Concepts I said to pay
extra attention to:
(“short answer” and other questions may come from these
concepts)
First Exam
p 2. What are four ways
that we show emphasis in English writing? (1) bold type (2) italics (3)
underlining (4) ALL CAPS
p 3. What are two common
features used in paragraphs that explain or describe something? (1)
repetition (2) simple present tense verbs
p 8 (and quote from Yale).
What common English words are not normally found in academic writing?
I/me/my/our/we/us
p 9. What are the four
features of a paragraph? (1) a topic sentence (2) all sentences are about
one topic (3) the first line is indented (4) the last sentence brings the
paragraph to a logical conclusion
p 9. What does a topic
sentence do? It states the main idea
p 9 and 47. What do we
mean by “the controlling ideas” of a paragraph? These are the words or
phrases found in a topic sentence, which we can find details about in the
paragraph’s body. The “controlling ideas” guide the flow of ideas in the
paragraph.
p 10. What does “indented”
mean? It means that the first sentence of a paragraph has been moved to
the right about half an inch (one tab stop); the space is called an
“indentation.”
p 10 and my handout. If
both the TS and Con mention the topic and the controlling ideas, how are
they different? A paragraph’s TS has a general preview of the support,
but the conclusion actually mentions the support ideas. You should also
choose similar words, not the same words, to express main
ideas in the TS and Con. The best conclusions also have an implication.
p 10 and my handout. What
is an implication? a suggestion, an opinion, or a prediction,
related to the topic; this answers the reader’s question: “So what? So
what? What does this have to do with me?”
p 23 and 56. When we talk
about English grammar, what is a “fragment”? a sentence without a verb or
subject; an incomplete sentence
p 32. What is the first
step in writing a good paragraph? thinking (not writing)
p 37. What common mistake
do English-learners make, related to subject-verb agreement? They make the
verb agree with the “nearest noun” (e.g., a noun in a prepositional
phrase) instead of agreeing with that verb’s “grammatical subject.”
p 47. What are the five
features of a good topic sentence? (1) it controls or guides the whole
paragraph (2) it is not a general fact that everyone accepts as true (3)
it is specific (4) it is not too specific (leaving the writer nothing else
to say) (5) it has controlling ideas
p 57. What is a comma
splice? two or more independent clauses connected with a comma.
p 57. What are some ways
to fix a comma splice? (1) make two separate sentences (2) add a
connecting word [FANBOYS] (3) rewrite, combining the most important words
into one sentence
p 228-234. You should
understand basic capitalization rules and “end punctuation.” (I won’t ask
you to list them, but you will have to use them)
p 232. What does FANBOYS
mean? It reminds us of the list of combining words (coordinating
conjunctions): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
p 218ff. What are the
seven steps of the writing process? (you should be able to list these from
memory, with “Title case” capitalization as shown below—see page 228 #5)
1. Thoughtfully
Choose a Topic
2. Brainstorm
3. Outline
4. Write the First Draft
5. Get Feedback from a
Peer
6. Revise the First Draft
7. Proofread the Final
Draft
Be sure you understand the
Word Association exercises on p 26, 40 and 60.
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Second
Exam
Day
29 lecture: People in different cultures “support” ideas in different
ways. In Asia, you start talking about an idea in general terms, and “circle
around” to make your point. In the Middle East, classic literature
uses "mirror-like repetition" to build support. The same idea is
said in two different ways, and then you take the writer to another point.
In the west, in academic literature writers "say it three times"
like this: (Topic Sentence--TS) Tell readers what you are going to say.
(Body) Support it with facts. (Conclusion) Then remind them what you said.
Important Review: p 47. A paragraph’s TS tells the reader what to expect,
is not a general fact, IS specific but not too specific, and has
controlling ideas.
--To make it easy for you (as beginning writers), choose support
that is closely related. See your handout from 2/16/11, which said:
a. You should choose related support points
(let every idea share something: more… or healthy… or
positive…).
b. A paragraph’s TS has a general
preview of the support (e.g., “four benefits” or “several
healthy ways”). However, the conclusion actually mentions the
support ideas (e.g., “Exercise makes your life more healthy and
happy, and less tired and stressful.”).
--The easiest way to write a
good TS is to use a number plus a shared adjective (e.g.,
four positive features, three healthy benefits, four important
differences, two effective ways.).
--To get ideas for “good support”, create a brainstorm chart, group
ideas together, and then develop the idea you can write the most about (in
English). Ask yourself the “W” questions (who, what, when…).
p
67. Six kinds of supporting sentences (you should be able to list these
from memory, with “Title case” capitalization as shown below—see page 228
#5; also, if I give you a topic, you should be able to write several types
of “support sentences.” Possible topics would be anything you’ve had to
write about in your journal.
1. Explain
2. Describe
3. Give Reasons
4. Give Facts
5. Give Examples
6. Define
p
69, Activity 5. Here are some sample answers, but you can have MANY
different answers.
2.
Math is a part of almost everyone’s life in three important ways.
How is math in everyone’s life? What do we all calculate? (calculate
money, calculate time, calculate cooking measurements)
3.
A best friend has three essential qualities. What are the essential
qualities of a friend? How are friends consistently/always helpful?
[always honest (even when it hurts), always faithful (in
good and bad times), always available [never says “I’m too busy to
talk”])
4.
When you are traveling, you can find the best restaurants by
looking for three things. How do you find the best restaurant? How do we
know it is popular? [popular with reviewers in the
newspaper, popular with local people (as seen by the number of cars
in the parking lot), popular with the local police officers (look
for a squad car)]
5.
