Reminders – Don’t get comfy – we are changing seats!  Research Project – Performance Projects – sign up today or tomorrow – in the drama room - to present your project at Drama Coffeehouse (I will be there!)  Research Paper  Should have been submitted by 11:59 PM last night  If you didn’t, there is a late submission option now open. You must take care of this ASAP.  My goal is to have Research Papers graded by the Friday before Thanksgiving! I’m going to try really hard to get it done!  Vocabulary Unit 10 (starts today!)  Picture Quiz – This Friday, 11/13  Regular Quiz – Next Friday, 11/20  Outliers First Reading Quiz – This Wednesday: Intro, Chapter 1, Chapter 2

VOICE LESSON: SYNTAX #1

Syntax…  Syntax is the way words are arranged in sentences. In other words, syntax is sentence structure.  Syntax includes these important elements:  Sentence parts  Word order  Sentence length  Punctuation  Experimenting with syntax is about playing with the way we express ideas  You don’t need to be a grammar expert, but you do need to have some basic grammar vocabulary in order to understand syntax.

Sentence Vocabulary  Subjects and Verbs  Sentence has a SUBJECT and VERB and expresses a complete thought. Subject (part of the sentence that expresses what the sentence is about; it’s the TOPIC) Verb (part of the sentence that expresses the action OR connects the subject with the other words) EX (simple sentences): The lion ran into the wilderness. (verb expresses the action) The lion is a wild animal. (verb connects subject and whatever the sentence says about the subject)

Sentence Vocabulary  Clauses and Phrases  Clause – group of related words that HAS a subject and a verb  Phrase – group of related words that has NO subject or verb  Ex (simple sentence): The lion ran into the wilderness. (Which part is the clause and which part is a phrase?) Clause – The lion ran Phrase – into the wilderness

Sentence Vocabulary  Fragments  Group of words that is punctuated like a sentence but is not really a sentence. There may not be a verb, or the words may not express a complete thought. It looks like a sentence but does not meet all the criteria for being a sentence.  Ex: The lion is a wild animal. Really wild.  At its best, a sentence fragment is used for emphasis, to point out the importance of an idea.  Sentence fragments can be powerful, but only if you do not overuse them.  Overuse reduces effectiveness.

Word Order  Normal word order in English: Subject first, then verb and other details.  Changing word order changes the meaning. Even when playing with the normal word order can change the meaning:  Jim said that he drives only a truck. (He drives nothing else.)  Jim said that only he drives a truck. (No one else drives a truck.)  Jim only said that he drives a truck. (He probably doesn’t really drive a truck.)  Only Jim said that he drives a truck. (No one else said it.)  Expert writers sometimes do this for special effect or for emphasis  Am I ever happy about my report card!  Pizza I want – not soup.

Sentence Length  Sentences come in all shapes and sizes from one word (Help!) to very long and complicated sentences.  Writers vary sentence length:  to keep their readers interested  to control what their readers pay attention to.  Modern Writers tend to:  Use short sentences to put main ideas  Use longer sentences to develop and expand their main ideas

Punctuation  Punctuation is power in writing!  Punctuation helps us understand the written word.  In speech, we pause and use expression in our voices and on our faces to help the listener understand us.  Writing has to depend on punctuation.  Punctuation helps us fine-tune language and say what we really want to say.  Most common used in shaping voice:  Semicolon  Colon  Dash  Italics

Semicolon  Joins two or more clauses when there is no connecting word (and, but, or).  When you use a semicolon is used, all clauses are equally important, and the reader should pay equal attention to them all.  Example: He is my best friend; I have known him most of my life.

Colon  The colon tells the reader that something important will follow.  Don’t confuse the use of colon with semicolon  The semicolon shows equal importance.  Colon throws emphasis on what comes after it.  Example: He is my best friend: he helps me through hard times and celebrates good times with me.

Dash  Marks a sudden change in thought or sets off a summary.  Parentheses can do this too!  The dash is more informal and conversational.  Example: John – my best friend – lives right down the street.

Italics  Italics are used to talk about a word as a word.  Ex: He used the word really too many times in that paragraph.  When we handwrite something, we show italics by underlining.  Example: Of all the people I’ve ever known, John is my best friend.

Final Thoughts: Syntax  The best way – indeed the only way – to master syntax is to read, read, read.  Read the works of expert writers.  You will find that simply by reading, your writing will improve!

Read and Think:  Like sunshine after storm were the peaceful weeks which followed. -- Louisa May Alcott, Little Women  Copy the sentence.  What is the subject of the sentence? (underline it)  What is the main verb? (circle it)  Is this the usual word order of subjects and verbs in English?  How would the meaning and impact of the sentence be different if it read: The peaceful weeks which followed were like sunshine after storm.

Now you try it…  Reorganize the sentence below. Start with the simile and reverse the normal order of the subject and verb. Spring break came like a time of calm winds after a hurricane.

#s 1-10 Vocabulary Unit 10

Rhetoric Pre-Assessment  When finished, begin reading (or reviewing) the Introduction to Outliers using the following reading focus questions:  “The Roseto Mystery”  Who are the Rosetans?  Why are they outliers?  How could this be an analogy of what an outlier is?  What tone and thesis/main argument are hinted at in this chapter?

Outliers – Introduction – Reading Focus Questions  “The Roseto Mystery”  Who are the Rosetans?  Why are they outliers?  How could this be an analogy of what an outlier is?  What tone and thesis/main argument are hinted at in this chapter?

What is the book Outliers about?  There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and ambition. Gladwell argues that the true story of success is very different, and that if we want to understand how some people thrive, we should spend more time looking around them-at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. And in revealing that hidden logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential. *

Reading Outliers  Outliers is a nonfiction book.  You will need to read this book in a slightly different way than you are used to.  I will post study questions for each chapter – it is up to you whether you do these questions or how you use them. I will not collect them, but remember that your quizzes will be mostly factual and detail-based for this book.  You will need to look for:  main ideas (his claims)  supporting evidence (his evidence)  explicit and implicit message (his interpretation)  ethos, pathos, logos (how he uses rhetoric)

Unit Essential Questions:  How is our definition of success constructed?  How has society’s definition of success changed or remained the same?  Why do some people excel and others don’t?  In the face of adversity, what causes some people to prevail while others fail?