2.) Also, reflect on our first couple weeks of school. What has been best and/or worst about our Composition 1 sessions so far? What concept we discussed this past month, whether briefly or at length, struck you as particularly fascinating and relevant? Type to extend our discussion(s) to your life experiences and the world's vastness. Agree. Disagree. Expand. Seek. Wonder. Ask. Muse. Doubt. Affirm. Connect. Confirm. Share. Research. React. Respond. Analyze. Assess. Align. Judge. Realize. Think. Discover. Explore. Extrapolate. Ponder.
Type 300+ words, fulfilling the 3P Rubric (adding as much passion, polish, and proof that you can).
96 comments:
Murtha 5
My favorite sentence that I have composed is one of my most recent; you may find this piece of work in the womanhood essay. “I am thankful for the mistakes and mindset I use to have because they have supplied me with the opportunities that I am not missing today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life!” The reason that single sentence is one of my most prized is because it is relevant to my life. Often times in the past we have been given essays that do not pertain to our lives; this is one of the first essays I have had the opportunity to explain who I am. The process was not the easiest but the most rewarding to reread and meditate on what the essay is composed of once the final project was established. I believe that the selected sentence is a compound- complex sentence. A sentence that I have previously scratched out of the essay I have mentioned above is, “Becoming a woman is said to be easy.” My decision to exile the sentence from the work was because it does not matter what other people’s perceptions on becoming a woman are. In the end it is my perception and adaption that matter, not theirs.
So far my reaction to the advanced coarse is very positive. When I exit the classroom I feel like I have expanded my brain. The way that you, Mr. C, talk and explain things in an intelligent manner aids us. On occasion I might find myself lost in the topic of conversation but this is because I don’t have as broad of mind as the majority of my classmates. I really enjoy when you recite some of your past experiences or conversations and allow us to express our opinions about them, much like the conversation dealing with self defense classes and asking us if we would be interested in participating in an even such as this. Also I find it very peculiar that you are self conscious about including both sexes if there is the ability to. Only positive feedback is acceptable in this new adventure so far!
The sentence that I have chosen is one that I have considered inserting in my next essay, with some modification if I see fit. "The falcon-like hunter spots his prey with the use of powerful optics over vast expanses, then he closes the distance and strikes with lightning fast speed." I like this sentence because it uses a hyphen to connect two adjectives before a noun, which is something that I just recently learned how to do in class. How to properly use a hyphen is one thing that we haven't had drilled in our heads as much as other punctuation, and I enjoy using new things I learn in my writing. I also like the sentence because it evokes vivid hunting memories of searching for hours through binoculars and quick, successful stalks. I think that any other hunters who have employed what I coined the "falcon" method would read this and have similar memories run through their minds. My sentence is a complex sentence; the first half is independent and the second half after "then" is a "leech". A sentence that I want to omit from my manhood essay is "We underwent that change in an hour." It is a simple sentence that is not descriptive and breaks the flow of my story. I know that I probably need more simple sentences in my writing to change the pace, but I don't like them. I once heard that when you are writing you should make every sentence a masterpiece, but I don't see how you can be colorful and descriptive with a simple sentence and still fit the flow of your story.
I'll admit, I was very nervous coming into class on the first day. This is a college course, and it's on my weakest subject too. I've never been one to write very well, and I thought that my manhood essay would have been torn apart by Mr. C. (Figuratively, not literally) I've already learned a handful of things like hyphen use, semicolon use, and grammatical classification. I'm not out of the woods on that one yet, but at least I now have the help of my classmates' editing on my side to boost my grade. Other than the anxiety that grew within me as the school year approached, I was feeling myself getting excited for this class. Mr. C is a teaching legend around the school and I thought to myself "Who could be better than him to improve my writing?" I've already learned a handful of things like hyphen use, semicolon use, and grammatical classification. Back when he taught the lower level of English classes, my brother and parents encouraged me to move down to assure that I get into his class. Braden and others have told me that Mr. C was the best English teacher that they'd ever had. I was relieved last year when I found out that I could stay in the accelerated program and still have Mr. C to teach. With all of this to live up to, Mr. C hasn't disappointed. He started the first day by telling us that according to his logic, we were the greatest people in the world, and so far, he has expressed genuine interest in our personal success in writing. I am looking forward to a very fun and fulfilling year!
-Spencer Heidbrink
Stensrud 5
Throughout my English career I have written many sentences, some that are of importance to me, and some that are not. After searching through my old essays that were saved on my computer, I found that the one I appreciated the most was one of my most recent sentences. “Although our heartbeats alter, they do not cease.” This sentence will be found in my collective essay due next week. As I mature, I learn to value writing as a way to express myself. I chose this sentence simply because I often forget my own strengths and abilities to overcome provocations. Within my essay I categorize love and its meaning classified by our heart-rates, but I also explore heart-break and our ability as humans to allow our hearts to mend. The sentence composed would be placed in the complex category due to the independent clause joining the dependent clause. The sentence I would cast aside is found in my most recent “Womanhood” essay. “To the outside world she may appear to be a woman, however there are many events she has yet to experience that will fully develop her womanhood.” After re-reading my essay many times, I find this sentence to be broad. I need to personalize my writing, allowing my readers to better understand me personally.
I would be lying if I did not say I was worried about advanced composition. My thoughts were eased on the first day when Mr. Christensen had all of our names learned. It made me feel like I belonged in the class, and that Mr. Christensen valued all of us as not only students but also young adults. Even though I have only been in class for a week, I have learned proper use of semicolons, and have been able to explore my weaknesses with sentence classification, which I hope to ameliorate over the semester. I enjoy all of our open and honest class discussions. I am confident that I am surrounded by intelligent classmates who will aid me as I learn more about the vastness that is the English language. I appreciate Mr. Christensen’s thoughtful questions and boundless vocabulary that allows my mind to reason. I anticipate many challenges with-in the next semester, but am confident that Mr. Christensen will give me the opportunity to flourish.
Brockey 1
Due to my lacking in ability to store information in my brain, I do not have any remembrance of a favorite sentence that I have created. "With no lack in speed, the xylophonist plays fast and hard to portray his emotions in his music; however, he cannot perform a six noted chord." I more-so enjoy the ideas based in this sentence than the actual sentence. It is a compound-complex sentence so that I feel more educated than I truly am, and I like to listen to bands that have xylophonists. Writing “He is Good at playing the xylophones.” After the sentence about him not being able to play a six noted chord would have to be crossed out because it reiterates what was just said; it says he so it is a vague statement, although vague statements are not necessary wrong or bad; and good is capitalized which is unnecessary.
I am very glad that the first couple weeks of composition went how they did. Coming into the class I was terrified that we would have a different story due within five days of it being assigned, i.e. assigned Monday, due Friday. Being allowed time to develop an essay for more than a week is good so that we can really change our ideas. My ideas on a topic for the classification essay have already been changed twice. The way class is taught is something I enjoy, too. Being able to just come in and learn about sentences, or where the proper place for colons or semicolons are, then checking them in our peers essays is a good orientation for the class. I enjoyed the types of sentences because it is good to have a refresher after not doing anything related to school all summer long.
Fritz 1
Throughout my life I have composed many sentences, but my favorite one so far would have to be a fairly recent one from my womanhood essay. “This tragic event broke me down and tore me to pieces, but in the end I emerged stronger.” This sentence is my all-time favorite for one reason which sometimes I tend to forget. Almost every day, something or someone will try to put you down, but it is your choice to learn and grow from it. This sentence would be considered compound because of the two independent clauses. One sentence I would like to scratch is one that was also in my womanhood essay. “These all made me realize I was no longer the little girl that I used to be.” I would choose to scratch this sentence because I feel since I have begun to expand my knowledge, it is not well written and is very blah.
I would be lying if I said I was not nervous for Comp 101, but you, Mr. C, have made it very enjoyable. Even though I may not understand everything at times, I leave feeling accomplished; as though, I have really learned something. I thought that the concept that our essays are never really finished is fascinating. Everyone always says, “I am done with my essay!” when really, there are so many things we could do to them! I am very excited to see what the rest of the year has to offer me.
Jorgenson 5
I could say that there have been many sentences throughout my years of essay and short story writing that I could say I am proud of. Writing is, in fact, one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy sitting down and putting thoughts on to paper in well thought out, easily understandable words. Last year I wrote an essay about my identity as a writer. It included why I write and my personality as I write, focused and driven. My first sentence of the whole essay was one that I look at and am proud of. “As I run, my feet pound lightly on the surface of the track rhythmically.” It is a short sentence, but, I believe, those are the ones that often have the greatest impact. This sentence would be classified as a complex sentence. The dependent clauses being, “As I run,” and the independent being, “Feet Pound.” The first is kept dependent because of the “as” like a heavy weight leaving it unable to stand alone. I think it would be easy to take an even better than average essay and find a way to be nit-picky and change every sentence to make it better, different, unique. Because of this I find it hard to say a sentence “simply must be scratched out.” Each sentence has a purpose in the essay and, especially by the time I the essay is in its “Not-Final Draft” there isn’t a sentence that is purposeless.
The first few days of class I was a little intimidated. Most of what Mr. C. was saying was going over my head and hard to completely understand. Albeit confusing, I found the class atmosphere a nice change. Rather than be simple, and basic, and easy to understand it was challenging. The class seems to be one that will really make me think and stretch my writing limits, without being unrealistically hard. I especially enjoyed talking about the semicolon. It is a punctuation mark that I find myself often using in my essays. As was said, it is a way to add variety, and it makes thoughts less choppy than a period does.
Lusk 5
Every day I speak and write numerous sentences. I have never thought much about how I compose them when I am just speaking, but when I write sentences I put a lot more thought and effort into how I create them. One of my favorite sentences I have composed can be found in my womanhood essay. “Becoming a women is understanding that you are no longer a child and you are now a role model that young girls look up to and want to become.” This essay is one of my favorites as of right now because as I go into my senior year and prepare for college this is a shift that is taking place. Being a senior, I serve as a role model to all the under classman, even the juniors who are only a year younger. I am proud of this sentence because it is was I am experiencing at this point in my life and I can fully relate to it. It brought to attention that this is the reality; I am setting an example to the students of years to come on how to act and behave in the school. This sentence that I have selected is a compound sentence and is held together by the semi colon in the middle. A sentence that I have decided to scratch out is: “This is a very powerful thing and takes a large amount of responsibility.” I have decided to take this sentence out because when read it is very vague and difficult to understand what I am talking about, even with the surrounding context. I will alter this sentence by specifying what I am talking about and using a more powerful word choice.
I have been anxious about this class since the last day of school last year. I was already worried and terrified of writing my womanhood essay. English has never been my strong subject and therefore not one of my favorite either. However, I took this class to challenge me and prepare me for my years to come as I go off to college. After the first week of class I was able to relax a bit. I realize that it isn’t going to be too bad. I enjoy the way that Mr. C organizes and conducts his class. I feel at ease when I am in his room. I don’t feel pressured to learn and understand all the rules of the English language. It comes naturally when we discuss them in class because it is more laid back and relaxed.
Ask, 5
My favorite sentence that I have put together thus far is from my most recent essay, “The Final Stretch: My Journey to Manhood”, which comes from my conclusion. “All I do know is that I am excited to break the yellow ribbon at the end, as billions of men have done before me, and the unimaginable number that will run the same race after I am long gone.” I really like this complex sentence because it helps bring my conclusion to an end. Being my first year in an upper English class, I struggle with bringing the essay to a subtle end. I feel as if this sentence brought it down to an easy slope, but hasn’t exactly wrapped it up, which brings me to part two. My least favorite sentence that I wish to scrap comes immediately after the one mentioned. “I wish them all the best of luck; they are going to need it.” As I said, conclusions seem to be quite the problem for me, I spent tons of time on it, and finally decided on that. Maybe it is just me, but I feel like it’s a bad ending to an essay. I almost wanted to type “well, uh. That’s all folks!” *Engage Looney Toons music*
This class will undoubtedly be my hardest class all year. The expectations of this class are at a much higher magnitude than English 11 was, which to me, is rather frightening. I am however at the same time excited that I will not be bored out of my brains and nearly given every single answer. This year I am hoping to expand my writing skills, and grammatical correction abilities. On the flip side, I am not looking forward to grammatical corrections, for I am not very good at them.
Lien5
The sentence that I am most proud of is ‘John Maynard Keynes and Freidrich Von Hayek are fundamental people in the communism verses capitalism concept that started, pretty much, at the turn of the century.’ This was the opening sentence to an economics essay I aced last year. I am proud of this not only because of the grade, but also because I believe it was a great introduction into my essay. This is a simple sentence with a compound subject, John Maynard Keynes and Freidrich Von Hayek, followed by the verb ‘are.’ As a result of only one (compound) subject and one verb, the composed sentence consists of only one independent clause. A sentence that I have scratched was the sentence I was going to open this blog with, ‘I have composed many sentences in my life, so have you, but there is one in particular that I am most proud of.’ The reasons I scratched it was for one, it is way too long. Secondly, the beginning part is pointless because it is an obvious statement.
What hasn’t been obvious was the first couple weeks that have been beyond exceptional in exceeding my expectations. I know we haven’t reached the climax of the class, but as of right now it is pushing me to strive toward success without being overwhelmed. In my opinion, the best part of the class has been that it is lighthearted and conversational. Although, it is my fault for not contributing to the conversations if I don’t get as much out of the class my peers possibly get. Conversations such as the debate on ‘is it appropriate to always address an unknown subject as a male or not?’ Because of the messed up language that we call American English, I say, why not add just one more abnormality to the established language in America?
Holiway, 7
1) Mr. Murtha, the math teacher, is my friend’s dad. I love these kind of sentences because they have appositives. Appositives are a great way to make a simple sentence, in structure, sound more complex. With an appositive you are able to describe whom you are talking about, yet you maintain a simple sentence. I bright yellow bananas, as they are delicious, and always ripe in the summer, which is also my favorite season. I often make my sentences too long in my essays. I need to use more variety in my writing, and add more simple sentences, that do not have tons of prepositional phrases. Due to this, I often create sentences that appear to be run-ons because they’re filled with too much information. I always struggled writing in middle school because they told us we had to have a certain amount of sentences in our paragraphs, but usually I fell short.
2) I love how our class time is spent mainly on discussions. I am an oral learner, and enjoy learning through the lectures given during class. The term presentation we will be giving with partners sounds like a great project. Giving presentations is one of my favorite kinds of projects. While most are afraid to speak in front of people, I love the opportunity to have my opinions and beliefs heard. I believe the top 20 we just studied was probably one of the most pertinent things we will discuss this semester. Our grade is highly dependent on our essays, their content, their grammar, and our passion behind them. I definitely struggle with grammar when it comes to commas. I seem to put commas everywhere, including where they are not necessary. Also, I tend to change the point of view of my essay, I will use me, myself, and I when I started off using you, your, and their.
Dykstra 7
It is very hard for me to choose one sentence, out of everything I have ever written, to be my favorite. However, if I had to choose, my favorite sentence I have written would be, "An individual's idea of truth is dependent on his perspective and perception, which is in turn altered by his opinions, previously held beliefs, and personal agenda." This sentence comes from my essay entitled "The Truth About Truth," which was written in my junior year. I am proud of this sentence because I think it is very insightful, as well as well-written. The sentence is still meaningful when taken out of its original context, which is something I aim for when writing more profound sentences in my essays. This sentence is a complex sentence. One sentence I have composed that must be scratched out is, "For this reason, there is no such thing as absolute truth." This sentence comes from the same essay as the first. It must be scratched out because it was used as a thesis statement, and I realize now how poor of a thesis statement it actually is. A second reason it must be scratched out is I used the exact same sentence as the last sentence in the essay. Looking back, I am realizing that this essay was not nearly as well composed as I thought it was.
I feel that the first two weeks of composition have gone very well. I have loved the discussions that have taken place, and look forward to many more of the same caliber. My favorite concept we have discussed has been the ideas for more interesting essay titles. Creating striking titles for my essays has been one of the components of writing I have struggled with most. I believe I have gained a new perspective on what makes a remarkable essay title, and I hope I will do much better in this area in the future.
