Mechanics, Usage, & Grammar (MUG)

Parts of Speech (More on verbs)

Parts of a sentence

Diagramming Sentences

Proofreading marks

Daily Sentence Correction

Irregular Past tenses (don't add "ed" to these verbs!)

Parts of Speech

The Parts of Speech

Words do specific jobs in sentences.

Verbs show action or state of being. They are the engines that power sentences. Every

sentence has to have a verb. Without a verb, a sentence is like a car without an engine: it

doesn't work.

The football player sped down the field. (sped shows action)

John was busy in his office. (was shows state of being)

Nouns name persons, places, things or ideas. They are namers.

The kicker launched the football high into the air. (kicker names a person, football

names a thing)

The United States is based on freedom. (United States names a place, freedom

names an idea)

Pronouns take the place of nouns. They are substitutes.

Instead of: All three thousand members of the club met at the field.

You can say: They met at the field. (They takes the place of All three thousand

members of the club)

Adjectives describe or modify nouns. They are describers.

The purple car was ugly. (purple and ugly describe the car)

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They often tell how, when, where,

how much, or to what extent. In English, they often end with LY.

The nurse carefully laid the baby in the crib. (carefully describes the verb: how she

laid the baby down)

The extremely hot dish burned my hand. (extremely describes an adjective: how

hot)

I ran very quickly to the car. (very describes the adverb quickly which describes

how I ran)

Prepositions connect a noun to something else in the sentence. They can show location,

position, or time.

The crowd ran under the bleachers. (under connects the bleachers to ran, it shows

where they ran)

I did my homework after supper. (after connects supper to doing homework, it

shows when)

Conjunctions join words or groups of words. They are connectors.

Cake and ice cream go well together. (and connects cake with ice cream)

Did you go to the game or stay home? (or connects go to the game with stay home)

Interjections show feelings. They are outsiders, not really part of the sentence.

Well, it seems like that to me.

Shoot! We lost the game.

More on Verbs:

Verbs show action or state of being. The verb is the most important part of any sentence. Every

sentence must have at least one verb. A sentence may have multiple verbs.

There are several kinds of verbs.

Action verbs show some kind of action.

o Transitive verbs are action verbs which have a direct object

o Intransitive verbs are action verbs with no direct object

Linking verbs show state of being. What comes after the verb describes or

renames the subject of the sentence.

o They are often related to the five senses.

o Some common linking verbs include is, am, are, was, were, seem, become,

smell (not the action), feel (not the action), look (not the action), sound,

taste (not the action)

Helping verbs come before other verbs and alter the meaning of the main verb in

some way

o to be a helping verb these must come directly before another verb

o the forms of to be with an "ing" verb make "progressive" tenses: is, am,

are, was, were, be, being, been

o the forms of to have with a past participle make "perfect" tenses: have,

has, had

o other common helping verbs include: do, does, did, may, might, must, can,

could, will, would, shall, should

A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought.

A sentence should always begin with a capital letter and end with one of three "end marks"

(period, question mark, or exclamation point).

The Major Parts of a Sentence:

A sentence consists of two main parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the part of a sentence that shows who or what is doing something or what is being

discussed.

The simple subject is the subject without any adjectives or any other descriptors (a noun

or pronoun).

o Ex: The two small boys in the backyard played marbles.

The complete subject is the simple subject and all the words that modify it.

o Ex: The two small boys in the backyard played marbles.

A compound subject has two or more simple subjects.

o Ex. The two boys and their fathers played marbles.

The predicate is the part of the sentence that shows what the subject is doing or says something

about the subject.

The simple predicate is the verb without any of the other words that go with it.

o Ex. My sister gave me twenty-seven blue Christmas ornaments.

The complete predicate is the verb and all the words that go with it.

o Ex. My sister gave me twenty-seven blue Christmas ornaments.

A compound predicate has two or more simple predicates:

o Ex. My sister gave me the ornaments then took them back.

Diagramming Sentences

Why Diagram Sentences?

Diagramming sentences has been a little out of style, so to speak, among language arts teachers

in the last decade or two. It is now, however, becoming popular once more as another tool that

can help many students understand sentence structure. For students who are visual or even

kinesthetic learners, it may be the best way to analyze how a sentence works, and to understand

various types of verbs, phrases, and structures.

