Week 5 Grammar Videos

We have not spent a lot of time on specific Grammar lessons.  I gave the students handouts for this week and for next week.  I would like the students to read the handouts that they've gotten in the past weeks.  Rumor has it a pop quiz might be planned for next week.

Part of next week's assignment includes watching some videos.  I've found some good, short, and to-the-point instructional videos that can help with our grammar and writing instruction.  Last week's videos are for optional viewing.  For the videos about clauses and verbs, the students are to watch one for each section and to write 3 things about grammar they have learned.  Below are the video options:
Last week's Grammar:  Phrases
Gerund phrases
Participial phrases
Participle phrases
Prepositional phrases
Prepositional phrases
Appositives
Restrictive/Non-restrictive phrases
More on Restrictive phrases

This week's Grammar:  Clauses
Dependent Clauses #1
Dependent Clauses #2
Mr. Grammar's Subord. Clauses
Subordinate Conjunctions
Clauses
Subordinate Conjunct. part 1
Subordinate Conjunct. part 2
Subordinate Conjunct. part 3

Next week's Grammar:  Verbs & Tenses
Verb Overview
Troublesome verbs
Simple verbs

WEEK 6 – Verbs: Tense, 4 Principle Parts

WEEK 6 – Verbs:  Tense, 4 Principle Parts

TENSE

Tense means “time” and refers to the time shown by the verb.  In addition to past, present, and future, but verb tenses also include past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect.

Present tense:  This verb implies habitual action, action that occurs over a period of time, and tells the reader that the subject may have done this in the past and may continue to do it in the future.  It is used to show action happening now, action that happens as a regular occurrence, action that is historical, and action that indicates the future.

            Examples:

·  Jackson runs a fishing business in Florida. (action happening now)

·  Bill Woods is traveling to Argentina.  (action happening now)

·  Steve visits Ireland very six months.  (action as a regular occurrence)

·  Babe Ruth strides to the plate.  (historical present)

·  The weather man said it is going to rain.  (present tense for the future)

                       

Past tense:  The action is completed, over, done with, and completed.  Use of the past tense implies that perhaps the action will not occur again.

            Examples:        

·  Doug once caught a Yellow-fin tuna.

·  My uncle fought in World War II.

Future tense:  This verb indicates later time but also implies a continuance or an extension.  The action has not happened yet but some time later it will.

            Examples:        

·  Hugh will never forgive me for being a better fisherman.

·  The Smiths will start a college fund for their daughter.

·  I will bake a pie for dinner.

                       

Present perfect:  This verb shows a completed action begun in the past extending to the present time.  The writer implies that he has done something and will continue to do it.  It also implies time that is continuous or sporadic but that happens many times.

            Examples:

·  I have attended CHAT for 3 years.

·  Because of his musical passions, James has practiced daily for the last twelve years.

·  Joe Clark has opened another store in the area.

·  You have missed your chance to go to the concert.

Past perfect tense:    A verb in past perfect tense shows a completed action just as the simple past does; however, the past perfect also places this completed action before some other past action that occurred later.  Both are completed actions: one happened before the other.

            Examples:        

·  Sally had had many opportunities to make a lot of money but preferred live a simple life.

·  My mother complained that I had not cleaned my room.

·  Before he consulted a doctor, Mr. Brown had experienced only minor chest pains.

Authors sometimes use the past perfect to guide the reader into a flashback, a literary device to recall past events even thought the story is now in the present.  Once in the past, the past perfect may be abandoned for the simple past tense.

Future perfect:  This verb indicates a time in the future completed before some other completed time in the future.  Future perfect, showing action that has not taken place, can also be expressed by the simple future, consequently, may writers don’t use the future perfect.

            Examples:        

·  President Clinton will have written twelve books by the time he is seventy years old.

·  By Memorial Day, Fort McHenry will have hosted several thousand visitors.

·  Melissa will have attended eighteen concerts by Christmas time.

