MIDTERM DOCUMENTS & ASSIGNMENTS PORTFOLIO

LANG 109 Spring 2012 NDSU

instructor Stephen C. Disrud

Syntax.

sentence structure validity Simple. Compound. Complex. Compound-

Complex. fragments runons

A Clause is the unit of an idea grammatically expressed

by an active verb with a subject and completion independent clause

dependent clause

adjective clause adverb clause

noun clause reSEARCH

cite, citations, in-text parenthetical citation, works cited bibliography

“ ”Quotation, summary, paraPHrase brainstorming, outlining, discovery, drafting,

revising, polishing précis

Journal & Blog timed writing

Dear Students, Letters & emails

theessayis a form of writing maintains unity takes a

stance develops evidence conveys sustained critical inquiry

Intro-Body-Conclusion | thesis responsive essay, narrative essay, profile

details evidence illustration

portfolio

Activities and homework include lectures, reading,

discussion, small groups, feedback, conferences, peer review

workshops, informal presentations, reflection, error analysis

meeting academic expectations

“good writers are good readers”

expression&content inseparable mechanics, vocabulary, clarity

document design standard format your ideas matter

judgment before rules

audience

purpose

context

constraints & creativity

All materials developed by Stephen C. Disrud for

NDSU LANG 109 | SPRING 2012

Contents

REVISED WRITINGS

Introductory Letter 2

True/Lie Shorts 2

Describe an Activity 2

Response to “The Dead Book” 3

Quotation Paragraph Builds 4

Authority and Democracy 5

Grammar Issue 6

Paragraph Topics 7-8

IN-CLASS & SELF-DIRECTED WRITINGS

Timed Writings, Weeks 1 & 2 10

Description Writings 11

Argumentative Writings 12

Blog Assignment 13

Journal Assignment 14

GRAMMAR LESSONS & ANALYSES

Intro Lecture: Clauses & Syntax 16

Clauses 17

Syntax 18

Adverb Clauses 19

Verb Error Analysis 20

Sentence Combination 21

Error Analysis 2/7 22-24

Syntax Analysis 2/14 25-26

Syntax Error Analysis 27

Adverb Clause Analysis 28-29

Who-clause Analysis 30-32

SUPPORT & GENERAL COURSE DOCUMENTATION

Essay Structure 34-35

Summaries & Paraphrases 36

Patchwork v. Quote/Paraphrase 37

Support Activities for “Tense Present” 38

Troublespots 39

Syllabus 40-41

Portfolio Assignment 42-43

1

Introductory Letter 2

Response to “The Dead Book” 3

Quotation Paragraph Builds 4

Authority and Democracy 5

Grammar Issue 6

Paragraph Topics 7-8

REVISED WRITINGS

2

Introductory Letter

Week 1

Write a letter addressed to me that tells me who you are and

what your goals are for this course. The letter should be a

full single-spaced page in a standard font. Use letter

conventions including salutation and date.

True/Lie Shorts

Week 2

Starting from the prompt in Troublespot 5 (p. 39), write two

stories: one a lie and one the truth. As a class, we will try to

guess which story is which.

Describe an Activity

Week 2

Describe an activity and use the passive voice as much as

possible. (Troublespot 9, p. 71)

General purposes of assignments:

Help the instructor get to

know the student

Establish basic expectations

of typed, revised writing for

the class

Establish personal goals that

can be later reviewed in

student reflection

Allow first assessment of

major error patterns

Encourage class unity

Practice verb tenses

NB: These were not graded as strictly

as revised writings usually are and

were counted as Daily Work.

3

Responsive Essay

Week 3

Review the responsive essay handout and write a five-

paragraph response to “The Dead Book.”

General purposes of assignment

Introduce writing & reading

connection

Introduce quotation

Encourage writing that does

not just report ideas but tries

to make meaning out of

ideas

Establish MLA formatting

expectations

Instructor response to

patterned errors

Response Essays

A response essay assignment asks you to give a personal reaction to a text or experience in a sustained, thoughtful way. It moves beyond a report on what you’ve read and asks you to focus and develop the ideas you have after reading the text. That is, you should interpret and evaluate the text and its themes rather than only summarize or paraphrase them.

The following are samples of a report paragraph and a response paragraph on “The Dead Book.”

-1- Jane Churchon writes about the experience of death from a nurse’s

perspective. She begins by explaining in stark terms the one-minute process

of declaring someone dead and then gives insights into the kinds of things she

feels and thinks about when she goes through this process. The essay goes on

with this back and forth between describing the practical process of

pronouncing someone officially dead in the hospital environment and

describing her very personal experiences and thoughts she has had

throughout her career.

-2- I find the intermingling images of the practical, even cold,

descriptions of declaring someone dead and Jane Churchon’s spiritually-

profound, personal thoughts very surprising in a couple of different ways. For

one, the very practical 60-second process, the object quality to the body of a

person, and the very pragmatic machinery described are shocking to me

because their simplicity contrasts with the weighty importance of death itself.

But I think this is exactly why Churchon intermingles these descriptions with

her own emotions and shared imaginings.

4

Paragraph Builds with Quotation

Week 5

Following the instructions, build a paragraph that is

anchored by a quotation from “Tense Present.”

