Do's and Don't of Impromptus
Sentences, Fragments, Run-ons
You Tell Me
Punctuation and Subject/Verb
Usage and Pronouns
100
Flights of fancy, lots of imaginative ideas, and overly long introductions.
What do you NOT want to have in your final impromptu? (Think simple and clear - show all the basics: clear thesis, introduction of subpoints, paragraphs advancing thesis, and clear conclusion referring back to introduction and points developed.)
100
The boy that is really obnoxious, annoying, and boorish.
What is a fragment?
100
The poet was dynamic, engaging, and showed a lot of talent.
What is faulty parallelism?
100
Starting at the first of June; people go to the seashore.
What is an incorrect use of a semi-colon? It should be used to join two COMPLETE sentences?
100
Us students will decide on the exam schedule this year.
What is incorrect pronoun use? If you cross out "students," it's clear the proper pronoun is we: We ... will decide on the exam schedule this year.
200
Restatement of your prompt (the point of the impromptu question).
What is the thesis statement for your impromptu?
200
The man in the dark overcoat looked suspicious but was actually harmless.
What is a complete sentence?
200
Shelia saw her car running into the salon.
What is a misplaced modifier?
200
Everyone at those performances cry each time the damsel jumps off the Notre Dame bell tower.
What is faulty subject-verb agreement? Everyone is singular, so the verb should be "cries."
200
There out of everything, and your so angry. Ha ha!
What is faulty usage? The sentence should read,"They're out of everything, and you are so angry."
300
Start writing right away and hope there will be enough time to write your essay twice.
What do you NOT want to do when writing your final impromptu.
300
The roads being wet, slippery, and dangerous.
What is a fragment?
300
The womens' room is full.
What is an incorrect apostrophe? It should be punctuated as, "The women's room is full."
300
When you are tired you should just stop and rest.
What is faulty comma use? A comma is needed after the introductory clause.
300
If a student wants to get good grades, they should work harder.
What is faulty use of pronouns? Student is singular, so the sentence should read, "If a student wants to get good grades, he/she should work harder."
400
Double spaced, one-sided, your name and page number on each page, in ink (not PENCIL), and with your pre-writing on a separate sheet.
What is the format for your final impromptu?
400
Why do you keep talking about this don't you know I'm tired of listening to you?
What is a run-on sentence?
400
Apostrophes needed? - Many dogs run in the park.
What is a correct sentence?
400
The School Board Administrators Association are holding their first meeting.
What is incorrect subject-verb agreement? The Association is treated as a collective noun and should be singular with the verb "is" and the pronoun reference "its."
400
She always could fix her hair better then me.
What are both usage and pronoun errors? The correct sentence is "She always could fix her hair better THAN I (could). THEN = TIME (think of the E in TIME). THAN = COMPARISON (think of the A in COMPARISON)
500
Re-states prompt in clear sentence, provide a clear introduction, three concise interesting paragraphs developing thesis, and engaging conclusion referring back to thesis.
What are the qualities of a GOOD impromptu?
500
Mary has a nice apartment, however, she never cleans it.
What is a run-on?
500
Turn left at the corner, proceed to Market Street, then you should have turned right at Grant Street.
What is faulty parallelism?
500
Many people visit the Lincoln Memorial, and enjoy it very much.
What is an incorrect use of a comma? Commas are used before coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) that connect two COMPLETE sentences.
500
All the the trees was in bloom.
What is faulty pronoun use? None, any, some, and all (NASA) may be plural or singular depending on the rest of the sentences. "Trees" makes "All" plural. If you wrote, "All of the time is wasted," "All" would be singular.
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