.Copyright, Terry Gibson, BA, MEd

Be Grammar-Confident Leisurely Crash Course in Written English An oxymoron of course. . Welcome to Course A-5 Grefs Open GLOSSARY in Course C-1 . . . . . . .Punctuating both prose and poetry . . . . . .Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Task . . . . . A5 a Review and New: The Question . . . A5a . . . . . A5 b Proofreading Review apostrophes A5b . . . . . A5 c Editing Poetry, Introducing . . . . . . . . . . . . The Marching Meter, Trochaic . . . .A5c Self-test   Click to Move Within This Course   A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8  Active when red   Click to Find Other Courses   Course B Course C Course D Course E

. . . . . .Starting to Claw Back the Age of Literacy Swan's Practical English Usage, published by Oxford is the 1995 text that serves as reference. It is recent but will be replaced within the next few years as we get more and more muddled. . . . . . .Both British and American Forms are updated. e.g. dialog, US .

A5 a Unsure of the meaning of grammatical terms? See the Glossary . . . . . . . . . Punctuating Indented paragraphs, fragments, . . . .. . . .. . . .. / / / / Recognizing and punctuating questions ------------------PARAGRAPHING DISCUSSION ------"Did you study the punctuation?" she asked. ------"Do you remember," (like from reading,) "how an interrupted comment punctuates?" ---- -"Hey!" ---- -"Yes...?" ---- -"No capital after 'reading'?" ----- "Right, punctuate it as a sentence." --------------------- . . . . . . Study this selection: . ------------------------THINK: (no need to write.) In the segment below, we have rejoined the story where we met Sonya who fears something terrible may have happened to -- Gwen in A-1. It is after she and other characters have met Shawna, the newest member of their staff who replaces Gwen. ----------Noticing that the meeting to introduce the new office manager was over, Sonya pulled her thoughts back from the edge of fright, and tucked away its tentacles. -When they were filing out, and all others had gone back to whatever they had been doing, she said, "Shawna, I'm Sonya, and if you'll join me in the cafeteria over brunch maybe I can answer any remaining questions." ---------"Yes! Please, lots of them. What is this town like? It looks so small beside cities where I've lived." ----What do we see about Sonya's state of mind? -She has -----had shocks and serious worry about the fate of two workers on -----staff. Ending with 'tentacles,' we have an example of information -----expressed as metaphor, not found only in poetry, spicing it. -----They allow us to feel the action, as well as see it. Note, It begins with Sonya, and does not change to the next paragraph until Shawna speaks. (Or in some cases, does something different.) A bit of grammar: Noticing what? Object...? Clue, it is a group of words starting with 'that'-- a subordinate noun clause, -- "that the meeting to introduce the new office manager was over..." See Glossary -----Which is neither here nor there of course, but knowledge is -----like-vitamins that make food not only tasty, but good for us -----in the structure that Language is about. -----Why do we need to know such-things? Why do we need -----vitamins? To replace empty calories? To get quality food -----from prize recipes? Little notes like this will fill a need. AGAIN: Start a new paragraph when: [1.] Change of speaker, activity, point of view. [2.] Change of topic, time or place There is no blank line between indented paragraphs. .

. . ... . . . . . . . ... . . . .Assignment A5a . . PLEASE PUNCTUATE AND ADD CAPITALS IF NEEDED. Use indented paragraphs. Note where Sonya speaks. Decide where it becomes what Shawna sees, so what she says will be part of it. this is such a large place shawna said hesitating to ask but may we go see where my office is she felt full of questions does your map show where all the offices are oh and the parking lot so I wont lose my car Im babbling sorry she saw sonyas smile yes ill get you a map that we can label together it felt good to be with someone so happily alive they walked north past dinas desk in the main lobby where she also acted as receptionist toward the seminar room across from which sat shawnas new desk a nice desk shawna saw a comfortable chair a large leafy plant growing under lights on the other side of a glass brick wall I can get to like this office shawna remarked recalling the crowded cubicle she had before prestige and position calmly stated themselves even at a glance and that i presume would be mr newcombs office his suite yes ah of course they continued on toward the cafeteria . .. . . . Paragraphing, capitals, and sentence score: . . . . . To be scored again as part of A5b- Proofreading #6 after the review of punctuation in GrefStart below:

