Final Video

Week 6 Grammar Post: Conjunctions

During my last trip to the Writing Center I discovered I have problem with conjunctions. I decided to look up some rules for conjunctions in the "Nitty-gritty Grammar" book. Authors Edith H. Fine and Judith P. Josephson give this information it on conjunctions.

Conjunctions connect groups of words or parts of a sentence.

Common Conjunctions are:

and, but, since, though, as, if, so, unless, because, or, than, while

Examples:

Bessie and Daisy mooed happily.
Since it's St. Patrick's Day, I'm wearing green underwear.
You're a better swimmer than I [Implied: than I am.]
Julie couldn't reach Randy because he'd gone surfing.

But is it okay to start a sentence with a conjunction? It's fine--just don't do it too often. And avoid it in formal writing.

some conjunctions work in pairs:

both/and, neither/nor Whether/or not, either/or, not only/but also

Neither Romeo nor Juliet knew the whole truth.
She not only runs Latina but also writes articles for it.

America the Beautiful: What We're Fighting For By: Dinesh D'Souza

I really enjoyed reading this article. The way Dinesh D’souza wrote this article made me proud to be an American. I feel he brings out a lot of good points relating to the diversity of the American way of life. I feel he brings out a good reason for the strong opposition the fundamentalist Islamic people have for the United States. I never realized the Islamic fundamentalists felt threatened by the free democratic lifestyle of the United States.
I enjoyed the way Dinesh talks about virtues. I agree with him and his view on choosing to live a life of virtue verses being forced to live a life of virtue. People by nature don’t like being forced to live a lifestyle they don’t agree with. It is no wonder the Islamic fundamentalists feel threatened by the lifestyle of the United States.
I don’t necessarily agree with policies that try and force the American way of life on others. While I think it is the greatest lifestyle even with its faults, I don’t think it is a one size fits all type of thing. When the United States is threatened by extremists because they don’t like the fact their people are moving here to live a life of their choosing, then it is a time for action.
I don’t know that the United States has ever tried to push their beliefs outright on any nation. I know people make this claim when the subject of the current war in Iraq is mentioned. As far as I have seen, the United States freed the people of Iraq from a man who gloried only in himself and wouldn’t think twice about killing thousands of people just because he didn’t like something about them. The Iraqi people have been allowed to set up their own government, establish their own laws, and elect their own leaders. Yes there are those who strongly disagree with this, but based on the information in this essay, it is because they are losing the power they once held over the people.
One statement in this essay really holds true for me “When Americans rally behind a good cause, as in World War II, they are invincible.” The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are a gleaming example of this. This event is one of the strongest examples of American pride. The incident caused concern and fear for many, but it also solidified the country behind a cause. People from all walks of life, from different social classes, and different religious backgrounds joined together to fight a common foe—terrorism. This has been the case from the birth of this country, and I think it will be the case for centuries to come. We may all have our different political, social, religious, and social views, but all in all, I think we all share a common threat—we are Americans, we love our freedoms, and we will fight to the death to preserve them.

Week 5 Grammar Post

After these last few essays, I have learned I still have many issues with the use of commas. I found these simple instructions at the following web site:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm

1. Use a comma to separate the elements in a series (three or more things), including the last two. "He hit the ball, dropped the bat, and ran to first base." You may have learned that the comma before the "and" is unnecessary, which is fine if you're in control of things. However, there are situations in which, if you don't use this comma (especially when the list is complex or lengthy), these last two items in the list will try to glom together (like macaroni and cheese). Using a comma between all the items in a series, including the last two, avoid this problem. This last comma—the one between the word "and" and the preceding word—is often called the serial comma or the Oxford comma. In newspaper writing, incidentally, you will seldom find a serial comma, but that is not necessarily a sign that it should be omitted in academic prose.

2. Use a comma + a little conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so) to connect two , as in "He hit the ball well, but he ran toward third base."

Contending that the coordinating conjunction is adequate separation, some writers will leave out the comma in a sentence with short, balanced independent clauses (such as we see in the example just given). If there is ever any doubt, however, use the comma, as it is always correct in this situation.

