Grammar Post #13

Trying to figure out whether to use who or whom may sometimes be a bit confusing. The only time I've used whom was to say: To whom it may concern. Are there other times when whom is correct over who? An easy way to decide which is correct is to use the he/him method. If the sencetnce sounds better saying he then use who, if him is more appropriate whom is correct. Just remember:
He=who
Him=whom
Who/Whom wrote the letter?
He wrote the letter. OR Him wrote the letter.
Obviously, He wrote the letter is correct. Therefore, Who is the correct term. By knowing this easy method, you can now eliminate some confusion when writing. Look at this website for more examples.

THE CRUCIBLE

I went to The Crucible on Thursday night. At first I was very excited to see it. I read the play in school and saw a high school preformance and really enjoyed them both. I was eager to see how Dixie would compare. The stage was set up into a more intimate setting. The bleachers were in a half circle enclosing the actors. It was neat to watch them so close. All the actors did an amazing job. Do you have to go to Dixie to be in the plays? A lot of them looked like they were to old. As the play progressed, it seemed like all they were doing was yelling every line. For me, it made it hard to understand what they were saying. Also there were times where the actors had their back turned towards you, again making it hard to understand. By intermission I had become restless. I loss my intereset in this THREE hour play.

Art Gallery Extra Credit

While walking around the Art Gallery a certain painting caught my eye. The painting "Cowgirls Dusk" by Rod Peterson is beautiful because of the colors, details, and it is inspiring. The colors in the sky are powerful and bold. The pink and purple mixed make a mesmerizing sunset. Every color captures the moment. You can see the passion Rod put into it. The classic blue car is detailed with care. Even though it takes up almost the whole picture, it does not take away from other focal points. To me this painting symbolizes inspiration and hope. Looking out over the falling night sky, this girl has time to reflect. Maybe feeling a lone she drives into isolation to find herself. Sometimes when I feel all alone or had a bad day, I like to look over the mountains or city lights. It gives me a chance to relax, think, and hope. I think that is what she is doing. Over coming a difficult time, trying to feel better and become stronger. She may be alone now, but she has hope for tomorrow.

Group Plan

As a group we discussed many topics that interested all of us about psychology. We looked at mental illnesses that effect the brain, how to evaluate if someone was mentally unstable, what drives a person to kill or commit crimes, symptoms that psychologist see most often like anger and depression, and many others. In the end we decided our research question would be, what are the different types of schizophrenia and their affects on the human brain. Promising sources that we are going to look at are the library academic databases, Encyclopedias, and school textbooks. We are setting multiple group meetings to work on the presentation as a team.

Psychology Topics

-Schooling: How much and where?
-How do they determine the mental stability of someone?
-Training: Learning to do racial profiling or body language?
-When are psychologist most needed?
-What is the average time length that most patients see a psychologist?
- What is the most common symptom that psychologists treat? Anger, depression....
-How does someone become mentally unstable? Brain malfunction or dramatic experiences?

Grammar Post #12

Sentences and Fragments

Alot of the time I write short sentences, thinking that I can state an idea faster. These sentences may not be complete sentences, only fragments. So what's the difference? Fragments do not contain a main clause. There are three essential parts to a sentence: subject, verb, and complete thought. They are pieces of a puzzle. Examples of fragments are:

And yawned loudly enough to make everyone in class turn around.

Subject = Ø ; verb = yawned; complete thought = Ø.

The boy sitting on the fire escape dropping water balloons on the pedestrians below.

Subject = boy; verb = Ø; complete thought = Ø.

After Gabriel ate half a box of Devil Dogs.

Subject = Gabriel; verb = ate; complete thought = Ø.

A way to fix fragments is to add more information or connect with another sentence. Knowing what kind of fragment you are dealing with will help as well. Subordinate clause, participle phrase, infinitive phrase, afterthought, lonely verb phrase, or appositive are all types of sentence fragments. Subordinate clauses can start with words like: because, since, unless, provided that, if, before, as, who, where, when, and many more.

Participle phrases start with a word ending in ing or ed. Infinitive phrases begin with to followed by a base verb: to watch, to catch. Words like especially, except, excluding, for example, for instance, including and like usually begin an afterthought. Lonely verbs are usually missing the subject and begin sentences with and, but, or, for, nor, yet, so. An appositive starts with a noun and has many clarifying phrase or subordinate clauses following. A slacker wastes his afternoon in front of the television is an example of an appositive.

