Conferences tomorrow

11:20:  Misael
11:30:  May
11:40:  Hilal
11:50:  Moe
12:00:  Christian
12:10:  Diem
12:20:  Valeria

Please come on time because I will not be very flexible tomorrow (I have to catch a flight at 3 so I need to leave the LCC by 12:45).

When honesty isn't the best policy...

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/top-5-lies-men-tell-152900513.html

Schedule for tomorrow

8:30-9:10 with Greg
Grammar test will begin at 9:15. There are 109 multiple choice questions. You will probably need between 60 and 90 minutes to complete it.

At 10:45 a.m. I will start the surprise. The surprise will take 90 minutes.

At 12:30, we will have the presentation for graduate applicants.

Holly's Video Lectures

lecture on wish and hope:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNvJV0ax9AI&feature=youtu.be

lecture on plagiarism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7cPtb35Ec&feature=youtu.be

review of adverb clauses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTKXw9v2NF4&feature=youtu.be

Your Classmates' Essays

I'm going to post some of the essays which I think you would enjoy reading.

I was very impressed with Valerie's comparison of the US and Ecuador. Her essay is smart and very well-written.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVTXFrQUlsaFRTNFU

Diem (from 5E) wrote a FANTASTIC essay on some very interesting and thoughtful differences between Vietnam and the U.S. I LOVE the introduction!
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVdHNrdGZ4eUhBY28

Class Party

If you didn't receive the evite (email invitation), please let me know. The party is at my house beginning at 7, but you can come later. I'd like to know how many to expect, more or less, so please let me know if you're coming. I'm asking everybody to contribute $8 to help with the cost.

The menu sounds delicious:
1.  Vietnamese spring rolls
2.  Turkish kebobs
3.  Mexican fajitas
4.  Venezuelan arepas
5.  Taiwanese pan-fried noodles
6.  American brownies or apple pie :)

Maybe some Turkish or Arabic coffee?

Website Quiz for Conditionals

http://www.english-test.net/esl/learn/english/grammar/ii120/esl-test.php

Musical Lesson: Future Wish

"I Wish It Would Rain," by Phil Collins (future wish)

http://www.mtv.com/videos/phil-collins/58766/i-wish-it-would-rain-down.jhtml

You know I never meant to see you again
and I only passed by as a friend
All this time I stayed out of sight
I started wondering why

Now I, I wish it would rain down, down on me
Yes I wish it would rain, rain down on me now

You said you didn't need me in your life
I guess you were right
Well I never meant to cause you no pain
But it looks like I did it again

Now I, I wish ....

Though your hurt is gone, mines hanging on, inside
And I know it's eating me through every night and day
I'm just waiting on your sign

'Cause I know, I know I never meant to cause you no pain
And I realize I let you down
But I know in my heart of heart of hearts
I know I'm never gonna hold you again

To answer all of your questions...

I will stay after class on Tuesday for an hour. Hopefully, I will answer your questions in class tomorrow and Tuesday, but if not, you can ask me after class on Tuesday.

Special Speaker on Thursday

For those of you who are interested, I have asked a former student of mine who has gone through the graduate school application process to come and give a presentation about what you need to know. He will give the presentation in my room after class on Thursday. This is for people who have already graduated college and are looking to apply to graduate school. I know that what he's going to tell you will be helpful so I recommend your attending. The student who is presenting is David Sardi from Venezuela.

Blog Writing #28: Mixed conditionals (due Monday)

If you were me (of course, in reality, you're not), what would you have done differently with the class (I mean from the beginning until now)?

If you had a million dollars, would you share it with your teacher?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/armed-gang-steals-millions-dubai-royal-family-143315536.html

See? I knew there were some people on this planet who carried lots of cash! Now, had I asked them for a million dollars, it would have been a REAL POSSIBILITY to get the money (before they were robbed, that is).

This would make a good commercial for Visa or American Express. You can see it now: "If only they had been carrying Visa instead of cash, they wouldn't be in this situation today" (mixed conditionals).

Of course, I don't know if even the royal family can get such a high credit limit!

Important: Schedule for the rest of the term

Tomorrow (Friday): 

Both classes will meet together in Holly's room. A 30-minute timed writing sample will be given the first 30 minutes of class, which means at 8:30. If you are late, you will have less than 30 minutes to write the sample. We need two 30-minute samples of your writing in case we need to appeal you into level 6. This is the second opportunity I'm giving you for this sample; the first one was last week ("honesty is the best policy"). I will give one more 30-minute timed writing sample next week. If I don't have two samples, there will be no appeal.

During my class, we will complete chapter 20 in grammar and begin our discussion of argument essay. Your argument essay will be the final essay for the semester. It will be due next Thursday, which is your last day of class. The first draft will be due on Tuesday for peer editing.

