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Laying Out the Text

by

Carole Greene

De Anza College

Cupertino, California

Manuscript Preparation:

D’Artagnan Greene

Cover Photo:

Schipol Airport, Amsterdam

© 2002 by Bill Greene

Copyright © 2002 by Carole Greene

ISBN X-XXXX-XXXX-X

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced inany form whatsoever, by photography or xerography or byany other means, by broadcast or transmission, by translationinto any kind of language, nor by recording electronically orotherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher,except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in criticalarticles or reviews.

Printed in the United States of America.

X X X X X X X X X X

Address orders to:

XXXXXXXXXXX1111 XXXX XXXXXXXX, XX 00000-0000Telephone 000-000-0000Fax 000-000-0000

XXXXX PublishingXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

GREEN SHEET CONTRACTS

Instructor’s copy

Student’s copy

SECTION 1 - The 4-Paragraph Diagnostic Essay

Instructions for Writing the 4-Paragraph

Diagnostic Essay

Sample Diagnostic Essays

Sophia Badillo, “Not Your Typical Student”

MaryEllen Luna, “My Career Changes”

Ashourina Samuel, “An Essay About Me”

Rhythm Shah, “After Coming to America”

Yvonne West, “My Journey”

iii

vii

1

1

5

9

11

13

15

19

23

27

31

SECTION 2 - Listening Tests

Instructions for Taking a Listening Test

Listening Tests 1 - 5

SECTION 3 - Supplementary Practice

Exercises for Different Sentence Types

Exercise 1 - 6 Variations of the Simple

Sentence Pattern

Exercise 2 - Locating Subjects and Verbs

in Questions

Exercise 3 - Distinguishing Prepositions

from Subordinate Connectives

Exercise 4 - Punctuating the Complex

Sentence

Exercise 5 - Relative Pronouns That Are

Also Subordinate Connectives

Exercise 6 - An Implied Subordinate

Connective in a Complex Sentence

Exercise 7 - A Single Subordinate Connective

Making More Than 1 Clause Dependent

iv

35

37

39

49

51

65

71

85

91

101

105

Instructions for Taking Sentence Examinations

Instructions for Quiz #1 The Simple Sentence

Instructions for Quiz #2 The Complex Sentence

Instructions for Quiz #3 The Compound Sentence

Instructions for Quiz #4 The Compound-Complex

Sentence

The Grading Scale for a 10 Point Quiz

Grading Symbols

SECTION 5 - Paragraph Directives

Instructions for Writing Paragraphs

An Exercise on Facts and Opinions

Paragraph #1 Assignment

SECTION 4 - Sentence Examinations

Exercise 8 - A Dependent Clause Acting

as the Subject of a Main Clause

Exercise 9 - 2 Subordinate Connectives

Creating 2 Dependent Clauses

v

113

117

143

145

147

149

151

153

155

157

159

161

167

171

Grading Criteria

Sample Student Paragraphs 1 – 12


Sample Instructor Paragraphs 1 – 4


SECTION 6 - Essay Directives

Instructions for Writing an Essay

Essay #1

SECTION 7 - Practice Grammar Exams

Instructions for a Practice Grammar Review

Tulip Talk — A Practice Grammar Exam

vi

173

175

191

195

203

205

207

211

213

215

217

FOREWORD

The artist within Professor Carole Greene of the De Anza College

Language Arts Division is revealed by her use of imagery

throughout this text. Her talent in creating mental pictures through

rich description is accented by the implementation of selected

paintings by the Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer. This textbook is a

modern-day demonstration of the age-old adage that "a picture is

worth a thousand words."

Professor Greene has whimsically captured the essence of

engaging the learner while teaching the mastery of basic skills as

she leads students through the development of new abilities that

will last a lifetime. This strategy motivates students while modeling

the best ways to pen visual expressions that reflect the essence of

art and literature.

Critical thinking and an interest in creative writing emerge as

unexpected benefits from Professor Greene's distinctive strategy

and enthusiastic approach to learning topics such as proper

sentence construction. Her passion for her topics and colorful

examples provided throughout the book are illustrative of the

techniques that she encourages students to master through this

learning experience.

Her unique approach to student learning, which utilizes her

techniques of teaching basic writing skills, is a gift to this

generation. As a result of their exposure to her method, her

students will be encouraged to form their own interpretations and

responses to literature and Fine Art. Over the years, Professor Greene

has touched countless lives that have been enriched by this new

means of expression. The unsolicited glowing praise and testimony

from students who have studied under her remain ever present as

poignant reminders of how teachers such as this one, who choose

to express their own artistry through whatever subject is taught,

vii

continue to influence and even change the paths of learners from

all walks of life.

The student will surely discover that this textbook makes a

refreshing, creative departure from the usual approach while

remaining true to its core purpose. Through this work, students are

encouraged to explore their own inner selves.

Jaci Ward, Ph.D.

Dean of Distance and Extended Learning

De Anza College, Cupertino, CA

viii

1

Green Sheet Contracts

Green Sheet Contracts for English 100B

Carole Greene

De Anza College

Instructor’s Copy

Textbooks required:

Carole Greene, Setting Up the Palette, Pearson Custom Publishing,

© 2002.

Carole Greene, Laying Out the Text, Pearson Custom Publishing,

© 2002.

Dictionaries:

A standard paperback college level dictionary such as:

The American Heritage Dictionary Based on the New Second

College Edition

OR

The New American Webster: Handy College Dictionary, Revised

and Expanded

OR

Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language

OR an electronic college level dictionary such as:

The American Heritage Dictionary by Seiko Instruments (which

includes a spell checker, an advanced phonetic word search, and

Roget’s II New Thesaurus which offers synonyms)

2

PLUS a bad speller’s dictionary if needed such as:

The Random House Bad Speller’s Dictionary

OR

Webster’s New World Mi(s)spellers Dictionary: 15,000 Common

Misspellings and Their Correct Spellings

OR

An electronic variant such as: The Franklin Spelling Ace (which checks

and corrects over 80,000 words)

Purpose:

English 100B is designed to help the student to read, to discuss, to

listen, to write, and to think. Emphasis will be on the writing of

effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays.

Students’ Materials:

Students are expected to have paper, a pen, 2 different colored

highlighters, and both textbooks for each class lecture.

Attendance:

All students are required to view all of the videotaped lectures

without exception. You are responsible for all of the information

that is given in those presentations.

Grading:

Final grades will be determined on the basis of composition grades

and your performance on quizzes and exams.

A student must pass the Comprehensive Grammar Examina-

tion in order to receive credit for the course.

3

A student who does not take the scheduled Final Examination

will receive a no credit for the course. The final exam will be three

hours long. Attendance at the final exam is by invitation only. An F

on any part of that exam will result in a no credit for the course.

Plagiarism:

Any part of a paper that shows any evidence of copying “word for

word” from an outside source or from another student’s

paper is NOT acceptable and may result in an F on the paper

and/or an F in the course at the discretion of the instructor.

Incompletes:

An incomplete is given only at the instructor’s discretion. No

incomplete grades will be given in this course.

I have read the above contract and agree to follow all of the

conditions set forth.

_______________________________ _____________

Signature Date

___________________________

Print your name here.

5

Green Sheet Contracts

Green Sheet Contracts for English 100B

Carole Greene

De Anza College

Student’s Copy

Textbooks required:

Carole Greene, Setting Up the Palette, Pearson Custom Publishing,

© 2002.

Carole Greene, Laying Out the Text, Pearson Custom Publishing,

© 2002.

Dictionaries:

A standard paperback college level dictionary such as:

The American Heritage Dictionary Based on the New Second

College Edition

OR

The New American Webster: Handy College Dictionary, Revised

and Expanded

OR

Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language

OR an electronic college level dictionary such as:

The American Heritage Dictionary by Seiko Instruments (which

includes a spell checker, an advanced phonetic word search, and

Roget’s II New Thesaurus which offers synonyms)

6

PLUS a bad speller’s dictionary if needed such as:

The Random House Bad Speller’s Dictionary

OR

Webster’s New World Mi(s)spellers Dictionary: 15,000 Common

Misspellings and Their Correct Spellings

OR

An electronic variant such as: The Franklin Spelling Ace (which checks

and corrects over 80,000 words)

Purpose:

English 100B is designed to help the student to read, to discuss, to

listen, to write, and to think. Emphasis will be on the writing of

effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays.

Students’ Materials:

Students are expected to have paper, a pen, 2 different colored

highlighters, and both textbooks for each class lecture.

Attendance:

All students are required to view all of the videotaped lectures

without exception. You are responsible for all of the information

that is given in those presentations.

Grading:

Final grades will be determined on the basis of composition grades

and your performance on quizzes and exams.

A student must pass the Comprehensive Grammar Examina-

tion in order to receive credit for the course.

7

A student who does not take the scheduled final examination

will receive a no credit for the course. The final exam will be three

hours long. Attendance at the final exam is by invitation only. An F

on any part of that exam will result in a no credit for the course.

Plagiarism:

Any part of a paper that shows any evidence of copying “word for

word” from an outside source or from another student’s

paper is NOT acceptable and may result in an F on the paper

and/or an F in the course at the discretion of the instructor.

Incompletes:

An incomplete is given only at the instructor’s discretion. No

incomplete grades will be given in this course.

I have read the above contract and agree to follow all of the

conditions set forth.

_______________________________ _____________

Signature Date

___________________________

Print your name here.

9

SECTION 1

The 4-Paragraph Diagnostic Essay

11

Instructions for Writing the 4-Paragraph Diagnostic Essay

The purpose of this preliminary essay is to give me a chance

to get to know who you are and to help you to pinpoint some of

your writing problems on an individual basis.

This essay will be given a ! rather than a letter grade. In

other words, if you submit the assignment, you will get a ! . If you

do not submit it, you will receive an F.

1. The opening paragraph should contain an opinion or

Thesis Statement that will govern the content of the entire

essay. Use a separate sentence for each subpoint.

2. Paragraph 2 will focus on the first subpoint.

3. Paragraph 3 will present a detailed discussion on the

second subpoint.

4. Paragraph 4 should include a detailed reminder of each

subpoint in the order that they were presented.