One of the most frequent errors in comma usage is the placement of a comma after a coordinating conjunction. We cannot say that the comma will always come before the conjunction and never after, but it would be a rare event, indeed, that we need to follow a coordinating conjunction with a comma. When speaking, we do sometimes pause after the little conjunction, but there is seldom a good reason to put a comma there.

3. Use a comma to set off introductory elements, as in "Running toward third base, he suddenly realized how stupid he looked."

It is permissible to omit the comma after a brief introductory element if the omission does not result in confusion or hesitancy in reading. If there is ever any doubt, use the comma, as it is always correct. If you would like some additional guidelines on using a comma after introductory elements.

4.Use a comma to set off parenthetical elements, as in "The Founders Bridge, which spans the Connecticut River, is falling down." By "parenthetical element," we mean a part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the essential meaning of that sentence. The parenthetical element is sometimes called "added information." This is the most difficult rule in punctuation because it is sometimes unclear what is "added" or "parenthetical" and what is essential to the meaning of a sentence.

Appositives are almost always treated as parenthetical elements.

Calhoun's ambition, to become a goalie in professional soccer, is within his reach.

Eleanor, his wife of thirty years, suddenly decided to open her own business.

Sometimes the appositive and the word it identifies are so closely related that the comma can be omitted, as in "His wife Eleanor suddenly decided to open her own business." We could argue that the name "Eleanor" is not essential to the meaning of the sentence (assuming he has only one wife), and that would suggest that we can put commas both before and after the name (and that would, indeed, be correct). But "his wife" and "Eleanor" are so close that we can regard the entire phrase as one unit and leave out the commas. With the phrase turned around, however, we have a more definite parenthetical element and the commas are necessary: "Eleanor, his wife, suddenly decided to open her own business." Consider, also, the difference between "College President Ira Rubenzahl voted to rescind the withdrawal policy" (in which we need the name "Ira Rubenzahl" or the sentence doesn't make sense) and "Ira Rubenzahl, the college president, voted to rescind the withdrawal policy" (in which the sentence makes sense without his title, the appositive, and we treat the appositive as a parenthetical element, with a pair of commas).

When a parenthetical element — an interjection, adverbial modifier, or even an adverbial clause — follows a coordinating conjunction used to connect two independent clauses, we do not put a comma in front of the parenthetical element.

The Red Sox were leading the league at the end of May, but of course, they always do well in the spring. [no comma after "but"]

The Yankees didn't do so well in the early going, but frankly, everyone expects them to win the season. [no comma after "but"]

The Tigers spent much of the season at the bottom of the league, and even though they picked up several promising rookies, they expect to be there again next year. [no comma after "and"]

(This last piece of advice relies on the authority of William Strunk's Elements of Style. Examples our own.)

When both a city's name and that city's state or country's name are mentioned together, the state or country's name is treated as a parenthetical element.

We visited Hartford, Connecticut, last summer.

Paris, France, is sometimes called "The City of Lights."

When the state becomes a possessive form, this rule is no longer followed:

Hartford, Connecticut's investment in the insurance industry is well known.

Also, when the state or country's name becomes part of a compound structure, the second comma is dropped:

Heublein, a Hartford, Connecticut-based company, is moving to another state.

An absolute phrase is always treated as a parenthetical element, as is an interjection. An addressed person's name is also always parenthetical. Be sure, however, that the name is that of someone actually being spoken to. A separate section on Vocatives, the various forms that a parenthetical element related to an addressed person's name can take, is also available.

Their years of training now forgotten, the soldiers broke ranks.

Yes, it is always a matter, of course, of preparation and attitude.

I'm telling you, Juanita, I couldn't be more surprised. (I told Juanita I couldn't be more surprised. [no commas]).

5. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives. You could think of this as "That tall, distinguished, good looking fellow" rule (as opposed to "the little old lady"). If you can put an and or a but between the adjectives, a comma will probably belong there. For instance, you could say, "He is a tall and distinguished fellow" or "I live in a very old and run-down house." So you would write, "He is a tall, distinguished man" and "I live in a very old, run-down house." But you would probably not say, "She is a little and old lady," or "I live in a little and purple house," so commas would not appear between little and old or between little and purple.