Dietz 7
My favorite sentence is, "I do not know what I am doing." This happens to be a simple sentence. This seems to be a rather odd sentence to be saying that it is my favorite. This sentence is my favorite because I use it the most. I understand that I do not know everything. The last sentence could be the one that I scratch out. It is used numerous times by many people, but at least I realize I do not know much. I am not afraid to say that I am completely clueless. People can pretend that they know everything and that annoys me. In reality, it just depends on how confident you are with yourself. Sometimes you have to fake it until you feel confident enough to actually do it. An example I use is when I go on the beam at gymnastics we are supposed to have our chins up, showing confidence. I covertly was afraid to do my skills on the high beam, but I showed everyone that I was brave. Recently, when I say, "I do not know what I am doing," it is because of the future. Everyone asks what you want to be and where you want to go to college. These moments give me mental breakdowns and panic attacks because I finally have the power to choose what I want to do with my life, and I do not know what to do. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I was considering being a math professor for many years. Just last month I decided to look into being a physical therapist. It was a major shift in a career choice. I generally like to have something I am working towards. Now, I am working towards being that. It helps me have less mental breakdowns and freak-out moments because that is my new plan.
The first couple weeks of Composition 1 have been interesting. The concept I found fascinating this month was the fact that we have a certain day every week to do a different part of the English language. I find it helpful to focus on one thing a day; we also do not have homework every night. Because of this, it is easier to pay attention in class and soak up information. The world is very vast and I do not understand why we should be thoughtful and deep when no one will remember me from high school. They might remember me by my attitude or the way I look because some people are shallow. In the long run, all you can do is try to improve yourself and not care what other people think of you. This does not mean that you can mess around and do whatever you want. I feel that this means that you should strive to be respected.
Bingen 7
Throughout my life, I have composed more sentences than I care to count so choosing one that is my absolute favorite is quite difficult. However, one sentence that sticks out as being my current favorite is from the most recent essay that I wrote on the topic of manhood. The sentence was “In order to become role models for others, men must first be role models for themselves.” Grammatically, this sentence is considered simple. However, I believe that it holds a much higher meaning and importance than is implied by the nature of the sentence. If a man does not hold himself responsible for bettering himself, he will inevitably become a very minor influence in the lives of those around him. No one looks up to anyone who does not constantly push himself to be better. In fact, I believe so strongly in what is conveyed through this sentence that it is essentially my “motto” in life. On the other hand, I have also formed many sentences that I do not believe in nearly as strongly and stray from the point of previous sentences. Also, I find that I use many vague pronouns in my writing. One such example would be “This, then, is an unfortunate consequence.” The use of the pronoun “this” is far too vague and should be scratched out.
Over the course of the school year so far and, specifically, the class of Composition I, I have found many topics of discussion to be quite interesting. However, I thought that the brief discussion about the Lion King was the most intriguing so far. The fact that a beloved children’s story could be found to contain sexist and racist elements is what I found particularly interesting. Also, the way that this topic was explained during class left me totally convinced that the Lion King was not such an innocent story after all. Additionally, the way that all other information has been conveyed in the class is unlike any other experience that I have had in the past. For me it helps my understanding of concepts tremendously and I look forward to profound growth in knowledge throughout what should be a great year.
Paul 2
I have written many sentences in my life, both good and bad. The sentence that stood out to me as good was “I am developing into the woman I am because of my experiences; I wouldn’t trade them for anything.” This sentence is from the recent essay we composed about woman hood. It stood out for me because without the experiences I have had I would not be who I am today; also it includes a semi-colon, which we just learned about in class. I believe it is a compound sentence because it has two independent clauses. The sentence I am not so proud of is “All girls go through the same physical changes.” I eliminated this because it was broad, and had no personal meaning.
With two weeks of my senior year done I am feeling pretty good about it. I was super nervous coming into composition because I did not take honors English. I thought I was going to be way behind and struggle through the course. On the first day I was eased when I realized that Mr. C is willing to help everyone out. I like the laid back feel of the classroom; I believe I learn better in that type of environment. I know this class is going to be a challenge, but I think taking it was a good choice because I will be more prepared for college.
Rohrbach 5
My favorite sentence that I have ever written would be, “None have ever been more misunderstood than the dark.” I think this sentence is tragically beautiful. Since the dawn of time, humanity has feared the dark. For far too long, we have been ungracious for what it gives us. What would civilization do, if the sun flared mercilessly upon us? It is sad that the world cannot see the subtle beauty in peace and rest. This sentence is classified as complex, just as the topic it discusses. On the flip side, a sentence that I wrote that must be scratched is, “In all of history, darkness was constantly misunderstood.” I scrapped this for many reasons. First off, the word was implies that the subject is no longer misunderstood. Secondly, the sentence is far too choppy. There were too many hard consonants, giving it a staccato flow.
The first few weeks of Composition 1 were interesting. What really stood out to me the most, was Mr. Christensen. He is by far the most unique teacher I’ve ever had. Everything about him is open-ended, from the class discussion to the essays he assigns us. I enjoy how this gives me plenty of room to stretch my creative muscles. It’s also the most troubling aspect of the class. Mr. C’s fast paced, open-ended, philosophical, lectures and discussions, are hard to follow. At times, I’m not sure if he’s making a statement or asking a question; if it was a question, then I have to figure out whether or not it was rhetorical. While difficult, if there is one thing humans are good at, it’s adapting. Being expected to adapt is a refreshing experience. In our cozy suburban life, we are too comfortable with others accommodating us. This is only one, of many life experiences I hope to have this year.
Presler 7
A favorite sentence I have composed in my life is the compound sentence "In closing, Grandma and Grandpa, I love you, and I continue to wish you nothing but the very best." I like this sentence so much because it reminds me that writing does not always have to be about syntax, grammar, persuasion, or correct citation. Instead, writing can be as it was in this letter to my grandparents: a powerful means of expressing strong emotion with no concern for rules and technique. Unfortunately, some sentences do not accomplish anything when they appear in writing. For example, I was forced to scratch out the sentence in my clarification essay that read, "Indubitably, the names just mentioned mean nothing to the average reader, so clarification is necessary." Deletion of the sentence from my essay was imperative because it was digressive and inadequate as a transition from the introduction to the body of the essay.
As to the first several weeks of class, I can only describe them as bizarre. The environment of 7th period in room one hundred twenty-nine is unlike that of any other educational setting I have ever experienced. Faint classical music, a decidedly unique teaching methodology, and frequent anecdotes that seem at best tangentially related to the topic of discussion all contribute to my current befuddled attitude toward English 101: Composition I. Nevertheless, I have been intrigued if not excited by the reading of "I Know a Rhino" and the lecture concerning the semi-colon, and I do appreciate Mr. Christensen's willingness to graciously answer questions. Still, I have been disappointed by what I perceive to be a rather inefficient use of class time. What we have accomplished in eight days of class I feel could have been accomplished in less than four days. I find myself glancing at my watch every several minutes wondering why a fifty minute class period seems to be devouring three hours of the day. As I glance at the responses to this prompt thus far, I realize that I am probably on my own in this opinion because my classmates seem to have an overwhelmingly positive feeling about the class. I cannot guarantee that I will come to share their sentiments, but, regardless, I will do my best to remain upbeat and open to an educational format that, without question, is completely unprecedented for me.
Zahn 5
Throughout my life I have composed hundreds and thousands of sentences, some that have a lot of meaning behind them and some that have none. My favorite sentence would have to be one that I had written awhile ago. "Having people who are there for you no matter what is something you should cherish." As I am getting older, I now see that having people who care about my well being at all times is something I should be truly blessed about. I often take these people for granted, thinking that they will always be here for me, that they will always be here to comfort me, or that they will always be here with me through the good times. Odds are that those people will be but never the less, I should not be taking them for granted. I believe that the sentence composed would be placed in the simple category. A sentence that I have scratched out was the sentence I was about to open this blog with, "My favorite sentence that I have composed would be one that I had written awhile ago." I decided to scratch this because I thought it was too plain and boring.
I would be lying to you if I said that I was not worried for this class. I was very intimidated the first few days of school, and I still am a little. The words that were coming out of Mr. C's mouth was going over my head and was hard to fully understand. Aside from that, I enjoy the class and the way Mr. C conducts his class. I also enjoy our open and honest discussions in class. I feel like he makes the class room atmosphere more laid back and he doesn't pressure us to learn and fully understand all the English rules right at this moment. So far in class, I have learned proper use of semicolons through a entertaining powerpoint and I found out that I still have a weakness with sentence classification. I am excited for all the new challenges that are still to come this semester and next semester, and I am sure that Mr. C will be here to guide me through it all.
Anderson 1
Ever since I began to put words together into one, sentences have been an everyday task. I have spoken and composed many sentences that have made an impact on my life and sentences that did not mean anything. The compound- complex sentence I chose was written a few years ago in an essay about my grandpa. “I always look forward to fishing with my grandpa; even though we rarely ever catch anything, it is still a time I cherish.” The reason I picked this sentence is because spending time with my grandpa is something I love to do, and will always remember forever. The sentence I would scratch out would be one that I composed in my womanhood essay. “They support me and help me grow.” In this, I am talking about my family but the sentence does not communicate that very well. Also, I would have composed it differently so it would have a better flow to go with the rest of the essay.
This school year so far in Composition 1 has been very educational and yet humorous. I was very cautious coming into a college level course in a subject I am certainly not the most proficient in, but the way Mr. Christenesen teaches makes it seem that it will be achievable to succeed. The classroom atmosphere is very relaxed; he understands that the reason we are in this class is to learn and not to already know everything already. I love the open discussions we have during the class period. It is such a wide variety of things we talk about and a lot of the times they are quiet funny and entertaining. Reading the children’s book to us in class, and then talking about it, showed how the different types of sentences can be easily done and how the variety makes for a better flow. I do look forward to the rest of the school year, especially the different discussions we will have.
Smith, 1
Combining multiple of words together to form a sentence seems so simple. Pronouncing hundreds of sentences a day seems effortless. But thinking back on one straightforward sentence is easier said than done. One of my favorite composed sentences is— At the end of the day, your family is the one that will always be there for you. I prefer this complex sentence because my family will always support me no matter what I do and they’ll always be there to ‘pick me up’. Although some days they drive me crazy; I know my family is irreplaceable and I know they’ll always support me, guide me and help me with anything. A vague sentence that I need to remove from my womanhood essay is—I have not experienced enough to know what it is to be a woman. In this simple sentence, I believe it is overall boring and unnecessary; unless I add to it to make it more of a lateral perspective.
Coming into senior year, English 101: Composition 1, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that Mr. Christensen was a beyond genuine and a very caring intellect and he only wanted everyone to prosper in what they had a passion for. But the last time I came into a close association with him was in 7th grade, as my basketball coach. I just assumed he had to act that nice because I was just a little girl trying to play the game of basketball. After the two weeks of school and attending English comp., I am overall in awe. How can it be so easy, yet a challenge-is something I have yet to figure out. Who knew using a semi-colon could categorize you into a smart, college student? Since when has pointing out the five types of sentences without doubting yourself been so easy or making confusing essay topics a fun way to think outside the box? After this class, I believe I will have a more critical and creative mind and it is a definite benefit for me attending English 101: Composition 1.
Van Egdom 5
My life has encompassed a multitude of sentences, which range from inspiring to downright dreadful. The sentence I chose as my favorite happens to be my thesis statement from my upcoming classification essay. “Every human being has their own hypothesis about their descendants’ lives; the multifaceted views can be broken down into four theories: establishmentarians, environmentalists, explorers, and endtimers.” The sentence is compound, because there are two independent clauses connected by a semicolon and no dependent clauses. I am particularly proud of this sentence, because of my sentence structure and word choice. Everybody needs a semicolon and colon in their essay, but I was pleased that I was able to make these requirements flow with my essay. Whenever I write essays, I am constantly using a thesaurus to find the perfect word. Anybody can write with the correct sentence structure, but upgrading your vocabulary will elicit emotion from you audience and will lend you credibility. The best part of this sentence though is my use of assonance, repetition of vowels, which makes my main ideas flow better.
I have had a plethora of abominable sentences throughout my lifetime, but the one I chose to cross out was completely unnecessary. “I have been on varsity [tennis] for five years and been in the top four in my singles flight at state.” This sentence appears in my manhood essay when I am talking about motivation being the key to manhood. The sentence only brags about an achievement of mine instead of focusing on why I think I am a man. The sentence strayed away from the topic at hand, so I crossed it out, so that the paragraph flowed more effectively.
My school day improves immeasurably once I saunter into Mr. Christensen’s room of seemingly haphazard discussion. The best Composition I session so far would probably be his lesson on semicolons. Mr. C used an abundance of examples, which helped to stick the ideas in my mind. He tries to include everybody by quickly learning names and using them constantly. He creates an atmosphere of intelligent discussion, which challenges students to elevate their thinking. I look forward to the countless hours of conversations with Mr. Christensen and broadening my writing skills.
Hall 5
Over the past 17 years I have written numerous sentences. One sentence that always sticks with me was in a letter I wrote after a rough soccer game. It proceeded to say, “Don’t let one game make or break you; if you make a mistake, learn from it and build yourself up.” This compound-complex sentence is my favorite because it reminds me that we all make mistakes. Soccer is a huge part of my life and when I read this sentence I know that I can only try my best. Failure does happen, but I don’t let it ruin the rest of my game. We are given challenges for a reason. You must learn so you don’t get tripped up on the same mistake over and over again. This sentence will help you thrive at all you do if you just keep trying. A sentence that I choose to eliminate also came within this letter. “It’s easier to drive forward than it is to drive in reverse.” This sentence ruined the flow of the easy. It didn’t pertain to the same topic we were talking about and when you would reread the letter it seemed most out of place.
This class has been a great experience so far. My favorite part is the way you draw my attention. You make learning grammatical terms exciting and relatable. The way you compared a semicolon to a yield sign really helped me to understand it better. I also like how you challenge us to always be thinking. We come into class, think on our own, and then get to share our ideas to help others. Along with that, sometimes instead of answering a students question you look to us to see if we know the answer. Even with this being my toughest course, I can ease my nerves knowing it is also a fun filled class.
Gacke 2
Sentences can be considered the foundation of our lives. They are the cause of all things, good and bad: lies, truths, insults, compliments, political statements, religious beliefs, and lyrics, to name a few. Though it might be easy to come up with a sentence, it is not as easy to compose a group of words into something meaningful and effective. The sentence can be a powerful tool used to entertain, convince, excite, or provoke if it is put together passionately, in a curious and compelling way. I have designed no perfect sentence in my life, but there is one sentence that sticks out in my mind. It comes from a recent womanhood essay that I have written and can be classified as a compound sentence. “As a society, we cannot expect everyone in the world to share the same beliefs, but instead we have to celebrate diversity—every culture, every religion, every tradition.” This might be my favorite sentence because it involves something I am passionate about, and the words portray this passion. It is much easier to pick out a sentence that I am not fond of because there are plenty to choose from. “A girl must have the desire to change”, is a simple sentence that I have scratched out of my womanhood essay because it was very redundant when put with surrounding sentences. Passion was not thriving but was lacking within the sentence—making it rather mundane and insignificant.
It is difficult to compare English 101: Composition 1 to any other class, as I have never quite experienced anything like it before. It is very peculiar, to say the least. The first day I ambled into Mr. C’s classroom was a bit overwhelming. I remember receiving a larger than normal, 10-page, syllabus, which we were told to analyze, highlight, and annotate. So there I was, timidly seated, attempting to follow the scholarly instructor’s thoughts, thrown this way and that, in a college-level writing course—the subject I tend to struggle with the most. I find myself eager to attend this class every morning during second hour, ready to grasp onto whatever Mr. C has to offer us in the process of transforming us into better writers. However, my fear is that our writing might be shaped and tweaked a little too much, until we all become the same composer. Though this is probably a silly fear and most likely not the intention of the class, I can’t help but feel that we will all be fitted into one mold, categorized as one writer. As I think about it, though, the real objective of the class is probably for us to embrace these new writing techniques, but form them into our own unique molds, bringing out the undiscovered passionate writer that resides within us.
Lien 1
I love you. It is a simple sentence having one subject and one verb. However such a simple sentence may carry vast amounts of feeling, emotion, and meaning. This is one of the greatest sentences I have written. Though there are many that I am proud of, I chose this one because it is both great to me and may be great to others. I love you is a strong sentence on its own and even stronger when said with truth. It can be written, said, shown, and it cannot be taken back. It carries different meaning with each different person it is told/written to. For me, I love you is used towards my friends, family, boyfriend and it is only said when it is truly meant and for each person my love is the same in strength but depending on the person is a different kind of love therefore the sentence holds different meaning. One of my least favorite or weakest sentences I have ever written occurred when I had to say goodbye to someone very close to me. I wrote, “Goodbye, I will miss you.” Again this is a simple sentence. This was one of the weakest sentences I had to write because I did not write it with strength, nor did I have strength in it. Saying goodbye is hard and it is even harder to stay strong. Thus, this sentence weakened me and I never want to have to write it even if in life I have to.
