A Rule of Thumb

Even if there is no need for a colorful design on a surfboard since it won’t change the basic utility of the board, it is often nice to have one anyway (maybe stylized birds or fish in shades of green, yellow, and blue with a few strong black or red lines for a sharp contrast).

In sentences, some information is like a surf board design, extra bits of information added for interest but not necessary for the basic meaning of the sentence. There is, big surprise here, a punctuation rule for essential and non-essential phrases and clauses, AKA  restrictive/nonrestrictive clauses or phrases.

To quickly determine whether or not to punctuate a clause or phrase, one rule of thumb, so to speak, might be to just place your thumb over a group of words in a sentence, perhaps qualifying adjective or adverb phrases or clauses with colorful descriptions. If the sentence reads clearly and makes perfect sense without the group of words covered by your thumb, then set the temporarily hidden words off with commas. The clause or phrase is not essential and doesn’t restrict the meaning of the sentence.

A couple of examples - destined, I hope, to appear in my mind soon - should help clarify all I’ve said so far:

·         The sunlight glinting on the waves, much like tiny touches of starlight, fascinated her. (Nonrestrictive, Nonessential—use commas)

·         The sunlight glinting on the waves fascinated her because it reminded her of starlight. (Essential, Restrictive—do not use commas).

In the second example, a necessary reason is given for her fascination – because it reminded her of starlight. In the first, the same idea of starlight is not necessary for the sentence to make sense, although it also tells the reader why she was fascinated.

For further information on clauses and phrases, please visit the SWC handout section at http://www.delmar.edu/engl/wrtctr/handouts.html.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!

Is it or is it not Ironic?

Before beginning this blog, I asked two SWC Student Assistants how they’d define irony. Both said that they could give me examples of irony but not a solid definition off the top of their heads. One said irony would be when a stressed out person lit an aroma therapy candle to reduce stress and wound up burning down the house. The other said it’s ironic that they can come up with examples of irony but not definitions.  They are both right. 

 

The most common form of irony occurs daily when we talk to each other. Verbal irony happens when what we say means something else entirely. Generally, those with whom we talk get it, know that we are saying one thing and meaning another. When the wind is very calm and the waves are uselessly flat for surfing, I know my friend is being ironic if he says, “Killer waves today for sure!” Generally, verbal irony has an element of humor, a way of making subtle fun of a situation or another person. Sarcasm and satire nearly always depend upon ironic humor.

 

In literature, dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows more than the characters do and perceives that what is happening is far different from what the characters think is happening. One example that most of us recall is when Romeo and Juliet both die at the end of the play when they might have lived happily ever after if they had only known what the audience knows.

 

Tragic irony is almost the same as dramatic irony except that the term applies specifically to tragedies.

 

When the discrepancy between what the audience knows and what the characters know is sustained throughout the entire work, the term structural irony is used because the piece is structured – built – upon irony.

 

Romeo and Juliet, often considered  star-crossed lovers, fall victim to  cosmic irony, the term used for a twist of fate, a turn of events unanticipated and usually (or unusually) cruel, a destiny  governed by forces outside the characters’ control.

 

The terms dramatic irony, tragic irony, structural irony and cosmic irony are mostly reserved for literature, but verbal irony comes into play often in our everyday lives.  It is likely that you will come across at least one instance of verbal irony today, and you’ll most likely see the humor involved in a disconnect between what is said and what is actually meant.

 

When asked to describe irony in a story or other literary work, focus on dissimilarities between dialogue or events and their real meaning, especially when you know that if the characters had a clue, there might be more happy endings.

 

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!

Why Compare?

Why do authors often use symbolism, metaphors, similes, and other devices when they write stories or poems? Language itself is a way to name what we perceive in the world, so it follows naturally that writers take naming a step further to add color, form, texture, etc., to their work. They inspire readers to imagine, to feel, and to react to the writing.  Even writers who are not inclined to the literary form, scientists, for instance, use symbolic language to give non-scientist readers a clear idea of what a complicated concept means by likening it to something people can more easily envision.  Analogies and other comparisons give nonprofessionals a way to understand scientific findings without knowing in full the special vocabulary of a particular field of study: physics, chemistry, biology, or others.

You can also incorporate literary devices into your writing, and it is often a good idea to do so.  You can add depth to your commentary by using analogies and similes. If you feel especially brave (foolhardy?), you might use an extended metaphor, which is to continue a metaphor past a one-time comparison of two things and extend it for several sentences or throughout the whole essay. I could write a blog on some basic features of a structured essay by telling my readers that the thesis statement is a ship, topic sentences are its sails, and transitions are the winds that move the ship in a certain direction. I could extend the metaphor further by calling the writer the captain of the boat. Perhaps happily, I won’t write that particular metaphoric  blog; but I wonder if readers would have a  mental image of The Good Ship Thesis essaying across the Sea of Syntax with transition breezes billowing in the topic sentence sails  to move the ship north, northwest .

