We use a comma + a conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so) to connect two independent clauses, as in "He hit the ball well, but he ran toward third base."

Contending that the coordinating conjunction is adequate separation, some writers will leave out the comma in a sentence with short, balanced independent clauses (such as we see in the example just given). If there is ever any doubt, however, use the comma, as it is always correct in this situation.

One of the most frequent errors in comma usage is the placement of a comma after a coordinating conjunction. We cannot say that the comma will always come before the conjunction and never after, but it would be a rare event, indeed, that we need to follow a coordinating conjunction with a comma. When speaking, we do sometimes pause after the little conjunction, but there is seldom a good reason to put a comma there.

I wrote: It is about a grandpa who had died one night but the next morning he came downstairs to have breakfast with his family,the problem was that he did not realize that he was dead.

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The correct form would be: It is about a grandpa who had died one night but the next morning he came downstairs to have breakfast with his family,but the problem was that he did not realize that he was dead. 

 

Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm

Orange Identity: An Analysis of a Young Adult Story with Absent Parental Figures

Even as kids reach adolescence, they need more than ever for us to watch over them. Adolescence is not about letting go. It's about hanging on during a very bumpy ride.

Ron Taffel

            Adolescents’ developing identity has been the source of inspiration of uncountable Young Adult stories. From the many elements that produce the “bumpy ride,” the presence or absence of parental figures receives particular attention for the considerable significance that the factor has over said development. Neil Gaiman’s short story “Orange” is no exception. In it, 15 years-old Nerys becomes obsessed with tanning creams and mutates into an orange entity. This drastic transformation unfolds under no supervision of her parents, who seem to be highly enjoying their brand-new divorced status. “Orange” wisely portrays Nerys’ search of her identity in a context where commercial products represent a more reliable presence than her parents. This paper will explore the negative consequences that the absence of stable and clearly-defined parental roles can have over adolescents' developing identity as presented in the story “Orange.”

Exploring ‘The man on the stairs’ as a way of triggering discussion about personal decisions in teenage classrooms

 “This is my number two problem: I am never satisfied with what I have. It goes hand in hand with my number one problem: rushing.”(July, 2008, p20)

The short story “The man on the stairs” by Miranda July provides teachers of young adult readers with a glimpse of what could be used by them as the centre of debate inside the classroom. This paper aim will be to explore the story “The man on the stairs” as a medium to discuss young adult life decisions in the classroom.

Young adults are defined by Eaglen (cited in De Vos, 2003) as part of “that age group who no longer consider themselves children but are not yet considered adults by the adult world.” Adolescence transition to adulthood includes many developmental changes in the body and in the mind for this reason, “The gap between childhood and adulthood is vast--physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually--and it is the teens' task to bridge it” (Koelling, 2004, p.75). The task to complete their transition is not easy to carry out because young adults are in a period of awareness of the causes and awareness of the consequences that the outside world has on them. They are no longer children, now they can think abstractly and they can imagine different circumstances that may affect them.  

INVERSION AFTER NEGATIVE ADVERBS

When we begin a sentence with a negative adverb or adverbial phrase, we sometimes have to change the usual word order or subject and verb (often using and auxiliary verb such as do):

For example: 

• I had never seen so many people in one room (NORMAL WORD ORDER)
• Never had I seen so many people in one room. (INVERSION)

We use inversion when we move a negative adverb (Never, Nowhere, Not Only, etc.) to the beginning of a sentence. We do this because we want to emphasise the meaning of the adverb.

 

In the paper we wrote, "In no way we conceive that Daniels considers adolescents (...)", but the correct form would be "In no way do we conceive that Daniels considers adolescents (...)".

 

Source: Side, R & Wellman, G (2002) Grammar and vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency. Harlow, Longman.

Nahir & Amilcar

‘Zombified’ adolescents: the perception of the adult world over adolescence.

“He had always liked the good parts, even when he was alive,” explains the narrator of The Good Parts (1989), a short story by Les Daniels. This protagonist is a zombie who likes eating human flesh more than anything, especially what he considers as ‘the good parts’: breasts, buttocks, penis and vaginas. However, this living dead is not very different than he was, before turning into a zombie. Daniels tells us that as a living teenager this character was always spending his time eating food and watching porn, looking also for ‘the good parts’. Intentionally or not, Daniels depicts a character that most adults would consider as the typical adolescent. The issue is that most of the ideas that adults usually possess about adolescence contain several prejudices and stigmas.

The teen main character in The Good Parts shows almost no change in his personality when becoming a zombie, just as if there were no differences between being an adolescent and being a zombie. In no way do we conceive that Daniels considers adolescents as zombies, but we understand that he uses the typical view adults have over adolescence to create his character and to show him as a zombie and as a teenager in a similar way. Considering that the traits and characteristics that adults use to describe adolescents are usually the ones that zombies manifest in most of the stories where they appear, we can say that nowadays adults tend to look at adolescents as if they were zombies. Thus, the purpose of this paper will be to discuss the similarities that exist between the preconceptions that adults have about adolescents and the typical features and traits that are usually associated with zombies, using the main character of The Good Parts to show those traits.

A case of the Stubborns for stubborn adolescents

Adolescents, what a theme! The more difficult age to deal with!  They are unwilling to read and the Classics are not their favourites. What and how can we do to make them read? There is a genre focused on their needs: Young Adult Literature.

