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- I. Parts of Speech
- II. Writing Effective Sentences (outline continued)
- III. Intro to Writing
- Extra Credit-ONLY IF YOU HAVE 100 AVERAGE FOR HOMEWORK/CLASSWORK
- The Art of Storytelling
- What's figurative language anyway?
- IV. Essay writing: what is a thesis statement?
- Need some argumentative/persuasive writing topics for your essay?
- What does the Middle Grades Writing Test Rubric look like?
- What does the Lang. Arts part of the 8th grade project look like for Road Trip
- Need some interviewing tips gifted ones?
--------------------------------------
I. Parts of Speech
I. Parts of Speech
Keep this outline in your notes section of your notebook.
Continue this outline with information from the board.
Parts of Speech
A. Nouns – name persons, places, things, ideas. (p.310)
Examples: girl, school, shoe, friendship
1. Proper nouns – name particular persons, places, things, ideas;
always CAPITALIZED
Examples: Taylor, Greenbrier Middle School, and Nike
2. Common noun - ANY person, place, thing, idea; not capitalized
3. Compound noun - one person, place, thing made up of 2 or more
words
Example - playground, horseshoe, cul-de-sac, mother-in-law, Empire State
Building`
4. Collective noun - names a group of individual people or things
Example - team, crowd, audience, e-mails, messages
B. Pronouns – take the place of nouns (page 316 )
1. Antecedents – the noun that the pronouns refers back to
Example - Since the class was quiet, they went outside for a few minutes at
the end of class.
2. Personal pronouns - refer to the person speaking, person spoken
to,
or the person place or thing spoken about
Examples:
I me, my, mine
You you
He him, his
She her, hers
It it
We your, yours, us
You y’all, you
They they, them, their, theirs
3. Demonstrative pronouns- point our (demonstrate) a specific
person,
place, or thing.
Example: This, that, these, those
4. Relative pronouns - begins a subordinate clause and connect it to
another idea in the same sentence
Example - who, whom, which, whose, that
5. Interrogative pronouns - begin a question
Example: what which who whom whose
6. Indefinite pronouns - refer to people, places, things without
specifying which ones
Example: nobody, no one, one, other, somebody, someone, everyone, both,
few, many
C. Verbs – show action or state of being
1. action verbs - any word you can do (just do it)
Examples: run, dance, win, shout, think
2. being verbs – am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
3. helping verbs – any verb in front of another verb – am, is, are,
was, were, be, being, been, have, has, had, do, does, did, can,
could,
shall, should, will, would, may, might, must
4.verb phrase – the main verb (action or being) plus the helping
verbs
Example: might have been going
D. adjectives – describe nouns or pronouns
examples: pretty girl, She is pretty.
1. articles – a, an, the function as adjectives
2. adjectives answer these questions about the nouns/pronouns: what
kind, which one, how many
3. Demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those) function as
adjectives when they come in front of a noun. Example: This school
is
great!
E. adverbs - modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs and answer
questions:
how, when, where, to what extent
Example: We walked slowly downtown yesterday. You say: “walked how?" =
slowly-adverb
Walked when? = yesterday, walked where? = downtown
1. adverbs end in –ly many times
2. not, never, n’t are always adverbs
3. prepositional phrases are not adverbs – example We walked (to
the
store).
4. adverbs can be only ONE word that tells when, where, how
F. prepositions – show relationship between the noun/pronoun object and
the rest of the sentence.
Example: The squirrel ran _____ the tree. The blank can be filled in with
many words; these words would be prepositions since it shows how
the object
(tree) relates to the squirrel.
1. Some prepositions that don’t fit into this magic sentence are:
of,
except, during, but.
G .conjuntions – join or connect words, phrases, sentences.
1. common coordinating conjuntions: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet
Examples: He and I are going home. She went to the store and to the gym.
Either we hush, or we won’t go outside.
2. subordinating conjuntions: since, after, because, if, before,
as,
until, when, where, though, while.
a) these conjunctions begin dependent clauses
H. interjections – show sudden or strong emotion
1. punctuate with an exclamation mark or a comma depending on how
strong
the emotion is! Um, I don’t know. OH NO! I forgot my math
homework>
I. complements
A. Direct objects - nouns or pronouns that receive the action from the
action verb. To find it, ask: verb who or what?
