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What are linking verbs? Linking verbs (also referred to as copulas or copular verbs) don't show action like ordinary verbs. They rather link or connect the subject to a subject complement, the part of the sentence that follows the verb. This complement which contains additional information describes and identifies the subject.
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Some pronouns are definite in that they replace a specific noun or another pronoun. But sometimes things aren’t so clear-cut. We don’t need to refer to anything or anyone definite. So what do we do for a pronoun? In those cases we use indefinite pronouns. What are Indefinite Pronouns? As the name suggests indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are not definite in meaning. In other words they are not specific in which noun they replace. They may be singular or plural, and must match the verb in number. There are two categories of indefinite pronouns. The first category includes pronouns that refer to a nonspecific noun. These pronouns are: anybody anyone anything everybody everyone everything nobody none no one nothing somebody someone something Example: Anything is possible if you believe. The second category of indefinite pronouns are those that point to a specific noun whose meaning is easily understood only because it was previously mentioned or because the words that follow the indefinite pronoun make it clear. These pronouns are: all another any both each either few many neither one some several Examples: Many are planning to attend the party. (In this case the identity of the group that is going to the party would have already been mentioned.) Would you like to try some of these cookies? (The word cookies makes it clear what some is referring to.) Not to confuse you but keep in mind the pronouns in this group can function as adjectives if nouns directly follow them. More Examples: Many classmates are planning to attend the party. I checked out some books from the library. Singular and Plural Indefinite Pronouns As mentioned previously indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural and the verb has to match in number. Below is the list of singular indefinite pronouns. Another Anybody Anyone Anything Each Either Everybody Everyone Everything Neither Nobody No one Nothing One Somebody Something Someone Examples: There are three groups of participants, and each has its own requirements. Someone special is about to arrive. The following are plural indefinite pronouns: Both Few Many Several Examples: Few of the projects were good enough to go to the science fair. Several of the documents were filled with errors. Some indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural. It all depends on the noun it stands for. These pronouns include all, any, either, none, some, more, most. The rule states that when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase, the pronoun must agree in number with the object of the preposition. The verb in the sentence must agree in number with the antecedent. Sound confusing? Here are two examples: Most of the work is finished. Most of the books are out of date. In this case work requires a singular verb and books requires a plural verb. Examples of Indefinite Pronouns Does anybody have the time? All are welcome to our house for Thanksgiving. Tim doesn’t have any. Michael passed his card to another. Each brought a dessert to share. Anyone can see what’s going on here. Alice couldn’t hear anything at the concert. Everything is going as planned Everyone clapped when the movie ended. Many missed the bus. No one admitted to knocking over the base. One could see the tornado forming from miles away. Several turned out for the concert. Somebody rang the doorbell. Holly gave her ticket to someone. To sum it all up, use indefinite pronouns when the noun substitute doesn’t have to be definite in meaning. Remember that they can be singular or plural in the corresponding verbs must match the number.
A subjective pronoun is used as the subject of a sentence in place of a person’s or thing’s name or description, particularly after the subject has already been introduced. Subject pronouns include: I, we, you, he, she, it, they An objective pronoun is used in place of a person or thing that is acted upon or receives the action of the verb in a sentence. When the pronoun is the object of a prepositional phrase, it will always use an object pronoun. Object pronouns include: me, us, you, him, her, them A possessive pronoun shows that something belongs to someone or something. Possessive pronouns include: mine, yours, ours, hers, his, their. Pronoun Case Subjective I You He She It We They Who Possessive Mine Yours His Hers Its Ours Theirs Whose Objective Me You Him Her It Us Them Whom
Students complete a diagnostic created by Write Score. With Write Score's "analytical approach to writing, teachers are able to determine the areas where their students’ need additional help and provide differentiated instruction to optimize student growth."
The closing sentence in a paragraph summarizes the one main idea, gives final thoughts or opinions, or forms a transition to the next paragraph. The danger with the closing sentence is that it can come across as clumsy.
