parallelism

I think there is no deeper reason that the authors wrote the way they did, I think it is written the way it is because parallelism is a skill that is not highly focused on by most writters. One of the sentences in the first example, that could use some parallel structure is the sentence that describes the houseing as having "beautiful architecture, classic interiors and fully furnished quiet comfortable living space." I think this sentence would flow better if it were worded something like : Beautiful architecture, classic interiors, fully furnished spaces and comfortable rooms. In the second example the sentence that I think could use the most help is the one that states "make a difference on campus and within your community." I think this sentence would sound better using in instead within. But the biggest problem with this document is the order of the list. The contact information finds itself in the middle of the list of benefits and reasons to join. The author probably put it there in order to give people contact info for scheduling the seminar mentioned just prior, however the contact info would flow much better if it were found at the end of the list, or even using a different bullet method to seperate it from the motivating factors.

Again I think the reasoning between these errors is the lack of knowledge or experience and or neglecting to proofread aloud to check for flow and rhythm.

The post example I found of unparallel advertisement is for a shampoo, it says: "No other shampoo leaves hair so lustrous, and yet so easy to manage. A more parallel sentence would be to say: so lustrous and yet so manageable. This would balance the two sides of the conjunction.

Possesives and Craft of Research

1- Sons-in-law’s homes
2- Arkansas’ rivers
3- Jim’s and Joan’s house
4- Ph.D.s’ research
5- McGraw-Hill, Inc.’s advertising
6- Fred the electrician’s estimate
7- Anyone else’s idea
8- Witnesses’ depositions
9- The airport’s upper level
10- One of my friends’ daughter


1- The tree surgeon could not save the white spruce’s limb.
2- The User’s manual for the new software package, was so confusing that most consumers returned it to the company.
3- Windows’ intuitive commands make it easy for users to move from one application to another.
4- I will be in Hawaii for Mother’s Day, in New Mexico on April Fool’s day, and in California on Veteran’s Day.
5- Grover Cleveland was the people’s choice.
6- Each participant filled out the Reader’s Comment Form.
7- Now that he has his bachelor’s degree, he plans to get his master’s, and possibly his doctorate.
8- The National Secretaries’ Conference will be held in Houston this year.
9- For appearance’s sake, the feuding vice presidents kept their differences to themselves during the monthly staff meeting.
10- My brother’s-in-law idea was to have the family reunion at a spa.
11- We have been invited to a holiday party at the Roth’s.
12- The telephone company’s president’s idea was to offer discount rates to seniors.


Craft of Research

One of the points that I liked in The Craft of Research, was that writting an argument is very similar to having an everyday conversation. To illustrate this, Booth shows how in a conversation with someone we often times make claims and support those claims with evidence, then respond to the questions posed by the other. This is how to write an argument, only we have to play both sides 0f the conversation. Booth asserts that we need to state our claim, support it, then anticipate the readers doubts or questions and respond to them.
Another point made in The Craft of Research is the explaination of "warrents" These are general ideas that are accepted by the public as truth and support or explain your claim. These are needed in an argument sometimes to connect your reasoning and evidence to your claim. Booth cautions that a writer must only include warrents when they are neccesary, relevent, and generally accepted.
The last point I will summerize is that of the idea that reasons used to support a claim can actually turn into claims themselves. Booth says that it is important to watch what claims you are making even if they are reasons, to ensure that you give evidence and reasons to support each claim that you make. Booth also makes the distiction between reasons and evidence, which is concrete data, not an opinion or idea. It is important that we use both reasons and evidence to support our claims.

One of the areas addressed by Booth that could help my own research methods is the first point I summarized. I feel like when I research I forget that I need to treat my paper as if I was entering a conversation with my readers. The one thing that I tend to leave out is the answering of anticipated responses. I think that I usually get caught up so much in my own position that I forget to acknowledge other positions and respond to them. I liked the idea of Booth to pretend as if your paper is a conversation with another person, and to anticipate the questions of the other person.

