P4 & P4.5: Geeky Knowledge Lessons.

Geeky Knowledge Lessons will be a) a presentation & brief paper, b) about geeky stuff like punctuation, b)
lead by students, in groups (optional). Check out Doc Sharing for a list of topics. Students will sign up during
this unit for their presentation time & date.
Note: We do not want to double-up on topics.

(BONUS Hint: For those of you who know how to use iTunes, there are two free Podcasts on there called
GrammarGirl's Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing and MPR: Grammar Grater. You can use this audio for your
presentations! I may use them in class, as a matter of fact.)

P4: The Geeky Group Knowledge Lesson. 50pts.

P4 Goals & Questions:
What does punctuation do for us? How do people screw up its usage?

Materials Needed:
--- The New, Well-Tempered Sentence.
--- The OWL web site at Purdue and YouTube?

P4 Requirements:
1. Informal presentation, 5-10 minutes in length. [25pts] If you use PPT, there should be no errors!
2. No more than 3 people per group. This can be done alone if necessary.
3. All group members must present some part of the lesson.
4. A worksheet or quiz for the class to do; this can be on paper or a verbal exercise. [25pts]
a. Useful Website: The Owl site at Purdue (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/). Sample on last page.
5. Any audio or video is worth bonus points. Keep it short!
a. iTunes Podcasts: GrammarGirl's Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing or MPR: Grammar Grater
b. Website: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
c. YouTube.com

p.s. We do not want to double-up on topics; sign up for a topic as soon as your group decides on one.
p.p.s. Apostrophes is given as an example in Doc Sharing; therefore, it is invalid as a topic for P4.

Topics To Choose From:

X The exclamation point/ the question mark/ the X The semicolon/ the colon
period X Quotation marks
X The comma/comma splices X Ellipses
X Capitalization
X Run-ons & Fragments
X Word Tense and Subject/Verb Agreement
X Pronoun Reference
X Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers
X Spelling
X Parallelism
P4.5: Rhetorical Analysis of GKL Findings. 50pts.
P4.5 Goals & Questions:
Dissect your P4 topic OR dissect a topic covered in someone/some other group’s P4. Example: Why do you
think Facebookers incorrectly use ellipses? If your group covered semi-colons, but you were interested to dig
deeper into spelling issues – do that topic for your P4.5.

Materials Needed:
--- The New, Well-Tempered Sentence
--- Three different online spaces: Facebook (perhaps?), blogs, eCompanion discussion boards/class blogs,
other online discussions, chat rooms, IM conversations, etc.

Requirements:
___Part A: Find examples of your topic correctly used and incorrectly used in three different online spaces.
So, you’ll have three examples to show us in your paper.
[10pts.] *Samples follow!
___Part B: Interview one person on your topic; why do they
think, for example, people misspell in emails, etc.? [10pts.]
___Part C: Find one online article (not Wikipedia) about your
topic as well. [10pts.]
___Part D: Then dive into everything you found in the
interview, the three samples, and the article. Come up with
theories and hypotheses on why, for instance, people can’t
spell or use ellipses or capitalize everything. This analysis part
should be 250+ words. [10pts.]
___Part E: Works Cited entries; you should have two – one
interview citation & one article citation. [10pts.]

*Samples on following pages of Part A.

*Here is a Sample of Part A:

Apostrophe Usage Online, D’oh!

First Online Space = FACEBOOK.

R
ed = Incorrect. He has written “announcers face...” It should be “announcer’s face...” Orange = Correct.
“Yankee’s ass...”
Second Online Space = eCOMPANION DISCUSSION BOARD:

Red = Incorrect. The student wrote:

“senior citizens center in
Hankinson).” It should be “senior
citizens’ center in Hankinson).”
Another student wrote: “hes not
sure where.” It should be “he’s not
sure where.”

Red = Incorrect. The student wrote:

“master licence...” It should be
“master’s license...”

The student wrote: “Want’s to

finish college...” It should be “Wants
to finish college...”

Third Online Space = EMAIL:

Red = Incorrect. The

student wrote: “i was
also sick on the 15 its
on the...” It should be “I
was also sick on the 15;
it’s on the...”

Orange = Correct.
“dean’s record...”
 Apostrophes: Exercise
This exercise brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.
Punctuate the following sentences with apostrophes according to the rules for using the
apostrophe.

1. Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?

2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.

3. Our neighbors car is an old Chrysler, and its just about to fall apart.

4. In three weeks time well have to begin school again.

5. Didnt you hear that theyre leaving tomorrow?

6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderellas glass slipper and
Snow Whites wicked stepmother.

7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children looked so disappointed that we
found another spot.

8. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.

9. She did not hear her childrens cries.

10. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.

11. Didnt he say when he would arrive at Arnies house?

12. Its such a beautiful day that Ive decided to take a sun bath.

13. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldnt identify the manufacturers name on
it.

14. Little girls clothing is on the first floor, and the mens department is on the second.

15. The dogs bark was far worse than its bite.

16. The moons rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects chirpings and whistlings.

17. Theyre not afraid to go ahead with the plans, though the choice is not theirs.

18. The man whose face was tan said that he had spent his two weeks vacation in the
mountains.

19. I found myself constantly putting two cs in the word process.

20. Johns 69 Ford is his proudest possession.