in the class, and partly at home, according to the direction given in the Preface to the Rudiments of English Composition; but the Teacher ought not to accept from the Pupils the particular form of the sentence or passage given in the Key. He may read it to them for the purpose of showing how the sentence or passage may be varied; but he should require them to write it in a different form. The Exercises in the third class admit of a still greater variety in the mode of performance. The essay of each Pupil, therefore, should be different, not only from the essay in the Key, but from that of every other Pupil. At least one essay in the week should be written by the Pupils at home; but, in order to train them to readiness in expressing their ideas, and at the same time to test their progress, the Teacher should also cause them to practise original composition in the class. When it is necessary for them to collect information on the subjects prescribed, he should require them to mark with inverted commas the passages directly quoted, and to mention, at the end of each essay, the books which they have consulted. |