Verb Station (for transitive verb use in claim)
Review the info on this sheet. Take note of what you find useful, then reflect on the paragraphs of your group with
the questions listed below.
A transitive verb has two characteristics.
--First, it is an action verb, expressing a doable activity like kick, want, paint, write, eat, clean, etc.
--Second, it must have a direct object, something or someone who receives the action of the verb.
Here are some examples of transitive verbs:
Sylvia kicked Juan under the table. Kicked = transitive verb; Juan = direct object.
Joshua wants a smile from Leodine, his beautiful but serious lab partner. Wants = transitive verb; smile = direct object.
Cornelius painted the canvas in Jackson Pollock fashion, dribbling bright colors from a heavily soaked brush. Painted =
transitive verb; canvas = direct object.
Alicia wrote a love poem on a restaurant napkin. Wrote = transitive verb; poem = direct object.
Antonio eats lima beans drenched in brown gravy. Eats = transitive verb; lima beans = direct object.
Pinky the poodle cleans the dirty supper dishes with his tongue before Grandma loads the "prewashed" items into dishwasher.
Cleans, loads = transitive verbs; dishes, items = direct objects.
Important note: When no direct object follows an action verb, the verb is intransitive.
***Check your verbs!
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Highlight or circle the transitive verb used in the topic sentence.
What is the object? Draw two lines underneath it.
Consider: Does this paragraph demonstrate what the transitive verb claims it will? Comment on this.
Don’t confuse verbals with verbs.
Verbals:
--Gerunds
A verbal is a word formed from a verb but functioning as a different part of speech.
A gerund is a verbal ending in -ing that functions as a noun.
Like an ordinary single-word noun, a gerund may be used as a subject or object.
Running is my favorite sport.
--Participles
A verbal is a word formed from a verb but functioning as a different part of speech.
A participle is a verbal that functions as an adjective. I love mashed potatoes.
--Infinitives
A verbal is a word formed from a verb but functioning as a different part of speech.
An infinitive is a verbal formed by placing to in front of the simple present form of a verb.
Examples:
to swim
to think
to read
to be
to cut
to turn
Infinitives may function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.
Textual Support Station (for checking how well text supports as well as MLA)
Take notes on what you find useful, then reflect on the paragraphs of your group with the questions listed below.
MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page
number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear
on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the
quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.
For example:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings"(263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth
263).
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
Both citations in the examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be
located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they
can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information:
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, 1967. Print.
***Check your citation!!!
1. Does your quote truly support your topic sentence?
2. Did you cut the quote down to only what is necessary? Some quotes might need to be longer (for instance, if you
are attempting to show repetition within a sentence or if you are demonstrating that the syntax is particularly
long), but if they don’t need to be, cut them down to what you need by using an ellipsis contained within square
brackets. You may also add or change words this way.
3. Are punctuation marks where they need to be?
4. Does the parenthetical citation contain the name of the author and the line number the quote was found on?
***Use the Chromebooks to figure out how to create the Works Cited for this paragraph.
Analysis Station (to check the claims, literary elements, and the way analysis is presented)
Use the Rhetoric Handout, your notes, or the Chromebooks to check the definition and use of the literary element
that is used in the paragraph.
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Does this paragraph discuss the term fully?
Is this term used accurately?
What is another term that could have been used here?
Which “How” or “Why” questions does the analysis answer?
Does the analysis support the topic sentence?
Does the analysis accurately relate something that can be learned from the text?
Style Station (to check for varied sentences, punctuation, mechanics, etc.)
--Take notes on what you find useful, then reflect on the paragraphs of your group with the ideas listed below.
Vary the rhythm by alternating short and long sentences.
Several sentences of the same length can make for bland writing. To enliven paragraphs, write sentences of different
lengths. This will also allow for effective emphasis.
Example:
The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find some native American art. In Anchorage
stores they found some excellent examples of soapstone carvings. But they couldn't find a dealer selling
any of the woven wall hangings they wanted. They were very disappointed when they left Anchorage emptyhanded.
Revision:
The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find some native American art, such as
soapstone carvings and wall hangings. Anchorage stores had many soapstone items available. Still, they
were disappointed to learn that wall hangings, which they had especially wanted, were difficult to find.
Sadly, they left empty-handed.
1. Check the syntax of the paragraphs.
2. What is your opinion on the use of punctuation in the paragraph? Consider whether or not other punctuation
marks would be better.
3. Do the sentences of the paragraph make grammatical sense?
Polish Station (to check for word choice and formal writing)
--Take notes on what you find useful, then reflect on the paragraphs of your group with the ideas listed below.
Using Good Diction
Diction is just a fancy way of saying 'word choice.' That is, when someone tells you that you have 'good diction,'
they're saying that you have a good vocabulary and you use it well. Having good diction is an essential part of
writing well no matter what kind of writing you're doing. Diction is the key to developing your style, tone, and point
of view.
Don't Use Uninteresting Words
Whenever you can, try to replace boring words with more interesting (and descriptive) ones. Take this sentence:
'James Blonde's good plan helped him win against the bad guy.'
That gets the information across, but it doesn't pop. Let's target these words: 'good,' 'plan,' 'win,' 'bad,' and 'guy.'
Instead of the adjective 'good' we can substitute in 'cunning' (which means clever), instead of the noun 'plan' we can
say 'strategy' (which has a similar meaning but implies more action), instead of the verb 'win' we can say 'defeat'
(which is more dramatic), and instead of 'bad guy' we can say 'villain' (which sounds more threatening and thus
makes James Blonde's victory more epic).
So what are we left with? 'James Blonde's cunning strategy helped him defeat the villain.'
Make just a few small changes in word choice and the sentence now has much more zip. However, that doesn't
mean you should replace 10-cent words with 10-dollar ones just because you can. That's to say, just because a word
sounds fancier (e.g. it 'costs more') doesn't actually make it better. For instance, 'James Blonde's dexterous
machinations abetted his vanquishment of his disputant' is full of big, heady words and is also confusing and totally
awful. Good diction requires you to strike a balance between the dull and wordy while still sounding natural.
1.
Avoid clichés.
2.
Is your diction interesting? What makes it interesting or uninteresting?
3.
Is your diction clear?
4.
Do you maintain a formal voice? How?