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Mechanics, Usage, & Grammar (MUG)
Parts of Speech (More on verbs)
Parts of a sentence
Diagramming Sentences
Proofreading marks
Daily Sentence Correction
Irregular Past tenses (don't add "ed" to these verbs!)
Parts of Speech
The Parts of Speech
Words do specific jobs in sentences.
Verbs show action or state of being. They are the engines that power sentences. Every
sentence has to have a verb. Without a verb, a sentence is like a car without an engine: it
doesn't work.
The football player sped down the field. (sped shows action)
John was busy in his office. (was shows state of being)
Nouns name persons, places, things or ideas. They are namers.
The kicker launched the football high into the air. (kicker names a person, football
names a thing)
The United States is based on freedom. (United States names a place, freedom
names an idea)
Pronouns take the place of nouns. They are substitutes.
Instead of: All three thousand members of the club met at the field.
You can say: They met at the field. (They takes the place of All three thousand
members of the club)
Adjectives describe or modify nouns. They are describers.
The purple car was ugly. (purple and ugly describe the car)
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They often tell how, when, where,
how much, or to what extent. In English, they often end with LY.
The nurse carefully laid the baby in the crib. (carefully describes the verb: how she
laid the baby down)
The extremely hot dish burned my hand. (extremely describes an adjective: how
hot)
I ran very quickly to the car. (very describes the adverb quickly which describes
how I ran)
Prepositions connect a noun to something else in the sentence. They can show location,
position, or time.
The crowd ran under the bleachers. (under connects the bleachers to ran, it shows
where they ran)
I did my homework after supper. (after connects supper to doing homework, it
shows when)
Conjunctions join words or groups of words. They are connectors.
Cake and ice cream go well together. (and connects cake with ice cream)
Did you go to the game or stay home? (or connects go to the game with stay home)
Interjections show feelings. They are outsiders, not really part of the sentence.
Well, it seems like that to me.
Shoot! We lost the game.
More on Verbs:
Verbs show action or state of being. The verb is the most important part of any sentence. Every
sentence must have at least one verb. A sentence may have multiple verbs.
There are several kinds of verbs.
Action verbs show some kind of action.
o Transitive verbs are action verbs which have a direct object
o Intransitive verbs are action verbs with no direct object
Linking verbs show state of being. What comes after the verb describes or
renames the subject of the sentence.
o They are often related to the five senses.
o Some common linking verbs include is, am, are, was, were, seem, become,
smell (not the action), feel (not the action), look (not the action), sound,
taste (not the action)
Helping verbs come before other verbs and alter the meaning of the main verb in
some way
o to be a helping verb these must come directly before another verb
o the forms of to be with an "ing" verb make "progressive" tenses: is, am,
are, was, were, be, being, been
o the forms of to have with a past participle make "perfect" tenses: have,
has, had
o other common helping verbs include: do, does, did, may, might, must, can,
could, will, would, shall, should
A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought.
A sentence should always begin with a capital letter and end with one of three "end marks"
(period, question mark, or exclamation point).
The Major Parts of a Sentence:
A sentence consists of two main parts: the subject and the predicate.
The subject is the part of a sentence that shows who or what is doing something or what is being
discussed.
The simple subject is the subject without any adjectives or any other descriptors (a noun
or pronoun).
o Ex: The two small boys in the backyard played marbles.
The complete subject is the simple subject and all the words that modify it.
o Ex: The two small boys in the backyard played marbles.
A compound subject has two or more simple subjects.
o Ex. The two boys and their fathers played marbles.
The predicate is the part of the sentence that shows what the subject is doing or says something
about the subject.
The simple predicate is the verb without any of the other words that go with it.
o Ex. My sister gave me twenty-seven blue Christmas ornaments.
The complete predicate is the verb and all the words that go with it.
o Ex. My sister gave me twenty-seven blue Christmas ornaments.
A compound predicate has two or more simple predicates:
o Ex. My sister gave me the ornaments then took them back.
Diagramming Sentences
Why Diagram Sentences?
Diagramming sentences has been a little out of style, so to speak, among language arts teachers
in the last decade or two. It is now, however, becoming popular once more as another tool that
can help many students understand sentence structure. For students who are visual or even
kinesthetic learners, it may be the best way to analyze how a sentence works, and to understand
various types of verbs, phrases, and structures.