Example:

Name

English 100B DL

Date

Essay Title

My life has been a rather complicated one. I come from a very

unusual background. I was born in.....

13

Sample Diagnostic Essays

The following essays are meant to illustrate the kinds of topics

and subpoints you may choose to write about. They were written by

students just like you. Although the essays are not very long, as

you will see, a lot of very interesting and informative detail can be

compressed in a rather short informal paper. As you read each es-

say, you will feel that you have entered the world that each of these

students inhabits. It will give you a greater appreciation of how we,

as a class, are enriched by the diversity of your fellow scholars who,

like you, have been willing to share something about their lives in a

written format.

Many of these writers have chosen to write more than the 4-

Paragraph requirement. Feel free to do the same if you have a lot

that you want to say.

As a reminder, your paper will not be given a letter grade. You

will receive a ! for this assignment. However, I will mark your pa-

pers for grammatical errors, and I will make comments regarding

the content. The marks are meant to show you where you have

writing problems so that you will know where those areas are that

will require extra concentration and effort on your part as the course

progresses.

So please enjoy these sample papers, and know that I am

looking forward to reading yours.

15

Not Your Typical Student

My name is Sophia Badillo. My education sometimes seemed

unattainable due to a life saturated with obstacles. I had to deal

with financial problems. But there were some wonderful high points

in my life. I also had to deal with unsupportive people. In this

paper, I will explain more about my life.

When I was growing up, money was extremely scarce. When I

was twelve years old, my mother divorced my abusive father and

decided to raise six children by herself. Supporting seven people

was tough, and my mother’s income as a nurse barely covered the

necessary expenses like food and rent. So at the age of thirteen, I

worked two part time jobs as a file clerk in order to financially help

my mother and my siblings. I worked 30 hours a week while

simultaneously studying so that I could help my mother with the

bills and graduate with my eighth grade class. And although the

hard work in school paid off when I received admission to a private

Catholic school with a scholarship for my first semester of high school,

my mother and I could not afford the hefty tuition after the scholarship

ended. After one semester, I was expelled because my mother could

not scrape up enough money to pay for the remaining tuition for

that year.

So I attended the local public high school while working full

time so that I could continue to help my mother financially. I believed

that my hard work in school and my job would help my chances for

attaining a scholarship to a four year university after I graduated

16

from high school. Unfortunately, my dream of attending a university

seemed dismal when I was told during my senior year that the

Catholic high school would not release my freshman grades unless

my mother paid them the remaining $5,000 that was owed for tuition.

But my mother could not afford to pay the money. And although I

passed all of my high school courses, I was still missing credits from

my freshman year, and I did not receive my high school diploma on

time. However, I still had dreams of attending college and decided

that my next step was to attend a local community college.

Although my family did not have any money, my older brother

Paul was very supportive when he discovered I had a talent for a

particular sport. After an eighth grade field trip to the Ice Capades

Chalet in San Mateo, I discovered I had a natural ability to skate.

During that afternoon, I was able to emulate the actions of the more

advanced skaters; in my rental skates, I could skate backwards, do

simple spins, and jumps. Although my brother only made a minimum

wage as a mail clerk, he helped finance my skating by paying for the

$50 per hour lessons, the $200 pair of used skates, and a few skating

outfits.

Singles skating appealed to me first, and it led me to participate

in local skating competitions in the Bay Area. I always tried my

best, but I never placed higher than third even though I felt that I

had skated better than my competitors. But then, I discovered the

world of ice dancing when I watched a local dance competition.

After two years of singles skating, I switched over to ice dancing.

17

After I tried it, I felt more graceful on the ice. Ice dancing was more

about coordinating movements with another person; I thought that

was more beautiful than skating alone during singles. However, it

was increasingly difficult to find a male ice dancing partner. After

one year, I quit. I was so frustrated with not finding anyone to dance

with, plus I realized that my brother was sacrificing too much of the

money that he had saved for college on my skating.

Now, when I watch figure skating, I am more aware of the

hard work those athletes go through in order to skate in the Olympics,

in Disney on Ice, or even in local youth shows. I think about the

financial sacrifices the families must have gone through in order to

have their children excel at the sport.

Over the years, I have encountered some very unsupportive

people. Although my ex-boss told me she wanted me to do well in

school and would accommodate my schedule, she yelled at me when

I told her that I needed to adjust my work schedule by one hour to

take a business class in the morning. Likewise, my ex-boyfriend

was unsupportive. Since I was spending 60 hours a week working

and going to school, he told me that I was wasting my time trying to

do both. But he was wrong.

I still work to help my mother financially, and I have managed

to obtain a 4.0 grade point average at school. Ice skating taught me

some very important skills. I learned that it takes practice to do

things that don’t come naturally to me. I also learned to be grateful

for everything; I know my brother worked very hard for his money,

18

but he chose to spend it on my skating expenses. I recently found

another job, and I dumped my boyfriend. I believe that my

experiences throughout the years have given me a great appreciation

for learning and the courage to continue to work hard for my goals.

19

My Career Changes

My name is MaryEllen Luna, and I’m returning to college after

taking a few years off. I’m returning for a degree in Biology and

Forensics. One of my hobbies is raising and showing Quarter Horses.

I decided to go back to school and get my degree in Biology

and then get a degree in Forensics. I would like to work with the

Santa Clara County coroner. I have always been interested in why

things happen, not just how they happen. For example, you have

two people with the same disease, but one lives, and one dies—

why? Do some people just give up and not fight, or is it more than

a person’s body can take? Some people are told that they only have

a few months to live, and yet, they survive for years. Other people

are told that with medication or surgery, their prognosis is excel-

lent, and they die a few months later. Did those persons just give

up?

These are the types of things that interest me. I used to work

for a veterinarian, and I would spend as much time as possible

watching and helping with surgeries. The doctors treated small and

large animals like dogs and cats and livestock. Treatments went

from the normal vaccinations and spaying and neutering to

repairing a prolapsed uterus in a cow or straightening a foal’s legs.

I always wanted to know why things happened. The doctors I

worked with sometimes had to necropsy or perform an animal

autopsy on animals that died for unknown reasons, and since no

20

one else would help, I was always ready to assist. I saw many

interesting things while I worked there. One time we removed a 15

pound stone from a horse that was put to sleep because of colic.

Another time, we had to necropsy my neighbor’s dog that had been

running around and then just lay down and died. The dog died from

bloat which is when the stomach swells up due to gas or fluid or

both. In this dog’s case, it was a gastric volvulus. This is when the

stomach twists more than 180 degrees. The twisting closes both

ends of the stomach, and the dilation compresses an artery which

stops the blood flow. This is something that needs to be treated

with surgery right away.

I’ve shown Quarter Horses for over twenty years. I started

breeding and raising my own show horses about fifteen years ago.

I’ve shown horses in Western Pleasure, Trail, Cutting, and Reining.

My first horse was a dark gray, and we always won first or second

place in all our classes. My other horse was a dark sorrel which is a

reddish brown color with the mane and tail the same color as the

body. This horse was trained better and had better conformation

than the gray horse, but the gray one always placed higher in the

classes. I realized that the gray horse did better in the classes

because most of the other horses were sorrels or bays. The judges

would tend to notice the different colored horses more than the

common colored ones. I started breeding my horses for

conformation and color. My sorrels were bred to roans for blue or

red roan foals, and my grays were bred to black or paint horses for

21

colors that were different from the usual colors.

Because of working with the veterinarians and raising my own

horses, I decided to go back to school for my Biology and Forensics

degree. Since I enjoy science, question everything, and I’m not

bothered by dead things or having my arm and shoulder deep

inside of a mare to feel for a foal, Forensics seems like a good

career choice for me.

23

An Essay About Me

My name is Ashourina Samuel. I have a hard time starting

essays, especially if they’re about me. So I will start out by saying

that I am an Assyrian from Iraq. That sentence tells you a lot about

me. It tells you that I was born in Iraq and that I have gone through

some hardships just coming from a country like Iraq. That sentence

tells you that I have a fascinating background and that I have great

stories to tell filled with tragedy and triumph. It tells you that I’m

very proud of my background and that English is my second lan-

guage. Everything else that I left behind, I will tell you about in

greater detail like how my family and I got here and now that I

have this opportunity, what I am planning on doing with it.

I was born in Iraq in 1983. For as long as I can remember, Iraq

has always been in a war, either with another country or with itself.

My family left Iraq during the Gulf War at the end of 1991 and the

beginning of 1992. We went through some hard times just trying to

leave. First, our car stopped because we ran out of gas, and since

gasoline was so scarce and hard to come by, we decided to leave

the car and start walking. We had gone so far; we did not want to

stop, and we kept hearing stories about people who had returned to

Iraq and the things that happened to them.

We kept on walking and heading towards Turkey; we figured

that we would be safe there. We walked along with other people for

seven days in the cruel weather of winter. With the snow and the

24

rain all around us, we made it to the border of Turkey. There we

camped with very few supplies. There were people dying in front of

our eyes because of the weather and hunger. My family managed to

stay together except for my youngest sister. She died there at the

age of one.

A few weeks passed by before the United States sent troops

with food and clothing. If it weren’t for them, we would have all

died. They took all the refugees to cities in Turkey and found them

homes to live in. My uncle, who at the time was living in the United

States, came to visit us and managed to do our papers so that we

could enter the United States. It’s been ten years since we arrived

here. We are thankful for everything we have and get, and we don’t

take our freedom for granted.

My parents left their way of living, their home, and their rela-

tives behind just so their children could have a better life and a

better opportunity to succeed and to get a chance to do what they

wanted to do. So I don’t take my education for granted. Education

is something my parents stress and want for us. They have done so

much for us. The least we can do for them is to get a good educa-

tion which is for our own benefit. I plan on leaving De Anza after

two years and transferring to San Francisco State to major in Psy-

chology and Film. I would like to get a PhD in Psychology. While

doing that, I am going to be making movies by directing, produc-

ing, and writing screenplays. I will start out making low budget

independent films and then move on to make big productions, and

25

hopefully one day, I will win an Oscar for my work.

That’s just a general overview of my life and my goals. If I

were to talk about all the interesting things that happened in my

life, I would end up writing a book.