General purposes of assignment

Practice using quotations

Responding to reading

Paragraph unity

Quotation Exercise--Develop a Paragraph Anchored by a Quote

Find a quote no longer than a sentence long and construct a paragraph around it. Introduce the quote with a phrase such as According to..., SoandSo says/writes/claims..., In SoandSo's view... Paraphrase the quote to show your understanding of it in the context of the article. Finally, add one or two sentences that explains why the idea from this quote is interesting or important. If you can, extend the idea by connecting it to other ideas in the article or your own experience.

Sentence 1 (Use Quote) Sentence 2 (Paraphrase the idea) Sentence 3-4 (Explain/Interpret the idea)

Build a paragraph about the term “Democratic Spirit” by completing these sentences. For the words in parentheses, choose one as a transitional statement appropriate to how you finish the sentence. Other instructions are given in (a) italics.

1) To me, the term “Democratic Spirit” means a) Explain in your own words what the term means, in a general

way, to you. 2) An example of the “Democratic Spirit,” in my mind, is

a) Give an example of DS in the world (not specifically in relation to langauge).

3) David Foster Wallace, (however/in a similar way/likewise/in contrast), says, a) Find a quote in which Wallace discusses DS.

4) (And/But) he talks about the “Democratic Spirit” specifically in relationship to language and authority. a) Leave this sentence as is. The next two sentences should

discuss DS and language. 5) For Wallace, this means

a) Paraphrase or Summarize how Wallace relates language and DS.

6) For example, a) Think of your own example that would illustrate the

DS/language relationship.

5

Authority and Democracy in “Tense Present”

Week 6

Write a five-paragraph essay explaining the concepts of

Democracy and/or Authority in David Foster Wallace’s

essay “Tense Present.” Use at least two quotations in

developing your ideas.

General purposes of assignment

Practice using quotations

Analysis of a difficult reading

through writing

Instructor assessment and

response to patterned errors

6

Grammar Issue

Week 7

Explain and evaluate an English language/grammar rule that you have difficulty with in 5 paragraphs. The issue you choose should provide enough complexity to use three distinct examples and full paragraph development for definition and reflection.

Paragraph 1: Define the issue.

Paragraphs 2, 3, 4: Provide an example of an error. Explain what why you find it bothersome. Correct the error.

Paragraph 5: Reflect on the rule by explaining what you’ve learned about it, or evaluate whether the rule is worth learning.

General purposes of assignment

Approach a reading theme

from a different angle

7

Paragraph Topics

Weeks 7 & 8

Write a follow up paragraph to each of these paragraphs.

General purposes of assignment

Practice using quotations

Analysis of a difficult reading

through writing

Establish major themes of

the reading

The following paragraphs each discuss a different major point from “Tense Present.”

1. At first glance, it’s hard to see what the political concepts of democracy and authority

have to do with a dictionary. However, by tracing out the history of tensions between

descriptivist and prescriptivist approaches to language, David Foster Wallace explores

how politically charged issues of language can be. Even though he is ultimately a

prescriptivist and a believer in Authority in the Usage Wars, Wallace rejects elements of

prescriptivism that are clearly idiotic and tries to keep the Democratic Spirit alive in his

view of language.

2. A SNOOT is a language nerd. A SNOOT cares deeply about language and studies it

carefully. A SNOOT yearns for clarity and precision in language in order to best

communicate ideas. A SNOOT can be very helpful when editing a paper. A SNOOT is a

terribly boring and boorish person to have a conversation with. Ooops!, I should say... a

terribly boring and boorish person with whom to have a conversation.

3. David Foster Wallace rejects descriptivist claims to scientific objectivity because

language is by nature very different from objects that can be studied. Language is

inherently subjective. While it makes sense that a biologist can objectively study a frog

or a chemist can study an atom, studying language as an object gets pretty screwy pretty

fast because it does not exist independent of interpretation. A frog is a frog living its

froggy life, and no matters of judgment are needed to make it more or less froggy. But

language is a social, interpretive, and purposeful thing. It needs to communicate, and

matters of judgment...well...matter to how well it meets its purpose.

4. Overall, being a prescriptivist means, for David Foster Wallace, that SWE is a very

valuable dialect to learn, including its SNOOTy rules. It is not by nature better than

other dialects, but it is valued in many contexts and Discourse Communities. Those who

use this dialect well in the appropriate context, will find their ideas are heard better and

taken more seriously. Those who do not learn it are likely to not have their ideas heard

and be dismissed as less worthy. Wallace clearly rejects seeing SWE as a totally superior

dialect. It would be foolish to use SWE to talk with friends when a more convivial

dialect would be appropriate. Wallace also rejects “rules” of SWE that do not improve

clarity or help communicate.

8

To build up these paragraphs, we first identified the topic,

and found a relevant quotation.

Summarize the topic of each paragraph. Find a quotation from the article relevant

to the topic. Then, for each topic, write a paragraph that expands on the main idea,

incorporating the relevant quotation.

1. Topic _______________________________________ Quotation:

page#_____

mark where q. is on page

2. Topic _______________________________________ Quotation:

page#_____

mark where q. is on page

3. Topic _______________________________________ Quotation:

page#_____

mark where q. is on page

4. Topic _______________________________________ Quotation:

page#_____

mark where q. is on page

9

Timed

Writings,

Weeks 1 & 2 10

Description

Writings 11

Argumentative

Writings 12

Blog

Assignment 13

Journal

Assignment 14

IN-CLASS

&

SELF-DIRECTED

WRITINGS

10

Timed Writings

Week 1

1. Describe when you bought something important, interesting, or strange in the past few months. Be as detailed as possible and explain how you made the decision to purchase it, the experience in buying it, and whether you were satisfied with the purchase.