Check out this website for more knowledge.

Dixie State and Cambridge Lecture

Professors Paul and Nancy started the lecture of with two beautiful music numbers on the piano and violin. The first song they played was Beethoven. It was amazing, makes me want to play an instrument. After they finished, a slide show was presented. Picture after picture of Europe was shown. My favorite was the one of McDonald's! Professor Mosley finally took the podium. He is a white haired English man who had been teaching at Cambridge University for nearly forty years. Many professors had left Oxford because of conflict and built Cambridge in 1209. Celebrating it's 800 year this year (2009). To this day Oxford is still their rivals. Cambridge has produced many Noble Prize winners, more than France. Pro. Mosley is a very entertaining lecturer. Even with his accent, his personality was humorous. Definitely someone I'd go listen to again.

Opposition Revision

New techniques are being developed. Skin cells are being turned into Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) that mimic embryonic cells. In addition, Adult, neonatal, cord blood or placental human stem cells, and animal stem cells are other sources that are not involved in the ethical debate. The use of embryonic stem cells may over shadow these alternative methods, resulting in the loss of research that may be as valuable. Why not use these methods? Government funding for alternative research on embryonic stem cells would be beneficial in the long run. By protecting Human Rights, these methods could be more ethical.

Proposition Revision

The potential knowledge hidden in stem cells could have an explosion of health benefits. Imagine returning memory to an Alzheimer's patient, restore skin that was lost during a dreadful accident, or enable a wheelchair-bound person to walk. Obtaining this information could help scientist perform more tasks like regenerating nerve cells and creating new cartilage and bone, which will help with stroke, spinal cord injuries, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Many diseases, like cancer or sickle cell anemia, are created by deformed cells. Other diseases that may be treated are Parkinson’s disease, Diabetes, and vision loss.

Grammar Post #11

Parentheses, very mysterious. When do you use them? I don't know the last time I used them. I can't even remember when to use them or why you use them. There are probably many places where I should use them, but instead substitute a comma. One rule for using parentheses is to enclose words, phrases, numbers that are clarify another part of the sentence.

Example: He owes me a dollar ($1).

You also use parentheses when you are listing items. If the phrase inside the parentheses is a complete sentence then you use a period. Better examples were found at this website.

Grammar Post #10

Capitalizing is a pretty simple rule that most of us either forget or are just to lazy to do. Many are obvious like the first word in the sentence or proper nouns. Most of us capitalize a person's title, but if it is following the name the only time you do is if it is in an address or signature line. There are more rules for capitalizing then I thought. Other places where capitalization is important are:
-The first word is a quote. "To be or not to be."
-Signature line: Mr. Barns, President
Something I found interesting was you capitalize government officials only if it comes with a name before or after.
-The president will address Congress.
- All senators are expected to attend.
Some of these rules we do subconsciously. At this website I found 17 different rules for capitalizing.

Complications

So far this book has kept me entertained. Some of the doctor terms were a little confusing and I didn't really understand some parts. I like that he's telling stories that happened to him. Stories that he learned from. The first part makes me more cautious to go to the doctors. It's scary to know that they doubt themselves or may not be educated enough to fix you. There was a part in the book where his child was sick and he wanted a specialist to be the doctor. That does make it harder for newer doctors to learn, but I agree with him. If I was sick or my child I wouldn't want to turn our case into a learning experience. I'd feel safer with someone that is an expert in that area and does that everyday. I know that if i ever get a hernia I'm going to the Shouldice Hospital. You always assume that doctors know everything but with technology growing they are continually learning and growing to help save our lives.

110 Degrees Under the Sun

I enjoyed watching 110 Degrees Under the Sun. I was surprised at how good the actors are. Their voices were amazing and they all brought a unique personality to their characters. By the end you were into it. I enjoyed the part where Starbucks comes into town and claims he can bring rain. He starts singing a song and by the end they're all singing and convinced that he really can. It's entertaining. I don't know who plays the lead girl, Lizzie, but her voice is very pretty. I can't just give credit to the actors. The behind-the-scene guys did amazing. Although their props were simple I'm sure it took time to create. You can see their talent explodes in the hand painted mountains. I wish I was artsy like that.

