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Themes, Thesis, Topics
http://mysummerclass.weebly.com/topics.html
http://mysummerclass.weebly.com/essays.html
GRAMMAR
Commas & Semi-Colons:
1. Items in a series: I need purple, gold, and green paint for my art project.
2. Before a conjunction that connects 2 independent clauses (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so): Lady Gaga is coming in concert, but we are not able to afford tickets to the show.
3. After an introductory clause: After the concert, we went to grab a bite to eat.
4. To set off parenthetical elements: Denton, which is just north of Dallas, is a great place to live.
** Treat appositives like parenthetical elements:
His goal, which is to graduate with honors, is definitely within his reach.
5. Interrupters: We wanted to buy tickets, but of course, they were sold out.
6. Te separate coordinate adjectives: He is a tall, distinguished gentleman.
** If you add a conjunction between the adjectives, then you do not need a comma:
He is a tall and distinguished gentleman.
7. To set off quotes:
To clarify his point, Smith explains, "this behavior is seen in a myriad of cultures" (41).
8. To set off contrasting phrases: Some say the world will end in fire, not ice.
9. To avoid confusion: For most, the assignment will not take very long to complete.
10. After a connector: She did not pass the exam. However, she still passed the course.
** She ate too much for lunch; therefore, she was not hungry for supper.
10. Never split up a subject and verb with a comma.
** Use the oxford comma! (See image above)
Semi-Colons:
1. Link independent clauses to connect closely related ideas:
Some people prefer typing their assignments; others prefer handwriting them.
2. Between items in a series that contain commas:
In my lifetime, I have visited The Louvre, which is in Paris; The Van Gogh Museum, which is in Amsterdam; and The Guggenheim, which is in Spain.
3. When a conjunctive adverb (like however) signals a connection between two independent clauses: I like Pink; however, I will not be attending her concert.
-- Other Examples:
I failed the exam; therefore, I will have to make an A on the final to pass the class.
I enjoy extreme sports; for example I have been rock climbing, bungee jumping, and hang gliding.
How to Punctuate Titles:
"Title of a Poem" Title of a Book Title of a Movie Title of an Album Title of a Play
"Title of a Song" "Title of a Story That Appears in an Anthology"
The Title of Your Own Paper
Words to Avoid in Your Writing: Thing, it, good, bad, you. Also, do not overuse the word "said" or "says;" other options are posits, muses, reflects, explains, writes, clarifies, etc.
Agreement:
People tend to always make excuses for the choices that we make in life. Corrected: ... they make in life.
Tense Shifts:
Mother's head pops out fiercely; she then insisted for me to clean my room since I didn't have any homework.
Corrected: "Pops" is present tense; "insisted" is past tense. Change "insisted" to "insists" or "pops" to "popped". Be consistent with tense! Mother's head popped out fiercely; she then insisted for me to clean my room...
Run-On:
The murdering, raping, and robbing have always been there violence just wasn't always put on display like it is now.
Corrected: The murdering, raping, and robbing have always been there; violence just wasn't always put on display like it is now.
** You need punctuation between two independent clauses.
Choppiness:
Violent media is becoming a bigger issue every day. The society we live in does not create more violence.
Corrected: Violent media is becoming a bigger issue every day, but the society we live in does not create more violence.
Vague Language:
Violent media has been a great thing for many years because it draws to our attention that the world is not perfect.
Corrected: Since its inception, violent media has been effective at drawing to our attention the imperfections of the world around us.
(You need concrete language to build from...)
Notes:
* Find an angle that makes your paper stand apart from all the others. Use that hook in your title and lead in statement, then tie it in again in the conclusion.
* Be sure to have clearly stated thesis and topic statements. Use concrete "key words" to keep your paragraphs organized.
* Use 1st person in narrative essays and 3rd person in all other types of essays; never use 2nd person "you" in writing formal essays.
Quoting & Citing:
Do not ever leave a quote HANGING in your paper! A hanging quote is one that appears in a paragraph without being introduced or blended.
Examples INCORRECTLY incorporating quotes:
"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing" (Socrates).
"It was unthinkable that these kids did not have a simple black-and-white reason for their actions, and so a scapegoat was needed" (Manson, par. 4). What Marilyn Manson is saying in this quote is that it is hard for people to imagine that kids could commit such a violent crime for no apparent reason.
Blending:
In all honesty, it "lies with [the] parents" (Leo 41) to choose whether or not their child should be exposed to violent media.
When family or positive social structure are lacking, teens may feel a sense of rejection from and resentment towards society, which may be a "precondition of playing the games obsessively" (Leo 41).
Introducing:
In regards to the tragedy at Columbine, Marilyn Manson notes, "It was unthinkable [to the public] that these kids did not have a simple black-and-white reason for their actions, and so a scapegoat was needed" (par. 4).
Socrates famously contended, "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing."
Context:
Do not randomly place quotes in your essay to meet a requirement. Choose quotes relevant to your ideas. Make sure all quotes are introduced (or blended), properly cited, and adequately explained/discussed as evidence of your topic/thesis statements.