Advanced Writing Practice Part IV – “The Knight’s Tale” Pt IV
Name: Date: Period:
Varied Sentence Beginnings
6. Gerund (a verb that ends in “ing” and acts as a noun)
Ex.: Traveling to different countries and experiencing different cultures creates many learning
opportunities.
Ex.: Listening well requires not only concentration but also action.
7. Participial Phrase (a verb that ends in “ing” or “ed” and acts as an adjective)
Ex.: Considering the matter fully, Marco decided to undertake the project.
Ex.: Stressed by the length of the test, Joel constantly watched the clock as he worked.
8. Correlative Conjunction (work in pairs)
Ex.: Both confused and disoriented, Ryan struggled to remember the events leading up to the
accident.
Ex.: Neither fear of the unknown nor the certain danger could stop the hero from embarking on
his journey.
Correlative Conjunctions:
Either . . . or Neither . . . nor Whether . . . or
Both . . . and Not only . . . but also
Individual Practice – Write four original sentences.
1. Use gerund about Arcite
2. Use gerund about Palmon
3. Use participial phrase about Emily
4. Use participial phrase about Theseus
5. Use correlative conjunction about Arcite
6. Use correlative conjunction about Palamon
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
All pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number (singular or plural) and gender (feminine, masculine, or neutral).
Rules:
1. Use a singular pronoun to refer to a singular antecedent.
Ex. Babe Ruth slugged his home run to the spot in the stands to which he had pointed.
2. Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents that are joined by or or nor.
Ex. Did President Harding or President Coolidge die while he was in office?
3. Some indefinite pronouns are always singular: each, one, either, neither, much, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one, and nobody. A singular pronoun is used to refer to these pronouns.
Ex. Each of the girls entered her favorite photograph in the contest.
4. Use a plural pronoun to refer to a plural antecedent.
Ex. The fans cheered their idol.
5. Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents that are joined by and.
Ex. Helen Wills and Babe Ruth were noted for their athletic skills.
6. Five indefinite pronouns are always plural: several, few, both many, and others. A plural pronoun is used to refer to a plural indefinite pronoun.
Ex. Both of the boys babysat their brother.
7. Five indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural depending on how they are used in a sentence: all, none, most, some.
Ex. Most of the paragraph was typed after it was proofread. [singular]
Ex. Most of the books got wet before they were moved. [plural]
Practice. Based on the above rules, underline the correct pronoun in each of the following sentences.
1. Few of the residents voted in (his, their) city elections.
2. A lone sentry gazed at the ship as (he, it) came into the harbor to unload its cargo.
3. Neither Sean nor Devin received (his, their) paycheck on Friday.
4. Like so many people, Chris never learned (his, their) multiplication tables.
5. The teacher and the students returned (his, their) earphones at the end of the tour.
6. All of the teams missed (its, their) buses.
7. As fall approaches, the leaves on the trees will begin to change (its, their) colors.
8. No one who lived through the Great Depression can forget (his or her, their) suffering.
9. All of the milk leaked out of (its, their) container.
10. Either Emma or Amber forgot (her, their) lunch.
Quote Integration
Rule 4: When quoting passages already in quotation marks (dialogue) replace the double quotations with single quotation marks (apostrophe key) and then put the entire passage within double quotes.
Example: Upon his death, Arcite declares his eternal devotion to Emily and promises “’To you, O lady that I love the most;/But I bequesth the service of my ghost’” (lines 1917-1918).
Example: After continuing to mourn Arcite for over a year, Theseus chastises Palamon and Emily by saying that their excessive sadness is ”’offending so against [Arcite], they [also] offend/Themselves, and are not happier in the end”’ (lines 2217-2218).
Individual Practice – Write four original sentences with quotes using extra ‘ ‘ for dialogue.
1. (Palamon’s (and his men’s) valor in battle)
2. (Arcite’s (and his men’s) valor in battle)
3. (Palamon’s (and his men’s) valor in battle WITH gerund sentence beginning)
4. (Arcite’s (and his men’s) valor in battle WITH participial phrase sentence beginning)
Homework – Due tomorrow
On your own paper, write a paragraph on the following prompt:
How does Emily’s situation emphasize a male dominated society?
Requirements:
ü Topic Sentence answers the prompt
ü Appropriate commentary
ü Active Voice throughout
ü 2 quotes incorporated using dialogue “’ ‘”
ü 1 sentence using gerund varied sentence beginning
ü 1 sentence participial phrase varied sentence beginning
ü 1 sentence using correlative conjunction varied sentence beginning
ü 2 vocab words from Part III and/or Part IV must be incorporated