respone2
Step 1: In your original post, respond to this question: Why is grammar important in communication?
Your post should be at least 150 words. It must be posted by Tuesday, 2/9 for credit.
Step 2: Respond to a peer’s post. You can share your experience and state how it relates to the course material or to the initial post. You may agree or disagree with the post and explain why you agree or disagree. Or you can expand on your classmate’s post to demonstrate that you understand the topic. Your reply post should be at least 100 words. It must be posted by Thursday, 2/11 for credit
I want to respond for this post…
Hello everyone,
Grammar is important in communication because we can become misunderstood by others. When grammar is used incorrectly it can cause the listener or reader to misinterpret the meaning behind the words spoken. It would also help the speaker or writer to get their point across easier without having to use to many or unnecessary words. By using the proper grammar one can find it easier to communicate because it would to less misunderstandings along with having less unrelated chatter in the way. The speaker can give the accurate and meaningful information to the listener without having to worry about them getting the wrong idea or misinterpreting the information given. The listener would have no trouble in getting to know the speaker’s feelings on the topic being presented because the speaker would be giving the information along with making their notions of it clear as they speak or write of it.
Colonsand Semicolons
Dire c t e d L e arning Ac t iv it ie s — P unct uat ion & M e chanic s 05
How are semicolons and colons different and how is each used in writing?
Purpose
Upon completion of this activity, students will understand the differences between semicolons and
colons.
This DLA should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Before You Begin
To complete this DLA, you will need to view the video “Semicolons and Colons” from the Texas A & M
University’s University Writing Center and respond to the following about the video:
1) Describe the semicolon:
2) How is a semicolon used?
3) Describe the colon:
4) How is a colon used?
Exercise
The following short passages come from Claude M. Steele’s Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us
and What We Can Do. In these short passages, add either a colon or a semicolon (or maybe both) where
appropriate and, after each passage, state why you chose the punctuation mark(s) you did, referring to
the rules you listed above.
1) My second visit to Ann Arbor made me aware of what should have been obvious I had become
an observer of minority students and their achievement struggles.
2) The second striking thing I saw on this trip was a graph depicting student grades. It was my first
glimpse of an important fact that the academic troubles of black students at Michigan were not
entirely due to weaker academic skills and motivations.
3) Maalouf’s book describes the power of identity threat to lay claim to our psyches “People often
see themselves in terms of whichever one of their allegiances is most under attack. And
sometimes when a person doesn’t have the strength to defend that allegiance, he hides it.”
4) A second study divided [a] group of similarly aged boys into groups….But this time the tables
they were given made they choose an overall strategy of allocation [of points] one that always
allocated points equally between boys of the two groups one that maximized the joint profit of
boys from both groups and one that always maximized the profit of boys from their group over
boys from the other group, even when doing do would net “their” boy fewer points than a more
equitable strategy.
5) Treisman’s study began with an observation he made in the first-year calculus course he taught
at Berkeley it was the same observation I was to make later on when I visited the University of
Michigan and saw the grades of black and white students broken down by their entering SAT
scores.
Review your answers with an instructor or tutor in the Virtual Writing & Reading Center. Be sure you can
answer the essential question above.
- Essential Question
Purpose
Before You Begin
Exercise
Improving Editing Skills: Various Errors
Dire c t e d L e arning Ac t iv it y — P unc t uat ion & M e c hanic s 08
How can I improve my editing skills and locate common errors in my writing?
Purpose
Upon completion of this activity, students will be able to find and fix common errors.
This DLA should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Instruction
Read the tips below detailing some ways to help you find and fix errors in your own papers. After the
reading, you will find an activity to practice.
Have you ever found it difficult to proofread your own papers? Have you ever said to yourself that you
just can see your own mistakes? This is common. As a writer, you are often too close to your own
writing to be able to see what mistakes are present. After all, you are the one who wrote the words you
see in front of you. You know best what you meant to say. Then, your brain, being the wonderful
machine that it is, fills in any gaps that might be present, so when you read your papers to yourself, it is
very easy to miss the errors that might be there.