Monday:

On Monday I will complete and go over the grammar which we haven't yet covered in chapters 17-20 as well as review other questions you have.

You will have another 30-minute timed writing sample.

Tuesday:

In Greg's class, you will have final exams. In my class, we will have peer editing and work on grammar that we haven't completed.

Wednesday:

No class (but if I were you, I would be reviewing my grammar!)

Thursday:

Holly's final grammar exam (chapters 14-20).
Argument essays are due.
All outstanding essays and rewrites are due (and will not be accepted after class).
All outstanding blog work is due (and will not be accepted after class).

Thursday night:  Party at Holly's house

Friday:

No class

Following Monday:

Writing sample

Fun with the language

The English Plural

according to....

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.English muffins weren't invented in England.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of "odds and ends" and get rid of all but one of them,
What do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speakingEnglish

Should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

We ship by truck but send cargo by ship...
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway..
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,
In which you fill in a form by filling it out,
And in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And in closing..........

If Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop.????

Blog Writing #27: Conditionals (due Friday, 7/27)

If you had to choose among perfect health, a loving family, and wealth (and you could have only one of the three during the rest of your life,) which would you choose? Why?

Musical Lesson: Unreal Conditionals

"Time in a Bottle," by Jim Croce

A very old song but a very good one to teach this lesson!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSp0PEBuzEc

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
Till Eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

Link to Powerpoint Presentation on "Exceptional Verbs"

Verbs not followed by gerunds or infinitives

http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/causativeverbs

Homework for the weekend

1. On Monday, we'll conclude and review gerunds and infinitives, so please finish the exercises associated with chapters 14 and 15 and bring your questions to class.

2.  In WAE, read pp. 116-122 and complete practices 1, 2, and 3

3.  In WAE, read pp. 127-130 (on paraphrasing) and do practice 1.  Complete this by Tuesday.

4.  Your outline for comparison/contrast essay is due Monday. Bring your first draft for peer editing on Tuesday. The final draft will be due Wednesday or Thursday. The assignment for your essay is to thoughtfully compare and contrast your culture/country with U.S. culture. You can use point-by-point or block style.

5.  Finally, complete all blog writing which is related to gerunds and infinitives.

Schedule tomorrow

Greg and I have decided to combine classes tomorrow.  Here is the schedule:

8:30-10:  Both classes with Greg
10-10:30:  Writing sample
10:40-11:10:  Evaluations in the Call Lab
11:15-12:30:  Both classes with Holly
In my class we will discuss comparison/contrast writing and maybe a little bit of grammar.

I just got home from Madras. I hope THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME had a good time. I am wondering what happened to BANDER and TJ, both of whom said they were going to come :(

The Importance of Commas

Dear Students...

The students of 5F have gotten used to my saying how far "behind" I am in their class. In fact, I am so far behind that I need more time with them (in order) to catch up.  Perhaps I'm currently behind in 5F because yesterday we spent time discussing important issues, such as choosing one's life partner. Today I mentioned in 5F that I don't regret spending time talking with you about marriage because  making a marriage mistake is much more serious than making a preposition mistake!

Nevertheless, in order to rectify the situation, today in class Khalid suggested switching classes tomorrow, as it seems that 5E usually gets more time with me and 5F gets more time with Greg. I spoke with Greg and he is up for switching, so tomorrow I'll have 5F first and 5E last. Thank you, Khalid for making that suggestion. I appreciate your thinking of a solution to my problem.

However, I want to warn 5F that I intend to start on time, which means if you're late, you'll be marked absent. I'm not saying this to threaten you, only to encourage you to come on time and  (to) not miss my important discussion on plagiarism, which I'll start with. I especially expect Khalid to be on time, since he is the one who recommended switching classes!

I look forward to seeing you bright and early, 5F!

Musical Lesson: Verbs + Gerunds or Infinitives

I will post songs as comments. You can do the same.

Blog Writing #26: Your dating profile (gerunds and infinitives) (due Friday, 7/20)

Imagine that you want to meet someone online to date. Write a profile of yourself that will be both honest (or not!) and make you attractive to the one you're trying to meet (or not!). I recommend going to the following website to get some information on how to write a profile.

http://www.ivillage.com/how-write-effective-online-profile-examples/4-a-284134

Please include some or all of the following expressions. Please feel free to modify your gerunds and infinitives with negatives, possessives, and passive voice.

satisfied with
can't stand
involved in
interested in
excited about
good at...
turned off by
It's enjoyable/fun/wonderful/amazing... for me...
For me, it's boring/difficult/easy/challenging...
I like/dislike
I enjoy
I hate

Blog Writing #25: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Noun Clauses (due Thursday, 7/19)

English is an amazing language, especially for writers. Why is this so? Because in English you can say the same exact idea in numerous ways. That helps prevent boredom!

