I have one last short list of students' sentences for this school year, but before I get to them I need to get something off of my chest. When we first got married my wife used to say "on accident" instead of "by accident." Long story short, she rarely does that anymore, and she stayed married to me, so it all worked out. My students frequently screw up another common idiom and it drives me crazy. They write or say "based off of" instead of "based on." Now this makes NO sense. If I have a pedestal, I cannot base the ornamental vase off of said pedestal. If I lay the foundation for a house, I cannot base my new abode off of my beautiful foundation. Henry David Thoreau did NOT say, "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations somewhere close by so your castle can be based off of them!" A base is a thing we put things on! Oh, and those of you who say "based off from..." I just... I can't... Never mind. On to the sentences, and as always my comments are in ( ).
- In this case money takes presidents over social standing.
- There is always something important about a name, even if it is positive or negative.
- Many authors have written satirical works throughout the years. (Thanks for the update.)
- The title of Oscar Wilde's famous play The Importance of Being Earnest, seems to be cleverly titled. (What is the title of the title? I'm lost.)
- ...he has lost the idea of reality.
- Everything back then was religious. ("Back then" would be the Middle Ages.)
- ...leading them to be very stressfully people.
- Ethan lived on a farm with his parents which he sometimes worked. (If you ever want to get anything out of your parents you really do have to work them.)
- Jack believes that women are to be daunted upon. (Sounds unpleasant.)
That's it for the 2012 - 2013 school year in student writing! Coming very soon, comments from end of the year surveys.
J
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