As the month of school has passed I enjoy most of class. Sometimes I struggle trying to follow everything that is going on and understand all the concepts you are trying to teach us. However I do realize that your goal is to challenge us to think for ourselves and fix our own struggles, as I go through this class this skill may be something I have to work on mastering. Yet, I find all of our discussions interesting and they keep my attention. I feel that sometimes our discussions do not feel like an English class but rather just a conversation between each other and that helps to make class easier and more exciting.
Pearce 1
My favorite sentence that I have composed in my life is my thesis sentence from our recent essay, the classification one. “Based on certain game situations, the three types of defenses in football are the all-in style, the read-and-react style, and the play-it-safe style; knowing the three types and when they are used will further expand your knowledge of the game of football.” This sentence is a compound-complex sentence. I’m proud of this sentence because it is the thesis sentence from an essay I enjoyed to write. I enjoyed writing this essay because I wrote about football, which is my favorite thing to write about. It is also the first time that I wrote about football in a school essay, despite writing a blog about the Baltimore Ravens. Not only is this sentence about football, but it analyzes football, which I enjoy as it takes more thinking about the topic to complete. One sentence that I need to scratch out is my first sentence of an economics essay from last year. “There are two main economic theories and both are very different.” This isn’t what the first sentence of an essay should be like. It is boring and dull and doesn’t make you want to read the essay. The first sentence of an essay should bring the reader in and make them want to read the essay. This sentence doesn’t do that.
Coming into this class the only thing I was worried about was how many essays we would have and how long we would have to complete them, and I wasn’t very worried about this as I heard from last year’s seniors that is wasn’t that bad. I like how essays are due but never done as this allows us to keep making our essays better and to learn new things about our essays. I find “Term Tuesdays” an interesting idea as this provides us with a different way to learn important terms that we need for the class. It also should provide a change each week in how things are taught as everyone will do their presentation differently.
McIlravy 2
“Nobody can help me determine who I am.” I am most proud of this sentence that I recently put together in my womanhood essay. I put a lot of thought and effort into this essay because it plays a role in starting my senior year and who I will become when this is all over. I think this is a powerful simple sentence because it says a lot with very little. I am confident in who I am and who I will become. I do not need anybody persuading me to be somebody that I’m not. I know my limits, but I also have expectations and goals for myself. I am proud of this sentence because it relates to my life every single day. A sentence I would like to scratch is “Finding out who I really am will mature me.” When I read this simple sentence I find it to be very broad and vague. This sentence doesn’t even compare to the ones around it. I need to expand my writing and make every sentence worth reading. It needs to be more personal. My readers will never understand me if my writing is boring. I want my readers to read every sentence and understand how I feel and not be bored.
I was very nervous about going into Composition 1. As I arrived on the first day, my worries faded because Mr. Christensen was welcoming and knew each student’s name. The classroom environment is generally positive and we stay on task with our discussions. This class will be challenging; but Mr. Christensen and my classmates are always willing to help. I have a positive outlook on this class because the first week went so well. I improved my knowledge of sentence classification. I am confident I will be able to write respectable essays by the time this is all over. I will know when it is the proper time for punctuation and my vocabulary will expand tremendously. I am grateful to take this class and I am looking forward to what Mr. Christensen and my classmates have in store for me.
Smith 5
Within the American language it is not sensible to fathom the amount of words there are. But to construct a sentence that you would describe as a ‘favorite’ seems rather reasonable. However, it was harder said than done. Up to now, I would say my favorite sentence is “Occasionally, life can often be hard to bare and demanding, but overall it is clearly worthwhile.” This is defined to be a compound sentence because it has 2 independent clauses. Nevertheless, I like this sentence because it makes one think and has different meanings for diverse people. In addition to my favorite sentence, my least favorite sentence is one which I made up for the womanhood essay. “The path to becoming a woman is like climbing a mountain.” The more I read this, the more I recognize how broad and misleading it is.
First day of Composition 1: gentle music playing in the background, arranged lengthy syllabus, and every student’s first and last name memorized. Mr. C is defined as the exact opposite of an ordinary teacher. The vibe within the room just makes you want to learn everything you possibly can. One of the first details I noticed was that of the books we are going to read. Not only are they educational but they also seem fascinating and worth reading, unlike other books that have been read in past classes that I admittedly looked up on sparknotes. The discussions within his time period are also valuable and meaningful to me because I have so much to learn and have an open mind to all kind of information.
“Taking the steps to become a man and grow is true maturity, and maturity is what makes a true man.” This is a sentence taken from a recent essay I wrote about becoming a man. I find it to be one of my favorites because it so accurately encompasses the idea of the never ending journey of progress that is being a man. Although we often have an entire paper to communicate our ideas and convince the reader of our point of view, it is often helpful to a have a simplified version. It is common knowledge the shorter your point is, the more memorable it will be.
My original version of the sentence was far less elegant. “Taking the steps to become a man is what being a man truly is, in a way, becoming a man is being a man.” This sentence is overly repetitive and not specific, leaving the reader confused to the overall point. Sentences such as this can throw the reader off the main idea, a mistake that is hard to recover from. For this reason I took the Compound/Complex sentence, simplified the wording, and made it into a simple sentence to better communicate my point. As a general rule, I try to make the last paragraph of each sentence, and especially the last of the essay, as powerful and concise as possible.
As for the course overall, I am very pleased with it so far. We have covered a wide range of material in detail, and Mr. C has done an excellent job teaching it. The atmosphere is light, and we have a good time while getting our work done. I am glad to be a part of this class and look forward to the rest of the semester, and the year as a whole.
Long 5
“Life has many obstacles that await us and they will require more motivation than we ever thought.” This compound sentence will be found in my classification essay. I am proud of this sentence because I think a lot of people can relate to it. When life gets hard, having the self-motivation and being able to push yourself through it can help in so many ways. When you have obstacles thrown at you and you decide to give up, that’s when life becomes difficult. Having the motivation to challenge yourself and be successful, I believe, is key in everyday life. A sentence I think I should scratch is “Being independent can be hard because nowadays people are scared of what others think”. Although I believe it can relate to people, the sentence is very vague and boring. When I am writing, I want the readers to be able to relate and understand the point that I am trying to get across. Successful writers leave the reader wanting to read more, and that is a goal I hope to accomplish by the time I am done with this class.
Coming into Composition 101 on the first day of school I was very nervous. I did not know what to expect because this type of class is very new to me since I have never taken an honors class. I felt as if I would be behind all the other students and lack the writing qualities that they have. When I got to Mr. C’s classroom, I felt welcomed and important because he knew not only my name, but the rest of the student’s names as well. I love that the classroom has a very laid back vibe to it. Within my class there are many talented and intellectual students that I hope can help me prepare and become a more successful writer.
Kramer 2
1. At this stage in our lives, we have all written our fair share of essays. Some essays have meaning some we did only for a passing grade. I searched through my old essays and have found a few sentences that contain a lot of meaning and depth; while others are classified as many would say as fluff. I am particularly of my grammar usage in the following sentence. “A female must go through trials in which she may overcome herself; but, also trials in which she may need to call upon the help of others to survive through.” My pride comes from the correct usage of a semicolon (;), and a conjunction to connect the two clauses. “While it transformed into an adult,” would be a sentence that I would scratch out. The sentence starts with a subordinating conjunction, which takes away the sentence’s ability to stand on its own. In addition, the “it” is a very vague pronoun; the reader has no idea what the pronoun is referring to. Occasionally a simple sentence or even a fragment serves its own purpose; however, the previous example is not one of them. I would add an independent clause to clarify. Coaches like say make every play count, not just every game. I make this my goal while writing an essay; I make sure every sentence is significant not just the essay a whole.
2. My last year with my Brandon Valley family has come with many emotions. The first day of composition was admittedly very ominous and nerve-racking. Thousands of questions ran through my head as I worried about how well I would stack up against my peers. My worriment soon subsided as you, Mr. C., welcomed us all with a smile and broke the ice. I knew I was about to face a mountain, the famous “Mr. C.”, who many would regard as one of the best teachers in the district was going to force me to think as I have never before and challenge myself beyond my abilities. Day after day I have become more comfortable in class and quickly come to realize my mountain was simply a mole hill. I enjoy how open our class is and how it is very student involved. A class that is merely lectures becomes something everyone dreads going to; however, composition so far as proved to be interactive and allows me to think in different ways than a tradition class would. I now understand types of sentences and how to classify them more clearly. In the past, I always understood enough just to pass; now, sentences classification comes more easily to me. Relying on my classmates to help me more fully understand the art of composition will be a challenge this year, but I believe I am up to the task. I am excited to see where this class will take me as well as everyone else. Although I may be counting the eggs before they hatch I am certain I will look back on this class in the future with a positive recollection.
Dreyer 2
It is interesting to me when I think about how far I have come in my composition career. I think all of the teachers who have influenced and helped my writing. Each year as I grow as a writer, I also grow as a person. Last year I really expanded my writing, which also helped me expand the way I think about life. In Honors English 11, I composed this sentence: “Everyone’s existence begins as an empty shadow, a figure waiting to be filled with individual journeys.” This sentence was taken from my essay entitled Everything is Nothing based on the novel “Macbeth”. In this essay I explored life’s journey and meaning. I am proud of this sentence because I enjoy the imagery I created within the sentence and also the message it sends. It shows that everyone has their own journey to fill, and without our individuality, we are just the same empty shadows. This sentence fits into the grammatical classification of simple sentence because it has one independent clause and phrase describing the clause. It cannot be complex because the phrase after the comma does not begin with a subordinating conjunction. After re-reading my woman essay many times, a sentence I would choose to omit from the composition would be, “However, just because woman generally means adult, doesn’t mean that a girl becomes a woman when she turns eighteen.” This sentence seems very confusing to me, and I imagine it is confusing to readers. If I were to rewrite this sentence I would find a better wording to make the meaning of it less confusing and wordy.
I was a little nervous coming on the first day of school to Composition 1; I was not sure what to expect. I knew I had to have completed an essay for the first day of school, and I was a little unsure how mine would be graded, as each teacher grades a little differently. I was relieved when I learned that these essays would be more of a learning experience and they would be used to help us and our classmates become better writers. Every day in Composition I think about how the topics will expand my knowledge and how I view the world. I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and I do not feel intimidated. I find myself intrigued on daily basis by the teaching styles of Mr. C. I appreciate the fact that we are treated as college students and are not swamped with the tasks of completing busy work for homework. We have a chance to branch out and figure things out on our own. I imagine that as an individual and a class we will all grow as composers and as thinkers.
Swenson (Lily)
Pd 1
My favorite sentence I have composed is "The bird could save your life one day". I found it in a piece I had written my Sophomore year of high school and it jumped at me. I'm not sure why I am proud of it, mostly I believe because it stands alone well. What bird? How could it save your life? The piece I wrote was not very well written, but I believe that sentence is very, very good. A sentence that I recently scratched out of my Classifying essay was "If one believes one has". I scratched out that sentence because I believe it sounds too "try-hard" and annoying. It just doesn't sound or read well. The best and worst part of Composition for me are the same; the level of difficulty. I have never taken an advanced English class, even though I am more than proficient in English and had always done very well in class, it was always very easy for me. I have never been challenged by a writing class by the high expectations. But that is also what I really enjoy about the class, I believe it will truly make me a more intelligent person and prepare me for college. Another thing I am apprehensive about is the presenting and how open we are with others writing in class. Writing has always been something personal for me, and though I hope my fellow students won't judge me I don't know all of them very well. I don't want them to think I am a mess because I am sometimes slightly morbid in anything I write, without intending to be. I will have to overcome that in this class. Also, I get very flushed and embarrassed when I have to present in front of class.
Quanbeck 5
Throughout my life, I have composed novels filled with sentences that now make me cringe and characters worthy of pride. Whenever I look back at an old piece of fiction I have written, I find myself critiquing the younger author; both negative and positive points stand out. One of my favorite sentences is from a short novel that I am currently working on. “The warm lights of Carnegie Hall dazzle like bright, yellow suns just beyond the curtain.” Three purposeful fragments and two simple sentences precede this opening simple sentence. I crafted the sentence to illustrate a warm beauty and paint a picture with the chosen simile. The selected sentence accurately represents the glowing mood of the first chapter, and because of the excitement I have for the novel as a whole, the sentence gives me a positive feeling. In order to find an original sentence in need of removal, I searched the files on my computer for the first book I ever wrote. One sentence that glared back at me from the six-year-old manuscript reads, “Ding dong!” I would immediately scratch this sentence out because the onomatopoeia I once thought was worthy of documentation shows naivety. I had used those two words to start a new chapter, thinking they would be suitable and eye-catching. In hindsight, I am embarrassed by the elementary writing, yet the story’s style and structure demonstrate how much I have matured as a writer.
Composition 101 is a class I have looked forward to since the Rising Scholar classes were introduced. When given the list of said classes, I was extremely disappointed to discover that the English courses were the only ones not available to juniors. The enthusiasm I have harbored since then has not faltered. To this point, the class has lived up to my high expectations and I am thoroughly enjoying Composition 101. I appreciate having the opportunity to partake in upper-level conversations and I like being faced with advanced vocabulary that would not normally be used in other classes; the discussions show that we are not being looked down upon, but rather are being treated with respect. Students are rightfully expected to put in work, and Mr. Christensen’s zeal for teaching contributes greatly to the positivity of the class. I am definitely looking forward to upcoming assignments that will broaden our spectrums as writers.
Number one.) Pulling a quote directly from my man essay that was due on August 21st, "Putting your significant other, family members, or even complete strangers ahead of you, without any desire for reward, on a more than regular basis, or without recognizing how often this occurs, is when one becomes a man." is what I will do today. I like this quote by me because it rings true, no matter who you are, what you do, or what you believe, you never have an excuse to escape this statement. The lowest form of person, in my opinion, is one that avoids taking responsibility for actions that they were directly related to; as a boy, this was me, and before you label me as a hypocrite, I am, in case you were suspicious, keep in mind that I am implying that I have grown into a more mature person, whether that be a man or boy is your decision. My sentence is a simple sentence because there is a fair amount of prepositional phrases and has only one clause. A sentence that must be removed from my repertoire is “The essay you are about to read is quite articulate in the way that it will scrutinize how I prepare myself for an essay that is to be typed assuming that my habit of procrastination is overcome.”, as it tears down at the temple I have built myself up to be. The sentence does little to improve my essay, and certainly does not give a good impression on my teacher last year, as this was my first sentence in the first essay we wrote.
Number two.) The best part of Composition 1 thus far has been being presented with the question of “When is work compost instead of composed?” as I believe some of my earlier works were deserving of the waste pile now that I look back and analyze them with greater understanding. The worst part of Composition 1 is that it is a writing class. I chose this class due to the accelerated pace that it gives and the preparation it offers into college life, but was skeptical as it was a composition course which I struggle greatly with. In school life, I am a math and science kid that always requires an answer that I can find and prove, with English, the world is left to decide what they want to believe and that is troublesome for me. The idea that we will improve as a general population of a class and grade because of you as a teacher and because of the excellence that you should demand of us is what struck me as empowering and gave me a realization that I am less than what I may believe at times, and that I need to improve every day to become half of what I want to be in life.
Martinmaas 2
I haven't kept many of my past essays because I'm not a fan of anything that I write. But after searching, I found an essay from the beginning of my junior year about the book "The Importance of Being Ernest." One sentence that stood out to me was "Oscar proves the point that one’s true identity can be hidden behind your own imagination and creativity." This sentence stood out to me because I think it shows people that they can become anything or anyone they want. I would classify this sentence as being simple. A sentence I would scratch out is "He was faced with the truth that he helped kill innocent people." This sentence was from an old essay about Truth. I don't really know what I was trying to say in that sentence so I decided to scratch it because it was confusing.
I was nervous on my first day of Composition 1 and still am a little bit. English has always been my best subject but I hate writing because I can never fully explain my thoughts without them being confusing. This is one of the reasons why I don’t like having other people read my work. When I do write an essay, I’m never confident in what I write so it’s hard for me to get into my writing. Writing has always been difficult for me which is why I prefer reading. So I think I’ll enjoy the 2nd semester of this class more. What I enjoy about this class though is how you incorporate your own personal stories to help us learn more. It shows us that we need to be more passionate and personal in our writing to get our point across. I’ve learned over the past two weeks how to use a semi colon and that I’m still struggling to classify sentences properly. All and all I’m excited and nervous for this year.