I have found that more of my students understand concepts like "direct object" and "linking

verb" using diagrams than other methods of sentence analysis. It won't work for everyone, but no

one method ever does. I do think it can be a very useful tool in the teaching of sentence-level

grammar.

Diagramming Lesson 1: Getting started

As always, the first step in understanding any sentence, at least in the English language (and in

every other language I've studied), is to identify the verb or verbs. "What is happening?" "What's

going on?" "What is the action in this sentence?" The main verb, along with any auxiliaries

(helping verbs) is the simple predicate, and is placed on the right side of a horizontal line:

The second step is to find the subject. Ask yourself "who or what is performing that verb?" The

simple subject (without any adjectives or other modifiers) is placed on the left side of that

horizontal line. A vertical line crosses the horizontal line and separates the simple subject from

the simple predicate.

So a simple sentence like "Mary has eaten." would diagram as:

A more complicated sentence like "The girl in the corner in the blue shirt has eaten fried eggs for

breakfast every day of her life." would still start the diagram with the simple subject and

predicate:

Another interesting case is the command form in English, where no subject is present. In that

case, the subject of the sentence is "the understood you" and is shown as such, in parentheses. So

a command like "Listen!" would be diagrammed:

So what? So, you have figured out the core of the sentence, the simple subject and simple

predicate. Everything else branches off those two basic pieces.

Diagramming Lesson 2: Modifiers

Once you have figured out the core of the sentence (the simple subject and the simple predicate)

you have a base diagram (from Lesson 1):

Now everything else branches off those two basic pieces.

Adjectives

Since adjectives describe or modify nouns, they branch off the noun. For example, in the

sentence, "The tall girl has eaten." the adjectives "the" and "tall" describe the "girl." On the

diagram, they are inserted on slanted lines underneath "girl."

Adverbs

Since adverbs describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, they branch off whatever

they are describing. For example, in the sentence,"The very tall girl did not run particularly

quickly." the adverb "very" modifies "tall"; "not" and "quickly" modify "run"; and "particularly"

modifies "quickly." On the diagram, they are inserted on slanted lines underneath the words they

modify.

Diagramming Lesson 3: Verb Complements and Types of Verbs

To review, the first step in understanding any sentence, at least in the English language (and in

every other language I've studied), is to identify the verb or verbs. Ask yourself "What is

happening?"

The second step is to find the subject. Ask yourself "who or what is performing that verb?"

And we’ve seen how to add modifiers like adjective and adverbs to these simple sentences.

The third major step is to find any verb complements and what type of verb you have. Verb

complements “complete” the verb. You already know about helping verbs (auxiliaries). The

other three types of verbs are “intransitive,” “linking,” and “transitive.” They each have a

different type of complement. So to figure out what kind of verb you have, find the complement,

if there is one.

To do this, ask yourself “[subject] [verb] what?” Anything that answers that question is a verb

complement of some kind.

In a diagram, verb complements go on the main line after the verb.

INTRANSITIVE VERBS:

(a) Mr. Smith will arrive tomorrow.

(1) What is happening: WILL ARRIVE – “arrive” is the main verb, “will” is a helping verb

(2) Who or what will arrive?: MR. SMITH – “Mr. Smith” is the subject

(3) Mr. Smith will arrive what?: huh? that doesn’t make sense; there is no answer to the question.

So there is no verb complement.

If there is no verb complement, the main verb is an INTRANSITIVE verb. Intransitive verbs

are verbs that stand alone, with no complement. So in example (a), the verb “arrive” is

intransitive.

LINKING VERBS

(b) My brother seems sad today.

(1) What is happening: SEEMS – “seems” is the verb

(2) Who or what seems?: MY BROTHER – “brother” is the subject, “my” describes him

(3) John seems what?: SAD – “sad” is some kind of verb complement

If there is a complement, you need to figure out if the complement describes or renames the

subject. If it does, the verb is a LINKING verb. Linking verbs “link” the subject and the verb

complement. In example (b), “sad” describes “brother,” so the verb “seems” is a linking verb.

On a diagram, we show the link by using a line that slants back towards the subject.

