Transcript Sophomore Grammar Essentials Review

Grammar Essentials Review
Mr. Welch
Lesson 1: Avoiding Run-ons
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You can only combine sentences
(Independent Clauses) 2 ways:
1. A comma + FANBOYS conjunction
2. A semicolon (;)
Kurt Vonnegut:
• “Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite
hermaphrodites representing absolutely
nothing. All they do is show you've been to
college.”
• This is rather bigoted, but the gist is important:
semicolons should be used rarely. They
should only be used to join two sentences that
are so closely related it would be awkward to
separate them with a period.
Examples of Lesson 1
• We won the game, so we celebrated.
• Oedipus has tried to avoid his fate yet still
shows respect for the gods; he fled Corinth but
is found praying at the beginning of Oedipus
Rex.
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– (Compared to a period, the semicolon helps the reader by showing that
the two events in the second sentence are examples of the general
claims of the first sentence. Only use ;’s only if necessary to help your
reader see the connections between your ideas)
Follow the reverse of Lesson 1
Rules, too…
• Semicolons ONLY join related IC’s! (with the
rare exception of compound lists of
complex items)
• Generally, do not use a comma + a FANBOY
conjunction unless you are combining two
sentences.
…Otherwise, you’ll make these mistakes:
• “Dartanyon kills Richelieu; showing he can fence.”
• “Dartanyon kills Richelieu; I wish the Care Bears were still on TV.”
• “We won the game, and celebrated.”
• Strategy: Whenever you use a semicolon or a
comma + FANBOY, look on both sides & make
sure each is a complete sentence (IC).
Lesson 1: Avoiding Run-Ons
– “At one point in the story, Holden went on a date
with Sally Hayes and while he was attracted to her
and was nice to her he became annoyed after she
told him some of his ideas of them "running away
together" were stupid and then he told her that she
was “a royal pain in the ass.”
Lesson 1 is why the GWP has
the following PT’s
• IC = Independent Clause = can be a sentence by itself
• ca = conjunctive adverb (e.g. however, nevertheless, in fact,
accordingly, etc.)
1.IC; IC.
2.IC, cc IC. (the cc’s are the FANBOYS)
3.IC; ca, IC. (just a variation of #1)
Lesson 1 Review
•
You can only combine sentences 2 ways:
1. A comma + FANBOYS conjunction
2. A semicolon (;)
The inverse usually holds for 1 and always
for 2: semicolons only combine
complete sentences.
Lesson 2: Introductory Commas
• Simply put, always add a comma after
introductory words, phrases, and
clauses—anything that is not part of the
main claim (the independent clause) of the
sentence.
Lesson 2 Examples
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Therefore, we went home.
However, the crook had other ideas.
In the kitchen, we binged on pop tarts.
Before leaving, we waved goodbye.
After the storm, the alligators came.
Because Henry was a survivalist, he was
prepared for the deadly alpaca swarm.
NO EXCEPTIONS! ADD THE COMMA!
Lesson 2 Inception
• If you have multiple introductory words,
phrases, and clauses, add a comma after each
word, phrase, and clause.
• E.g. So, in the morning, after he had packed
everything in his truck, Harold began his
long drive home to Mongolia.
This is where the GWP gets the
following PT
6. DC, IC.
•Notice how my Lesson 2 covers many more
cases besides dependent clauses, such as
individual words and prepositional phrases.
Lesson 2 Controversy?
• Some people say that introductory commas
are obsolete and adding them after
introductory elements is unnecessary.
• Mr. Welch’s rejoinder: these people want English
language to decay and become more difficult to
read; they are likely communists.
• Introductory commas help your reader more easily
digest your sentence. Help your reader. Also, this
“always add commas” rule is easy to remember.
So, be old school.
Lesson 1 Review
•
You can only combine sentences 2 ways:
1. A comma + FANBOYS conjunction
2. A semicolon (;)
The reverse also holds, generally speaking:
these two methods only combine
complete sentences.