For instance, here is some advice from me to you in different forms:

1. It is important for you to review what we study in class each night (infinitive phrase).
or, with a noun clause: It is important THAT you review each night.

2. It is critical for you to learn the grammar structures and then to use them every day (infinitive phrase).
or, with a noun clause: It is critical THAT you learn the structures and use them every day.

3. It is not too hard to learn a little bit each day, but it is too hard to learn a lot each day (infinitive phrase).

or with gerunds:

4.  In other words, learning a little bit each day is easy enough, but learning a lot each day is more difficult.

Please add your own pieces of advice for me or for your classmates in multiple forms. Show us that you can say the same idea in more than one (correct) way!

Websites to review gerunds and infinitives

1. http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/index.htm

This website is an EXCELLENT resource for you to review what you need to know about gerunds and infinitives. The tutorial lesson is in 3 parts. I recommend that you read (or, to use the gerund in place of the noun clause, "I recommend your reading") all of the parts. At the end of each part there are several quizzes for you to practice.


2. This one is short and sweet!

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz97mkm.htm

And another:

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9801/el-to-ing.html

Invitation for Dinner Thursday Night

I'd like to invite you guys to dinner Thursday night at Madras Pavilion, which is an Indian vegetarian restaurant located at 3910 Kirby #130, Houston, 77098 (713-521-2617). The food is good, plentiful, and reasonably priced. Once I know how many people are coming, I will talk to the manager and ask him to provide us with a sampling of delicious dishes for a fixed price.

If the thought OF HAVING a meatless meal frightens you, then you can pre-eat or post-eat and join the rest of us for our wonderful company. However, even for the most carnivorous among you, I think you will find that the restaurant serves very interesting and delicious food.

If you are worried about transportation, don't be. We can arrange rides. Please let me know if you can make it BY POSTING a comment. Personally, I'm LOOKING FORWARD TO HANGING OUT with you guys.

Let me tell you what I'm used to...

In 5E...

I'm used to Diem and May waiting outside the classroom before I arrive every day.
I'm used to Keemz's coming late every day.
I'm used to Moe's attending class most of the time.
I'm used to Hassan checking his phone every few minutes in class.
I'm used to Hilal asking good questions.
I'm used to Shengyao smiling when I ask him questions.
I'm used to Mishari looking sleepy in my class.
I'm used to Valerie's looking happy in my class.
I'm used to Misael's writing poetic essays.
I'm used to Christian looking tired in my class.

In 5F...
I'm used to Gaby not coming every day.
I'm used to Bander not agreeing with much of what I say. In other words, I've gotten used to Bander disagreeing with me (which I like and I will miss next term).
I'm used to Petra's face looking exasperated whenever I introduce a new grammar lesson.
I'm getting used to Khalid's not doing his blog work :(
I'm used to Yang's and Franco's sitting next to each other.
I'm used to Sal asking lots of questions, some of which are related to the lesson I'm teaching and some of which are not.  ;)
I'm used to Sarilak understanding everything I say.
I'm used to seeing Diem's smiling every day when she says good morning.
I'm not used to seeing TJ participating in class with a full heart.
What am I used to Nadyeska doing?  Guys, help me out here.

And finally, why don't you tell me what you've gotten used to with me? Don't forget to use a gerund.

Blog Writing #24: Special expressions (which are) followed by gerunds (due Wednesday 7/18)

1.  Tell the class something that you used to do before you came to the U.S.

Example:  I used to eat dinner with my parents every day.

2.  Tell the class something that you're used to doing now that you weren't used to doing in your country before coming here.

Example:  Before I came to the U.S., I never did my own laundry. However, now that I've been here for a while, I've gotten used to doing my own laundry, which I dread.

Schedule Tomorrow

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a good weekend.

Tomorrow we're going to combine classes for the first two hours. Greg will give you his test first, after which I will give you my test.

After that, I'll teach 5E for an hour, followed by the final hour with 5F.

Sadly, there is no more Call lab for us :(

Have a great weekend!

I hope you had fun at our second Friday Fun Day and also at the Culture Festival (Yang and Franco, where were you??).

Also, I forgot to wish Hilal a very happy birthday. Her birthday was Thursday.

You know what you've got to do for Monday:  Grammar test and final draft. I will answer grammar questions before the test.

Also, if you're behind on the blog work, please catch up.

Finally, if you haven't already done so, listen to my responses to your noun clause personal questions. If you have any comments regarding WHAT I SAID, post them on the blog.

You can find the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9NkIsqQCDQ

Reported Speech Powepoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/reportedspeech-hc

Friday's schedule

8:30-9:30  Both classes with Greg
9:30-10:30  Both classes with Holly
10:45-12:15  Friday Fun Day
The winners of the song contests will be announced (by me) and the prizes will be awarded (by me) during the Fun Day.