“Sad” is an adjective describing the subject, but comes after the verb (simple predicate). This

type of complement is called a predicate adjective.

(c) My best friend is a lawyer.

(1) What is happening: IS – “is” is the verb

(2) Who or what is?: FRIEND – “friend” is the subject, “my” and “best” describes her

(3) Friend is what?: LAWYER – “lawyer” is some kind of verb complement, “a” describes it

In example (c), “lawyer” describes or renames “friend,” so the verb “is” is a linking verb.

Since “lawyer” is a noun instead of an adjective, it is called a predicate noun (sometimes called

predicate nominative). Linking verbs are always followed by a predicate noun or predicate

adjective.

Common linking verbs:

The most common linking verb is the verb “to be” – and all its forms: is, am, are, was, were, etc.

Other common linking verbs are: seem, become, appears to be, and sense verbs like: smells,

looks, feels, tastes, sounds

TRANSITIVE VERBS

(d) Mary ate spaghetti.

(1) What is happening: ATE – “ate” is the verb

(2) Who or what ate?: MARY – “Mary” is the subject

(3) Mary ate what?: SPAGHETTI – “spaghetti” is some kind of verb complement

If there is a complement, but it is not linked to the subject, the verb is TRANSITIVE. Transitive

verbs transfer action to the complement. Since the complement is not related to the subject,

the line separating it from the verb is not slanted back to the subject.

So in example (d), “ate” happened to the “spaghetti,” and “ate” is a transitive verb. “Spaghetti” is

the object that the verb happens to, and is called the direct object. Transitive verbs are followed

by direct objects.

Diagramming Lesson 4: Conjunctions -- Compound Sentences

As you remember, a conjunction is a word that joins words or groups of words.

The most common conjunctions are and, but, and or. Some conjunctions come in pairs, like

either...or, neither...nor, and not only...but also.

A sentence with two or more subjects or two or more verbs is called a compound sentence.

In a diagram, when there is a conjunction the line branches, and the branches are connected by

dotted line(s) on which the conjunction is shown:

(a) Bob and Joe had hamburgers yesterday.

(b) Either my mother or my sister will drive us home tonight.

(c) Frank's girlfriend sings well but can not dance.

Diagramming Lesson 5: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Prepositions are small words such as "with" and "into" that themselves are difficult to define in

words. Prepositions create a relationship between other words in a sentence by linking phrases to

the rest of the sentence. Prepositions can be found virtually anywhere in the sentence.They are

always followed by an object (noun or pronoun). Together, the preposition and its object are

called a prepositional phrase.

Prepositional phrases often indicate location or time.

Common prepositions of space/location include the following:

against

around

above

at

across

among

behind

between

below

beneath

beside

beyond

by

down

from

in

into

inside

off

on

out

outside

over

past

through

to

toward

under

underneath

up

Other common prepositions include

about

after

before

but

concerning

during

except

for

like

of

regarding

since

until

with

without

To diagram a prepositional phrase, the preposition is written on a line slanting down from

whatever the phrase modifies. Then the object is written on a horizontal line branching off the

preposition. Any adjectives then hang below the object:

Example (a) Brittany went to the beach.

Example (b) The girl in the corner is my sister.

Diagramming Lesson 6: Interjections

As you remember, interjections express emotion or feelings and are basically unconnected to the

rest of the sentence. They are usually set apart from the sentence by an exclamation mark or a

comma. Interjections usually occur at the beginning (or ocasionally the end) of a sentence.

Examples of interjections include:

Oh Oh my Gosh Oops Darn

Hey Hooray Eek Shoot Rats

To diagram interjections, place them on a seperate line above the sentence, usually above and to

the left of the subject:

Example (a) Hey! This coffee is too hot.

Example (b) Darn, my favorite team just lost the most important game of the season.

Proofreading Marks

Mark Meaning Example

Begin a new paragraph

No ¶ Do not begin a new paragraph "Hi," said Marie. No ¶

"I hear you went to Tommy's last night."

Put a period here

Capitalize this letter

/ Make this letter lowercase

Insert something

Delete something

___ Delete this word (these

words) John came to the party and Matt came to the party.

