Grammar Lesson - Sentence Structure Cont.

This lesson was basically reiterating the points from the previous grammar lesson.

Independent clause: subject, verb, complete thought.
A complete thought is direct and makes a point.

Example of a complete thought: Sarah fell down the stairs.
Sarah=subject, fell=verb, down the stairs=prepositional phrase
Two more examples: He is happy.
She is sleeping.
*The independent clause is also known as a simple sentence.*


Dr. Rowes told us: Sophistication is simplicity.  Simplicity is elegance. 
(Why the simple sentence is so powerful.)


Simple sentence is divided into the subject and predicate. 

Phrases give information that is additional, not essential to sentence structure, ie the dependent clause in a complex sentence.

Participial Phrase:  Sleeping in class.
 (dangling participle)


Sleeping in class, Sarah missed the lesson. 
Sleeping=present participle, Sleeping in class,=participial phrase, Sarah=proper noun.


*When starting a sentence with a participle or a participial phrase, it is always followed by a comma.  (Before the simple sentence.)  The noun closest to the participle is what it describes.

Grammar Lesson - Sentence Structure

Here are some basic notes on sentence structure:

Word is a symbol (something one is taught)
Phrase is a group of words
Clause is a subject, a verb, and a thought

There are two phrases - the prepositional and the participial phrase.
There are two clauses in the English language - independent and dependent clause.
- All simple sentences are built from two clauses.
- Both clauses have a subject, a verb, and a thought.
Subject is what the clause is about.
Verb is an action word or it describes a state of being.
Thought makes a point
- independent: complete thought = simple sentence
- dependent: incomplete though = fragment
The thought is complete when one gets to the point.
* Independent stands alone while the dependent cannot stand alone and is always paired with an independent clause.
Ex) Because she was mad (dependent clause), Julian rejected her (independent clause).
The sentence used in the sentence above is known as a complex sentence.

Ex) Independent: I love you.  I is the subject, love is the verb, and the simple sentence gets to the point and creates a thought.
Ex) Dependent: Because she was mad.  There is no complete thought, and it is just a fragment.

All independent clauses must start with a capitalized letter and end with end punctuation (question mark, exclamation point, period)

Grammar Lesson 11-1-13

Grammar Quiz Review
1) What is Grammar?
Rules of the language.
2) What is its purpose?
Clarity
3) In what mode or style of writing is grammar essential?
Formal.
4) Define mode.
Unfamiliar reader.
5) Give an example of mode of writing.
Essay.
6) What is the other style of writing?
Informal writing.
7) Define it.
Familiar reader.
8) Give example of style of writing.
Texting.
9) Define verbal.
Verb which functions as a different part of speech.
10) Name all verbals.
Gerund, infinitive, participle.
11) Define them.
Gerund is a verb that acts as a noun by adding ing.
Infinitive verb - functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb by adding to plus the stem of the verb.
Participle - verb acting as an adjective and form of verb by adding ing or ed.

There are two forms of the infinitive:
to infinitive/full infinitive and the bare infinitive
To infinitive: functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb by adding to plus the stem of the verb.
An example using the to infinitive: Izzy loves to kiss.

Bare infinitive: verb functioning as a verb, adjective, or adverb by dropping the preposition to the stem of the verb.
To identify the bare infinitive, one must have certain verbs followed by a direct object.
To identify the direct object, go to the main verb and ask the question what or who.
Special verbs:  let, make, see, watch, hear, feel, sense, help, bid, have - These verbs help create the bare infinitive.
An example using the bare infinitive: Amir made Sarah laugh.  Made is one of the special verbs that help identify the bare infinitive.  The bare infinitive in this sentence is laugh.
Ex 2 - bare infinitive) I watched the plane take off.
Ex 3 - bare infinitive) John helped Suzan study.

Participle - verb acting as an adjective and is formed from verb by adding ing or ed.
Present participle - verb functioning as an adjective by adding ing
Past participle - verb functioning as an adjective by adding ed.
       (article)     (present participle)  (common noun)
Ex)   The                     crying                  baby            was       hungry.

  (present participle)      (proper noun)     (main verb)
Ex 2) Smiling,                Dario                    bought        breakfast       for       Izzy.
** When a participle is in a phrase, it must be close to the noun/pronoun it is modifying.
Participles used as adjectives can come before the noun they modify.
Ex) Shaken, Victoria walked away from the wrecked car.  Shaken is the past participle and Victoria is the proper noun that the participle modifies.

Dangling participle - misplaced participle.

CORRECT: Shaken, Victoria walked away from the wrecked car.
The past participle shaken modifies the proper noun Victoria, and the past participle wrecked modifies the common noun car.

INCORRECT: Shaken, the wrecked car frightened Victoria.
The past participle shaken becomes a dangling participle because it is not modifying the closest noun/pronoun (Victoria).