West 5
I primarily do work like essays just to get them done and over with. I do not write with passion for most things I write about are for assignments, a must, not a want. Therefore, I can not think of a particular favorite sentence that I have composed. Instead, as I was reading through other peoples blogs I noticed a common theme. A vast majority of people used sentences from their woman or manhood speech so I went back and read through mine. I did not think that any one sentence was going to stand out to me but to my surprise one did. “I think if someone is considered a man it is from his reputation of his actions, achievements, and character traits, not by what he thinks of himself.” As I read this, I surprised myself that I wrote this. As I thought deeper about this, I found it to be very true to my opinion. That is why I chose this sentence of mine as the sentence that stood out to me.
Composition 101 this year has been both good and bad. The good thing about it is that I already feel like I am learning a lot and will continue to advance. The bad thing about it is that it is a lot of work. Going from school all day, straight to football, then home to eat, shower and do the homework of other classes which vary on quantity from day to day along with all these essays and blog tasks for this class is a lot of work. The thing I despise the most is assignments given in advance that are not due for a long time and are completely out-of-class projects. I just dread them. We have just touched on the legos pathos, ethos concept today in class but by a writing stand-point it has made a great deal of sense to me in why it should be used in a good essay.
Hindbjorgen 1
I have always loved writing, but it became a much larger part of my life in my sophomore year when I began writing original oratories to compete with in oral interp. I treat each piece as a baby, nurturing it and loving it fully. Because of this, it makes it difficult for me to chose a favorite sentence. One that sticks out among the rest, however, is from an speech about my voice being important for a competition hosted by the Optimist Club. "If one voice on earth suddenly fell silent, there would be an unfillable void left because each and every one of us has something to say that will make a change." This compound-complex sentence is very important to me. I am proud of this sentence because it reminds me and anyone who reads it how important they really are. I feel like this sentence can really make people think about the power they hold within. A sentence that I have more recently written that I discarded was in the classification essay. "The specific points where the classifications of refinement is up to one to decide for himself." This sentence is not structurally strong, and stopped the flow of my essay. It is also not confident, and the persuasiveness of making someone believe what I write is lost.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first couple weeks of Composition 101. I love how the class is mainly lecture. I learn much better by listening to someone explain what we are learning rather than reading it from a text book and trying to comprehend. It is also much more fun to learn with my peers and realize that some of my questions that I consider "stupid" to begin with may not be so stupid after all. I have never been in a class where we are allowed time to think about what we have just learned as the period progresses. I think the times when Mr. C allows the room to fall silent after an intense or new subject, although at first slightly awkward, are really beneficial to my learning process. I am a little concerned about the lack of grades we may be receiving. There will be no "give-me" easy assignments to give a simple boost to my grade. This makes me nervous, but also prepared for what may lay ahead in college. I am excited to write letters to celebrities. It is an assignment that sounds like a great deal of fun. I cannot wait to see how the rest of the year pans out.
Kruse 7
A sentence I have recently composed that I quite enjoy reads, “We live in an imperfect world.” This is a simple sentence since there is one subject, verb, and a prepositional phrase. This summer while drawing an interior of a building in ink for AP Art I was discussing with a few of my friends the pictures we were creating. Someone had said that she made a mistake and wouldn’t be able to erase it since she was using pen. I said that it was okay and we needed to learn how to work our mistakes into pictures. We live in an imperfect world, so any imperfections in art can only add to the final piece. I am now using it as my “theme” for this year; I used to be really hard on myself about everything, but ever since I have accepted that I cannot be good at everything, I have excelled in the things I love and relaxed a bit more when it comes to trials in my life. A sentence I am not proud of is, “The fight began to draw on.” because there was not a lot of thought put into it. It is a simple sentence, also. Last year we had to write an adventure story, but I am no good at story telling. We also had to include many different kinds of sentence structures and I do not enjoy learning about grammar. Now that I look back at this sentence, I see that it does not make much sense and could be elaborated much more to create some excitement.
Reflecting back on the first couple weeks of school, my favorite part of our Composition 1 sessions has been how relaxed it has been. I feel like this class is preparing us for more of what college will be like. The teacher will talk and engage in conversation and we will discuss, and we will be given longer amounts of time on assignments. In college if a class does not meet every day we would have longer to work, too. Something that has struck me as relevant, albeit not fascinating, is sentence structure. I realize how necessary it is to learn sentence structure and how to classify them, but I do not enjoy it at all. So far I have learned that I must read more Margaret Atwood, and allow more potent truths and real life experiences into my essays. Also, I have started a list of entitled: “The Interesting and Potentially Controversial Mentionings of C” where I write down interesting and potentially controversial things Mr. C says in class. I think I shall share them with Mr. C at the end of each quarter, or semester. Whatever I feel most inclined to do. Look forward to it. I personally look forward to the rest of the year, especially once we get digging into literature. Reading is where my true passion lies.
Choosing my favorite sentence I have composed was very difficult. I have composed so many sentences throughout the years. I could never even come close to remembering the sentences in my last essay. I decided to look back at some old essays on my computer and see what I could find. I came up with a sentence that I had written on an essay about identity last year. The sentence was "The idea of other people determining what kind of person I am before they know me is completely terrifying." I chose this sentence for emotional reasons. I hate to think that people judge and discriminate against people before even really knowing them. It is sickening and disheartening. To think that people think they know everything about someone else before even properly meeting them is a major issue that has been around ever since the beginning of time. An essay that I have decided to scratch out would be "You will know once you become a woman." This sentence is simply not true. It is impossible to know the exact time and moment when you become a woman. It is a long process that has many steps. You do not just simply turn into a woman over night. It is gradual and slow.
I have enjoyed this class. I have switched classes, which has been a little intimidating, but overall I realize that this class is very beneficial in my learning process. I can feel myself learning more and more. One concept that really stood out to me was you mentioning all the hidden references and underlying meaning in movies. I began looking for that in different movies. It has changed my ability to examine and carefully analyze different aspects in even the most childish movies. It's important to do so in order to find out the director's true intent.
Holmes 2
My favorite sentence I have composed is "Workers work hard for the simple fact that they enjoy it." This falls under the complex category, because of the subordinate conjunction. I am proud of this sentence because it stays true to many people, including myself. Many people enjoy working hard for no other reason than self-enjoyment or self-improvement. There is no better feeling than the feeling of accomplishment. After you finish a difficult test, or a hard workout, or a well-fought game, getting to say the words “I did it” feels amazing. Although I have composed thousands of incredible sentences, one sentence I have composed that must be scratched out is "The Wishers know their place is at the bottom of the ladder." This is unfair to assume that Wishers belong at the bottom of the ladder because each individual has their own reasons for being at the bottom, whether it be by choice or some unfortunate circumstance.
The first couple weeks of school have been great. I enjoy the fact that there is very little homework in Composition1. The round table discussion(s) help tremendously in revising and editing my essay. We revised Noah's as a class and many of the suggestions and ideas said during that time are ideas that I will put into consideration while revising my own essay. There is no better way to improve your essay than through the revision of said essay by your peers. They offer a whole new spectrum of ideas that you never even thought about. The worst part of Composition 1 is the grammatical classification. That sucks. I wish we would've spent more time in class on that, but since we were supposed to have learned it last year, I can understand why we didn't. Pray for me on the quiz on Friday.
Klamm 2
I am not completely certain this is my favorite sentence I have composed but it is certainly one I am proud of and it is also one of my most recent. The sentence is,” The Autobahn has no set speed limit and cars are pushed to their limits on these winding pathways of asphalt.” I like this sentence because it has imagery, which is a point I am trying to enhance in my essays. I believe this sentence is compound. It has two independent clauses; one being, “The Autobahn has no set speed limit,” and the other being, “cars are pushed to their limits. A sentence that I believe I should cut out is found in my classification essay. The sentence is, “It takes preference over any other vehicle on the road and all other cars have to follow in the wake of a Porsche.” This sentence has many things wrong with it. It uses to many unclear pronouns, it is redundant and does not have passion or polish.
The first couple weeks of school in composition 1 have been quite interesting. The best part of the sessions so far has been the knowledge I have gained. I have been a competent writer before this but at the end of this course I hope to be a better writer than I thought possible. I believe I am already on the way to this. Just this morning I learned that I use a vast amount of useless words in my essays. If I am able to change this I will be a much better writer than I currently am. The concept of useless words has been particularly relevant to me. I didn’t know that these words can actually make your essay look worse than it really is and with only a few tweaks a poor essay can become a great one.
H. Johnson 1
I am my own person. This is my favorite sentence because it is simple but uses a predicate noun. I especially enjoy the dynamic of using the obvious statement because of course I am a person while it has a deeper meaning. Such as I am independent and self-reliant not necessarily that I am re-establishing what type of mammal I am. Also such a sentence so simple with a parallel to a noun can give the writer a very open opportunity to expound on that simple sentence over and over, giving valid points and examples. In the beginning of the day around the yard near the tree I took a nap. This is a sentence I do not like because it has four prepositional phrases. To me one or two prepositions are just fine in a sentence but when the time comes to classify a sentence or find the exact meaning too many prepositions can act as clouds hiding the sun of the sentence. These sentences in my opinion should be avoided or cut out especially if I find them in my own personal writing day to day. Also when I am writing something if I worry too much about the fluff and extra details of the sentence it can throw off the point I was attempting to make.
The first couple weeks of school in Composition 1 have been a change from Honors 11 mostly because there is no solid literature that we are discussing or writing about. Writing essays we come up with on our own instead of relating it to a book is much different. However it is a nice change from historical, factual, and literary based essays that I came to know quite well last year. One concept that stuck with me the first couple weeks was the fact that we learn about different punctuation and sentence types and their effect on the reader throughout school but we rarely ever sit down and say "I'm going to write a gerund." In Composition 1 I feel that we are going to work towards using these components to better our writing in general and that will be very helpful in the academic future.
Rykhus 1
Sentences do not have to be complex in nature or bursting with stellar words. They do not need to practice exquisite punctuation – a feat that would please many people. Sentences are unique in the fact that while the most beautifully shaped sentence can seem as shambles, not even holding a candle to o the power that simple sentences have. Words such as, “In God We Trust” or “We believe these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.…” These phrases are simply skeletons of constructing true meaning; the true reason for sentences to exist at all. This being said my favorite sentence does not gain from the literary exquisiteness or flaunt choice vocabulary; it is simple by this standard. The sentence is as follows: Do.
Yes that is it, it is a one word simple sentence with an implied subject but this sentence has profound meaning. Never be idle. Do. Do not be content with where you are at. Do. Continue growing in many facets of your life. Do. Essentially that is how we move forward in this life; we do things. Do. However if we don’t move forward we are either moving backward, which is still progress, or not moving at all. Not moving is unacceptable, society and her members need to try to be advancing by doing or failing by doing, it is simply how we learn, how we move forward.
A sentence to be deleted? I have a favorite for this: The man did the thing in the place. It is a sure fire way to stump someone in a game of Pictionary and is complete garbage.. Its vagueness is like a disease. We learn absolutely nothing from this simple sentence. And it deserves to be extricated like the plague that it is.
Due to my love for Chemistry it is hard for Composition to be my favorite class but it certainly is an enjoyable one. My favorite part of the class has been the direct probing Mr. C has done. We cannot get by giving a non-answer in the class. He is inspiring me to be a better writer because he believes that I can, not because I do. While adroitly avoiding some subjects he will make you think about what you think and why, he will also be able to share his honest thoughts. I am thankful for the bluntness; I recall last term Tuesday I tried to give an answer and was wrong. Mr. C dint hesitate in telling me so, and it was fabulous. For too many years in my education have I been told, “That’s not quite right” or, “Good try but that is not quite correct”. I am sure he did not even think about it but it has been the most memorable moment of my school year this far. I was pleased to receive such a blunt rejection.
Rykhus 1
Swanson 1
1.) Writing our first sentence was a giant first step we have all made in order to be able to compose masterpieces that we are currently creating in this class. A favorite sentence of mine happens to be from the Classification essay that we recently did. The sentence is "Based on those attributes, the three types of work environments are the Jungle, the Beach, and the Plains; knowing the characteristics of each type will help you learn how your work place runs and how you can fit into the flow of everyday work." I chose this recent one because I proudly used punctuation that I rarely ever use in any other sentences. The grammatical classification this sentence fits in is compound-complex. Normally my sentences are complex or simple with a couple of compounds in there, again rarely did I write compound-complex sentences. With sentences that I just need to scratch out, there are way too many of them to do. But I learn from those mistakes and I become a better writer because of those "toss in the trash" sentences.
2.) To be honest, I was super nervous about taking this class. I thought I would have to live up to the other students that I know are out of this world smart and phenomenal at writing. When deciding whether to enroll in this class or not, my brother persuaded me to do so because with Mr. C, it would be so much easier doing it with him in high school rather taking it with a hundred of other students in college with a professor. Even thought I was just in English 11 last year and not in Honors 11, I listened to my brother and took this class and I am actually enjoying it so far. I figured this would be just the most awful class to take because it is in my least favorite and worst subject. I am definitely looking forward for the rest of the year with Mr. C.
Staab 5
1.) While attempting to write a story, I typed sentences upon sentences but one stood out to me. “Did he just call me love?” To a normal person this wouldn’t mean anything, but the me it means a lot. It was the point in my story where the main character realized she was falling in love. Every time I re-read this part in the story I get a swelling in my chest because of all the emotions I can feel coming from the character. This sentence is a simple sentence. My worst sentence that I use all the time even though I should, it “but like, come on bro.” I shudder every time I use it.
2.) These first couple of weeks of school have been great. I was very nervous to enter English Comp because I am not good at writing. Mr. C, however has been a great teacher and I’ve been excited to learn and write. The environment that Mr. C has in his classroom is very comforting, relaxing, and open. I don’t get scared walking in because I know I’ll learn something new that day. A concept that I have been fascinated with are the different types of sentences. In my mind all sentences are all the same. Just words on a paper. Going in depth of the different types has made me realized you can change an attitude or even a thought process of how you word the sentence or what you have placed in it. Much of my life will revolve around writing, so learning at a new age will help me in the end. Learning it in a comforting environment will also help because I will be willing to learn and want to seek out more knowledge on topics and different styles. I am worried that in the weeks to come that I’ll get everything jumbled into my mind and that I’ll make easy mistakes and that my words will just ramble out of my head into odd sorts of phrases and words and that nothing will ever make sense.
Onnen 2
1.) When I first read this blog prompt, I was unsure of what sentence I would use. I don't typically think of myself as a great writer so I assumed it would be hard to find or come up with a favorite sentence of my own. After reading through some other students posts, I decided to read through my "Womanhood" essay and find a favorite sentence from there. The sentence I ended up choosing is the very last sentence of that essay. "These are big factors that have helped to realize who I am, and will hopefully continue to help me become the woman I am supposed to be." This is a compound-complex sentence. I chose this sentence from my essay because I believe it shows a lot about me. I think this sentence shows that I am happy with what I have achieved so far in my life and I am looking forward to what will arise in my future. For a sentence that I think I could scratch I decided to just compose a new one. The sentence "These things are very important." is a sentence that I would scratch. There is no doubt that this is a complete sentence, but it is a very bland and uninformative sentence. Words like "these", "things", and "very" should all be replaced with different words that will make the sentence stronger and more exciting. For example, the sentence could be re-worded to say "Correct grammar and punctuation are substantially important when composing essays." This sentence lets the reader know exactly what the writer is talking about and is also a very strong sentence.
2.)On the first day of school I was nervous to go to my Composition I class. So many people, including my older brother and former teachers, had told me I would enjoy having Mr. C as a teacher. I had no doubt in this at all but I was more nervous about the class itself. I have never enjoyed writing throughout my years of school. Composing essays has never been something I considered myself to great at. Therefore, from that aspect alone I was not looking forward to starting Composition I. So early in the year I have already started to gain confidence in my writing ability. Mr. C gives small but very helpful tips on how to take our essays from simple to extraordinary. I can think of two very brief subjects that my class period discussed that I found to be extremely helpful. We discussed the differences between the words "then" and “than" and also the difference between "affect" and "effect". Neither two concepts are anything too difficult to understand, but I have always questioned if I understood them correctly. Mr. C explained both concepts in short simple ways that made complete sense to me, and I now feel more confident in using those words correctly. These two small concepts will continue to help me in the future because I will be able to use those words in my essays, or any sort of writing, and know that I am using them properly.
