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Edit Speech

~ Punctuation

~ Grammar

PLAY GRAMMAR

BASEBALL!

By

Ellen Weber (PhD)

© 2013 Ellen Weber (PhD) Mita International Brain Center

© 2013 Ellen Weber (PhD) Mita International Brain Center 2

Contents

Grammar Baseball Game Directions Page 3

Single Trivia Questions Page 6

Double Trivia Questions Page 9

Triple Trivia Questions Page 12

Homerun Trivia Questions Page 15

Grammar - Cheat Sheet Page 18

Editorial Tips to Correct Grammar Page 24

Task 1 – Grammar Checklist Page 25

Note on Transitions as Bridges Page 26

Vocabulary Page 27

Tips and Guides for faculty Facilitation Page 28

Contact Me page 30


Grammar Baseball Game – Directions

Grammar Baseball Game p 1 of 3

You will find all the ready-to-play-parts you and your

students need to benefit from the game players will

love. They will learn grammar usage through a game

they enjoy!

It’s easy to play and a great tool to learn grammar.

Overall, players are tossed trivia questions of varying

levels of difficulty. Correct answers match different

hits in baseball. Players can move around bases and

can score runs.

Baseball Game Field ~

Grammar Baseball can be played standing in a

diamond baseball formation – or on paper with 4

distinct bases.

There must be 1st

base, 2nd

base, 3rd

base and home

plate. If played on paper, teams get 3 playing pieces to

represent the players on base.




Trivia Questions ~

Rather than ball and bat- Grammar Baseball uses a set

of trivia questions. Questions are separated into 4

difficulty levels,.

Players can hit a single, double, triple or homerun.

Questions are found in these materials and these

grammar usage questions can be added to by those

facilitating the game.

Teams ~

Students divide into two teams of at least 4 players in

each. If there are less than 8 players (4 for each team)

teams can use objects to represent players on the

bases.




Rules to Play ~

Flip a coin to go to bat first. First batter selects a

single, double, triple or homerun.

Moderator reads a question in that difficulty level and

player gets 1 chance to answer that question

correctly. No team member can help the batter to

answer questions. If incorrect, the player gets 1 out.

If correct, the player moves to the corresponding

base, and all other players on base advance that same

number of bases.

The team earns a run, every time a player cross over

home plate. When the team up to bat gets 3 outs, the

other team goes up to bat.

Rather than play all nine innings – instead set a time

limit for the game, based on class time allotted to

learning grammar usage.


Single Trivia Questions – Cut these into Cards and Shuffle

1. It’s best to

avoid dangling …

MODIFIERS

2. An apostrophe

can be used to

replace a verb.

TRUE

3. A predicate

lets you know

what action

occurred. TRUE

4. Affect is a

verb. TRUE

5. Transitions link

pronouns. FALSE

6. Never use a

comma to end a

sentence. TRUE

7. Modifiers… a

word. DESCRIBE

8. Lack of

parallelism is a

good thing.

FALSE

9. Adjectives

modify nouns.

TRUE

10. A sentence

cannot stand

alone. FALSE

11. Do all

sentences have

to stand alone?

YES

12. Irregular

verbs come with

their own set of

rules. TRUE

13. You can

insert a … to help

improve pauses

and flow.

TRANSITION

14. Effect is used

as a noun. TRUE

15. Spell

PREDICATE

16. Commas are

better than

periods. FALSE

17. A spliced

comma is a good

technique. FALSE

18. Dangling

modifiers are the

same as

misplaced

modifiers. TRUE

19. Pronouns

should be clear

about what they

reference. TRUE

20. Adjectives

modify verbs.

FALSE

21. Irregular

verbs follow

similar rules.

FALSE

22. The subject

of a sentence is

the same as the

noun. TRUE

23. Link ideas

with transitions.

TRUE

24. Dangling

modifiers are too

… words they

modify. FAR

FROM

25. Pronoun case

involves subjects

and pronouns.

TRUE

26. Avoid

sentences

starting with

“There is…”

TRUE

27. Spliced

commons offer

helps to the best

writers. FALSE

28. Transitions

help flow. TRUE





29. Subjects are

needed for every

sentence. TRUE

30. The subject

of a sentence is

the action. FALSE

31. Predicates

are action words.

