• Home
  • Word Power
    • 6 Traits of Writing
    • 100 Misspelled Words
    • Types of Writing
    • Grammar >
      • Grammar Games!
      • Grammar Links
      • Grammar Prezis
      • Homonyms
    • Literary Terms
    • Poetry >
      • Black Out Poetry
      • Spoken Word Poetry
  • ELA Classes
    • ELA 10Honors (Blog) >
      • Short Stories >
        • "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin
        • "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
        • "The First Seven Years" by Bernard Malamud
        • "The Bet" by Anton Checkov
        • "The Bass the River and Sheila Mant" by J.D. Wetherell
        • "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
        • "The Mask of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
        • "The Velt" by Ray Bradbury
      • Boy's Life
      • Taming of the Shrew
      • Things Fall Apart >
        • Audio
        • Connected Ideas
        • Proverbs
      • World War II Choice Text >
        • Poetry of War
      • Research Paper >
        • Annotated Bibliography
        • Source Evaluation
    • ELA10Regents >
      • Short Stories >
        • The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant
        • Cold Equations
        • Everyday Use
        • The Lottery
        • The Masque of the Red Death
        • The Veldt
      • Hamlet
      • The Kite Runner
      • Research Paper
    • Own Local
  • Links I Like
    • Funny Stuff!
  • Contact Me
  • Extra-Curricular
    • Mock Trial (Blog) >
      • The Competition >
        • Baldwinsville
        • Bishop Ludden
        • Cazenovia
        • Christian Brothers Academy
        • Cicero North Syracuse
        • Cortland
        • East Syracuse Minoa
        • Fabius Pompey
        • Fayetteville Manlius
        • Jamesville Dewitt
        • Jordan Elbridge
        • Lafayette
        • Marcellus
        • Malius Pebble Hill
        • Nottingham
        • Onondaga Central
        • Skaneateles
        • Tully
        • West Genesee
        • West Hill
      • NYSBA
      • Mock Trial Objections
    • Syracuse Stage TKTS
  • Fall Play
  Coller ONLINE

Grammar

Communication

"I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."  - Robert McCloskey

"Brush Strokes" to Enhance Sentences

When a writer decides to put pen to paper, his words carry his thoughts to his readers.  So, if you're the writer, it is helpful to choose the best words to help the reader understand exactly what is on your mind.  That doesn't mean you have to know all the big words, it just means you have to know how to "turn a phrase" to work to your advantage.

Here are the basic BRUSH STROKES learned in class:

Absolute:
  • Core sentence:  The car went into the parking lot.
  • Revision:  Engine smoking, tailpipe roaring, the car went into the parking lot.
  • Remember:  These two phrases describe the car AND how it went, so the phrases actually modify the whole sentence.  As a basic "beginners" rule, an absolute will contain a NOUN and a PARTICIPLE.  It is easiest to think about the PARTICIPLE as an "ing" word or an "ed" word.  Look below for a more advanced definition.
 Appositive:
  • Core sentence:  The car went into the parking lot.
  • Revision:  The car, Miss White's Shelby GT350 Mustang, went into the parking lot.
  • Remember:  The main NOUN (car) is RENAMED in between commas.  Check to see if you have it right by covering up the main noun.  Does the sentence still make sense?  If so, you've got it!
Participle:
  • Core sentence:  The car went into the parking lot.
  • Revision:  Sliding, skidding, turning, the car went into the parking lot.
  • Alternate revision:  Skidding around the corner, the car went into the parking lot.
  • Remember: Participles are VERBS that are being used as ADJECTIVES.  Past tense verbs would work, too.  Example:  Painted cherry red, the car went into the parking lot.
Adjectives Out of Order:
  • Core Sentence:  The car went into the parking lot.
  • Revision:  The car, polished and shiny, went into the parking lot.
  • Remember:  These are ADJECTIVES out of order.  Don't get them mixed up with the appositives.
Action:
  • Core Sentence:  The car went into the parking lot.
  • Revision:  The car slid into the parking lot.
  • Remember:  Avoid sentences with no action.  They are boring.  Example of a boring sentence:  Dad was angry with the dog.  Better ACTION sentence:  Dad raised his voice and yelled at the dog.

Conjunctions
Using these to enhance your writing displays a deeper understanding of both the concept about which you are writing and the use of the English language!

Subordinating Conjunctions:
after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, even if, even though, how, if, inasmuch as, in order that, lest, now that, once, provided that, rather than, since, so that, than, that, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, whether, while
Correlative Conjnuctions: both/and, whether/or, either/or, neither/nor, not/but, as/as, such/that, scarely/when, as many/as, no sooner/than, rather/than
Coordinating conjnuctions:
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

Understanding Capitalization

Do yoU eVer Wonder wheN to CAPitALIZE a worD?  Does your teacher ever correct your capital letters?  Do you put capitals IN THE MIDDLE of your sentences?  This part of the website may be for you!
Picture
Picture
Picture

Understanding Punctuation

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Understanding Parts of Speech

I have found some charts, pictures, and diagrams to help you understand parts of speech.  Check these out!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Understanding Phrases

This is complicated; only click here if you are ready for a super-grammar challenge!
Picture
Intro to Absolute Phrases
Picture
Phrase Garden w Quiz

SONGS for Understanding Parts of Speech

Do you need to know what a noun is?  And why does the teacher keep talking about participles and prepositions?  Click on a video below for help.  (These are YouTube videos, so they may not show up at school.  Grr!)

Powered by
  • Home
  • Word Power
    • 6 Traits of Writing
    • 100 Misspelled Words
    • Types of Writing
    • Grammar >
      • Grammar Games!
      • Grammar Links
      • Grammar Prezis
      • Homonyms
    • Literary Terms
    • Poetry >
      • Black Out Poetry
      • Spoken Word Poetry
  • ELA Classes
    • ELA 10Honors (Blog) >
      • Short Stories >
        • "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin
        • "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
        • "The First Seven Years" by Bernard Malamud
        • "The Bet" by Anton Checkov
        • "The Bass the River and Sheila Mant" by J.D. Wetherell
        • "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
        • "The Mask of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
        • "The Velt" by Ray Bradbury
      • Boy's Life
      • Taming of the Shrew
      • Things Fall Apart >
        • Audio
        • Connected Ideas
        • Proverbs
      • World War II Choice Text >
        • Poetry of War
      • Research Paper >
        • Annotated Bibliography
        • Source Evaluation
    • ELA10Regents >
      • Short Stories >
        • The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant
        • Cold Equations
        • Everyday Use
        • The Lottery
        • The Masque of the Red Death
        • The Veldt
      • Hamlet
      • The Kite Runner
      • Research Paper
    • Own Local
  • Links I Like
    • Funny Stuff!
  • Contact Me
  • Extra-Curricular
    • Mock Trial (Blog) >
      • The Competition >
        • Baldwinsville
        • Bishop Ludden
        • Cazenovia
        • Christian Brothers Academy
        • Cicero North Syracuse
        • Cortland
        • East Syracuse Minoa
        • Fabius Pompey
        • Fayetteville Manlius
        • Jamesville Dewitt
        • Jordan Elbridge
        • Lafayette
        • Marcellus
        • Malius Pebble Hill
        • Nottingham
        • Onondaga Central
        • Skaneateles
        • Tully
        • West Genesee
        • West Hill
      • NYSBA
      • Mock Trial Objections
    • Syracuse Stage TKTS
  • Fall Play
✕