Topic: "Who or Whom?"

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to writing.

10-second review: A review of the rules that control the use of “who” or “whom.” This is probably the one-millionth attempt by people to simplify the rules for “who” and “whom” that, regardless how simple they try to make it, are not simple.

Title: “Who or Whom?” Arthur Plotnik. The Writer (October 2010), 19.

Quote: “Many usage gurus say it is Ok to stick with ‘who’ in all cases except when ‘whom’ is idiomatic (as in ‘To Whom It May Concern.’….) ‘Whom’ is likely to be obsolete in a few years, they say—as word watchers have been saying for two centuries. And yet the word still roosts in the expectations of sophisticated listeners and readers, including editors.”

In careful writing, Plotnik offers the following:

“Use who when it performs an action (is the subject of a verb); ignore phrases that aren’t part of its action: Who do you suspect spilled the soup?’ ”

“Use whom when it receives the action: ‘Whom she fired had nothing to do with the soup.’ ”

“Use whom if it follows a preposition…. BUT Ignore the preposition when the pronoun who acts: ‘I’ve got something for whoever spilled the soup.’ Ignore the preposition when the pronoun is tied to a to be verb: ‘It depends on who the schlemiel is. ’ ”

Comment: I’ll let that explanation sink in. RayS.

Topic: Holistic Scoring in Writing Assessment

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to writing.  

10-second review: “Holistic ratings should not be ruled out as a method of evaluating writing abilities, but those who use such ratings must seriously consider the question of the validity of the scores that result.” p 79.

Title: “The Validity of Using Holistic Scoring to Evaluate Writing: A Critical overview.” D Charney. Research in the Teaching of English (February 1984), 65-81.

Quote: “The research available suggests that even in carefully supervised rating sessions, holistic ratings may be unduly influenced by superficial features of writing samples” [like handwriting and spelling]. P. 65.

Quote: “A reliable measurement is capable of replication under equivalent conditions So a reliable method of assessing writing ability would yield a consistent judgment of a student’s abilities if applied again, all else being equal. A valid measurement assesses what it claims to assess.” P. 65.

Comment: So if the raters rely on perceptions of surface features (like handwriting, spelling and grammar) in writing, true writing ability—unity, coherence, structure and word choice—would not be measured accurately by holistic scoring. RayS.

Topic: How to Begin to Write: Brainstorming (2)

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to writing.

10-second review: “There are no rules about what constitutes a proper seed. It can be a character, a name, a situation, structure, overheard dialogue, a setting, a theme, even a vague feeling.” P. 8.

Title: “Where Can You Find the Seeds of A Good Story?” Alexander Steele. The Writer (October 2010), 8.

Comment: All right. You have picked a topic. Now what do you do? You brainstorm. (2)

Instructions for Brainstorming.

I suggest to students that they put the topic at the top of the page. I tell them they will have 15 minutes to drain their minds of all of their ideas on that topic. I urge them to use every minute available to them. If they feel they have written all they can, I ask them to keep trying. “Often when you think you’re finished, some of your best ideas will come.”

.Put your topic at the top of the page.

.Concentrate on the topic. List your ideas as they come into your mind. Do not try to organize. Do not worry about spelling, punctuation or grammar. Just empty your mind of ideas on your topic.

.You will have fifteen minutes.

The preceding is from my book, Teaching English, How To…. By Raymond Stopper. Xlibris. 2004, pp. 126—129.

The next steps are to study your brainstorm and construct a thesis. Next, write a draft, including the thesis, the middle paragraphs, the final paragraph. Construct an interesting introduction. Revise and edit. RayS.

Topic: How Begin to Write? Brainstorming (1).

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to writing.

10-second review: “There are no rules about what constitutes a proper seed. It can be a character, a name, a situation, structure, overheard dialogue, a setting, a theme, even a vague feeling.” P. 8.

Title: “Where Can You Find the Seeds of A Good Story?” Alexander Steele. The Writer (October 2010), 8.

Comment: All right. You have picked a topic. Now what do you do? You brainstorm. (1)

If you have attended sporting events, you will have noticed that athletes “warm up" in preparation for the contest. Baseball players stretch and run wind sprints, infielders scoop up ground balls in infield practice, while outfielders shag flies, and all the players take batting practice. The pitcher talks over the opponent’s starting lineup with the catcher, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the hitters, and warms up his arm in preparation for the start on the mound.

Football players do calisthenics. Quarterbacks practice throwing to receivers, punters practice their punting and field-goal kickers practice kicking the ball through the goalposts. During the week, the coaches have developed a “game plan” with the players, even “scripting” the first fifteen or so plays that will be run when the offense has the ball. Basketball players practice lay-ups, jump shots and foul shots.

No organized team simply starts to play a sporting event without some kind of warm-up. The same applies to writing. You should begin to write by “warming up” or preparing yourself to write.

Brainstorming Defined

Brainstorming is a process of emptying your mind on a topic. You don’t stop to organize, to spell correctly, or even to choose your words carefully. Your purpose is, in a set period of time, to drain your mind of thoughts on the topic, preferably in short phrases. Don’t criticize yourself. Just record your ideas. If you have a question about whether an idea is appropriate, don’t think about it; just put it down on your paper. If it’s a group brainstorm, you are not allowed in any way to criticize someone else’s ideas.

To be continued.

Topic: How to Begin to Write (6)

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to writing.