# Add space

Delete the extra space

Spelling error

Word choice (this isn't the

correct word)

Run-on sentence

Sentence Fragment

Daily Sentence Corrections

Find the errors in the following sentences, mark them with the proofreading marks, and then recopy them correctly. Next, copy the definition for the word of the day.

1st Nine Weeks 2nd Nine Weeks 3rd Nine Weeks 4th Nine Weeks

#1 three days a week in this spot you will be regaled with the dramtic story of general

animal hospital

#2 hairy beast an inoffensive beastie with green fur was a grossly ugly but gentle aminal

#3 once he was madly in luv with hilda hippo a comely hippopotamus with a hard heart

#4 fickle hilda however decided that hairy beast was to ugly for her

#5 hilda the mean lady could no longer stand hairys repulsive warty visage

#6 so she wrote him a nasty vituperative letter to tell him of her feelings

#7

4321 rue street

hogtown florida

september 5 2004

#8

dear hairy

your a grotesque ugly beast. i do not love you. their, thats it!!

hatefully yours

hilda

#9 hairy beast recieved this odious letter on september 10 2004

#10 he cried copious tears tore out tufts of green fur and demolished hiss apartment like a

wild beest

#11 his demeanor was like that of a dog who had lost its favorite squeakie toy missed

supper and bin scolded

#12 poor sad woebegone hairy was totally destroyed and his heart had been broken and

stomped on and abused

#13 bertha boa was a sweat thoughtful and kind serpent

#14 she heerd hairys laments and she slithered to hiss apartment to investigate

#15 oh boy she found the door ajar and a total mess inside but hairy was nowhere to be

seen

#16 wow bertha rummaged for unfortunate grotesque hairy under the bed inn the fridge

and behind the boots in the closset

#17 bertha searched everywhere and could not find hairy yet she still hears dolorous sobs

echoing threw the trashed messy appartment

#18 bertha became really perturbed so she goes back to her apartment too write a note to

her freind wilfred warthog

#19

1234 chafe street

hogtown florida 32609

september 30 2002

#20

dear wilfred

what is wrong with are freind hairy beast. he seems to have been desolated by

something

#21

lets try two console him and maybe hell come out of hiding

love

bertha

#22 wilfred thought that bertha had a good idea so he wrote hairy a short consoling epistle

#23

6543 dross street

hogtown florida 32609

october 2 2002

#24

deer hairy

well old chum where have you been and what is wrong with you that you can’t

answer you’re door are you all right

your freind

wilfred

#25 wilfred wrote hairy the pompous note and bertha sent him a bouquet of flower’s

#26 when the doorbell rang hairy hoping it was news from hilda crept out from his hiding

place in the bathtub and agitatedly answers the door

#27 he adored the flowers from bertha but he was insulted by wilfreds inadvertently

unkind note

#28 hairy felt overwhelmed and he had been jilted by his girl insulted by his freind and

had his warts vilified

#29 he burst anew into tears. then he shredded the flowers and ate them tears flowing onto

the stems like rain

#30 luckily wilfred realized that his epistle might of been pompous and he went to visit

hairy to atone for his booboo

#31 yes when he arrived at hairys apartment wilfred found his freind on the floor

saturated in his own tears

#32 the remnants of berthas flowers hung from hairys lips

#33 wilfred gathered hairy up in his arms apologized for his gaffe and listens too hairys

tale of woe

#34 wilfred then said lets go tell that nasty nerd of a hippopotamus to plummet off a cliff

#35 hairy sniveled yes!

#36 then lets persevere hairy said wilfred

#37 hairy and wilfred then went to hildas abode and they boldly nocked on the door

#38 when hilda answered the door hairy showed her all his warts stuck out his tongue and

sounds a loud raucous bronx cheer

#39 hard-harted hilda still loathed hairy and she slams the door and shrieked get out of

my life you vile beast

#40 hairy took umbrage at hildas cruel words so him and wilfred went to see bertha

#41 yes lets go right now bewailed hairy

#42 they trekked to berthas abode and wrang the bell

#43 bertha answered the door. Salutations hairy and wilfred she greeted

#44 the three freinds sit down and talked. lets forget about hilda hairy remonstrated

bertha

#45 wow what a subject to forget said wilfred. bertha said hairy i’ll never get over my

winsome hilda

#46 wilfred took hairys hand well help you hairy he said. how wilfred lamented hairy

