ENG 101 Midterm

When to use hyphenated words

1. Between two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun e.g. 2. with compound numbers and with fractions e.g. a twenty-five-year-old coach 3. with prefixes ex-, self-, all-, and great- and the suffix elect e.g. ex-President Townes, President-elect Jones.

10 Steps to reading an essay

1. look at publication information of piece and biographical data on author 2. pay attention to title and and intro 3. locate thesis 4. identify topic sentences 5. figure out how author develops his idea 6. circle words you don't know 7. check for transitional devices 8. looking closely at the conclusion 9. identify the author's tone 10. identify author's style (use of figurative language, literary allusions, specialized diction, sentence patterns, key words and phrases)

six comma rules

1. put a comma before and, but, or, nor, so, for and yet when they connect two independent clauses e.g. We may leave Friday, or we may wait until Monday 2. put a comma between items in a series e.g. She put down the phone, picked up her purse, and left. 3. put a comma after an introductory expression that does not flow smoothly into the sentence e.g. Well, that was the end of that. 4. put commas around the name of a person spoken to e.g. I think, Sylvia, that you are absolutely right. 5. put commas around an expression that interrupts the flow of the sentence e.g. I hope, of course, that they'll come. 6. put commas around nonessential information e.g. Dorthy Land, who is running for mayor, will speak tonight.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as" e.g. John is like a bulldog in an argument.

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as e.g. John was a bulldog during the argument.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents. e.g. buzz, hum, sizzle, pop

"Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space"

Brent Staples - He narrates a personal anecdote about the path he takes to understand the effect his appearance can have on his environment. Staples describes his extreme frustration at the fact that racism plays such a large role in his life. The essay illustrates that prejudice and racism are still prevalent by using many examples, his intended audience, imagery, and comparisons. - He begins to understand that he has a quality to change the environment around him solely because of the color of his skin. However, he does not become angry but maintains a sense of calamity throughout the essay. His newfound understanding causes him to begin actively trying to make himself look less intimidating to others around him.

"On Compassion"

Barbara Lazear Ascher - she reminisces about how no one is born with compassion, but it can be taught to everyone. - a woman feels uneasy when a homeless man stares at her baby on the corner. The woman tries to give a dollar to the black homeless man. The man takes the dollar, he is hesitant to take. The author asks if the woman gave the dollar out of fear or compassion. The homeless man walks into coffee shop and waits for his coffee and bag. The owner gives man a Danish and hot coffee and he's on his way. The author again asks if it was out of pity, care or compassion. - The author explains that Empathy is born because the rich and poor come together and rich can feel what the poor are going through. The ancient Greeks learn empathy through the plays they watch, but New Yorkers learn it from watching the homeless. This is why no one is born with compassion, but we have learned over the years that we can teach it to each other.

"Joyas Voladores"

Brian Doyle - Doyle speaks of hummingbirds and hearts, the life of whales and the life of man, it speaks of life, death and the experiences in between, in other words, it examines the similarity of every creature on Earth. - He elaborates on the fierceness of life embodied in hummingbirds and creates a sharp image of a small beating heart for the reader, a heart beating infinitesimally but strongly, faster even than our own.

"Once More to the Lake"

E.B. White - author's pilgrimage to a cabin on Golden Pond in Belgrade Lakes, a small town in Maine. - his family would go there every summer and now he was taking his own son there, for a week's worth of fishing and introspection. - White begins by reflecting on his own childhood at the lake. He draws parallels between the visits with his father and the present visit with Joel. -During the visit, White struggles with themes of aging, death, and the passage of time

"Learning to Read and Write"

Frederick Douglass - Douglass lives in Hugh Auld's household for about seven years. During this time, he is able to learn how to read and write, though Mrs. Auld is hardened and no longer tutors him. - he is determined to learn how to read. He gives bread to poor local boys in exchange for reading lessons. - Douglass encounters a book called The Columbian Orator, which contains a philosophical dialogue between a master and a slave. The book helps Douglass to fully articulate the case against slavery, but it also makes him hate his masters more and more. - Douglass's discontent is painfully acute now that he understands the injustice of his situation but still has no means by which to escape it. Douglass enters a period of nearly suicidal despair. - During this period, Douglass eagerly listens to anyone discussing slavery. He often hears the word "abolitionist." In a city newspaper account of a Northern abolitionist petition, Douglass finally discovers that the word means "antislavery." - Douglass kindly helps two Irish sailors at the wharf without being asked. When they realize that Douglass is doomed to be a slave for life, the sailors encourage him to run away to the North. Douglass does not respond to them, for fear they might be trying to trick him. White men are known to encourage slaves to escape and then recapture them for the reward money. But the idea of escape nonetheless sticks in Douglass's head. - Douglass sets out to learn how to write. After watching ships' carpenters write single letters on lumber, Douglass learns to form several letters. He practices his letters on fences, walls, and the ground around the city - Soon, he can copy from the dictionary. When the Aulds leave Douglass alone in the house, he writes in Thomas Auld's old discarded copybooks. In this painstaking manner, Douglass eventually learns to write.