2. Write a letter to a friend, family member, or lover that tells them what you’ve been doing for the last few days. Be as detailed as possible.

Hotspotting 1 & 2

Weeks 1 & 2

For each student, a sentence from his or her previous timed writings

was selected as the beginning of a new timed writing.

General purposes of assignment

Practice writing under a time

constraint

11

Description Timed Writing

Describe any three objects from the table. There are three constraints to your description.

1. Do not directly name the object or the object’s contents. 2. Do not use colors to describe the object. 3. Do not describe the object’s most common use.

Description Take Home

You wrote a short paper describing a place on campus following

similar rules to the description assignment above.

General purposes of assignment

Practice writing under a time

constraint

Practice detailed, supported

writing

Stretching vocabulary

12

Argumentative Timed Writing

Make an argument for whether students should wear pajamas to class.

-or- Make an argument for either continuing the harsh marijuana laws or easing those laws. Follow the structure outlined below.

I) Intro

A) Explain the attitudes about marijuana in your home

country

B) Explain American attitudes about marijuana by

summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting from the article.

End this paragraph with a thesis.

II) Body

A) Main support for your thesis

B) Counterargument and refutation

III) Conclusion

Turkle’s Turtle

Sherry Turkle’s story brings up questions of how much a being’s

“aliveness” matters. In what ways do you think it matters whether

something you interact with is “alive”? In a short essay, examine

the question Turkle asks at the end of the excerpt and argue for

either having a robot turtle or a living turtle in the museum.

Include a summary of her major points and examples to

demonstrate an understanding of her ideas.

General purposes of assignment

Practice writing under a time

constraint

Practice essay structure

Develop argumentative

stances

Support claims

Respond to an easier reading

13

Blog Assignment

For each week of the semester, choose one of your journal entries to

revise and publish as a blog post. This is a public space, so only

choose entries that you are willing to share with others.

Requirements

For our purposes, the academic week will run Monday through Sunday. So you should publish by midnight, Sunday to be considered on time with your assignment.

Write at least 100 words for each post. There are no other length requirements or limits.

Grammar and vocabulary will not be graded. I will, however, require a revision if the language errors are seriously disruptive to understanding.

Do not plagiarize or otherwise be academically dishonest.

Evaluation

Full credit will be given to posts meeting the minimum requirements and published on time as part of your journal grade.

14

Journal

General Journal Assignment Guidelines

Your journal is a writing space for you to explore ideas, record your thoughts,

and to respond to things you’ve experienced or read. While this is a mostly

private writing space, you will be expected to share it with me and talk about

ideas you develop in your journals with the class. I will respect your privacy

when checking your journals. Since the word “journal” comes from the

French for “day,” journals are generally organized around dates. Bring your

journal to class every day.

Journal Objectives

Besides reinforcing the general objectives outlined in the syllabus, journals

will provide intensive, consistent, and frequent practice in using and testing

language in order to build confidence and improve techniques to avoid

getting stuck. You don’t need to get your language perfect in journal entries.

Instead, feel free to experiment with new vocabulary, play with sentence

structures, and map out different organizations for assignments.

Requirements

o Handwritten in a dedicated notebook: Hand write your journal entries in a notebook used only as a writing journal.

o Organize each entry by date: Put the date for each entry in the upper right-hand corner of the page. If you are responding to a reading, include bibliographical information under the date. Each entry should try to fill at least one page with English text.

o 3 or more entries each week: You should write at least three journal entries each week. You will be given specific assignments, but are expected to determine your own entries beyond those in order to meet the 3+ per week minimum. For each entry, dedicate at least 20 minutes to intensive writing.

o 1 entry published as a blog post each week: Revise, type, and publish one of your weekly journal entries on the Blackboard blog by the end of Saturday each week.

15

Intro

Lecture:

Clauses &

Syntax 16

Clauses 17

Syntax 18

Adverb

Clauses 19

Verb Error

Analysis 20

Sentence

Combination 21

Error

Analysis

2/7 22-24

Syntax

Analysis

2/14 25-26

Syntax

Error

Analysis 27

Adverb

Clause

Analysis 28-29

Who-clause

Analysis 30-32

GRAMMAR

LESSONS

&

ANALYSES

16

Clauses 2 basic kinds of clauses

A _________________ is a group of words with a _________________, _________________ and grammatical _________________that forms the unit of an idea. An _________________ is a kind of clause that forms an idea that can grammatically stand on its own. An independent clause can form a sentence by itself. A _________________ is a kind of clause that forms an idea that must connect to another idea. It cannot stand on its own and is usually subordinated by a word or phrase at the start of the clause. A dependent clause can also be called a _________________ clause.

3 types of dependent clauses There are three types of dependent clauses, named for the grammatical ways they function in a sentence. A dependent clause is either an _________________ clause, _________________ clause, or a _________________ clause. An _________________ clause modifies or explains a noun in a sentence. A _________________ clause acts as a noun in a sentence, typically taking a subject or object position within the main clause but sometimes acting as an appositive or acting as a noun in a phrase or other dependent clause. An _________________ clause acts in all the weird ways adverbs act--it gives information of time, sets conditions, or sets reasons or purposes.

