THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF GOOD TECHNICAL WRITING

Pre-Write

 Fill your well.

 Have a plan.
 Use whatever pre-writing strategies work for you (brainstorming, lists,
clustering, outlining).
 If necessary, research your topic.

Have an Arrow!

 Think of the word arrow rather than thesis.

 The word arrow may apply to any type of writing.
 What is your point? Can you state it in one short sentence?
 When you lose your arrow, your writing becomes vague (go back and fill
the well).

Use Transition

 Give Your Reader Road Signs!

 New Idea Coming Up
 Whoa! Major Shift in Direction!
 Fancy Graph Ahead!
 Conclusion! Conclusion! Conclusion!

Use ACTIVE Verbs

 Do you know what PASSIVE VOICE means?

 Use the Readability Statistics, but don't rely on them (they miss a lot of
passive constructions).
 Know when passive verbs are necessary and when they are not!

Get These Words Out of Your Writing! (Use PRECISE Language)

 It (many of you already have fatal it-itis), Those, There, Them, Which, That,
They

Eliminate Unnecessary Prepositional Phrases

 Prepositional phrases begin prepositions and end with a noun, e.g., to the
house, in my yard, for the mayor.
 Too many PP phrases make a sentence stringy and set up the potential
for dangling modifiers and noun/verb disagreement.
Use Strong Nouns and Verbs

 Let active verbs and strong, precise nouns communicate the bulk of your
sentences.
 Avoid overusing intensifiers such as very, really, actually, virtually, etc.
 Remember less is more; reduce the number of adjectives and adverbs in
your sentences.

Gloss for Coherency

 A "gloss" is a short marginal note that sums up a paragraph.

 Glossing lets you know if your paragraphs are in the right order.
 Glossing lets you know if your paragraphs advance your arrow.

Don't Use Engfish

 Engfish is dead language written by the dead for the dead. Write for the
living.
 Communicate, don't obfuscate.
 Write honestly.
 Eliminate filler.

Types of Filler

 Redundant pairs: e.g.,first and foremost, basic and fundamental

 Redundant modifiers: e.g., exactly right, true facts, terrible tragedy
 Redundant categories: e.g., pink in color, heavy in weight, period of time

More Filler

 Metadiscourse (bringing yourself into your writing when there's no need):

e.g., in my opinion, When I do this, after I gave this careful analysis ...
 Belaboring the obvious: e.g., "I thought to myself" or "Imagine a mental
picture of someone engaged in the intellectual activity of trying to learn
what the rules are for how to play the game of chess."

Even More Filler - Jargon

 Use specialized terminology only when it is necessary.

 Use plain language.
 Don't write to impress your audience.

Pretentious Language – Translate These!

 In the presence of gravity, that whose Y coordinate increases in a positive

sense will, after the vanishing of its time derivative, have its Y coordinate
decrease.
 Matriculating non-x chromosomal homo sapiens desirous of upper
percentile indicators in logocentric discursive pedagogy should eschew
 utilizing verbiage equivalent to higher monetary amounts where a segment
of discourse akin to metallic financial tokens would suffice.

Avoid Long Noun Strings

Noun strings (series of words all modifying the last noun) are difficult to understand,
e.g.:

 Production Enhancement Proposal Analysis Techniques

 Preregistration procedures instruction sheet update

Use Bulleted and Numbered Lists Correctly

 If the sequence matters, use a numbered list.

 If the order does not matter, use a bulleted list.
 A list should have more than one item.

More on Lists ...

Lists should be introduced by a complete statement followed by a colon, e.g.,

There are three colors in this dress:

■ red ■ white ■ blue

Not: The three colors are:

■ red ■ white ■ blue

Even More on Lists ...

Always use parallel structure in lists

■ Example: Non-parallel structure

 I smacked the dog.

 My husband got a kick.
 Shouting at the children.

