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Advanced English Grammar

Summer Quarter 

Class Meetings: M-F

Materials

ºThree ring binder/notebook, 200 sheets loose leaf college ruled notebook paper, and five reinforced index dividers

öUnderstanding and Using English Grammar by Azar

Course Description

The foundation of the English language, English grammar allows a person in an almost unlimited way to combine words to create new sentences, many of which are uttered for the first time. In fact, any twenty word sentence used in English probably is the first sentence in that word order in all of our country’s history! Being able to use the grammar creatively will help you to improve your listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills.

Because this is an advanced grammar class, we will have a very specific focus. Our study will exclusively focus on the three dependent clauses in English grammar: noun, adjective, and adverb clauses. We will examine these dependent clauses with their varying structures. By the end of the quarter, you should be able to achieve the following:

Understand the basic structure of adjective clauses and the relationship the adjective clause has to the independent clause of the sentence.

Understand the different types of adjective clause connectors.

Know how to reduce adjective clauses with active and passive meanings.

Understand the basic structure of adverb clauses and the relationship the adverb clause has to the independent clause of the sentence.

Understand the different types of adverb clause connectors.

Know how to reduce adverb clauses with active and passive meanings.

Understand noun clauses and how they can function as subjects, objects, and complements in a sentence.

Understand the different types of noun clause connectors.

Know how to reduce noun clauses into infinitives.

Be able to recognize common errors in writing that relate to noun, adjective, and adverb clause, phrase structures.

Understand how to use subordinate clauses in parallelism.

Understand the importance of using subordinate clauses, phrases to provide sentence variety in academic writing.

English Grammar Web Sites:

1. Michael Buckhoff's English Grammar self-study quizzes:

http://members.xoom.com/Buckhoff/Englishgrammarselfstudyquizzes.htm

2. English Structure for Academic Purposes (Information about Adjective, adverb, and noun clauses): http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/class.pages/Structure1/Salzmann_index.html#adjcl

3. Building Clauses:  http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/bldcls.html    

4. Dave Sperling’s ESL Grammar Web Links (66 in all!): http://www.eslcafe.com/search/Grammar/

Requirements

I expect everyone to come to class and be ready to participate in all exercises both oral and written. You will take quizzes every Friday. The quizzes and the homework assignments are designed to give you practice solving language problems relating to grammar. Make sure that you complete all homework assignments.

Late Work

Assignments submitted after the due date will not be accepted. In other words, you will receive no points. I will only allow you to make up missed work if you have a written documented excuse from someone stating the urgency of the situation (e.g. Doctor’s note, CHP accident report, etc.). Homework assignments are to be completed before the class on the day that they are due. Late work will not be accepted. You may not make up a quiz if you are absent. You may not make up the midterm or final for this class. You must take it on the scheduled date in order to receive credit.

Attendance

Your attendance is required at all class meetings. Only written documented excuses for an absence may result in your making up a graded assignment or graded daily work. Absences endanger your grade simply because you are missing out in the learning process. Three absences will result in an overall reduction of one full letter grade and five absences will result in a failing grade for this class.

Come to class on time. Three tardies will be counted as an absence. If you arrive fifteen minutes late or more, you will be counted absent for that class period. If you do come late to class, please enter quietly so as not to distract the other students. Do not explain to me why you are late.

Grading

The number letter grading scale is set as follows:

A 95-100

A- 90-94

B+ 87-89

B 84-86

B- 80-83

C+ 76-79

C 70-75

NP 69& below

Scoring Grade

Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

Attendance and Participation                 10%

Quizzes                                                      60%

Midterm (sixth week)                                15%

Final (eleventh Week)                              15%

Total                                                         100%