Integrating Sources

The integrating sources article gives rules forusing sources in our writting; how to do it properly, and how not to misuse them.
The first section gives three basic principle in using sources that basically explain how to distiguish your own writting from that of the source. Making sure that your own argument is clearly separated from the words of the source and at the same time making sure you relate the words you are siting to your argument.
The second section gives direction of how to use direct quotes in your paper. The author instructs that you should only use direct quotes when the exact words of the source are pertinent to your paper. The article also suggests that it is important to introduce the qote properly by constructing your own writting in a way that will flow into the words of the source. This section also outlines the gramatical rules of quoting a source, such as where to put punctuation in relation to the quote.
The next section gives instruction on how to use "qote blocks" this is something used when the length of a direct quote exceeds five lines. It is also helpful to use a quote block when the language or wording of the quote is the thing going to be discussed. This section gives technique intruction as well as commentart instruction on how to integrate a quote block into your paper.
The next section is about discursive notes, or information from a source that isn't necesary to your argument, but worth including for clarification or interest's sake.
The paper then moves onto another chapter about citing specific sources. The first section is about when to site a source. This is neccesary whenever you quote directly another person's work, but also whenever you paraphrase, or otherwise use information, ideas or data from another writer.
The next section then aswers the question: When is it not neccesary to cite a source? The answer to that is threefold. First, if you've already cited the source earlier in the paragraph or sentence and it is clear where you are getting the information. Second, when you are using words, phrases, or information that are common knowledge, or have become a part of everyday speech. Last, it is not neccesary to cite a source when that source is a conversation with a contemporary rather than a written piece.
The next section details ways to cite a source in your writting. You can do this with foot notes or in text. It is important to know which way is expected and how to do it properly. This section explains how to do both.
The last section in this chapter explains that when you are drawing from knowledge of others, even when it is not a specific citation, it is good to make an endnote giving "acknowledgement" to the person who gave you the info or helped you reach the conclution. The proper way to do this is explained in this section.
Chapter three speaks of the misuse of sources or plagerism, in fact the first section is all about plagerism. It explains that anytime you use the information given by another writter whether paraphrased or quoted, without giving credit to the original author it is considered plagerism. Plagerism is taken very seriously; it is a way of lying cheating and being very dishonest. The author suggests that you are very careful to avoid this problem and always take care to seperate your own work from a source clearly, as well as always giving credit where credit is due.
The next section explains that there are other ways of misusing sources other than plagerism that are just as dangerous. These include: misinterpreting the source or misrepresenting data, collaborating with other students on assignments and handing in identical work, using the same piece of your own writting for two different assignments, and knowingly helping another person plagerize.
The next section discusses the special circumstances of electronic sources. Since they are so common now, it is important to understand how to use them properly and safely to avoid any of the dangerous situation discussed earlier. The author suggest you take special care when researching on the internet or electronic databases.
The last two section explain the disiplinary action that may be taken when sources are misused, as well as some suggestions about how to avoid these perils. The author gives lots of ideas on how to ensure that you use sources properly, that can all fall under careful planning, good understanding, and overall honesty.
The last chapter goes into great detail about intext citation rules as well as listing sources in a bibliography style at the end of a paper. Both sections give many examples for all kinds of sources and special cases in both MLA and APA format. The rules are numerous and it is important that you do it correctly. It is a good idea to check with souces such as this paper when sighting sources in your paper to ensure you are doing it correctly.

They say I say summary

I have to say first of all that I enjoyed this book. I was surprised at how helpful the templates seemed to be. I thought at first that they would make all writting too similar, but as I tried it I could hear that it would in actuality serve to improve the clarity and content of my writting. Nor for the summary.
The introduction to the book explains the authors' phylosophy about writting templates and gives some examples. They aactually follow their own advise, by placing naysayers, acknowledging the "they say" and inserting their own "say".
The first chapter contains intruction on starting with the "they say" or in other words, entering a discussion in order to give purpose to your writting. The authors give templates for how to present information that has been stated or claimed by others in order to set up your paper as a response to something instead of unsolicited rambling.
The next two chapters explain the difference and the how tos of quoteing and summarizing the "they say" quoteing is a way to present the "they say" word for word, while summarizing is a way to shortly present an idea from someone else without using their exact words. The authors give examples, templates and considerations for choosing how you will present the "they say" in these two ways. It is also important with both of these skills, to give credit where credit is due.
Then the authors move on to how to present the "I say" or your own argument. The authors present the idea that you can repond to the "they say" by either agreeing; "yes", disagreeing; "no", or both; "okay, but".
Next the authors explain the importance of separating the "they say" from your "I say" whether you disagree or agree or both, it is important to add your own insight and information. This is in reality the essance of the "I say"; you have to have something to say.
The authors, in the next chapter, instruct how to plant a naysayer in your paper for arguments sake. You do this by using the template of "skeptics my object....but...." or "One might argue that....However..." this helps to present your evidence and examples in rebuff to potential disagreements the reader might have.
Most important, the authors say, is to emplain "So, what?" They show how to do this by using the sentence "This is important because..." This might seem a simple format, but it is terribly important to explain the need for the argument, instead of simply presenting an argument without a purpose or resson. A written piece must explain to the reader why they should care.
The last few chapters explain how to "tye it together" things like creating a conclusion, letting your own voice come through the writting, and resummerizing everything that you presented.
Until I read this book I didn't realizehow important it is for us to use other peoples words in our writting to set up a conversation instead of just presenting information. I think that the templates given in this book can help tremendeously in accomplishing the dialoge goal that we have been studying.

