Principles of Written English, Workbook 1

Copyright © 2013 by Maggie Sokolik

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Dramatic works contained within this volume are intended only as reading material, and their inclusion does not imply the granting of performance licenses, which must be arranged through the author.

Edited by Dorothy E. Zemach. Cover design by DJ Rogers.

Published in the United States by Wayzgoose Press.

Principles of

Written English

Workbook 1

_____________________________

Maggie Sokolik

_____________________________

Introduction

This workbook accompanies the online course, College Writing 2.1x, Principles of Written English, the first of a series of three courses offered by College Writing Programs of the University of California, Berkeley. You can find this course on the edx.org website (https://www.edx.org/course/berkeley/colwri2-1x/college-writing-2-1x-principles/1194). This workbook offers additional ways to practice writing, editing, and reviewing the materials for the online course.

If you have purchased this workbook and are not taking the course, you may still find use for the materials. However, it should be noted that the course is offered free of charge, so look for the schedule on the http://edx.org website and join the live course.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Week 1, Grammar Review

Chapter 2: Week 2, Sentences and Paragraphs

Chapter 3: Week 3, Thesis Statements

Chapter 4: Week 4, The Essay

Chapter 5: Week 5, Revision Practices

Answer Key

About the Author

Chapter 1

Week 1: Grammar Review

1. Weekly overview

Week 1 reviews the basics of grammar terminology. For some participants in the course, this will be nothing new. However, it is a good idea to be sure that you understand all the terms and can identify parts of sentences and grammatical terms easily. This makes talking about your writing easier.

2. Excerpts from online materials

The following is a sample of key materials from this week’s lesson:

Keys to improving your writing:

• Write often! It doesn’t matter what you write. Write about your day, something that you observed, reactions to your reading, etc. You will find suggestions for ideas to write about in your textbook.

• Share your writing. Be sure you post to the discussion boards and get and give feedback to your peers.

• Be patient. Learning to write well is a lifelong process. Keep working on it, and you will improve.

• Find good resources. This course will provide you with lots of links and information. Keep it organized on your computer or in a notebook.

Sources for Grammar Terminology and Information:

Websites

• Using English: http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/

• About.com, Grammar: http://grammar.about.com/od/terms/a/100-Key-Grammatical-Terms.htm

• English Plus: http://englishplus.com/grammar/glossary.htm

Books

• Oxford Learner’s Grammar: Grammar Finder, by John Eastwood, Oxford University Press, 2005.

• Grammar for Writing, by Joyce Cain, Pearson Publishers, 2012. Three levels available.

• Rhetorical Grammar, by Martha Kolln and Loretta Gray, Longman Publishers, 2012.

Table 1. Parts of speech/Parts of writing

3. Freewriting

The purpose of freewriting is to improve your speed and fluency by writing without editing yourself as you write. Take out a pen and paper, or sit at your computer and write on the following idea (or any idea you want) for 10 minutes without stopping. Do not edit yourself for grammar, spelling, or any other reason. Let the thoughts just spill onto your page or screen, without thinking about whether they are right or wrong, good or bad.

Freewriting topic 1: Why do you want to improve your writing in English? Think of all the reasons, not just the obvious ones.

4. Controlled Writing

In controlled writing, you should pay close attention to form and structure, editing yourself for grammar, organization, and clear ideas.

Controlled writing topic 1: Write two or three paragraphs on the following topic: How does academic writing differ from other types of everyday writing, in your experience?

5. Editing

The following paragraph has several errors in it. Identify the errors, and rewrite the paragraph correctly. Go to the back of this book (click here) for one possible correct way to write the paragraph.

As avid fotografer, its really interesting to learn about the history of fotografy, specially alongside with the life events of Mr. Muybridge^1. Really amazes me how, back then, fotografy was such a inaccessible hobby, and was seen as some strangely magic that could alter the passed of time. It was also shocking how to me the fotografers has to carry the huge gigantic plates if they wanted to make prints of that size, and how they must to bring the chemicals. Nowadays, all you really need is a camera and an SD card for digital memory (and sometime tripod). In addition, I use to take for granite the ability of the shutter opening and closing for the fractions of a second, but after reading about how they use to have to remove and replace the lens cap for exposure it, I will definately treasure it more.