27

After Coming to America

My name is Rhythm Shah. I am a student at De Anza College

majoring in Business Administration. I was born in upstate New

York, but when I was six months old, my parents took me to India.

It was my grandfather’s idea to name me Rhythm. The word,

rhythm, is used for music in the United States and also in India.

Since I was born in America, my grandfather knew that sometime

in my life, I was going to move back to the United States. So he

came up with the name, Rhythm, because it is familiar in both coun-

tries.

Both of my parents are from India, and I have one older sister

who also grew up with me there. Her name is Milanee. She also

came to the United States after finishing college in India. She went

to Pepperdine University in Malibu. She studied Communications,

and at present, she works for Bloomberg News. She is an anchor

woman, and she reports the news from all around the world.

My religion is Hindu, and my language is Hindi. The Hindu

religion is divided into twenty four parts, so my religion is also called

Hindu, Vaishnav. There are twenty five different languages in India.

I can speak another language called Gujarati and a little bit of San-

skrit, so English is my third language.

After finishing the tenth grade in a high school in India, I de-

cided to come to the United States for further studies at the age of

sixteen. I got accepted as a junior into a boarding school in Santa

28

Barbara, California. Since it was my first time in America, it was

hard and challenging to live in the new environment. In the begin-

ning, it was hard to communicate with people, and my classes were

also tough due to my poor background in English. I never knew that

I was so lucky to have a name like Rhythm. I became popular be-

cause of my name. Everyone loved it, and the whole school knew it

in just two days. Slowly, I got used to the new environment. My

English also got better. I worked with my teachers and started im-

proving in all of my classes. It was hard to face all of the challenges,

but at the same time, I was gaining self confidence.

It was a great experience living on the other side of the world

far away from my old friends and my family. In India, I used to live

in a big house with my family. It was like a palace with 4,000 feet of

land, about 15 rooms, plenty of security, and too many servants

running around the house. One of them used to tie my shoestrings,

so I never learned how to tie my shoes until I was 14. But I decided

to move out of the house and live a new life at the boarding school.

After moving out of the house, my life changed. I learned new things

and was more confident about facing new challenges. In India, the

only sport I used to play was cricket, but after coming to America,

I learned how to play soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and baseball. And at

present, I hold a black belt in martial arts.

After two years, I graduated from the boarding school and

came to De Anza College. I always wanted to be a commercial pilot.

Now, I realize that it will take me over fifteen years to become one

29

which will not be good for a career. I will still be a pilot but not a

commercial one. I also find finances and accounting interesting,

and ever since I was young, I dreamed of being a business man, so

my major is Business Administration. At present, my plan is to gradu-

ate from college with a bachelor’s degree in that field. Then, I will

work for an international company and move to a different country

for awhile. After working for a company for a few years, my plan is

to open my own business. I think that it is better to get some expe-

rience by working for another company before opening my own

business without any experience.

I have been in the United States for the last five years. My life

has changed, so I call my life challenging and also interesting, but I

have learned many new things. I am not worried about how long I

am going to stay in school. I am studying hard and also enjoying

life in America.

31

My Journey

My name is Yvonne West. I’ve worked for many years, and

I’ve decided to return to college to get a four-year degree. I’ve

worked for over twenty-eight years. At sixteen, I did not have to

work, but I wanted to because I wanted my own money to buy the

items that I liked, needed, and wanted. At sixteen, I attended col-

lege. I had planned to be a judge one day, so I decided to major in

political science; however, along the way, I was distracted by the

idea that I was making money, and I decided to focus on working

instead of getting my degree and sticking to my previous goal.

I was born at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California to Ameri-

can citizens of Negroid descent. I’m the only daughter sandwiched

in between two brothers. We moved to Florida, my mother’s birth-

place, after my parents separated. Being raised in a single parent

home by a very wise mother was a wonderful experience that still

brings a smile to my face. My mother provided emotional, financial,

physical, and spiritual support for each of her children while main-

taining a good sense of humor along the way.

My mother reminded me often that I was a blessing to her, but

she was also a blessing to me. Sunday meals, holiday gatherings,

church functions, and special moments at home stand out as family

traditions—why? Sunday meals, like holiday gatherings, were spe-

cial when relatives and other invited and uninvited guests stopped

by to eat my grandmother Mama Maggie’s jellyroll cakes. Many

32

delicious homemade dishes like 7-up pound cakes, macaroni and

cheese, sweet potato pies, peach cobblers, red beans and rice,

and crackling bread just to name a few—yum, yum—were pre-

pared, served, and eaten. Church functions were an opportunity

to participate, share talents, and socialize with others outside of

the family. My brothers and I often read books, played games,

made up songs, told jokes, ate cereal for dinner because we en-

joyed breakfast so much, and laughed until it hurt; we enjoyed

being a family. Sometime later, my eldest brother was in the Navy

and only came home on leave, but when he returned, we still

remained a close knit family.

After leaving home and working for many years, I decided to

return to college to pursue an earlier goal of mine which was to

get a four-year degree. Upon returning to college, I had not de-

cided on any specific major or profession. So I decided to focus on

completing all of the General Education requirements here at De

Anza College.

Returning to school proved to be an exhilarating experience

that I enjoy. The process has changed my life in very positive ways.

I am a procrastinator. So school has taught me to start my assign-

ments and projects early instead of waiting until the last day or

minute when they are due to get them done. I used to suffer from

test anxiety, but I took a course on Skills for Higher Education, and

the professor taught us that preparation and studying would allevi-

ate test anxiety; it worked. I’ve learned that it is a must to put in

33

the necessary two hours of studying for every one hour of class

which means hard work, but it does pay off; I’ve earned good grades.

I’ve also rediscovered a few old passions like reading and helping

people.

Currently, I have decided to do research on the field of educa-

tion. I would like to incorporate my passion for helping and coun-

seling others with my newly found short-term educational goal. I

would like to get a four-year degree in a field that I’m passionate

about, and I would like to work in that same field. That is my long

term goal.

35

SECTION 2

Listening Tests

37

Instructions for Taking a Listening Test

A listening test is designed to give you oral practice with regard to

good concentration and accurate hearing.

The instructor will read a one page article to you.

Listen carefully, but do not take any notes.

At the completion of the reading, you will be asked 10 questions

about material covered which will require multiple choice answers:

a, b, c, d, e, or f.

Each question will be read aloud only 2 times.

Listen to the question twice, and then, circle the correct

response.

To score the test, to the left of each number:

Mark each correct answer with a C.

Mark each wrong answer with an X.

Count up the total number of answers that are correct.

And circle that number in the space provided at the top of the

test sheet,

for example +8.

You are on your honor to e-mail your Listening Test results to me.

39

Name_______________ Your Score_____________

Course______________

Date________________

Listening Test #1

1. a b c d e f

2. a b c d e f

3. a b c d e f

4. a b c d e f

5. a b c d e f

6. a b c d e f

7. a b c d e f

8. a b c d e f

9. a b c d e f

10. a b c d e f

41

Name_______________ Your Score_____________

Course______________

Date________________

Listening Test #2

1. a b c d e f

2. a b c d e f

3. a b c d e f

4. a b c d e f

5. a b c d e f

6. a b c d e f

7. a b c d e f

8. a b c d e f

9. a b c d e f

10. a b c d e f

43

Name_______________ Your Score_____________

Course______________

Date________________

Listening Test #3

1. a b c d e f

2. a b c d e f

3. a b c d e f

4. a b c d e f

5. a b c d e f

6. a b c d e f

7. a b c d e f

8. a b c d e f

9. a b c d e f

10. a b c d e f

45

Name_______________ Your Score_____________

Course______________

Date________________

Listening Test #4

1. a b c d e f

2. a b c d e f

3. a b c d e f

4. a b c d e f

5. a b c d e f

6. a b c d e f

7. a b c d e f

8. a b c d e f

9. a b c d e f

10. a b c d e f

47

Name_______________ Your Score_____________

Course______________

Date________________

Listening Test #5

1. a b c d e f

2. a b c d e f

3. a b c d e f

4. a b c d e f

5. a b c d e f

6. a b c d e f

7. a b c d e f

8. a b c d e f

9. a b c d e f

10. a b c d e f

49

SECTION 3

Supplementary Practice Exercises

for Different Sentence Types

51

Exercise 1

6 Variations of the Simple Sentence Pattern

s v 1 subject, 1 verb

(s) v an implied subject, 1 verb

ssss vvvv multiple subjects, multiple verbs

ssss v multiple subjects, 1 verb

s vvvv 1 subject, multiple verbs

v s 1 verb, 1 subject - an inverted clause

Write 5 examples that fit each pattern.

Set up a theme such as things you want to do this weekend.

That will give you a total of 30 sentences.

You may bring them to a tutor for correction.

You may also e-mail them to me for comments.

53

s v 1 subject, 1 verb

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

55

(s) v an implied subject, 1 verb

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

57

ssss vvvv multiple subjects, multiple verbs

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

59

ssss v multiple subjects, 1 verb

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

61

s vvvv 1 subject, multiple verbs

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

63

v s 1 verb, 1 subject - an inverted clause

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

65

Locating Subjects and Verbs in Questions

Write 4 questions on the lines provided.

Then, rewrite each question as a statement by rearranging the

given words.

With your statement in normal word order, place 1 line under

each subject and 2 lines under each verb.

Return to the original question, and mark the same subject and

verb words.

Exercise 2

67

Question #1:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Rewrite #1:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Question #2:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Rewrite #2:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

69

Question #3:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Rewrite #3:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Question #4:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Rewrite #4:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

71

Distinguishing Prepositions from Subordinate Connectives

For each word that can act as a preposition or a subordinate

connective,

write 6 sentences.

In the first 3 sentences, use the given word as a preposition.

In the next 3 sentences, use the same word as a subordinate

connective.

The completed assignment will give you a total of 36

sentences.

If you work with a fellow student, you can print out a

copy of your work and give one copy to the person you are

working with. Now, you will have a total of 72 sentences

to go through together which will give you both an opportunity

to run a check against each other.

