Transcript Slide 1

Mastering the Mechanics of Writing
Part 3: Beyond Basics
Kayla Skarbakka
Writing Instructor
Coordinator of International
Writing Instruction and Support
Walden University Writing
Center
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Housekeeping
• Muting
• Questions
• Tech trouble?
http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToTrain
ing
• Recording:
http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/415.htm
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Agenda
• Verbals
• Prepositions & prepositional phrases
• Conjunctions
• Practice
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Disclaimer
Grammar geek
vocabulary ahead!
No need to memorize.
Goal: address issues that
cause sentences to “just
sound wrong”
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Verbals
Words that take the
form of verbs but act
as nouns, adjectives,
or adverbs
•Participles
•Gerunds
•Infinitives
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Verbals: Participles
Words that look like verbs in the -ed, -en, or -ing
forms, but act as adjectives.
Verb: The test scores concerned the teachers, so the principal
called a staff meeting.
Participle: The principal called a staff meeting for the
concerned teachers.
Verb: Customers complained that too many people were
smoking in the restaurant.
Participle: The manager issued a smoking ban.
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Verbals: Gerunds
Words that look like verbs in the –ing form, but act
like nouns. They can be either the subject or
object of a sentence.
•Following APA style is sometimes frustrating.
(Following is the subject of the sentence)
•The students enjoyed playing the game.
(Playing is the object of the verb enjoyed)
Tip: Gerunds
take a singular
verb
•The patient was nervous about undergoing the operation.
(Undergoing is the object of the proposition about)
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Verbals: Infinitives
Words that look like verbs in this form: to + simple
verb. They act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
•The nurses were eager to learn the new protocol.
To learn acts as a noun; it is the object of the phrase were eager.
• The student had many obstacles to overcome.
To overcome acts like an adjective; it modifies the noun obstacles.
•The applicant brought his résumé to show the interviewer.
To show acts as an adverb in this sentence; it describes why the
applicant brought his résumé.
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Verbals: Common Errors
• Parallel structure
Incorrect: She likes to swim and biking.
Correct: She likes to swim and to bike.
She likes swimming and biking.
• Subject-verb agreement with a gerund
Incorrect: Planning a lesson that meets the needs of all my
students, who are so different, are difficult.
Correct: Planning a lesson that meets the needs of all my
students, who are so different, is difficult.
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Verbals: Common Errors
Using the wrong verbal or mixing verbals
Incorrect: I am excited to attending the conference next week.
Correct: I am excited to attend the conference next week.
Incorrect: I asked all interesting teachers to take the survey.
Correct: I asked all interested teachers to take the survey.
Incorrect: The client had difficulty to express his emotions.
Correct: The client had difficulty expressing his emotions.
Incorrect: She is nervous about to interview for the job.
Correct: She is nervous about interviewing for the job.
Tip: See the handout “Prepositions and Verbals: Dictionary of Common
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Expressions” for more information on verbal usage!
Prepositions & Prepositional Phrases
•Definition
•Functions (adjectives
and adverbs)
•Examples
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Prepositions
• Tell the location of something in space or time.
– I hid my shoes under the bed so the dog wouldn’t eat them.
– The weather in December is too cold; I think I could hibernate
through the whole winter.
• Mark relationships among elements in a sentence.
– I am so happy for my sister who just graduated from college!
– I am attending the graduation with my family.
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about
between
from
of
over
according to
against
by
in
on
to
because of
at
for
into
out
with
instead of
Prepositional Phrases
Preposition + its object
(noun, pronoun, gerund, or phrase)
• I received an e-mail from my cousin.
• The teacher gave his students the test, and then he
walked among them to answer questions.
• She wants to get a good grade without trying hard.
• James, along with the majority of his coworkers,
feels that the new policy is unfair.
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Avoid “Stacking” Prepositional Phrases
Using many prepositional phrases in a single
sentence can cause confusion or ambiguity.
Confusing: The author chose the mixed-method design to
explain that the purpose of the study was to explore the
leadership qualities of the principals in the schools as a
means to gauge teacher satisfaction in the first year of
teaching.
Clear: The author chose the mixed-method design to explore
the principals' leadership qualities and their impact on
first-year teachers' satisfaction.
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Common Preposition Errors
• Subject-verb disagreement
Subj
↓
Prep. phrase
Verb
↓
Incorrect: Abuse of prescription drugs are quite common.
Correct: Abuse of prescription drugs is quite common.
• Using the wrong preposition
Incorrect: She was capable for completing the assignment.
