Episode 131- Collective Nouns- Singular or Plural?

My topic was the use of collective nouns and knowing the right situations to use them. I found out that there is really not a wrong way to do this unless you are trying to state something very specifically. I also found out that the rules for using collective nouns is different in Britain than it is in America. In America, you would say: The family is going out to eat. In Britain, you would say: The family are going out to eat. There is not really a wrong way to do this, just a preferred way in each country. But I suppose in our case, getting help on the ACT, we would want to do it the American way since the ACT is an American test.

Sentence Composing # 4- Opening Adjective- Practice 3,4, and 5

Practice 3: Combining to Imitate

In the model, identify the opening adjectives. Next, combine the list of sentences to imitate the model. Finally, write your own imitation of the model and identify any opening adjectives.

Model: Dark, velvety, the beauty of his mustache was enhanced by his strong clean-shaven chin.
--Toni Morrison, Beloved

Opening adjectives: Dark and Velvety

a. His cautionary steps were slow.

b. His cautionary steps were weary.

c. His cautionary were caused by something.

d. The cause was the surrounding overexcited horses.

Slow and weary, his cautionary steps were caused by the surrounding overexcited horses.

Practice 4: Imitating

1. Identify the opening adjectives in the models and sample imitations. Then write an imitation of each model sentences, one sentence part at a time. Read one of your imitations to see if your classmates can guess which model you imitated.

Models:

1. Wordless, we split up.
--Annie Dillard, An American Childhood

Sample: Wet, the napkin fell apart

Opening Adjectives: Wordless and Wet

2. Cold, dark, and windowless, it stretched the length of the house.
--Jessamyn West, "The Child's Day"

Sample: Hot, humid, and muggy, the weather exhausted the stamina of the bikers.

Opening Adjectives: Cold, dark, and windowless; Hot, humid, and muggy

3. Afraid that we might hunt for a cheaper apartment for the next two weeks and find nothing better than this one, we took it

Sample: Happy that we would escape to a lovely beach for the upcoming one month and have nothing but good time, we left home.

Opening Adjectives: Afraid; Happy

Example: Nervously, we entered the cave.

Practice 5: Expanding

The opening adjectives are omitted at the caret mark(^) in the following sentences. For each caret, add an opening adjective or adjective phrase, plending your content and style with the rest of the sentence.

1. Anxiously^, I begain climbing the ladder's rungs, slightly reassured by having Finny right behind me.
--John Knowles, A Seperate Peace

2. Tired^ and Hungry^, he wandered about the many tents, only to find that one place as cold as another.
--Jack London, "To Build a Fire"

3. Absorbed^ and Excited^, my limited reading helped me to know something of a world beyond the four walls of my study.
Christy Brown, My Left Foot

Beowulf Argumemtative Paragraph

In Beowulf, it seems that violence and vengeance are rewarded with gifts and hospitality. In the book, when Beowulf was able to kill Grendel, and subsequently his mother, he was lauded with gifts and hospitality from the Danes. Beowulf did not do this for those gifts, but rather for pride and fame. This is proven as when he arrives back in Geatland, he gives all those gifts and treasures back to Higlac without languishing. The end of the book also rewards violence with treasure, because for killing the dragon, Beowulf was buried with his treasure after he coalesced with Wiglaf to kill the dragon. Beowulf was very erudite and knew he was probably going to die in this battle, but he did it so he could have that treasure and save his people from the dragon. This bravery should be rewarded and it was a very appropriate reward to be buried with all the treasure that he won in his last battle. But in real life, violence should not be rewarded as the rules and goals of the world are very different now then they were back then.

Sentence Composing # 4- Opening Adjective- Practice One and Two

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Sentence Composing # 4- Opening Adjective- Practice One and Two

Practice 1: Matching

Directions: Match opening adjectives with the sentences. Write out each sentence inserting the opening adjectives

Opening Adjectives

A. Alive

B. Hot and justy and over-wearied

C. Lonesome

D. Able to move now

E. Frantic, never turning my head-- because the water buffalo had started his charged

Sentences

1. Lonesome, I wanted to run away and be gone from his strange place.
--Keith Donahue, The Stolen Child

2. Frantic, never turning my head--because the water buffalo had started his charge, I felt behind me, my hand pleading with the rifle
--Theodore Waldeck, "Certain, Sudden Death"

3. Alive, the elephant was worth at least a hundred pounds, but dead, we would only be worth the value of his tusks, five pounds, possibly
--George Orwell "Shooting an Elephant:

4. Able to move now, he rocked his own body back and forth, breath deeply to release the remembered pain.
--Lois Lowry, The Giver

5. Hot and justy and over-wearied, he came to our door and eases his heavy pack and asked for refreshment, and Devola brought him a pail of water from our spring.
--Bill and Vera Cleaver, Where the Lilies Bloom

Practice Two: Unscrambling to Imitate

Directions: In the model and the scrambled list, A. identify the opening adjective. B. Next, unscramble and write out the sentence part to imitate the model. C. Finally, write your own imitation of the model and identify the opening adjective.

