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Sunday, June 2, 2013

Writing: Describe an Experience That Taught You a Lesson



Advanced 
Writing
Puncuating adjective clauses
Worksheet

1. Discuss the questions.
What do you know about the American president Abraham Lincoln?
Have you seen the movie? Would you like to?
Have you ever heard one of his quotes?




2. Watch the scene and answer the following questions.

  • What lesson did the president try to teach the boys?
  • What was the last sentence the president told the young man?
  • Why did he change the last sentence in his telegram?

3. Take a look at the following adjective clauses and separate them into two categories. Restrictive - gives essential information and non-restrictive - gives additional information.


  • The person who the president wanted to communicate with was in a town far from Washington.
  • Abraham Lincoln, who faced many political issues, was a wise man.
  • While working at my first job, which was at the White House, I learned a lot.
  • The president got a letter that brought interesting news.

4. Many years later, one of the young man wrote a letter telling his children about an experience that taught him a lesson. Read it and correct  two errors in punctuating adjective clauses.

  While working at my first job, which was at the White House, I had a co-worker who took me with him to meet the president. The president had made some decisions and worried about the consequences the country would have to face. He asked me if I believed I was fitted to the time I was born. I insisted I was just a simple man, but the president who was a wise man taught me that wisdom was everywhere.
The president told me he had read a book, which explained a common notion. He also told me that he had never had too much of schooling, but he could remember things he had read. Things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. The rule was simple and mathematical. President Lincoln, who was helping push the Thirteen Amendment, worked hard to end slavery in the United States because he knew that equality is fundamental.
 I now realize what he was trying to teach me. That an old mechanical law book, to which no one really pays attention to, might teach us that it is fair to begin with equality. The president changed the last sentence of his telegram, and he might have changed the course of events. This talk which I will never forget still pushes me to be wiser and seek lessons in everything that I come across with.

5. Think about an incident in your life that taught you a lesson. Write questions to help you generate ideas.
Who was involved?
What
When
Where
Why
How

6. Write about an experience that has taught you a lesson. Include details, using adjective clauses when possible.

Answerkey

While working at my first job, which was at the White House, I had a co-worker who took me with him to meet the president. The president had made some decisions, and he was worried about the consequences the country would have to face. He asked me if I believed I was fitted to the time I was born. I insisted I was just a simple man, but the president, who was a wise man, taught me that wisdom was everywhere.
The president told me he had read a book, which explained a common notion. He also told me that he had never had too much of schooling, but he could remember things he had read. Things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. The rule was simple and mathematical. President Lincoln, who was helping push the Thirteen Amendment, worked hard to end slavery in the United States because he knew that equality is fundamental.
 I now realize what he was trying to teach me. That an old mechanical law book, to which no one really pays attention to, might teach us that it is fair to begin with equality. The president changed the last sentence of his telegram, and he might have changed the course of events. This talk, which I will never forget, still pushes me to be wiser and seek lessons in everything that I come across with.


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