IT'S TIME TO SQUEEZE YOUR BRAIN!

Suffering from poor 'mechanics'?

First, stop that run-on!

 Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-on_sentence

   A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent    clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction.

  An example of a run-on is a comma splice, in which two independent clauses are joined with a comma without an accompanying coordinating conjunction

          Take a look at these cases:

Ø  A run-on sentence, without any punctuation or conjunction between "gas" and "we":

                       My car is out of gas we cannot reach town before dark.

Ø  A comma splice, which is considered a run-on sentence in English by some usage experts:

It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

           These are possible remedies:

• Use separate sentences. However, this may disconnect related independent clauses and cause some of the meaning to be lost:
• It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.
• Use a semicolon. This maintains the connection between the clauses while ensuring a pause between the two ideas:
• It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.
• Use a coordinating conjunction.
• It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.

                        

          Now try this quiz to see if you can  repair  the  run-on

          sentences:

                                           

            http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.htm



You must be hungry now, after doing exercise. How about some sushi?

                   

                                             
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/freetime/games/sushi-spell

   If you still  want some dessert, you may find something tasty here.
      Why don't you try the double negatives game? Good luck!


                     



                       http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english/games


                     

                         


                       









                         

WHAT'S THE STORY?

          Group Project                                                                          
                           (Pairwork) 

•         Read  the following story ending :

               

   

But that is not the worst. The worst is that sometimes I am  convinced she is still out there, and I will see her again. Not the little girl in the bunny costume;  Amelie. I cannot get rid of the idea that some Halloween night when  I look out past the little witches and princesses and firemen on our porch, she will  be there too: standing halfway down the path in her  greyish-black raincoat under a pale old umbrella, waiting for me.                                                                                  THE END

     


 

Outlining your story

(Write your assignment on  a separate sheet of paper).

Based on the given  ending and the pictures, brainstorm ideas for :

 1. Setting            ________________________

2. Characters      ________________________

3. Point of view  ________________________

4. Plot              (Go over the outline below to help you.)

              

                                 

5. Do not change the given ending


After you write your draft, edit and proofread your work. Hand  in your outline and your final draft to your teacher for evaluation and marking.


                       

STORY TIME!

The Elements of a Short Story 

In class you have started working on some of the basic elements of a short story: setting and character.

Now let’s concentrate on the plot. It consists of the stages of action which lead to the climax of the story. The plot in a short story is usually simple and can be outlined in a few steps:

                                        

Ø  Listing  the events

Ø  Creating a timeline

Ø  Identifying the conflict

Ø  Finding the climax

Now take a look at  the plot diagram  to review the different stages in a plot:

In order to clarify and fix these concepts, you will do the interactive tasks proposed in the link below:

                                                  

                             http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/cinderella.html

               Once you have completed the tasks, click on 'test your skills' to check your progress.
                              Print a copy with the results and hand it in to your teacher.

                             

TAKE A STAND

Capital Punishment: For or Against?

                                    

You have read 'Eyewitness', a story in which someone has committed a murder. Many people think that the death penalty is the right punishment for this type of crime.

When you take a stand, you adopt a firm position about an issue, and this is what you will need to do once you have completed the activities proposed for today’s session.

You will start by watching a clip which was made to support Amnesty International's campaign against death penalty. 

 (a) Take down notes on actor Jeremy Iron's arguments about the topic.

 (b) Write  a summary. 

                                  

                                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVMho2cP1NE

                                       

                    Read this information: 

           Most Chileans Approve of Death Penalty

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of people in Chile are in favour of applying the death penalty in their country, according to a poll by Ipsos. 62.5 per cent of respondents agree with capital punishment in Chile, while 36.7 per cent oppose it.

The death penalty was abolished in Chile in 2001, under the presidency of Ricardo Lagos.

Source: Ipsos 
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,522 Chilean adults, conducted from Sept. 16 to Oct. 6, 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

            

          Now go over some  arguments in favour of capital punishment:

v  The death penalty can prevent crimes and deter potential murderers.

v  Using the death penalty is a way to protect citizens' lives.

v  Capital punishment does not rehabilitate the prisoner and return them to society.

v  Killing convicted murderers will satisfy people’s needs for justice and/or vengeance.

v  guilty people deserve to be punished in proportion to the severity of their crime.

Reference:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/capitalpunishment/for_1.shtml

           

                       Are you for or against the death penalty?

                                                         

Your Turn: 

Write an opinion paragraph supporting your arguments (about 15 lines). Decide on a topic sentence and develop your paragraph using appropriate supporting sentences, a concluding sentence and linking words. Follow the outline below to help you.

                                  

                     
                                          

MYSTERY SURGERY

How about Becoming a  Good Extreme Sentence Surgeon ?     

                                       
                          

Do you have what it takes to become an Extreme Sentence Surgeon? Your paragraph   surgery skills will be put to the test as critically injured paragraphs enter your emergency room. Their injuries are significant: poor spelling, no punctuation, wrong word usage, and much more.                                                                                                               It will be gruesome. Use your superior skills to fix the bad spelling words, add commas, capital letters, periods, apostrophes, and change words used incorrectly. The paragraphs are counting on you. Be careful, though. You only get three incorrect fixes before your paragraph dies.                   You must completely fix two paragraphs before earning your   Ph.D in extreme sentence surgery.                                                                                  Good Luck! Click on the words  that need to be fixed and edit     them. Use the link below to play the game

          Type  or handwrite your work. Once you have finished, turn it in  to your teacher.

                                               http://mrnussbaum.com/xsurgeons-play/




                                         

                                                            

Mystery Time!    

                                                         

Mystery writers know the answers to questions such as: Who did it? What was the strange noise in the night? Will the detective find the scoundrel? Who has been pursuing our hero and why?

An observant reader can sometimes figure out the mystery before finishing the story. In fact, if the ending is a complete surprise, the writer has not done a good job! After finishing the story, the reader should be able to go back through the story and find clues that hinted at the solution.

• Now read the following beginning of a mystery story:

 1.  Who is the old woman?

 2.  What does she tell Sylvia about the origins of the ring?

 3. Is she telling the truth about the ring?

4.  If so, what happens next?

5.  If not, what happens next? 

6.  Will Sylvia’s friend Marcy have anything to do with the rest of the story?

7.  If not, why not? If so, what will Marcy do?

• Use your answers to write the rest of the story.

When you are finished, make up a catchy title for your story and hand in your work (answers to questions + story ending) to your teacher.

CATCHY TITLE: ______________________________________

Now that’s a very unusual ring,” the woman went on. “Why, that ring came from...

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