Transcript Ratiocination - Fort Bend ISD

BEFORE WE BEGIN
• Have your most recent draft
(you may print this out at
the computer BEFORE
CLASS)
• Highlighter (at front)
• Ratiocination Handout (at
front)
Ratiocination
It’s the little things!
Highlight the first word of each
sentence
If any of your sentences start with these words,
and your sentence is NOT A QUESTION, you
are starting with a dependent clause. There
must be a comma after your dep. Clause and
an indep. clause following.
as, after, before, until, once,
since, while, when, whenever,
where, wherever, although,
though, despite, if, even if, even
though, how, unless, whether,
because, in order to, why, who,
which, that
Underline Countries,
People, and Titles
• Make sure that these are
capitalized
Draw an X over the
following words
•
•
•
•
•
•
Real
Really
Very
Some
Like (unless you have a simile)
Well (unless you are referring to
illness)
Subject Verb agreement
• Circle each verb in a sentence, draw an
arrow pointing back to the subject. Check
for two verbs, two verbs mean a compound
sentence and you need a comma FANBOY
or semicolon.
• Check for Subject Verb agreement.
• Rule of Thumb: Only one can end in an “S”
• EX: The clownS carry tiny poodles.
• EX: The clown carrieS a tiny poodle.
Draw a Triangle around all
your “to be” verbs
• Is, Are, Were, Was, Am, Be,
Being, Been, Include
conjunctions: I’m, They’re, It’s
• Put total at top of your paper.
• Now, edit your paper to get rid
of HALF the “to be” verbs