English Comma Start Up

Insert the commas needed in the paragraph below.

Once in a while Sheila went to the movies alone. She didn’t have to share her popcorn she didn’t have to shush her companion and she didn’t have to debate which movie to see. On the other hand there was also no one to poke in the ribs when a character said something funny and there was no one to explain when something unexpected happened. She wasn’t sure which way was better but she loved going to the movies.

Rewrite the sentences with the needed periods below.1. Take W River St to Overpass Rd, and turn left at the first set of

lights2. Miss Washington is my piano teacher this year3. Dr Ahmed ordered some tests to be done at the lab on E 42nd

St4. It’s impossible that M L Burns is Melissa Lou Burns5. I have a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr,

and E B White

Rewrite each sentence with a logical punctuation mark.

1. What a glorious day

2. Did he win the contest

3. The unknown player came from behind to beat the best player

in the league

4. She didn’t hear the results

5. Can it be true

Quotation Marks are used to enclose a speaker’s exact words. For example, I said, “I’m going to school.” An indirect quotation tells the substance of what the speaker said but not his or her exact words. For example, He said that he was going to school.Write a few lines of dialogue that you would hear in the hallway at school and be sure to use quotation marks correctly.“Hey! Give me back my pencil!” she demanded.“I don’t have it,” I replied.“Yes, you do. You said that you were going to give it back, but you didn’t,” she said.“Oh, right. I did say that.”

Rewrite the paragraph with the correct words capitalized.

Mr. Jansen rode to the game on the bus with the team. He was not

hopeful about their chances; the rival Tigers were formidable

opponents. The Pittsfield team’s quarterback, T. J. Marks, was an all-

star and was in fine form this season. Maybe the Panthers would win

the battle of the big cats!

Write the correct word in the parenthesis, but don’t copy the

sentence.

1. What is the right (number/amount) of flour to use in this

recipe?

2. There are (less/fewer) students this year than last.

3. Is this his (everyday / every day) routine?

4. Is everyone packed and (already / all ready) to go?

NOW write a sentence for each word you didn’t pick.

Write four original sentences using the following (easy to confuse)

words:

Ascent –

Assent –

Brake –

Break –

Write four original sentences using the following (easy to confuse)

words:

stationary

stationery

council

counsel

Do you know how to write a business letter? Try to define each of

the words below:

Return address

Salutation

Body

Closing

Signature

A group of people that give advice

Supplies for writing

Not moving

To give advice

When writing letters, form is important. Do you know how to

punctuate the following salutations and closings? Write them with

the correct punctuations.

1. Dear Madam

2. Cordially

3. Sincerely

4. Love

5. Dear Lance

When writing a phone message, what information should you

include? Make a list.

Write an invitation to an event for a character in a novel you have

read. It can be any event, but it should have something to do with

the character and the plot of the story. Remember to add the

necessary information: type of event, name of person for whom the

6.Your friend

7.Dear Mr. Alphonse

8.To whom it may

concern

9.Forever yours

event is being held, time, date, place, and an R.S.V.P line including

name and email address for guests to respond to.

Remember the format of a business letter? Use that to write a

letter of complaint to a company from which you have purchased

something. Remember, this is a formal letter and not an email;

standards must be followed. Write your letter in your start-up

notebook, including all the necessary parts. (Normally you would

type a letter of complaint, but here just handwrite it with the proper

format.) In a letter of complaint, you should always tell the recipient

what you expect him or her to do about the problem.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

– Maya Angelou

How do you feel about this quotation? Do you feel that strongly

about writing – or about anything else? Write your responses.

Write the advertising copy (words for an advertisement or

commercial) for a piece of clothing people your age might want to

buy. You don’t need to write in full sentences, but use words that

will catch peoples’ attention.

Now write the ad copy for a piece of clothing someone your parents’

generation would be interested in. How will the language you use

be different from your first ad?