           

4 PRINICIPLE PARTS

Every verb in English is composed of 4 principle parts:

·  Present stem:  for forming the present and future tenses

·  Past tense

·  Past participle:  for forming the perfect tenses

·  Present participle:  for forming the progressive mood

Examples

Present Stem	Past Tense	Past Participle	Present Participle
bring	brought	brought	bringing
sing	sang	sung	singing
dive	dived or dove	dived or dove	diving
run	ran	run	running
hang	hung (a picture)	hung	hanging
hang	hanged (a person)	hung	hanging
cast	cast	cast	casting

WEEK 5 – Clauses: Dependent, Noun, Adjective, Adverb

WEEK 5 – Clauses:  Dependent, Noun, Adjective, Adverb

Clauses:  Careful writers introduce clauses into their writing for emphasis, variety, and added information.  Clauses are either independent, meaning they can stand by themselves and make sense (in other words, sentences), or dependent, meaning they cannot stand by themselves, and to make sense, they need to attach themselves to other words, phrases, or independent clauses.

Independent clause, main clause, or sentence are synonymous and the terms may be used interchangeable.  Also, dependent and subordinate are synonymous and used interchangeably.  Subordinate also implies that the thought expressed by this type of clause is an important fact but less important than the sentence itself.  If a subordinate clause cannot be removed (the meaning of the sentence is altered), then this clause is restrictive or essential.  If the clause can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence, then the clause is non-restrictive or non-essential.

Sentences and Clauses

By combining main clauses and dependent clauses, a writer can stress thoughts when he uses main clauses and relegates other thoughts less important when he uses dependent clauses.

            Examples:

(Although the Yankees played several games with replacements), the team hung together and eventually won the pennant.  (The writer stresses the cohesiveness and victory of the team in the main clause as the main idea.)

The Carpenters, (who have lived in several parts of the world), love Minneapolis the best.  (The clause is dependent on the primary idea.)

DEPENDENT CLAUSES

A dependent clause is a group of words with a subject and verb:  noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverb clauses function in the same manner as words and phrases, except clauses tend to be longer units.  These groups of words may look like sentences because they contain a verb and a subject; however, they also may contain an introductory word which shows some relationship to another part of the sentence.  Therefore these clauses cannot stand by themselves because they must attach themselves to make sense.

NOUN CLAUSE

A noun clause is a group of words that function as a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, or predicate nominative.

            Examples:

·  Subject:  Whoever is responsible for the graffiti should turn himself in to the police.

·  Direct Object:  Gene clicks away with the remote and chooses whatever suits his fancy.

·  Indirect Object:  Mr. Collins assigned whoever had an “A” an extra credit project.

·  Object of the preposition:  Mr. Jameson will present the award to whoever baked the best chocolate cake.

·  Predicate Nominative:  The award was whatever struck the fancy of the judges.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

An adjective clause is a group of words with a subject and verb and introductory relative pronoun (who, whom, which, that); this group of words modifies a single noun or pronoun.

Examples:

·  Butch, who tells the best stories, has traveled alone all through the West.

·  After reading from his novel, the author took questions that the audience enthusiastically asked.

·  The program that captures the imagination of the audience usually receives the greatest applause.

·  The Tavern, which is owned by an Englishman, does a great business in Northfield.

ADVERB CLAUSES

An adverb clause is a group of words with a subject and verb and an introductory adverb that designates when, where, how, and to what extent and expresses reason.  Adverb clauses usually modify verbs but, like single adverbs, also modify adjectives. 

Usually, when an adverb clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, it is set off by a comma.

Examples:

·  When Alyssa called, she told us that she has a new job.

·  When the sentence was written, the writer ignored standard rules of grammar.

When the adverb clause is in the middle of the sentence, it usually is set off by a comma, but at the end of the sentence it is set off by a comma only if the thought in the clause is abruptly negative to the words before.

            Examples:

·  Joan travels to Nantucket every year, although she never goes fishing. (the clause is contrary to the preceding thought)

·  Joan also visits New Bedford before she lands on Nantucket.  (no comma needed)

·  My son points beautiful portraits, even though he never took lessons.  (contradicting thought)

Writing 2 Class Notes -- September 26

Greetings!