TRUE

32. Adverbs can

describe verbs.

TRUE

33. A phrase is a

large group of

words. FALSE

34. A predicate is

an action word

TRUE

35. Pronouns

should be clear

about what they

reference. TRUE

36. It’s noise is

loud – (correct?)

NO

37. Effect is a

noun. TRUE

38. A fragment is

an …

INCOMPLETE

THOUGHT

39. Subjects

usually tellS the

gender. FALSE

40. Accept differs

from except.

TRUE

41. Adverbs do

not start a

sentence. FALSE

42. A clause can

stand alone TRUE

43. Pronoun case

helps to clarify a

speech or essay.

TRUE

44. It is OK to use

sentence

fragments at

times. FALSE

45. Avoid non-

parallelism to

help an audience.

TRUE

46. Apostrophes

can be used

when a verb is

missing. TRUE

47. A phrase can

stand alone.

FALSE

48. Adverbs can

replace verbs at

times. FALSE

49. Use accept

and except

interchangeably.

FALSE

50. Adverbs

rarely describe

verbs. FALSE

51. Spell

PRONOUN.

52. Predicates

always involve

objects. FALSE

53. An example

of an active verb

is, “He jumps.”

TRUE

54. Adverbs are

sometimes the

same as

adjectives. FALSE

55. To sequence

ideas is to jumble

in any order.

FALSE

56. Avoid

sentences that

start with “She

is…” TRUE




57. Plural

agreement

requires a plural

verb. TRUE

58. Nous refer to

a person place or

thing. TRUE

59. Apostrophes

can be used as

contractions.

TRUE

60. Subject tells

who did an

action. TRUE

61. Accept is the

same as except.

FALSE

62. One best

word to define a

modifier is …

DESCRIBE

63. Except means

exclusion. TRUE

64. Never insert a

comma to

improve flow.

FALSE

65. Pronoun case

involves objects

and pronouns.

TRUE

66. Verbs come in

… basic tenses.

THREE

67. Parallelism is

a useful practice

to describe.

TRUE

68. Mary sing is

ex. of incorrect

subject-verb

agreement. TRUE

69. Good writing

has good

sequencing.

TRUE.

70. Dangling

modifiers offer a

good trick for

writers. FALSE

71. Spellcheckers

cannot catch

every misspelled

word. TRUE

72. Accept is

better to use than

except. FALSE

73. The basic

tenses of verbs

are present, past

and … FUTURE.

74. Pronouns

should never

follow a noun.

FALSE

75. Apostrophes

show possession

always. FALSE

76. The subject

tells about the

action. FALSE

77. Except is an

adjective. FALSE

78. He was hit, is

an active verb.

FALSE

79. Verbs need

adjectives. FALSE

80. Avoid

dangling

modifiers at all

cost. TRUE

81. Verbs cannot

be passive.

FALSE

82. Passive verbs

are better for sad

speeches. FALSE

83. Never use

apostrophes as

contractions.

FALSE

84. Active verbs

are better than

passive verbs.

TRUE


Double Trivia Questions – Cut these into Cards and Shuffle

1. Always use

one tense only.

FALSE

2. A predicate

precedes a

subject. FALSE

3. Predicates

indicate …

ACTION

4. The subject is

always

capitalized.

FALSE

5. Subjects do

not tell who did

the action. FALSE

6. Pronouns

should never

start a sentence.

FALSE.

7. Commas

should start

every new

thought. FALSE

8 A phrase can

stand in a clause.

TRUE

9. Commas

should follow

pronouns. FALSE

10. A sentence is

not a complete

thought. FALSE

11. Except is a

preposition TRUE

12. A predicate is

the same as a

transition. FALSE

13. “Accept” is a

noun. FALSE

14 Adverbs

describe verbs or

adjectives. TRUE

15. Parallelism

can clarify for an

audience. TRUE

16. Too many

tenses can

confuse readers.

TRUE

17. Transition

separate ideas.

FALSE

18. Pronouns are

much like

transitions.

FALSE

19. “Accept” is a

pronoun. FALSE

20. An irregular

verb follows a set

pattern. FALSE

21. Apostrophes

cannot be used to

replace a verb.

