Transcript SAT Writing Workshop - Leuzinger High School

SAT Writing Workshop
Essay Review
• How much time do you get to write the essay?
• How many points is the essay worth in the
overall Writing score?
• How many paragraphs should you write?
• What are the three most important aspects of
your essay?
Brainstorm
(pg. 279 of Essay Workshop Packet)
Some believe that attitude is a determining factor in the
quality of a person’s life. Former First Lady and reformer
Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, “People grow through experience if
they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how
character is built” (My Day). A generation earlier, William
James (1842-1910) wrote, “The greatest discovery of my
generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering
his attitudes of mind.”
Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that the things
people do are not as important as the way they choose to do
them? In an essay, support your position by discussing an
example (or examples) from literature, the arts, science and
technology, history, current events, or your own experience
or observation.
Brainstorm
(pg. 281 of Essay Workshop Packet)
In 1964, U.S. Senator James William Fullbright spoke on the
need to view issues from many perspectives: “We must dare
to think ‘unthinkable’ thoughts. We must learn to explore all
the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex
and rapidly changing world. We must learn to welcome and
not fear the voices of dissent.” Even Mahatma Gandhi,
renowned advocate for peace, once pronounced: “Honest
disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”
Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that
disagreement leads to progress? In an essay, support your
position by discussing an example (or examples) from
literature, the arts, science and technology, history, current
events, or your own experience or observation.
Brainstorm
(pg. 283 of Essay Workshop Packet)
During the Great Depression, American President
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear
but fear itself” (First Inaugural Address). From another
viewpoint, seventeenth-century Frenchman Francois
Fenelon wrote, “True courage consists in fear and
retreat, in retreat without deliberation, and without
looking back” (Telemachus, Book II).
Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that to
proceed in spite of fear is noble, but to feel no fear at
all is foolish? In an essay, support your position by
discussing an example (or examples) from literature,
the arts, science and technology, history, current
events, or your own experience or observation.
Error IDs and Improving
Sentences/Paragraphs
• Subsection 1 : the essay
• Subsection 2: 11 Improving Sentences, 18
Error IDs, 6 Improving Paragraphs
• Subsection 3: 14 Improving Sentences
• There is no level of difficulty (no 1/3rd rule)
Error ID
1. Doug is so fond of chocolate that he eats at
A
B
C
least 3 candy bars a day or more. No error
D
E
Error ID Approach
1. Follow all grammar rules
2. Don’t trust your ear. (We hear English
incorrectly)
3. 1/5 of the questions will be E
Improving Sentences
5. After Nixon spent months trying to counter bad press
and pressure from his own party, resignation was chosen
by him instead of facing the impeachment process.
(A) resignation was chosen by him instead of facing the
impeachment process
(B) resignation was chosen instead of impeachment
(C) resignation was the choice made by him rather than
facing the impeachment process
(D) he chose to resign rather than face impeachment
(E) he chose resignation rather than being impeached
Improving Sentences Approach
1. Follow all grammar rules
2. Listen to sentence (unlike Error ID, if it
sounds funny, there’s a mistake). Don’t plug
in all the answer choices. Mark the error in
the sentence.
3. 1/5 of the questions will be A.
Supplemental Steps for Improving
Sentences
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Avoid “having” and “being”
Avoid other “-ing” verbs
Avoid ambiguous pronouns (it, them, they)
K.I.S.S. (Keep it short & simple)
Avoid the passive voice
Grammar Rules: Verbs
I. Subject-Verb Agreement
A. A collective noun may seem plural; however,
whenever we talk about people as a single
group the noun is singular.
8. Japan performed well in the 1980’s because
A
B
they were able to export the high quality
C
D
technology demanded by consumers. No error.
E
B. Subjects and verbs separated by a bunch of
words  Trim the fat: cross out any extra words
between the subject and verb
9. The statistics released by the state
A
department makes the economic situation look
B
bleaker than it already is. No error
C
D
E
C. Nouns joined by conjunctions
-two singular nouns joined by “and” =
plural
-subjects joined by “or” or “nor,” use the
last subject in the list to determine the
verb
12. Neither my father nor his parents, though
A
B
descendants of Celtic clans originating in
C
Scotland, has visited the United Kingdom. No
D
E
error
D. Pronoun Subjects: can be either singular or plural
depending on the nouns they replace
all, most, some, more, any, less, none
• If the noun can be counted (books, cars, people,
etc.) then the pronoun is plural.
• If the noun cannot be counted (air, water, time,
etc.) then the pronoun is singular.
Examples:
• Most of the pie is gone.
• Most of the cookies are gone.
• All of the students are looking hungrily at the pie.
