Transcript (12/13/16) Day 3 2.24 - Syntax with Kennedyx

How does the art of
rhetoric make speeches
captivating?
2.24
LT & Agenda
▪ As a litterateur, I can:
– Define the categories of sentences
lengths and sentence structures
– Analyze how John F. Kennedy uses
syntax in their speeches.
▪ Agenda:
▪ LT/Energizer/HW
▪ Sarah Kay
▪ Sentence Lengths
▪ Sentence Structures
▪ JFK – Inaugural Address
▪ Posters
▪ Homework – Revise Speech
Entering the Classroom
▪ I expect you to be ready to begin class
when the bell rings. To this end, please:
–grab your Springboard book from the shelf.
–Take out a writing utensil and your Energizer
notebook
–Please put away any electronic devices.
In your Energizer Notebook…
▪ Record today’s learning
target – As a litterateur, I can:
– Define the categories of
sentences lengths, sentence
structures, and order
– Analyze how John F.
Kennedy uses syntax in his
speech.
▪ Homework: revised 3-5
sentences in your rough
draft
▪ And answer today’s
Energizer:
1) What is the difference
between sentence length and
sentence structure? #dyb
2) Highlight your best sentence
in the rough draft of your
speech.
Sentence Lengths
▪ There are four types of sentence lengths:
1) Telegraphic: sentence is shorter than 5 words
2) Short: sentence is approximately 5 words in
length
3) Medium: sentence is approximately 18 words in
length
4) Long: sentence is 30 words or more in length
#onesentencetorulethemall
Which is which?
▪ Work with your partner to decide what category of sentence length
the following are a part of:
1) “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me
liberty, or give me death!”
2) “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we
have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror
which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
3) “Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss.”
4) “But let us begin.”
But why?
▪ Turn to your partner and discuss:
▪ What do speakers like Houston Kraft, Mike Smith,
Get Lit, and Sarah Kay serve to gain by employing
sentence lengths as a tool in their speeches?
▪ What does sentence length do to the audience?
Sentence Types, Round One
▪ Type one: Simple
– One thought
– Sentence is about one thing
– That one thing has a verb or verbs
(action) only connected to it
▪ Example
– Stories entertain.
– Stories and riddles entertain.
– Stories entertain and amuse.
▪ Type two: Compound
– Two – many thoughts
– Sentence is about at least two
things
– Multiple verbs
▪ Example
– Stories entertain, and riddles
amuse.
– Few animals live in China’s plains;
in remoter areas wildlife is
abundant.
Simple or Compound?
A. “…I had never thought of my mother as an
embarrassment, but the sight of all the kids in
school staring at us before the bell rang was
enough to make me pretend I didn’t know her.”
B. “Bachelor No. 3 was my father.”
C. “My mother reluctantly obeyed.”
D. “The bell finally rang and it was time for us to
leave.”
From “Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumass
Round Two:
Complex and Compound-Complex Sentences
▪ Type three: Complex
– One thought
– Another thought (or thoughts)
that connect (or depend) on that
one
– One part doesn’t make sense
without the other part
▪ Example:
– I like Cassandra Clare’s stories,
because they have compelling
characters.
▪ Type four: CompoundComplex
– Multiple thoughts
– At least one connected (or
dependent) thought
▪ Example
– Mary Shelley wrote
Frankenstein, and her story
remains famous because
people are fascinated with it.
Complex or Compound-Complex?
▪ “Reluctantly, I obeyed, yet wondered why all of a sudden I
had to take a bath.”
▪ “traditional adobe houses are covered with mud, but
modern adobe homes are sometimes covered with a
plasterlike material that is called stucco.”
▪ “The blocks bake in the sun for about two weeks, and the
result is strong adobe brick that can be used for
construction.”
▪ “I sat frozen in the bathtub, not knowing what to do.”
From Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane and Strasser’s
Mom’s Writing Textbook
Sentence Order:
Cumulative, Periodic, and Balanced
▪ Cumulative
– This type of sentence makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending; part of
the sentence makes sense without the other.
– EX: We reached New York that morning after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, tired
but exhausted, full of stories to tell our friends and neighbors.
▪ Periodic
– This type of sentence makes sense fully ONLY when the end of the sentence is reached.
– EX: That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached New York.
▪ Balanced
– The phrases and clauses in this type of sentence balance each other by virtue of their likeness of
structure, meaning, or length.
– EX: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
As you listen:
- T2T for
Kennedy’s use
of syntax
(length and
structure)
Kennedy’s Syntax
▪ Work with your group to create a poster with the
following information:
– Title with your assigned Sentence Structure
– An example of your assigned syntactic structure from
Kennedy’s address
– Analysis of sentence – length (T, S, M, L) and order (C, P, or B)
– Its effect on the audience
– Your opinion about how to vocally deliver it (pause point,
increase/decrease pace, increase/decrease volume, speed)
Exit Slip
What’s the difference between sentence
length, sentence structure, and sentence
order?
What’s the effect of Kennedy’s use of syntax
in his Inaugural Address?
Which aspect of syntax (sentence length,
structure, and order) do you think will be
easiest for you to implement in your speech?
Hardest?
How’d you do with today’s learning of defining
syntax and analyzing Kennedy’s use of syntax
in his speech?
1 = not good. Today didn’t work for me.
5 = fine. I got it, but it’s still a bit fuzzy.
10 = great. All this makes total sense to me.