Grothe 2
1.)Up to this point in my high school career, I've never been skillful in composing an appealing essay. Just by taking this class, however, I already feel like I am improving. As for a sentence that I'm proud of, I couldn't actually think of one right away, but after writing the rough draft of the classification essay, I may have found it. "Adding more players to your own group adds much more fun into what you're currently doing, and at the end of the day you look back on the day with joy." Although it is still lacking in the literary sense, it gets my point across. I would guess that this sentence falls under the Compound category. I could be wrong, though, since I still have trouble distinguishing multiple clauses in a sentence. As for the sentence that needs to be scratched out, it must be "Since the Team Players, or TPs, were listed first in the paragraph prior, it only makes sense to start off with them." This sentence was severely unnecessary, and was cut.
2.)These first couple weeks of school have been quite fun. I'm really enjoying all of my classes, and the homework isn't too obnoxious. The think I think I've enjoyed most about Composition 1, is that the students seem to teach parts of the lessons sometimes, whether it be past students or current. So far, I have enjoyed all of our discussions, but nothing so far has really stuck out to me as truly fascinating or relevant. There is one thing I would like us to review more in class though, which is logos, ethos, and pathos. I personally am not too sure on what they actually mean, other than that they make your essay stand out among the others if used correctly. If anything, I would like to go over these thoroughly one day, or just ask Mr. C when he's open some day.
The favorite sentence that I have composed would be "Every human being has experienced dreaming, whether it was a fantastic dream, a fatal dream, or a far-out dream." This came from my classification essay, which everyone in my class had the opportunity to critique. I admire this complex sentence because of the thought I put into it. I was able to come up with wonderful descriptive words for the different dreams that I was classifying. It not only is fun to say but the use of ‘f’ words in it catches the reader’s attention and makes it easier for them to follow the rest of the essay.
“Some dreams have no cents to make” is an example of a sentence that I should “scratch out”. This also came from my classification essay, and I added it simply as a play on words or to make the reader chuckle. The sentence does not have enough purpose in the essay (other than for kicks and giggles) and could easily be eliminated all together.
My first weeks of school have been exceptionally ordinary. My typical day runs from five to nine (not the other way around) and usually consists of church, school, and work. The most interesting session of Composition that I have had thus far would be the day when I left to go to the bathroom and Mr. C wrote the word “euphemism” on my agenda next to where I sign out. My initial response was that this strange new word must be some exotic name for a bathroom. It wasn’t until the following day when I signed my planner again – this time going to the euphemism – that I realized euphemism meant something different entirely. I gained a little bit of knowledge on that day. I greatly appreciate the critiques on my essay from my class today. Though it was painful during the class period, I feel that it will help me to more fully complete my composition.
Grage 2
I have written a vast amount of sentences throughout my life. I would have to say that the sentence that I enjoy the most would have to be "People that put others in front of themselves are the people that we should strive to shadow; reaching out in this way will make you more successful. This sentence is my favorite because this is how I truly feel about life. If you put others in front of you, you will have an enjoyable life; being nice to people makes you feel good inside. Most people occasionally help out others but my goal is to put people in front of me 90 percent of the time. It feels amazing to help someone in need of support and understanding. I believe that this sentence is a compound-complex sentence. A sentence that I am not very proud to have written this simple sentence "Life is always exciting!" This sentence is what most people wish their life would be like, but we all know that life has its ups and downs. You may lose your loved ones, your close friends, a game, or you are just overwhelmed. Life throws you curve balls that may put you at an ultimate low, but we have to stick through them for one another. Life isn't always lollypops and gummy bears.
The best thing about our Composition 1 sessions so far has to be all of the things that I have learned already that I did not previously know. I feel that Mr. C does an exquisite job on explaining things and pushing the creativity out of us! I have started to use larger words while I am writing that I didn't think I knew; it has gotten to the point that when I am talking to my peers that I use these words that I have written down on paper and use them verbally also. The concept that I have enjoyed learning about so far has to be how to use a semicolon. I have never used one previous to this class and I feel like it opens up my writing a lot more than in my previous years of writing. One thing that I hope to do this year is to become an amazing writer. I have always hated writing because I have not been too spectacular at it but I hope to improve by a vast amount.
Mutschelknaus 2
Throughout the years, composing powerful sentences has cause me grief. However, I do come up with the occasional sentence that I feel is a great sentence. My favorite sentence would have to be "Others, however, do not have a favorite team, but latch on to whatever team happens to be winning that year." I enjoy this sentence because it stays away from boring verbs and has some exciting verbs like latch, which add emphasis. I strive to do this in all of my writing, but I have had trouble doing this. For example, my least favorite sentence: "This is boring." Not only does it have an expletive in it, it is a very vague sentence and does not use any emphasis to get my point across.
The first two weeks of composition have been very fun. I feel I have already learned many useful tips that I can use to make my writing even better. Plus, Mr. C never makes class boring. He is always upbeat and energetic encouraging us to become more creative in our everyday writing. I have to admit, I was nervous on the first day of class. English has not been a strong subject for me, but Mr. C has made it seem easy. I hope it stays that way all year!
Nitz 7
ONE
Writing has never felt natural to me. Occasionally, I am able to create a sentence, or maybe even a couple strung together, that pleases me. I’d be lying if I said that I had a specific favorite sentence from my entire life, but looking back on the summer essay, I found a sentence I didn’t hate. It was: Yes, it might be copacetic if I had a better sense of who I was intrinsically, but part of the beauty of life on Earth is the mystery of our place in it. It seems to have two independent clauses and one dependent clause, making this sentence complex.
A composition that simply must be scratched out is much easier to find. Or perhaps it’s a harder task as there as countless more poor sentences I have written. Searching through a lab report I recently typed up for psychology I found this gem (sarcasm): Overall, I felt that this lab was a nice experience. This sentence could have been typed by a third-grade student; it’s bland, vague, and boring.
TWO
Reading the previous comments, I feel that I can agree with a majority of them. I was intimidated by Mr. C, just because I didn’t want to disappoint him. In every encounter with him, his scholarly image has had no way of being tarnished. English has always been, with no fault due to my past teachers, an awkward subject for me. Blame it on my personality, but I feel extremely self-conscious of nearly every piece of writing I produce. All this in consideration, I enjoy the environment of my seventh-hour class with Mr. Christensen. Classical music (and once even Coldplay) playing quietly in the background is by no means a distraction; it sparks creative thoughts for me. Mr. C is willing and honest. I now know that he is giving all he has to help us, and I cherish that. Adam Presler stated that class time can sometimes feel inefficient. While, admittedly, I have questioned the purpose of some stories and such in class along with Adam, I feel that it is the switch in teaching style that’s causing feelings similar to this. I think with patience and an open mind English 101: Composition 1 will be a wildly rewarding and fulfilling educational opportunity.
Ode 5
As a young writer I do not recall a favorite sentence that I have composed. However, I will gladly yield a brilliant sentence. The enormous lineman starred down at the petrified quarterback; after the quarterback was sacked. This is a simple sentence. I am proud of this sentence because it makes me imagine a moment in a football game. If I imagine myself sacking the quarterback it will come true.
Again I do not recall a sentence that I have composed that needs to be scratched out, I am sure there has many. It’s very cold out. This is a sentence I would definitely eliminate. It should be eliminated because it lacks any kind of sign of an education. I am old enough now that I can compose a much more educated sentence. I could change it to,” It is dreadfully bitter out here in the deep woods”.
I have enjoyed this year’s English 101: Composition I class. I have learned and revised so much of my English knowledge in the few weeks that I have been in the class. I feel as if I am a better composer, reader, and thinker because of English 101: Composition I. I cannot wait for what the remaining sessions will provide me. The best part of the class is the overall class participation. Anyone can feel like they can speak their mind and will be accepted for it. That is the way a classroom should be managed. There is really no specific concept that comes to mind. I do appreciate the helpful St. Martin’s Handbook for any usage of an English punctuation. Also, the brief group discussion that we do about how to use punctuation correctly is beyond helpful. I believe it enhances others learning along with my own. It is much better than telling us through a impersonal note packet.
Heiberger 7
A favorite sentence I’ve composed is an answer to a question from the whiteboard posed on the second day of school. The question asked us students about when our work was “compost.” My reply is as follows: “When I write without much thought, rushing through words much like I am now, with little care for flow or style or sentence structure, my writing is indeed ‘compost.’” I enjoy rereading this sentence because, ironically, I think the sentence flows better than most other sentences I put together. Additionally, the sentence is honest and self-critical, two characteristics I attempt to continually exhibit. The sentence is complex; three dependent clauses crowd the beginning and middle, while the independent clause patiently waits at the edge, concluding the thought.
A sentence “that simply must be scratched out” is much easier to find in my writing than a sentence I take pride in. An example can be taken from the same day as the sentence from above, but this sentence answered a different question in the prompt. We students were asked why this course was titled “composition”, and my reply was downright dreadful. I wrote, “This course is titled ‘composition’ because, probably, we students are in the business of composing.” Gross. The sentence displays at least two things that disgust me. First, I used the phrase “in the business of”, which is not necessarily a cliché, but is a phrase I’m sorry to have used.
As for the first couple weeks of school, they’ve been eventful. Toward the end of the summer, I grew restless. I felt like I wasn’t getting anything done, that I wasn’t being productive. I’m glad to have structured days, where I’m forced to get up in the morning and do things, even if I don’t want to. I no longer have to internally struggle with myself over doing something; I have to do it. So far, my favorite thing about Composition 1 is the video we watched of Kurt Vonnegut talking about the shapes of stories. I’m not exactly sure why, but when I hear interviews or see talks of people that I truly admire, I can’t help but absorb everything they say. Because I had never heard Vonnegut speak before, I was especially enraptured.
Tingle T
“When writing a sentence, one must think carefully about the structure, polish, and passion behind the sentence; it must flow effortlessly in a strategic pattern, while it engages and captivates its audience.” I’m proud of this sentence because it suits this topic about writing sentences and it has a semicolon. I just made this sentence up on the spot, and thought it was imperative to have a semicolon because I believe it helps with the flow of the sentence. The sentence seems to read aloud seamlessly with a semicolon rather than ending abruptly with a simple period. This sentence would be considered a compound-complex sentence because of the two independent clauses in the beginning and a dependent clause attached at the end. I could’ve said, “Sentences must be structured neatly and flow nicely,” but that sentence is rather dull and dreary. It puts forth no passion and completely lacks “spice”. It should just be omitted from the reading, as Kurt Vonnegut would say.
These first couple weeks of school have flown by rather quickly, faster than I would like. Oddly enough, I wish to enjoy my senior year at a leisurely pace before it picks up a speedier pace until it is the end of my high school career and carries me into adulthood. This class is technically a college course, and acts as a baby step into that adulthood as I get a taste of what college is like. We’re only three weeks in and I can honestly state that I have learned much more of what’s really important with writing than I have in any other English class. I’ve learned skills that are crucial for later in life; persuasive essays can and will be used a lot in my upcoming future! Learning about this now has given me a head start on these essential skills and I’m eager to learn more every time class is held.
Peltier 1
1.) Trying to pick my favorite sentence that I have composed drove me to think in depth about what sentence I feel leaves the reader with the greatest imagery and impact. First going through my “Womanhood” essay I did not think that I had any sentence that I felt gave that master image and portrayed my point. Though by reading through my “Classification” essay I found a sentence in which I feel leaves a great impact on a reader establishing the sensory needed in my essay. “Unwrapped players leave their emotions flowing in a game, aggrandizing the intensity, stimulating blazing anger in the wake of a horrendous game”. This is a complex sentence. “They play to have fun and if they are motivated to play with their friends then they should be wanting to get better in order to help their friends and make them team better”. This sentence should just be scratches out completely because it really does not make a strong point. I seem to have just been going off of thought and not thinking about what I was actually saying. It is also very broad isn’t clear on what it should be stating to support my classifications.
2.) Composition 1 is a class that I enjoy being in. I feel like it will help me improve on my writing ability. Though entering the class I feel uneasy, mostly because I do not think that I have that good of ability with writing essay due to past experiences. Also I feel that this class will give me a better ability to identify the different parts of grammar. Mr. C seems like a teacher who is willing to take time out of his day in order to help students better obtain the information that they are having trouble grasping. To me the grammatical classification posse difficulties, I have trouble with it. Though knowing just how big of a difference the knowledge of these different kinds of sentences will enhance my writing. This year will pose great challenges and successes making me a better writer in the end.
Smith 2
My favorite sentence I have ever composed was “Through the night she crept slowly and quietly toward the village.” I was composing an essay for English last year and this was for the crucible. I believe that it would fit under the compound-complex classification. A sentence that I would remove would be “As swiftly as before.” This just doesn't seem correct to me. There is nothing really defined in this sentence. As I have gone through out school I have come to the realization that writing is not my calling. I have written many mediocre sentences. This year I aim to change that. I want to actually grow in what I know I can do.
The first weeks of school have been very good so far. I have been trying to stay on task and get my homework done. I am notorious for procrastinating and I am trying to break that habit. Unfortunately I have also been a little confused on how the class is laid out. I am always expecting to have to do something more extensive outside of class. I am really enjoying Mr. C’s teaching methods! He tries to make everything relatable to us. Hearing about the class from former students also made me a little nervous. I know that when it comes to writing I struggle. I was not looking forward to this semester of the class. Although so far I am enjoying it! I like knowing that when I come in to get help he is there and able to give good input. As I was trying to understand the prompt of the last essay I went in and asked Mr. C about it. He helped me decide what I was going to write about without giving me ideas.
Polasky 5
One of my favorite sentences I have composed within my lifetime is most recent and found in my classification essay. “After all, the approach one has to interaction is but a reflection of their character.” This sentence intrigues me because I am not adapted to hearing such jargon in everyday situations. One reason why I take joy in writing in a formal essay format is due to the fact that it stretches my vocabulary and knowledge and allows me to speak in a scholarly voice. I also take pleasure in sentences that make my audience meditate on a deeper level, whether I leave them with a closed ended or a more preferred open ended thought. Unfortunately, I have composed far less than acceptable sentences in my life as well. An example of poor sentence structure can be found the first line in my womanhood essay. “Allow me to get one thing straight.” Not only is this sentence rather brass, but it also contains no originality and is fairly choppy. It also uses what I consider a “death” word, which is thing. The sentence does not show my full capability as a writer and was not likely the most ingenious decision to start my first college composition essay in this fashion.
When I signed up for this class in the second semester of my junior year, I was rather confident in my choice for my English credit. I thought of myself as a fairly decent writer and fancied dappling in the occasional classic novel. However, my thoughts quickly changed after the first few classes. Composition writing is not nearly as simple as it appeared to be in Honors English. I soon came to realize I was not nearly as superior as I had imagined when it came to writing. However, I remain grateful for taking this class as it has already improved my writing skills and I anxiously anticipate what my writing will express in the future. Even more so, I tremendously appreciate the classroom environment I have entered into the past few weeks. When partaking in class, I feel welcomed, respected, and encouraged. I don’t feel belittled or like my ideas or opinions matter any less. Though I may be an amateur writer, the confidence Mr. Christensen and my classmates are installing in me generates motivation to improve myself every day and enlighten me on what I am capable of already doing.
Berberich 2
To be truly honest I have created so many sentences with in my life that it is difficult to choose just one. A sentence that I have recently created is, “If you are on the field and forget everything, smile because that is all the audience wants”. This is truly a great sentence because I believe it is so true! If anyone forgets anything, all they need to do is smile, and their connection with the audience is complete. There was a time when I was in the sixth grade and I had to prepare and write a speech to share with my class. When it was my turn to speak I stood in front of the entire class and for got everything. So, in return, I just smiled and slowly the speech came to me. In conclusion, my grade was not the best but it was the smiling that gave me the brownie points. Grammatically this sentence is complex. However, over my past years of writing essays and quotes I have surmised a few sentences I wish I hadn’t. A sentence I placed in my becoming a woman essay, I believe should have been scratched out is, “Never look back, because then you will be true to fall”. I now look upon this sentence and realize that if people never look back on the mistakes they have made then how are they allowed to move forward, without accomplishing the same error twice?