"On Keeping a Notebook"

Joan Didion - opens with a quote - Didion discusses the importance of keeping a notebook and recording the feelings that you feel at a particular moment and writing down anything when you have an impulse to write. - It doesn't matter if what you record is not what has actually occurred. As long as it connects you to some memory or even none at all, the process of writing down little notes or messages to yourself is a way to express your feelings. - giving examples of some notes that she had jotted down. - There is no structure to her notes and does not recount her day-to-day activities. - here doesn't always have to be a deep meaning to what one writes down. Even if it is an interesting fact or something completely random that you'll never think about again, write it down if you feel the impulse. It is a good way to just get it out of your system and write for the sake of writing. - Memories are one of the most cherished thing to a person. By writing down what you experience whether it by meaningful or simply random, you'll look back upon it one day and revisit that time.

"Feet in Smoke"

John Jeremiah Sullivan - Sullivan creates an essay that revolves around the suddenness of death and the grief and guilt of missed opportunities. - Sullivan talks about the fragility and preciousness of relationships especially amongst siblings. - Worth was electrocuted while playing with his band in a garage. a surge of electricity shoots through his body, stopping his heart due to his mouth coming in contact with the microphone - Worth falls into a coma and wakes after 2 days - Worth seems to be a different person when we wakes. He became a "holy fool" - Worth says and does a list of bizarre things while he was recovering and Sullivan writes them all down

"On Dumpster Diving"

Lars Eighner - Eighner describes his life as a dumpster diver. However, Eighner doesn't prefer the term dumpster diving. - He describes his life while he was running very short on funds and paying rent with the little money he had. Due to this lack of income, Eighner had to resort to getting his nutrition from what other people had thrown out. - He describes to the reader how to distinguish between harmful foods and benign foods that can be found in a dumpster and the prime spots to find the best "meals" - Although food is a lot of what Eighner dives for, he also elaborates on what other things one can find in a dumpster, including diaries, journals, and animals-dead and living.

"Learning to Read"

Malcolm X - ghostwritten autobiography pieced together from interviews - He describes his prison experience and how it facilitated his self-education through books - he learned how to read by copying words from the dictionary over and over again - His narration encompasses his stuggle to "express what he wanted to convey" in writing or conversation - had an obsessive reading habit, would stay up late into the night reading off the light from the prison hallway - through his reading, he discovered works detailing cultures other than white, and how those cultures were unique and severely undermined by whites

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds e.g. Peter piper picked a pack of pickled peppers

"The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me"

Sherman Alexie - tells story about growing up as an Indian, learning to read at a young age, finding fascination in everything he read, becoming a writer and teaching his experiences to help young Native Americans - describes how school teachers expected Native Americans to fail in most aspects of education' and how the Native American children would try to fit the stereotype so as to not stand out or draw attention while in school - Alexie goes on to write novels, short stories, and poetry; saving himself from the Single Story. - Alexie describes the way the Native American students still act to fit the same stereotype as he tries to educate them on his past experiences, stating that he is trying to break down their locked doors.

"Reading to Write"

Stephen King - emphasizes the irreplaceable importance of reading for writers - the worst books are often the ones that can teach you the most, by showing you now hot to write - reading familiarizes the writer with what good writing sounds like so that one can write without self-consciousness and notice what makes a work live

"Professions for Women"

Virginia Woolf - originally a speech addressing women seeking employment in a workforce predominated by men - she speaks of the struggle present for all women writers and that is to break out of the expectations society has for the Victorian women "Angel in the House". - this is a mental barrier that she was able to break, through a lot of struggle but it was necessary to incorporate her own voice into her writing

Subordinating Conjunctions

a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause, placed before or after the main clause of the sentence. A comma follows the dependent clause when it begins a sentence e.g., although, because, as, if, since, than, while, until

Misplaced Modifier

a phrase or clause placed awkwardly in a sentence so that it appears to modify or refer to an unintended word. Error: With a temperature of 500 degrees, Darren could see that the engine was running much too hot. Corrected: Darren could see that the engine, with a temperature of 500 degrees, was running much too hot.

Dangling Modifier

a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence Error: pouring the brown, soapy water through a filter, the first real indications of pollution could be seen Corrected: Pouring the brown, soapy water through a filter, we could see the first real indications of the pollution.

Squinting Modifier

a word, phrase, or clause that appear to modify both the word(s) before and the word(s) after them.

Personification

an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes e.g. The future lurks around the corner, even now making plans to mug me for my youth.

Conjunctive Adverb

are transition words. when two independent clauses are joined by a semicolon, a conjunctive adverb is used at the beginning of the second clause to provide a transition. e.g. ;however, ;furthermore,

Hyperbole

exaggeration e.g. He made my blood boil.

Coordinating Conjunctions

used to join two sentences, place a comma BEFORE the coordinating conjunction e.g. for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so