YAL is a category of literature address to adolescents. It includes many types of texts or genres, such as horror, romance, science fiction, etc. YAL has gone through a transformation since 1950. This genre avoided controversial topics, such as sexuality, substance abuse and death, and focused on one socioeconomic class until 1970, when authors started writing about the realities of teenage life. The question is: How can we decide if a piece of literature is YAL?

A few weeks ago I read the short story “A Case of the Stubborns”, by Robert Bloch. It is about a grandpa who had died one night but the next morning he came downstairs to have breakfast with his family, but the problem was that he did not realize that he was dead.  So, the family had to work out a way in which he may be able to understand his situation, that he was not alive. Luckily, the main character, Jody Tolliver, figured out a solution to the problem taking into account what is said above, I would say that A “Case of the Stubborns” may be considered as YAL.

According to some of Small’s characteristics of YAL, the main character is often a teenager who is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent, whose actions are major facts in the outcome of the conflict. When reading Bloch’s short story, although the author never mentions the age of the character, we can infer by the context that he is an adolescent: he lived with his grandpa, mother, father and his little sister. Jody is central in the resolution of the problem that he and his family were facing. Although his mother and father tried in many ways to solve it, they could not. Only the boy’s intelligence and perception could find out the solution they needed. He could show his grandfather that he was not alive since worms were coming out his mouth.

In accordance with Herz and Gallo, YAL deals with many universal themes such us eternal questions, teenage pregnancy, divorce, substance abuse, family conflict and death, among others. In this case, the story deals with the death of a beloved person. Jody and his family were heartbroken about that situation. But the teenager accepted the death of his grandpa after finding a solution for his grandfather’s obstinate behaviour. Finally, the family found relief and not sorrow when the conflict was resolved.

Another of Small’s characteristics is the use of slang and the reflection of teenage speech in the dialogues. In Bloch’s short story, the use of slang, contractions and teenage speech is widely used. Some examples are the words: mebbe, onny and yessiree.

It is important to introduce reading since childhood, but if it is not the case, YAL is a good tool to transform a reluctant adolescent into a reader. One thing that adults have to have in mind when finding a book for young adults is its content. The stories have to enclose the features previously mentioned that Small and Herz and Gallo have developed as the case of “Case of the Stubborns”. These characteristics fit the needs of nowadays teenagers.

“When teenagers moan “

“I mean, it's not like we're any different than we were before we

died. We crave security, companionship, and love. We laugh and cry and feel emotional pain.”

Isn't it amazing a zombie can feel this way? Yes, it is true that zombies scare people to death and wander across the streets, stinking of wet and worm-infested earth. But it is an undeniable fact that zombies can be pretty emotional, too. This phenomenal combination of sensitivity and roaring weeps seems to be the reason why they are becoming extremely popular among teenagers and adults. “A zombie’s lament”, written by S. G. Browne, is a short story that describes Andy´s life as a newly risen zombie. He ambles in a society full of living people who don´t like zombies. He survived a car accident in which he lost his love and now he lives in his parents´ attic. There, he sits and plans what he is going to do with his life. He does it most of his time. Since his parents and close friends avoid him, he joins a support group, “Undead anonymous”. Then, Andy and other UA members start thinking about eating human flesh.

 Robert C. Small tries to define Young Adult Literature by stating some characteristics that are unique to young adult novels. According to those characteristics, “A zombie´s lament” could be taken as YAL.

One of the most important features that Small highlights to refer to Young Adult Literature is that the main character is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent. What can be more sensitive than feeling you are dying again because you miss your wife and your little daughter? Actually, nothing. Andy would give anything to see his family just one more time or to tell them how much he loves them. Moreover, he proves his intelligence and maturity when he quickly learns that life is easy for dead people but it turns really difficult for the dead who come back and become zombies with no civil rights. In addition, a rush of independence can be clearly appreciated when Andy complains about a growing minority group of zombies that eat human flesh. He believes that people shouldn´t generalize because the fact that certain zombies fit the stereotype of the undead does not necessarily mean that all the zombie community want to taste the breathers (human beings). Andy shows that he makes his own decisions and his attitude perfectly coincides with another important feature that Small points out when defining YAL: the actions and decisions of the main character is the major factor in the outcome of the story´s conflict.

Apart from the features stated before, in his characterization of Young Adult Literature, Robert Small claims that the main character may be a teenager. We know that Andy is thirty-two years old. Despite the fact that some experts claim that adolescence may extend until the age of 30, he is not a teenager. But hold on a second...Just take a look at Andy! He displays certain fixed teenage characteristics. Take for example Andy´s last wish in the the story: “I just hope my parents understand.” Like adolescents, Andy fights for his parents´ acceptance. He considers extremely necessary to be accepted by them and by the world. Similarly, teens need to have someone in the world to talk to or someone they could trust on. So, most of the time, they find shelter in their group of pairs in order to fulfil their need. Andy becomes part of a support group and hangs out with other zombies who share the same problems than him.

In conclusion, this story fulfils most of the characteristics of Young Adult Literature according to Small. Zombies are attractive for adolescents and this story makes teens embed in a world that resembles their essence, experiences and beliefs. If they read this story they would be able to identify with Andy´s deep fears, thoughts, complains and wishes in life.