KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Unit TWO and introduction to Unit 3

Getting to know the Writing center

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KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

AGENDA:

Discuss week 2 content:

Sentence Structure

The KU Writing Center

This week’s assignments

Introduction to Unit 3

KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Subject – what is this?

Let’s discuss…..

KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Subject:

tells you who or what the sentence is about

KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Verb: what is this?

KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Verb:

expresses action or state of being

Some sentences contain two or more subjects joined together with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).

The subjects that are linked together form a compound subject:

Carter’s liver pills and ivory soap are examples of brand advertising

Calendars, toys, and posters carried advertisements for early brand name products

COMPOUND SUBJECTS

Do not mistake a noun in a prepositional phrase for a subject. The subject is never in a prepositional phrase.

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition (such as after, in, of).

Examples: on the house

(on) is the preposition; house is noun (telling what)

SUBJECTS VS. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

A verb is a word or word group that indicates what the subject does or what happens to the subject.

Most verbs express action or a state of being:

Advertising IS bland without a slogan.

The announcer SPEAKS.

Often the main verb is accompanied by one or more helping verbs.

The announcer WILL SPEAK.

(will is helping, speak in main verb)

VERBS

Some sentences have two or more verbs joined together with a coordinating conjunctions (such as and, or, but).

The “Uncle Sam Wants You” poster stirred patriotism and increased enlistments.

Subject: poster

Compound verb: stirred; increased

Coordinating conjunction: and

COMPOUND VERBS

What is a clause?

Thoughts?....let’s discuss

CLAUSES

A sentence must not only contain a subject and a verb; it must also express a complete thought.

A clause is a group of related words that contains a subject and its verb.

There are independent clauses that express a complete thought and dependent (subordinate) clauses that do not express a complete thought.

When a dependent clause stands alone, it is a fragment.

CLAUSES

An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete and correct sentence.

Complete thought:

Advertising was not halted during WWII.

Subject: advertising

Verb: was, halted

INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

A dependent clause has a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete and correct sentence.

Subordinating conjunctions signal dependent clauses (after, when, if, before, etc.).

Incomplete thought:

After WWII ended.

(ask yourself, what happened? This is not a complete thought therefore not a correct sentence)

DEPENDENT CLAUSES

Here is a list of common subordinating conjunctions:

After, if, though, unless, during, before, as far as, than, that, since, even though, as soon as, because, until, whereas

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Does the word group have a subject

Does the word group have a verb

Does the word group begin with a subordinating conjunction

Does the word group begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, that, which)

HOW TO SPOT FRAGMENTS

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All punctuation serves one primary purpose—to separate.

To correct and avoid run-on sentences and comma splices, you need a good grasp of both

in between-sentence punctuation (periods, question marks, and exclamation points) and

within-sentence punctuation (commas, colons, semicolons, hyphens, dashes, etc.).

RUN-ON SENTENCES AND COMMA SPLICES

1. Read each sentence aloud and place a slash mark when you hear a pause. The pause indicates the need for punctuation.

Example: The library has a copy machine it is very conveniently located.

The library has a copy machine/it is very conveniently located.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE RUN-ON SENTENCES

2. Look for sentences that contain two complete thoughts (independent clauses) without punctuation to separate them.

Example: Houseplants are pleasant additions to a home or office they add color and variety.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE RUN-ON SENTENCES

3. Look for long sentences.

Example: Choosing a mate is one of the most important decisions you will ever make unless you make the right choice, you may be unhappy.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE RUN-ON SENTENCES

1. Create two separate sentences.

Many students do not have a specific career goal they do have some general career directions in mind.

Many students do not have a specific career goal. They do have some general career directions in mind.

HOW TO CORRECT RUN-ON SENTENCES

2. Use a semicolon.

Our psychology instructor is demanding he expects the best from all his students.

Correct:

Our psychology instructor is demanding; he expects the best from all his students

HOW TO CORRECT RUN-ON SENTENCES

3. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

Coordinating conjunctions:, and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet

HOW TO CORRECT RUN-ON SENTENCES

Like run-ons, comma splices are serious sentence errors that confuse and annoy the readers. They are corrected the same way as run-ons.

They occur when only a comma is used to separate two complete thoughts. A comma also is not sufficient to divide two thoughts. A stronger separation is necessary.

Example: Some people have strong mechanical ability, they often prefer hands-on tasks.

COMMA SPLICES

To test a sentence to see if you have written a comma splice, take the sentence apart at the comma.

If the part before the comma is a complete thought and the part after the comma is also a complete thought, then you need to check whether the second clause starts with a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, so, for, yet, nor).

If you do not have a coordinating conjunction to separate the two complete thoughts, then you have a comma splice.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE COMMA SPLICES

To correct comma splice use any one of the methods you used to correct run-ons:

Thoughts?

How do we do this…..?

HOW TO CORRECT COMMA SPLICES

To correct comma splice use any one of the methods you used to correct run-ons:

Separate the two complete thoughts into 2 sentences

Separate the two complete thoughts with a semicolon

Join the two complete thoughts with a common and a coordinating conjunction. (and, but, for)

Make one thought dependent upon the other by using a subordinate conjunction.

HOW TO CORRECT COMMA SPLICES

Clauses either stand alone and accept the responsibility for their own meaning, or they depend on another clause to complete their meaning.

Independent clauses can stand alone as sentences.

Dependent clauses can never stand alone because they are not complete sentences.

COMBINING AND EXPANDING YOUR IDEAS

KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Writing Center ~

Key areas and we’ll take a tour!

KU 121

Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Assignments due this week •Complete reading•Discussion•Seminar•MyWritingLab•Quiz

KU121

Unit 3 Introduction

KU121 Unit 3

•Developing our focus and prewriting

•Looking at the writing process from the beginning: Prewriting

•How to choose a topic•Prewriting process•Steps of the writing process•Parts of speech

•Complete: reading, discussion, seminar, MyWritingLab, Quiz