English 100 BC

A dramatic ballad singer studied under a strict teacher

who insisted that he rehearse day after day, month
after month the same passage from the same song,
without being permitted to go any further. Finally,
overwhelmed by frustration and despair, the young
man ran off to find another profession. One night,
stopping at an inn, he stumbled upon a recitation
contest. Having nothing to lose, he entered the
competition and, of course, sang the one passage that
he knew so well. When he had finished, the sponsor of
the contest highly praised his performance. Despite
the student's embarrassed objections, the sponsor
refused to believe that he had just heard a beginner
perform. "Tell me," the sponsor said, "who is your
instructor? He must be a great master." The student
later became known as the great performer Koshiji.
If a child says he wants to be a professional
basketball player, what must the child do?
If a student wants to be a good writer, what
must the student do?
Noun
name of a person, place, thing, or concept
A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0m89e9oZko
Pronoun
word used in place of a noun
Rufus Xaviar Sarsasparilla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVSr4bsVIpM
Verb
usually expresses action or being
Verb: Thats Whats Happening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvBKnZ6u0jA
1. A couple was going on a vacation.
verb
2. The wife was on a business trip and was
going to meet her husband in Barbados the
day after his arrival.
noun
3. When he reached his hotel, he decided to
send his wife a quick email.
verb
4. Unfortunately, when typing her address, he
mistyped a letter, and his note was directed
instead to an elderly preachers wife whose
husband had passed away only the day before.
noun
5. When the grieving widow checked her email, she
took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing
scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint.
Pronoun
6. When they heard the commotion, her family
rushed into the study.
verb
7. They saw the following email on the
computer screen.
noun
8. Dearest Wife,
Just got checked in. Everything prepared
for your arrival tomorrow.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.
pronoun
Whenever possible avoid the passive voice
and use the active voice
Makes writing crisper, more lively, more
concise
Avoid or replace be verbs
be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been
The fly ball was caught by Hernando.
Hernando caught the fly ball.
Use the active voice unless you have a good
reason for choosing the passive.
In active, the subject does the action
In passive, the subject receives the action
Mostly scientific writing
The settlers stripped the land of timber.
The land was stripped of timber by the
settlers.
Replace be verbs that result in dull or wordy
sentences
As a rule, choose a subject that names the
person or thing doing the action.
1. Big crowds are drawn to annual Fashion
Week events in American and European
cities.
Annual Fashion Week events in American
And European cities draw big crowds.
2. Shows by new and established designers
are attended by photographers, journalists,
models, and celebrities.
Photographers, journalists, models, and
celebrities attend shows by new and
established designers.
3. Many people in the audience have model-
thin bodies and photogenic faces.
Many people in the audience show off their
model-thin bodies and photogenic faces.
4. Often haute couture shows with their
expensive, trend-setting fashions are the
highlight of the event.
Often, haute couture shows with their
expensive, trend-setting fashions entice the
largest numbers of eager spectators.
5. Haute couture garments are not expected
to be worn by ordinary people.
Designers do not expect ordinary people to
wear haute couture garments.
6. Haute couture creations are frequently
more like works of art than mere outfits.
Designers frequently consider their haute
couture creations as works of art rather than
mere outfits.
7. Such clothing can be worn in public only by
runway models.
Only runway models can wear such clothing
in public.
8. Other people seem ridiculous in haute
couture clothes.
Other people attract ridicule in haute couture
clothes.
9. Clothes can be draped more easily on
models who have very thin bodies.
Dressers can drape clothes more easily on
models who have very thin bodies.
10. Some people are more impressed by the
spectacle than by the clothes.
The spectacle impresses some people more
than the clothes.
Adjective
modifies a noun or pronoun
usually answers questions such as
Which one? What kind? How many?
Articles a, an, and the also adjectives
Unpack Your Adjectives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRBRnyfjFw
Adverb
modifies a verb , an adjective, or an adverb
usually answers questions such as
When? Where? Why? How? Under what conditions?
To what degree?
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXwE1dVDHP0
1. My captors continue to maliciously torment
me with bizarre dangling objects.
adverb
2. They eat lavish meals in my presence while I
am forced to subsist on dry cereal.
adjective
3. The only thing that keeps me going is the
hope of eventual escape.
adjective
4. I also derive satisfaction from occasionally
ruining some piece of their furniture.
adverb
5. I fear I may be going utterly insane.
adverb
6. Yesterday, I ate a houseplant.
Adjective (articles are adjectives too!)
7. Tomorrow, I might eat another.
Adjective (plant is impliedanother describes
plant)
Preposition
indicates the relationship between the noun or
pronoun that follows it and another word in
the sentence
Busy Prepositions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmz8mM
-nPtM
Conjunction
connects words or word groups
Conjunction Junction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyjKgz9t
Kg
1. We were somewhere around Barstow on the
edge of the desert when the drugs began to
take hold.
preposition
2. I remember saying something like I feel a bit
lightheaded [so] maybe you should drive.
conjunction
3. And suddenly there was a terrible roar
all around us and the sky was full of what looked
like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and
diving around the car, which was going about 100
miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas.
preposition
4. And a voice was screaming: Holy Jesus! What
are these goddamn animals? Then it was quiet
again. My attorney had taken his shirt off and was
pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the
tanning process.
preposition
5. What the hell are you yelling about? he
mustered, staring up at the sun with his eyes
closed and covered with wraparound Spanish
sunglasses.
preposition
6. Never mind, I said. Its your turn to drive.
preposition
7. I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red
Shark toward the shoulder of the highway.
conjunction
8. No point mentioning those bats, I thought
[for] the poor bastard will see them soon
enough.
conjunction
Can you end a sentence with a preposition?
Where are you at?
Where are you?
She displayed the good humor shes known
for.
She displayed the good humor for which she
is known.
I want to know where he came from.
I want to know from where he came.
She is a person I cannot cope with.
She is a person with whom I cannot
cope.
If the restructured sentence sounds contrived
and unnatural, simply rewrite the sentence:
It is behavior I will not put up with.
It is behavior up with which I will not
put.
It is behavior I will not tolerate.
The source uses a variety of
people to show what happiness
is.
This is how people are.
Never end in a be verb!
Sample essay
Read Preface pages 1 46 (How to Read an
Essay, How to Write an Essay, How to Revise
an Essay)
Sample essay
Read Preface pages 1 46 (How to Read an
Essay, How to Write an Essay, How to Revise
an Essay)