I have found that more of my students understand concepts like "direct object" and "linking
verb" using diagrams than other methods of sentence analysis. It won't work for everyone, but no
one method ever does. I do think it can be a very useful tool in the teaching of sentence-level
grammar.
Diagramming Lesson 1: Getting started
As always, the first step in understanding any sentence, at least in the English language (and in
every other language I've studied), is to identify the verb or verbs. "What is happening?" "What's
going on?" "What is the action in this sentence?" The main verb, along with any auxiliaries
(helping verbs) is the simple predicate, and is placed on the right side of a horizontal line:
The second step is to find the subject. Ask yourself "who or what is performing that verb?" The
simple subject (without any adjectives or other modifiers) is placed on the left side of that
horizontal line. A vertical line crosses the horizontal line and separates the simple subject from
the simple predicate.
So a simple sentence like "Mary has eaten." would diagram as:
A more complicated sentence like "The girl in the corner in the blue shirt has eaten fried eggs for
breakfast every day of her life." would still start the diagram with the simple subject and
predicate:
Another interesting case is the command form in English, where no subject is present. In that
case, the subject of the sentence is "the understood you" and is shown as such, in parentheses. So
a command like "Listen!" would be diagrammed:
So what? So, you have figured out the core of the sentence, the simple subject and simple
predicate. Everything else branches off those two basic pieces.
Diagramming Lesson 2: Modifiers
Once you have figured out the core of the sentence (the simple subject and the simple predicate)
you have a base diagram (from Lesson 1):
Now everything else branches off those two basic pieces.
Adjectives
Since adjectives describe or modify nouns, they branch off the noun. For example, in the
sentence, "The tall girl has eaten." the adjectives "the" and "tall" describe the "girl." On the
diagram, they are inserted on slanted lines underneath "girl."
Adverbs
Since adverbs describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, they branch off whatever
they are describing. For example, in the sentence,"The very tall girl did not run particularly
quickly." the adverb "very" modifies "tall"; "not" and "quickly" modify "run"; and "particularly"
modifies "quickly." On the diagram, they are inserted on slanted lines underneath the words they
modify.
Diagramming Lesson 3: Verb Complements and Types of Verbs
To review, the first step in understanding any sentence, at least in the English language (and in
every other language I've studied), is to identify the verb or verbs. Ask yourself "What is
happening?"
The second step is to find the subject. Ask yourself "who or what is performing that verb?"
And we’ve seen how to add modifiers like adjective and adverbs to these simple sentences.
The third major step is to find any verb complements and what type of verb you have. Verb
complements “complete” the verb. You already know about helping verbs (auxiliaries). The
other three types of verbs are “intransitive,” “linking,” and “transitive.” They each have a
different type of complement. So to figure out what kind of verb you have, find the complement,
if there is one.
To do this, ask yourself “[subject] [verb] what?” Anything that answers that question is a verb
complement of some kind.
In a diagram, verb complements go on the main line after the verb.
INTRANSITIVE VERBS:
(a) Mr. Smith will arrive tomorrow.
(1) What is happening: WILL ARRIVE – “arrive” is the main verb, “will” is a helping verb
(2) Who or what will arrive?: MR. SMITH – “Mr. Smith” is the subject
(3) Mr. Smith will arrive what?: huh? that doesn’t make sense; there is no answer to the question.
So there is no verb complement.
If there is no verb complement, the main verb is an INTRANSITIVE verb. Intransitive verbs
are verbs that stand alone, with no complement. So in example (a), the verb “arrive” is
intransitive.
LINKING VERBS
(b) My brother seems sad today.
(1) What is happening: SEEMS – “seems” is the verb
(2) Who or what seems?: MY BROTHER – “brother” is the subject, “my” describes him
(3) John seems what?: SAD – “sad” is some kind of verb complement
If there is a complement, you need to figure out if the complement describes or renames the
subject. If it does, the verb is a LINKING verb. Linking verbs “link” the subject and the verb
complement. In example (b), “sad” describes “brother,” so the verb “seems” is a linking verb.
On a diagram, we show the link by using a line that slants back towards the subject.
