Welcome to More Skills for March 20 and 21, 2024!
Today, as we often do, we will begin with a review of areas we have studied, and we will continue with some new skills we will learn! Part One. Idiom Review Directions: Please select True or False, based on whether the idiom is being used correctly! 1. True False When we say it was "the straw that broke the camel's back," we mean there was an accumulation of events that led up to a person making a major decision; the final situation was not the only part that caused this. 2. True False If it is "raining cats and dogs," there is only a light mist in the air. 3. True False We generally take care of a problem right away if we say we will "cross that bridge when we come to it." 4. True False "Time waits for no one" means that no matter what we do, the clocks' hands will keep going around (and time will pass). 5. True False When you meet someone who has a "chip on his shoulder," it may be a good idea to buy some salsa to go along with it! 6. True False When an item costs "an arm and a leg," it is probably very cheap. Part Two. Grammar Skills Review Directions: This section is based on the work RW3 AM did on Tuesday (and that RW3 PM will do on Wednesday!). RW3 will likely do both sections in one night! Please select the correct answer from the parentheses within the sentences. 1. The table has one of (it's, its) legs missing and cannot be sold that way. 2. Bryan is (there, their, they're) father. 3. Please (lie, lay) the pencil on the desk. 4. Sondra had the flu and (lied, lay) in bed for days. 5. (It's, Its) time for Spring! 6. The tassels, which hung from his graduation cap, (was, were) blowing in the wind. 7. The custodian, who cleaned all the school buildings, (was, were) a great worker. 8. Tami is sitting right over (there, their, they're). 9. (Don't, Do'nt) forget where the apostrophe goes within a contraction! 10. Enjoy this class; (it's, its) our favorite part of the day:) 11. Do you know if Simon is bringing Devon (to, too, two) the concert? 12. Abby was (to, too, two) years old when we took her for her longest car ride. 13. The history of the United States (is, are) important for us to study. 14. The bottles of soda had been (laid, lain) on the table before the event. 15. (There, Their, They're) uncle always gives them tickets to the best concerts. 16. (There, Their, They're) coming to visit SCALE tomorrow. 17. How many times did Tiwana tell you (to, too, two) buy a greeting card? 18. Will this be an easy paper, (to, too, two)? 19. Jose (enjoyed, enjoys) watching the basketball game last night. 20. Sara has (laid, lain) on the couch all night instead of working out! Part Three. Quick Sentence Questions: Is an interrogative sentence the same as a question? _________________________ Bonus: What type of sentence could also be known as a command? _____________ Part Four. Editing Directions: Please fix the errors in the following sentences, keeping in mind the number of errors is shown within parentheses! 1. The man over their do not know his way too our school. (3) 2. Before visiting alaska, tomas had red everything he could about this state (4) 3. Do you know how long that man has laid on that couch this week. (2) 4. Its amazing how meny people do not except help from a freind! (4) 5. Berklee, a college that many people attend in order to sing or play musical instruments, have a good reputation. (1) Part Five. Find the Appositive Directions: In the following sentences, please circle the appositive, which is a word, phrase, or clause that renames a noun in a sentence. 1. George, my best friend, will be visiting this weekend. 2. That song, a new hit, will be featured in a movie soon. 3. Have you ever tried pickleball, a sport that is a cross between tennis and ping pong? 4. Boston, the capital city of Massachusetts, is where I was born! 5. Dr. Gahan, the best doctor I have ever known, treated my family many years ago. 6. Will you go to Seattle, a city in Washington? 7. How often have you seen that musician Todd Rundgren in concert? 8. When will you shop at Market Basket, a supermarket that tends to have fair prices? 9. Jamana bought an older phone, an iPhone SE, because she liked its size. 10. Is Bill, the man standing to your left, the owner of the sub shop? Part Six. Writing. Directions: Let's practice writing a persuasive paragraph (that could also be the beginning of an argument essay) with at least two appositives included! You may wish to write a rough draft on paper, and then look for two nouns within your paragraph that would work well with appositives you can then add in! Here is your opening sentence, with a blank space left for you to insert whichever place you feel fits best! Notice that it is debatable! _____________________________________ is the greatest place to live. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ List the appositives you added: Part Seven. Idiom (new) and Literary Term (also new!) Directions: What inference can you make about the following idiom? Don't count your chickens before they hatch! Your Inference: Note: We can also use a new literary term, the proverb, to describe this idiom. A proverb is a short saying that offers advice or tells something about life. Proverb examples include: The early bird catches the worm! Part Eight. Greek and Latin Roots (new) Root: mono- Origin: Greek word meaning one Examples: monologue, monotonous, monogram Sentences: The talk show host came out on stage and delivered his monologue to the audience; it included several funny jokes! The sound of the toy was getting monotonous; it made the same squeaking sound over and over again! A monogram is a series of letters or initials that combine to make one image that is often sewn or bonded to a shirt or sweater.
