Wordle by Jenny Nielsen

Lecture 6: Practise Midterm

Today, as noted in the syllabus, we'll do a practise midterm. You'll have 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete the exam. You can use your textbook, notes and dictionaries.


Don't forget the reading for next week:
Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 in CW and "ru online?: The Evolving Lexicon of Wired Teens" in EL.



Note image is from Professional Writing at Adelaide Centre for the Arts.

FINAL EXAM

The final exam schedule has just been finalised. Please note the different room:


PROW-100-2 Foundations of Composition Exam CAC 435 14-Dec-2009 13:00 - 16:00

Style Activity

Animal rights groups threaten lawsuit unless Edmonton frees Lucy the elephant

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

Last Updated: 20th October 2009, 12:13pm

Text version:

animl ryts groups r takN their fyt 2hv lucy d elephant movD frm edmontons valy z% a notch. zoocheck [|*|] n ppl 4t ethical treatmnt of animals av obtaind a legal opiniN ritN by prominent toronto-based lwRy clayton ruby.

ruby sEz unl d CT of edmonton agrees by Nov. 19 2 allow lucy 2B shipped 2 a sanctuary n cali, he wl file a lawsuit alleging dat d CT S violating d alberta animL protection act by keepn d sick 6\/) n distress. Ruby sEz he’ll argue dat d z% S also violating provincial stdz 4 zoos by housN lucy solo, w/o d co. of oder elephants.

d animL ryts groups av ritN a letta outlining their demands 2 edmonton mayor stephen mandel n ct council. lst mth, wen 4mer TV host bob barker came 2 d CT 2 plead dat lucy b movD, d CT Rleased a rprt dat z d 34 y old animL wz doiN fyn n dat a mve cUd endanger her lyf.

See here for the unedited article.

So this assignment is was very interesting. Obviously when comparing the two style of writing, the more colloquial way looks foolish and uneducated. I would never use this type of speach in my daily life. I prefer the more formal way of writing, although the way I speak sometimes is another matter. For certain I hope that this is not the way of the future for writing. I also don't know how this assingment particularly pertains to learning the English language.

Txt Speak Assignment by Kayla Gaffney

Sicko Skater Released

A inline sk8in city m who groped a preggo wm walkin wit her tddler & threatened 2 stb her if she ddnt stp screamin wz let out on prbation yester.

Micheal Mathew Campbell, 21, wz hnded a 6-mnth jail trm on his guilty plea 2 sxual assult & spkin a death threat, h-ever, the sentnce has already been srved by the 3 1/2 mnthz he spent in cstdy.

Campbell wz also plcd on prbation 4 2 yrs wit conditions th@ he take sxual offender relpse prgramming & get counseling 4 angr mngmnt.

He mst alsoabide by a dly 10p.m. 2 6a.m. crfew & not b alone wit n-e-one  under the age of 16.

Campbell who has been diagnosed as shvong dpression, stood up in court yester & said he new  wht he had done waz "wrng" & accptd th@ he needs hlp.

Court hrd earlier th@ Campbell,  while on inline sk8s, had cnfrntd a 20-yr-old wm who wz 9 mnths preggo as she was wlkin eit her 1-&-a-1/2-yr-old son 2 their N.E. E-town home from a nearby Mac's store about 11:40 p.m. on June 4, 2008.

As the wm rched the xterior strway 2 her home, Campbell  uttrd an obscene st8ment, causing her 2 bcm fearful & bgin scrmin she wz preggers.

Campbell then told the wm 2 "Sht up & stp scrming or he would stb her," court hrd.

He then pshed her shldr, 4cing her against a wall, & grbbed 1 of her breasts.

The yung mom then sccessflly kicked Campbell in the groin & ran wit her son 2 a neighbors rez & clld 911.

The differences in these two types of speak are quite great. In re-reading the text-speak, I found it very hard to read. The severity of the situation was last when using text-speak. I found that I was making a joke out of a serious situation in converting the plain English into text-speak. Making anagrams and abbreviations was also hard for certain words. Text-speak changes the feel of the article too much to let text-speak become completely mainstream.

Lecture 5 - TXT SP33K ARTIKL

For the purpose of comparison, here is the original article.

LUNDN- 4mr CDN prIm minster Jean Crechn rec33vd a prstijus nd rare awrd frm Q LIZ teh 2nd in LUNDN on toos-d.

