Punctuation, Word Choice, and Spelling

Respond to this Quotation

"The writer who neglects punctuation, or

mispunctuates, is liable to be misunderstood.”

- Edgar Allan Poe

Punctuation

Apostrophes

Apostrophes

Use #1: The ‘ replaces missing letters in a contraction.

We are = we’reShe is= she’s*Be careful of its and it’s:

Its= possessive form; It’s = it is.

 

Apostrophe

Use #2: The ‘ is used to form the plurals of letters and numbers.

The 1960’s were groovy!There are too many o’s in the word

“toooooooooooooooo”.*When shortening a year put the ‘ before the last two

digits.

Ex. I graduated high school in ’03.

ApostrophesUse #3: The ‘ is used to form

possessives (to show ownership). There are three rules which must be

memorized: 

1. Of a singular noun: Add ‘S Girl’s dress; man’s car

2. Of a plural noun that does not end in S: Add ‘S Women’s dresses; men’s cars

3. Of a plural noun that ends in S: Just add the ‘ Friends’ books, nurses’ uniforms

Apostrophe(ask yourself: “Is it more than one or just

one?” If it is one of anything on earth add ‘s. If it is more than one, ask yourself: Does it already end is s?” If it does, just add’)

 Together, let’s add the ‘ where needed.Her mother smileWomen workSeveral boys bikes

Apostrophe Practice

1. Please complete exercises 1 & 2 in your punctuation guide packet.

2. Turn to pages 310-315 in your workbooks. *We’ve already completed these, but now that you know the rules make any corrections that you need to make.

SemicolonsUse #1: We use a ; to glue two

sentences together: I’m not going out; it is raining 

Use #2: We use a ; when there are already commas in a series of things:

Elmira, New York; Horseheads, New York; and Ithaca, New York are all nice towns.

ColonUse #1: We use a : after the

greeting of a business letter: Dear Sir or Madam:

Use #2: We use a : to introduce a list of items:

Bring the following: a pen, a pencil, paper, and your book.

Extra Uses

Use #3: We use a : between the numbers in the time of day, locations in a book, or separating the primary and secondary heading of a book.8:00amGenesis 1:5Hopeful: A Tale of Surviving

Cancer

Colon

Now you try: Insert needed colons.1. Dear Mr. President2. He ate the following foods

pizza, hot dogs, chips, and cake.

3. The book is titled Great Danes A Complete Breed Profile.

Practice

1.Complete Exercise 3 and 4 in your packet.

2.Complete pages 292 and 295

What do these three pictures have

in common?

THE MIGHTY COMMAUSES: 

1. in a series:1. We read, write, and speak English.

2. separating several adjectives:1. I want a bright, shiny, new bike.

3. separating introductory words and clauses:1. Yes, the Yankees are still in first place.

4. with interrupters:1. You may, of course, choose not to believe that.

THE MIGHTY COMMA5. When speaking directly to someone.

Don’t cry, Derek.

6. With appositives: Mr. Carpenter, our favorite teacher,

doesn’t like the Red Sox.

7. With first, second, and third:First, Mr. Carpenter is always right;

second, The Giants are in first place, not second; third, it won’t be long until they win again.

Practice BreakAs a class, let’s insert the commas:My favorite colors are green purple and blue. I teach smart funny talented students. English is of course the best class ever.The best school Drakes Creek Middle School is

the one we attend.First we will do our work; second we might play

jeopardy.

www.chompchomp.com

Practicewww.grammarbytes.comComplete exercise 5 in your packet

for homework! When you’re finished, please begin

showing your ability to use apostrophes, semicolons, colons, and the first 7 uses of commas (make that connection from practice to USAGE).

How are You Doing so Far?

(on your own paper)Apostrophes:

Use #1 – 1 sentence Use #2 – 1 sentence Use #3 – 3 sentences (1 for

each rule)Semicolons

Use #1 – 1 sentence Use #2 – 1 sentence

Colons Use #1 – 1 example Use #2 – 1 sentence Use #3 – an example of

eachCommas (1st 7 uses)

Use #1 - 1 sentence Use #2 – 1 sentence Use #3 – 1 sentence Use #4 – 1 sentence Use #5 – 1 sentence Use #6 – 1 sentence Use #7 – 1 sentence

Circle your correct usage of these punctuation marks in each sentence!