The conclusion of an essay is as important as the introduction, with the two paragraphs considered the essay’s figurative “bookends.” While the first paragraph introduces the topic and makes a claim, the conclusion of an essay looks back at the claim with the benefit of supporting details, and shows how the point of the essay was made. It’s important for students to learn how to write a conclusion that finishes the work of the essay, and supports the main claim. How to structure the final paragraph is a good question. In the introduction, you start with the general and move to the specific, but in the conclusion you start with the specific and move to the general. Repeat the ideas in your thesis statement, but with deeper understanding. This is your chance to "touch back" to your essay in a more confident tone. Summarize the main points in the body of your essay. Again, you can "touch back" to your essay, but challenge yourself to "get to the heart of the matter." Connect back to the introduction to “clinch” the ideas in the essay, showing their importance. This is your final statement, or your "zinger." There are magic words that signal to the student it is time to write: “You’re about to write a paragraph.” When students hear these words, they should take out a sheet of notebook paper and do the following immediately.
· Put your name and date at the top right hand corner of the paper. · Put “Prewrite” on the top line in the middle. · Write “One Main Idea:” on the first line of your paper with the number 1 below it. · Make a cluster in the middle of your paper, put your pencil down and wait for the topic. Writing a paragraph is easy. All you need to do is develop one main idea. Next, you need to write that main idea which is called your topic sentence. Then you will write five to seven sentences that support that main idea. Finally, you need to have a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph. Before you finish, be sure that your paragraph is indented, you have good spelling, and you have proper punctuation. If you follow these simple steps, you will have no problem writing a paragraph. · The Topic Sentence: “What is a paragraph about?” Answer: One Main Idea. "What sentence tells the One Main Idea?" Answer: The Topic Sentence. Have the students point to the one main idea on their prewriting. Point out that we have already written the one main idea. Would this make a good topic sentence? Absolutely! Thus, we’ve already written the first sentence of our paragraph. · Supporting Details: Write a sentence for each of the items in the cluster. Items are numbered. What is great about this system is that the students are now able to focus on how to phrase their sentences rather that what to say in their sentences. Vary sentence patterns for increased readability. · Closing Sentence: Think of the closing sentence as the bow on the package. Whenever a gift is wrapped, the bow adds that nice final touch. The closing sentence does this for the paragraph. The closing sentence can serve three purposes. First, it can summarize the one main idea. Since you’ve already written the one main idea, you can simply restate it at the end such as “If you know these simple steps, you will have no problem writing a paragraph.” Second, it can give final thoughts or opinions about the topic. An example would be“Following these steps is a good way to keep your writing organized.” Finally, it can serve as a transition to the next paragraph’s main idea. If your next paragraph is about how to write an essay, your closing sentence could be “You can follow these simple steps to master many other types of writing.” There are six hooks writers use to grab the reader's attention: shocking fact, rhetorical question, expert opinion, anecdote/vivid description, bandwagon statement, appeal to a high ideal.
Students view the Prezi covering introduction paragraphs, isolating the three key elements of an introduction paragraph: hook, background, and thesis.
Subject + Claim + Three Supporting Details = Thesis
Use a 5Ws Organizer to build a paragraph or analyze an expository essay. A Venn Diagram is useful in comparing and contrasting ideas for a compare-and-contrast essay.
An expository essay gives readers information about a topic. A compare-and-contrast essay organizes information by showing similarities and differences. Compare-and-contrast essays often present different points of view on an issue or information about many products. An effective expository essay has these characteristics: · Detailed information and explanations about a specific topic to guide and inform the reader’s understanding of key ideas and evidence. · An effective introduction states the main idea and conclusion that wraps up the essay. · An organized structure that logically follows the writer’s points. · A variety of sentence structures to keep the readers interested and transitions to connect ideas. · Effective sentence structure and correct spelling, grammar, and usage. A compare-and-contrast essay also includes: · A thesis statement that sets up the compare/contrast points. Specific facts, details, and examples to support the thesis.
Personal, Subjective, Objective, and Possessive Pronouns.
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun. A personal pronoun refers to a specific noun that is named elsewhere in the text. A subjective pronoun is the subject of the sentence. An objective pronoun is the object. It receives the action of the verb. In this sentence, we is subjective and him is objective: We waited for him. Possessive pronouns show ownership. http://usatestprep.com/movies/582/3053/953 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSiy2Or9ML8 http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/what-are-pronouns-types-examples-definition.html#lesson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWnc1HSCvRY An author’s perspective, or author’s point of view, is the viewpoint from which he or she writes. This perspective is based on the author’s beliefs (opinions) and background (facts). The author’s perspective reveals his or her own feelings or personal interest in a subject. Read stories "My Papa, Mark Twain" and "Stage Fright"
Nonfiction works often include an author’s opinion as well as facts. A fact is information that can be proved. An opinion is a person’s judgment or belief. To recognize clues that indicate an opinion, do the following: · Look for phrases that indicate an opinion, such as I believe or in my opinion. · Look for words that indicate a personal judgment, such as wonderful or terrible. Be aware of words, such as always, nobody, worst, and all, that might indicate a personal judgment or viewpoint. Read stories "My Papa, Mark Twain" and "Stage Fright"
Students completed a mandatory writing diagnostic. This will be scored by the English Language Arts Department and will help teachers determine the best course of teaching for students, focusing on specific areas for improvement.