Sentence Types Valid _________________(sentence structure) takes four basic forms: _________________, _________________, _________________, and _________________. If a sentence lacks an independent clause, it is not valid and is called a _________________. If a sentence does not coordinate and subordinate the relationships among clauses validly, it is called a _________________. A _________________ sentence has only one independent clause. A _________________ sentence has two or more independent clauses joined by a __________________________________. A _________________ sentence has one independent clause and one or more __________________________________. A _________________ sentence combines the compound and complex so has two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction and one or more dependent clauses. Key terms: clause, independent clause, dependent clause, adverb clause, adjective

clause, noun clause, syntax, simple sentence, complex sentence, compound

sentence, complex-compound sentence, subject, active verb, completion,

coordinating conjunction, subordinate, relative pronouns, fragments, run-ons Common subordinating conjunctions

Relative Pronouns

after, although, as, as if, as long as, as though, because, before, even if, even though, if, if only, in order that now that, once, rather than, since, so that, than that, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where whereas, wherever, while

that who whom whose which where when why

17

Find the slideshow for this lecture.

18

Find the slideshow for this lecture.

19

Find the slideshow for this lecture.

20

Verb Error Analysis

1. Find and fix the verb errors

My cousin’s first essay was terrible. He even called his

friends to help him and fixed some grammar mistakes. The paper

still has been turned back by the professor because the professor

couldn’t understanding culturally different ideas in that paper. My

cousin always like writing some deep opinions in his paper, but he

can’t control the meaning well. This made the professor confused.

But a year later, he told me that his professor was able to understand

every sentence he writes. 2. Shift from the modal instructions to the narrative past time frame. Shift to “I” pov.#

After you get the feet, you need to wash it. After that you

need prepare other things to cook the feet: salt, sugar, soy sauce,

green onions, ginger, anise, and cassia. The you need a pot. You

must put water to the pot. Add 3 oz. of soy sauce to the water. Then

you can put the feet in the water. Finally, add all the other things

and mix them together. It is very important to cook it for a full three

hours. During the first hour, you need to cook it at a high

temperature. For the next two hours, cook it at a low temperature.

When you cook the feet you need to stir the pot. Then the feet will

be cooked well, and you can eat delicious food.

21

Sentence Combination

I have few best friends back home.

I love them a lot like my family.

I am going to introduce one of my best friends.

Her name is Jenny.

I have known her for fourteen years.

She is the funniest person.

I have never met someone so funny.

She is stupid.

She always makes me laugh.

She knows all about me.

I know all about her.

We have similar personalities.

I do wrong and right things.

Jenny understands my feelings or reasons.

Combine these sentences by coordinating the independent clauses or subordinating them.

Common subordinating conjunctions Relative Pronouns

Coordinators

after, although, as, as if, as long as, as though, because before, even if, even though, if, if only, in order that now that, once, rather than, since, so that, than that, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where whereas, wherever, while

that who whom whose which where when why

and but or nor yet so for

Possible Answer Back home, I have a few best friends whom I love like family. I have known one

of these friends, Jenny, for fourteen years. Even though she is stupid, I have

never met anyone so funny or who always makes me laugh. Because we have

similar personalities, we know all about each other, and she understands my

feelings and reasons for doing wrong and right things.

22

Error Analysis (Feb. 7)

Instructions

1. Find the errors in the original sentence 2. Write the corrected version 3. Identify which troublespots or resource applies to each error

Maybe, in the past time, we always care_ about the dead person’s family’s feeling_.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

Maybe, in the past, we always cared about the dead person’s family’s feelings. Dictionary 6A3 11C?

I surprised about basement of dead people's room what she described in the article.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

Also, This article mentioned about every single second is an important for the

family was left.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

It remind me many important things.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

The nurse speaking also says she feel privileged to announce someone dead

because it’s only a job that certain nurses get to do and only under certain

circumstances.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

23

By pronouncing patients and staying with the living, she treats the death with

reverence and honor; by recalling all the people she has pronounced. Troublespot.Section.Subsection

The same situation as the nurse, she doesn’t know when the patient dead after she

tell an incorrect time to the dead people’s family members, all of them believed it. Troublespot.Section.Subsection

They are not only there to work but also to earn money so by doing this it is of

obvious that they are being given some money for letting an ill person to be

admitted in the hospital though it is already full.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

This is seen when; where she is being left alone in the room with the dead person

her eyes are filled with tears although she does not know them. Troublespot.Section.Subsection

Then she goes on describing about what measures are taken if someone is dead

and what is her duty.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

She also tells us about the very reluctant job she used to do when she was a staff nurse.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

24

In this article the author mentioned she felt very nervous and remembered very

deceased’s information at beginning of her work, but after she got used to her job, the

deceased cannot impressed her so much.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

It looked like dozens of body in a mortuary and I was the only one sat up.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

In addition, to be surprised is that the corpses are tools to make money for hospital.

Hospital charges rental for the deceased’s family.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

The author Jane Churchon who is a staff nurse supervisor wrote this essay told of her

experience of deep feeling of death.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

The autopsy table in the middle and also the refrigerated drawers where they keep the bodies.

Troublespot.Section.Subsection

25

Syntax Analysis (Feb 14)

(a) circle the number of clauses you find in the sentence, and (b) identify which syntax is used.

1. Norm-wise, let's keep in mind that language didn't come into being because our hairy

ancestors were sitting around the veldt with nothing better to do.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

2. Language was invented to serve certain specific purposes: "That mushroom is poisonous";

"Knock these two rocks together and you can start a fire"; "This shelter is mine!"

