978-0073403267 Chapter 14 Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

Type

Quiz

Book Title

Business Communication: Building Critical Skills 6th Edition

ISBN 13

978-0073403267

April 6, 2019

Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

Module 14

Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

LO 14-1 Apply strategies for professional image creation with grammar and mechanics.

LO 14-2 Apply principles for common grammatical error correction.

LO 14-3 Apply principles for sentence error correction.

LO 14-4 Evaluate situations for comma use.

LO 14-5 Apply principles for punctuation use inside sentences.

LO 14-6 Apply principles for source quotation.

LO 14-7 Apply principles for number and date use.

LO 14-8 Apply standard proofreading marks throughout the writing process.

Module Overview

Module 14 covers common grammar issues. It’s not comprehensive but is likely to touch on

most if not all of the concerns your students will have. Kitty and Steve suggest assigning it and

Module 15 (“Choosing the Right Word”) and Module 16 (“Revising Sentences and

Paragraphs”) early in your course so students have time to review their challenges with language

issues.

Mention “grammar” in class and many students’ (and some instructors’) eyes glaze over. Even

those who can recite the rules—as may be the case with some of your English as Second

Language students—have difficulty actually using them. Therefore, do your best to explain the

concepts in practice rather than rely on rote memorization of rules.

 Teaching Tip: Students, particularly those in low-level or “hands-on” jobs,

sometimes wonder why grammar is important. After all, they’ve been

communicating with people all their lives, grammar errors and all. Share with them

that people in the workplace may judge them based on their grammar use,

particularly as they rise in the organization. Moreover, using grammar correctly is

akin to wearing appropriate clothing for work or keeping a desk or office neat—

while neither may directly affect the employee’s performance, people may still make

decisions about them based on such factors.

Where possible, assign problems from the modules to students. Work through some in class;

perhaps let students complete problems in groups. Encourage students to read, often and with

variety. Bring students a list of business-oriented books or publications you read regularly to get

them started. Actually seeing proper grammar in use can help students to learn it.

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

Kitty and Steve advise against making grammar the emphasis of your course. Certainly, expect

standard edited English in student assignments and teach students the appropriate rules and

forms. However, keep your course focused on rhetorical concepts in business communication.

 Teaching Tip: Have students complete a diagnostic writing sample the first day of

class. Use as a prompt: “Tell me about the challenges you’ve faced in previous

writing courses or in writing on the job, including issues with spelling and

grammar.” See what challenges they name, as well as what problems occur in the

actual sample. If there are commonalities, incorporate mini-lessons on them in your

lectures—perhaps also assign as homework the appropriate Polishing Your Prose

problems or exercises from throughout Unit 4. Within a week, return the diagnostic

with comments on what resources are available to help students.

In-Class Exercise: After assessing the diagnostic, create groups of 3-5 students each.

Assign each group a grammar concern they share and have students present a 10- to

15-minute “lesson” in class. Schedule these lessons throughout the quarter. (This

assignment is particularly useful because it requires students to research their

concerns while doubling as an opportunity to polish oral presentation skills.)

 Teaching Tip: The diagnostic may reveal that only a portion of Module 14 needs to

be covered in class (those grammar issues most problematic for students). If so, you

should still consider assigning the appropriate problems to students as homework.

Polishing Your Prose exercises are ideal for this purpose.

Students who have extreme difficulty with grammar are better served seeking help outside of

your course—from you during office hours, a personal tutor, a grammar textbook, your college

or university writing center, or any combination. You might also refer them to a course on

grammar that your school may offer. Many schools offer such courses through their

developmental education departments; some schools may offer grammar workshops free of

charge or on the web.

 Teaching Tip: Schedule a visit from a representative of your writing center. Prior to

the visit, have students compose questions on specific grammar issues so that the

representative can explain how the writing center can help them. Students not only

will learn about the center’s services but also gain a contact name for their visits.

 Teaching Tip: Remind students that while important, grammar should be assessed

late in the revision process. As Module 4 suggests, there’s no point correcting

grammar in a sentence or section that may be cut.

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

What’s in This Supplement

This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 14. It covers

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 238

Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 252

Part 3: Appendixes with Handouts/Transparency Masters Page 255

PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student

practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

Creating a professional image, 2 LO 14-1

As this BCS box suggests, grammar and mechanics present a paradox, that

is, while they may be the least important part of a message, they nonetheless

suggest to many business leaders notions of professionalism. Therefore, a

wise writer pays close attention to grammar and mechanics, while also

acknowledging, perhaps, that no one is perfect.