B. Indirect Object - noun or pronoun between the action verb and direct
object that answers: to/for whom or what was the Direct Object Verb.
see unit 19 in textbook
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II. Writing Effective Sentences (outline continued)
Writing class outline continued:
II. Writing Effective Sentences
A. simple sentence = independent clause = a complete thought with a
subject and verb
example: The plane zoomed. The horse and her foal pranced around the
corral. They kicked their heels up in the cool morning temperatures and
napped in the warm afternoon sunshine. Open the door.
B. compound sentence - two or more simple sentences (independent
clauses) joined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or,
nor, for, so, yet) example: We exercised the mares yesterday, so we must
ride the other two horses today. NOTE: instead of using the comma and
conjunction to join two sentences, you could use just a semi-colon (;) to
join the two sentences. Example: We exercised the mares yesterday; we must
ride the other two horses today.
C. complex sentence = one independent clause (simple sentence) and one
or more dependent clauses. Example: Since we won’t hush during the lesson,
we won’t be enjoying any silent ball today.
NOTE: if the dependent clause begins the sentence, use a comma after it;
if
the independent clause begins the sentence, no
comma is necessary.
D. Dependent clause – begins with a subordinating conjunction (since,
while, after etc….see conjunction notes) these clauses are fragments and
cannot stand alone. Example: After we learn self control,
E. Compound/complex sentence- one or more dependent clauses plus two
independent clauses. Example:
My brother left the game since we were losing, but he came back to pick me
up. The bold part is the complex sentence (IND = DEP)
--------------------------------------
III. Intro to Writing
Test questions and answers:
a)writing steps ?
*prewrite, rough draft, proofread/revise, final copy
b)paragraph and essay structure
*topic sentence, details/example sentences, closing sentence
*introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, closing paragraph
c)four purposes of writing
*to inform, persuade, create, express
d)four prewriting techniques
*brainstorm, list, chart, questions, outline, web/cluster,freewrite,imagine
e)four ways to arrange your ideas
*chronological, order of importance, spatial, logical
f)two things to consider before writing
*purpose and audience
g)how will your writing change according to your audience
*tone, vocabulary, details
h)what's unity/coherence
*all sentences RELATE to the topic sentence
*coherence is how your sentences/paragraphs connect with each other
*use transitional words (therefore, and, first, second, next, moreover,
basically, moreover) to glue your sentences together
I) 3 ways to develop your topic sentence?
*Sensory details, facts, examples
thesis statement…where does it appear in the essay?
* at the end of the introductory paragragh
--------------------------------------
Extra Credit-ONLY IF YOU HAVE 100 AVERAGE FOR HOMEWORK/CLASSWORK
WRITE A FIVE PARAGRAPH ESSAY ON ONE OF THESE TOPICS:
1. Some people suffer from what is called "winter depression." Does the
weather affect people’s moods? If you believe it does, write an essay
explaining this phenomenon.
2. What has been the biggest change in your personality from last year to
this year. Discuss yourself in terms of motivation and behavior. Provide
examples.
3. With summer coming up in the near future?, many students are faced with
the decision of whether or not to get a job. Some of you already have jobs.
In an essay, present an argument to your parents either for or against teen
employment.
4. Write an essay accepting an award that someone else has given to you.
Name the award, explain the award, and provide an example explaining why you
deserve the award. Use appropriate content.
5. Some of the blame for the high school shooting tragedy that took place at
Columbine High School in Littleton, CO is being placed on the music the
shooting suspects listened to. That argument is that music with violent
lyrics and aggressive style contributes (not causes) to a person’s violent
behavior. Write an essau discussing the issue from your point of view.
6. What is one place everyone ought to visit? Write an essay explaining
where this place is and why the reader should make a point to visit there
someday.
7. Write an essay about a cable channel you’d like to see formed. name the
channel, explain the focus of the channel, and give an example of a show
that would be on this channel. Use appropriate content.
8. Write a well-developed essay on something that you’ve been thinking
about lately. Use appropriate content.
--------------------------------------
The Art of Storytelling
Keep in
notebook
Storytelling
Many stories revolve around important events. This means that these are
stories, which are plot centered. The central hinge of any story plot is a
crisis. Usually, we think of crisis in terms of an accident, heart attack,
house fire, death, or any number of other uninvited events, which disrupt
our
life. But a crisis is not just an involuntary event, which overtakes us
against our will.