Exercise 3

73

after [a prepositional phrase]

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

after [a subordinate connective]

4._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

75

as [a prepositional phrase]

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

as [a subordinate connective]

4._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

77

before [a prepositional phrase]

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

before [a subordinate connective]

4._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

79

like [a prepositional phrase]

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

like [a subordinate connective]

4._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

81

since [a prepositional phrase]

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

since [a subordinate connective]

4._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

83

until [a prepositional phrase]

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

until [a subordinate connective]

4._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

85

Punctuating the Complex Sentence

Select a personal theme such as a vacation you would like

to plan soon.

For each punctuation pattern, write 3 sentences to

demonstrate your understanding of that rule.

D, M When a dependent clause precedes a main clause,

there is a pause. There is a comma.

M D When a dependent clause follows a main clause,

` there is no pause. There is no comma.

M, D, When a dependent clause comes in the middle

of a main clause, it can be non-restrictive,

non-essential information. Often, it is a renamer.

There are commas on both sides.

M D A dependent clause in the middle of a main clause

is sometimes restrictive or necessary to the meaning

of the main clause.

There are no commas.

Exercise 4

87

D, M

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

M D

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

89

M, D,

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

M D

1._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

91

Relative Pronouns That Are Also Subordinate Connectives

The words that, what, which, and who are relative pronouns.

They can double function as subordinate connectives in a

dependent clause.

Select a personal theme such as some of your favorite

hobbies.

For each word that can double function as the subject and

subordinate of a dependent clause, write 3 sentences to

demonstrate your understanding of that rule.

Exercise 5

93

that

double function - subject and subordinate of a dependent clause

1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

95

what


1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

97

which


1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

99

who


1.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

3.

_____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

101

Exercise 6

An Implied Subordinate Connective in a Complex Sentence

When a sentence begins with a main clause like any one of the

following:

I know

I wish

I guess

I think

a dependent clause will follow.

The result will be a Complex Sentence.

Although the subordinate connective may be stated, it is most

often implied.

103

Complete each of the following sentences.

Then, track and label your clauses.

I know ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

I wish ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

I guess _____________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

I think ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

105

Exercise 7

A Single Subordinate Connective Making More Than 1 Clause Dependent

At the beginning of a sentence, if clause #1 is dependent and it

is added to clause #2 with a coordinate connective, both

clauses will be dependent.

And you will have a double dependent clause fragment.

To eliminate the fragment, remove the coordinate connective.

Revise your punctuation.

To eliminate the fragment, add a main clause to form a Complex

Sentence.

Set up 3 examples of your own in the following way:

Although...a clause [but]...a clause. [;]

Since...a clause [and]...a clause. [;]

When...a clause [so]...a clause. [;]

For each example, you will produce 3 patterns.

D [and] D. [;] a double dependent clause fragment

D, M. a correct Complex Sentence

D [and] D, M. a correct Complex Sentence

107

For the first round, write a dependent clause.

Add a coordinate connective.

Then, write a second dependent clause.

The pattern you produce will be D [and] D. [;]

It will be a double dependent clause fragment.




1.__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

109

For the second round, eliminate the coordinate connective.

The pattern you produce will be D, M.

It will be a correct Complex Sentence.




1.__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

111

For the third round, go back to your first example.

And add a main clause.

The pattern you produce will be D [and] D, M.

It will also be a correct Complex Sentence.




1.__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

113

Exercise 8

A Dependent Clause Acting as the Subject of a Main Clause

Set up 4 examples of your own in which a dependent clause

acts as the subject of a main clause.

Track the subject and verb components that belong to each

clause.

You will have only 1 functional main clause.

As a result, you will have created 1 Simple Sentence.

Your sentence will look like this.

(D) M

1. ________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

115

(D) M

2. __________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

(D) M

3. ________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

(D) M

4. ________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

117

Exercise 9

2 Subordinate Connectives Creating 2 Dependent Clauses

Complete each of the following examples.

Then, separate the dependent clauses.

And write each of the examples in 2 different ways.

1. I think that if...

2. I hope that because...

3. I know that when...

4. I guess that until...

5. I feel that since...

Keep in mind that you can have an implied subordinate.

119

For each example, you will create the following patterns.

M D D,

D, M D

M D D

Examples:

1. I know that if you study you will learn. M D D,

2. If you study, I know that you will learn. D, M D

3. I know that you will learn if you study. M D D

In the next 3 examples, the subordinate connective [that] is imlplied.

4. I know if you study you will learn. M D D,

5. If you study, I know you will learn. D, M D

6. I know you will learn if you study. M D D

121

M D D,

1. I think that if _____________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

123

M D D,

1. I hope that because _______________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

125

M D D,

1. I know that when _________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

127

M D D,

1. I guess that until _________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

129

M D D,

1. I feel that since __________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

131

Then, rewrite each of the original sentences 3 more times.

Leave out the implied subordinate connective [that].

Once again, for each example, you will create the following

patterns.

M D D,

D, M D

M D D

You will have a total of 30 sentences that you can print out.

If possible, go over your examples with a tutor or with a fellow

student.

133

M D D,

1. I think if _______________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

135

M D D,

1. I hope because __________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

137

M D D,

1. I know when ____________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

139

M D D,

1. I guess until ____________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

141

M D D,

1. I feel since _____________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

D, M D

2. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

M D D

3. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

143

SECTION 4

Sentence Examinations

145

Instructions for Taking Sentence Examinations

Each of the following exams is designed to test your ability to

write controlled examples of each of the major sentence

types.

Under #1 on each instruction sheet, you will find the letters A

and B.

On the day of the exam for a particular sentence type, you will be

given 2 separate categories to choose from.

Write the information down on the Cover Sheet.

Select just 1 of the given categories.

Write all 10 examples on that subject only!

Sentences written on any other category or on mixed

categories will be given a grade of F.

Be sure to track and label your clauses.

147

Instructions for Quiz #1 The Simple

Sentence

Print your name, the course, the hour, and the date in ink.

Fill in the A and B blanks with information sent to the Listserv.

On #2, write out the category you selected.

Your test will look like this:

Name____________

Course___________

Date_____________

Quiz #1 - The Simple Sentence

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

148

Reminders:

1. When you type your exam, use a size 14 font.

2. Number your examples on the left-hand side from 1 - 10.

3. Use double spacing.

4. Use justified text.

5. Proofread carefully.

6. Eliminate all spelling and grammatical errors.

7. When you finish your test, track your clauses.

Put 1 line under each subject and 2 lines under each verb.

8. Label the types of clauses you are presenting.

This will give you a visual check on the major sentence

type you were asked to focus on.

9. Before turning in your test, read it out loud to a wall.

10. Staple the Cover Sheet to your finished paper

before submitting it for a grade.

149

Instructions for Quiz #2 The Complex

Sentence





Name____________

Course___________

Date_____________

Quiz #2 - The Complex Sentence

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

150

Reminders:















151

Instructions for Quiz #3

The Compound Sentence





Name____________

Course___________

Date_____________

Quiz #3 - The Compound Sentence

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

152

Reminders:















153

Instructions for Quiz #4

The Compound-Complex Sentence





Name____________

Course___________

Date_____________

Quiz #4 - The Compound-Complex Sentence

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

154

Reminders:















155

The Grading Scale for a 10 Point Quiz

10 A

______

9 A-

______

8 B

______

7 C

______

6 D

______

5 F

157

Grading Symbols

Frag fragment

RTS a run-on sentence, a fused sentence, a run

R-O together sentence, or a comma splice

sp spelling

# plural instead of singular or vice versa

p punctuation

apos apostrophe

possess possessive

ww wrong word

awk awkward

diction a diction problem

agr an agreement error

mm a misplaced modifier

dm a dangling modifier

tense wrong tense

coherence no sense

158

Grading Symbols

uc upper case

lc lower case

CC a Compound Sentence

CX a Complex Sentence

CC-CX a Compound-Complex Sentence

159

SECTION 5

Paragraph Directives

161

Instructions for Writing Paragraphs

The following paragraph directives are designed to be used for

individual out-of-class writing assignments.

The expository analytical and/or argumentative paragraph

is a group of approximately 8 to 12 sentences that are focused

on 1 main idea.

The writer’s objective is to convince the reader that a

particular opinion can be validated with the support of a unified

body of facts.

The paragraph, written in the Deductive Style, will begin with a

Topic Sentence that will be supported by a carefully selected

body of main clause facts.

For the beginning writer, it is best to keep the Topic Sentence

short.

Restrict it to 1 main clause.

It may be Simple [SS] or Complex [CX].

Place the Controlling Idea, or opinion, at the end of the sentence.

The Controlling Idea is the writer’s contract with the reader to

support a limited judgment with very detailed main clause facts.

162

Example:

! ! !Cigarettes are [bad for your health]. c.i.

If the next main clause is specific but does not directly

support the Controlling Idea, it will create a main clause unity

error. [U]

Example:

! ! !Cigarettes are [bad for your health]. c.i. Cigarettes cost

$5.00 a pack.

Although the main clause is factually specific, it does not go

back to the Controlling Idea which is [bad for your health].

The following main clauses are specific.

They directly support the Controlling Idea.

Example:

! ! !Cigarettes are [bad for your health]. c.i. Smoking just one

cigarette can shorten your life by 10.7 minutes. Moreover,

smoking an entire pack of cigarettes can shorten your life by

3 1/2 hours.

163

An Improved Example:

Moreover, smoking an entire pack of 20 cigarettes can shorten

your life by 3 1/2 hours.

A Continuation:


cigarette can shorten your life by 10.7 minutes. Moreover, smoking

an entire pack of cigarettes can shorten your life by 3 1/2 hours. In

December of 2001, 97 out of 100 residents of Rolinda, California

contracted lung cancer from smoking 20 to 40 cigarettes a day.

To make use of secondary information which is interesting and specific

but which does not directly support your Controlling Idea, be sure to

place it in a dependent clause.

Example:


cigarette can shorten your life by 10.7 minutes whereas cigarettes

are also expensive costing as much as $5.00 a pack.

164

Limit the number of opinions in a single paragraph to 2.

The first opinion will be your Topic Sentence.

It will have a Controlling Idea or opinion that gives

direction to the rest of your paragraph.