Model: Speechless, Bryson scanned the small living room, frantically.
--Robert Ludium, The Prometheus Deception

a. hopefully

b. spotted the soft inviting sofa

c. Kendra

d. uncomfortable

Uncomfortable, Kendra spotted the soft inviting sofa, hopefully.

Angry, Bob felt his bag of discs, frantically.

Sentence Composing #3 Combininb to Imitate

Sentence Composing # 3- Combining to Imitate

These exercises ask you to combine a series of plain sentences into just one varied sentence by changing the plain sentences to sentence parts resembling the model sentence. As you do these exercises, you'll become aware that plain sentences can easily be changed into sentences parts of better, more varied sentences.

Directions: 1. Combine the following sentences to create a sentences that has the same order of sentences parts of the model. 2. Then write your own imitation of the model.

1. Model: Twisting and punching and kicking, the two boys rolled across the floor.

--Lois Duncan, A Gift of Magic

a. The winning team was laughing and yelling and celebrating.

b. The team cavorted.

c. The cavorting was inside the locker room.

Own Sentence: The winning team was laughing and yelling and cavorting inside the locker room.

The kids were singing and yelling and jumping in the play room.

2. Model: He fell back exhausted, his ankle pounding.

--Raplh Ellison, "Flying Home"

a. She raced fast.

b. She was determined.

c. Her lungs her bursting

Own Sentence Her lungs burning, she raced fast and determined

His head pounding, he ran to the sideline.

3. Model: Alone, Tom looked around the room and knew that he was a stranger here.

--Hal Borland, When the Legends Die

a. Clark was afraid.

b. Clark walked down the alley.

c. Clark hoped something.

d. Clark hoped that he was alone there.

Own Sentence Clark hoped he wasn't alone as he walked down the alley, afraid.

Bob wished he was in a different place when he entered the school.

4. Model: The room was empty , a silent world of sinks, drain boards, and lock cupboards.

--Frank Bonham, Chief

a. The arena was full.

b. The area was a huge cavern.

c. It was filled with fans.

d. It was filled with bright lights.

e. And it was filled with exciting music.

Own Sentence The Arena was full, a huge cavern filled with fans, lights, and exciting music.

The house was empty, an enormous cave filled with chairs, couches, and darkness.

Unscrambling Sentences

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sentence Composing # 2- Unscrambling Sentences to Imitate

The unscrambling of sentence parts helps you to see how those parts connected within the model sentence. As a result, you will glimpse the mind an author composing a sentence so you can go through a similar process when you compose sentences.

Directions: Unscramble the sentence parts to imitate the model. Then write your own imitation of the model (You are creating your own sentence using the same structure as the model)- Topic Idea: Anglo-Saxons or Old English

1. Model: Dumpster diving is outdoor work, often surprisingly pleasant.

--Lars Eighner, "On Dumpster Diving"

a.sometimes quite costly

b. is recreational activity

c. mall strolling

Mall strolling is recreational activity, sometimes quite costly

Frog catching is physical activity, sometimes quite tiring

2. Model: Near the car, idling in front of the mortuary, was a huge Oldsmobile.

--Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis

a. was a skittering gecko

b. behind the pool

c. zigzagging in back of the cabana

Behind the pool, zigzagging in back of the cabana, was a skittering gecko.

In front of the man, running through the kitchen, was a small snake.

3. Model: Above the field and pastures, the mountains were just becoming visible as the morning fog burned away.

--Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

a. were just becoming interested

b. when the fire alarm sounded

c. after the cartoons and previews

d. the kids

After the cartoons and previews, the kids were just becoming interested when the fire alarm sounded.

After the soccer game started, the fans were just arriving when it started raining.

4. Model: In the shallows, the dark, water-soaked sticks and twigs, smooth and old, were undulating the clusters on the bottom against the clean ribbed sand.

--E.B. White, "Once More to the Lake"

a. sweet and tasty

b. were beckoning to children

c. in their kiddie seats within their mom's grocery carts

d. on that aisle

e. the tempting, brightly colored candies and lifesavers

On that aisle, the tempting, brightly colored candies and lifesavers, sweet and tasty, were beckoning to children in their kiddie seats within their mom's grocery carts.

In the jungle, the loud, screeching monkeys, red and hairy, were yelling at the tribesmen as they were passing by on the trail.

Anglo Saxon Culture vs. Modern Culture

After examining background information about the Anglo-Saxon period and Old English, write a paragraph comparing and contrasting Anglo-Saxon culture and/or Old English language with the culture you live in today. Are they completely alien of each other or are there interesting similarities?

I would say that there are a lot of similarities. For example, the Romans were very greedy and made the Welsh do backbreaking work so they could make money. This reminds of me of huge corporations that make the little guy do a lot of work, but with very little profit. I would also say though that they are very different because it would take a lot less people now to do the jobs described in the video.