What is a critique? Builds upon a summary
a formalized, critical reading of a passage that includes a personal response
purpose is to turn a critical reading of a passage into a systematic evaluation to deepen a reader’s understanding of that passage
Addresses two broad questions
To what extent does the author succeed in his/her purpose?
To what extent do you agree with the author?
How to Organize a Critique
1. Introduction identify the article title and author
provide background information that answers one or
more of the following questions:
Why is the subject of current interest?
How or why is the subject of the passage controversial?
What is the author’s background?
Under what circumstances was the passage written?
include a specific thesis statement
How to Organize a Critique
2. Summary
summarizes the author’s main points and purpose for
writing
is brief, complete, objective, and avoids plagiarism
How to Organize a Critique
3. Assessment of presentation
essay objectively assesses the validity of the
author’s presentation by commenting on the author’s
success in achieving his/her purpose by reviewing 3
or 4 specific points
How to Organize a Critique
3. Assessment of presentation
The specific points are based upon the following
criteria:
Is the information accurate?
Is the information significant?
Has the author clearly defined terms?
Has the author used and interpreted information
fairly? Has the author argued logically?
How to Organize a Critique
4. Personal response to the
presentation
Essay responds to the author’s views
Essay discusses reasons for agreement and/or
disagreement
Questions to answer include:
With which views do you agree? Why?
With which views do you disagree? Why?
How to Organize a Critique
5. Conclusion states conclusions about the overall validity of the
article
assesses author’s success at achieving aims
mentions personal reactions to author’s views
restates the thesis by mentioning the
weaknesses/strengths of passage
Active verbs
Whenever possible avoid the passive voice
and use the active voice
Makes writing crisper, more lively, more
concise
Avoid or replace be verbs
be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been
The fly ball was caught by Hernando.
Hernando caught the fly ball.
Active Verbs
Use the active voice unless you have a good
reason for choosing the passive.
In active, the subject does the action
In passive, the subject receives the action
Mostly scientific writing
The settlers stripped the land of timber.
The land was stripped of timber by the settlers.
Active Verbs
Replace be verbs that result in dull or wordy
sentences
As a rule, choose a subject that names the
person or thing doing the action.
Active or passive? If it’s passive, make it
active. If it’s active, make it passive.
1. Thomas fed his dog.
2. The dog is fed by Thomas.
3. The family went to the beach.
4. The letter was written by Marshall.
5. The game had been won by the blue team.
6. The problem was solved.
7. The stunt man risked his life.
8. The fire was extinguished.
9. The car was being cleaned by its owner
10. It gets cold here during the winter.
Grammar Task
Write five sentences that use active verbs.
Write five sentences that use passive verbs.
Parts of Speech Preposition
indicates the relationship between the noun or
pronoun that follows it and another word in the
sentence
At, by, for, from, in, of, on, to , with
The road to the summit travels past craters from
an extinct volcano.
Prepositions
Can you end a sentence with a preposition?
Where are you at?
Where are you?
She displayed the good humor she’s known for.
She displayed the good humor for which she is known.
I want to know where he came from.
I want to know from where he came.
Prepositions
She is a person I cannot cope with.
She is a person with whom I cannot
cope.
If the restructured sentence sounds contrived and
unnatural, simply rewrite the sentence:
It is behavior I will not put up with.
It is behavior up with which I will not put.
It is behavior I will not tolerate.
Grammar Task
Restructure or rewrite five sentences that end
in a preposition. Make sure to include the
original sentence.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement
What is a pronoun?
Substitutes a noun
He, she, it, her, him, they, we, us, them
What is an antecedent?
Noun or pronoun that a pronoun refers to
Dr. Berto finished her rounds.
The hospital interns finished their rounds.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement Do not use plural pronouns to refer to singular
antecedents
3 Ways to correct
When someone travels outside the US for the first time, they need to apply for a passport.
Replace plural pronoun with he or she (his or her)
When someone travels outside the US for the first time, he or she needs to apply for a passport.
Make antecedent plural
When people travel outside the US for the first time, they need to apply for a passport.
Rewrite sentence to correct problem
Anyone who travels outside the US for the first time needs to apply for a passport.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement Do not use plural pronouns to refer to singular
antecedents
These indefinite pronouns are all singular
Anybody anyone anything each
Everybody either everyone
everything
Nobody no one neither nothing
Somebody someone something
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement Treat collective nouns as singular unless the
meaning is clearly plural
Collective nouns are treated as a group and functions as a unit
Jury committee audience couple
Crowd class troop family team
The committee granted its permission to build.
