March 24, 2014

1. March 24, 2014 Fundamentals of Grammar

2. Student Led Homework Review • Going in “chat list” order, each student will read a sentence and offer their answer. • If other students have alternate answers or questions, you will raise your hand and offer your input once the current reader has finished. • Avoid writing questions in chat; instead, once the reader provides answer, he or she should ask the class if anyone has questions or alternative responses. • Use chat only for writing out responses when necessary. Make this into a verbal discussion.

3. Quick Lil’ Pronoun Review Subject and Object Pronouns:What’s the difference? Me You Him Her It Us Them I You He She It We They love/s run/s from savor/s

4. The Cult of “I”dolotry Oprah called Jerry and I. Oprah called (Jerry and) I. OH HELL NO. In this case, “I” is the object of the verb “called”. Therefore, it should be “me”, the correct object pronoun. Don’t drink the cool-aid! Using “I” indiscriminately because someone once told you it was more sophisticated is just plain wrong.

5. Use subjective case pronouns (I, You, He, She, It, We, They) for subjects and subject complements. Don’t be put off when it sounds a bit strange. Are these the shoes you want? Yes, those are they.

6. Use objective case pronouns for all objects. Direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition are often easy to discern, but beware of compound objects. The most exciting experience she and I ever had was when the president paid her and me a visit. When the doctor gave my mother and (I) me a serious talk, I knew I had to make a change.

7. Remember that appositives restate/rename the preceding noun or pronoun, so they must be in the same case as their antecedent. The crazy clowns, Sheila and I, had a hilarious routine. The crazy clowns, played by Sheila and me, had a hilarious routine. The crazy clowns had two assistants, my brother and me.

8. Following than or as, choose the pronoun that expresses your meaning. Test by mentally completing the sentence. My sister prepares for events more than I (do). Nobody offered as much as she (offered). We didn’t depend on anyone as much as (we depended on) her.

9. We/Us Firstly, I would suggest using this sparingly for emphasis. We students demands a re-test! The teacher must show us students respect! We the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union… The Queen shows us peons no honor, no dignity.

10. In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions Which a minute will reverse. -T.S. Eliot The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

11. Coordination and Subordination Coordination joins two ideas of equal importance, while subordination puts the idea of less central importance in its place. Coordinating single words or phrases: Not only a dearth of ideas but a generally dull mode of communicating them makes this author’s piece of work more aptly called a piece of…Oh, never mind.

12. Coordinating Clauses Two options: comma + FANBOYS OR semicolon Semicolons are often accompanied by a conjunctive adverb or some other sort of transitional word or phrase (list on RFW p143) “This Be The Verse” by Philip Larkin is my favorite poem. I call a lot of poems my “favorite”. …poem, but I call… …poem; that said, I call…

13. Subordinating Clauses Express the major idea in an independent clause and place minor ideas in subordinate clause or phrase. (See RFWp144 for chart) “This Be The Verse” is my favorite poem. I call a lot of poems my “favorite”. Although I call a lot of poems my “favorite”, “This Be The Verse” is (truly) my favorite poem. Even though I often say “This Be The Verse” is my favorite poem, I call a lot of poems my “favorite.”

14. BREAK OUT GROUPS! Split into two groups and discuss how best to revise the passage you are assigned. Each group member will have to open their email and use the passage I sent earlier.

15. Part One • Teachers often want to know ways to help students prepare for life after high school. Whether their students choose to go to school full-time to work full-time or to balance school, and work. The best way to prepare for any of these options is to practice three success skills. The first success skill is goal-setting student’s should discover, what they want to achieve over the next three to five years. In planning to succeed, goals might include; intellectual curiosities that are satisfy being financially and to personally independent; helping other’s, experiencing new things meeting new people, or any combination of these kinds of objectives. Therefore teachers can help students to often discover. What goals would be worth a student’s time, money, and energy. Students can engage in this discovery by reading a wide range of materials and using their reading to solve real-world problems. They can talk to people in many differently fields, and practice looking at the world through these different lenses.

16. Part Two The second success skill is planning. Students needed to know the resources and processes required to get to the goal they also need to know how to make back-up plans. Students can sure acquire this skill by taking ownership, of their learning environment. They can advocate for change’s that will improve the learning environment and do much of the work required to bring those changes about. They can practice making choices and living with the consequences. Finally the last success skill is learning to care deeply and profoundly about having an important place in the world after high school. That place could be in the students family in a circle of friends who are admire in the world of meaningful work in the community or in any combination of these circles of influence. If there is no caring deep than there will be no will to continue to work hard even in the face of distraction disappointment or despair. Teachers can help students to be invested in their own lives by giving them opportunities to succeed or even fail in tasks of their own making. In this way students can learn about what they are willing to strive for. These three skills goal-setting, planning, and caring are at the core of every worthwhile pursuit. Without they’re becoming a mature independent adult is fair well impossible.