Writing Notes Flashcards
Diary (daiari)
a book in which one keeps a daily record of events and experiences.
Dairy (deiri)
a building, room, or establishment for the storage, processing, and distribution of milk and milk products.
Certain
specific but not explicitly named or stated.
Intricately
in a very complicated or detailed manner.
Terrifically
with great intensity; to a great extent.
Dubbed
give an unofficial name or nickname to (someone or something).
Indicate
point out, show
suggest as a desirable or necessary course of action.
Surrounding words
might differentiate between two seemingly correct answers
Spell deferenshieit
dif·fer·en·ti·ate
Grim
forbidding (unfriendly or threatening in appearance.) or uninviting.
Rigorous
extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate.
Sand dunes
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill.
Fulgurite
vitreous material formed of sand or other sediment fused by lightning.
Silica
a hard, unreactive, colorless compound which occurs as the mineral quartz and as a principal constituent of sandstone and other rocks.
Geode
a small cavity in rock lined with crystals or other mineral matter.
Speckled
covered or marked with a large number of small spots or patches of color.
Unearth
find (something) in the ground by digging.
Scolding
an angry rebuke or reprimand.
Gusts
a brief, strong rush of wind.
Windchill
a quantity expressing the effective lowering of the air temperature caused by the wind, especially as affecting the rate of heat loss from an object or human body or as perceived by an exposed person.
Atop
on the top of
In addition vs additionally
‘in addition’ also has a closer link to the verb ‘to add’, so if you want the idea of ‘adding’, then use ‘in addition’, but additionally is perfectly acceptable in the sense of ‘also’.
Look at example of double clause intersection
McCoy, a railroad worker that, as a teenager, had formally studied mechanical engineering, revolutionized railroad and factory operations with his dozens of patented products.
Appositive
apt (appropriate or suitable in the circumstances.) in the circumstances or in relation to something.
Bearings
a person’s way of standing or moving.
the way one behaves or conducts oneself.
Subsequently
after a particular thing has happened; afterward.
The question might say “explains why somebody did something.”
The source of the answer might use synonyms
Read the whole passage before beginning
or if the question is hard (keep this card orange)
English Test Mistake: filling blanks: If the author is being descriptive use
descriptive words. For describing a shape “certain” is not descriptive.
English Test Mistake: filling blanks: Do not repeat information
that has been already stated
English Test Mistake: When placing sentences using letter, number coordinates
the number is the number of the paragraph and the actual placing is the letter
English Test Mistake: An answer might only fulfill one of the clauses
more than one answer could appear correct but only one will best satisfy all question clauses
English Test Mistake: – vs ;
The difference between an em-dash and a semicolon is the length and purpose of the pause it creates. An em-dash isolates the idea that follows; a semicolon combines two ideas into one. Em-dash: more impactful
Some compound words, such as self-restraint are hyphenated. Numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine should also be hyphenated when they’re spelled out.
“a big, bright hotel” does not contain a compound modifier because big and bright don’t form a unit of meaning. But “a dog-friendly hotel” does contain a compound modifier
En dashes, which are about the width of an upper-case N, are often mistaken for hyphens.
Elvis Presley–style dance moves uses an en dash because Elvis-Presley-style dance moves is awkward
The em dash (about as wide as an uppercase M), is a relatively artistic punctuation mark, compared to the more technical hyphen and en dash. An em dash is most often used to indicate a pause in a sentence. It’s stronger than a comma, but weaker than a period or semicolon.
The new nurse—who was wearing the same purple scrubs as the old nurse—entered the room with a tray of Jello.
You can use a single em dash like a colon to add explanatory or amplifying information, especially when the information is surprising:
I opened the door and there she stood—my long lost sister.
: vs ;
Colons (:) are used in sentences to show that something is following, like a quotation, example, or list. Semicolons (;) are used to join two independent clauses, or two complete thoughts that could stand alone as complete sentences.
The world is a stage: play your role well.
Dad is going bald; his hair is getting thinner and thinner.
Do not use additionally and also
in the same sentence
Don’t use commas to separate two independent clauses if there is no conjunction between them
Don’t use commas to separate restrictive clauses from the rest of the sentence
The toy that he wanted was out of stock.
Incorrect: The toy, that he wanted, was out of stock.
Don’t use commas to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause when the independent clause comes first
If the consequence comes first than the source:
She was despondent because her favorite horse lost.
He intended to go everywhere with her as long as her father didn’t find out.
Incorrect: She was despondent, because her favorite horse lost. X
He intended to go everywhere with her, as long as her father didn’t find out. X
Read the whole passage again
when the question is difficult
Unnecessary words
“helping to” before a verb
McCoy invented a device that released oil while a train was in motion, substantially reducing the number of maintenance stops and making travel more efficient // instead of: … helping to make travel more efficient.
run conjugations
Conjugation of 'Run' Base Form (Infinitive): Run Past Simple: Ran Past Participle: Run 3rd Person Singular: Runs Present Participle/Gerund: Running
Removing a comma can
link a second verb down the sentence that makes it loose sense.
“whom” use and examples
Whom is used as the object of a verb or preposition. Consider these examples:
To whom was the letter addressed?
Whom do you believe?
