ENTRANCE UNITS 39 



fundamental principles of rhetoric should be taught, not as an end, but as 

 a means to an end the development of skill; not as definitions to be mem- 

 orized, but as methods conducive to better self-expression. Accordingly 

 the course should require constant practice in writing, followed by careful 

 revision and correction. The topics for themes may be drawn in part 

 from other studies, such as literature and history, but in the main they 

 should rest upon experience and observation, in order that the student may 

 be trained to plan and to express his own thoughts. In all his writings he 

 should cultivate habits of correct spelling, sentence-structure, punctuation, 

 and paragraphing. Should his first themes prove defective in these re- 

 spects, the College reserves the right to require him to make up his de- 

 ficiencies. 



In grammar there should be a thorough review occupying the semester, 

 or at least half time for one semester, preferably in the last year of the 

 high school course. Earlier in the course the student is not mature enough 

 to master the more difficult relations of the sentence, or to appreciate how 

 necessary a clear knowledge of sentence structure is to real progress in 

 composition. If the student does not understand the structure of the sen- 

 tence, he cannot reasonably be expected to frame sentences that are correct 

 in structure or to learn to construct better sentences ; thus his ignorance of 

 grammatical relations may impede his progress in composition. 



The percentage of failures in the first course in college composition 

 would be materially reduced if grammar were more thoroughly reviewed 

 in the last year of the high school course. From this review the student 

 should be helped in the following ways : 



a. He should be trained to analyze good modern prose, sentence by 

 sentence, from such authors as Addison, Macaulay, Hawthorne, and Ste- 

 venson. He should be trained to observe clearness, emphasis, unity, climax, 

 variety, and other qualities in sentence structure, and to note the effect of 

 different types of sentence short, long, balanced, loose, and periodic. 



b. He should be trained to construct sentences of all types. One very 

 helpful method is for the teacher to give out in analyzed form well-con- 

 structed sentences of the various types, and require the student to arrange 

 these elements in the best order for clearness, emphasis, balance, climax, 

 etc. Most students find this constructive work more interesting than the 

 analytical, and also more helpful. 



c. He should be trained to analyze the sentences of his own essays, to 

 note sameness or variety in sentence length and form, also clearness, em- 

 phasis, balance, and other qualities essential to effective expression. It is 

 not assumed that his high school course in English will make him a master 

 sentence-builder, but it should give him sufficient knowledge and practice 

 to make his every sentence clear and correct, and it should start- him on 

 the road to mastery. 



3. ELECTIVE UNITS IN ENGLISH. 



Students who present the required units set forth above, may also 

 receive one elective unit for additional work. This unit will be granted 



