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K/H: How to write a compound-complex sentence

"Mrs. Wise, why do you keep on going with this compound-complex stuff?"

There are four basic sentence types in the English language: simple, compound, complex, and - you guessed it - compound-complex. You don't want to wander through life not having at one time mastered the basics of English... right?

Relax: It's not that bad. I'm not a grammar person (you know, one of those people), and even I can figure out how to write one.

First, you need to know the difference between coordinating conjunctions (commonly referred to as FANBOYS) and subordinating conjunctions (AWUBIS), as well as how those two things create independent and dependent clauses. If you're not sure, do some quick Googling; ChompChomp usually has easy-to-follow grammar material.

Next, let's try to put some together.

I always start by writing a compound sentence:

I went to the teacher's lounge, and the soda machine wouldn't take my dollar.

This is two complete thoughts (yellow), stuck together with a coordinating conjunction (pink). Notice that both complete thoughts have a subject and a verb, and if taken out of context, they still make sense on their own.

Now, you take that compound sentence and add a dependent clause. This will make a compound-complex sentence. A dependent clause always starts with a subordinating conjunction.

I went to the teacher's lounge, and the soda machine wouldn't take my dollar because it was crinkled.

Notice that "it was crinkled" has a subject and a verb and would make sense on its own, but the presence of a subordinating conjunction at the beginning of this clause makes it a dependent one. Also notice that because the dependent clause comes last, there is no comma before the subordinating conjunction.

Let's try a compound-complex sentence with the dependent clause in other places.

After I had EOC tutoring, I went to the teacher's lounge, and the soda machine wouldn't take my dollar.

Again, I just took the compound sentence and put the dependent clause at the beginning. Notice that because the dependent clause comes first, a comma is needed.

I went to the teacher's lounge after I had EOC tutoring, and the soda machine wouldn't take my dollar.

See? That's not so bad.

More about your essay

I've had a few people ask me some questions about tomorrow - so let's clarify:

• Yes, it's the same prompt as before. 
• All of your collected revision materials will be stapled and turn in tomorrow for an assessment grade. When I look at this, I will assess a grade based on evidence of meaningful revision. Changing one or two words is not meaningful; we've spent almost a solid week on these revisions. 
• Your final essay will be a major grade. It will be graded according to the state rubric. It will not be averaged with your original grade. Essays will be shared with other English II teachers to ensure calibration - especially essays that are scored highly. 
• You can use any revisions, editing, extra drafting, notes, a dictionary, and a thesaurus tomorrow during class in order to produce the best final draft possible. You may not use technology (Googling!) and I'm not going to answer any questions (except questions about the directions).

Next: Some people have asked me if I have any recent STAAR-based examples of the whole "call-to-action" thing.

Matter of fact, I do:

The choice is to live in an urban city or a rural small town, and after weighing the pros and cons of city and country life, the reasonable person will be convinced that country life is the right choice for them. Trading in the pantsuits and a professional life for a more relaxed one is a no-brainer, and it is a chance that must not be passed up by anyone. 

Why it works: You notice that this example contains some of the DIDs that we looked at previously - "pantsuits" and whatnot. You see that the essayist wrote "the reasonable person will be convinced," and that's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about the concept of ethos. Ethos is the credibility of the speaker (persona) based on an assumed shared sense of morality or values with their audience. You see that they're assuming that a "reasonable" person agrees with them. See how that works?

It is, of course, a matter of preference and comfort as to the environment a person chooses to live in, but it is crucial  that all people understand the great benefit of the interactions and cohesiveness that exist in cities. It is equally important to embrace urban developments as beneficiaries to all levels of population organization, as the main goal of urbanization is to move forward.

Why it works: This one doesn't have such an obvious call to action. Instead, this essayist chose to focus on the "so what?" question. They make their reader see why the issue is important by literally telling the reader directly why it is important. This is something you can end your essay with. Sit back and ask yourself - so what? Why would your average person care about this issue? What things can I bring up that might be moving? You could start by saying, "This is important because..." or "This should be important to you because..."

