English Language Arts A30
Module 2
Assignment 5
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
Assignment Five
A.
(5)
Usage
We are all intimately familiar with at least one language. For many of you
taking this course that language is English. Below are ten sentences.
Underline or highlight the ones that are incorrect to you. Rewrite the ones
that are incorrect to you in the space provided below the sentences. Should
you have any trouble with these sentences read them aloud. Listen. Which
ones sound correct?
1.
The Roughrider supporters in the crowd were few.
2.
He neither wants pity nor charity.
3.
I would of come if I had been able to do so.
4.
I and my friends usually spend holidays together.
5.
A glass tipped over which was full of water.
6.
In this class there are three students only.
7.
I asked Faith how was she feeling.
8.
You can order a complete computer system that will be delivered by
phone.
9.
My father asked me what was I doing.
10.
It was kind of you write.
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
Listen to what your ears tell you. Writers need acute sensitivity to the nuances of form
and meaning. The eye is their main tool for that. Sometimes a writer seems able to
spot errors at a glance. His eye is offended by an irregularity. However, the ear is also
an important tool for the writer. Whenever you can, read your writing and imagine how
it would sound on the ear. Better yet, read it out loud. If it does not sound right, it
surely needs fixing.
B.
(10)
Facts About Language
True/False: Circle the T beside each statement that is true. Circle the F
beside each statement that is false.
C.
T
F
1.
T
F
2.
T
T
F
F
3.
4.
T
T
F
F
5.
6.
T
F
7.
T
T
F
F
8.
9.
T
F
10.
All religions and mythologies contain stories of
language origin.
There are a number of primitive languages in the
world.
All languages change through time.
Most linguists say we have a distinct Canadian
language.
Canadian English has its roots in South America.
The flood of immigrants who came to Canada in the
1830s and 1840s came from Central Europe.
Canadian English has borrowed many words from First
Nations' peoples.
In Canada we call low, swampy land a fen.
Some words and terms we use in Western Canada to
refer to the landscape would be unfamiliar to a
Maritimer.
The coming of the railroad had no effect on the
Canadian language.
Canadianisms
Do You Speak Canadian?
Canadians have a very distinctive variety of English, far
more different from that spoken in Britain than in the English
spoken by Australians; yet Canadians – so imperceptibly, so
constantly has the process operated – “just get on with the
job”; having this very different English, they therefore do not
feel the need to have it at all.
Eric Partridge
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
(15)
Below is a list of fifteen words. All of these are “Canadianisms” – words
uniquely created or developed by Canadians. Give the Canadian meaning of
each word by using a Canadian dictionary. If a word has more than one
meaning identify the Canadian useage.
Word
1. acclamation
Meaning
2. Bluenose
3. bluff
4. Canadarm
5. cheechako
6. coulee
7. coureur-de-bois
8. frost boil
9. gopher
10. moccasin
11. muskeg
12. puck
13. slough
14. snowmobile
15. tuque
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
D
(15)
Multiculturalism in Language
Canada is multicultural. Many words that we use daily are borrowed from
native or immigrant languages other than English. In the space provided in
front of each item in Column A, write the letter of the correct answer from
Column B.
Column A
____
1.
____
____
____
____
____
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
____
____
____
7.
8.
9.
____
____
____
____
10.
11.
12.
13.
____
____
14.
15.
____
____
16.
17.
____
____
18.
19.
____
____
20.
21.
____
____
____
22.
23.
24.
____
____
____
____
____
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
____
30.
a salad made of bulghur, parsley and tomatoes
(Lebanese)
a hot dry steam bath (Finnish)
early school grade (German)
an open pavilion (Turkish)
a settlement or village (Aboriginal)
meat and vegetables cooked on a skewer
(Turkish)
a place where meals are bought (French)
dried meat, mainly buffalo (Aboriginal)
an open pie made on flat dough with many
