Walk the [parallel] line.

Writing can be tricky as many of my students would attest. As I've written elsewhere, though, with practice, you can master the many elements of grammar even more advanced concepts such as this one: Parallelism.

I put together a presentation about this topic for a class several years ago, so rather than "reinvent the wheel," I'll share screenshots from that presentation here:

First, what is parallelism?





You're probably thinking, "This is about as clear as mud." So, let's get down to details:





Is it starting to make sense? Here's some additional context:





The main point with parallelism is to make certain each element of your sentence equals similar elements.

So, keep walking the [parallel] line!

Keep pen to paper!
Prof. Rinehart

Possessives or Plurals ... That is the question ...

I'm in the middle of grading a slew of essays for another group of students, and it's making me a bit ... um ...

Well, let's just say, one of my pet peeves is being prodded (and you know what they say about poking a bear with a stick?).

It's this whole issue of possessives versus plurals. I wrote an entire blog about possessive use in April 2014 (please read it for even more detail), but because it is front of mind, I thought I'd post a quick refresher.

Possessive form is NOT the same as plural. Possessive form means ownership. Plural means more than one. They are not interchangeable. HOWEVER, there is such a thing as plural possessive (ownership by more than one)... have I confused you yet?

Let's take them one at a time.

Possessive form:

It is the student's book. (In other words, the book belongs to one student.)

Plural:

Several students bought their books. (In other words, more than one student bought books.)

Plural possessive:

The students' books are on the table, (In other words, the books of more than one student are on the table.)

It's really very simple.

So let's take a little quiz.

A student writes:

The stories theme is about fate.

Questions: Is she writing about multiples stories? Then the word stories should still be possessive, and the noun and verb need to be changed. Is she writing about a single story? Then the word stories should be single possessive.

If it's the first (multiple stories), then the sentence should be:

The stories' themes are about fate.

If it's the second (single story), the the sentence should be:

The story's theme is about fate.

Again, I go into much more detail in the entry I mentioned above. If this is something you struggle with, PLEASE review that entry.

Okay. I'm glad I got that off my chest. Now, back to grading!

Keep pen to paper!
Prof. Rinehart

The Writing Process (steps three through seven)

Last time, we finished up step two of the seven-step writing process. As I mentioned, if you master the first two steps, you'll lay a solid foundation for any academic essay ... and that's before you really begin writing!

Now you can really put pen to paper.

Step Three: Drafting

Once you've determined your subject, purpose, and audience, and you've developed a solid thesis and outline, you can begin writing your essay. [NOTE: Take a look at the blog "Academic Essays ..." for more information on what an academic essay should look like ... more or less.]

Using your outline as a guideline, draft a solid introductory paragraph, including your thesis statement. Then, draft your body and concluding paragraphs. The key is: While you want to write as clearly as possible, don't worry about perfect grammar or punctuation. You'll cover that in steps five through seven. The point of drafting is to get your thoughts on paper.




Step Four: Incubating

This step is often skipped, but is oh-so important. Many students begin the revision process right after they finish their rough draft. The problem is, when they go right back to the draft, they're still in draft mode, so they often miss errors and flow issues.

Incubating allows you to step away from your draft and then come back with fresh eyes.  This may be the one and only time you have a professor giving you permission to go and play for a while, so take advantage of it!



Step Five: Revising

When you get done playing, come back and look at your essay objectively before moving on. HELPFUL HINT: READ YOUR PAPER OUT LOUD. If every student did this during the next three steps, I GUARANTEE he or she would correct many errors and submit better papers!

Once you've read your work out loud (I really do recommend this!), move on to step five. This is what I like to call the "macro-revision." Ask questions like:

• Do the paragraphs flow smoothly?
• Does each point support my thesis?
• Do I have enough support?
• Have I included relevant information?
• Should I move any paragraphs for logical flow?

This step allows you to take a big-picture look at your essay and revise accordingly.



Step Six: Editing

Once you've looked at your essay overall (and made any large adjustments), look at your essay paragraph by paragraph. Ask questions like:

• Are my sentences structured correctly?
• Do I have any comma splices or run-ons?
• Am I using the right words to say what I want to say?
• Am I being concise? Or too wordy?
• Do my paragraphs flow?