FALSE

22. Irregular

verbs come with

their own set of

… RULES

23. Pronoun case

does not involve

objects and

pronouns. FALSE

24. Adjectives

cannot describe

adverbs. TRUE

25. Transitions

separate out

facts. FALSE

26. Active verbs

are less useful

than passive

verbs. FALSE

27. There are few

differences

between passive

and active verbs.

FALSE

28. Avoid use of

transitions for

flow. FALSE



29 Apostrophes

should not be

used with

pronouns to show

possession. TRUE

30. Some people

confuse accept

with except.

TRUE

31 What omission

can an

apostrophes be

used for? VERB

32. Singular

agreement

requires a …

verb. SINGULAR

33. A clause

cannot stand

alone. FALSE

34. Pronoun case

involves matching

stories and

effects. FALSE

35. Pronouns

should be placed

near the end of

sentences. FALSE

36. It’s ring is

here – (correct?)

NO

37. Pronoun case

is not important

to a speech.

FALSE

38. Nouns cannot

refer to people.

FALSE

39. Parallelism

uses equally

stated parts to

describe. TRUE

40. When you

want a reader to

pause insert a …

COMMA

41. Except should

not start

sentences. FALSE

42. Dangling

modifiers are

better than

misplaced

modifiers. FALSE

43. Spliced

commons should

be avoided. TRUE

44. It’s a good

idea to start a

sentence with,

“He is…” FALSE

45. Plural

agreement does

not require a

plural verb.

FALSE

46 The subject of

a sentence must

be present tense.

FALSE

47 Subjects can

be omitted at

times in

sentences. FALSE

48. Apostrophes

are used with

nouns to show

possession. TRUE

49. Commas can

create pauses

and improve ..

FLOW

50. Accept differs

from except.

TRUE

51. Avoid using

pronouns. FALSE

52. A predicate is

the same as a

verb. TRUE

53. “Jim ran,” is

not a sentence.

FALSE.

54. Three basic

tenses are …

PAST, PRESENT

FUTURE

55 The subject of

a sentence

differs from the

noun. FALSE

56. To sequence

is the same as to

place in logical

order. TRUE



57. Modifiers do

not illustrate.

FALSE

58. A predicate is

always the

second word in a

sentence. FALSE

59. Subjects are

always placed

first. FALSE

60. Subject

means who did

the action. TRUE

61. Dangling

modifiers are too

… words they

modify FAR AWAY

FROM

62. “Affect” is a

verb TRUE

63. Sentences

must stand alone.

TRUE

64. A sentence

fragment cannot

stand… ALONE

65. “Sue came,”

is a sentence.

TRUE

66. The opposite

of sentence is

FRAGMENT or

IMCOMPLETE

SENTENCE

67. Spellcheckers

do not catch

every misspelled

word. TRUE

68. Effect is a

noun. TRUE

69. Verb tenses

should change a

great deal in

speeches. FALSE

70. Adverbs

describe verbs.

TRUE

71. Non-

parallelism is a

good writing

tactic. FALSE

72. Nouns refer to

adjectives. FALSE

73. Another word

for modifier is

fragment. FALSE

74. The more

commas the

better in a

speech or essay.

FALSE

75. Sue fall is ex.

of incorrect

subject-verb

agreement. TRUE

76. Pronouns

should be clear

about what they

… REFERENCE

77. Adjectives

modify pronouns .

FALSE

78. The subject

of a sentence is

the most

important part.

FALSE

79. Modifiers help

to explain things.

TRUE

80. “Frosty

storms in March,

is a sentence.

FALSE

81. “The cold

wind” is a

sentence. FALSE.

82. “Joe ran,” is a

sentence.” TRUE

83. “The baby

slept,” is a

sentence

fragment. FALSE.

84. Apostrophes

replace

pronouns. FALSE


Triple Trivia Questions – Cut these into Cards and Shuffle

1. Sequencing

does not matter

in writing. FALSE

2. Commas have

little to do with

flow. FALSE

3. Transitions act

like bridges.

TRUE

4. Is, “The dog

barked,” a

clause? YES

5. Lack of

parallelism can

confuse an

audience. TRUE

6. Subjects tell

why an action

occurred. FALSE

7. Pronoun case

involves matching

objects and case.

FALSE

8. Pronouns

should never

replace nouns.

FALSE

9. A predicate is

like the

introduction of a

speech. FALSE

10. You should

avoid parallelism.

