Setting Up the Palette by Carole Greene De Anza College Cupertino, California Manuscript Preparation: D’Artagnan Greene Cover Photo: Hotel Johannes Vermeer Restaurant, Delft, Holland © 2002 by Bill Greene ii Copyright © 2002 by Carole Greene ISBN X-XXXX-XXXX-X All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, by photography or xerography or by any other means, by broadcast or transmission, by translation into any kind of language, nor by recording electronically or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in critical articles or reviews. Printed in the United States of America. X X X X X X X X X X Address orders to: XXXXXXXXXXX 1111 XXXX XX XXXXXX, XX 00000-0000 Telephone 000-000-0000 Fax 000-000-0000 XXXXX Publishing XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX iii TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ix CHAPTER 1- Mastering the Tools 1 An Overview 3 The Clause 15 The Simple Sentence 17 The Verb Check 21 Items in a Series 23 Inverted Clauses and Questions 29 Analyzing a Question 33 Exercise 1: Locate Subjects and Verbs in Questions 35 Exercise 2: Locate Verbs in Simple Sentences 37 Exercise 3: Locate Subjects in Simple Sentences 47 Exercise 4: Locate Subjects and Verbs in Simple Sentences 55 iv The Need to Change Reading Habits 69 The Phrase 71 A Phrase Versus a Clause 73 Prepositional Phrases 75 Common Single Word Prepositions 77 Group Prepositions 78 Developing a Memory System 79 Memory Facts 81 Analyzing the Function of Prepositional Phrases 83 Exercise 5: Locating Prepositional Phrases 89 More Practice on Identifying Prepositional Phrases and Their Function 97 The Complex Sentence 101 Subordinate Connectives 102 Recognizing, Eliminating, or Correcting the Dependent Clause Fragment 103 A Subordinate Connective Versus a Preposition 105 Punctuating the Complex Sentence 109 Complex Sentence Variations 125 v A Supplementary Punctuation Rule for the Complex Sentence 133 Exercise 6: Locating Subjects and Verbs in Complex Sentences 135 Fragment Errors 143 Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases 147 Variant Functions of the Infinitive Phrase 149 Participles and Participle Phrases 151 Flip-Flop Patterns in Prepositional and Verbal Phrases 161 Exercise 7: Making a Verb Chart 163 The Compound Sentence 165 The Semicolon 167 The Colon 169 Coordinate Connectives 173 Secondary Functions 175 Run-On Sentences 179 A Table of Sound Values 182 Speaker Clauses 183 vi Exercise 8: Joining Main Clauses in Compound Sentences 189 The Compound-Complex Sentence 195 Exercise 9: Punctuating Compound-Complex Sentences 197 Logical Connectives 205 How Versus However 211 Than Versus Then 213 A Supplementary Rule 215 CHAPTER 2 - Writing a Paragraph 217 Focusing on the Topic Sentence 219 A Fact Versus an Opinion 221 The Deductive Paragraph 223 The Inductive Paragraph 229 The Empty Paragraph 235 The Controlling Idea 239 The Dead End Fact 247 The Future-Based Statement 249 The Rhetorical Question 251 vii A Summary of Important Paragraph Concepts 253 Exercise 1: Distinguish Between a Fact and an Opinion 255 Exercise 2: Recognize Topic Sentence Parts 271 Main Clause Unity 275 CHAPTER 3 - Producing an Essay 287 Structural Similarities in a Sentence, a Paragraph, and an Essay 289 The Topic Sentence Versus a Thesis Statement 291 A Single Paragraph Versus an Introductory Paragraph 293 A Summary of Essay Writing Concepts 297 An Essay for Analysis 299 Creating an Outline 315 GLOSSARY 319 BIBLIOGRAPHY 337 viii ix FOREWORD Dear Student: Congratulations!!! If you are reading this preface, you are in all probability a student of the inimitable Mrs. Carole Greene. Carole is a superb teacher, and I congratulate her on this latest series of texts which have as subject matter the great Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). You will learn many lessons from Carole Greene that are analogous to the lessons that Vermeer teaches us. As Vermeer used light through a window to illuminate many of his subjects, Carole Greene's teaching will illuminate your learning , particularly your understanding of grammar and rhetoric. As Vermeer worked very hard and very precisely to cre- ate the detail in his thirty-five paintings, you will need to work very hard and pay attention to detail in order to be successful in this course. So you can expect this course to be difficult and to require a great deal of effort on your part. The requirements of the course are, in fact, what make it worthwhile, and what you will gain from. Expect to have second thoughts; expect to need assistance from tutors, from your peers, and from your teacher!!! But if these are the demands, what will be the rewards? In 1986, Masako Pedigo