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Mastering the Mechanics of Writing Part 1: Building Blocks of Grammar
Kayla Skarbakka and Matt SmithWriting ConsultantsWalden University Writing Center
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Housekeeping
• Muting
• Questions
• Tech trouble? http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToTraining
• Recording: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/415.htm
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• Parts of speech
• Punctuation
• Tips/common errors
• Practice
Agenda
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So your readers focus on your ideas!
Why Study Mechanics?
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Parts of Speech
•Nouns and Pronouns
•Articles
•Modifiers
•Verbs
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Person, place, or thing• Proper or common
– My dog is named Wendy.– I am a student at Walden University.
• Singular or plural
NounsAdditional resources:•When to capitalize nouns: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/489.htm •Irregular plural nouns: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/GrammarandELL/plural_nouns.pdf
article→ articles book→ books crux→ cruxes theory→ theories
syllabus→ syllabi criterion→ criteria datum→ data thesis→ theses
Tip: Use plural nouns when writing in general terms:Rather than this: A student should always try his or her best.Try this: Students should always try their best.
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PronounsReplace a noun
The teacher gave the test to the students.She gave it to them.
Additional resource: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/Pronouns.pdf
Tip: Avoid the second person in scholarly writing:Rather than this: I am going to tell you about childhood obesity.Try this: This paper is about childhood obesity.
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More Pronoun Tips• Avoid the general we, us, and our
Rather than this: We all need to focus on patient satisfaction.Try this: Nurses all need to focus on patient satisfaction
• Avoid ambiguous pronouns.Rather than this: When the customer and the manager spoke on the
phone, he was angry. Try this: The customer was angry when he spoke on the phone with
the manager.• Maintain noun-pronoun agreement.
Wrong: A manager should always listen to their customers. Correct: Managers should always listen to their customers.Wrong: The family needs to work on their anger issues. Correct: The family members need to work on their anger
issues.
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Articles
The, a, and an• Give specificity and number• Indefinite articles (a, an) refer to nonspecific or
general thing• Definite article (the) refers to a specific thing
I am studying for a test. I am studying for the test. A counseling session provides a supportive environment. The counseling session provided a supportive environment.
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Modifiers• Give information about another word • Adjectives: modify a noun
– Cathy is the company’s first female CEO.
• Adverbs: modify a verb, adjective, or other adverbs. Can be a single word or a phrase.– Cathy recently accepted the CEO position. – She is very eager to meet her staff and is meeting on
Monday with all the managers.
Tip: Avoid misplaced and dangling modifiersRather than this: As a nurse, patients should be my main concern.Try this: As a nurse, I should mainly be concerned about patients.
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Verbs
• Describe action or state of being• Necessary in every sentence
Wrong: All the nurses at the seminar.Correct: All the nurses were at the seminar.
All the nurses attended the seminar.
I will write my final paper on childhood obesity.He is an elementary school principal. There were no casualties in the accident.I always begin my homework at 8 p.m.
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Verb Tenses
• Place actions in time• Basic tensesPresent •The teacher uses an authoritarian teaching style.
•The university offers an accelerated program.
Past •The business declared bankruptcy in 2008.•Colfax (2007) described the problem as “intricate and pervasive” (p. 53).
Future •In this paper, I will describe childhood obesity. •Beginning next year, the program will provide a reduced tuition option.
x x x x x x
present
past future
x
x
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Helping Verbs
Change the tense, voice, or mood of a sentence• Be: progressive tenses
– I am writing my KAM.
• Have: perfect tenses– She has worked at the school for 12 years.
• Do: emphasis– Despite the student’s complaint, the teacher does
grade fairly.
X X
X X
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Why Does Verb Tense Matter?
• I ate an entire large pizza.• I eat entire large pizzas.• I will eat an entire large pizza.• I am eating an entire large pizza.• I have eaten an entire large pizza.• I do eat entire large pizzas.
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Verb Tips
• Keep your tenses consistentWrong: I wrote my paper after I watch the webcast.Correct: I wrote my paper after I watched the webcast.
• Be careful with progressive tensesRather than this: I am wanting to earn my degree. Try this: I want to earn my degree.
• Make sure your subjects and verbs agreeWrong: The high school have three choirs.Correct: The high school has three choirs.
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Punctuation
•Periods
•Commas
•Semicolons
•Colons
•Apostrophes
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Periods
• At the end of a complete sentenceAll faculty are required to attend the meeting.
• After a parenthetical citationAll participants were under the age of 10 (Wilson, 2003).
• In certain abbreviationsi.e., e.g., et al., U.S.
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Commas
• After introductory clausesDespite the delay, I expect to complete the study on time.
• On either side of a nonessential clauseMary, the newest employee, just finished training.
• In a list of three or more elementsHe has written three books: a novel, a memoir, and a
biography.• Between two independent clauses joined by a
conjunctionI turned the paper in late, but at least I finished it.
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Semicolons• Between two independent clauses
Half of the staff is out sick; however, the meeting will still go on as planned.
• Between elements in a list that contains internal commasI grouped my students into teams as follows: Mary and
Patrick; Kelsey, Erik, and Cara; and Ashley and Zach.
• Between multiple sources in a single citation(Wilson, 2010; Peters, 2007; Ruiz, 2004)
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Colons• Introduce items of a list
I am teaching the following classes next semester: Irish Literature, Composition II, and Creative Writing.
• Elaborate on a statementMy classmates and I all agree: We will need to reread
chapter 3 before the test this week.
Tip: Use colons only when the list does not fit naturally into a sentence’s construction
No colon : The Jacksons’ three sons are Peter, Sean, and Mike. Colon : The Jacksons have three sons: Peter, Sean, and Mike.
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Apostrophes
• Singular possessiveErickson’s (2005) study involves…
• Plural possessiveThe researchers’ methods were sound.
Tip: No need for apostrophes to make a noun, year, or abbreviation plural
Incorrect: Many questionable fashion trends, such as crop top’s, emerged in the 1980’s. Correct: Many questionable fashion trends, such as crop tops, emerged in the 1980s.
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Punctuation as Symbols
Think of punctuation as symbols on a map—they have specific meanings, and they guide your readers through the territory of your ideas
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Proofreading Tips
• Read your paper slowly out loud • Have someone else read your paper out loud
to you• If you know that you tend to make a particular
kind of grammar or punctuation error, proofread your paper looking specifically for that error
• Use Grammarly for further guidance on tricky spots
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Practice
• Activity Handout in Webinar Archive (answer key)
• Quiz to test what you learned.
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• Correct grammar and punctuation allow you to communicate your ideas clearly.
• Proofread your sentences slowly out loud to help you identify mechanical issues.
• Know where to go for help!
Recap
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Resources: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/
Automated grammar checker
•Guides and resources•Exercises and quizzes
•Webinars•Description of one-on-one tutoring•Writing courses