“Sad” is an adjective describing the subject, but comes after the verb (simple predicate). This
type of complement is called a predicate adjective.
(c) My best friend is a lawyer.
(1) What is happening: IS – “is” is the verb
(2) Who or what is?: FRIEND – “friend” is the subject, “my” and “best” describes her
(3) Friend is what?: LAWYER – “lawyer” is some kind of verb complement, “a” describes it
In example (c), “lawyer” describes or renames “friend,” so the verb “is” is a linking verb.
Since “lawyer” is a noun instead of an adjective, it is called a predicate noun (sometimes called
predicate nominative). Linking verbs are always followed by a predicate noun or predicate
adjective.
Common linking verbs:
The most common linking verb is the verb “to be” – and all its forms: is, am, are, was, were, etc.
Other common linking verbs are: seem, become, appears to be, and sense verbs like: smells,
looks, feels, tastes, sounds
TRANSITIVE VERBS
(d) Mary ate spaghetti.
(1) What is happening: ATE – “ate” is the verb
(2) Who or what ate?: MARY – “Mary” is the subject
(3) Mary ate what?: SPAGHETTI – “spaghetti” is some kind of verb complement
If there is a complement, but it is not linked to the subject, the verb is TRANSITIVE. Transitive
verbs transfer action to the complement. Since the complement is not related to the subject,
the line separating it from the verb is not slanted back to the subject.
So in example (d), “ate” happened to the “spaghetti,” and “ate” is a transitive verb. “Spaghetti” is
the object that the verb happens to, and is called the direct object. Transitive verbs are followed
by direct objects.
Diagramming Lesson 4: Conjunctions -- Compound Sentences
As you remember, a conjunction is a word that joins words or groups of words.
The most common conjunctions are and, but, and or. Some conjunctions come in pairs, like
either...or, neither...nor, and not only...but also.
A sentence with two or more subjects or two or more verbs is called a compound sentence.
In a diagram, when there is a conjunction the line branches, and the branches are connected by
dotted line(s) on which the conjunction is shown:
(a) Bob and Joe had hamburgers yesterday.
(b) Either my mother or my sister will drive us home tonight.
(c) Frank's girlfriend sings well but can not dance.
Diagramming Lesson 5: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
Prepositions are small words such as "with" and "into" that themselves are difficult to define in
words. Prepositions create a relationship between other words in a sentence by linking phrases to
the rest of the sentence. Prepositions can be found virtually anywhere in the sentence.They are
always followed by an object (noun or pronoun). Together, the preposition and its object are
called a prepositional phrase.
Prepositional phrases often indicate location or time.
Common prepositions of space/location include the following:
against
around
above
at
across
among
behind
between
below
beneath
beside
beyond
by
down
from
in
into
inside
off
on
out
outside
over
past
through
to
toward
under
underneath
up
Other common prepositions include
about
after
before
but
concerning
during
except
for
like
of
regarding
since
until
with
without
To diagram a prepositional phrase, the preposition is written on a line slanting down from
whatever the phrase modifies. Then the object is written on a horizontal line branching off the
preposition. Any adjectives then hang below the object:
Example (a) Brittany went to the beach.
Example (b) The girl in the corner is my sister.
Diagramming Lesson 6: Interjections
As you remember, interjections express emotion or feelings and are basically unconnected to the
rest of the sentence. They are usually set apart from the sentence by an exclamation mark or a
comma. Interjections usually occur at the beginning (or ocasionally the end) of a sentence.
Examples of interjections include:
Oh Oh my Gosh Oops Darn
Hey Hooray Eek Shoot Rats
To diagram interjections, place them on a seperate line above the sentence, usually above and to
the left of the subject:
Example (a) Hey! This coffee is too hot.
Example (b) Darn, my favorite team just lost the most important game of the season.
Proofreading Marks
Mark Meaning Example
Begin a new paragraph
No ¶ Do not begin a new paragraph "Hi," said Marie. No ¶
"I hear you went to Tommy's last night."
Put a period here
Capitalize this letter
/ Make this letter lowercase
Insert something
Delete something
___ Delete this word (these
words) John came to the party and Matt came to the party.
