Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Grammar: Articles and Non-Count NounsLiterature: -Review of Point of View

-Creative Writing

Housekeeping

• Hand-in: “Possibility of Evil” Vocabulary Paragraph

Articles and Count–Non-Count Nouns

Articles, p. 581

An article signals that a noun will follow.• indefinite = a/an

• definite = the

Choosing the Correct Indefinite Article(a vs. an)

• a carrot, a uniform(use a with a noun that starts with a consonant sound)

• an onion, an honor(use an with a noun that starts with a vowel sound)

With Count and Non-count Nouns

Count nouns name people, places, things, or ideas that can be counted and made into plurals.

Ex: desk, blackboard, and teacher (desks, blackboards, and teachers)

With Count and Non-count Nouns

Non-count nouns name things or ideas that cannot be counted and therefore cannot be made into plurals.

Ex: weather, anger, and happinessNOT: weathers, angers, and happinesses x

Common Non-count Nouns (p. 582)

Abstractions and emotions: justice, joyActivities: soccer, readingFoods: sugar, spaghettiGases and vapors: smoke, oxygenLanguages and areas of study: Cantonese, Farsi,

biologyLiquids: coffee, milkMaterials that come in bulk: lumber, stationeryNatural occurrences: snow, thunderOthers: clothing, furniture, homework, etc. . . .

More on Non-count Nouns

Q: Since non-count nouns cannot be made into plurals, how can we show “how much”?

A: The quantity of non-count nouns can be expressed with qualifiers such as some, more, a little.

Ex: I hear a lot of anger in your voice.Ex: May I have some spaghetti?

More on Non-count Nouns

Some words can be either count or non-count depending on if they refer to one thing or more than one thing.

Ex: She had many thrilling experiences on her vacation.

(several different countable moments)

Ex: They told me I did not have enough experience for the job.

(an abstract, non-countable idea that describes what you have gained from many countable experiences.)

Use a/an with Non-specific Singular Count Nouns

when -you can count it-you don’t know “which one” specifically

Ex: A penguin cannot fly; it uses its “wings” to “fly” through water. (Any penguin)

Ex: There was a fire today in our neighborhood.(This fire is unfamiliar to us; it is the first time it has been mentioned)

Use the with Specific Nouns

1. When the noun has already been mentioned once.

Ex: There was a fire at work. The fire destroyed everything.

2. When words or phrases in the sentence identify the noun or suggest its identity.

Ex: The lights in the classroom are turned off.

Ex: The coffee at Starbucks is too bitter for me.

Use the with Specific Nouns

3. When it is unique. (There is only one.)

Ex: It is harmful to stare at the sun.

4. When it comes after a superlative adjective (best, tallest, fastest, etc.)

Ex: He is the best runner in the class.

Omit articles for non-specific plurals and non-count nouns

Do not use articles when non-specific nouns refer to something in general.

Ex: Teachers do not become rich.Ex: Paint can give off a pungent odor.

Proper NounsDo not use the for most singular proper nouns:

• people and animals (the Stephen Harper)

• continents, provinces, cities, streets, and parks (the Granville Street )

• most countries (the Korea, the Nicaragua)

• individual bodies of water, islands and mountains (the Mount Seymour, the Vancouver Island)

Proper Nouns

Do use the for

• plural proper nouns (the Simpsons, the Canucks, the Rockies)

• names of large geographic areas (the Pacific Ocean, the North Shore)

• names with the format “the ________ of ___________.” (the Premier of BC, the University of British Columbia)

Activity 1, p. 584Choose the correct form of noun in the parentheses.

1. A telephone2. a used car3. The car4. fog5. New Jersey6. patience7. The Indian Ocean8. curiosity9. wine10. The water

Additional Practice

1.http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/noncountnoun.htm

2. http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/fampeople.html

3. http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/cw-articles.html

Break

Analysing Point of View

Tell Tale Heart– the narrator is the main character of the story and

tells the story using the pronoun “I”– we have access to all his thoughts and feelings so

we know a lot about him– but we don’t have any other information about

things like his name, background, appearance, the setting, etc.

– We only know what the narrator tells us; we don’t have any outside information that we can use to decide what is true or false/real or unreal

Analysing Point of ViewAll Summer in a Day / The Possibility of Evil— the narrator is an unknown person who is not part of the

story and tells the story in the third person using the pronoun “he” or “she”

— we learn about the characters mainly through —what the narrator says about them (“She was a very frail

girl . . . ,” p. 93), —the characters’ words and actions (“Margot stood alone,”

p. 93, and “Oh, but,” Margot whispered, her eyes helpless,” p. 94)

—what other characters say about them (“People around town wondered how old Miss Strangeworth managed to keep the house looking the way it did,” p. 168)

Analysing Point of ViewAll Summer in a Day / The Possibility of Evil (Cont’d.)—In “All Summer in a Day” the writer doesn’t tell us

very much about the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings – we understand her mostly from her words and actions; we don’t feel as close to her as if she were telling the story

—In “The Possibility of Evil” the writer tells us quiet a bit about Miss Strangeworth’s thoughts and feelings, but from a distance; we are able to feel a bit close to her but still be able to judge her

—we have a quite a bit of information about the setting, background and character traits

In-class Creative Writing AssignmentChoose one of the following scenes:

1. “The Tell Tale Heart” (p. 140-141) Write about the policemen’s visit to the murderer’s house BUT write from one of the policemen’s point of view.

2. “All Summer in A Day” (p. 94-98)Write about the point in the story when the children put Margot in the closet up until they let her out BUT write from Margot’s point of view.

3. “The Possibility of Evil” (p.173-174)Write about what you think probably happened when Linda and the Harris Boy brought the letter to Don Crane. If you write from the first person point of view (“I”), choose only one of these characters.

In-class Creative Writing Assignment

• First, re-read the relevant part of the story to refresh your memory.

• Then, use your imagination to write what the characters may have thought, said, or done that the narrator of the original story did not show or tell us.

• Make sure to include some description and dialogue in your story.

• Do not change any of the “facts” of the original story.

• Write on your own paper. Length = at least one page (double-spaced).

Homework

• Complete any unfinished short story assignments – deadline next Wednesday, April 13th.

• Prepare for exam – Wednesday, April 13th.