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Tonight, we will first review a few of the skills we talked about on Monday, and then we will continue with new idioms and grammar activities. As always, enjoy the process!
Part One. Idiom Review Directions: Select either true or false regarding the statement below that contains an idiom True False It is a good idea to jump to conclusions before you know all the facts about a situation. Part Two. Latin Root Review Directions: This section also includes true or false in regards to the new circ- root we learned about on Monday! If the word is used correctly in a sentence, you can circle true. If not, please select false. 1. True False A circular driveway is hard to shovel in the winter because of its triangular shape. 2. True False Circular hoop earrings can be fun to wear because of their round shape. 3. True False The mall was like a circus last Friday evening; it was packed with people who all seemed to be doing different things at the same time! 4. True False Rebecca told her son to be sure not to water only her garden's circumference; she wanted all of her garden to be watered, not just the edge! 5. True False The circumference of the kitchen can be measured from one corner of the room to another. 6. True False Timothy did not like to talk about the circumstances that led to his being in court; he didn't feel anyone needed to know the reasons behind what he had done in his past. 7. True False Circumstances can be beyond your control, but you can do the best you can with whatever happens! 8. True False Jana loved to visit the circus; she enjoyed seeing the animals parading around the ring. 9. True False When asked to draw a circle around a word, Lorna drew four lines. 10. True False Blood circulates through the human body by vessels that carry blood away from as well as towards the heart. Part Three. Palindrome Review Directions: Do you remember what a palindrome is? if so, please list one here: __________________________________ Part Four Grammar Fun/Editing Directions: Please find the mistakes in each of the sentences below. The number of errors is again shown in parentheses after all of the sentences. Note: Several do not show you how many mistakes there are:) 1. the man I met a doctor was on his weigh too the hospitel (7) 2. Where did you finds that lovly braclet (4) 3. morrison park in medford was locate right around the corner from I (6) 4. Either the kids next door or my close friend are about to win a prize. (1) 5. Neither Tim nor Sam are due to be back at work tomorrow. (No help on this one! Hahah!) 6. Neither the stove nor the dishes on top is going to be moved when we leave. (Again, no help!) Part Four. Appositive Review Directions: Since we have some new faces in our classes this week, we want to provide more information on how to use the appositive correctly. Example: Sami, the owner of Sami's Market, decided to have a sale on all fruits and vegetables this week. Description: The appositive, which is shown in bold print above, actually functions as a noun. It is a way of renaming Sami; its purpose is to provide additional information for our sentence. Sami = the owner of Sami's Market The balance of an appositive is shown above. We did not add a new person to the sentence when we wrote the owner of Sami's Market. Both sides of the equation refer to the same person! Find the appositive in each sentence below. 1. The United States of America, the country where we all live, is located in the western hemisphere of the earth. 2. My favorite food, lobster pie, is being served at the new restaurant. 3. Do you know Dino, our new neighbor? 4. Is that your car, a brand new Ferrari? 5. SCALE, a wonderful place where adults can reach their goals, is filled with motivated students! Part Five. Punctuation Period or Semicolon Directions: Add either a period or a semicolon to each sentence as needed. Add capital letters as necessary. 1. The beach is lovely in July the ocean seems so much bluer at that time. 2. This is my friend Jeanie she lives in the next town. 3. I visited the new school last week I don't know if we will drive or walk there when we visit next time. 4. Susan is a good friend she is someone you can trust. 5. Don't worry about me I will be fine. 6. I have been looking for my notebook all afternoon I hope I find it soon. 7. This is a good brand of spring water it is ranked over 7 on the pH scale! 8. The new TV was huge we didn't know where to place it in our living room. 9. I enjoy reading a good book I especially love mysteries and suspense novels. 