We had a good class this week.  For our Quick Write, the students wrote 5 alliterative sentences.  We had short and long sentences in which the students used words that began with the same beginning sounds. I also drew a tree with an apple on the ground telling that that it was a clue about a significant event of the day.  A couple had an idea that it was connected to Johnny Appleseed.  In fact, September 26 was Johnny Chapman's birthday

I handed back their final copies of their Personal Essays.  I grade the the papers in three areas:  mechanics, organization, and content.  The total possible score for the paper is 30 points (10 points for each section).  I tend to be an easy grader; it's hard to evaluate a student's skill, effort, and improvement.  Over the course of the year, I am looking for each student to improve in all three areas of mechanics, organization, and content.  I especially look for corrections made from suggestions and comments made on the rough draft.

The students handed in their rough drafts of their Process Analysis essays.  I will go over those this week and hand them back next week.  If a student ever is late with a rough draft, they can have it in to me by the next Sunday.

We have not spent a lot of time on specific Grammar lessons.  I gave the students handouts for this week and for next week.  I would like the students to read the handouts that they've gotten in the past weeks.  Rumor has it a pop quiz might be planned for next week.

Part of next week's assignment includes watching some videos.  I've found some good, short, and to-the-point instructional videos that can help with our grammar and writing instruction.  Last week's videos are for optional viewing.  For the videos about clauses and verbs, the students are to watch one for each section and to write 3 things about grammar they have learned.  Below are the video options:
Last week's Grammar:  Phrases
Gerund phrases
Participial phrases
Participle phrases
Prepositional phrases
Prepositional phrases
Appositives
Restrictive/Non-restrictive phrases
More on Restrictive phrases

This week's Grammar:  Clauses
Dependent Clauses #1
Dependent Clauses #2
Mr. Grammar's Subord. Clauses
Subordinate Conjunctions
Clauses
Subordinate Conjunct. part 1
Subordinate Conjunct. part 2
Subordinate Conjunct. part 3

Next week's Grammar:  Verbs & Tenses
Verb Overview
Troublesome verbs
Simple verbs

During our literature discussion of My Antonia, we discussed Willa Cather's descriptions of the land and nature through Jim Burden's perceptions.  If you love the plains and wide open spaces, Cather's descriptions are delightful.  If not, they seem a bit sad and lonely.  We also discussed the hard-working and sacrificing natures of the early farmers on the plains.

Next Week's Assignments:
-- Finish Book 3 (p. 94 - 124) "The Hired Girls."
-- Using the study guide answer 3 questions from Week 6.  Write out your answers.
-- Watch 1 video about Clauses and write 3 things about grammar that you learned.
-- Watch 1 video about Verbs and write 3 things about grammar that you learned.

The weather has been spectacular.  Enjoy!
Mrs. Prichard

Grammar WEEK 4 -- Phrases, part 2

WEEK 4 – Phrases:  Appositive, Restrictive, Infinitive

APPOSITIVES AND APPOSITIVE PHRASES

Appositive:  An appositive is always a noun.  Usually it follows immediately after a noun, is sometimes set off by commas, and renames or emphasizes the noun it follows.  Appositives are the words or phrases that explain or add information to the noun it follows.  Appositives never contain verbs.

            Examples: 

·  Barron’s, a publisher of books, boasts of the finest employees.

·  The Northfield Historical Society, a local organization, gives tours at the museum.

 One word “name” appositives usually do not need commas, but there is a caution here.  If there are more of the group, then no commas are needed.  In the example below, if there are more brothers or sisters, you would not use commas to set apart the appositive.  No commas means restrictive; restrictive means that if you take that element out of the sentence, the sentence changes its meaning.  The element is essential and therefore no commas.  Putting commas around an appositive tells the readers that this part of the sentence is not absolutely necessary or needed, but it does add to the information of the sentence.

Example:

·  My brother Mark lives in France but works in Switzerland.

 For the sake of variety, the appositive might appear before the noun.

            Examples:

·  The owner of the gallery, Kevin Hanson, won a grant to fund a new art show.

·  The most outstanding writing teacher, Mrs. Prichard, teaches three classes at CHAT.

RESTRICTIVE/ NONRESTRICTIVE

When you have nonrestrictive (nonessential) elements in a sentence, set them off with commas.  You must decide if the information is essential or not.  If the information is essential to the meaning of the sentence, you have a restrictive phrase or clause, and you do not use commas.