In my thought process I could lie and say I am not scared of the challenges this class would present me, however to be honest, I was really nervous entering into Composition English 101, this year. Therefore, now that we have completed two weeks of school, I feel more apt to being successful in this class. I believe most of my confidence began to reappear was when you, Mr. C, would ask us questions and keep the class involved in numerous conversations, by nodding our heads as of agreement , or disagreement . This action has truly motivated me into thinking I’m not the only person who is scared to take this class. Now we have all settled into routine schedules, I believe this class will be a breeze. One of the topics that we discussed in class was writing letters to people who are famous or semi-famous. That gave me the idea to begin processing of whom I would desire to send a letter to. As if you cannot tell this is one of the areas, in this class, I am looking forward to. I find it fascinating that we are actually going to construct a letter and send it off to whomever we decide. The humorous thing is, I have not fabricated a letter in quite some years.
Arens 2
My favorite sentence I have ever composed is one that I put on twitter. It wasn't in complete sentence form on there but I'll put it in that form on here. My favorite sentence is, "I was taking a nap and I woke up, just as the food gets here." This sentence fits into the classification of a compound sentence. I think that's what this is classified as anyways, I'm not that good of a grammatical classifier. A sentence that I have scratched out is "There are many different things that women have than men." This sentence had to be thrown out because it was plain horrible. To be honest though, I am not a very strong writer and I don't know a lot about making my essays better.
The best part of Composition 1 so far has been the classroom setting. You make the class not awkward and more fun than a normal English class. I like this class better than honors so far. The worst part about this class is how everyone has way cooler and better essays than me. I suck at writing essays as I've already said, and I feel dumb sometimes, but oh well. Also, some of the topics of the essays are hard to write about and make sense to me. A concept that we have discussed this past month is how different topics can be classified in other parts as long as you can make them make sense. This makes me think of how real life situations can be split up into many different parts. Many people don't think about analogies in real life but this essay has made us all think about topics we wouldn't on just a normal day. Comparing rodeo horses to shoppers was one thing I never thought I'd have to do in life. These essay topics we will have to do throughout this semester will make us think not only critically but realistically. I hope that by the end of this semester I can be a better essay composer, analyzer, and criticizer. Mr. C you also make this class a smidge bit easier and exciting, thank you for that.
Schroeder pd. 5
My favorite sentence I have composed came from my “Womanhood” essay. I feel as if I am a very rudimentary, inexperienced writer, so it was somewhat difficult to find a sentence I considered worthy enough to use. “It is vital that I accept responsibility and the consequences of my decisions, good or bad.” This sentence is a simple sentence. I very well could be incorrect because I am unquestionably rotten at figuring out which sentences are which. I selected this sentence because it has been an immense part in my maturing over the past few years. Over the years I have learned that I cannot blame others for my mistakes. Mature women accept their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions; that is what I strive for. “Children act on impulse, while women think their choices through.” I chose to get rid of this sentence because I felt it was redundant. This sentence was also from my “Womanhood” essay and all throughout I found I had many redundant sentences.
The worst part about coming to Composition 101 is that I feel as if I am inferior to all my classmates. I am intimidated because I sense that they are all great writers, and I am not as advanced. I know Mr. C will be able to boost my confidence in writing, seeing as he already has. Today Mr. C taught us to get rid of pointless words such as: has, this, is, it, people, things, ways, are, and there are. He also taught us to use synonyms for boring words. I plan on going over my essay and eyeing for boring words so then I can change them and my essay can become better and I can become a better writer. One thing I would like to go over is ethos, logos, and pathos; I have no idea what they mean and I need to read my textbook to figure it out. I know they make your essay stand out and so I hope I learn to use them so my essay can stand out.
Buse 2
As with many favorites, a person is going to be influenced by their current life events, therefore it is plausible why my current favorite sentence is about improving oneself. "Once a person understands the root of their disdain, whether it be justified, unexplainable or envious, they can build towards forgiveness, understanding or self-contentment." I am sure this sentence is not the most grammatically impressive sentence I have ever composed-- but, the meaning, for me, hits home. I am proud of this sentence because when I reflected upon my essay after completion, I found myself at a realization of what I have to change in my life, and this one sentence says it all. This sentence is a complex sentence. In the hope of improving my current work, I choose to find a sentence that is scratch worthy in my classification essay. "Unexplainable hatred is often so difficult to overcome because you don’t understand why you hate them. " I found myself puzzled when I read this sentence. Is it not obvious that if something is unexplainable it is not understood?
For me, composition is like a breath of fresh air compared to my past English classes. English has never been my favorite nor my forte, but I am always engaged and entertained in composition. Today in class when reviewing essays, I finally understood that the adjectives and adverbs I were using were bland and boring. They described, but did not illustrate, and that is something I will actively have to work on for the rest of the semester. When editing my own essay I found I was often settling for words that did the job, but it not excel, and I think that can very smoothly transition to a necessary life lesson. If more people resonated with this lesson, our world would not be better, but superior or even exceptional.
Zell7
I have composed many sentences in my high school career, many lacking the concept of polish. Just because the paint job is scuffed, does not mean that the fine automobile is useless. The finish does not define the sentence. One of the greatest sentences I believe myself to have written is, “If we do not have anything to stand up for, we simply aren’t living right.” This is a complex, but scratched sentence. It needs more adjectives, special grammar techniques, or perhaps even a semicolon. Why would I choose it as my favorite? The statement has grit. It has a meaning far beyond what can be described with words. This sentence is a life-thesis, a statement of faith. To me, it is quite truly a way of life. I believe that we need to be passionate in this world; writing is a fantastic way to express passion. I have a plethora of sentences I could choose from to “scribble” out. My writing skills are less than ideal, to say the least. Many of my compositions are rather vague and unmemorable. An example of one of these sentences is, “When real men work together, great things are accomplished.” I removed this from my manhood essay for a handful of reasons. The biggest being that is has no proof. It was not backed by another statement explaining it. The sentence was junk filler that was doing more harm to my writing than good.
I was very apprehensive about walking into this class. I have always struggled with my writing. My past three years of high school, I have taken the easier of English classes. This year, I knew that I needed to make an upgrade. With sweaty palms I walked into the room and once again firmly shook Mr. Christensen’s hand. The man sincerely wanted to get to know us individually, something I greatly admire. Our lessons have been almost abstract. It seems we do more thinking and hypotheticals than actual work. For once, maybe this isn’t a bad thing. Instead of pounding out boring features of the syllabus, we had meaningful conversation. If there was a class I was frightened about this year, it would have been this one. I no longer feel that way. I am very intrigued by Mr. C’s teaching, and the way he inspires us to work with others. Typing this on the night of the fourth of September, I am thinking the most needed attribute right now is togetherness.
Pruett pd. 7
Despite having many composed sentences that I am proud of in my life, I have narrowed it down to this: "He is starting his high school career as a sprout, just budding from the cold, damp grounds of the first days of high school." In my career as a writer, I have never excelled at bringing out metaphors and comparisons in my writing. I feel that this analogy, which I retrieved from classification essay, is something that is relatable to all audiences. Most people have experienced the anxiety and nervousness of the first day of high school. A sprout is small and fragile, which often times is what a freshman feels like on those first days. This sentence, I believe, is compound. A sentence that I have scratched from an essay is "All freshmen are potatoes." As weird as it sounds, it was meant to compare potatoes growing underground and being sheltered to freshmen being more shy and reserved, similar to the potato. However, it sounded awful in the essay, and was thrown out as soon as I proof read it.
The best part about Composition so far has been Mr. C's willingness to help with the essays. He has over-emphasized the fact that it is necessary to receive help, and that as much peer editing as possible is best! The worst part about Composition is that I have a horrible habit of procrastination, something I feel will need to change for me to excel in this class and produce the best essays that I can. I am worried about Term Tuesdays, however. I still do not know how my partner and I will be able to ramble on for forty-five minutes about two grammar terms. Overall, I am very excited to be in the class, and can’t wait to see my skills as a writer grow over the year!
Jackson 5
I couldn’t really think of a favorite sentence of mine right away but after looking at some of the others who have already commented I saw most had written one from their first essay, the manhood/womanhood essay. Getting some insight on theirs I found a sentence that stood out amongst the rest as a particularly strong sentence which is “Life is something that you can be closer to at a certain time or moment, but does not last forever.” I feel this sentence really throws a new idea or theory that many people don’t see and this changes your perspective on how you see yourself as an adult. This sentence is complex because it has one independent clause and two dependent. If I could, I would want to “scratch out” “These characteristics that I think people look for in a man or woman include how independent I am, how responsible I am, and how I benefit society.” The reason this sentence lacks in the quality of work that would be expected in this class is that it has a bountiful amount of grammatical errors and is very general.
I wasn’t really sure if this class would be right for me coming from normal English freshman through sophomore year and than taking American Heritage last year. The best thing in my opinion about Composition 1 so far is actually something not related to academics and is the stories you, Mr. C, tell such as the one where you taught prisoners and took the artistic bookmark out of the prison when you didn’t know if you should or not. I’m looking forward to writing a letter to a famous person in hopes of getting something back even if it’s not much as that will prove how words can be strong enough to take action based upon them. I am hopeful that this year will be great and my writing skill advances to great heights while at the same time keeping classes fun and interesting.
Wright 1
In the fall of 2002, a new neighbor had moved in across the street my house. Overwhelmed by the idea of having another girl to participant in daily "play dates", we began hanging out and rotating sleepovers at each others houses. The nights when I slept over we spent a majority of our time in her almighty, fashionable, and completely pink room. Any seven-year-old girl would fill with jealously by one glance. I stood amazed at her new toys, coolest clothes and accessories. Towards nine o' clock her mother would retrieve us from fantasy land and install a VHS for our bedtime entertainment. This specific night; her mother (for whatever reason) did not insert a VHS. We took it upon ourselves to select a movie of my choice. I chose the movie with red bold, and obnoxious-lettering. Little did I know, my naive choice lead me to a fiction-thriller-horror film; "Hollow Man". As I began to watch, the first scene opened with a hamster running inside a metal exercise wheel. The hamster was interrupted and levitated out of the glass container. Immediately blood and guts blasted on the screen from the tiny animal. I remember little to none after that scene. I do recall running to the bathroom to unload my heaves. I excused myself back to my home and never returned for another play date or sleepover. Countless nights passed and I found myself waking up from the same nightmare- replay of the shriveled hamsters death. To take my mind off the film, I began to write a short story, it was entitled; "The Killer Man". I envisioned The Man dressed in a black leather cloak with a mask covering most of his face, and unlaced combat boots. The man had a purpose to fulfill, which consisted of scaring little girls at sleepovers. Succeeding in removing my nightly frights, I started associating with him inside my head; he became my sinister alter ego. I came to realize he himself was writing the story, I merely composed his work on paper. After pondering the final sentence, we brilliantly came up with the following; "Next time you have a sleepover, think of the story about The Killer Man". Given my impeccable knowledge, my parents found my story rather amusing and humorous. As for the Killer Man, we continue to keep in touch. He wanders around at night, waiting upon a familiar request for his presence. The Killer Man may frighten others. But to me, he is an old guardian of the night.
As I analyzed my sentence structure from the classification essay. I came across a phrase I would prefer to be removed. The sentence I have chosen is as so- "Without humor, we would have already lost all sanity". I do not feel as if I should have included this statement into my essay. Some have different perception and adaption for humor, others are on opposite ends of the spectrum. One could perhaps lose sanity by a variety of instances, such as: becoming insane, tortured, or quarantined for a period of time. Many other examples relate to insanity, I merely mentioned three. Humor has brought us laughter and bliss, as well as other lifetime experiences.
Composition 1 is set forth to challenge us-(and it has succeeded in doing so). The essays we have composed show us what areas we excel in and the section(s) we may need to work on. As of now, I have found the class to be entertaining and a way of escape from school. I enjoy a challenge with the idea of always being sharp and on my toes. Mr. C. has found a unique way to educate us in a fun environment. I look forward to his class and to see my writing improve. I am curious yet anxious about senior year.
Berg 2
A favorite sentence that I have composed in my life is "In my toy box I have a doll and a ball.". I dug as deep as I could and found this sentence tucked away in a writing packet from my first grade year of school. This sentence is classified as a simple sentence because it contains only one subject and one verb, and I am extremely proud of this sentence because it is very simple, easily understood, and straight to the point. Also in the same packet, a sentence that should have been crossed off a long time ago is "I am go to gerrscots.". This sentence should be ignored or completely deleted, not only because of the wrong verb tense but also because of girl scouts having been horribly misspelled.
The first couple weeks of school this year, I feel, have gone quite well. The best part of Composition 1 so far is how we are being taught useful information, information that we will be able to use in the future, such as how to write something persuasively without useless, unwanted words. I am slightly excited to grow in my ability to compose essays and persuade others. The worst part of this class is the fact that I feel unprepared, I need to go over my notes from previous years and continue to learn/listen in class in order to enhance my writing skills. I hope that this year continues to go well for everyone.
Knudtson 7
I will say that my favorite sentence I have ever composed is, “Hast du ein Ahnung was ich habe gesaegt.” The sentence I typed is compound. The translation of this sentence is “Do you have any idea what I said.” I love this sentence, not only because it is in the German language, but also because it is one of the only sentences I really remember from my fleetingly, correct sentences of the German language. I am also proud of this sentence because it is, in its own self, ironic; because no one actually knows what I am saying! On the other hand I am not proud of “Hol deine eigene Cola!” meaning, “Get your own pop!” I am not proud of this sentence because I neither composed this sentence completely, and nor did I translate this sentence without help of my teacher; this sentence is not all mine, and consequently has to be scratched out, as it does not illuminate me or my subject.
These first few weeks of English 101: Composition has been, for the most part, wonderful. The best parts of this time period, are the lessons I learned in such a short amount of time. What I have learned is amazing and can be used throughout my school, and occupation. Though there has also been a few down sides to all we have done, we have written two essays. One of the essays was before the school year started and one just recently. The reason the essays are a bad thing is because I am not very good at writing, especially without going off on a tangent that does not relate to my subject completely or even partially. This makes me upset as I have to take a subject and work to get the words needed to achieve the requirements while staying on the topic. Though it is also a good thing because one of the class’s main points is to improve my writing capability, and therefore I shall enjoy this next semester improving my skills!
Baum Pd. 5
1) After searching through my old essays, I came across my favorite sentence I have ever composed. "Reading blurs the bleak reality of life, and bit by bit, lets me escape it, if only for a brief while." Although this sentence is not the most "intelligent" sounding, it has become my favorite for many reasons. The most important reason being, it was the first essay I was able to write about myself. It allowed my teacher the opportunity to see the real me and one of my passions. This sentence would be classified as a compound sentence due to the fact that I have used no dependent clauses, but I have used two independent clauses. I would not classify my writing as first-rate or superior to others in any way. Writing happens to be one of my downfalls so choosing a sentence to scratch out is not a difficult task. "When I read frustrations can arise, and at times they do." This sentence is too vague. When do frustrations arise? What kind of frustrations? These are two questions my audience would ask if they were to read my essay.
2) The first couple of weeks of my senior year have been flying by. Although I do not feel ready to be a senior, I am excited for what is to come in my life. Taking Composition 1 was not an easy decision. I was debating switching it out for a less challenging English course, but decided I had to take this class if I had any chance of improving my writing skills. Also, I have always respected the way Mr. C acts towards his students. The first day of class I felt appreciated and important due to the small fact that he already knew my name. I enjoyed the peer editing we did together in class. I feel as if that not only helped Ms. Lusk with her essay, but with mine as well. I hope this class brings me great success and helps ease my apprehensions concerning writing.
McGee 5
Many sentences were floating around in my head as I was attempting to decide what to write about in this blog task. Choosing a sentence to label as my favorite was difficult, but I believe my favorite sentence I have composed in my years is, “He reserved the key to his heart for people he knew he could trust, which happened to be a very few.” This sentence happened to be in the classification essay. It is my favorite sentence because I am talking about a topic that I really enjoy. I am talking about foster children, and not just any foster child, the foster child that I now call my brother. The sentence is a complex sentence that makes me excited because it is worded well, and it helps to describe why Tevon is the way he is.
Our first couple of weeks have been entertaining and educational. I have enjoyed our class discussions. Sometimes I think wow we are way off topic, but then Mr. C ties everything together. Mr. C’s teaching style is fascinating and effective. I feel the worst part of our composition class is that some people do not take it seriously enough. I feel that since this is a college class, the students should start being more prepared and respectful. Honestly though my fifth period composition class is wonderful and I love being in the class. I really enjoyed learning about semicolons in our class. The way is way expressed and I feel I will remember it this manner better than I will in the previous, less wholehearted way. I also enjoy the “right meows” that we do at the beginning of every day. They are a good, hands-on way to start the ball rolling. In conclusion I am severely enjoying Composition 1, and I am looking forward to the rest of the year with anticipation and enthusiasm.
