In general, the most important aids in securing clear and forcible exposition are:

1. Unity.

2. Coherence, or logical arrangement.

3. Emphasis through proportion.

4. Illustration by examples or by comparison.

608. Write on one of the following subjects:

1. A Ballad. 2. A Touchdown. 3. A Hazard (golf). 4. Uses of Public Libraries. 5. Reforms suggested in "Oliver Twist." 6. A Summer Sport in the Country. 7. A Winter Amusement in Cities. 8. The Industry of Walter Scott. 9. The Humble Origin of Great Men. 10. Nelson's Courage. 11. The Care of Potted Plants in Winter. 12. How to raise Celery. 13. Setting the Table for Dinner. 14. How to tell a Fir Tree from a Spruce. 15. How to make a Kite. 16. The Making of Turpentine. 17. The Making of Cider. 18. Handball. 19. A Sun Dial. 20. A Simple Steam Engine. 21. Ice Cutting. 22. The Force Pump. 23. How to row a Boat. 24. How to keep a Lawn. 25. The Air Brake. 26. How to make a Pair of Skees.

604. (1) Choose from the subjects just given that one which appeals to you as the best for an essay of some six hundred words. (2) In preparing a plan, consider (a) unity, (b) arrangement, (c) emphasis through proportion, (d) the advantage of illustration by examples or by comparison. (3) Write the essay.

605. Explain orally your methods of writing. In doing so, answer the following questions:

1. Do you write rapidly ?

2. Do you alter the first draft much ?

3. Do you find composition hard? Under what conditions is it most difficult ? least difficult ?

4. To what extent have you found outlines, or plans, useful ?

5. Do you keep an audience or a reader in mind as you write?

6. Do you read your work aloud slowly, sentence by sentence? If so, has this method helped you in revising the sentences, the spelling, or the punctuation ?

606. In a similar way, tell the class about your reading habits. First prepare a plan. In addition to the topics that will be suggested by the above questions, consider the use of the dictionary and other helps.

607. Assuming that you must decide what occupation you will enter when you leave school, investigate some one kind of work and make it the subject of a theme. Show that you have the necessary qualifications for this particular occupation.