
On a piece of paper, with your name & date on it, write 80-100
words on:
 an
event that lasted no more than 5 minutes
...
 that
brought you either

pain or sadness OR

pleasure or joy
example 
See next slide for
Estimate total word count by counting the number of words on your
first line and multiplying that by the number of lines. For example,
this essay is 9 x 10 ≈ 90. [actual count = 96]
Martha Bianco
1
2
3
Microtheme #1
4
5
6
7
8
10/3/08
9
I received a phone call from my aunt, saying,
“Martha, Uncle Alan is dead.” “What?” I
responded, in shock. And she went on to explain
that he had been sick with some disease for a long
time. I had not even had any idea he was sick! But
apparently, they had seen this coming, as he had
been ill with a lung disease for a very long time. I
was so shocked that my aunt said, “Martha? Hello?
Are you there?” I didn’t even know how to
respond, because I had not known he was ill.
Writing 90
Dr. Martha J. Bianco
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2
Week 2 Grammar:
Subjects, Verbs, and
Types of Sentences
Subjects
Grammar
Warm Up Activity

The verb indicates an action


Carolyn speaks Spanish.
or state of being

Carolyn is Mexican.

The subject tells who or what is
doing the action:


Carolyn speaks Spanish.
or being something

Carolyn is Mexican.
 Ask

who or what is doing or being something.
Mike’s expertise at the Halo videogame series was
something all of his friends admired.
 Mike’s
expertise at the Halo videogame series was
something all of his friends admired.
 animals,
plants, things, qualities, ideas

The dog barks too much.

Her petunias almost died.

That table is crowded.

Fairness is an important virtue.

Happiness can be difficult to achieve.
 Specific
people, places, things, concepts
 Little
Sparky barks too much.
 Beautiful
Springfield is losing
population.
 When
 The
October begins, the air is cool.
girls and John decided to play.
 Personal
pronouns stand for specific persons or
things:
 The
dog barks too much.
 It barks too much.
 Her
petunias almost died.
 They almost died.
 Beautiful
Springfield is losing population.
 It is losing population.
 Personal
pronouns stand for specific persons or
things:
 John
called the girls.
 He called the girls.
 The
girls and John decided to play.
 They decided to play.
 Anne

and I ate lunch.
We ate lunch.
 Indefinite
pronouns stand for general persons or
things:
 Each
of them contributed some money.
 Everybody
 Nobody
gave their most.
thought to call.
 Somebody
arrived late.
 Subject
form of a relative pronoun stands alone.
 Otherwise,
 This
is my friend.
 This
 That
it’s an adjective.
friend is mine. These friends are mine.
is your dog.
 That
These are my friends.
dog is yours.
Those are your dogs.
Those dogs are yours.
 Who
is my friend?
 Which
 What
is your dog?
are your favorite songs?
 Whose
is that?
 Single
 My
subject
friend brought a present.
 Compound
 My
subject
friend and I have much in common.
 Jane, Susan, and Maria met for lunch.
Read the notes.
= (You) Read the notes.
Please have a seat.
= (You) Please have a seat.
 Interrupter (prepositional phrase) may separate
subject from verb
preposition
in
 of
 on
 at
 for

object of the preposition
the student in the back
a friend of mine
the book on the table
the price at the bookstore
a poem for my friend
preposition
object of the preposition

The student in the back raised her hand.
 The student in the back raised her hand.

A friend of mine has the same shirt.
 A friend of mine has the same shirt.

The book on the table belongs to me.
 The book on the table belongs to me.

The price at the bookstore is higher.
 The price at the bookstore is higher.

A poem for my friend is a nice gift.
 A poem for my friend is a nice gift.
 There
were birds in the tree.
 There
is a nest in the tree.
 Here
are the birds in their nest.
There and
Here are never
subjects!
Exercises 1 & 2, p. 44
Verbs
 Single

verb:
He led the charge.
 Verb
phrases use helping verbs:
is • can • has • did • may • should (etc.)

She is leading the charge.

He can drive to work.