Dashes, Commas, Parentheses real worl example

The advertisement seems a little disjointed, but I'm not sure grammer changes would help that much. One thing that I noticed is the sentance about crabs. The author uses a dash where I would use parentheses. I think that the important fact is that they have five pair of legs, that the first pair is also used for defense seems secondary, therefore calling for parentheses.
Another thing that I might change is the part about vitimins A and D. I would use the dash here, because I think that to most people it is more important to know that those vitamins provide strong bones and teeth. I don't think that many people know what A and D are good for, so this information would draw more people's attention.
The last thing that I would change, is to add a comma after pink in the flamingo sentence.
I think that these simple changes could not only make the advertisement more correct, but could also help make it more effitient int fulfilling it's purpose of getting people to eat seafood.

Annie Dillard Disscusion Questions

1-My pre-writting rituals, in the past, have been to procrastinate until the last moment. I am trying to correct this bad habit now, but throughout my high school days and much of my early college career, I could not jot down a thing unless it was due early the next morning, or during the next hour. I also have to be sitting at a computer; there is no hand writting for me. I cannot make my brain function or my creativity flow, if I am not typing. I think the procrastinatin thing was simmilar to Dillards. I needed the "fury", and the pressure of a vice clamp before I could get the words to come. Now, with many more responsibilities and not any more time, I try to work on my writting a little at a time in advance, but I still do my best work right before the deadline.

2-Unfourtunatley I feel like I rarely knock down bearing walls when I rewrite. My editting process usually is limited to basic grammer corrections. This, I feel, is a result of my answer to the next question. Who creates these limits? I think I do! I often put down my original writting and then feel predjudice toward changes. I often tend to believe that my first try is sufficient, or even more, perfect.I put limitations on the the changes that I feel are neccesary or improvements, and am often reluctent to knock down any bearing walls.

3-The metaphore of Dillard's that I most relate to is the "exploding typewritter" I feel like when I really get it into my head to write something it often comes out faster than I can put it down on paper. I rarely get stuck or slowed down. It kind of all just comes out. The metaphore that I would choose for myself would be something more like, "When I write it is a phychological illness." I hear voices. My only job seems to be recording what they tell me. However, I am not very good at using metaphores, or should I say that the voices aren't very helpful when it comes to metaphores.

4-As I started to explain in my answer to the last question, I do feel that writting is a "mystical experience." I often don't know where the words come from, and when I re-read what I wrote I frequently can't even remember writing or thinking of the things that I read. The mystical thing is that I am just as frequently incredibly impressed with what I read, as if some better author than myself wrote it.

5-I lean toward the feeling that Dillard is going for entertainment, however I also believe that the humor and entertainment could be for the purpose of interesting people in writting while the vaugeness could be for the purpose of avoiding giving those same people the oppertunity to form their own experiences instead of giving them a preconcieved notion of what it is like

real world grammer examples

Advertising is a curious thing. Things are not always as they seem. The people that create ads and such, know what sells and know how to get the attention of their target audience. However, now-a-days grammer skills are becomming less and less prevelent, so some mistakes might be purposeful, others might, unfourtunately, be a result of grammatical ignorance. I cannot presume to know to which cause we owe these examples, however, I shall give it my best shot.

The Jack and Coke ad is using as it's tag line, the reliability of the product due to its longevity. By placing a comma instead of the correct semicolon after "Wiskey" the author can imply (without actually lying) that the Jack and Coke has been brewed since 1866, instead of the wiskey being the brewed liquid for ages. Thereby the advertisement is able to mislead the audience into trusting a product that may be reletively new in itself.

The Cabella's advertisement contains, I think, too many commas in the sentence about the prices being good only at the Lehi, Utah location. The author might have felt that the comma was needed after "Utah" because he wanted to separate the location from the description "retail" store. However, a semicolon would have been better or nothing at all.

In the training table example, the author places a comma between the adjectives crisp and hot, while both of them are discribing the bacon. I think this probably stems from the rule that a comma should be placed between words in a list, however the list in this case, is the ingredients of the sandwich and not the way the bacon is cooked.

I think in the next example the author uses a semicolon after "Make Money from Home" because she feels that "trading foreign currancy" further explains the first part. This would be correct except that when using a semicolon, it should separate two parts of a sentence that could otherwise stand alone. This is not the case in this example, seeing as how on both sides of the semicolon the statements are fragments.

The Marie Calandars advertisement is missing the last comma that should be placed after delicious. This also probably stems from the rule that in a list there is not always a comma between the next to last word and the "and" before the last word. However in this list, the adjectives are describing their success as delicious as well as sweet and creamy, but the way it is written it is describing their delicious success as only sweet and creamy.

Most of these advertisement errors would go unnoticed unless pointed out. I think that is because most people don't know all the rules for grammer, and most importantly they don't know all the exeptions to the rules. I think that the authors were trying to write correctly and were using rules that they learned in school, however, in this wonderful language we call English, there are always exceptions to the rules and those are as important to remember as the rule itself.