May 4, 2023

Idiom of the Day:
Sam and Tom were in the break room at work, and Sam was telling Tom about a problem he was having with another employee. Before he could finish, Tom got a text and suddenly asked Sam to "cut to the chase" because he had to get back to work sooner than expected.

"Cut to the chase" means:
a. to work harder
b. to tell a story more quickly, leaving out any unimportant details
c. to use a pair of scissors more efficiently
d. to run after another employee as fast as you can


Idiom of the Day #2:
Teresa felt sure she was getting a raise. She started ordering new clothes from Macy's as well as an expensive bag from Prada! Teresa's friend Lori began to get worried and told her, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" 

Lori means that Teresa should:
a. not shop at Macy's unless they are having a sale
b. not buy any more chickens because her farm was too large already
c. not rely on something that has not happened yet
d. ask for more money in her raise


Idiom of the Day #3:
Tanika did not agree with the way her friend was handling a problem. She told her, "I may be going out on a limb here, but I disagree with what you are doing. I would not do it that way because it doesn't seem like a good solution."

Tanika means
a. she knows her friend may not like what she is saying, but she wants to help her
b. she is about to climb a tree and needs her friend to give her a lift
c. she does not have time to help her friend
d. she enjoys nature


New Greek and Latin Roots:

Root: -ology                      Origin: Greek                     Meaning: branch of knowledge; the study of
Examples: biology = the study of life
                  geology = the study of the earth
                  psychology = the study of behavior and the mind

Root: bio-                            Origin: Greek                    Meaning: life
Examples: biography = life written down (Note: Remember that "graph" means written down or drawn!)
                   autobiography = writing down your own life story 

Root: auto-                          Origin: Greek                     Meaning: self
Examples: automatic = happening/operating by itself
                  automation - use of technology without much help from humans


Grammar Rule:
Do NOT join independent clauses with a comma! Each clause can stand alone and be a sentence. They can be joined with a semi-colon, or they can each stand alone with their own periods! If you want to keep the comma, you MUST add a conjunction!

Correct Example: I cannot believe how many people are at the show; I am so glad I arrived early.
Correct Example: I cannot believe how many people are at the show. I am so glad I arrived early.
Correct Example: I cannot believe how many people are at the show, and I am so glad I arrived early.

Do NOT put a comma in place of the semi-colon or period between the two clauses above. This is called a comma splice and needs to be eliminated from your writing!

Directions: Edit the following sentences that are written incorrectly.
1. Summer is on the way, I need to make plans now.
2. I have to put gas in my car, there is only 1/4 of a tank left.
3. I did not know what a comma splice was, now all my sentences will have correct placement of commas!


Grammar Rule #2:
Here are three homophones, which are words that sound alike but are spelled differently (and mean different things!)

there = place               Example: I will stand over there because it is too sunny here.

their = possession       Example: Is that lovely Victorian their new home?

they're - contraction
(they are)                    Example: They're on the way to the restaurant right now!

Directions: Select the correct homophone in the following sentences.
1. (They're, There, Their) new baby is beautiful!
2. I have been (they're, there, their) many times, but I never noticed how close it is to the ocean until now.
3. Look at (they're, there, their) test results! They all passed (they're, there, their) HiSETs!  I'll bet (they're, there, their) proud of their accomplishments! 
4. (They're, There, Their) is plenty of time to pass all the tests before the school year ends!
5. I have faith in (they're, there, their) reading skills!

Writing: Three Types! Get your pen, paper, or notebooks ready!
1. Using the formula for haiku, write one about the best part of spring!
2. Think of an anecdote about something that happened recently at work, at school, or out with friends. Write it down in the same conversational tone you would use if you told us verbally what had happened. If you cannot think of anything, use one of the photos from the Anecdote Packet, and create a fictional one! This should be at least one paragraph in length.
3. Persuade your boss (or your fictional boss) that you deserve a huge raise! What evidence are you going to provide that will prove you should make more money? List three reasons that explain why you are worthy of this, and include them in your essay!

Rhyme Scheme:
In poetry, we may sometimes need to make sense of the types of rhymes used by the poet. We can easily do this by giving the ending rhyme on each line a letter that represents that particular rhyme! This is the poem's rhyme scheme.

For instance, let's look at this poem, and notice the letters shown for each line.

It doesn't matter                           a
if you splatter                               a
splash or make a mess                 b
swimming is enjoyable                c
you need not be the best!            b

Questions:
1. How many lines are there?
2. Which lines share the same letter? Why?
3. Why is there only one c?

Your Turn:
Assign a rhyme scheme to the following poem.

burning toes
from sandy shores
he roamed the beach
in search of doors
from castles gone
with waves unkind
he still was king
just in his mind

​Have a great night!!

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