Chapter

Composition
The Midterm
R e v ie w T ips
N ext w eek is the in-class essay m idterm . To help you
p repare for it, this sheet review s som e of th e im portant
concepts w e have covered so far this semester. You w ill be
w riting about one of the four sh o rt stories w e have read in
the last tw o w eeks. You w ill be explaining how the story is
significant to to d ay 's w o rld even th o u g h it w as w ritten
m ore th an one h u n d re d years ago.

1. M ake y o u r thesis clear. The reader should know w h at your proposal is w ithin the first or second
p arag rap h of y o u r essay. Your intention is to convince your reader th at this short story is still
10 im p o rtan t to read because it relates in one or m ore w ays to society today.
2. You m ay need to refute o ther po in ts of view. Think about w ays an opponent m ight disagree w ith
y o u a n d show h o w his or h er view isn 't as strong as yours.
3. M ake your exam ples vivid. Pick scenes from the story th a t dram atically su p p o rt your view. Pick
exam ples from to d ay 's w o rld th a t clearly show a connection to the events or ideas in the sh o rt story.
154. Rem em ber the im portance of coherence as you organize y our essay. Pick a m ethod of organization
th a t allow s the reader to clearly follow each of your points, and m ake sure each of your exam ples
relates to y o u r thesis.
5. W atch your diction. Your choice of w ords helps to set the tone of your essay. This is a form al essay,
so you should avoid using slang w o rds or other inform al types of language.
206. You w ill n eed to cite passages from the story in y o u r paper. As you annotate the story, look for lines
an d scenes th at w ill help to m ake y o u r point. W rite com m ents in the m argins, star im portant
passages, an d u nderline sections y o u m ay w a n t to quote or paraphrase. You do not w an t to
plagiarize any passages, so be sure to record the page num ber in parentheses after any quotations
or parap h rases y ou use. Stealing other people's w ords or ideas is a serious offense th at can get you
25 expelled from college. Below are exam ples of quoting an d p araphrasing to rem ind you of the
correct form ats.

Q uotation: Use the w rite r's ow n w o rds, and p u t the w ords in quotation marks.
The reader becom es skeptical of th e n a rra to r's sanity w h en he reveals his reason for
com m itting m urder: "W henever it fell u p o n m e, m y blood ran cold; a n d so by
30 degrees—v ery gradually—I m ad e u p m y m ind to take the life of the old m an, and thus rid
m yself of the eye forever" (Poe 2).

Paraphrase: P u t the w rite r's w o rd s into your ow n w ords, and do n o t use quotation m arks.
The n arrato r says h e isn 't m ad, b u t the reader begins to w o n d er how sane he can be w h en he
reveals th at h e slow ly decides to kill the old m an because he is terrorized by the old m an 's
35 eye (Poe 2).

If you take the tim e to p repare for the in-class essay by rereading the short stories, m arking im portant
passages in the stories, a n d thinking about how the stories relate to to d ay 's w orld, you should have no
problem in w ritin g y o u r essay.

14
P r e d ic t in g iiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiimiimimmiiiimmimNmmmmmimiiimimiimiiiimmiiiiimNmmiiimiiiiiiiiii
For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure,
return to the reading on page 14, and underline any context clues you find. After you’ve made your
predictions, check your answers against the W ord List on page 19. Place a checkmark in the box next to
each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you’ll want to study closely.

Set One
to disprove a plan consistency clear or dramatic
a proposal that is defended by argument

G 1. thesis (line 8 ) ___________________________________________________________________

G 2. intention (line 9 ) _____________________ ____________________________________________
Q 3. refute (line 11) ___________________________________________________________________
Q 4. vivid (line 13)
Q 5. coherence (line 1 5 )________________________________________________________________

Set Two
to quote as an example or expert the choice and use of words to make notes or comments on
to use the words or ideas of someone else as one’s own to express in other words

Q 6. diction (line 18) _________________________________________________________________

G 7. cite (line 20) _____________________________________________________________________
G 8. annotate (line 2 0 ) _________________________________________________________________
G 9. paraphrase (line 22) _____________________________________________________________
G 10. plagiarize (line 2 3 ) _______________________________________________________________

