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Author Topic: Words and Grammar and Stuff  (Read 126156 times)

alexarch

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #380 on: August 26, 2009, 03:06:55 PM »
Run-on sentence?

Reluctantly leaving the warmth of Barbara and the now familiar little kitchen, he knew the issues that waited down town, and he was already mentally prioritizing the lists of things to do. 

The sentence doesn't work, but I think the problem is more that the first clause anticipates an action verb or something.  "knew" just kills things.

pixote
Agreed. This author tends toward passive sentences, but in this case, I'm just trying to remind myself of the rules.

alexarch

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #381 on: August 26, 2009, 03:08:53 PM »
Run-on sentence?

Reluctantly leaving the warmth of Barbara and the now familiar little kitchen, he knew the issues that waited down town, and he was already mentally prioritizing the lists of things to do. 

As pix points out, it's an odd sentence, but it's not a run-on.
So did I break it down correctly here?

pixote

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #382 on: August 26, 2009, 03:09:32 PM »
I didn't know there were rules....

Quote
You might be wondering: "What is a sentence?"

Oh.  Thanks, internet!

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oneaprilday

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #383 on: August 26, 2009, 03:11:11 PM »
Run-on sentence?

Reluctantly leaving the warmth of Barbara and the now familiar little kitchen, he knew the issues that waited down town, and he was already mentally prioritizing the lists of things to do. 

As pix points out, it's an odd sentence, but it's not a run-on.
So did I break it down correctly here?

Yes. (I edited my post above to clarify.)

alexarch

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #384 on: August 26, 2009, 03:13:53 PM »
Run-on sentence?

Reluctantly leaving the warmth of Barbara and the now familiar little kitchen, he knew the issues that waited down town, and he was already mentally prioritizing the lists of things to do. 

As pix points out, it's an odd sentence, but it's not a run-on.
So did I break it down correctly here?

Yes. (I edited my post above to clarify.)
Thanks. I feel like I need to re-take 7th grade English.

oneaprilday

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #385 on: August 26, 2009, 03:20:03 PM »
Run-on sentence?

Reluctantly leaving the warmth of Barbara and the now familiar little kitchen, he knew the issues that waited down town, and he was already mentally prioritizing the lists of things to do. 

As pix points out, it's an odd sentence, but it's not a run-on.
So did I break it down correctly here?

Yes. (I edited my post above to clarify.)
Thanks. I feel like I need to re-take 7th grade English.

Taking a 7th grade English class these days probably wouldn't help. My college students now have either had no grammar ever or they've collectively had their grammar memories wiped. Most of them can't even identify the subject and verb of a sentence, much less figure out what a run-on is.  ???
And the thing that bugs me most is that they really do (most of them) want to learn more about grammar - they complain every quarter that we don't get enough time for grammar. If I did build more grammar into my classes though, I couldn't fit in all the other stuff I'm supposed to be teaching. Frustrating.

pixote

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #386 on: August 26, 2009, 03:20:41 PM »
I wonder why he needs multiple lists of things to do.  That seems inefficient.  But maybe he's got a system.

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pixote

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #387 on: August 26, 2009, 03:21:35 PM »
Was the kitchen warm, too, or just Barbara?

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alexarch

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #388 on: August 26, 2009, 03:24:11 PM »
I'm going to point the struggling author to this thread and she's going to read your mocking posts and then she'll get all weepy and sad and probably pull her eyebrows out. And then won't you feel like a meanie?

pixote

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #389 on: August 26, 2009, 03:27:19 PM »
I'm going to point the struggling author to this thread and she's going to read your mocking posts and then she'll get all weepy and sad and probably pull her eyebrows out.

So, wait, is that a run-on sentence?  What do the rules say?!

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