May 8 and May 9, 2023 Skills for Both Writing Workshops

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Idiom of the Day:
When Nora was born, her mom said, "She is the apple of my eye!"

Idiom of the Day #2:
Tom kept accusing Peter of not trying hard enough on the basketball court, but Tom was barking up the wrong tree.

Note: The conjunction but is always a good place to start because it implies a shift in thinking! Next, look at the beginning of the sentence to see if its meaning is negative or positive. Depending on what you decide, see if it makes sense that the rest of the sentence is now opposite in meaning! 

If you still need help, look at the wording of the idiom itself, and think about its literal meaning (this is what the expression would mean if each word were believed as written). Check out specific words, such as barking (when would a dog do this?) and wrong (which implies he is not correct in his actions).

Part Two. Subject/Verb Agreement:
Directions: Select the correct verb that fits in each sentence. Be sure you can identify the subject, decide if it is singular (one) or plural (more than one), and choose the verb that correctly fits!
Example: Most high school students who are part of the marching band (practice, practices) every day for upcoming parades and concerts.
Solution: The subject is students (or even high school students, if we are considering it as one entity), so we need to be sure the verb goes with this subject only. We may also need to remove the clause who were part of the marching band from our thoughts if it gets in the way of figuring out the correct verb choice!

Next, we can decide which verb works best with students. Do students practice OR do students practices? As a "loose" rule of thumb, plural nouns ending in S generally require a verb that does NOT end in S.
Examples may include: dogs bark; musicians play; plants grow, etc.
In our example above, the answer would be students practice.
Your sentence would then read: Most high school students who are part of the marching band practice every day for upcoming parades and concerts.

One more note: Because the clause "who are part of the marching band" is essential (necessary) to the sentence, we do NOT place commas around it!!

Ready to try some on your own? In each sentence, you will select the correct word that is in agreement with its counterpart in the sentence!

1. Tom and Susan (has, have) tickets to the Celtics game this week.
2. Jim doesn't (know, knows) which movie to watch.
3. Where (is, are) your friends?
4. Did you see (Tims, Tim's) new car?   (Note: This is an example of a possessive noun used as an adjective.)
5. The teacher (grade, grades) the papers.
6. I (am, is) waiting for you!
7. When (do, did) you leave the party last Friday night?
8. Who (is, are) your closest relative?
9. The mints (was, were) refreshing!
10. Why (didn't, don't) you tell Teresa you were working last night when you did not visit her?
11. Children often (learn, learns) kind behavior from their parents or families.
12. How many tests (has, have) you passed already?
13. Will you (take, took) more tests this week?
14. I know you will (has, have) good luck, which often accompanies hard work!
15. Did you (find, finds) your lost cat?
16. The firemen and their crew (rush, rushes) to their truck when a 911 call comes in.
17. Neither Sally nor James (know, knows) the answer! 
18. Either Bill or Brian (has been, have been) chosen for the starring role in the play; we have not been told the director's decision yet!
19. Neither the man nor his kids (was, were) given permission to enter the building.
20. Ham and cheese (make, makes) a good sandwich!

Here are rules that apply to certain cases of subject-verb agreement, which we saw above:

a. If a sentence contains a compound subject made up of two or more plural subjects and joined by and, the verb will be plural.
Example: The boys and the girls are ready for the test!
b. If a sentence contains a compound subject made up of two or more singular subjects and joined by and, the verb will be plural.
Example: Ned and Stefy help out a lot in class!
c. If a sentence contains a compound subject made up of one singular and one plural subject, the verb will still be plural.
Example: The counselor and the campers are hiking right now.

In each case, the subject could be  changed to they, which will help you make the correct choice!

BUT... if a compound subject is joined by either or neither, there are some differences!
d. If the compound subject is connected with either/or OR neither/nor, the verb is in agreement with the noun closest to the verb.
Example: Either Tom or Sally is coming over to help.
Example: Either Snoopy or the other dogs are being adopted today.
Example: Neither Abby nor Merry is ready for lunch!
​Example: Neither my aunt nor her kids are coming to the picnic on Sunday.

Special Note: Sometimes, the word either is left out, but the rule still applies!
Example: Al or Jayson is going to get the winning basket in the next game.
Example: Tony or his students are going to represent the school at the event.

Part Three: Greek or Latin Roots
Directions: Today's list of roots have to do with numbers. This will help you figure out various words that begin with a prefix that shows how many parts, sides, etc. are being shown.

We will begin with the first two roots and continue with the rest on Wednesday.

Special Note: Prefixes are placed before a word.
Example: The construction workers will rebuild the steps to the public library.
Re + build = to build again.

​Suffixes are placed after a word.
Example: Alex worked hard to finish all his HiSETs. 
Work + ed = past tense of work; Alex already did some work!

​
1. Root: mono-                              Origin: Greek (and "uni" from Latin)                  Meaning: one, only, alone
Example: The sound was so monotonous we wished it would end!    
Monotonous indicates one continuous, rather dull sound!             

Your Assignment: Define these words, and use each one in a sentence: monochrome, monocle, and monopoly

2. Root: di-                                    Origin: Greek                                                        Meaning: two, twice, or double   
Example: In Biology class, we often have to dissect an earthworm in order to see and understand its parts.   

2b: Root: bi-                                  Origin: Greek                                                         Meaning: two
Example: A bicycle has two wheels.     

Your Second Assignment: Define these words, and use each one in a sentence: bicentennial, biweekly, binoculars,
                                                                                                                                   bisect, and bifocals  

Part Four: Writing
Since we will be working closely with the argument essay this week, it is important for us to note that the persuasive essay has many of the same components.

a. One major difference is that argument writing, as any other type of argument, involves two opposing points of view. If you are arguing about something, you are disagreeing with someone else!

b. In persuasive writing, there is no argument; it is just you using your own words, ideas, and opinions to convince your reader/audience that what you say should be believed or, at the very least, listened to!! 

c. In argument writing, we have to acknowledge someone else's point of view and provide evidence as to why the point of view we select is the better one. An effective use of such supporting details will help us to win the argument!

Your Assignment: Here is a beginning sentence, which will also serve as the topic sentence of a persuasive paragraph. Please complete this paragraph using a minimum of four sentences while maintaining parallel sentence structure that includes correct verb tenses, point of view, and tone.

Note: This is not an argument piece because there are no opposing viewpoints expressed!

         Children should not have to try out for school sports in order to take part in athletic programs. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As always, you may choose to take a different viewpoint. if you would rather take out the word not in the above topic sentence and write a persuasive paragraph explaining why children do need to try out for sports, you may do so. Use the same sheet of paper, but please be sure to cross out the word not before continuing.

I will collect these papers at the end of the period! Good Luck! And remember: If you are on a roll and would like to write more than a simple paragraph, please do so! I would love to read it!!