Writing Skills 101Grammar, Punctuation, and Writing Expert

Sentences

What Will We Be Learning?

1.Parts of Speech

2.Crafting an Expert Sentence

3.Punctuation

4.Using the Right Word Every Time

5.Ready to Write

1. Parts of Speech

Nouns Nouns are words that name a person, place, or thing.

A noun can also name an idea or feeling (like joy, anger, confusion).

The nouns in a sentence tell the reader what the sentence is really about.

1. Parts of Speech

Common Nouns A common noun names

any unspecific person, place or thing

Common nouns are never capitalized

Proper Nouns A proper noun names a

specific person, place, ore thing

Proper nouns are always capitalized

Some proper nouns have more than one word

1. Parts of Speech

Nick helped Mr. Preston make a sign for the carnival in Springdale

Linda knows that education is important in South Africa

There is no school on Monday because it is Labour Day

Grandpa Jack was too young to fight in the Vietnam War

Kim and Anna are identical twins

Jack did his report on penguins in Antarctica

Write down the common and proper nouns found in each sentence

1. Parts of Speech

Plural Nouns A plural noun names more than one person, place, or

thing (plural = multiple)

Sometimes it is as simple as adding an –s to the end of the noun…but not always

If a noun ends in s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z you must add –es to the end of the noun

If a noun ends in a consonant followed by a y, change the y to an -ies

1. Parts of Speech

Irregular Plural Nouns Some nouns have special forms when they are plural

Man

Person

Mouse

Tooth

If a noun ends with an f or fe, the f is changed to a v and you add –es tom make the word plural Knife

Wife

Leaf

wolf

1. Parts of Speech

Possessive Nouns A possessive noun shows that a noun has or owns something

To form the possessive of a singular noun, add an apostrophe (‘) and –s The phone belongs to Austin

Austin’s phone is broken

To form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in –s, add an apostrophe (‘) to the end of the word Three doctors share an office

The doctors’ office is next to the hospital

To form the possessive of a plural noun that does not end in –s, add an apostrophe (‘) and –s The children like to act

They started a children’s theatre

1. Parts of Speech

Mary is wearing a hat. ________ hat has a feather.

It took a long time for the jury to reach a decision. The _________ verdict was guilty.

Kendall has twin sisters. His ______ birthday is May 15.

The animal shelter had four cages for rabbits. The ________ cages were in the back room.

Three women went out for lunch together. A waiter brought the ________ menus.

A dog jumped over the fence. The ______ collar came off.

Fill in the blanks with the possessive form of the nouns.

1. Parts of Speech

Subject Pronouns

A subject pronoun takes the place of a subject noun Patty likes to shop.

The boys bought a game.

The dog stole my homework.

Object Pronouns

An object pronoun is used to replace the object in a sentence Ben broke a cup.

Hannah builds robots.

Ann likes hamsters.

Pronouns are words that stand in for nouns.I, you, she, we, me, he, her, they, us, him, it, them

1. Parts of Speech

Compound Pronouns Compound pronouns are sentences with more than one

object pronoun Caroline thanked Jack and me

Caroline thanked Jack and ICompound object

1. Parts of Speech

Compound Pronouns If you’re not sure which pronoun to use with a compound

object, try the sentence with only one pronoun at a time. Does Caroline thanked I sound right?

Louisa and (me/I) are going shopping

Kyle and (them/they) are at the arcade

(Us and them/We and they) went out for dinner together

(Her/she) and Jackson were science partners

1. Parts of Speech

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun takes the place of a possessive noun, and do not use apostrophes My dog is sleeping

Your dog is chasing a squirrel

Her dog is wearing a sweater

My, mine, its, her, hers, his, our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same Reflexive pronouns end

in –self or –selves

Dad helped himself to a second piece of cake

Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

1. Parts of SpeechVerbs Verbs tell what someone or something is or does

Every sentence must have a verb, even one word sentences!

Help!

Wait!

Jump!

1. Parts of Speech

Action Verbs Action verbs tell us what

someone or something does

Even “non-action” words like sleep or think are action

verbs

Underline the action verb in each sentence

The teacher draws a circle on the chalkboard

Jasmine raked the lawn

James is jumping rope on the sidewalk

1. Parts of Speech

Linking Verbs Linking verbs tell us what

someone or something is

They link the subject of a sentence to some

information about it

It can also describe something’s state of being

Underline the linking verb of each sentence

The rabbit is grey with white patches

Jerome looks tired

Alison feels hungry

1. Parts of Speech

Read the paragraph and circle the verbs.

