Topic Sentences

                Driving in winter, especially on snowy, icy roads, can be less troublesome if you take a few simple precautions. First, put on snow tires if you plan to drive on snowy, icy roads very often. Second, check the amount of antifreeze in your radiator and add more if necessary.   Next, add antifreeze to your windshield washer fluid; otherwise, the fluid will freeze and possibly break the container. Finally, it is also a good idea to carry tire chains, a can of spray to unfreeze door locks, and a windshield scraper in your car when driving in winter weather.

3 (topic sentence) 2, 5, 1, 4

 

1.       A breakthrough in one of these areas will hopefully provide a means of relieving both the overstretched oil market and the environment. (One is The Topic Sentence)  2. Researchers in the automobile industry are experimenting with different types of engines and fuels as alternatives to the conventional gasoline engines. 3. One new type of engine, which burns diesel oil instead of gasoline, has been available for several years 5. A further type is the gas turbine engine, which can use fuels made from gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene and other petroleum distillates.  . 4. Finally, several automobile manufacturers are experimenting with methanol, which is a mixture of gasoline and methyl alcohol, as an automobile fuel. 6. The increasing depletion of oil reserves, along with environmental concerns, have prompted some radical developments in car design over the past few years.

 

5. Some form of written communication has been used throughout the centuries. (Five it the Topic sentence) 2. In the earliest times, people carved or painted messages on rocks. 3. In the middle Ages, heavy paper called parchment was used for writing and books were laboriously copied by hand. 1. Later on, people began to write on pieces of leather, which were rolled into scrolls. 4. With the invention of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century, the modern printing industry was born.

 

Exercise two

                Americans love to relax at home, but there are many different ways of doing so, here are some examples.

 

                In each countries, college age students attend a university or community college, but in some countries, the students aren’t required to go to school, like they are in the United States.

 

                People who live in a different places, than your average American, live in different types of homes, here are some examples of these places and homes.

Harrison Bergeron

      In "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, he tells a story when every single person was equal in every which way, no one was different at all. In this piece of writing, Vonnegut uses many of his practices in this piece, but what made it easier for me to pick out things he used was that, I have read this very same reading before, so picking out his practices was all the more easier. 

  

      One of the first practices I noticed in this piece of writing by Vonnegut was the way he was himself. The way he sounded like himself. I notice this first because I have read a few different pieces of vonneguts writing, so I can see his personality come out in his writing and exactly what it should sound like. He uses his own kind of special touch or wording per say, when he says " they reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun," this is vonneguts style of writing because he uses words, that most people or even writers wouldn't use in their writing because they are different and there are much easier words to use.  He uses the harder more detailed form of a word, than that simple word to convey a better meaning, that makes his writing so different and better from others. Also, he says " it became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it," this is just another way he writes, which is his style because after he states on thing, the sentence to come does not stated that same thing, but another form of ot, such as "it," this is how he conveys a new meaning. This also makes his writing stand out, because it can be different from another piece of writing, you read. In conclusion this is how Vonnegut uses "sound like yourself" from how to write with a style in his writing. 

     Another, writing style he uses in "Harrison Bergeron" is keeping it simple. In this passage, it says " I always do" which is said by hazel in Harrison Bergeron, which is a way of him keeping it simple. I believe this is a simple way of saying  it because he could have had hazel say " I always do forget the sad things" but instead he just says " I always do," which is the way to keep that line simple but understanding. Also, around page five, Vonnegut states " she was blindingly beautiful," which is a very simple way of saying how beautiful the ballerina is. He could have said she was the most gorgeous creature on the stage full of pretty ballerinas, but she, she was the most beautiful, but instead he says " she was blindingly beautiful," which is a shorter way of saying how beautiful she truly was in the eyes of Harrison. So, in this passage, Vonnegut tries to make his writing simple, not too long but not too short either, just conveying the meaning in a perfect way. These are just a few examples of how Vonnegut keeps his writing simple. 

