Eng102FA15. 9.22 Critiquewriting Pronouns&Antecedents PronounReference
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Transcript of Eng102FA15. 9.22 Critiquewriting Pronouns&Antecedents PronounReference
What is a critique? Builds upon a summary
a formalized, critical reading of a passage that
includes a personal response
purpose is to turn a critical reading of a passage into
a systematic evaluation to deepen a reader’s
understanding of that passage
To Write a Critique must determine what an author says
how well the points are made
what assumptions underlie the argument
what issues are overlooked, and what implication
can be drawn from such an analysis, statement and
explanation of personal assumptions
(opinions/responses)
To Write a CritiqueBegin by posing two broad questions about readings:
To what extent does the author succeed in his/her
purpose?
To what extent do you agree with the author?
To Write a Critique identify author’s thesis
identify the selection’s content and structure
identify the author’s purpose.
author’s purpose – to inform, persuade, and/or
entertain
If the purpose is to inform, evaluate
by using these questions:
Is the information accurate?
Is the information significant? What can the reader
gain from this information? How is knowledge
advanced by the publication of this material? Is the
information of importance to you or to others in a
particular audience? Why or why not?
If the purpose is to inform, evaluate
by using these questions: Does the author fairly interpret the factual
information? Could you offer a contrary explanation
for the same facts? Does more information need to
be gathered before firm conclusions can be drawn?
Why?
If the purpose is to persuade,
evaluate by using these questions: What is the author’s assertion or thesis statement?
Is the author’s argument valid? Does the author use
clearly defined key terms? Does the author use
information fairly? Has the author argued logically
and not fallaciously?
Watch out for faulty thinking and logical fallacies
If the purpose is to entertain,
evaluate by asking these questions:
Which elements of the work seemed
effective/ineffective? Why? Offer an overall
assessment, elaborating on personal views.
Did I care for the portrayal of a certain character?
Did that character seem overly sentimental or heroic?
Did his adversaries seem too villainous or stupid?
If the purpose is to entertain,
evaluate by asking these questions:
Did his adversaries seem too villainous or stupid?
Were the situations believable?
Was the action interesting or merely formulaic?
Was the theme developed subtly or powerfully, or did
the work come across as preachy or shrill?
Did the action at the end of the work follow plausibly
from what had come before?
Was the language fresh and incisive or stale and
predictable?
To Write a Critique – in a
nutshellTo what extent do you agree with the author?
your assessment of the presentation may not coincide
with personal views:
you may agree with the author but feel the presentation is
superficial
respond to author’s main assertions (arguments)
identify points of agreement and disagreement
identify assumptions
Elaborate upon your opinion….WHY do you agree or
disagree?
How to Organize a Critique
1. Introduction identify the article title and author
provide background information that answers one or
more of the following questions:
Why is the subject of current interest?
How or why is the subject of the passage controversial?
What is the author’s background?
Under what circumstances was the passage written?
include a specific thesis statement
How to Organize a Critique
2. Summary
summarizes the author’s main points and purpose for
writing
is brief, complete, objective, and avoids plagiarism
How to Organize a Critique
3. Assessment of presentation
essay objectively assesses the validity of the author’s
presentation by commenting on the author’s success in
achieving his/her purpose by reviewing 3 or 4 specific
points
How to Organize a Critique
3. Assessment of presentation
The specific points are based upon the following
criteria:
Is the information accurate?
Is the information significant?
Has the author clearly defined terms?
Has the author used and interpreted information
fairly? Has the author argued logically?
How to Organize a Critique
4. Personal response to the
presentation
Essay responds to the author’s views
Essay discusses reasons for agreement and/or
disagreement
Questions to answer include:
With which views do you agree? Why?
With which views do you disagree? Why?
How to Organize a Critique
5. Conclusion states conclusions about the overall validity of the
article
assesses author’s success at achieving aims
mentions personal reactions to author’s views
restates the thesis by mentioning the
weaknesses/strengths of passage
Thesis statements
1. The following will summarize the article, evaluate the article, and have a personal response on the article.
2. In the article, “The Death Penalty Debate,” Patricia Smith writes about capital punishment and the controversial reason some might oppose to it while others concur that the death penalty is the just thing to do.
3. In Sean Gregory’s “Should This Kid Be Making $225, 047 A year for Playing College Football?” his writing delves into many different subjects on the current state of college athletics like the people who are benefiting the most from unpaid student athletes, Johnny Manziel, and some reasons on why student athletes are not currently paid.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement
What is a pronoun?
