COMMAS Essays - Linguistics, Syntax, Dependent Clause, Free Essays

COMMAS Essays - Linguistics, Syntax, Dependent Clause, Free Essays COMMAS Basics Most versatile punctuation mark in English Ways to use a comma: separating a list of three or more items setting off non-essential information linking closely-related independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (i.e. FANBOYS) Lists (of Nouns, Modifiers) Commas can be used to separate items in a list or series Any list greater than 2 items requires commas between each item "I love Taylor Swift, Kanye, and Beyonce" requires commas because the list has 3 items. However, "I love Kanye and Beyonce" doesn't use a comma because it contains only 2 things...pretty simple, right? It's important to keep in mind that lists can be made of any part of speech "I wanted his hipster glasses, cargo shorts, and skater-boy shoes" lists nouns "I swam, biked, and ran in our school's triathlon" lists verbs "The skunk was big, hairy, and smelly" lists adjectives "I behaved foolishly, beastly, and wildly at the party" lists adverbs Remember: the ACT will always use the Oxford comma...don't forget! Non-Essential Information Commas often set off clauses not essential to the meaning of a sentence If this information appears in the beginning, it will be followed by a comma. If it's in the middle of the sentence, it will be surrounded by commas. It never appears at the end of a sentence In the beginning of sentence: "In May, I will buy a hoverboard." In the middle of sentence: "The man with the shady mustache, whom I saw walking down the street, kept winking at me." There are seven types of clauses that can be set off this way (bear with me here) Appositive : A noun phrase providing a specific description to a following piece of information "Abebe, a videogamer, coded his own videogame." "A videogamer" = specific description that follows "Jason." Relative clause : provides more information about noun it's describing contains who/whom/whose/which and a verb "Shonda, who typically likes fried chicken, only ate french fries when she went to KFC." John doing well on tests = extra information Participle clause : similar to a relative clause, but uses a participle to provide additional information - a participle being a verb ending in the "ing" suffix "Andres, eating grapes, choked and died." "Eating" = participle and "eating grapes" = participle clause Temporal clause : provides time for when something happened "When Lady Gaga comes to town, I'm going to dress up as an egg." The time I'll dress up as an egg = "when Lady Gaga comes to town" (temporal clause) Causal clause : provides cause of action "Because he saw a clown, he peed his pants." Seeing the clown caused him to pee his pants Contrast clause : provides contextual information, making events of the main clause unexpected "Although I'm not a superstar, I'm still divalicious." Words like "although," "however," "regardless of" = contrast Conditional clause : states that events of the main clause are dependent on something else (the effect of something else happening) "If I meet Zayn Malik, I'm going to give him my number." "If" = the conditional state. In general, look for "if/then" sentences TIP : Try reading the sentence without the information set off by commas. If it still makes sense afterwards, then the information was non-essential Comma + Coordinating Conjunction Commas connect two clauses that could be complete sentences on their own. This can ONLY be done when the two sentences are closely related The sentences "Ani drinks coffee every day" and "She's addicted to caffeine" could be joined since both relate to Ani's relationship with coffee However, "I never miss an episode of The Walking Dead" and "Conrad will go to Oologah, Oklahoma in October" have absolutely nothing to do with each other, so it doesn't make sense to combine these sentences IMPORTANT: For a comma to connect two complete sentences, the comma must be followed by a FANBOYS conjunction FANBOYS stands for: F or, A nd, N or, B ut, O r, Y et, S o Example 1: Clauses: "The dj started playing her set shortly after they turned up." "the dj" is the subject, "started" is the verb, and it represents a complete thought = independent clause "It took them longer than usual to

Help Children Who Are Chronic Liars Tell the Truth

Help Children Who Are Chronic Liars Tell the Truth Special educators will undoubtedly meet and teach students who seem to have difficulty telling the truth. Some of them may blame others to avoid getting in trouble, while some children may embroider elaborate stories as a means to join conversations. For other children, chronic lying may be part of an emotional or behavioral disorder. Behaviors and Coping Mechanisms The child who exaggerates, tells lies, or distorts the truth does so for a variety of reasons. A behavioral (ABA)  approach will always focus on the function  of the behavior, which in this case, is the lying.  Behaviorists identify four basic functions for behavior: avoidance or escape, to acquire something they want, to get attention, or for power or control. The same is true of lying. Often, children have learned a specific set of coping mechanisms. These are learned to avoid bringing attention to the childs inability to perform academically. These coping mechanisms also may come from children being raised by families that have poor coping mechanisms, mental health issues, or addiction problems. Children That Have Difficulty Telling the Truth Avoidance or escape. Students will often lie to avoid or escape a task they dont want to do or to avoid consequences that come with not completing an assignment or homework. If a student comes from a punitive home or has only experienced school as a punitive environment, it is common for students to lie. They do this to avoid the kind of punishment or shaming they have experienced at home or in a general education classroom, such as a teacher screaming. Acquire something they want. Everyone sometimes  shades the truth to get something they want. Children from homes that cannot or will not provide coveted items often steal, and then lie, in order to get items they would not generally have access to. This may include bright pencils, erasers in fun shapes, or highly desirable toys or games, such as Pokemon cards.   Attention. Chronic lying often falls in this category, though what a child may exhibit is, in  fact, poor social skills and the desire to command the attention of other students. They may create elaborate or fantastical stories that have no basis in truth but are a response to something the teacher or another student has said. Whether the purpose is to get attention by making extraordinary claims (my uncle is a movie star), or fantasy (I went to Paris with my cousins), positive attention for real accomplishments will reinforce correct and truthful behavior.   Power. Students who feel powerless or out of control may use lying in order to control the teacher, his or her peers, or another significant adult. Students may want to get their classmates in trouble, sometimes breaking or ruining something in the classroom on purpose. Chronic or habitual liars rarely feel good about themselves. It is recommended to look for patterns in the childs lying. Consider if the lying only occurs at specific times or in specific situations. When one has identified the function or purpose of the behavior, they can plan appropriate interventions.   12 Interventions and Tips Always model telling the truth and avoiding little white lies.In small groups, role-play with students on the value of telling the truth. This will take time and some patience. Identify telling the truth as a classroom value.Role-play the potentially devastating consequences of lying.Do not accept excuses for lying, as lying is not acceptable.Children should understand the hurtful consequences of lying and whenever possible, they should apologize for lying.Logical consequences need to be in place for the child who lies.Children will lie to protect themselves from the punishment of scolding. Avoid scolding but maintain a calm demeanor. Thank children for telling the truth. Apply a lesser consequence for a student who takes responsibility for their actions.Do not punish students for accidents. Cleaning up or apologizing should be the most appropriate consequence.Children need to be part of the solution and consequences. Ask them what they are prepared to give or do as a result of the l ie. Teachers can explain to the child that what he or she did is the problem. Teachers should reinforce that its not the child, but what he or she did that is upsetting, and explain why the disappointment is there.Catch the chronic liar telling the truth and commend them.  Avoid lectures and quick, irrational threats.