Examples of imagery in student writings

These are from the prompt "Is it better to live in a big city or a small town?"

Love the imagery/word choice in this intro:

People can always come to love the hustle and bustle of a big city, or the quiet calmness of the starry night above an isolated rural community. However, the unchanging consistency of everyday life in a small town can only enthuse one for so long, whereas the abundant variety of a metropolis is unwavering.

The repetition/pathos in this conclusion does several things at once:

You deserve to live in a place where you can enjoy both social and political stability, not one or the other. You deserve to live in a place that benefits you. You deserve to raise a family under the best possible conditions. You deserve to have your cake and eat it, too.

More imagery/word choice, different parts from the same paper:

These such towns and their country lifestyle have an allure and charm that no steel and concrete behemoth can hope to match.

However, these small benefits of city life come with the price tag of long hours answering emails in  your beige cubicle and deciding between Wendy's and McDonald's for dinner.

Trading pantsuits and professionalism for a more relaxed life is a no-brainer.

A simile and quick imagery:

Somehow, quick as the wind blows, the entire town is alert to what is going on...

K/H: Compound-Complex Sentences

Your compound-complex sentences are due Friday on TurnItIn.com before we take our vocab quiz. We allow a 1 day grace period for turning in daily grades; I'm not accepting the sentences after 11:59pm on Friday night. <--- Did you notice that was a compound sentence?

Here are the compound-complex notes, color-coded for your fun and pleasure:

YELLOW = subordinating conjunctions, which are used to create dependent clauses
GREEN = coordinating conjunctions, which come between two independent clauses
UNDERLINED = each CS (subject + verb construction)

1. Because Ms. Wise leveled the contemptuous visage in his direction, Paul finally realized that he had committed a classroom infraction, and he evinced this understanding by adjusting his behavior.

This one starts with a dependent clause. Notice that because the dependent clause comes first, there is a comma. 

2. Ms. Adams was livid when she discovered one of her students had cheated, but she was consoled by the fact that the malodorous plagiarist would no longer darken her door.

In this one, the dependent clause is not first - hence, no comma. 

3. If Ms. Holden had attended the retrospective of Marie Cassatt’s work at the De Menil museum, she would have learned so much about the American impressionist, yet she elected to stay home and watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey instead.


4. After they learned the most abhorrent aspect of Mr. Millstein’s personality, his students reluctantly attended class; they made sure to beat a hasty retreat when the bell rang.

Another example of the dependent clause first - notice the comma. This one uses a semicolon in place of a comma-FANBOYS combo. 

5. Because Ms. Miller can’t stand sycophants in her class, she dismisses vacant flattery, and her students have a hard time getting on her good side.

Horizons Showcase (for English II H students)

This year, our Horizons Showcase will be on April 3, 2014.

It's always a good idea to start thinking about possible project ideas early in the year. This is an excellent opportunity to work alone or with a group to investigate a subject/topic of your choice. This is not required, but like I said, it's a wonderful opportunity. It looks great on college resumes and allows you to do a self-directed project in an area of personal interest for you.

You can do a Showcase project in any H-designated class.

"Mrs. Wise, what kind of project could I do?"

The sky's the limit. I can help you with any project related to English, language, books, or literacy.

A few thoughts:
- You can investigate a topic (genre, author, literary movement, etc) and present your research.
- You can conduct an experiment and present your findings.
- You could produce an original piece of literature/art and present it. A collection of poetry, a novel, a short story? What about a photographic essay? A short film?

These are just a few things I thought of off the top of my head. Please come see me if you want to participate.

Where is the vocabulary list, Mrs. Wise?

Look to the RIGHT, under the fish. There's a page there just for vocabulary lists. That should make it easier to find.

I also updated the calendars with quiz dates, reading, etc.

Introduction to Persuasion

Today's writing is a draft. It will be scored according to the state rubric, which you can see right here.

After I score it, I will return it to you, on about Oct 20. We will then revise and edit until your heart is singing with happiness because your paper is AWESOME. That revised paper will be the major grade.

And because people asked me for it, here is a more thoroughly explained outline of the classic persuasive model: Outline Explained