Reducing Adjective Clauses to Adjective Phrases

http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/reducedadjectiveclauses-13601011

I prepared a powerpoint presentation for you to review the rules. Let me know if this helps.

Gerund Slides

Gerundslides These slides were made (by former students) to help you learn and remember some verbs, prepositions, and special expressions that are followed by gerunds. I hope this helps you.

Blog Writing #25: Concluding paragraphs (due Friday, 7/13)

In WAE, read pp. 72-74.  After that, look at practice 7 on pp. 74-75.

After you read the two "skeleton" essays, write a concluding paragraph for each one.

Blog Writing #24: Expressions of quantity in adjective clauses (due Thursday, 7/12)due Thursday, 7/12)

Please write 4 complex sentences with interesting details in your adjective clauses. Begin the sentences as follows:

1. I have had several teachers at the LCC,...

2. I know many interesting people,...

3. I love to do several different activities,...

4. I have a few problems this semester,...

5.  I like many types of food,...

Some jokes from a King of Comedy

These are from Rodney Dangerfield, who is one of the funniest American comedians ever. 
Most of his jokes are too dirty for me to tell you, but here are some that illustrate our grammar lesson:  so + adj. + that

I was so depressed that I decided to jump from the tenth floor. They sent up a priest. He said " on your mark ......"

My wife is so fat that when she lays on the beach the people feel sorry for her and try to roll her back into the water.

And more about his wife...

She was so fat that she has her own postal code.

She was so fat that when I hit her with my car she asked why I didn't go around her and I said that I didn't think I had enough gas.

She was so fat that her bikini is made out of two bed sheets (king-size).

She was so ugly that if you grab a dictionary and look under the word ugly you would see her picture.

She was so ugly that I took her to a dog show and she won first prize.

LCC Soccer Team: Message from Dave Burns

Rhere will be soccer team tryouts this Wednesday, JULY 11, at 6:00 PM. 
Meet in the hall in Roy Cullen Bldg. by the main office door.

Tell all interested players, both those who registered in May and those who registered for Summer II, to come.

We need your help to make sure everyone who is interested knows about this. You are the only way to let students know about the LCC indoor soccer teams.

I thank you and Servando and Eri thank you.

GO FALCONS!

Dave

Note from HC:  I highlighted the adjective clauses in Dave's note in case you're not actually interested in the soccer message but want to have fun with grammar.

The Two Diems

Today in class I mentioned that I often have more than one Mohammed in a class, so that any information which follows that name in an adjective clause is ESSENTIAL. Which Mohammed are we talking about?  The Mohammed [who is] from Jordan, or the Mohammed [who is] from Kuwait.

A better example would have been with Diem, since we have two Diems this semester.

So, I can differentiate the two Diems as follows: 
Diem who is in 5E and Diem who is in 5F
Both of these adjective clauses are essential in order to know which Diem we are referring to.

Adjective Clause Song Contest

Although the noun clause song contest has not officially ended yet, you can start thinking of your entries for this next contest on adjective clauses.

When you include the lyrics, please CAPITALIZE the adjective clause.

For this contest I'd like everyone to enter a song!

I have posted some examples on the blog for you, and here is one more from my childhood. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G-Y__6zIig

"You're the One that I Want," by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta

B= boy/ Danny
G=Girl/Sandy
B: both

G: Tell me about it stud!

B: I got chills.
They're multiplyin'.
And I'm losin' control.
'Cause the power you're supplyin',
it's electrifyin'!

G: You better shape up,
'cause I need a man
and my heart is set on you.
You better shape up;
you better understand
to my heart I must be true.

B: Nothin' left, nothin' left for me to do.

Both: You're the one that I want.
(you are the one i want), o,o, oo, honey.
The one that I want.
(you are the one i want want), o,o,oo, honey.
The one that I want
(you are the one i want want), o,o, ooooo
The one I need.
Oh, yes indeed.

G: If you're filled
with affection
you're too shy to convey,
meditate in my direction.
Feel your way.

B: I better shape up,
'cause you need a man
G: i need a man
who can keep me satisfied.
B: I better shape up
if I'm gonna prove
G: you better prove
that my faith is justified.

B:Are you sure?
Both:Yes, I'm sure down deep inside.

You're the one that I want.
(you are the one i want want), o, o, oo, honey.
The one that I want.
(you are the one i want want), o,o,oo, honey.
The one that I want
(you are the one i want),o, o, oo
The one I need.
Oh, yes indeed.

Adjective Clauses: Modifying Pronouns

It is rare, but possible, to modify pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they) with an adjective clause.

For example, the following quote:
"He who laughs last laughs best."

The following may seem unusual, but it is grammatically possible and it might be used in certain cases. For example,

A: I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday. I hope you can forgive me.
B: No, not at all! Rather, it is I who should apologize for the mistake!