A cinquain is a controlled form of poetry in this pattern:

Line 1 – one word that names the subject

Line 2 – two words that describe the subject

Line 3 – three words that tell about what the subject does

Line 4 – four words that tell how you feel about the subject

Line 5 – one words that renames the subject or sums up the poem

Write a cinquain about a person.

Think about a novel you have read with a character you remember

well. Now write this character a letter of recommendation for a job

you think they would be good at. Use the business letter format.

Elizabeth JohnsonMartin Luther King Str 14

53175 Bonn

Home Improvements Inc.Mr Jared Smith12 DIY Lane53175 Bonn

November 8, 2011

Dear Mr. Smith:

This letter is in reference to Dorothy Gale. I believe that Dorothy would be an outstanding representative for your company. Everyone knows, “There’s no place like home!”

A letter to the editor is an opinion letter a reader writes to be

published in a newspaper. Letters to the editor are often about

subjects that have been reported in the newspaper.

Think about a current even from the news or at school. Write a

letter to the editor about this issue. Use the proper business letter

format and use Dear Editor as your salutation.

Imagine that you need advice about something and don’t want to

ask family or friends. Write a letter to advice columnist Pat Answer

about your problem. Use the proper friendly letter format and sign

with a pseudonym, or pen name, to remain anonymous.

Alliteration is the repetition of a beginning sound, such as

slithering snake and lonely, lingering light. Alliteration is a sound

device used to create a feeling or association.

Think of some examples of alliteration you have heard in a poem,

song, or advertisement. OR, write a few phrases using alliteration

yourself.

Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. The

sentence I went to the beach today is written in first person.

Imagine that you are your English teacher. Write a diary entry

about what happened in school today using the first person

perspective.

Imagine that you are a piece of gym equipment. Write a paragraph

about your life in first person perspective.

Read the following news report about an accident:

This morning at 9:00 two cars collided on Main Street. A blue sedan driven by Tim Walker was stopped at the light on Main and Hudson streets. Marlene Hansen was traveling down Main Street when she slowed down to avoid a cat in the road. As Ms. Hansen accelerated, Mr. Walker hit her passenger side. No injuries were reported.

Imagine that you are Mr. Walker. Tell your side of the story in the first person. Then imagine you are Ms. Hansen, and tell your version of the story. How are the stories different? Can they both be true?

Pretend that you work at a book publisher and it is your job to write

the blurbs on the back covers of young adult novels.

Write a blurb that you think will appeal to young adults. You can

write it for a book that you have read or make up a book to write

about. Tell about the story but don’t give too much away!

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” – Edward Bullwer Lytton

Respond to the quotation above. Do you agree or disagree? When

is this true? Untrue? Explain.

“And were an epitaph to be my storyI’d have a short one ready for my own.I would have written of me on my stone:I had a lover’s quarrel with the world.”

The quotation about refers to an epitaph, a saying that appears on

one’s gravestone. How would you like to be remembered? Write

one sentence or phrase that tells something about your life. This

would be permanent, so be sure you say what you mean and say it

well.

Write a motto or slogan for your school. Try to capture something

unique or interesting about the school.

Make a list of the words you think of when you hear the phrase

report card. Then reread your list and sum up in a sentence the

feelings you have.

Today is the American holiday, Thanksgiving. Think of three things

you are thankful for, and explain why. At least one thing must be

non-material, meaning you can’t buy it.

Make a list of the words you think of when you hear the word

holiday. Then write a paragraph using some of those words.

An acrostic is a kind of poem that takes its structure from the

letters of one world. Write an acrostic about winter

WINTER

There are many reasons to write. Make a list of 10 reasons you write, then rank them in order of importance to you by numbering them, with 1 as the most important.

Unless a specific topic is assigned, where do you get your ideas? How do you decide what a story or a research paper is going to be about? Describe the way you pre-write.

After the pre-writing steps of the writing process, it’s time to write your first draft. Write your defintion of first draft and tell what your goal is in a first draft.