Correct: She was capable of completing the assignment.
Incorrect: He seemed satisfied of my work on the project.
Correct: He seemed satisfied with my work on the project.
15 Tip: See See the handout “Prepositions and Verbals: Dictionary of Common
Expressions” for more information on when to use certain prepositions.
Conjunctions
•Coordinating
•Paired
•Subordinating
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Coordinating Conjunctions
Connect words, phrases, or clauses that serve the same
grammatical purpose in a sentence.
F: for: The teachers were frustrated, for the school cut more funds.
A: and: I will write a literature review and a case study.
N: nor: They did not study, nor did they pass the tense.
B: but: The study is old but still valuable.
O: or: I want to study accounting or marketing.
Y: yet: She was in pain, yet she refused treatment.
S: so: I finished early, so I have time to revise.
Tip: For is rarely used as a conjunction in
modern English
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Paired Conjunctions
Two words or phrases that make a point or establish alternatives.
• both…and
– The project requires investments of both time and money.
– Both the students and the teachers were satisfied.
• not only…but also
– The students received not only a poor grade but also a warning.
– Not only did the writer plagiarize full sentences, but he also failed to cite
paraphrased material.
• either…or
– Either the students were unprepared or the test was poorly written.
– Participants could either choose from a list or write their own responses.
• neither…nor
– Students who did not finish received neither praise nor rewards.
– The staff neither followed the new policy nor asked for clarification.
18Tip: Paired conjunctions can get wordy, so use them sparingly!
Subordinating Conjunctions
Join a subordinate clause to a main clause and
establish a relationship between the two.
Examples:
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after
although
as much as/
as soon as/
as long as
as though
because
before
how
if
in order to/
in order that
once
since
than
that
thought
until
when/
whenever
where/
wherever
whether
while
Subordinating Conjunctions
There are two main ways to structure a sentence
using a subordinating conjunction:
Main clause +
subordinate clause
Subordinate clause + , +
main clause
•The teacher administered the test
after giving instructions
•After giving instructions, the teacher
administered the test.
•The author must avoid bias if she
wants to maintain her scholarly tone.
•If she wants to maintain her scholarly
tone, the author must avoid bias.
•I will turn in this paper at midnight
whether or not I complete it.
•Whether or not I complete this paper, I
will turn it in at midnight.
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Subordinating Conjunctions
There are two main ways to structure a sentence
using a subordinating conjunction:
Main clause +
subordinate clause
Subordinate clause + , +
main clause
•The teacher administered the test
after giving instructions
•After giving instructions, the teacher
administered the test.
•The author must avoid bias if she
wants to maintain her scholarly tone.
•If she wants to maintain her scholarly
tone, the author must avoid bias.
•I will turn in this paper at midnight
whether or not I complete it.
•Whether or not I complete this paper, I
will turn it in at midnight.
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Common Conjunction Errors
• Using the wrong conjunction
Confusing: It is raining today, but there might be a
thunderstorm.
Clear: It is raining today, and there might be a thunderstorm.
• Beginning a sentence with a conjunction
Informal: And it is going to rain tomorrow.
Formal: Also, it is going to rain tomorrow.
• Using a subordinating conjunction as a transition
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Incomplete: Although the forecast for Thursday looks good.
Complete: However, the forecast for Thursday looks
good.
Common Conjunction Errors
• Using only one part of a paired conjunction
Incomplete: On Thursday I will not only go to the beach but wash
my car.
Complete: On Thursday I will not only go to the beach but also
wash my car.
• Using too many conjunctions to form a run-on sentence
Run-on: I dislike rain, but I know that it is good for the farmers, but
it has ruined my plans this week, and I am looking forward to
nicer weather so that I can spend time outside.
Stronger: I dislike rain. I know that it is good for the farmers, but it
has ruined my plans this week. I am looking forward to nicer
weather so that I can spend time outside.
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Practice
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Final Thoughts
• There are many ways to write grammatically correct
sentences. You have options as you develop your
authorial voice.
• To proofread and develop your voice, read your
writing out loud or ask someone else to read out
loud to you.
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Resources
• Website: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/
• Guides and resources
• Exercises and quizzes
• Webinars
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•
•
•
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Writing courses
Grammarly
[email protected]
One-on-one paper reviews
Resources: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/
Automated
grammar
checker
•Guides and
resources
•Exercises and
quizzes
•Webinars
•Description of
one-on-one
tutoring
•Writing courses
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Thanks for joining us!
Questions?
[email protected]
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