Friday, April 21, 2017
Questions for Use in Reflection Essay
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cclp50bx0hlfg4o/Reflection%20Essay%20-%20Writing%20with%20a%20Purpose.doc?dl=0
Monday, April 17, 2017
Grammar Point for 4.17.17
Most verbs are modified by adverbs:
She played the flute badly. The teacher talked loudly. The tenor sings well.
However, there is a special class of verbs called linking verbs that are followed by adjectives. Linking verbs include all forms of the verb to be as well as verbs like seems, looks, feels, and smells. Most linking verbs that are not forms of to be indicate states of being and are followed by adjectives.
Examples:
1. She is beautiful.
2. She sews beautifully.
Is is a linking verb and takes the adjective. Sews is an action verb and is modified by an adverb.
2. The dog smells bad. Smell describes a state of being and takes an adjective.
3. For the same reasons, we would say "I feel bad," not "I feel badly."
To say that someone feels badly is to say that they do not have a good sense of touch.
4. The word well is tricky because it may mean either that someone does something skillfully or it may mean that one is healthy.
Thus, in the sentence "The opera star sings well," well is an adverb that describes the quality of the singing.
However, in "I feel well," well means healthy and is an adjective.
Because am is a linking verb, it is quite acceptable to say "I am good." If you say, " am well," you should be talking about your health.
She played the flute badly. The teacher talked loudly. The tenor sings well.
However, there is a special class of verbs called linking verbs that are followed by adjectives. Linking verbs include all forms of the verb to be as well as verbs like seems, looks, feels, and smells. Most linking verbs that are not forms of to be indicate states of being and are followed by adjectives.
Examples:
1. She is beautiful.
2. She sews beautifully.
Is is a linking verb and takes the adjective. Sews is an action verb and is modified by an adverb.
2. The dog smells bad. Smell describes a state of being and takes an adjective.
3. For the same reasons, we would say "I feel bad," not "I feel badly."
To say that someone feels badly is to say that they do not have a good sense of touch.
4. The word well is tricky because it may mean either that someone does something skillfully or it may mean that one is healthy.
Thus, in the sentence "The opera star sings well," well is an adverb that describes the quality of the singing.
However, in "I feel well," well means healthy and is an adjective.
Because am is a linking verb, it is quite acceptable to say "I am good." If you say, " am well," you should be talking about your health.
Effective Transitions
Transitions between paragraphs help the reader see the logical flow of ideas and how those ideas are connected. Writing effective transitions, however, can be challenging.
Read the following paragraph that appeared in an earlier post and possible sample transitions.
Another problem for minority defendants is that strong proponents of the death penalty are one-third more likely to harbor negative attitudes toward African-Americans (Young). Perhaps an even more alarming fact is that death qualified juries are more likely to convict than are juries that do not exclude death penalty opponents. Faced with a racially biased and conviction-prone jury, minority defendants are in the position of having to prove their innocence rather than having the state prove their guilt.
Possible transitions into new paragraphs.
NOTE: All of these transitions refer back to the material contained in the last paragraph and then link it to the material in the new paragraph.
Other ways to write transitions:
Read the following paragraph that appeared in an earlier post and possible sample transitions.
Another problem for minority defendants is that strong proponents of the death penalty are one-third more likely to harbor negative attitudes toward African-Americans (Young). Perhaps an even more alarming fact is that death qualified juries are more likely to convict than are juries that do not exclude death penalty opponents. Faced with a racially biased and conviction-prone jury, minority defendants are in the position of having to prove their innocence rather than having the state prove their guilt.
Possible transitions into new paragraphs.
- This racial bias, which persists even after the rewriting of laws following the 1973 Supreme Court decision, offers perhaps the best argument against the death penalty.
- Those who point to racial bias as a reason for opposing the death penalty lose sight of the devastation wreaked on families of murder victims and the threat that an escaped murderer, desperate and afraid of being recaptured, poses to all of society.
- Racial bias is not the only reason to oppose the death penalty; the very real possibility of executing an innocent person is an even greater reason. The two reasons are not contradictory--in fact, they work together. Of the twenty-four men sentenced to death in Florida and later exonerated, twenty were African-American. Thus, approximately 80% of the wrongly convicted were African-American--when only 20% of Florida citizens are African-American. [Note: I made these numbers up.]
- Proponents of the death penalty must come to terms with the very real fact of racial bias in our justice system and work to avoid it. Perhaps special review panels can be established for the sole purpose of monitoring racial inequities.
NOTE: All of these transitions refer back to the material contained in the last paragraph and then link it to the material in the new paragraph.
Other ways to write transitions:
- Sometimes, logical ordering is the only transition you need. If the next step in an argument is obvious, you may simply present the new paragraph.
- If you are writing about different types of things--like popular music, for example--it is permissible to simply write about a new type in each paragraph.
Example: As someone whose childhood was spent in the 60s and 70s, I prefer classic rock. I especially like the protest music that came out of the era because of its seriousness of purpose and concern for larger themes.
Disco, on the other hand, seems vapid to me. I dislike the mindless repetition of lines and the simplistic messages.
I am simply in the wrong demographic for rap and have never developed a taste for it. This failure to even listen to even a single rap song is sheer laziness on my part and an unwillingness to make a serious effort to understand something outside of my comfort zone. This is my loss: I have read that the Notorious BIG recorded songs that contain sophisticated word play and subtle ideas.
