Wrong habits of speech indicate looseness and carelessness of thought, and if not corrected show a lack of training. In speaking, our language goes directly to the listener without revision. It is, therefore, essential that we pay much attention to the form of the expression so that it may be correct when we use it. Our aim should be to avoid an error rather than to correct it.

Similarly in writing, your effort should be given to avoiding errors rather than to correcting those already made. A misspelled word or an incorrect grammatical form in the letter that you send to a business man may show you to be so careless and inaccurate that he will not wish to have you in his employ. In such a case it is only the avoidance of the error that is of value. You must determine for yourself that the letter is correct before you send it. This same condition should prevail with reference to your school themes. The teacher may return these for correction, but you must not forget that the purpose of this correction is merely to emphasize the correct form so that you will use it in your next theme. It will be helpful to have some one point out your individual mistakes, but it is only by attention to them on your own part and by a definite and long-continued effort to avoid them that you will really accomplish much toward the establishing of correct language habits. In this, as in other things, the most rapid progress will be made by doing but one thing at a time.

Many matters of form are already familiar to you. A brief statement of these is made in order to serve as a review and to secure uniformity in cla.s.s work.

1. _Neatness._--All papers should be free from blots and finger marks.

Corrections should be neatly done. Care in correcting or interlining will often render copying unnecessary.

2. _Legibility._--Excellence of thought is not dependent upon penmanship, and the best composition may be the most difficult to read. A poorly written composition is, however, more likely to be considered bad than one that is well written. A plain, legible, and rapid handwriting is so valuable an accomplishment that it is well worth acquiring.

3. _Paper._--White, unruled paper, about 8-1/2 by 11 inches, is best for composition purposes. The ability to write straight across the page without the aid of lines can be acquired by practice. It is customary to write on only one side of the paper.

4. _Margins._--Leave a margin of about one inch at the left of the sheet.

Except in formal notes and special forms there will be no margin at the right. Care should be taken to begin the lines at the left exactly under each other, but the varying length of words makes it impossible to end the lines at the right at exactly the same place. A word should not be crowded into a s.p.a.ce too small for it, nor should part of it be put on the next line, as is customary in printing, unless it is a compound one, such as steam-boat. s.p.a.ces of too great length at the end of a line may be avoided by slightly lengthening the preceding words or the s.p.a.ces between them.

5. _s.p.a.cing._--Each theme should have a t.i.tle. It should be placed in the center of the line above the composition, and should have all important words capitalized. t.i.tles too long for a single line may be written as follows:--

MY TRIP TO CHICAGO ON A BICYCLE

With unruled paper some care must be taken to keep the lines the same distance apart. The s.p.a.ces between sentences should be somewhat greater than those between words. Paragraphs are indicated by indentations.

6. _Corrections._--These are best made by using a sharp knife or an ink eraser. Sometimes, if neatly done, a line may be drawn through an incorrect word and the correct one written above it. Omitted words may be written between the lines and the place where they belong indicated by a caret. If a page contains many corrections, it should be copied.

7. _Inscription and Folding._--The teacher will give directions as to inscription and folding. He will indicate what information he wishes, such as name, cla.s.s, date, etc., and where it is to be written. Each page should be numbered. If the paper is folded, it should be done with neatness and precision.

+2. Capitals.+--The use of capitals will serve to ill.u.s.trate the value of using conventional forms. We are so accustomed to seeing a proper name, such as Mr. Brown, written with capitals that we should be puzzled if we should find it written without capitals. The sentence, Ben-Hur was written by Lew Wallace, would look unfamiliar if written without capitals. We are so used to our present forms that beginning sentences with small letters would hinder the ready comprehension of the thought. Everybody agrees that capitals should be used to begin sentences, direct questions, names of deity, days of the week, the months, each line of poetry, the p.r.o.noun I, the interjection O, etc., and no good writer will fail to use them. Usage varies somewhat in regard to capitals in some other places. Such expressions as Ohio river, Lincoln school, Jackson county, state of Illinois, once had both names capitalized. The present tendency is to write them as above. Even t.i.tles of honor are not capitalized unless they are used with a proper name; for example, He introduced General Grant The general then spoke.

+3. Rules of Capitalization.+--1. Every sentence and every line of poetry begin with capitals.

2. Every direct quotation, except brief phrases and subordinate parts of sentences, begins with a capital.

3. Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns begin with capitals. Some adjectives, though derived from proper nouns, are no longer capitalized; _e.g._ voltaic.

4. t.i.tles of honor when used with the name of a person begin with capitals.

5. The first word and every important word in the t.i.tles of books, etc., begin with capitals.

6. The p.r.o.noun I and the interjection O are always capitalized.

7. Names applied to the Deity are capitalized and p.r.o.nouns referring thereto, especially if personal, are usually capitalized.

8. Important words are often capitalized for emphasis, especially words in text-books indicating topics.

+4. Punctuation.+--The meaning of a sentence depends largely on the grouping of words that are related in sense to each other. When we are reading aloud we make the sense clear by bringing out to the hearer this grouping. This is accomplished by the use of pauses and by emphasis and inflection. In writing we must do for the eye what inflection and pauses do for the ear. We therefore use punctuation marks to indicate inflection and emphasis, and especially to show word grouping. Punctuation marks are important because their purpose is to a.s.sist in making the sense clear.

There are many special rules more or less familiar to you, but they may all be included under the one general statement: Use such marks and only such marks as will a.s.sist the reader in getting the sense.

What marks we shall use and how we shall use them will be determined by custom. In order to benefit a reader, marks must be used in ways with which he is familiar. Punctuation changes from time to time. The present tendency is to omit all marks not absolutely necessary to the clear understanding of the sentence.

There are some very definite rules, but there are others that cannot be made so definite, and the application of them requires care and judgment on the part of the writer. Improvement will come only by practice. Sentences should not be written for the purpose of ill.u.s.trating punctuation. The meaning of what you are writing ought to be clear to you, and the punctuation marks should be put in _as you write_, not inserted afterward.

+5. Rules for the Use of the Comma.+--1. The comma is used to separate words or phrases having the same construction, used in a series.

Judges, senators, and representatives were imprisoned.

The country is a good place to be born in, a good place to die in, a good place to live in at least part of the year.

If any conjunctions are used to connect the last two members, the comma may or may not be used in connection with the conjunction.

The cabbage palmetto affords shade, kindling, bed, and food.

2. Words or expressions in apposition should be separated by a comma.

The native Indian dress is an evolution, a survival from long years of wild life.

3. Commas are used to separate words in direct address from the rest of the sentence.

Bow down, dear Land, for thou hast found release.

O, Sohrab, an unquiet heart is thine!

4. Introductory and parenthetical words or expressions are set off by commas.

However, the current is narrow and very shallow here.

This, in a general way, describes the scope of the small parks or playgrounds.

If the parenthetical expression is long and not very closely related to the rest of the sentence, dashes or marks of parenthesis are frequently used. Some writers use them even when the connection is somewhat close.

5. The comma is frequently used to separate the parts of a long compound predicate.

Pine torches have no gla.s.s to break, and are within the reach of any man who can wield an ax.