Sentences are a huge part of day to day life and can have more meaning to one person than someone next to them. The sentence that I have chosen that I recently used in my classification essay for the rough draft, but it might change. “With proper communication, people can see past their visual first impression of an individual and reconsider their impression based on the other’s ideas and opinions.” I am proud of this sentence, because it is completely true. I am a person that focuses and worries constantly about what other people think of me, and knowing that people can see past the visual first impression is relieving to me. The compound-complex sentence has a lot of meaning to it, but some may not see it as much as me. Eliminating unclear sentences in an essay is very important. The sentence that I would delete is from an essay I wrote a few years ago as a freshman. “They are always there for me and cheer me up.” This is a sentence I wrote in an essay about friendship, and it is very unclear to who I am talking about and the reason on why they can cheer me up.
So far in Composition 1, I am still very nervous and unsure if this class is really for me. English is my weakest subject by far and I am currently in two of them at the same time. Having Mr. C as a teacher has made it more enjoyable, but I am still really nervous what my grades are going to look like in this class. He makes it clear that he is out to see us succeed and teach us the best that he can. The way he goes about teaching the class is very unique also. Having group discussions on all the topics that we are learning about helps to better understand that topic.
From the "man" essay due earlier this year, my favorite sentence is also the last in the composition. "The idealistic man who is rough around the edges and never afraid has perished; in his place stands the savior, who can change the world for the better". My belief is that men must use their intelligence, rather that brute strength to solve situations. I try and live my life by these standards to hopefully attain manhood. I believe true men are rare in this world and my compound-complex sentence reflects that perfectly. On the other end of the spectrum I have also composed some blunders. A notable example, "Weight lifting is an extremely important activity for many people", must be altered as the introduction to my classification essay. Vague pronouns are riddled throughout this sentence. To help my readers relate to the topic I must enhance my introduction with specific pronouns.
English composition 101 has begun to unfold into one of the most beneficial courses I have taken to-date. Already my composition skills have been drastically improved. The fact we talk about new ways to improve my work everyday is the most beneficial. The Term Tuesday example on semi-colons intrigued me the most. The Kurt Vonnegut clips where inspiring and entertaining, alas I believe his opinion to be incorrect. Semi-colons are necessary to maintain sentence flow, as well as add diversity to your sentence structure. Education is something I personally like to boast. Semi-colons facilitate my ability to make people aware of my intelligence. I have noticed that Mr. Christensen has taken sincere interest in improving his students ability to fully utilize the English language. By completing Composition 101 I am confident my compositions will be of another caliber. Thanks to Mr. Christensen and his tremendous teaching ability. Taking a college course in high school will be exceptionally helpful in preparing me for my future.
Tellinghuisen 7
A sentence that I am most recently (very recently) proud of is one from our classification essays. "Most pro players exist much like a competitive racing team; they have their sponsors, their own equipment, their own techniques, and they go out to win." I am proud of this sentence for a few reasons: One, I am pretty sure I was able to successfully use a semi-colon. Second, I was very happy with the way I could make the comparison between a professional gamer and someone as big as a NASCAR driver. It is somewhat of a personal thing that I tend to champion when I can work on getting rid of the stereotypes of nerds, geeks, and gamers. It is an imbedded purpose of my classification essay itself.
I am sure many of my fellow students have answered the very same thing for this second question. English Composition 1 has been a blast in both discussions and just listening to Mr. C lecture and explain things in his very eloquent way. However the fact that within two weeks time we have had two essays due, both considerably sized ones at that! It is also a very challenging class in general for me personally because I have such a linear mind. I think in one direction and its not easy for abstract things like the English language to make sense to me. That puts this class down in my history as one that I will take the most out from. There is so much I can learn yet, and want to discover. Such things like how different seemingly unrelated things can become connected in fascinating ways. It opens up a whole new realm of thinking that I can't wait to explore.
Williams 2
I have composed many sentences in my life, but my favorite sentence would have to be “A life span is too short to take for granted.” I am proud of this sentence because most people lose track of what is truly important and take their own life and others for granted. Stopping to smell the roses will not only clear your sinuses but will question what life is and its importance. This sentence’s classification would be a simple sentence. One sentence that is considered rubble is “You live the life you are given.” This sentence shows irrelevance to me because it implies that one’s life is only a playbook and already set in stone. Everyone has the equal opportunity to change their life. The sentence implies that a person must wait out their life and be unsatisfied, while in reality life lessons and memories that one makes himself/herself are what make life so precious. Moments and feelings are too sacred to just have dished out and not engrained in one’s heart.
Getting back into the swing of school was probably the most excruciating thing to do when the weather was gorgeous outside. Although I am not a huge fan of school, I do enjoy most of my classes and my early release. Composition 1 has been very helpful in advancing my writing even though the class has been in session for a few weeks. I feel like I am learning more about how to improve my writing skills and express my thoughts better to an audience. The worst part about Composition 1 is trying to put a lot of effort into my writing due to an increase of requirements for essays or assignments. Understanding that it is a college class, I hope to better myself as a writer and become prepared for future schooling. One thing that struck me as fascinating is that we are supposed to add a lot of personality into our writings. Usually, our writing assignments were generic and had little to do with ourselves and more to do with the subject we were learning about in that particular chapter. I am hoping to learn more about my fellow classmates through their essays or projects that will be done in the future.
Marais
Throughout my English career I have written hundreds to thousands of papers, few that are great importance to me, while the majority of them simply mean nothing. I did not keep the majority of my past essays because I did not find them to be a great importance in my life. For the most part I only wrote papers to get them done and over with. I primarily do not write with passion because the majority of the thing I write are for assignments, that we must do to pass. However, I decided to look though my computer to see the essays that I have saved over the last two years. I came up with a sentence that I found in my essays talking about the school system. This sentence was " These test are the Achilles heel of the education system." This is a simple sentence . I choose this sentence because it is my favorite part of all the papers that I have wrote. In that paper I was describing that we should not base our education around certain tests. Instead we should learn things that we actually will need to know in life not saying we don't need science or calculus; we do need to know some of the basic things. On the other hand, I have also formed numerous sentences that I do not believe is nearly as strong as they should be. I tend to wander away from the point of previous subjects in my essay. Unfortunately, this is caused by me using faulty words that can confuse the reader because the sentences uses a pronoun without a clear, unmistakable noun antecedent. Examples of these would be it, them, and they. These are the sentences that should be scratched out.
Not going t o lie the first day I walked into Mr. C room he was throwing out words that flew right over my head making me feel intimidated. While other people were shaking their heads like they understand I sat there dumbfounded thinking I was probably the dumbest kid in the class. I also thought maybe I should drop out of this class and go to another one that I understand. But then as the days passed I missed the due date to change class. Then as another week passed I realized I like this new style of learning. I didn't feel like I was trapped in a square box with no sunlight anymore. This semester in Composition 1 I feel that we are going to work hard towards using all these new components that we have learned and will learn to better our writing .
1. My favorite sentence that I have ever written was inspired by something my grandma once told me. She said, “Breanne, our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” I later found out that she was quoting F. Scott Fitzgerald, but regardless, it had a strong impact on me and made me change my view on life. The compound sentence that sprung from it was “I must keep on trying, for every moment of the future holds a new challenge to be accepted.” This sentence was really more of a promise to myself than anything else. I never used it in an essay or in any formal writing. In fact, I never even really considered it my “favorite sentence” until writing this blog task. It was just something that I had scribbled down on a sticky-note in the middle of the night and stuck to my bedside lamp. However, since then it has had a profound effect on how I go about life. A sentence that I have absolutely had to get rid of is from my Womanhood essay. The sentence read, “I simply cannot stand to be late.” The reason I had to get rid of this is because it is a lie. It is not being late that I dislike. If I am late and it affects no one but myself, then it is not a problem. What I should have said was something along the lines of “I cannot stand to disappoint.” However, by changing just that it would make the entire paragraph completely irrelevant. The sentence really just has to go.
2. These first few weeks of English 101-Composition 1 have been very interesting, to say the least. I cannot say that I have disliked the class; rather, I have been a little baffled by it. Mr. C’s style of teaching is so different from that of any instructor I have ever had. Personally, it has taken me a while to get used to this style. In Composition, everything is a question, and there are no definite answers. Sitting in class, I find myself wondering what the point of all the discussion is. The laid back and inquisitive atmosphere of the class makes it difficult to initially identify the objective to be achieved. However, it is not until later that I realize how much I’m actually learning from the class. For example, while writing this very blog task, I realized how inadequate I was at using commas in their correct places. The discussion on types of sentences has made me take a second look at my writing, and in doing so, I discovered how much I had wrong and how much more I have to learn.
“But it is all beaten to a bloody pulp by their final and ultimate foil: The Foil of Doom." Oh how great was my euphoria after writing this sentence. I knew from it’s inception in my brain that this truly was the greatest sentence I had ever written, and would write for four months (being the time until we got into serious writing in Comp.). I have never felt that good about a simple, four-page document. This was the final sentence to the essay I wrote last year for the book "Macbeth." In it I had to compare Macbeth and some other character as foils. Choosing Lady Macbeth as a foil, I ended with their deaths being the final foil. Get it? The Foil of Doom, which means the foil of their death, but it also could be the title of some cheesy, Bollywood horror movie where killer tin foil attacks the characters in the movie. Regardless, I thought it fit perfectly in the essay. The title was called "The Foil of Doom," the final comparison was the foil of their doom (death), and the final sentence was "The Foil of Doom." I felt that it was the best paper I had ever written. It was a perfect blend of literary greatness, catchy and witty language, and impervious grammar. But I still got a C.
That being a very good composed piece of awesome (in my eyes at least), the sentence that I want to scratch out is a little more hefty, that being because it is an entire essay. Good God my "Becoming a Man" essay was terrible. It wasn't thought out good (at all), it was finished in haste (the night before it was due), and it just all around wasn't that great of a work. I don't like how it ended, how it progressed through the essay. The only thing I pride myself in is the intro. That is a killer intro. But if I could just scratch out the rest of the essay from the memories of all who read it and destroy it from this plane of reality, everything would be just peachy.
Come the first day of school, I was so ready to be a senior. I was the king of the school, the top of the food chain, the alpha of all the males. Being a senior clearly has its perks. Semester test exemption (we got that as juniors, but every senior tries harder to get this as “senioritis” sets in), open lunch, free periods, early out/late arrival; what joys come with seniority. But after you go through the first few days, maybe after the first week, it all just kind of turns to "meh,” especially when the counselors think it’s a great idea to shove “college stuff” down your throat all the time. I’ll go when I’m good and ready, thank you. It's great being a senior, but after a while, the hype dies down and it's just another day in Composition 1.
By far the best class of the year (so far anyway) is Composition 1. I am loving the sections where we share our essays with others and we all help each other become better writers, all while bettering your own writing. However, there still remains 15/16ths(ish) of the school year left, and the horizon looks pretty grim. I expect to be challenged beyond anything else before in my writing; that is something to be expected. However, the incredibly daunting task of groaning on and on about two silly little grammar terms for an entire period. Granted, "egregious sexist language" will be great fun, I don't know how I and my partner can stretch it and another term out for the whole period. Thank God October 8th isn't anytime soon.
Sternburg 1
After looking over all the sentences I have written, a few seem OK but none are fantastic. When I am in a bind, I like to stop and look at the problem from a different angle. From my experiences the best solution is usually right in front of me. After thinking about it more, I realize that out of all the sentences I've ever written, my favorite is “From my experiences the best solution is usually right in front of me.” I am proud of this sentence because it is such great advice. Quite often people think way too hard on a problem and as a result they bypass the incredibly simple solution. This sentence is a simple sentence because it has one independent clause. A sentence that I ought to cross out is one that I recently wrote in my classification essay. The sentence goes, “Whatever it is the idea is that it is stress free and pleasurable.” This sentence is awful because I use the word “it” twice and the word “is” three times.
So far in English class I have had a great time. My favorite aspect of the class is the relaxed atmosphere. I feel that I learn best in a casual and interesting environment. I also like Mr. C’s approach to essays. I feel like with each essay there is more of an importance given to learning the ways of words and less on just writing down something and praying it will be fine. By the end of this class I hope my writing skills will surpass the average college freshman and I will be able leave my professors in utter awe as they read the brilliance that will be my writing. Just getting good grades in college would also suffice. An aspect of Composition 1 that I am worried about is that we have to manage our time wisely more so than other classes. I am a big time procrastinator so time management is not my strong suit. Although I’m worried I’m confident I will resist the temptations and not wait to the last minute.
Spurlin 2
1: One of my favorite sentences that I have written was “There are so many aspects of truth that it is hard to decide if there really is such a thing as truth.” When I wrote this I was proud of it because it was a statement produced from a lot of deep thinking. In retrospect I can see that it could be improved but at the time it was written it made me feel philosophical and smart. It fits into compound sentence classification because it has three independent phrases. One sentence that I have composed that was not necessary to prove my thesis was “My favorite genre was still historical memoirs.” This simple sentence could have been scratched out. The sentence was not leading into another theme or proving a point it was simply a fact about myself.
2: Leading into my last year at Brandon Valley incited a lot of excitement and anxiety. I was worried about taking too many challenging classes especially Composition 1 because English has always been most challenging for me and writing is not my forte. Thus far, Composition 1 has been one of my favorite classes. Mr. C. is a wonderful teacher and shows strong interest in every students’ comments and concerns. It is reassuring to know he will be available to help individuals improve their work. Recently in class we have discussed classification; it was an eye opener because it made me think deeper and gave me a new perspective of how our society functions. Following my womanhood essay I was more confident with my work, than I had ever been before. With certainty, I can extrapolate that my writing skills will improve this semester. Inside class we have discussed grammar, it is bringing back things that I have already been taught. It has also been teaching me to be more aware of my sentence style, punctuation and common errors.
Henderson 7
A favorite sentence I have composed is most likely, "Soccer is my life". I chose this sentence because I do not have the luxury of remembering a sentence I said years ago and I wasn't proud of many of my sentences in my essays so far this year. I do not have a good memory and not having one made this blog task harder than it needed to be. The sentence I chose is the most truthful it could be and it makes me proud to be able to say that it is true. If you haven't noticed yet, I play the sport of soccer with so much passion people call me obsessed. The sentence I chose seems to be a simple sentence. A sentence I could have scratched out of my life is one I used my sociology lab report earlier this week, "Girls like more material things like jewelry while guys like things that resemble a manly object like a gun or car". I thought this sentence could be scratched out because it sounds weird and I don't like it, at all.
My thoughts about the class so far seem to be very nervous of what is to come. I was not in honors last year and to make a big step into this class is difficult. My confidence is down when I walk it because everyone else was in honors last year and there is me, the person that was killing it in English 11. Even though I came from English 11, I know that I have the ability to do well in this class and I will stride to do so. I think Mr. C makes everything a lot easier with his unique teaching style. Walking into the class and walking out have two different feelings, one is nervousness and the other would be happiness. When I walk out of the class I feel smarter and more committed to doing better in English.
Antrim 5
One of my favorite sentences I have composed is, "When you are drawing what is in front of you, you can't just look at it, you have to really see it for what it is." I am proud of this sentence because it helps me draw and paint objects that I am working on. It truly helps how I see others and myself as well. This sentence is a compound sentence. On the other hand, a sentence I have composed that needs to just be scratched out is, "I hate my sister." I think this is my absolutely worst sentence because it's a lie. Although I don't get along with my sister sometimes, I don't hate her I love her. I feel as if this sentence needs to be erased from my mouth and memory. It should be erased from everyone's mouth and memory. Nobody should say that they hate someone, no matter who they are. I don't think anyone actually hates another, they just think they do because they don't particularly like their personality, or it’s just hard for them to get along with the other.
To be honest the worst in my mind is all the huge words that Mr. C says. This is my first upper level English class. It has especially been hard with writing these essays. Last year I had an English teacher who practically wrote our essays for us. Having a teacher writing your essays for you then having to figure out how to write them on your own has definitely been a challenge so far this year. My favorite is the way Mr. C talks. He really makes me think about what he's saying and I feel like I'm learning how to think deeper into topics. The topic we discussed yesterday, which was pertaining to Abby's essay, was deep and made me think about what makes us who we area and how we act correspond. What makes me who I am? What life experiences have I had that makes me act the way I act.