# Add space
Delete the extra space
Spelling error
Word choice (this isn't the
correct word)
Run-on sentence
Sentence Fragment
Daily Sentence Corrections
Find the errors in the following sentences, mark them with the proofreading marks, and then recopy them correctly. Next, copy the definition for the word of the day.
1st Nine Weeks 2nd Nine Weeks 3rd Nine Weeks 4th Nine Weeks
#1 three days a week in this spot you will be regaled with the dramtic story of general
animal hospital
#2 hairy beast an inoffensive beastie with green fur was a grossly ugly but gentle aminal
#3 once he was madly in luv with hilda hippo a comely hippopotamus with a hard heart
#4 fickle hilda however decided that hairy beast was to ugly for her
#5 hilda the mean lady could no longer stand hairys repulsive warty visage
#6 so she wrote him a nasty vituperative letter to tell him of her feelings
#7
4321 rue street
hogtown florida
september 5 2004
#8
dear hairy
your a grotesque ugly beast. i do not love you. their, thats it!!
hatefully yours
hilda
#9 hairy beast recieved this odious letter on september 10 2004
#10 he cried copious tears tore out tufts of green fur and demolished hiss apartment like a
wild beest
#11 his demeanor was like that of a dog who had lost its favorite squeakie toy missed
supper and bin scolded
#12 poor sad woebegone hairy was totally destroyed and his heart had been broken and
stomped on and abused
#13 bertha boa was a sweat thoughtful and kind serpent
#14 she heerd hairys laments and she slithered to hiss apartment to investigate
#15 oh boy she found the door ajar and a total mess inside but hairy was nowhere to be
seen
#16 wow bertha rummaged for unfortunate grotesque hairy under the bed inn the fridge
and behind the boots in the closset
#17 bertha searched everywhere and could not find hairy yet she still hears dolorous sobs
echoing threw the trashed messy appartment
#18 bertha became really perturbed so she goes back to her apartment too write a note to
her freind wilfred warthog
#19
1234 chafe street
hogtown florida 32609
september 30 2002
#20
dear wilfred
what is wrong with are freind hairy beast. he seems to have been desolated by
something
#21
lets try two console him and maybe hell come out of hiding
love
bertha
#22 wilfred thought that bertha had a good idea so he wrote hairy a short consoling epistle
#23
6543 dross street
hogtown florida 32609
october 2 2002
#24
deer hairy
well old chum where have you been and what is wrong with you that you can’t
answer you’re door are you all right
your freind
wilfred
#25 wilfred wrote hairy the pompous note and bertha sent him a bouquet of flower’s
#26 when the doorbell rang hairy hoping it was news from hilda crept out from his hiding
place in the bathtub and agitatedly answers the door
#27 he adored the flowers from bertha but he was insulted by wilfreds inadvertently
unkind note
#28 hairy felt overwhelmed and he had been jilted by his girl insulted by his freind and
had his warts vilified
#29 he burst anew into tears. then he shredded the flowers and ate them tears flowing onto
the stems like rain
#30 luckily wilfred realized that his epistle might of been pompous and he went to visit
hairy to atone for his booboo
#31 yes when he arrived at hairys apartment wilfred found his freind on the floor
saturated in his own tears
#32 the remnants of berthas flowers hung from hairys lips
#33 wilfred gathered hairy up in his arms apologized for his gaffe and listens too hairys
tale of woe
#34 wilfred then said lets go tell that nasty nerd of a hippopotamus to plummet off a cliff
#35 hairy sniveled yes!
