ENG 226: BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR Spring 2015 / CRN / T- 9:30 / McD 216

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1 ENG 226: BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR Spring 2015 / CRN / T- 9:30 / McD 216 Instructor: Dr. MacWilliams Tel: & (ETC dept. office) / dcmacwil@adams.edu Office hours: T/R 11-12:30 and Mons. 1:30-3:30 & by appointment / Office location: McD 280 Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it is the sickening grammar that they use. ~Mark Twain Welcome to Our Course! Welcome? You re probably dreading this course, and who would blame you? Few people actually like studying grammar; most of us detest it. What good does grammar do, many of us wonder. Why do we have to take this course? Did you know that the study of grammar was once used to encourage analytical and critical thinking skills? Studying grammar hones such skills. Did you realize that grammar helps us understand the structure of language, something we all use every day, but rarely even think about? Understanding the structure of language will give us insight into how humanity views the world. It will also help us learn how to craft the ways we express ourselves. We will recognize how others construct sentences and so be better prepared to analyze their messages. The better rooted we are in the structure of our language, the better we ll be able to use it and to learn other languages and gauge the effectiveness of messages we encounter or create ourselves. You might be thinking that you ll never understand this stuff. Maybe you ve tried this course once or even twice already and you feel as if you just can t get it. Yes, you can! Be active, be open, and be diligent. Ask questions, take risks, and study. Do these things and you will succeed I promise! Course description: In this course we will study the fundamentals of English grammar. This includes a study of the concepts and terminology of the grammar of standard written (American) English and an analysis of the parts of speech and their functions in sentences, as well as the varieties of sentence structure. Textbook: The Basics of English Grammar, only available in the ASU bookstore. Student Learning Outcomes: This is what we ll be able to do by the semester s end: 1. Accurately use much of the terminology of traditional and contemporary grammar as it would be expressed in Standard Written English; 2. Analyze simple sentences and demonstrate an understanding of their construction; 3. Describe the relationships among lexical (word) items in a phrase, clause, or sentence; 4. Create original sentences in which students express an understanding of the fundamentals of Standard Written English grammar; Assignments: You must satisfy all of these requirements for a passing grade. Readings: You are responsible for completing all assigned readings 1

2 Quizzes: we ll have 6 (see schedule) Exams: A comprehensive final (see schedule online) Grading: 50% final / 50% quizzes. A /A ; B / B / B ; C / C 72-75/ C ; D / D 60-65; F 59 and lower The final is comprehensive. Quiz dates are scheduled (see below). That schedule is subject to change. Please stay informed. If you miss a class when we have a quiz, you ll need a documented excuse for a make up; otherwise, you will earn a 0. If you have an official ASU excuse, you *must* take the quiz before you leave. Talk to me in advance, please. Incompletes are only available to students with documented medical or other excuses. The C- guarantee: If you earn below a 70 on any quiz, you may take a make up from 1-5 days after I return all the results to the class. (So if you re absent the day I return the results, you need to see me soon because the clock will be ticking.) If you pass the make up, you will be awarded a grade of 70 (regardless of how well you do on the make up, so striking a perfect score on the make up will still earn only a 70). If for any reason you fail to take the make up by the due date, the original grade shall stand. If you fail the make up quiz, the original grade shall stand. Students who score a 70 or above on their original quizzes will not have an option to improve their grades. (Also, pls. see attendance policy below.) Attendance Policy: I don t take attendance, but you should come to every session. If you miss a class, contact a classmate for notes, pages to cover, etc. Students who miss classes regularly have usually done poorly on the final and on quizzes. If you miss a quiz, you ll earn a zero for that quiz unless you have a documented absence. Please note that I will provide tutoring myself only to those who attend regularly and /or have missed a session but possess a documented excuse. If you arrive late for a quiz, you ll have less time to take it. If you arrive 15 minutes or later for the final exam, I won t offer it to you. ASU Excused Absence Notification Policy: (In our class, this is relevant info. if you miss a quiz.) All excused absence verification (except for regularly scheduled athletics travel) shall be processed by the Office of Student Affairs. Upon verification of the excused absence, the Office of Student Affairs will notify each of the student's instructors via . The student must make specific arrangements with each instructor to make up any missed assignments or examinations. The student has 30 days from the date of absence to submit documentation to the Office of Student Affairs. After the 30 days, the absence will be not be officially excused by the Office of Student Affairs. Policy regarding students with disabilities: If you require course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need particular arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to speak to me as soon as possible. Adams State University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Should you have a designated disability and need assistance related to completion of assignments in this course, please see the Diversity Officer in the Office of Equal Opportunity in the SUB- 329, telephone (719)

