Speaking Writing.comArticles on Speaking and Writing, Quiz Questions
- Suggestions
Rules of grammar and rhetoric are good in their own place; their laws
must be observed in order to express thoughts and ideas in the right way
so that they shall convey a determinate sense and meaning in a pleasing
and acceptable manner. Hard and... - Discussion Versus Controversy
Many people object to discussion, but they are invariably those on the
midway rounds of the conversational ladder; people to whom the joy of
the amicable intellectual tussle is unknown, and to whom the highest
standards of the art of talking do not... - Interruption In Conversation
Interruption, more surely than anything else, kills conversation. The
effusive talker who, in spite of his facility for words, is in no sense
a conversationalist, refuses to recognize the fact that conversation
involves a partnership; that in this... - Gossip
It seems strange that, in all the long list of brilliant dissertations
on every subject under the sun, no English essayist should have yielded
a word under the seductive title of "Gossip." Even Leigh Hunt, who wrote
vivaciously and exquisitely on so... - Writing For Newspapers
The newspaper nowadays goes into every home in the land; what was
formerly regarded as a luxury is now looked upon as a necessity. No
matter how poor the individual, he is not too poor to afford a penny to
learn, not alone what is... - Grammatical Errors Of Standard Authors
Even the best speakers and writers are sometimes caught napping. Many of
our standard authors to whom we have been accustomed to look up as
infallible have sinned more or less against the fundamental principles of
grammar by breaking the rules regarding... - What Should Guests Talk About At Dinner?
"Good talk is not to be had for the asking. Humors must first be
accorded in a kind of overture for prolog; hour, company, and
circumstances be suited; and then at a fit juncture, the subject, the
quarry of two heated minds, spring up like a deer out... - The Talk Of Host And Hostess At Dinner
Sydney Smith, by all accounts a great master of the social art, said of
himself: "There is one talent I think I have to a remarkable degree:
there are substances in nature called amalgams, whose property it is to
combine incongruous materials. Now... - Figurative Language
In Figurative Language we employ words in such a way that they differ
somewhat from their ordinary signification in commonplace speech and
convey our meaning in a more vivid and impressive manner than when we use
them in their every-day sense.... - Punctuation
Lindley Murray and Goold Brown laid down cast-iron rules for punctuation,
but most of them have been broken long since and thrown into the junk-heap
of disuse. They were too rigid, too strict, went so much into minutiae,
that they were more or...
- Introduction
Punctuation is a device by which we aid words to tell their story. Words
have done this at times without such aid, and may now do so, but at
constant risk of serious misunderstanding. This can be easily seen by
reading the following lines printed as... - The Comma
The comma is by far the most difficult of all the punctuation marks to
use correctly. Usage varies greatly from time to time and among equally
good writers and printers at the same time. Certain general rules may be
stated and should be learned. Many... - Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are signs used to indicate that the writer is giving
exactly the words of another. A French printer named Morel used a comma
in the outer margin to indicate a quoted line about 1550. About a
century later another Frenchman, Menage,... - The Dash
The dash is a very useful mark which has been greatly overworked by
careless writers. It is very easy to make in manuscript and serves as a
convenient cover for the writer's ignorance of what point should
properly be used.
The conspicuousness of... - The Apostrophe
The apostrophe is primarily the sign of the possessive case, but it has
several other uses.
_Rules for the Use of the Apostrophe_
1. The apostrophe for the possessive case is added only to nouns, not to
the pronouns, which have their distinct... - The Semicolon
The semicolon is used to denote a degree of separation greater than that
indicated by the comma, but less than that indicated by the colon. It
prevents the repetition of the comma and keeps apart the more important
members of the sentence. The semicolon... - The Colon
The colon marks the place of transition in a long sentence consisting of
many members and involving a logical turn of the thought. Both the colon
and semicolon are much less used now than formerly. The present tendency
is toward short, simple, clear... - The Period
The period, or full stop, marks the end of a declarative sentence. As a
sign it has several other uses which will appear in the paragraphs
following.
_Rules for the Use of the Period_
1. At the end of every sentence unless interrogative or exclamatory.
2.... - The Parenthesis
The parenthesis, commonly used in pairs, encloses expressions which have
no essential connection with the rest of the sentence, but are important
to its full comprehension. It is liable to be neglected by writers
because the dash is easier to make,... - The Bracket
Brackets are used in pairs, like the parentheses. In Job composition
either brackets or parentheses may be used, as suits the fancy or is
convenient. In descriptive text matter, however, brackets should not be
used where parentheses are clearly indicated.
_Rules...
- Description
Interest--Secondary Function of Description--Distribution--
Story of Atmosphere--Effectiveness of Distributed Description
--Description of Persons--Example--Analysis--Accuracy--
Mechanical Limitations of Story--Use of All Senses--
... - The Short Story
Definition--Two Types--Dramatic Short Story--Atmospheric
Short Story--Origins--Assumed Unity and Singleness of Effect
of Dramatic Short Story--General Technique of Form--
Characterization--Interest and Too Great Simplicity--
Limitation... - Portrayal Of Character
The Three Modes of Characterization--Dialogue--Action--
Description or Direct Statement--Aims of Characterization--
To Show the Nature--To Show the Man as a Physical Being--
Character and Plot--Characterization by Speech--
Characterization... - Constructive Technique Of Narration[c]
Importance--Plot and Situation--Spiritual Values of Story--
Order of Events--Introduction--Primary and Secondary Events--
Climax--Naturalness--The End--Preparation--Proportion--
General Considerations.
