Plan for the Day
- Review #3 Due tonight
- Prose Revision Assignment Review–on Canvas
- Anything from last week…Chiasmus?
- Ch. 13: Punctuation: Its Purposes and Its Rhetorical Effects (Kolln & Gray)
Ch. 16: Punctuation (Barrett) - Rhetorical Analysis Assignment for ENGL 5183 students
What’s a comma’s favorite type of music?
–Punc Rock
Punctuation Fun
Punctuation rules, especially for commas, require context. One of the most useless questions regarding punctuation is “When do you use a comma?” I can answer that correctly the following way: “You always use commas.” Also, I could answer “When do you not use a comma?” in a similar way: “Don’t use commas where they’re not needed.” Not much help, huh?
As usual, I want us to think about the rhetorical effects of punctuation. Here’s what Kolln & Gray tell us about their approach:
An important consideration throughout the book has been the effect of [your] options on the reader–hence the word rhetorical in the title. (p. 220)
How can we use punctuation to emphasize or set a tone for your prose? Let’s focus more on sentences than dates, titles, and numbers; use Barrett’s Perfect English Grammar for those questions. We’ll start with some pretty solid rules, move to less standardized ones, and then consider (optional) rhetorical effects.
For those of you enrolled in ENGL 5183 (not those enrolled in ENGL 4183), this discussion will lead us to your rhetorical analysis, which, you all know, is due Wednesday, 12/06–3 weeks from now!
Syntax, Prosody, and Semantics
We could spend entire semesters on each of these words, but Kolln & Gray give us the Cliff’s Notes version, so I’ll do the same.
- Syntax: arrangement of words; especially, proper sentence structure
- Prosody: rhythm, rhythm patterns
- DeBarge on the rhythm of the night
- Corona on the rhythm of the night (and the rhythm of my life)
- Semantics: meaning…let’s leave it at that for now
As a heads up, the “For Group Discussion” on pp. 223-224 has punctuation rules and directs you to particular chapters. I recommend reviewing that well. Let’s see if we can’t answer Kolln & Gray’s questions. How would you categorize those punctuation rules: syntax, prosody, and/or semantics?
One more thing…you need to know that the old adage “use a comma when you pause” was a fine rule of thumb for sixth grade. Although your jokes might not have gotten better, your sophistication in writing should have. Don’t automatically put in a comma just because you feel the sentence has a natural pause (did somebody say “paws”…). Let’s review the long sentence on p. 222:
The images and information sent back by Voyager 2 have given space scientists here on Earth enough information about four of our distant planets to keep them busy for years to come.
What’s the subject, verb, indirect object, and direct object?
Open and Close Punctuation
Think of this in terms of style. The writer deliberately decides to use commas or not for setting off modifiers.
- Open punctuation: style allows some flexibility in where commas go.
- Close punctuation: style requires commas to set off any modifier not considered essential.
There are many examples besides the “serial comma” issue, but below are a few I’ve encountered over the years. Notice where commas are used and decide what options the author had.
Open Styles
- In July we went to Carowinds.
- After leaving the gym Harold went to the bar.
- Now that I’m starting to learn, I feel I’m growing old.
- On the backside of your seat you’ll find the instructions.
- Before being elected to the US Senate from Arizona, John McCain was a member of the US House of Representatives from Arizona’s First District.
Close Styles
- Yesterday, there were so many things I was never told.
- Now, I’m starting to learn; I feel I’m growing old.
- I’m wide awake, and I can see the perfect sky is torn.
- Next spring, I’m going to make attending class, the best way to get a good grade, my priority.
Notice where commas are used, and decide what options the author had.
- Before I started my undergraduate degree program, at Virginia Tech, in 1994, I worked at Linens ‘n Things in Springfield, VA.
- In 1987, at a State Department luncheon, held in Mikhail Gorbachev’s honor, Donald Trump and Barbara Walters sat at the same table.
Although I’m not asking you to turn these Exercises in for homework, I know you’re doing them, so review Exercise #44 on p. 226. I might adapt some questions for the Final Exam. I also have a page devoted to more punctuation rules for sentences. That’s more for general rules than rhetorical effects.
The Rhetorical Effects of Punctuation
Even though I want you to forget the outdated advice of using a comma when you pause, the effect of a comma is a pause. But it’s also emphasis. A comma usually emphasizes what precedes it. Generally, we find the most emphasis at the beginnings and endings of sentences (and the beginnings and endings of paragraphs). Punctuation can redirect the emphasis, creating a different tone. Notice the differences in the four sentence variations on p. 227.
- Semicolons place greater emphasis on the second clause
- Semicolon and however (conjunctive adverb) “adds a note of deliberation, a degree of thoughtfulness”
Look at the “For Group Discussion” on p. 229. Consider the effects of punctuation in the following sentences:
- We were different, loud and assertive.
- We were different, loud, and assertive.
- We were different–loud and assertive.