The Q awrdd the Ordr of Mrt to Crechn durin a sml sermny n Bukinhm Palas

Crechn, 75, bcame the #4 CDN evr 2 r3c33v teh awrd

Pwnl3 24 livn membrs can hld teh ordr nd it plac's Crechn Amng figers sch as Wnstin Chrch-ill, Mthr Tr3sa nd DwIt Isnhour

Buknhm Palas sed tht teh 'speshl mrk o'onOr" is a prsnl gift frm teh sawvren nd duz nt rekwIr, as sum othr awrds doo, n3 advIs frm teh CDN gov

Teh on'er, whch incloodz a mdl nd teh rite to pt OM ftr his sirnAm, rekgnIzs Crechns 40 y33rs n pblik servis

Crechn wuz prIm mnstr of CDN frm 1993-2003. H3 lso servd n teh cbnet of P33er TroodO, hldn vr3us prtfOliOz incldn justus, fInans nd ind33an afairs

Crechn sed he 1st met teh Q br33fl3 n 1967 nd got 2 nO hr wen h3 nd his wIf, Al3n, hstd teh ryl fam 4 6 dAz drring teh NWT 100 y33r p4rty n 1970

Most of the technique used in writing is trying to truncate the word into simple forms. Some letters are omitted thinking that the reader will automatically place them between consonants. Capital letters are used when wanting to have a harder vowel sound (eg. capital 'O' when the sound is to be like 'owe'). Numbers written out into actual words are exchanged with numeric symbols, and the letter 3 takes the place of the double 'e' sound in several places. This is used more in internet 'l33t spk' rather than texting, and was included for humor. That also includes the replacement of the with 'teh'.

Txt Spk News Article by Jenny Nielsen

The following is an article from the Halifax Herald, "Manslaughter acquittal appeal", transcribed in text language:

Mn-slghtr Acqtl Appl

N.Sctia's jstce systm nt qte fnshd wth the mn who ws aqtd of 2nd dgree mrdr n da deth of 3 yr old Sam Mrcr lst mnth. "We hve fld a ntce of apl of da dcsn, sd Chris Hnsn, spk-wmn fr da prov's pblc Prsctn srvce. Trry Dean Alln, 28 ws fnd nt glty by Jdg Aln Tfts in Tro Prov crt aftr a 2 wk trl in Jne. Mr. Alln ws srvd ntc of the decsn lst Frdy. The lttle grl died n 2005 whl in the care of Mr. Alln. He ws lvng wth Sam & hr mthr, Alsha Mrcr, who ws thn hs gf. Evdce @ the trial idctd the chld sffrd a svre hed injry, 8 frctrd vb, fcrd rm & lts of brs's. She died hrs l-8er @ hsptl. Mr. Alln denid hrtng hr & sd l-8er she fll dwn a flt of strs. He tstifd she aprd alrt after & evn wtched tv bt fll sleep on couch & he thn pt hr 2 bed. Whn frnds cme 2 vst l-8er he tstfd he hd been frntcly tring 2 gt a driv 2 hsptl bcse he ws cncrd about the chld. He smkd a jnt wth hs frds bfr chckng on Sam once agan. Whn he did chek hr she ws n-rspnsve. the Crwn is aplng the dcsn by Jge Tffts on 3 grds. Da frst grds sggsts da Prv. crt jdge errd n lw by mkng a fdng of fcts & drwng infrncs of fct bsd on spec in da abscn of any spprtng evdnc. Da app 4 appl sggsts da jdg erd in lw by bsng a fndg of resnble dbt on spec & conjct spptd by evdnc. Da lst pnt is all inclsv & rfrs 2 any sch grnds or appl as my appr frm a rview of da rcrd of da prcdng. Nthr Mr. Alln or hs lwyr cld be rchd 4 cmmt Mon.

Txt spk Activity- Jennifer Kerr

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Fleury+undecided+whether+press+charges+against+James/2121229/story.html


CALGARY — TF iz stll mullin ovr wthr 2 file a complaint agnst th jr hcky cch he sys molestd hm as a teen.

Th frmer NHL playr says he’s cnsidring intiating a nw plice invstigtion aginst GJ hoo he claimz sxually abusd hm frm th age of 14.