Woessner 5
Thinking back on all of the sentences i have written, I cannot remember very many. I think that my favorite one came from my manhood essay. The sentence was “Being a man means that you have grown up, matured, found a job, and are able to live off yourself”. This is my favorite sentence because it describes what kind of person I want to be when I grow up. That is a compound sentence. One sentence that i could cross out would come from my last essay on classification. The sentence was “This is obviously the category i would be in”. It sounds way too cocky and i do not want people to think I am like that.
Reflecting on these first couple weeks of school, I am going to be challenged a lot this year with my class choices. I think I am going to have a tough time with Composition 1 because I am not a very good writer. English is my weakest subject, and I have a very tough time coming up with topics to write about for long essays, which makes me not finish my essays until the last day. I like your teaching style and how you relate different things to your own life stories. I enjoy the class period discussions that we have and you help me alot with learning new writing techniques, but i still have a very tough time with writing stories/essays. I am hoping that by the end of this semester, i am converted into an expert writer.
Swenson 7
I have writen an abundant number of sentances over my years here at brandon, in essays, tests, blogs, and other assignments. This makes it difficult to recall one in particular that seems to stand out to me. However, there was one sentance that I wrote last year in Honors English 11 that i put in an essay that focused on procrastination and my writing style. I believe it went something like, "As i caught myself being distracted yet again, I would get frustraded, thus dragging further into the pit of doom that this essay so effortlessly resembled." I think this is my favorite sentance because I have never thought of myself as one with incredible writing skill, but i recieved praise from my teacher for it, and she drew a smiley face next to it on my paper. My least favorite sentance is also hard to determine. Being a "writer in training," i have writen a multitude of poor sentances with little to no point or meaning. I searched for one in my when i became a man essay and found one that said, "This is when i became a man." this sentance is purely dreadful in nearly all aspects. It is dull, boring, and even the area it was placed seem to disrupt the flow and lower the quality of the essay.
I think I will be challanged this year as a senior. When I was a freshman I would dream about being an upperclassman, putting my effort on cruise control, taking easy classes, and living the good life. This has not turned out to be the case! I am in 3 advanced/college classes including Composition. I think composition however will be one of my stronger classes because I believe if i put in the effort into any kind of essay, I can write very successfully. I think I will make it through this year in english without too much difficulty, as I have a great teacher to help me through when I do get stuck. I do not necessarily have a favorite, or least favorite time of the year because I usually go into things with an open mind, and try to make everypart of the class a learning experience. One of my favorite parts however are the class discussions over various topics. Spending the period talking about things I have trouble with, and realizing that i'm not the only one who does struggle with it, gives me a boost in confidence about my writing skill. I hope that by the end of the semester/year I will have learned everything you have tried to teach me, and to be able to use that knowlege in further essays down the road.
1) I have written so many sentences, both for school and personal use, that they all seem to jumble together in my mind. There is very little that I consider bad enough to scratch out, perhaps just a word change or some other reorganization. Of course, having a cold on top of allergies doesn't make recollection or creative thought any easier either. So, given the circumstances, I don't have any sentences. :)
2) The only issue I have with Composition 1 so far is that it seems to have no set structure. One day we will be talking about one subject and the next we seem to be off on a completely different tangent. You'll ask us to open to a page, but you'll never give us enough time to read through the section before you start lecturing. This leaves me very confused. Am I supposed to read the book, or listen to you? I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing in your class.
Ginger 7
I do not keep tabs on any sentences I write because I prefer that they would come naturally to ensure maximum creativity, and it leaves me with a much greater chance of not composing a sentence that would need to be scratched out. This sentence will do for now. I believe I have just typed a compound-complex sentence which by definition requires at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clause (Lunsford 591). I feel that I am proud of this sentence because it comes from the brain in the most unorganized manner, yet somehow once everything is molded together it makes sense. Compound-complex sentences are created when thinking of one subject and many ways to describe it, and hardly any limits are set when composing these sentences because they can handle many different types of phrases. Compound-complex sentences are very very handy.
The thing that I can appreciate the most about Composition 101 is that it is a very relaxing time to just think about what to write and not feel that there is some goal that has to be met each period. It also helps to have instrumental background noise in my opinion because it relaxes the mind to just think naturally instead of trying to think which is really what we do in any other class. The only problem I am currently having with the class is figuring out exactly what I am required to do and what is just a suggestion. The concept that intrigues me the most is that we will actually be applying what we write into real world situations instead of just writing a paper for a grade. Overall I believe this class will not be a letdown shown by my ability to stay awake as opposed to some of my other classes.
I think that it is very hard to decide on a favorite sentence because there are so many sentences over the years that serve different purposes and illustrate different things. A recent sentence in my “woman” essay that I am proud of is, “A girl becoming a woman does not have a concrete set of criteria.” The main reason I appreciate this sentence is the phrase “a concrete set of criteria” because I like how it sounds and it is pretty wording. It is easy to find sentences I dislike from past essays. This example is from last year’s Macbeth essay. It states “This is Macbeth’s evil quality.” I do not like the sentence or the “This is” it begins with.
I have enjoyed these first few weeks of school. The best part of Composition so far has been the entertaining and thought provoking class discussions. They make me think in new ways. We can talk for the whole time in the class and although I leave feeling happy because we didn’t have to do worksheets or something boring, I still feel like we learned something. I appreciate it when creativity is part of a class. The worst part has been not being able to come up with great ideas. Although so far the class has been fun, it makes me nervous when I can’t come up with something wonderful because it is easy to get stuck without a good idea or answer. English has never been my strongest subject and it often worries me that I don’t know what I’m doing!
Although It has only been a couple weeks and we have only talked about grammar twice, I think I will learn quite a bit in this class. Grammar and sentence structure are two of my weakest spots, so learning more about it will be helpful and relevant. I also really enjoyed discussing ideas for the classification essay because I find it fascinating to hear other people’s ideas.
Klein1
My favorite sentence is not one I have composed but is one that has been relevant to my life. "Someone needs you." This saying is so important to me because it is what makes everyones life important. It seems a little astonishing to be able to put my life's purpose into one sentence,but it is true to me. It is just a simple sentence,in grammatical classification terms, but it means a lot to me. I can consider it my life's motto and everyone can apply it in their lives. The reason you and I are alive is because someone needs you. The someone depends on what you believe in life. It could be a higher power like God, your loved ones, or maybe you need yourself and your determination to stay alive. Such a short sentence says so much. To find my favorite sentence, i had to go through many sentences that I didn't like and needed to remove. One sentence that I had to get rid of is from many of my past essays. "I chose this subject because it means a lot to me." This sentence had to be scratched out because I realized i used it in many of my writing pieces to make them sound personal. When in fact the over use of that sentence has made them impersonal and weakened my essays. This brings me my next point; the best thing about Composition 1 thus far is that I learned to become a more passionate writer. Previous to this year I had been focused more on getting the information I needed down, than writing what i believed on the subject. The most relevant thing about the class so far is that the importance of having polish, passion and proof in your essays is pushed. It makes me work harder in areas that I haven't before, making me a better writer
Schultz 5
1) I have written numerous sentences in my lifetime—some have been profound but most are simple and express the way I am feeling at the time the sentence was written. My favorite sentence would have to be: "Do not sweat the small things in life." This sentence is considered a compound sentence--I think (English is NOT my best subject). This is one my favorite sentence because as I mature I have come to realize that I cannot get caught up in the small things that go wrong in my life and that I have to keep moving on towards the bigger, better and more exciting things that are yet to come. The sentence I would most likely scratch out would be “I hate my brother”. This is the worst possible sentence that I have ever said or wrote down. I do not hate Caelahn, my 2 year old brother, but at the time my mom was pregnant I felt jealous and envious of the new family edition. I use to be the only middle daughter; now that my younger sister shares this title with me I no longer have the slot to myself. But, Caelahn’s sweet smile and little laugh make it all worth it.
2) What can I say about Comp 1 … I’m not entirely sure why I took this course as English is defiantly not one of my best subjects. I figured it would be easier to pass it in high school rather than actually taking it in college. One of the things that I like best about the class is that Mr. Christensen makes the class fun. I like how he relates to us and his sense of humor is natural; he actually is funny. Teachers like Mr. C are the ones that I will reflect back on and tell my kids about. So, even though I am not well versed in English and may not be the best essay writer in the class I know that I will still enjoy the class and anything I can learn as we go through the year will be an added bonus.
Ellis 2
First off, I did post this before the due date. I did this on Wednesday, but for some reason my response is not in those listed above. This is what I still have of my reply. The original was much better.
My sentence will sound extremely strange coming from a high school girl, but it is truly one I have been proud of since I created it. I was about ten. My mother was the director for the Vacation Bible School that year and the theme was sort of traveling in time and space to spy on biblical characters in the past. My mom had been coming up with clever names for different locations within our ‘space ship.’ I said to her, “People can use the urination station!” I did not really understand why she had rejected my idea at the time. I was just so proud that I had come up with a cool name that rhymed. I confess, when I’m down I still use the term to lighten my mood. This simple sentence may seem a bit cheesy and is probably not something to repeat to your friends, but as a ten year old I loved it.
I, personally, do not like taking sentences out of my essays. I prefer to add more to support the sentence or reword it so it has a different meaning. Putting the point in my essay made sense in my head, so I make it work on paper. People are supposed to trust their instincts. It is suggested for multiple choice tests that we stick with our first answer, because it is usually right. The first though that comes into my head is the first thing I put in my essay. However, I remember removing a quote from my essay about The Crucible last year. I wanted it in my essay because I thought it was extremely cool. John Proctor says “There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it.” (Crucible, 109) I ended up taking it out because I could not make it work with my topic, but wrote it down and pinned it to my bulletin board because I liked it so much.
Recollecting my experiences from the past week, I believe Composition 1 has been the most entertaining. Usually the first few weeks of school are spent reviewing the same lessons we learn every start of the school year. In Composition it was not that way; I actually learned something on the first day of school. I am excited for the rest of the semester and improving my writing ability which I always felt I lacked in.
Anonymous…
One of my favorite sentences that I have composed is the sentence: I believe that it is a journey to womanhood and that every girl has a slightly different path. This is a simple sentence but to me it has a lot of power behind it. A sentence that I would simply scratch out would be the sentence: I know this in not as logical as I thought it was years ago. This sentence seems choppy to me and I should have found a different way to say it without using “it was.”
My first couple weeks of school have been somewhat hectic. I remember the night before school I was scrambling to get school supplies and to make sure I had my back pack ready for the morning. Also, the initial first day of school seemed very long and it was weird to get used to. I think the best thing about being back in school is that I get to see all of my friends I couldn’t see in the summer, but the worst thing is that I hate doing homework all the time. One thing I really like about composition one is how laid back it is. I like the fact that we have a due date for homework, but it is not the very next day, we are given time to put a lot of thought into our homework. One thing I dislike is how much discussion we do. I don’t really like to voice my opinions in front of groups of people unless I am very confident of the topic.
Larson 7
Beldin 1
When I began to ponder what I thought my sentence I'd ever written was, I found the process quite tedious. But, then I'd realized that it wasn't necessarily something I'd written but more or less a sentence I'd said to my dad a few days before. I did of coarse later write it down but, not until after I had said it. "You could get me an air conditioner for my birthday, that'd be cool." I am quite proud of this sentence because, I never intended it to be whitey and yet it turned out to be quite whitey. This sentence is classified as a complex sentence. The first part is an independent clause, but the the last part is a dependent, because it reeks of a leach--that. I cannot specifically decide any sentence that I would scratch out, mainly because every time I write, when I revise I remove parts and then I redo it and even then I revise the same part. I would say though, any sentence I have written, that has should have been scratched out, probably wasn't because I didn't realize soon enough.
These first couple weeks of school have been an adventure for me. I found them quite different then I had originally anticipated. Composition 1 has kept me very interested with all topics being discussed, because of the way they have been taught. The item I personally found most relevant was classifying sentences. In the past I have struggled with identifying them, but the way you taught it in the past weeks I have gained a much greater understanding for classifying sentences. The class is different because I originally thought we would spend weeks working purely on the essay all class period then turn it in for a grade. When we talk about topics all to improve an essay, and polish it. The best thing I have learned so far is that an essay is never done, only due.
Garrow 2
1.) “The Fake eschewing away from looking like a Flounder, who in time find a team that they stay with, but in some cases is falsely recognized for acting as a bandwagon.”
I am proud of this sentence due to the rarity of finding compound-complex sentences. I also am surprised that when I was writing this sentence I ended up not knowing that I wrote a compound-complex sentence.
“Now you have an intriguing analysis of how I back the Oklahoma Sooners.”
I wrote this in my classification essay as well, and I believe that it was such a horrible way to end a paragraph, and in the overall sentence structure is that of an elementary student. Which, now looking back I wish I would’ve looked at that more closely and edited that out and added a better concluding sentence to one of my better paragraphs of that essay. It also shows laziness in my essay which I don’t like because it looks like I was just throwing it together when I actually took the time on this essay.
2.) My best moment so far has been the maturation process in this class and now knowing that time management is your friend and your baby and you need to use as much as you can and treat it with care. We as a group don’t have the time that college kids do so we have to get through adversity in a way similar to football, and mature through it. My worst moment is getting behind in class due to my surgery which really has taken a toll on me but I’m using it as a test, and working hard and still trying to stay caught up. Once I get back, I believe my writing will be way better than it is now.
Jackson 5
keeborde: Keyboard
I remember investing large amounts of time studying for spelling tests all the way up to freshman or sophomore year when they decided to take spelling out of the English curriculum, and always thought how it seemed like a waste of time because is on every device out there. Putting myself in at a view of a person that is learning English as a second language i could see how frustrating it would be to have so many words that sound the same but are spelled differently and having silent letters to deal with.
http://www.essayforum.com/writing-feedback-3/children-today-spend-too-much-time-watching-tv-anhtrung-28039/
This essay is on watching too much television. I like this essay because it has a lot of good points and chess strategies, however it does have a moderate amount of grammatical errors. The message is very clear in the thesis, and grabs your attention by asking multiple questions to make you think before continuing on into the body paragraphs to figure out the answers to them. There is good use of logos this essay as many of the key points are persuaded with logic of watching too much television makes you lazy and lazy makes you unhealthy. The writer also uses pathos when writing about her 5 year old niece who is left alone to watch T.V. and is most likely experiencing these nasty effects. The author uses the another point that staring at a screen for hours on end could cause some negative vision impairments. Her niece after nothing but T.V. to entertain her for months is now almost obligated to wear bulky glasses for the rest of her life to fix this imparity. The essay is summed up nicely has it tells what the reader should do in order to help themselves or others and shows some upsides to television if not overused and for the right reason. I feel this writer had a good understanding of how to use the C.H.E.S.S. tactics in writing as he or she had the hypothetical problems with t.v. at the beginning and gave a solution to them at the end, and he or she had evidence from her story with her niece that these problems are happening. The last three sentences of the essay are the most persuasive due to how the author sums up all his or her points nicely and gives the final solution to the problem.
Oddy 1
Trying to think of a sentence that I have composed throughout my life that I am most proud of proved to be a difficult task. This is due to the lack of the ability of being able to remember the millions of sentences I have composed throughout my life. If I had to chose one that I have recently created though, I would have to chose "Why not?". While this sentence is very simple and somewhat unoriginal, the idea behind it is very interesting. While most people base their actions on "why" they should do said action, it is possible and maybe more beneficial to live your life asking "Why not?" instead. This leads to people going outside their comfort zones and trying new things, adding some spontaneity to peoples' lives.
The first few weeks of school for me have been rather dull to say the least but not bad. Not bad at all. I have found myself to be enjoying composition I. I found the idea of classifying sentences rather interesting and useful, as it provides a tool to make essays and other pieces of literature more diverse and less dull. I think that this has helped me with my essays by enabling me to create various different types of sentences and organizing them in a manner that does not make the reader bored.
Derr 7
My favorite sentence might be: Marina marveled at the multitude of Marvel Comics in Martin's man cave. I believe I am correct in assuming this is a simple sentence. My least favorite sentence has to be: Jacob Porter was, in short, the most big-headed, rude, stuck up, incompetent, annoying boy in my school.
The first couple weeks of school was quite some time ago. Reflecting back, I have to say I was surprised at the seemingly lack of structure. I'm really excited to get started on the letter assignment.
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