Writing Warm-ups: Increasing skills in analytical writing

1
Writing Warm-ups Increasing skills in analytical
writing

• 2nd 6 weeks
• All warm-ups are due by 330 on Tuesday, November
  1st.
• No late work!

2
Wed/Thurs, Oct 5th/6th

• Focus Extending Elaboration of ideas
• It requires the writer to
• --reflect on the evidence
• --comment on aspects of the text that are not
  immediately apparent to the reader
• --the analysis moves beyond plot summary
• --marks a sophisticated writer
• Now, lets practice. . .

3
Practice 1

• Original Sentence
• Medea is a complex character who is driven by
  her need for revenge. She tells Jason her pain
  from killing her children is a fair price to
  make him pay.
• Elaborate on the main idea of these sentences.
  Be prepared to share in class. You may add
  sentences. (You probably should ? )

4
Friday, October 7

• Common problems with sentence structure
• Comma splice occurs when two sentences (2
  independent clauses) are joined together with a
  comma only. A coordinating conjunction should
  follow the comma in such a case. (you may also
  use a semicolon)
• Original John walked down to the candy store, he
  decided to buy Jolly Ranchers.
• Revised John walked down to the candy store he
  decided to buy Jolly Ranchers
• OR John, deciding to buy Jolly Ranchers, walked
  down to the candy store.

5
Practice 2

• Make the necessary corrections
• 1.) Jasons situation appears entirely hopeless
  to the audience, he does not realize the
  seriousness of Medeas plan.
• 2.) Audiences are unclear as to whether Euripides
  supports Medea or abhors her, the text is simply
  too complex to provide one single reading.
• 3.) Now, write your own sentence that is
  composed of TWO independent clauses and correct
  punctuation.

6
Wed/Thurs Oct 12th/13th

• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
• When we write our sentences, our pronouns and
  antecedents must agree in number, gender, and
  person.
• A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun (I,
  me, he, most).
• An antecedent is a word or group of words to
  which a pronoun refers.
• This is a common question on the AP exam
• Today, were going to practice avoiding vague,
  confusing or ambiguous pronoun reference.

7
Practice 3

• Correct the sentences
• When Michelle purchased some groceries, they
  asked her for her Krogers discount card.
• The teacher discussed the students failing
  grades with her mother after she finished
  drinking the cup of coffee.
• The coach told the boy to leave practice because
  he was tired.

8
Wed/Thurs, Oct 19th/20th

• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
• A collective noun takes a singular pronoun when
  considered a unit if considered in terms of
  individual parts, the collective noun takes a
  plural pronoun.
• Example The faculty unanimously voted to
  increase its salaries by four percent.
• its as opposed to their

9
Practice 4

• Correct the following sentences
• The football team agreed to cancel their early
  morning practice due to inclement weather.
• Either Bob or Bill will earn their degree at the
  end of the term.
• Each of the boys is ready to give their best in
  the soccer game.

10
Friday, October 21st

• Sentence combining using subordinating
  conjunctions
• For contrast although, even though, while
• For cause and effect because, since, as
• Example I do not have any money. Ill have to
  borrow twenty dollars from someone else.
• Revised Since I do not have any money, I will
  have to borrow twenty dollars from someone else.
• Notice how the revised sentence just sounds
  better. ?

11
Practice 5

• Revise the following sentences
• A 1948 law says that women cannot be assigned
  combat duty. It is possible women will be
  involved in combat in the next war.
• Michelangelos sculpture Pieta is now displayed
  only behind a protective glass shield. It was
  damaged by a lunatic.
• Other composers have been more inventive. None
  have captured the American spirit like Duke
  Ellington.
• An innocent man was executed for a crime. The
  real murderer was eventually caught.

12
Monday, October 24th

• Sentence combining with absolute phrases
• An absolute phrase is a group of words that
  modifies an independent clause as a whole
• Example Julia listened in stunned silence, her
  smile vanishing from her face.
• Notice the difference Julia listened in stunned
  silence. Her smile was vanishing from her face.

13
Practice 6

• Combine the following sentences by creating an
  absolute phrase in the pair and joining that
  phrase to the other. Underline the absolute
  phrase.
• 1. John waited in the classroom. He fingers
  tapped on the desk nervously.
• 2. The bank robbers fled the scene within
  minutes. The security guard saw part of the
  license plate numbers.
• 3. Mrs. Jones stared at the class. She had two
  research papers in her hand. She gritted her
  teeth.
• 4. Carl knelt on the fifty-yard line. He looked
  up at the tied score. He realized the team only
  had two seconds.