Lesson 2 Review
• Always add commas after introductory
words, phrases, or clauses not part of
the main claim of the sentence
Lesson 3: “Appositive” Breaks in ICs
need Commas
• Any break in your sentence that is not an
intrinsic part of the main claim and simply
adds extra information I will call an appositive.
• Appositives are always set off by commas
• E.g. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is angry at
Creon, who is actually his brother.
What was the IC of this sentence? (the main
claim capable of standing on its own)
• Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is angry at
Creon, who is actually his brother.
• IC: Oedipus is angry at Creon.
• The Patriots, having lost Tom Brady and
several of their receivers, still beat Miami.
• IC: The Patriots still beat Miami.
• John, even though he was injured, ran today.
• IC: John ran today
Lesson 3: “Appositives” need Commas
• Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is angry at
Creon, who is actually his brother.
• Appositives can occur in the middle or ends of
sentences.
– If occurring in the middle, they need commas on
BOTH SIDES
– If at the end of the sentence, they need a comma
at their beginning.
Lesson 3: “Appositives” need Commas
• Basically, treat ANY break in the MIDDLE of your
sentence that does not require the word “that” as an
appositive needing commas to set it off.
– This includes:
• conjunctive adverbs (ca’s) like “however”
• DC’s (dependent clauses, which are complete sentences with an
extra word [a dependent modifier a.k.a. subordinating conjunction]
added to them at the beginning: “when I ate”)
• verb phrases.
• Some “appositives” are not xiRC’s (x-tra information
relative clauses).
• This is why I’ve put “appositives” in quote. True appositives are
noun phrases, or reduced xiRC’s.
Are these ‘appositives’ needing commas?
• Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is now blind.
• YES - This is a true appositive: a reduced relative clause
• Jocasta, however, is dead.
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YES - This is a ca. Other examples might be “nevertheles,” “on the contrary,” “furthermore.” Think back to PT #4:
IC, IC, ca, …
• Oedipus found the garden, that he had heard about in a prophecy.
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NO - This iRC is intrinsic to the main claim. Replace “that” with “which,” however, and you need a comma.
• Oedipus, when he arrives in Athens, prays.
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YES - This is a dependent clause not part of the IC
• Antigone, having helped her father through the years, knows when he
needs to rest.
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YES - This is a participial phrase not part of the main claim
• Ismene traveled, from Thebes, to visit.
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NO - This is a prepositional phrase. They never need commas unless beginning a sentence (rule 2)
Lesson 3: “Appositives” need Commas
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Oedipus found the garden, that he had heard about in a prophecy.
NO! “that” will almost never have a comma before it.
Ismene traveled, from Thebes, to visit.
NO! Prepositional phrases within ICs do not need commas
But what about at the beginnings of ICs
– Phrases using the word “that” and prepositional phrases occurring in
the middle or end of sentences are part of the main claim of a
sentence and are not appositive breaks in a sentence. Commas are
not placed before these.
• When a prepositional phrase begins a sentence, follow rule 2.
Otherwise, no commas.
Lesson 3: “Appositives” need Commas
• Dependent Clauses in the middle of sentences need
commas, but not If they end a sentence.
• YES: Oedipus, when he arrives in Athens, prays.
• YES: Oedipus prays when he arrives in Athens.
• NO: Oedipus prays, when he arrives in Athens.
• NO: Antigone was worried, because Oedipus had to leave with Theseus.
*** THE WORD “BECAUSE” SHOULD ALMOST
NEVER HAVE A COMMA BEFORE IT!!!
Rule #3: This is where the GWP
gets the following PT’s
4. IC; IC, ca*, …
7. IC, DC, …
10. IC, xiRC.
12. IC, xiRC, …
Secret PT
• If you end a sentence with a ca, you need a
comma before it.
• Bob held all four aces, in fact.
• Laurie was usually alert when crossing the street; she never saw or
heard the dump truck, however.