Some Final No-No's

 Don't write about something you don't understand (research or ask

questions).
 Don't distort or misrepresent information EVER. -
 Don't use idiomatic words and expressions unless you're ABSOLUTELY
sure everyone in your audience would understand.

And, finally!

Proofread, Proofread, Proofread

TECHNICAL WRITING vs. ACADEMIC WRITING
Types of Writing
1. Personal 2. Academic 3. Professional
Personal Writing
- Audience:
 equal knowledge, friends, colleagues
Technical Writing vs. Academic Writing
Audiences
TW: 1 Document = Many Readers: (Many Readers Many Needs)
 "food chain", boss, supervisor, team, engineers, workers, politicians, bank
officers, general public
AW: 1 Document = 1 Reader: (1 Reader = 1 Need)
 Teacher
Purposes
TW: Situation-Oriented
 see a need -, address a need, internal motivation, professional motivation,
outcome-oriented: to get something accomplished,
AW: Assignment-Oriented
 passive (vs. active), given a topic, test, given an assignment, external
motivation, scholastic motivation, grade-oriented: grade, g.p.a., degree.
Evaluation Criteria
TW: Success
 satisfaction of the needs of all readers, something was done, informed,
persuaded.
AW: Success
 correct answer, right information, unity, coherence, support, detail,
grammar.
Applications
TW: Real-World Applications
 case studies, illustrative scenarios, operations management, for a job, for
a raise or promotion, for a bid * practical.
AW: College Application
 "academic" writing, essays, essay exams, for academics, for grade, for
degree, "show what you know" demonstrative
Disciplines
TW: Across Disciplines
 "interdisciplinary", computer sciences, psychology, mixture of: history,
math, science, technology.
AW: Single Discipline
  rarely a mixture "discipline-specific:”literary data for an english paper,
historical information on a history paper, psychological ideas on a
psychology test.
Page Design
TW:
 Paragraphs: 6-10 lines, vary lengths for visual
 white space, columns headings, lists, graphics, varying fonts, use of color,
relative spacing, relative margins, relative justification.
AW:
 Paragraphs: minimum of 3-5 sentences, no maximum length
 NO: white space, columns, headings, lists, graphics, varying fonts, use of
color
 double spacing, equal margins, left justification
Components
TW: Oral, Visual, Written
 produce documents, present documents, write to be read, write to be
seen, write to be heard
AW: Written
 infrequent oral and visual components, predominant written component,
write to be read (by teacher), write to be graded, not to be seen or heard
Graphics
TW:
 tables, charts, graphs, diagrams graphics, photographs, maps, blue prints
AW:
 uncommon, photographs
Formats
TW:
 memos, e-mails, letters, cover letters, resumes, proposals, manuals,
portfolio, abstracts, reports (formal/informal)
AW:
 essay questions, essays based on the rhetorical strategies (description,
narration, illustration, process-analysis, division-classification,
comparison-contrast, definition, cause-effect, pro-con argument)
Grammar
TW: Grammar-less
 visual oriented, grammar = less important, fragments = permissible,
active voice, descriptive writing, concise sentences, spelling, proofread
AW: Grammar-full
 written-oriented, grammar = key, sentence errors = avoided, active voice,
descriptive writing, concise sentences, spelling, proofread
Conclusions
Technical communication (TC/TW):
• Public speaking component
 formal conference speeches
 informal meeting speeches
Academic writing (AW):
• Limited public speaking opportunities
 conferences or rare class projects
 public speaking courses
Definition
Technical Communication:
 encompasses a wide range
 of writing and speaking responsibilities
 required to communicate your ideas
 on the job
Similarities
Writing as a Process: planning-drafting-revising
Educational Philosophies
TW: writing: process & product
 heuristic: process, reader-focused, how-to, analyze-and- compose
 process prescriptive: product, writer-focused, models/forms of writing
AW: writing: product
 prescriptive, teach from models, rhetorical strategies, writer-focused
Academic Writing
 formats: description, narration, illustration, process-analysis, division-
classification
 (rhetorical strategies or writing models): comparison-contrast, definition,
cause-effect, pro-con, argument- persuasion
Technical Writing
 purpose/objective: to entertain, to inform
 audience: equal knowledge, friends, colleagues
 evaluation: desired emotional response, informed
 graphics: emoticons, text-messaging lingo
 formats: e-mail, letters, journals, text messages