Sometimes they act as individuals though
The committee put their signatures on the document.
Simplify by adding a clearly plural antecedent
The members of the committee put their signatures on the document.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement Treat most compound antecedents joined with
and as plural
In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev held a summit
where they signed the Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty.
With compound antecedents joined with or or
nor (or with either…or or neither…nor), make
the pronoun agree with the closer antecedent
Either Bruce or Tom should receive first prize
for his poem.
Neither the mouse nor the rats could find their
way through the maze.
Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement With compound antecedents joined with or or
nor (or with either…or or neither…nor), make
the pronoun agree with the closer antecedent
*if one antecedent is singular and the other
plural, put plural one last to avoid
awkwardness
*If one antecedent is male and the other female,
do not follow the traditional rule
Either Bruce or Elizabeth should receive first
prize for her short story.
The prize for best short story should go to
either Bruce or Elizabeth.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
1. Meteorology has made many advances in the past
few decades, but they still cannot answer a number
of questions about tornadoes.
Meteorology has made many advances in the past
few decades, but it still cannot answer a number of
questions about tornadoes.
2. Every tornado has their own unique
characteristics.
Every tornado has its own unique characteristics.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
3. The science of tornado watching has its own
system, the Fujita scale, for measuring storms from
weakest (F0) to strongest (F5).
correct
4. An F4 tornado or an F5 tornado can destroy
everything in their path.
An F4 tornado or an F5 tornado can destroy
everything in its path.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
5. Scientists cannot yet predict how strong any
tornado will be before they happen.
Scientists cannot yet predict how strong any tornado
will be before it happens.
6. One mystery about tornadoes involves the last step
when it forms.
One mystery about tornadoes involves the last step
when they form.
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
7. Specialists do not know if a tornado forms in a
cloud and travels to the ground or if they begin on
earth and spiral upward.
Specialists do not know if a tornado forms in a cloud
and travels to the ground or if it begins on earth and
spirals upward.
8. Improved meteorological technology and the skill
to interpret data have made their contributions to
tornado prediction.
correct
Exercise 7.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
9. Either a few extra minutes of warning or more
information about a storm’s power would prove
their effectiveness in saving lives.
Either a few extra minutes of warning or more
information about a storm’s power would prove its
effectiveness in saving lives.
10. People who live in a tornado zone should always
know where his or her nearest safe area is.
People who live in a tornado zone should always
know where their nearest safe area is.
People who live in a tornado zone should always
know the location of their nearest safe zone.
Pronoun References Avoid ambiguous or remote pronoun reference
Occurs when pronoun could refer to 2 possible
antecedents
When Gloria set the pitcher on the glass-
topped table, it broke.
Which object broke – the pitcher or the table?
The pitcher broke when Gloria set it on the
glass-topped table.
Tom told Sam that he had won the lottery.
Who won the lottery – Tom or Sam?
Tom told Sam, “You have won the lottery.”
Pronoun References Generally, avoid broad reference of this, that,
which, it
By advertising on TV, pharmaceutical
companies gain exposure for their prescription
drugs. Patients respond to this by requesting
drugs they might not need.
What are patients responding to – ads,
companies, prescription drugs?
By advertising on TV, pharmaceutical
companies gain exposure for their prescription
drugs. Patients respond to the ads by
requesting drugs they might not need.
Pronoun References Do not use a pronoun to refer to an implied
antecedent
A pronoun should refer to a specific
antecedent, not to a word that isn’t actually in
the sentence
After braiding Ann’s hair, Sue decorated them
with ribbons.
What is the antecedent for the pronoun them?
After braiding Ann’s hair, Sue decorated the
braids with ribbons.
Pronoun References Avoid the indefinite use of they, it, you
A pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent,
not to a word that isn’t actually in the sentence
In June, they announced that parents would have
to pay a fee.
In June, the board announced that parents would
have to pay a fee.
In the encyclopedia it states that male moths can
smell female moths from several miles away.
The encyclopedia states that male moths can
smell female moths from several miles away.
Pronoun References Avoid the indefinite use of they, it, you
A pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent,
not to a word that isn’t actually in the sentence
Ms. Pickersgill’s book stipulates that you should
not arrive at a party too early or leave too late.
Ms. Pickersgill’s book stipulates that a guest
should not arrive at a party too early or leave too
late.
Pronoun References To refer to persons, use who, whom, whose NOT
which, that
Use which, that to refer to animals or things
All thirty-two women in the study, half of which were unemployed for more than six months, reported higher self-esteem after job training.
All thirty-two women in the study, half of who were unemployed for more than six months, reported higher self-esteem after job training.
