Where am 1? I don't recognize the thick, bluish-green liquid swimming around me; everything seems foggy, unclear. I try to sit up but suddenly realize that I am immobilized. Slowly, I begin to understand my predicament.
I blink; I blink again, my eyes stinging from the salt.Water is all around me, and I am trapped beneath an enormous rusty anchor that is chained to my chest. An attempt to yell "Help!" becomes simply a stream on incomprehensible bubbles as my lungs fill with fluid and my mouth is choked with seaweed. A fish floats by curiously as I am consumed by my own fear. If only I could get one breath of air...
Suddenly I cough violently and am propelled into an upright position, scattering layers of blankets and the cat who had been sleeping on my chest. "Time for another Advil," my husband says, "Your fever is raging out of control and you are lying in a pool of your own sweat."
Friday, January 23, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
1-Page Stories -- the last sentence in both contains a surprise twist
from www.storybytes.com
Banished to My Room
Ray Van Horn, Jr.I did absolutely nothing wrong, yet here I lay, staring at the shadow of my swaying foot, pretend-kicking invisible invaders on the wall. Somebody is going to incur my wrath, even if it is an imaginary scapegoat. At least he, she or it can't fight back; that is about the only comfort I take right now.
There is no television in my room, only a stereo with a handful of tapes to listen to. I am not allowed to play them, though. I have been commanded to lie here in subdued silence. For some reason I can't explain, it has been deemed that I am to be punished and confined to my bedroom. My friends are outside, and I know they are laughing and mocking me. They aren't locked up like a caged rat with nothing to do save for quietly reading the same crappy books over and over again. If it is punishment my overseers want, then they've succeeded. This solitude is more like torment.
What did I do to deserve this? Scream out loud occasionally, use a little profanity that slaps expressions of shock on my benefactors? Big deal! Of course, if they would tend to my needs when I ask for them, I'd be content and as restrained as an altar boy.
Oh, I'm selfish, you say? Spoiled, even? Try it in my shoes, friends, and tell me how you like being eighty-three and treated like a helpless infant!
The Big Blue Shirt
Lorraine GregoireShe was not what anyone would call pretty. The face was sad, pixie-like. Blonde curly bits attempted scraggly escapes from beneath the beat up baseball cap. She sat, thin shoulders hunched like she was trying to hide the girlie parts beneath that big blue shirt. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I feared she would disappear into the caverns of the mega-mall where I had first begun to follow her.
Now, perched across from her at the crowded coffee bar, I sipped my latte---peeking upwards and sideways though wary eyelashes so watching would not be obvious. Had she been warned about not speaking to strangers? Should I risk it? Would she make a scene? How much should I offer her?
I caught the eye of a matron. She pursed her lips and gave me the squinty-eyed "I don't approve of you pervert types" glare. Then, the girl spoke first, " Mister, can I bum a smoke?"
My chance. I had to be tactful. "Sure," I mumbled. "But first I have to ask you a question?" I breathed deeply. "That blue shirt you're wearing... did you, ah, get it at the Salvation Army?"
Her eyes widened. The thin neck snapped back as if smacked by the poverty police. Before she could scream or run away I blurted, "It was mine, a favorite---won it bowling. See, my name, Chuck, on the sleeve. My wife, she accidentally donated it. I would really like to buy it back."
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Writing Assessment Rubric (same as TOEFL rubric)
5--
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following:
* effectively addresses the topic and task
* is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
* displays unity, progression, and coherence
* displays consistent facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical errors
4--
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following:
* addresses the topic and task well, though some points may not be fully elaborated
* is generally well organized and well developed, using appropriate and sufficient explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
* displays unity, progression, and coherence, though it may contain occasional redundancy, digression, or unclear connections
* displays facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety and range of vocabulary, though it will probably have occasional noticeable minor errors in structure, word form, or use of idiomatic language that do not interfere with meaning
3--
An essay at this level is marked by one or more of the following:
* addresses the topic and task using somewhat developed explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
* displays unity, progression, and coherence, though connection of ideas may be occasionally obscured
* may demonstrate inconsistent facility in sentence formation and word choice that may result in lack of clarity and occasionally obscure meaning
* may display accurate but limited range of syntactic structures and vocabulary
2--
An essay at this level may reveal one or more of the following weaknesses:
* limited development in response to the topic and task
* inadequate organization or connection of ideas
inappropriate or insufficient exemplifications, explanations, or details to support or illustrate generalizations in response to the task
* a noticeably inappropriate choice of words or word forms
an accumulation of errors in sentence structure and/or usage
An essay at this level is seriously flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
* serious disorganization or underdevelopment
* little or no detail, or irrelevant specifics, or questionable responsiveness to the task
* serious and frequent errors in sentence structure or usage
0--
An essay at this level merely copies words from the topic, rejects the topic, or is otherwise not connected to the topic, is written in a foreign language, consists of keystroke characters, or is blank.
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following:
* effectively addresses the topic and task
* is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
* displays unity, progression, and coherence
* displays consistent facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical errors
4--
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following:
* addresses the topic and task well, though some points may not be fully elaborated
* is generally well organized and well developed, using appropriate and sufficient explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
* displays unity, progression, and coherence, though it may contain occasional redundancy, digression, or unclear connections
* displays facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety and range of vocabulary, though it will probably have occasional noticeable minor errors in structure, word form, or use of idiomatic language that do not interfere with meaning
3--
An essay at this level is marked by one or more of the following:
* addresses the topic and task using somewhat developed explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
* displays unity, progression, and coherence, though connection of ideas may be occasionally obscured
* may demonstrate inconsistent facility in sentence formation and word choice that may result in lack of clarity and occasionally obscure meaning
* may display accurate but limited range of syntactic structures and vocabulary
2--
An essay at this level may reveal one or more of the following weaknesses:
* limited development in response to the topic and task
* inadequate organization or connection of ideas
inappropriate or insufficient exemplifications, explanations, or details to support or illustrate generalizations in response to the task
* a noticeably inappropriate choice of words or word forms
an accumulation of errors in sentence structure and/or usage
An essay at this level is seriously flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
* serious disorganization or underdevelopment
* little or no detail, or irrelevant specifics, or questionable responsiveness to the task
* serious and frequent errors in sentence structure or usage
0--
An essay at this level merely copies words from the topic, rejects the topic, or is otherwise not connected to the topic, is written in a foreign language, consists of keystroke characters, or is blank.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
New Year's Resolutions for My Writing Class
1. Less "To Be" Verbs used in your writing
2. More Vivid Description!
3. More Interesting Vocabulary!
4. More Practice with Correct Article Usage and Subject-Verb Agreement
5. A Research Paper!!
2. More Vivid Description!
3. More Interesting Vocabulary!
4. More Practice with Correct Article Usage and Subject-Verb Agreement
5. A Research Paper!!
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