FALSE

11. A noun refers

to a person,

place or … THING

12. Transitions

act like

separations.

FALSE

13. Good

transitions help

the flow. TRUE

14. Pronoun case

does not involve

subjects and

pronouns. FALSE

15, One complete

thought is enough

for a sentence.

TRUE

16. Adjective can

describe adverbs.

FALSE

17. Accept should

not be used as a

verb. FALSE

18. Not all

sentences will

have a predicate.

FALSE

19. Past tense

should be

avoided. FALSE

20. Commas can

help pauses and

… flow. IMPROVE

21. Is, “The boy

mowed,” a

clause. YES

22. Pronouns

should be used as

much as possible

to clarify. FALSE

23. Adjectives

cannot describe

adverbs. TRUE

24. Transitions

come with their

own tense. FALSE

25. To sequence

events is to place

them in order.

TRUE

26. Sentence

fragments can be

complete

thoughts. FALSE

27. Apostrophes

replace

transitions.

FALSE

28. Plural

agreement

requires a …

verb. PLURAL



29. Irregular

verbs come with

their own set of

… RULES

30. Run-on

sentences beat

short choppy

sentences. FALSE

31. Verbs come in

three main

tenses. TRUE

32. Rise is an

irregular verb.

TRUE

33. You can tell a

verb tense by

looking at the

noun. FALSE

34. All modifiers

can describe any

word in a

sentence. FALSE

35. Dangling

modifiers are too

close to words

they modify.

FALSE

36. Except is a

verb. FALSE

37. Except

is a noun. FALSE

38. Pronouns can

replace nouns at

times. TRUE

39. Commas can

help pauses and

improve flow.

TRUE

40. Pronoun case

refers to

matching an

object with

pronoun. TRUE

41. Every

sentence

requires a

subject. TRUE

42. The subject

of a sentence

always comes

first. FALSE

43. Spellcheckers

require you to

type words. TRUE

44. Use run-on

sentences for

extended ideas.

FALSE

45. Spliced

commons help

readers and

writers. FALSE

46. Accept differs

from except in

some cases.

FALSE (In ALL)

47. Dangling

modifiers are the

same as

misplaced

modifiers. TRUE

48. Always use a

consistent

sentence length.

FALSE

49. Avoid choppy

sentences. TRUE

50. “Harry walk”

is an incorrect

subject- pronoun

agreement.

FALSE

51.Only vary

sentence length

when opening or

closing a speech.

FALSE

52. Modifiers are

placed … words

they describe.

NEAR

53. Don’t vary

your sentence

length. FALSE

54. “Mary

jumped” is a

sentence. TRUE.

55. Retain a

consistent verb

tense in writing.

TRUE

56. Vary verb

tenses in a

speech. FALSE



57. Effect is a

noun. TRUE

58. Adverbs do

not describe past

verbs. FALSE

59. Predicates

are the opposite

of actions. FALSE

60. Run-on-

sentences can be

too short. TRUE

61. Apostrophes

signify an

omission in a

contraction.

TRUE

62. “It’s outside

is rough” – is

correct example.

FALSE

63. Many commas

are always good

to help people

pause. FALSE

64. He stood still,

is a sentence

fragment. FALSE

65. A predicate is

always the first

word in

sentences. FALSE

66. “Grammar

includes

punctuation” is

not a sentence.

FALSE

67. A sentence

must stand …

ALONE

68. Apostrophes

cannot be used

incorrectly.

FALSE

69. Subject is the

same as action

completed FALSE

70. Apostrophes

show possession

with pronouns

FALSE

71. Effect and

affect are often

used incorrectly.

TRUE

72. Adverbs can

describe

adjectives. TRUE

73. Non-

parallelism gives

and audience

advantage.

FALSE

74. The subject

of a sentence

must not be

confused with

noun. FALSE

75. Pronouns

should remain

unclear about

what they

reference. FALSE

76. Apostrophes

used with nouns –

show possession.

TRUE

77. Noun refer to

person … or

thing. PLACE

78. Apostrophes

are far better

than commas.

FALSE

79. Subjects refer

to why action

occurs. FALSE

80. Noun refer to

prepositions.

FALSE

81. Run-on

sentences can be

good. FALSE

82. Singular

agreement

requires a plural

verb. FALSE

83. Future tense

is always best.

