For this blogpost we were asked by Dr. Strange to create an assignment that caters to our field of specialty.My concentration is English/Language Arts. For my assignment, I would:
1. Instruct the class to watch this youtube video on How to Avoid 10 common grammar mistakes.
2. Write 1-2 paragraphs on one of these mistakes that you are guilty of commonly using incorrectly.
3. Write one paragraph on how you intend to correct this mistake
4. Write 1-2 paragraphs on how you intend to reinforce these important rules to your future students.
One of the common mistakes from this youtube video that I am definitely guilty of is dangling modifiers. I tend to put modifies in the wrong place and confuse the meaning of sentences. For example: The coffee spilled when Heather tipped over the cup; Instead it should read, "Heather spilled the coffee when she tipped over the cup." The first sentence would be wrong because it gives the spilling action to the coffee not Heather.
I intend to correct this mistake by practicing using the correct way more often. I also have to learn to think before I write, that would help tremendously. If I can catch my mistakes as I write then this task can be a lot less difficult to correct. I plan to also read my sentences aloud and allow myself to hear the dangling modifiers in order to catch them and correct them sufficiently.
As for my future students, I intend to teach the lesson of dangling modifiers all year long. I will start the year off with these sentences to see if anyone can identify whats wrong with them, teach the class why the sentences don't make any sense, use these sentences as periodic ice breakers at the beginning of the class period. This will allow me to teach and reinforce the lesson throughout the year. Because dangling modifiers are something that most people struggle with and are not able to correctly identify their mistakes, I think this is something that should be taught all year long. This will ensure that the students get ample amount of practice and opportunities to ask questions if they are confused with the subject matter.
Hi Ashaunte,
ReplyDeleteI am a grammar fanatic, so I absolutely love your assignment. Many of the mistakes listed in the video are pet peeves of mine.
I occasionally misplace modifiers, but I try to catch it when I do.
I did find a mistake in your writing. You wrote, "I also have to learn to think before I write, that would help tremendously." This is a comma splice. You either need a period or a semicolon instead of the comma. You could also leave the comma and just add a conjunction.
You also wrote, "to see if anyone can identify whats wrong with them." "Whats" should be "what's" since it is meaning what is.
Another thing I saw was a run on sentence. "I will start the year off with these sentences to see if anyone can identify whats wrong with them, teach the class why the sentences don't make any sense, use these sentences as periodic ice breakers at the beginning of the class period. You might have just forgot your conjunction "and" before the last part in your list.
I really like the content of your post. Reinforcing the lesson about misplaced modifiers throughout the year is a great idea. After all, practice makes perfect, right?
Great Job! Keep up the good work!
Alison
Good idea. Thanks.
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