Mercy College, LLC Division
Dr. Frances M. Biscoglio
 
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ENGL 402
Applied English Grammar

Description:
This course is a comprehensive study of English grammar and usage that analyzes the structure and relationship of words, phrases, and clauses in core sentences. It will include strategies for sentence combining and essay writing to improve clarity of language and effectiveness of style.

Texts:
Understanding English Grammar, Martha Kolln and Robert Fund, (6th edition, Longman, 2002)
Sentence Combining, William Strong, (3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 1994)

Competency Goals:
Note: Competency skills in writing, critical thinking, and oral communication will be stressed in the following ways:

Writing:
Students will learn restructuring and recombining skills: they will transform clustered and unclustered sentence groups into coherent paragraphs, using various types of grammatical structures. In addition, they will write a weekly two-page essay response to a literary selection.

Critical Thinking:
Students will learn how to interpret functions of words, phrases, and clauses in a core sentence through the use of Reed/Kellogg diagrams.

Oral Communication:
Students will learn to give a verbal analysis of the constituent parts of the core sentence and explain the function of each part.

Information Literacy:
 Students will be able to research alternative approaches to learning grammatical structures: i.e., transformational grammar and tree diagrams.

Course Requirements:
Regular attendance,** class participation, homework assignments, midterm and final exams, one grammar project, as well as frequent unannounced quizzes. Grades will reflect performance in all these areas. (Midterm, 30%; final, 30%; homework assignments, quizzes, participation, 30%; final project, 10%)

** Please note that since this class meets once a week, no more than 2 absences are permitted. Excessive absence will jeopardize the successful completion of this course. If you must be absent, please contact me or your class partner and return to class with your work up to date. Also note that since there is no required research paper for this class, the weekly assignments in grammar, sentence combining, and narrative writing bear significant weight in assessing a final grade.

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