Step Seven: Proofing

This step puts the final touches on your essay. I recommend you read your paper out loud again as you keep an eye out for punctuation and spelling errors. I do recommend you use the resources available with your word processor; however, do not rely on them! Spell check only catches spelling errors, not words that aren't used correctly. So, for example, it would catch:

I don't think thair car is here. (Thair is misspelled.)

But it would think the following sentence is spelled correctly (which it is):

I don't think there car is here. (However, while there is spelled correctly, it is not the correct word.)

It is YOUR responsibility to make certain your final paper is as correctly- and well-written as possible.



Writing is a skill to be learned, so I encourage you to use all tools available to you in order to be as effective a writer as I believe you can be!

Keep pen to paper!

Prof. Rinehart

The Writing Process: Step One (Preparing, part one)

One of the most difficult parts of writing is simply getting started. I highly recommend your following some kind of process to help get past that dreaded "writer's block." If you Google "writing process," you'll get countless responses. Some recommend three steps; others recommend five steps. I recommend seven. This blog will cover the first step: Preparing.

Before we start, let's take a quick true/false quiz.

So, what do you think?

Now, comes the hard part. While you may feel confident that you're not alone in this sometimes frustrating world of essay writing, you still may be asking: How do I get started?

STEP #1: Preparing

First, you need to determine three key elements: Purpose, Audience, and Subject. Until you know these three things, you can't really get started.

Purpose is the "why." Why are you writing this essay? The obvious answer for academic essays is often "to get a grade." While that's certainly true, you also need to understand what kind of essay you're writing. Are telling a story? Analyzing a piece of literature?  Explaining a procedure? You need to decide what your purpose is.

Next, you need to determine your audience. This is the "who." To whom are you writing? Yes, your instructor will be reading your paper (and of course, grading it!), but usually, he or she is standing in for a general audience.

Finally, you need to determine your subject. This is the "what." About what are you writing? Most often with academic papers, your subject will be given to you (or at least you'll have a choice of prompts or subjects). If this is the case, you can go write on to developing your thesis (see blog on that topic). However, if you find yourself having to come up with a topic of your own, you may want to try some brainstorming. Unfortunately, I'm running out of space, so come back next time for brainstorming and Step Two: Planning.

Keep pen to paper!

Prof. Rinehart

Academic Essays ... Writing the easy way!

Last time, I talked about how to develop a thesis statement and outline ... arguably the most important steps in writing an essay. Once you have those, however, what's next?

Most academic essays (at least until you hit graduate school) follow the same basic format:

• Introductory paragraph
• Body paragraph supporting your essay's first main point
• Body paragraph supporting your essay's second main point
• Body paragraph supporting your essay's third main point
• Concluding paragraph

Hopefully, you already determined these in your outline. If you did, then you're more than ready to take the next step: writing the essay itself.

The introductory paragraph should start with a topic sentence, some background information, and your thesis. A sample introductory paragraph (based on the blog on theses and outlines):

       Since the beginning of time, animals have been important to humans. In the story of creation, God created all animals, fish, and reptiles, and put them in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:20-30). God then gave man the responsibility of caring for the animals. Although sin entered the world and the relationship between man and animal has been tainted, most people still have a strong affinity for animals. Domesticated animals have become very important for many humans, and many have dearly-loved pets; the most popular are dogs and cats. While both dogs and cats can be great pets, dogs are usually more dependent, trainable, and empathetic whereas cats tend to be more independent, stubborn, and apathetic.

See how I started with a topic sentence, added some broad background, and concluded with the thesis statement?

Each of your body paragraphs should be formatted in a similar way: topic sentence, supporting details, and concluding sentence. A sample body paragraph supporting the above thesis:

       Both dogs and cats are popular pets, and they have many aspects in common. For example, they can both be great companions. Only a pet-lover truly understands the joy of coming home after a hard day and being greeted by a wagging-tailed dog or a cat sinuously winding through legs. In addition, dogs and cats offer proven health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and helping Alzheimer's patients (WebMD). Pets certainly require care. They must be fed and bathed, and they also need regular veterinarian care. However, that responsibility can be another benefit for families with children. Caring for a pet can help children better understand how important regular feedings, walks, and other pet needs are. While dogs and cats certainly do have some similarities, they have even more differences.