To help you be a better editor of your own papers, here are some suggestions for improving your editing
skills:
1) Take the time to double check your work before turning it in. Don’t just type your paper, print it
(or submit it), and turn it in. Save some time before printing (or submitting) to re-read what you
have written.
2) Get some distance from your work. Even better than re-reading before submitting is re-reading
after stepping away from your writing for a period of time. Even an hour or two can give you
some perspective on your words and any errors that might be in the paper.
3) Use the tools available to you. This includes using spell check or reading software on your
computer, but it also includes saving time to meet with an instructor or a tutor.
4) Print your paper out. Reading on a screen and reading a paper in your hand are two different
tasks. Having the paper in hand makes it easier for you to read one line at a time by covering up
portions of the text with a ruler or paper. Having a printed paper also makes it easier to read
backwards, or reading sentence by sentence from the last sentence to the first. It is easier to
spot errors when you are reading not for content but for sentence structure and surface errors.
5) Read your papers aloud. Your eye may pass right over a missing or misspelled little word like a
missing “the” or a misspelled “to,” so read aloud. Read each word as it is written—and not what
you want to be written—and read more slowly that you would speak so you can hear what is
said. You will be amazed at how many errors you can catch just by doing this!
Exercise
STEP 1: Using the key below, and the tips for editing your papers that you just learned, find the ten
errors listed, and make the corrections directly in the paragraph. Each sentence has at least one error.
• 1 point of view error 2 missing commas
• 1 fragment 2 unnecessary commas
• 1 fused sentence (run on) 2 capitalization errors
• 1 subject-pronoun error
Taking an english course can cause a great deal of stress. Especially if a student is also taking other
courses and working. However students can lessen their stress by following a few simple steps. First,
students should be willing to see their Instructor during office hours to get extra help this simple act
can end up giving them valuable insight into their writing strengths and weaknesses. Students
should also be willing to use the Writing and Reading Center for more than just typing papers, and
reading their textbook. While asking an instructor for help can be intimidating when an instructor is
asked for help in a certain way, the results can be quite beneficial. Most importantly, students
should consider his or her attitude. You should try to think of the class as merely one of several that
gets them one step closer to their goal of earning a college degree. While taking an English course is
not easy, students who work hard, and follow these steps can increase their chances of passing.
STEP 2: Using a paper you are currently writing, edit for errors using the tips listed above. See how many
you find.
Review your answers with an instructor or tutor in the Virtual Writing & Reading Center. Be sure you can
answer the essential question above.
- Essential Question
Purpose
Instruction
Exercise
Improving Editing Skills: Commas
Directed Learning Activity—Punctuation & Mechanics 02
What are three common comma errors and how do I fix them?
Purpose
Upon completion of this activity, students will be able to find and fix three common comma errors.
This DLA should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Terms to Know
An independent clause contains a subject + a verb + a complete thought. In other words, it is a complete
sentence.
A dependent clause contains a subject + a verb but not a complete thought. In other words, it is not a
complete sentence. If you put a period directly after one, it will result in a fragment. Dependent clauses
often begin with words like although, even though, because, while, and so on.
A nonrestrictive word group tells more about or modifies a word or phrase, but it is not needed because
taking it out will not change the meaning of the word or phrase. Therefore, you use commas.
Rules & Examples
• RULE #1: When you join two independent clauses with a conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet,
so), you need to use a comma. However, you do not use a comma if you join only two words or
phrases.
o Example:
▪ The Writing and Reading Center is a wonderful place to seek help from
instructors, and it is also a good place to find other resources like tutors and
workshops.
• RULE #2: Use a comma after introductory material. The material can be in the form of a
dependent clause, phrase, or word (that needs to be set off to prevent confusion).
o Examples:
▪ Although at first I was reluctant to go to tutoring, I am glad I made myself go
because it has helped me improve my grades.
▪ After waiting in line for twenty minutes, the student realized she had forgotten
to bring the DLA she wanted help with.
▪ Above, the sky looked dark and threatening.
