Tài liệu Write better essays in just 20 minutes a day part 20 docx

 Lesson 15 Practice 1 Your table should look something like this: PARAGRAPH IDEA FUNCTION 3 when silence is a lie addressing possible counterargument (that being silent isn’t lying) 4 man who buys a necklace he knows is stolen offers example of lie 5 consequences of his lie offers evidence that silent lie is devastating 6 lying to Amy about Scott and consequences offers another example and evidence of of that lie consequences 7 lying at diner offers another example of silent lie 8 silent lies can be devastating; concludes essay prosecute people who tell silent lies, not just “regular” lies 1. The essay is organized by order of importance, from most important to least important. 2. Probably not. For arguments, the best strategy is typically least to most important. 3. Reverse the order of the examples. Start with the diner scenario. Keep the Amy/Scott example second, and then end with the most powerful example—the man who knowingly bought a stolen necklace and gave it to his girlfriend. Practice 2 Here’s one way to revise the conclusion: Silence can not only be deceitful—it can also be deadly. Before you decide to deceive someone with silence, con- sider the consequences of your action, and recognize it for what it is: a lie. –ANSWER KEY– 187  Lesson 16 Practice 1 Individual revisions will vary, but you should have addressed the following problems in the paragraph. 1st sentence: unnecessary repetition and wordiness 2nd sentence: unnecessary repetition and wordiness, passive sentence 3rd sentence: pretentious language and wordiness 4th sentence: passive sentence 5th sentence: unnecessary repetition and ambiguity (does they refer to questions or opportunities?) Here’s how the edited paragraph might look: The greatest challenge my generation will face will be ethical dilemmas created by scientific advances. We have discovered so much in this century, especially in the last few decades. We have opportunities to do things we never thought possible before. But these opportunities have raised some very difficult ethical questions. These oppor- tunities have given us new power over nature, but this power can easily be abused. Practice 2 The following is an example of a successful edit. My generation will face many problems. First is the problem of feeling overwhelmed by technology. Second, with the ever-increasing life span of human beings, the generation gap is widening. A third problem is the population explosion; there are more people on the planet than ever before, and the world population continues to grow expo- nentially, putting a squeeze on our habitable space. That leads us to a fourth problem: limited natural resources.  Lesson 17 Practice 1 Here is the paragraph with run-ons, fragments, agreement errors, and confusing words corrected: Comic relief is important in tragedies. Readers need a little relief from all of the sadness in the story. For exam- ple, consider Hamlet. After Ophelia dies, the next scene is with the gravedigger, who is a very funny character. He digs up a skull and makes a long speech about who the skull might have belonged to. Even though it is about death, the scene is funny, and it allows readers forget about the tragedy for a moment and laugh. –ANSWER KEY– 188 Practice 2 Here is the paragraph with capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors corrected: Compact discs (CDs), which may be found in over 25 million American homes, not to mention backpacks and auto- mobiles, first entered popular culture in the 1980s. But their history goes back to the 1960s, when an inventor named James Russell decided to create an alternative to his scratched and warped phonograph records—a sys- tem that could record, store, and replay music without ever wearing out.  Lesson 18 Practice 1 Each response will vary. Here’s one that successful fulfills the assignment: Thesis: One of today’s unsung heroes is my friend Mani Kaur. Outline: 1. How I met Mani • behind her in line at the store • she was buying diapers • couldn’t believe how many she was buying • I asked if she needed help carrying them to her car • found out she had just adopted three baby girls from China 2. Meeting the babies • told Mani I loved children • she invited me to come over and help out • went the next day • saw how great she was with the babies • saw how ill two of them looked 3. Why she adopted • told me about the law of having only one child • Mani and her husband couldn’t have children of their own • wanted to rescue as many as they could, give them a better life 4. How can she handle it? • Mani’s job—low paying (librarian), but flexible hours and close by • husband’s job as marketing representative pays better, but he must travel three weeks each month • close network of family and friends to help out –ANSWER KEY– 189 5. Why is she a hero? • forever changing lives of three children • giving them a chance to grow up in a safe, loving home • setting an example for others, like me • a year later, babies all healthy, happy, well adjusted Conclusion: Now when Mani goes to buy diapers, she always has someone to help—me.  Lessons 19 and 20 Practice To estimate a grade for your timed essay, look at the scoring chart on pages 174–175. Read your essay and evalu- ate it by using this special scoring system. After you assign a number for each of the categories shown on the scor- ing chart, average the numbers to get an overall score. A 5 is an “A,” a 4 is a “B,” and so on.  Posttest, Part 1 If you miss any of the answers, you can find help for that question type in the lesson(s) shown to the right of the answer. –ANSWER KEY– 190 QUESTION ANSWER LESSON 1. b. 1, 2 2. d. 1 3. c. 12 4. a. 9 5. d. 6, 7 6. b. 10 7. d. 9, 15 8. a. 2 9. c. 14–17 10. b. 16 11. a. 13 12. a. 6, 7 13. c. 17 14. b. 18 QUESTION ANSWER LESSON 15. b. 12 16. d. 16 17. e. 5, 8 18. b. 5, 6 19. d. 15 20. a. 11 –ANSWER KEY– 191  Posttest, Part 2 Use the scoring chart on pages 174–175 to evaluate your essay. After you assign a number for each of the categories shown on the chart, average the numbers to get an overall score. . Grammar and Punctuation online, with simple explanations of grammar and punctuation pitfalls, and separate exercises and answer keys www.m-w.com: Merriam-Webster. writing, maintained by Professor Charles Darling of Capital Community College, Hart- ford, CT, is a comprehensive site with a particularly useful “ask grammar”