WOW Online Portfolio

Assignment 1 Mechanics 1

General Assignment Instructions
Compose your assignment offline using your favorite word processor. Don't indent (tab) or use any other "special" formatting such as bold or italics. Use an extra hard return ([Enter]) to create a blank line between paragraphs. If your word processor creates special typographic characters (such as "smart" quotes, ellipses or em dashes), turn that feature off, as these characters will not translate properly to the Personal Notebook (if you’re not sure how to turn the feature off, simply save your file as "plain text" before attempting to copy it to your Personal Notebook).

If the assignment has more than one part, start each part of the assignment with an appropriate header and put a couple of extra hard returns (blank lines) between each part. Be sure to adhere to the specified maximum word count for each assignment; your instructor will not be able to critique material beyond the maximum number of words.

If you have any questions for your instructor, include those at the end of your assignment.

If you prefer not to have your assignment posted for group critique, be sure to add that note to your instructor as well. DO NOT USE YOUR PERSONAL NOTEBOOK TO SEND MESSAGES TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR PRIOR TO ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION—DOING SO WILL PREVENT YOU FROM BEING ABLE TO SUBMIT THE ASSIGNMENT.

Refer to the Orientation area for detailed assignment submission instructions.

Assignment for Session One
Part I
Some of the words in the following Writer's Encyclopedia excerpt are followed by numbers in parentheses—"grammar(1)"—for example. We want you to identify the part of speech represented by each of these numbered words. Prepare your answers in this format:
1. word—part of speech
2. word—part of speech
3. etc.
(The lines in the excerpt are marked "A,B,C, etc. for Part II of this assignment, so just ignore those for now.)

1. Grammar – noun
2. defines – verb
3. basic – adjective
4. and – conjunction
5. works – verb
6. his – pronoun
7. logically – adverb
8. understand – verb
9. of – preposition
10. of – preposition
11. usage – adverb
12. division – noun
13. between – conjunction
14. Indeed – conjunction
15. direct – adverb
16. are – verb
17. understanding – noun
18. difference – noun
19. meaning – noun
20. other – adjective
21. responsible – adverb
22. effectiveness – adjective


A. Grammar(1) is a series of statements that defines(2) the basic(3) structure of a
B. language and(4) how it works(5). A writer's goal (no matter what his(6) style and
C. genre) is to communicate precisely, logically(7), directly and clearly. To succeed, he
D. must understand(8) how to use the basic tool of(9) his craft: language. The issue
E. of(10) grammar and correct usage(11) has been a point of division(12) between(13)
F. scholars and writers for many years. . . . Indeed(14), some standards of usage in the
G. name of direct(15), effective communication are(16) necessary. Writers owe their
H. readers and editors an understanding(17) of parallel construction, the use of commas,
I. the difference(18) between which and that, the function of subject-verb agreement,
J. the rules for forming possessives and plurals, the meaning(19) of homonyms and the
K. many other(20) "standards" of clear writing. Whether he writes a business report or
L. an advertising filler, the writer is responsible(21) for the clarity and effectiveness(22)
M. of content.

Part II
The following questions refer to the excerpt above. For each of them, type the number of the question and your answer in this format:
1. answer
2. answer
3. etc.


1. abstract
2. action (infinitive)
3. communicate
4. a writer
5. conjunction, interjection


1. In line H above, "understanding" is a common noun of what type?
2. In line C, what kind of a verb is "communicate"?
3. In line C, what word does "clearly" modify?
4. In line C, what noun does the pronoun "he" replace? (be very specific)
5. In line F, what part of speech did you identify "indeed" as? Could it be considered anything else the way it is used in this sentence?
6. In line K, what word does the pronoun "he" replace? (be very specific)
7. In line L, what kind of a verb is "is"?
Optional writing assignment for Lesson One: Parts of Speech
In no more than 100 words, write a paragraph or two describing the room you're sitting in right now. Make an effort to use every part of speech at least once (even, my goodness, interjections). As you do this exercise, pay particular attention to your word choices. It's never too early to get in the habit of being precise in your diction (diction is just a fancy word for "word choice"). Use all of your senses, not just sight, to try to give your instructor a real sense of the space you're working in. The instructor will post these writing samples in Critics' Corner, so be sure to stop by anytime after Sunday to participate in the group review.