CREATIVE WRITING
Basic Concepts of Creative Writing and Its Language
 Imagination and Creativity: Creative writing relies heavily on the writer's
ability to imagine and invent. This involves generating original ideas,
characters, settings, and plots.
 Plot: This is the sequence of events that make up the storyline. A well-
structured plot typically includes an introduction, rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution.
  Characters: Characters are the individuals who inhabit the story. They can
be complex with their own motivations, desires, flaws, and personalities.
Effective characterization brings the story to life.
 Setting: The setting establishes the time and place in which the story
occurs. It includes physical locations, historical context, and sometimes
even the cultural or social environment.
 Point of View (POV): This refers to the vantage point from which the story
is told. It can be first-person (narrated by a character in the story), third-
person limited (narrated by an external observer, but limited to one
character's perspective), or third-person omniscient (narrated by an
external observer who knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters).
 Theme: The theme is the central idea or message of the story. It often
reflects deeper meanings or insights about human nature, society, or life
in general.
 Conflict: Conflict is what drives the story forward. It can be internal (within
a character's mind or emotions) or external (between characters, or a
character against a force of nature, society, etc.).
 Dialogue: Dialogue is the conversation between characters. It serves to
reveal character traits, advance the plot, and provide insight into
relationships.
 Narrative Style: This refers to the manner in which the story is written. It
encompasses elements like tone (the author's attitude toward the subject),
pacing (the speed at which the story unfolds), and use of language.
 Symbolism and Imagery: These elements add depth and layers of
meaning to a story. Symbolism uses objects, colors, or elements to
represent deeper concepts, while imagery involves vivid, sensory
language to create mental pictures for the reader.
 Language and Style: The choice of words, sentence structure, and overall
writing style greatly influence the impact of a piece. It can be poetic,
concise, descriptive, or any combination that serves the author's purpose.
 Editing and Revision: Writing is a process, and revising and editing are
crucial steps. This involves refining the language, clarifying ideas, and
ensuring coherence and flow.
 Voice: The writer's unique voice is their distinctive style and perspective.
It's what sets them apart from other writers and gives their work a unique
flavor.
Kinds of Creative Writing
Creative writing comes in many forms, encompassing a number of genres
and styles. There are lots of different types of creative writing. which can be
categorized as fiction or non-fiction. Some of the most popular being:
Fiction
 Short Stories- Brief, self-contained narratives typically focused on a single
character or event.
 Novels- Longer works of fiction that explore multiple characters, plotlines,
and settings in depth.
 Novellas- Intermediate-length works of fiction. shorter than a novel but
longer than a short story.
  Flash Fiction- Extremely short stories, often no more than a few hundred
words that aim to convey a complete narrative in a brief format.
Poetry
 Rhymed- Poetry Verse that uses a regular rhyme scheme or pattern.
 Free Verse- Poetry that does not follow a specific rhyme or meter, allowing
for more freedom in expression.
 Haiku- A traditional form of Japanese poetry with three lines, typically
focused on nature and emotions.
 Sonnet- A 14-line poem with specific rhyme schemes, often used to
explore themes of love and beauty.
Drama
 Plays- Written scripts for theatrical performances, with dialogue, stage
directions, and sometimes monologues.
 Screenplays- Scripts written specifically for film or television, including
dialogue, scene descriptions, and directions for actors.
Non-fiction
 Personal Essays- Reflective and autobiographical pieces that explore
personal experiences, emotions, or opinions.
 Memoirs- Longer works that recount specific periods or events in a
person's life, offen providing insights and reflections.
 Biographies- Narrative accounts of someone's life, usually focusing on
notable figures or historical figures.
 Journalism- Reporting on real-world events, often with an emphasis on
facts and objective information.
 Travel Writing- Narratives that recount a writer's experiences and
observations during their travels.