While such comparisons can be effective, the danger of extended metaphors - as well as other devices -is that they can also appear contrived, fake, or even go so far off base that they seem ridiculous to the reader. The apt phrase, the right likeness, the perfect analogy, however, works and is worth consideration because when used well, they add fabulous fathoms to the writer’s voyage.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!

Gazing into the Mirror

One reason I love the beach so much is that it gives me a place to pause and reflect. Some days, it’s always good to think about what we’re doing and why we’re here. It’s at those moments where we discover ourselves and our place in the world. By the end of it, sometimes I see myself in a new light that I never imagined before.

Reflection also has its place within the writing process.

While it might seem easy to get something out in a single draft and be done with it, we may not always think about what we’ve composed. There are times in writing where the process of reaching the end isn’t immediately clear to us. Sometimes we write to meet deadlines or to fulfill the expectations of others, and that’s perfectly normal. Sometimes we write because we have something to say, and the words flow like a slow and steady stream. However, there are other times that we write because we have to; the words compel us, and we have to get them out of our heads and into the printed form.

However it is that you write, be aware of the process you’re using to get to this point. While the rules—what writers consider their craft—are clearly laid out, each of us has a personal process that is unique. For instance, if you prefer to write first drafts by hand and type later, that’s part of your process. Other people may compose everything on the computer, including notes and prewriting, and that’s also a part of personal process. You may not necessarily be consciously aware of every aspect of your process, but it’s there.

Try to be aware of your writing habits, your preferences, and all the little rituals that you use to get an essay done. If you realize that you prefer blue notebooks and not red, perhaps the words may come out better than you realized. If it helps you become a better writer, embrace it. Make yourself aware of the small changes that improve your process. Think about why the small change made a difference. And if it didn’t, then make a note of that, too—if small changes don’t affect your style, that too is part of your own process.

At some point, you may be asked to write a reflective essay. Reflective essays are nothing more than just a brief explanation of your process of writing. It may seem to you that you’ve learned nothing from repeating the steps you use to write. Then again, maybe you have. Maybe the process of reflection may help you to discover something about your writing style that you didn’t know before.

Be open to the idea of reflecting on your own writing, and see where it leads you. You just might surprise yourself, and even become a better writer along the way.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!

My Topic is __________.

Buzzing through her mind, thought after thought insisted upon landing on the page. The thoughts appeared not to notice particularly that she was supposed to be writing a paper on how she learned to surf. Ideas loosely connected to the skill kept surfacing, demanding to take part in the essay. She wrote a whole paragraph on how much fun it was to shop for new gear. Another paragraph detailed the history of surfing in a totally different state, not Texas where she first balanced on a board. Part of her paper was on another sport entirely, snow skiing.

Her introduction was fine. She even had a thesis for the narrative, the benefits of acquiring a new skill, i.e., surfing. Somewhere, however, along the way, she’d wandered so far from her topic that the reader had no clue what she was trying to say. By the time she reached her conclusion, even she had forgotten the purpose of her paper, her original goal.

What was she to do? Her paper was due way too soon for her to completely start over, but when she reread what she’d written, she felt confused, unsure of the result. She had about an hour to fix the paper, so she took a highlighter and started mercilessly marking all passages that were not on surfing itself or how she first learned to surf. Although there was not a whole lot left, she reread the off -topic paragraphs and decided to try to weave at least part of them into her narrative.

The section on buying gear might work if she put it into the context of what she needed to try the sport. She struck the parts of how cute the different footwear was and concentrated on the necessary items to be able to paddle out to a wave and stand upon the equipment, the surfboard. She then kept some detail of the designs of her first board and went on to describe learning to balance on it.

Snow skiing? Surfing in California? There are some likenesses in skiing and surfing, balancing especially, so she salvaged parts of that passage as well by comparing the skills needed for each sport, which led to her own experience in learning to balance properly. The two states, California and Texas, could also serve to detail most of the skills needed for surfing in different types of waves on different coasts, for instance.

