Exercises in English Composition

Exercises in English Composition
by William F. Mozier
(Rare Book Collection)

Students who have reached the high school have already spent much time in the study of the English language. They have studied English grammar for several years, and have had their grammatical errors pointed out to them again and again. They have been taught spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraphing, and have written innumerable specimens of narration and description, not to mention exposition and argumentation. In short, they consider "English Composition" an old story; yet too often we find them well on their way through the high school course or even graduated from the school, making the same old mistakes and exhibiting the same old weaknesses, in both oral and written composition.
Why is this? Is the English language so difficult a means of expressing thought that young people cannot master it?