Semantics Journaling Assignment For this assignment, you will analyze writing and, at the same time, document your reading habits. The journal entries are meant to be compiled over the course of several days, in which you document your observations about language and word usage. You should allot some time each day to work on this project. Do not attempt to do this project in one day it should reflect the variety of reading you engage in over a period of time. The final product will be composed of five journal entries, each worth twenty points for a total 100-point exam score: I. JOURNAL ENTRY Reading Log For this entry, select any five days between now and the due date and document your reading habits. Each day should be labeled with the date followed by a list of reading materials. I expect this to be a thorough list and to reflect your eclectic and idiosyncratic reading habits. Do not overlook the variety of both print and non-print reading materials you view: textbooks, novels, magazines, tests, web pages, cereal boxes, CD jackets, shopping lists, phone messages, newspapers, menus, the Bible, instruction manuals, recipes, you name it (so long as it s not obscene/pornographic). II. JOURNAL ENTRY Denotation (Words that make you go, Huh? ) As you read, document at least twenty words that you encounter and do not know their definition. List the word and where it came from (i.e., the title of the reading material). Once your list is compiled, consult either a reliable, collegiate dictionary or www.dictionary.com to find the meaning of the unknown word. Be sure that you select the definition that fits the context of its use. (Tip: If you have trouble finding twenty words that you do not know the meaning of, you either need to read more or read more challenging materials.) III. JOURNAL ENTRY Connotation (Words that make you go, Hmm. ) List at least twenty intriguing words and their sources. Write a brief rationale for each word, commenting on why you selected the word and identifying its connotation for that particular usage.
IV. JOURNAL ENTRY Syntax In this entry, copy down ten complete sentences and identify their sources. For each sentence, examine its syntactical patterns in regards to the following: A. Length of Sentence B. Kind of Sentence (grammatical and/or rhetorical type) C. Sentence Pattern D. Transitional Devices (Please see syntax handout for a more complete explanation.) V. JOURNAL ENTRY Tone Using the list of tone vocabulary words, find ten passages that create an identifiable tone. In your journal entry, identify the source of each passage and identify the tone created in that passage. A passage can be a single word, a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph. Look for passages that are interesting, that illustrate a variety of usages, that compare and contrast with one another, and that reflect high-level reading. Above all, pace yourself and have fun. DUE DATE FOR FINAL PROJECT:
Tone Vocabulary Words 1. satiric 2. whimsical 3. dramatic 4. learned 5. informative 6. somber 7. urgent 8. confident 9. mock-heroic 10. objective 11. diffident 12. ironic 13. didactic 14. petty 15. factual 16. restrained 17. elegiac 18. disdainful 19. lugubrious 20. pedantic 21. indignant 22. bantering 23. flippant 24. condescending 25. patronizing 26. facetious 27. clinical 28. mock-serious 29. inflammatory 30. benevolent 31. burlesque 32. fanciful 33. detached 34. cynical 35. incisive 36. allusive 37. scornful 38. effusive 39. colloquial 40. compassionate 41. impartial 42. insipid 43. pretentious 44. vibrant 45. irreverent 46. sentimental 47. moralistic 48. complimentary 49. contemptuous 50. sympathetic 51. taunting 52. concerned 53. angry 54. turgid 55. sardonic 56. contentious 57. insolent 58. candid
Syntax I. LENGTH OF SENTENCES (Measured in number of words) II. KINDS OF SENTENCES A. Grammatical 1. Simple: By keeping a close watch over every penny and by refusing to spend unnecessarily, Tom and Mary saved money and paid all their debts. (one independent clause) 2. Compound: Go and speak. (two or more independent clauses) 3. Complex: When I really understand grammar and when I actually put it to use, my grades in English will improve. (two or more dependent clauses and one independent) 4. Compound-Complex: Where you go I will go, and where you dwell I will dwell. (two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses) B. Rhetorical 1. Loose: He resigned after denouncing his accusers and asserting his own innocent time and time again. (the sentence continues after the main idea has been stated) 2. Periodic: After denouncing his accusers and asserting his own innocence time and time again, the State Department official resigned. (main idea is suspended until the end) 3. Balanced (or Parallel): To err is human, to forgive divine. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. Together we planned the house, together we built it, and together we watched it go up in smoke. 4. Antithetical: India is a poetic nation, yet it demands new electrical plants. It is a mystical nation, yet it wants new roads. It is traditionally a peaceful nation, yet it could, if misled, inflame Asia. A man dies on shore, his body remains with his friends, and the mourners go about the streets; but when a man falls overboard at sea and is lost, there is a suddenness in the event which gives it an air of awful mystery.
III. VARIETY OF SENTENCE PATTERNS A. Inversions EXAMPLES: He could never forgive this. (S-V-C) This he could never forgive. (C-S-V) At the last minute Sally rushed in. (S-V) At the last minute in rushed Sally. (V-S) They laid him down slowly and sadly. Slowly and sadly they laid him down. B. Sentence Openers EXAMPLES: He met a most attractive girl at the party. At the party he met a most attractive girl. He met, at the party, a most attractive girl. Consequently, he is no longer interested in He is, consequently, no longer interested in He is no longer interested, consequently, in IV. USE OF TRANSITIONAL DEVICES (words, phrases, or clauses that signal a shift in thought) EXAMPLES: admittedly, assuredly, certainly, even so, granted, in fact, it is true that, yet, so, although, because, however, recently, while, nevertheless, nobody denies, of course, still, therefore, to be sure, unquestionably, nor, before, since, otherwise, unfortunately, as a result, and, but, clearly then, furthermore, in addition, indeed, undoubtedly, for, also, after, again, accordingly, in conclusion, moreover, no doubt, obviously, on the other hand, the fact remains, thus, true, or, then, when, where, at last, for example