.,  A5 b .Help is available to make the work easier. You just have to find it.  For help, review these linked locations in / from . . . .GrefStart.htm ------------General info: Grefs.htm the self-test + answers (1, 2) - 1. apostrophes in possessives Grefs1, D1; Grefs2 B2; Grefs4 C4------ -- 2. apostrophes in contractions Grefs1,D1; Grefs2 B2, Grefs4 C4 negatives -------------------------------------------------- ----3 commas-- in a list or series Grefs1, B1; Grefs2 A2a ----4 commas in other uses Grefs4, A4, C4) ----5. quotation marks Grefs1, A1,C1; Grefs2 A2b, B2 . . . . ... . . . . . . . ... . . . . . ... . . . . . . . ... . .. .Assignment A5b . . . . ... . . . . . . REVIEW for.PROOF-READING . .. . Please LIST examples of the following that you found in . . the .assignments above, (if links work) or in any of the earlier . . courses in GREFS.htm Self-tester, and Glossary . .Copy the list below, and paste into Notepad for answers. . . .Purpose, to give you a reference kit for proof-reading. 1. Apostrophes in possessives, singular, plural, (pronouns?) 2. Apostrophes in contractions, positive, negative 3. Commas in a series of adjectives, and a series of nouns. Note, be sure the spacing is correct. 4. From CourseA-4, using the list of examples, select three different uses of commas in long sentences. 5. Punctuating quotations (Give three different examples) 6. Go back and proofread the selection in A5a, above, making any punctuating changes. (No need to copy here.) The grade will be recorded as #6. . .