Substitutes a noun
He, she, it, her, him, they, we, us, them
What is an antecedent?
Noun or pronoun that a pronoun refers to
Dr. Berto finished her rounds.
The hospital interns finished their rounds.
Pronoun & Antecedent AgreementDo not use plural pronouns to refer to singular
antecedents
3 Ways to correct
When someone travels outside the US for the first time, they need to apply for a passport.
Replace plural pronoun with he or she (his or her)
When someone travels outside the US for the first time, he or she needs to apply for a passport.
Make antecedent plural
When people travel outside the US for the first time, they need to apply for a passport.
Rewrite sentence to correct problem
Anyone who travels outside the US for the first time needsto apply for a passport.
Pronoun & Antecedent AgreementDo not use plural pronouns to refer to singular
antecedents
These indefinite pronouns are all singular
Anybody anyone anything each
Everybody either everyone everything
Nobody no one neither nothing
Somebody someone something
Pronoun & Antecedent AgreementTreat collective nouns as singular unless the
meaning is clearly plural
Collective nouns are treated as a group and functions as a unit
Jury committee audience couple
Crowd class troop family team
The committee granted its permission to build.
Sometimes they act as individuals though
The committee put their signatures on the document.
Simplify by adding a clearly plural antecedent
The members of the committee put their signatures on the document.
Pronoun & Antecedent AgreementTreat most compound antecedents joined with
and as plural
In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev held a summit
where they signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear
Forces Treaty.
With compound antecedents joined with or or
nor (or with either…or or neither…nor), make the
pronoun agree with the closer antecedent
Either Bruce or Tom should receive first prize for his
poem.
Neither the mouse nor the rats could find their way
through the maze.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement With compound antecedents joined with or or
nor (or with either…or or neither…nor), make the
pronoun agree with the closer antecedent
*if one antecedent is singular and the other
plural, put plural one last to avoid awkwardness
*If one antecedent is male and the other female,
do not follow the traditional rule
Either Bruce or Elizabeth should receive first prize
for her short story.
The prize for best short story should go to either
Bruce or Elizabeth.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
1. Meteorology has made many advances in the past
few decades, but they still cannot answer a number of
questions about tornadoes.
Meteorology has made many advances in the past few
decades, but it still cannot answer a number of
questions about tornadoes.
2. Every tornado has their own unique characteristics.
Every tornado has its own unique characteristics.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
3. The science of tornado watching has its own system,
the Fujita scale, for measuring storms from weakest
(F0) to strongest (F5).
correct
4. An F4 tornado or an F5 tornado can destroy
everything in their path.
An F4 tornado or an F5 tornado can destroy
everything in its path.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
5. Scientists cannot yet predict how strong any tornado
will be before they happen.
Scientists cannot yet predict how strong any tornado
will be before it happens.
6. One mystery about tornadoes involves the last step
when it forms.
One mystery about tornadoes involves the last step
when they form.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
7. Specialists do not know if a tornado forms in a cloud
and travels to the ground or if they begin on earth
and spiral upward.
Specialists do not know if a tornado forms in a cloud
and travels to the ground or if it begins on earth and
spirals upward.
8. Improved meteorological technology and the skill to
interpret data have made their contributions to
tornado prediction.
correct
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
9. Either a few extra minutes of warning or more
information about a storm’s power would prove their
effectiveness in saving lives.
Either a few extra minutes of warning or more
information about a storm’s power would prove its
effectiveness in saving lives.
10. People who live in a tornado zone should always
know where his or her nearest safe area is.
People who live in a tornado zone should always know
where their nearest safe area is.
People who live in a tornado zone should always know
the location of their nearest safe zone.
Pronoun References Avoid ambiguous or remote pronoun reference
Occurs when pronoun could refer to 2 possible
antecedents
When Gloria set the pitcher on the glass-topped
table, it broke.
Which object broke – the pitcher or the table?
The pitcher broke when Gloria set it on the glass-
topped table.
Tom told Sam that he had won the lottery.
Who won the lottery –Tom or Sam?
Tom told Sam, “You have won the lottery.”
Pronoun References Generally, avoid broad reference of this, that,
which, it
By advertising on TV, pharmaceutical companies
gain exposure for their prescription drugs. Patients
respond to this by requesting drugs they might not
need.
What are patients responding to – ads,
companies, prescription drugs?
By advertising on TV, pharmaceutical companies
gain exposure for their prescription drugs. Patients
respond to the ads by requesting drugs they might
not need.
