The Cousins' Competitions

Southland Times, Issue 22734, 9 November 1935, Page 18

The Cousins' Competitions

361st COMPETITION. Story for cousins 12 and over: “The Mystery of the Lost Will.” Prizes of 1/- to Cousins Isobel McKenzie (14), Dipton, Annie Watson (12), Ryal Bush, Patricia Summers (16), Orepuki. Highly Commended: 3 marks to Cousin Jack McLeay (13),' Seaward Downs, Gwen Waterhouse (14), Orepuki, Ruth Dowden (12), 11 Scandrett street, Elsie Clive (14), Section 5, Otahuti R.D., Margaret Blatch, Cr. Boundary and Tramway road, May McLean (13), Clifden—Tuatapere R.D., Desmond Stone (14), Morton road, Eugenie McKenzie (13), Tone street, Bluff, Lilian Todd (15), Toa, Daphne Shields (14), Kennington, Melva Rule (14), Mataura Island, Ruby Beggs (15), 21 Earnslaw street. 361st COMPETITION. Poem for cousins 11 and under: “I Like Getting Letters.” Prizes of 1/- to Cousins Keith Deal (11), 53 Mitchell street, Jeanette Moore (11), 231 Gala street, Jacqueline Reid (9), 107 Lewis street. Highly Commended: 3 marks to Cousin Joyce Howden (10), Mataura Island, Pat Henderson (11), Waikana, Joan Waterhouse (11), Orepuki, Graeme Anderson (11), 78 Don street, Mona Bell (11), Lumsden, Ronald Deal (10), Mitchell street, Nita Hall (11), Dipton R.D. COMMENTS. The “mysteries” were, on the whole, good, and the interest, as a rule, was sustained throughout the story. The chief fault this week was in the punctuation. Many of you persist in using commas where you should use full stops, or semi-colons. For example, one cousin wrote: “One day she came upon two pages stuck together, with much difficulty she forced them apart.” These are two complete sentences, and this use of the comma is not correct. The culprits include Cousins Annie Watson, Elsie Clive, Gwen Waterhouse, and May McLean. Watch this mistake, my dears, and I am sure you will soon overcome the difficulty. The younger cousins wrote some very good verse. Cousin Graeme wrote a very interesting triolet. Notice the change I made in the fourth line, Graeme. The fourth line of a triolet should be the same as the first. Cousin Ronald Deal rhymed “that” and “back.” Read your poems aloud and you will probably notice such things as false rhymes. 362nd COMPETITION. Poem for all cousins: “It Must Have Been Pussy.” Prose for all cousins: “A Conversation Between a Goat and a Donkey.” Entries close, TUESDAY, November 12. 333rd COMPETITION. Prose for all Cousins: “Should School Holidays be Abolished.” „ Poem for all Cousins: The Wind. Entries close TUESDAY, November 19. SPECIAL PAGE. The entries for drawings will close on Tuesday, November 26, and the subject will be “The Birthday Party” or “The Birthday Present. Write any stories or poems you think suitable for a Birthday Page. The entries for these will close on Tuesday, December 3.