BOOK ONE BY A. R. BRUBACHER, PH.D. President of the New York State College for Teachers AND DOROTHY E. SNYDER, B.A., PD.B. Formerly Head of the English Department PREFACE ENGLISH teaching has changed its emphasis in the last few years, giving increasing prominence to the spoken word. In 1910 our treatment of oral composition was a new departure; to-day it is amply justified. We continue to consider the chapter on oral composition "of special importance.” The method for presenting oral work is developed in that chapter, but oral composition should be taught throughout the English course. Each division of the subject should receive attention through oral practice. For this purpose, exercises for oral work have been added to the chapters on narration, description, exposition, argument, and the paragraph. The spoken word should receive emphasis in the daily recitation in all high school studies. 68617 Composition is the practice of self-expression by means of language. The child should be taught to speak and write freely out of his experience without conscious regard for formal, literary standards. Free self-expression in oral and written language is the ideal after which this book strives. Literary effects are not sought. The exercises are all taken from experiences common to American children, the constant endeavor of the authors being to make the selection so broad that in each set of exercises some subjects will appeal to each child. Much must nevertheless be left to the teacher, who knows the environment of home and school. No child should be permitted to write or speak on a subject that falls outside his experience. The order in composition work should be (1) experience, (2) thought, (3) organization of material, (4) expression. If this process is followed, expression, oral and written, will become a pleasure. The division of the work in composition into chapters on narration, description, exposition, and argument is for convenience in the presentation of principles. The book does |