David Lee

I have never been to a poetry reading before so I wasn't quiet sure what to expect. I know there are different ways to write a poem but for some reason I thought that every word was going to be ryhming. His poems told stories and had meaning. I really liked that. David kept you entertained the entire hour through his sense of humor and and hand gestures. Sometimes it was hard for me to follow the poems. This experience has helped me become a little more cultured and I would like to attend more in the future. I hope that I can gain a better appreciation for the poety world and start to undersatnd them easier. Also, i think it is great that his was the first white guy to play in the minor baseball Nigro league. It was either in Texas or Flordia. I can't remember that part.

Grammar Post #9

I guess I have a problem with nonrestrictive clauses, since that's what my grammer presentation is on. Anything that I feel is not a necessity to a sentence a surround in commas. Nonrestrictive clauses are a group of words, set of by commas, that are not essentail to the sentence. With or without that clause the meaning of the sentence remains the same. Nonrestrictive clauses can be at the end of the sentence or in the middle. You use commas when you are talking about one specific object that everyone knows about. If you are describing someone in a crowd, for instance, then you do not use commas.

The man in the black hat is 102 years old. Here you can assume that there are many more peolpe around the man. You describe him so others will know who you are talking about. That makes "in the black hat" essential, so no commas are needed.
But if you say it The man, in the black hat, is 102 years old. This could tell you that there is only one man and you wouldn't need to describe him for other to know who you were talking about.
For more examples go HERE!

Grammar Post #8

Ending your sentences with a preposition isn't always necessary. I always say, out of habit, "Where are they at?". The meaning of the sentence is clear just by saying, "where are they?" so I shouldn't add the at. Some sentences you need to have a preposition at the end or it wouldn't make any sense. Like "How many of you can I count on?" without on the sentence would not be complete. The on helps you realize that this person is depending on these people to show up somewhere, not just counting them for fun. Here's a link where I found the information.

Review research

What was the rating for The Emperor's New Groove?

The comedic styling of The Emperor's New Groove was entertaining for both children and adults. It took the producer, Randy Fullmer, and many more talented people six years to develop. Even with the significant alterations from the original concept, The Emperor's New Clothes, the movie fell just short of a blockbuster. The film did receive a nomination for Best Song, "My Funny Friend and Me". The movie received just enough success to release a straight to DVD sequel, Kronk's New Groove, and an animated television show, The Emperor's New School. The Emperor's New Groove is a hilarious movie that you could watch over and over again.

Art Gallery

The sculpture, Grace, by Joshua Spendlove is captivating because of the intense detail, the 3D image, and the nostalgics. All of the aspects draw you into the piece.

The precise detailing of Grace is so compelling. Everything from the eyebrows and lips to the detail on her dress was sketched with great care. You can see the passion from the artist because of the time and effort put into it. Every little detail brings the ballerina to life. Just looking at her fingertips you can see emotion emanating from them.

I really liked that this piece was three dimensional. I feel it made it more complex. You can't stop with one side, you have to go all the way around. You get to see it from different angles. Even though it's miniaturized it seems more realistic to me.

Looking at this piece made me wish that I was a dancer. I played lots of sports and was kind of a tomboy. Dancers are graceful, girlie, and get to dress up all the time. Every little girl should get to dance. They have a certain glow of confidence radiating all around them. They know what they want and they take it. I felt inspired when I saw Grace.

Grammar Post #7

Comma splices are hard for me because I think every sentence needs to be long. I want to put all the information into one sentence. I forget that It's OK to have short sentences to make your thought sound better. A comma splice happens when you conjoin two independent clauses with a comma. You could easily make them two sentences with a period or use a semi-colon instead.
Example:
Incorrect: I like chocolate ice cream, it tastes so delicious.
Correct: I like chocolate ice cream. It tastes so delicious.
Correct: I like chocolate ice cream; it tastes so delicious.
More examples are located at this website.