Some Quizzes on Adjective Clauses

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073406414/student_view0/chapter9/parts_1_and_2.html

You should try the first four quizzes.

If these are helpful, please let me know. (If these are helpful--adverb clause of condition)

Also let me know if they're not helpful. (If they're not helpful--noun clause as the object)

Musical Lesson: Object Relative Clause

"The One that You Love," by Air Supply

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kH8jzBb9c0

Now the night has gone
Now the night has gone away
Doesn't seem that long
We hardly had two words to say
Hold me in your arms for just another day
I promise this one will go slow
Oh, we have the right you know
We have the right you know

Don't say the morning's come
Don't say the morning's come, so soon
Must we end this way
When so much here is hard to lose?
Love is everywhere; I know it is.
Such moments as this are too few
Oh, it's all up to you
It's all up to you

(Chorus) Here I am, the one that you love
Asking for another day
Understand, the one that you love
Loves you in so many ways

Tell me we can stay
Tell me we can stay, oh please
Those are the words to say
The only words I can believe
Hold me in your arms for just another day
I promise this one will go slow
Oh, we have the right you know
We have the right you know

(Chorus (2X))
The night has gone, a part of yesterday
I don't know what to say
I don't know what to say

Musical Lesson: Subject Relative Clause

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me," by Whitney Houston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KhhY9iwn-w

Clock strikes upon the hour
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away
I've done alright up till now
It's the light of day that shows me how
And when the night falls the loneliness calls

Chorus:
Oh I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
Oh I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me

I've been in love and lost my senses
Spinning through the town
Sooner or later the fever ends
And I wind up feeling down
I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls
My lonely heart calls

Chorus:
Oh I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With  somebody who loves me
Oh I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me

Somebody who somebody who
Somebody who loves me
Somebody who somebody who
To hold me in his arms oh
I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls
My lonely heart calls.

etc., etc.

Blog Writing # 22: Adjective Clauses (due Wednesday, July 11)

Please write a paragraph about your ideal husband or your ideal wife. Use as many adjective clauses as possible.

Example: My ideal husband is someone whom I can confide in when I have troubles. He is the man who will stay with me forever, even when I get old, fat, and sick.

I look forward to reading your posts, which you should complete ON SCHEDULE!

Holly's Restrictive Clauses Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/restrictiveclauses

You can download it or view it on the above site.

Punctuating Adjective Clauses

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffaculty.nwfsc.edu%2Fcomm%2Fnicholsj%2Fdocuments%2FPPTs%2FPunctuating%2520Adjective%2520Clauses.ppt&ei=CCD7T5SGK-Ti2AWjw6TtBg&usg=AFQjCNG72_kbOWEGP4X1Dh5-XJvt5tf8wg&sig2=K9VtLvuFGiQPEugMmArDrA

Download the above powerpoint presentation to practice what we learned in the Call Lab today regarding essential and non-essential adjective clause.

If this is helpful to you, please write a comment.

Blog Writing #21: Cause and Effect (in the Call Lab)

Choose one of the topics below and write a well-organized paragraph: 

causes of stress
effects of stress
effects of cell phones on society
consequences of eating an unbalanced diet
reasons why certain tv shows or video games are popular.

Homework for the weekend

1.  UUEG, ch. 13: ex. 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 29

2.  UUEG, ch. 19:  ex. 3, 4, 7, 8, 11

3.  WAE, pp. 101-104, practices 3, 4, and 5

4.  Catch up on blog work. Many of you are WAY BEHIND!

5.  I will give you one last chance to submit your song for the noun clause contest. I will announce the winner on Monday in class. A prize will be awarded (by me) for the best entry.

6.  If you haven't done so already, complete the quoted speech (Lucy and Ricky) exercise and check your answers, which I've posted.

7.  Listen to my responses to your noun clause personal questions. If you have any comments regarding WHAT I SAID, post them on the blog.

You can find the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9NkIsqQCDQ

I hope you have a cool and relaxing weekend. I'll see you in the Call Lab on Monday.

Musical Lesson: Noun clauses

Adele:  "Someone Like You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qemWRToNYJY

I heard that you're settled down

That you found a girl and you're married now

I heard that your dreams came true

Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you

Old friend, why are you so shy?

Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light

I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited

But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it

I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded

That for me, it isn't over

Never mind, I'll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you, too

Don't forget me, I begged,

I remember you said,

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

You know how the time flies

Only yesterday was the time of our lives

We were born and raised in a summer haze

Bound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited

But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it

I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded

That for me, it isn't over yet

Never mind, I'll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you, too

Don't forget me, I begged,

I remember you said,

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah

Nothing compares, no worries or cares

Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made

Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you

Don't forget me, I begged,

I remember you said,

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

Never mind, I'll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you, too

Don't forget me, I begged,

I remember you said,

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

Culture Festival!