“I hvn’t (decided). Thr’s n tmtable. Itz in th hands uv my lawyers right now,” F. sed Mon.
Th allegations aginst J. wr made in F’s nwly released memoir, Playing With Fire, + in subsequent media interviews.

Th. C P S Sktchw. RCMP and MJ PS hv sed rcntly thy have not received a cmplnt frm F, but if thy do, thy will initiate an invstgtion.

Th CPS sed th cmplt wud b hnded ovr 2 th police in th jurisdiction where th alleged offnce occrred. Privacy concrns wud also rstrict thm frum pblcly reveeling deets of th cs if it was 2 go 4ward.

F’s bk, cw by K M-D, deetls hiz rz in hcky n his troubles w/ alchl and drgs. N after years uv spclation, 4 th 1st time F pblicly dscribes how he wuz sxually absed.

In 1996, James wuz chrged by Calg. police w/ 2 cnts of sxual assault invlving hndrds of incidents aginst 2 of his 4mer players, inclding frmer NHL player S K, ovur a span uv 10 years.

He l8r plded glty n wuz sntenced 2 3 1/2 years in prson. Th CHA impsed a lfetime ban on coaching.
*

The original article is concise and easy to understand. With a full keyboard, it would not have taken the writer long to type this 300 word article up. However, once it has been converted into text speak, it becomes difficult and confusing to read. Some condensed words could have more than one meaning, and most readers aren’t willing to take the time to figure it out. It looks unprofessional and is impossible to read with the sort of flow that exists in speech and standard English. It is much easier to communicate both tone and intent using the standard English that we use in every day conversation.

Lecture 5: Rewrite an article in txt spk by Shawna Blumenschein

The original article is "Arts students feel they're second class" from the Edmonton Journal.

Arts stds feel they're 2nd class

Construction cranes have been a common site at the Uni of Ab in recent years.
Thtre dsgn maj Nick Blais may b fortunate he can't c them from his crmpd studio in the Fine Arts Bldg.
If the room had windows, Blais might develop a case of facility envy, since the cranes currently on campus r being used 2 develop giant new rsrch palaces for sci & hlth stds.
In contrast 2 those state-of-the-art glass & steel structures, Blais's home base, the FAB, was constructed in the early 1970s, which is probably y much of it rsmbles a Cold War-era bnkr.
Instead of nat lite, FAB is mainly bathed in a gloomy fluorescent glow. The colour scheme is grey & brwn, from the tiles on the floor 2 the colectn of rusted art lining the ext. It's 1 of the few bldgs on cmps that doesn't have wrls Internet access.
3 dptmts--msc, drama & art & dsg--r crammed in2 a bldg built for 2. Just 5 dsks fit in2 Blais's stdo.
Things get rly tight when stds start producing thtre modls of sets, lghtng & costumes. Around the corner, mstrs stds r crammed in2 a back alcove formerly occupied by vending machines.
Acting majs have it even worse, often arriving on cmps at 5 a.m. 2 sign up for rehearsal space. Dawdlers have 2 rehearse in hallways or dorm rooms.
Hardly an enviro 2 inspire creative exprn.
"On the 1 hand, I'm blessed 2 have what I have, coz our studio has a gr8 enviro," Blais says.
"On the other hand, I'd love more space. It's easy 2 get a little jealous looking (across campus) at those other bldgs that r new, pristine & accessible."
In a way, FAB is a brick & concrete symbol of how people in trad arts prgms--fine arts, soc scis & humnitis-- perceive their place in Alberta's post-2ndary hierarchy. They love what they do, yet feel like 2nd-class ctzns.


The original article follows all the rules of the English language. As such, it is easy for anyone with basic literacy to pick up, read, and comprehend. The transition into text speak makes the article clunky, despite the removal of characters, almost to the degree that it becomes a puzzle to be decoded rather than an informational piece. Despite the proliferation of texting not everyone texts. Further, not everyone who texts employs text speak or even the same text speak as their peers. The rewritten article therefore has a narrower audience and greater ambiguity than the original.

My Wordle by Kristen Harris

My Wordle can be found here. I'm not sure how to post the picture yet.