10. This is the last straw I will not let Juan get away with that again. Part Six. New Literary Term Portmanteau A portmanteau blends two or more words, and the new word that results from this maintains the meaning of each blended word. Example: spork Explanation: spoon and fork Example: streetball Explanation: street and basketball Example: brunch Explanation: breakfast and lunch Example: anklet Explanation: ankle and bracelet Example: biopic Explanation: biographical film Example: Juneteenth Explanation: June and nineteenth Example: smog Explanation: smoke and fog Writing Exercise: Select two portmanteaus from the list above and include them in a creative story you will write in the space below. Think about which genre you will use (comedy, suspense, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, biography, romance, mainstream fiction, and more!) and decide on your point of view (will you be in the story, for instance?). Have fun! 1. Idiom of the Day
We may think we know who will win the race, but we should not jump to conclusions. Note: As always, the conjunction but is there to help us out with meaning. There is always a shift in thought when we get to this conjunction, which assists us in correctly analyzing the sentence's meaning. Your Thoughts Regarding This Idiom in Bold Print: 2. Greek and Latin Roots Today we have a Latin root. Root: circ- Meaning: round Examples: circus, circular, circumference, circumstance circus - ring; circular line; an event characterized by performers generally performing in a circular area circular - small ring; hoop circumference - the distance around something; the measurement of the curve that makes up a circle circumstance - surrounding condition(s) Let's try some sentences. Can you fill in each blank with the correct vocabulary word from above? 1. My neighbor has a _____________________________ driveway. He is able to drive in and continue on his path to drive back out. 2. We went to the _____________________________ in hopes of seeing entertainment that included trained animals and talented acrobats. 3. There were a variety of ___________________________________(s) that caused her to make the decision to move to a different city. 4. The ______________________________________________ of our backyard is at least three times the size of the yard we once had. 3. Literary Term Palindrome A palindrome is a word that is the same whether you spell it from left to right or from right to left. It may also include a phrase or even a sequence. Examples: racecar, Bob, bib, tot, 1881, never odd or even Can you think of others? ________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Grammar Fun Editing Please find the mistakes in the sentences below! The number of errors appears in parenthesis after each sentence. 1. pete were having a good day in class he finished all his asignments and went home on time (5) 2. How meny times has you taken that test. (3) 3. In the morning, i like to take sum time to injoy my coffe before geting redy for class (7) 4. Tom, the best of all the players, work hard. (1) 5. Either John or all his friends is going to win the lottery game. (1) 6. do you read every day it's the best way to suceed (5) 5. Cause and Effect Cause: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Effect: Santos won the race easily. 6. Rhetorical Question Review and Writing Assignment Directions: Write your definition of rhetorical question on the line below. (Note: Hopefully, you remember it from a previous class.) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Then use a rhetorical question that follows to create a short essay (at least one paragraph with five sentences, please!). Use a separate sheet of paper or a notebook page to write your paragraph(s). Note: Be sure to go back and check every sentence in your paragraph to see that the subject and verb are in agreement. Rhetorical Questions: 1. Can you believe what just happened? 2. Why does this keep happening to me? 3. Where am I? 4. How in the world am I supposed to get all this work done? 5. When will I ever learn?! Bonus: Which sentence contains an interrobang? 7. Story Starter Directions: Please continue the following story being sure that you use parallel sentence structure, correct verb tenses, and maintain the point of view and tone. Traci always found it hard to make decisions. She often spent all night worrying about which choice would be best for her and what would happen if she made the wrong selection. But then one day, everything changed for Traci. Skills Work for Vacation Week