#47 a trip said bertha. no another gril clamored wilfred. stop it my friends cried hairy

#48 i think ill go into quiet uninterrupted seclusion he continued

#49 i want to be left alone all by my lonesome miserable self to abate the pain of losing

my lovely winsome hilda hairy finished

#50 if thats what you want hairy echoed bertha and wilfred together. bye my good friends

whispered hairy

#51 although poor sad hairy was still despondent he trekked to the market for food

#52 their he purchased bags of candy cantaloupe and ambrosial brussel sprouts

#53 he then goes home put the food away cowered in his closet and shut the door behind

him

#54 yes hairy went into hibernation until he could recover from his calamitous

unfortunate love affair with the nasty vituperative hilda

#55 meanwhile hilda went her own noxious nasty way

#56 bertha and wilfred continued their lives without they’re prime friend hairy beast

#57 hairy the poor thing uttered to himself over and over i dont love hilda and i do hate

hilda

#58 while all this was going on other inhabitants of hogtown florida were embroiled in

there own problems

#59 ingenuous wilfred and kind bertha discussed the lastest develop ments

#60 bertha have you gleaned any knews aboutthe newest inhabitant of hogtown florida

aksed wil fred

#61 no wilfred bertha Disclaimed

#62 well his name is eggbert and hes wierdlooking retorted wilfred. oh asked bertha

#63 well he has a long gray nose that Hangs down like a pendulum and he ways a ton

wilfred continued

#64 he sounds like a homely grotesque Ele phant cried bertha and i do'nt want to meat

him

#65 u havent ascertained the worst bertha saidwilfred

#66 whats that? hes an elitist

#67 forget about him and we dont need no snobs said bertha yeah assented wilfred. hey

lets hav a party he added

#68 bertha dispatched invitations to there party and wildred dispatched invitations to

there party and they even invited hilda the nasty hippo

#69 kind sweet bertha even expedited an invitation to eggbert the weird elitist elephant

#70 bertha popped popcorn and wilfred popped popcorn to provide plenty of fodder for

they're party the biggest event in hogtown florida all year

#71 just before the guests begain to arrive wilfred phoned hairy beast to implore him to

come to the party

#72 i just dont fell up to it wilfred bemoaned hairy

#73 im reading a good book hear in my closet and its called the malevolent and nasty

hipppopotamus and it fits my mood

#74 abandon that stupid book and come to are party. itll do you some good insisted

wilfred

#75 wheres you're backbone man you cant just sit and vegetate in a closet for the rest of

your life he added

#76 you have a point conceded hairy as he pondered a lonely existence with out hilda

#77 hairy as an added Attraction there will be a plethora of lovelyfemale aminals said

wilfred

#78 ok ill bustle over their you nice freind concluded hairy

#79 meanwhile bertha greeted several cronies from around hogtown florida. each one had

brung their homemade goodies to share

#80 she introduced everyone and then offered them hors d'oeuvres and punch

#81 the guests conversed while music blared from the panasonic speakers

#82 someone played aerosmiths angel and a score of hip animals began to boogie

#83 about an hour later wilfred discovered that milton monkey had pluged the Toilet with

popcorn and hung strands of spageti from the chandelier

#84 he notised that several aminals laffed giddily and through popcorn at each other and

this is getting out of hand he moaned

#85 at that point he noticed hilda and she was dancing with eggbert as she gaized into his

beady eyes

#86 oh eggbert she simpered your the best Dancer and Dresser in hogtown florda and i've

never met no-one like you before

#87 yeah i know he answered with conceit as he nonchalantly flexed his mussels

#88 just then hairy arrived in his striped bell-bottoms. wilfred quashed a chuckle and said

your just in time. im going to need help taming this group

#89 hairy spied hilda dancing on top of the coffee table with eggbert and at that moment

he realized her slovenliness

#90 hilda saw hairy spun around and swooned in eggberts outstretched arms. she was

light as a tank

#91 eggbert whispered into her ear get a look at the ugly dude in the bell-bottoms he

