ENGLISH 101 FEBRUARY 8 AND 9 AGENDA: HOMEWORK ONGOING ASSIGNMENTS LESSON ON DICTION PRACTICE Goal: To understand the ongoing assignments required for this class. To learn and practice how to choose and use the best words in our writing.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Class is in Portable L on Wednesday/Thursday.

HOMEWORK FROM LAST WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY Parent Signature Form Two paragraphs on your character strengths. We will work with those later.

HOMEWORK Choose a topic for your research paper that is within the theme of Human vs Nature. Write this down and bring it to class on Wednesday/Thursday. Revise your paragraphs based on what you learn in class today.

ONGOING ASSIGNMENTS Look under Documents on my SWIFT site to see the ongoing assignments you are responsible for this semester.

LESSON ON DICTION Diction: style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words: good diction. The test of what word to use is made up of 3 questions: –Do I know what this word means and suggests? –Do I know what its quality or atmosphere is? –Do I know what its “hooks” are for linking it with other words?

Your words should be simple and direct – or plain. We don’t write like we talk. Our speech is clumsy and wordy. Simple and direct means use words people know and use concrete words, not abstract words. Modify these guidelines for your audience.

LOOK THIS UP: mot juste –What does it mean? –How do you pronounce it?

“The handyman came and put a thing in and in a second it was fixed.” –What’s wrong with this sentence? –Revise this sentence so it makes sense. Using the right words is being courteous to your reader.

What are some vogue words and/or phrases? Don’t use these.

FIRST PRINCIPLE: Have a point and make it by means of the best word.

PRACTICE EDITING SENTENCES WITH GROUP

PRACTICE EDITING YOUR OWN PARAGRAPHS By yourself With a partner Revise your paragraphs and bring your original and revised pieces to class on Wednesday/Thursday. This is a summative assignment.