During the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos, Mexican families celebrate loved ones that have died.
During the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos, Mexican families celebrate loved ones who have died.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
1. In much political analysis, they say that public
distrust of the US government began with Watergate.
Many political analysts say that public distrust of the
US government began with Watergate.
2. That scandal’s continuing legacy may make it one of
the most influential American events of the twentieth
century.
That scandal’s continuing legacy may make Watergate
one of the most influential American events of the
twentieth century.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
3. Since the early 1970s, political scandals have rarely
interested Americans; they often seem to have very
little effect.
Since the early 1970s, political scandals have rarely
interested Americans; the scandals often seem to
have very little effect.
4. Journalists provided the American people with a lot
of information about the Iran-Contra hearings, but
they could not have cared less.
Journalists provided the American people with a lot of
information about the Iran-Contra hearings, but the
public could not have cared less.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
5. Most people were indifferent; could it have been the
result of post-Watergate trauma?
Could the indifference of most people have been the
result of post-Watergate trauma?
6. If Americans expect politicians to be corrupt, it will
not surprise or even interest them.
If Americans expect politicians to be corrupt,
government scandals will not surprise or even
interest them.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
7. Ironically, the media’s coverage of scandals seems to
have made the public suspicious of them as well.
Ironically, the media’s coverage of scandals seems to
have made the public suspicious of journalists as
well.
8. Cynicism about political and journalistic motives,
leads to apathy and it can spread contagiously.
Cynicism about political and journalistic motives, which
can spread contagiously, leads to apathy.
Exercise 7.1 Pronoun Reference
9. Many people are so apathetic that it makes them
refuse to vote.
Many people are so apathetic that they refuse to vote.
10. If people do not believe that they can make a
difference in the political process, it makes the
country less democratic.
If people do not believe that they can make a difference
in the political process, the country becomes less
democratic.
Grammar Tasks
Create a mad lib in which players have to apply
each pronoun reference rule and each pronoun &
antecedent agreement rule.
Link to define madlib
http://www.itsamadlibsworld.com/
How to create a Madlib
Choose a topic (I chose hippos)
Write one sentence illustrating each rule.
(No one wants to be eaten by a hippo while wearing his or her dirty underwear. A family of hippos was drinking from its watering hole. The male and female hippo knew that they must stay hydrated.
*continue for all rules written in blue; there are 10*)
Underline each pronoun and its antecedent Submit the paragraph with the pronouns and antecedents
underlined
Erase each underlined word or phrase
Create a list indicating which type of pronoun or antecedent is needed to complete the blank Submit these steps as well
How to create a Madlib
___1___wants to be eaten by a hippo while wearing ___2___ dirty underwear. A ___3___ was drinking from ___4___ watering hole. The ___5___ hippo knew that ___6___ must stay hydrated.
*continue for all rules*
1. Singular antecedent
2. Singular pronoun
3. Collective noun antecedent
4. Singular pronoun
5. Compound antecedent
6. Plural pronoun
For Thursday...
Write a one page summary about what this
PowerPoint taught you about critique writing,
verbs, prepositions, and pronouns
On Thursday, class will be held in the Writing
Lab which is located in room N-306.
For Tuesday…
Read the following articles from chapter 14, Happiness and Its Discontents (pgs. 523-568)
Answer critique questions for assigned article (listed on following slide)
“In Pursuit of Happiness” by Mark Kingwell
“The Dalai Lama’s Ski Trip: What I Learned in the Slush with His Holiness” by Douglas Preston
“A Balanced Psychology and a Full Life” by Martin Seligman, Acacia Parks, and Tracy Steen
“Finding Flow” by Mihaly Csizszentmihalyi
“Yes, Money Can Make You Happy” by Cass R. Sunstein
“Happiness: Enough Already” by Sharon Begley
For Tuesday… Answer critique questions for assigned article
“In Pursuit of Happiness” by Mark Kingwell
Cyan, Reese, Jennifer, Nigel
“The Dalai Lama’s Ski Trip: What I Learned in the Slush with His Holiness” by Douglas Preston
Travis, Destinie, Serena, Dalton
“A Balanced Psychology and a Full Life” by Martin Seligman, Acacia Parks, and Tracy Steen
Lily, Anisa, Jason, LaBrayla
“Finding Flow” by Mihaly Csizszentmihalyi
Martinea, Kayoda, Bryce, Morganne
“Yes, Money Can Make You Happy” by Cass R. Sunstein
Olabisi, Ric, LaTionna, Raya
“Happiness: Enough Already” by Sharon Begley
Brock, Josh, Tyler