S e lf-T e s t s IH Ilin iillllillElin illllH lllliilSlH lH lllllIf Illlf lllilN lilf llilllilllllf lillSIIIiSlilillllllH iflllflilSllH H IKSIIllIlllllil

1 Circle the correct meaning of each vocabulary word.

1. cite: to exaggerate to quote

2. diction: choice of words choice of type size
3. plagiarize: to quote to steal
4. paraphrase: to use an author’s words to express in other words
5. refute: to disprove a statement to agree with a statement
6. annotate: to write a book to make notes in a book
7. coherence: illogical organization orderly relationship
8. vivid: brilliant dull
9. intention: apian clueless
10. thesis: a proposal a refusal

CHAP TER 2 Composition 15

2 Match a word to each example. Use each word once.
VOC A BUL AR Y L I ST
annotate vivid paraphrase diction plagiarize
cite refute thesis intention coherence

1. Shirley Jackson’s story begins pleasantly: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with
the fresh warmth of a full-summer day” (3 ).________________
2. a neon green skirt worn with a dazzling pink blouse________________
3. According to Austen, it isn’t how long it takes but how good it is that m atters._______________
4. I really want a new car. I desire a new car. I need a new car.________________
5. To put it in my own words, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for
your country.________________
6. Good example o f the boy's home life; Clear relationship here to incidents in par. 3_____________
7. Some people in the company believe the change in policy is causing problems, but they need to
look ahead and see that, after some initial scheduling problems, all employees will have more
time to spend on leisure pursuits. For example, when the rotation begins. . . ________________
8. The school needs to offer more math classes so that students can graduate on tim e._____________
9. The plan is to get up at 6:00 and be on the road by 6 :3 0 .__________
10. Outline: Summer can cause special problems for some people._____

I. A greater chance of getting sunburned

II. Dehydration
III. Heat exhaustion

3 Finish the sentences using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.
VOCABUL AR Y L I ST
refuted thesis plagiarize paraphrase cite
vivid diction coherence intention annotate

1. My niece has a (n )________________ imagination. She can turn a tree and a stick into a castle and
a wand and spend hours in her fairy kingdom.
2. T h e ________________ of my research paper is that more Neighborhood Watch programs will
make our city safer.
3. Because I was writing for children, I paid extra attention to m y ________________ . I didn’t want
to use words they wouldn’t understand.
4. I was confused when reading Isabel’s paper because it lacked________________ . First she told
about a trip to a farm, and then she described her math test, and her topic was supposed to be
about a favorite building.
5. It can be hard t o ________________ because you want to get the writer’s idea correct, but you
can’t use any of the writer’s key words or the same sentence pattern.

C HA P T E R 2 Composition
 6. When I _____________ _ a reading, I make comments on what I like and dislike, as well
as marking important scenes and noting questions that I might want to bring up in a class
discussion.
7. T h e ________________ of the orientation meeting was to help students understand the campus,
not to confuse them.
8. I thought my idea for the party was the best, but after Tony________________ my points, I saw
how expensive and impractical my plan was.
9. I didn’t mean t o ________________ , but I didn’t take very good notes, and I used the author’s
words four separate times without putting quotation marks around those passages.
10. My sister says she is never late; however, I c a n _________________four times she was late in the
last two weeks.

Word Wise
Collocations
The magnitude o f the problem unfolded as the day went on. One malfunction led to the creation of
several other troubles. (Chapter 1)
This project is o f the utmost importance, so I want you to devote all of your energy to it. (Chapter 1)
It is my intention to be the first in line at the Grand Opening Sale tomorrow. (Chapter 2)
You should be able to easily identify the thesis statement in each of the three essays we will be
reading now that you know what to look for. (Chapter 2)

Connotations and Denotations

Martyrdom (Chapter 1): denotation— “the state of being a martyr (one who chooses death or makes
a sacrifice rather than give up religious faith or other belief).” The connotation of martyrdom and
martyr can take two forms. Many see martyrs as brave people who stand up for what they believe
in. Others see a martyr as either a fool who won’t make compromises to fit in or as a person who
actually desires some kind of fame by choosing death. How do you view martyrdom? Is it a grand
ideal or a crazy idea?