Best/Worst Movie

I would give The Emperors New Groove an Oscar because of the actors, the animation, and the story line. This movie pulls you in, releasing information at just the right time. You want to finish the movie just to find out if Cuzco stays a llama forever. I love the part when Cuzco dresses up as a women so him and Pancha can eat at the dinner. When Ezma and Kronk stumble upon the same dinner and Kronk ends up cooking. Even sitting at tables next to each other, they are so oblivious that Kusco and Pancha can barely escape.
Who ever picked the actors got it dead on. Just by using their voices they bring the characters to life. You find yourself having favorites and rooting them on. Patrick Warburton brings a slower side out of Kronk. I mean who else would have their own theme song music. With his dumb humor and meat head personality you can't help but fall in love with him. The voice of Ezma is vindictive. She wants the power. You get the feeling of spite from her voice.
If you pay attention, you can pick out little thing in the animation that make the movie even funnier. At dinner Kronk and Ezma try to kill Cuzco. After Ezma throws her drink onto a plant and the plant turns into a llama. Another example of the animation is when Cuzco gives a description of Ezma. You can see all her wrinkles, crooked teeth, and even food particles in her teeth.

Grammar Post #6

When do you write out numbers and when do you not? I never thought I had trouble with this until I actually read the rules. There are many rules to writing numbers:
1) Any number 0-9 is spelt out. Ten and above are numerical.
- I hit three homeruns.
2) Keep the sentence consistant. Use numericals OR write them out.
- There are 12 computers in the library and 5 are being use.
3) If you are stating a decade you put an apostrophe in front of the decade and not inbetween the number and the s.
- '80s, '50s, '40s, '90s '70s
For more number writing rules continue on.

Grammar Post #5

Em and En dashes......who knew? Em dashes are about the width of an m. They can be used to replace commas, parenthesses, and colons. They are used to enchance a point or when there is a change in the idea.
Example:
Never have I met such a lovely person—before you.
I wish you would—oh, never mind.

En dashes, go figure, are the width of an n. These dashes are used to replace the word to.
Example:
from June – August
California – Flordia coast line

More information here!

Group Research

I'm going to do my research on polygamists.

Two topics that I'm leaning towards are:

1) What effect does this lifestyle have on their children?

2) What is their motivation for staying polygamist?

What do you think?

Grammar Post #4

I have trouble with colons because I never use them. The only punctuations that I use are periods and commas. When you write a complete sentence and a list of items follow, you use a colon not a comma. Do not use a colon if the sentence is not a complete one. Only use colons after salutations on a letter if it is not a complete sentence.
Examples:
Salutation: Dear Mr. Smith:
I need the following from the grocery store: eggs, butter, milk, cookies
There are six different colon rules located here for more information.

Grammar Post #3

Spacing:

Somewhere, in my many years of school, I was taught that you leave two spaces after a period. After reading the SMGTW I found it was wrong. In APA and MLA styles of writing it is correct to leave only one space after the period.

Example:

The dog chased the cat. The cat chased the mouse. Incorrect

The dog chased the cat. The cat chased the mouse. Correct

This website helped me to further understand why.

Reading Revision

“Take Me Out To The Ball Game”, written by Jack Norworth, could be heard in the parking lot as our school bus approached Anaheim stadium. I couldn't believe it, my first Major League Baseball game ever. The sugary sweet smell of cotton candy reached my nose. The excitement flowed through my body as we stepped over the empty peanut shells and into our seats. The best part about that day was watching it with my brother.

"Take Me Out To The Ball Game", written by Jack Norworth, could be heard in the parking lot as our school bus approached Anaheim Stadium. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was finally here, my first Major League Baseball game. The sugary, sweet smell if cotton candy reached my nose. The excitement surged through my body as my brother and I stepped over the empty peanut shells and into our seats. I started playing baseball when I was four. As soon as my brother was old enough we played on a co-ed team. Everyday we practiced together. Throw. Catch. Hit. Throw. Catch. Hit. We were going to be the best. The love we shared for the game brought us closer. Our bond is priceless. My brother is leaving for his mission on January 28, 2009. I'm going to miss him, but I am extremely proud of the choices he's made and the example he's been. When I hear this song I'm reminded of my best friend, my brother.

Soundtrack to my life

Last year I moved to St. George and I knew absolutely no one. It was the first time I wouldn’t be able to walk up the stairs to talk to my mom. I was excited, but extremely nervous. I didn’t have to check in with anyone and I made my own curfew. I felt liberated. All the power, I thought I had, slowly disappeared and loneness checked in. I heard “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” by Carrie Underwood on the radio. The calming beat cleared away the clouds of anxiety. Even though I felt alone, I realized I wasn’t. Whenever I hear this song a soothing sensation fills my soul.

