1. The High School Writing Survival Guide
Recognizing and avoiding all of those common writing mistakes!

2. Mistake #1 Writing is too BORING!!!!
Nothing makes a teacher yawn and use her red pen like a boring paper. How can you make your paper NOT SO BORING??? CHANGE UP YOUR SENTENCE STRUCTURE.

3. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
SIMPLE SENTENCE- has a subject and a predicate; has a complete thought. It is a single independent clause. Essay writing is difficult. Write 6 sentences about “scrambled eggs” using nothing but simple sentences.

4. So what is a “clause”
Independent clause: contains a subject and a predicate; combined, they create a complete thought. Dependent clause: contains a subject and a predicate; combined, they do not create a complete thought. They cannot stand alone—or become a simple sentence.

5. Compound Sentences
A compound sentence is the first step in jazzing up your writing. Compound sentence: contains two or more independent clauses. Essay writing is difficult; it gives me a headache.

6. WARNING! Major mistake maker and red pen drainer:
A compound sentence has to be combined in one of three ways.
Use a semicolon to combine the two independent clauses.
Essay writing is difficult; it gives me a headache.
2. Use a comma and one of the FANBOYS

7. For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
Essay writing is difficult, and it gives me a headache. 3. Using a semicolon followed by an adverb like therefore, however, or nevertheless. Essay writing is difficult; therefore it gives me a headache.

8. Your turn
Take your 6 simple sentences and combine them, making them compound sentences. Use all three of the “joining” methods at least once.

9. Okay, that’s better, but we still sound pretty monotonous!
Complex Sentences-have one independent clause and one dependent clause.
Remember a clause—no matter what kind—has a subject and a predicate.
How it functions in the sentence determines if it is independent (can stand alone) or dependent ( depends on the rest of the sentence to make it make sense)
Totally confused?????

10. Types of Clauses: Adverb Clause
Because essay writing is hard, it gives me a headache.
Dependent Clause
Independent Clause
Essay writing, which is hard, gives me a headache
Dependent Clause

11. Subordinating Conjunctions
Adverb clauses-begin with a subordinating conjunction
After because since until when as if if than
Although before so long as though while whenever Unless

12. Noun Clauses- as dependent clauses
Noun clauses (any function of a noun-subject, DO, appositive, subject complement, IO, O of P. Subject-(dependent) That essay writing gives me a headache, is an understatement. Direct Object-(dependent) I know that essay writing gives me a headache. Appositive-(dependent) Essay writing, that thing that gives me a headache, is hard.

13. Adjective Clauses as dependent clauses
Use Relative Pronouns to begin the clause Who, whom, whose, which, that Or Subordinate Conjunctions When, where, why

14. Practice:
Make up a sentence using a adverb clause. Make up a sentence using a noun clause. Make up a sentence using an adjective clause. Examine your sentences closely; are any of your sentences complex? Bring all sentences to class.

15. Your Turn Again- in class assignment
Take your compound sentences and turn them into complex sentences. You may have to add a few words and take away a few others.

16. And now….the grand-daddy of them all
THE COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE At least two or more independent clauses and at least one or more dependent clauses. Whoooo! What a sentence. Because essay writing is hard, it gives me a headache, but it makes me a better writer.

17. How good are you?
Combine your complex sentences into one compound-complex sentence.