As everyone knows, we're having our Culture Festival the next

 Friday, July 13.

We are going to have food from different countries, music,

 games and lots of fun, so if you want to help us out bringing a

 typical dish from your country, traditional clothes and/or

 music. Send your music in mp3 file to uhlcclub@gmail.com.

 

Ps. If you are bringing food, make sure to tell us the ingredients

 because some of our friends may be allergic or they don't eat

 certain meats and send some danceable songs!

Thanks

Christian Gongora

Blog Writing #20: Reported Speech (due Monday, July 8)

I said a lot in class today. I spoke about my trip to Chicago and Wisconsin; I spoke about quoted speech and quotation marks; I introduced adjective clauses; and I introduced cause-and-effect essays.  Wow!

What I would like you to do in this post is report three things I said in class today. You may not repeat what your classmates have said.
(BTW, did you notice the noun clause in the the prior sentence?)

Ex:  1.  Holly, you told us that we had to read the essay on shyness for tomorrow.

2.  You asked us to open our grammar books to the chapter on adjective clauses.

3.  You said that we should not come late to class (well, I didn't say that, but I should have said that).

You must use a reporting verb and you must put the verb in the noun clause in the proper tense.

Let's see how you do...

Quoted speech corrections

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVZVhNbmkwVHBOWFE

You can check your answers from the Lucy/Ricky quoted speech exercise. Please let me know IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES (noun clause).

Instructions for Monday in the Call Lab

Hi Guys!
I hope you had a great weekend. I'm having a good time here in Chicago. Today we're driving to Wisconsin to spend time with cousins who have a house (and a boat) on a lake. I'm excited.

On Monday in the Call Lab, I'd like you to complete the following:
Blog Writing #18
Blog Writing #19
Noun clause song contest (I'll extend the deadline for submissions).

My instructions for your essays are written in a previous post. Just as a reminder, though, your first draft of your process essay is due in class on Tuesday for peer editing. (If you don't have it, you should still come to class, but you will be marked absent for one hour.)

I look forward to reading your posts, and I look forward to seeing you on Thursday. If you have any questions, please post them as a comment, and I will try to get back to you, although my internet is spotty, so please be patient.

HC

Blog Writing #19: Quoted Speech (in the Call Lab)

Part 1:
Watch the following video.


http://www.schooltube.com/video/8d94448e0ba3a3f756b9/

Write 5 sentences that you hear in quoted speech. There are many ways to do this. Please vary your style and word choice to make it interesting.

For instance,
"I heard you the first time," Ricky said to Lucy, "but what language is it?"

Part 2:
Reply to your own comment. WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO  is to rewrite your original sentence in reported (indirect) speech.

Blog Writing #18: Reported Speech (in the Cal Lab)

For this assignment, you are going to interview one of your classmates--someone who is not from your country.

Part I. 
First, write a list of 15 interesting questions. The questions should be about the interviewees past, present, and future. You can also ask about their favorite books, movies, hobbies, etc...

Here are some sample questions which I found online, but you can formulate your own.
-Would you rather...
 be ugly and loved or beautiful and lonely?
-rather find true love or be filthy rich?
-invent an item that everybody uses or a song that everybody hums?
-have a relationship with someone 10 years younger or 10 yrs older?
-be deaf or blind?
-be sentenced to death or 50 yrs in jail?
-sing in the rain or dance in the streets
Here are some more:
* Which three (3) famous people do you admire most?
* Which three (3) famous people do you NOT respect?
* Which three (3) famous people do you think are most like you?
* Which three (3) famous people would you most want to be like?
* Which three (3) famous people do you most NOT want to be like?
* What personal values and principles are the most important to you?
* What friendship values and principles are the most important to you?
* What marriage values and principles are the most important to you?
* What community values and principles are the most important to you?
* What world values and principles are the most important to you?
* Using single words or phrases, how would you describe yourself?
* Where do you see yourself in five (5) years to 10 years?
* What are your favorite websites?
* What are your favorite television shows?
* What are your favorite movies?
* What kinds of music do you like?
* Who are your favorite bands?
* Who are your favorite singers?
* What kind of magazines do you read?
* What type of books do you read?
* What is your favorite food?
* What is your favorite dessert?
* What is your favorite snack?

(Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1532749)

Part II.
Conduct your interview and take notes on what your partner says.

Part III.
As a comment to this post, write a report of what you learned from your partner. Make sure you use the correct verbs of reported speech.