- Use obvious transition words like while, however, and thus sparingly.
- While it occasionally is acceptable to use transitions like secondly and thirdly, this usage is awkward and should be avoided as much as possible.
Procedures for Peer Reviewing
To be a good peer reviewer, you should ask yourself the right questions about the paper you are reviewing.
Sample questions to ask:
1. Is there a clear thesis statement? What is it?
2. Does each paragraph work to support the main argument of the essay?
a. Does the paragraph offer either facts or analysis?
b. Are there any paragraphs that feel like "filler?"
c. Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Do the paragraphs have unity and coherence.
d. Do any paragraphs feel like "filler?"
e. Are the paragraphs in the best order?
3. Which paragraphs do you like the most? Which do you like the least?
4. Is the introduction effective? Why or why not?
5. Is the conclusion effective? If not, how could it be improved?
6. Are transitions effective?
Please be tactful in your criticisms. Avoid saying things like "You have written a bad paragraph." Instead say "The meaning of this paragraph isn't clear to me. Maybe the paragraph could be clearer if the topic sentence was more specific.
Note that in using the recommended sentences, you have criticized the paper and not the writer. T
Sample questions to ask:
1. Is there a clear thesis statement? What is it?
2. Does each paragraph work to support the main argument of the essay?
a. Does the paragraph offer either facts or analysis?
b. Are there any paragraphs that feel like "filler?"
c. Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Do the paragraphs have unity and coherence.
d. Do any paragraphs feel like "filler?"
e. Are the paragraphs in the best order?
3. Which paragraphs do you like the most? Which do you like the least?
4. Is the introduction effective? Why or why not?
5. Is the conclusion effective? If not, how could it be improved?
6. Are transitions effective?
Please be tactful in your criticisms. Avoid saying things like "You have written a bad paragraph." Instead say "The meaning of this paragraph isn't clear to me. Maybe the paragraph could be clearer if the topic sentence was more specific.
Note that in using the recommended sentences, you have criticized the paper and not the writer. T
Friday, April 14, 2017
How to Escape a Sinking Car
This video has nothing to do with English, but it offers important safety advice since Mississippi is prone to flash floods. Please watch this video. I want to attend your graduations, not your funerals.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Subject-verb Agreement Across Prepositional Phrases by Ben Mudrak, PhD
Subject-verb agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement Across Prepositional Phrases
SUMMARY
When other clauses intervene between the subject and the verb, errors in subject-verb agreement become more common. Here’s how to avoid them.
In English, the verb in a sentence must agree with the subject, specifically in terms of number. That is, singular subjects require singular verb forms (e.g., the cat walks), and plural subjects require plural verb forms (e.g., the cats walk). In most cases, writers can easily choose the correct verb form for a subject. However, when other clauses intervene between the subject and the verb, errors in subject-verb agreement become more common. Errors sometimes occur because word processing software does not correctly identify the subject and suggests an incorrect verb form, so be alert as you write any important documents!
In every sentence, it is important to identify the true subject and ensure that the verb agrees in number with that element and not another noun in the sentence. Here are some examples of sentences in which an intervening clause creates some confusion about the proper verb form. In each case, the true subject of the sentence is separated from the verb by a prepositional phrase.
1. The analysis of the results reveals a significant difference between the groups. - The singular subject ‘analysis’ requires a singular verb form, ‘reveals.’ - Do NOT write: The analysis of the results reveal a significant difference between the groups.
2. The material that was applied to the blades of wind turbines ages rapidly in tests. - Again, the subject is singular, so the verb must agree with ‘material’ and not ‘turbines.’ - Do NOT write: The material applied to the blades of wind turbines age rapidly in tests.
3. Each of the samples was treated with the same dose of antibiotics. - Remember that ‘each’ is a singular subject, and “of the samples” is simply another prepositional phrase. - Do NOT write: Each of the samples were treated with the same dose of antibiotics (It would be correct to state “All of the samples were treated with the same dose of antibiotics”; ‘All’ is a plural subject in this case.)
4. The participants who enter the study receive questionnaires. - In this example, the plural subject ‘participants’ requires a plural verb form. - Do NOT write: The participants who enter the study receives questionnaires.
Compound subjects can also create tricky situations. Two nouns or pronouns joined by ‘and’ create a plural subject and require a plural verb (e.g., “He and I are traveling to Europe” or “The mitochondria and nuclei glow green in this cell line”). However, the subject of a sentence is unaffected when followed by with, together with, along with, as well as, or in addition to. In such cases, the nature of the subject itself determines the form of the verb, not whatever follows the additional term.
The percentage of correct responses as well as the speed of the responses significantly increases with practice. - The phrase ‘as well as’ introduces a clause that does not affect the singular nature of the subject (‘percentage’). - Do NOT write: The percentage of correct responses as well as the speed of the responses significantly increase with practice.
We hope that this post will be helpful the next time you are deciding whether to use a singular or plural verb. If you have questions about a specific example, contact us at AskAnExpert@aje.com. Best of luck with your research and publication!
Word of the Day 4.12.17
exonerate
[ig-zon-uh-reyt]
1.
to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame; exculpate:
He was exonerated from the accusation of cheating.
2.
to relieve, as from an obligation, duty, or task.
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