GSR Method Steps 11 & 12

DS 014 Writing

Today's Agenda Sign-In

Turn in Assignment from Friday

Another Oops

Review GSR Steps 8, 9, and 10

GSR Step 11—Punctuation

GSR Step 12—Transitions between Paragraphs

Generative Sentence Rhetoric “In a Nutshell”

Take home exam

Graded papers back

Coming Up...

See you Monday!

Oops!--More Resume Blunders “Career break in 1999 to renovate my horse”

Hobbies: “enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians”

“2001 summer Voluntary work for taking care of the elderly and vegetable people”

“I’m intrested to here more about that. I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer”

“Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to Detail”

Objective: “career on the Information Supper Highway”

“My duties included cleaning the restrooms and seating the customers.”

“Consistently tanked as top sales producer for new accounts.”

~from JobMob

GSR Step 8 Review—Moving Modifiers

Once freed from its original base clause, a modifying structure may appear in any of three positions: initial (before the new base clause), middle (in the middle of the new base clause), or final (after the new base clause).

Remember to set it off by the appropriate punctuation!

Example of a Moving Modifier from the Last Class

Clutching her purse to her chest, Pamela stumbled into the room.

Pamela, clutching her purse to her chest, stumbled into the room.

Pamela stumbled into the room, clutching her purse to her chest.

GSR Step 9—Review of Parallelism

In GSR, Parallelism occurs when you have multiple sentences about the same subject and with similar sentence structures (BSPs). These can be combined to form a sentence with several of the same type of free modifiers (thus making a parallel structure—remember b.a.l.a.n.c.e).

Example of Parallelism in GSR from the Last Class

He skied down the hill. He planted his poles mechanically. He tried to perfect his style. Skiing down the hill, planting his poles

mechanically, he tried to perfect his style.

GSR Step 10—Review of Non-Parallel Structures

When combining multiple sentences that are not similar in structure and may not all modify the same subject, you may end up with a non-parallel structure.

In GSR, non-parallel sentence structures are those that have multiple types of free modifiers that aren't all describing the same subject.

Example of a Non-Parallel Structure from the Last Class

The machine was a portable Acme unit. The machine was more efficient. The machine reduced liquid waste especially well.

A portable Acme unit, the machine was more efficient, reducing liquid waste especially well.

In this case, though both free modifiers describe the same subject, they are different types, so the sentence is structurally non-parallel in its modifiers.

Moving On...

GSR Step 11—Punctuation GSR Step 12—Using Free Modifiers to

Transition between Paragraphs

GSR Step 11—Punctuation

In GSR, punctuation is more “functional” than “mechanical,” meaning that it helps show where one structure ends, where another begins, and how they are related.

George went outside slowly eating a banana split. George went outside, slowly eating a banana split. George went outside slowly, eating a banana split.

Depending on where you place punctuation, you can actually change the meaning of the sentence!

A Few Things to Remember about Punctuation

By itself, a comma either

(a) separates elements in a series or (b) sets off a base clause from a free

modifier. With a conjunction, however, a comma can

separate two base clauses. By itself, a semicolon acts like a weak period: it

separates two base clauses. After a colon, a semicolon can separate elements in a complicated list.

More Things to Remember about Punctuation

A colon can appear only at the tail end of a base clause; it either

(a) introduces a list (usually noun clusters) or (b) introduces a specific restatement or other

elaboration of the preceding base clause. A dash acts like a strong comma, setting off middle-

and final-position free modifiers from a base clause; but it cannot separate all elements in a series, and it can set off an initial position modifier only if the modifier is a list: "Wheat, corn, and soybeans—these are the state's main crops."

GSR Step 12—Using Free Modifiers to Transition between Paragraphs

Transitions between paragraphs ideally consist of a summary of the point that has just been made, a statement of the new point, and a word or phrase that shows how the two points are related:

"Although the President had clearly abused his powers, congressmen were not without their own abuses."

In this sentence, can you guess what the main idea of the prior paragraph and the one coming up would be?

