Lesson Four

LESSON FOUR

Book reports and editorials were discussed in Lesson Three.

When you write a book report, you are evaluating the book. By evaluating a book, you are letting others know what you think about the book and whether it is worth reading or not. What a wonderful opportunity to read a book that you enjoy and to tell others about it!

When writing an editorial, or any other form of persuasive writing, you will try to persuade your readers, or audience, to believe, see, or take your side on a certain topic. This is another grand opportunity to write about your opinion and views and back them up with supporting facts and information.

The last Lesson in this Unit will cover poems, plays, and summaries. After working through this Unit, you should have a good knowledge of formal writing. With practice, formal writing should be fun for you as you practice the wonderful art of writing.

POEMS

When writing a poem, be sure to capitalize the first word of every line of poetry. Please read a portion of the poem by Rudyard Kipling. Notice that the first word of each line is capitalized.

THE MIRACLES
By Rudyard Kipling

I sent a message to my dear --
A thousand leagues and more to Her --
The dumb sea-levels thrilled to hear,
And Lost Atlantis bore to Her.
Behind my message hard I came,
And nigh had found a grave for me;
But that I launched of steel and flame
Did war against the wave for me.
Up rose the deep, by gale on gale,
To bid me change my mind again --
He broke his teeth along my rail,
And, roaring, swung behind again.

RULES FOR CAPITALIZATION

When writing the titles of various works, capitalize first and last words and all important words in titles of books, magazines, newspapers, poems, short stories, movies, television programs, works of art, and musical compositions.

PLAYS

Plays are very fun to write. You can create the characters, the scenario, the conversations, and the actions the way that you want. Your limit is your imagination! Let your creativity flow, yet keep in mind some of the simple instructions on how to format the writing of a play.

You will need to give your play a title. Titles of short plays should be enclosed with quotation marks. On the left side of the paper, write the name of each character before he/she speaks. Note the stage directions in parentheses when you are handwriting a play but in italics when you are typing a play on the computer. Place the character’s exact words and conversation in quotation marks. When a new character speaks, begin a new paragraph.

Please see a portion of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Focus on the format of how to write a play. Since this play is a long play, the title is underlined or written in italics. The scene is noted at the top. Stage directions are written in italics. Please notice the way the character's names are written in italics to the left side of the page; and each time a new character has a part, his name is written again on the left.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare

Scene I: Athens. Theseus’ court.

Enter Thesus, Hippolyta, (and Philostrate,) with others.

Theseus: Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour
  Draws on apace. Four happy days bring in
  Another moon; but, O, methinks, how slow
  This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires,
  Like to a stepdame or a dowager
  Long withering out a young man’s revenue.

Hippolyta: Four days will quickly steep themselves in a night;
  Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
  And then the moon, like to a silver bow
  New bent in heaven, shall behold the night
  Of our solemnities.

Theseus: Go, Philostrate,
  Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments
  Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth
  Turn melancholy forth to funerals.
  The pale companion is not for our pomp.
  Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword
  And won they love doing thee injuries;
  But I will wed thee in another key,
  With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling.

Enter Egeus and his daughter Hermia, and Lysander, and Demetrius.

SUMMARIES

To summarize is to shorten an original piece of material to the very main ideas and most important points. It is too restate something briefly. In other words, it is a shortened version of a longer piece of work.

Use your own words when summarizing. Choose the information, key points, and details that support the main idea(s). It is important to know what to put in your summary and what to leave out. Be brief, objective, and show that you fully understand the material that you are summarizing. Be sure to capture all the most important details.