They did give to the charity.
He
studied or worked all his adult life.
She
worked for twenty-five years and
retired.
Elena
had immigrated to the U.S. and had
raised a family.
Verbals
 Gerund

look like verbs – but aren’t!
= verb + ing: singing, laughing
Singing is fun. Singing = noun
 Infinitive

= to + verb: to be, to sing
I want to sing. To sing = noun
 Present

participle = verb + ing: breaking
We listened for breaking glass.
adjective
Breaking =
 Past
participle = verb + ed, en, etc.:
broken

We cleaned up the broken glass.
adjective
Broken =
 We
never eat dessert before dinner.
 We
never eat dessert before dinner.
I
do not like lima beans.
I
do not like lima beans.
 They
hardly knew Aunt Mary.
 They
hardly knew Aunt Mary.
The adverb “not” often
separates a helping verb
from the main verb.
Exercises 3 & 4, p. 47
 Birds
were in the tree.
 There
were birds in the tree.
 There
is a nest in the tree.
 Here
are the birds in their nest.
There and
Here are never
subjects!
 Where
had the defendant gone
on that fateful night?
 Do
you like chocolate?
 “I
am innocent!” cried the
defendant.
 Quietly
into the night go we.
Exercises 5 & 6, p. 48-49
Review 1 & 2, p. 51-53
Microtheme: Underline subjects and circle verbs in the first
two sentences. Put your name on your paper and turn in!
Sentence Types

A group of words that
1.
has a subject + verb
starts with a capital letter
3. ends with a period (.), question mark (?),
or exclamation mark (!)
2.
4.
makes sense on its own (with no added
words)
1.
A Starbucks just opened in our neighborhood.
2.
did it just open.
3.
The manager who asked about parking.
4.
A brand-new Starbucks!
5.
It did?
6.
Time on our hands.
7.
The overtired baseball team finished its practice.
8.
While you were sleeping on the couch.
9.
The idea you had.
10.
Sit.
A
group of words either
 Without
 With
a subject and/or verb or
a subject and verb but makes no sense
1.
The dog in the back yard continues to bark.
2.
The dog, who is in the back yard, barks.
3.
John, running down the street.
4.
John ran down the street.
5.
The final pages of the book.
6.
The supervisor liked what he saw.
7.
Hurrying away from the car.
8.
About the future.
9.
Worries about the future.
10.
We worry about the future.
A
group of words that has a subject
and a verb
Independent clause (aka “Main Clause”):
1.



Has a subject and verb
Stands on its own
Makes sense by itself
1.
2.
Susan began using a spell checker.
John used a spell checker, too.
Dependent clause (aka “Subordinate Clause”):
1.




Has a subject and verb (or verbal), but
Cannot stand on its own
Doesn’t makes sense by itself
Depends on another group of words to make sense
1.
2.
Because she was having trouble with her
spelling.
Although he was a good speller.
1.
While you are waiting.
2.
You might want to look at this magazine.
3.
The project is really exciting.
4.
Although the tasks seem boring.
5.
The client rang the bell.
6.
Because she wanted faster service.
7.
As soon as the mail arrives.
8.
I’ll see if the check is there.
9.
If you can come.
10.
Call me.
A.

Simple sentence
Consists of one independent clause:
1.
Susan was having trouble with her
spelling.
2.
John used a spell checker, too.
B.
Compound sentence

Consists of two or more independent
clauses:
1.
Susan was having trouble with her
spelling, so she began to use a spell
checker.
2.
John was a good speller, but he used a
spell checker, too.

