To recite good English is no less important than to read aloud. When you commit passages to memory, learn only such selections as you are willing to live with for weeks, to say over scores of times, to make your own. In making a choice of selections to be memorized, you should always bear in mind that:

1. The selections should be valuable in themselves, since they will become a part of you.

2. They should be illustrations of English that is clear, direct, and simple, for they will help form your style of speaking and writing.

3. They should represent your own sentiments, since you must be able to make them interesting to others.

Having made such a choice, you will be almost sure to make your delivery clear, interesting, and pleasing. First of all you must have a thorough understanding of your selection. Then you should read it aloud until you find yourself entering heartily into the spirit of it. Finally you should rehearse it to some critic till he is satisfied that the delivery is reasonably smooth and finished.

Exercises

4. Give orally, in your own language, the substance of one of the prose selections listed in Exercise 3.

5. Give in your own words any one of the poetic selections.

6. Commit to memory the selection which you consider best worth remembering.1

7. Write the selection from memory. If it is poetry, see that every line begins with a capital.

8. Recite your selection to the class as heartily as you would if you had written it yourself.

9. With the following outline before you, give the substance of what this chapter contains. Make careful preparation, so that you can speak without hesitation. Feel free to express yourself in your own way - do not think that you must reproduce the language of the book.

1 A teacher may help pupils who find memorizing difficult in the following ways: (1) see that the pupil understands thoroughly the passage to be memorized; (2) read it with the class once or twice; (3) give every one an opportunity to ask questions; (4) point out good instances of coherence, such as logical thought, clear reference of pronouns, the use of connectives, etc.

The Value Of Composition

I. Oral composition.

II. Written composition.

III. The practical value of composition.

IV. Learning to talk and to write. V. Reading a help to writing.

VI. The importance of reading aloud. VII. The importance of good recitation.

10. Be prepared to talk on the following questions:

1. For what reasons should the study of both oral and written composition be interesting as well as valuable ?

2. Which of these two kinds of composition offers the better opportunities for your teacher to help you ?

3. Which offers the better opportunities for you to help one another ?

4. Which are you likely to remember better, criticisms of your speech or criticisms of your writing ?

5. Do you know of any one whose use of English has a high commercial value ?

6. In telling a story or an incident, have you ever failed to produce the desired effect on your listeners ?