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Basic Rule: Singular subjects must have singular verbs. Plural subjects take
plural verbs.
Rules on subject-verb agreement
1. The pronoun "you" always takes a plural verb.
Examples:
 You were invited to come.
 You are asked to clean the room.
 You sing so well.
2. If a sentence begins with here or there, the verb agrees with the subject which
follows it.
Examples:
 Here are the ways on how to preserve meat.
 There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor.
3. If two subjects, one single and one plural, are connected by either/or or
neither/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Examples:
 Neither the players nor the coach is joining.
 Either the conductor or the singers are attending the concert.
4. A singular subject followed by intervening words or phrases such as with, as
well as, in addition to, accompanied by, together with and no less than, takes a
singular verb.
Examples:
 Jake, accompanied by his sisters, is enrolling in PCC.
 Daddy, as well as my brothers, is enjoying the party.
5. Singular subjects joined by and require a plural verb, except when they mean
one thing.
Examples:
 Larry and mercy are reading novels.
 My teacher and friend is here.
6. If a singular subject is followed by a phrase containing a plural noun, the verb
is singular.
Examples:
 One of the boys is yelling so loud.
 One of the members is against the rule.
7. The indefinite pronouns several, few, both, many, others are always plural.
Examples:
 Both were asking to be freed.
 Several are seeking justice.
8. When any of the following indefinite pronouns is the subject, the verb is
singular: everybody, each, no one, anybody, nobody, every, nothing, everything,
anyone, either, neither, everyone, somebody, someone.
Example:
 Every man and woman in this hall is a member.
9. Expressions of time, money, weight, and distance are singular even if the form
is plural.
Examples:
 Two years is a long time to wait.
 One million dollars was given back to the owner.
10. When the amount of money refers to separate units, the verb is plural.
Examples:
 Five 25-centavo coins were found.
 Sixty 100-peso bills were added to the budget.
11. The following words are always plural: pants, trousers, pliers, scissors,
shears, tongs. However, if the word pair is used, the verb is singular.
Examples:
 The pants are torn into two.
 The pair of scissors was placed on the table.
12. Certain nouns, though plural in form, are singular in meaning and therefore
take singular verbs.
Examples:
 Mathematics is my favorite subject.
 The latest news is alarming to the public.
13. When the word is preceded by a, it takes a plural verb. When it is preceded
by the, it takes a singular verb.
Examples:
 A number of students are waiting outside.
 The number of students outside is not recorded yet.
14. When fractions are used, the verb agrees with the object of the phrase.
Examples:
 One half of the cake was consumed.
 One fourth of the employees were attending the seminar.
15. The name of a country is always regarded as singular.
Examples:
 The bahamas has beautiful beaches.
 Philippines is a wondrous place.
16. Titles of books, plays, articles, movies, etc. Are regarded as singular even
though words in the title may be plural.
Examples:
 "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" is a story by d. Schwartz.
 "Great Expectations" is a must-read novel.
  Magazine – collection of articles regarding the lifestyle of man.
 Journal – daily record of personal events.
 Planner – daily record of business commitments.
 Anecdote – a brief revealing account of an individual person or an incident.

2. Poetry - is writing in form of lines and stanzas. It has rhyme and rhythm, and
melodious tone. Ideas are expressed in aesthetic and meaningful language. It
usually uses figures of speech.

a. Narrative - is an account of events, or simple story, expressed in poetry.

 Epic – a narrative poem about supernatural powers possessed by heroes

and heroines.
 Ballad – a narrative poem with harmony and rhythm.
 Idyll – a narrative poem about rustic life
 Metrical Romance – a narrative poem dealing with the emotions or phase
of life and the story is told in a simple, straightforward and realistic manner.

b. Lyric – is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In

the ancient world, lyric poems were sung accompanied by a lyre. Lyric poems do
not have to rhyme and today do not need to be set to music or beat.