Use PP 14-4 and PP 14-5 to show students that

Many business leaders see good grammar and mechanics as essential

to creating effective messages—and to demonstrating quality.

Errors can create a negative image of the writer.

Occasionally, errors in grammar and punctuation hide the

writer’s meaning.

Don’t try to fix errors in your first and second drafts.

Most writers make a small number of grammatical errors

repeatedly.

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

As diligent as writers are, they are still likely to make mistakes. While they shouldn’t be fearful

of grammar and mechanics, they should understand that even though many people have a

tolerance for errors, some may not. Often, those are the audiences hardest to please.

What grammatical errors do I need to be able to fix? LO 14-2

Learn to fix these six errors.

Six grammar errors are common in students’ papers, as shown on PP 14-6:

Subject-Verb & Noun-Pronoun Agreement

Pronoun Case

Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers

Parallel Structure

Predication Errors

For some of your students, these terms will be new or confusing. Use the examples found in the

module to help students understand these concepts.

 Teaching Tip: For 10-15 minutes, allow students to work in groups of 3-5 each.

Assign each group one of the six grammar concepts and have them explain the basic

concept to the rest of the class. Then, ask students as a group to explain the errors

found in PP 14-7 through 14-9; PP 14-11 through PP 14-16.

In-Class Exercise: Have students complete Exercise 14.10 or 14.11 on pp. 253-254

in class. Ask them to share their solutions with the rest of the class.

In-Class Exercise: Have students complete fix the errors in Appendix 14-A in class.

Ask them to share their solutions with the rest of the class.

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

How can I fix sentence errors? LO 14-3

Learn to recognize main clauses.

Common errors in sentences are explained on PP 14-17.

 Teaching Tip: Rather than just put up static PowerPoint slides

with rules, show students some examples of sentence-level

problems, as well as the solutions. Let them work through

them with you at the blackboard or online. Often, by doing

the work rather than just trying to remember the rules,

students gain a better appreciation of how to fix problems.

Sentences can contain

Main Clauses.

Subordinate Clauses.

Phrases.

 Teaching Tip: Discussions on grammar often break down when students confront

technical terms—our fields’ jargon—and are overwhelmed. While Kitty and Steve

know of no way to discuss grammar without using the proper terms, we have tried to

minimize the jargon. In your discussion, focus less on terms like “clause” or

“phrase” and more on terms like “subordinate” —relate the notion of such terms to

hierarchies they may already know; for instance, a subordinate reports to a

supervisor t work and is necessary for the organization to function. In much the

same way, a subordinate clause supports the main actor and action of the sentence,

and is necessary to helping the reader fully understand them.

Use PP 14-18 to introduce students to a second level of grammar errors

common in their papers:

Comma Splices

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

 Teaching Tip: Comma splices are common in student papers—yet, the error often

eludes students, who may see commas simply and erroneously as “connectors.” Use

a film analogy to help video savvy students understand what a splice is; in film

editing, splicing means joining two segments of film together to make one longer

segment. A comma splice tries to do the same with independent clauses. But just as

pasting two scenes that have nothing to do with one another would make the final

segment abrupt and incomprehensible, a comma splice tries to meld two independent

clauses together inappropriately. Fixing the splice—by adding the appropriate

coordinating conjunction, for instance—properly connects the clauses, just as a “cut”

or “wipe” in a film splice bridges one scene to another.

Run-On Sentences

 Teaching Tip: Students often think of run-ons simply as sentences that are “too

long.” While many if not most run-ons are long, they don’t have to be. Help

students to understand that it is the lack of proper punctuation—a comma followed

by the appropriate conjunction—that often makes a sentence a run-on.

In-Class Exercise: Have students complete the Polishing Your Prose (“Matters on

Which Experts Disagree”) exercises on p. 255.

Sentence Fragments

 Teaching Tip: Sentence fragments lack a necessary element—typically a subject or

verb or both. Many students commit this error because they see it so often in

advertisements, poetry, or fiction. While sentence fragments are appropriate in

documents like résumés—where the subject is understood to be the writer—and for

stylistic reasons in fiction—to speed up action or simulate fragmented thoughts—

fragments are usually unnecessary in business communication.

