Transcript Document

College Composition I:
Unit 9 Seminar
Unit 9 Work
 Reading
 Revision
Unit 9 Work
 Discussion:
 After proofreading the most recent revision of your
essay, reflect on the steps of the writing process.
 Consider how this process and writing skills will be
important in your career.
 In your original posting, which should be a minimum
of 150 words, share your ideas about the relationship
between the writing process and your career.
 Respond to at least two classmates.
Unit 9 Work
 Seminar
 You’re here!
 You’ve made it!!
Unit 9 Work
 Late Work
 All late work *must* be turned in by the end of Unit 9 in order
to receive any credit.
 Work accepted in week 10 must have prior approval.
Final Project
 Due Tuesday, September 7
 3-to-5-page, double-spaced informative essay
 Document all sources using APA citation
 Minimum of 3 sources
 Your final paper must be original work written for
this class
Final Project
 Rubric requirements for an A paper
 Include a clearly identifiable thesis sentence (with 3 key
points) as the last sentence of the introduction paragraph
 Each thesis key point becomes the topic, 1 point per
paragraph, of a three-part body paragraph (topic sentence,
supporting sentences with connections to thesis point, and
closing sentence).
 It should be very well-ordered.
 Transitions found between and within paragraphs are clear.
Final Project
 Rubric requirements for an A paper
 The writing style should be appropriate to the assignment,
fresh (interesting to read), accurate, (no far-fetched,
unsupported comments), precise (say what you mean), and
concise (not wordy).
 The project should be in 12-point font.
 Narrative sections should be double-spaced.
 Project is free of serious errors; grammar, punctuation, and
spelling help to clarify the meaning by following accepted
conventions.
 Citations follow APA guidelines for title page, in-text
citations, and references.
Questions?
Lecture
 The reading is about proofreading.
 We've already talked about methods for revision, but
in order to revise, you first need to find those
problems, right?
 Read through your draft multiple times, just looking
for one particular problem each time.
 What kind of problems, you ask?
Lecture
 Verb tense.
 Do you switch between present and past tense by accident?
 Remember, regular verbs will change tense from present to
past through the use of -ed.
 Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern.
Lecture
 Regular Verbs:
 “to walk”
○
○
○
 Irregular Verbs:
 “to bring”
Today I walk to the store.
Yesterday I walked to the
store.
I have walked to the
store before.
○
○
○

Today I bring the book.
Yesterday I brought the
book.
I have brought the book
before.
“to sing”
○
○
○
Today I sing the song.
Yesterday I sang the
song.
I have sung the song
before.
Lecture
 Subject-Verb Agreement:
 If the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.
 Be careful that you're really looking at the subject:
"The carton of eggs is/are ruined.“
Lecture
 Subject-Verb Agreement Practice:
 Fix:
 Each of the families are buying a new car.



Insert “is” or “are”:
Some of the answers _____ correct.
Here ___ the answers to the questions.
Lecture
 Capitalization!
 You don't need to capitalize things like “government” or
“university” unless they are specific governments or
universities.
 Repetition!
 Make sure you haven't said the same thing twice.
 “She raised her hand up.”
Lecture
 Spelling!
 Don't trust spell check.
 There are great lists of commonly confused words
at:
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk4.html
and
http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/150more.h
tml
Lecture
 Spelling Practice:

There was ______ water spilling over the top of the glass.
a. excess
b. access

He never could ______ done it himself.
a. have
b. of

The pregnancy was lasting forever; she was three days past her
______ date.
a. due
b. dew
c. do
Lecture
 Spelling Practice:

She was ______ on track to making an A in the class.
a. right
b. rite
c. wright
d. write

There were ______ many bees for them to have the picnic in the
backyard.
a. too
b. to
c. two
Lecture
 Spelling Practice:

She had to _____ quickly as time was running out.
a. choose
b. chose

Of _____, she knew that her luck would run out sooner or later.
a. coarse
b. course

You can _____ a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
a. lead
b. led
Lecture
 Spelling Practice:

The _____ of the storm was that tree were uprooted, streets were
flooded, and homes were damaged.
a. effect
b. affect

He needed to _____ a plan to rid himself of the meddlesome
priest.
a. devise
b. device

_____ lips sink ships.
a. Lose
b. Loose
Lecture
 Precise language!
 Pronoun reference issues.
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○

“His car struck the fence but it was not ruined.”
“The teacher asked the student to come back when he had more
time.”
Which is wrong?
○
○
○
It was raining yesterday. This is why we missed the meeting.
Because it was raining yesterday, we missed the meeting.
It was raining yesterday. For this reason, we missed the meeting.
Lecture
 Pronoun agreement (number)!
 Make sure that each pronoun agrees in number with its
antecedent.
 Which one is not right?
An employee is eligible for sick leave after they complete their
probation period.
 An employee is eligible for sick leave after he completes his
probation period.
 Employees are eligible for sick leave after they complete their
probation period.

