Vocabulary Goals main point subpoint major

Vocabulary Goals • • • main point/subpoint major idea minor idea primer style subordinate/subordination upside down subordination

Grammar Goals • To recognize and to apply subordination on the sentence level • To recognize and correct primer style through subordination • To recognize faulty subordination • To apply subordinate relationships on the level of the paragraph

Usage • Adjective: less important than • Verb: to make less important than • Subordination: a relationship between two or more ideas demonstrating unequal importance • Major ideas • Minor ideas • Correct Writing, p. 233: definition/technique

Examples: Clauses and Phrases • Example #1: The social structure of the Middle Ages, which was very rigid compared to today’s society, remained unchanged for hundreds of years. • Example #2: The social structure of the Middle Ages, quite rigid by today’s standards, remained unchanged for hundreds of years. • Example #3: During the Middle Ages, whenever lords had money, they were expected to spend it.

Practice/Review • Create a complex sentence for each sentence pair—one sentence should contain an adverbial clause; one sentence should contain an adjectival clause.

Sentences 1. The field of medieval studies offers more job opportunities now than before. More students study the Middle Ages today than in the past. 2. German tribes invaded the Roman Empire. Many Roman customs were preserved.

Possible Solutions—Sentence One 1 a. Because the field of medieval studies offers more job opportunities now than before, more students study the Middle Ages today than in the past. 1 b. The field of medieval studies, which offers more job opportunities now than before, is studied by more students today than in the past.

Possible Solutions—Sentence Two 2 a. Although German tribes invaded the Roman Empire, many Roman customs were preserved. 2 b. German tribes who invaded the Roman Empire nonetheless preserved many Roman customs.

Review Examples • A. Clauses versus phrases • B. Adjective (relative) clauses • C. Adverbial clauses • If you have questions about examples, I urge you to ask or clarify usage.

Primer Style • Correct Writing, p. 233—the idea of weight • A faculty meeting was held last Wednesday afternoon. J 401 was the location of the meeting. The meeting was attended by the full-time teachers. The teachers are all in the English Department. Several bottles of wine were consumed. No students were present.

Corrected • Last Wednesday afternoon a faculty meeting, attended by the full-time teachers in the English Department, was held in J 401 during which several bottles of wine were consumed; no students were present. • Which of the original six sentences does the writer think is most important?

Rewrite One Passage 1. Ralph needed to buy stamps. He went to the post office during his lunch hour. The line was long. He waited there for half an hour. He had to go back to work without the stamps. 2. I ran out of gas on the way to work. I discovered how unhelpful strangers can be. I discovered how rude strangers can be. A driver passed me on the road. He saw that I had a problem. He didn’t stop to help me. He slowed down. He rolled down his window. He shouted a dirty word at me.

Possible Solutions 1. Because he need to buy stamps, Ralph went to the post office during his lunch; after having waited in a long line for half an hour, he had to go back to work without the stamps. 2. Having run out of gas on the way to work, I discovered how rude and unhelpful strangers can be when a passing driver, seeing that I had a problem, didn’t stop to help me; instead, he slowed down, rolled down his window, and shouted “@$$%*&=”!

Upside-down Subordination • Upside-down subordination means that, in a single sentence, the major idea is treated grammatically like the minor idea while the minor idea is treated like the major idea. • In more grammatical language, it means that the major idea is put in a subordinate clause or phrase and the minor idea appears in an independent clause.

Example • Van Gogh never relinquished his singleminded determination to paint. • Van Gogh lived in great poverty. • Which sentence is more important?

Possibilities • Sentence one is more important than sentence two; therefore, you should not write: • Although Van Gogh never relinquished his single-minded determination to paint, he lived in great poverty. • The better sentence would be: • Although he lived in great poverty, Van Gogh never relinquished his single-minded determination to paint.

Example • Original: Although he lost the election, the candidate worked hard to impress voters. • Correction: Although the candidate worked hard to impress voters, he nonetheless lost the election.

Correct Upside-down Subordination 1. Courageously rescuing the beautiful girl tied to the railroad tracks, the hero was applauded by the audience. 2. Before he handed in his resignation letter, the English department professor looked it over for grammar mistakes.

Possible Answers 1. Applauded by the audience, the hero courageously rescued the beautiful girl from the railroad tracks. 2. After looking it over carefully for grammar mistakes, the English Department professor joyfully handed in his resignation letter.

Over-Coordination • too many coordinating conjunctions in your sentence • too many independent clauses • English writing favors combinations of dependent and independent clauses. • You can use two coordinating conjunctions in a single sentence (though using and twice is usually a poor choice), but it is usually bad style to use three or more.

Acceptable Examples • Acceptable coordination #1: Janet created a distraction, and I stole the stereo equipment. • Better sentence: While Janet created a distraction, I stole the stereo equipment. • Acceptable coordination #2: We went to the park, and the picnic was going well, but later dark clouds gathered in the sky.

Poor Example • Over-coordinated sentence: The car pulled up to the curb, and three men got out, but one person remained in the car, and he sort of looked like a friend of mine. • Correction: When the car pulled up to the curb, three men got out, but one person, who looked sort of like a friend of mine, remained inside.

Correct Over-Coordination 1. Jim left the office early, and he caught a taxi to the Fourteenth Street station, and he met Lisa at the newsstand. 2. President Huang slipped on a banana peel, and he stumbled into the road, and then he was hit by a car, but he didn’t die of his injuries.

Possible answers 1. After leaving the office early, Jim caught a taxi to the Fourteenth Street Station where he met Lisa at the newsstand. 2. Having slipped on a banana peel and stumbled into the road, President Huang was hit by a car; however, he didn’t die of his injuries.

Practice: Try a Couple 1. Before announcing the decision to take the country to war, Trump looked straight into the cameras. 2. The teapot was about to boil, and the doorbell rang, and also the phone started to ring. 3. As he leapt from the airplane, the parachutist glanced at his watch. 4. As the professor was led to the execution ground, the crowd cheered enthusiastically.

Possible Solutions 1. Looking straight into the cameras, Trump announced the decision to take the country to war. 2. As the teapot was about to boil, the doorbell rang and the phone started ringing. 3. Glancing at his watch, the parachutist leapt from the airplane. 4. Greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, the professor was led to the execution ground.

For Next Time • Continue with subordination.