            Examples:

·  The little boy who was wearing the blue sweater is lost. (this phrase contains important details)

·  The little boy, who didn’t seem to like his lunch, is lost.  (this phrase doesn’t add essential information to the main idea of the sentence)

The use of “that” implies a restrictive (essential) phrase or clause, so no commas are needed.

            Examples:

·  People who live near Gus are lucky because he shares from his garden. (restrictive, no commas)

·  Cindy, who is my favorite cousin, is a good writer.  (nonrestrictive, use commas)

·  Grandma, wearing her bonnet and Grandpa’s coveralls, should not spend too much time weeding the garden.  (nonrestrictive, use commas)

·  People who like the beach are hard to find.  (restrictive, no commas)

·  Restrooms that are dirty ought to be illegal.  (restrictive, no commas)

·  The garden, which was beautiful, contained many varieties of tomatoes.  (nonrestrictive, use commas)

INFINITIVE PHRASES

Infinitive Phrases:  Infinitive phrases can be used as three parts of speech:  noun, adjective, or adverb.  An infinitive phrase will begin with an infinitive (to + simple for of the verb).  It may include direct objects and/or modifiers

            Examples:

·  To finish her shift without spilling was Michelle’s only goal.  (functions as a noun)

·  Connor hopes to win the approval of his coach by showing up early for practice. (functions as a noun)

·  The best way to survive Mrs. Prichard’s class is counting backwards from 100 until class is over. (functions as an adjective)

·  Calvin, an aspiring doctor, is taking British Literature to give himself a well-rounded education. (functions as an adverb – “why”)

When an infinitive phrase introduces a sentence and is followed by the main clause, separate the sections with a comma.

Grammar WEEK 3 -- Phrases, part 1

WEEK 3 – Phrases:  Prepositional, Participial, Gerund

PHRASES:  A group of words without a subject and verb, used as a part of speech. 

Prepositional Phrases:  These phrases are either adjectives or adverbs depending upon how they are used.  A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.

            Examples:

·  At the high school, Mr. Thompson taught history.  (adverbial modifying taught)

·  The gym at the high school is sold out for the big game.  (adjectival modifying gym)

·  In 1892, James Corbett became the heavy weight champion of boxing.  (first phrase is and adverb; second phrase is an adjective)

            Same phrase used two different ways:

·  Ann found in her drink a fly.  (adverb phrase modifying found)

·  The fly in her drink bothered Ann.  (adj. phrase modifying bee)

·  From the shore, Randy caught fifteen catfish.  (adverb modifying caught)

·  Greg visited his friend from the shore of Lake Superior.  (adj. modifying friend)

Participial Phrases:  These phrases function as adjectives and contain a present or past participle.  Participles all tend to end in “’ing” (present participle), “-ed,” “-d,” “-en,” “-n,” or “-t” with a few exceptions like “swum” and “hung.”  Participial phrases are made up of a participle along with an object or modifier or both.  These adjective phrases are usually placed as near as possible to the words they modify.  Participles are the third and fourth principle parts of verbs.

            Examples:

·  Fortified against an attack, Macbeth’s army almost deserted their leader.

·  Singing “Aida” in the shower, Gary annoyed his roommates. 

·  Marching in the parade, Patrick showed his Irish pride.

·  Dedicated to the health of the poor, Mother Theresa helped others.

·  Thrashing the shore with great force, the storm pounded the rocky coast of Maine.

Gerund Phrases:  Like any noun, a gerund phrase can function as a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, or predicate nominative.  The gerund phrase is made up of the present participle (“-ing”) and can contain an object and/or a modifier (and sometimes many modifiers).  The gerund is a verbal noun.

            Examples:

            Gerund phrase as a subject:

·  Making the varsity team is a challenging endeavor.

·  Selling boats demands product knowledge.

Gerund phrase as a direct object:

·  My father once considered swimming the English Channel.

·  The rookie catchers practiced protecting the plate.

Gerund phrase as an indirect object:

·  If students give learning grammar a fair chance, their writing will improve.

