A complex sentence consists of an independent clause (a full sentence with a subject and a
verb) and one or more dependent clauses (a phrase that cannot stand on its own). Using a
subordinating conjunction (because, although, if, when, since, while, after, once, etc.)
creates a dependent clause. Using a relative pronoun (who, whom, that, or which) also
creates a dependent clause. You do not use semicolons to form complex sentences.
Complex Sentence Examples:
Once the play started, we were not allowed to talk.
He was upset about his toy because it was broken.
After I finished my test, I waited in the library for Mark and Sarah.
Comma Rules:
If the independent clause comes first and the dependent clause second, you DO NOT need a
comma.
You will do much better if you study for the test.
If the dependent clause comes first and the independent clause second, you DO need a comma.
If you study for the test, you will do much better.
Directions: Write the following sentences on your own paper. Put a box
around the independent clause, and draw a line under the dependent clause.
Circle the subordinating conjunction. Use your Sentence Structures handout
to help you!
1. Even though the nine weeks is almost over, I still need to
work on improving my grade.
2. Melanie looked after my dog while I was away on vacation.
3. Linda will lend you the book when she has finished it.
4. Although they are 250 miles apart, they keep in constant
contact due to the Internet.
Directions: Write the following sentences on your own paper. Put a box
around the independent clause, and draw a line under the dependent
clause. Circle the subordinating conjunction. Use your Sentence
Structures handout to help you!
1. Even though the nine weeks is almost over, I still need to
work on improving my grade.
2. Melanie looked after my dog while I was away on
vacation.
3. Linda will lend you the book when she has finished it.
4. Although they are 250 miles apart, they keep in constant
contact due to the Internet.
Crossover Short Answer
• A comparison / contrast of two texts either in
characterization or theme
• If the prompt refers to two different texts, your thesis,
evidence, and analysis should refer to both pieces.
• You will need two pieces of evidence instead of one
(minimum one quote from each selection!).
• When quoting your evidence, be sure to address the title
of the piece since there are two possibilities.
Organizational Options
Option One:
Option Two:
Thesis (addressing both texts)
Thesis (addressing both texts)
Blended evidence from text 1
Blended evidence from text 1
Analysis
Blended evidence for text 2
Blended evidence for text 2
Analysis for both texts
Analysis
Significant Connection
Significant Connection
If you are contrasting (showing the differences), option 1 is often the best
choice. However, if you are comparing the two texts (focusing on similarities),
option 2 works well.
General Short Answer Reminders
• Look to see how the title of the story is written in the
question. Is it in quotation marks or italicized? You need to
copy how it is written in the question. (If the title is italicized
in the question, you underline it.)
• Do not put any direct quotes in your first sentence. Your
thesis should have your answer in all of your own words!
• Make sure you actually answer the question in the first
sentence.
• When you pull text evidence, make sure that it is seamlessly
blended into a sentence of your own creation. There should
not be any awkward transitions or dropped quotes.
• There is such a thing as TOO MUCH text evidence. Don’t just
summarize the entire story with quotes. Your analysis should
be primarily your own words!
How does the Penelope in the Dorothy Parker poem compare to the
Penelope in the Odyssey? Use evidence from both texts to support your
answer.
Penelope
By Dorothy Parker
In the pathway of the sun,
In the footsteps of the breeze,
Where the world and the sky are one,
He shall ride the silver seas.
He shall cut the glittering wave.
I shall sit at home, and rock;
Rise, to heed a neighbor’s knock;
Brew my tea, and snip my thread;
Bleach the linen for my bed.
They will call him brave.
• Do you appreciate bravery that does not require facing
physical danger?
• How is the last line of the poem ironic?
• The power of the poem derives from its
understatement. Do you think the understatement is
effective in revealing the suffering that Penelope
endured during her husband’s long absence?
• Understatement – a figure of speech in which the
writer says lessens or minimizes the importance of
what is meant
• For example, if you were in a desert where the temperature was
125 degrees, and you described the thermal conditions by saying
"It's a little warm today."
Prompt: How does the characterization of Penelope in the Odyssey
compare to the Penelope portrayed in Dorothy Parker’s poem? Explain
your answer and support it with evidence from both selections.
Prompt: How does the characterization of Penelope in the Odyssey
compare to the Penelope portrayed in Dorothy Parker’s poem? Explain
your answer and support it with evidence from both selections.
The characterization of Penelope in the Odyssey is similar to the Penelope
portrayed in Dorothy Parker’s poem because both women are
underappreciated for their bravery. In the Odyssey, Odysseus chastises
his wife for being standoffish even though she has had to “arm [herself]
long ago against the frauds of men,” which reveals her perseverance.
Similarly, in Parker’s poem, Penelope “sit[s] at home, and rock[s]” and
continues her normal routine of chores, yet people “will call [Odysseus]
brave.” Even though the Penelope in both poems has not had to face
physical dangers, she is still courageous in her efforts to both stay faithful
to her husband and guard her heart against doubt. For twenty years
Penelope has faced life as a single parent to her son, and yet she does not
receive any affirmation from those around her for her dedication to her
family. Even though the myth of Penelope has been around for over a
millennium, her quiet spirit echoes the underappreciated bravery of
many women still today.
How is the portrayal of
Calypso in the Odyssey
different than her
portrayal in the song,
“Calypso”? Explain your
answer and support it
with evidence from both
selections.
Homework – Due Tuesday, Oct. 14
My name is Calypso
And I have lived alone
I live on an island
And I waken to the dawn
A long time ago
I watched him struggle with the sea
I knew that he was drowning
And I brought him into me
Now today
Come morning light
He sails away
After one last night
I let him go.
Salt of the waves
And of tears
And though he, pulled away
I kept him here for years
Now I let him go
My name is Calypso
My garden overflows
Thick and wild and hidden
Is the sweetness there that grows
My hair it blows long
As I sing into the wind
My name is Calypso
And I have lived alone
I live on an island
I tell of nights
Where I could taste the salt on his skin
And my song in the wind
The sand will sting my feet
And the sky will burn
It's a lonely time ahead
I do not ask him to return
I let him go
I let him go
My name is Calypso
I have let him go
In the dawn he sails away
To be gone forever more
And the waves will take him in
again
But he'll know their ways now
I will stand upon the shore
With a clean heart