When we reached the hill-top we saw directly before us the old house, which seemed to ramble all over the premises. From the main structure, which was in the colonial style, a large wing rambled off to the left, and from this a low structure of the Dutch type rambled away to the rear, and a long wood-shed rambled still farther, while another wing straggled off to the right, connecting with the outbuildings. Its well-kept condition presented a picture of painstaking thrift. The steep roof of the left wing had been newly shingled, and white patches here and there indicated that the other roofs, all in good condition, had been carefully repaired. Not a brick was loose in the five chimneys, from three of which the smoke was curling cheerfully up through the crisp air. The whole house, though not newly painted, was free from the appearance of decay. The large windows with their innumerable little panes, glistened brightly in the morning sunlight; and as we came nearer, we saw that they were spotless. The floor of the porch, too, and the four long steps leading to it, bore proof of recent cleaning.

Questions.

I. The first sentence implies that this description is preceded by what form of discourse?

2. What is the subject of the paragraph? The theme?

3. Show whether or not the theme can be stated in a sentence. 4. What two characteristics of the house are dwelt upon? 5. Do all the details contribute to the portrayal of these two characteristics?

6. What details of the appearance of the house are given indirectly?

7. What do you think of the propriety of making two paragraphs of this?

8. What likenesses and differences do you find between this and the third paragraph in the selection from Thackeray earlier in the chapter?

C. Study the various paragraphs of the "Sunrise over Geneva" in the preceding chapter for characteristics of the descriptive paragraph.

Questions.

1. What general characteristics of the whole scene are described in the first paragraph?

2. What forms of discourse are mingled in paragraph two? 3. The general effect is what, descriptive or narrative?

4. Does paragraph three aim to give a picture or an impression, or both?

5. Compare the first sentence of this paragraph with the last; do they aim to express the same idea?

6. Around what two ideas do the details group themselves in the fourth paragraph?

7. What is it that makes the division natural between paragraphs four and five?

8. Explain whether or not this division is imperative.

9. How many different features of the scene are introduced in paragraph five?

10. How do paragraphs six and seven resemble narrative paragraphs?

II. What do we have in these to take the place of the series of detailed happenings in narration?

12. What kind of features are treated in the summary paragraph at the end?

13. What determines the division in most cases in this composition?

14. How many topic sentences do you find in the theme?

322. The Descriptive Paragraph: Summary.-From our study of examples, we may safely infer that the descriptive paragraph, in a large proportion of cases, does not contain a definite statement of the topic; that the topic is often so indefinite, so intangible, that to reduce it to a single statement is quite impossible. What we do most frequently find is that the most prominent part, the most striking feature or the feature first seen, is mentioned first, and that this is followed by details naturally associated with it. Thus the descriptive paragraph is made up of a group of associated details, while the narrative paragraph is composed of a closely related

series of happenings. The length of the descriptive paragraph is conditioned by the number of details necessary to suit the writer's purpose. Some of the factors that determine the paragraph divisions are:

1. The particular purpose of the author.

2. The introduction of a new detail of importance. 3. The introduction of a narrative element. 4. Change in the point of view.

5. A change in the appearance of the thing described. 6. The time element.

Classifying descriptive paragraphs according to the method of their development, we have:

1. The group paragraph, the typical descriptive paragraph.

2. The topical paragraph.

3. The sketch or summary paragraph.

323. The Function of the Paragraph. We have seen that the paragraph may constitute a complete composition or that it may be so closely related to other paragraphs that much of its meaning is lost when taken out of its connection. We have seen, also, that the paragraph may be the development of a topic stated at the beginning, or it may consist of a series of connected happenings, or a group of related details. Consequently, a statement of the function of the paragraph must be broad enough to include all these varieties. The function of the paragraph, then, is to give, in a complete and separate structure, unity of expression

to a thought or a group of thoughts, related in such a way that the connection between them is obvious.

EXERCISE

324. Write compositions as follows:

1. Develop a descriptive paragraph in which you sketch the characteristic features of a dilapidated farm.

2. Develop a composition of several paragraphs in which you deal successively with the characteristic features of a dilapidated farm.

3. Write a paragraph in which you state in abbreviated form how you spent your last Christmas vacation.

4. Taking the important happenings of your Christmas vacation as topics for paragraphs, develop a long theme.

5. In a single paragraph write a sketch of the most peculiarlooking person you know.

6. Develop a theme of three paragraphs on the same person, dealing with his dress, his features, his general bearing and

manners.

In the same manner as above, develop a single paragraph and a theme of several paragraphs on each of the following subjects:

7. The Ruins of an Old
Castle.

8. A Country Sawmill.

9.

A Department Store. 10. A Well-kept Farm.

II. A Trout Stream.

12. A Factory Ruined by Fire
13. The Hills in October.
14. A Fox Hunt.

15. A Theater between Acts.

16. A Sugar Camp.

CHAPTER V

THE INDIVIDUAL SENTENCE: UNITY

We say that a

325. The Thought of the Sentence. sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought, but the examination of a few complex and compound sentences will show us that the term thought is a very elastic one. It is evident that there is a vast difference between the thought expressed in two words and that of a sentence which fills a page and a half. The one is simple; the other, complex. It is this complex thought that claims our attention in the study of unity.

A complex thought is made up of a group of ideas, often complex ideas; but, in order that the thought may be single and definite, some one idea must be the center around which the others are grouped. One idea must stand out as principal, and the others must take their places as subordinates. The principal idea does not need to be a grammatical subject; it may be an object or a clause; it may even be a dependent clause.

326. Sentence Study I. Try to find the central idea in the following sentences:

A. And the bright-eyed, big-hearted singers, from the clerestories of the wood cathedral, peered down sidelong at the ragged Princess as she flitted below on the carpet of moss and tassel.