10-second review: “There are no rules about what constitutes a proper seed. It can be a character, a name, a situation, structure, overheard dialogue, a setting, a theme, even a vague feeling.” P. 8.

Title: “Where Can You Find the Seeds of A Good Story?” Alexander Steele. The Writer (October 2010), 8.

Comment: Or an idea. Below are some ideas to use as springboards for writing. From my book, Teaching English, How To…. Raymond Stopper. Xlibris. 2004.

Possible Topics for Writing (concluded).

Stress. Stubborn. Students. Study habits. Stupidity. Style. Success. Suffering. Suicide. Superior person. Superstition. Surgeons. Suspicion. Swearing. Symbolism. Sympathy. Tact. Talk. Taste. Tavern. Taxes. Teaching. Teamwork. Tears. Technology. Television. Terror. Theater. Theme. Theory. Thinking and thought. Thrift. Time. Toast. Tolerance. Tools. Tornado. Tragedy. Trains. Trait. Tranquility. Transportation. Travel. Triage. True believer. Truth. Tyrants. Understanding. Uniforms. Unity and multiplicity. Universe. Universities. Utility. Values. Vanity. Victory. Villain. Violence. Virtual. Visual. Vocations. Volcano. Vulgarity. War. Water. Wealth. Weapons.  Weather. Weddings. Widows. Will. Winter. Wisdom. Wit. Witchcraft. Wives and husbands. Wonder. Wood pile. Words. Work. World. Writing. Wrongs. WWII. Youth.

Next: You have picked a topic. Now what do you do? Brainstorm.

Topic: How to Begin to Write (5)

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to writing.

10-second review: “There are no rules about what constitutes a proper seed. It can be a character, a name, a situation, structure, overheard dialogue, a setting, a theme, even a vague feeling.” P. 8.

Title: “Where Can You Find the Seeds of A Good Story?” Alexander Steele. The Writer (October 2010), 8.

Comment: Or an idea. Below are some ideas to use as springboards for writing. From my book, Teaching English, How To…. Raymond Stopper. Xlibris. 2004.

Possible Topics for Writing (continued).

Press conferences. Pressure. Pride. Problem solving. Professionalism. Professions. Progress. Propaganda. Prophecy. Prophets. Proselytizing. Protest. Proverbs. Psychological experience. Psychology. Public opinion. Public relations. Publishing. Punishment. Puns. Puritan. Purpose. Quarrels. Questions. Quotes. Race and racism. Radicals and radicalism. Rage. Rationality. Rationalizing. Reading. Reality. Reason. Rebellion. Recluse. Reform and reformers. Reincarnation. Rejection. Relationships. Religion. Remorse. Research. Responsibility. Restaurant. Revenge. Reviewing. Revolution. Reward. Rhetoric. Right and wrong. Roles. Roller coaster. Romanticism. Routine. Ruins. Rules. Rural life. Sadness. Sanity. Satire. Sayings. Scene. Scholar. Science. Sculpture. Sea. Seasons. Secret. Security. Self-criticism. Self-control. Self-denial. Self-mastery. Self-righteous. Senses. Sermons. Servants. Simplicity. Simulations. Sin. Sincerity. Skepticism. Slavery. Sleep. Small towns. Snooping. Snow. Society. Solitude. Son. Song. Space. Speaking. Specialists. Speech. Spelling. Spirit. Spring. Squirrels. Stagecoach. Standards. State. Statistics. Stereotype. Stewardship. Stoicism. Stories and storytelling. Strategy.

To be concluded.

Topic: How to Begin to Write (4).

Purpose of this blog: Topics related to how to write.

10-second review: “There are no rules about what constitutes a proper seed. It can be a character, a name, a situation, structure, overheard dialogue, a setting, a theme, even a vague feeling.” P. 8.

Title: “Where Can You Find the Seeds of A Good Story?” Alexander Steele. The Writer (October 2010), 8.

Comment: Or an idea. Below are some ideas to use as springboards for writing. From my book, Teaching English, How To…. Raymond Stopper. Xlibris. 2004.

Possible Topics for Writing (continued).

Meetings. Melancholy. Memories. Men and gods. Mercy. Metaphor. Middle age. Midwest. Military. Mind. Miracle. Misanthrope. Misfit. Mob s. moderation. Modern. Monarch. Mood. Moral responsibility. Moral victory. Morality. Morning. Mothers and motherhood. Motives and motivation. Movies and books. Multimedia. Murder. Mysticism. Myth. Names. Nationalities. Native Americans. Nature. Necessity. Negotiation. Nemesis. Neurosis. New England. News and newspapers. Night. Nonchalance. Nonconformist. North and South. Nostalgia. Novel. November. Nuclear war. Objectives. Objectivity. Obscenity. Obscurity in meaning. Obsession. Obstructions. Occupation. Old age. Opera. Oppression. Orator, oratory. Order. Organizing and organizations. Originality. Owls. Oxymoron. Pain. Parents and children. Paris. Parties. Past. Patience. Patriotism. Peace. Peace Corps. Pedant. People. Perception. Perfection. Personality. Perspectives. Persuasion. Philadelphia or any other city philosophy. Physicians. Pioneers. Places. Planning. Play. Plays. Pleasure. Plot. Poets and poetry. Points of view. Politics. Polls. Possessions. Posterity. Poverty. Power. Pragmatism. Prayer. Prejudice. Present, past and future. Presidency and Presidents. Press.

To be continued.