FALSE

84. ‘A bun on a

stick,” is a

sentence. FALSE


Homerun Trivia Questions – Cut these into Cards and Shuffle

1. Spliced

commons offer

tricks to the best

writers. FALSE

2. Use as many

tenses as

possible. FALSE

3. A predicate

tells you the

state of a noun.

FALSE

4. “Risen” is not

an irregular verb.

FALSE

5. Pronoun case

involves matching

objects and

nouns. FALSE

6. “Except” is a

pronoun. FALSE

7. Commas can

replace periods

in a sentence.

FALSE

8. Verbs come in

6 basic tenses.

FALSE

9. Verbs have

nothing to do

with tense.

FALSE

10. Apostrophes

are not used to

show possession.

FALSE

11. When reader

is confused – it’s

good to splice a

comma. FALSE

12. Spellcheckers

cannot catch

misspelled

words. FALSE

13. Commas

indicate how

much time it

takes to pause.

FALSE

14. There cannot

be two subjects

in a sentence.

FALSE

15. Commas

should follow

most nouns,

FALSE

16. Using 2

tenses is better

than sticking to

1. FALSE

17. Avoid jumping

around with too

many tenses.

TRUE

18. A sentence

can have an

incomplete

thought. FALSE

19. Avoid use of

present tense if

you can use past.

FALSE

20. Apostrophes

are impossible to

use incorrectly.

FALSE

21. A subject

indicates when

action will

happen. FALSE

22. The subject

of a sentence is

sometimes

preposition.

FALSE

23. “A frog in the

pond” is a

sentence. FALSE

24. A phrase

cannot be in a

clause. FALSE

25. A phrase is a

… group of words

in sentence or

clause. SMALL

26. Commas at

times confuse

readers. TRUE

27. Run-on

sentences are

always too long.

FALSE

28. Verbs and

predicates follow

one another.

FALSE



29. Commas help

speed up reading

without stalling

flow. FALSE

30. A noun

cannot be a

person. FALSE

31. “Harry walk”

is ex. of incorrect

subject-verb

agreement. TRUE

32. Apostrophes

confuse most

readers. FALSE

33. “It’s edge is

rough’ correct

apostrophe use

FALSE

34. Misspelled

words can always

be picked up in

digital spell

checkers. FALSE

35. Predicates do

not always have

to be action

words. FALSE

36. Adverbs do

not describe

verbs. FALSE

37. Affect is a

noun. FALSE

38. Modifiers

need to be near

words they

…DESCRIBE

39. Apostrophes

can signify an

omission. TRUE

40. Commas

allow for a …

without stalling

flow. PAUSE

41. Adverbs do

not describe

adjectives. FALSE

42. Commas

allow for a pause

without stalling

… FLOW

43. Avoid using

accept – and

instead use

except FALSE

44. Can verbs be

out of agreement

if used

incorrectly? YES

45. Apostrophes

should be avoided

FALSE

46. A predicate is

something like a

pronoun. FALSE

47. Dangling

modifiers differ

from misplaced

modifiers. FALSE

48. Adverbs do

not describe

nouns. TRUE

49. An Adjective

can describe an

adverb. FALSE

50. A noun

cannot be a

place. FALSE

51. A predicate

should never

close a speech.

FALSE

52. Accept differs

from except in

every case TRUE

53. Apostrophes

will never signify

an omission.

FALSE

54. Arose is not

an irregular verb.

FALSE

55. Adverbs

describe

adjectives but

not other way

around. TRUE

56. Rise is a

regular verb.

FALSE



57. Dangling

modifiers … an

audience.

CONFUSE

58. Pronouns

should be placed

far from nouns.

FALSE

59. Except is a

preposition that

means exclusion.

TRUE

60. Nouns are

always

capitalized.

FALSE

61. Subjects refer

to actions done.

FALSE

62. Pronoun case

refers to mis-

matching an

object with

pronoun. FALSE

63. Modifiers can

be far from words

they describe.

FALSE

64. Walked alone

is an example of

a sentence

fragment. TRUE

65. Lack of

parallelism

clarifies for an

audience. FALSE

66. Apostrophes

confuse readers.

FALSE

67. Many commas

are good to help

people pause.

