Sample Documents
GRAMMAR/PUNCTUATION GUIDE - SAMPLE
PUNCTUATION:
Apostrophes – Just because a word ends in "s" does not mean it needs an apostrophe! If you don't know the plural form of a word, look it up! Apostrophes show possession or indicate a missing letter or letters in a word. Possession: If the word does not end naturally with an "s," add an apostrophe and an "s." Ex: The family's happiness was wonderful. If the word does end naturally with an "s," place the apostrophe after the final "s" in the word. Ex: The families' happiness was wonderful.
Colons/Semicolons – Colons only connect an independent clause (complete sentence) with a dependent clause (You always order the same thing: A taco and a coke.) Semicolons only connect two independent clauses (You always order the same thing; it is always a taco and a coke). By adding a subject and a verb, this becomes a complete sentence!
Periods/Commas – Periods separate two independent clauses. Commas separate information within a sentence or two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, so, for, yet, nor).
Punctuation with Quotations (" ") – Periods and Commas are ALWAYS placed inside the quotation marks (with one exception for periods in MLA citation). Colons and Semicolons are ALWAYS placed outside the quotations marks. Question marks and exclamation points are placed depending on whether they belong to the item in quotes or the overall statement.
Ex: And then I said, "I don't understand what you mean." And then I said, "I don't understand what you mean," even though I did.
Ex: And then I said, "What do you mean?" Have you noticed that when I ask you what you mean, you say "nothing"?
Ex: And I said, "You are wrong"; you informed me that you weren't.
Ex: And I said, "You are wrong": a condition of being incorrect!
GRAMMAR: A SAMPLE OF THE WORST-OF-THE-WORST SLANG:
Disrespect - noun; not a verb. We have or show disrespect; we do not disrespect someone!
Ex: Are you disrespecting me? (Wrong!)
Ex: Are you showing disrespect? (Correct)
Done/Do/Did/Doing/Get/Got/Getting – These are slang verbs, which means that there is always a better, more specific verb that can be used! (Ex: I got the groceries; I purchased the groceries/ I did it yesterday; I shopped yesterday)
Good/Well – Know the difference: "Good" is an adjective. "Well" is an adverb. What is an adjective or adverb? Look it up. And memorize it. If you don't know the difference and pronounce it incorrectly, people notice.
Ex: How are you feeling today? Well, thank you!
Ex: How are you as a swimmer? Quite good, thank you!
Hang out – You aren't a bat. Do you mean that you attended a function with friends?
I'd/We'd – Any time you are using one apostrophe to take the place of more than two letters, you are entering slang territory.
"My bad." - Yes, it is. Your mistake. Or error.
Nowadays - the clearest indication of a sign of slang (smushing as many words together as possible into one word – yes, I stand by the word "smushing"). Relax and say, "Now"!
Parallelism – When listing items in a series, keep the same grammatical structure for each item in the series (Ex: We liked swimming, to fish, and going to the store – NO!!). We liked to swim, fish and shop or We liked to swim, to fish, and to shop or We liked swimming, fishing and shopping.
Party – Caution: You can make yourself sound like a drunk. Perhaps, "celebrate"?
Reason why - Redundant. It's just a reason. You might as well say "reason reason" or "why why."
Should've, could've, would've/ should of, could of, would of - "Should have"! (And pronounce it when you're speaking as well!)
CREDIBLE SOURCES CHECKLIST
(A guide to quickly evaluating the credibility of a source)
PUBLICATION INFORMATION (check first before spending time reading the material to ensure it's a source worth your time):
Name - It's all about credibility (and the ability to sue someone directly if the information is not correct). Is a human being directly claiming responsibility for their information?
Credentials - Have they taken the time to establish why we should believe their information?
o College Credentials? Trust me. If they have an advanced degree, it will be plastered all over the source. Often what is not mentioned says a lot.
o Publications in the subject? Again, they will tell you if they've published.
o Years of experience in the field?
