ActivitiesforWriting1

ActivitiesforWriting1
Activities for Writing
An Introduction to Writing
1.Writing Vs. Speech
writing is more formal than speech: 1) speech involves informal & abbreviated forms and construction.
in writing, we avoid those.
2) in speech, speakers do not worry precision in expression.
in writing, writers organize ideas well.
3) speech can be telegraphic. (e.g., He car. My car. Bong Bong. He car broken. My car all right.)
4) speech is temporally ephemeral (短暂的).
5）repetition of a phrase or sentence is allowed in speech.
Part One Manuscript Form
I.Arrangement
Use the checklist to locate the seven mistakes in format in the following lines from a student paper. Explain the mistakes in the spaces provided. One mistake is described for you as an example. (p.487)
1. Hyphenate only between syllables (predict-ably, not predi-ctably)
2._____
……
III.C apitalization
Capital letters are used with
a)All his life, Father has been addicted
to gadgets
b)I contributed to Senator McGrath’s
campaign fund.
c)The college offers evening sections of
Introductory Psychology I, Abnormal Psychology, and Educational Psychology.
d)M y grandfather’s Polish accent makes
his English difficult to understand. e)He grew up in the Midwest but moved
to the South to look for a better job. f)During the Middle Ages, the Black
Death killed over one-quarter of Europe’s population.
g)T anya has lived on army bases in
Germany, Italy and Spain.
h)D ear Sir: Sincerely yours,
IV.Punctuation
e.g.,
1. I laughed.
Badly frightened by the explosion, the boy rushed out of the laboratory.
2. His head tilted at an angle, and his eyes half closed.
His head tilted at an angle; his eyes half closed.
补充：
Apostrophe
/doc/03dbd60e52ea551810a687c3.html ed in contractions to show where
letters are omitted. e.g.,
I’m who’s
/doc/03dbd60e52ea551810a687c3.html ed to show ownership or possession.
E.g.,
Mark’s umbrella Tom’s car
Note: Ross’s car Or Ross’ car
The boys’ car Or the boys’s car
Part Two Diction
I. Levels of Words
Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the italicized slang words with more formal words. (p.544)
1.I didn’t realize how messed up Joey
was until he stole some money from
his parents and split for a month.
2.Greg was so bummed out the day he
got fired that he didn’t do anything
except veg out in front of the TV.
3.The entire town was psyched that the
corrupt mayor got busted. Underline the clichéin each of the following sentences. Then substitute specific, fresh words for the trite expression. (p.547)
1.When I realized I’d lost my textbook,
I knew I was up the creek without a
paddle.
2.My suggestion is just a shot in the
dark, but it’s better than nothing.
3.Janice got more than she bargained
for when she offered to help Larry
with his math homework.
Cross out the inflated words in each sentence. Then substitute clear, simple language for the inflated words. (p.549) 1.When my writing implement
malfunctioned, I asked the professor
for another.
2.The meaning of the movie’s
conclusion eluded my
comprehension.
3.The departmental conference will
commence promptly at two o’clock. Part three The Sentence
I. Complete Sentence and Sentence
Fragments
To find a subject:
Who is the first sentence about? The boy.
What is the second sentence about? That fish.
To find a verb:
What does the first sentence say about the boy? He cried.
What does the second sentence say about the fish? It smells.
Common Types of Fragments: Dependent-word fragments:(p.415-6) 1. After I cashed my paycheck. I treated myself to dinner.
a._______________________________
b._______________________________
2. I won’t leave the house. Until I hear from you.
3. Rick finally picked up the socks. That he had thrown on the floor days ago.
4. I drove past the old brick house. The place where I grew up.
-ing and to fragments:(p.418-9)
1. Ellen walked all over the neighborhood yesterday. Trying to find her dog Bo. Several people claimed they had seen him only hours before.
2. We sat back to watch the movie. Not expecting anything special. To our surprise, we clapped, and cried for the next two hours.
3. I telephoned the balloon store. It being the day before our wedding anniversary. I knew my wife would be surprised to receive a dozen heart-shaped balloons.