Wordle - Jessica Lloyd

Lecture 5 assignment by Lauren Wozny

3 Hurt in Dwntwn Explshn.

It waz around 12 wen a wrkr @ the Cliff St. heating plnt nu sumthing had jst gone trribly wrng.
A boilr had jst explded @ the plnt that supplies heating 2 various bldings along Wellingston St. & on Parlimnt Hill.
“We hrd n explshn & off went the hydro & we nu we bttr get out of there quickly,” said a contractr ID-ed as Donny.
“We certnly ddnt no wat it waz all about, but we nu there had bn an explshn.”
Aftr he & othr wrkrs evac-ed, they went back in 2 hlp an njurd colleague.
“The 1 fellow, it waz jst a case of tryng to cmfrt him til hlp arrivd bcuz I ddnt feel vry qualified myslf 2 b able 2 hlp.”
3 ppl were njurd in the blast which also damagd the structr & vent systm.
Paramedics said 1 of the njurd waz a 51-yr-old wrkr who suffrd serious 2nd-degree steam brns 2 the uppr ½ of his body & a laceration 2 his head.
Ottawa Paramedics spksmn J.P. Trottier said the vctm likely waz hit in the head by a pipe or piece of metal, but had remaind conscious thru-out the ordeal.
The othr 2 men were also dscrbed as about 50 years old. 1 had 1st-dgree brns 2 his face and n arm, while the 3rd man sufferd only minr bumps and bruises.
Trottier said steam brns can be particularly dangrus bcuz they can develop in2 3rd-dgree brns withn hrs.
N nvstigation, which cud take a cupl of days 2 conclude, is undrway 2 assess the blding 4 stability. Those ntring the structure wore prtectiv msks aftr it waz cnfirmd the blding contained asbestos.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/10/19/11451676.html

I found my biggest goal writing in text speak was trying to make it comprehensible for the reader. There can be several ways to abbreviate a word, but how many of them will someone actually recognize? Everyone has their own way of thinking about things so there can be many differences in the translation of the article. I found it much more difficult to write in text speak, a form of communication that's supposed to be easier, for that reason. It's less stressful to write in traditional English; it's universal and you're guaranteed no mix ups and miscommunications that way.

Lecture 5 Post

I found my news article from the Edmonton Sun titled "New $465M U of A science building to open in stages." A link to this article can be found here.
EDM- Grn & Gld trps still cver da 8 stry hgh atrium n da U of A’s nu Centenial Cnt 4 intrdisnary sci, but da 1st 500 ct lectr hall will opn dis Jan.
Da buldn es 6 strys tall wit 3 towrs concted bi sun-lit atria, n will dominate da N sde of da campus.
While da hole $465-Mil prject wnt b opn until at least Jan 2011, da Jornal n a few faculty got a snek peek recently.
It’s a maj logstical challnge. Ther’s a lot of passion n dis ting,” said G. Taylor, D of Sci n da only 1 of da original planng tem still involved aftr a 7 yr odyssey.
“Kep n mind dis is mor cmplicatd dan a hosp,” said Taylor.
Some equip hd 2 b built on its own foundation, or isolation pad, n engineers had 2 run elev xtra slo n ordr braided yer 2 reduce electromagnetic interference. Bluprnts call 4 300 fume hoods, Taylor said, n ducts 2 pump bad air out n sum parts of da building r more dan 2 met n diameter. “Da air xchnge n dis building is enormous.”
Wen da building is fin, 5 deprtmnts will share das spc, incldng 9000 studnts.
Da need 2 accommodate mor studnts wuz da biggest rezun 4 da nu buildin, said Taylor. Studnt nrolmnt n da scis jumpt 24 per cnt n da fal of 2002, n “demnd has not gon down since,” he said.
As a result, da faculty had 2 increse admison stndrds. But wit da nu building about 2 open, dos stndrds r strting 2 cum down again. Da building will make spc 4 1,100 nu undrgrduate students n 476 at da graduate level.


These two styles are so far from each other it's mind-boggling. Proper English used in the original article is well thought out and clear. Anyone who possesses a reading level around 5-6 should be able to understand all the terms presented.
On the other hand, for someone to be able to understand my "txt spk" translation, they would have do be familiar with how text speak works and be able to see how a word can be manipulated. Someone who had never seen or used txt spk before would probably find my translation intelligible.

