How to fix run-on sentences - Emphasis

How to fix run-on sentences How to fix run-on sentences ‘Run-on sentences’ may sound like a newspaper headline announcing that sentences are flying off the shelves. In fact, they are a product of the grammatically incorrect practice of running complete ideas into each other. Observe: I rock she rolls. As you can see, a run-on sentence isn’t necessarily long. When we say ‘complete ideas’ (of which this example has two), what we mean is independent clauses. Independent clauses An independent clause (as well as being a term for when Santa’s kids fly the nest) is a part of a sentence that contains a verb and a subject and makes sense by itself – otherwise known as a simple sentence. In the example above, there are two subjects (or ‘doers’): I and she. And each subject has its own verb: rock and rolls respectively. Here’s another: I like to throw my shapes in the middle of the dance floor Caroline busts her moves in the corner. Rein in the run-on So how do you fix these sentences? It may be tempting to just throw a comma in the middle (I rock, she rolls), but this is still not correct – it’s known as a comma splice. The comma can do many things, but don’t ask it to support the weight of two (or more) independent clauses by itself. There are other options available, though. Which one you pick depends on the gist of your sentence. Put a stop in it A simple solution is the good ol’ full stop: I like to throw my shapes in the middle of the dance floor. Caroline busts her moves in the corner. Perfectly grammatical, and often the best option. But if you want to show how the two clauses are related, or you find a full stop too abrupt, you may prefer one of the other methods. Connect with the semicolon A great way to suggest a connection between the clauses is by using a semicolon. Many people have a deep-seated suspicion of the semicolon, but its very useful here. Unlike the divisive full stop, the semicolon allows the parts to stay snuggled together in one sentence. In this way, they can stand in for conjunctions. I like to throw my shapes in the middle of the dance floor; Caroline busts her moves in the corner. The tell-tale conjunction If you want to make the relationship between the clauses explicit (and keep your sentence grammatically correct), add a coordinating conjunction (joining word) such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so to the comma splice. The conjunction you choose can give quite different meanings to the final sentence. Look at the difference between I like to throw my shapes in the middle of the dance floor, but Caroline busts her moves in the corner. and I like to throw my shapes in the middle of the dance floor, so Caroline busts her moves in the corner. In the first version, it would merely appear that Caroline and I have contrasting preferences on where we get our groove on. But in the second it seems that my shape-throwing drives Caroline to the corner (probably out of embarrassment). Whoa there Don’t let the meaning of your sentences – or your grammar-usage credibility – run away. Use these techniques to keep a tight grip on the reins of your writing, so you always guide your reader in the right direction.

Setting IEP Goals for Reading Comprehension

Setting IEP Goals for Reading Comprehension When a student in your class is the subject of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), you will be called upon to join a team that will write goals for that student. These goals are important, as the students performance will be measured against them for the remainder of the IEP period, and their success can determine the kinds of support the school will provide. Below are guidelines for writing IEP goals that measure reading comprehension.   Writing Positive, Measurable Goals for IEPs For educators, its important to remember that IEP goals should be SMART. That is, they should be Specific, Measurable, use Action words, be Realistic and Time-limited. Goals should also be positive. A common pitfall in todays data-driven educational climate is the creation of goals that lean heavily on quantitative results. For example, a student may have a goal to summarize a passage or story, relating essential components with 70% accuracy. Theres nothing wishy-washy about that figure; it seems like a solid, measurable goal. But whats missing is any sense of where the child stands currently. Does 70% accuracy represent a realistic improvement? By what measure is the 70% to be calculated? SMART Goal Example Heres an example of how to set a SMART goal. Reading comprehension is the goal we are looking to set. Once thats identified, find a tool to measure it. For this example, the Gray Silent Reading Test (GSRT) may suffice. The student should be tested with this tool prior to IEP goal setting so that a reasonable improvement can be written into the plan. The resultant positive goal may read, Given the Gray Silent Reading Test, will score at grade level by March. Strategies to Develop Reading Comprehension Skills To meet the stated IEP goals in reading comprehension, teachers may employ a variety of strategies. Below are some suggestions: Provide engaging and motivating materials to retain the students interest. Be specific by naming the series, resources or books to be used.Highlight and underline key words and ideas.Teach the student about sentence and paragraph construction and how to focus on key points. Again, be very specific so that the goal is measurable.Provide information and clarification about how a text or resource is organized. The child should know the features of a text including the cover, the index, subtitles, bold titles, etc.Provide ample opportunities for the child to discuss written information.Develop summarization skills focusing on the beginning, middle and ending key points.Develop research skills and strategies.Provide opportunities for group learning, especially to respond to written information.Show how pictorial and context clues are used.Encourage the student to ask for clarification if she becomes confused.Provide one-on-one support frequently. Once the IEP is written, it is imperative that the student, to the best of his ability, understands the expectations. Help track their progress, and remember that including students in their IEP goals is a great way to provide a pathway to success.

