That English composition in its earliest stages can be better taught by oral than by written exercises is an impression that for some time past has been gaining ground in educational circles. It is hoped, therefore, that an elementary text-book, prepared as this has been on an oral basis, will not be deemed superfluous.
The examples for practice have been printed in a type larger than usual, so that the beginner may have no difficulty in reading them at sight. He will thus be able to give all his attention to doing whatever the heading to the exercise may require him to do, such as supplying omitted words, correcting errors of grammar or order, analysing sentences orally, recasting the form of sentences, substituting equivalent words, etc.
It is of course open to the teacher at any time to have some of these examples worked out by the student at the desk and shown up to him in writing; and this may be advisable at times for the sake of variety, or for purposes of revision after an exercise has been done orally, or for practice in spelling and penmanship.
The student who uses this book must not expect that because we have given two chapters on "Grammatical Rules bearing on Composition" and appended a large number of exercises to each of them, he can be spared the trouble of acquiring some knowledge of English grammar before he begins, especially a knowledge of Accidence, of the uses of the Parts of Speech, and a few leading grammatical principles. We have attempted in this little book to breathe some life into grammar by giving a great deal of practice in its forms and rules, but not to supply the place of a grammatical treatise.
John Collinson Nesfield/J.C Nesfield
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Simple Grammatical Rules bearing on Composition
Section 1 Verb and Subject
Section 2 Affirmative and Negative Sentences
Section 3 Nominative and Objective Cases
Section 4 Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
Twenty-seven sets of Exercises.
Chapter 2 Formation of Simple Sentences
Nineteen sets of Exercises
Chapter 3 Further Grammatical Rules bearing on Composition
Section 1 Relative and Interrogative Pronouns
Section 2 Adjectives and Adverbs
Section 3 Articles
Section 4 Change of Form in Noun, Pronoun, or Verb
Section 5 Sequence of Tenses
Twenty-two sets of Exercises.
Chapter 4 Combination of Simple Sentences
Section 1 To Combine Simple Sentences into a Simple Sentence
Section 2 To Combine Simple Sentences into a Compound Sentence
Section 3 To Combine Simple Sentences into a Complex Sentence
Section 4 The Formation of Mixed Sentences
Ten Sets of Exercises
Chapter 5 Direct and Indirect Speech
Five sets of Exercises.
Chapter 6 Order of Words and Phrases
Two sets of Exercises
Chapter 7 The Use and Discrimination of Words
Section 1 To substitute Equivalent Words
Section 2 To discriminate Words nearly allied in Meaning
Section 3 To supply the Opposites to given Words
Section 4 To supply Words formed with Affixes
Section 5 To supply Prepositions after certain Words
6. To substitute one Part of Speech for another
Thirteen sets of Exercises