Lecture 5: Article in "Txt Spk" by Murriel Mapa

The Toronto Star’s article, "Balloon boy bursts dad's bubble." Monday, October 19th, 2009

Bloon boi brsts dadz bbull

Fmus. Infmus. Da distnctn don’t matr n e mo’.

Da Heenez got wat they lustd 4: Wrldwyde TV face-time, a pathetic affmtion of their othrwiz insgnfcnt xistence, star billin in manufctrd melodrama. Mssn accomplshd. All it took wuz an alumn foyl bloon dat resmbulld a humgous hngovr i-bag, a cnsprcy o’ pretense 4ced on their kidz and da complcty o’ a crdlous meDa cntamnatd by infotainment prssrs.

+ PoPo 2, they wr in on da sham, alBt + allgdly sumwut Bltdly, mntng wat they now claim wuz a tit-4-tat stng in ordr 2 elct da tru.

“Dis was a hox,” Larimer Cnty Shrf Jim Alderden cnfrmd Sun dring a jaw-drpng press cnfrnce. “Weve snce lrnd, as mny o’ u hav, dat dese ppl r actrz.” Ind’d, da cpl now in da xhrs had met at a skool for thespians in Holwod. “They put on a vry good sho 4 us + we bot it.”

Lordy, da xtnt 2 wch sum fokz’ll go 4 a pce o’ dat relty TV axn, a 21^st cntry fnomenom dat is intrnscly un-rl in its concts, yet invstng celebs on da vapd.

“On da bizrr mtr, dis rates a 10,” Alderden obzrvd.

If so, da bndrs have just bn pshd even frthr out n2 da twilight zone o’ crftd mise-en-scene wer da waky r.

Iz ne1 prprd 2 bet dat da Heenez wont get their cvtd relty sho on sum shmless cbl chnl? Even if denied such an ofr, theyre clrly jst as cpbl o’ prdcng a do-it-urself onln verzn or straight-2-utube iballz mgnt.

The two styles are very different in the way that the "txt spk" form is very difficult to read and even to write, whereas the regular text is much more personal and informative to read. The "txt spk" version requires a lot more patience in deciphering the words, which can be a lot more time consuming than just reading an article at face value in the English language.

Lecture 5: "Txt Spk" Article by Cassidy Munro

Original Article: "Schoenborn thought children's deaths would be 'easy and clean': MD", The Province. Oct 19, 2009

KMLOOPS, B.C. — B.C. man chrgd w mrdrng his 3 kids thought da klls wud b "easy & cln," a psych tld @ his trial Mon.
Allan Dwayne Schoenborn, 41, is chrgd w mrdrng Kaitlynne, 10, Max, 8, and Cordon, 5. He has plded not-glty to 3 cnts 1-dgr mrdr aft da Aprl 08 slghtr in da B.C. comm of Merritt.
His lwyr tld da Kamloops, B.C., crtrm tht da dfnc wll focus on Schoenborn's mntl hlth.
Psych Dr. Ron Chale tld B.C. Sprme Crt Justc Robert Powers tht he met w Schoenborn @ Kamloops hsptl 2 wks aft da kids wr fnd ded in da fam's trler whr thy wr spnding da night w thr dad.
Chale tstifyd Schoenborn said he klld his kids bc he believd they wr bing assaultd & he could nt prtect them.
He said he decded to kill them da morn of da slayngs, addng it was more diff than he thought it wud be. Chale said Schoenborn admttd he was trbld by da pics of da kllngs in his head.
"He said he wud leave da diff issue to b wrkd out btwn hmslf and God," he said. "He said he thought it wud be easy & cln.
"I tk that to mn thr was rsistnc and it wsn't as easy to kll a hmn being as he thought it wud b," Chale told the court.
Schoenborn was arrstd aft a 10-day manhnt in da B.C. wild.
The Crwn clsed its case on Mon aft mre than a w33k of evdnc.

Wow, I thought this would be much easier than it actually was. A large amount of "txt spk" abbreviations and special little characters are for commonly texted phrases. Things like "gr8" or "ttfn" are texted pretty often, things like "it wasn't easy to kill a human being" are not as common (I hope) so it's a lot harder to condense it into something fairly understandable. "Txt spk" can definetely get your point across, but it doesn't lend itself well to complex sentences or uncommon words. It's also a lot harder to understand in large chunks than standard English is. I don't think I'd even bother reading a whole article in it unless I was really interested, or it was required despite the fact that in the long run there's less to read.