FALSE

68. Spellcheckers

miss most

misspelled

words. FALSE

69. Subjects refer

to when action

happens. FALSE

70. A sentence

does not always

have to stand

alone. FALSE

71. Pronouns

should not refer

to definite nouns.

FALSE

72. Apostrophes

are incorrect as

contractions.

FALSE

73. Spliced

commas –

incorrectly

connect

independent …

CLAUSES

74. Pronouns

should be …

about what they

reference. CLEAR

75. Except is a

noun. FALSE

76. Non-

parallelism helps

understanding.

FALSE

77. Parallelism

uses unequally

stated parts to

describe. FALSE

78. Apostrophes

refer to

possession in

pronouns FALSE

79. Dangling

modifiers help an

audience. FALSE

80. Accept is

incorrectly used

as s verb. FALSE

81 Effect is a

verb. FALSE.

82. Spellcheckers

catch every

misspelled word.

FALSE

83. Avoid

commas

wherever you

can. FALSE

84. Noun refer to

pronouns. FALSE


Cheat Sheet – Edit for Grammar and Punctuation (1 of 6)

1. Sentence – grammatically complete thought that stands

alone and independent. (Example – He stood tall.)

2. Fragment – an incomplete thought and incorrect if used

anywhere a sentence is required. (Example – Stood tall.)

3. Modifiers should come near words they describe. (Example –

The hungry cow mooed.)

4. Misplaced or dangling modifiers confuse an audience

because they come near words they do not describe.

(Example – The cow mooed until the farmer gave in to

hunger.)

5. Parallelism is the use of equally stated sentence parts to

illustrate two or more related ideas. (Example – He saw it,

she saw it, others saw the disaster too.)

6. Non-parallelism is unequally stated sentence parts to

illustrate matching or related ideas. (Example – He saw it,

she saw it, disaster is what other people saw too.)

7. Correct pronoun reference - occurs when pronouns clearly

refer to definite nouns. . (Example - )

8. Incorrect pronoun reference - occurs when pronouns are

unclear as to what they refer to or reference. . (Example - )

9. Correct pronoun case - occurs where the subject or object

matches the pronoun. (Example – The boy lied when he

said… )

10. Incorrect pronoun case - occurs when the subject or object

fails to match the pronoun. . (Example – The boy lied when

they said…



11. Needless commas - interrupt important ideas in sentences

and stop the flow of ideas. (Example – The boy, traveled lots).

12. Correct comma use – allows for a pause without stalling the

flow. (Example - The boy once traveled lots, yet now he enjoys

being home more.)

13. Spliced commas – incorrectly connect independent clauses

without any connecting words. (Example - The boy once

travelled lots, he enjoys being home more).

14. Apostrophes – when used correctly, refer to possession of

nouns. (Example – John’s coat is red.) That is not true for

personal pronouns however.

15. Apostrophes also signify an omission in contractions.

(Example - In this class, it’s uncertain who’ll win Grammar

Baseball).

15. Incorrect use of apostrophes – (Example - It’s outside is

rough.)

16. Correct word usage – does not confuse the parts of speech

of words such as effect (which is a noun) and its counterword

(affect) which is a verb. Similarly accept differs from except in

use, and led differs from lead.

17. Misspelled words often lead to confusion in writing, or they

can turn away a reader before they see all of your good ideas. If

you type a speech, you can take advantage of digital spell

checks.

18. The subject of a sentence refers to who does the action.

(Example – John corrected his grammar and earned an A).



19. Predicate is an action word or verb required in a complete

sentence. (Example Mary jumped.)

20. Nouns refer to the persons, places or things that do the

action within a sentence. (Example – Mary jumped.)

21. Verbs come in three main tenses, past, present and future.

They must agree with their noun or pronoun. (Example –

Mary jumps, jumped or will jump.) Tense tells a reader when

the action happened or when to expect it will occur.

22. Verbs can be out of agreement and when that happens the

grammatical error causes confusion to the reader or

listener. (Example of incorrect verb-noun agreement = Harry

walk when all his classmates leaped.)

23. Adverbs are - (Example – modify or describe verbs or other

adverbs. (Do note that adjectives cannot modify adverbs

though). Find an adverb list here

http://holmesclass.com/Writing%20Style%20Guidebook.pdf

http://holmesclass.com/Writing Style Guidebook.pdf



19. Adjectives modify or describe nouns another thing or person

in the sentence. Adjectives cannot modify adverbs, but

adverbs can modify adjectives. - (Example Sue wore a blue

shirt to the game.)