• RULE #3: Use a comma (or two) to set off transitional words, phrases, or nonrestrictive word
groups. Note that transitional words and phrases you use commas with can be moved to
different locations in the sentence.
o Examples:
▪ For instance, I now use the Darling’s Guide to Writing on a regular basis when I
am in the WRC.
▪ Stella could not believe, for example, that Eduardo’s affections for her were
fake.
▪ Doctor Khan, who had a big smile on her face, said the operation was a success.
Exercise
Using the information you just read about three common comma rules, do the activity below. There are
five missing and five unneeded commas in the paragraph below.
Add commas where needed, and cross out commas that are unneeded.
Each sentence contains one comma error.
While college is challenging in a number of ways students can excel if they keep in mind three
important tips. First students should be curious. While all students, have specific areas of
interest, it is important for students to want to know information that does not seem to directly
involve their degree area in order to help them stay engaged in non-degree courses. Another,
important tip for students to follow is to be willing to change. Many students struggle, or drop
out of college due to an unwillingness to become the person they need to be in order to be
successful in the college environment. Students should look forward to evolving as people and
college provides a wonderful environment to do that in. Most importantly students should start
viewing themselves as a brand.
Companies like Coca-Cola, and Apple will go to great lengths to make sure that nothing negative
is associated with their product. Likewise, it is vital for students to understand that how they
behave, and with whom they associate can affect their image and future outcomes. Fortunately,
being successful in college is not impossible but students do need to understand how to go
about it.
Review your answers with an instructor or tutor in the Virtual Writing & Reading Center. Be sure you can
answer the essential question above.
- Essential Question
Purpose
Terms to Know
Rules & Examples
Exercise
Hyphens and Dashes
Dire c t e d L e arning Ac t iv it y — P unc t uat ion & M e c hanic s 03
What are the differences between a hyphen and a dash?
Upon completion of this activity, students will be able to explain the differences between hyphens and
dashes and will be able to correct errors in hyphen and dash use in a short passage.
This DLA should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
To complete this DLA, you will need to view the video “Hyphens and Dashes” from the Texas A & M
University’s University Writing Center and respond to the following about the video:
1) How are hyphens used?
2) How are dashes used?
3) Name the three ways you might see a hyphen used with a modifier.
4) Hyphens are used ONLY when the modifier comes [BLANK] the noun. They are never used
[BLANK] the noun or when the modifying word ends in [BLANK].
5) What are the two types of dashes?
6) The [BLANK] dash is used very specifically: for numerical ranges such as years, months, and
times, or when talking about relationships.
7) The [BLANK] dash (created with two hyphens next to each other) is used to [BLANK].
Below you will find a passage with incorrect use of dashes and hyphens. Find and correct these errors,
which include dashes and hyphens used incorrectly as well as missing dashes and/or hyphens.
This semester, I am taking an art-history class, American art from colonial times to the Civil War.
This covers the years 1600-1870. So far, the course has been interesting. My favorite artists of
that time are the Peale family they are the best who painted in the 1700s. Many of the most-
famous paintings of that time can be attributed to them. For example, the father, Charles
Wilson Peale, painted fifty eight portraits of George Washington. I recently took my sixteen year
old niece to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where many Peale-family paintings are housed, and
we learned that the Peale family brought geraniums to America can you believe it! We enjoyed
looking at Rubens Peale with a Geranium painted by his brother Rembrandt Peale from 1801,
which shows a thoughtful looking young man in wire rimmed glasses resting his hand on a pot
containing a red-geranium plant.
Though I am enjoying studying the Peales, I am looking forward to studying African—American
painters next. I hadn’t heard of Joshua Johnson, who lived in Baltimore (1763-1864) and was the
first person-of-color to make a living as a painter. Johnson’s work has been compared to the
work of one member of the Peale family, Charles Peale Polk, who was of all things the nephew
of Charles Wilson Peale. However, Johnson’s work is considered more sophisticated than that of
Polk, who was unable to make-a-living as a painter. Johnson, on the other hand, was successful
in his time as a painter of famous Marylanders.
Review your answers with an instructor or tutor in the Virtual Writing & Reading Center. Be sure you can
answer the essential question above.
- Essential Question
Purpose
Before You Begin
Exercise