|
Purdue OWL News for December 9, 2004
|
The Purdue OWL Staff
|
Dec 13, 2004 00:45 PST
|
The Purdue OWL News
Dec 9, 2004
Welcome to the Purdue OWL News!
The Purdue OWL News is an online newsletter about happenings in the
Purdue University Writing Lab and the Purdue University Online Writing
Lab (OWL). You can visit our website at
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu>. To subscribe to the newsletter, visit
<http://www.topica.com/lists/purdueowlnews/subscribe/>. To unsubscribe
from the newsletter, click on the link at the bottom of this email.
Writing Question of the Week
I'm having trouble with "gerunds." What exactly is a gerund?
Cathy Ward
Florence, AL
Answer
Cathy,
A gerund is a verb that is functions as a noun in a sentence. They
invariably end with an -ing. Here's a few examples:
Running was my sister's number one sport!
In the above example, "running" is the subject of the verb "was."
You can find out all you need to know about Gerunds by visiting "The
Gerund" website: http://chompchomp2.com/gbfree/terms/gerund.htm
--Chris Berry, Owl Coordinator
The OWL Help Nest
Each week we'll publish a request for advice or information. If you wish
to contribute a response to the topic, please write to us at
owln-@owl.english.purdue.edu. Please let us know if you want us to
include your name and/or your email address when we publish your
response. The following week, we'll publish the best information and
advice that we receive in the newsletter. If you have a question for our
readers, please send it to us at owln-@owl.english.purdue.edu.
Last Week's Questions
Question #1
Now that the election season has wrapped up, I'm trying to reevaluate
how I teach political subjects in my introductory composition class,
without becoming confrontational or being accused of being biased. Does
anyone have any methods for teaching political discourse in composition
in a way that challenges but doesn't anger students? Is such a thing
possible?
Answer:
My favored way of engaging students in political discourse is to frame
the assignment as a critical thinking exercise in which the students
must analyze a major political party's positions from the perspective of
one of the more minority political parties (Libertarian, Green, Natural
Law, and etc.) Though several students still find the assignment
questionable, there are far fewer problems with their suspecting bias on
my part. (Anonymous)
Question #2
I'm curious to know whether readers of this newsletter use the grammar
checker on Microsoft Word. Does anyone find this useful? My grammar is
sort of shakey, I know. But sometimes I feel like I write correct
sentences and word thinks they're incorrect.
Answer:
Egads! The grammar checker in MS Word is terrible. I almost never rely
on it for anything, and always suggest to my students that they turn it
off. (The same cannot be said of spell checking, which I find
reasonably accurate if the students are using the correct word. It
still won't help them, of course, if they're spelling the wrong word
correctly.) I really suggest going with your instincts rather than
using Word's grammar checker. (Chris Berry, OWL Coordinator)
Next Week's Question
Question:
Hi,
In the school where I am presently teaching, there are the old ones and
the new breed. When we review students with pronouns, we always debate
as to what gender to use if the there is a common-gender pronoun.
For example:
The student is expected to finish (his, her, his or her).
Some teachers who call themselves purists say they prefer to use the
masculine gender because that's what they are comfortable with.
However, I prefer to use the his or her since I also would like to use
what has been posted as "new rule" in the net. I have also read from a
resource that modern writers prefer to use his or her to avoid sexism.
However, isn't it cumbersome to be using his or her in the paragraph
everytime a common-gender noun is mentioned? Help me...
(Anonymous)
What's Happening on OWL
OWL Eye on...Possible New Formats for OWL News?
As part of the ongoing (and so far, completely invisible!) redesign of
the Purdue OWL, we're looking to change the way the OWL News is
presented, its content, and how its loyal readers like you participate
in its construction. We welcome your ideas for changing up OWL News --
send them to owln-@owl.english.purdue.edu
Thanks!
What's Happening in the Writing Lab
OWL Eye on...Grammar Hotline
One of the many services the Purdue Writing Lab offers the world
community is a grammar hotline, which has even fielded questions from
researchers for game shows, including Who Wants to be a Millionaire!
Feel free to call us with your burning questions at (765) 494-3723. The
grammar hotline is open during normal Lab hours while classes are in
session: 9AM-6PM EST Monday through Thursday, and 9AM-1PM on Fridays.
OWL Eye on...End of the Semester in the Writing Lab
Tutoring ends for Fall Semester 2004 at noon Friday; the Lab will be
open during Finals Week for students to take advantage of our computers
& reference library. Good luck on your finals!
Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading our newsletter. You can email us at any time at
owln-@owl.english.purdue.edu. You can also email the OWL coordinator,
Chris Berry, at coordi-@owl.english.purdue.edu and the webmaster,
Karl Stolley, at webma-@owl.english.purdue.edu. (Chris and Karl take
turns writing the newsletter.)
If you received this newsletter as a forward and would like to get your
own subscription, visit
http://www.topica.com/lists/purdueowlnews/subscribe/ to subscribe.
This newsletter is copyright (C) 2004 the Purdue University Writing Lab
and Purdue University. Purdue's OWL is located at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu.
|
|
 |
|
