English Skills with Readings 7e 11 17

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aware that life was not always happy or fair. What such events do you remember? Select one
and write a paragraph about it. What impression did it make on you?
Chapter 15 Narration 285
At times we make a statement clear by relating in detail something that
has happened. In the story we tell, we present the details in the order in
which they happened. A person might say, for example, I was
embarrassed yesterday, and then go on to illustrate the statement with
the following narrative:
www.mhhe.com/langan
I was hurrying across campus to get to a class. It had rained heavily all morning, so I was
hopscotching my way around puddles in the pathway. I called to two friends ahead to wait for me,
and right before I caught up to them, I came to a large puddle that covered the entire path. I had to
make a quick choice of either stepping into the puddle or trying to jump over it. I jumped, wanting to
seem cool, since my friends were watching, but didn t clear the puddle. Water splashed everywhere,
drenching my shoe, sock, and pants cuff, and spraying the pants of my friends as well. Well done,
Dave! they said. My embarrassment was all the greater because I had tried to look so casual.
The speaker s details have made his moment of embarrassment vivid and real for us, and we can see and
understand just why he felt as he did.
In this section, you will be asked to tell a story that illustrates or explains some point. The paragraphs
below all present narrative experiences that support a point. Read them and then answer the questions that
follow.
Paragraphs to Consider
Heartbreak
1 2
Bonnie and I had gotten engaged in August, just before she left for college at Penn State. A
3
week before Thanksgiving, I drove up to see her as a surprise. When I knocked on the door of her
4
dorm room, she was indeed surprised, but not in a pleasant way. She introduced me to her
5
roommate, who looked uncomfortable and quickly left. I asked Bonnie how classes were going, and
6
at the same time I tugged on the sleeve of my heavy sweater in order to pull it off. As I was slipping
7
it over my head, I noticed a large photo on the wall of Bonnie and a tall guy laughing together. It
was decorated with paper flowers and a yellow ribbon, and on the ribbon was written Bonnie and
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Blake. What s going on? I said. I stood there stunned and then felt anger that grew rapidly.
10 11
Who is Blake? I asked. Bonnie laughed nervously and said, What do you want to hear
12
about my classes or Blake? I don t really remember what she then told me, except that Blake
www.mhhe.com/langan
13
was a sophomore math major. I felt a terrible pain in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted to rest my
14
head on someone s shoulder and cry. I wanted to tear down the sign and run out, but I did nothing.
15 16
Clumsily I pulled on my sweater again. My knees felt weak, and I barely had control of my body.
17
I opened the room door, and suddenly more than anything I wanted to slam the door shut so hard
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that the dorm walls would collapse. Instead, I managed to close the door quietly. I walked away
understanding what was meant by a broken heart.
Losing My Father
1 2
Although my father died ten years ago, I felt that he d been lost to me four years earlier. Dad
3
had been diagnosed with Alzheimer s disease, an illness that destroys the memory. He couldn t
4
work any longer, but in his own home he got along pretty well. I lived hundreds of miles away and
5
wasn t able to see my parents often. So when my first child was a few weeks old, I flew home with
6
the baby to visit them. After Mom met us at the airport, we picked up Dad and went to their favorite
7
local restaurant. Dad was quiet, but kind and gentle as always, and he seemed glad to see me and
8 9 10
his new little grandson. Everyone went to bed early. In the morning, Mom left for work. I puttered
11
happily around in my old bedroom. I heard Dad shuffling around in the kitchen, making coffee.
12
Eventually I realized that he was pacing back and forth at the foot of the stairs as if he were
13 14 15
uneasy. I called down to him, Everything all right there? I ll be down in a minute. Fine! he
16
called back, with forced-sounding cheerfulness. Then he stopped pacing and called up to me, I
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must be getting old and forgetful. When did you get here? I was surprised, but made myself
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answer calmly. Yesterday afternoon. Remember, Mom met us at the airport, and then we went
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to The Skillet for dinner. Oh, yes, he said. I had roast beef. I began to relax. But then he
25
continued, hesitantly, And . . . who are you? My breath stopped as if I d been punched in the
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stomach. When I could steady my voice, I answered, I m Laura; I m your daughter. I m here with
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my baby son, Max. Oh, is all he said. Oh. And he wandered into the living room and sat
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down. In a few minutes I joined him and found him staring blankly out the window. He was a
33
polite host, asking if I wanted anything to eat, and if the room was too cold. I answered with an
aching heart, mourning for his loss and for mine.
About Unity
1. Which paragraph lacks a topic sentence?
Write a topic sentence for the paragraph.
2 Which sentence in A Frustrating Job should be omitted in the interest of paragraph unity?
(Write the sentence number here.)
About Support
3. What is for you the best (most real and vivid) detail or image in the paragraph
Heartbreak ?
What is the best detail or image in Losing My Father ?
What is the best detail or image in A Frustrating Job ?
4. Which two paragraphs include the actual words spoken by the participants?
About Coherence
1 Do the three paragraphs use time order or emphatic order to organize details?
2 What are four transition words used in A Frustrating Job ?
Developing a Narrative Paragraph
Development through Prewriting
Gary s instructor was helping her students think of topics for their narrative paragraphs. A narrative is
simply a story that illustrates a point, she said. That point is often about an emotion you felt. Looking at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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