1Eadweard Muybridge was an early photographer, who revolutionized the field of photography with his methods of taking photographs.

6. Vocabulary Check

Here are some words from this week that were used in this week’s course materials.  Check (√) or highlight the ones you already know. Look up the ones you don’t know. For the ones you don’t know, write them out on cards, or add them to a notebook, along with the definition, written in your own words. Indicate the part of speech. Then write an example sentence in your own words.

___ a fraction

___ a hobby

___ a shutter

___ a tripod

___ avid

___ chemicals

___ digital

___ exposure

___ gigantic

___ granite

___ inaccessible

___ lens cap

___ memory

___ photography

___ to remove something

___ to replace something

___ to take something for granted

___ to treasure something

Remember to share your work and comment on others’ work on the course website at http://edX.org.

Chapter 2

Week 2: Sentences and Paragraphs

1. Weekly overview

Week 2 covers the parts of sentences, and what it takes to write a clear sentence, as well as an organized paragraph. You will start to think about your topic for the essay due at the end of the course.

2. Excerpts from the online materials

The following is a sample of key materials from this week’s lesson.

Sources for writing effective sentences and paragraphs:

Websites:

• The Purdue OWL (online writing lab): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

• Revising Prose: http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/resources/revising-prose/

• Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex: http://eslbee.com/sentences.htm

Books:

• Effective Sentences: Writing for Success, by Jan Fluitt-Dupuy, University of Michigan Press, 2006.

• Gateways to Academic Writing: Effective Sentences, Paragraphs, and Essays, by Alan Meyers, Pearson Publishing, 2004.

• The Well-Crafted Sentence: A Writer’s Guide to Style, by Nora Bacon, Bedford/St. Martins Press, 2012.

Writing Good Sentences

6 Steps to More Concise Writing

“Concise” means using no more words than necessary to convey your meaning. Here are six ways to achieve conciseness.

1. Avoid redundancy. Look at these expressions: The words in parentheses aren’t necessary. They say the same thing as the main phrase.

• ten p.m. (at night)

• tall (in height)

• our (final) conclusion

• (the month of) June

• square (in shape)

• to combine (together)

• to ask (a question)

• a consensus (of opinion)

2. Watch out for wordy phrases. Wordiness happens when you use more words than you need to say something. For example, in view of the fact that means simply because. Table 2 shows how you can express wordy phrases more concisely.

3. Make your subject clear and defined.

Unclear: The practice of revision would improve our writing.

Clear: Revision would improve our writing.

Avoid the empty subjects it and there (called expletives).

Empty: There is no way to become a better writer than to practice.

Defined: We can become better writers if we practice.

4. Use strong verbs. Avoid using sentences that rely overly on some form of the verb to be in combination with nouns or prepositions.

to be + nouns: What we found was a solution to the problem.

Strong verb: We solved the problem.

5. Avoid vague words. Words like thing, stuff, material, people, get, or did should be replaced with precise words.

Vague: I needed to get some stuff at the store.

Clear: I needed to buy some groceries at the farmer’s market.

6. Remove unnecessary modifiers. Too many modifiers weaken the force of your writing; they bury your main ideas in a mountain of words that don’t mean much. Check for modifiers such as many, really, quite, in my opinion, etc., and edit them out of your writing.

Unnecessary modifiers: In my opinion, that movie was really quite good. I’m very glad we saw it.

Concise: That movie was great! I’m glad we saw it.

Writing Paragraphs

A good paragraph has an organization that makes sense to the reader. Each sentence leads logically to the next, and is should be connected through transition words or other connections. Besides a topic sentence and one main idea, an effective paragraph has coherence and development.

Coherence

Coherence makes a paragraph understandable to a reader. You can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical and verbal connections. You can develop logical connections by making sure that each sentence in a paragraph relates in some way to the topic sentence. You can also create these connections through the use of words (“verbal connections”). For example, you can:

• Repeat key words

• Use synonyms for key words

• Use pronouns to link sentences together

• Link sentences with transition words

Development

Development refers to the support you provide for your topic sentence. A well-developed paragraph should have an adequate number of sentences to support the main idea. What’s an “adequate number”? That depends on the idea, and how much development it needs. Here are some ways you can make sure your paragraphs are developed. You can:

• Use examples

• Give data (for example, statistics, data, information, examples)

• Quote others, either directly or through paraphrasing

• Tell a story

• Define your key words

• Compare or contrast ideas

• Examine causes and effects

3. Freewriting

Recall that the purpose of freewriting is to improve your speed and fluency by writing without editing yourself as you write. Take out a pen and paper, or sit at your computer and write on the following idea (or any idea you want) for 10 minutes without stopping. Do not edit yourself for grammar, spelling, or any other reason. Let the thoughts just spill onto your page or screen, without thinking about whether they are right or wrong, good or bad.