Vocabulary List 3

Test - November 6th

Words taken from Jane Eyre

1.  punctuality - noun
strict observance in keeping engagements; promptness; the characteristic of always keeping to arranged times for appointments or meetings.
Sentence 1: Punctuality is a virtue for success.
Sentence 2:  Interviewers for colleges expect punctuality in the students who arrange to meet with them.

2.  aversion - noun
a strong feeling of dislike; repugnance; abhorrence; hostility; antagonism; loathing; an unreasoning desire to avoid that which displeases.
Sentence 1:  Mrs. Reed had a strong aversion to Jane Eyre.
Sentence 2: Many students have a strong aversion to studying when they could be spending that time on Facebook.

3.  peruse - verb
to read thoroughly; to survey with care; to examine in detail; to scrutinize; to study.
Sentence 1:  Students need to peruse Jane EYre to retain the facts and details rather than skimming the pages for a broad outline of the plot.
Sentence 2:  Have you perused the newspaper to understand what is occurring in Egypt at this time?

4.  insuperable - adjective
incapable of being passed over, overcome, or surmounted; overwhelming; unconquerable; insurmountable; extremely great and severe.
Sentence 1:  Jane Eyre faced insuperable difficulties at the Lowood institute where orphans were not given enough to eat or warm clothes to wear in winter.
Sentence 2:  The cost of college has become an insuperable obstacle to achieving a first rate education for many students.

5.  imp - noun
a little devil; a little demon; a mischievous child; an evil spirit; a scamp; a rogue; a rascal.
Sentence 1:  Mrs. Reed characterized Jane as a little imp due to her unusual curiosity.
Sentence 2:  The world of fairy tales is populated by goblins and imps.
Sentence 3:  Huckleberry Finn is the most famous imp in American literature.

6.  defer - verb
to put  off action; to delay; to postpone; to procrastinate; to keep something from occurring at a future time.
Sentence 1:  In the matter of disciplining a contumacious student, the teacher deferred to the authority of the principal.
Sentence 2:  The student deferred completing his homework in order to play video games into the night.

7.  malevolent - adjective
wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; malicious; injurious; pernicious; spiteful.
Sentence 1:  Since he claimed to be a man of God, Mr. Brocklehurst had malevolent intentions towards the orphans whom he was supposed to help.
Sentence 2:  Helen Burns fought malevolent feelings and believed in loving even her enemies.

8.  debase - verb
to reduce in value and quality; to adulterate; to lower in dignity, significance, or rank; to degrade; to lower; to depreciate.
Sentence 1:  Jane Eye refused to debase herself by saying she loved Mrs. Reed.
Sentence 2:  The government has debased the value of the dollar.

9.  apothecary - noun
archaic word for pharmacist; druggist; chemist; one who prepares and sells medicine.
Sentence 1:  The apothecary often served as the medical doctor in England during the nineteenth century for patients who could not afford a physician.
Sentence 2:  The apothecary actually diagnosed Jane Eyre as an abused child and prescribed a change of residence.

10.  eerie - adjective
uncanny as to inspire superstitious fear especially of places and atmosphere; mysteriously frightening; ghostly; weird; strange.
Sentence 1:  Being shut up in the red room was an eerie experience for Jane Eyre.
Sentence 2:  The eerie laughter in Thornfield Hall frightened Jane Eyre.

11.  abhor - verb
to shrink away with horror; to feel disgust; to hate very, very much; to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; to detest utterly; to loathe; to abominate.
Sentence 1:  Dr. Rowes abhors racism.
Sentence 2:  Helen Burns taught Jane Eyre not to abhor any human because we are all children of God.

12.  pariah - noun
a member of the low caste; a person despised or rejected by society; an outcast.
Sentence 1:  Jane Eyre was the pariah of the Reed Family.
Sentence 2:  Many politicians are treated as pariahs after the exposure of their scandalous personal conduct.

13.  quandary - noun
a feeling of puzzlement or doubt; a state of uncertainty or perplexity; a predicament; a situation from which extrication is difficult.
Sentence 1:  Jane was in a quandary as to whether to marry Edward Rochester.
Sentence 2:  Seniors at LaGuardia Arts face the quandary of which college to attend.

14.  nuptials - noun
wedding; marriage; marriage ceremony; holy matrimony; a legal joining of two people.
Sentence 1:  One the day of their nuptials, Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester faced the greatest trial of their love for each other.
Sentence 2:  The nuptials of Kate Middleton and Prince William were a celebration of young love.

15.  beguile - verb
to mislead by cheating or tricking; to deceive; to influence by flattery; to pass the time pleasantly; to charm or delight.
Sentence 1:  The young man was beguiled of all his money by a thief posing as a friend.
Sentence 2:  Mr. Rochester seemed to be beguiled by Blanche Ingram.