4. At the Chinese restaurant, Tim used chopsticks. To impress his date. He spent one hour eating a small bowl or rice. Added-detail fragments:(p.421)
1. Before a race, I eat starchy food. Such as bread and spaghetti. The carbohydrates provide quick energy.
2. Bob is taking a night course in auto mechanics. Also, one in plumbing. He wants to save money on household repairs.
3. My son keeps several pets in his room. Including hamsters and mice.
Missing-subject fragments:(p.423)
1. Alicia loved getting wedding presents. But hated writing thank-you notes.
2. Mickey has orange soda and potato chips for breakfast. Then eats more junk food, like root beer and cookies, for lunch.
3. Every other day, Kara runs two miles. Then does fifty sit-ups. She hasn’t lost weight, but she looks trimmer and more muscular.
How to correct run-ons? Method 1: period and a capital letter (p.430)
Correct the following run-ons:
1.In the summer, ants are attracted to
water they will often enter a house
through his dishwasher.
2.Humans have managed to adapt to
any environment they can survive in
Arctic waste, tropical jungles, and
barren deserts.
3.A five-year-old child knows over six
thousand words he or she has also
learned more than one thousand
rules of grammar.
Method 2: comma and a joining word (p.431)
Insert the joining word (and, but, for, so) that logically connects the two thoughts in each sentence:
1.Teresa works full-time for an
accounting firm, ____ she takes
evening classes.
2.I turned to the wanted ads, ____ I
knew my dream job wouldn’t be
listed.
3.Lizards become sluggish at night,
____ they need the sun’s warmth
to maintain an active body
temperature.
4.The canoe touched bottom, ____
Dave pushed it toward deeper
water.
Method 3: semicolon (p.434)
Insert a semicolon where the break occurs between the two complete thoughts in each sentences: (p.435)
1.The children stared at the artichokes
on their plates they didn’t know how
to eat strange vegetable.
2.I changed that light bulb just last
week now it’s blown again.
3.Maya curled up under the covers she
tried to get warm by grasping her
icy feet with her chilly hands. Choose a logical transitional word to fill in the blanks. Use a semicolon before the connector and a comma after it:(p.437)
1.Jackie suffers from migraine
headaches _________ her doctor
has advised her to avoid caffeine
and alcohol.
2.Ray’s apartment is always neat
and clean _________ the interior
of her car looks like the aftermath
of a tornado.
3.I try to attend all my math classes
________ I’ll get too far behind
to pass the weekly quizzes.
4. B.J. was singing Aretha Franklin
tunes in the shower _______ his
toast was burning in the kitch.
Method 4: subordination
Correct the following run-ons by using logical subordinating words to combine the two clauses in each sentence: (p.437) 1.The library has just closed I
couldn’t get any of the reserved
books.
2.The canoe touched bottom Dave
pushed the craft toward deeper
water.
3.I didn’t make good time driving
to work today every traffic light
along the way was red.
4.The exam room was very quiet I
still couldn’t concentrate. Misplaced modifiers:
1.George couldn’t drive to work in his
small sports car with a broken leg.
(The sports car had a broken leg?)
With a broken leg, George couldn’t drive to work in his small sports car.
2.The toaster was sold to us by a
charming salesman with a money-back guarantee.
(The salesman had a money-back guarantee?)
The toaster with a money-back guarantee was sold to us by a charming salesman.
Rewrite the sentences, placing related words together and thereby making the meaning clear. (p.478)
1.Frozen shrimp lay in the steel pans that were thawing rapidly.
2.The speaker discussed the problem of crowded prisons at the college.
3.The patient talked about his childhood on the psychiatrist’s couch.
4. V onnie put four hamburger patties on the counter which she was cooking for dinner.
Dangling modifiers:
Look at the opening words in each sentence and ask, who? The subject that answers the question should be nearby in the sentence. If it is not, provide the logical subject using either method of correction described earlier.(p.483)
1.Dancing on their hind legs, the audience cheered wildly as the elephants paraded by.
2.Pouring out the cereal, a coupon fell into my bowl of milk.
3.Escorted by dozens of police motorcycles, I knew the limousine carried someone important.。