toppings (Italy)
a large animal of the deer family (Aboriginal)
a hide-covered home, easily moved (Aboriginal)
a meeting place (French)
a hot, sizzling dish, served in a cornmeal wrap
(Mexican)
a rich, crescent-shaped roll (French)
a potato “dumpling” filled with cheese
(Ukrainian)
a quick bread often eaten with jam (Scottish)
a flat-bottomed sled used for transportation on
snow (Aboriginal)
a round loaf (Scottish)
rice, seafood and chicken cooked in broth
(Spanish)
a home in the country (French Swiss)
raw or cooked seafood, often rolled in seaweed
(Japanese)
a perfumed liquid (German)
a bubbly white wine (French)
the sense that something has happened before
(French)
a lightweight fabric (French)
a warm wind from the mountain (Aboriginal)
response to a person who sneezes (German)
a type of watertight boat (Inuit)
long, narrow staves for travel on snow
(Norwegian)
a stringed instrument (Spanish)
English Language Arts A30
Column B
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
aa.
bb.
cc.
dd.
pemmican
paella
guitar
déjà vu
chinook
moose
champagne
cologne
skis
chiffon
scone
toboggan
chalet
sushi
gesundheit
restaurant
canada
tabbouleh
shish kebab
kindergarten
kiosk
kayak
perogy
tipi
fajita
rendez-vous
pizza
sauna
croissant
bannock
Assignment 5
F.
(5)
Rewrite each of the following so as to make it unbiased.
G.
(5)
Bias Words
1.
Any doctor is obliged to put his patients’ concerns ahead of his own.
2.
The history of mankind forms only a short chapter in the history of
the planet.
3.
Primitive cultures are typical of the tropical and polar regions of the
world.
4.
In most cases the genius has reached the height of his intellectual
powers by his early twenties.
5.
Our stone Age ancestors are often crudely characterized as cavemen.
Jargon/Doublespeak
Translate each of the following into more easily understood English.
EXAMPLE: poor
better
We provide outplacement consulting to companies
involved in downsizing their operations.
We advise companies on how best to fire people.
1.
The government must deal with the issue of revenue enhancement.
2.
Our guest rooms feature the most prestigious body cleaning systems.
3.
The new pen has negative vulnerability to water entry.
4.
Because of the bottom line, the CEO of Widget Inc. has told her
employees new projects will be put on the back burner.
5.
The building in which the reactor is situated was apparently
constructed with a view to structural rather than containment
integrity.
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
H.
(5)
Euphemisims
In the blanks put an “H” after each euphemism that you consider harmless
and an “M” after each that you consider manipulative. Circle the words that
are not euphemisms at all. If necessary use a dictionary or thesaurus.
expectorate
_________________________
senior citizen
_________________________
dehired
_________________________
between jobs
_________________________
culturally deprived
_________________________
military struggle
_________________________
poor
_________________________
rich
_________________________
low-income neighbourhood
_________________________
pre-owned car
I.
_________________________
Earth Visitation
Assume that you are an alien from another planet, who, nonetheless, can
communicate in English. You are presently visiting a village, town, city, or the
countryside in the province of Saskatchewan.
You are required to send a four-paragraph report to your supervisor back on
your home planet. Use standard English to write your report to your
supervisor.
Read all the instructions on the next few pages before writing your report.
Use your own 81/2 x 11 (21 x 28 cm) paper to write your report. Be sure to
attach it to the assignment upon submission.
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
Use the following guidelines to write your report.
The beginning of your report should look similar to this.
Earth Visitation
Status Report
To:
From:
Date:
First Paragraph: Narrate the events of your landing. In order to appeal to the
reader, your narration must be presented in an interesting and entertaining
way. It must also satisfy your reader’s curiosity about who, what, why,
where, when, and how.
To satisfy these criteria, you need to establish a definite point of view and
tone.

