Hello,
Below you will find a copy of the handout on unacceptable errors that was discussed and distributed in class today.
You will also find a sample copy of a Question and Comment assignment as distributed in class today.
PLEASE NOTE: For the question comment homework, you are required to submit a commentary on EACH reading assigned. For example, a packet may have more than one reading. You must write a commentary for each individual writing, 8 sentences minimum.
UNACCEPTABLE ERRORS
In English 1A, students should already be very proficient in word usage. We do not have time for grammar lessons. (I will, however, provide short ‘mini’ lessons when I feel they are warranted.) The following errors that are commonly made on student papers are considered unacceptable.
For out of class essays, each unacceptable error takes ten points off your final earned grade. You may correct unacceptable errors and receive the points back if you choose to revise. In class essays that have unacceptable errors CAN always be corrected to earn back the points lost.
1. there – place Put it over there.
2. their – possessive pronoun That is their car.
3. they’re – contraction of they are They’re going with us.
4. your – possessive pronoun Your dinner is ready.
5. you’re – contraction of you are You’re not ready.
6. it’s – contraction of it is It’s a sunny day.
7. its – possessive pronoun The dog wagged its tail.
8. a lot – always two words I liked it a lot.
9. to – a preposition or part of an
infinitive I like to proofread my essays carefully.
10. too – an intensifier, or also That is too much. I will go too.
11. two – a number Give me two folders.
12. In today’s society Instead use “Today” or “In America” or “Now” etc
13. right(s)/write(s)/rite(s) rights are a set of beliefs or values in which a person feels entitled: His rights were read to him before he was arrested for stalking Dave Matthews. Writes is a verb indicating action taken with a pen, pencil or computers to convey a message: Michelle writes love letters to Dave Matthews in her sleep. Rites are a series of steps or events which lead an individual from one phase in life to the next, or a series of traditions that should be followed: The initiate began his rite of passage ceremony at the age of thirteen.
14. definitely/defiantly This error USUALLY occurs when a writer relies solely on spell-check. You really must learn to become the final editor of your work. Definitely is an adverb and it means without a doubt. Mary will definitely miss the Dave Matthews Band concert. Defiantly means to show defiance. She was in a defiant mood. It is an adjective. Or it could be used as an adverb. She was defiantly rude and sullen towards the professor.
15. On your Works Cited page: you MUST center and type at the top the heading just as it is here: Works Cited. NOT ALL CAPS, NOT BOLDED, NOT UNDERLINED, NOT MISSPELLED, NOT IN A DIFFERENT SIZED FONT, ETC.
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An accumulation of the following errors can affect your grade, but not one error, ten points down. The number depends on how serious the error is, and how often you make it. Some do not slow up the reader as much as others.
• Misuse of the word “you”. You must actually mean the reader when you use the word “you”.
• Avoid use of contractions in formal expository writing. (can’t, shouldn’t, didn’t, etc.)
• Agreement of subject and verb. Both must be either singular or plural.
• Fragmented sentences, comma splices and run-ons. Be sure to proofread your papers carefully before turning them in.
You will not pass English 1A if you cannot write an intelligent sentence in correct English.
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SAMPLE QUESTION AND COMMENT HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
(although the sample here displays an error in spacing, please remember that all work is double spaced.) :)
Dave Matthews
Professor Fraga
English 1A, 1
2 February 2012
“Traveling through the Dark”
by William Stafford
Q: I have no question.
C: During a very brief event on a dark country road, poet William Stafford chronicles a very somber and difficult decision the
speaker has to make; Stafford has written a very universal poem. Even if the reader has never been in a similar situation, almost
everyone has had to weigh the pros and cons of a challenging decision. By the end of the second stanza, when we learn that the
dead deer is pregnant and her fawn is alive, we are drawn into the dilemma the speaker and his friends face.
This poem reminds me of what makes life so exciting and yet so frustrating at the same time. Whenever we make a decision,
we are never completely guaranteed we have made the “right” decision; we just make the best decision we can based on the
information we have.
The last two lines of the poem are especially effective and very visual. The sadness seeps through the words: “I thought hard
for us all…and then pushed her over the edge into the river.” In fact, Stafford’s careful word choice throughout the poem keeps
the reader focused and tense. Sometimes living is very much like “traveling through the dark” without any signs for direction.
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