5. Spacing.—­Each theme should have a title.  It should be placed in the center of the line above the composition, and should have all important words capitalized.  Titles too long for a single line may be written as follows:—­

MY TRIP TO CHICAGO
ON A BICYCLE

With unruled paper some care must be taken to keep the lines the same distance apart.  The spaces between sentences should be somewhat greater than those between words.  Paragraphs are indicated by indentations.

6. Corrections.—­These are best made by using a sharp knife or an ink eraser.  Sometimes, if neatly done, a line may be drawn through an incorrect word and the correct one written above it.  Omitted words may be written between the lines and the place where they belong indicated by a caret.  If a page contains many corrections, it should be copied.

7. Inscription and Folding.—­The teacher will give directions as to inscription and folding.  He will indicate what information he wishes, such as name, class, date, etc., and where it is to be written.  Each page should be numbered.  If the paper is folded, it should be done with neatness and precision.

+2.  Capitals.+—­The use of capitals will serve to illustrate the value of using conventional forms.  We are so accustomed to seeing a proper name, such as Mr. Brown, written with capitals that we should be puzzled if we should find it written without capitals.  The sentence, Ben-Hur was written by Lew Wallace, would look unfamiliar if written without capitals.  We are so used to our present forms that beginning sentences with small letters would hinder the ready comprehension of the thought.  Everybody agrees that capitals should be used to begin sentences, direct questions, names of deity, days of the week, the months, each line of poetry, the pronoun I, the interjection O, etc., and no good writer will fail to use them.  Usage varies somewhat in regard to capitals in some other places.  Such expressions as Ohio river, Lincoln school, Jackson county, state of Illinois, once had both names capitalized.  The present tendency is to write them as above.  Even titles of honor are not capitalized unless they are used with a proper name; for example, He introduced General Grant The general then spoke.

+3.  Rules of Capitalization.+—­1.  Every sentence and every line of poetry begin with capitals.

2.  Every direct quotation, except brief phrases and subordinate parts of sentences, begins with a capital.

3.  Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns begin with capitals.  Some adjectives, though derived from proper nouns, are no longer capitalized; e.g. voltaic.

4.  Titles of honor when used with the name of a person begin with capitals.

5.  The first word and every important word in the titles of books, etc., begin with capitals.

6.  The pronoun I and the interjection O are always capitalized.