20. Irregular verbs come with their own rules and do not follow

grammar’s regular tense rules. – (Example – I rise today. He

will arise next week. They were arisen when we arrived.) See

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/irregular-verbs-

list.htm

21. A phrase is a small group of words within a sentence or

clause. – (Example – a diamond in the rough).

22. A clause is a group of words with a noun and verb – that

appears in a complex or compound sentence where more

than one clause exists. - (Example – The dog barked) Every

sentence must have one or more clauses or it is a fragment.

See more examples at

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/clause.htm

23. Run-on-sentences are more than statements that are too

long, and can also be too short. Think of a run on sentence

as the fusing together of two or more sentences. (Example -

See more about how to fix run-on-sentences at

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-

are-run-on-sentences?page=all

24. Punctuation is required at the end of all sentences.

(Example – Paul jumped. )

25. Singular agreement requires a verb to agree with a singular

noun. (Example – Each of the boys is … )

26. Plural agreement requires a verb to agree with a plural noun.

(Example – All of the boys are …

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/irregular-verbs-list.htm





http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/clause.htm

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-are-run-on-sentences?page=all











27. Transitions – link ideas, words, sentences and paragraphs

together for a finer flow of ideas. (See how to use

transitions as bridges on p. 26)

28. Active voice adds to clarity – while passive voice tends to

bore readers. (Example – Active verb = I jumped. Passive

verb = I am a jumper.)

29. Retain a consistent verb tense and avoid shifting back and

forth from past, present and future events in a jumbled

fashion.

30. Vary your sentence structure rather than use subject – verb

structure every time.

31. Avoid many choppy sentences and instead vary lengths.

32. Avoid weak sentences that start with words such as ,”There

are …” or “There is…”

33. In a series – use commas. (Example - red, green, purple and

orange).

34. Use words in the correct order for clarity and flow.

Sequence ideas carefully for instance, rather than jump all

around.



35. Capitalize the first word in every sentence. Capitalize the

pronoun, “I,” wherever it occurs. Capitalize important words

in titles of movies, books and articles, for instance.

Capitalize proper nouns. Capitalize tiles when a person’s

name follows. Capitalize the first word in any direct

quotation.

36 Punctuation examples include:

Use a period at the end of statement or commands.

Use a period at the end of abbreviations, such as Mr. Brown or

Mrs. Day.

Use question marks at the end of questions.

Use exclamation marks at the end statements of strong feeling.

Use commas to denote a series of three or more things.

Use commas before direct quotations.

Use commas between the day and year in a date.

Use commas between cities and states.

Use commas after a greeting (or salutation) in a friendly letter.

Use commas after the closing of a letter.

Use apostrophes in possessives.

Use apostrophes in contractions

37. A complete sentence needs 5 things: 1). Begins with capital

letter; 2). Has subject; 3). Has verb; 4). States a complete

thought that makes sense; 5). Ends with punctuation.

38). A sentence fragment is missing a subject, verb and

complete thought.


Editorial Tips to Correct Grammar

A. Read your paper aloud (even if you read it to the dog) and

you often begin to see where errors exist.

B. Check your subject and verb agreement by highlighting the

subject or noun in one color and its verb or predicate in

another.

C. Edit for clarity, by using strong verbs, staying in active

voice and chopping excess words. Each word should be

vital to your meaning and the others can go.

D. Avoid needless repetition. For example, do not state, “As

already stated…” And do not repeat the same words

exactly in your conclusion that you stated in your

introduction. Instead restate it through another means –

such as an anecdote.

E. Edit each sentence for correct punctuation. Insert commas

to separate phrases at the beginning of sentences, and to

offset quotes used. Be sure questions end with question

marks and sentences end with periods.

F. Ensure sentences are crisp, clear, and complete. Vary

sentence lengths and avoid run-on-sentences.

G. Read your essay to a peer, and have that person check for

grammar problems. Then be sure to fix the incorrect areas.