More on Transitions

Parallel free modifiers can signal parts of an "analysis" sequence ("first ... second . . . third," or "on the one hand ... on the other"), and one- or two-word free modifiers can signal a great range of relationships: "however," "therefore," "also," "similarly," "for example," "indeed," "next," "in effect."

A Few More Examples

Once you've registered your name and password, you're now ready to build the front page of your wiki.

While spending the day on the beach was certainly fun, when the sun began to go down, I realized it was time to hit the books for tomorrow's exam.

Napoleon's long list of miscalculations, in effect, would cost his troops dearly during the winter months ahead.

We'll get to more transitions when we start in on paragraphs in the coming weeks!

GSR Steps Overview

GSR Step 1 View words as building blocks of different

types. Four main types of “base” blocks—noun,

verb, adjective, and adverb. GSR Step 2

Four basic sentence patterns that act as the base of what all other sentence patterns are build from.

BSP-1 through BSP-4

GSR Steps Overview (cont.)

GSR Step 3 Bound Modifiers—modifiers that are

“bound” into the sentence, meaning they cannot be moved.

GSR Step 4 Free Modifiers—structural modifiers that

are able to be moved around in the sentence with the proper punctuation

GSR Steps Overview (cont.)

GSR Step 5—Verb, Noun, and Adjective Clusters (types of free modifiers)

Verb Cluster—change the verb to an -ing form and slide it and what comes after it to the front of the sentence.

Noun Clusters and Adjective Clusters—take whatever comes after the verb and move it to the front of the sentence (usually these come after a “to be” verb).

GSR Steps Overview (cont.)

GSR Step 6—Absolutes

Taking a base clause that has a “to be” verb from a BSP-4, removing the verb and placing the new structure at the beginning of another sentence. (Make sure they're describing the same subject.)

GSR Step 7—Relative Clauses

When you have two sentences about the same subject and that are the same structure, you can combine them by taking one, adding who or which, and “planting” it within the other sentence, set off by commas.

Dogs are mammals. Dogs make good pets. Dogs, which make good pets, are mammals. Dogs, which are mammals, make good pets.

GSR Steps Overview (cont.)

GSR Step 8

Free modifiers can be moved to the beginning, middle or end of the new base clause, just remember to put the proper punctuation to set off the free modifier.

GSR Step 9—Parallelism

Combining sentences that describe the same subject and are the same type of structure (BSP) should be made into parallel constructions within the new sentence—meaning the type of free modifier they're made into are the same.

GSR Steps Overview (cont.) GSR Step 10—Non-parallelism

Sometimes you'll want to combine sentences that describe the same subject but are of different BSP types, or...

You have similar BSP types but they don't all describe the same subject.

In either of these cases, you'll end up with a non-parallel structure of multiple types of free modifiers.

Be aware that using free modifiers in a non-parallel way can be tricky! (This is when sometimes we see dangling or misplaced modifiers because they don't describe what they're closest to.)

GSR Steps Overview (cont.)

GSR Step 11—Punctuation

Punctuation in GSR is meant more to help hold the structure together and create sensible shifts between ideas. It is viewed as more functional than mechanical.

GSR Step 12—Transitioning between Paragraphs

Free modifiers can be used as a means of connecting or reviewing information from the paragraph prior, working it into the main idea of the paragraph coming up.

And Now You Know! Now you know the Generative Sentence

Rhetoric Method's 12 Steps! Learning the GSR will help you look at

building your sentences in a new way—structuring and restructuring by using and combining the basic materials (words and BSPs) in all sorts of fascinating ways!

(Just don't go overboard in the “fascinating” department—some profs may not appreciate your skills in that regard.)

Take Home Exam

You may start on this now or take it home. Make sure you put your name on it! Exam is due next Monday, September 27,

when you arrive in class.

Coming Up...

This Week Wednesday and

Friday

no class (I'm in testing.)

Next Week

Monday

GSR Test Due Start in on the

Paragraph (Chapter 1 in Paragraphs)

Wednesday

Cont. with Intro to the Paragraph (Chapter 6 in Paragraphs)

See you Monday!