A crisis is any happening which takes a part of our lives with which
we are comfortable and turns it upside down so that we have to adjust to a
world that is shaped differently than before. This means that many of the
most important crises in our lives are crises we volunteer for. So, under
this definition, winning the lottery is a crisis. It requires that our
whole
relationship to the world be changed. Going to high school is a crisis as
is
getting married and all the other “choices” we gladly make. Remember this
as
we look at the upcoming plot prompts, which we will use to try to recall
simple events that may have more than simple significance.
Remember that the prompts are not necessarily assignments.
Sometimes
we can be sharing or listening to a story begun by a prompt, and we will
remember another event that can be worked into a great story. Try some of
these prompts out on your family members…. especially the older ones. Jot
down some notes if and when you need, so that you can remember a
particularly
interesting story.
Try this:
When we try to remember, we often search from the present backwards
chronologically. The problem with this is that we don’t yet know how recent
events are going to come out. This means that they are too raw for us to be
able to either laugh or cry about them. Instead, with these prompts, try
for
earliest memories and then come forward. Our whole life is our library
where
personal memories are the books we are looking for.
PROMPT 1 Can you remember a pet you once had which you don’t have anymore?
BE SURE THAT when a person begins to tell his or her story, others let him
or
her tell it! If you have memories about the same event, then your memories
make a different story. Listen to the one whose story begins first, then
don’t correct but simply tell your story and laugh about the difference.
PROMPT 2 Can you remember a time when you tried to cook something and it
didn’t turn out?
Time and place
You may notice that it is helpful to the listener for the storyteller to be
quite specific about time and place when telling his or her story. If a
story begins with something like, “when I was 12 years old we were visiting
my grandmothers house,” it is very easy for the listener to quickly
visualize
time and place and to follow more clearly the event sequence which is being
described.
We usually think that if we can summarize the plot we must have read the
story; it seems that plot is so identical with story itself that the story
almost equals the plot. But, trying to listen to an oral story, which is
simply made of plot, is quite like trying to carry water in your hands.
When
there is no container, the plot, like the water, simply runs out of our
listening “hands”.
Whenever we, as story listeners, get ready to hear a story we have
not heard before, our subconscious mind is getting ready to try to make
sense
out of the story for us. Before the storyteller begins to talk it seems
that
our mind is blank. While it is devoid of content, there are certain
questions being asked by our subconscious to help us follow and make sense
of
what we are hearing.
The first questions are not “I wonder what is going too happened in
the story I am about to hear?” No, happening is plot, and before can carry
plot, our mind needs to build a container for it.
The first question our minds ask is “I wonder where the story I am
about to hear is going to happen?” Once I can make a picture of “where” in
my listening mind, I have a way to “see” the story and make sense of it.
Part of “where” is “when”. The time setting of the story is part of what we
picture I our heads before anything begins to happen in the story in terms
of
what we could call the plot.
After we have a clear picture in our heads of the place and time in
which the story is to occur, our unconscious mind can ask, “I wonder who the
characters in this story are going to be?”
Once we can “see” place, time, and character we have a mental
container in which to visually carry the plot of the story. We can actually
see the story unfold in our heads once we have built the background places
and central people in the story. If we know that as listeners we need this
person and place container to help us carry the plot of the story, it is
much
easier as tellers to give our listeners such needed help when we are telling
our stories.
Give attention to carefully laying out the place, the time, and the
people in your stories before anything starts to happen, and begin to notice
not only how much more attentively your listeners are at the moment, but
also
how much easier it is for you to keep track of where you are in the story
and
how much more clearly those who hear you tell it can remember it after
hearing.
PROMPT 3 Can you remember a time when you got into trouble for something you
had already been told not to do?
This prompt is a good one to help us realize that crisis are not just those
things that creep up and grip us from behind, but that many of the crisis
events in our lives are the results of our own choices.
Crisis
Crisis is the plot center of all stories. Without a crisis to be
experienced
and endured by the main character, we may have a portrait but we do not
really have a story.
