ACADEMIC WRITING IApril 24th 2012

Today• Talk about mid-term exam (May 1st !)

• Articles

• Peer evaluation

Mid-Term exam• The exam will be NOT be an in-class essay.• - 75 minutes is not enough time.

• Will be comprised of several types of questions:• multiple choice

- choose an answer.

short answer - answer with a sentence or two. APPLYING CONCEPTS i.e., “Add a thesis statement to this essay.”

Mid-Term exam• Will cover all material we have studied so far:

• Sentence typesparagraphs (structure, topic sentences, etc.)

• Pre-writing• Essays (structure, thesis statements, etc.)

- logical division of ideas - compare/contrast

• Unity• Coherence (including basic transition signals).• Supporting details

Articles

•a

•an

• the

Articles• An article: A word that precedes a noun that indicates the

kind of reference being made.

• i.e. “A banana” vs. “the banana”

Articles• Basic structure:

• article + noun • (The giant saved me.)• (A bear came to my house yesterday.)

• article + adjective + noun • (The friendly giant saved me.)

(A big bear came to my house yesterday)

Articles• EXAMPLE:

• For lunch I had sandwich and apple. Sandwich wasn’t very good.

a/an• Indefinite article

• Used with something “general”.

• e.g. “Let’s read a book.”

• -Could mean ANY book (not specific).

a/an

• a/an refers to a “non-specific” or • “non-particular” thing.

• "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas."

• This could be any dog; we don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.

a/an

•a/an refers to a “non-specific” or •“non-particular” thing.

• "Somebody call a policeman!"

• This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.

a vs. an

• Depends on the sound that begins the next word.

a

• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant:

• a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog

an• an + singular noun beginning with a vowel:

• an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan ; an umbrella

a or an?• user

• a user or an user

a• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound:

• a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used);

• a university; a unicycle

a/an• an + nouns starting with silent "h":

• - an hour • - an heir

• a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h":

• - a horse• - a house

the• definite article

• Used with something specific.

• e.g. “Give me the book.”

• - Means a specific book.

the• the refers to a specific or particular thing.

• "The dog that bit me ran away."

• Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.

the• the refers to a specific or particular thing.

• "I saw the elephant at the zoo."

• Here, we're talking about a specific noun. There is probably only one elephant at the zoo, or I am talking about one specific elephant.

Articles• EXAMPLE:

• For lunch I had sandwich and apple. Sandwich wasn’t very good.

• For lunch I had a sandwich and an apple. The sandwich wasn’t very good.

Articles• EXAMPLE:

Articles: countable and uncountable nouns

The can be used with uncountable nouns.

• - "He spilled the milk all over the floor.“

• refers to specific milk.

The can be used with countable nouns.

- “I read the book.”

Articles: countable and uncountable nouns

• a/an can only be used with countable nouns.

• - "I bought a puppy.“

• - “Jack needs a new computer."

Articles: countable and uncountable nouns

• a/an can be used with counters + uncountable nouns.

• “Give me a milk.”

• “Give me a glass of milk.”

Some rules for ‘the’• There are some specific rules for using the with

geographical nouns.

• ‘the’ is not used with:

• - country names, city names,

• - street names, mountain names,• • - continent names, island names.

Some rules for ‘the’• Country names do not use the

• i.e., “I went to the Australia. =

• Korea, Germany, England.

• Except…

• The United States of America,• The United Kingdom• The Philippines

“I went to Australia.”

Part of a group

Some rules for ‘the’• Mountain names…don’t use the

• i.e., Palgong Mountain, Mount Everest

• Except… mountain “ranges”

• The Rocky Mountains• The Alps

Some rules for ‘the’• Plural nouns meaning “all” or “in general” do not use the• - all of a group.• i.e., “Students always look forward to summer vacation.”

• “Cheetahs are fast.”

• “Cookies are delicious.”

NOTE: Specific plural nouns DO use the - The cookies were delicious.

Some rules for ‘the’• We DO use the with:

• names of rivers, oceans and seas:

- the Nile, the Pacific Ocean

• points on the globe:

• - the Equator, the North Pole

Some rules for ‘the’• We DO use the with:

• geographical areas:

• - the Middle East, the West

• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas:

• the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Some rules for ‘the’• Expressions that identify as part of a larger group: use the

“one of the (plural noun)”

“both of the (plural noun)”

“some of the (plural noun)”

“some of the (uncountable noun)”

Some rules for ‘the’• Expressions that identify as part of a larger group: use the

“one of the students was absent.”

“Lisa enjoyed both of the performances.”

“The professor returned some of the essays today.”

“Some of the of the stolen money was recovered.”

No articles• Articles are NOT used with:

• Names of languages: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian

• i.e., “Dave speaks Russian and German.”

No articles• Names of sports:

• volleyball, hockey, baseball

• - “We always play the basketball on Saturday.”

• - ”We always play basketball on Saturday.”

No articlesNames of academic subjects:

• mathematics, biology, history, computer science

- “ Andy majors in the international business.”

- “Andy majors in international business.”

No articles

Meals:

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner (supper).

• - “Let’s have a lunch.”

• - “Let’s have lunch.”

Peer feedback• Things to watch for:

• - Article use (this time).

• - CLEAR thesis statement.

• - CLEAR topic sentences (topic + controlling ideas).

• - The kind of organization (point-by-point or block) and whether the essay FOLLOWS its organization.