Grammar: Noun clauses, continued (ch. 12) and adjective clauses (ch. 13)

Writing: Process essay (ch. 5) and Cause/Effect essay (ch. 6)

Monday, July2:
Call Lab (Blog Writing Assignments #17, 18, 19) (quoted and reported speech) noun clause song

HW: UUEG, ch. 12, ex. 37, 40, 41, 44
First draft of process essay is due tomorrow for peer editing
_______________________________________________________________
Tuesday, July 3:
Peer editing of your process essay

Writing Problems: Run-on sentences, comma splices, sentence fragments, choppy sentences, and stringy sentences

HW: Second draft of your process essay AND second draft of your team process essay are due Thursday
__________________________________________________________________

Wednesday July 4:NO CLASS: INDEPENDENCE DAY____________________________________________________________________
Thursday, July 5:
UUEG, ch. 13, adjective clauses (13-1 thru 13-6)
Introduction to Cause and Effect essay

HW: UUEG, ch. 13, ex. 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 29
WAE, pp. 96-98, read the essay and answer the questions; practice 1
____________________________________________________________________
Friday, July 6:UUEG, 13-7 and 13-8 (essential and non-essential clauses)
WAE, cause and effect, continued

HW: UUEG, ch. 13, ex. 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41
WAE, pp. 101-104, practices 3, 4, and 5

As I mentioned in class today, I'd like you to work on two essay assignments.

The first assignment is to take the team essay you worked on in the Call Lab and revise it to turn in for a grade. In other words, what you wrote in the Call Lab is your first draft and what I want you to do now is a second draft. The first draft you wrote as a team. The second draft you should write as individuals. This essay is due next by Thursday. I want your essay either in class on Thursday or emailed to me to print before Thursday's class.

Note:  Some of you were absent on Wednesday. If so, you must take one of the thesis statements in chapter five and develop it into a process essay (if you're unclear, you can ask a classmate who was there). Basically, you have two complete essays to write--the one your classmates did in Call Lab, and the next one which is explained below. The only difference between them is that only one essay will be peer edited (not this one).

The second assignment is to write a completely new process essay. I want you to find out how something is done or made. You can read about the process or watch a video about it to learn the steps or stages. Then, in your own words, I want you to write an essay explaining that process. You must provide me with your sources for the information (books, websites, etc.) Here are some possible ideas, but feel free to email me other ideas if you have them: 
How ___________________ is made:
Cheese
Wine
Beer
a tortilla
a dental cavity
a leader
an architectural model
a business
a law
a piece of clothing
a cigarette


or...
How ___________________ works:
how the heart pumps blood
how cancer cells spread
how babies are made
how diseases spread
how photosynthesis works
how a camera takes a picture
how videos are made

All of these ideas describe PROCESSES which could be explained in steps or stages.

Using what you have learned in chapter 5 of the writing book, write a logical and coherent essay with an INTERESTING introduction that ends with a thesis statement which indicates PROCESS. I gave you my brownie essay example and you can look at all of the thesis statements in that chapter.

If you want to select a topic that is not listed here, send me your topic and your thesis statement for approval.

Okay, so selecting your topic is the first step in this process. Once you have selected your topic and written your thesis, you must divide the process into steps. Prepare an outline. Each step should be a paragraph of the body. Remember that a developed paragraph should contain roughly 8-10 sentences. If you don't give me 8-10 sentences per paragraph (excluding the conclusion, which could be 2-3 sentences), I will ask you to rewrite the paper!

The next step is to write your first draft. Bring your first draft to class on Tuesday. You will exchange papers for peer editing on Tuesday. If you're absent on Tuesday, you must find a peer editor outside of class.

Finally, after having your paper reviewed by your peer, revise and correct it for your second draft. On Thursday, I will collect your outline, your first and second drafts, and the peer and self editing worksheets (as usual).

That's the process for writing this essay!

LOOKING FOR TJ!!!!

Who knows WHERE TJ IS?  He didn't come to class today. I left a message for him, but no response yet. He told me THAT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF  LUIGI while I'm gone.

I wonder WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.
I wonder IF HE GOT COLD FEET (that means you change your mind, like the day before you get married you decide not to do it).
I wonder IF HE WILL HELP ME!!!

Noun clause work we did in class today (6/28)

If you want to review...

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVTnVhOTBiaUYxU00

Mashari and Christian's Assignment

In college, most final grades are based in different factors in order to get a good score this is what must
 be done.

I.                    There are 3 steps to get a high grade, you have to attend class every day, participate in class and study hard.

1.       Attendance
a.       Go to class, your chances of earning a high grade are greater when the instructor can remember you had a good attendance.
b.      Also some instructors put a small percentage of the overall term grade to class attendance.

2.       Participation
a.       Similar to attendance, if a student regularly participates in class, the instructor might help the student if his grades are low during the term.

3.       Studying
a.       When it comes the time of the test be prepared
b.      Remember instructors love “how” and “why” questions, study with an anticipation week prior to the
exam and you’ll get a grade that will set you apart from the rest.