3 Participation policy: Please turn off ALL electronic devices and leave texts for other classes and newspapers, etc. in your book bag. I like the classroom atmosphere to be informal, yet very business- like. Students who behave unprofessionally or disruptively can be dropped from the course. I often ask students to create and share example sentences or phrases. Some cannot resist creating potentially offensive examples. Speak to me if you are in doubt; use common sense, accept responsibility for helping your classmates succeed in a peaceful and sensitive class atmosphere, be mature, and be prepared to face appropriate consequences if you are deliberately offensive. Policy regarding cheating: I do not tolerate cheating at all. Those whom I find cheating on any quiz or exam or paper will earn a failing grade for that assignment and repeat offenders will fail the course. I may also report the incident(s) to ASU administrators. Schedule: (Subject to change) Please note: If circumstances require that we postpone or skip items, I ll make the announcement in class and / or via to your ASU accounts. If the material or pace causes you any stress or anxiety, please visit with me. I can offer tutoring myself if your attendance is regular. I can also help organize study groups. Week Content Assessment 1. An introduction to this course and to some basic terminology Jan 20: intro to course, ch 1 Jan 22: ch 2 1) what we do and don t study in this text and course; how we study the material; how the textbook is structured; and tips for success in studying grammar; 2) what a constituent structure is; the two most important constituent structures (subject & predicate); and the four basic sentence types. 2. The noun, the noun phrase formula and determiners phrase Jan 27: ch 3 Jan 29: ch 3 3. An introduction to the eight functions of the noun, two main functions of a noun phrase Feb 3: ch 3 Feb 5: ch 3 /Quiz 1 4. Functions of a noun phrase continued. Feb 10: ch 4 Feb 12: ch 4 3) what a noun is, and what a noun phrase is. 4) what a determiner is; and how it works in the NP. 5) learn how function differs from form; get an overview of the eight functions of a noun phrase; learn these functions: appositive, vocative (and intro to subject and subject pronoun) 6) what a subject complement is. 7) what a direct object is. (Chapters 7-9) 8) what an indirect object is. 9) how to identify the object complement; what a compound noun phrase is. 3 2/5 Quiz 1: const. structures, NP formula, determiners

4 5. Preps / OPs Feb 17: ch 5 Feb 19: chs 5/6 6. ing NPs / to + verb, adjective phrases Feb 24: ch 6 Feb 26: ch 7 / Quiz 7. All about relative pronouns and clauses Mar. 3: ch 7 Mar. 5: ch 7 8. Relative pronouns Mar. 10: ch 8 Mar. 12: ch 8 Quiz 3 9. Pronouns Mar 17: ch 8 Mar 19: intro to verbs (ch. 9) Spring Break Mar. 24 & 26 10) what a preposition is; what a prepositional phrase is; what the object of a preposition is; how the prepositional phrase behaves inside the NP. 11) gerunds and infinitives 11) gerunds and infinitives cont. 12) what an adjective phrase is. 13) what a relative pronoun is, and what a relative clause is. 14) what a relative pronoun is, and what a relative clause is. 15) the personal pronouns and the reflexive pronoun 16) the demonstrative pronouns and the reciprocal pronouns 17) indefinite & universal pronouns. 18) what an interrogative pronoun is. 19) review of pronouns. 2/26 Quiz 2: NP functions through OP, compound NPs 3/12 Quiz 3: NP functions, gerunds / infs.; APs; relative prons. / clauses 10. Pronouns / Verbs Mar 18: ch 9 Mar 20: ch 9 / Quiz Verb forms / tenses Mar 31: ch 10 Apr 2: ch The twelve verb tense and the auxiliary verbs; time in the 12 tenses, negations and yes- no questions, and the conditionals Apr 7: ch 10 /Quiz 5 Apr 9: ch 11 20) Verbs: an overview; what a verb is; the four inflections most verbs take; and regular v. irregular verbs. 21) the six forms of the verb. 22) the six forms of the verb in action. 23) verb tenses, 24) auxiliary verbs 25) how we express time with the different verb tenses, and how tense and time are not the same thing. 26) how the 12 tenses are negated, how we create yes- no questions with them, how the auxiliary verbs help us accomplish all this, and compound verb phrases. 27) four types of conditional sentence 4 3/20 Quiz 4: NPs & Pronouns 4/7 Quiz 5: Verb forms, tense, aux. verbs

5 13. The three verb phrases, adverbs Apr 14: ch 12 Apr 16: ch verbs and adverbs Apr 21: ch 13 Apr 23: ch 13/ Quiz passive voice Apr 29: ch 14 Apr. 30: ch compound & complex sentences May 5: ch 15 May 7: ch 15 Final Exam: TBA 28) 3 verb phrases 29) what an adverb is, how to identify three jobs it performs, prep. phrases 31) predicate adjectives 30) how to recognize and assemble the passive voice; why we use the passive voice, verb tense. 32) compound sents. 33) complex sents. Please see schedule online 4/23 Quiz 6: Verb forms / tenses / phrases Optional final exam review: May 11, TBA. * Please note: As your instructor, I reserve the right to change the schedule, the grading policy, the instruction materials, etc. These changes may be made to ensure student success and our achievement of the student learning outcomes as noted on page one. Such changes will always be announced in advance and will be done in accordance with ASU policy. Very Important: You re liable to struggle more in this course than in most others you ve taken so far. Because grammar is such a common aspect of our existence, it is very difficult to analyze, especially if you have little or no experience doing so. Please use me as your main resource. Ask questions, visit me during office hours, sit down with me before quizzes to make sure you fully understand the material and my expectations, and then sit down with me afterwards to go over your quizzes, even if you did well. While some of us are already great at grammar and could sleep walk through this course, most of us really need to be active and engaged participants. Make it a rule to ask at least one question every session, even if it means testing an answer you wrote or requesting one more example. The most successful students have been active. Make the most of your tuition and your time! Helpful hints: Students who succeed in this course plan ahead, have a grammar manual from another publisher, study frequently I suggest 4 evenings a week, study with others and stay in close contact with me, take really good notes and review them with me, do all the exercises I assign, and make their own examples & attend class. More inspiring grammatical thoughts(in miniature): 5

6 Often one glance at the writer s work tells the teacher that what the student writer needs first, before stirring an inch in the direction of fiction, is a review of the fundamentals. No one can hope to write well if he has not mastered absolutely mastered the rudiments: grammar and syntax, punctuation, diction, sentence variety, paragraph structure, and so forth. ~ John Gardner, (novelist & teacher) from The Art of Fiction. New York: Vintage Books, (1983). And once you start [studying grammar], you ll find you know almost all of the stuff anyway. ~ Stephen King, (novelist), from On Writing, New York: Scribner,