A crisis is simply any event or happening that takes a part of the world we
have grown comfortable living with and turns it upside down. Such a crisis
event requires that we made adjustments to a new world as a part of living
with such critical change. Given this definition, positive changes and
chosen changes are just as much crisis events as are those disturbances
which
are either negative or outside our field of choices. Notice such positive
crisis events as you search for your story. Notice also how repeated rises
cycles often appear in our life stories. Once a crisis is successfully
coped
with, it is much easier to face it against than to have to learn to deal
with
a brand new change.
Thinking thoroughly through the widest possible range of crisis
events can greatly expand the possibilities for story discovery as we review
our memories.
PROMPT 4 Can you remember a time when you broke something that belonged to
someone else?
Any story is more believable if the listener can see trouble coming before
the crisis actually arrives. Work at trying to include background and some
of the reasons, which brought on the crisis event rather than jumping into
it
too quickly.
--------------------------------------
What's figurative language anyway?
Figurative language....see those handouts we've been pouring over in class
first.
Figuative language is descriptive writing. It suggests meaning that is not
directly stated. Metaphors and similes are comparisons of unlike things.
Similes use the words like, as, than; metaphors say something IS something
else. Your smile is like liquid sunshine = simile; The teacher was a real
monster today = metaphor. Alliteration can be awsomely, artistically
amazing...get it? It's the repetition of initial consonant sounds.
Personification is giving humanlike qualities to unhuman things....the
leaves
danced in the wind. Hyperboles are huge exaggerations...haven't I told you
this a million times already...geez. A cliche is an overused
expression...clear as mud now right? Onamatopoeia words are batman
words...pow, clunk, gong, whiz, whirr....and Emeril's favorite...BAM!
Prose are all that other stuff we do in school besides poetry...like term
papers, and reports, and paragraphs, and those lovely essays.
--------------------------------------
IV. Essay writing: what is a thesis statement?
The thesis statement is that sentence or two in your intro that contains the
focus of your essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be
about. Although it is certainly possible to write a good essay without a
thesis statement (many narrative essays, for example, contain only an
implied thesis statement), the lack of a thesis statement may well be a
symptom of an essay beset by a lack of focus. Many writers think of a thesis
statement as an umbrella: everything that you carry along in your essay has
to fit under this umbrella, and if you try to take on packages that don't
fit, you will either have to get a bigger umbrella or something's going to
get wet.
The thesis statement is also a good test for the scope of your intent. The
principle to remember is that when you try to do too much, you end up doing
less or nothing at all. Can we write a good paper about problems in higher
education in the United States? At best, such a paper would be vague and
scattered in its approach. Can we write a good paper about problems in
higher education in Georgia? Well, we're getting there, but that's still
an awfully big topic, something we might be able to handle in a book or a
Ph.D. dissertation, but certainly not in a paper meant for a Writing class.
Can we write a paper about problems within the community college
system in Georgia. Now we're narrowing down to something useful, but
once we start writing such a paper, we would find that we're leaving out so
much information, so many ideas that even most casual brainstorming would
produce, that we're not accomplishing much. What if we wrote about the
problem of community colleges in Georgia being so close together
geographically that they tend to duplicate programs unnecessarily and
trespass on each other's turf? Now we have a focus that we can probably
write
about in a few pages (although more, certainly, could be said) and it would
have a good argumentative edge to it. To back up such a thesis statement
would require a good deal of work, however, and we might be better off if we
limited the discussion to an example of how two particular community
colleges tend to work in conflict with each other. It's not a matter of
being lazy; it's a matter of limiting our discussion to the work that can be
accomplished within a certain number of pages.
The thesis statement should remain flexible until the paper is actually
finished. It ought to be one of the last things that we fuss with in the
rewriting process. If we discover new information in the process of writing
our paper that ought to be included in the thesis statement, then we'll have
to rewrite our thesis statement. On the other hand, if we discover that our
paper has done adequate work but the thesis statement appears to include
things that we haven't actually addressed, then we need to limit that thesis
statement. The thesis statement usually appears near the beginning of a
paper. It can
be the first sentence of an essay, but that often feels like a simplistic,
unexciting beginning. It more frequently appears at or near the end of the
first paragraph or two. Here is the first paragraph of Arthur Schlesinger,
Jr.'s essay The Crisis of American Masculinity. Notice how everything drives
the reader toward the last sentence and how that last sentence clearly
signals what the rest of this essay is going to do.
