"For yoU" Magazine

"A" or "An"?

I've always struggled with this rule when I was learning english as a child. Which has been a long time now. haha. I hope this rule helps you too.
Click HERE for the link.
A or An Rule
"A" goes before all words that begin with consonants.
a cat , a dog, a purple onion

"An" goes before all words that begin with vowels:
an apricot, an egg, an Indian

With two exceptions: When u makes the same sound as the y in you, or o makes the same sound as w in won, then a is used.
Examples: a union, a united front, a unicorn, a used napkin, a U.S. ship, a one-legged man

Modes of Writing

I think I might do the Argument mode or the Compare and Contrast modes of writing. I tend to take sides on this subject, so therefore I need to write according to what style I am most strongly about. Click HERE for the link that explains the Argument mode. Also click HERE for the link explains the Compare and Contrast mode. 

Exclamation Points

Rule. Use the exclamation point to show emphasis or surprise. Do not use the exclamation point in formal business writing.   Example: I'm truly shocked by your behavior!

There are many times when I'm writing a letter and I misuse the exclamation point by using it incorrectly. I tend to put lots of exclamation points when it is most certainly unnecessary. 

Click HERE for the link. 

Period Rule

Periods

Rule 1. Use a period at the end of a complete sentence that is a statement. Example: I know that you would never break my trust intentionally.

This rule is very useful to everyone. We need to make sure that the sentence is a complete sentence. At times I forget to use the period correctly.

To go to this link click HERE.

Framing Class

I thought this essay to be quite interesting. Although at times it did seem a little negative, I still agree with some of Diana's points about the different classes of society and life. "The media also suggest that we need have no allegiance to people in our own class or to those who are less fortunate." This quote is exactly right. Within the media and advertisements we are shaped into what we want and need in our lives. We start to neglect our own class and the class which is "below" us, in order to gain the class above and beyond what we currently own. The media is quite influential in our homes, work offices, and educational campuses around the world. The media shapes and designs what we psychologically want and need current and in the future.

"Vicarious living- watching how other individuals live rather than experiencing life for ourselves- through media representations of wealth and success is reflected in many people's reading and viewing habits and in their patterns of consumption. According to hooks, television promotes hedonistic consumerism."

This definition of what vicarious living explains how a large chunk of our nation lives today. They choose to live by watching others succeed instead of doing the work themselves in order to gain the satisfaction of accomplishments. 

Grammar Post of the Week

I have always struggled and have seen other people struggle when they use the word "of". Most people have a tendency to use "of" incorrectly. 

Rule 3.	0f should never be used in place of have.
	Correct:	I should have done it.
	Incorrect:	I should of done it.

Click HERE for the link. 

Transition words!

I have always struggled with transitioning ideas together within the same essay. Hopefully this list of transition words will help you as much as it helped me. I didn't realize how many words that I can use in order to make my essay flow better than before. So I thought I better take Mrs. Stutton's advice and look on this subject. The link is HERE.

Addition:
also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly

Consequence:
accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, 
hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore

Adjectives and Adverbs

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Definition - Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe (That is a cute puppy.) or they may follow the word they describe (That puppy is cute.). Definition - Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where.

Rule 4.	When referring to health, use well rather than good.
	Examples:	I do not feel well.
		You do not look well today.
	NOTE:	You may use good with feel when you are not referring to health.
	Example:	I feel good about my decision to learn Spanish.

Adjectives and Adverbs

            Some of the problems I have is knowing exactly when properly use the words "Good and Well". So this rule helps me understand what I need to change and what I was doing wrong before. I also had to dictate which one was a adjective or an adverb.  To get the the link click HERE. 

I Just Wanna Be Average

Throughout this essay I felt like I could relate to some of the things Mike Rose said. For instance, the crazy challenging teachers are most certainly crazy, but each one of these teachers taught me something new. Each teacher would have their own unique teaching style that I would take the good points out for my own teaching style. All the bad techniques in teaching I've observed from them and vowed to myself that I will never repeat the same situations to the future students that I'll teach. 

When Rose says "Students will float to the mark you set" I felt like I agreed with that point. This point is very true because the students will learn very quickly what they need to do in order to accomplish such tasks for the class. If they don't met to the standard you set, the students will learn by failing the class. Either way, the student will know and adapt to the rules and mark you set. 

There were a couple lines in this essay that made me laugh and chuckle to myself. Sadly, because some of feelings and actions he took are some of the things I've been experimenting today. This is shown in the following quote:

 "I got bored with history. My attention flitted here and there. I fooled around in class and read my books indifferently -- the intellectual equivalent of playing with your food. I did what I had to do to get by, and I did it with half a mind."

Comma, Comma, Comma....

Comma, Comma, Comma.....

     Rule of Commas.... Even though I've had years of schooling on this subject, I still have troubles knowing when, and where to put the commas. Hopefully this rule will help you too, as it helped me too. 

    Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.

The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
The student explained her question, yet the instructor still didn't seem to understand.
Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.

Here's the link....

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_comma.html

Michael Moore

Previous to this class, I had no idea who Michael Moore was. Before that class he sounded like a basketball player or a movie actor but I soon found out that he most certainly is not either of those. Before reading this essay, being forewarned about his writing I was prepared to anything to come my way. I thought he would write about something very touchy and create it into something that would offend people in the world today. I came to find out, that thought was true. Along with the others I read this essay with a few little laughs about what he said. He wasn't afraid to say what he wanted to say in order to get a large reaction and a captive audience. I think that's his entire goal just to captive the audience with something, but doesn't necessary mean that he wants his opinion to last, as long as he met his goal. 

Michael Moore did a very good job backing up his statements and proving them in order to get the reader, in this case myself, to agree with him. Writers with such talent can make a whole nation think and rethink in what they believe in and value. I also thought that it was quite entertaining that he is a very contradicting person. He loves to complain about the school system, but yet he couldn't even beat the system himself. The whole system turns into a "game". We just need to know how to "beat" this game, by learning and understanding the rules and applying them to our own personal game. The school system alone is not there to make us learn, we have our responsibilities to move forward to expand our own horizons to gain a higher education. I think that the only person we can blame for not learning and growing, is ourselves. We are the only ones in charge of our own destiny. Why wait for others to make us "great", if we can do that better ourselves?

The Moynihan Report was a very significance purpose for American families at the time. It made people think and ponder upon what a family should like. In today's world we still ponder the same issue but with a new twist of human nature. This issue still consists and deals with the rolls of a family today. During the times of slaves, Most african-american families were rob of this opportunity to value a family. These families were stripped of the chance to the family rolls, and had to work equally together in order to meet the masters' commands. They learned of this create and marvelous bond called "Team work", or in other words "Family work". To get the job done quickly and most correct as possible to prevent separation of family members or enormous pain. 

The Moynihan Report shows all the incorrect ways to work as a family, or all the mistakes shown by such results of freedom to the "uncivilized" citizens of America. The Moynihan Report also shows the rolls in these families getting swapped around in order to get the job done. Although it seemed they failed many times, they weren't afraid to take a risk. They weren't afraid to give the tasks to all the family members to learn and grow, even when the "roll" in the normal american family never dared to enter into such a risk. Moynihan's Report was a very influential factor into creating the equal american families we are still pondering about today. This one report created many of thoughts and feelings of the people to come out and speak for not just African-American families, but for white americans as well.

Grammar Post

1. Who and Whom has been a very hard rule for me to follow, I always mix the two words up when using it in a sentence. 

2.

Rule.	Use the he/him method to decide which word is correct.  he = who  him = whom
	Examples:	Who/Whom wrote the letter? He wrote the letter. Therefore, who is correct.
		For who/whom should I vote? Should I vote for him? Therefore, whom is correct.

Security

My first thoughts of the cartoon consisted of laughter and thought of this as a satire photo.  I feel as if the cartoon is speaking the truth and yet, it gives me a little laugh. As the security gets stricter throughout our country, when shall we know what items we are allowed in our lives these days? This weekend I had the opportunity of flying on a airplane and got the experience to go through security. I feel as if everything possession is being stripped from my life at the very moment to make sure I'm not a "treat" to the country. 

There have been other places, besides the airport, where they've had security systems to make sure everyone is safe and protected. With increasing security it does protect us, but yet at the same time.... is it taking our freedoms and rights? In ten years from now will I even be able to carry anything in my purse over 3 ounces or anything sharp in any form? It's amazing how many ways they can search a person's luggage and belongings for the "unsafe" items. 

When I first looked at this cartoon, I had to think and ponder for a moment what I should learn. At first this cartoon showed me that we all need to understand and learn about the Bill of rights. Next I read the list posted up on the wall in this cartoon, It gives us a law but then twists it to make fun of the latest issue of Homosexual citizens. Although the message contradicts with what I believe, I consider this cartoon to be very highly effective to Irony, with a touch of humor to make us laugh a little. 

This cartoon artist also used the tricky ways to shrink Bush into a little man, in order to influence the ways of the world today. After studying this cartoon for a minute I had to register what was going on in the sign posted on the wall. I read it again and discovered instead of "The Bill of Rights" It says "The Bill of Denied Rights." I certainly think this cartoon is ironic and effective in the newspapers today. 

 

1. I have always struggled with knowing when to put a hyphen in a word or to combined two words.

2.

Generally, hyphenate between two or more adjectives when they come before a noun and act as a single idea.
Examples:	friendly-looking man  (compound adjective in front of a noun)
	friendly little girl  (not a compound adjective)
	brightly lit room  (Brightly is an adverb describing lit, not an adjective.)

3. For the grammar rule link click HERE.