Eng102FA15. 9.22 Critiquewriting Pronouns&Antecedents PronounReference

How to Write a Critique

Pronouns

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

To Write a Critique must determine what an author says

how well the points are made

what assumptions underlie the argument

what issues are overlooked, and what implication

can be drawn from such an analysis, statement and

explanation of personal assumptions

(opinions/responses)

To Write a CritiqueBegin by posing two broad questions about readings:

To what extent does the author succeed in his/her

purpose?

To what extent do you agree with the author?

To Write a Critique identify author’s thesis

identify the selection’s content and structure

identify the author’s purpose.

author’s purpose – to inform, persuade, and/or

entertain

What is an author’s purpose? Reason an author writes something

To inform

To persuade

To entertain

If the purpose is to inform, evaluate

by using these questions:

Is the information accurate?

Is the information significant? What can the reader

gain from this information? How is knowledge

advanced by the publication of this material? Is the

information of importance to you or to others in a

particular audience? Why or why not?

If the purpose is to inform, evaluate

by using these questions: Does the author fairly interpret the factual

information? Could you offer a contrary explanation

for the same facts? Does more information need to

be gathered before firm conclusions can be drawn?

Why?

If the purpose is to persuade,

evaluate by using these questions: What is the author’s assertion or thesis statement?

Is the author’s argument valid? Does the author use

clearly defined key terms? Does the author use

information fairly? Has the author argued logically

and not fallaciously?

Watch out for faulty thinking and logical fallacies

If the purpose is to entertain,

evaluate by asking these questions:

Which elements of the work seemed

effective/ineffective? Why? Offer an overall

assessment, elaborating on personal views.

Did I care for the portrayal of a certain character?

Did that character seem overly sentimental or heroic?

Did his adversaries seem too villainous or stupid?

If the purpose is to entertain,

evaluate by asking these questions:

Did his adversaries seem too villainous or stupid?

Were the situations believable?

Was the action interesting or merely formulaic?

Was the theme developed subtly or powerfully, or did

the work come across as preachy or shrill?

Did the action at the end of the work follow plausibly

from what had come before?

Was the language fresh and incisive or stale and

predictable?

To Write a Critique – in a

nutshellTo what extent do you agree with the author?

your assessment of the presentation may not coincide

with personal views:

you may agree with the author but feel the presentation is

superficial

respond to author’s main assertions (arguments)

identify points of agreement and disagreement

identify assumptions

Elaborate upon your opinion….WHY do you agree or

disagree?

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


2. Summary

summarizes the author’s main points and purpose for

writing

is brief, complete, objective, and avoids plagiarism


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


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?


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?


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

Thesis statements

1. The following will summarize the article, evaluate the article, and have a personal response on the article.

2. In the article, “The Death Penalty Debate,” Patricia Smith writes about capital punishment and the controversial reason some might oppose to it while others concur that the death penalty is the just thing to do.

3. In Sean Gregory’s “Should This Kid Be Making $225, 047 A year for Playing College Football?” his writing delves into many different subjects on the current state of college athletics like the people who are benefiting the most from unpaid student athletes, Johnny Manziel, and some reasons on why student athletes are not currently paid.

Eng 102BC

Pronoun & Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun Reference

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 AgreementDo 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 needsto apply for a passport.

Pronoun & Antecedent AgreementDo 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 AgreementTreat 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 AgreementTreat 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.


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.


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.


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


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



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



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.


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.


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.


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.


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/

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…

Read these articles

Arlen and Koehler’s “A Cloudful of ‘Stormy

Weather’” (pg 243)

Blair’s “Comparing and Contrasting Three Covers of

‘Stormy Weather’” (Pg 251)

Cohen’s “A Hearful of ‘Hallelujah’” (pg 257)

Bring an article about a cover song.

Bring answers about your cover song article to the

questions found on the next slide.

Answer the following questions for the article you found about a cover song:

why is the subject of current interest?

What are the article’s main points?

What is the author’s purpose?

Is the author successful in achieving this purpose?

Do you agree or disagree with the author?

Is the article valid?

Documents

Eng102FA15. 9.22 Critiquewriting Pronouns&Antecedents PronounReference