FANBOYS
• For •And • Nor
• But
• Or • Yet • So
1.
My boss dictates the memo, and Marlene types it.
2.
We filled out the correct forms.
3.
He hasn’t called me, nor has he written.
4.
He hasn’t called nor written.
5.
She left work early, for she was not feeling well.
6.
She wasn’t feeling well when she left work early.
7.
She wasn’t feeling well, so she left work early.
8.
Our customers can wait in line.
9.
They can order over the phone.
10.
They can wait in line, or they can order over the
phone.
One or more dependent clauses + one
independent clause
A.
1.
Because she was having trouble with her spelling,
Susan began using a spell checker.
2.
Although he was a good speller, John used a spell
checker, too.
B.
Dependent clause beings with a subordinating
conjunction.
Examples:
TIME
before
after
while
when
whenever
until
as soon as
as long as
CAUSE /
EFFECT
because
since
so that
in order that
CONDITION
if
unless
whether
CONTRAST /
COMPARE
although
though
as though
even though
whereas
as if
PLACE
where
wherever
9.
Please plan to fill out some forms before you see the
doctor.
We want to serve you better, so we have a toll-free
number.
Although it was raining, the picnic was held outside.
It was raining, and the picnic was held inside.
The contract expired on December 31.
With that résumé, you will definitely find a job!
I wasn’t planning to come because you don’t want me
to.
Come to my office after you finish the report.
Stay in your office to finish the report.
10.
We’ll be ready when the time comes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Exercises 6 - 9, p. 62-63
Review 1, 2 & 3 p. 67-69
Week 2 Writing Process:
Warm-Up
 Evaluate

the summary on p. 17:
Exercise 4:
“Summary About One of My Favorite Garments”
 Discuss
“American Space, Chinese Place, ”
reacting with:



your own experience
your own opinions (can you back them up?)
a critical analysis:

Do you agree with the writer’s perspective?

Why or why not?
 Using
your best writing skills, write a reaction and
turn it in (don’t forget your name!)
Week 2 Writing Process:
Stage One: Prewriting
A
group of sentences
 Each
 To

sentence has a function:
state a topic sentence
contains the controlling idea
 To
support the topic sentence
Topic
sentence contains
 Subject
(topic)
 Treatment (what you will do with the topic)
Supporting
 Evidence
sentence(s) contain
or reasoning
 Details
 Examples
 Explanations
 Pattern
A

Topic sentence

Supporting sentences
 Pattern
B

Topic sentence

Supporting sentences

Concluding sentence
 See
“Magic Johnson, an NBA Great,” by Cyrus
Norton, p. 269 of text.
Some NBA (National Basketball Association) players
are good because they have a special talent in one
area. Magic Johnson was a great NBA star because
he was excellent in shooting, passing, rebounding,
and leading.
 Your
Writing Topic

assigned

unassigned
 Exploration
 Use
& Information Gathering
different graphic organizer techniques
 Surf
the Internet for

Ideas

Leads

Issues

Questions
PCC
Research Library
 http://www.pcc.edu/library/resear
ch/

Databases by Subject
 Opposing
Viewpoints
Google
 http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

Book Search

Earth

Images

News

Scholar

Web Search
Wikipedia
 http://en.wikipedia.org

Languages
 Citations
 Reliability

& bias:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia#Reliability_and_
bias
 “Tertiary
source,” not as good as:
 Primary

source
Original thing, like the Constitution
 Secondary

source
Academic book or article about the original
thing, like a book about the Constitution
Freewriting
Brainstorming
Clustering
 Freewriting

writing without stopping, letting your ideas tumble
forth
 Freewriting



is:
helps you
break mental barriers
generate topics
discover & explore ideas
 There
is really no wrong way to freewrite!
Who?
1.

American adults
What?
2.

Mandatory voting in political elections
Where?
3.

In counties, cities, states
When?
4.

Election time (mainly presidential?)
Why?
5.

Civic responsibility, duty, privilege, requirement?
How?
6.

Mailed like tax form? Enforcement issues?









Words
Elections
Turnout
Consequences
Phrases
Mandatory voting
Right vs. privilege vs. duty
Same as taxes?
Other countries doing this?
A graphic way of showing connections & relationships
Idea 1
Idea 5
Idea 4
Main
Topic
Idea 2
Idea 3
right or
privilege?
voting
Will I
vote?
Should voting be
mandatory?
Voting
Should voting be
mandatory?
• Right?
• Privilege?
Elections
Civic
Duty
• Democratic?
• Not really
democratic?
• My vote
matters
• My vote
doesn’t matter