Professor Mark Canada

 University of North Carolina at Pembroke

English Grammar

 Portfolio

 Schedule

 Canada's English

  Strategies

Professor Mark Canada

Required Supplies

Introduction

For centuries, one of the marks of an educated Briton or American is a mastery of Standard English. This course will help you to develop that mastery while also helping you to write more clearly and exposing you to several terms and reference tools important in the study of language. By the end of the course, you will have not only a grasp of the basics and a few subtleties of English grammar, but a broader understanding of the the larger field of linguistics, the study of language.

You are at the center of this course. While I will guide class discussion, design assignments, and serve as a resource, your progress and pleasure in this course depend on your active participation. By writing and talking about language, you will build knowledge and skills through practical experience. Indeed, much of what you learn in this course will come from you and your classmates, and tests will cover these student contributions, as well as the reading assignments and my contributions. For that reason, you will need to attend class regularly and take careful notes on everything you read and hear.

Portfolio

When you invest a large portion of your time and energy in a class for several months, you should expect something more than a grade in return. If you work hard in this course, you will receive a good grade, but you also will receive several other, more lasting and important benefits. In addition to mastering agreement, case, punctuation, and other conventions of Standard English, you will learn to write and edit carefully, to collaborate and teach effectively, and to use valuable library and computer resources that will help you to continue your education after this class ends.

While building a sharper, richer mind, you also will build a physical testament of you new skills and knowledge: a grammar portfolio, which will contain the following materials.

Notes
Use the paper in this section to take notes on the concepts you encounter in reading assignments and class discussions, as well as to complete exercises I assign.
Quizzes (40 points)
Because consistently using knowledge is the best way to mastering it, I emphasize frequent quizzes instead of large exams. At the beginning of each class, I will ask you to use the knowledge you have absorbed in one or more of the areas we have covered up to that point by writing a short essay, editing a sentence, or otherwise analyzing a point of grammar, mechanics, or punctuation. Because you may refer to anything in your portfolios during these quizzes, you will want to take careful notes on your reading. Each of these quizzes will be worth 1 to 5 points. You must be present when this essay is assigned to earn credit for it.
Journals (20 points)
Five times during the semester, I will ask you to respond in writing to a particular question about language. Please type your response, which should be at least a page long, and include it in this section of your portfolio. I also encourage you to share these journals by sending them to the e-mail list serve for this class. These journals are worth 4 points each, distributed as follows: insightful interpretation of specific details in the work (2 points), clarity of writing (1 point), readability (1 point).
Web site (20 points)
Research shows that teaching is the most effective means of learning. In other words, you stand a much better chance of retaining knowledge that you teach someone else than knowledge you simply read or hear. This assignment will give each of you an opportunity to teach an aspect of language to your fellow classmates, as well as the rest of the world.
Examination (20 points)
This examination will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of grammatical concepts and terms.

Please keep this portfolio neat and organized and bring it to every class, as well as conferences with me. While your grade in this course depends on the work that goes into this portfolio, I hope that its value to you will outlast this semester and that you will continue to consult it and add to it. You may even want to show it to friends, parents, prospective employers, and--someday--grandchildren to demonstrate all that you have learned this semester about language.

Be Your Best

You can expect me to be the best teacher I can be. I will be on time to class, give you my full attention and energy during every class discussion, respond thoughtfully to your oral comments and written assignments, and work hard to make this course interesting and rewarding.

I expect you to be your best, as well. Although this course is no more difficult than most college courses, it demands regular attendance, a commitment to in-class discussion and writing, and a large amount of out-of-class preparation, including reading and writing assignments, library research, and study. I expect you to make these commitments, to show up to class on time and ready to work, and to turn in neatly typed, carefully edited assignments on time. I will not accept late assignments except in the case of personal incapacitation, a death in the family, or an advance arrangement with me. For tips and strategies to help you succeed in this class and the rest of your college career, see the special site called "Be Your Best."

Schedule

Before the first class meeting of each week, study the entire chapter assigned for that week and do the exercises in it. Quizzes may cover anything in that chapter or in any preceding chapter. In most cases, we will continue to cover the material in that chapter for the remaining classes that week.

Week 1: The Study of Grammar

Week 2: Sentence Patterns

Week 3: Expanding the Main Verb

Week 4: The Noun Phrase: Nominals

Week 5: Transforming the Basic Patterns

Week 6: Modifiers of the Verb: Adverbials

Week 7: Modifiers of the Noun: Adjectivals

Week 8: Sentence Modifiers

March 9-13: Spring Break

Week 9: Coordination

Week 10: Morphemes

Week 11: The Form Classes

Week 12: The Structure Classes

Week 13: Pronouns

Week 14: Punctuation and Usage

Week 15: Rhetorical Grammar, Phonology, and Transformational Grammar

Week 16: Now What?

Week 17: Final Exam