Freewriting topic 2: What is the ideal environment for writing? Do you like to write with paper and pen, or on a computer, laptop, or tablet? Do you need quiet, or do you like to have music or the television for company?

4. Controlled Writing

Remember that in controlled writing, you need to pay close attention to form and structure, editing yourself for grammar, organization, and clear ideas.

Controlled writing topic 2: Is it better to read things on paper, or on a screen? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

5. Editing

The following paragraph has several errors in it. Identify the errors, and rewrite the paragraph correctly. Go to the back of this book (click here) for one possible correct way to write the paragraph.

My past educational experience taught me to be forethought and never be afraid of striving for what I want. Back to high school, my advisor often told me to look at the whole picture and make a long-term plan, and she also said that fortune and fame could insure nothing for a life time. My professor once talked to me about hard-working – she said that it would take a long time for an effort to pay off but never lost faith in believing in that one day you will have a taste of victory. Meanwhile, my family education made me realize that the only thing I have is “right now.” I cannot replay yesterday, and I cannot predict tomorrow, so I should never be encumbered by limited condition. When I was a little, my mother always said “Lynn, go for it.” But sometimes I just preferred to wait for a little bit longer, because I insisted that longer I waited better I got. Finally, it turned out that I came home with no harvest every time. So now I remind myself every second that seize the day and fulfill the life.

6. Vocabulary Check

Here are some words from this week that were used in this week’s course materials.  Check (√) or highlight the ones you already know. Look up the ones you don’t know. For the ones you don’t know, write them out on cards, or add them to a notebook, along with the definition, written in your own words. Indicate the part of speech. Then write an example sentence in your own words.

___ a harvest

___ a victory

___ encumbered

___ fame

___ fortune

___ to fulfill something

___ to insist

___ to predict something

___ to replay

___ to seize something

___ to strive for something

Remember to share your work and comment on others’ work on the course website at http://edX.org.

Chapter 3

Week 3: Thesis Statements

1. Weekly overview

This week covers how to write a good thesis statement. You will practice discovering the argument in others’ writing, as well as start your first draft of your essay.

2. Excerpts from the online materials

The following is a sample of key materials from this week’s lesson:

Every academic essay you write should have a main idea, which is supported through an argument or arguments you make. Your thesis statement will reflect the arguments you are making about your main idea in a clear way.

A thesis statement should present your argument in one or two sentences. A thesis generally has two parts: a statement of the topic, and an argument or position about that topic. Look at this example. The topic is underlined, and the argument is in bold:

Continuing changes in pension plans make it almost impossible to plan wisely for  retirement.

The bold part of the sentence is the argument because it makes a specific claim about the topic. One way to test whether you have an argument or not is to ask whether a different claim could be made about it. For example, this thesis statement might also have been:

Continuing changes in pension plans save corporations and governments money that can be used more efficiently elsewhere.

or

Continuing changes in pension plans are necessary because of the smaller number of younger workers in the workforce.

If you cannot think of an alternative thesis statement, chances are that you have an observation about your topic, or an argument for which no one would have an alternative explanation. Look at these examples, and think about why they are not as effective:

In the current economy, pension plans are changing.

(This is true—but so what? Why is this interesting, important, or controversial?)

Jack London was the best American writer of his generation.

(This is too vague – what does “best” mean? It is nearly impossible to argue something based completely on individual taste. What is best to you may not be best to me.)

One way to practice understanding thesis statements is to locate them in others’ writing. Look at each of the examples below – can you locate the thesis statement?

1. From George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language

Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. Our civilization is decadent, and our language—so the argument runs—must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes.

Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers. I will come back to this presently, and I hope that by that time the meaning of what I have said here will have become clearer. Meanwhile, here are five specimens of the English language as it is now habitually written.