What has happened to the American male? For a long time, he seemed utterly
confident in his manhood, sure of his masculine role in society, easy and
definite in his sense of sexual identity. The frontiersmen of James Fenimore
Cooper, for example, never had any concern about masculinity; they were men,
and it did not occur to them to think twice about it. Even well into the
twentieth century, the heroes of Dreiser, of Fitzgerald, of Hemingway remain
men. But one begins to detect a new theme emerging in some of these authors,
especially in Hemingway: the theme of the male hero increasingly preoccupied
with proving his virility to himself. And by mid-century, the male role had
plainly lost its rugged clarity of outline. Today men are more and more
conscious of maleness not as a fact but as a problem. The ways by which
American men affirm their masculinity are uncertain and obscure. There are
multiplying signs, indeed, that something has gone badly wrong with the
American male's conception of himself.
The first paragraph serves as kind of a funnel opening to the essay which
draws and invites readers into the discussion, which is then focused by the
thesis statement before the work of the essay actually begins. You will
discover that some writers will delay the articulation of the paper's focus,
its thesis, until the very end of the paper. That is possible if it is clear
to thoughtful readers throughout the paper what the business of the essay
truly is; frankly, it's probably not a good idea for beginning writers.
Avoid announcing the thesis statement as if it were a thesis statement. In
other words, avoid using phrases such as "The purpose of this paper
is . . . . " or "In this paper, I will attempt to . . . ." Such phrases
betray this paper to be the work of an amateur. If necessary, write the
thesis statement that way the first time; it might help you determine, in
fact, that this is your thesis statement. But when you rewrite your paper,
eliminate the bald assertion that this is your thesis statement and write
the statement itself without that annoying, unnecessary preface.
--------------------------------------
Need some argumentative/persuasive writing topics for your essay?
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/english/topicarg.html
--------------------------------------
What does the Middle Grades Writing Test Rubric look like?
--------------------------------------
What does the Lang. Arts part of the 8th grade project look like for Road Trip
--------------------------------------
Need some interviewing tips gifted ones?
Interviewing Tips
The best thing to do when interviewing a source is to act
naturally. An interview does not have to happen in a formal, suited
atmosphere. An interview is just a talk with someone about a specific topic.
But instead of merely hearing, the reporter is listening and writing down
the pertinent details. Reporters must keep their opinions to themselves.
Preparing for the interview
Don't go to an interview unprepared. Check newspaper files and the library
for information on your subject or the topic. Have some information in your
head before you start. For example, if you are interviewing a person who
sells furs and is annoyed by animal rights pickets, it might be interesting
to know if this person has a dog or a cat.
Have your questions ready. Don't expect your news source to tell you
voluntarily what you want to know. Your questions, although you may stray
from them, help you organize your thoughts. They also will remind you to get
all the answers you want.
Make an appointment. You can't go into a busy official's office and get 30
minutes of his or her time unless you first set up an appointment. Then make
sure you arrive on time.
Dress properly. Be prepared and show respect for the source.
Take three things with you on every assignment: a pencil, a piece of paper;
and a grain of salt. Be a bit skeptical, don't believe everything you're
told.
Conducting the interview
Introduce yourself and the publication for which you are writing.
Look your subject in the eye. Don't be so busy taking notes that all the
source sees are your flying fingers and the top of your head. It makes some
people nervous to see every word being written down.
Often, the first question to ask is how to spell the individual's name.
Don't rely on the spelling you've seen somewhere else because it could be
wrong. A misspelled name is definitely the first way to lose credibility.
Pronounce the name of the respondent correctly and use it from time to time
during the interview.
Double-check the dates and the spelling of names. Even a name like Smith can
be spelled differently. Don't ever be afraid to ask what you might fear is a
silly question.
Start with easy, sociable questions to relax the person you're interviewing.
Save the tough questions for later. Avoid questions that appear to have
predetermined answers. Don't let your opinions determine the focus of your
questioning.
Ask open-ended questions that invite a lengthy answer and can bring out
anecdotes and opinions: ``How did you react?'' or ''Why do you think that
happened?'' Try to take down as many direct quotes as possible.
Don't ask questions that let your source give one-word answers.
Don't ask negative questions. That is, don't say,''No news, yet?'' Don't
make it easy for your subject to say ''no.''