HOMEWORK: Students need to log on to USA Test Prep and complete the assignments posted. Pay attention to the due dates because not all assignments are due on Monday. If you don't have easy internet access at home, remember you can use your Advisement time to complete these assignments at school. You can also access computers in the library before and after school. This week will be a great time to plan your schedule and develop a routine for completing your online assignments. Look at all of your activities and decide when is a good time you can devote to schoolwork. Students log into USA Test Prep and add their ELA course. Their course is Hardigree1 for first period, Hardigree2 for second period, etc. The teacher will post homework assignments, review materials, and study resources for students to complete. USA Test Prep also offers some fun games and activities to help take the boredom out of homework and preparation.
Students also create a Quizlet.com account. Students will practice vocabulary as homework each week. The teacher will be able to track student participation and performace, so be sure you always log on to Quizlet before playing a vocabulary game or taking a quiz. At certain points in the semester, students will take a multiple choice (selected response) assessment on Quizlet for a grade. Once you create a Quizlet account, you may join my class online by finding your class period and clicking the following link: First Period: http://quizlet.com/join/mbJKDDZZR Second Period: http://quizlet.com/join/rj6UAdrz6 Third Period: http://quizlet.com/join/rAjMzjhqv Fourth Period: http://quizlet.com/join/MMr6JhbuT Sixth Period: http://quizlet.com/join/egs3Q8xyu If the reader can't tell which word(s) a pronoun refers to (the antecedent), that makes a vague pronoun reference. Pronouns (pro meaning "for") stand in for nouns, keeping writing succinct and less repetitive. What a pronoun replaces has to be easy for the reader to see. Pronouns also establish the point of view of the narrator. If the reader can't tell which word(s) a pronoun refers to (the antecedent), that makes a vague pronoun reference. Pronouns (pro meaning "for") stand in for nouns, keeping writing succinct and less repetitive. What a pronoun replaces has to be easy for the reader to see. Pronouns also establish the point of view of the narrator. · First person (I, we voice): The first-person point of view lets the narrator be a central part of the story, allowing readers to feel the immediacy of events and feelings. · Second person (you voice): The second-person point of view involves the reader in the story or article almost conversationally, as an accomplice, as part of the thinking or judgment. Using the you-point-of-view is hard to pull off in longer pieces. (See Loser by Spinelli). · Third person (he, she, it, they voice): The third-person point of view can give the reader a sense that the writer is removed from his or her subject. In nonfiction, the third-person point of view helps the writer maintain objectivity. In fiction, the third-person omniscient allows the author to see inside all characters' thoughts without being a character in the story. Third-person limited allows the author to see inside only one character's thoughts. When writing about a memory that is difficult, sometimes shifting to third-person observation allows writers to get the writing down, and it may be a better way to tell an important story. Symbolism is the use of symbols. Symbolism plays an important role in many different types of literature. It can highlight certain elements the author wishes to emphasize and all add levels of meaning.
A symbol is anything that stands for something else. In literature, symbols often stand for ideas, such as love or hope. Writers often use symbolism to reinforce the theme or message of a story. To interpret symbols, notice items seem to be of special importance and analyze the details the writer uses to describe them. · The meaning of a symbol is often open to interpretation by the reader, but it should be based on story events and details. · A symbol may have more than one meaning. Symbolism creates a larger theme. As you analyze each symbol, notice the words and phrases not just for their literal meanings, but also for the thoughts and emotions that they trigger. Writers choose words and phrases not just for their literal meanings, but also for the thoughts and emotions that they trigger. The feelings that a word brings to mind are called connotations. Authors use words with specific connotations to describe the symbols in their stories. As you read, create the a chart to keep track of symbols, looking for specific, descriptive words about an object, details of how the character reacts to an object, and what the symbol may represent. Look for the symbolism in the stories "The Sound of Summer Running" and "Eleven." |