Page 180 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade7_Flipbook

aCTIvITy 2.14
continued
After the Debate
Reflect: How well did you deliver your argument? How clear was your claim? In what
ways did you incorporate adequate evidence (logos) and address the counterclaim?
Language and Writer’s Craft: Phrases and Clauses
A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent clause has a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Examples:
Independent clause: Screen addiction is a serious problem.
Dependent clause: because children spend too much time in front of screens
A phrase is a group of words that does not include both a subject and a verb. Examples:
being isolated from others, of a whole society, and difficulties with peers are all types of phrases.
When writing, take care to ensure that you use phrases and clauses correctly. For example, make sure that you place modifying phrases so that they modify (add information to) the proper word in the sentence. Phrases that are incorrectly placed are called misplaced modifiers because it is difficult to tell which word is being modified.
Example: Two students strolled down the street with cell phones. (Does the street have the cell phones or the students?)
Argumentative Writing Prompt: In your writing group, revise your text to incorporate an acknowledgment of a counterclaim. Draw on information from your classmates’ claims and evidence from the debate. Use adding or replacing in your draft. Be sure to:
• Clearly describe and acknowledge the counterclaim.
• Use transitions and complex sentences with phrases and clauses to make your point.
• Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
My Notes
Unit 2 • What Influences My Choices? 153
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