Directions: Try the following sections on your own! Which areas have you mastered?! Part One. Idiom of the Day Directions: Read the following sentence in which a new idiom is shown in bold print. Are you able to figure out its meaning within the context of the sentence? It was fun getting to know everyone at the business meeting by playing ice-breaking games, but the new manager finally grabbed the microphone and announced that it was time to get down to brass tacks. Your Definition for this Idiom: Part Two. Grammar Challenge Subject and Verb Agreement Directions: In the following sentences, underline the correct verb form/tense that works best with its subject. Example: The owner of the three dogs (run, runs) around the block with them every morning before work. Explanation: Since we know the main verb is either run or runs, we need to see exactly who is doing the running. In this case, we have to remove the prepositional phrase of the three dogs in order to get to the subject, which is owner. When the prepositional phrase is out of the way, we are then able to see that "The owner runs around the block . . . " Your Turn: 1. The chief, who owns several pancake houses, (drive, drives) to his first restaurant by 4 a.m. every weekday morning. 2. The United States flag (is, are) filled with red, white, and blue colors. 3. The kids at the playground (jump, jumps) on the swings the moment they arrive at the park. 4. Have you (read, reads) any new books during this week (so far!)? 5. (Is, Are) you enjoying the nice weather we are having today? 6. Tawana's pets, a dog and two cats, (is, are) always sitting on her side deck. 7. Tim's father, a new veterinarian in town, (hope, hopes) to help many animals in his new practice. 8. The bottle of seashells (contain, contains) memories of Jing's vacation at the beach. 9. Will Sam (run, runs) for the office of Somerville City Councilor? 10. This section of the website (is, are) the most fun of all:) BONUS: In Sentences 1 - 10 above, please find the following: a. an appositive (there are two possible answers!) _____________________________________________________ b. a proper noun _________________________________________________________________________________ c. a prepositional phrase __________________________________________________________________________ Part Three. Greek or Latin Root Root of the Day: micro- Origin: micro- is an ancient Greek word Meaning: small Vocabulary words to study: microwave, microphone, microscope (among others!) Sentences with new vocabulary in context: The microwave uses radiation with smaller wavelengths in order to cook food faster. A microphone's job is to take a small voice and make it a lot louder by converting sound waves into electrical signals. A microscope is a device that makes it easier to examine small creatures we may not be able to see using just our eyesight. Note: The opposite (antonym) of micro- is macro-, which means large. Your Assignment: Do you know any other words that include micro- as a prefix? If so, list them in the space below, and include their definitions. Are you able to use each one in a sentence of its own? Part Four. Literary Terms Rhetorical Question Definition: A rhetorical question is one in which you are not seeking an answer. You may just be saying something in question form to show that you are upset, excited, or in disbelief, such as the following rhetorical questions: 1. Can you believe this traffic! 2. Why is this happening to me! 3. Are you kidding me! 4. Is it really starting to snow again?! In each case, you may not actually be waiting for an answer to confirm what you are saying is true. For instance, you may just be upset about traffic (and may even say this while driving in your car all alone!). Read each one of the four rhetorical questions provided above carefully (and say them out loud, if you would like) to better understand this type of device. Note: Rhetorical questions may be followed by a question mark, an exclamation point, or even a period, in some cases. It is sometimes followed by an interrobang. The ?! punctuation mark you see above in number 4 is actually called an interrobang because it includes both a question mark and an exclamation point. It is showing that the speaker is asking a question with excitement of some sort, just as the rhetorical questions above all do. An interrobang is informal, as are most rhetorical questions, so both can be combined effectively. Your Writing Assignment: Select one of the four rhetorical questions shown above (in Part Four), and write a story that includes this type of literary term! A short example could be: Can you believe this traffic? I have been driving for over three hours, and it