The other broad non-specific sentence will be a summary

statement.

It draws your paragraph to a close.

It prevents the reader from dangling in midair as a

result of being suspended from your last main clause

fact.

The concluding statement summarizes the findings you have

presented in your paragraph.

It should not repeat the wording used in the Topic Sentence.

Example:

[Topic Sentence]

! ! !Cigarettes are [bad for your health]. c.i.

[Summary Statement]

As you can see, cigarettes do not contribute to the

promotion of good health.

165

Think of a paragraph as having the shape of the letter

I

I .

There is an opinion [or broad base] at the top.

Solid main clause facts are in the vertical column that follows.

A summary statement forms the broad base at the bottom.

Read the paragraph directive for each assignment carefully.

And follow the directions exactly.

167

An Exercise on Facts and Opinions

Instructions: On the Cover Sheet, print your name, the

course, the hour, and the date in ink in the spaces provided.

Fill in the blank spaces on the Cover Sheet with the assigned

subject matter.

Write FACT at the top of one page.

Write 10 Simple Sentences that are facts about ___________.

You may write about more than one example.

But be sure to pick _______that you know something about.

Number your examples as you go.

Underline the subject and verb in each main clause.

Write OPINION at the top of another page.

Write 10 Simple Sentences that are opinions about ________.

Number your examples as you go.


And [bracket] your Controlling Idea.

Check for proper spelling and diction.

Make sure you have only 1 main clause for each example.

168

Use a 14 font; double space; use justified text.

When you have finished, proofread your writing.

And staple the Cover Sheet to your completed work.

Your assignment should look like this.

FACT

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

OPINION

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

169

Write FACT at the top of one page.

Then, write 10 Simple Sentences that are facts about your

favorite entertainers.

You may write about more than one example.

Pick entertainers you know something about.

Write OPINION at the top of another page.

Then, write 10 Simple Sentences that are opinions about your

favorite entertainers.


And [bracket] your Controlling Idea.

Note:

Entertainers include anyone who is in the public eye:

- actors, actresses

- singers, musicians, or musical groups

- athletes

- politicians

Try to narrow the focus of your Controlling Idea.

171




1. Use, and if necessary, revise the given Topic Sentence

that has been selected for you by the instructor.

2. The Topic Sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph.

Underline the subject and verb of the main clause.

And [bracket and highlight the Controlling Idea]. c.i.

3. Continue to write the rest of the paragraph.

4. Use specific main clause facts to directly support your

Controlling Idea.

5. Subordinate all secondary information.

6. Your paragraph may have only one indentation.

7. Avoid run-on sentences and fragment errors.

8. Check for proper spelling with a dictionary. Use proper

diction.

9. Give your final paragraph an appropriate imaginative title.

10. Use a 14 font; double space; use justified text.

11. Proofread the finished paragraph before turning it in.

12. Read it to a wall.

13. Staple the Cover Sheet to your paragraph before you submit

it for a grade.

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Grading Criteria

Examine each of the following paragraphs.

1. Analyze the Topic Sentence.

Locate the subject and verb of the main clause.

Check to see if the writer provided you with a Controlling

Idea.

2. If there is a Controlling Idea, check to see if it is too

broad or if there is an opinion with a good limitation.

3. Examine each sentence that follows.

Check for main clause unity.

Check for the use of specific main clause facts.

4. Did the writer include a summary statement with wording

that does not repeat the words that were used in the Topic

Sentence?

5 Has the writer given the paragraph an appropriate

imaginative title?

After analyzing each paragraph, give it an appropriate grade.

1. A plus [+] should be given if there is

- a valid Topic Sentence control

- at least 3 good specific main clause facts

174

2. A check [! ] should be given if there is

- a valid Topic Sentence control

- main clause examples that are too broad

3. A minus [—] should be given if there are

- 3 major errors such as Run-On sentences, fragments,

or main clause unity errors

or

- 7 minor errors such as spelling, diction, agreement,

or tense shift errors

4. An F should be given if there are

- more than 3 major errors

- more than 7 minor errors

- the content makes no sense

- the writer did not follow the instructions

You may split the grade if the content merits a plus [+] or a

check [! ] whereas the mechanics merit a [! ], a minus [—], or

an [F].

You may give a single grade if the content and the mechanics

merit a single grade such as a plus [+], a [! ], a minus [—], or an

[F].

Be sure to give reasons for the grade or grades, in the case of

a split grade, that you have designated for each writing sample.

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Sample Student Paragraphs

Sample #1

Entering College Will Change Your Life

When a person is about to enter college, from high

school, they have no idea what is about to happen to them. Lets

just put it this way, your whole life changes. You think everything is

going to be perfectly fine, it is going to be exactly like high school all

over again, you are going to get the same amount of homework and

not have to study, etc. Everybody wishes it was like that, but that is

only in a dream world. You can enter college and your whole entire

schedule can change. A person could have one class in the morning,

one class in the afternoon and another class in the evening. They

could have a couple of hours in between each set of classes, a couple

minutes in between classes, or just no classes at all on that particular

day. When you do have classes though, you can bet that you are

going to have homework on that day. Studying could range around

from a simple twenty minutes to a very long and stressful two hours

a day. When there is a test or a huge final coming up, a person

won’t be study for a short fifteen to twenty minutes a day. The next

day though, you could take and pass all your tests. There is always

a big sigh of relief once this is over with. Another thing to remember,

always take college seriously, it is no joke. We are only talking about

the rest of your life here. If anyone can do a successful jobs with all

there classes such as staying on top with there grades, maintaining

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an average of 3.0 or better, going to all there classes by not cutting,

then you are definitely good to go. There is no doubt about it.

What helps also, is if you get some of your work done while you are

in school, so that when you arrive home, you won’t have to cram all

your work together. Don’t stress out though, because if a person

does, they are not going to do there best in school. Take it one step

at a time even though it is all at a fast pace. College is not one thing

to worry about, but just to keep your mind in full tact. It also helps

you become a more independent person rather than a dependent

person because you rely on yourself more than anybody else to get

the job done. When a person enters college though, it changes their

entire life.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________

Bottom grade:_______

Reasons: _____________________________________________

177

Sample #2

Jackie Chan first movie in Hollywood, “Rush Hour 2,” is the

best movie of the year. When “Rush Hour 2” released a lot of people

were tried to get into the theater. Tickets sold out immediately on

that Friday night. I got into the theater but none of the chair is

available, so I sat on the stairway. The movie started everybody

stayed in silent paying attention to the Chinese guy and that was

Jackie Chan. He is a detective from China the government sending

him to the U.S. to rescues the senator’s daughter who was kidnapped

by the Dragon group that live in China town. Jackie and his partner

finally found out the location of the Dragon group. They got into a

fight in the Chinese’s restaurant. Jackie fight and kicks very quick.

He knocked down 16 men. At the end, Jackie rescued the senator’s

daughter and he go back to China. This movie were shown in the

theater for more than three months. It became Jackie highest profit

in 1999. People started talking about his movie telling that he is a

funny guy and a really cute actor. A lot of people have been waiting

for the DVD coming out. My brother even watched this movie twice

in the theater. All my friends were saying that he is the best character

in the movie and a funny guy. Jackie became Chinese American’s

fans. “Rush Hour 2” has changed the fans perspective view of point

in his action’s movie. Fans surely remember him as a Mr. nice and

funny guy. I enjoyed watching Jackie Chan in “Rush Hour 2.” I love

all his action. He is a good kicker and a funny guy. I would like to

collect all of his movies and of course “the Rush Hour 2.”

178

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

179

Sample #3

Julia Roberts is one of the greatest actors in the world. I watched

many films of hers because I like her, and I’m also majored in film.

As far as I remember, the first film that I watched that Julia Roberts

played was “Pretty Woman.” She had changed from poor liked lady

to gorgeous looked lady as the film went on in that film. Especially

in the scene when Julia Roberts and Richard Gear went out for dinner,

she looked very gorgeous in a red dress. She expressed many kinds

of feelings of the character she played very well so that I was absorbed

in the story very easily. I was impressed by her act, and I became to

like her. She made me a fan of her. I’m sure that Julia Roberts will

keep moving as a very attractive and famous actor.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

180

Sample #4

Who Knew Matt Le Blanc Was a Comedian?

Matt Le Blanc portrays a funny character in “Friends”. His

character’s name is Joey. Joey is funny because he eats a lot and is

childish. At a buffet, Joey said, “This where I get my money back”,

which I found hilarious. He will eat anything. Rachel [Jennifer Aniston]

made a pastry with meat, and Joey ate it all. He found it delicious.

Joey and Chandler [Matthew Perry] are roommates and act very

immaturely. Chandler talks about his bad luck with women, and

Joey doesn’t relate because he has good luck with women. “Friends”

would not be complete in humor if Matt Le Blanc didn’t star in it.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

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Sample #5

Oprah Winfrey is the most successful daytime female show

host. Compare to shows such as Jenny Jones or Sally-Jesse Raphael,

the Oprah Winfrey show has a higher rate of viewers, and more

celebrities has made appearance on Oprah’s show. She also opened

a book club that her viewers supported. There is a shelf reserved at

Borders Books and Music for Oprah’s book club. She has not only

her show to support her financially but her book club as well as her

magazine. Oprah Magazine is available at bookstores, grocery stores

and many other locations. With Oprah’s show, magazine, book club

and many faithful supporters, she is predicted to be successful and

stay the most successful daytime female show host.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

182

Sample #6

Stupidly Funny

Matthew Perry is the funniest actor on the show, Friends. He

portrays a character named Chandler Bing. On a certain episode

during a Thanksgiving dinner in the 1980’s when Monica [Courtney

Cox] was fat, he made fun of her by saying, “Hmmm...all the food is

gone. I guess Monica started eating before us.” Another funny

moment that I remember of his was when he had just broken up

with his girlfriend. Then, a couple of weeks later, his girlfriend wanted

him back. But Chandler did not want her back. So he lied and said,”I

have to go on a business trip to Yemen. So we’ll talk about it when

I come back.” She responded with, “Okay, I’ll bring you to the airport

and wait until you leave, and when you come back, I’ll pick you up.”