 Song – a lyric poem intended to be sung with melodious harmony and

rhythm
 Sonnet – a lyric poem consisting of 14 iambic pentameters lines
 Ode – a lyrical poem praising or glorifying an event or individual describing
nature intellectually as well as emotionally.
 Elegy is a poem expressing melancholy, grief, and death. It is a mournful
poem that laments the death of a loved one.

c. Drama - is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera,

mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television. It is known as
a dramatic poem, is an emotional piece of literature which includes a story which
is recited of sung. It refers to the dramatic genre of poetry. (Buzzle.com)

 Comedy - is entertainment consisting of jokes intended to make an

audience laugh. For ancient Greeks and Romans a comedy was a stage-
play with a happy ending. In the Middle Ages, the term expanded to include
narrative poems with happy endings and a lighter tone. In this sense Dante
used the term in the title of his poem, the Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina
Commedia).
 Tragedy - branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the
sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual.
 Tragicomedy - is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and
comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe
either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the
overall mood or a serious play with a happy ending.
  Melodrama - is a dramatic work wherein the plot, which is typically
sensational and designed to appeal strongly to the emotions, takes
precedence over detailed characterization.

Fiction

 A made up story
 Can tell about things that could happen
 Is read for fun
 Characters may be like real people or imaginary

Non-Fiction

 Has facts that can be checked and proven

 The author is an expert on this information

Fiction or Nonfiction?

Fiction

 Story is created from the author's imagination

 Stories are pretend
 Animals or objects can talk, wear clothes, have jobs
 People in the story can do things people cannot really do
 Story might have funny pictures

Forms of Fiction

There are three main forms of fiction.

 Novel: long work of fiction; contains the basic elements of fiction; may
contain subplots along with the main plot
 Subplots: independent related stories
 Novella: shorter than a novel but longer than a short story
 Short Story: brief work of fiction; contains basic elements of fiction; one
main plot; one conflict; most can be read in one sitting

Genres of Fiction

 Mystery- typically involves the investigation of a crime, most often one or

more murders.
 Horror- aims to frighten or disgust its readers.
 Fantasy- stories use magic or the supernatural as a primary plot element,
theme, or setting.
 Science-fiction- although difficult to define, generally refers to plausible,
futuristic stories, ranging from the rigorous hard science fiction, to social
science fiction and space opera. Science fantasy occupies a middle
ground between fantasy and science
  Myths- a story based on tradition or legend, which has a deep symbolic
meaning. A myth 'conveys a truth' to those who tell it and hear it, rather
than necessarily recording a true event.
 Fairytales- is a type of short story that typically features European folkloric
fantasy characters, such as dwarves, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes,
goblins, mermaids, trolls, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments.
 Legends- a semi-true story, which has been passed on from person- to-
person and has important meaning or symbolism for the culture in which
it originates.
 Historical Fiction- a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting
located in the past. Historical fiction can be an ambiguous term: frequently
it is used as a synonym for describing the historical novel; however, the
term can be applied to works in other narrative formats, such as those in
the performing and visual arts like theatre, opera, cinema, television,
comics, and graphic novels.

Elements of Fiction:

 Plot, Characters, Setting, Point of View, Problem, Themes

What is Non-Fiction?

Text that is TRUE and based on REAL information

Forms of Non-Fiction Text:

 Newspapers, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Scholastic News, Textbooks,

Magazines, Non-Fiction Books

Forms of Nonfiction

Two broad categories of nonfiction are literary nonfiction and functional texts.