   Lastly, one final practice, Kurt Vonnegut uses in " Harrison Bergeron," is say what you mean to say. I see this being used when Vonnegut writes " she must have been extraordinary beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous," I believe this is exactly what Vonnegut mean to say because I don't think there is another way you could put it, where it would still make sense. Throughout all of vonneguts writing, he says what he means to say because this is his writing, so he wants it to be what he means and make it sound like him. When reading this passage I heard Vonneguts style, voice, and sayings in it, like if I didn't know this was by Vonnegut I could tell you, it was by him, just by the way it was written. This shows that Vonnegut knows how to write and he says what he wants to say, making sure to keep his readers engaged. Clearly, this is how Kurt Vonnegut uses say what you mean to say, in his article called " Harrison Bergeron." 

Notes

College Writing

                My first month of college has gone pretty amazing for the most part. At first, and still a little bit here and there, the online work was a bit hard, but now that I am used to it, it is pretty good except I still have some troubles with one of my class online website, but I am working on it. I really enjoy my classes and I love all the new friends I have made through this month. College has already been an awesome experience even though I have only been here for a month. I have learned that my biggest weakness was figuring out all this online stuff. My strengths are writing most times, most of my math I am learning, and a couple others things too. I think my biggest challenge is testing because I have never been good with test at all, like I know all the material in class, but once I see the test, I seem to draw a huge blank, hopefully it gets better but I don’t know for sure. I was worried about talking to other people and making friends because I am a really shy person at first and don’t like talking to someone I don’t know, but actually its going pretty well, I have made a bunch of new friends. I think college in general is going pretty well for me, at this point. Yes, college is mostly what I expected with a few different things, I wasn’t expecting, but that’s okay. Overall I am really enjoying my first month of college.

How To Write WIth Style Summary

In Kurt Vonnegut, article “How to Write with Style,” he tells about how to write with style. In this he says a writer needs to be him or herself, that the writer needs to say what they mean to say, basically it needs to be the writer’s own piece of writing, with no rambling, basically don’t keep going on and on about that one subject. Also, as a writer, they need to cut out words or phrases that are unimportant and not needed, while keeping the same meaning. It is okay to delete and add words as needed in a piece of writing, that’s what makes it original. Make sure, the writing engages the reader into it, make it a piece, someone wants to keep reading, use plenty of details. What Vonnegut basically means is that when writing, you should make it your own personal writing, putting whatever you want in it, make your writing show who you are as a person.

My English assignments

In my English 121 class, we had to create a two to three page writing assignments. We had to make a paraphrase, summary, and make our own writing style for the passage called "how to write with style" by Kurt Vonnegut in our reading with Inquiry book. 

I am basically finished with this assignment as it is due tomorrow in that class, which I have right after yours. 

Comma splice sentences

I looked at my first practice writing piece for my English class, and my teacher had looked at them, and she said I didn't have any comma splices, and I looked through my first actual writing assignment and it doesn't look like it has any either, these are my only writing assignments I have had. I am not really sure how to write a comma splice sentence, but I will try, these are just some sentences I had made. 

Maria is extremely tired, she went to work. At work, she keeps falling asleep, someone wakes her up every time. She keeps falling asleep, she gets woken up by her coworkers many times. At the end of her working shift, she was happy to go home, her boss talked to her first about getting more sleep. Maria went home, she wanted to sleep, she got Hungary. She ate first, then went to bed. 

Summary on why games are good for you

In Johnson's piece on why games are good for you, he explains the advantages video games actually has for a person, and why people should actually consider playing video games. He says that video games actually test your skill set, and you have to master a level before you can move on, which can be hard and frustrating, but it is actually good for you. Also, in a video game you have to think, and it's not about what you are thinking about that is valuable, but how you think about it, is what matters. Video games even gives you coordination and a different mindset, which is very helpful. So basically Johnson's talks about how video games can actually be good for you, because it teaches you many skills that a book and other things can't. 