At that point, Chandler was thinking, “What have I done?” He couldn’t

take back his lie, so he had to go on with the trip. Another funny act

that he did was when there was a blackout in his neighborhood. He

got stuck in an Automatic Teller Machine booth with a beautiful girl.

Then, he realizes that the beautiful girl is a supermodel. So he calls

Monica and tries to tell her that he is stuck in an ATM booth with a

supermodel. Monica says, “What are you saying, I can barely hear

you.” She can’t here him because he is whispering to her. He doesn’t

want the supermodel to hear him. So he says, “Give the phone to

Joey!” So he talked the same way to Joey as he did to Monica. Joey

responded by saying, “Chandler is stuck in an ATM booth with a

183

supermodel!” Chandler hung up the phone with Joey and tried to

“spit some game” on the supermodel. Chandler approached her and

asked for the time, but instead, he “blanked out” after she turned

toward him. At that point, he turned around and started talking to

himself. That made him look “stupider.” He was never able to get

her number because of the way he acted in the booth. His acts on

certain episodes makes me think that he is the funniest actor on the

show, Friends.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

184

Sample # 7

The singer, Madonna, wears very bright colored clothing most

of the time. In 1985, as part of her world tour in Britain, Madonna

wore a bright green blouse with a short purple skirt. In another

concert in the United States, she wore a shiny silver dress with pink,

purple, and orange sleeves. In 1989, when she sang at the Grammy

awards, she was known as the most “lively and colorful singer”.

Marriage and motherhood did not change her style of dressing. The

National Enquirer had pictures of Madonna after she had her baby,

and she still wore the same bright colors as she did before. Madonna

currently continues to wear bright colors in spite of being a wife and

a mother.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

185

Sample # 8

Julia Roberts’ success is due to her tremendous effort and hard

work. At the start of her acting career, she continued to audition for

any movie roles she could find in spite of her many failures. She

never gave up even though she was often treated as a talentless

actress. To become an outstandingly beautiful actress, she kept her

fine figure in shape by exercising over 6 hours every day, going to

the beauty treatment clinic twice a week, and always being on a

strict diet of vegetables and fruits. After becoming famous in her

debut movie, “Pretty Women,” in which she was criticized for her

poor acting, she worked even harder to improve her acting skills by

taking a number of lessons. Although she was going through a tough

time in her private life such as losing members of her family and

breaking off a wedding engagement, she never changed her lifestyle

as a professional actress, nor did she miss her lessons when she

was sick. As a result of her effort and hard work, she won not only

an Academy Award but achieved glorious success as a talented

actress in the movie, “Erin Brokovich.”

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

186

Sample # 9

Jackie Chan had many great and dangerous moves in his action

movie called “Rush Hour 2.” In one of the seene, when he was

captured by the gang, he had to fight with his hands tight on the

back, and he had jumped from the second floor of the casino to the

ground at the end of the movie. When Jackie and his partner were

in Hong Kong, they were hang on the bamboo stick about ten floors

high, and they had to walk on the truck and land on the ground. The

most dangerous scene in the movie was when he fought with the

gang’s members on the boat. They tried to push him into the river,

but he moved like a monkey and fought back the men with a little

help of his partner. Scene by scene in each movie, he had to risk his

life when he created any great move for us to watch. Each of Jackie’s

movie had contained many good action’s scene that we ever seen

before.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

187

Sample #10

Robin Williams in Stockings

Robin Williams played a hilarious old woman in the movie, “Mrs.

Doubtfire.” Robin Williams had to pretend to be a nanny for his

children since his wife and him divorced. He had to dress up as an

old woman wearing fake dentures and stockings; He even had breasts

too. Although he looked so ridiculous in his outfit, he was happy to

be with his kids. He would sing with an English accent and dance

around with a broom. Once when he was trying to cook, he caught

his “boobs” on fire. His children finally realized it was he when his

son walked in on him using the restroom. His son couldn’t believe

his father was dressed as a woman with boobs! He was finally caught

by everybody when he was doing the Heimlich maneuver on his ex-

wife’s boyfriend. He fell back, and his wig fell off. It was so

embarrassing for him. His wife forgave him, and he was able to see

his children without the costume. Robin Williams was so funny, but

I don’t think he would want to do that again.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

188

Sample #11

Eye Catching Dresses

Catherine Zeta-Jones wears gorgeous dresses at awards shows.

At the MTV Movie Awards, she wore a silver beaded Prada gown

with a low-rise neckline. She stepped into a black body fitted Channel

dress at the Golden Globe which sat so nicely on her 5’9 inch curvy

body. But her most gorgeous dress was at the Academy Awards

where she wore a flowy red strapless dress that had a slit that came

all the way up to her thigh. At the Grammy’s where she was

presenting, she wore a pink-and-golden sequined silk mini dress.

All eyes where on her when she walked down the red carpet in a

lace one-sleeve Versace dress. All the dresses, Catherine Zeta-Jones

wears at award shows, are stunning.

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

189

Sample #12

Ol’ Rich Man Connery

Sean Connery is an extremely well paid actor. On an average,

he is paid over two million dollars per movie. With every new movie,

he gets paid more and more. His large paychecks began with his

role as 007 in the early James Bond movies. Sean Connery was paid

over 50 million dollars for the Bond movies alone. With his earnings,

he was able to buy a mansion in England for 5.6 million dollars, and

his salary also made it possible for him to buy a home theater system

for $350,000. More recently, he was paid two million dollars for his

role in The Rock. When he stars in a movie that does poorly, he still

walks away with at least 1.3 million dollars in his pocket. In the

movie, First Knight, he was paid a handsome 2 million dollars. The

value of his total wealth is estimated to be over 750 million dollars.

Even when he is starring with other well known actors such as Nicolas

Cage, Connery gets paid nearly double what the younger actors do.

As you can see, Connery has been blessed with a huge salary and

the best life of luxury that will last him till the end of his days.

190

Top grade:_______

Reasons:______________________________________________


Reasons: _____________________________________________

191




Step 1:

1. Do a preliminary analysis of each of the following

paragraphs.

The first paragraph is about an artist.

The second paragraph is about a scientist.

The third paragraph is about an art expert.

And the fourth paragraph is about an art forger.

2. Analyze the given Topic Sentence.

3. Underline each main clause that follows.

4. Place a U next to each main clause that does not directly

support the Controlling Idea in the Topic Sentence.

192

Step 2:

1. Select any one of the given paragraphs.

2. Mark the Topic Sentence components in the following

way.

Underline the subject and verb of the main clause.

[Bracket and highlight the Controlling Idea].c.i.

3. Underline the main clause in each sentence that follows.

4. Place a U next to each main clause that does not directly

support your Controlling Idea.

Step 3:

1. Rewrite the paragraph of your choice in the following way.

2. Use the given Topic Sentence as the first sentence of the

paragraph.

3. Underline the subject and verb of the main clause.

4. And [bracket the Controlling Idea].c.i.

5. Continue to write the rest of the paragraph using specific

facts in main clauses that directly support your

Controlling Idea.

6. Use all of the given facts.

193

7. Be sure to reincorporate all of the information that

created the main clause unity error.

8. Refocus it as secondary information, and place it in a

dependent clause.


10. Avoid Run-On sentences and fragment errors.

11. Check for proper spelling with a dictionary.

12. Use proper diction.






it for a grade.

195

Paragraph 1 – Carel Fabritius

[1] Carel Fabritius was a thirty-two-year-old artist who had

more than his share of problems. [2] From 1641 to 1643, he was

Rembrandt’s star pupil in his Amsterdam workshop. [3] Fabritius

moved to Delft after the deaths of his first wife and their two children.

[4] His second wife, Agatha, was a widow who lived in Delft. [5]

Fabritius could only pay half of the twelve guilder fee that was required

to join the Guild of St. Luke. [6] In 1654, he worked as an artist in

Delft. [7] He owed a waiter at the Doel Inn 100 guilders for food and

drink. [8] He could now sign his name to his paintings, sell his work,

and take on apprentices. [9] He painted biblical scenes like The

Beheading of St. John the Baptist. [10] He got used to being in debt

which was part of an artist’s life. [11] His painting called Goldfinch

might have been about a bird he saw when he lived on the

Doelenstraat near a former convent where 90 pounds of gunpowder

was stored. [12] On October 12, 1654, two men entered the

storehouse to remove a two-pound sample of gunpowder. [13] Carel

Fabritius was putting the finishing touches on a portrait of a retired

196

clergyman. [14] A blast of noise, heat searing flames, and a

shuddering earth brought his painting to a halt. [15] The contents

of homes flew into the air with body parts of people and pet birds

like the artist’s goldfinch as well as stacks of his unsold painted

canvases. [16] One victim of The Thunderclap, which destroyed one

fourth of Delft, was Carel Fabritius who was taken to the hospital

where he died within the hour. [17] Arnold Bon wrote about the

man he considered to be Delft’s greatest artist with the possible

exception of his fellow guildsman, the twenty-two-year-old painter,

Johannes Vermeer. [18] He said, “Thus did this Phoenix, to our loss,

expire,/ In the midst and at the height of his powers,/ But happily

there arose out of his fire/Vermeer, who [proved to be as great a

master].”

197

Paragraph 2

[1] Antony van Leeuwenhoek was one of the great scientific

inventors of his time. [2] His birthdate in October, 1632 was recorded

on the same page as that of Johannes Vermeer in the book of

baptismal records at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. [3] He is best

remembered for his development of the microscope. [4] He earned

his living as a cloth merchant. [5] He was trained to count the number

of threads to the inch that determined the closeness of the weave of

the silk and wool fabrics he sold in his shop. [6] His invention of

magnifying lenses may have been prompted by his need to study

the thread-count of woven cloth on a regular basis. [7] A professional

glass-blower, who sold his wares at a fair in Delft, taught

Leeuwenhoek how to blow glass. [8] Leeuwenhoek taught himself

how to grind and polish glass lenses before inserting them into a

silver or brass mounting. [9] He also invented a screw type device

to adjust how close or far his magnifying lens was from an object he

wished to study. [10] He examined the width of a single hair taken

from his wig. [11] He found that there were 600 hair-breadths in an

198

inch. [12] He kept his lens-making techniques an unpublished secret.