Quizlet created by Yeliz:  http://quizlet.com/29203330/vocabulary-list-3-drrowes-flash-cards/#

Grammar Lesson - Verbals

The three verbals are:
1. Gerund
2. Infinitive
3. Participle

Verbals are in a different category from nouns
Verbal - category of a verb which functions as another part of speech

Gerund - functions as a noun by adding ing.
e.g. Jackie went jogging with her dog.

Infinitive - verb acting as a noun, adjective, or adverb by attaching the preposition to the stem of the verb.

The basic definition is:  to plus the verb.

examples:  to kiss, to cuddle, to snore
"to" is the preposition, and "kiss, cuddle, snore" are the stems of the verb

In a sentence the infinitive functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

e.g. 1.
Prepositional phrase:  To sneeze in someone's face is rude and unhealthy.
to sneeze = infinitive

e.g. 2.
Prepositional phrase: John likes to play guitar with his friends.
to play = infinitive

Participle - verbal that functions as an adjective
Present participle example:  The boiling water on the stove is hot.
Present participles always end in ing and are created from the form of a verb used with the verb to be as an auxiliary verb (progressive tense).
Past participles usually end in ed or en and are created from the form of a verb used with the verb to be as an auxiliary verb.
Past participle example:  The window was broken on Thursday.  Or:  The windows were cracked by vandals.

SPECIAL VERBS:  feel, help, hear, let, make, see, watch
e.g. The tourist watched the plane take off.

Other sites:  chompchomp.com
owl.english.prudue.edu

Grammar Quiz 2 - Answers

1.  What is Grammar?  Grammar is a set of rules for communication in the English language.

2.  What is its purpose?  Grammar allows one to communicate with another person clearly.  Clarity

3.  What are the parts of speech?  The parts of speech are building blocks of sentence structure.

4.  Define noun:  A person, place, thing, idea, or activity.

5.  Name the different types of nouns:  Proper noun, common noun, collective noun, gerund.

6.  Define each one that we have gone over in class:
Proper noun is capitalized and specific
Common noun is general and not capitalized
Collective noun is a group functioning in unison as one entity or individual
Gerund is a verb acting as a noun by adding -ing.

7.  Which noun poses special problems for number?  The collective noun.

8.  Name ten collective nouns:  Team, crowd, audience, troop, school, band, tribe, committee, army, navy, etc.

9.  Give a sentence for a singular collective noun with regard to usage of number in question seven.
e.g. The rock band performed a concert.

10.  Give a sentence for a plural collective noun with regard to usage of number in question seven.
e.g. The cast performed their individual roles.

11.  What are the two styles of writing?  The two styles of are informal and formal writing.

12.  What is the difference?
Formal - The writer is unfamiliar with the reader, and the reader only knows about the writer by what is on the paper.
Informal - The writer is familiar with the reader, and the reader knows more about the writer than what is on the paper.

Extra notes:

Verbal - category of a verb acting as another part of speech.
1. Gerund - A verb acting as a noun by adding -ing.
2. Infinitive - to plus the verb.

Structure of an Essay & Grammar Lesson 10-2-13

Structure of an Essay

* Must have five paragraphs (5-12 sentences) or more
* For every paragraph, make a statement, explain the statement, and give an example.
* Read for facts to create more factual essays & read the passage more than once
* Think about what the author is trying to say

Thesis --> Truth --> Thinking

* Communication - Make your expression clear to one.
* Be focused - Whatever questions are asked, be sure to answer each question clearly.
* Write down the question and figure out what the question is trying to ask.
* Be involved in the reading even if you don't enjoy it.
* Create a study group to get some extra help.
* Thesis must be a simple sentence (subject, verb, and one thought), be clear, and include info about what you are writing about; don't assume the reader knows what you are writing about.
* Explanation - requires extensive reading

Do NOT use:  I, me, my, in my opinion, etc.
Instead, use:  seems, appears, suggests, etc.

* For each body paragraph (3+ paragraphs), do not repeat your statements (have different examples for each paragraph) and start with the strongest evidence in the first paragraph.

---------------------Grammar---------------------

Verbals - verb form in which the verb functions as a different part of speech (verbals do not want to be verbs).

The gerund is a verbal (verb functioning as a noun)
- Thought of as the "transgender of grammar".
* Add "-ing" to the end of the verb to make it a gerund.
e.g. Dario runs to class. "Runs" is a verb in this sentence.  By adding -ing, we can turn it into a verbal:  Running is Dario's favorite sport.
e.g. 2. Dario likes running.  "Running" is functioning as the direct subject of the sentence.
* When a verbal is proceeded by "to be, is, was, were, etc." they bond together and the verbal becomes the progressive tense of a verb (participle verbal).
* Infinitive verbal - includes "to" plus the verb
e.g. to sleep, to kiss, to hug, to study
* The three verbals are: Gerund, Participle, Infinitive.