THE MIGHTY COMMA8. after the greeting and closing in a friendly letter

Dear Sue, Love,

9. between the date of the month and the year: October 31, 2007

10. between the city and the state: Horseheads, New York

11. to show a pause and/or to group words so that they make sense:

After eating, Otis always takes a nap.

THE MIGHTY COMMA12. to set off words right before or after a quotation: Mr. Carpenter said, “Good effort.”“Good effort,” Mr. Carpenter said.

13. with words that give extra information but don’t need to be there to have a complete sentence:

The students, who all have Mr. C., think English rocks.

14. in a compound sentence :A storm came; but, school did not close.

COMMA PRACTICE

Complete exercise 5 & 6 in your packet.Commas (last 7 uses)

Use #8 - 1 sentence Use #9 – 1 sentence Use #10 – 1 sentence Use #11– 1 sentence Use #12– 1 sentence Use #13– 1 sentence Use #14– 1 sentence

Circle your correct usage of these punctuation marks in each sentence!

Word Choice

Many words in the English language sound EXACTLY the same, yet their spelling and meanings are VERY different.

WHY do we need to learn the correct words to use when they sound the same anyways???

Word ChoiceTheir, There, or They’re

Their: The possessive form of “they”, which means it is used to show ownership or belonging. If something belongs to them, it is their item.

*Usually followed by a noun!

Example: Michael and Lola left their car at home as it was a fine night.

There

There: If you are talking about a place or location, then you need the word “there.” This word indicates where something goes or where something is.

Example: Michael dropped his coat on the floor. Lola said, “Don’t put it there, Michael. Hang it on a hook.”

They’reThey’re: a contraction of “they are”,

with the apostrophe showing where the letter “a” has been left out. If you sound it out fully in the sentence and it sounds right, then you’ve got the right one. Otherwise, it must be one of the other two.

Example: “Where are my parents meeting us?” asked Lola. “They’re meeting us at the restaurant,” said Michael.

Their, There, and They’re

Once you have these three straight, then you can easily make sense of a sentence like this:

“Their car is being repaired, so they’re taking a cab to get there,” said Michael.

Word ChoiceYour vs. You’re

Your is the second person possessive adjective, used to describe something as belonging to you. Your is nearly always followed by a noun.What is your name?Is this your pen?Your book is on the table.

Word Choice

You’re is the contraction of "you are" and is often followed by a present participle (verb form ending in -ing).You're going to be late.Is that what you're wearing?I think you're lying.

Word Choice

Bottomline - no exceptions - is that if you're able to replace the word

with "you are," you're saying you're. Otherwise, your only choice is your.On your notes, write 4 sentences.2 correctly using YOUR2 correctly using YOU’RE

Word ChoiceLose, Loose

Lose is only a verb. To lose means to suffer a loss, to be deprived of, to part with, or to fail to keep possession of something.Lose four games in a row in the NFL and you’re pretty

much finished.

Loose is mainly and adjective used to describe things that are not tightly fitted.Make sure your rope isn’t loose before you repel off of

that cliff.

Word ChoiceLoss, Lost

Loss: used as a noun. A loss is an abstract noun that represents something that has been lost.Sarah suffered a great loss when she wrecked

her new car.Lost: a verb or a verbal (past participle)…

looks like a verb, but is actually describing something or someone.I can’t find my cleats, they’re lost.

Word ChoiceWho vs. Whom

Who: should be used in the subject position in a sentence.Who made this decision?

Whom: should be used in the object position, and also is usually after a preposition.For whom/to whom/from whom

Word ChoiceUse the he/him method to decide which

word is correct.he = whohim = whomWho/Whom wrote the letter?He wrote

the letter. Therefore, who is correct.For who/whom should I vote?Should I

vote for him? Therefore, whom is correct.We all know who/whom pulled that

prank.

Word ChoiceWho’s vs. Whose

Who’s: a contraction of who is or who has.Who’s that over by the pool?

Whose: the possessive form of who or which.Whose towel is on the ground?

Word Choice

Think of it this way: If you were to replace it with who is or who has, would it work? If yes, you want who’s. If not, you want whose.