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

3. And so on.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

4. Clearly, as linguistic communities evolve over time, they discover that some ways of using

language are "better" than others — meaning better with respect to the community's

purposes.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

5. If we assume that one such purpose might be communicating which kinds of food are safe to

eat, then you can see how, for example, a misplaced modifier might violate an important

norm: "People who eat that kind of mushroom often get sick" confuses the recipient about

whether he'll get sick only if he eats the mushroom frequently or whether he stands a good

chance of getting sick the very first time he eats it.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

6. In other words, the community has a vested practical interest in excluding this kind of

misplaced modifier from acceptable usage; and even if a certain percentage of tribesmen

screw up and use them, this still doesn't make m.m.'s a good idea.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

26

7. Maybe now the analogy between usage and ethics is clearer.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on.

8. Just because people sometimes lie, cheat on their taxes, or scream at their kids, this doesn't

mean that they think those things are "good."

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

9. The whole point of norms is to help us evaluate our actions (including utterances)

according to what we as a community have decided our real interests and purposes are.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

10. Granted, this analysis is oversimplified; in practice it's incredibly hard to arrive at norms

and to keep them at least minimally fair or sometimes even to agree on what they are (q.v. today's

Culture Wars).

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

11. But the Descriptivists' assumption that all usage norms are arbitrary and dispensable leads

to — well, have a mushroom.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

27

Syntax Error Analysis (2/15)

The following sentences have basic syntax errors. Revise the sentences using valid syntax.

1. Also it very advanced for the relationship. [FRAG]

2. First, democracy is in a certain social class, if the elite have some options, they will ignore most

people’s opinions. [Runon]

3. At the end of this writing when can know more about what the democratic spirit is. [FRAG]

4. This article talking about dictionary. [FRAG]

5. To be honest, I never cared about it is a good dictionary or bad dictionary to know the word

definitions. [Runon]

6. We can get the information that the writer wants us to understand that Democracy, which is quite

hard to achieve, so we can think that the writer holds a viewpoint to support authority in this

paragraph. [Runon]

7. Like my country right now is a Socialist country, is different than some other countries. [FRAG]

8. I chose a quote from this article saying, “assessing Garner’s book, then, involves trying to trace

out the very weird and complicated relationship between authority and democracy in what we as

a culture have decided is English” the sentence’s meaning is about relationship with Authority

and Democracy, Authority is about someone who can control a country by his own, Democracy is

someone who can make everyone equal. [Runon]

9. Everyone wants to make their language good, especially our international students, because we

are studying in America, we need to study our language well , but this is not an easy thing for us.

[Runon]

10. Overall, language needs Authority, if without a standard people cannot communicate with each

other Society cannot develop. [Runon]

28

Adverb Clauses Analysis

(a) circle the number of adverb clauses you find in the sentence, and (b) identify the adverbial subordinator(s).

1. Even if it's true that we're all wired with a Universal Grammar, it simply doesn't follow

that all prescriptive rules are superfluous.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. ___Even if_____ ____________________ ____________________

2. But many of these solecisms require at least a couple extra nanoseconds of cognitive effort,

a kind of rapid sift-and-discard process, before the recipient gets it.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

3. It's debatable just how much extra work, but it seems indisputable that we put some extra

neural burden on the recipient when we fail to follow certain conventions.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

4. As we sometimes also say about elements of fashion and etiquette, the way you use English

"Makes a Statement" or "Sends a Message" — even though these Statements/Messages

often have nothing to do with the actual information you're trying to transmit.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

5. If you, the reader, are a U.S. male, and even if you share my personal objections to pants

and dream as I do of a cool and genitally unsquishy American Tomorrow, the odds are still

99.9 percent that in 100 percent of public situations you wear pants/slacks/shorts/trunks.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

6. More to the point, if you are a U.S. male and also have a U.S. male child, and if that child

were to come to you one evening and announce his desire/intention to wear a skirt rather

than pants to school the next day, I am 100-percent confident that you are going to

discourage him from doing so.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

29

7. Maybe now the analogy between usage and ethics is clearer.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on.

8. Just because people sometimes lie, cheat on their taxes, or scream at their kids, this doesn't

mean that they think those things are "good."

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

9. The whole point of norms is to help us evaluate our actions (including utterances) according

to what we as a community have decided our real interests and purposes are.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

10. Granted, this analysis is oversimplified; in practice it's incredibly hard to arrive at norms

and to keep them at least minimally fair or sometimes even to agree on what they are (q.v.

today's Culture Wars).

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

11. But the Descriptivists' assumption that all usage norms are arbitrary and dispensable leads

to — well, have a mushroom.

a. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

b. simple | compound | complex | compound-complex | fragment | run-on

30

Syntax Analysis, Who Clauses

Examples of adjective clauses beginning with “who”:

The following are examples of adjective clauses starting with “who” from “Tense Present.” Copy the adjective clause and indicate the noun it describes/modifies.

1. The relevant Choir here comprises that small percentage of American citizens who actually care

about the current status of double modals and ergative verbs.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

2. The same sorts of people who watched Story of English on PBS (twice) and read W. Safire's

column with their half-caff every Sunday.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

3. The sorts of people who feel that special blend of wincing despair and sneering superiority when

they see EXPRESS LANE — 10 ITEMS OR LESS . . .

