Advanced Grammar and UsageEnglish 4195 (MWF)

Semester
Course Section

Instructor
Office Information

Office Hours
Textbooks

Course Description

Fall 2012
English 4195.001
MWF, 10:00 a.m., CURY 110
Professor Anne Schoolfield
Room: LB 407A
Phone: English Office 565-2050 / 407A 369-8945
Email: anne@unt.edu
Web: http://www.engl.unt.edu/~anne
MWF, 11:00-11:50 a.m. & by appointment
Kolln, Rhetorical Grammar (6th edition)
Thurman, The Only Grammar Book Youll Ever Need
Williams, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (10th edition)
This course covers basic and advanced concepts of grammar, usage and punctuation,
and techniques and practices for effective writing and publishing in the humanities.
In studying these concepts, we will also explore the controversy surrounding the
teaching of grammar and possible strategies for teaching grammar, rhetorical
approaches to grammar and written style, and editing techniques.

Evaluation

Daily Work and Participation

Article Review
Web Site Review
Group Presentation
Annotated Bibliography
Editing Project
Grammar Examination

Daily Work

Daily work and class participation count as 20% of your course grade. You may also
have pop quizzes as daily grades.

Participation

Your participation in this class is extremely important. I will use the following scale
to award points for class participation:
Very well prepared, excellent participation
10 points
Well prepared, good participation
9 points
Adequately prepared, good participation
8 points
Somewhat prepared, average participation
7 points
6 points
Unprepared, minimal/no participation
5 points
Unprepared, no participation/disruptive

20%
5%
7%
8%
20%
20%
20%

Note: Merely sitting in class earns you a D- in participation. Also, please see
important information about attendance and class behavior on pp. 2-3.
Disability
Accommodation

In accordance with the terms and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act and
Section 504, Rehabilitation Act, I will cooperate with the Office of Disability
Accommodation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with
disabilities.
If you have disabilities and have not registered with ODA, I encourage you to
register. Please present your written request for accommodation to me no later than
the end of the fourth day of class.

SchoolfieldEnglish 4195.001

Advanced Grammar and UsageEnglish 4195, cont.

Essential
Competencies

Grades and Their

Meaning

Plagiarism and
Academic
Dishonesty

Essential competencies for this course include the ability to

read and analyze texts
write clear, concise, and appropriate prose to respond to a variety of assignments
discuss grammar style concepts in class and in small groups
use word processing and presentations software and electronic mail
For this course, we define grades
A=excellent (reserved for real excellence)
B=good (an honors grade)
C=fair (signifies average competence)
D=passing
F=failing
While I encourage scholarly cooperation, I abhor cheating. Plagiarism is cheating. The 11th
edition of the Harbrace College Handbook defines plagiarism as presenting as your own work,
deliberately or accidentally, the words or ideas of another (424).
In the third edition of A Writers Reference, Diana Hacker delineates three forms of plagiarism:
(1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in
quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words (261).
You must keep straight which ideas and words are your own and which belong to others. I will
fail from the course anyone I catch plagiarizing!
Note: I may submitor ask you to submityour work to turnitin.com.

Class Policies

The following class policies will help you succeed in this class and understand what I expect of
you.
Attendance
Attend class regularly. You cannot perform well unless you attend class.
If you miss a class, you are responsible for all material covered and all assignments
made. Further, if you exceed six (6) absences, you will receive an F in the course.
Important! You are absent if you
are not in class when I call roll
leave class early without my permission
sleep during class
come to class without your textbook
sit in class with any kind of non-essential electronic device in your ear
send text messages during class
Note: Illness is NOT a university-approved excuse.
Contact me if you cannot attend class.
Turn off all cell phones and other non-essential electronic devices during class.
Assignments
Prepare reading assignments for the first day they are listed on the syllabus.
Submit all assignments on time.
If you are having trouble completing an assignment, talk with me several days before
the assignment is due.
Prepare all outside class assignments (including daily homework) using wordprocessing software; I will not always take up homework on the day it is due, but I will
not accept homework that is not printed when you come to class and given to me in
class.
Print all final documents on a laser printer to ensure your documents are neat.
Prepare all assignments specifically according to instructions.
Assignments not prepared according to instructions may receive a grade of F.
Make copies of your papers that you wish to keep.
I must keep some major assignments on file for one year.

SchoolfieldEnglish 4195.001

Advanced Grammar and UsageEnglish 4195, cont.

Class Policies, cont.

