Apostrophes

There are many times when writing an essay that I get scared and a little nervous that my grammar wont be or isn't good. I just recently had an example of this is. Last night I submitted my paper to the writing center online, I am pretty sure I didn't use the correct grammar. I got a little nervous that they might read my email and not want to actually read my essay...haha The issue wasn't if the correct word was used or where to put the comma, it was, where does the apostrophe go? I have always had trouble with those little guys.

In the St. Martin Guide to Writing, it helps us determine where and when to put them. There are many options you can choose from, but the ones I am going to tell you are the ones I have the most trouble with. One option is to place the apostrophe so that it marks the possessive form of nouns and some pronouns. First you have to distinguish though if it is a singular noun (one item) or a plural (two or more items). Some examples are...a student's parents, the cat's tail, Katie's essay. These show who has the possession. Be careful where you place the apostrophes you don't want the reader to mistake your word for a plural noun instead of a singular one; it can completely change the entire outlook of your sentence. An example of this can be, The apartment's design lacks softening curves to tame the bare walls. If the apostrophe had been placed after the s it would mean more the one apartment looked that way.

A lot of people have trouble, including me, when or if you place apostrophes in personal pronouns. When you are using possessive forms of personal pronouns you don't need to put an 's in words such as, yours, its, hers, his, ours, theirs, etc. It's a common mistake too make.

Hopefully as we continue to writing we will be able to find where these tricky little apostrophes go, and not them get to the best of us.

Please Give Me Some Advice

If you could post your response to my essay here, that would be greatly appricated!! I look forward to this!! THANK YOU!!

David Lee- Poet

Last Wenesday I attended the poet, David Lees reading. I wasn't sure of what to expect because, I had never attended anything of the sort. The reading was very interesting because you actually get to see where he wanted to put an emphasie and where he wanted to make it more dramatic. David Lee was quite funny, he would use a lot of hand guesters, and change his voice tone and pitch. Some of his poems were really enjoyable, but there were some that I just didn't get. I would enjoy going to another reading.

Mixed Constructions in Sentences

I know I just did this in class today, but when I write things down and put them in a place that I look often, I remember them. The question is what are mixed constructions? Sentences that change structures midway through, and they don't logically fit well together. I have a problem with this because I will often start writing with no purpose. I start a sentence with one idea and end it with another. This is a habit I need to break. In a tutorial about mixed constructions by Bedford/St. Martin's it helps us get a better understanding of these sentences. From this article there are three things they suggest you do; make sure phrases or clauses work well together, make subjects and predicates consistent or agree, and avoid the constructions; is when, is where, the reason is....because. The follow are some examples that can help us better understand.

Make phases or clauses work:

Wrong: The fact that the marathon is twenty-six miles, a length that explains why I never have finished it.

This sentence starts out with an independent clause (the fact) which is followed by a dependent clause (that the marathon is twenty-six miles). All this sentence needed was a predicate to make it complete, but instead it added another noun (a length) and dependent clause (that explains why I never finished it).

Corrected: The marathon is twenty-six miles, which is why I never have finished it.

Subject Predicate Agreement:

Wrong: The most valued trait in an employee is a person who is loyal.

The reason why this doesn't work is because a person cannot be a trait. The way it reads right now is saying that it is.

Correct: The most valued trait in an employee is loyalty.

Avoiding is when, is where, the reason is....because:

Wrong: Indigestion is when you cannot digest food.

You are using is when.

Correct: Indigestion is the inability to digest food.

As you fix this sentences they become easier to read, and less confusing.

Painting Review

The support by Rolinda Stotts is captivating because of the contrast, texture, and symmetry. The instant I looked at this painting I fell in love with it. Its warmth is very inviting, and reassuring. This is done by the contrast/color palette Rolinda chose. Upon first glance you see white aspens popping off a brown textured canvas. The painting doesn't look like it was done on normal canvas though; it looks like it was done on a piece of wood. I believe this was done on purpose, to keep the same theme of trees alive. Looking at the painting closely you can see that there is a distinct texture. When you get closer it looks as though it is bark. The painting also creates a nice symmetric look making it look clean and crisp.

I think Rolinda created a piece of artwork that is absolutely amazing. There are so many different feelings that come from it; you can feel happy, peaceful, warm, etc. That’s the beauty of artwork; you can interpret something completely different then the next. Rolinda probably thought of her painting completely different then what we did. I think that is the intent of a painting like this, to allow others to think for themselves.

Do you have questions?

One question I have often wondered is, who manufactures companies? This type of question has always been something of interest. When finding out who manufactures a certain type of food, it always catches me off guard, I never expect the outcome. Would you have guessed that the company who manufactures Starburst is Mars? I sure didn't. It defiantly caught my attention.

Starburst

Manufacturer
Candy
Marketing
Different Types
Flavors
Ingredients
U.S. or Global
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