Essay 2

Compare and Contrast two writers, based on their writing and ideas.

Using readings from Exploring Language (or the August and Tannen articles), choose 2 that inspire to discuss both the craft of how they wrote, as well as the ideas they express through their writing.

You will analyze their writing, based on our questions from the analysis think sheet. You will analyze their ideas using the skills you've gleaned in discussion.

Whose essay is written better to express their ideas? Whom do you agree with more? Why?

Topics we've discussed so far: bilingualism, gender verbal styles, censorship, textspeak, advertising and media, nonverbal behaviors, American English.

Be prepared to begin process activities tomorrow (Wed, Groundhog's Day).

A note on Essay 3

A Classical argument based on your topic for essay 2.

Classical Argument includes:
Intro
Background
Argument
Counterargument
Response (countering the counterargument)
Conclusion

So pick a topic that interests you enough to get you through both essays.

For Tuesday 2/1

Tomorrow:
Read and be prepared to discuss Eugene August's “Anti-Male Bias” and Deborah Tannen's “No Unmarked Woman” (handouts)

Run-on Sentences

Be careful with your sentences, and make sure you are not trying to put too much into one sentence. A run-on sentence is when two independent clauses are fused or “run together” without proper punctuation. If you are discussing two different things in one sentence, it is probably confusing for the reader.

Here are some examples of run-on’s:
“It has been 99 years since I have been in a school environment so this first time was really scary and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.”

And, “It is a field I find most interesting because I have always loved the law, was always watching the tv courts shows when I was home with my babies and I want to help people who have made bad decisions in their past get a knew star.”

Do you see how these sentences have a lot of information and not enough punctuation and therefore are confusing to the reader?

You can fix a run-on four different ways.
• First, you could use a period to separate the clauses, like this: Arts education is important for children’s brain development. It is also fun for everyone!
• Or, you can make a complex sentence by adding a comma and a conjunction: Arts education is important for children’s brain development, and it is fun for everyone!
• Or, you can use a semicolon, a conjunctive adverb, and a comma: Arts education is important for children’s brain development; besides, it is fun for everyone!
• Or, you can add a subordinate word at the beginning of a clause and then join the two clauses: Because arts education is important for children’s brain development, it is also fun for everyone!

Here's a link for further exploration:
Sentence Structure

Commas

Class, some of your trouble with grammar comes from the use of commas. Sometimes you are using them correctly, like the beginning of this sentence: “Jackson County, although tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, stepped right in and came up to bat alongside those outside the mountains in 1925.”

This is another sentence where you should use more commas for clarity: “WestCare has a long and interesting history which goes back to horse and buggy days and was graciously provided by Brian Thomas in Corporate Relations at WestCare."

Here you should separate the introductory clause (the beginning phrase of your sentence) from the rest of the sentence. For example, a skateboarding essay may include a sentence like “Although many people find skateboarding to be a nuisance, it is truly a sport that works out all muscle groups, and its health benefits are too important to ignore.”

Commas help writers to be clear in their meaning. They help us avoid problems like fragments and run-on sentences. Here’s a link to the handbook that may be helpful:
Commas

Try reading your paper out loud to hear some of these issues. If you find that you are running out of breath or pausing somewhere there is not a comma, that may be a signal to revise the punctuation in that sentence.

Avoiding "You"

Hey, guys. (All y'all)


I imagine some of you were surprised to learn that "you" is considered off-limits in academic writing!

Here is a great link that explains why: Grammar

Unfortunately, eliminating "you" from your writing is much harder than "I" -- but the link above also provides wonderful examples of how to do this.

Now, you all may wonder why I am allowed to use "you"! Well, this is because I actually do mean YOU, a specific student or students, when I use it. The problem with "you" is that usually the audience is undefined and vague, which weakens your credibility.

I hope this information helps! This tends to be the #1 habit my students need to break, by the way...

Wikipedia Tutorial: a guide for students

For MONDAY 1/31

For MONDAY:

“Nonverbal Behavior: Culture, Gender, and the Media” p. 297
“Some Friends and I Started Talking” p. 311
“The Meaning of a Word” p. 460
“A Note on ‘Ho’” p. 463

Blog Post #3 for On Borrowed Words

Ilan Stavans discusses his relationship with his father throughout this memoir. On p. 99 he states "I admire him, but I fear he perceives me as his rival. I began dreaming of a career in film thanks to him."

Respond: Interpret Stavans' relationship with his father. Does it seem loving, healthy, cold, distant to you? Why? Are children often considered the rival of their parents? Has there ever been a family talent or trait that you possess that makes you feel competitive with other members of your family? Or do you not possess a trait like that, which makes you feel left out? Do familial relationships have to be complicated? Why or why not?