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

4. A SNOOT can be defined as somebody who knows what dysphemism means and doesn't mind

letting you know it.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

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b. noun___________________

5. It's that these intros aren't actually written for you or me or the average citizen who goes to The

Dictionary just to see how to spell (for instance) meringue.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

6. Loosely organized under the banner of structural (or "descriptive") linguistics, they are

doctrinaire positivists who have their intellectual roots in the work of Auguste Comte and

Ferdinand de Saussure and their ideological roots firmly in the U.S. sixties.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

7. For one thing, Descriptivism so quickly and thoroughly took over English education in this

country that just about everybody who started junior high after c. 1970 has been taught to write

Descriptively . . .

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

8. "People who eat that kind of mushroom often get sick"

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

9. Add to this the fact that nobody who isn't damaged in some profound Oliver Sacksish way

actually ever makes these sorts of very deep syntactic errors . . .

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

10. Were I, for instance, a political conservative who opposed taxation as a means of redistributing

national wealth, I would be delighted to watch PCE progressives spend their time and energy

arguing over whether a poor person should be described as "low-income" or "economically

disadvantaged" or "pre-prosperous" rather than constructing effective public arguments for

redistributive legislation or higher marginal tax rates on corporations.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

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11. As a practical matter, I strongly doubt whether a guy who has four small kids and makes $12,000

a year feels more empowered or less ill-used by a society that carefully refers to him as

"economically disadvantaged" rather than "poor."

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

12. If for any reason you happen to find yourself sharing this particular student's perceptions and

reaction, I would ask that you bracket your feelings long enough to recognize that the PWM

instructor's very modern rhetorical dilemma in that office was really no different from the

dilemma faced by a male who makes a Pro-Life argument, or an atheist who argues against

Creation Science, or a Caucasian who opposes Affirmative Action, or an African American who

decries Racial Profiling, or anyone over eighteen who tries to make a case for raising the legal

driving age to eighteen, etc.

a. adjective clause_________________________________________________

b. noun___________________

c. adjective clause_________________________________________________

d. noun___________________

e. adjective clause_________________________________________________

f. noun___________________

g. adjective clause_________________________________________________

h. noun___________________

i. adjective clause_________________________________________________

j. noun___________________

13. Rarely, however, do we ask ourselves who decides what gets in The Dictionary or what words or

spellings or pronunciations get deemed "substandard" or "incorrect."

a. noun clause_________________________________________________

b. noun fx___________________

c. This is not an adjective clause.

33

Essay

Structure 34-35

Summaries &

Paraphrases 36

Patchwork v.

Quote/Paraphrase 37

Support

Activities for

“Tense Present” 38

Troublespots 39

Syllabus 40-41

Portfolio

Assignment 42-43

SUPPORT

&

GENERAL COURSE

DOCUMENTATION

34

Essay Structure

Essays are nearly always structured in three basic parts: INTRO.-BODY-

CONCLUSION. Each of these parts has a basic function. The introduction establishes

the main topic and gets the reader interested. The body develops and explains the

main topic. The conclusion brings the piece to a close.

You have likely learned formulas for creating a five-paragraph essay with these three

sections in mind. For example, you may have learned to use a “hook” as the first

sentence in order to get the reader interested. Many of these formulas and gimmicks

are helpful to writers, but professionally-written essays don’t usually follow formulas.

However, they do usually meet the general functions of the three-part INTRO-BODY-

CONCLUSION structure.

Think about these questions when considering the structure of an essay.

INTRODUCTION

o What is the main topic? o Is there something surprising or unknown used to grab my attention? o Does the essay use a new way of looking at a known issue/topic to get

my attention? o What is the title? o What is the thesis? o Does the essay take a strong stance on the topic?

BODY

o What are the subtopics? o How do the subtopics relate to the thesis? o What examples/illustrations/evidence are used to develop the ideas? o Does the essay change or revise its thesis? o What kind of evidence/examples are used (fact, imaginary, numbers,

etc.)? o How does the essay make transitions between major points? o Do the different points transition smoothly or abruptly?

CONCLUSION

o Is the thesis from the introduction the same or has the essay developed the thesis into a new point of view?

o What points from the BODY are highlighted or reviewed in the conclusion?

o Is the ending open-ended or closed?

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Review the section highlights and discuss the questions from the previous page and the prompts on this page.

1) Indicate on the sheet the major section breaks of INTRO- BODY-CONCLUSION.

2) Which first sentences give you a some idea of what that

section’s topic will be?

3) Which first sentences don’t establish a topic very well?

4) What do you think the all-caps headings indicate about how the writer thinks in this essay?

5) Which sections do you consider relatively long?

6) Which sections do you consider relatively short?

7) Why do you think some sections are longer than others?

8) Choose one section and list out the examples, evidence,

and illustrations the writer uses to develop his ideas.

36

Summaries and paraphrases are restatements in your own words of the writer’s ideas. A summary focuses on a core concept and restates it in a succinct way. A paraphrase uses about the same amount of words but states the idea with your own phrasing instead of the original words.

Why do we summarize and paraphrase instead of quote?

o Sometimes the writer’s words do not fit well within the context of what we are saying.

o To rephrase the idea in a way that shows how we understand the writer.

o We want to talk about the writer’s main idea but not all the text that surrounds it.

o We care about the idea but not about how the idea is expressed.

o We can express the idea in a significantly shorter way than the writer.

Remember, the restatement is your own words but the writer’s ideas.

Either context or phrasing within the restatement should clearly attribute the idea to the writer.

You can repeat key words and it still be considered your own language. But if there is a special phrasing you want to keep, put it in quotations.