Coursework Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Case Study - Coursework Example However, in case of violation of the legally binding contract, the non breaching party is permitted to take a legal action of filing a lawsuit to demand for the payment of damages incurred as a result of immature cancellation (Chitty 2012, p. 145). Alternatively, the breaching party is mandated by law to compensate the aggrieved party in this case Antony is obligated to pay Joyce and Taz for contravening the existing terms. Despite the measures in place to safeguard the success of any legally binding contract such as that involving a company selling goods and services, instances of violation are rampant because people do not comprehend the basics of law. According to common law, contracts operate within legal systems that entail forging a lawful accord where two or more members seek an agreement to conduct a given activity. Therefore, in Antony’s case, whether he has reached a legally binding contract with Joyce on the choice of supply depends on several factors worth noting. For example, Antony is in agreement with Joyce because there was an offer and acceptance where he promised to supply 100 pieces at the cost of ?350 per piece. This implies that the element of contractual law called the ‘meeting of the minds’ had been achieved to satisfy the wishes of both parties. Additionally, the exchange of promise from Antony signifies his willingness to provide clothe pieces at a subsidized price and hence expand the business prospects of his Rocco Company. Antony must also acknowledge the essence of ‘consideration’ in legally binding agreement that encompasses his promises and acts of assuring Joyce that she would receive the 100 pieces at a lowered price to elevate her business through increased sales and profits (Harris 2007, p. 110). This is called the enforceable contract and it often entails consideration as a binding word for the first party offering the promise such as Antony in his prospects of supplying Joyce with clothes. En forceable contract, according to legal experts, is achievable either orally as was done by Antony and therefore, cannot rescind his promise or through writing. However, in special instances as stipulated by state by-laws, some enforceable contracts are only legally binding in writing. Contrastingly, this does not overrule verbal contracts that are enforceable such as the case of Antony who stated in person that she would assist Joyce by cutting the garment prices from ?1000 to a manageable ?350 per piece. This suggests that while Antony’s main idea was to double the sale of Rocco products and establish strong image for his name, the verbal communication with House of Style Department fixed a contract that cannot be contravened under any legal terms (Koffman & Macdonald 2007 134). Interestingly, Antony’s decision to cancel the agreement is part of a legally enforceable contract recognized by the law and hence accorded Joyce an edge in upholding the agreement. An agreeme nt to perform a particular act such as supplying garment pieces also signified a binding agreement for both parties thus preventing Antony from altering his mind concerning his promise. Advice, therefore, in a legally binding contract requires all the members involved in the contract to find a neutral platform of amending the considerations before recalling any emerging obligations. Contrastingly, the conditions of agreement always

