through it while the last picks an irregular ragged hole with his bill but this artist has no paws to hold the nut with while he pierces it like an adroit workman he fixes it, as it were in a vice in some cleft of a tree or in some crevice,when standing over it he perforates the stubborn shell. GILBERT WHITE: Natural History of Selborne. 13. The fading grey light fell dimly on the walls decorated with guns, whips and foxes' brushes,on coats and hats flung on the chairs,on tankards sending forth a scent of flat ale, and on a halfchoked fire, with pipes propped up in the chimney corners signs of a domestic life destitute of any hallowing charm. 14. I don't pretend to be a good fellow he said to himself but Im not a scoundrelat least I'm not that. 15. He who wrote the following lines was a consistent preacher of courage and cheer The world is so full of a number of things, I am sure we should all be as happy as kings. d. In exercise 5 under c above, explain the use of the brackets. e. Write three sentences illustrating the use of parentheses. f. Bring to class an illustration of each use of the dash, which you have found in your reading. Also, note any uses of the dash not justified by the rules you have learned. Bring examples of such to class for discussion. CHAPTER III LETTER WRITING 265. Written Composition. We have noted, in connection with oral composition, the need for care in the use of spoken English. You have found that it is necessary to speak in such a way that your hearers may understand easily and at the same time be interested in what is said. In written composition the aim is the same; hence right habits formed in spoken language will aid materially in written composition. As in oral composition, think first what your reader needs to be told so that he may understand; second, in what order the points should be presented that he may understand readily; third, what he would probably ask about, were he present; and last, what points have special interest for him. 266. Letter Writing. The form of written composition which you will probably use most frequently is letter writing. That it is necessary to take pains in the construction of letters is obvious, for it is by means of these that you keep in touch with friends and carry on business. A carelessly written letter not only confuses the recipient, but conveys a very poor impression of the writer. 267. Kinds of Letters. Letters are of two kinds: friendly or informal letters, and business or formal letters. The distinction between these is due largely to the subject matter, but partly also to the tone and spirit of the letter. You might write to friends on business, pure and simple, yet the tone of the letter would not be formal. In general, the friendly letter is informal, expresses much of the writer's individuality, and seeks to enter into the mood of the recipient; the business letter is formal, and states only such matter as has direct bearing upon the purpose of the letter. 268. Parts of Letters. Letter writing follows the principles of composition in general, but it has in addition special rules and conventions laid down by custom. In very informal letters ceremony is dispensed with, but even in these it is best to follow the established form. A letter consists of the following parts: (1) the heading, (2) the salutation, (3) the body, (4) the complimentary closing, (5) the signature. 269. The Heading consists of the writer's address and the date, arranged and abbreviated as follows: (1) 328 Washington Ave., Chicago, Ill., Oct. 25th, 1911. (2) Melrose, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., See p. 206 for the position of this heading. Note the indentation and the punctuation. In familiar letters, the heading is often omitted, in which case the address with date, or the date only, is placed at the left below the sig nature. 270. The Salutation. The form of the salutation depends on the relation or degree of intimacy between the correspondents. For the business and formal letter the following forms are appropriate : Dear Sir, Dear Madam. Sir, Madam, Gentlemen (very formal). The form "My dear Sir" is considered more formal than "Dear Sir." It is customary in the business letter to precede this salutation with the address of the recipient, giving his name and title, residence or place of business. (See § 51.) In friendly letters this is omitted altogether or else placed at the end of the letter. For friendly letters or business letters to friends the following forms are used: My dear Mr. (or Miss or Mrs.) Winchester. Dear Mr. (or Miss or Mrs.) Holmes. Dear Uncle. My dear Prescott. My dear Friend. Here, too, those forms using the possessive pronoun are more formal than those without it. The salutation is punctuated in several ways. It may be followed by a colon, by a colon and dash, by a comma, or by a comma and dash. In business letters the colon or colon and dash are preferred, while in familiar letters the comma as least formal is preferred. NOTE. Observe that the adjective dear is capitalized only when it stands as the first word of the salutation. 271. The Body. Since the body contains the message itself, it may assume any one of a number of forms according to the purpose of the letter. It should, even in the most familiar letter, be as carefully written as possible; it should have a beginning, a discussion, and a conclusion; it should be arranged in an orderly manner, properly paragraphed, neatly and legibly written, and expressed in good English. 272. The Complimentary Closing varies in form as does the salutation, depending on the relation between the writer and the recipient. For the business letter these forms are appropriate : Yours truly. Very truly yours. Truly yours. Yours respectfully. Very respectfully yours. The forms with respectfully are used in letters to persons to whom one wishes to show special respect. In business letters between friends or acquaintances, the word sincerely is frequently used in place of the word truly in the above forms. In familiar or friendly letters some of the common forms are: Yours sincerely. Yours affectionately. 273. The Signature, except in familiar letters, should be written as the writer expects to be addressed, and should be clear and unaffected in form. It is advisable that the form of signature be uniform, always written in one's own characteristic way. A woman writing to a stranger or a business firm signs her name in full so that there can be no mistake in her identity, indicating whether she is to be addressed as Miss or Mrs. A married woman places, in addition to her signature, her name in the form by which she desires to be addressed. Thus, if her signature is Mary Andrews Davis, she should write below her signature and at the left of the |