Interesting Etymologies
Plagiarize (Chapter 2): comes from the Latin plagium, “kidnapping,” which comes from plaga
meaning “net or snare.” Obviously the meaning “to use the words or ideas of someone else as one’s
own” is an example of kidnapping. The word has been in use since the late 1500s.
Vivid (Chapter 2): comes from the Latin vividus, “spirited, lively,” which comes from vivus,
“alive.” The word originated in the early 1600s. In reference to colors, its first use is recorded in
1665. The use of the word to mean “active or lively” when referring to the imagination or an
interest in something is first reported in 1853.

CHAP TER 2 Composition 17

Interactive Exercise iiiiiiH m in iiiim m m iiiiim im iiim iim iiim m iiiH iiiim jiiim in iiiH iiim m iitiim ii

Briefly annotate the following passage. Then write a paragraph where your thesis explains whether
you would want to read the rest of this story based on this paragraph from page one. Circle your
thesis. Cite a line from the passage, and paraphrase another line to help support your view. D on’t
forget to make your intention clear, use coherence throughout the paragraph, and use vivid exam­
ples to explain your position. Decide if you want the paragraph to sound formal or informal, as
that will influence your diction.

The sky was gray, and thunder sounded in the distance. It was almost nightfall, and Helena was
far from a place to rest. She had hoped to make it to her aunt’s house before dark, but the adventure
by the river had slowed her down. She hadn’t expected to meet a family of trolls underneath the
bridge. She had always thought the stories about trolls were ridiculous, but today she discovered that
they could be true. The trolls had actually been quite nice. They even offered her homemade cookies.
Though she hadn’t really believed in trolls, if she did, she wouldn’t have imagined them baking cook­
ies. A streak of lightening lit up the sky, and the next blast of thunder sounded closer. Then the rain
began to pour. Helena ran to a nearby tree, whose branches protected her from the rain. She took the
last chocolate chip cookie out of her pocket and nibbled on it as she contemplated what to do next.

^ l ll lU l i ll lll ll ll ll ll ll il ll lU lll ll il ll i lli i ll ll ll lt l ll l l i l l i l l i l l l i i l i l l l t l l l l l l l l t l l l l l l i l l l l i l i l l l i l l l l l l i i l l l l l l i l l l l l l i l l l i l l l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l i l l l l l l i l l f i l l l l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l i l i l l i l l i l l l i l l l l i l l l i l i l l l l l l l l l l l l i l l l l l i l l l i l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l t :

I HINT I
| Study Often |
| Don’t try to fit all of your studying into one session before a test. Look at your notes for a class
1 often. Review them the day you write them while the information is fresh in your mind in case
1 you want to add some material. Do a weekly review of material so that, as you learn new 1
| material, you can build on the old information. These same ideas apply to learning
| vocabulary. Look often at the flash cards you make. Even taking ten minutes a day to go over
| the words for that week will help you remember the meanings. While you are waiting for |
1 another class to start, for a friend who is late, or for the bus to come, take some of that time to
| review the words. |

18 C HAP TER 2 Composition

 Word List
a n n o tate v. to make notes or comments p lagiarize v. to use the words or ideas
[an' o tat'] on or in the margins (usually [pla' ja rfz'] of someone else as one's
in reference to a book) own; to steal from
cite v. 1. to quote as an example another's writing
[sit] or expert refu te v. to disprove; to show that
2. to give as support or proof [ri fyoot'] a person or statement is
coh erence n. the quality of a logical or wrong by argument or
[ko her' ans, ko her'-] orderly relationship of parts; proof
consistency; unity thesis n. a proposal that is
diction n. 1. the choice and use of [the' sis] defended by argument
[dik' shan] words in speech or writing vivid adj. 1. clear; striking; dramatic
2. distinctness of speech [viv' id] 2. brilliant; having extremely
bright colors
intention n. a plan; an aim that guides
[in ten' shan] 3. active; lively
action
iaraphrase v. to express in other words
[par' a fraz'] n. a restatement of a passage \
using other words

Words tO Watch miimmiiimimimimmiimmmmiiiiiMiimmiimimmmiiiiiiiiiiiimmiimmiiimmmi

W hich words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below.
W rite the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra
practice could be the final touch to learning a word.

Word Definition Your Sentence

I. _______________________ _______________________

2.

3.

4.

5.

C HAP TER 2 Composition 19