Grammar and Style Packet: November

Name: ______Period: ______

Grammar and Style Packet: November

Some of this material has already been covered in class; some of it will be covered later this month. You should be able to do the packet independently, and it will help you prepare for class.

Submityour Monthly Grammar and Style Packet to the Packet Boxno later than the last school day of the month (Monday 12/1).

Even if you are able to finish your packet during school hours, always take it home and ask a relative or homework helper to review it with you before you turn it in.

If you ever have any trouble, remember you can always come to my classroom at lunch on the first and last days of the week for individual help. 

I have no extras. If you lose your packet, you will have to print another from my teacher website (

This Month’s Learning Objectives:

Use transitions to connect paragraph-level ideas.
Identify conjunctions.
Use conjunctions to create compound subjects.
Use conjunctions to create compound predicates.
Use commas to separate words of direct address from the rest of the sentence.
Write using transitions and commas of direct address.

Transitions

Transitions are words or phrases that connect one idea to the next. They make your ideas clearer and more nuanced, and make your writing sound smooth.

You can use them to connect:

parts of a sentence
sentences
paragraphs
sections

Tips:

Like interjections, you must often use a comma to separate a transition that comes at the beginning of a sentence from the rest of the sentence.
There are exceptions. You don’t use a comma after then or yet.
Avoid using well as a transition word in formal writing:

Well, then Victor went to homeroom where he saw Teresa.

Almost anything sounds more formal than the above sentence.

Try all of these out:

Afterwards, Victor went to homeroom…

Still thinking about girls, Victor went to homeroom…

Then Victor went to homeroom…

Victor went to homeroom…

If you absolutely must use the transition “well” in informal writing only, then separate it from the rest of the sentence with a comma. (It is an interjection as well as a transition.)

“Well everyone knows you like Teresa.”

“Well, everyone knows you like Teresa.”

Examples of Transitions

Category / Transition Words or Phrases
Addition
(to move onto a new point) / also
in addition
next
lastly
finally
Clarification
(to make sure what you just said is clear) /

that is to say
in other words

to put it another way
to clarify
Illustration
(to introduce examples or evidence) / to illustrate
for instance
for example
Comparison
(to compare two things or two ideas) /

in the same way
by the same token
similarly
likewise

Conclusion
(to wrap up) /

in conclusion
to conclude
as we have seen
finally

Source: writing.wisc.edu;msu.edu

Proofread the following paragraph. You will have to write directly on the draft to fix it. Here is a checklist:

Tell the writer to indent. Draw a little arrow where he should have indented and write the message INDENT!

Capitalize the beginning of each sentence.

Capitalize all proper nouns.

Fix all misspelled words, including contractions.

Write a transition for each blank.

english 7

Period 1

ally gator, jr.

november 1, 2014

Friends

Friends. What a word? You cant imagine being separated from the people who care about you, alwayz tell u the truth, and can always put a smile on ur face. good friends have many qualities

including being careing, honest, trustworthy, and positive.

Caring is a necessary quality for a gudfreind. If yor friends really do care they will always be there for you when you need to tolk to someone, and they will actually listen to what you have to say. caring friends will check up on you and cheer you up when youre sick. you can count on your frendz to be there when you need them.

______, being honest and trustworthy are also very important qualities four a good friend to have. You can trust yur problems or secret thoughts to such friends. trustworthy n honest persons wont lie to you or threaten to tell everyone your personal things.

______, i think the best quality a good freind can have is beng positive. Positive friends can put a smile on ur face and make you laugh anytime. your friend will be supportive and look on the bright side when youre in a tight spot. they will offer help when you need it.

______, good friendzarecareing, honest, trustworthy, and positive. What would the wurld be like without friends?

Conjunctions

You have learned about five parts of speech so far. Our sixth part of speech is the conjunction.

Conjunctions join words or word groups together.

They are like the “glue” for other parts of speech!

There is some overlap between conjunctions and transition words, which you may have learned about before. Transition phrases are not one of the eight parts of speech, but they are more like conjunctions than any of the other eight groups.

There are actually two different types of conjunctions (just as there were two different types of verbs, action and linking). For now, we just want to memorize the smaller group of conjunctions so that you know them when you see them. Memorize this list:

and
but
for[1]
nor
or
so
yet
both… and
either… or
neither… nor
not only… but also
whether… or

This subgroup is called coordinating conjunctions, but for now it is okay if you just think of them as conjunctions.

