4. When the Street Lamps Went Out.
5. Coming Home at Midnight.

6. Down the Wet Street at Night.

7. How Day Comes in Our Street.

8. The City from the Roof at Night.
9. My Room at 3 A.M.

10. From a Train at Night.

Do not tell a story, but give a picture, though it may be a moving picture. By the way in which you describe everything keep your reader constantly reminded of the darkness. The following theme may prove suggestive. Can you improve on it?

Just as the town clock struck midnight I reached the gate in front of our house. The moon was almost hidden behind a dark cloud. A mysterious stillness filled the air and was broken only by the stamp of the horses' hoofs in a barn near by, and the bark of some dog. Across the street and at my feet were little pools of shiny, black-looking water. A neighbor's house directly in front of me cast dark, queer shadows across the road. Farther down the street was a high square something, and near it a large black oblong with a cupola at one end. Many things looking like great black singing-tops turned upside down were scattered about. Away in the distance was a long black wall with a glimmer of light in one end of it. Slowly coming toward me was something white and ghostly. By the sudden turning of a corner I saw it was a white horse drawing a spring-wagon behind it. Moving around farther away was a tall object looking like a fence post, and it was carrying a lantern which gave out a pale gleam of light.

PICTURING THE SAME SCENE FROM TWO POINTS
OF VIEW

Describe a room in daylight, and the same room as darkness gathers or as day breaks. Choose a room of some distinct character, and do not merely catalogue the contents, but give a picture. Be sincere; tell what you see. Try to name

the various shapes that you see in the dusk, and thus avoid repetition of the words something or object. The following theme is faulty in this respect. What good descriptive phrases has it?

From the cellar door where I am, things look very mysterious and ghostly. To my right, and back a little bit, is something square and of an indistinct gray color. I can see only one corner of it, for it joins the wall on one side and extends back a long way. In front of it is something about half as tall, rather narrow and round. It glimmers in the darkness. At the left of me is something tall, slim, and white. On this are hanging great, mysterious dark and light things that look like people standing in a long silent row. At the farther end of the room is something that shines sometimes, and in some places is black. It has arms that extend upward and outward, and at its feet I can see something red and fiery that looks like the eyes of a monster. In front of me is the most awful object of all. It is long and black and is raised up off the floor. It looks just like a coffin.

EXERCISE 38 - Oral

THE NARRATOR'S POINT OF VIEW

How is the dog's point of view given here?

The Master was walking most unsteady, his legs tripping each other. But even when the Master's legs twist and bend a bit, you must n't think he can't reach you. Indeed, that is the time he kicks most frequent. So I kept behind him in the shadow, or ran in the middle of the street. He stopped at many public houses with swinging doors, those doors that are cut so high from the sidewalk that you can look in under them, and see if the Master is inside. At night, when I peep beneath them, the man at the counter will see me first and say, "Here's the Kid, Jerry, come to take you home. Get a move on you"; and the Master will stumble out and follow me. It's lucky for us I'm so white, for, no matter how dark the night, he can always see me ahead, just out of reach of his foot. RICHARD HARDING DAVIS, "The Bar Sinister"

EXERCISE 39 - Written

WRITING FROM ANOTHER'S POINT OF VIEW

If you can imagine the feelings of a horse, write the account of his first meeting with an automobile as told by himself; or write an account of a fire as given by one of the engine horses. If you prefer, you may give the canary's description of the house cat, or your dog's report of an adventure with a tramp, or some similar narrative. Be sure to keep the point of view of the animal, though of course you will make him more or less human in many ways.

D. DEFINITE WORDS

Not only must we have a definite subject, definite details, and a definite point of view; but in order to express these we must command definite words, and use them exactly. Here again sincerity enters; for if we really care to tell the truth about what we hear or see or imagine or think, we shall not be satisfied with any but precisely the right word to fit our need. Then if we are caring about these definite words, we shall be likely to keep a sharper lookout, and to think more clearly too. So definite words give us more definite thoughts, and definite thoughts give us more definite words or at least set us to seeking for them.

EXERCISE 40- Oral and Written

THE VALUE OF À DEFINITE WORD

A part of growing-up ought to be growing in ability to see differences and distinctions, and to find words that express these. Some people seem to stop growing in this respect as soon as they have enough words to make themselves understood about everyday matters; they use third or fourth

grade vocabularies all the rest of their lives. (What is a vocabulary?) What definite terms have you learned since the third grade in arithmetic? in algebra ? in geography? in grammar? in literature? in other subjects? Write out a definition for glacier, multiplicand, predicate. If you did not know these terms but had the ideas for which they stand, how many words would you have to use instead of each name? Show that the use of a definite word like transitive in a sentence ought to carry with it the whole definition. Look up the meaning of definition. How is it related to definite?

EXERCISE 41- Written

USING NEW WORDS DEFINITELY

From the selections given in this chapter choose ten words not in your own speaking vocabulary which you would like to adopt. Use each in a sentence to show its meaning.

PICTURING WITH DEFINITE WORDS

Picture a scene, using correctly and effectively as many words as you can from one of the following groups ·

EXERCISE 43 - Oral

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN MOST AND ALMOST

Almost means nearly"; most means "in the highest degree." Use these words correctly in the following sentences, and be careful of their use as you speak and write.

USING PRONOUNS DEFINITELY

Pronouns, especially it, which, and they, are very troublesome words because in themselves so indefinite. Since a pronoun represents a subject of thought without naming it, we must be careful to use it always in connection with some other word or words that do name the same subject of thought. You will learn more about the use of pronouns later; for the present, take special pains to be sure that it, which, and they always refer to something definite and unmistakable. See if you can find any indefinite use of it in your last five written compositions; if so, bring your sentence to class as a specimen, and correct it.