Annotated Bibliography Problems

E. Siler

Assignment Problems

• Unclear focus• Dates earlier than May 1• Sources other than the ones I gave you to look

at

Reference Problems

• Articles without authors• Capitalization and format of titles of articles• Authors’ names• Sources in italics• Alphabetized lists• Links that don’t link up to the correct article

Good Example

• Deadly clashes rock Guinea ahead of poll. (2013, May 26). Aljazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/05/20135261010468596.html

• Thousands mourn celebrated Nigerian writer. (2013, May 23). Aljazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/05/201352310332736640.html

Grammar Problems

• Inconsistent tense usage in reporting verbs• Fused clauses• -ing forms after prepositions• Unclear use of the term “news” and “report”

Tense in Reporting Verbs

• The reporting verbs are the verbs that explain what the article does.

• Examples: This article describes. . . explains. . . Etc.

• All your reporting verbs should be in the same tense. If you decide to use present tense, then they should all be in the present tense.

• If you choose past tense, they should all be in past tense.

Example

• Deadly clashes rock Guinea ahead of poll. (2013, May 26). Aljazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/05/20135261010468596.html

• The article describes inter-tribal violence in Guinea associated with pending elections as the country moves towards democracy. The report indicates that this violence has had a negative effect on foreign investments.

Example 2

• Deadly clashes rock Guinea ahead of poll. (2013, May 26). Aljazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/05/20135261010468596.html

• The article described inter-tribal violence in Guinea associated with pending elections as the country moves towards democracy. The report indicated that this violence has had a negative effect on foreign investments.

Fused Clauses

• A clause is a structure with a subject and a complete verb phrase.

• We combine clauses to form sentences.• Fused clauses happen when part of one clause

ends up playing the role of the subject of the verb phrase in another.

Example

• The reporter talked to an insurgent.• The insurgent was holding several hostages.• FUSED:• The reporter talked to an insurgent was holding

several hostages.• ANALYSIS:• “insurgent” is both the object of a preposition

“to” in one clause and the subject of the verb phrase“was holding” in another clause.

Fix it!

• Every verb phrase must have its own subject.• The reporter talked to an insurgent who was

holding several hostages.

-ing forms after prepositions

• When we combine clauses and clause 2 comes up behind a preposition in clause 1, the verb in clause 2 must go into the –ing form.

Examples

• I report on something.• He told the truth.• = I reported on his telling the truth.• I report on something.• He should tell the truth.• = I reported on his telling the truth. In my opinion he

should tell it. • I reported on something.• He has told the truth.• = I reported on his having told the truth.

Unclear Terms

• This news reports (“news” is the subject; “reports” is a verb)

• This news report says (“news report” is a compound noun subject; the verb is “says”).