Grammar Rule for the Week:

Use a hyphen to separate compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, fractions used as adjectives, and to show a span of numbers

Vocabulary Word for Today:Googol (n)—the figure 1 followed by 100 zeroes

Sentence Correction:

Eighty eight million doesn’t seem so large when compared to a googol.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Gossamer (adj): something light, delicate, or tenuousSentence Correction:

The gossamer flowers were only one fifth of the budget for the wedding.

Journal Entry:

What do you think makes a good leader? Give an example of a good leader in your life and why they are a good leader.

Grammar Rule for the Week:

Use a colon when you write the time in numerals, before a list of items, and after the salutation of a business letter.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Halcyon (adj): calm or peaceful; happy

Sentence Correction:I am looking forward to a halcyon summer no school, no homework and no due dates.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Gregarious (adj): living in groups; social

Sentence Correction:The little boy was surprisingly gregarious at 430 in the morning.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Gyrate (v): to revolve around a point or axis

Sentence Correction:Stock prices gyrated around last week’s high until they dropped again at 400 Wednesday morning.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Harbinger (n): forerunner; herald

Sentence Correction:Due to the fact that he was a harbinger in the contest, he received the following an iPod, cds, and movie tickets.

Journal Entry:

What are the positive and negative effects of cell phone technology?

Grammar Rule for the Week:

Use a semicolon to separate main clauses not joined by and, but, or, nor, yet or for and to separate main clauses that are joined by a conjunctive adverb (however, furthermore, moreover, nevertheless, therefore).

Vocabulary Word for Today:Hirsute (adj): very hairy

Sentence Correction:The family’s new collie was very hirsute they had to get him groomed weekly.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Holocaust (n): widespread destruction; especially by fire

Sentence Correction:The holocaust in Haiti caused many people to donate money therefore, 58 million dollars was raised.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Impropriety (n): improper conduct; bad manners

Sentence Correction:His impropriety kept him from getting a date to the prom however, he did eventually straighten up.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Indolent (adj): lazy

Sentence Correction:If you are indolent during the AWED project you will fail you will take English II again next year.

Journal Entry:

“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little ever printed.”—Benjamin Franklin. What do you think about censorship? Give an example to support your opinion.

Grammar Rule for the Week:

Underline or italicize titles of books, magazines, newspapers, plays, movies, television series, long poems, paintings, sculptures, long musical compositions, works of art, spacecraft, and ships.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Intrepid (adj): fearless; bold

Sentence Correction:

The intrepid actor was a big hit in the movie Nine.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Inclement (adj): stormy; harsh

Sentence Correction:Due to inclement weather, the ship, Popeye, capsized.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Irascible (adj): easily angered; hot-tempered

Sentence Correction:I become very irascible if I miss an episode of The Office.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Intinerary (n): the route of a journey

Sentence Correction:The intinerary of the trip revolved around the viewing of the Mona Lisa.

Journal Entry:

Describe a character you have recently met in your reading. Why is this character memorable? What are his or her outstanding traits? What problems has the character overcome?

Grammar Rule for the Week:

Use the correct forms of their (poss.), there (a place), and they’re (they are); your (poss.) and you’re (you are); its (poss.) and it’s (it is).

Vocabulary Word for Today:Jettison (v): to discard; to throw away

Sentence Correction:If you don’t jettison youre trash, mice will infest the classroom.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Juxtapose (v): to place side by side

Sentence Correction:I like to justapose theyre dog with my dog to see which one is bigger.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Kowtow (v): to be overly polite and flattering; to fawn

Sentence Correction:Its sometimes better to kowtow than to ignore someone.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Languid (adj): drooping; slugglish

Sentence Correction:There ferns are looking very languid today.

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Journal Entry:

Select one rule in your home or school that you think has failed, and tell why you think so. Then, provide a better rule in its place and explain why it is better.

Grammar Rule for the Week:

In formal writing (research papers, essays, etc.), avoid using first or second person (I, me, we, us, our, you, your)

Vocabulary Word for Today:Loquacious (adj): given to excessive talking

Sentence Correction:You should never be loquacious while in class.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Lugubrious (adj): exaggeratedly or affectedly mournful (sad)

Sentence Correction:I think many people were very lugubrious during the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Maelstrom (n): a powerful whirlpool; turmoil

Sentence Correction:As I entered the store, I was engulfed by a maelstrom of holiday shoppers.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Mellifluous (adj): smoothly flowing; sweet

Sentence Correction:Our dinner party really needs mellifluous music playing in the background.

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Journal Entry:

If you had to choose an animal that you resemble most either in physical looks or personality, what animal would it be? Explain why you would choose that animal based on who you are.

Grammar Rule for the Week:

When abbreviations are formed from the first letters of several words, omit the periods and use all capital letters. Abbreviations related to time and dates are capitalized.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Nadir (n): the lowest point

Sentence Correction:The nadir of my day is at 6 am when I have to wake up.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Obdurate (adj): hard; unmoved by persuasion

Sentence Correction:Many students are obdurate in believing the A.W.E.D. project is actually a lot of fun.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Obsequious (adj): fawning; servile

Sentence Correction:The cunning thief disguised himself as a nasa employee willing to work for a place to stay overnight.

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Vocabulary Word for Today:Ostracize (v): to exclude from a group; to banish

Sentence Correction:The F.B.I. agent was ostracized when disguised as a mean old man.

Journal Entry:

Television, movies, and video games are often blamed for the rising violence in our society. Which, if any of these, do you think is responsible for the violence? Explain your answer with a specific example.

Grammar Rule for the Week:

Capitalize abbreviations of proper nouns. Postal abbreviations are written with two capital letters and no periods. Personal Titles are usually abbreviated.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Pariah (n): an outcast

Sentence Correction:Doctor Johnson was viewed as a pariah after he killed his patient.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Penurious (adj): stingy; extremely poor

Sentence Correction:All the students think mr Falafel is penurious because he never helps with fundraisers.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Pilfer (v): to steal insignificant items

Sentence Correction:It was reported that a lot of pilfering occurred late Friday night in G.a.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Plummet (v): to fall or plunge straight downward

Sentence Correction:Lieutenant Smith’s airplane began to plummet once the engine shut down.

Grammar Rule for the Week:

Avoid using “a lot” when writing, instead replacing it with “much” or “many,” according to the situation

Vocabulary Word for Today:Pogrom (n): an organized persecution or massacre

Sentence Correction:A lot of people were killed during the Rwandan pogrom of 1994.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Polyglot (n): using several languages

Sentence Correction:There are a lot of polyglots in Europe.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Posh (adj): elegant; fashionable

Sentence Correction:A lot of posh people have an abundance of cash.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Potable (adj): fit to drink

Sentence Correction:The river’s water was not potable, according to a lot of hikers.

Vocabulary Word for Today:Progeny (n): offspring; descendants

Sentence Correction:Her progeny had a lot of problems when she was two years old.

Journal Entry:

If you were granted two supernatural powers for one week only, what powers would you choose, and why? What would you do with your powers?