PHRASES
AND CLAUSES
A
phrase is a fragment of a sentence. Phrases add meaning and information
but do not express a complete thought in themselves. In the following
example, note the two underlined phrases.
Example:
Marian walked across the street to buy some ice cream.
A clause
always contains a subject and a verb. It can also contain phrases. There
are two types of clauses, independent and dependent. We
don't count Santa Claus, who spells his name differently. An independent
clause is a complete sentence, and, as such, is a complete thought
and stands alone. A dependent clause cannot stand alone without
depending on an independent clause to complete its meaning.
Sentence:
Judy and Sharon rented a video that starred Jodie Foster as a crook.
Independent
clause: (complete thought): Judy and Sharon rented a video
Dependent
clause: (incomplete thought): that starred Jodie Foster as a crook.
There
are three different types of sentences: simple, compound, and
complex.
Simple
Sentence: A simple sentence expresses only one complete thought.
(independent
clause)
I
grew up in Compton.
My
mom and dad divorced in 1990.
Compound
Sentence: A compound sentence contains two or more complete thoughts
(independent clauses) connected by a comma and a conjunction or, sometimes,
by a semicolon. The common conjunctions that connect two independent
clauses are and, but, or, nor, yet,
and for.
Bill
liked dogs, but Diane liked cats. Bill liked dogs; Diane liked cats.
(indep.clause, indep.clause)
Judy
and Sharon rented a video, and it starred Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson.
(indep.clause, indep.clause)
Complex
Sentence: A complex sentence completes one or more thoughts and
contains at least one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
or phrases.
In
his garden, Grandpa grew lilacs, which were Grandma's favorite flowers.
(phrase,
indep. clause, depend. clause)
THE
PARAGRAPH
A paragraph
is one group of closely related sentences. Each sentence supports the
topic sentence of the paragraph (the main idea or reason for writing
the paper) like members of the same team. A paragraph has a beginning,
a middle, and an end. Most often, the first sentence contains the topic
sentence and a first paragraph introduces a paper or surrounds a particular
topic. The middle sentences of a paragraph support the topic sentence,
while the final sentence summarizes the paragraph or suggests some type
of action.
WHAT
IS THE STRUCTURE OF A STORY?
It should
be easy to write and easy to read. It begins with an introduction so
short that often one is hardly aware of it. The rest is direct and usually
in sequence - a series of natural events that the mind follows with
little effort. The development is cumulative; it builds up to the climax,
which often can be summed up in a single paragraph. What happens must
be inevitable - it must follow some kind of logic to be acceptable.
It must leave the reader with a sense of satisfaction.
A
story (whether paragraph or essay form):
1.
Beginning Introduction
2.
Middle Support Climax
3.
End Summary or conclusion(s)
HOW
DO I PREPARE TO WRITE A STORY?
Use
prewriting techniques
So, you
check out a memory from your memory bank. Then, what do you do? Once
you've stated the remembrance in written form, one good way to proceed
is to ask those timeworn questions that every newspaper reporter learns
as standard procedure:
Who? What? When? Where?
Why? and How?
| Who? |
Alexander
Johnson
|
| What? |
Scored
35 points
|
| When? |
October
17, 1998
|
| Where? |
Jefferson
"B" basketball game
|
| Why? |
I
was unstoppable that day
|
| How? |
Every kind of shot, but mostly dunks
|
Other
prewriting techniques can also include:
brainstorming
= listing important items in words or phrases
clustering = drawing a tree indicating your main subject and
different branches
with different aspects of the subject in phrases and words
freewriting = jotting down what immediately flows out of your
mind
journal keeping = taking ideas from notes you have been recording
Remember,
your memory is your mind's mirror. You have to stoke the fire.
Prewriting
Techniques:
1.
5 w's and an h
2. brainstorming
3 clustering
4. freewriting
5. journal keeping
OUTLINING
Outlining
is like assembling the skeleton for your paper-to-be. You create
the structure of your paper by sorting your initial ideas into
groups of items that relate to each other, in support of your main topic.
There are three ways to outline: the short-form outline (using
words or short phrases), the sentence outline (using complete
sentences), and the step-sheet (using either clauses or sentences).
Many writers of autobiographies or fiction use the step-sheet technique.