6. Use a comma to set off quoted elements. Because we don't use quoted material all the time, even when writing, this is probably the most difficult rule to remember in comma usage. It is a good idea to find a page from an article that uses several quotations, photocopy that page, and keep it in front of you as a model when you're writing. Generally, use a comma to separate quoted material from the rest of the sentence that explains or introduces the quotation:

Summing up this argument, Peter Coveney writes, "The purpose and strength of the romantic image of the child had been above all to establish a relation between childhood and adult consciousness."

If an attribution of a quoted element comes in the middle of the quotation, two commas will be required. But be careful not to create a comma splice in so doing.

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many things."

"I should like to buy an egg, please," she said timidly. "How do you sell them?"

Be careful not to use commas to set off quoted elements introduced by the word that or quoted elements that are embedded in a larger structure:

Peter Coveney writes that "[t]he purpose and strength of . . ."

We often say "Sorry" when we don't really mean it.

And, instead of a comma, use a colon to set off explanatory or introductory language from a quoted element that is either very formal or long (especially if it's longer than one sentence):

Peter Coveney had this to say about the nineteenth-century's use of children
in fiction: "The purpose and strength of . . . . "

7. Use commas to set off phrases that express contrast.

Some say the world will end in ice, not fire.

It was her money, not her charm or personality, that first attracted him.

The puppies were cute, but very messy.

(Some writers will leave out the comma that sets off a contrasting phrase beginning with but.)

8. Use a comma to avoid confusion. This is often a matter of consistently applying rule #3.

For most the year is already finished.

For most, the year is already finished.

Outside the lawn was cluttered with hundreds of broken branches.

Outside, the lawn was cluttered with hundreds of broken branches.

9. Grammar English's Famous Rule of Punctuation: Never use only one comma between a subject and its verb. "Believing completely and positively in oneself is essential for success." [Although readers might pause after the word "oneself," there is no reason to put a comma there.]

10. Typographical Reasons: Between a city and a state [Hartford, Connecticut], a date and the year [June 15, 1997], a name and a title when the title comes after the name [Bob Downey, Professor of English], in long numbers [5,456,783 and $14,682], etc. Although you will often see a comma between a name and suffix — Bob Downey, Jr., Richard Harrison, III — this comma is no longer regarded as necessary by most copy editors, and some individuals — such as Martin Luther King Jr. — never used a comma there at all.

Note that we use a comma or a set of commas to make the year parenthetical when the date of the month is included:

July 4, 1776, is regarded as the birth date of American liberty.

Without the date itself, however, the comma disappears:

July 1776 was one of the most eventful months in our history.

In international or military format, no commas are used:

The Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776.

11. As you can see, there are many reasons for using commas, and we haven't listed them all. Yet the biggest problem that most students have with commas is their overuse. Some essays look as though the student loaded a shotgun with commas and blasted away. Remember, too, that a pause in reading is not always a reliable reason to use a comma. Try not to use a comma unless you can apply a specific rule from this page to do so.

Concentrating on the proper use of commas is not mere form for form's sake. Indeed, it causes writers to review their understanding of structure and to consider carefully how their sentences are crafted.

I'm Black You're White, Who's Innocent? By: Shelby Steele

I can’t say I was a very big fan of the essay I’m Black You’re White, Who is Innocent? The author, Shelby Steele, brings out some good points regarding the fact most people don’t like to discuss racial issues openly among a racially mixed group.

He makes a good statement when he says “I think the real trouble between the races in America is that the races are not just races but competing power groups.” In my personal experience, when I ever I have to deal with somebody of another race, I have to be very careful on what I say and do. I the person I’m dealing with doesn’t like the things I say to them, or if I do something they don’t agree with, I can always count on them “playing the racist card”.

The biggest thing I got out of this essay was all races are trying engaged in a balancing act. None of the races want to be viewed as the weaker race, but on the other hand they all want to receive special treatment because they feel they have been mistreated. It reminds me of a small child who tries to use “guilt trip” tactics to get something. They act like they have been neglected so they can achieve more respect and recognition.

This way of thinking has been going on for thousands of years. It is something that seems to be part of the human emotional make up. I don’t think there is anything that can be done to stop this problem completely. No matter what happens, somebody is going to feel they are being mistreated.