Pronoun References Do not use a pronoun to refer to an implied
antecedent
A pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent,
not to a word that isn’t actually in the sentence
After braiding Ann’s hair, Sue decorated them with
ribbons.
What is the antecedent for the pronoun them?
After braiding Ann’s hair, Sue decorated the braids
with ribbons.
Pronoun References Avoid the indefinite use of they, it, you
A pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent,
not to a word that isn’t actually in the sentence
In June, they announced that parents would have to
pay a fee.
In June, the board announced that parents would
have to pay a fee.
In the encyclopedia it states that male moths can
smell female moths from several miles away.
The encyclopedia states that male moths can smell
female moths from several miles away.
Pronoun References Avoid the indefinite use of they, it, you
A pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent,
not to a word that isn’t actually in the sentence
Ms. Pickersgill’s book stipulates that you should not
arrive at a party too early or leave too late.
Ms. Pickersgill’s book stipulates that a guest should
not arrive at a party too early or leave too late.
Pronoun References To refer to persons, use who, whom, whose NOT
which, that
Use which, that to refer to animals or things
All thirty-two women in the study, half of which were unemployed for more than six months, reported higher self-esteem after job training.
All thirty-two women in the study, half of who were unemployed for more than six months, reported higher self-esteem after job training.
During the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos, Mexican families celebrate loved ones that have died.
During the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos, Mexican families celebrate loved ones who have died.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
1. In much political analysis, they say that public distrust
of the US government began with Watergate.
Many political analysts say that public distrust of the US
government began with Watergate.
2. That scandal’s continuing legacy may make it one of
the most influential American events of the twentieth
century.
That scandal’s continuing legacy may make Watergate
one of the most influential American events of the
twentieth century.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
3. Since the early 1970s, political scandals have rarely
interested Americans; they often seem to have very
little effect.
Since the early 1970s, political scandals have rarely
interested Americans; the scandals often seem to have
very little effect.
4. Journalists provided the American people with a lot of
information about the Iran-Contra hearings, but they
could not have cared less.
Journalists provided the American people with a lot of
information about the Iran-Contra hearings, but the
public could not have cared less.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
5. Most people were indifferent; could it have been the
result of post-Watergate trauma?
Could the indifference of most people have been the
result of post-Watergate trauma?
6. If Americans expect politicians to be corrupt, it will not
surprise or even interest them.
If Americans expect politicians to be corrupt,
government scandals will not surprise or even interest
them.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
7. Ironically, the media’s coverage of scandals seems to
have made the public suspicious of them as well.
Ironically, the media’s coverage of scandals seems to have
made the public suspicious of journalists as well.
8. Cynicism about political and journalistic motives, leads
to apathy and it can spread contagiously.
Cynicism about political and journalistic motives, which
can spread contagiously, leads to apathy.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
9. Many people are so apathetic that it makes them
refuse to vote.
Many people are so apathetic that they refuse to vote.
10. If people do not believe that they can make a
difference in the political process, it makes the country
less democratic.
If people do not believe that they can make a difference
in the political process, the country becomes less
democratic.
Grammar Tasks
Create a mad lib in which players have to apply
each pronoun reference rule and each pronoun &
antecedent agreement rule.
Link to define madlib
http://www.itsamadlibsworld.com/
How to create a Madlib
Choose a topic (I chose hippos)
Write one sentence illustrating each rule.
(No one wants to be eaten by a hippo while wearing his or her dirty underwear. A family of hippos was drinking from its watering hole. The male and female hippo knew that they must stay hydrated.
*continue for all rules written in blue; there are 10*)
Underline each pronoun and its antecedent Submit the paragraph with the pronouns and antecedents
underlined
Erase each underlined word or phrase
Create a list indicating which type of pronoun or antecedent is needed to complete the blank Submit these steps as well
How to create a Madlib
___1___wants to be eaten by a hippo while wearing ___2___ dirty underwear. A ___3___ was drinking from ___4___ watering hole. The ___5___ hippo knew that ___6___ must stay hydrated.
*continue for all rules*
1. Singular antecedent
2. Singular pronoun
3. Collective noun antecedent
4. Singular pronoun
5. Compound antecedent
6. Plural pronoun
For Thursday…
Read these articles
Arlen and Koehler’s “A Cloudful of ‘Stormy
Weather’” (pg 243)
Blair’s “Comparing and Contrasting Three Covers of
‘Stormy Weather’” (Pg 251)
Cohen’s “A Hearful of ‘Hallelujah’” (pg 257)
Bring an article about a cover song.
Bring answers about your cover song article to the
questions found on the next slide.