 Literary Nonfiction: has elements of fiction; for example it might use vivid
descriptions, a dramatic writing style, or poetic language.
 Functional Texts: give instructions, show directions, explain rules, provide
other information that helps you complete procedures; often use
illustrations or graphics

Literary Nonfiction

 Autobiographies and memoirs: tell the story of the author's life

 Biographies: tell the story of someone's life from the perspective of another
writer
 Letters: written communications from person to person
 Essays and Articles: brief works about a specific topic
 Reviews: tell what is good and what is bad about a work of art or
performance.
 Reports: give information about a topic explored through research
Functional Texts

 Recipes: tell how to prepare food

 Directions: tell how to operate or assemble equipment
 Schedules: tell when events take place
 Menus: tell which foods are available and their cost
 Brochures: use pictures and text to advertise places or events
 Maps: are diagrams that show areas of land
 Applications: are written requests to an authority

Features of Non-fiction

 Contents, Glossary, Index, Heading, Bold-print, Photographs/Real

Pictures, Charts, Graphs, and Maps, Caption, Fact and Opinion

Poetry

 It refers to those expressions in verse, with measures, rhymes, lines,

stanzas and melodious tones.
 It came from the Greek word poiesis which means 'making'.

Elements of Poetry

 Poetry is not prose. Prose is the ordinary language people use in speaking
or writing.
 Poetry is a form of literary expression that captures intense experiences
or creative perceptions of the world in a musical language.
 Basically, if prose is like talking, poetry is like singing.
 By looking at the set up of a poem, you can see the difference between
prose and poetry.

Distinguishing Characteristics of Poetry

• Unlike prose which has a narrator, poetry has a speaker.

A speaker, or voice, talks to the reader. The speaker is not necessarily the
poet. It can also be a fictional person, an animal or even a thing
Example: But believe me, son.

I want to be what I used to be when I was like you.

from "Once Upon a Time" by Gabriel Okara

• Poetry is also formatted differently from prose.

A line is a word or row of words that may or may not form a complete
sentence. A stanza is a group of lines forming a unit. The stanzas in a poem are
separated by a space.
Example: Open it.
 Go ahead, it won't bite.

Well...maybe a little.

from "The First Book" by Rita Dove

Figures of Speech

 A figure of speech is a word or expression that is not meant to be read

literally.
 A simile is a figure of speech using a word such as like or as to compare
seemingly unlike things.
Example: Does it stink like rotten meat?

from "Harlem" by Langston Hughes

 A metaphor also compares seemingly unlike things, but does not use like
or as.
Example: the moon is a white sliver

from "I Am Singing Now" by Luci Tapahonso

 Personification attributes human like characteristics to an animal, object,

or idea.
Example: A Spider sewed at Night from

"A Spider sewed at Night" by Emily Dickinson

 Hyperbole - a figure of speech in which great exaggeration is used for

emphasis or humorous effect.
Example: "You've asked me a million times!"

 Imagery is descriptive language that applies to the senses - sight, sound,

touch, taste, or smell. Some images appeal to more than one sense.

Sound Devices

 Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

 Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry.
 Onomatopoeia is the use of a word or phrase, such as "hiss" or "buzz" that
imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes.

Example of Sound Devices

"In the steamer is the trout seasoned with slivers of ginger"

from "Eating Together" by Li-Young Lee

And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes

from "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe

Rhyme

 Rhyme is the repetition of the same stressed vowel sound and any
succeeding sounds in two or more words.
 Internal rhyme occurs within a line of poetry.
 End rhyme occurs at the end of lines.
 Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhymes that may be designated by
assigning a different letter of the alphabet to each new rhyme
Example:

"All mine!" Yertle cried. "Oh, the things I now rule!

I'm king of a cow! And I'm king of a mule!

I'm king of a house! And what's more, beyond

that, I'm king of a blueberry bush and cat!

I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that I see!"

from "Yertle the Turtle" by Dr. Seuss

"Penelope" by Dorothy Parker

In the pathway of the sun,

In the footsteps of the breeze,

Where the world and sky are one,

He shall ride the silver seas,

He shall cut the glittering wave.