2. From A Contrast in Generations by Helen Mathers

Pretty frequently nowadays, we hear complaints of the selfishness displayed by girls towards their mothers, sons towards their fathers, but in point of fact, they are not one bit more selfish than their parents and grandparents were before them; only the latter were coerced into silence, and, thereby became little sneaks and liars, while the young people of today are above-board, and don’t pretend to a respect they see no reason to give, if undeserved. Looking closely into the limitations of youth, we find it contrary to the whole scheme of Nature to try and put old heads on young shoulders, and to expect from young people those qualities that their elders have only most unwillingly learned from painful experience. And if you make clamorous demands on children’s duty, their time, and their company, what do you get? Little old, old men and women, who have been cheated out of their glorious kingdom of youth, cheated out of their illusions, their irresponsibility, all the happy, casual joys in which youth is so rich, and to which they can never bring the same keen appetite again. A healthy child does not know what the word selfishness means: it fulfils itself, it joys in life, and when a hundred reasons are advanced to prove as premeditated a mere childish fault, it can only, with bursting heart, feel the injustice of its elders, who expect in the child a divination of duty that they themselves in childhood never possessed.

Nature teaches us no such painful adaptation of youth to age; she throws out her warm, living children, and leaves them to fend for themselves after but brief tenderness on the part of their parents; and though, of course, the adventurous youngsters make terrible mistakes, and get badly knocked about, sometimes even are gobbled up altogether, at any rate they don’t carry a hateful pack of experience to weigh them down, and effectually prevent them from reaching their full meridian of mental and physical strength. Be for ever putting a drag on the bounding impulses of youth, discourage all its noble, ridiculous flights to the sublime, invent base reasons for thoughtless actions, committed out of sheer light-heartedness and frolic, and what do you get but leadened hearts, and puzzled, saddened looks from young, eager eyes?

3. From “Camping Out” by Ernest Hemingway

Thousands of people will go into the bush this summer to cut the high cost of living. A man who gets his two weeks’ salary while he is on vacation should be able to put those two weeks in fishing and camping and be able to save one week’s salary clear. He ought to be able to sleep comfortably every night, to eat well every day and to return to the city rested and in good condition.

But if he goes into the woods with a frying pan, an ignorance of black flies and mosquitoes, and a great and abiding lack of knowledge about cookery, the chances are that his return will be very different. He will come back with enough mosquito bites to make the back of his neck look like a relief map of the Caucasus. His digestion will be wrecked after a valiant battle to assimilate half-cooked or charred grub^1. And he won’t have had a decent night’s sleep while he has been gone.

1grub is a colloquial word for food

3. Freewriting

Remember to write without editing yourself as you write. Take out a pen and paper, or sit at your computer and write on the following idea (or any idea you want) for 10 minutes without stopping. Do not edit yourself for grammar, spelling, or any other reason. Let the thoughts just spill onto your page or screen, without thinking about whether they are right or wrong, good or bad.

Freewriting topic 3: What kinds of problems have you had with writing in the past? What kind of writer are you? A procrastinator? An enthusiastic writer?

4. Controlled Writing

Remember that in controlled writing, you need to pay close attention to form and structure, editing yourself for grammar, organization, and clear ideas.

Controlled writing topic 3: What is the most interesting attraction in your city or town? Explain what the attraction is, and why it might be interesting to others.

5. Editing

The following paragraph has several errors in it. Identify the errors, and rewrite the paragraph correctly. Go to the back of this book (click here) for one possible correct way to write the paragraph.

The authors of the book, American Humor believe human gain a lot from taking humor seriously. They say that to study it has lead to important insights to human condition. They also argue that though we not all laugh at same things we can all recognize that humor present by studying the rhetorical devices and elements associated to it. In second chapter, they state that trying to understand a text it is important to respond both as objectively and subjectively. With subjective responses use your imagination and bring your personal experiences into the reading. With objective responses give the text as an artifact and look for the internal evidence to make claim about what the author intend.

6. Vocabulary Check

Here are some words from this week that were used in this week’s course materials.  Check (√) or highlight the ones you already know. Look up the ones you don’t know. For the ones you don’t know, write them out on cards, or add them to a notebook, along with the definition, written in your own words. Indicate the part of speech. Then write an example sentence in your own words.

