Notes for English Rhetoric (2) Nov. 1, 2006

1. Notes for English Rhetoric (2) Nov. 1, 2006 • In the previous sessions, we devoted a lot of time to discussing basic topics such as: • Finding Your Voice: Why write and speak? • Using Journals to enhance English proficiency • Formulating a main idea and generating supporting ideas • Writing a Paragraph: Topic sentences, mapping and outlining • Starting from Chapters 5 and Chapters 24 – 25, we are going to brainstorm by further in-class writing, and drafting for speech delivery based on the previous discussions and the newly provided references. When you begin to write an essay or draft a speech, pay attention to the topics of “Word Choice” (Chapter 23), “Identifying Subjects and Verbs” (Chapter 24, and “Subject-Verb Agreement” (Chapter 25), as well as other reminders that I have provided to you both in class and online. In addition, please read Jean Aitchison’s (1994) Words in the Mind, in which she analyzes how humans manage to store so many words, and how they find the ones they want【in the proper context】.

2. Writing Lab Santa Fe Community College Gainesville, Florida Beth Kamiski, 28 with 2 children. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Major: NURSING (P. 8) Alicia Martinez, 19. Los Angeles, California. Major: BUSINESS (PP. 9 - 10) Tony Anderson, 25. Atlanta, Georgia. Major: PSYCHOLOGY (P. 11) Dan Tribble, 35 with wife and 2 kids. New York, New York. Major: COMPUTRS Science. (PP. 12 – 13)

3. Using Outline Form (PP. 72 - 76) I. Introduction Thesis: (My car has a lot of disadvantages.) (Learning to write English composition has been a formidable challenge to me.) The outline form Is broken down into main headings (I, II, III,IV) II. Main topic (1) A. Support topic 1. Detail (1) 2. Detail (2) B. Support topic C. Support topic Support headings III. Main topic (2) • 1. Detail (1) • 2. Detail (2) • Support topic • Support topic • C. Support topic Further details V. Conclusion

4. Essay Paragraph Topic Sentence Introduction with ThesisStatement Support Main Topic Support Main Topic Support Conclusion Conclusion Development Communication Skills PP. 181, 184; Writer’s Resources P. 73

5. rusty roof unreliable expensive unattractive My dinosaur of a car (85) a dent in the passenger door fender & wheel well bumper Ready for the Junk Heap/pile (Chap 5 – PP. 85 – 86) Because of the way most people live today, cars are no longer luxuries but necessities. … Needless to say, without a car, I’d be lost. Unfortunately, my car is no longer as reliable as it once was, and the older it gets, the more of a cause of anxiety and concern it becomes (to me). … My car has lots of disadvantages because it is unreliable, expensive, and unattractive.

6. Ready for the Junk Heap (PP. 85 – 86) A Junk Heap/Pile of cars in Detroit, Michigan Junk airplanes in Tucson, Arizona

7. Paragraph From “Formulating a Main Idea” (P. 43) To “Generating supporting ideas” (P. 45 – Writer’s Resources) Topic Sentence Support 1 Support 2 • Focus on your topics in different ways. (45) college life; Taiwan politics; Jobs; iPod,… Support 3 • Jot down your topics on the notebooks or writing pad as they pop into your head. “Brainstorming” (P. 45) Brainstorming is like priming a pump; once the ideas start coming, they come faster and faster. Conclusion Development Communication Skills PP. 181, 184; Writer’s Resources P. 73

8. Writing a Paragraph (P. 53 – 69) The process of writing a paragraph: • Formulating a Main Idea” ( 43) • 2. Generating supporting ideas” (31, 45 ) • 3. Organizing (31, 53) • 4. Drafting (31, 58) • 5. Revising (31, 59) • 6. Editing a paragraph (31, 62) • 7. Conclusion (31, 63) Examples (Topics) • On the fifth anniversary of the September (2001) attacks. • The aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Katrina • On driving safety – Using of a cell phone while driving is dangerous.