I shall sit at home, and rock;

Rise, to heed a neighbor's knock;

Brew my tea, and snip my thread;

Bleach the linen for my bed.

They will call him brave.

Rhythm and Meter

 Rhythm is the pattern of sound created by the arrangement of stressed

and unstressed syllables in a line. Rhythm can be regular or irregular.
 Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables which sets
the overall rhythm of certain poems. Typically, stressed syllables are
marked with / and unstressed syllables are marked with U.
  In order to measure how many syllables are per line, they are measured
in feet. A foot consists of a certain number of syllables forming part of a
line of verse.

Iambic Pentameter

 The most common type of meter is called iambic pentameter

 An iamb is a foot consisting of an initial unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed syllable. For example, return, displace, to love, my heart.
 A pentameter is a line of verse containing 5 metrical feet.
Example: When I do count the clock that tells the time

Significance of Iambic Pentameter

 Iambic Pentameter is significant to the study of poetry because:

 It is the closest to our everyday speech
 In addition, it mimics the sound of heart beat; a sound common to all
human beings.
 Finally, one of the most influential writers of our times uses iambic
pentameter in all that he writes - William Shakespeare.
Example #1 And death is better, as the millions know,

Than dandruff, night-starvation, or B.O

from "Letter to Lord Byron" by W.H. Auden

Example #2 When you are old and grey and full of sleep

And nodding by the fire, take down this book.

W.B. Yeats

Connotation and Denotation

 Connotation - the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a

word.
 Denotation - the strict dictionary meaning of a word.

Example: You may live in a house, but we live in a home.

Which of the following has a more favorable connotation?

 Thrifty-penny-pinching, pushy-aggressive, politician-statesman, chef-

cook, slender-skinny

Elements of Poetry

When we explore the connotation and denotation of a poem, we are looking at the
poet's diction.
  Diction - the choice of words by an author or poet. Many times, a poet's
diction can help unlock the tone or mood of the poem.

Although many times we use the words mood and tone interchangeably, they do
not necessarily mean the same thing.

 Mood - the feeling or atmosphere that a poet creates. Mood can suggest
an emotion (ex. "excited") or the quality of a setting (ex. "calm", "somber").
In a poem, mood can be established through word choice, line length,
rhythm, etc.
 Tone - a reflection of the poet's attitude toward the subject of a poem. Tone
can be serious, sarcastic, humorous, etc.

Narrative Poetry- verse that tells a story.

Two of the major examples of narrative poetry include:

 Ballads - a song or poem that tells a story. Folk ballads, which typically tell
of an exciting or dramatic osed by event, were composed by an
anonymous singer or author and passed on by word of mouth for
generations before written down. Literary ballads are written in imitation of
folk ballads, but usually given an author.
 Epics - a long narrative poem on a great and serious subject that is
centered on the actions of a heroic figure.

Dramatic Poetry- one or more characters speak.

 Each speaker always addresses a specific listener.

 This listener may be silent (but identifiable), or the listener may be another
character who speaks in reply.
 Usually the conflict that the speaker is involved with is either an intense or
emotional.

Lyric Poetry- expresses a speaker's personal thoughts and feelings.

 Lyric poems are usually short and musical.

 This broad category covers many poetic types and styles, including
haikus, sonnets, free verse and many others.

Haikus

 The traditional Japanese haiku is an unrhymed poem that contains exactly

17 syllables, arranged in 3 lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables each.
 However, when poems written in Japanese are translated into another
language, this pattern is often lost.
 The purpose of a haiku is to capture a flash of insight that occurs during a
solitary observation of nature.
Examples of Haikus:
 Since morning glories

hold my well-bucket hostage

I beg for water

- Chiyo-ni

First autumn morning:

the mirror I stare into shows my father's face.