With this body paragraph, I've written a topic sentence that directly supports my thesis. I have several detail sentences that support that topic sentence, and then I end with a concluding sentence that transitions into the next body paragraph, which will begin the discussion of the differences between dogs and cats.

After writing body paragraphs that continue to support your thesis, you'll write a concluding paragraph that brings your essay full circle. A sample concluding paragraph:

       While pets are not for everyone, they can be greatly beneficial to their owners. Dogs and cats, the most popular pets, offer joy and companionship, and can even help their owners be healthier. Dogs are arguably the friendlier, more dependent pet, while cats are independent and aloof. However, no matter which animal one chooses, having a pet can be a wonderful way of caring for some of God's creation.

A few important issues regarding academic essays:

• Each body paragraph should support your thesis (be careful not to follow "rabbit trails" of irrelevant information). For example, if you're writing about dogs and cats, don't start writing about how you've always wanted to own a lemur.
• In fact, you should avoid phrases like "I believe" or "I think." You're the writer, so your reader knows it's your opinion!
• Also, avoid phrases like, "This essay is about" or "This essay will discuss."
• As often as possible, avoid "second person" (you) with formal, academic essays. Academic essays should be written in "third person" (he, she, one, they).
• Avoid contractions.

As I wrote last time, if you start with a solid thesis and outline, writing an essay can be relatively easy. Just stay focused on your thesis and support it well.

One last note: Always make certain your essays are formatted correctly. They generally should be written with Times New Roman 12 pt. font and double-spaced; they should follow whatever style is appropriate (generally, MLA, APA, or CMS/Turabian).

Next time, I'll be talking about the writing process, including strong editing and revising, which is critical to make certain your final draft is as flawless as possible.

Keep pen to paper!

Professor Rinehart

P.S. Here are some websites that might be helpful:

http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/essay/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/01/

Agreeing Pronouns (pronoun-antecedent agreement)

Happy Friday!

I believe I left off the last blog stating I'd be writing about thesis statements this week, but based on some grading I've done lately, I think a discussion about pronoun-antecedent agreement is needed.

We know that pronouns are parts of speech that replace nouns in a sentence. Instead of saying:

Susan took Susan's children to school and then drove Susan's car to the mechanic. Bill, the mechanic, used Bill's tools to fix Susan's car.

you would probably write:

Susan took her children to school and then drove her car to the mechanic. Bill, the mechanic, used his tools to fix her car.

An exception would be if the mechanic were also female:

Susan took her children to school and then drove her car to the mechanic. Karen, the mechanic, used her tools to fix Susan's car.

The waterfall was majestic in its beauty.

The miniature horses were adorable as they
romped around the paddock.

So what's the key behind pronoun-antecedent agreement?

When you use a singular noun or pronoun, associated pronouns must also be singular.
When you use a plural noun or pronoun, associated pronouns must also be plural.

Simple? Well, not necessarily. I don't think the issues arise with regular nouns and pronouns. Most people won't argue that "Susan" is a singular noun, so any pronouns associated with that noun will be singular (i.e., "she" or "her"). Further, most people won't argue that "people" is a plural noun, so any pronouns associated with that noun will be plural (i.e., "they" or "them").

With me so far?

Indefinite pronouns, however, muddy the waters. Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are ... well, indefinite. They refer to an undefined person(s) or thing(s). Some indefinite pronouns are singular; others are plural. When using a singular indefinite pronoun, any associated pronouns must also be singular, and plural indefinite pronouns must have associated plural pronouns.

Singular indefinite pronouns include: everyone, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, everything, nothing.

Plural indefinite pronouns include: all, many, some, few, several, both.

Examples:

Did everyone remember to bring his homework?

VERSUS

Did some of the students remember to bring their homework?

OR

Somebody forgot to call her mother.

VERSUS

A few forgot to call their mothers.

KEY: Look at the indefinite pronoun you're using. Does it have "one," "body," or "thing"? These are singular words, so you need to treat the entire indefinite pronoun as singular.

For a bit more detail, visit one of my favorite online writing resources. Come back in a couple of weeks ... I think I'll be writing on thesis statements then, but we'll see!

Keep pen to paper!