The word revise means literally “to look at again.” When you revise a draft of an essay, what kinds of things do you look for?

Write an acrostic poem for the word:LEADER

When you get ready to write an essay, you need to decide who your audience is. In school, your audience is usually your teacher or your classmates. Read the list of essay titles below. Write who you think the target audience is for each one.

1. “How to Write a Descriptive Essay”2. “Finding the Perfect Spouse”3. “Turn Your Old Barbies into Cash!”4. “The Effects of Radiation Treatment on Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Patients”5. “Going to the Dentist”6. “Social Security and You”7. “Basic Bicycle Maintenance”

A writer intends to reach a particular audience. Answer the questions below:

1. How does the audience affect the subject matter?2. How does the audience affect vocabulary or word choice?3. How does the audience affect writing style?

Write two paragraphs. The first describes a stereotypical adolescent, and the second describes a real adolescent you know. Does the paragraph about the real person resemble the stereotype of an adolescent?

One purpose for writing is to explain something. If you were to write an expository, or explanatory, essay, about a non-fiction topic, which topic would you choose? Where would you get your information?

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.  You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”  ~Roald Dahl

Description can be a purpose for writing. When might description be a good type of writing to use? What kind of words would you probably use? How might you organize a descriptive essay?

The sequence of events or the order of steps in a process can be very important. Some words that signal sequence are first, second, third, then, next, finally, after, and before.

Rewrite the paragraph below by correcting the sequence and adding sequence words when needed.

Rinse your mouth so you do not swallow any toothpaste. Spend at least two minutes brushing all surfaces of your teeth. Floss your teeth. Squeeze a dollop of toothpaste on the bristles of your toothbrush. Spit out the used toothpaste. Brush your tongue, too. Brush your teeth using up-and-down strokes.

One purpose for writing is to persuade readers that your view is correct. This may lead the reader to simply agree with you, or it may prompt him or her to change the way they act.When would be a good time to use persuasion in writing?

One common organizational pattern in writing is main idea and details. Read the paragraph below and write the main idea in one sentence.

The leaves are breathtaking: red, yellow, orange, and still a hint of green. The changing hues are a sign of impending death, but the sight is still beautiful. The air is crisp, just cool enough for a jacket, but not cold enough for gloves. Farm stands have an ample supply of seasonal produce, such as squash and pumpkin. I love this season!

When you compare two things, you tell how they are alike. When you contrast them. You tell how they are different. List as many things as you can that you could compare and contrast.Example: German and English language

Compare and contrast school days and vacation days.

The holidays are a time when wishes come true. Make a list of things that you want. At least two of them must be non-material.

An anology is a set of paired words that share a similar relationship. Pig is to piglet as dog is to puppy is an analogy. They are often written using colons:

Pig:piglet :: Dog:puppy

A book review or movie review is often an opinion supported by reasons. Write a book review or a movie review, being sure to state your opinion and give at least three supporting reasons.

Every cause has an effect and for every action there is a reaction. Many times in literature the story is about something that happened (cause) and what happens after (effect). Write about one cause and effect from a story you know.

Chronological Order means “time order”. Write about a novel or movie you know that goes in direct chronological order, then write about a novel or movie where the time skips around.

Plot means the events in story. Most plots include a conflict, or problem. For each type of conflict below, invent a specific conflict that you think would make for an interesting story, or write the title of a movie or book you know with this conflict.

Conflict Specific Ideas for ConflictPerson vs personPerson against himself or herselfPerson against naturePerson against technology

Characters are people who appear in a story. Read the paragraph below and pay attention to how the main character is characterized.

After a few minutes of fuming, May Ling lifted her square chin to look in the mirror. She blinked with surprise at her flushed face. She recombed her part so that it neatly bisected her dark head. She took a deep breath, counted to five, and exhaled. She pulled her precious books out from under the bed where she had kicked them and set them squarely on the corner of the desk. After choosing a color-coded mechanical pencil from the desk drawer, she began brainstorming about the English paper that was due next week.