- Kijo Murakami

Sonnets

Most sonnets are one of two kinds:

 Italian (Petrarchan)- this sonnet is split into two parts, an octave and a
sestet. The octave consists of the first eight lines, and the sestet, the last
six lines.
 English (Shakespearian)- this contains 3 Sicilian quatrains and one heroic
couplet at the end, with an "abab cdcd efef gg" rhyme scheme.

Background of Sonnets

 Form invented in Italy.

 Most if not all of Shakespeare's sonnets are about love or a theme related
to love.
 Sonnets are usually written in a series with each sonnet a continuous
subject to the next. (Sequels in movies)

Sequence of Sonnets

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets and can be broken up by the characters they
address.

 The Fair Youth: Sonnets 1 - 126 are devoted to a young man of extreme
physical beauty. The first 17 sonnets urge the young man to pass on his
beauty to the next generation through children. From sonnet 18 on,
Shakespeare shifts his viewpoint and writes how the poetry itself will
immortalize the young man and allow his beauty to carry on.
 The Dark Lady: Sonnets 127 - 154 talk about an irresistible woman of
questionable morals who captivates the young poet. These sonnets speak
of an affair between the speaker and her, but her unfaithfulness has hurt
the speaker.
 The Rival Poet: This character shows up during the fair youth series. The
poet sees the rival poet as someone trying to take his own fame and the
poems refer to his own anxiety and insecurity.

Structure of Sonnets
The traditional Elizabethan or Shakespearean sonnet consists of fourteen lines,
made up of three quatrains (stanzas of 4 lines each) and a final couplet (two line
stanza). Sonnets are usually written in iambic pentameter. The quatrains
traditionally follow an abab rhyme scheme, followed by a rhyming couplet.
Example: Sonnet 18 (William Shakespeare)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,

Nor shall Death brag thou wand'rest in his shade

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

abab Rhyme
Roses are red. A

Violets are blue. B

I'm out of my head A

With thinking of you. B

RHYME
I do not like green eggs and ham. A

I do not like them Sam I am. A

I do not like them in a boat. B

I do not like them with a goat. B

I do not like them in a house. C

I do not like them with a mouse. C

Rhyme Scheme

 The rhyming pattern that is created at the end of lines of poetry.

Mary had a little lamb, A

Its fleece as white as snow. B

And everywhere that Mary went, C

The lamb was sure to go. B

 If the poem does not have a rhyme scheme it is considered to be a free

verse poem.

Free Verse

 Free verse is poetry that has no fixed pattern of meter, rhyme, line length,
or stanza arrangement.
 When writing free verse, a poet is free to vary the poetic elements to
emphasize an idea or create a tone.
 In writing free verse, a poet may choose to use repetition or similar
grammatical structures to emphasize and unify the ideas in the poem.
 While the majority of popular poetry today is written as free verse, the style
itself is not new. Walt Whitman, writing in the 1800's, created free verse
poetry based on forms found in the King James Bible.
 Modern free verse is concerned with the creation of a brief, ideal image,
not the refined ordered (and artificial, according to some critics) patterns
that other forms of poetry encompass.
Example of Free Verse:

The lunatic is carried at last to the asylum a confirmed case,

He will never sleep any more as he did it in the cot in his mother's bedroom;

The dour printer with gray head and gaunt jaws works at his case,

He turns is quid of tobacco, his eyes blurred with the manuscript;

The malformed limbs are tied to the anatomist's table,

What is removed drops horribly in the pail;

The quadroon girl is sold at the stand....the drunkard nods by the barroom stove...

Excerpt from "Song of Myself" (section 15) Walt Whitman

In Summary

Prose

 Uses straight forward language

 Ideas are arranged in paragraphs and are in complete sentences.
  Follows grammar conventions (rules).
 Clarify the meaning to the readers.

Poetry

 Writing follows a rhythm and rhyme

 Ideas are arranged in stanzas and may not be in sentences.
 Allowed to break grammar conventions.
 Let the readers decipher the meaning.

Poems can create songs without music, pictures without paint, and feelings with
just a few words.