Ah, the room where I am working is full of many different interests. There is a desk made out of a door, painted yellow with a piece of glass to give it a strong and smooth surface. That is where the printers live, but I type on a laptop on a coffee table in front of the television, next to the exercise machine which makes the old floor board creek when I use it. I can smell the dinner I had before writing this assignment. I hear the DVD player waiting for the next movie to be placed inside.



Instructor's Feedback/Discussion (ascending order)

Instructor Giorgio: Hi, Janine,
I received your assignment and will get back to you on it shortly.
2/26/2006 12:46:08 AM

Instructor Giorgio: Hi, Janine,
Here are my comments on this week’s assignments:

Part I
11. "Usage" is a noun in the sentence, not an adverb. Though the word "use" is usually a verb, in this case usage is an actual thing, a common noun. It's a tricky point. In this sentence, the phrase "grammar and correct usage" clarifies what "The issue" is. You could write the sentence as "Grammar and correct usage have been a point of division..." without using the words "the issue of" and still be correct (though, the verb has to change to a plural "have" instead of singular "has").
13. "Between" is a preposition, not a conjunction. The lecture notes read "Prepositions show the relationship between time or objects." Objects actually includes abstract objects (in this case, the "division" discussed in question 12). So, in this sentence, between shows the relationship between "division" and who this affects-"scholars and writers."
14. "Indeed" is either an adverb or an interjection, not an conjunction. Adjectives modify nouns. "Indeed" is serving two purposes in this sentence. First, it modifies the verb "are." By including the word "indeed," it gives importance and weight to the verb. Therefore, it is an adverb (adverbs modify verbs). Second, because "indeed" is written in such an emphatic manner (you could almost rewrite the sentence with an exclamation point..."Indeed! Some standards..."), it is also an interjection.
15. "Direct" is an adjective, not an adverb. "Direct," in this case, is describing a type of communication. "Direct" and "effective" are both used as adjectives in this context to describe communication.
21. "Responsible" is an adjective, not a adverb. This is a tricky one. In this case, the linking verb "is" links the noun ("writer") to its adjective ("responsible"). "Responsible" modifies the word "writer," clarifying the type of writer that writers for "clarity and effectiveness of content." As I said, this is a tricky one, since the adjective follows the verb instead of being placed in front of the noun.
22. "Effectiveness" is a noun, not an adjective. Both "clarity" and "effectiveness" are objects for which the writer is responsible. Therefore, they are nouns.

Part II
5. See number 14 above.
I don’t know if you skipped numbers 6 and 7, but here are explanations for them, in case you were unsure:
6. The pronoun “he” replaces the noun “writer.” Throughout the passage, the focus is on the WRITER and what “he” (the generic mankind “he,” not a gender specific person) needs to do to communicate his message successfully. To avoid repeating the word “writer” over and over again (which would get tiresome for the reader), the author is using the pronoun “he.” “She,” “He or she,” or “She or he” would be equally acceptable.
7. "Is" is a linking verb, linking the noun "writer" with his/her responsibilities.

Optional Assignment
Ah (INTERJECTION) the room where I (PRONOUN) am working is full of many different interests. There is a desk (NOUN) made out of a door, painted yellow with a piece of glass to give it a strong (ADJECTIVE) and (CONJUNCTION) smooth surface. That is where the printers live, but I type on a laptop on a coffee table in (PREPOSITION) front of the television, next to the exercise machine which makes the old floor board creek when I use it. I can smell (VERB) the dinner I had before writing this assignment. I hear the DVD player waiting for the next movie to be placed inside.

Janine,
You did a nice job of getting that pesky interjection out of the way right off the bat. That’s a tricky one to work into this assignment. You have a lot of great details in this little passage to help the reader visual your writing space (and beyond). Nice job.

website created by Janine Bouyssounouse. Last updated 02/07/07