Class note#3: (9/27/10-10/01/10)

Syntax

Definition: The rules that govern how people put sentences

Some techniques to use:

1. Sentence Construction
2. Sentence Length
3. Sentence Variety
4. Tone

Those can create effects such as emotional

Most common order is Subject Verb object or Subject Verb Complement

Ex: I threw the ball.

Coordinating Conjunction:Conjunctions that connect. Ex:  FANBOYS (For, And, But, Or, Yet, So)

Ex: I was hungry and thirsty.

Subordinating conjunction:One is dominant and other s not. It joins the thought

(Dependent clauses)  Some of the Subordinating conjunction: after, before, although

Ex: I went to McDonalds although I was not hungry.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjunctions.htmis a great website that shows examples of Coordinating Conjunction and Subordinating Conjunction.

Compound sentence:Two independent clauses with a coordinator

Ex: I wanted to go to Pizza Hut, but my friends wanted to go to Burger King.

Complex Sentence:An independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses
Ex: The cat was drinking soda because it was very thirsty.
The picture below shows the thirsty cat.


Simple sentence: Sentence with an independent clause.

Ex: I ate the fried chicken.



Short sentences show more actions and ideas than longer sentences.

Ex: He shot his friend on the chest shows more actions than “Jake, who decided to shoot his friend, pulled the trigger.”

Present tense shows more actions and ideas than past tense.

Ex: I want to kiss you since it will feel like kissing hot chocolate conveys more action and idea than the sentence “I kissed you”

The picture below shows the gorgeous kissing scene.


Sentence fragments are used to create various effects such as lyrical and cumulative.

Ex: I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. That is why I want to shoot you. Run away. Run away.

Ing forms can make sentence active and forceful

Ex: Wanting to eat the squirrel, Drake attempted to catch it.

The passive voice is used to create impersonal tone, not clear responsibility, and delay part of information to create suspense.

Ex: Drake had been eaten, and no one knew who ate him.

Conjunctions are used to create smooth rhythm and sentence openers.

Ex: The monster did not eat Drake, but it claimed that he had eaten Drake.

Verbal can be used to open a sentence, to create suspense.

Ex: Grabbing the m-1M with swift motion, the solider open fired.


Interrogatives can be also used to create suspense.

Ex: The solider did not open fire at civilians for nothing, didn’t he?

Punctuations can be used to create a desired effect

Ex: He threw a piece of cheese at little girl!

Clarity

Definition: Be clear in your thoughts and words.

Say what you mean.

The picture bellows shows unclarity



Is the picture above trying to show that a child and a mother cannot cross the street? Or is it showing that a parent cannot hold a child’s hand?

Use active voice instead of passive voice

Ex: I drank the milk.

Use a single point of view

Ex: She drank the milk rather than “She drank the milk while I was sipping coke.”

Break long sentences into the easier to understand pieces.

Ex: People need to help build economy by working on jobs are better than “To establish stable economy, people need to work harder on their jobs even if they need work on weekend”

The Plain Style

You should use short verbs, short words, active verbs, and simple sentences

Ex: I ate the bread is clearer than “I, driven by hungriness, ate the bread.”

.It is good to avoid the official style

Official style:A dominance of nouns and an atrophy of verbs.  Especially used by bureaucracies ex: law

The Concision

Do not be wordy. Eliminate all the unnecessary words

Ex: In the drama series Office by BBC, Michael, the manager of the company, had to fire one employee to follow his boss’s order. -> Mark had to fire an employee

Rhetoric

My note for week 2 shows the definition and examples of rhetoric well.

http://www.apelit-okemos.spruz.com/pt/Jaeyong-Cho--92010--92410-/blog.htm


http://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/clear_writing/how_to_write_clearly_en.pdfshows how to write clearly.
What we did in class?
We worked on syntax. diction, and imagery worksheets. We also read The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing.

Works cited

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjunctions.htm: a website that shows conjunctions

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/funny-pictures-sick-cat-drinks-soda.jpg  A picture of a cat
http://www.goodexperience.com/broken/images/paris_sign.jpg : A picture with unclear sign

http://cellar.org/2006/LionKiss.jpg: A picture of lion kissing a woman

http://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/clear_writing/how_to_write_clearly_en.pdf: A website that demonstrates how to write clearly

Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: definitions and examples of clarity, plain style, rhetoric, and concision.

The syntax note that Mrs. Holmes gave to us