In-Class Exercise: For 10-15 minutes, have students complete Exercise 14.15 on p.

255. Afterward, have students share their solutions with the class. Which seems to

work the best? Why?

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

Should I put a comma every place I’d take a breath? LO 14-4

No! Commas are not breaths.

Among the half-truths that exist about English style and grammar is the notion of treating a

comma as a breath. Clearly, commas function beyond that notion—to separate items in a list, for

instance—and using a “breath” to measure where a comma should fall is a highly individualistic

and therefore fallible methodology.

Instead, as shown on PP 14-19, show your students that a comma is just one

of several punctuation marks that alert the reader to what comes next.

(Commas are covered in more detail under the next heading; the discussion

here is a good preamble and a less technical introduction to the later

discussion.)

 Teaching Tip: Many writers now treat commas as optional in specific situations. For

instance, some argue that the comma before the “and” in a list is optional while

others say it must be used. In that respect, comma use is becoming a matter of style

on which some experts disagree (even the authors of this text occasionally differ in

opinion!). Explain to your students that discourse community and organizational

culture may affect the choice of where and when to use a comma. However,

whatever the standards of the discourse community, they must ultimately fall within

the options allowed by standard edited English.

What punctuation should I use inside sentences? LO 14-5

Use punctuation to make your meaning clear to your reader.

Eight forms of punctuation inside sentences are important:

Apostrophes

Colons

Commas

Dashes

Hyphens

Parentheses

Periods

Semicolons

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

 Teaching Tip: Show students each of these forms of punctuation in use (in very

simple sentences—you can use examples from this module or from the Polishing

Your Prose exercises throughout the book). Then ask eight students to go to the

board and create their own, more complex sentences using the punctuation forms

(one form of punctuation per student). Ask eight more, and so forth, until

everyone’s had a turn. When they’re finished, have the students evaluate the

sentences for correctness.

 Teaching Tip: Have students get into eight groups and assign one of the forms of

punctuation to each. Give each group 10-15 minutes to confer, then have them give

the class a “mini-lesson” on the form of punctuation, using examples from the

textbook where possible.

In-Class Exercise: For 10-15 minutes, have students complete Exercise 14.14 on p.

254. Afterward, have students share their solutions with the class. Which seems to

work the best? Why?

What do I use when I quote sources? LO 14-6

Quotation marks, square brackets, ellipses, and underlining or italics.

As PP 14-21 and PP 14-22 show, four forms of punctuation for quoting

sources are important:

Quotation Marks

Square Brackets

Ellipses

Underlining & Italics

In all likelihood, students will have used these forms of punctuation while

quoting sources in their composition courses. However, some of them will

still be confused, particularly with regard to when to use quotation marks

(titles of “short works”) versus when to use underlining or italics (titles of

“long works”).

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

 Teaching Tip: A good way to bring students up to speed on using these punctuation

marks is to bring in a copy of a Works Cited page you have permission to use. (You

could also use bibliographic pages from the textbook.) As a homework assignment,

have students retype it verbatim. This assignment not only gives students an

opportunity to practice typing but also lets them see bibliographic information “in

action.”

How should I write numbers and dates? LO 14-7

Usually, spell out numbers under 10 and at the beginning of sentences.

As PP 14-23 shows, in general writers should spell out numbers from one

to nine and use numerals for anything higher. Use numerals for days and

years in dates and in amounts of money. Spell out numbers when they

begin a sentence (or rewrite the sentence so that the number falls

elsewhere).

How do I mark errors I find in proofreading? LO 14-8

Use these standard proofreading symbols.

Use PP 14-24 and PP 14-25 to show typical proofreader’s marks (also

shown in Figure 14.3, p. 252). In Appendix 14-B, we’ve left off the

proofreading symbols; use a transparency marker to draw symbols to

further illustrate them to students or fill out the sheet with students in

class. For many students, these marks will be new, and they will have to

have practice using them.

 Teaching Tip: Use these proofreading marks when responding

to your students’ papers. Encourage your students to use the

same marks when peer-reviewing with other students.

Last Word: Grammar is not the easiest element of writing for

students to learn. Many students will be frustrated; some will give up trying. Part of

your job may be to act as a “cheerleader” to encourage these students to try. Motivate

them positively. Help students to learn by encouraging them to use the correct forms

of grammar whenever they write or communicate.

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Module 14 - Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

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