Remember, I want you to always use the serial comma (the Oxford comma) in your prose–it’s more suited to academic writing. In other contexts, specifically journalism, you’d aim for an open punctuation style and not include the comma. Therefore, in your COMM classes, you probably won’t use the serial comma, but definitely use it in your English classes. Welcome to rules based on style and not universality.
Such As…
One thing that surprises me is that neither textbook discusses punctuation with such as. Fortunately, you have resources, and I like The Chicago Manual of Style (available through Atkins) examples for determining whether or not to use a comma with such as. It all depends on restrictive vs non-restrictive.
Barrett’s Ch. 16: Punctuation, Quotation Marks 16.10
Barrett is a good refresher and helpful reinforcer of grammar rules. He also goes into some important details between world English styles, such as British vs. American spellings:
- labour, colour, connexion
- labor, color, connection
Frankly, I’m not sure what the British think they know about the English language…
Quotations
In the last several years, I’ve been concerned about students’ abilities to synthesize secondary sources. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, I’ve been reading more essays with poorly attributed quotations and quotations dropped into the text without any contextualization. Here’s an example and a better revision:
Problem Synthesizing Quotations:
One must consider more than the technological object when analyzing why a technology succeeds or fails because a researcher has to “grab the actors” (Latour, 89). “To show technicians that they cannot even conceive of a technological object without taking into account the mass of human beings with all their passions and politics and pitiful calculations”; also, “they can become better engineers and better-informed decisionmakers” (viii). By applying Latour’s methodology, the individuals’ interactions with the technology supply meaning(s) to why a technology fails or succeeds. “Sociology prefers a local history whose framework is defined by the actors and not the investigator” or by grand narratives such as capitalism or transportation theories (19).
Latour, Bruno. Aramis, or the Love of Technology. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1996.
Revision:
Bruno Latour (1996) argued that one must consider more than the technological object when analyzing why a technology succeeds or fails; instead, a researcher has to “grab the actors” (p. 89). He wanted “to show technicians that they cannot even conceive of a technological object without taking into account the mass of human beings with all their passions and politics and pitiful calculations”; by doing so “they can become better engineers and better-informed decisionmakers” (p. viii). By applying such a perspective, Latour’s methodology lets the individuals’ interactions with the technology supply meaning(s) to why a technology fails or succeeds: His “sociology prefers a local history whose framework is defined by the actors and not the investigator’’ or by grand narratives such as capitalism or transportation theories (p. 19).
Toscano, Aaron. Marconi’s Wireless and the Rhetoric of a New Technology. Springer, 2012, 33.
Quotations from the Ether…
Barrett (p. 195) also warns writers to not just use quotations without finding their original source. You will come across social media posts and various memes that attribute quotes to particular people–don’t assume they are correct, and don’t cite a meme!* Dig deeper and locate the actual source. For instance, I heard this quote attributed to Isaac Asimov:
- “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
- You will find this quotation online without a citation from a source, which often happens in lower-level journalism (that eschews the serial comma…).
- Asimov wrote 400+ books, so it’s important to identify where this can from.
- Asimov, Isaac. “Cult of Ignorance.” Newsweek, 21 Jan 1980, p. 19.
- As Hamlet says, “to thine own self be true.”
- Well, Hamlet didn’t say it–Polonius did–but it’s from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 3).
- Mel Gibson fans would catch this…
Attributing proper credit to sources is imperative in academic writing, but, considering the disinformation age we live in, it’s vital to be accurate. This course may seem to be a nuts-and-bolts course, but–even with all the colonial aspects of standardization–there is a democratising goal for writing clear, concise, and accurate messages. Also, your ethos is severely affected when you’re sloppy in your research. If anything, proper or consistent citations demonstrate you care about your message.
Rhetorical Analysis Preview
This is only for students enrolled in ENGL 5183. They get bonus assignments.
This is only for students enrolled in ENGL 5183. They get bonus assignments.
This is only for students enrolled in ENGL 5183. They get bonus assignments.
I have a page devoted to a rhetorical analysis of a passage of prose. For my Master’s Thesis, I wrote over 60 pages on two paragraphs. You aren’t required to do that, but I mention it to explain that there’s a lot to write about even with a small amount of text.
Your Rhetorical Analysis isn’t an assignment you revise–it’s one and done. Run an idea by me via email or during a Zoom conference.
Next Class
Next class, 11/15, you’ll have no assignments due, but keep up with the syllabus schedule for reading. Next week, we’ll cover Ch. 9 & 10 in Kolln & Gray. We’ll also go over Exam #2. The week after is Thanksgiving Break, so we won’t be meeting Wednesday, 11/22. When we return, you’ll have a quick Copyediting Assignment on Canvas (due 11/29). It’ll also be a quiz of sorts because Canvas will impose time constraints. I just haven’t made up my mind on what those constraints will be. The goal will be to proofread and not to re-vision as you would a portfolio assignment. Speed is part of the assessment, so you will have a time limit. Enjoy!