___ a collapse

___ a device

___ a salary

___ a specimen

___ an artifact

___ an element

___ an insight

___ charred

___ decadent

___ evidence

___ humor

___ inevitably

___ internal

___ objectively

___ regeneration

___ rhetorical

___ subjectively

___ to assimilate

___ valiant

Remember to share your work and comment on others’ work on the course website at http://edX.org.

Chapter 4

Week 4: The Essay

1. Weekly overview

This week, we will look at how to write longer pieces of writing. This includes outlining techniques, finding sources of information, and developing your first essay.

2. Excerpts from the online materials

The following is a sample of key materials from this week’s lesson:

Informal Outlines

In informal outlines, you organize your notes into sections that correspond to different parts of your essay. For example, you might organize your informal outline into sections that correspond to your different pieces of evidence. Labeling each part of your informal outline will be helpful in thinking about your overall organization.

Formal Outlines

Formal outlines have the same concept behind them as informal ones, but they have specific formats. Formal outlines have more details than informal outlines, and formal outlines also use certain methods of showing relationships between ideas.

Formal outlines often use Roman numerals, although using Arabic numbers is perfectly acceptable.

After indicating the main sections of the essay, subparts are indicated with capital letters. We’ll continue with the Arabic numeral example only:

1. Introduction

A. Background Information

B. Thesis

C. Preview of Supporting Reasons

2. Main Body

A. Main Point 1

B. Main Point 2

etc.

If those sub-parts have parts, then their level is shown with small letters (or small Arabic numerals if using a Roman numeral scheme) and a further indention:

1. Introduction

A. Background Information

a. Idea 1

b. Idea 2

B. Thesis

a. Idea 1

b. Idea 2

C. Preview of Supporting Reasons

a. Idea 1

b. Idea 2

c. Idea 3

Starting with an informal outline makes sense, but you should eventually be able to turn it into a formal outline.

Finding Sources of Information

Good academic writing incorporates information from multiple sources to support the main ideas. For example, unless you personally are an expert on water conservation efforts in China, you are going to need to research information about that if it is the topic you are writing about. Of course, in academic writing, research can mean different things, but primarily:

• visiting the library

• using the Internet

• talking to experts

Libraries

Libraries are important sources of information – nothing compares to browsing shelves of books or journals. If you are lucky enough to have access to a good library, be sure you visit it and make use of it. Talk to the librarians, and really learn how the library can help your research. In fact, many libraries employ research librarians, whose job it is to help you find the information you need.

The Internet

In the modern era, the Internet is quickly becoming the most popular forum for our research. Whether using a search engine, reading online documents, or asking questions in forums, we can find almost anything we are looking for.

The main problem with the Internet, of course, is that we don’t always know the validity of the information we find there. If you do Internet research, answer these questions about any source you find there:

1. Who wrote it? If you can’t find an author, find out what organization sponsors the website. If you cannot find an author or organization, you should doubt the information’s reliability. If you’ve never heard of the author or organization, look them up to learn more about them.

2. Does the author support his or her ideas? If the author states facts or statistics, does he or she say where this information came from? Does the author use reliable sources, or just rely on his or her own opinion?

3. Is the information up to date? If it is important that your information is current, does the author include a date of publication so you know how current the information is? When was it written?

For more detailed information on how to evaluate a web page, see UC Berkeley Library’s page: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html.

Talking to experts

One source of information that is often overlooked is talking to experts. “Experts” aren’t just people who are famous professionals; if you are writing an essay about child-rearing practices, speaking to young mothers might help your research. Think about your topic – is there anyone you could talk to?

If you speak to an expert, make sure you get permission to use her or his words in your research. Also, give your experts proper credit in your paper. If they wish to remain anonymous, be sure you honor that wish as well.

Software for Outlining

There are a lot of software programs on the market that can help you to create outlines. If you use a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word, an outlining function is already built in. In Word, you can find it under the ‘View’ menu.

3. Freewriting

Write without editing yourself. Get a pen and paper, or write at your computer on the following idea (or any idea you want). This week, try for 15 minutes without stopping. Do not edit yourself for grammar, spelling, or any other reason. Let the thoughts just spill onto your page or screen, without thinking about whether they are right or wrong, good or bad.

Freewriting topic 4. How do you feel about revising your work? Do you change a lot, or feel attached to what you’ve already written? How easy is it to throw out things you’ve written?