Now describe May Ling. What does she look like? What are her personality traits? What is important to her?

Write a few lines of dialogue that reveal what a friend, or someone you know, is like. Don’t use the person’s name. You may want to include expressions that person often uses and subjects that person is always talking about. Then share your dialogue with a classmate and ask him or her to tell you what kind of person your character seems to be.

Imagine that you are on the committee that is compiling a handbook for new students. You have been assigned to write the “welcome” letter at the front. You want to put new students at ease and help them enjoy their new school. Write your letter.

Write lyrics for a song about test taking to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

There are many overused and tired word. Such words are used so often that they hold little meaning anymore. Write a list of overused words.

Example – nice

Rewrite the following paragraph using fresh, vivid words.

Sam and I went to the concert last night. It was great. The music was really loud. The band was great. Sam’s a good guy. We do fun things together.

Rewrite the following paragraph using fresh words and details.My mom is a nice lady. She’s nice to me. She buys me nice things. She makes nice food. Her smile is nice. She keeps the house nice. She has a nice job.

My mom is a generous person. She always gives me the last piece of cheesecake, a piece of jewelry she doesn’t wear, or a scarf to match my dress. She buys all the gas for the car even though I’m the one driving it. She makes the most delicious stew and bakes bread for breakfast.

Rewrite the following paragraph using fresh words and details.My mornings are crazy. My brother and I are rushing all the time. Sometimes we are late to school.

Rewrite the following using fresh words and details.My birthday party is going to be the best ever.

Rewrite the following using fresh words and details:I live on a busy street.

Strong verbs are particularly important in writing. For each verb in bold, think of a few strong, specific verbs you could use instead.WalkSayLookThink

Think about a book you enjoyed reading. Write a letter from one character to another. Keep true to the character’s personality and the story.

Replace the underlined word with a more specific, vibrant word from

the box below.

Beatrice ran to the window. The bus had just come to a stop. She picked up her lunch, picked up her coat, and ran out the door. Just as she went around the corner, the bus drove away.

Use the 5 Ws and 1 H (who, what, when, where, why, how) to describe an event from the news.

Turn the following into properly written dialogue:

Hi she said. Hi he said. I was thinking we could get doners for dinner she said. I’m allergic to falafel he said but we could get pizza. Okay she said lets go to Vapiano. I like that place he said The buzzer thing is cool.

flew sprinted hurtled wobbled strolledgrabbed inched zoomed lurched snatchedcrawled whizzed rolled loped gatheredsped

“Hi!” she said.“Hi,” he said.

“I was thinking we could get doners for dinner,” she said.“I’m allergic to falafel,” he said, “but we could get pizza.”“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go to Vapiano.”“I like that place,” he said. “The buzzer thing is cool.”

Put the following in the proper dialogue format:Hi, what can I bring you? the waiter asked. I’ll have a salad I said. With chicken, please. Okay, is that all? I will also have some water, I said.

“Hi, what can I bring you?” the waiter asked.“I’ll have a salad,” I said. “With chicken, please.”“Okay, is that all?”“I will also have some water,” I said.

Put the following into proper dialogue format:

I was thinking Jeanne said well nevermind. What Susan asked curiously. When the teacher told me to work harder, what do you think she meant? asked Jeanne You need to do your homework! Susan replied.

“I was thinking,” Jeanne said, “well, nevermind.”“What,” Susan asked curiously.“When the teacher told me to work harder, what do you think

she meant?”“When the teacher said, ‘turn it up a notch,’ what did she

mean?”

“You need to do your homework!” Susan replied.

Describe an interesting setting for a short story or movie.*Setting is the time and place of the story

Rewrite the end of a familiar fairy tale to include a surprise or a twist.

What is your very favorite love story? Summarize it, and tell why it stands out to you.

It is sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction. Write about something strange but true that you experienced or heard about.

Describe the best costume you’ve ever seen. It could be the funniest, most accurate, or most elaborate. If you can’t think of one, make up the costume you would most like to wear.

