Welcome back to AP Daily and welcome back to Unit 7. In this skill, we're explaining how grammar
and mechanics contribute to clarity and effectiveness. So I'm Aaron Gilego. What are we going to learn
exactly? We're going to learn how to unlock a text meaning by reading it the way the writer intended.
It's the punctuation marks that actually clue you in in terms of how to intonate,
how to understand what's emphasized and when you read purposefully with the punctuation marks in
place, I think what you're doing is you're learning how to read like a writer. Think of language on
the page as notes like a musician would read notes and there are dynamics, there's intonation,
there's phrasing, all indicated by the punctuation mark. How will this help you and what is our goal?
Ultimately, in the multiple choice section of the AP exam, you do have to read passages cold
and oftentimes students get lost in those passages because they're not reading it with that
intentionality in mind. Of course, as writers, you have to be purposeful with the way you punctuate
on the page. You have to be very clear and have a strong command of the conventions of the English
language to show that you're a writer. Let's review again the earlier lessons in unit 7 about
language and how we build meaning onto the page. We use words, we use phrases, we use clauses,
and we use a variety of sentences and all of these things can be punctuated with different
punctuation marks, which I will get to actually also in unit 7 with skill 8 videos later on.
Again, when we are writing, we must consider our clarity and punctuation is key to that clarity.
Logical order is also key in terms of showing relationships and we use a variety of punctuation marks
to show the relationships in logical order of our sentences. Flow, obviously, you also want rhythm
and sound, and these all go together in terms of how you punctuate onto page. Of course,
when you do that, you can sustain your reader's interest by having dynamics, different changes,
and also, again, achieving tone and voice on the page, which is very sophisticated skill
is what were after that you at this point in the course should be learning how to achieve
sort of more vibrant, more vivid essays that you write.
Let's look at the unit 7 overview first and understand what this skill actually is that we're
trying to assess. We do need you guys to understand that there is a rhetorical situation
and writers make choices specific to that rhetorical situation. This has been covered in all the
other AP videos in earlier units. But skill 7C is really a reading skill, as you can see here,
and so why is it a reading skill? It's really a skill that is challenging you to understand
how writers are making you understand what is there meaning on the page by learning how to read
the punctuation marks in place. Notice, again, the stylistic choices here and punctuation is key,
that these uses of these conventions advance a writer's purpose and they do great emphasis and they
clearly communicate and show those relationships of ideas on the page.
So the example I came up with to show this is in poetry, although AP Lang doesn't always cover
poetry. In fact, it's a course that focuses on nonfiction texts. There is an intersection between
rhetoric and poetry because they both come from the oral tradition. And so because these are meant
to be spoken out loud and heard by an audience, it's just like speech. And so poets punctuate
and they add a lot of nuance and really show what the poem is about through their punctuation.
So this is work without hope by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. All nature seems at work,
slugs leave their lair. The bees are stirring, birds are on the wing, and winter slumbering in the
open air wears on a smiling face a dream of spring. And I, the while, the soul on busy thing,
nor honey make, nor pear, nor build, nor sing. Read it with those breath marks, read it with the
punctuations in place as pauses. And then you'll understand the poem. This is just the first part of
the poem. There is more to this poem. But notice the speed and the tempo and the rhythm of the opening
two lines. This is slow and sluggish as if just waking up because the speaker in the poem is noticing
nature waking up and beginning to work, beginning to do stuff. And so it's sluggish. Notice these
are big pauses, these dashes. Then the next two lines are faster. And it actually culminates with
this exclamation point. That exclamation point is almost accelerating you towards that end of that
it's faster because it's more hopeful. It's talking about winter thawing out and spring being around
the corner. And then finally, the next two lines here, it's the slowest in terms of rhythm.
Notice all those punctuation marks, all those commas to slow down and drag the tempo.