Ping Pong is a popular sport in China for two reasons. Make makes
Ping Pong popular? What is easy about it? [easy to find a
partner (lots of people can do it), easy to play (no great training
needed, not much special equipment)]
Day
34 lecture:
--Be careful when using pronouns. Don’t make your reader guess what you
mean! A good writer will express or rephrase ideas so that the referents
are clear.
--Prepositions
and prepositional phrases tell us extra information. Common English
prepositions include
in,
from, on, at, for, over, under, beside, of, with,
and
to (but not if “to” is part of a verb). As you can see, many of
these words refer to a direction or relationship.
--Helpful
rule: In general, we do things in a place or a month,
on a date (or on an “area” like a campus or
football field), and during a period of time. Therefore,
this is wrong: “I studied in my summer vacation.” Better: I studied
during my summer vacation. Other good examples: I slept during
lunchtime. I worked in July. My friend lives in Stow. My
hometown is North Canton, in Ohio. I graduated on May 25. Do
you live on campus or in an apartment?
Day
35 & 36 lectures:
Our
textbook presents four kinds of concluding sentences (see page 76).
Almost all conclusions should repeat (or “to say again”) the main idea and
summarize the main support in your paragraph. This is called “restatement.”
In addition, good conclusions have an implication; that is, they
offer a suggestion (advice), an opinion (my view or
belief), or a prediction (guess about the future) related to the
topic.
The best way to create a good conclusion is to first
outline the paragraph (so you can see the support points clearly),
find any relationships between the support points (such as shared
words or ideas:
more… or healthy… or positive…), and then write your
conclusion.
The
second exam should be like the first exam, but will be only 4 pages. You
may also have to do an exercise like those in Unit 4, and/or you may have
to create a topic sentence and conclusion (based on an outline I give
you). WATCH YOUR TIME, skip things that are hard for you, and come back
later (e.g., don’t leave a 25-point “vocabulary” page blank because you
spent too much time writing a 5-point conclusion). I’ll say more on
Monday, after I create the test. As I told you in class, review all
vocabulary from the start of this class to the end of “week 8” (i.e., up
to and including Chapter 11 in the purple book). There is no “spelling”
section on the exam, but you will have to “match” or “use” the terms. You
will not have “short answer” questions about the main concepts you studied
before the first exam (unless I’ve told you otherwise).
You
may see items from the Word Association and Using Collocations exercises
on or near pages 26, 40, 60, & 80.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Third/Final
Exam
Important note: During
this course, I normally used capital letters for important things like
Topic Sentence, Thesis Statement and Conclusion
(to emphasize that they are important, and so that I could abbreviate
“Topic Sentence” as “TS”). However, these are not really formal nouns, and
you will not see them capitalized in most books. --M Krigline
Mar 29 handout: Three
questions will help you to know which article to use, if any: (1) What
kind of noun is it: proper or regular? (2) Does the noun refer to
something specific or general? (3) Is the noun countable (singular or
plural) or uncountable?
p 94. (This could be
True/False or “multiple choice”; you don’t have to know the other rules on
page 94.) Some of the basic rules of “article use” are: (1) use an article
with singular count nouns, (2) in general, do not use the with
noncount nouns, (3) use the when you refer to a word a second or
subsequent time, (4) use the when you refer to something specific.
p 198 Review:
a. What are the four
features of a paragraph? (1) a topic sentence (2) all sentences are about
one topic (3) the first line is indented (4) the last sentence brings the
paragraph to a logical conclusion
b. What does a topic
sentence do? It states the main idea
Page 199 told us the
FOUR STEPS in the process of writing a draft: (You should be able to list
these from memory. Notice that they are not capitalized. You don’t have to
remember the words in parentheses.)
A. developing ideas
(brainstorming)
B. creating the topic
sentence (narrowing the topic)
C. writing supporting
sentences (developing the ideas)
D. writing concluding
sentences (ending the paragraph)
p 199. What is an
essay? a collection of paragraphs that presents facts, opinions, and ideas
on a topic.
p 200. How are essays
similar to paragraphs? They both discuss one topic. Both use similar
organizational elements (to help the reader understand the information).
Both have supporting and concluding elements. Both have an introduction, a
body, and a conclusion.
p 200. What are the
two main differences between an essay and a paragraph? the length, and
scope of information (scope means the number of details)
p 204. The Thesis
Statement of an essay is (1) similar to the Topic Sentence of a paragraph,
(2) tells the reader what the essay is about, (3) shows how the essay will
be organized, (4) is usually the last sentence in the introduction
paragraph.
April 4 handout--An
essay’s first sentence is a “hook,” not a Topic Sentence. This hook
gets the reader interested and builds up to the Thesis Statement of the
essay. The hook is often a story or fact (related to the topic!).
p 205 (and lectures)--Writing
body paragraphs. Your essay needs two or three big support ideas; each
will be a separate “body paragraph.” Each “body paragraph” has a Topic
Sentence, which states the topic and previews the support. Each “body
paragraph” will have two or three “support points” (such as an example or
detail related to the idea). On the ASSET, you want to write three to five
sentences for each body paragraph.
April 4 handout--Writing
conclusions. Your “conclusion paragraph” restates your Thesis, often
in the second or last sentence. In this “Restated Thesis” you need to
refer to the main idea of each support-paragraph TS (Topic Sentence). The
essay then ends with an implication. Be sure the “Restated Thesis” and the
last sentence restates the topic (i.e., don’t just use a pronoun).
p 114. FANBOYS stands
for the six connecting words for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.
Paragraph Types (p 99)