[13] He never learned how to draw. [14] He sandwiched between

glass the eyes of a bee, the sting of a louse, and the brains of a fly.

[15] He had to hire professional draughtsmen to illustrate his findings.

[16] He is known as ‘the father of microbiology’ and had his

microscopic observations published by the Royal Society for the

Improving of Natural Knowledge in London.

199

Paragraph 3 – Théophile Thoré

[1] In 1866, a political radical and an art expert, Théophile

Thoré, was credited with successfully bringing Vermeer’s work out

of obscurity and into the limelight. [2] Thoré was exiled from Paris

by Louis Napoleon after the 1848 revolution in France. [3] While

living in Belgium, he began a serious examination of Vermeer’s work.

[4] Thoré temporarily changed his name to William Bürger, meaning

citizen, to avoid being discovered by Napoleon III’s secret agents.

[5] His study of the artist’s work had actually begun in 1842 with his

first look at Vermeer’s View of Delft. [6] He did not like the painter’s

heavy application of thick coats of paint. [7] In 1858, he wrote,

“One could say that he wanted to build his city with a trowel and

that his walls are of real mortar.” [8] He called the artist “my ‘sphinx’

Van der Meer” because so little was known about his life and the

location of his paintings. [9] He went to the Six family mansion in

Amsterdam. [10] There he found The Milkmaid and The Little Street

by the man he now called “the astounding painter!” [11]He took a

trip to Brunswick. [12] He located the Girl Being Offered Wine.

200

[13] On a trip to Dresden and other sites, he was able to locate and

purchase still more of the artist’s work. [14] He misread the text in

an 1822 catalogue when Girl with a Red Hat was put up for sale.

[15] He thought it was a portrait of a young man rather than one of

a young woman. [16] In 1866, with three articles published in the

Gazette des Beaux Arts, he was able to shake the dust off the cobwebs

that had buried the work of the Dutch master for more than 200

years, bringing him far more recognition than he had achieved during

his lifetime.

201

Paragraph 4 – Han van Meegeren

[1] Han van Meegeren was highly skilled in the art of forgery.

[2] He studied painting at the Technology Institute in Delft. [3] He

used his technical skill to paint exact copies of Vermeer’s work. [4]

He won a gold medal for a watercolor painting of a church interior

done in the style of a seventheenth-century artist. [5] In his oil

paintings, he used a lemon-yellow, white, and blue palette to

reproduce smooth painted surfaces like those of Vermeer. [6] He

married, moved to The Hague, and exhibited his original paintings

that sold well before he became an alcoholic and was divorced. [7]

Due to decreased sales, he thought the Dutch art world was

preventing him from becoming rich and famous. [8] Using objects

like a white Delft wine jug that Vermeer would have used, he

capitalized on his ability to paint like him by producing new Vermeers.

[9] He moved to Roquebrune and lived alone. [10] He aged his new

Vermeer artworks in a few days rather than a few centuries by

painting with a liquid medium made up of a formaldehyde resin

mixed with white lead. [11] He took revenge on the Dutch art world

202

for refusing to buy his original paintings. [12] He created a network

of cracks in a new oil painting by placing it in an oven and baking it

for several hours at 100 to 200 degrees. [13] He found an agent

who agreed to sell a newly discovered work by Vermeer. [14] When

his forgery of a painting that Vermeer never did called The Supper

at Emmaus was finished, van Meegeren made it look like it was

covered with old dirt by rubbing black ink into the cracks, wiping off

the surplus, and varnishing it. [16] In December of 1937, it was

sold as a “genuine Vermeer” to the Rembrandt Society of the

Netherlands for $170,000. [17] An art historian, Abraham Bredius,

authenticated the painting and said, “It is a wonderful moment in

the life of a lover of art when he finds himself suddenly confronted

with a hitherto unknown painting by a great master,...just as it left

the painter’s studio!”

203




1. Choose 1 of the given lists of words.

2. Make origin and definition notes for each word.

3. Then, write a Topic Sentence.

4. The Controlling Idea must focus on word origins that

are common to each word on the list.

List #1 or List #2

a. saxophone a. denim

b. sandwich b. muslin

c. algorithm c. worsted

d. nicotine d. satin

e. shrapnel e. gauze

1. The words on List #1 come from men’s names.

2. You must use an accurate date [or dates] with each

example.

3. Arrange your facts in a time sequence.

1. The words on List #2 come from cities where a particular

type of cloth was made.

2. No dates will be used.

3. Arrange your facts in an order of space.

204

To Write the Paragraph:

1. In the Topic Sentence, underline the subject and verb of

the main clause, and [bracket the Controlling Idea].c.i.

2. Put specific root word origin information in each main

clause to directly support your Controlling Idea.

3. Use a separate sentence for each word on the list.

4. Include a current subordinated definition for each given

word.

5. Subordinate all of the data that pertains to word

meanings.


7. Avoid Run-On sentences and fragments.

8. Check for proper spelling with a dictionary. Use proper

diction.

9. Check for main clause unity.

10. Your paragraph should be 7 sentences long.






it for a grade.

205

SECTION 6

Essay Directives

207

Instructions for Writing an Essay

The following essay directive is designed to be used for an out-

of-class writing assignment.

As you move from the writing of paragraphs to writing an

analytical and/or argumentative expository essay, keep in mind that

there is a structural similarity between the sentence, the

paragraph, and the essay.

Each module has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

For the sentence:

The beginning is usually the subject.

The middle is the verb.

The end is the object.

________________________________________________________________

For the paragraph:

The beginning is the Topic Sentence with its Controlling

Idea.

The middle contains specific main clause facts that

directly support the Controlling Idea.

The end is the concluding statement that summarizes

the opinion that was presented for analysis or for

argumentation.

208

For the essay:

The beginning is the opening paragraph.

It includes the source of information that generated

the analytical or argumentative response if there is one.

It contains the Thesis Statement or opinion that governs

the entire paper.

It is followed by subpoints presented in the order that

they will be discussed in the body of the paper.

There is also a statement of purpose that focuses the

reader’s attention upon the rationale that lies behind the

writing of the paper.

________________________________________________________________

The middle contains individual paragraphs for each

subpoint.

The paragraphs will have relevant Topic Sentences

followed by specific main clause facts that directly support

each Topic Sentence control.

There is no need to have a summary statement at the

end of each paragraph that is focused on a particular

subpoint.

209

The ending is the concluding paragraph.

It does not require a Topic Sentence.

It calls for separate sentences with specific main clause

reminders for each subpoint that was presented in the

same order that was established in the opening

paragraph and in the body of the paper.

The concluding reminders should not repeat the

wording that was used in the body of the paper.

_____________________________________________________________

Read the essay directive carefully.

And follow the directions exactly.

211

Essay #1



Read excerpts from “Tracy Chevalier: Interview.” by Gavin J.

Grant in Setting up the Palette.

She is the author of Girl With a Pearl Earring and other

novels.

______________________________________________________________

Write a Thesis Statement that will focus on some of the

key points she discussed about her career as a writer.

Select 2 subpoints based on topics she addressed that

were of interest to you.

She talked about being an outsider in a different

culture.

She talked about her method of doing research for her

novels.

She talked about her job as a writer of non-fiction.

She talked about her preference for writing fiction.

She talked about giving book talks in chain bookstores.

She talked about giving book talks in independent

bookstores.

Make a preliminary outline for a 4-paragraph essay for

your own use if desired.

212

1. In Paragraph 1, include the title and author of the

assigned essay.

Write a Thesis Statement, the opinion that governs your

paper.

2. Use a separate sentence for each subpoint in the order

that you will discuss them.

3. Include a statement of purpose.

4. Paragraphs 2 and 3 need good Topic Sentences for each

subpoint.

5. Use detailed main clause facts to directly support your

Controlling Idea.

6. Subordinate any secondary information.

7. Your concluding paragraph requires a detailed main

clause reminder for each subpoint in the order it was

presented in the introductory paragraph and in the body of

the paper. It does not require a Topic Sentence.

8. Title the finished essay.

9. Use a 14 font, double spacing, and justified text.

10. Do not plagiarize. The facts are yours. The wording is not.

11. Proofread to eliminate unity and mechanical errors.

12. Read your essay to a wall.

13. Staple the Cover Sheet to your essay before you submit it

for a grade.

213

SECTION 7

Practice Grammar Exams

215

Instructions for a Practice Grammar Review

1. Examine each of the following examples.

2. Underline the subject and verb of each main and

dependent clause with 1 and 2 lines respectively.

3. Circle each subordinate connective.

4. Put each prepositional, infinitive, and participle phrase

in parentheses, and label them accurately.

5. Label logical connectives [lc] and coordinate

connectives [cc].

6. Decide if the statement is a Correct Sentence, a

Fragment, or a Run-On Sentence.

7. And mark it in the following way:

Mark A for a Fragment.

Mark B for a Run-On Sentence.

Mark C for Correct.

8. If you have labeled it as Correct:

Mark SS for a Simple Sentence.

Mark CX for a Complex Sentence.

Mark CC for a Compound Sentence.

Mark CC-CX for a Compound-Complex Sentence.

216

9. If you have labeled it as a Fragment, indicate the

dominant structure.

Mark dc for a dependent clause.

Mark inf for an infinitive phrase.

Mark prp for a present participle phrase.

Mark pp for a past participle phrase.

Mark prep for a prepositional phrase.

Mark o for other.

10. If you have labeled it as a Run-On Sentence, mark an R

where the Run-On Sentence occurred.

217

Tulip Talk — A Practice Grammar Exam

A = Fragment

B = Run-On Sentence

C = Correct

1. Imagine visiting the city of Delft in Holland on a warm

spring day.

2. You have just walked through Market Square, it is Friday,

and the market stalls selling fish, meat, fruit, and cheeses of

every kind that were in full swing the day before have

disappeared.

3. They will not reappear until the following Thursday.

4. A few scraps of crumpled paper blowing across the brick-

covered pavement can be seen.

5. While here and there, a few people make their way across

the quiet, peaceful square.

218

6. All of a sudden, a car pulls up in front of Town Hall—a young

woman steps out .

