21st Century Literature and Language First Semester Exam Study Guide
· Memoirs
o Reread Living to Tell the Tale (PDF) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (from Literary Calvacade) – you will be asked questions on this memoir on the exam.
o Review Writing of Memoirs in the Writing section of mrs-sullivan.com
· Crafting and Revision Options for Memoirs
· Qualities of Ineffective Memoirs
· Qualities of a Memoir that Works
· Optional Beginnings for Memoirs
· Literature Circles
· Know the functions of each role; review your Role Sheets.
· Book Reviews:
o Know MLA Heading
· Susie Student
· Mrs. Sullivan
· 21st Century Literature and Language
· 18 January 2012
o Know proper way to write titles of
· Novels – Italicize – e.g. The Glass Castle
· Short Stories - Use quotation marks – “A Hanging”
· Poems- Use quotation marks – “The Raven”
· Essays – Capitalize correctly – The first Letter of the first word, the first letter of the last word, and all important words (nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjective, and adverbs) should be capitalized in a title.
· Do NOT us quotation marks
· Do NOT boldface
· Do NOT italicize
· Do NOT write titles in all Capital Letters.
o Know what should be placed in Introductory Paragraph.
· Title, author, genre, thesis statement
o Know what should be placed in Body Paragraphs.
· Topic sentence
· Detail sentences
· evidence – quotations properly cited
· introduce the quote and comment on it. Never leave it plopped in your essay without an explanation.
o Know what should be placed in Concluding Paragraph.
· restatement of thesis
· bring essay to close
o Know the proper way to integrate and cite quotations.
· Short quotations (three lines and under) –“… ”(Sullivan 16).
· author’s name, page number, period AFTER the final parenthsis.
· If citing only one author, you need only to include the last name of the author in the first citation. All citations after that (if using the same author should look like this: “…” (16).
· Long quotations are indented ten spaces.
o Do not use quotation marks with long quotations.
o Place the period BEFORE the parenthesis in a long quotation like this: .(16)
o The rules change for long quotations.
· Grammar for Writing:
o Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound/Complex Sentences.
· Know where to place commas.
o Fragments and Run-On Sentences
Make sure sentences have subjects and verbs.
Make sure that you do not run sentences into one another; use proper punctuation.
o Passive Voice Verbs
· Passive Voice: part of the verb to be plus the past participle
· was born
· were related
· Active Voice – Does not use a helping verb
· lived, danced, played.
o Proper Use of Commas
· Use to separate independent clauses in compound sentences
· Use after subordinate clauses when the subordinate clause STARTS the sentence.
· Use after introductory phrases and clauses.
o Subject/Verb Agreement
o Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
· singular nouns need a singular pronoun to agree with them:
· Correct: Someone left her book in my classroom. (Both “someone” and “her” are singular.
· Incorrect: Someone left their book in my classroom. (“Someone” is singular, but “their” is plural. This is faulty agreement.
· Revision and Editing
o Review revising to combine sentences.
o Review use of transition words.
o Review integration of Quotations ( introducing and commenting on).
o Review proper punctuation placement.
o Review ways to correct fragments and run-ons.
o Review use of semicolon.
o Review Capitalization Rules for Proper Nouns and Adjectives and the word “I.”
Hamlet: Review All of Acts I and II. These will be the only Acts that you will be questioned on in your Exam.
* Make sure that you know the names of all of the characters and their relation to other
characters.
* Know the definitions of a soliloquy and an aside.
* Use your Study Questions and your Log and Notes on the Wiki as a Study Guide.