Task 1 Complete this checklist and submit it with your

final edited work for assessment. Name: ____________

First – Are sentences clear, brief and varied in length? _____

Second – Is punctuation correct for all sentences? _____

Third – Have you avoided needless repetition? _____

Fourth – Do all verbs agree with their subjects? _____

Fifth – Did you use correct verb forms in all sentences? _____

Sixth – Do all pronouns refer to their appropriate nouns? _____

Seventh – Are words spelled correctly? _____

Eighth – Was upper and lower case letters used correctly? ____

Ninth – Do modifying words or phrases refer to precise words

they are intended to modify?

Tenth – Did you use singular and plural nouns correctly? _____

Final reflection: In one clearly stated sentence, state what you

corrected mostly, and show how that improved your writing.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


Note on Transitions as Bridges

Transitions will connect your readers from one idea, word or

paragraph to another by providing bridges.

Transition and the Brain

To "learn" things, we take the new information (what we're

trying to learn) and link it to old information (something we

already know).

Transitions provide clues to readers or to an audience that

something is changing.

For example: First (second, third, fourth); Next; Lastly; In

addition to; So; In conclusion; On the other hand; Moreover;

Nonetheless; However; Therefore; In spite of; Meanwhile; As

previously mentioned; To reiterate;

Transitions offer writers and speakers a bridge to connect

segments of the writing.

Effective authors place transitions in positions that help their

reader make useful connections.

From

one

From sentence

one idea to another

to another

From one

section to

another


Vocabulary

To modify is to describe, explain or illustrate one word by

using another descriptive word.

Know and be able to apply all definitions included in cheat

sheets provided in these materials, including parts of speech

(p. 18 – 23)

Grammar

rocks

writing!


Faculty Facilitation Tips and Guides (1 of 2)

Common Core Standards Addressed = 8.14 D 8.1 +

Open class by asking students what they would choose if

given a chance to play baseball or study grammar. Then tell

the students that in class today they will play a Baseball

Grammar Game – that allows them to play and learn at the

same time. ( 5 min)

Tell students the Grammar Baseball game rules (p. 3-5)

You may wish to display these rules throughout the game. Ask

students if they understand the rules and address their

concerns or questions. (10 min)

Then hand out or display the cheat sheet (p. 18 – 23) so

that students can look for answers. However the game

response time should be very brief – so that students may not

have time to look for answers during the game.

Encourage students to learn grammar rules on their

cheat sheet as they play the Grammar Baseball Game.

Play the game so that all students have an opportunity to

score. No quiz questions can be disputed during a game – so

that the batters move along quickly and more students get up

to bat. (25 min)

Complete Task 1 (p. 25) Students will then use the

grammar checklist (p. 25) to edit their writing. (10 min)

After students have edited their own work they then

work in pairs to find further grammar errors based on facts

listed in the cheat sheets (p. 18 – 23). (15 min)


Faculty Facilitation Tips and Guides (2 of 2)

If time permits pass a talking stick around to

have students name one grammar fact learned in class

today that will impact writing beyond class.

For homework students will complete their editing and

prepare final drafts of their writing.

Main Points

- Grammar facts stated on cheat sheets and grammar

checklist.

-Editorial ability to find and correct grammar errors based on

grammar guides

-Criteria for Student Success

-Task 1 completed and submitted

-Good sports-personship during the Grammar Baseball Game

-Apply grammar rules and examples to edit one’s own and a

peer’s writing


Find more whole brain games your students will love!

Rhetorical Device Baseball

http://goo.gl/B2BcUj

Gender Circle Game

http://goo.gl/AyV4Lj

Preposition game

http://goo.gl/7U5Uiy

See many more ways to play your way into

understanding – at

http://goo.gl/8AsBlg

http://goo.gl/B2BcUj

http://goo.gl/AyV4Lj

http://goo.gl/7U5Uiy

http://goo.gl/8AsBlg


Hopefully these brain based materials are as beneficial to your

students as they are to mine at middle school, secondary and

university levels.

If you have any further questions about how to get the most

from this product, please do contact me at

[email protected] and I’ll be glad to help further.

Do visit the Mita International Brain Center at

http://mitaleadership.com/ where you can follow my latest

additions, get updates of new brain based materials and find

FREE student-ready materials to download.

All the best as you learn and lead with the brain in mind! Ellen

mailto:[email protected]

http://mitaleadership.com/

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