Let the interviewee know you know something about him or her. This is called
priming the interviewee. It goes like this: Mr. Jones, I understand you
appeared in a movie about the takeover by people under 30. Do you believe
this could actually happen?
Accept all facts and other data professionally. Do not argue or show undue
shock or surprise.
Have a note-taking system. For example, write ''rr'' for railroad.
Avoid promising to print remarks a certain way.
Do not promise to let the interviewee read the story before it is published.
Leave the door open for another talk. Ask the subject if he or she would
mind if you made contact later personally or by phone for a follow-up. Get a
phone number where the source can be reached later. End the interview by
making sure you have a phone number to contact the source later for further
facts or clarification. If you use a tape recorder; don't depend on it.
Batteries run down and tape recorders can malfunction. Take notes, even if
you're using a tape recorder.
Taking notes
Some kind of shorthand is a must. Most reporters use some form of shortened
writing, such as ''w/o'' for without or ''inc'' for incomplete. Initials can
stand for titles and symbols can be used to refer to organizations.
Set apart direct quotes with circles, quotation marks, stars or underlining.
Taking notes on one side of the paper or pad makes their rearrangement to
fit story structure easier.
Listen carefully. Don't note unimportant details.
Ask for the spellings on all names and titles. It is better to ask now than
to have to call back to get them. Or worse, to get them wrong in the story.
Get direct quotations, especially on the main points.
Observe details about your source and surroundings, and write down your
impressions.
Concentrate on what you are seeing and hearing. Immediately after an
interview, review and supplement your notes. Arrange your notes in order of
importance.
It is unnecessary to write complete sentences unless you wish to get a
direct quote in its entirety.
Write down specific information you cannot trust to memory: ages, names,
addresses, statistics, sums of money. Try to get biographical information
where needed and look for newspaper clips and other material which may be
used for background information.
Do not be afraid to double-check unclear information even if you must make a
follow-up call to do so.
Exciting writing is built on exciting anecdotes, so the interviewer is
always listening for them. A really sharp interviewer also listens for clues
to experiences that could make lively anecdotes. Then the interviewer
directs the subject to ''give me an example'' or ''tell me about a time when
that actually happened.''
Finding anecdotes
An anecdote is a small story. So, anecdotes can become stories within your
larger story. Often, an anecdote will illustrate something about the
interviewee such as his or her loyalty, bravery, persistence or a quality
which a ''title story'' can illustrate. These must be carefully ''mined.''
Watch your subject
Observe non-verbals -- body gestures, facial expressions, paralanguage (the
way something is said), artifacts (what the person is wearing), movement --
of the interviewee. About 70 percent of total communication is non-verbal.
Thus, if you are to tell the complete story, you must provide the reader
with the complete story.
Study the environment
Bulletin boards, desk tops, pictures on the wall, file cabinets, etc. How
does the sunlight stream into the room? And how does all this relate to the
interviewee? Avoid using description just for the sake of description.
Post-interview interview
Some interviewees are masters at ''pulling the wool'' over reporters' eyes.
So, be ready to check statements or figures with other sources. You should
not take everything at face value. You should be a bit skeptical.
Remember: ''If your mother says she loves you, check it out!''
Interviewing Tips
The best thing to do when interviewing a source is to act
naturally. An interview does not have to happen in a formal, suited
atmosphere. An interview is just a talk with someone about a specific topic.
But instead of merely hearing, the reporter is listening and writing down
the pertinent details. Reporters must keep their opinions to themselves.
Preparing for the interview
Don't go to an interview unprepared. Check newspaper files and the library
for information on your subject or the topic. Have some information in your
head before you start. For example, if you are interviewing a person who
sells furs and is annoyed by animal rights pickets, it might be interesting
to know if this person has a dog or a cat.
Have your questions ready. Don't expect your news source to tell you
voluntarily what you want to know. Your questions, although you may stray
from them, help you organize your thoughts. They also will remind you to get
all the answers you want.
Make an appointment. You can't go into a busy official's office and get 30
minutes of his or her time unless you first set up an appointment. Then make
sure you arrive on time.
Dress properly. Be prepared and show respect for the source.
Take three things with you on every assignment: a pencil, a piece of paper;
and a grain of salt. Be a bit skeptical, don't believe everything you're
told.
Conducting the interview
Introduce yourself and the publication for which you are writing.
