Good (soggy) morning.
Do not forget to complete the ER Reviewing Task that is divided between the two trains DUE TONIGHT. At the point in the semester, please endeavor to respect and support colleagues into managing their schedules. Here is a train song for today! Trixie Smith (1895?-1943), blueswoman, with her Freight Train Blues-->
At the end of class, we will chat about "boomer," which appears in this Trixie rendition and the change from the late 1800s to now. The opening lyrics are:
I was born in Dixie in a boomer shack
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
I want to warm up today, but looking at something I posted recently on a Friday: comic ethos in sci illustration. This three-slide set is simply for your contemplation and enjoyment.
Now, to pick up the Google doc guidance sheet you have see before. Let's look at a few items today and Wednesday, including numbers in science prose, conventions on titles for wholes (italics) and parts (double quotation marks), etc. On Wednesday, we will look at dangling modifiers, which are clauses at the beginning of sentences that when read grammatically are wrong and often funny.
I am seeing lots of empty subjects, like It is/was and There is/are. Use your search function to avoid these weak constructions that are often at the beginning of sentences and/or main clauses.
Now, onto word choice/word evolution (including de-evolution with some ideas from thoughtful U Michigan dean and English professor/linguist: Anne Curzan.
Kinder, funner?
registers of formality and occasion
code switching/audience accommodation
many Englishes (airplane English, for one!)
More science is written/promulgated globally by non native English speakers than native speakers
Critical thinking v. perfect grammar and diction
December, 2021 Washington Post opinion "Why Words in English Die Out" by Curzan. Link is NOT paywalled if you are on campus technology.
Marybeth Shea
Oh my goodness, how can this be the last day?
Quick sentence construction lesson on dangling and misplaced modifiers. First up, dangling modifiers, you may recall this example from middle school:
While walking down the street the dog bit Carrie Del.
(so, what is nearly always intended is that Carrie was walking down the street.). The entire first clause -- while walking down the street -- is positioned to technically modify the subject of the sentence, which is dog. Carrie Del is the object (ouch) of the dog bite.
How about this example that makes absolutely clear how wrong the sentence technically is: While walking down the street a piano fell on me.
Piano. from Paul Rayment on Vimeo.
This video "example" came in 2005 to me from a student named Hannah G.Thank you, H for the memorable and odd video to remember this problem in sentence construction. Also, pickle people are scary, actually.
Here is what The Mayfiled Handbooks says: Section 6.12
Dangling Modifiers
A modifier whose connection to the sentence is implied or intended but not actually made explicit is said to dangle. Dangling modifiers detract from the clarity of your writing, so you should make sure your modifiers are properly connected to the words they modify. To repair a dangling modifier, add the the noun or phrase that the modifier was intended to modify and rephrase the sentence accordingly.
Weak
When traveling at the speed of sound, the moon is approximately 320 hours away. [The moon does not travel at the speed of sound.]
Improved
An object traveling at the speed of sound will reach the moon in approximately 320 hours.
Now, on to misplaced modifiers: Here, we MUST know the writer's meaning. Do these sentences have different meanings? Why?
The dachshund under the tree bit Carrie Del. VS. The dachshund bit Carrie Del under the tree.
The dangling modifiers are what you should focus on in your final paper. Why? Because they are often unintentiohnal and confuse readers! Samples plus revisions-->
INCORRECT: After reading the original study, the article conclusions remains unconvincing.
REVISED: After reading the original study in Petrick, I find the researcher's conclusions unconvincing.
INCORRECT: Relieved of your semester's responsibilities now that finals are over, your home should be a place to relax.
REVISED: Relieved of your semesters responsibilities now that finals are over, you should be able to relax at home.
INCORRECT: The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual carefully.
REVISED: The students failed the experiment, not having studied the lab manual carefully.
Lastly these two from one really well written student paper years ago-->
While swimming in the bay, unwitting watermen may catch unsuspecting diamondbacks.
With their meat being served as a delicacy, the Native Americans saw Diamondback Terrapins and their population plummet during the 19th century.