Generative Sentence Steps 8, 9, and 10

1. Generative Sentence Steps 8, 9, and 10 DS 014 Writing

2. Today’s Agenda • Sign-in • Funny Resume Mistakes • Review of Clusters, Absolutes and Relative Clauses • GSR Step 8—Positioning Free Modifiers • GSR Step 9—Parallelism • GSR Step 10—Making Things Non-parallel (with a point) • Combining Sentences Assignment • Journal • Coming Up…

3. Stupid Things Written on Resumes • I can ruin a whole store if hired. • Objective: Decent pay, decent benefits and no complains. • I expect my salary commiserate with my experience. • This is a ruff draft of my resume.

4. Review of Clusters • We can have verb, noun and adjective clusters. • Verb clusters are made by taking the verb on a BSP-1 or BSP-2, changing it to an –ing form, then moving it to start off a sentence. • The solution deteriorated after an hour. • Deteriorating after an hour, the solution exploded.

5. Review of Clusters (cont.) • To make a noun cluster, we start with BSP-3s (you remember, the ones that have linking verbs?) • We take the part of the BSP that is describing and move it around. • John is a talented musician. • A talented musician, John plays numerous instruments.

6. Review of Clusters p3 • We can make adjective clusters the same way we make noun clusters, except this time, we start with BSP-4s (the ones with the descriptive modifiers in there). • The program was faulty in its program statements. • Faulty in its program statements, the program had to be rewritten. • The road was blocked by a tree. • Blocked by a tree, the road was impassible.

7. Absolutes Review • Another type of free modifier--the absolute--is formed by taking away or removing the “to be” from a base clause. • His nose was running. • His nose running, Jack looked pitiful. • Her hands were blue from the cold. • Her hands blue from the cold, Misty huddled near the fire.

8. Relative Clauses Review • A free "relative clause" is created by replacing a noun with a relative pronoun such as "who" or "which." • Dogs are mammals. • Dogs make good pets. • Dogs, which make good pets, are mammals. • Dogs, which are mammals, make good pets.

9. GSR Step 8—Free Modifiers in Motion! • Once freed from its original base clause, a modifying structure may appear in any of three positions: initial (before the new base clause), middle (in the middle of the new base clause), or final (after the new base clause)

10. Example of a moving modifier • Clutching her purse to her chest,Pamela stumbled into the room. • Pamela, clutching her purse to her chest, stumbled into the room. • Pamela stumbled into the room, clutching her purse to her chest.

11. GSR Step 9—Parallelism • In GSR, Parallelism works by allowing us to combine sentences that have similar structures (BSPs), and that describe the same thing, into a single sentence. • The material may be easily recognized. • It is dark brown outside. • It is grey-green within. • Dark brown outside, grey-green within, the material may be easily recognized.

12. More Parallel Examples • He skied down the hill. • He planted his poles mechanically. • He tried to perfect his style. • Skiing down the hill, planting his poles mechanically, he tried to perfect his style.

13. Let’s try a few more • The trees swayed mightily. They stretched ominously over us. They threw odd shadows across the road as we passed. • She groused at being late. She hated not being prepared. Susan earned promotions quickly.

14. GSR Step 10—Non-Parallels • If two or more structures modify another one, then they ought to be parallel; if they do not modify the same structure, then they should not be parallel. • Working in non-parallel structures begins to pull in modifiers which can modify each other (rather than the subject). • Non-parallel modifiers also allows you to have different types of modifiers within the same sentence.

15. Example of Non-parallel free modifiers • The machine was a portable Acme unit. The machine was more efficient. The machine reduced liquid waste especially well. • A portable Acme unit, the machine was more efficient, reducing liquid waste especially well.

16. Another example • She walked down the desert road in the heat of the day. She was hot and wet. Her face was burnt and dusty from the clay-like sand. She wondered why she had ever decided to go sightseeing. • As she walked down the desert road in the heat of the day, hot and wet, her face burnt and dusty from the clay-like sand, she wondered why she had ever decided to go sightseeing.

17. Combining Sentences Worksheet • Given everything we’ve talked about with adding modifiers (bound and free), combine the sentences in the worksheet. • Note—Not all of them will need clusters/absolutes/clauses—some can be reduced to bound modifiers and “scrunched” into another sentence. • You can do this in class or as homework—it’s due Monday.

18. Journal Entry • What did you learn this week that will make a difference in your writing? • What did you find most confusing?

19. Coming Up… • Monday • Steps 11 and 12 of the GSR • Take home GSR test • Wednesday and Friday • No class • Monday the 27th • GSR test due • Intro to the Paragraph (Chapters 1 & 6 in Paragraphs)

20. Have a Great Day!