Look your subject in the eye. Don't be so busy taking notes that all the
source sees are your flying fingers and the top of your head. It makes some
people nervous to see every word being written down.
Often, the first question to ask is how to spell the individual's name.
Don't rely on the spelling you've seen somewhere else because it could be
wrong. A misspelled name is definitely the first way to lose credibility.
Pronounce the name of the respondent correctly and use it from time to time
during the interview.
Double-check the dates and the spelling of names. Even a name like Smith can
be spelled differently. Don't ever be afraid to ask what you might fear is a
silly question.
Start with easy, sociable questions to relax the person you're interviewing.
Save the tough questions for later. Avoid questions that appear to have
predetermined answers. Don't let your opinions determine the focus of your
questioning.
Ask open-ended questions that invite a lengthy answer and can bring out
anecdotes and opinions: ``How did you react?'' or ''Why do you think that
happened?'' Try to take down as many direct quotes as possible.
Don't ask questions that let your source give one-word answers.
Don't ask negative questions. That is, don't say,''No news, yet?'' Don't
make it easy for your subject to say ''no.''
Let the interviewee know you know something about him or her. This is called
priming the interviewee. It goes like this: Mr. Jones, I understand you
appeared in a movie about the takeover by people under 30. Do you believe
this could actually happen?
Accept all facts and other data professionally. Do not argue or show undue
shock or surprise.
Have a note-taking system. For example, write ''rr'' for railroad.
Avoid promising to print remarks a certain way.
Do not promise to let the interviewee read the story before it is published.
Leave the door open for another talk. Ask the subject if he or she would
mind if you made contact later personally or by phone for a follow-up. Get a
phone number where the source can be reached later. End the interview by
making sure you have a phone number to contact the source later for further
facts or clarification. If you use a tape recorder; don't depend on it.
Batteries run down and tape recorders can malfunction. Take notes, even if
you're using a tape recorder.
Taking notes
Some kind of shorthand is a must. Most reporters use some form of shortened
writing, such as ''w/o'' for without or ''inc'' for incomplete. Initials can
stand for titles and symbols can be used to refer to organizations.
Set apart direct quotes with circles, quotation marks, stars or underlining.
Taking notes on one side of the paper or pad makes their rearrangement to
fit story structure easier.
Listen carefully. Don't note unimportant details.
Ask for the spellings on all names and titles. It is better to ask now than
to have to call back to get them. Or worse, to get them wrong in the story.
Get direct quotations, especially on the main points.
Observe details about your source and surroundings, and write down your
impressions.
Concentrate on what you are seeing and hearing. Immediately after an
interview, review and supplement your notes. Arrange your notes in order of
importance.
It is unnecessary to write complete sentences unless you wish to get a
direct quote in its entirety.
Write down specific information you cannot trust to memory: ages, names,
addresses, statistics, sums of money. Try to get biographical information
where needed and look for newspaper clips and other material which may be
used for background information.
Do not be afraid to double-check unclear information even if you must make a
follow-up call to do so.
Exciting writing is built on exciting anecdotes, so the interviewer is
always listening for them. A really sharp interviewer also listens for clues
to experiences that could make lively anecdotes. Then the interviewer
directs the subject to ''give me an example'' or ''tell me about a time when
that actually happened.''
Finding anecdotes
An anecdote is a small story. So, anecdotes can become stories within your
larger story. Often, an anecdote will illustrate something about the
interviewee such as his or her loyalty, bravery, persistence or a quality
which a ''title story'' can illustrate. These must be carefully ''mined.''
Watch your subject
Observe non-verbals -- body gestures, facial expressions, paralanguage (the
way something is said), artifacts (what the person is wearing), movement --
of the interviewee. About 70 percent of total communication is non-verbal.
Thus, if you are to tell the complete story, you must provide the reader
with the complete story.
Study the environment
Bulletin boards, desk tops, pictures on the wall, file cabinets, etc. How
does the sunlight stream into the room? And how does all this relate to the
interviewee? Avoid using description just for the sake of description.
Post-interview interview
Some interviewees are masters at ''pulling the wool'' over reporters' eyes.
So, be ready to check statements or figures with other sources. You should
not take everything at face value. You should be a bit skeptical.
Remember: ''If your mother says she loves you, check it out!''
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