Peter and Mary Jane danced in their school’s talent show. First, Mary Jane twirled around the room. Then Peter leaped

across the stage. He hopped and jumped around. Mary Jane and Peter swayed to the music and sang along with the

lyrics. When the music stopped, they stopped. The other students stood while they clapped and cheered. Mary Jane

and Peter smiled at each other. They reached for each other’s hand, and then bowed and left the stage.

1. Parts of Speech

Changing the Tense of A Verb The tense of a verb tells the time when something happens

Present Tense means something is happening now

Claire is happy

My brother rides the bus to school

Past Tense means something has already happened (add –ed)

I walked to the store

Tony played video games last night

Future Tense means something is going to happen (add will)

Jeff will sell cake at the bake sale

A new store will open in the mall next month

1. Parts of Speech

Going Back to the Future?

Turn the following regular verbs in to past and future tense verbs

Walk

Cry

Appear

Talk

Climb

Cook

1. Parts of Speech

Adjectives Adjectives describe people, places and things

They tell more about nouns and pronouns

They can describe how many of something, the color, size, or shape, or even the taste, smell, sound of something

The Hulk has purple pants!

1. Parts of Speech

Adjective Rules Adjectives usually come before a noun or pronoun

The Hulk has purple pants

Adjectives usually follow a linking verb The subway is noisy

Number adjectives tell exactly how many of something, while indefinite adjectives don’t She had three pencils

Isabelle saw several movies this summer

1. Parts of Speech

Proper Adjectives Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns (such as

countries, languages, and continents)

Proper adjectives always begin with a capital letter Religious words are also proper adjectives

1. Parts of Speech

Turn the proper noun into a proper adjective

France

England

Spain

China

America

Italy

Japan

Asia

1. Parts of Speech

Comparing Adjectives Ever seen a movie that was good? How about one that

was better than that? Or even, the best ever?

Comparative adjectives compare nouns and end in –er

Superlative adjectives compare more than two nouns and end in-est

1. Parts of Speech

Adverbs An adverb tells us how, when, or where something

happens Most adverbs end in –ly, but not all of them

1. Parts of Speech

Adverbs Can DO Three Different Things1. Adverbs tell how an action takes place

She quickly ate her lunch

Jean plays the harp beautifully

2. Adverbs tell when or how often an action takes place My grandparents often visit

They are leaving for the airport soon

3. Adverbs tell where an action takes place Max hoped his friends would be there

During recess, the children played outdoors

1. Parts of Speech

Adjectives vs. Adverbs It can be easy to confuse adjectives and adverbs, since both

describe something JUST REMEMBER: Adverbs usually end in –ly

Jack is brave

Jack climbed the beanstalk and bravely fought the giant

FINAL RULE: If a word ends in with a –y (happy), the adverb of that word must end in –ily and NOT -ly

1. Parts of Speech

Do You Know Your Adverbs? Angry

Graceful

Cheerful

Lazy

Polite

Slow

Merry

Quick

Mysterious

Awkward

Here is a list of other adverbs: Ahead

Always

Everywhere

Later

Nearby

Never

Today

Tomorrow

Yesterday

Sometimes

There

Here

1. Parts of Speech

Conjunctions Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or

entire sentences

Conjunctions are known as “joining words”

The three most common conjunctions are and, or, and but

1. Parts of Speech

Coordinating Conjunctions Coordinating conjunctions join

ideas that are independent

Each phrase could stand alone as a complete sentence

Erin ran faster than Greg. She won the race

Erin ran faster than Greg, so she won the race

1. Parts of Speech

Which of the following coordinating conjunctions is the best choice for joining each of the sentence pairs below?

And, or, but, so

1. I like fruit, ______ I like cookies

2. Jeff studied for the math test, ______ he aced it

3. Katie packed her bag, _____ she was ready to go

4. Nathan speaks French and English, _____ Pierre speaks only French

5. The school bus was late, _____ Alice was late for school

6. Lisa slept over at Grandma’s house, _____ her brother stayed home

7. Peggy likes scary movies, ______ Billy does not like them

1. Parts of Speech

Prepositions Prepositions show a relationship between words in a

sentence, and can make a huge difference in the meaning of a sentence

I’ll meet you before school

I’ll meet you after school

The mouse is on the desk

The mouse is under the desk

1. Parts of Speech

Pick out the 10 prepositions in the paragraph below. Remember, a sentence can have more than one preposition!

Our school has a chess club. It meets on Tuesdays after school for an hour. The members study the rules of the game and talk about different strategies for playing well. Before a

tournament, the club members meet for practice games. During the games, the players concentrate hard. I am

thinking about joining the chess club.