#36 then lets persevere hairy said wilfred
#37 hairy and wilfred then went to hildas abode and they boldly nocked on the door
#38 when hilda answered the door hairy showed her all his warts stuck out his tongue and
sounds a loud raucous bronx cheer
#39 hard-harted hilda still loathed hairy and she slams the door and shrieked get out of
my life you vile beast
#40 hairy took umbrage at hildas cruel words so him and wilfred went to see bertha
#41 yes lets go right now bewailed hairy
#42 they trekked to berthas abode and wrang the bell
#43 bertha answered the door. Salutations hairy and wilfred she greeted
#44 the three freinds sit down and talked. lets forget about hilda hairy remonstrated
bertha
#45 wow what a subject to forget said wilfred. bertha said hairy i’ll never get over my
winsome hilda
#46 wilfred took hairys hand well help you hairy he said. how wilfred lamented hairy
#47 a trip said bertha. no another gril clamored wilfred. stop it my friends cried hairy
#48 i think ill go into quiet uninterrupted seclusion he continued
#49 i want to be left alone all by my lonesome miserable self to abate the pain of losing
my lovely winsome hilda hairy finished
#50 if thats what you want hairy echoed bertha and wilfred together. bye my good friends
whispered hairy
#51 although poor sad hairy was still despondent he trekked to the market for food
#52 their he purchased bags of candy cantaloupe and ambrosial brussel sprouts
#53 he then goes home put the food away cowered in his closet and shut the door behind
him
#54 yes hairy went into hibernation until he could recover from his calamitous
unfortunate love affair with the nasty vituperative hilda
#55 meanwhile hilda went her own noxious nasty way
#56 bertha and wilfred continued their lives without they’re prime friend hairy beast
#57 hairy the poor thing uttered to himself over and over i dont love hilda and i do hate
hilda
#58 while all this was going on other inhabitants of hogtown florida were embroiled in
there own problems
#59 ingenuous wilfred and kind bertha discussed the lastest develop ments
#60 bertha have you gleaned any knews aboutthe newest inhabitant of hogtown florida
aksed wil fred
#61 no wilfred bertha Disclaimed
#62 well his name is eggbert and hes wierdlooking retorted wilfred. oh asked bertha
#63 well he has a long gray nose that Hangs down like a pendulum and he ways a ton
wilfred continued
#64 he sounds like a homely grotesque Ele phant cried bertha and i do'nt want to meat
him
#65 u havent ascertained the worst bertha saidwilfred
#66 whats that? hes an elitist
#67 forget about him and we dont need no snobs said bertha yeah assented wilfred. hey
lets hav a party he added
#68 bertha dispatched invitations to there party and wildred dispatched invitations to
there party and they even invited hilda the nasty hippo
#69 kind sweet bertha even expedited an invitation to eggbert the weird elitist elephant
#70 bertha popped popcorn and wilfred popped popcorn to provide plenty of fodder for
they're party the biggest event in hogtown florida all year
#71 just before the guests begain to arrive wilfred phoned hairy beast to implore him to
come to the party
#72 i just dont fell up to it wilfred bemoaned hairy
#73 im reading a good book hear in my closet and its called the malevolent and nasty
hipppopotamus and it fits my mood
#74 abandon that stupid book and come to are party. itll do you some good insisted
wilfred
#75 wheres you're backbone man you cant just sit and vegetate in a closet for the rest of
your life he added
#76 you have a point conceded hairy as he pondered a lonely existence with out hilda
#77 hairy as an added Attraction there will be a plethora of lovelyfemale aminals said
wilfred
#78 ok ill bustle over their you nice freind concluded hairy
#79 meanwhile bertha greeted several cronies from around hogtown florida. each one had
brung their homemade goodies to share
#80 she introduced everyone and then offered them hors d'oeuvres and punch
#81 the guests conversed while music blared from the panasonic speakers
#82 someone played aerosmiths angel and a score of hip animals began to boogie
#83 about an hour later wilfred discovered that milton monkey had pluged the Toilet with
popcorn and hung strands of spageti from the chandelier
#84 he notised that several aminals laffed giddily and through popcorn at each other and
this is getting out of hand he moaned
#85 at that point he noticed hilda and she was dancing with eggbert as she gaized into his
beady eyes