9. Writing a Paragraph (57 - 58) Title: My Car / My Motorcycle Topic Sentence: My car / motorcycle has a lot of disadvantages for me. 1. Reliability 1.1 Breakdowns, noises 1.2 Safety 2. Cost 2.1 Expenses: Tires, brakes, gas 2.2 Hard on budget 3. Appearance 3.1 Dented door, rusted fender 3.2 I am embarrassed. 4. Conclusion

10. Writing a Paragraph (57 - 58) Title: Recalling My Freshman Life at SHU Topic Sentence: The freshman year at Shih Hsin University was never easy for me. 1. Adjustment 1.1 A totally different lifestyle 1.2 Anxiety (with new friends) the anxiety of learning English 2. Course work 2.1 Different ways of learning in college 2.2 Independent studies 3. The challenge of English coping with the formidable challenges of the 21st century 3.1 My learning of English at high school was …. 3.2 The forging of the four language arts: Listening, speaking, writing…. 4. Conclusion (What to do in this changing world? How to cope with the challenges of 21st century? How to brace for the globalization of the 21st century?)

11. Choosing the Positive and Courteous Words in your speeches and writings. Avoid words of negative connotation. (P. 312) (1)a Ms. Nancy Brown has a slender figure. (Yes.) (1)b *Ms. Nancy Brown is very skinny. (No.) (2)a Mrs. Kim Spolsky is plump, indeed (Yes.). (2)b *Mrs. Kim Spolsky is fat, indeed. (No.) (3)a My English is not good enough. (Yes.) (3)b *My English is very bad. (No.) (4) My daughter was sociable at the dance. (Yes.) • *My daughter was a little chatterbox at the dance. (No.)

12. Word Choice (Chapter 23, PP. 303 – 320) Using the appropriate words and expressions in the proper context is essential to efficient interpersonal communication. (Li 2006) • From GENERAL to SPECIFIC Words (PP. 304 – 305, WR) • Clichés (P. 317, WR, and Dictionary of Cliché by James Rogers) Cold as ice icy cold Dumb as an ox very dumb (Ch.: “Dumb as a goose) Hang loose. Relax. Hard as nails. tough physically/mentally Hot as hell hot and humid Mad as a hornet very angry Open-and-shut case straightforward Out on a limb in an exposed or dangerous situation Rain or shine, come. Come what may. A red-letter day. a memorable day or date. It rained cats and dogs. It poured. It rained heavily. Throw your hat in the ring. I’m a candidate. Rest on his laurels. Self-satisfying; complacent (Cf. NYT)

13. “China, the World‘s Capital” “From Kaifeng to New York” Kaifeng on the Hudson” Nicholas D. Kristof (紀思道 ) The New York Times May 22, 2005 As this millennium dawns, New York City is the most important city in the world, the unofficial capital of planet Earth. But before we New Yorkers become too full of ourselves, it might be worthwhile to glance at dilapidated Kaifeng in central China. Kaifeng, an ancient city along the mud-clogged Yellow River, was by far the most important place in the world in 1000. And if you've never heard of it, that's a useful warning for Americans - as the Chinese headline above puts it, in a language of the future that many more Americans should start learning, "glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds."

14. Thinking of Kaifeng should stimulate us to struggle to improve our high-tech edge, educational strengths and pro-growth policies. For if we rest on our laurels, even a city as great as New York may end up as Kaifeng-on-the-Hudson. Nicholas D. Kristof (紀思道) The New York Times May 22, 2005

15. (Sample 1) obeyed the

16. (Sample 2)

17. Writing a Paragraph (57 - 58) Title: Recalling My Freshman Life at SHU Topic Sentence: The freshman year at Shih Hsin University was never easy for me. 1. Adjustment 1.1 A totally different lifestyle 1.2 Anxiety (with new friends) the anxiety of learning English 2. Course work 2.1 Different ways of learning in college 2.2 Independent studies 3. The challenge of English coping with the formidable challenges of the 21st century 3.1 My learning of English at high school was …. 3.2 The forging of the four language arts: Listening, speaking, writing…. 4. Conclusion (What to do in this changing world? How to cope with the challenges of 21st century? How to brace for the globalization of the 21st century?)