PRACTICE 1:

In each sentence, underline any conjunctions you see. There may be only 1 or more than one.EXAMPLE: Either I am crazy, or you are!

I wanted to go to the beach, but it rained all weekend.

Our class is recycling not only newspapers but also glass bottles.

He set the table with chopsticks and rice bowls.

Have you seen either Justin Bieber or One Direction in concert?

Country and rap are genres of music.

I walk and chew gum at the same time.

We learned to use neither too many adjectives nor too few in descriptive writing.

It rained most of the day, yet we still enjoyed ourselves.

Shall we walk home or take the bus?

We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!

Compound Subjects

The main use of conjunctions is that they make our ideas more complex, exact, and powerful.

One example of this is that we need a conjunction if we want to make our sentence about more than one subject.

A compound subject is made up of two or more subjects that have the same verb.

A conjunction joins two subjects together:

Paris and London remain favorite tourist attractions.

Commas plus a conjunction join more than two subjects together:

Tokyo, Jakarta, and Seoul have more people than any other cities in the world.

Reading, snorkeling, orpaintingwould have to be my favorite hobby.

PRACTICE 2:

Write whether the sentence has a simple or compound subject.

EXAMPLE: My sister and I love the Lakers! – compound

The rain gets on everyone’s nerves. ______
Quincy and Deshoun both love writing. ______
Orville and Wilbur Wright built one of the first ever airplanes. ______
I hate vegetables, fruits, and meat. ______
Cooking, cleaning, and walking the dog are chores that must be done every night. ______

Write a compound subject for each of the predicates. (Use the conjunctions and or or to join the parts of your compound subjects.)

EXAMPLE: ______were at the bottom of my locker.My student ID and a pair of gym socks were at the bottom of my locker.

6. Yesterday ______arrived in the mail.

7. ______make loyal pets.

8. Ever since first grade, ______have been classmates and friends.

Compound Predicates

You can probably guess where this is going. You have permission to skip to the Practice if you feel confident.

A compound predicate is made up of two or more verbs that have the same subject.

The two verbs are joined by a conjunction, usually and, or, or but.

I walk and chew gum at the same time.

The team played well but lost the game anyway.

Will Rolando mop the floor or wash the dishes?

Compound predicates are wonderful for getting rid of repetition in your writing.

PRACTICE 3:

(Source: Holt Handbook, p. 16)

Write whether the sentence has a simple or compound predicate. EXAMPLE: I like brownies but love ice cream even more! – compound

For the Egyptian board game Serpent, players found or carved a serpent-shaped stone. ______

Players placed the serpent in the center of the board to begin. ______

They used place markers and threw bones as dice. ______

The players took turns and competed with one another in a race to the center. ______

Combine the two sentences into a single sentence with a compound verb. EXAMPLE: I chew gum. I walk at the same time. I chew gum and walk at the same time.

Almanzo goes to the store. He buys a gallon of milk.

______

The lights flicker. Then they go out.

______

Women open their purses. They pay for their purchases.

______

Pedro rings up the guests. When they leave, he turns up the radio.

______

Direct Address

(Source: grammar-monster.com, Holt Handbook p. 302-303)

To address someone is to speak to them. When you address someone, there is a natural pause. You use commas to separate their name (or whatever you are calling them) from the rest of the sentence:

Let’s eat, Grandma!

Alan, are you going to the dance?

Get out of my way, peasant!

Excuse me, sir, but this area is off-limits.

What is the correct answer, class?

It would be absolutely incorrect to not use the comma to separate the address from the rest of the sentence in formal writing.

Alan are you going to the dance?

Get out of my way peasant!

PRACTICE 4:

Add commas as necessary to separate words of direct address from the rest of the sentence. EXAMPLE: Let us my brothers and sisters give thanks.  Let us, my brothers and sisters, give thanks.

Andrea when are you leaving for Detroit?

Pay attention now class.

Please Dad may I use your iPad?

Senator please summarize your tax proposal.

Help me move this table Marlene.

“Hurry William get over here!”

“Mrs. Martin Dellcampo where is Zion National Park?”

Write It!

This Month’s Challenge:

Your teachers are looking for you to use 1) commas of direct address and 2) transitions showing time and purpose.

Time
(to show when events are happening) / while
immediately
never
after that
later
meanwhile
in the meantime
once
eventually
as soon as possible
Purpose
(to explain why) /

in order that
so that

for this purpose