You have seen that speech can be made more interesting and picturesque by using definite words that express the thought exactly instead of words that express it in a general way only. These definite, picture-making words are often called specific words.

Exercise 175. Word Studies

1. A recent magazine contained a lively poem called "A Rhyme of Boats." In it were names of twenty-two kinds of boats. One stanza contained the following: sloop, fishing smack, punt, junk, raft, pirate ship.

Add to this list as many names as you can.

2. Make as long a list as you can of names of vehicles that are drawn by horses.

3. Make a list of specific names of habitations of men; for example, cottage, palace, tent.

Exercise 176. Oral Composition

Describe one kind of boat. Give correct names to its parts. If possible, illustrate your talk with pictures or blackboard sketches. It will take careful preparation to talk in good sentences in an interesting way, and at the same time point out what you are describing.

Topics For Compositions

1. The story of a boat. The boat may be a real or an imaginary one; and the story may be one that you have imagined, or that you have heard or read, or may be drawn from your personal experience. You surely know where you can find some stories of famous boats; for example, the Argo, Hiawatha's canoe, the Jason.

2. My first boating experience.

3. A report of the crop situation in your locality. Tell the facts as clearly and as fully as you can learn them.

4. Some work you did during vacation. Perhaps you raised or learned to make something that you can exhibit at your county fair or Harvest Home Festival.

5. How a self-binder or a telephone operates.

6. A book I like. Tell something of its contents and explain why you like it.

7. A brave act.

8. Bulbs for winter forcing in the house : (1) Advantage over other house plants, (2) desirable kinds, (3) treatment.

9. Some useful fact that you learned in vacation.

10. Plants that do and that do not "come true" from seed.

A Little Sailor Boy. A. J. Swanson.