icy walk, or had some

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