Write a short letter to the principal explaining something you would like changed or improved at BIS.

Write a prompt(directions for writing) for a persuasive essay – a piece of writing that gets someone to do something or think the way you do.

For example: Write an essay persuading someone to… or Describe your argument for or against…

Today is Leap Day, you’ve been waiting four years for this day! What do you think is the best way to use this extra time today? Maybe there is something you’ve been meaning to do but just haven’t had time?

A sentence may be written in an active or passive voice. Active voice – somebody does something. Mariah kicked the

ball. Passive voice – something is done to or by the subject. The

ball was kicked by Mariah.Write two sentences that mean the same thing, one in the active voice and one in the passive.

Rewrite the paragraph below, switching the passive sentences to active sentences.

Jake was surprised by the storm. He was awakened by the sound of high winds, and he was startled by the crash of a tree. Some cars had been blanketed by leaves. Windows had been shattered by the wind.

Imagine you are throwing a surprise party and the theme is from a novel or movie. What would the decorations be like? The costumes? The food? The games? The party favors? Then describe the scene when the party is revealed to the special person.

Write about a time you were sure things were going to go one way, but went another. A time when you thought you knew something was going to happen but it turned out differently.

What do you worry about? Do your worries come true? What are some ways to stop worrying?

Describe something you want that would be worth all of your money.

What if every week had 8 days instead of 7? What would the new day be named? What would you do on this day every week?

If I were a teacher, I would…

Choose a story you know that contains a conflict between two people. As the protagonist (the main character), write a letter to the antagonist (the person who opposes the main character) suggesting a way the two of you can resolve the conflict.

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone in history, it would be…

Describe a dream you had recently with as many details as possible.

Today is the first day of spring! Write a paragraph about what you are looking forward to, using sensory details.

If you had 100,000 Euro to give away to charity and couldn’t spend it on yourself, what organization would you give it to and why?

If you were an insect, what would you be and why?

What is your favorite time of day and why?

What is your favorite song and why?

Free write! Write whatever thoughts come into your head.

What does it mean to be brave? Write about a time whe you or someone you know acted bravely.

Describe the worst day of your life, or at least a very bad one.

What are your plans for the holiday? Travel? Staying at home? What will you do with your time off?

Describe something you are looking forward to.

In 20 years I will be … (Describe yourself and your life in a few sentences)

If you were to describe yourself as a color, which would it be and why?

Do you think watching violence on TV makes people violent in real life?

What makes you laugh? Describe.

Have you ever lost something and found it later? Describe. If not, create a story about something lost and found in a paragraph.

Describe a place you are (or were) afraid of.

Describe a computer 20 years from now.

Did you ever have a bad babysitter? Tell about it. If not, create a story about a bad babysitter.

If you could be a mythical creature, what would you be and why?

Describe the oldest person you know.

If you could be on TV, what show would it be and why?

Describe a time when you won something.

Would you like to be famous? Why or why not? What would you like to be famous for?

Who is your favorite celebrity? Why do you look up to this person

Should celebrities be held responsible to be role models?

Who is your role model?

What would you do if you did really poorly on a test or assignment?

It’s one month today until the end of school. How are you preparing for your final exams?

If this was your final exam photo, what would you write about? What genre, or type, of writing would you do?

What are your plans for this long weekend?

What do you like to do when it rains?

Complete your essay plan about this photo:

In what ways did you study well for your finals?How will you study differently next year?

Write about this quote: “Makes much more sense / to live in the present tense.” – EV

What elective are you taking next year? Describe the reasons you have chosen this class.

Design a class for next year. What would you study? What projects would you do?

Pretend you are going on the vacation of your dreams. What do you pack? What special clothes or equipment do you need?

Describe your perfect summer day.

While weeding your garden, there is a stubborn plant that can’t be pulled up. What is at the end of the root?

Imagine that you fell asleep in one place and woke up in another. What happened?