The first step to thriving in class, is attend classes every day. There are many students who just don’t do
it and with more than 10 absences and they still can’t understand why they don’t do well. Other good
 thing is to show your instructor that you care about your education and that you show some respect for
 your instructor, at the end of the term if he sees that you missed more than 10 classes he will assume
 that you obviously don’t care  and if you don’t, why should they care? And this will affect your grade . If
 you attend class, you don’t have to rely on someone else to get notes and you get to hear it all directly
 from the instructor, ask him if you have questions  or something you don’t understand and you can’t do
it if you miss classes.

Step two is Participation , if a student regularly participates in class , the instructor might help the
 student if his grades are low during the term by doing his homework or anything that will impress your
 teacher. Some students think that participating is the best way to pass the class, but they have to know
 that participating is one of the ways to pass the class. Student must do their assignments such as essays
 or anything that teacher gave you because doing the assignments is the best way to improve and make a
 good progress in the class. In these steps, you will make a good progress and have a good grades.

Third step is study hard, good studying at home begins with good notes taken in class. just as everyone
 has a different learning style,  you should concentrate on understanding what you are learning in the
 class. If you have a question or something comes to your mind you have two choices: You can contribute
 to the class discussion by asking your question or making your comment. Don’t wait until the last
 minute to review for a test. Use the night before a test wisely and prepare for a test by taking time to
review what you have already studied. If you have a paper to write or any assignment, begin it as soon as
 possible, don't give the teacher any late assignment.

College is a big step into the real world and achieve succes at it you must be dedicated, putting your
college work before everything else it's a proof that you are being a successful student.

Petra and Gabriel

How to Overcome our Fears

Overcoming our fears is not easy as it seems for outsiders. Sometimes people don’t look for help because they are afraid of facing the truth, the reality. There are two steps to overcoming our fears in order to solve our problems: accepting our fears and fighting them.

The first step of overcoming our fears is acceptance which is a psychological process of finding a self-confident and therefore you can overcome fear. First of all, we have to accept our personality in order to figure out who really we are and find our place among others. This step mentally strengthens self-confidence. That one which is fundamental to start pushing the fear away, so that you self-esteem is going to be tighten which is boost your personality then.

To do this, it is very important to focus on what you think your qualities are, even though you haven’t made any great achievements through them yet.  Then, you have to put bad thoughts away from you in order to keep your keep a good humor whatever events that happening into your life. By keeping your mind up no matter what is happening, you should be able to get willpower which is as essential as the self-acceptance because each of them are basic to face fear and overcome it. To summarize, the first step of fear overcoming is the self-acceptance that leads to get more-confidant about ourselves.

The second step in overcoming our fears is fighting them. This means finding the strength within ourselves to fight our fears, it means having the will to solve our problems. One way this can be done is with a therapy group. Therapy group is where people with similar problems get together in a circle to talk about the problems.  It helps us to see the problem in different shades. When we talk in therapy groups we take from our shoulders a burden that let us fill better, that let us to finally analyze every detail from the problem, therefore we are able to control and have different perceptions from our problems.

In conclusion, overcoming our problems is a long journey; we have to get a solid and really strong support that helps us finding a better way to solve our problems. And following this steps we can have a susscessfull result. 

Yang AND Diem

Outline

How to celebrate Chinese New Year

I. Introduction: Process to celebrate Chinese New Year

A.        Clean and decorate house:

1. Sweep the house – Sweep bad luck

2. Decorate with red objects

B.        Prepare some traditional foods:

C.        Celebrate party:

How to Celebrate A Chinese New Year

Celebrating a Chinese New Year includes cleaning and decorating the house, preparing some traditional food, and celebrating the party.

The first step to begin Chinese New Year is to clean and decorate the house. Many people believe that it’s best not to sweep again for a few days after New Year’s Day, so as not to sweep away the good luck. People sweep everywhere in the house, even the ceiling. They clean from the top to the bottom to get rid of bad luck of the previous year. After the house is clean, people start decorating. Doors and window panes are also often painted red, considered to be a lucky color. Red banners with messages of good luck decorate the main entrance of your house. Also, people decorate the living room with flowers, which means wealth and high position.

THE SECOND(WE HAVEN'T DONE YET) 

           Finally, you need to celebrate party. If you want to have a successful party,   you had better invite people, like your friends, classmates and neighbors. So, before the party, you can call them and tell them that you will hold the party at your home. And then, you can pick up some wine to help add to the fun of your party, and don’t care about the age of drinking alcohol, China don’t have law to restrict the age of drinking. On the other hand, China is different from Western countries, at the party, people rarely sing or dance, after the foods, they probably like playing Poker or Mahjong (it is Chinese chess) , so you need to prepare for some poker and mahjong.  In addition, if there are some children at your party, you may let them to play some games or watch movies.