#86 oh eggbert she simpered your the best Dancer and Dresser in hogtown florda and i've
never met no-one like you before
#87 yeah i know he answered with conceit as he nonchalantly flexed his mussels
#88 just then hairy arrived in his striped bell-bottoms. wilfred quashed a chuckle and said
your just in time. im going to need help taming this group
#89 hairy spied hilda dancing on top of the coffee table with eggbert and at that moment
he realized her slovenliness
#90 hilda saw hairy spun around and swooned in eggberts outstretched arms. she was
light as a tank
#91 eggbert whispered into her ear get a look at the ugly dude in the bell-bottoms he
mocked
#92 thus began the torrid love affair between hilda and eggbert
#93 several weeks after the party hogtown florida buzzed with the latest scoop
#94 the 2 rapscallions had broken up
#95 hilda fell for eggbert and got jilted bertha told hairy. shes taking off with milton
monkey to go to tibet to see if she can change. oh replied hairy
#96 all the aminals lifes will be better off without her interjected wilfred
#97 i love you bertha and wilfred said hairy. you 2 are my staunch freinds
#98 wow hairy finally shunned hilda. him and bertha and wilfred happily continued there
lifes
#99 ill be back for another escapade thought hilda as her plane took off. your not rid of
me yet
#100 all the animals in hogtown florida except mean hilda and snooty eggbert wish you a
good vacation
General Animal Hospital (Hairy Beast)
#1: regale: (v.) to give unusual pleasure to; to delight
#2: inoffensive: (adj.) giving no offense; causing no insult
#3: comely: (adj.) pleasing in appearance; attractive
#4: fickle: (adj.) inconstant in feeling; prone to changing their mind
#5: visage: (n.) face
#6: vituperative: (adj.) abusive; insulting
#7: rue: (v.) to regret
#8: grotesque: (adj.) odd-looking; bizarre; extremely ugly or misshapen
#9: odious: (adj.) causing hate or disgust
#10: copious: (adj.) abundant, ample in quantity, a lot
#11: demeanor (n.) facial expression, behavior, displayed attitude
#12: woebegone (adj.) depressed, sad
#13: serpent (n.) a snake, especially a large or poisonous one
#14: lament (n.) loud sorrowful cry or wail
#15: ajar (adj.) slightly open
#16: rummaged (v.) looked for something by turning things over and making a mess
#17: dolorous (adj.) full of sorrow
#18: perturbed (adj.) upset; agitated
#19: chafe (v.) to hurt or make sore by rubbing
#20: desolated (adj.) destroyed, extremely sad
#21: console (v.) to comfort, make someone feel better
#22: epistle (n.) a letter to someone
#23: scoff: (v.) laugh scornfully
#24: chum (n.) friend
#25: pompous (adj.) overbearing, full of themselves, formal
#26: agitatedly: (adv.) with excitement; in an upset manner
#27: inadvertently: (adv.) accidentally, without intention
#28: vilified: (v.) spoken about abusively; insulted; slandered
#29: anew: (adv.) again
#30: atone: (v.) to make amends; make up for something
#31: saturated: (adj.) soaked
#32: remnants: (n.) leftovers, remains
#33: gaffe (n.) a clumsy mistake
#34: plummet: (v.) to drop straight down
#35: sniveled (v.) cried in a snuffling manner
#36: persevere: (v.) keep trying, persist
#37: abode: (n.) home
#38: raucous (adj.) noisy and rowdy
#39: loathed: (v.) hated
#40: took umbrage at (v.) took offense at, was insulted by
#41: bewailed: (v.) lamented, cried loudly
#42: trekked: (v.) traveled slowly, with difficulty
#43: salutations (n.) greetings
#44: remonstrated: (v.) scolded, protested
#45: winsome (adj.) charming, attractive
#46: lamented: (v.) expressed sadness, cried loudly
#47: clamored: (v.) shouted; made loud, persistent noise
#48: seclusion (n.) solitude; being alone, separated from others
#49: abate: (v.) reduce in quantity, lessen
#50: echoed (v.) repeated the sound of
#51: despondent: (adj.) dejected, sad, depressed
#52: ambrosial: (adj.) extremely delicious
#53: cowered (v.) crouched down trembling, as in fear or other strong emotion
#54: calamitous: (adj.) causing or resulting from calamity (disaster)
#55: noxious (adj.) poisonous
#56: prime: (adj.) first rate, chief
#57: uttered: (v.) said, spoke
#58: embroiled (adj.) involved in conflict
#59: ingenuous: (adj.) honest, innocent
#60: gleaned (v.) collected through patient effort
#61: disclaimed: (v.) denied, disagreed
#62: retorted: (v.) talked back to
#63: pendulum (n.) an item swinging to and fro hanging from a fixed point
#64: homely: (adj.) plain, everyday, slightly ugly even
#65: ascertained (v.) found out
#66: elitist: (adj.) believing that some people are better than others