mocked

#92 thus began the torrid love affair between hilda and eggbert

#93 several weeks after the party hogtown florida buzzed with the latest scoop

#94 the 2 rapscallions had broken up

#95 hilda fell for eggbert and got jilted bertha told hairy. shes taking off with milton

monkey to go to tibet to see if she can change. oh replied hairy

#96 all the aminals lifes will be better off without her interjected wilfred

#97 i love you bertha and wilfred said hairy. you 2 are my staunch freinds

#98 wow hairy finally shunned hilda. him and bertha and wilfred happily continued there

lifes

#99 ill be back for another escapade thought hilda as her plane took off. your not rid of

me yet

#100 all the animals in hogtown florida except mean hilda and snooty eggbert wish you a

good vacation

General Animal Hospital (Hairy Beast)

#1: regale: (v.) to give unusual pleasure to; to delight

#2: inoffensive: (adj.) giving no offense; causing no insult

#3: comely: (adj.) pleasing in appearance; attractive

#4: fickle: (adj.) inconstant in feeling; prone to changing their mind

#5: visage: (n.) face

#6: vituperative: (adj.) abusive; insulting

#7: rue: (v.) to regret

#8: grotesque: (adj.) odd-looking; bizarre; extremely ugly or misshapen

#9: odious: (adj.) causing hate or disgust

#10: copious: (adj.) abundant, ample in quantity, a lot

#11: demeanor (n.) facial expression, behavior, displayed attitude

#12: woebegone (adj.) depressed, sad

#13: serpent (n.) a snake, especially a large or poisonous one

#14: lament (n.) loud sorrowful cry or wail

#15: ajar (adj.) slightly open

#16: rummaged (v.) looked for something by turning things over and making a mess

#17: dolorous (adj.) full of sorrow

#18: perturbed (adj.) upset; agitated

#19: chafe (v.) to hurt or make sore by rubbing

#20: desolated (adj.) destroyed, extremely sad

#21: console (v.) to comfort, make someone feel better

#22: epistle (n.) a letter to someone

#23: scoff: (v.) laugh scornfully

#24: chum (n.) friend

#25: pompous (adj.) overbearing, full of themselves, formal

#26: agitatedly: (adv.) with excitement; in an upset manner

#27: inadvertently: (adv.) accidentally, without intention

#28: vilified: (v.) spoken about abusively; insulted; slandered

#29: anew: (adv.) again

#30: atone: (v.) to make amends; make up for something

#31: saturated: (adj.) soaked

#32: remnants: (n.) leftovers, remains

#33: gaffe (n.) a clumsy mistake

#34: plummet: (v.) to drop straight down

#35: sniveled (v.) cried in a snuffling manner

#36: persevere: (v.) keep trying, persist

#37: abode: (n.) home

#38: raucous (adj.) noisy and rowdy

#39: loathed: (v.) hated

#40: took umbrage at (v.) took offense at, was insulted by

#41: bewailed: (v.) lamented, cried loudly

#42: trekked: (v.) traveled slowly, with difficulty

#43: salutations (n.) greetings

#44: remonstrated: (v.) scolded, protested

#45: winsome (adj.) charming, attractive

#46: lamented: (v.) expressed sadness, cried loudly

#47: clamored: (v.) shouted; made loud, persistent noise

#48: seclusion (n.) solitude; being alone, separated from others

#49: abate: (v.) reduce in quantity, lessen

#50: echoed (v.) repeated the sound of

#51: despondent: (adj.) dejected, sad, depressed

#52: ambrosial: (adj.) extremely delicious

#53: cowered (v.) crouched down trembling, as in fear or other strong emotion

#54: calamitous: (adj.) causing or resulting from calamity (disaster)