took Carole's course, full of some of the same trepidation you may be feeling. She was from Japan, had married a Navy officer, and felt very uncomfortable with her very limited English. Carole "corrected my syntax and grammar; she was very helpful. She helped me to go on to English 1A and be very successful. But above all, she gave me confidence in myself which I had not had before. This confidence made it possible for me to become a teacher myself and to teach other teachers." So while much will be expected of you, you will gain much in return. x Another thing I find so exciting is Carole's teaching of a master artist. In my own writing courses, I have used the great French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, and I have found that students not only learn to write but also receive as a bonus an education in art—and in living—that can be the basis for continued lifelong interest and study. There is another lesson here that Carole teaches by example: the need to combine your passions and your work. In order to write this text, Carole took a journey to Delft and Amsterdam over a Spring Break in order to capture many of the photographs you will see in this course. Teaching what you love is a lesson that good teachers follow; as students, you will catch the enthusiasm that your teacher has for Johannes Vermeer. Carole Greene is a great, but tough teacher. If you apply yourself to the material in this course, you will gain a mastery of writing that can be the basis for your future success in college writing and in life. You will share in Masako's confidence, but this time, it will be your own. Again, I congratulate you on your selection of Carole Greene's course; this will be a lot of work, but you can do it. May Carole and Vermeer inspire you to achieve your true, higher potential. JOHN K. SWENSSON Dean, Language Arts Division De Anza College. 1 Chapter 1 Mastering the Tools 2 3 An Overview If you were to take a close look at the history of words and how they entered the English language, one of the things you would discover is that there is a close link between the words text and textile. For example, Webster’s New World Dictionary tells the reader that the word text comes from the Latin word textus meaning fabric, structure, and text and from the past participle texere which means to weave. In English, text means the actual structure of words in a piece of writing which is sometimes referred to as the wording that is used; it also refers to the actual or original words used by an author. text (tekst) a noun: from Latin textus, fabric, structure, and text and from the past participle of texere, to weave 1. the actual structure of words in a piece of writing; wording 2. the actual or original words used by an author 4 This course is about words built up from letters. It is about sentences built up from words. And it is about paragraphs built up from carefully controlled sentence types. The dictionary also tells the reader that the word textile comes from the Latin words textilis and texere. In English, textile means having to do with weaving or with woven fabrics. It also refers to a fabric made by weaving. textile (teks-til) a noun: from Latin textilis and textus 1. having to do with weaving or with woven fabrics 2. a fabric made by weaving This is also a course about textiles. The subject matter of this book focuses on the life and work of the Dutch master painter, Johannes Vermeer. A textile is built up from a series of interlaced threads. A canvas is built up from those threads. It becomes the ground sheet for a painted surface. 5 Johannes Vermeer’s canvases are built up from carefully controlled layers of paint. They tell stories that in the words of the art historian, Johan Huizinga, portray figures whose ‘actions are steeped in mystery...where words have no sound and thoughts no form.’ The content of this book makes use of text and textiles. The course will take you, the writer, on a word-filled journey where words become sentences and sentences become paragraphs created with control and skill. That writing skill will make readers want to give you a hearing just as selected viewers of Vermeer’s artwork wanted to give voice to wordless canvases that added richness to the artist’s unspoken thoughts. 6 The Clause A clause is a group of words that contains a complete subject and a complete verb. The subject is what the sentence is about. The verb, which may be an action or a state of being, makes a statement about the subject. All sentences are determined by the number and type of clauses they contain. There are 4 main sentence types in the English language: Simple, Complex, Compound, and Compound-Complex.