#67: assented: (v.) agreed, concurred
#68: dispatched (v.) sent, especially in some official manner
#69: expedited: (v.) speeded up the process or progress of something
#70: fodder (n.) coarse feed, as for livestock
#71: implore: (v.) to beg, plead, beseech, entreat
#72: bemoaned: (v.) lamented, cried, complained
#73: malevolent (adj.) wishing evil toward others; malicious
#74: abandon: (v.) to desert, forsake
#75: vegetate (v.) to grow as a plant; act like a plant
#76: conceded: (v.) accepted as correct
#77: plethora: (adj.) superabundance, lots and lots
#78: bustle (v.) scurry, move in a hurry
#79: cronies: (n.) friends, buddies
#80: hors d'oeuvres (n.) appetizers, served before a meal
#81: conversed: (v.) talked together casually
#82: score: (n.) a group of twenty
#83: chandelier (n.) a branched light fixture
#84: giddily: (adv.) in a dizzy way
#85: beady (adj.) small and glittering, like a bead
#86: simpered: (v.) smirked, smiled in a silly self-conscious way
#87: nochalantly: (adv.) casually, indifferently
#88: quashed (v.) squashed, cancelled, stopped
#89: slovenliness: (n.) untidiness, sloppiness
#90: swooned (v.) fainted
#91: mocked: (v.) made fun of
#92: torrid: (adj.) hot
#93: scoop (n.) a news story gotten before anyone else had it
#94: rapscallions: (n.) scamps, rascals
#95: jilted (v.) dumped, broke up with
#96: interjected: (v.) interrupted, stuck in
#97: staunch: (adj.) trustworthy, constant, loyal
#98: shunned (v.) avoided, ignored
#99: escapade: (n.) adventure, especially a reckless or mischievous one
#100: snooty (adj.) snobbish
My eighth grade Language Arts classes will enter the “Great Mail Race.” The race gives eighth
graders a chance to correspond with other students all over the country while they practice their
letter-writing skills.
1. Step One: In the “Great Mail Race,” each student selects three towns in three different
states, using an atlas. Then they find a middle school in that town using a school search
website:
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/
2. Step Two: The students compose the letter using the following format:
o Paragraph one: Tell about the “Mail Race.”
o Paragraph two: Tell about self.
o Paragraph three: Tell about school.
o Paragraph four: Tell about community and area.
o Paragraph five: Conclude, thank reader, and ask for reply.
We then type the letters in class.
3. Step Three: The student letter and cover letter from the teacher are sent to each of the
three towns. A student in Denver received over forty letters from her three towns.
We will prepare and address the envelopes in class, using the addresses found in step one
as follows:
Eighth Grade English Teacher
(school name)
(school address)
(city), (State) (Zip Code)
We will use the school address for the return address as follows:
(Student name)
C/O (Teacher name)
Logan-Hocking Middle School
1 Middle School Dr.
Logan, OH 43138
Students must provide stamps or money for stamps. If this is a financial issue, please see
me.
Prewriting
There are two basic reasons we write: 1) we want to write: there's something we want to say, a
story we want to tell. OR, 2) we have to write because someone with power tells us we have to
write something.
How we begin the writing process depends on which basic reason we have for the task. When
we're writing because we WANT to, it's usually easier to get started: we start writing whatever it
is we want to say. When we're writing because we HAVE to, it's harder.
When you're writing because you have to, use The Rule of Three:
Three main ideas
o three supporting ideas for each
three details or examples, etc.
Depending on how long a piece you have to write, keep doing sets of three. Three seems to be
the magic number.
If you get all those onto your pre-write (examples below), writing the actual text is easy. For a
standard school five-paragraph essay, you only need three main ideas with three supporting
details for each. Depending on your style, you may prefer a graphic organizer (such as the
example on the left below) or you may prefer an outline (such as the example on the right).
Graphic Organizer Outline
I. Introduction
II. Body
A. Main idea #1
1. supporting detail
2. supporting detail
3. supporting detail
B. Main idea #2
1. supporting detail
2. supporting detail
3. supporting detail
C. Main idea #3
1. supporting detail
2. supporting detail
3. supporting detail
III. Conclusion
Either style of pre-write will do; they have the same information. Choose whichever type fits
your personal style.