PT#13: IC, ca.
Welcome to the dark side.
Strategy for Rule 3
• If part of a sentence in the middle or end
needs (or can have) a “pause,” it is an
“ap-pause-itive.” and needs commas.
• GET IT??!??
• HUH??!?
•
I’ll leave now.
Rules 1-3 Review
1. You must combine sentences with either
comma + FANBOY or a Semicolon (;)
2. ALWAYS add commas after introductory
words, phrases, and clauses not part of the
main claim of the sentence
3. Always set off “appositive” breaks in the
middle or end of sentences with commas.
PT’s Not Needing Punctuation
And thus not needing one of my rules…
5. IC; IC ca …
Sometimes conjunctive adverbs do not require commas:
“Harold didn’t hear the starting gun; he nevertheless ran a decent time.”
8. IC DC
9. IC iRC
11. IC iRC …
Lesson 4: Many Adjective
Splices Need Commas
• If you splice two things together, you join or meld
them, like splicing orange bushes to trees to create
citrus trees.
• When you use two adjectives in a row, you usually
need a comma between them:
• Larry is a big, athletic dude who can also perform
complex, time-consuming tasks with ease.
• More than two adjectives? see Lesson 5…
Lesson 5: The Oxford comma
• Add a comma between the last two items in
a list of three or more things.
• In the morning, I have eggs, toast and
jam, pancakes, and orange juice.
• The comma before the final conjunction
“and” helps to signal to your reader that the
list is coming to an end and not presenting
another compound item.
Lesson 5: The Oxford Comma
• For whatever reason, some people—even
English teachers—tell students not to add the
Oxford comma.
• These people are likely communists who want
to make English more difficult to read.
• Mr. Welch’s argument: The Oxford comma helps
your readers avoid having to re-read your lists to
double-check where the sentence picked up
after the list ended. Add the comma.
Lesson 5: The Oxford Comma
• In the morning I eat eggs, toast and jam,
pancakes and orange juice, and I go for a run
before going to school.
• Notice what a mess this compound sentence
becomes without the Oxford comma. You pour
orange juice on your pancakes? A reader would
have had to re-read this after discovering that
the list ended with the orange juice. Don’t listen
to the Communist saboteurs. Add the comma.
• AND IN THE MORNING NEEDS A COMMA
AFTER IT! DID YOU FORGET RULE 2? DOES
WHAT I SAY MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?
What are the 3 idea points of this thesis? (the three things
that make Davenport a good investigator?)
• “Captain Davenport, a black army lawyer in
the South, is a good investigator because of
his character and morals of not backing down,
following his gut and standing up for himself
as a black man living in the South.”
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-character?
-morals?
-not backing down?
-following his gut?
-standing up for himself as a black man?
Notice how the little Oxford comma
clears everything up!
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“Captain Davenport, a black army lawyer in
the South, is a good investigator because of
his character and morals of not backing down,
following his gut, and standing up for himself
as a black man living in the South.”
OOOOHHHH!!! I see now!!!
1. Not backing down
2. Following his gut
3. Standing up for himself as a black man
Rules 1-5
1.
You must combine sentences with either comma + FANBOY
or, much less often, a Semicolon (;)
2.
ALWAYS add commas after introductory words, phrases,
and clauses not part of the main claim of the sentence
3.
Always set off “appositive” breaks in the middle or end of
sentences with commas (except for DC’s ending sentences).
4.
Add commas between spliced adjectives
5.
Add a comma between the last two items of a list (the Oxford
Comma)
Rule 6 – Participial Phrases
Ending Sentences Need Commas
• Participle: an –ing form of a verb used as an adjective
• This is basically an elaboration of a rule #3 case, but
participial phrases are extremely powerful tools in descriptive
writing.
• I open the door and listen, waiting for any sign of life inside
and wondering if I am the next victim.
• The situation escalated, ending in the police showing up and
confiscating the petting zoo, animals, and cocaine.