#55: noxious (adj.) poisonous

#56: prime: (adj.) first rate, chief

#57: uttered: (v.) said, spoke

#58: embroiled (adj.) involved in conflict

#59: ingenuous: (adj.) honest, innocent

#60: gleaned (v.) collected through patient effort

#61: disclaimed: (v.) denied, disagreed

#62: retorted: (v.) talked back to

#63: pendulum (n.) an item swinging to and fro hanging from a fixed point

#64: homely: (adj.) plain, everyday, slightly ugly even

#65: ascertained (v.) found out

#66: elitist: (adj.) believing that some people are better than others

#67: assented: (v.) agreed, concurred

#68: dispatched (v.) sent, especially in some official manner

#69: expedited: (v.) speeded up the process or progress of something

#70: fodder (n.) coarse feed, as for livestock

#71: implore: (v.) to beg, plead, beseech, entreat

#72: bemoaned: (v.) lamented, cried, complained

#73: malevolent (adj.) wishing evil toward others; malicious

#74: abandon: (v.) to desert, forsake

#75: vegetate (v.) to grow as a plant; act like a plant

#76: conceded: (v.) accepted as correct

#77: plethora: (adj.) superabundance, lots and lots

#78: bustle (v.) scurry, move in a hurry

#79: cronies: (n.) friends, buddies

#80: hors d'oeuvres (n.) appetizers, served before a meal

#81: conversed: (v.) talked together casually

#82: score: (n.) a group of twenty

#83: chandelier (n.) a branched light fixture

#84: giddily: (adv.) in a dizzy way

#85: beady (adj.) small and glittering, like a bead

#86: simpered: (v.) smirked, smiled in a silly self-conscious way

#87: nochalantly: (adv.) casually, indifferently

#88: quashed (v.) squashed, cancelled, stopped

#89: slovenliness: (n.) untidiness, sloppiness

#90: swooned (v.) fainted

#91: mocked: (v.) made fun of

#92: torrid: (adj.) hot

#93: scoop (n.) a news story gotten before anyone else had it

#94: rapscallions: (n.) scamps, rascals

#95: jilted (v.) dumped, broke up with

#96: interjected: (v.) interrupted, stuck in

#97: staunch: (adj.) trustworthy, constant, loyal

#98: shunned (v.) avoided, ignored

#99: escapade: (n.) adventure, especially a reckless or mischievous one

#100: snooty (adj.) snobbish

My eighth grade Language Arts classes will enter the “Great Mail Race.” The race gives eighth

graders a chance to correspond with other students all over the country while they practice their

letter-writing skills.

1. Step One: In the “Great Mail Race,” each student selects three towns in three different

states, using an atlas. Then they find a middle school in that town using a school search

website:

http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

2. Step Two: The students compose the letter using the following format:

o Paragraph one: Tell about the “Mail Race.”

o Paragraph two: Tell about self.

o Paragraph three: Tell about school.

o Paragraph four: Tell about community and area.

o Paragraph five: Conclude, thank reader, and ask for reply.

We then type the letters in class.

3. Step Three: The student letter and cover letter from the teacher are sent to each of the

three towns. A student in Denver received over forty letters from her three towns.

We will prepare and address the envelopes in class, using the addresses found in step one

as follows:

Eighth Grade English Teacher

(school name)

(school address)

(city), (State) (Zip Code)

We will use the school address for the return address as follows:

(Student name)

C/O (Teacher name)

Logan-Hocking Middle School

1 Middle School Dr.

Logan, OH 43138

Students must provide stamps or money for stamps. If this is a financial issue, please see

me.

Prewriting

There are two basic reasons we write: 1) we want to write: there's something we want to say, a

story we want to tell. OR, 2) we have to write because someone with power tells us we have to

write something.

How we begin the writing process depends on which basic reason we have for the task. When

we're writing because we WANT to, it's usually easier to get started: we start writing whatever it

is we want to say. When we're writing because we HAVE to, it's harder.

When you're writing because you have to, use The Rule of Three:

Three main ideas

o three supporting ideas for each

three details or examples, etc.

Depending on how long a piece you have to write, keep doing sets of three. Three seems to be

the magic number.

If you get all those onto your pre-write (examples below), writing the actual text is easy. For a

standard school five-paragraph essay, you only need three main ideas with three supporting

details for each. Depending on your style, you may prefer a graphic organizer (such as the

example on the left below) or you may prefer an outline (such as the example on the right).

Graphic Organizer Outline

I. Introduction

II. Body

A. Main idea #1

1. supporting detail

2. supporting detail

3. supporting detail

B. Main idea #2

1. supporting detail

2. supporting detail

3. supporting detail

C. Main idea #3

1. supporting detail

2. supporting detail

3. supporting detail

III. Conclusion

Either style of pre-write will do; they have the same information. Choose whichever type fits

your personal style.