Txtspeak Artice – Lloyd, Jessica

Original article: “Arts Students Feel They're Second Class”, The Edmonton Journal. October 19, 2009.

@rts S2dents F33l They r 5econd Class

Cnstrction crAns hv b33n a cmmn site at da U of A in rcnt yrs. Thetr desgn mjr Nick Blais may b frtunat he cnt see ‘em frm his cramped s2dio in da FAB.

If the rm hd wndws, Blais mght dvlp a ca5e of fclty NV, snce da cr4nes crntly on cmps r B-ing used 2 dvlp giant new resrch palace5 fr sci and heal+h stdnts. In contrast 2 SOTA glass and steel struc.’s, Blais’s HB, the FAB, waz built in the rly 1970’s, wch is prbly y much of it resembles a CW bunker.

Instead 0f n4tural lite, FAB is m4nly bathed in a gloomi glow. Da color 5ch3m3 is gr-A and Brn, frm the t!les on da floor 2 the collection of rusted ‘r’t lining da ext. Itz 1 of the > buildings on cmps that doesn’t h4ve wirele$$ int akses.

3 dept – music, dr4m4 & 4rt – r crammed in2 a building bu!lt 4 2. Just 5 d3sks fit in2 Blais’s s2dio. Things g3t rly tight when stdntz start producing thetr mod3l3s of setz, light!ng and cos2ms.Round da crnr, mast s2dents r crammed in2 a back alcove form3rly occupied bi vending m4chines.

Acting mjrs have it evn worse, oftn arriving on cmps @ 5 a.m. 2 sign up 4 rehersal sp4ce. Dwadlers have 2 rehrs in hallw4ys and DRs. Hardly an env!ronment 2 in5pire cre8ive expression.

“On da 1 hand, Im blsd 2 have what I h4ve, because our s2dio has a gr8 env!ronment,” Blais saiz.

“On da other hand, Id love more sp4ce. Itz ez 2 get a lil jealous looking (ah-x cmps) @ those other buildings dat r nu, pristine & accessbl.

Although “txtspeak” allows us to quickly pass a message along, we have to decide whether the speed is worth the loss of proper English and punctuation. Are we breaking even? Abbreviated words tend to look like unintentional spelling mistakes to me; lets keep it clean before the mean streets of Txtville become overrun with superfluous vowels and inadequate syllables. Sounds like a new Facebook application if you ask me…

Lecture 5: "txt spk" News Article Rewrite by Brent Stempfle

For this assignment, I used the article "Man who beat store clerk doesn't want jail time" by Karen Kliess

Mn who beat store clerk dont want jail tm

an edm mn who beat a clthing store clerk w/ a hmmer n held a gun to his hed n thretnd 2 shoot his legs askd a jdge not 2 send him 2 prson.
omar househ plded gilty in may to unlwful confinment, assalt and pointng a firarm in conction w/ the may 6/07, incdnt that mad hedlins wen it endd w/ the deth of 38yo ola tinineh moses. nobody hs ben chargd w/ moses’s mrdr.
on mon, crwn prsector melanie hayes-richards n def lwyer paul moreau made a joint sub 4 a 3 yr prson sntnce in househ’s case.
hwevr, moreau ?ed the jdge to do sum legal math nd allow his client 2 serv a 90dy intrmittnt sntnce, wich means he wud go 2 jail on the wknds only. he said househ sufred a srs gnsht wund n Jan 2008 nd has hlth probs.
ths shud nt b consdrd a prcednt 4 ny othr case moreau said. in ths case, da offndrs sit is so xtrdnry ... hs hlth s xtrmly prcars, he reqs cnstnt med care moreau said.
moreau sd househ hs chngd hs lif snc th 2007 asslt nd ntd tht hs prob offcr blvs he s a gud cndt 4 com superv. he also argud househ’s hlth care wud likly b cmprmisd f he wer snt 2 prsn.
hayes-richards countrd tht edms max sec prsn hs a hsptl nd cn prvid trnsprt 2 othr hsptls wen nec. she sed th suprm cort f cnd hs mad it cler tht cndtnl sntncs r nt avlbl n cas lik ths.