Lecture
 Parallel grammatical structure!
 Using parallel grammatical structure helps writers to
achieve coherence.
 The principle of grammatical parallelism is that similar
ideas should be expressed in similar grammatical
structures.
 Wrong:
 Jim drew a deep breath, and his eyes closed.

Right:
 Jim drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Lecture
 Parallel grammatical structure! (continued…)
 Wrong:
 Shirley ate well, got plenty of sleep, and she exercised
regularly.
 Jack couldn’t recall the girl’s name, address, or what
her telephone number was.
 Right:
 Shirley ate well, got plenty of sleep, and exercised
regularly.
 Jack couldn’t recall the girl’s name, address, or
telephone number.
Lecture
 Parallel grammatical structure! (continued…)
 Wrong:
 Jogging is better exercise than to swim.
 Swimming is as beneficial as to jog.
 Skateboarding is both exciting and there is danger to it.
 Right:
 Jogging is better exercise than swimming.
 To swim is as beneficial as to jog.
 Skateboarding is both exciting and dangerous.
Lecture
 Sentence patterns!
 These can be helpful if you’re trying to avoid having run-ons
or fragments.
 There are four basic patterns for sentence construction.
 The type and number of clauses in each sentence determines
its pattern.
Lecture
 Simple Sentences:

A simple sentence is composed of one independent clause.
Go to bed.
 During the fall of the year, many people are consumed with
football and hunting.
 There is no life on the moon.

Lecture
 Compound Sentences:

A compound sentence is composed of two independent
clauses.
○
○
○
Gina’s favorite actor is Robert Redford, but her favorite singer is
Barbra Streisand.
The new department store is easy to find; it is across the street
from the bank.
Jim enjoys going to the movies; however, he enjoys fishing even
more.
Lecture
 Complex Sentences:

A complex sentence is composed of one independent
clause and one dependent clause.
○
○
○
○
Because the mouse ran across the floor, everyone jumped
on the couch.
They were told that the hurricane would hit tonight.
We will have the carnival in the cafeteria if it rains.
The woman who painted this landscape is very talented.
Lecture
 Compound-Complex Sentences:

A compound-complex sentence is composed of two
independent clauses and one dependent clause.
○
○
○
○
Ed said that he was coming, but he didn’t show up.
As long as you try to learn, you should make some progress, but
the gains may come quite slowly.
That is the car that I used to own; it burns oil and stalls at every
light.
The lights went out, and the room was pitch black until we lit a
candle.
Questions?
Lecture
 Great checklist from the reading – can you say
“yes” to all of these questions?





Does my paper look like Maggie’s (APA Manuscript Style)?
Is there a thesis sentence with key points as the last
sentence of my introduction?
Is my paper double spaced with the first line of each
paragraph indented ½” and with no extra spaces between
paragraphs?
Have I used 12-point font?
Does each body paragraph begin with a topic sentence that
1) lets the reader know what that paragraph is about, 2)
connects to my thesis, and 3) makes a nice transition
between the previous paragraph and this new one?
Lecture
 Checklist (continued…)
 Does the body of my paper develop the thesis key points of
my paper?
 Is the paper informative (as it should be), not persuasive?
 Have I used specific examples or other kinds of evidence to
support my main points and ideas?
 Do I have parenthetical citations after all paraphrases and
quotes?
 Is the period after the parenthetical citation in sentences
where I have used parenthetical citations?
 Does each parenthetical citation correspond to an entry on
my References page?
Lecture
 Checklist (continued…)
 Is each of the items on my References page used within the
paper and cited within an in-text citation?
 Do I have a clear conclusion (begins with thesis restatement)
at the end of my paper?
 Does my paper meet and not significantly exceed the essay’s
length requirement?
 Does each source included on the References page have the
correct information for that type of source listed in the
correct order?
 Have I used correct indentation for the References page?
 Have I read every sentence and made sure that grammar and
punctuation are correct and that sentences are engaging and
easy to follow?
Questions?
CONGRATULATIONS!
College Composition I:
Unit 9 Seminar