The Case for Literature-Based Reading Programmes at the Elementary Essay

The Case for Literature-Based Reading Programmes at the Elementary School Level - Essay Example The publication of children's literature has increased substantially and its incorporation into reading programmes has also increased significantly (Harris, 1992). At the same time, there has been a simultaneous interest in literature-based reading instruction. Nonetheless, the importance and the usefulness of children's literature have been questioned. The nature of these attacks, however, seem to have less to do with the value of the instructional approaches and substantive materials than a preoccupation with preparing students for standardized tests and a stubborn adherence to traditional methods. Of particular concern is the use of children's literature as a means for teaching children how to decode information in order to perform better on standardized tests. This instructional method, without more, neglects the very purposes of literature-based reading instruction and renders the inclusion of children's literature in elementary reading programmes an almost tangential inclusion. The strict emphasis on decoding and on standardized testing, while of some relevance to literacy, is harming the very goals and usefulness of literature-based reading instruction. This essay will argue that the inclusion of children's literature is of fundamental importance to effective reading programmes at the elementary school level. ... As a preliminary matter, it is essential to identify the theoretical foundations of literature-based reading instruction. This is because the mere inclusion of literature in a reading programme, without a corresponding shift in instructional methods, may defeat or diminish the very purposes of the programme. Serafini argues that in order for elementary teachers to implement a quality literature-based reading program and make a substantial shift in the way that children's literature is used in the curriculum, they must first make a parallel shift in the theoretical perspectives they use to ground their practice. Without this parallel shift, teachers may simply change the materials they use to teach reading, relegating children's literature to an instructional device in the service of higher test scores. In order to make a shift, however, one must first understand what the theoretical perspectives are and how they influence classroom practice (2003, np). The modernist approach to reading and literacy is a major obstacle to more comprehensive literature-based reading goals. This approach begins with the premise that the meaning of a text is located solely within that text. This is an extraordinarily limited and strict perception of reading. In short, there is one true meaning in the text and children are required to decipher or decode this meaning from the text. This type of reading perspective excludes an interactive approach to the text; more troubling, perhaps, is the fact that it subordinates rather completely the context in which the text is examined and enjoyed. This type of approach is typically implemented as part of a reading skills programme. Teachers teach students how to decode true meanings, students

Lies My Teachers Told Me Essay Example for Free

Lies My Teachers Told Me Essay As I watched the video and read parts of the books, I began to wonder why they would lie. Throughout school, they teach us to be honest and truthful in everything we say and do. So therefore why would they lie to us? According to James W. Loewen, Taking ideas seriously does not fit with the rhetorical style of textbooks, which presents events so as to make them seem foreordained along a line of constant progress. He goes on to say that including ideas would make history contingent. It would present uncertainty. That would not be consider a textbook learning style. Textbooks unfold history as melodrama, instead of with drama or suspense. An example would be John Brown. The treatment of Brown, like the treatment of Slavery and Reconstructino, has changed in American history books. John Brown was considered insane from 1890 until 1970, then slowly began to change back over into sane. Some textbooks emphasize the claim that no slaves actually joined John Brown. At times, I think it would just be easier to go back in time like in the movie Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure. Not only would we get the truth, but we would have seen bits and pieces of it. I think more and more students would enjoy history more if we actually got the truth rather than lies. I think that if we had the suspense and drama, we would learn more. To me in high school, history was a mixture of english and math. All of the boring parts of those two classes combined into one. The teacher was not much better either. I think if the teacher made it more exciting.

Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths Essay -- Moths Viramontes Essays

Helena Maria Viramontes’ â€Å"The Moths† I was initially drawn to Helena Maria Viramontes’ story â€Å"The Moths† due to the striking similarities between the narrator’s experience and my own experience with being thrust into the role of caretaker for a dying loved one. By tracking a young girl’s transformation through dealings with subjugation (by her culture), freedom (through her grandmother), death (of her grandmother) and grief, Viramontes successfully paints an endearing tale of change. â€Å"The Moths† emphasizes the narrator’s oppression by her household’s religion and by the social structures associated with it, juxtaposed by the freedom for development available within the native curandera custom taught by her grandmother. Through vivid yet subtle symbols, the author weaves a complex web with which to showcase the narrator's oppressive upbringing. Two literary critics whose methods/theories allow us to better comprehend Viramontes message are Jonathan Culler and Stephen Greenblatt. Culler points out that we read literature differently than we read anything else. According to the intertextual theory of how people read literature, readers make assumptions (based on details) that they would not make in real life. During these leaps within which we transform facts into values/themes, the reader creates â€Å"supplementary meaning† to the text by unconsciously setting up tension, also called binary opposition. Culler describes this process in his statement â€Å"The process of thematic interpretation requires us to move from facts towards values, so we can develop each thematic complex, retaining the opposition between them† (294). Though supplementary meaning created within the text can take many forms, within V... ...eedom was found and cultural boundaries were not shattered, simply battered, the narrator’s path was much preferable to that of her sisters (those who conformed to cultural boundaries). Through this story we can see how oppression in certain cultures changes individuals differently, creates tension between those who do not wish to be subjugated and those doing the subjugating, and we see the integral opposition between the path of Catholicism and that of curandismo. WORKS CITED: Contexts for Criticism. Ed. Donald Keesey. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003. ________________. Jonathan Culler. â€Å"Structuralism and Literature. 288-297 ________________. Stephen Greenblatt. â€Å"Culture.† 436-441 The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Cassel & Bausch. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. Helena Maria Viramontes. â€Å"The Moth’s† 870-874