"txt spk" News Article Rewrite (Lecture 5) by Andrew Heck

The article I chose to translate was from the Globe and Mail, "One in three Canadians won't shake hands due to flu: poll," from Monday, October 19, 2009. Here it is:

1/3 cdns wont shake hands due 2 flu: poll

with olympics on the way, n ppl gathering in big crowds,  cdns r afraid of getting swine flu. a recnt poll of 1000 cdns showed that 1/3 cdns r choosing not 2 shake hands cuz of h1n1. more than 1/2 of these ppl said that they had refused 2 shake hands or give hugs cuz they were paranoid about getting the flu. 2/3 ppl also said that they didnt touch others in the past cuz of similar illnesses. the poll creator, doug anderson, said that this kind of behavior is not uncommon around other such illnesses. it might seems weird that ppl r doing this, but most ppl said that they wouldnt b offended if others showed the same behavior towards them.

olympic officials r advising athletes 2 not shake hands or kiss n instead bump elbows out of respect. similar practices r being adopted in canada also. in churches and in youth sports events, ppl r finding new ways 2 show respect, in order 2 avoid physical contact.

first nations chief ron evans has shown some concern 4 these practices, as they r impacting the cultures of the native ppls. there was even a case when ppl didnt attend a funeral of a swine flu victim cuz they were 2 afraid of catching the illness.

watever the future holds, we will surely continue to experience the ramifications of this type of behavior.

"Txt Spk" News Paper Article by Shayna Fehr

The original article, "Men Who Buy Sex Feeding Brutal Human Trafficking Trade", The Edmonton Journal. October 19, 2009

Men Who By 6 Fding Brtl Humn Trffckng Trd

Edm - A legl crckdwn on men who by 6 is 1 way of rddng d wrld of d scrge of hmn trffckng, says CAD jrnlst & authr Victor Malarek.

Thr r lws tht deal w crms assctd w hmn trffcking, such as kdnppng, asslt, & rape, but d wrld is stll ptrrchl & mny blv wmn becm prstits b choice & men who by 6 r smply "boys being boys" or "sowng thr wild oats", Malarek said in an intrvw Sun.

"Thr is a lot of 'wnk, wnk, nudg, nudg' stll in our polc frcs, all d way up 2 d Crowns (prsectrs) & in2 d cuts. Tht hrsblinder thnkng has got 2 stp. We hve 2 strt lkng @ d realty tht is out thr, & d realty is tht ths wmn r bing prstitted wrdwd & thrghout NA and Can," he said.

"Thy r d vctms of a systm tht is in plc 4 men, so u hve 2 decrmnlzd wmn & crmnlze d men. Once u do tht, u send out d msg tht it is men who r respnsbl, & u wll see thngs strt 2 chng." Malarek, a snor reprter w CTV currnt affrs shw W-5 & the authr of 5 bks, incldng D Natashas and D Johns, was d kynt spker at a fndrsng event held by Mpl Leaf AB Projcts.

The Edm Anti-hmn trffckng grp, in partnrshp w d Sasktn-bsed actvst grp NASHI, is hlpng 2 bld a safe hous & trning cntr in d villg of Stoyanic, Ukraine.

D cntr will hous & trn @rsk yoth who r 2 old 4 orphnges so thy will b safe frm humn trffckrs. It is estmtd tht 500,000 wmn & yong grls hav been abdcted frm Ukraine since 1992 by humn trffckrs, most likly sold in2 prstittion.

The UN estmts hmn trffckng genrts $7 2 $10 blln annlly 4 orgnzed only by arms dealing.

Last mnth, dtctvs in d Edm Polc Srvc's vice unt, w assistnce frm d RCMP & CAD Brdr Srvces Agncy, raded a west-end masg prlor.

Polc rescd 3 wmn & chrgd 3 othrs w offncs asscted w hmn trffckng.

D wmn had prmannt resdnt stats in CAD & came 2 Edm thnkng thy wer coming 2 wrk in a legtmate masg spa. Instd, thy were allgdly frcd 2 provd 6 arnd d clck, 7 days a week, eating & slping in d rooms whr thy wrkd.

D incrse in NA 6 trsts trvllng 2 devlping cntrs, porngrphy & d Intrnt has made humn trffickng d gr8st humn rights prblm of d 21st centy, Malarek said.