By deleting, adding, and tying areas of discussion to the main idea, she finished on time with an adequate paper. She did resolve as she turned it in to be more careful on the next assignment, maybe even putting a large reminder by her keyboard: My Topic Is________. Maybe she’d make the letters about an inch high and color them neon green and blue. Perhaps such a reminder would help her keep from meandering all over the universe for her next paper and make polishing the paper less arduous, no heavy duty revisions needed before the time came to submit it.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Preparing for a Tutorial Session

Events in life take some preparation, even something simple like a short trip to the sea wall to rest our eyes on the waters of the gulf. Before catching a wave, I survey the scene, check out the surf, and have my gear with me and in good condition. Before you come to the SWC for a thirty-minute tutorial, a bit of planning can make the time more useful for you than not.

Tip 1: It may sound like a no-brainer, but it is best to arrive early for your appointment, five or ten minutes, since being late may result in a standby taking your appointment time. If you cannot make it to the scheduled appointment, call and let us know so that someone else can use the appointment time.

Tip 2: Bring a copy of your assignment with you so that the tutor will know what your work involves. Relying on your memory - what you think possibly the instructor said – may not be the best method for getting the right advice from a tutor.

Tip 3: Mostly, though, think about what it is that you want to find out. When you come prepared with questions or concerns (and any notes or drafts or brainstorming that you’ve done) the session will go smoothly and be productive.

Tip 4: Your active participation during tutoring time is essential. Express yourself. Talk about your writing, what problems or successes you have had with it so far, what hopes or fears about the writing you have (or what technical/grammatical problems you need to solve). While a tutoring session is not exactly the right time to bare your soul or air opinions about the state of the universe, moods, emotions, and attitudes do have an effect on your writing. If you are upset, let the tutor know, especially if it is a problem that is keeping you from completing the assignment. Often, acknowledging an emotion and talking about it briefly can clear it up, like clouds moving away from the sun, so that the rest of the session can be focused on the work at hand.

Tip 5: If you have begun the paper, bring two typed copies of your draft, double spaced, for notes that you or the tutor may make. Your thoughts, ideas, and questions will keep the dialogue on the main reasons you have come to see a tutor. It is best to phrase your questions by asking “What if I write__________?”(And then come up with a possibility) instead of “What should I write?” The paper is yours, not the tutor’s; and whatever the tutor might suggest is not the answer you need. Discussing your ideas before starting your paper also works very well. Be aware that your own ideas are the ones that will work best for you when you do start writing. Talk with the tutor about your ideas, ways to structure the paper that you have considered, perhaps to see if your ideas are logical and will work to fulfill your assignment.

Tip 6: Finally, don’t forget to enjoy the half hour you have taken to talk about your writing. Keep your mind open to possibilities, and you will find the time well spent, maybe even as much fun as taking a walk along the shoreline to comb for treasure along the beach.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!

Timing is Everything

Welcome to a new semester! The excitement of a fresh, new start fills the air here at Del Mar College. As syllabi are being distributed and course calendars reviewed, now is a great time to address the ever-critical aspect of time management, especially in regards to writing assignments.

Lazing a day away at the beach, relaxing without a care in the world, watching the waves and the seabirds, all bring peace to my mind; but not every day can be a timeless one. Life also requires work (which is often quite fun in its own right). Work involves a component of managing time, planning ahead to make sure that what needs to be done is done on time.

As a student, you know the difference between time that you can call completely your own and time that has to be used to get work done for a class. One way to avoid a sudden and hideously hopeless realization that you’ve got a paper due NOW is to write down what work the instructor expects you to complete as soon as you know what the class requirements are.

At the beginning of a semester, usually on the first day of class, most instructors provide an overview of the course with calendar dates that list upcoming assignments. Their hope, actually their expectation, is that students who know in advance when work is due will manage their time effectively, a practical and worthwhile goal, one that practically assures success in the course.

Along with noting what work is due and when it is due, estimating how long each assignment will probably take makes sense. A research paper takes much longer to write than a paragraph or a one-page summary. Some assigned reading also involves more time than others, an article vs. a whole book, for instance. You know from previous experience what you can accomplish fairly quickly and what will take extra time.

Even if you enjoy living on the edge - the very brink of disaster - and think your best work happens at the last minute because fear and pressure inspire you, the reality is that advance planning remains the wiser course. In fact, getting the work done before the due date, a few days in advance, is even wiser than just planning to start before the deadline. (Your paper may possibly need a bit of revision, something you definitely don’t want to do right before the very minute it is due.)

The final advantage of advance planning and getting work done in a timely fashion is that you wind up with extra time, time to call your own, free time with nothing to do but what you choose. Like me, you might enjoy a pleasant trip to the bay front to watch the waves, pick up shells along the beach, and let the soothing sounds of the surf bring you peace of mind.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!

The above entry is taken from Roxy's archive; it was originally published January 12, 2012.