When darkness blanketed the night sky, we jumped into the white jeep wrangler and took off down the road. My friends and I were the coolest nerds on the block. We blasted “Bad” by Michael Jackson throughout the car and the window shattering singing commenced. I felt free and alive. My soul was invigorated. I had become a prisoner to the beat and I like it. The late summer nights we spent together comes alive through this song.

Grammar Post #2

When does the apostrophe go before the s ('s) and when does it go after (s'). I can never remember where to put them to show possessions. If the word is singular you use ('s). Even if it ends in an s. The only time you use (s') is if the word is plural and ends with an s.

Example Singular words: Jess's hat, children's coloring book, girl's jewelry

Plural Words: houses' roofs, friends' letter

For further knowledge on apostrophe's go here.

Defining Moment

A defining moment in my life was when I found out that my non-married sister was pregnant. I was seventeen, two years younger than her. I remember my mom calling me and my brother into her room. As we approached the door I could hear my sister softly crying. Right then my whole body went numb. I knew something was wrong. We sat in silence for a little bit until my sister was able to speak. With tears streaming down her face, she quietly spoke,"I'm pregnant." All of a sudden everything went blurry and I couldn't see straight. That was the last thing I was expecting her to say. I looked in my mom's eyes and could see how much this saddened her. When she was done I gave her a hug and went to my room. I locked the door and started crying. I thought, "How could she do something like this." What was she thinking? I was disappointed.. She was my big sis. I looked up to her and she let me down. That's what I thought at the time.
Even though she lived with us I ignored her. I more or less made her feel like an outcast in our own family. I was a horrible sister. I remember my dad saying, "What's done is done. Let's just deal with it and move on." He was so nonchalant about it. Hearing the news didn't phase him a bit. The saying, "Forgive and forget" seemed impossible. I wanted to fogive her, but I couldn't. My teenage stubbornness resented her for the next two years.
Looking back on this event I've now come to realize how petty I was. Where was my loyalty and support for my sister when she needed me the most?
Now, I have the cutest niece ever and I wouln't trade her for anything. You never realize how important you family is. When you feel alone they're always there, ready to listen. Even though my sister my not know it she changed my life. I feel that she helped me become a better person.

Grammar #1

Commas have always been difficult for me. Anytime I feel there needs to be a break in the sentence I just throw one in. One rule is using them with introductory words, phrases, and clauses. The comma lets you know when the introdution has ended and the where the main idea is beginning.
Example: With a jerk, I lofted the lure in a desperate attempt to catch a fish.
For futher information check out this website.

The story "Calling Home" is about a thirteen year old girl, named Jean Brandt. Jean and her family headed to the mall for last minute Christmas shopping. While at the mall Jean and her sister go to the General Store, which is her favorite. As she walked down the isle a Snoopy button caught her eye. She shoved it in her pocket and walked out of the store. She was caught, handcuffed, and taken to wait in a jail cell until her parents came to pick her up. In "An American Childhood" Annie Dillard learned about determination and perseverance. As one man chases them for throwing snowballs at his car. He doesn't stop till he catches them.

I believe writers use framing so you can visualize a scence. You get a picture printed in your mind then by the end of the story everything comes together. As a reader I may be able to understand and anaylize the story.

Many elements make up a well told story. Writing thougths of characters, setting the scene, learning a lesson or decribing it in detail all help to make you feel like you are there. I enjoy reading stories that I can't predict what's going to happen. I have my own theroies, but sometimes they are totally wrong. I like books that make you think a little.

English 1010

I have never been a master in English. In fact, it's my weak point. Writing this short blog will probably take well over an hour. I know my feelings and views, but somewhere between my brain and the paper I can't get the words out. I hope by the end of the semester I will feel more comfortable with my writing and have gained a better knowledge of it.

I'm pretty nervous about keeping a blog and putting myself out there for the whole class. Keeping a blog, however, gives you a chance to be heard. By giving others and chance to agree or disagree with your opinion helps you keep an open mind and to better understand any situation. In ways blogging is a good thing. It helps you stay connected with family and friends. I think it's become so popular because you get answers faster than a normal letter. Every one's always in a hurry. It's also a way to get your thoughts and feelings out. I have never been a big fan of myspace and other forms of blogging. I hope by letting others read my writing that it will help me become more confident in myself.