Until lwmkrs & govnmnt ldrs in devlpd cntries strt tkng a tough stand, ths glbl crsis will only contnue 2 grow.

"We r in d 21st cntry & we r tlking abt d enslvmnt of yong wmn... U cnnt belev wht is going on out thr, & thr r no alrm bells going off abt ths situatn."

The differences between the two styles of writing are so numerous I'm not sure where to begin. "txt spk" takes so much more time to write and read I have no idea why someone would go through the trouble of writing in such a way. Writing the proper way with correct grammar and spelling makes what you're trying to get across to your readers that much clearer. The only benefit of writing in "txt spk", that I can come up with, would be to save room on your hard drive or to conserve the characters used to send a text message.

Lecture 5: Independent Clauses and Style Exercise

Pre-Writing Exercise
Review Chapter 5 and Chapter 7 in Correct Writing
Read More about Sentence Fragments: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/620/01/
Read More about Independent and Dependent Clauses: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/01/
In Word, list important words/ideas from your readings (at least 30)
Include a number beside each concept denoting its importance to you (1 least important, 10 most important)
Paste your list into Wordle.net
Add your Wordle to the class blog


Clause Review
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a complete sentence.
A dependent clause, or subordinate clause, contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
A dependent clause must always be combined with an independent clause.
A dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction (before, although, after, while, because, since, etc.)


Adverbial Clause
Adverbial clause: these function as adverbs in a sentence.
Adverbial clauses answer the questions how, why and to what extent.
They are introduced by a relative adverb (when, where, and why).
They function as an adverb, and are not separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma.


Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions include: and, or, but, for, nor.
These conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses of equal value.
Clauses of equal value are called independent clauses and can stand on their own as separate sentences.
Example: John is running in this race and I am carrying his water bottle.
(Each clause can stand alone: John is running in this race. I am carrying his water bottle.)



Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as a single sentence. In fact, the clause is dependent on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.
Example: Since I will not be home, Tina will answer the phone.
"Since I will not be home" doesn't make sense by itself. It is dependent on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.
Most commonly used subordinating conjunctions include: although, because, as, while, until, whether, since, after, so that, when, before, if. 

Answer the Following Questions in the Comments Section here:
Find the conjunctions in the following sentences. Label them coordinating or subordinating.
1. He listened to the man’s story and reported it to the policeman on duty.   
2. I haven’t seen my brother since he left for college.                       
3. Your aunt or your uncle will pick you up from school today.           
4. Tom, Jane, Sue, and Tim will be going on the trip.          
5. I remember the old school book, for it was once mine.           
6. Sarah did not feel well, but she went to class anyway.                    
7. Although the old man was hungry, he never said a word to anyone.    
8. I think I heard that on the television or radio, although I am not sure.

Punctuation Rules
Independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet) are separated by a COMMA
Independent clauses joined without a coordinating conjunction require a SEMICOLON
If the sentence has a lot of commas, then even with a coordinating conjunction use a SEMICOLON
A series of elements (three or more) uses a COMMA


Style Activity: Due 20th October, 5:00pm

• Review “Thx for the IView!” Essay
• Read “2b or not 2b?” by David Crystal: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jul/05/saturdayreviewsfeatres.guardianreview
• Write a short paragraph response on some of the differences between standard and non-standard (txt) English usage. Please post this to the blog as a comment on Lecture 5.
• Choose a news report from the front page of any Canadian newspaper: http://broadcast-live.com/newspapers/canadian.html
• Rewrite the article in txt spk. If the article is long, choose a page (250-300 word) extract to rewrite.
• Post both a link to the original article AND your txt spk version in your own blog post.
• Include a comment on the differences between the two styles.

NB: Image from Writing Resources.

Ransom Note: Kristen Harris

Ransom Note: Jenny Nielsen

Ransom Note By Lauren Wozny

Ransom Note - Shawna Blumenschein

Ransom Note- Jennifer Kerr

Ransom Note by Shayna Fehr

Ransom Note - Cassidy Munro

Ransom Note - Jessica Lloyd

Ransom Note

It reads:

"Russel Peters, we have your kitty.

You can't protect her, she can't be saved.

Do you want to have the last laugh.

Make the most of your time and make this nice for us.

We want more than $19.95.

More offers would be reasonable."