Prof. Saundra

The Common Uses of Commas

Happy Friday!

This is "crunch" week for me. I'm finishing up the grades for a summer class, just started four online classes, and am gearing up for my two on-campus classes that start on Tuesday. Suffice it to say, it's a bit crazy. I love what I do, though, so I'm doing what I need to get done. This time reminds me of all the concepts of grammar and how students often struggle with them.

Today's blog and video deal with the lowly comma. It's such a tiny, teeny punctuation mark, but it's misused so often. Students tend either to overuse it or under-use it. The good news? You can learn the most common uses, and when you use them correctly, your instructors will be quite impressed! Before we start, let's look at it from the comma's point of view (yes, we English teachers do have a warped sense of humor!):

Okay. Now to more serious matters.

First, take a look at the video ...

Now that you've learned the concepts, go back to my introductory paragraph. Can you see real-life examples of the concepts? Test yourself. Feel free to comment your answers, and I'll respond next week.

Speaking of next week, come back and we'll look at other punctuation marks (the apostrophe, the semi-colon, and the colon, among others).



Keep pen to paper ... and keep practicing!

Professor Rinehart

Ooops! How to avoid common sentence errors.

Hello again!

Last week, we looked at the four ways sentences are structured in English writing. Can you name them? (No peeking! Okay, if you need to peek, go ahead and do so!) Even more, can you use them correctly in your writing?

As I said, once you grasp the proper way to structure sentences, you're well on your way to building a solid foundation in your essays. However, it's really easy to make mistakes. Take a look at today's video about common sentence errors (good news: there are only three!):

Come back next week and learn about the exciting world of prepositions!

Keep pen to paper!

Professor Rinehart (or Saundra or Sauni ... you pick a title!)

Make your writing POP! (adjectives and adverbs)

So ... I'm telling you about my day at the beach, and I say, "The sunset was lovely."

What do you know about that sunset? You know it's "lovely," but what does lovely mean to you? Do you really see that sunset? What if I said this instead?

Yesterday, I took my nephew to the beach. After a fun day energetically playing in the surf and sand, we quietly sat on the shore. With him closely cuddled by my side, we watched the vibrant hues pervade the horizon. Extraordinary oranges and astonishing reds quickly filled the sky. "Isn't that the most amazingly beautiful sunset you've ever seen?" I whispered. "Yes, auntie," he lisped. "It's the prettiest sunset ever!"

When we speak face-to-face, we communicate with more than just our words. In fact, only about 7 percent of our face-to-face communication happens through words. The rest is body language and facial expressions. When we write, however, the only way we communicate is through our words, and how we use them changes how our readers understand what we're trying to say.

We can certainly write basic sentences and adequately communicate, but using modifiers can help us more than just adequately communicate. Let's talk about how to to this.

Adjectives

Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns (see "Let's start at the very beginning ..." for more on nouns and pronouns). If the noun is "man," adjectives describe him. What does he look like? What other characteristics does he have?

The man came into the restaurant.

OK. That tells us the person who came in was male rather than female, but that's about it. We don't know much, do we?

The tall, thin, dark-haired man came into the restaurant.

Do you have a better picture of what this man is like? Adjectives not only tell us about how something looks, but they also describe characteristics.

The loud-mouthed, obnoxious man came into the restaurant.

Adjectives add richness and depth to our writing.

Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs (see "Lights. Camera. ACTION!" for more information about verbs), adjectives, and other adverbs. Most (but not all) adverbs end in -ly. Adverbs help to tell us to what extent something is or does. For example:

I cheered joyfully as I watched my son run really quickly across the finish line and win the especially important award.

The adverb joyfully modifies the verb cheered, and tells my reader how I cheered. Really modifies the adverb quickly, which in turn, modifies the verb run. These adverbs tell my reader how he ran. Especially modifies the adjective important, and tells my reader how important the award really is.

Adverbs help us communicate more effectively to our readers.

Before I finish this blog on adjectives and adverbs, let me share one of my biggest pet peeves (in a few weeks I'll be dedicating an entire blog to all those things that drive English instructors crazy!).

Really is an adverb. It means "truly" or "genuinely." Real is an adjective. It means "true" or "genuine."

I become really frustrated when people say, "You're real frustrated, aren't you?"