Examine the argument that desirable neighbouring

Examine the argument that desirable neighboring is characterized by both distance and proximity BY Repossessions Examine the argument that desirable neighboring Is characterized by both distance and proximity This essay will examine the attributes of desirable neighboring, looking at the characteristics and unwritten rules of good neighboring, how material life shapes social identities and social order to regulate and control the distance and proximity between neighbors. Secondly, personal and social identities are discussed and how these affect the interaction with neighbors.Thirdly, tensions around different cultural social rules are considered and the effect of these different rules has on desirable neighboring. Lastly, causes and effects of neighborly disputes are examined while also looking at how these broken connections are remade. Qualitative data Is used as evidence to support this analysis, this type of data Is given In a non-numerical format, usually gathered from an Inter view or survey form, as well as using observations by the researcher.Desirable neighboring is described as the balance between preserving the connection with neighbors, examining their eternal lives of how, where and when they interact with their neighbors, while maintaining a suitable proximity and respecting their ‘need for privacy' (Wolcott, cited in Taylor, 2009, p. 173). Byword (2009, p. 254) compares desirable neighboring too ‘slow dance', whereby neighbors should preserve their proximity to each other, while not getting too close or be too distant, in order to stay connected with each other. This type of social behavior is unwritten and learned through solicitation (Byword, 2009, p. 54), whereby individuals observe and follow the norms of acceptable behavior (Withering, 2009, p. 0). Harold Garfield (cited In Taylor, 2009, p. 173) argues that social life Is fluid, continually changing whereby Individuals constantly adapt to preserve the balance of social order In t he neighborhood. Harris and Gale (cited in Byword, 2009, p. 255) identified that neighbors communicated primarily outside of the home' in what was perceived as public space, and ‘not in the home' which could be perceived as ‘over-neighboring' by infringing on their neighbors personal space.Nevertheless, the purpose to provide social structure is still the same. However, social rules can be caused by mistrust and the need for power and control. Stanley Branded (cited in Byword, 2009, p. 260) explains that in Spain, desirable neighboring requires individuals to be close, both socially and physically. For example, he observed that neighbors leave their front doors open and neighbors come and go from each other's houses without hesitation, whereas the qualities of ‘not being intrusive' and ‘reserved' were seen as suspicious and rude.However, this proximity and closeness was used as form of surveillance and control. Different social rules can lead to inequalities and unequal connections, some neighbors might be excluded for not adhering to the expected social rules or not being able to participate (Taylor, 2009, p. 158). The boundaries of good neighboring are unwritten and are subjective interpretation, which can therefore lead to disputes (Byword, 2009, p. 263). Elizabeth Stoke (cited in Byword, 2009, p. 64) examined how a neighbor's intimate noises were intruding into the other neighbor's private space. The main issue was that the neighbor was not seen to be considerate by minimizing the noise, which was intruding into the other neighbor's private space. Steps were taken to repair the social order using mediation. This is an example of how social order can be broken and repaired, but the neighbor's relationship was not completely the same as fore which highlights the fluidity of social life and how it changes.To summaries, material life can connect and disconnect neighbors, desirable neighborliness does not only include social and physical distance and proximity, but also how an individual presents themselves and is therefore perceived by their neighbors (Byword, 2009, p. 258). Taylor (2009, p. 171) argues that personal identity is not fixed and includes multiple identities. One of which is their social identity of being a neighbor, which is made and remade as individuals adapt to the fluidity of social life.Additionally, different cultures have different social rules and expectations around desired neighboring, which can cause tension and inequality. Intern, this can lead to disputes to arise leading to a break in social order, different social rules control creating differences and inequality in social order and life (Taylor, 2009, p. 291). Byword (2009, p. 254) compares desirable neighboring to a ‘slow dance', requiring neighbors to change and adapt to the differences and inequalities of social life, to make and repair social order created from this.