Note Taking
I expect to see all students taking extensive notesby hand, not electronically
during class discussions and lectures. You should also take notes as you read each
daily assignment to ensure you are prepared to participate fully in class discussions.
Email
Use your UNT email account for this class and check your email daily for course
announcements and updates. For each email you send me, use an informative
subject line prefaced by your course and section informationfor example,
English 4195.001: Question about the Article Review. Please note that you
should also use formal language and sign your email.
Blackboard
We will use Blackboard for some daily assignments, discussion boards, and other
submissions; note that we will use Blackboard extensively if UNT closes for
severe weather.
You can access Blackboard at http://learn.unt.edu using your EUID and password

Readings and Assignments

Week 1

Week 2

August

September

Week 3

29

Task:

Introduction to the course

31

Task:

Diagnostic
Labor Dayno class!!

3
5

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Topic:
Task:

Brief History of English

Williams, Chapter 2: Correctness, pp. 10-18
Review Thurman, Chapter 1: Finding the Right Words

10

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Correctness
Williams, Chapter 2: Correctness, pp. 18-26
Review Thurman, Chapter 1: Finding the Right Words

12

Topic:
Task:

14

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Week 4

Pros and Cons of Teaching Grammar

Article Review DUE
Verbs
Williams, Chapter 3: Action, pp. 28-34
Thurman, Chapter 2: Parts of SpeechVerbs, pp. 24-27
Williams, Ex. 3.1-3.3 / Discuss Web Site Review

17

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Verbs
Williams, Chapter 3: Action, pp. 34-45
Williams, Ex. 3.4-3.7

19

Topic:
Reading:

Verbs
Kolln, Chapter 3: Our Versatile Verbs, pp. 38-43
Thurman, Chapter 4: Verb VarietiesVerb Tenses, pp. 57-59
Prepare Kolln, For Group Discussion 1 & 2, pp. 41-42

Task:
SchoolfieldEnglish 4195.001

Overview of Grammar & Style Study

Williams, Chapter 1: Understanding Style
Kolln, Introduction: What is Rhetorical Grammar?
Discuss Article Review

Readings and Assignments, cont.

Week 4,
cont.

21

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Verbs
Kolln, Chapter 3: Our Versatile Verbs, pp. 44-52
Kolln, Ex. 7, 8, & 9, pp. 46-52

Week 5

24

Topic:
Reading:

Verbs
Thurman, Chapter 4: Verb VarietiesVerbals, pp. 53-57; Irregular
Verbs & Verb Moods, pp. 59-64
Kolln, Chapter 1: Introduction to Words and Phrases, pp. 10-13
Prepare Kolln, Ex. 2, p.13 & For Group Discussion, p. 47

Task:
26

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Week 6

October

28

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Nouns
Williams, Lesson 4: Characters, pp. 46-56
Williams, Ex. 4.1 & 4.2

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Nouns
Williams, Lesson 4: Characters, pp. 46-65
Williams, Ex. 4.3-4.6

Topic:
Reading:

Pronouns
Thurman, Chapter 2: Parts of SpeechPronouns, pp. 20-23, &
Chapter 5: Pronoun ProblemsAgreement & Indefinite Pronouns, pp.
65-69
Kolln, Chapter 12: Words & Word Classes, pp. 245-251

Task:
5

Topic:
Reading:

Task:
Week 7

Topic:
Reading:

Task:
10

Topic:
Reading:

Task:
12

SchoolfieldEnglish 4195.001

Nouns
Thurman, Chapter 2: Parts of Speech Nouns, pp. 19-20
Kolln, Chapter 1: Introduction to Words and Phrases, pp. 6-10
Kolln, Ex. 1 & For Group Discussion, p. 9-10

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Pronouns
Thurman, Chapter 5: Pronoun ProblemsVague Reference &
Pronoun Person, pp. 69-73, and Pronoun Case, etc., pp. 73-78
Kolln, Chapter 12: Words & Word Classes, pp. 251-256
Kolln, Ex. 42 & 43, pp. 253 & 256
Adjectives & Adverbs
Thurman, Chapter 2: Parts of SpeechAdjectives & Adverbs, pp. 2324, 27-31
Kolln, Chapter 1: Introduction to Words and Phrases, pp. 13-16
Kolln, For Group Discussion, pp. 15-16
Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections
Thurman, Chapter 2: Parts of SpeechPrepositions, Conjunctions,
Interjections, pp. 31-34
Kolln, Chapter 1: Introduction to Words and Phrases, pp. 16-18
Kolln, Chapter 12: Words & Word Classes, pp. 240-245
Kolln, Ex. 40, pp. 242-243, & Ex, 41, p. 244
Sentence Structure
Thurman, Chapter 3: Basic Sentence StructureSubjects &
Predicates, pp. 35-41
Kolln, Chapter 2: Sentence Patterns, pp. 19-37
Kolln, Ex. 4, pp. 23-24; Ex. 5, pp. 29-30; Ex. 6, pp.32-33; For Group
Discussion, pp. 35-36
Web Site Review DUE

Readings and Assignments, cont.

