A Connected Discourse PDF

# A Connected Discourse ## Discourse - utterance, talk, speech, discussion, and conversation - an extended expression of thoughts or ideas - The ideas in discourse are not connected or do not have a particular structure ## Text - a large unit of written language - a group of ideas put together to...

# A Connected Discourse ## Discourse - utterance, talk, speech, discussion, and conversation - an extended expression of thoughts or ideas - The ideas in discourse are not connected or do not have a particular structure ## Text - a large unit of written language - a group of ideas put together to make a point or one central idea - has a structure which requires the ideas in the discourse to be relevant to each other - an actually connected discourse ## Properties of a Well-written Text ### Organization - refers to the arrangement of ideas in a text - Creating an outline of ideas before you start writing can help your work become organized ### Outline - provides a format in which ideas can be arranged in a hierarchy - that is, it distinguishes the general ideas from the specific or subordinating ideas ### Coherence and Cohesion - refer to the connection of ideas and connection between sentences and between paragraphs - In order for you to assure coherence and cohesion, you need to use transitional or cohesive devices. ### Appropriate Language Use - refers to the acceptable style of language for a particular form of text ### Proper Mechanics - refers to the conventions of writing which includes capitalization, punctuation, spelling, numerals, abbreviations, acronyms and contractions # WORDS ## Morphology - the study of words, how they are formed, and their relationship to other words in the same language - analyzes the structure of words and parts of words, such as root words, prefixes, and suffixes ## Morpheme - the smallest grammatical unit in a language ## Two Types of Morpheme 1. Free Morpheme 2. Bound Morpheme ### 1. Free Morpheme - can function independently as a word Examples: house, cat, blood ### 2. Bound Morpheme - a word element attached to a root word (the main part of a word) to give it another meaning - cannot function independently as a word Examples: affixes (prefixes and suffixes) ## Affix - a morpheme that is attached to a root word to form a new word ### 1. Prefix ### 2. Suffix #### Prefix - a morpheme that comes before a root word Examples: - auto- (automobile) - in- (incorrect) - over- (overcharge) ### Suffix - a morpheme that comes after a root word Examples: - -ful (forgetful) - -ish (childish) - -ive (active) ## Two Varieties of Suffixes ### 1. Inflectional Suffixes - modify the grammatical class of words by signaling a change in number, tense, degrees of comparison, and so on, but they do not shift the base form into another word class ### Inflectional Morphemes | Added to | Examples -------|--------|-------- -s | Nouns | She got two guitars. -'s | Nouns | Zeynep's hair is too long. -er | Adjectives | Zeynep hair is longer than Derya. -est | Adjectives | Zeynep has the longest hair. -s | Verbs | Zeynep plays the guitar. -ed | Verbs | She played the guitar at the party. -ing | Verbs | She is playing the guitar at the party. -en | Verbs | She has taken the guitar at the party. ### 2. Derivational Suffixes - modify either the part of speech or the actual meaning of a word ### Derivational Morpheme | Meaning | Examples -------|--------|-------- -al | relating to | formal, postal, practical -less | without | homeless, hopeless -ous | full of | famous, cautious -hood | state, condition, quality | brotherhood, neighborhood ## Compound Words - combination of two different words Examples: - back + ward = backward (towards the reverse direction) - book + shelf = bookshelf (storage of books) - full + moon = full moon (a moon appearing as a bright circle) - six + pack = six-pack (often in reference to a pack of drinks) # Context Clues ## Context Clues - are words, phrases, and sentences that surround an unfamiliar word and help you recognize the meaning of an unknown word ## Most Common Types of Context Clues ### 1. Synonyms - used when the text has words or phrases that ae similar in meaning to the unknown word Example: The narrator in the poem was euphoric at his son's victory, for he cried out triumphantly when the boy came home. **euphoric** - victorious; triumphant; very happy and excited **Other Examples:** a. This situation is a conundrum - a puzzle. **conundrum** - a confusing or a difficult situation b. Humpty Dumpty took great pleasure in obfuscating the poem's meaning to Alice. His explanations about the poem were confusing and complicated. **obfuscating** - making more difficult to understand; confusing c. We are planning a picnic for today. It is sunny and warm outside. It will be an idyllic day - just perfect for a picnic. **idyllic** - perfect; very peaceful, happy, and enjoyable ### 2. Antonyms - words that reveal the opposite meaning in relation to the unknown word Example: Although Mary was willing to play in the snow, Jack was reluctant because he was so cold. **reluctant** - not willing to do something **Other Examples:** a. Marty is gregarious, not like his brother who is quiet and shy. **gregarious** - sociable; outgoing; extrovert b. The lanky dog was not fat, even though he ate a lot. **lanky** - skinny c. The rich woman gave a paltry sum to the charity even though she was able to give much more. **paltry** -very small or too small in amount ### 3. Examples - are specific details in a text that are used to clarify the meaning of a word Example: Projectiles include those items that are shot forward such as a cannon shell, bullet, or rocket. **projectiles** - things (such as bullet or rocket) that are shot from weapon **Other Examples:** a. Famous conquistadors include Cortes, who conquered Aztec Mexico and Pizarro, who conquered Inca Peru. **conquistadors** - conquerors; ones that take control of (a country or city) through the use of force b. A sleuth, such as Sherlock Holmes, can be very helpful in solving crimes. **sleuth** - detective - someone who looks for information to solve crimes c. Precipitation, such as rain and snow, falls from the sky. **precipitation** - water that falls to the ground (such as rain and snow) ### 4. Definition - is usually signaled by a form of the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were) or by commas or dashes Example: The prisoner was in a state of wrath-a feeling of intense anger. **wrath** - extreme anger **Other Examples:** a. To shun someone is to have nothing to do with that person. **shun** - to avoid deliberately b. He seemed to be ill, but it was merely a ruse, that is, a clever trick to deceive us. **ruse** - a trick or act that is used to fool someone - a wily subterfuge - deception c. Sedentary individuals, people who are not very active, often have diminished health. **sedentary** - not doing or involving much physical activity ### 5. Explanation - words or phrases that explain the unfamiliar word's meaning Example: An evanescent ring surrounded the moon as it rose. It was there for a moment, and then it disappeared.. **evanescent** - lasting a very short time; brief; momentary **Other Examples:** a. Elis is a blithe young girl. She always greets everyone with a smile. **blithe** - cheerful; happy, lighthearted b. Katie appeared infallible in math class because she had never gotten a problem wrong. **infallible** - unerring; - unfailing - not capable of being wrong c. The tornado annihilated the whole town to the point that nothing was left standing. **annihilated** - destroyed; eradicated; exterminated; abolished # Simile and Metaphor ## Simile - is identified by the use of "like," "as," "similar to," and the like. They compare dissimilar objects that share certain characteristics Examples: 1. When he walked into the room, the entire audience looked up, like flowers turning towards the sun. 2. His headache was as painful as a root canal without the benefit of laughing gas. ## Metaphor - directly refers to the object being described as being or previously being the object it is compared or connected to Examples: 1. The boom of his voice, all thunder and lightning, echoed through the entire hall. 2. The dog was a jack-in-the-box, trying to jump up on the visitors. ## Essential Learning A text is a connected discourse, which means that all ideas in the text must be related in the sense that they would express only one main idea, or that the text must have unity by combining all ideas to emphasize central idea.