Student Heading:
STAAR WRITING REVIEW: THE TEST IS ON MARCH 29TH
This review is due Wednesday, March 30th
READING THE PASSAGE
Tips-Before you answer any of the questions, read the passage at least once. Next, label the passage past, present, or future tense.
Future Tense- The future tense of a verb expresses action that will take place in the future.
Ø Ex. Mr. Alvarez will attend the concert.
Past Tense-The past tense of a verb expresses action that already happened.
Ø Ex. The athletes practiced.
Present Tense-The present tense of a verb expresses action that happens now or regularly.
Ø Ex. The dog is barking violently.
Sentence Types
Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has one independent clause (sentence) and one subordinate clause (fragment).
Ø Ex. When Maria moved to El Paso, she made many new friends.
Ø Ex. Maria made many new friends when she moved to El Paso.
Note-If the fragment is first, use a comma. Don't use a comma if the sentence comes first. Also, remember that the fragment always begins with a subordinating conjunction.
Create your own Complex Sentence: ______
______
Compound Sentence
A compound sentence contains two or more simple sentences joined by a comma and a conjunction or by a semicolon. Remember---,F,A,N,B,O,Y,S!!!!
Ex. Eudora Welty is a novelist, but she also writes essays.
Or
Eudora Welty is a novelist; she also writes essays.
Or
Conjunctive Adverbs (transitional phrases): however, therefore, furthermore, consequently
Moby is an absentminded robot; therefore, I will be spending my afternoon in detention.
Create your own compound sentence using one of the FANBOYS. DON’T FORGET THE COMMA!!!!!!
______
______
Create your own compound sentence using a conjunctive adverb. DON’T FORGET THE SEMICOLON AND COMMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
______
______
What is the formula for a compound – complex sentence? ______
SPELLING, CAPITALIZATION, AND PUNCTUATION RULES!!
Spelling
Reading a sentence backwards can help you find the misspelled word because you are not focusing on the meaning of the sentence but rather on the words. In the following example
Ø Ex. He ofen reads the dicionary befor he goes to bed.
Circle the words that are misspelled. Write the sentence with each word spelled correctly on the line below.
______
Remember to USE THE DICTIONARY!! You are allowed to use the dictionary for the essay and multiple choice sections!
Capitalization
Here are some of the basic capitalization rules you will be tested on.
Rule l--Capitalize the first word in a sentence.
Ø Ex. Many people work two jobs.
Rule 2--Capitalize the first word in a direct quotation.
Ø Ex. Terry said, "Only one person may attend the show."
Rule 3--When a quote is interrupted, don't capitalize the second part of the quote.
Ø Ex. "I read a book," said Kim "about wolves."
Rule 4--Capitalize the first word in a salutation and closing in a letter.
Ø Ex. Dear Mrs. Adams, Sincerely yours, With love, My dear Jenny
Names and Titles of People
Rule 1: Capitalize names of people and initials.
Ø Ex. Rudy Gomez, Patsy L. Vasquez, R. E. Stanton
Rule 2: Capitalize titles or abbreviations of titles before a person's name.
Ø Ex. President Obama, Mrs. Ruiz, Dr. Martin L. King
Rule 3: Capitalize family relationships used as titles.
Ø Ex. Last year Father traveled to China.
Don't capitalize them when they follow a possessive noun.
Ø Ex. My father traveled to China.
Rule 4: Capitalize names of cities, counties, states, countries, and continents.
Ø Ex. San Diego, Cook County, Texas, Europe
Rule 5: Capitalize bodies of water and geographical features.
Ø Ex. Lake Michigan, Mojave Desert, Rocky Mountains
Rule 6: Capitalize names of particular buildings, bridges, and monuments.
Ø Ex. White House, Alamo, Golden Gate Bridge
Other Capitalization Rules
Clubs, businesses, etc.—Boy Scouts of America, J. C. Penny
Brand names--Downy, Coca Cola
Historical events, time periods, and documents--Civil War, Ice Age, Gettysburg Address
Days, months, and holidays--Sunday, April, Christmas
Don't capitalize seasons--summer, winter, spring
Capitalize titles, stories, poems, songs--Seventeen, A Wrinkle in Time, "Over the Rainbow"
Capitalize languages and ethnic groups--English, Chinese, Russian, Hispanic, African
Comma Rules: Write the corresponding comma rule for each number than create for own example for each rule.
Comma Rule #1: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #2: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #3: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #4: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #6: ______
Ex.______
Comma Rule #7: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #8: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #9: ______
Ex. ______
Comma Rule #10 (What do we need to do if there is a preposition at the beginning of a sentence?)
______
Ex. ______
Semicolons and Colons: Create your own sentence for each rule.
Rule 1: Use a semicolon in a compound sentence.
Ø Ex. The house was on fire; I called 911.
______
Rule 2: Use a colon in a series.
Ø Ex. I need these items: newspaper, flour, water, string, and paint.
______
Quotation Marks: Create your own sentence for each rule.
Rule 1: Use quotations to enclose a direct quotation.
Ø Ex. "Please return your books today," said Ms. Jimenez.
______
Rule 2--to enclose an interrupted quotation.
Ø Ex. "Spiders," explained Sean, "have eight legs."
______
Rule 3--to enclose titles of short stories, essays, poems, songs, articles, and book chapters.
Ø Ex. "Charles" (Short Story) "Jingle Bells" (Song)
______
Apostrophes
Rule 1: Use apostrophe and "s" to form the possessive of a singular noun.
Ø Ex. girl + 's = girl's James + 's = James's
Rule 2: Use only an apostrophe to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in "s."
Ø Ex. boys +' = boys' judges +’ = judges'
Rule 3: to replace the letters in a contraction.
Ø Ex. it is = it's I will = I'll you are = you're could not = couldn’t
Hyphens
Rule 1-- Use a hyphen when writing two-word numbers: twenty-four
Rule 2-- Use a hyphen to connect compound words: son-in-law, great-grandmother, heavy-hitting,
50-year-old
Day of Test Procedures and Tips!!
ü On this day you will do ALL of the multiple choice questions and you write an expository essay.
ü You MUST be done with bubbling at the end of the 4 hour testing period. Anything that you DO NOT bubble in WILL NOT BE SCORED!
ü DO NOT wait until the end to bubble in answers! You may not have time to finish!
ü The clock does not stop except for LUNCH! If you go to the restroom, if you put yourhead down, if you sit and stare out into space, you are WASTING YOUR TESTING TIME!
ü You CANNOT get that time back at the end of testing!!!
ü Spend TWO hours at the least on the essay. Do each of the four steps: Brainstorm, 4 Square, Draft, Final Draft. Manage your time!
ü If you finish early, go back and check for spelling and grammatical errors. DO NOT WASTE ANY TESTING TIME!
GOOD LUCK!