I do not know with whom I will go to the prom.
Subject might contain multiple commas
do not put another one before connecting to the verb
If you use a preposition like “and” is because the next clause has an active verb
If no active verb use a comma to join the clauses.
To specify more about the last word of the sentence us
a simple comma; not semicolon
Cannot use semicolon if the first clause doesn’t have
an active verb
Use comma in every item of a list including the one before “and”
no need for comma if all items are separated by “and”
Use commas with two or more adjectives
some adjectives go together as in “green wool sweater.”
No comma between the last adjective and the noun.
Use comma with a conjunction to join two independent clauses or when expressing contrast.
Tommy likes to play with toy cars, and Johny likes to play with toy dinosaurs.
Don’t use a comma here: I went to the store and bought some milk.
Contrast: I like juice, but not milk.
Use a comma after an introductory phrase
After we won the game, we celebrated by going to a nice restaurant.
Semicolon are identical to
periods, they just separate complete sentences.
If you can use a period, you can use a semicolon.
Stylistically, semicolon is used to connect two related independent clauses (they stand on their own.)
Semicolons in a list:
if one of the items contains a comma, separate all of them with semicolons.
As a general rule, adjectives of opinion come first, followed by adjectives of
size, age, shape, colour, material, origin and purpose.
Two independent clauses cannot be joint by an
adverb
Adverbs:
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
A great way to spot adverbs is to look for words that end in -ly. e.g. Abruptly
5 types of adverbs
how, where, when, extend intensify
Adverbs of “how”
briskly, brutally, cheerfully
Adverbs of “where”
downstairs, everywhere, here, in
Adverbs of “when”
early, today, never
Adverbs of extend
only, not, rather, very, so and too
Adverbs of intensity
for sure, simply, really , completely
Comma in dates
Don’t use commas in dates of only two parts.
On February 29th, 2020, I will be five years old.
Comma to separate the items of a geographical location, then, end it with another comma.
I am taking a road trip from Portland, Oregon, to San Jose, California.
Use comma before quote if the sentence has an introduction.
She said, “hello!”
No comma:
She said the word “hello.”
Introducing a longer quote
It’s easier to appreciate: “Wish not so much to live long as to live well.”
Sandwich with commas person’s names/ title
Commas can only join two I.C. if theres a coordinating conjunction.
I.C. , * I.C.
* for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Non-independent Clause comma I.C.
Fragments:
despite my best efforts
because I left it on the bus
until summer begins
use of parentheses in a sentence
to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside. Example: He finally answered (after taking five minutes to think) that he did not understand the question. If material in parentheses ends a sentence, the period goes after the parentheses. Example: He gave me a nice bonus ($500).
Colon:
The colon is used to separate two independent clauses when the second explains or illustrates the first.
I have very little time to learn the language: my new job starts in five weeks.
After three weeks of deliberation, the jury finally reached a verdict: guilty.
Emphasis:
Five continents, three dozen countries, over a hundred cities: this was the trip of a lifetime.
em dashes
Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons—in each case to slightly different effect.
Note that when dashes are used in place of parentheses, surrounding punctuation should be omitted.
Semicolon to join to independent clauses
Incorrect: I like cows, however, I hate the way they smell.
Correct: I like cows; however, I hate the way they smell.
Avoid using a semicolon when a comma is needed:
Incorrect: Because cows smell; they offend me.
Correct: Because cows smell, they offend me.
What’s going on here? The first part is not an independent clause, so no semicolon is required.
Commas in names
Incorrect: My friend, Jane has a lot more gardening experience than I do.
Correct: My friend Jane has a lot more gardening experience than I do.
Correct: My friend, Jane, has a lot more gardening experience than I do.
Correct: So I called my friend Jane, who had a lot more gardening experience than I did.
Correct: In the mid-nineteenth century, Susan B. Anthony and her acquaintance Elizabeth Cady Stanton became two of the leading figures in the women’s rights movement.
Incorrect: … her acquaintance, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, became …
Commas in titles
Robert Yeager, Professor of English, is chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages.
If the title or degree precedes the name, no comma is needed.
Professor Yeager is chair of the English and Foreign Languages Department.
Carol Surles, Ph.D., and Loretta Anderson, J.D., are my former classmates and “city mates.”
“had being”?
As a rule, the word “been” is always used after “to have” (in any of its forms, e.g., “has,” “had,” “will have,” “having”). Conversely, the word “being” is never used after “to have.” “Being” is used after “to be” (in any of its forms, e.g., “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” “were”)
Topic Sentence
In expository writing, a topic sentence is a sentence that summarizes the main idea of a paragraph. It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. Also known as a focus sentence, it encapsulates or organizes an entire paragraph.
(40 minute essay) Introduction size
2 sentences
(40 minute essay) Spacing between paragraphs
“double”
(40 minute essay) Always ___ wordy sentences
avoid
(While fixing grammar) the number of the sentence is placed
[] before the sentence begins. So when it says “place after” option 2 would put the additional text right before [3]
(While fixing grammar) make sure there’s a ? between periods.
Verb. That is, make it so all sentences are full sentences.
(While fixing grammar) adverbs like “however” can be surrounded by commas if …
The previous part was a fragment and not a complete sentence