feels as though I am never going to reach Sandra's vacation home. In fact, by the time I get there, I bet it will already be nightfall, and I won't be able to see how beautiful the city of Camden looks in the middle of a winter day. In fact, Sandra told me they recently had more snow, and it's just enough to make the city have a special glow. I wouldn't want to miss this opportunity simply because I left my house ten minutes later than I should have! When will this traffic finally let up?! Note: I added a second rhetorical question to end my paragraph. You can feel free to add any other rhetorical questions you can think of to your own writing below. Your Turn: Part One. Idiom of the Day: Directions: What is the meaning of the idiom in bold, italic print? Rona knew her friend was in some sort of trouble; after all, where there's smoke, there's fire. Idiom Meaning: Part Two. Root of the Day: Directions: Let's look at a Latin root--how can we extend its meaning to other words? Root: contra/counter Definition: against Examples: contradict, encounter, counter-clockwise contraband, counteract, contrary Sentence Samples: I said the color of the wall was blue, and Richie said it was green. He always contradicts my statements. When did you first encounter the man who sold you this watch? Jim decided to have his students exchange papers in a new direction; this time, his class passed their work to a friend in a counter-clockwise motion instead. The thief thought he would get away with hiding the contraband he had taken into the country. You can counteract your opponent's statement in the debate with a stronger one of your own! It is not a mild snowstorm that is heading our way; on the contrary, this one could be a blizzard! Part Three Grammar: Today's Lesson: The Clause Directions: This grammar lesson may be a review for some, but it is good practice for us all! A clause is a group of words that has a verb (and often its own subject) and either depends on the rest of the sentence to make sense or stands alone. When a clause depends on another part of the sentence, the clause is said to be dependent (or subordinate). Example: Is this the puppy that you rescued from the MSPCA? Note: The clause that you rescued from the MSPCA is not a sentence on its own. It needs the meaning of the rest of the sentence to make sense to us. Note: The word that is used as a conjunction. When the clause stands alone (as a sentence does), it is referred to as an independent clause. Example: Tanika loves to watch movies, and Kevin enjoys playing basketball. In this sentence, we have two independent clauses. Each one could be a sentence of its own! Each one does not rely on the rest of the sentence for meaning. Note: The word and is used as a conjunction. Now It's Your Turn! Directions: In each of the following sentences, one clause is in bold print. Please indicate whether this clause is dependent or independent. 1. I don't know what to do with the cans of tomatoes that arrived with dents! Dependent Independent 2. Do you know where Bob is, and can you lead me to him? Dependent Independent 3. Are you going to the beach in the new sports car that you just bought? Dependent Independent 4. Where is Jim, and when will he be back? Dependent Independent 5. The children played at the park, which had been created for their age group. Dependent Independent Part Four. Literary Term of the Day: Couplet Definition: A couplet is made up of two lines of poetry that usually rhyme, may contain the same amount of syllables (known as meter), and often have their very own stanza (a group of poetic lines that stands apart from the rest). Example: Couplets are fun and quite simple to make Why not create one while cookies you bake? Try one with this first line: What will you do when you're snowed in at home? ____________________________________________________________ Take a moment to notice that each line of the couplets we made has ten syllables in it. A syllable is that part of a word that contains a vowel sound. Vowels are: a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y or w when they sound like a, e, i, o, or u!! Example of y as a vowel: hyphen (The y sounds like an i.) Example of y as a consonant: yard (The y has its own sound.) Examples: Maria has three syllables because I can hear each vowel! Ma ri a Plain only has one syllable because we do not hear the i! Let's try some! Write down how many syllables each word has in the space that follows it. 1. neighbor 2. me 3. neighborhood 4. bicycle 5. top 6. game 7. hop 8. hope 9. family 10. scale |
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