Word ChoiceGood vs. Well

Good is an adjective describing someone or something.

Well is an adverb answering the question how.

You did a good job.Good describes job, which is a noun, so good is an adjective.

You did the job well.Well answers how the job was performed, making it an adverb.

Word ChoiceTo, Too, Two

To: a preposition before a noun or as an infinitive before a verb. Lets go to the movies.I want to go dancing!

Word ChoiceToo: a synonym for also or to

indicate excessiveness before a verb. Usually, if you can replace too with

also in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly.Can Brent come too?I ate too much!

Word ChoiceTwo: spells out the number 2. If you can replace two

with 2 in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly. This should be the easiest one!I have two hands and two feet.

Rule: Numbers 1-10 you spell out when writing; numbers 11 and up you may use the actual numbers!Who wants to write out one million, six

hundred seventy thousand, and forty two?????Now, writing out ten or six, that I can do.

Spelling Words1. tremendous2. moccasin3. beneficial4. synchronize5. believe6. thoroughly7. chronological

8. retrieve9. glimpse10.weird11.mediocre12.perception13.irrelevant14.perspective

15.preliminary16.naïve17.perceive18.deceitful19.preferable20.commemorat

e

Good Spelling Habits1. Pronounce the words correctly when you

speak.2. Slow down and spell by syllables3. Use a dictionary anytime you have a

question4. Keep a spelling notebook to list and review

words that are difficult for you5. Proofread for careless spelling errors

WHENEVER you write

ie and eiWARNING: there are exceptions

to the following rule, but it is the most common for deciding which to use. Other than this rule, your only option is to memorize spellings.

ie and eiUse ie when the sound is a long e, except

after cI before Eexcept after Cor when

sounding like AYas in neighbor and weigh

Examples: belief, receiptExceptions: either, neither, leisure

ie and eiWrite ei when the sound is a short e

or a long a.Examples:

Neighbor, forfeit, weightEXCEPTIONS: ancient, conscience,

friend (all short e’s)

-sede, -ceed, and -cedeIn the English language, the only word ending

in –sede is supersede. The only words ending in –ceed:

exceedproceedsucceed.

Most other words with this sound end in –cede.Examples: concede, intercede, precede, recede

Practice

1. Do pages 327-329 in your workbooks (due tomorrow)

2. Write each of your spelling words in cursive 5 times (due Thursday)

Prefixes and Suffixes

Using your chart, fill in the following information.

PrefixesPrefixes: when adding a prefix to a

word, do not change the spelling of the actual word itself, you simply throw it on the front of the word.Examples:

Im +prove = improveDis+ solve = dissove

Suffixes Rule 1Suffixes: when adding the suffix –ly or –ness to

a word, do not dhange the spelling of the actual word!Example:

Careful + ly = carefullyCalm + ness = calmness

Exceptions: For words that end in y and have more than one syllable, change the y to i before adding –ly or –ness.

merry+ ly = merrily busy + ness = business

Suffixes Rule 2Drop the final silent e before adding a suffix

beginning with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u)Examples:

Age + ing = agingFreeze + able = freezable

Exceptions: keep the final silent e in a word ending in ce or ge before adding a suffix beginning with a or oExamples: traceable, dyeing, and mileage

Suffixes Rule 3Keep the final silent e before adding a

suffix beginning with a consonantExamples:

place + ment = placementFace + less = faceless

Exceptions:Ninth, truly, awful, argument,

judgment, wholly

Suffixes Rule 4For words ending in y preceded by a

consonant, change the y to i before any suffix that does not begin with i.

Examples: Fancy + ful = fancifulScurry + ing = scurrying

Suffixes Rule 5For words ending in y preceded by a vowel,

keep the y when adding a suffix.Examples:

Play + ing = playingDeploy + able = deployable

Exceptions: Day + ly = dailyLay + ed = laidPay + ed = paidSay + ed = said

Suffixes Rule 6Double the final consonant before adding a

suffix beginning with a vowel if the word:1. has only one syllable or has the accent on

the last syllable2. ends in a single consonant preceded by a

single wordExamples:

Bat + ed = battedRun + er = runnerBegin + ing = beginning

Practice

1. Complete pages 330-334 in your workbooks

2. Continue practicing writing your spelling words (test tomorrow)