April 28, 2010

Housekeeping

• Last class’s slides.

• Do not hand in any more overdue work from the Short Story Unit (unless we have already talked about it). The deadline was last Monday.

Grammar Practice

• These sentences came from your assignments.• Most have one main error, but some have

more.• Try to find the error and correct it. We will go

over them together.

Grammar Practice

I could tell by looking at the room that a computer expert lived there. On the wall, there were posters about Microsoft Windows 7, and I found. . . [tense shift]

Grammar Practice

In the kitchen were bowls for dog food and water, and a lot of /many / different kinds of dog treats were on the kitchen counter. [fragment]

Grammar Practice

Furthermore, as I push at the door, it runs a Buddhist melody into my ears.

. . . a Buddhist melody runs into my ears

. . .I hear a Buddhist melody

Grammar Practice

On the table there are always many cups, glasses and cans.

Grammar Practice

I saw a bucket full of musty breads and rotten foods on the floor, on the window sill was a burned candle, and the curtains were very hard and dirty.

. . . floor. On the window sill was a burned candle. The curtains were very hard and dirty.

Grammar Practice

There are a few stationery on the desk.

. . . is some stationery. . .

. . . are a few pieces / sheets of stationery. . .

. . . is some sand between my toes.

. . . are a few grains of sand between my toes.

Grammar Practice

In his room, everything was in its own place.not it’s but its

possessive = itscontraction = it’s = it is

You would not say . . .was in it is own place

Grammar Practice

It is a topaz tower lamp on the floor close to the bed.

There is a topaz tower lamp . . .

Grammar Practice

At the intersection of two walls, there are two windows decorated with the abstract patterned curtains.

Feedback on Descriptive Paragraphs• These were generally quite good. Some could still use

more specific details. Some transition word choices were not clear.

• Review my feedback. Then, spend the next 15 or 20 minutes revising your paragraph for grammar and usage. You can gain an additional mark for making these changes.

• If you did not do the homework paragraph, use this time to either– review the descriptive paragraph chapter of the text in

preparation for the in-class assignment, or – work on the pronoun review handouts provided.

BREAK

Review of Descriptive Paragraph

• Your paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that indicates– who or what will be described, and– what your overall impression is of him/her/it.

• All the details should support this topic sentence.• The details should be specific and vivid and

appeal to the senses.• The details should be in a logical order.• Transition words should guide the reader through

this order.

In-class Descriptive Paragraph Assignment

• Do Writing Assignment #2 – Describe a Person• You should follow a writing process that includes– some form of prewriting, – a rough draft, – a final draft that shows evidence of revising (for

content) and editing (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)

• NOTE: Use the checklist on p. 278.• Hand in all the work including the final draft

before you leave.

Homework

• Continue reading novel to p. 54 (by Monday)• Make notes on the following (for discussion

and future assignments) (from p. 1 on)• new or interesting vocabulary• what the main character says and how he says

it• key events • metaphors or similes

• Be prepared for a short comprehension quiz on Monday (5-10 marks).