February 22, 2024 New Skills

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:




​