37

Patchwork/Paraphrase/Quotation

Patchwork In the patchwork stage, we are able to find resources relevant to our topic and copy text that

explains it. For example, we might be assigned to gather information on chameleons and go to

a website or encyclopedia and copy down the research in order to explain what chameleons

are. By the end of this stage, we should be able to find topical information and keep track of

where we found it. We will also be able to bring together what different sources say about our

topic. Summaries and Paraphrases At this stage, we can put into our own words what our sources have to say about a topic. Here

is where we, as writers, start to take control of the information. With the chameleon example,

we would no longer be copying the information but instead be rewording, rephrasing the

information we’ve found. We find phrasing that allows us to attribute sources while expressing

the important ideas ourselves. We use phrases such as “According to blahblahblah” to signal

when we are referring to another’s ideas. Quotations With quotations, we can weave other people’s wording into our own. We mark their language

with double-inverted commas (“XXX”) and are careful to not ignore meaningful context and to

use their exact wording. Signaling wording/phrasing is used to transition between our language

and theirs. The most advanced level here involves recognizing and using citation conventions

and formats prescribed by a field of study or profession. Reporting Language

Say(s) (that) Imply(ies) (that)

State(s) Suggest(s) (that)

Argue(s) (that) Discuss(es)

According (to) Found (that)

Asserts (that) Promote(s)

Outline(s) Establish(es) / (-ed by)

Focus(es) on Declare(s)

Define(s) Show(s)

Conclude(s) (that) Claim(s) (that)

Maintain(s) (that) Report(s)

Mention(s) Address(es)

Your ideas are important! Your ability to gather information is assumed. In the American academy, there are strong ethical standards concerning using other people’s

ideas and language. While you are expected to gain knowledge by studying and researching

what other people say, you at the same time expected to express your own ideas and to

synthesize that knowledge in ways that are your own. People are more interested in what you

have to say than what others have said before you. You should keep control of your text and

drive your own ideas rather than compile information. The use of sources must never overtake

or replace your own text.

38

“Tense Present” Activities

o Scanning for Structure: Practice and Answer

o Scanning for Vocabulary

o Word Cloud

o key words

o Syntax exercise (2/14)

o Paragraph topic mapping exercise

o Outline (.rtf, broad sections, details need to be filled in) | copy-paste this address: <eululate.com/Files/OutlineTensePresent.rtf>

o Topic Paragraphs and extending the idea into the next paragraph

39

Troublespots

1. Basic Sentence Structure

2. Sentence Building

3. Sentence Boundaries

4. Punctuation

5. Verbs and Auxiliaries

6. Verb Tense System

7. Present Verb Tenses

8. Past Verb Tenses

9. Active and Passive Voice

10. Modal Auxiliaries

11. Nouns and Quantity Words

12. Subject-Verb Agreement

13. Articles

14. Pronoun and Pronoun Reference

15. Adjectives and Adverbs

16. Infinitive, -ing, and Past Participle Forms

17. Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs

18. Relative Clauses

19. Conditions and Wishes

20. Quoting, Reporting, and Citing Sources

We covered in class the chapters in

bold.

40

LANG 109 Writing and Grammar, 5 credits Intensive English Language Program

LANG 109 DAY and TIME LOCATION

Stephen C. Disrud Morrill 117D, office hours by appt. disrud@gmail.com | 701.446.8522

Required Texts and Materials Grammar Troublespots, Ann Raimes, 3rd ed. Journal. This should be a bound notebook dedicated to writing assignments in 109 and brought to class daily. English-language-only dictionary. This must be a paper dictionary. No electronic devices may be used during class. A way to save and organize all drafts written for this class. You will need all your papers to complete the portfolio.

Course Description IELP’s 109 focuses on concepts and practice in advanced English grammar and academic writing. For

grammar, we will identify areas of patterned errors and techniques for revision. The main grammatical concepts we will work on are

clauses and sentence structures, though a review of verbs will be included. Writing assignments will vary from short, 1-page drafts

to extended essays of several pages. For this course, writing is seen as a process not a product. Thus for extended essays, expect

to bring several drafts to class for review and revision before turning them in. And because the reading-writing connection is so

important in the academic setting, your writing will explore ideas established in challenging texts that we read. The structure is

student-centered, so many of the activities require leadership and contribution from students with support and facilitation by the

instructor.

Course Goals 109 will increase language and academic skills to a level of competency for successful study at NDSU. Coursework

will focus on the following areas: Independent and dependent clauses

Verb tense review

Syntax issues such as sentence boundaries and the effective construction of simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences

Essayistic structures for academic papers

Credible use of source materials and research through paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting

Drafting, revising, and reviewing processes for extended essays

Introduction to rhetoric

Bridging academic cultures

Identifying areas for continuing, self-directed development in writing and language Course Activities

Student-led small-group discussions, presentations, and exercises

Error analyses of drafts

Writing: short in-class, short revised, and extended revised essays

Readings that establish themes for extended essays

Peer review for drafts of revised papers

Informal presentations on grammar and writing

Individual Conferences

Lectures

Exams with revision and timed-writing components

Evaluation and Grading Blog/Journal_____10% Revised Writings___25% Portfolio__________30% Midterm, Final_____5%, 5% Daily Work________25%

As and Bs represent excellent and good work. These are the only grades considered as successful completion of the course. Cs describe adequate work, but do not meet the standards for successful completion of the course. Ds and Fs are given for inadequate work. Evaluation will be based on standards of both language and academic competence.