·  My brother once gave swinging a golf club his undivided attention.

Gerund phrase as an Object of the Preposition:

·  Local authorities tried to control mosquitoes by spraying insecticide.

·  Carrie got first prize by memorizing the most poetry.

Gerund phrase as a Predicate Nominative:

·  Kathy’s hobby was collecting unusual bottles.

·  Robyn’s greatest accomplishment is singing in the opera.

·  Hank’s strength in hockey was slashing from the left.

Process Analysis Essay

Process Analysis Essay

Definition

            In the process analysis essay, the writer describes how to do something or how something happens by describing the steps or stages in the process.  The writer breaks down the process into steps and describes them in detail in order to inform or persuade the reader about the process.  Process analysis by be used to describe a simple process such as how to bake a cake or change the oil in a car, or it may be used to describe a complex process such as scientific experiments or works of Congress.

Organization of a Process Essay

            The process you are analyzing will dictate the structure of your essay.  Break the process down into its component parts (or steps) and structure your writing around logical divisions in the process you are analyzing.

Thesis Statements

            The thesis or topic statement names the process that will be described or analyzed.  Often the thesis contains an attitude or opinion about the process.

            Examples:

–   Changing a tire is easy if you follow the right steps.

–   Anyone can fail a class if he tries hard enough.

–   It is important for citizens to know how ideas become laws.

Tips on Planning

1.    First, divide the process into logical parts.  Decide what actions you would take and in what order they would happen.

2.    Next, list the individual steps or stages in the process, making sure not to leave out any steps, including any preparation that might be necessary.

3.    Describe each step in detail.  Try not to leave anything out.  Remember that your readers may not be familiar with the process you are describing, so your directions will have to be explicit and complete. 

4.    Anticipate any problems that might arise at each step in the process, and tell the reader how to avoid or remedy the problem.

5.    Avoid incomplete details.

Essay Guidelines

–   Due dates:  Rough Draft due September 26; Final Draft due October 10

–   Essay length:  500 – 700 words (between 2 and 4 pages)

–   Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

–   Final draft format:

–   Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

–   1 inch margins

–   Name and date on the upper right hand corner

–   Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

–   Title centered above the text of the essay

Writing 2 Class Notes -- September 19

Ahoy Mateys!

As many of you may have heard, yesterday was "Talk like a Pirate Day," and we had a Quick Write along those lines.  We had some conversation about common pirate vocabulary:  Ahoy, Avast, Aye, Aye! Landlubbers, Jolly Roger, Buccaneer, Crow's Nest.  I borrowed Mrs. Nelson's son's pirate coat and hat for the occasion. 

We had a good, productive week.  I like to put the tables in a U-shape so that we can have open discussions, but I put them in rows this week and assigned seats.  They are a marvelous group of students and applied themselves well to our writing, grammar, and literature discussions.

The students handed in their first Final Copies for this class.  I look forward to reading them. Since we only meet once a week, the turn around on papers has to be pretty quick, so they are already starting on the next assignment.  This week they are to be writing the rough draft of a Process Analysis Essay.  They have a handout explaining this essay but should feel free to contact me if they have problems with this essay.  We spent a good deal of time discussing how to come up with a thesis.  Sometimes this is the hardest part in writing an essay.

For our Grammar discussion, we began a section on phrases.  Grammar is not very exciting, but it's an essential aspect of being a good writer.  As the students grow as writers, their sentences will become more complex, and they may feel the challenge to be grammatically correct.

We took a longer time to talk about our literature, My Antonia.  They've done some careful reading and shared some insightful comments.  The section we had read for the day included an episode in which a poor immigrant father takes his own life.  Willa Cather does a beautiful job of painting word pictures of the people and the surroundings.  Acceding to their requests, some of the students circled up on the floor for our discussion. 

Assignment for next week:

-- Read  Book II, Sections I – VII (p. 70 – 94) of My Antonia

-- Read the Study Questions in order to be prepared for the discussion.

-- Write the rough draft of your Process Analysis Essay

-- Extra Credit:  Watch any of the videos from last week and list 3 things you learned

Enjoy this beautiful Fall weather!

Mrs. Prichard