And I, the while, the soul on busy thing, he realizes the speaker realizes his own laziness and
idleness. He hasn't done much. Unlike the nature and the birds and the bees waking up about to do
something, this speaker is just not doing much. He's on busy. And so he emulates that with all those
breath marks on the line. You are in charge of how you punctuate on the page. And so keep that in mind
and guide your reader with the way you want them to read your language on the page, the way a poet
would. And as readers, read with the punctuation marks in place as well. It makes you all the more
attuned to what that language actually means. It would be pretty boring if the language just kept
going and going and going in a straight line without ever stopping or turning it. There's no end
inside. You don't know where you're going and it just keeps going on and on and on and on and on
and on and on and on. That's tough to read. And you'll be out of breath. Keep in mind that the writer
is taking you on a journey with their language on the page. Think of the words as the writer's way
of pressing on the gas pedal. You just, you'll run out of gas if you just keep on going without
any stops without using the brakes. And that's what the punctuation marks do. They are the brakes
and they're also the steering wheel. Keep in mind, we always talk about rhetorical moves in AP
Lang. The text shifts into that direction. It shifts into another direction in terms of another
topic. It shifts in tone. And those shifts are actually indicated by punctuation marks. And so think
about that in terms of steering your own audience with your language on the page. And how do you
want to steer them? Punctuation is also what sets things apart. And so think about the language that
emphasized like these words here, place between punctuation marks. How you organize your words
in the sentence. Also determines the importance of the ideas and the words that you're using.
How important are the words at the beginning of the sentence? How important is the word or idea
closest to the final punctuation? Do you want to land on that note? Do you want to end with that word?
Those are choices that you have to clearly make and consider when writing sentences. And that's
what writers consider when they truly craft a piece for a particular purpose and effect.
Here is an example of a speech that does beautifully in terms of punctuation and in terms of
emulating certain ideas with the punctuation marks in place. This was Viola Davis at the Golden Globes
paying tribute to Meryl Streep, who was receiving a lifetime achievement award that year.
She stares. That's the first thing you notice about her. She tilts her head back with that
slice, suspicious smile, and she stares for a long time. And you think, do I have something in my teeth?
And then she'll ask questions. Notice how Viola Davis' very sentence lens write at the
very top of her speech to add a sense of mystery to add a little suspense. She starts with a
simple sentence, very short, medium lens sentence here, and then a longer sentence, three
different sentence lens and three different consecutive sentences right away. And then
towards then, I'll actually hear a little later in the middle. And as she continues to stare,
realize she sees you. And like a high powered scanning machine, she's recording you. She is an observer
and a thief. She waits to share, which is stolen on that sacred place, which is the screen.
She makes the most heroic characters vulnerable, the most known familiar, the most despised,
relatable, Dame Streep. Notice that she makes a simple, clear declarative sentence to make a claim.
She's an observer and a thief. And then she backs that up. And then for a more complex thought,
the complex idea of what Meryl Streep actually does, she uses a more complex sentence. She makes
the most heroic, and this is a rule of three. Remember the rule of three, and it's a list here with
balance and parallel structure. She makes the most heroic characters vulnerable, the most known
familiar, the most despised, relatable. Finally, at the third paragraph here, or fourth paragraph,
her artistry reminds us to impact of what it means to be an artist, which is to make us feel
less alone. I can only imagine where you go, Meryl, when you disappear into a character. I imagine
that you're in them patiently waiting, using yourself as a conduit, encouraging them, coaxing
them to release all their mess, confess, expose, to live. You are amused. Your impact encouraged me
to stay in the line. Dame Streep, I see you. I see you. Notice the longer sentence, it's a slower
sentence here. It's as if she's exploring Meryl Streep's mind. She's going in there, imagining what
Meryl Streep is imagining when she's observing people and getting into character. This is a
beautiful speech. You could watch it as well. Again, the variety of sentences, the breathiness,
the breath marks, are indicated there in the punctuation marks. I hope you learn something here about
why you should read with the punctuation marks in place. Don't just run through lines. Don't
just read words for the sake of reading them on the page. Really be mindful and be more
purposeful when you're reading and it'll increase your reading comprehension skills. Thank you so