A story is the relation of... - The Novel
Novel and Romance--Romanticism and Realism--Techniques of
Novel and Romance--Incoherence of Novel Relative to Short
Story--Novel as Medium of Self-Expression--Interpolation of
Personal Comment--Significant Simplicity--Permissible
... - Conceptive Technique: Plot And Situation
Definition of Plot--Character and Plot--Dramatic Value of
Plot--Complication--Interest--Plot as Problem--Three
Basic Themes--Conflict Between Man and Nature--Conflict
Between Man and Man--Conflict Within the Same Man--
Arrangement... - Executive Technique Of Narration Narration Method--Story of the Commonplace--Story of the
Bizarre--Vividness--Suspense--Emphasis and Suppression--
Matter of Weight--Expansion and Vividness--Primary and
Secondary Events--Transition--General Narration--Blending
of...
- Atmosphere
Definition--General Atmospheric Value of Fiction--Tone of
Story--Preparation of Reader for Climax--Examples--The
Story of Atmosphere--Short Story--Setting--Slight Dramatic
Value of Type.
Atmosphere--as the term is used by the writer... - Speech
Potency of Dialogue--Mechanical Distribution--Naturalness--
Directness--Dialect--Situation--Three Resources to Meet
Demands of Situation--Physical Effect--Ellipsis--Elements
of Language--Style--Verbs of Utterance--Transcription of
...
- Sports
=230. Slang
In writing stories of athletic meets and games the
reporter will find that in matters of language he has almost complete
freedom. For this there are two reasons: the fact that it is necessary
half the time to get final results of contests... - News Sources
=51. Second Essential of News Writing
As explained in the preceding
chapter, the first essential in news writing is a proper appreciation of
news and news values. The second essential is the possession of a story
to write. This chapter will discuss... - Interviews Speeches Courts
=178. Four Types of Stories
To the casual newspaper reader the
various patterns of stories seem all but limitless. To the experienced
newspaper man, however, they reduce themselves to seven or eight, and
even this number may be further limited. The... - The Lead
[11] Before reading this chapter, the student should examine
the style book in the Appendix, particularly that part
dealing with the preparation of copy for the city desk.
=100. Instructions from the City Editor
Before beginning... - The Sentence [18] Teachers having classes sufficiently advanced may find
it advisable to pass hastily over this chapter, or may
omit it entirely.
=145. Requisites
The same laws of accuracy and interest hold for the
sentence as for the story...
- Accident Crime
=210. Accident and Crime Stories
Accident and crime stories are
grouped together because they are handled alike and because they differ
from each other only in point of view, or in the fact that in the one
some one is guilty of lawbreaking, while in... - Society
=253. What Society News Is
The society editor's work concerns itself
with the social and personal news of the city and county in which the
paper is published or from which it draws its patronage. It is almost
entirely local, news of the state or of... - The Body Of The Story
=121. Inaccuracy and Dullness
If the reporter has written a strong
lead for his story, he need have small worry about what shall follow,
which usually is little more than a simple narration of events in
chronological order, with interspersions of explanation... - Feature Stories
=275. What the Feature Story Is
The feature, or human interest, story
is the newspaper man's invention for making stories of little news value
interesting. The prime difference between the feature story and the
normal information story we have been... - Follow-ups Rewrites
=260. "Follow-ups."=--"Rewrites" and "follow-up" stories are news
stories which have appeared in print. The distinction between the two is
that "follow-ups" contain news in addition to that of the story first
printed, while "rewrites" are only revisions....
- Example Book Talks
We are by this time agreed that the sale of the proper books at lecture
meetings is greatly to be desired. In this article we shall consider the
chief instrument by which this is attained--the book talk.
We might treat this theme by laying down general... - Debating
Really great debaters, like the animal reconstructed, as Bret Harte
relates, before "The Society on the Stanislaw," are "extremely rare."
This is because the great debater must have a number of accomplishments
any one of which requires something very... - Street Speaking
THE PLACE
In traveling through the country on a street-speaking tour about the
first thing a speaker observes is the poor judgement shown by the local
comrades in the selection of street corners for their meetings. The
chosen corner is usually where... - Book-selling At Meetings
The tones of the speaker's voice fade away and are forever lost. Too
often the ideas which the voice proclaimed drift into the background and
presently disappear. This is the crowning limitation of public speaking.
The lecturer should be, first of... - Rhetoric
It is the function of language to convey ideas. Ideas are the real
foundation of good lecturing and words must always be subordinate.
The English Parliamentarian, Gladstone, had the reputation of being able
to say less in more time than any man who... - Preparation
Said Francis Bacon, the author of "Novum Organum," "Reading maketh a
full man, writing an exact man, and conversation a ready man."
The first in importance of these is to be "a full man." The lecturer
should not deliver himself on any subject unless... - Course Lecturing Learn To Classify
The definition of science as "knowledge classified," while leaving much
to be said, is perhaps, as satisfactory as any that could be condensed
into two words.
A trained capacity for classification is wholly indispensable in a
course lecturer. We... - Tricks Of Debate
There are a great number of tricks that may be practiced in debate. They
should be avoided by the serious man who is debating to defend a great
cause. It is well to know the best methods but anything like a trick
should never be practiced.
Some... - The Audience
A lecturer should realize his grave responsibility to his audience.
Nothing but absolute physical impossibility is a sufficient excuse for
disappointing an assembly. Have it thoroughly understood that when your
name appears on a program, you will be... - Learn To Stop
The platform has no greater nuisance than that interminable bore--the
speaker who cannot stop. Of all platform vices this is about the worst.
The speaker who acquires a reputation for it becomes a terror instead of
an attraction to an audience.
As...