4. Controlled Writing

In controlled writing, pay close attention to form and structure, editing yourself for grammar, organization, and clear ideas. This week, try to write three paragraphs on the following topic.

Controlled writing topic 4: What are the most important issues with the earth’s ecology that we face today? Is there a solution? Explain your answer.

5. Editing

The following letter has several errors in it. Identify the errors, and rewrite the paragraph correctly. Go to the back of this book (click here) for one possible correct way to write the paragraph.

Dear Sir or Madame:

I am write to support Dr. Barbara Jones application for position with your organization. I have worked as Barbara’s supervisor and college for passed four years in Department of Engineering. Barbara is one of the highest hardworking and dedicated colleges I had pleasure to work with. When our program was evaluate two years ago; I request that Barbara meet with the evaluators when requested an interview. I knew I could to rely for Barbara’s articulative communication skills to describe to committee importance of our program for engineering.

Sincere,

Dr. M. Smith

6. Vocabulary Check

Here are some words from this week that were used in this week’s course materials.  Check (√) or highlight the ones you already know. Look up the ones you don’t know. For the ones you don’t know, write them out on cards, or add them to a notebook, along with the definition, written in your own words. Indicate the part of speech. Then write an example sentence in your own words.

___ a colleague

___ a committee

___ a supervisor

___ an application

___ an interview

___ an organization

___ articulate

___ to evaluate something or someone

___ to rely on someone or something

___ validity

Remember to share your work and comment on others’ work on the course website at http://edX.org.

Chapter 5

Week 5: Revision Practices

1. Weekly overview

The last week of this course covers revising your writing. You will work on writing strong introductions and conclusions, as well as proofreading and editing. You will submit your final essay for evaluation.

2. Excerpts from the online materials

The following is a sample of key materials from this week’s lesson:

8-point Checklist for Revision

1. Does your essay have one clear and concise main idea? Is this idea addressed in a good, arguable thesis statement?

2. Does your introduction create interest in the topic and make your readers want to read more?

3. Is your essay well organized? Did you use an outline or other tool to help with the organization?

4. Is the main idea of each paragraph clear? Have you developed each paragraph with supporting information?

5. How have you transitioned between paragraphs? Have you used key words and pronouns to create connections between sentences and paragraphs?

6. Are the sentences clear and well written? Have you varied your sentence structure? Can you improve any sentences by combining or rewriting them?

7. Is your vocabulary accurate? Have you used precise words to express your meaning?

8. Does your essay have a strong conclusion? Does it bring the essay to a satisfying close, and give your reader something to think about?

3. Freewriting

Write without editing yourself. Get a pen and paper, or write at your computer on the following idea (or any idea you want). Try again this week for 15 minutes without stopping. Do not edit yourself for grammar, spelling, or any other reason. Let the thoughts just spill onto your page or screen, without thinking about whether they are right or wrong, good or bad.

Freewiting topic 5: You have nearly finished with this 5-week course. What have you learned? What do you wish you’d done more of? Less of?

4. Controlled Writing

In controlled writing, pay close attention to form and structure, editing yourself for grammar, organization, and clear ideas. Again this week, try to write three paragraphs on the following topic.

Controlled writing topic 5: What makes you hopeful about humanity today? What changes have you seen that are positive?

5. Editing

The following letter has several errors in it. Identify the errors, and rewrite the paragraph correctly. Go to the back of this book (click here) for one possible correct way to write the paragraph.

In previous semesters, Professor Wong has asked her students not to use their cell phones or laptops during class, as they create a distraction. This is a policy that worked well, and students have always cooperated. This semester, however, she finds that they increasingly have their laptops, tablet computers, and cell phones on their desks, and use them frequently. Further investigation revealed that her students weren’t texting or checking their email.  Several students had downloaded their textbook onto their tablet computers, while others were consulting dictionaries and grammar references on their mobile phones.  Professor Wong is now rethinking her policy against mobile technology in her classroom, and is instead considering ways to make the best use of the tools students commonly carry in their backpacks.

6. Vocabulary Check

Here are some words from this week that were used in this week’s course materials.  Check (√) or highlight the ones you already know. Look up the ones you don’t know. For the ones you don’t know, write them out on cards, or add them to a notebook, along with the definition, written in your own words. Indicate the part of speech. Then write an example sentence in your own words.