The point of view that you will use is the first person.

The tone that you will use can be serious or humorous.

Your narrative needs to have a clear progression – a beginning, middle
and a transition to the following paragraph.

You need to use specific details in your narration. Consider the following
questions to use as a guideline for your paragraph.






What was the weather like when you landed?
Were there people there to greet you or were you able to land in
secret?
What did you do with your landing craft once you arrived in
Saskatchewan?
Where are you – in a town, city, village or the countryside?
What was the time of year in Saskatchewan?
Was there anything exciting happening in the location where you
landed?
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
Second Paragraph: Describe the physical characteristics of the place in which
you have landed. Describe, also, the physical characteristics of some of the
inhabitants of the place. Descriptive writing is most often organized in three
different types of order: space, observation, and importance. You may
choose one of the following ways to organize your descriptive paragraph.

In space order, a writer records what he sees as his eyes move in one
direction over an area, such as left to right, top to bottom, or front to
back. Transitional words or phrases which can indicate this type of order
include: to the left, above, beyond, beside, within, in the distance, just in
front of, below, to the right, and so on.

When a writer uses order of observation, he describes what he notices
first, then progresses onward. For example, if a person were to be
described by order of observation, it is often the face which is noticed
first. Then the rest of the appearance is described, particularly the
impressive details.

Order of importance description can be arranged to present the most
important details either at the beginning or at the end of the description.
Various transitional words or phrases can indicate order of importance.
Some of these are: first, most, next, then, in addition, moreover, also,
and so on.
A good description also

Relies on all five senses, not only sight.

Uses vivid, specific details and comparisons. Figurative language, such as
similes and metaphors, creates fresh and interesting comparisons.
Be sure that this paragraph concludes with a transitional sentence that links
your second paragraph to the third one.
Third Paragraph: Explain and inform your supervisor about the language and
culture of the place in which you have landed. An expository paragraph is
one that presents facts, defines terms and so on. You can use facts, collected
data, quotations, and examples to help explain to your supervisor aspects
about the language and culture of the place in which you have landed. In an
exposition you need to write concisely and present the details clearly.
Consider using the following questions as a guideline for your paragraph.
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5






What kind of work do the people in the area do?
What are the forms of entertainment?
Is the dialect of the people in the area distinctive?
Is there a school for the children or do they have to be bused
somewhere?
Is only English spoken in the area?
Are there theatres, art galleries, churches and so on in the area?
Be sure that this paragraph concludes with a transitional sentence that links
your third paragraph to the fourth one.
Fourth Paragraph: Try to persuade your supervisor to either let you stay in
whatever village, town, or city in Saskatchewan you have landed in or to let
you get out of there as soon as possible. Persuasion seeks to move your
reader to take a given action or to adopt a certain idea or attitude. Because
tone is very important in persuasion, you need to decide whether to use an
emotional appeal or a rational one. The tone of this paragraph needs to be
consistent with the overall tone of the other three paragraphs. Is your tone
serious or humorous? Choose appropriate language to persuade your
supervisor to accept your point of view.
Be sure to end your fourth paragraph in an effective manner, for this
paragraph will conclude your report.
(5)
Planning
Use this space to explore and organize your ideas before you write your report.
English Language Arts A30
Assignment 5
(15)
Your report will be evaluated according to the following criteria
Content and Organization

Four types of writing are evident in your
report.

There are appropriate and sufficient
details in your report.

Transitions are used to provide
coherence in your report.

Point of view is consistent. The report is
to be written from the first person point
of view.

Word choice is appropriate for your
report.

Each paragraph has been logically
organized.

Tone is consistent.

A variety of sentence lengths have been
used.
Sentence structure, spelling, and mechanics

The report is written in standard English.

The sentences are clear and complete.

The sentences are punctuated correctly.

All the words are spelled correctly.

The overall appearance of your report is
pleasing.
English Language Arts A30
Teacher’s Comments
Teacher’s Comments
Assignment 5
(10)
J.
Building Vocabulary
An antonym is a word having a meaning opposite to that of another word. In
writing, speaking, and listening it is often very useful to know the opposite
meaning of a word.
Antonyms for the words in Column A may be found in Column B. Use a
dictionary or thesaurus to help you, if necessary. In the space provided in
front of each item in Column A, write the letter of the correct answer from
Column B.
Column A
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
English Language Arts A30
Column B
frustrate
harmony
contemptible
continual
colossal
artificial
assert
invincible
upbraid
humility
twilight
neutral
functional
random
persuasion
knowledge
horizontal
health
forgiveness
explain
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
vindictiveness
indefensible
baffle
pretensions
ornamental
dissuasion
satisfy
biased
natural
ignorance
deny
orderly
vertical
admirable
intermittent
discord
sickness
praise
tiny
dawn
Assignment 5