Second notes post

Lacey alejandro response to second question on Johnsons book

Johnson likes to challenge conventional wisdom in his writing -- that video games are bad for you, in this case. In at least 12 sentences, argue against an aspect of pop culture that is generally considered "good" or "bad." Use specific examples to support your point.

            Although, the average person would say “oh video games are bad for kids, have read a book instead,” this is not the case, it’s actually almost the complete opposite. Now I am not saying that books are bad and video games are good nor am I saying the opposite, but what I am saying is that neither video games nor books are bad, they are both good. Though in many cases actually, playing video games can be much better than reading a book. For example, popular culture critics judge video games by the content of the video game, not how or by the way it is played, which usually challenge the players to solve problems. Video Games are just seen as something that rots the brains of young kids and hurts them. When actually by keeping video games away from kids, you are hurting them because they can be so valuable.  Video games also require that players improve their skill sets and master certain levels before they can actually move on to the next level. This is testing the person’s skills and mind sets in the game, and helping them to learn new skills, and also to not give up, so they can get to the next level, which is a valuable skill to know. Johnson’s points, much like the ones I have made, are very true in the fact of video games being good for someone, it teaches them things a book cannot teach. This quote from the article “It’s not what you are thinking about when you’re playing the game, it’s the way you are thinking that matters,” (Johnson, 493). This is something that is shown in every video game you play because yes you think about things when playing, but how you are thinking about them is what matters. In a book you can’t really just think of how you are going to read the next sentence or how you are going to do something, because it is basically down for you, but in a video game, you have to think about what you will do next or how to do something. The way you think of it, is very important because it could cost you the game in a sense, but how you thought about it, is something you can use to think about other things as well. In a video game, you can be yourself and do what you want, while in a book, you can’t do any of that, it shows your true colors and personality in a sense. Johnson talks a lot about how Video games gives you a different mindset,  valuable skills, and coordination, things a book can’t do. Therefore, Video games are not such a bad thing, they are actually very good, just as good, or maybe even better than a book someone would read.

Lacey Alejandro response to question one on Johnsons book.

What is Johnson's main point? What are some of the supporting details he uses to make that point?

            Johnson’s main point in why games are good for you is that games, mostly electronic video games are not harmful to people. One of his supporting details that really stuck out to me was when he said, games for many years have engaged the person playing the game in a complex social relationship with their peers, building and exploring worlds together, while books force the child to sequester him or herself in a quiet space, shut off interaction with other children, (Johnson, 483). This stuck out to me because he is basically encouraging children to play video games rather than read a book, which is completely opposite of what most people would say about these two topics. It just really surprised me to see, someone who actually believes differently, but from reading his article, I do have to agree on a lot of his points, like video games are socially, because they actually are. He makes very valid points with this argument, and I do believe he is right, and it has changed my mind, in that video games really aren’t so bad like everyone thinks. Another, supporting detail, he pursues is, when he says “now I have no doubt that playing todays video games does in fact improve your visual intelligence and your manual dexterity, but the virtues of gaming run far deeper than hand eye coordination,” (Johnson, 486). He is very right about this, it does in fact improve your visual intelligence, when it comes to visualizing things, also, your manual dexterity is definitely helped by video gaming because it gives you better hand, body, and eye movement and coordination. Yes, there is absolutely virtues of gaming that isn’t hand and eye coordination for sure, it goes beyond deeper than that. Video gaming truly has many great qualities towards them, which people seem to forget because it is just a video game to most people, but it is really so much more than that. Finally, one more supporting detail of Johnsons, I liked was when he said “It’s not what you are thinking about when you’re playing the game, it’s the way you are thinking that matters,” (Johnson, 493). Which what he means is, that it is not about what game you are playing or how you play the game, but the thinking and strategies that go along with playing the game, that is what matters. It’s that you are thinking about the game, and no just playing, you put your brain to work when playing things games. Therefore, Why Games are Good for you, by Steven Johnson, is a great persuasive piece, which shows video games can actually be good for you, better than a book in most cases.

Notes number three.

Second notes

So, I wasn't sure if this one counts as one, so I will be posting another notes page, just in case.

Notes