. A5 c . . . . .. . .AND FOR OUR POETS . .. . . . ..Our Second lntermediate Level Session: . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .lNTRODUCING . The Marching Meter (Trochaic) .THE GENERAL PROCESS OF EDITING   Free verse if it is to remain so, check for spelling, grammar. Use your dictionary if unsure about the meaning of a word. ls the meaning crisp, uncluttered, perhaps metaphorical? Keep its form as it is. Punctuation of free verse is a personal choice for now. My choice? Punctuate as for sentences for clarity of meaning, unless that too, is optional.   Free verse if it is to become iambic or another "form" poem and retain the meaning/ emotion/ quality then becomes a source.   Existing verse (your own, or with permission) to be adjusted or converted from non-metric to metered form. ldeal when the meter comes first, needing only small changes to make it regular, not necessarily rhymed. Finding natural stresses in the source, analysis, is demonstrated here.   The Steps . "The Process of Editing" has three steps . . . . .11. Analysing the source to see what is there Analysing shows stressed syllables as bold or CAPitals and their patterns can be studied, going with the kind that dominates already, not needing to be changed. As a writer of the poem, rhythm certainly should come first! (Feeling the beat first as you write saves a lot of time and work! ) Unfortunately my own too often elude that.  . . . . .12. Revising and partially rewriting 2 and 3, Revising and polishing will be dealt with in A-6 Edits can affect punctuation through adjustments of word order. .Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are of course not even .noticed.when they are correct, but errors are! .  . . . . .13. Proofreading for typos, polishing Dictionary! Homophones (words with different spelling but same sound) are not found by Spellcheck. Some may be waiting for you! . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing an Existing Poem . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .RHYTHM AND THE EDlTED POEM .   . . . . .... . .There are similarities in the writing of all kinds of metric poetry, . .... . .Four main kinds exist: ta DA ta DA iambic, as you know. .  Trochaic also has two syllables, reversed as TA da TA da. The same method works to learn it: Repeat TA da TA da TA da TA da - TA da TA da TA da TA da, your left foot stamps TA and the right da until your body feels it, and the words will find their places. .  For the record: three syllables, Anapestic, the galloping horse, ta ta DA and Dactylic, the waltz, a formal dance, TA da da. . . . . . . . . . . .LET'S WALK THROUGH the PROCESS of ANALYSING FORM     . . . . My original poem . . . . .The first edit, Goal:             Repeatedly l had found myself returning to April's Aporia, an enigmatic poem by Razi Yusuf. . . . . . Trochaic, the Marching Meter . . . . . TA da TA da TA da TA da, feels like . . . . . "Left,-- Left,-- Left right Left."                       . . . . . Neither poem was intended to rhyme or to use any meter at all. His is . . . . . free verse, and loaded with hidden meanings. l cannot explain why . . . . . l found myself returning to it, and less why my muse (Muse with cap) . . . . . would choose to take over. (Muse and l have a lifelong history: . . . . . l wrote verse before anyone tried to teach me how. Many scoff at this.)                       Having no idea what to say l sat at the keybooard, and let the impressions type themselves. . . . . . My reply had written itself, . . . . . and was not planned to be metric. . . . . . We will try Trochaic on for fit.                       This is a copy of the original version of mine. l like it. ( l learned long ago not to try to control what came, and have tossed out a lot of it.) lts writing came as any free verse with a mind of its own. Even its rhymes had arrived on the "wind of its creating" and it was not until later that l realized that with minor adjustments, "edits," it had a strange scheme: abcbdb. . . . . . The rhyme scheme: abcbdb was a . . . . . surprise. l plead "not guilty," . . . . . but in writing verse with a meter . . . . . other than iambic (the easiest . . . . . one we introduced here first) . . . . . l need to look at its rhymes. . End-rhymes must all be Trochaic, . . . . . that is, alternate accents with . . . . . the final syllable unstressed. . . . . . Next, adjust the word-order, . . . . . all without loss of meaning, . . . . . TA da TA da TA da TA da . . . . . Syntax is easier said than done!                       l need to contact Razi Yusuf but have lost his address. lf you know, please ask him to contact me about this work. . . . . . First, let's find which of the . . . . . end-rhymes are trochaic, . . . . . and mark stressed syllables . ... .--to find WHOLE LlNES ?                       A poetic Rorschach verily, it is! A playground . . . . . A poetic Rorschach . . . .. . . .. . . .YES . . . . . verily, it is! A playground. ... .. . . . yes       for the subconscious, busily darting around, . . . . . for the subconscious, . . . .. .. .. . . ..yes . . . . . busily darting around,       dropping signs of its leaving, daring to be found. . . . . . dropping signs of its leaving,. .. . .yes . . . . . daring to be found.                       But no, no one will catch though its footprints abound, . . . . . But no, no one will catch . . . . . though its footprints abound,             sight of one so precious! So listen for its sound? . . . . . sight of one so precious!. . . . .. . .YES . . . . . So listen for its sound? . . . . .       Sorry, my ears' receiving is nonplussed-bound. . . . . . Sorry, my ears' receiving . . ... . . .yes . . . . . is nonplussed-bound.                       There simply is no match. So wait! Musclebound . . . . . There simply is no match. . . . . . So wait! Musclebound             brain, vain and pompous cannot hope to surround . . . . . brain, vain and pompous . . . . .. . . ..yes . . . . . cannot hope to surround       its mystery, believing in own stamping ground! . . . . . its mystery, believing . . . . . . . ... . . .yes . . . . . in own stamping ground!                       "Silence! Let me dispatch confusion!" With a bound, . . . . . "Silence! Let me dispatch . . . . . confusion!" With a bound,             Being much too wondrous for mortal eyes, profound, . . . . . Being much too wondrous . . . .. . YES . . . . . for mortal eyes, profound,       and far beyond deceiving holds us all spellbound . . . . . and far beyond deceiving . . .. . . . yes . . . . . holds us all spellbound . . . . . . . .. .yes                       as my Muse lifts the latch comprehensive rebound: . . . . . as my Muse lifts the latch . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . comprehensive rebound: . . . . . . . YES       "You try too hard." Joyous was the musical sound . . . . . "You try too hard." Joyous . . . .. . yes . . . . . was the musical sound       that held us interweaving wisdom of ages around. . . . . . that held us interweaving . . . . . . .. yes . . . . . wisdom of ages around.                       So, do l know what the poem says?. No, but we saw some of its ways! . . . . . So, do l know what the poem says?. . . . . . . . No, but we saw some of its ways!.   TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da NOW to see post mortems!     For a mixed-meter poem, where no effort had been made to be otherwise, this has been an interesting experiment. Four fully trochaic lines, fifteen trochaic rhymes Had we been looking for iambic form, the result would have been fifteen iambic end rhymes, and only two fully iambic lines. Perhaps six cases could have gone either way depending on emphasis, where alternate interpretations are acceptable. .