___ previous

___ a distraction

___ a policy

___ to cooperate

___ a semester

___ to download something

___ a reference (book)

___ mobile

___ commonly

___ a backpack

Remember to share your work and comment on others’ work on the course website at http://edX.org.

Answer Key

The answers here represent just one possible way to rewrite the paragraphs, correcting for errors. There are other possibilities that are correct. If you have questions about why certain corrections were made, or whether a different correction you made is also possible, remember to post to the discussion boards.

Week 1

As an avid photographer, it’s really interesting to learn about the history of photography, especially alongside the life events of Mr. Muybridge. It really amazes me how, back then, photography was such an inaccessible hobby, and was seen as some strange magic that could alter the passage of time. It was also shocking to me how the photographers had to carry the huge {choose either huge or gigantic, but not both} plates if they wanted to make prints of that size, and how they had to bring chemicals along. Nowadays, all you really need is a camera and an SD card for digital memory (and sometimes a tripod). In addition, I used to take for granted the ability of the shutter to open and close for the fractions of a second, but after reading about how they used to have to remove and replace the lens cap for exposure it, I will definitely treasure it more.

(Click here to return to the end of Week 1)

Week 2

My past educational experience taught me to think ahead and never be afraid to strive for what I want. Back in high school, my advisor often told me to look at the whole picture and make a long-term plan. She also said that fame and fortune couldn’t guarantee anything in life. My professor once talked to me about working hard--she said that it would take a long time for my efforts to pay off, but I should never lose faith that one day I will have a taste of victory. Meanwhile, my family background made me realize that the only thing I have is “right now”. I cannot replay yesterday, and I cannot predict tomorrow, so I should never be encumbered by circumstances. When I was  young, my mother always said, “Lynn, go for it.” But sometimes I just preferred to wait a little bit longer, because I insisted that the longer I waited, the better I got. Finally, it turned out that I came home with no harvest at all. So now I remind myself every second to seize the day and live a fulfilling life.

(Click here to go back to the end of Week 2)

Week 3

The authors of the book American Humor believe humans can gain a lot from taking humor seriously. They say that studying it can lead to important insights into the human condition. They also argue that though we may not all laugh at the same things, we can all recognize humor by studying the rhetorical devices and elements associated with it. In the second chapter, they state that when trying to understand a text, it is important to respond both objectively and subjectively. With subjective responses, you use your imagination and bring your personal experiences into the reading. With objective responses you treat the text as an artifact, looking for internal evidence to make a claim about what the author intended.

(Click here to go back to the end of Week 3)

Week 4

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing in support of Dr. Barbara Jones’ application for a position with your organization. I have worked as Barbara’s supervisor and colleague for the past four years in the Department of Engineering. Barbara is one of the most hardworking and dedicated colleagues I have had the pleasure to work with. When our program was evaluated two years ago, I requested that Barbara meet with the evaluators when they requested an interview. I knew I could rely on Barbara’s articulate communication skills to describe to the committee the importance of our program in engineering.

Sincerely,

Dr. M. Smith

(Click here to go back to the end of Week 4)

Week 5

In previous semesters, Professor Wong asked her students not to use cell phones or laptops during class, since they create a distraction. This policy has worked well, and students have always cooperated. This semester, however, she finds that they increasingly have their laptops, tablet computers, and cell phones on their desks, and use them frequently. Further investigation revealed that her students weren’t texting or checking their email.  Several students had downloaded their textbooks onto their tablet computers, while others were consulting dictionaries and grammar references on their mobile phones.  Professor Wong is now rethinking her policy against mobile technology in her classroom, and is instead considering how to make of the best use of the tools students often carry in their backpacks.

(Click here to go back to the end of Week 5)

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About the Author

Maggie Sokolik received her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from UCLA. She is the author of over twenty ESL and composition textbooks. She has also written for and been featured in several educational video projects in Japan. She is the editor of TESL-EJ, a peer-reviewed journal for ESL/EFL instructors.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Week 1, Grammar Review

Chapter 2: Week 2, Sentences and Paragraphs

Chapter 3: Week 3, Thesis Statements

Chapter 4: Week 4, The Essay

Chapter 5: Week 5, Revision Practices

Answer Key

About the Author