TO DOWNLOAD - 75 Pages (928kb - PDF format) - ESL Teachers ...

Acquire the art of using transitional devices, which areessential in achieving coherence. Some of the importantones are the use of pronouns, the repetition of key wordsor ideas, the use of conjunctions and other transitionalexpressions like the following:To signal additions:also, and, besides, equally important, first,second, third (etc.), further, furthermore, inaddition, too, nextTo signal similarities:likewise, in the same manner, each in its turn,similarlyTo signal differences:but, in contrast, however, on the other hand, onthe contraryTo signal examples or intensity:after all, even, for example, for instance, indeed, infact, it is true, specifically, that is, to illustrate, trulyTo signal place:above, adjacent to, below, elsewhere, nearby, onthe other side, opposite to, to the leftTo signal time:after a while, before, during, earlier, finally, First,immediately, later, simultaneously, when, then,while, subsequently, as long as, at length, at thattime, at last4. MAJOR SENTENCE ERRORSIt is safe to say that students are almost always expected towrite complete sentences and that there are no gray areaswhere run-on or fragmented sentences are acceptable. Ifyou have a tendency to make sentence errors in your writing,that is, fragments, comma splices, or fused sentences,you need to take steps to rid your writing of sucherrors before you submit a paper. If you are not sure if youmake such errors, visit your campus tutorial or writing laband ask if someone there will evaluate your writing. Mosttutorial centers and writing clinics have a number of computer-aidedinstructional programs that do wonders for studentswho are not clear in their minds what a sentencereally is. Do not attempt to avoid sentence errors by writingprimer-style sentences. Essays that begin, "I believe agood education is important. I believe men and womenshould have it. A good education is what makes a goodlife" will, at least, be graded down as lower-than-collegelevelwriting. Take the time to rid your writing of fundamentalsentence errors before you turn in papers.The lone or infrequent occurrence of the errors that arediscussed from here on is no longer in the "gross" categoryand is less damaging to a student's score than thefaults described up to this point. However, you can besure that the errors will be noticed, and, if they or combinationsof them occur with frequency, they will cause astudent to lose credit and possibly even fail a writingassignment."Bermuda Triangle Errors"I have found that many students have their own customBermuda Triangle when it comes to writing, their own setof grammatical or writing problems that never ceases tomake them nervous when they enter those waters. Jim, forexample, never quite knew how to use cases. He seemedto believe that the use of the pronoun me was alwayswrong, so wrong, that whenever he said or wrote it, hewould sound really bad. He would write, "The coach gavePhil Lozano and / three days to straighten out." (Just tokeep the record straight, he should have written the objectiveform of the pronoun, me, because it is receivingaction). Another student of mine, Ed, always becamebefuddled when he used gerund phrases with a possessivepronoun. He would say, "Me staying out late with my buddiesis all right with my girlfriend." (He should have written"My staying out late is all right with my girlfriend.")Many of my students say that some teacher in their paststrongly warned them not to write in the first person, "I"(The truth is there is nothing wrong with using the firstperson as yourpoint-of-view; in fact, most questions askedon a timed writing test deal with personal reminiscenceand experience and require a first-person response.) Whatmost students remember having been told about the pronoun/ is that it should not be used in severely formal, elevateddiscourse, and it should not be mixed with analready-establish third-person point of view (he, she, or it).If, like many students, you feel nervous when you write,perhaps it is because you have a few areas in writing thatbother you, and you write perfectly well otherwise. Forexample, do you have problems with the use of the nominativeand objective case? Are you frequently unsure ofwho-whom, or I-me options? My advice to you is thatyou think a bit about your rough areas (we all havethem), trap or isolate them, and then complete the relativelyminor job of studying and memorizing that will ridyourself of the problem for good. If you need further helpidentifying your errors, there are many good diagnosticEnglish surveys. Check with your English teacher, counselor,or tutoring lab.5. ERRORS IN PREDICATION OR MIXEDSENTENCESPredication refers to the process of joining the namingpart of the sentence (the subject) to the doing or describingpart of a sentence (the predicate). Mixed sentencesoccur when the writer equates unlike constructions orideas. Look at the following incorrect examples.MIXED:By working at such technical plants as Lockheedand Bendix gives the engineering students insightinto what will be expected of them. [By workingdoes not give them insight; working does.)CORRECTED:Working at such technical plants as Lockheed andBendix gives the engineering students insight intowhat will be expected of them.MIXED:Among those who take the writing examination,they do not all have to take it again, {Themodifying phrase beginning with Among requires50