To test this, substitute "true" for "real." You wouldn't say, "You're true frustrated, aren't you?"

Keep writing well!

Prof. Saundra Rinehart

Let's start at the very beginning ... (nouns and pronouns)

One of my very favorite musicals has a song:

Let's start at the very beginning,
a very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with ABC ...

Just as we start reading by learning our ABCs, writing begins with a complete understanding of the parts of speech. Now, many of you are beyond the basics, but sometimes it's good to be reminded.

So today, we're going to "start at the very beginning ..."

NOUNS ...

Nouns are words that represent people, places, or things.

People, like my husband
Places, like the top of the aerial tram at Palm Springs, California.
Things, like this tree

So I could write a sentence like:

My husband is above Palm Springs looking at a tree.

These are all nouns.

No problem with nouns, right?

PRONOUNS ...

Let's move on to pronouns. I think you all know that pronouns substitute for nouns in a sentence. Instead of "my husband," for example, I could write:

He is above Palm Springs looking at a tree. ["He" substitutes for "husband."]

The issues comes when we begin to talk about subjective versus objective pronouns.

Subjective pronouns function as subjects in a sentence:

I sing.
She sings.
He sings.
You sing.
They sing.
We sing.

Even when you have compound subjects, you still use the subjective form of the pronoun.

Sharon and I sing.
He and she sing.

Objective pronouns function as objects in a sentence:

Call me.
Call her.
Call him.
Call you.
Call them.
Call us.

NOTE: When we're talking about objects, we're usually referring to "objects of the verb" (I'll call you) or "objects of the preposition" (Give the present to her).

The issue comes when we have compound objects. For example, if you had the following sentence, which pronoun would you use?

Would you please call _______ and _______ before you leave?

In the first blank, would you write "he" or "him"? Most of you would rightly choose "him." The logical answer is "Would you please call him?"

In the second blank, would you write "I" or "me"?

This is where is gets confusing for some of us. We've been raised to say "Sharon and I ..." or "Susie and I ..."

So when we see a sentence like:

Would you please call _______ and _______ before you leave?

we think it should be

Would you please call him and I before you leave?

However, if you take the sentence apart, would you really say

Would you please call I before you leave?

No!!

So, the correct answer would be

Would you please call him and me before you leave?

I know some of you think that doesn't sound correct, but it is. (You can blame your moms for this because every time you said, "Mom, can me and Joey go to the park?" She'd reply, "You should say, 'May Joey and I go to the park.'")

So ... we've started at the very beginning.

Next Friday, we'll build on the foundation and talk about verbs and participles ... exciting, isn't it?!

Keep pen to paper!

Inaugral Post

Hello terrified writers!

If you've read my profile, you know I've been teaching composition and literature at the college level since 1999. I am passionate about the English language. Seriously passionate. I love to read more than just about anything else. In fact, the only thing better than reading is doing so by a clear mountain lake, just a whisper of a breeze through the trees.

As much as I love to read, I love to write. I've self-published several books, have seen my work in several anthologies, and have free-lanced for local papers. I have to admit: I'm also a "hopeful" novelist. I've finished the first books in two different trilogies. Perhaps one of these days, I'll actually do something about them.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why another blog about writing? Aren't there countless such sites already? Well, yes. However, this blog has a two-fold purpose.

The first (and more important) is that it is a resource for my students, especially those I teach online. While I certainly post information on the appropriate portal, there's only so much I can do online ... or even in the classroom. This blog gives me the opportunity to expand on classroom discussions, presentations, lectures, and readings. I'll be able to go into more detail or offer other ways of tackling assignments.

The second purpose is that we all learn differently. People who are looking for help with their writing might stumble upon a video or blog that I've produced, and for some reason, my approach makes more sense. In addition, I'll sometimes touch on issues, such as how to publish or how to combat writers block, that might be helpful for any writer.

Frankly, whatever we can do to get the message out and help people become more effective writers is fine with me.

I'll be posting lectures, presentations, and other helpful hints each Friday, so bookmark this page, and join the discussion. The first "real" post will be this Friday, July 12. See you then!

Keep that pen moving!

"Professor Rinehart" (as my students call me) or (more formally) "Saundra" or just plain "Sauni"