Practical Exercises in English.PDF

Practical Exercises in English

Huber Gray Buehler k

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Title: Practical Exercises in English

Author: Huber Gray Buehler

Release Date: May 24, 2004 [EBook #12421]

Language: English

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PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN

ENGLISH

HUBER GRAY BUEHLER

MASTER IN ENGLISH IN THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL

ARRANGED FOR USE WITH ADAMS SHERMAN HILL'S

"FOUNDATIONS OF RHETORIC"

NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO AMERICAN BOOK

COMPANY

W.P. 17

PREFACE

The art of using one's native tongue correctly and forcibly is acquired for the most

part through imitation and practice, and is not so much a matter of knowledge as

of habit. As regards English, then, the first duty of our schools is to set before

pupils excellent models, and, in all departments of school-work, to keep a watchful

eye on the innumerable acts of expression, oral and written, which go to form

habit. Since, however, pupils come to school with many of their habits of

expression already formed on bad models, our schools must give some attention

to the special work of pointing out common errors of speech, and of leading pupils

to convert knowledge of these errors into new and correct habits of expression.

This is the branch of English teaching in which this little book hopes to be useful.

All the "Exercises in English" with which I am acquainted consist chiefly of

"sentences to be corrected." To such exercises there are grave objections. If, on

the one hand, the fault in the given sentence is not seen at a glance, the pupil is

likely, as experience has shown, to pass it by and to change something that is not

wrong. If, on the other hand, the fault is obvious, the exercise has no value in the

formation of habit. Take, for example, two "sentences for correction" which I

select at random from one of the most widely used books of its class: "I knew it

was him," and "Sit the plates on the table." A pupil of any wit will at once see that

the mistakes must be in "him" and "sit," and knowing that the alternatives are

"he" and "set," he will at once correct the sentences without knowing, perhaps,

why one form is wrong, the other right. He has not gained anything valuable; he

has simply "slid" through his exercise. Moreover, such "sentences for correction"

violate a fundamental principle of teaching English by setting before the

impressionable minds of pupils bad models. Finally, such exercises are unnatural,

because the habit which we hope to form in our pupils is not the habit of

correcting mistakes, but the habit of avoiding them.

Correct English is largely a matter of correct choice between two or more forms of

expression, and in this book an attempt has been made, as a glance at the pages

will show, to throw the exercises, whenever possible, into a form consistent with

this truth. Though a pupil may change "who" to "whom" without knowing why, he

cannot repeatedly choose correctly between these forms without strengthening his

own habit of correct expression.

This book has been prepared primarily as a companion to Professor A.S. Hill's

"Foundations of Rhetoric," in answer to the request of many teachers for exercises

to use with that admirable work.[1] Without the friendly encouragement of

Professor Hill the task would not have been undertaken, and to him above all

others I am indebted for assistance in completing it. He has permitted me to draw

freely on his published works; he has provided me with advance sheets of the

revised edition of "Principles of Rhetoric;" he has put at my disposal much useful

material gleaned from his own experience; he has read the manuscript and proofs,

and, without assuming any responsibility for shortcomings, he has suggested

many improvements. I am also indebted to Mr. E.G. Coy, Headmaster of the

Hotchkiss School, for many valuable suggestions, and to my colleague, Mr. J.E.

Barss, for assistance in the proof-reading.

The quotations from "The Century Dictionary" are made under an arrangement

with the owners of the copyright of that work. I am also indebted to Professor

Barrett Wendell, Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., and Messrs. Macmillan & Co. for

permission to use brief quotations from their works.

H.G.B.

LAKEVILLE, CONN., September , 1895.

[1] See Appendix: Suggestions to Teachers.

iii

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