7. Today will be her wedding day.

8. Which is made apparent by the fact that she is wearing a long

white gown.

9. But what catches your eye is the floor length overskirt, bright

red in color, with tall pointed petal shapes protruding above the

waistline.

10. Echoing the curves of her body.

11. Standing up straight and tall in the warm midday sun, she

walks at the head of a long procession.

12. Of what seems to include most of the people in town.

219

13. And it is clear that the petals are not ordinary ones, instead,

they are tulip shaped leaves.

14. That give her the appearance of a red and white-striped flower

as she walks along the street past Market Square and across a bridge

that will take her and her followers to Oude Kerk, the church where

Vermeer has long since been laid to rest and where she has chosen

to take her wedding vows

15. It may seem odd for a bride to be dressed as a living tulip.

16. But it seems less strange when you consider the importance

the tulip has had throughout the last five hundred years of Holland’s

history.

17. The writer, Alexander Dumas, understood the importance of

the tulip.

220

18. Having written about it in his novel called The Black Tulip.

19. And so did his hero, Cornelius van Baerle.

20. An artist and a lover of tulips who decided to turn his back on

the various wars that pitted man against man in battles against

Spain, France, and England and to put his effort into growing the

most beautiful tulips that even the Dutch world had ever seen.

21. The year was 1672, Johannes Vermeer had started work on a

painting he would later call Allegory of Faith.

22. And in the nearby village of Dort, Cornelius van Baerle had

started work on changing the color of his precious tulips and altering

their shape as he concentrated on creating entirely new species of

flowers.

23. His neighbor, Isaac Boxtel, was also a tulip fancier, however, it

was clear that he was not suited for his chosen profession.

221

24. For although he had once produced a tulip bulb that had gotten

a passing comment of “Not Bad!” from the King of Portugal.

25. He was driven by jealousy rather than by patience.

26. And instead of spending his time as Van Baerle did, soaking his

tulip seeds in specially colored liquids to produce a delicate tint of

pink or a richer hue of red.

27. He placed a ladder alongside of his garden wall, he also

purchased a telescope to peer into Van Baerle’s drying room with

the intention of stealing any secret tulip growing formulas.

28. That his neighbor might come up with.

29. When a new breed of tulip, named for Van Baerle’s godfather,

Cornelius de Witt, blossomed forth, Isaac Boxtel flew into a rage.

222

30. And in the dark of night, he tied the back legs of two cats

together, then, he tossed them into his neighbor’s garden.

31. In their effort to get free of one another.

32. The frightened animals trampled down beautifully laid out rows

of prize winning tulips that with the exception of one or two hardy

blooms looked like dead soldiers the next morning.

33. Which drained the color from Van Baerle’s face when he saw

them.

34. He hired a gardener to sleep in a box close to the earth to

protect his precious tulip beds, nevertheless, the battle between the

unsuspecting Van Baerle and his jealous neighbor had not yet come

to an end.

35. In fact, it was just beginning.

223

36. For a contest had recently been announced by the Tulip Society

of Haarlem.

37. A prize of 100,000 Dutch florins was to be given to anyone who

could grow a large black tulip without a single spot of color.

38. Which no one in the tulip growing world thought could be

done.

39. “You might as well try to create a white blackbird,” was Boxtel’s

comment on the task at hand.

40. Van Baerle had no doubt about the fact that he was up to the

challenge, hadn’t he just added a new greenhouse made of glass to

the back of his home?

41. Did he not have it already outfitted with drawers and cupboard

spaces?

224

42. Especially designed for placing new bulbs to dry out in.

43. Was his mind not already filled with whirling color sensations

of red colored tulips turned to brown ones and then to darker brown

ones?

44. Surely with time and patience on his side.

45. He would be able to produce the prize winning black tulip in

another year’s time.

46. While he was working his way through these color-filled

thoughts, he had a visit one night from his godfather, Cornelius de

Witt, the Inspector of Dykes.

47. He was asked to hide a bundle of letters.

48. Written by his brother John de Witt–the current President of

Holland, to the minister working under King Louis XIV of France.

225

49. With the rising tide of fear growing stronger among the Dutch.

50. Who saw the greedy King of France conquer one city after

another in his quest to take over the Netherlands.

51. An unscrupulous barber falsely accused Cornelius de Witt of

trying to hire him to murder Prince William of Orange who had just

come of age and was ready to take on the leadership of Holland in

his own right.

52. So Cornelius was placed in a prison in The Hague, his

punishment was to suffer being banished for life.

53. From the land he loved.

54. Urged by his brother John to get word to Van Baerle to burn

the packet of letters that was given to him for safekeeping so that

he would not come to harm.

226

55. Cornelius wrote a note on the flyleaf of his Bible stating that

Van Baerle had no knowledge of the packet’s contents, he had it

delivered to his godson at once.

56. But because Van Baerle had no interest in reading urgent letters

or notes.

57. He did not know Isaac Boxtel had told the authorities he had a

suspicious packet intrusted to him by the de Witt brothers for

safekeeping.

58. In addition, he might not have known that they had been killed

by a mob.

59. When they left the prison.

60. To take refuge in some far off land.

227

61. Instead, Van Baerle’s thoughts were consumed by the flowers

he loved.

62. He dug up a tulip bulb from his garden he knew it would turn

black in the spring.

63. But no sooner had he divided that precious bulb into three

separate parts than the officers of the state of Holland sent by Boxtel

came to place him under arrest for his role in what was felt to be a

conspiracy against the young Prince.

64. Hastily wrapping the unread note from his godfather around

his precious tulip bulbs before being carted off to prison.

65. He was stripped of his right to care for his beloved flowers,

moreover, he had to be content to be placed under the care of the

kind and gentle Rosa, the cell keeper’s daughter, whom he soon

grew to love.

228

66. It was she he told his tale of the black tulip to; it was she who

would keep his tulip bulbs safe from harm.

67. At first, Cornelius was condemned to be hung.

68. Then, due to the kindness of Prince William.

69. His life was spared, after that, he was sentenced to spend his

life confined to a cell in the tall tower of a prison fortress on the

lonely island of Loewestein.

70. As winter turned to spring.

71. An unexpected event took place.

72. The old jailor Gryphus was put in charge of the prisoners at

Loewestein.

229

73. Which meant that once again, Rosa would take care of Van

Baerle.

74. Her first task was to supply him with a cracked jar.

75. That he could plant one of his black tulip bulbs in.

76. Her second task was to plant the second bulb in her own small

garden—her third task was to keep the last tulip bulb safely hidden

from prying eyes beneath her finest laces.

77. That she kept hidden in a drawer.

78. On a warm spring day, Rosa’s father had a visit from an ugly

man named Jacob.

79. Who was really the evil gardener, Isaac Jacob.

230

80. He spent his time drinking gin with the jailor, he also spied on

meetings that took place between Van Baerle and Rosa.

81. Rosa pretended to plant a tulip bulb in her garden, and Jacob

dug up the soil.

82. Covering the empty plot of ground.

83. Knowing for certain that she and Van Baerle had a dangerous

enemy.

84. Rosa took care to plant the second tulip bulb indoors in her

room.

85. The bad news was that for no apparent reason, her father

destroyed the plant that had begun to sprout on the window sill of

Van Baerle’s cell.

231

86. The good news was that Rosa’s jet black tulip bloomed without

a single speck of color, she proudly displayed it for Van Baerle to

see.

87. However, without her knowledge, Isaac Jacob had obtained a

key to her room.

88. After stealing the flower.

89. He carried it with him to Haarlem as fast as he could so that

he would be able to claim the money he was so anxious to possess.

90. In an effort to right that wrong.

91. Rosa took the last tulip bulb, still wrapped in paper, she then

set off on her own trip to Haarlem.

92. She spoke first to the President of the Tulip Society.

232

93. And then to Prince William of Orange who took the precious

bulb out of her hands.

94. In order to examine it more closely.

95. As he did so, he saw the wrapping paper that was used to

protect it.

96. Which turned out to be the page from the Bible with the note

from Cornelius de Witt.

97. Stating Van Baerle had no knowledge of the content of the

letters that had been placed in his care.

98. On May 15, 1673, Tulip Sunday was to be celebrated in Haarlem.

99. A procession of dignitaries dressed in fine linen and cloaked in

rich velvet paraded through the streets of town.

233

100. Carrying assorted bouquets of Haarlem’s finest flowers.

101. Following them was the prized black tulip.

102. Placed on top of a board with a white velvet cloth fringed with

gold.

103. Setting it off like the rich fragile jewel that it was.

104. The tulip was placed next to the gilded chair set out for the

Prince of Orange, among those who clapped and shouted their

approval for this singular black blossom was Isaac Jacob.

105. Who was waiting to claim his prize.

106. Or was he?

107. The Prince stood up.

234

108. Calling for the owner of the rare black tulip.

109. But before Isaac Jacob could say a single word.

110. A young girl, dressed as a Frisian bride from a northern province

in Holland, emerged from the crowd.

111. Wearing a red woolen bridal gown embroidered in silver.

112. She stepped forward to make her claim.

113. “...this tulip shall be called the Tulipa Nigra Rosa Baerlensis

because of the name of Van Baerle,” said the Prince, “ it will henceforth

be the married name of this maiden.”

114. At that moment, Van Baerle himself, who had been sent for by

the Prince, stepped out of a carriage.

235

115. At the same time that Isaac Jacob fell down to the ground in a

fit of despair.

116. Prince William proclaimed the innocence of Van Baerle to all

those around him he then handed him the prize of 100,000 florins.

117. After having spoken well of the de Witt brothers who, it had

been proven, were loyal to Holland.

118. The Prince said, “Alas, you are very happy who, dreaming, it

may be of the truest glory for Holland, attempt to conquer naught

for her save only colors for tulips.”

119. And so it turns out that today’s bride in Delft, who is dressed

like a flower and is seen wearing a red overskirt with tulip-shaped

petals gracing the front and back sides of her white bridal gown, is

carrying forth a tradition.

236

120. It is a remembrance of times past when Van Baerle’s bride

wore a red gown on a warm spring flower-filled day at a different

time but in a very similar place.

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