Affiliations - Does the website indicate affiliations with a credible institution:
o Have you heard of the institution? Is it commonly known?
o Does the institution offer any contact information (phone, website, e-mail)?
o Is it an educational, medical, government or established news institution?
Source - The source can often be the same as the affiliation, but not always. Look for the business that is delivering the information (CNN, LA Times).
- If there is no author and the source is credible, the source can still be used! Does the source give a date? Phone number? E-mail?
SOURCE CONTENT:
1st, 2nd or 3rd person - Academic and reliable sources are not presented in first or second person (I, me, you, we). Why? They indicated opinion and may be bias. Third person (people, students, they) is more clinical and objective in nature.
Connotative wording - "Denotative" is the actual dictionary definition of a word. Connotative is the emotion we place behind a word (credible sources do not tell you how to think - they simply prove their case with facts)
Cited Sources - If your source cites statistics or facts without telling you where they received their information, be very suspicious...
Clarity - Is the message clear, or do you have to struggle to understand it? Sources without agendas have nothing to hide. Look for contradictions, unclear structure of argument, and vague and emotional wording.
ELEMENTS OF A TRUE ISSUE
Event or Issue?
o An event will limit you to a strictly informative paper. It's just something that happened. However, is the event indicative of a larger issue?
Do you care about the issue?
o Are you passionate about the issue?
o Are you curious about the issue?
o Does the issue apply to your life (career, personal interest)?
o If not, don't write about it!
Is the issue two-sided?
o Is there an equal balance of reasonably educated people contributing to the issue discussion? Note: Two-sided issues are much more interesting to research!!
Has the issue been discussed a thousand times?
o Pot? Gun Control? Animal Testing? Instead, seek a topic that may reveal information to yourself and your audience…
Is the issue too current?
o If the issue is too current, you will struggle to find research.
o Effects of drones? It's impossible to research what has yet to be substantiated.
o NOTE: Sometimes an issue is too current – in our country or time. Consider looking for comparative research (perhaps it has been occurring for some time in other countries) or historical research (a similar situation that has occurred in history).
Is the issue too ethical / emotional?
o Euthanasia? Abortion? Caution against mounting an emotional and morality-based argument. Morals change from society to society, family to family, region to region.
o Consider Aristotle's formula for effective argument:
Ethos (10%) Pathos (10%) LOGOS (80%)
(Ethics) (Emotion) (Logic)
Is the issue too abstract or simply silly?
o Tupac and Elvis are dead! We landed on the moon! The legal drinking age should not be eighteen! There are some issues that can't be argued rationally...
ELEMENTS OF CAUSE & EFFECT
Cause and effect is represented by a very simple formula:
If (cause) ___________________ happens, then (effect #1) _____________, (effect #2) _____________________, and (effect #3) happens.
- Universally, cause and effect is the basis of everything (for every action, there is a reaction).
- Academically, cause and effect is the basis of establishing concrete argument.
- Critical thinkers realize that one cause can lead to hundreds of effects. It is your job to explore all possibilities, then limit your effects to the 3 or 4 that will establish a problem.
- As a tool for research, cause & effect is the guiding force. A solid “If, then” thesis statement, with concrete effects, provides you with the knowledge of what you will be researching when writing the paper.
- True cause and effect can only be established through a pattern of occurrence (ex: To eat at a restaurant and become sick afterwards does not establish fault on the part of the restaurant. Neither does eating there a second time and becoming sick afterwards. However, if you eat there a third time and become sick, you are establishing potential true cause and effect).
- The more sources for the same cause and effect that one can establish, the more likely it is true cause/effect and not a bias point of view (ex: If you can only find information from the Church of Scientology and nowhere else, it is suspect).
- Preliminary cause and effects are always established early on based on preliminary reading, but as your research progresses, you may find that you would like to fine-tune or change your effects. There is nothing wrong with this – it means that the more you learn/discover, the more you will become an expert on the subject.