Week 8

15

Topic:
Reading:

Tasks:

17

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Sentence Structure
Thurman, Chapter 6: Punctuation and StyleCommas, pp. 91-96
Kolln, Chapter 4: Coordination and Subordination, pp. 64-67
Kolln, For Group Discussion, pp. 64-65

19

Topic:
Reading:

Sentence Structure and Punctuation

Thurman, Chapter 6: Punctuation and StyleColons & Semi-colons,
pp. 96-99
Kolln, Chapter 4: Coordination and Subordination, pp. 67-75
Kolln, Ex. 12, p. 74-75

Task:

Week 9

22

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Sentence Structure and Punctuation

Kolln, Chapter 4: Coordination and Subordination, pp. 75-81
Kolln, Ex. 13, p. 76-77; Ex. 14, p. 79-80

24

Topic:
Reading:

Punctuation and Copyediting

Thurman, Chapter 6: Punctuation and StyleSentence Enders &
Quotation Marks, pp.79-86; Apostrophes, pp. 86-90
Exercises (handout)

Task:

Week 10

November
Week 11

26

Tasks:

Punctuation and Copyediting

Thurman, Chapter 6: Punctuation and StyleHyphens & Dashes, pp.
99-103; Parentheses, Square Brackets, Angle Brackets, pp. 103-106,
109-110
Exercises (handout)

29

Task:

Punctuation and Copyediting

Thurman, Chapter 6: Punctuation and StyleItalics vs. Underlining,
pp. 106-109; Ellipsis Points & Slashes, pp. 91-96
Exercises (handout)

31

Task:

Exam Review

Task:

ExamGrammar, Punctuation, Copyediting

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

SchoolfieldEnglish 4195.001

Sentence Structure
Thurman, Chapter 3: Basic Sentence StructurePhrases & Clauses,
pp. 41-45; Sentence Functions & Subject-Verb Agreement, pp. 45-52
Kolln, Chapter 4: Coordination and Subordination, pp. 53-63
Kolln, Ex. 10, p. 61; Ex. 11, p. 63/ Discuss Editing Project and
Annotated Bibliography

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Cohesion and Coherence

Kolln, Chapter 5: Cohesion, pp. 84-93
Williams, Lesson 5: Cohesion and Coherence, pp. 66-71
Kolln, For Group Discussion, p. 87; Ex. 15, p. 93; Williams, Ex, 5.1,
p. 71
Cohesion and Coherence
Kolln, Chapter 5: Cohesion, pp. 93-104
Williams, Lesson 5: Cohesion and Coherence, pp. 71-81
Kolln, Ex. 16, p.97; Williams, Ex. 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, pp. 76-80
Emphasis
Kolln, Chapter 6: Sentence Rhythm, pp. 105-113
Williams, Lesson 6: Emphasis, pp. 82-91
Kolln, Ex. 17, p. 109; Ex. 18, p. 113; Williams, Ex. 6.1-6.2, pp. 90-91
5

Readings and Assignments, cont.

Week 12

Week 13

Tasks:

14

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Emphasis
Kolln, Chapter 6: Sentence Rhythm, pp. 114-122
Williams, Lesson 6: Emphasis, pp. 91-98
Williams, Ex. 6.3, pp. 94-95

16

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

Concision
Williams, Lesson 7: Concision
Williams, Ex. 7.1 & 7.2, pp. 105-106; Ex. 7.3 & 7.4, pp. 111-113

19

Topic:
Reading:
Task:

ShapeGroup Presentation
Williams, Lesson 8: Shape
Williams, Ex. 8.1, pp. 124-125; Ex. 8.2, pp. 132-133

21

Task:

Week 15

December

26

Task:

EleganceGroup Presentation
Williams, Lesson 9: Elegance
Williams, Ex. 9.1-9.3, pp. 152-154; Ex. 9.4, pp. 156

28

Task:

Motivating Coherence/Global CoherenceGroup Presentations

Williams, Lesson 10: Motivating Coherence/Lesson 11: Global
Coherence

30

Task:

EthicsGroup Presentation
Williams, Lesson 12: The Ethics of Style
Williams, Ex. 12.1 & 12.2, p. 198

Task:

Present Editing Projects

Task:

Present Editing Projects

7
Week 16

SchoolfieldEnglish 4195.001

Editing Project Proposal DUE at LB 407A, 10:00 a.m.

Thanksgiving Breakno class!!!!!

23
Week 14

Annotated Bibliography DUE / Presentation from Career Center

12

12

University Reading Dayno class!

(Wednesday) Editing Project DUE at 10:00 a.m., LB 407A