A ≥ 90% B = 80-89% __________ C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = 0-59%

41

Student-Teacher Expectations and Responsibilities

Attendance. Intensive exposure to an English-language environment is a basic feature of IELP and requires consistent attendance.

The instructor and students will be to class on time and prepared to make full use of the 130-minute class. To support this principle,

IELP has a strict policy that a student’s grade is capped by the percentage of attendance. That is, if a student has only attended

79% of scheduled classes, the student can get no more than 79% (C) for her final grade. If a class must be missed because of an

important conflict, the student and teacher should communicate as soon as possible about how to make up the missed day. Deadlines. Without prior notification, late assignments will result in a 10% reduction in grade per late day and missed exams can be

taken for 50% of the original score. The instructor will grade or respond to your assignment within one week, unless otherwise

notified. If the deadline proves difficult to meet, the student and teacher must communicate as soon as possible to make

arrangements for modifying the due date while continuing other assignments in the course. Groupwork. All students are expected to contribute to group discussions and projects. The instructor will provide support and

facilitation, but each student must play an actively contributing role in groups. Preparedness. In order to be productive, both student and instructor will come to class with necessary materials prepared ahead of

time. For example, a reading assigned for discussion should be read before class as the basis of planned class activities. Or, if a

peer review is planned, the assigned draft should be typed and printed before class begins. Exams and sustained silent writing. While a boisterous classroom is generally encouraged, certain activities require a respectful

silence in order for students to concentrate. During quizzes, tests, and in-class writings, students will quietly focus on their own

work. English language only classroom. In order to intensively practice English and to respect the many language backgrounds people

have, we will use English only when in the classroom. Occasional use of native languages is allowed, but sustained conversations in

a language other than English are not. Academic honesty and integrity. Cheating is not allowed. Plagiarism is not allowed. Any work that involves these dishonest

activities will be given failing grades. All coursework should be consistent with the standards articulated in NDSU Policy Section 335,

Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct (http://www.ndsu.edu/policy/335.htm). Special Needs. The instructor will recognize and respect any disabilities or other special needs students may have and will make

an effort to support them. The student is invited to communicate those needs as soon as possible. Both NDSU and IELP have

services dedicated to helping students with a variety of challenges and learning styles.

Course Schedule Outline. Content preview with major dates.

Writing on a Theme. Unit 1. Jan. 9-Mar. 2. Grammar Troublespots 1-3, 5-10, and 12. Two academic level readings. Several short

responsive essays. One extended essay. Creating and Building a Writing Project. Unit 2. Mar. 5-Apr. 20. One major group project. One précis. Research readings. Two

short essays. One extended writing project. Portfolios and Self-Reflection. Unit 3 Apr. 23- May 7. Portfolio project and presentations.

Midterm. Feb. 29, 5:30-7:30 pm. Extended essay for Unit 1 is due before starting the Midterm. Final Exam. May 7, 5:30-7:30 pm. Portfolios for the class are due at the beginning of the Final.

42

Midterm Portfolio

This project will show the student’s best work for this course and meaningful reflection on what that work means to her development as a language learner. The portfolio will include an essay on “Tense Present,” three well-revised essays, other selected writings, and a thoughtful letter and note that shows the student’s learning experience in the class.

Requirements

The writing project must meet all the general goals listed. Selections must be made, and organization is up to you. The portfolio should include the following.

Respond and Analyze “Tense Present” Themes.

Choose one of the four themes discussed in class and analyze/respond to the idea.

o 6-8 paragraphs o good use of at least 4 quotations drawn from the article

Choose three of these to revise for the portfolio.

Introductory Letter

Descriptive Essay (Describe an activity, Describe a thing, or Describe a place)

“The Dead Book” Response

Quotation Paragraph Build (either one)

Authority & Democracy in “Tense Present”

Grammar Issue

Include the following “other” writings.

2 selected other texts from earlier in the semester o 1 blog post o 1 In-class timed writing

Reflective Material

Letter of Reflection o Over a 1-2 page letter, describe your experience in this

class and what you’ve learned.

Writer’s Note o In a couple of well-developed paragraphs explain what

you see of yourself as a language learner in this portfolio. Specifically reference the texts you’ve included and what they show of your strengths and struggles as a writer.

Table of Contents & Cover o The Cover and Table of Contents are simply

organizational matters that should be at the beginning of the portfolio.

43

Goals

Critical Thinking Goals

Explore a topic with complexity and nuance through inquiry and analysis

Develop sustained and focused essays

Practice discovery, planning, drafting, and revising

Model the demands and expectations for writing a paper in a typical university class

Grammar and Expression Goals

Verb tenses and time frames: Demonstrate a high level of control over the narrative past time frame, past tenses, and the expository (literary) present

Syntax validity: Draft and revise to apply well-chosen boundaries and to avoid fragments

Varying sentence structures: Use different structures in order to connect ideas in new ways, combine details efficiently, and improve the cadence of expression

Clarity of mechanics: Punctuate, spell, and capitalize according to accepted writing conventions

Vocabulary: Articulate ideas with a university level lexicon

Use of sources: Carefully represent the writer’s ideas through quotation and paraphrase and articulate your own analytical and responsive ideas in directly relevant ways

Content Goals

Paragraph unity and development: The sentences in each paragraph hold together around a unifying idea, are well supported, and are developed to 5+ sentences

Essay structure: Use INTRO-BODY-CONCLUSION structure and meet the general goals of each section

Reflection: Consider one’s own learning/writing processes.