As an example of this method of study, we subjoin a series of notes on the passage quoted from Franklin in the last chapter. In our study we constantly ask ourselves, “Does this use of the word sound perfectly natural?” At every point we appeal to our _instinct,_ and in time come to trust it to a very great extent. We even train it. To train our instinct for words is the first great object of our study.
Notes on Franklin. (See “How Franklin Learned to Write” in preceding chapter.)
1. “The female sex” includes animals as well as human beings, and in modern times we say simply “women,” though when Franklin wrote “the female sex” was considered an elegant phrase.
2. Note that “their” refers to the collective noun “sex.”
3. If we confine the possessive case to persons we would not say “for dispute's sake,” and indeed “for the sake of dispute” is just as good, if not better, in other respects.
4. “Ready plenty” is antique usage for “ready abundance.” Which is the stronger?
5. “Reasons” in the phrase “strength of his reasons” is a simple and forcible substitute for “arguments.”
6. “Copied fair” shows an idiomatic use of an adjective form which perhaps can be justified, but the combination has given way in these days to “made a fair copy of.”
7. Observe that Franklin uses “pointing” for _punctuation,_ and “printing-house” for _printing-office_.
8. The old idiom “endeavor at improvement” has been changed to _endeavor to improve,_ or _endeavor to make improvement_.
9. Note how the use of the word _sentiment_ has changed. We would be more likely to say _ideas_ in a connection like this.
10. For “laid them by,” say _laid them away_.
11. For “laid me under …… necessity” we might say _compelled me,_ or _made it necessary that I should_.
12. “Amended” is not so common now as _corrected_.
13. For “evading” (attendance at public worship) we should now say _avoiding_. We “evade” more subtle things than attendance at church.
There are many other slight differences in the use of words which the student will observe. It would be an excellent exercise to write out, not only this passage, but a number of others from the Autobiography, in the most perfect of simple modern English.
We may also take a modern writer like Kipling and translate his style into simple, yet attractive and good prose; and the same process may be applied to any of the selections in this book, simply trying to find equivalent and if possible equally good words to express the same ideas, or slight variations of the same ideas. Robinson Crusoe, Bacon's Essays, and Pilgrim's Progress are excellent books to translate into modern prose. The chief thing is to do the work slowly and thoughtfully.