Short-Form
Outline
In the
short-form outline, the writer uses alternating numerical and
alphabetical characters to itemize the topics and subtopics.
Example
of a Short-Form Outline for a Five-Paragraph Essay:
1.
Topic Paragraph
Topic Sentence: My
father loved to fish.
2. Examples of fishing experiences
a. first experience
b. fishing with friends
c. catching 16"
trout
d. photo in newspaper
e. fishing with children
3. Conclusion
a. drowned in Lake Castaic
b. buried with fish
SENTENCE
OUTLINE
In the
sentence outline, the writer uses one or more full sentences for each
paragraph of the essay-to-be, later building upon them and adding to
them as the paper is being written.
Example
of a Sentence Outline for a Five-Paragraph Paper:
1.
Topic Paragraph
Topic sentence: My father loved to fish. From his earliest childhood
days, he
nagged his father until the older man took him to the pier and taught
him how
to bait a hook and cast a line.
2. The Experiences Paragraphs
After learning the basics of fishing at the pier, granddad took my
father on a half-day boat out of Dana Point every Saturday for a year.
Then, father was allowed to fish with friends on their parents' boats.
On his first trip to the Sierras, dad caught a 16" trout. His
picture appeared in the Bishop local newspaper with a photo of him
holding his fish. In his adult years, he loved to teach neighbor kids
how to fish. He often took them for their first half-day trip out
of Dana Point Harbor.
3. Father's Last Fishing Trip Paragraph
On vacation, my dad and his fishing buddies went fishing in a rental
boat in Lake Castaic. In the excitement of trying to land a gigantic
fish, Father fell overboard. Before any of his stunned buddies could
react, my father disappeared. His body was finally located by divers.
4. Conclusion Paragraph
After the sheriff finished his investigation, and the coroner did
an autopsy, Father's body was taken by train to our local funeral
home. My mother arranged for his last wish. My father was buried with
a fish in his coffin.
Example
of Step-Sheeting for Autobiography:
| Introduction
- |
My father loved to fish (topic sentence). |
| Paragraph
2 - |
His first experience catching a fish as a child was at age six.
|
| Paragraph
3 - |
Father had several fishing friends with whom he fished every week. |
| Paragraph
4 - |
While
fishing in the Sierras, he caught a 16" trout. |
| Paragraph
5 - |
His
photograph appeared in the local newspaper with his fish. |
| Paragraph
6 - |
In
his later years, he loved to take neighbor children on their first
fishing trip on a half-day boat out of Dana Harbor. |
| Paragraph
7 - |
On his last fishing trip, Father drowned in Lake Castaic |
| Paragraph
8 - |
He was buried with a fish in his coffin. |
Identifying
a memory from the past requires that you carefully think through what
you will write before you begin a first draft of the paragraph or paper.
Putting your ideas down in prewriting form and developing a plan or outline prior to a first
draft is important in the writing process. Once you have a first draft,
you can follow with at least two more drafts to correct grammar and
punctuation, strengthen, and edit your writing effort.
Unit
2 Questions
1.
Write three short sentences using journal entries as material.
2.
Write three short sentences, each with a phrase, and underline the phrase.
3.
Write three independent clauses drawn from your journal.
4.
Write a simple sentence from your journal.
5. Write a compound sentence from your journal entries.
6.
Write a complex sentence from your journal entries.
7.
Answer the following:
The
first sentence of a paragraph ______________ the topic.
The second and succeeding sentences of a paragraph _____________ the
topic.
The final sentence ________________ the topic.
8.
Name three types of prewriting techniques.
Send
a copy of your answers attached to an E-mail addressed to your mentor.
HOMEWORK
Please send each homework submittal as an attachment to an E-mail
addressed to your mentor.
1. Make
your daily journal entries for the week.
2. Go back to the five names you listed as good storytellers. In your
journal, indicate why you consider each one a good storyteller.
3. Complete "The Teens" portion of your
Memory Checklist. Send a copy of your answers as an attachment to
an E-mail addressed to your mentor.
4. Add ten more items from the teen part of your Memory Checklist to
your journal.
5. Prepare prewriting and outline materials and write a first draft
of a significant experience you had when in your teens. Send a copy
of all three as attachments to an E-mail addressed to your mentor.