Assignment A5c What I see is a pivotal moment-- was that the word? Word so subtle, acknowledged, seen, but silent. There is no returning, no rebuttal nor change when new direction has been set. And yet... though new, its breath held, the moments pass untold, until they its transition knew. From potential to reality, it's never a bad thing, rather a fruition. If not so, a state of stasis forever would dry the blossom until stiff. Passage reached, breached, undo? Life moves not only from, but also to. Terry Gibson 2005 Take my sonnet and do with it what you saw done to the example above. Treat it as a specimen to be dissected. It's mine, feel free. That is, copy it, mangle it, shake loose what makes it tick. Learn from it what a sonnet is, about rhyme, and meter. It has flaws; find them. Tell it in #4. Read it first to be clear on its meaning. (Younger students, use a dictionary.) You will be attempting to retell it (not as a sonnet) but with Trochaic form. So, Read the sonnet first. Copy and paste it to Notepad. Bold the accented syllables as was done above, and decide if there are ANY trochaic lines there already If not how many are not iambic either. [ "accented syllables" would be 1-2-3 are dactyls, DA ta ta DA ta ta, ] 1. COUNT a. number of trochaic end-rhymes: b. number of iambic end-rhymes: c. number of other end-rhymes: d. number of lines fully trochaic: e. number of lines fully iambic: 2. GIVE the rhyme-scheme: 3. If the meter is regular, decide which it is (mostly): -- trimeter, three beats to a line, -- tetrameter, four beats to a line, -- pentameter, five beats to a line, -- too irregular to decide. 4. Repeat many times to get the feel of trochaic lines: TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da TA da AND 4. Write a poem with an attempt at trochaic form and at least 8 lines expressing your views about writing such a poem. (Nonsense accepted, Humour appreciated.) OR EDIT this poem to be more trochaic OR EDIT A Poetic Rorschach to be more trochaic ( improved at least!) ... . .... . .

. Updated April 28 2008 Please submit graded answers to AP Class box if not placed by Teacher, advancing to a higher level. We have had trouble in the submit-box in AP toward the trophy when ungraded work has been submitted. By submitting graded works into the box, they cannot be lost! Your five best assignments are now the minimum for a trophy. That means the pressure is off as you do the advanced #6, #7 and #8 worth a percentage of 60 bonus points dependent on your results. For students achieving at least 90% and expecting to continue to complete all 8, after the first and last four, there are two trophies. An evaluation form will be sent to get five submissions demanded by the software. For full feedback, please send your E-mail address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back to Top or onward to Part A6 . . . . . . . .. . Copyright: Tiled wallpaper drawn by Terry Gibson 1996

The Word Only Don't tell me how hard because I won't just speak easy sew these torn fragments of this night as-is your night as-is night as-is always missing that bright light that finds you no matter how far and so close I become to be crowned as crazy You speak easy and I'll do my part I'll draw that maze I'll paint it with haze I'll call it "The Word Only" I'll smoke that Haiku, chew on a Shakespearian sonnet, sip the "Waste Land" as wine I'm just fine...Just a poet "Because I do not hope to turn again" I won't just speak easy "Because I do not hope" to hear you complain "Because I do not hope to turn" back and speak easy Don't... don't tell me just speak easy because I won't accept to be dubbed anything but crazy You speak easy sew these torn fragments I'll tear'em apart and Keep'em holy because "I am not worthy but speak the word only" The Word Only by Razi Yusuf April 7 © All rights reserved