Class Rules of the Road

New Classroom
We are now meeting Mondays and Wednesdays in D-313.

Late Homework
Late homework is not accepted. (see syllabus) If you are out ill, you are to e-mail me your homework no later than NOON the day it is due. Also, it is your responsibility to call your study buddy and find out the homework for the next class session. (Yes, I try to keep you all informed, but this is NOT my responsibility!)

Late Tests
If you are out ill, you may make up a test/quiz when you come back. You may not make-up speeches. Essays due follow the same rules as for homework (see above). If you are out Monday and Wednesday, you can still make up the test/quiz on Friday. You may only make up a unit test the week that it was given. We move quickly in this class and therefore, I don't want you to fall behind with make up work.

Tonight's Snowstorm
We are supposed to get about 6 inches of snow tonight. The weatherman is saying that it will be snowy for tomorrow's commute. I know a lot of you have to use public transport. Please try to leave your home early to come to class on time. If you are going to skip class due to the snow, remember...

you must hand in:

1. Your brainstorming
2. Your outline
3. Your five paragraph essay

no later than noon on Friday, February 24th.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

Next week I will post information about how to study for the midterm, so please read this blog daily!

Grammar Games

Who ever said that learning grammar has to be boring?

Active vs. Passive Voice Basketball Game
Present Perfect and Simple Past Tense Hangman
Irregular Simple Past Tense Jeopardy Game

Ready...Set...Passive Voice!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Great work today on the passive voice. Remember, break down the sentence. Don't let the sentence be the master of you; you be the master of the sentence! Changing an active voice sentence into a passive voice sentence is a very hard task in English because you need to fully analyze the sentence in order to change the object into the agent.

Follow these handy dandy steps and tame the passive voice dragon!

Take your active voice sentence and:

1. Identify your verb. Write 'V' above it.
2. Identify the tense of the verb. Is it a) simple present, b) simple past, c) present perfect, or d) future (will)? Write the tense above the verb. (This is great work for you as you will know all of those pesky verb tenses in no time!)
3. Identify the subject of the sentence. Write 'S' above it. Now analyze the subject. Is it 'they' or 'somebody'? Ask yourself if it would add information to your passive voice sentence. If not, cross it out! (Don't worry, the subject will eventually forgive you. They are attention hogs but need to learn to share the spotlight with the objects once and awhile. It is nice to share after all!)
4. Identify the object. Write 'O' above it. Remember, the object becomes the agent of the passive voice subject. If you like, write 'O-A' next to it.
5. Switch-a-roo! Identify all of the phrases of the sentence. Move everything that has to do with the agent to the front of the sentence. Then the verb. Then anything left over that adds to the meaning of your sentence. If it is too vague, leave it out!
6. Now, re-write your sentence. Read over your work. Did you make any mistakes? (No, of course not because you are all passive voice experts after this lesson!)
7. Bask in the glory of having mastered the passive voice and congratulate yourself that all your perseverance paid off.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Active to Passive Transformations

More Passive Voice Exercises than you can shake a stick at! (What did I say?)

Homework for Friday, February 11, 2011

1. Writing Journal is due! If you are e-mailing it, put all your writing in ONE file. Send as a .pdf or .doc.
2. Unit 3 Lesson B Workbook: Turn in a hard copy of your answers.
3. Unit 3 Textbook: Adverbial clauses exercises. (I will update this later, I am away from my books at the moment!)
4. Study for passive voice quiz. Same format as the test from Monday.

~Happy Studying!~

Adverbial Clauses are Your Friends

Monday, February 7, 2011

Here we are on a Monday and yet again, I find myself once more warning you about the weather. It is to turn frightfully cold later tonight. Make sure you wear your warmest clothes and winter gear this week; frostbite happens very quickly with below zero wind chills. (Is it summer yet? How about now? How about NOW? No? <sigh>)

Adverbial Clauses
Adverbial clauses answer questions words from the main clauses. Think of the main clause as a tiny sentence. It provides some information, but not enough information to enlighten our reader/listener. When we first learn English, we write very choppy sentences to make sure the grammar is right.

I felt ill. I went to the doctor. He said I had the flu. He gave me some medicine.

OK. This does convey our information but it sounds, well...rather monotonous. Try reading the previous sentences out loud. It actually sounds strange to have all those pauses between the sentences, right?

Thus, we need our friends, the adverbial clauses.

Since I felt ill, I went to the doctor. He gave me some medicine because he said I had the flu.

Now read that out loud. It sounds much better doesn't it? (I can see you all nodding your heads!)

This also helps us greatly when we write because 1) we avoid accidently using subordinating clauses as sentences, and 2) it allows us to utilize complex grammar and an extended vocabulary.

Next time you write in class or at home, re-read your sentences. If the start of your sentence is 'Because...' please make sure it is attached to a main clause! If you struggle with writing fragments, play special attention to this week's grammar lesson!

Practice
Our Canadian friends at the English Language Centre at the University of Victoria bring us this lovely page on adverbial clauses. Make sure you click on 'first exercise' at the bottom of the page to test your knowledge!

Homework for February 7, 2011

1. Writing Journal: Topic: Your choice (150 words) (Make it a good one. This is your last writing journal assignment before you hand in your journal on Friday.); Due: Friday, February, 11, 2011
2. Unit 3: Lesson A: Workbook: 1. A & C, 2. A, B, & C
3. Unit 3: Lesson B: Workbook: All exercises; Due Friday, February 11, 2011. Either xerox the pages or simply write your answers on a sheet of paper.

~Happy Studying!~ (and Stay Warm!)

Reminder: The Textbooks and Workbooks are Available in the Library

Hello Class!

Just a friendly reminder that three copies of the textbook and workbook are on reserve in the library for those of you who have not bought books. Simply go to the reservation desk, show your ID and you can borrow the books. You cannot take them out of the library, but there are several xerox machines available for student use.

I hope this helps!

Writing and Typing Fun!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Typing Made Easy
I noticed that many of your are struggling with typing. Whether you want to go to college or get a really good job, or even just type e-mails or texts to your family and friends, you really need to know how to type.

There is a free version of Typing Tutor available. You can put this on your personal computer and learn how to type. The system requirements for your computer are at the bottom of the page.

If you don't want to download software, you can practice directly on your computer by visiting the following websites:

Keyboarding Practice
keybr.com
powertyping.com

Writing
Good work today with your practice on brainstorming. Writing with the monitor turned off is simply one way to brainstorm. Other ways include drawing thought bubbles and picture boxes. We will experiment with several ways during this course. You don't have to love them all, just find the one type of brainstorm that helps you to write. This is the key.

Keep thinking about the Blizzard of 2011. We will be writing full essays on this topic. Next week, we will work on how to outline this topic.

Homework for Monday, February 7, 2011

1. Study for Unit 2 Test. Same format as your Unit 1 Test.
2. Read and do the activities for the Writing Essay handouts until #3 Outlining. pp. 1-7.
3. Writing Journal: Topic: Crisis in Egypt (150 words); Due Friday, February 11, 2011

~Happy Studying!~

Important Announcement: Class Cancelled for Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Dear Students,

Triton College has just announced that classes are cancelled at 3:00pm today, Tuesday, February 1, 2011 and through all day Wednesday, February 2, 2011.

Please stay indoors warm and safe. If you have fellow students in other courses, spread the word so that they know about the closing.

Homework for Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Writing Journal: Topic: The Blizzard of 2011 (150 words); Due: Friday, February 11, 2011

~Happy Blizzarding!~