Some pronouns are always singular:
each, either, neither everybody,
everything, everywhere, nothing,
much
Some pronouns are always plural
Few, may, both, several
Example:
• Each runs a lap.
• Several run in less than 2 minutes.
II. Parallelism
A. Lists: make sure all are in the same form
14. The Halloween party was a great success:
A
the children enjoyed bobbing for apples, playing
B
C
party games, and to wear costumes. No error.
D
E
B. Comparisons: look for sentences that use than,
like, or as.
15. According to my friend Ann, being right is not
always as desirable as being happy.
(A) being right is not always as desirable
(B) having rightness is not always as desirable
(C) there is not always more desirability in being
right
(D) rightness has not always as much desirability
(E) To have rightness is not always more desirable
III. Tense
A. Perfect Tenses
• Past Perfect: event happened before another
past event
– I had fixed the roof before the storm hit.
• Present Perfect: event began in the past and
may be done or still continuing now
– I have fixed the roof.
• Future Perfect: event will occur in the future
before another event
– I will have fixed the roof before the storm hits.
17. Michelle recently discovered the works of
Martin Heidegger, and she is reading philosophy
since then.
(A) and she is reading philosophy since then
(B) since she is reading philosophy since that time
(C) yet philosophy being read by her since that time
(D) and she has been reading philosophy ever since.
(E) and she had been reading philosophy ever since.
Pronouns
I. Agreement: must agree in number with the
noun it replaces
20. Everyone on the cheerleading squad
A
debated whether to take both of their pom
B
C
poms to the football game. No error.
D
E
II. Ambiguity: a pronoun must clearly replace
only one noun
23. Many economists feel that taxpayers
A
should pay less, on the theory that they will
B
C
spend more and boost the economy. No error.
D
E
III. Case: use pronouns for the subject or object
of a sentence
SUBJECT PRONOUNS
I
OBJECT PRONOUNS
me
he, she
we
they
him, her
us
them
who
whom
25. An ongoing argument rages between
Akil and I as we have such wildly different ideas
A
B
C
about which we cannot agree. No error.
C
D
IV. Nouns: if two nouns refer to each other, they
should match in number.
28. As elections approach, campaign managers
A
pay more attention to swing voters, who don’t
B
make their decisions until the day of the
C
D
election. No error.
E
Etc.
• I. Adjectives and Adverbs: check that they
function correctly; check for counting errors
and comparison errors
• Function example:
29. The thief, hoping to evade the police,
A
B
ran quickly into the alley after taking the jewels.
C
D
No error.
E
Counting errors
• With things you can count, use fewer, many,
and number of.
• With things you cannot count, use less, much,
and amount of.
30. Less students are choosing off-campus
A
B
apartments because the cost of a college
C
education is prohibitive. No error.
D
E
Comparison rules:
• When comparing 2 things, use more, between,
and –er form of adjectives.
• When comparing 3+, use most, among, and –
est form of adjectives
31. Between all the former classmates at the
A
B
reunion, Julia was the most excited to see her
C
D
old friends. No error.
E
II. Prepositions: idioms (use the right
combination pg. 319)—once you spot an
underlined preposition, look for the verb that
comes before it and check if the combination is
correct
Despite the poor weather, I was planning
A
B
C
on attending the festival with my sister.
D
No error.
E
Try
1. I am indebted ____ you.
2. The coach considered her ____ the best athlete
in the school.
3. I am different ____ you.
4. The women had a dispute ____ politics.
5. In our secret club, a majority is defined ____
two-thirds or more.
6. You have a responsibility ____ take care of your
pet.
7. You are responsible ____ your pet.
8. Lindsay’s books fell off ____ the wall.
9. I am planning ____ get my driver’s license soon.
10.Lindsay will try ____ attend Morgan’s party.
III. Misplaced modifiers: watch out for
descriptive phrases that come at the beginning
of a sentence and followed by a comma.
Whatever noun follows must be the subject that
phrase describes.
34. Returning home for a visit, the backyard
seemed much smaller to Richard than he
remembered.
(A) Returning home for a visit the backyard seemed
much smaller to Richard
(B) Returning home for a visit, it seemed a much
smaller backyard to RIchard
(C) Returning to it for a visit, the backyard seemed
smaller to Richard
(D) Richard returned home for a visit, and the
backyard seemed to him much smaller
(E) When Richard returned home, the backyard
seemed much smaller
IV. Avoid Redundancy
• most unique
• in the year 1965
• period of time
• The reason…is because…
V. Diction
• compliment/complement: praise/complete
• affect/effect: verb/noun
• Illusion/allusion: magician does/reference
• immigrate/emigrate: come in/leave
• stationary/stationery: stand still/paper
• principle/principal: values/school
• Illicit/elicit: illegal/verb (to get)
• irritate/aggravate: person/situation