The Writing Centre

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What My Gramar Didnt Teach Me

• The Writing Centre
• Nancy Marenick

http//www.mystfx.ca/resources/writingcentre/
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We Learn

• 10 of what we read
• 20 of what we hear
• 30 of what we see
• 50 of what we see and hear
• 70 of what we discuss
• 80 of what we experience
• 95 of what we teach others.

William Glasser
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Communication Skills are Crucial

• Students must have the ability
• To solve problems
• To examine ideas carefully and support them with
  evidence
• To incorporate and synthesize information
• (Sully,1995, Malaspina University-Colleges
  Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Project)
  http//www.mala.bc.ca/www/wac/proj.htm

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One can write.. only as well as one reads.

Kurland (2002) Reading and Writing Ideas As Well
As Words www.criticalreading.com
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Syntaxis

• http//www.syntaxis.com/index.php/grammar_quiz/

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Resources

• The Writers Toolkit
• http//thewriterstoolkit.com/
• Guide to Grammar and Writing
• http//grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

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Whats the difference?
Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like an orange
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Sentences are complete thoughts.

• Time flies like an arrow.
• Complete thought -independent clause (subject
  verb other words)

• Fruit flies like an orange
• Not a complete thought - no verb

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You Tube Clips

• Coordinating Conjunctions
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vrlPnBBoca7s
• Commas
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vUa197s8d2TAplaynex
  t1listPLA168DC33D4297BD2

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Language Tools and References

• Visual Thesaurus
• http//www.visualthesaurus.com/
• Pocket Basics
• http//www.pocketbasics.com/Downloads.aspx
• Dictionary Resources
• http//dictionary.reference.com/

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Common Error
Manuela is Ramons lifeline, he doesn't
appreciate all she does for him.
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• ?
• __________________ . _________________
• __________________ , and ______________
• __________________ _________________
• __________________ however, _________

Complete sentence
Complete sentence
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• ?
• _ . _ . _ . _ ._ . _ , _________________

Dependent clause
independent clause
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Solutions
Manuela is . . . . He doesn't . . .. Manuela is.
. . , but he doesn't . . . . Manuela is . . .
he doesn't . . .. Manuela is . . . however, he
doesn't . . .. Although Manuela is . . . , he
doesn't . . ..
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Affect/Effect

• Affect Action Verb
• The researchers results affected later studies.
• Effect Result Noun
• The effect of the drums added suspense.

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Then/Than

• He ran faster th_n his friend.
• He ran faster than his friend.
• Th_n she went to the store.
• Then she went to the store.

comparison
sequence
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Its/Its (it is)

• ___ your turn to present your proposal.
• Its your turn to present your proposal.
• The dog wagged _____ tail.
• The dog wagged its tail.

contraction
possessive
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There/Their/Theyre
There is. . . ? Expletive construction and not the subject of the sentence
Put it there. ? In that place
They argued their case. ? Possessive, belongs to
Theyre going ? Contraction for they are. Solution no contractions in academic writing.
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Misplaced Modifiers
The professor posted the notes for the students
covered in class. Barbaras husband walked the
dog, who had worked until 8 p.m. Yesterday I
found a five-dollar bill walking behind the
school. I shot a bear in my pajamas.
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Grammar and New York Times

• http//learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/5-eas
  y-ways-to-learn-grammar-with-the-new-york-times/

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http//escherdax.wordpress.com/tag/grammar/
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Vigorous writing is concise.

• William Strunks
• Elements of Style

• http//www.bartleby.com/141/

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Punctuating Properly
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vlm2OzAX86JU
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Quick Access

• http//shopping.sympatico.msn.ca/prices/quick-acce
  ss-reference-for-writers-third-canadian-edition/it
  emid19598759/?itemtextitemnamequick-access-refer
  ence-for-writers-third-canadian-edition

ISBN 0132384213
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The Grammar Lady

• http//www.aacton.gladbrook.iowapages.org/id3.html
  

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Helpful LInks

• http//www.chompchomp.com/
• http//english-zone.com/index.php?ID1
• http//web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar
  /parts.htm
• http//andromeda.rutgers.edu/jlynch/Writing/
• http//leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/editing.html
  
• http//www.teachmeteamwork.com/

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