Download Welcome to Summer School

AP English 11
WELCOME!
Read Write Speak Listen
TODAY’S AGENDA
Review of last time
 Sentences patterns
 Arguments

Read Write Speak Listen
REVIEW OF LAST TIME
Writing groups
 Why English sucks…


By the way, have you made your book choice for
this quarter.
Read Write Speak Listen
INVERSIONS
English sentences have usually follow the
pattern S V DO/SC plus whatever modifiers are
present.
 You can invert the usual order by moving parts
of the sentence around.
 This can have the effect of emphasizing the
inverted element.
 Too much inversion can make your writing
sound yoda-esque and clumsy.

Read Write Speak Listen
INVERSIONS

Zing! Sentence pattern 14
 Prepositional
phrase before S and V
 Prepositional
 Above
ease
 Tips
A
phrase S V (or V S)
the desk, the grammar ninja levitated with
comma is usually required after the prepositional
phrase. Definitely use if the lack of a comma creates
ambiguity.
 A prepositional phrase can’t stand by itself. Prepositions
can’t stand to be alone.
Read Write Speak Listen
INVERSIONS

Zing! Sentence pattern 15

Object or complement before before S and V
 Object
or subject complement S V.
A dangling modifier the grammar ninja does not
admire. (inverted direct object).
 Revered the grammarian will be. (inverted subject
complement)
 Tips

 You
may need a comma. There aren’t specific rules; let your
ear be your guide.
 Don’t go overboard with this pattern.
Read Write Speak Listen
INVERSIONS

Zing! Sentence pattern 15a
 Complete
 Object
 Wary
inversion of the normal pattern.
or complement or modifier V
was the grammar ninja!
 Tips
 If
it sounds odd, you’ve done it wrong.
S.
Read Write Speak Listen
PERIODIC SENTENCES

A kind of inversion, in which the word order is
reversed, intentionally and artfully, such that,
after all other modifiers and clauses, the main
idea comes at the end.
 See
what I did there?
Read Write Speak Listen
PERIODIC SENTENCES

The subject and verb come at the beginning of
a loose sentence. It’s the opposite of a
periodic sentence.
Read Write Speak Listen
PERIODIC SENTENCES
Periodic sentences are a good way to raise the
diction of your writing.
 A periodic sentence is also a way of creating
emphasis. It places the main idea at the end of
the sentence, which gives it the greatest
impact.
 AP readers love periodic sentences.

Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 16

Paired constructions
 Correlative
conjunction S V, correlative conjunction S V
Either the grammar ninja will fix the sentence, or she
will die in the attempt.
 Tips

 Use
parallel construction so the items being paired match in
form and tense. (Either the grammar ninja will fix the
sentence, or she will become dead. = pukey!)
 A pair means two. Don’t forget part of the correlation!
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 16A
 Paired
construction for contrast only
A
“this, not that” or “not this, but that” construction. (in
some place other than the verb position).
 Skill,
not luck, is the key to the grammar ninja’s
power.
 The grammar ninja uses his powers for good, never
for evil.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 17
Dependent clause as a subject or object or
complement
 Where the grammar ninja went remains a mystery.
 We never determined how the grammar ninja got away.
 Tips

 This
pattern works with relative clauses. Relative clauses are
a special class of dependent clauses that begin with a relative
pronoun.
 The relative pronouns are who, whom, which, that, why, where,
when, how
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 18

Absolute construction (Anywhere in the sentence)
 An
absolute construction is a grammatical term you might not
be familiar with. It might make your head hurt.
 Let’s start with the absolute part. It means standing apart
from the normal or usual syntactical structure.
 Absolute comes from the Latin for loosened from or
separated. We sometimes think of absolute as meaning total,
(Absolute power) but really unrestricted might be closer.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 18
 Absolute
 There
construction (Anywhere in the sentence)
are three kinds of absolute constructions. I’m
going to present them all to you, but really only one
applies to this sentence pattern.
 1. A transitive verb with an object that is implied but not
stated. She was a teacher who inspired.
 2. An adjective or pronoun that stands alone when the
noun it modifies is implied but not stated. Susan’s was
the best.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 18
 Absolute
 There
construction (Anywhere in the sentence)
are three kinds of absolute constructions. I’m
going to present them all to you, but really only one
applies to this sentence pattern.
 3. A phrase that is syntactically isolated from the rest of
the sentence.
 Typically, this means a participle plus a noun or a
pronoun that essentially modifies the entire sentence.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 18

Absolute construction (Anywhere in the sentence)
 Check
this out:
 Absolute

His ball being lost, Johnny had to quit playing tennis for the day.
 Dependent

clause
Because his ball was lost, Johnny had to quit playing tennis for the
day.
 Independent

clause
His ball was lost, so Johnny had to quit playing tennis for the day.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS
Head
hurt yet?
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 18

Absolute construction (Anywhere in the sentence)

Present participle

The American economy, God willing, will soon return to normal.
 Past

The students, biased by past experience, viewed the substitute
teacher with distrust.
 With


participle
irregular participles
Her skirt torn and her leg burnt, Sara cried on her mother’s
shoulder after the accident
Tips
 An
absolute construction needs to be set off by punctuation.
Use commas, dashes, or parenthesis.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 19
The short, simple sentence for relief or dramatic effect
S
V
.

 The
grammar ninja was born into poverty, squalor, and
destitution. Because she was alone, she was preyed upon by
the darker elements of the city. A trip to library introduced her
to the wonder of grammar: its power and intricacies. Then,
everything changed.

Tips
 Use
it after several long sentences.
 Use it to summarize what you just said.
 Use it to provide transition.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 19a
A short question for dramatic effect, simple sentence
for relief or dramatic effect
S
V
?

 Wait,

what?
Tips
 Use
in the introduction to arouse interest.
 Use it within paragraph to provide variety.
 Use it between paragraphs to provide transition.
 Use it at the end to provide a thought provoking conclusion.
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 19a
 Flavors
 (Interogative

When will it end?
 Interogative

verb S V?
Can we go?
 Question

word standing alone
What?
 Auxiliary

word) auxiliary verb S V?
based on intonation
Jason flunked modern dance?
Read Write Speak Listen
OTHER SENTENCE PATTERNS

Hot dog! Sentence pattern 20

The deliberate fragment


Fair enough.
Tips
 Use
as part of a description.
 For transition
 For indicating conclusions
 In structuring a question or an answer
 For making exclamations and for emphasis
 For making explanations
 In aphorisms or fragments of cliches
Read Write Speak Listen
FINAL SENTENCE PRACTICE
For homework, please write 1-2 paragraphs to
describe an event in your life: making a sports
team, being cast in a play, going to a dance.
 Use high diction to describe the event.
 Include at least one periodic sentence, and try
to practice the other sentence patterns we
discussed today.

Read Write Speak Listen
MORE ARGUMENTS

Rogerian arguments
 Named
for psychologist Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
 Used by mediators, therapists
 Nonconfrontational
 Stresses understanding and respecting the
opposing point of view.
 Strives to find common ground.
Read Write Speak Listen
MORE ARGUMENTS

Rogerian arguments
 Brief,
objective statement of the issue under
discussion.
 Summarize in impartial language the opposing
case. Summary should demonstrate that you
understand their interests and concerns and avoid
hostility.
Read Write Speak Listen
MORE ARGUMENTS

Rogerian arguments
 Make
an objective statement of your own idea,
listing concerns and interests. Avoid loaded
language and moral superiority.
 Outline common ground or mutual concerns.
Specify irreconcilable interests.
 Outline a solution. Emphasize what both sides may
gain.
Read Write Speak Listen
BYE!

Come back tomorrow!