Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Misspelled words

Misspelled words list has 507 words. Click here to find these words, then click on each word for the definition.

A
absence abundance accessible accidentally acclaim accommodate accomplish accordion accumulate achievement acquaintance acquire acquitted across address advertisement advice advise affect alleged amateur analysis analyze annual apartment apparatus apparent appearance arctic argument ascend atheist athletic attendance auxiliary

B
balloon barbecue bargain basically beggar beginning belief believe beneficial benefit biscuit boundaries business

C
calendar camouflage candidate Caribbean category cemetery challenge changeable changing characteristic chief choose chose cigarette climbed clothes clothing cloth collectible colonel column coming commission committee commitment comparative competent completely concede conceivable conceive condemn condescend conscience conscientious conscious consistent continuous controlled controversial controversy convenient correlate correspondence counselor courteous courtesy criticize criticism

D
deceive defendant deferred definitely definition dependent descend describe description desirable despair desperate develop dictionary difference dilemma dining disappearance disappoint disastrous discipline disease dispensable dissatisfied dominant drunkenness

E
easily ecstasy effect efficiency eighth either eligible eliminate embarrass emperor encouragement enemy encouraging entirely environment equipped equivalent especially exaggerate exceed excellence exhaust existence existent expense experience experiment explanation extremely exuberance

F
facsimile fallacious fallacy familiar fascinating feasible February fictitious fiery finally financially fluorescent forcibly foreign forfeit formerly foresee forty fourth fuelling fulfill fundamentally

G
gauge generally genius government governor grammar grievous guarantee guardian guerrilla guidance

H
handkerchief happily harass height heinous hemorrhage heroes hesitancy hindrance hoarse hoping humorous hygiene hypocrisy hypocrite

I
ideally idiosyncrasy ignorance imaginary immediately implement incidentally incredible independence independent indicted indispensable inevitable influential information inoculate insurance intelligence interference interrupt introduce irrelevant irresistible island

J
jealousy judicial

K
knowledge

L
laboratory laid later latter legitimate leisure length license lieutenant lightning likelihood likely loneliness loose lose losing lovely luxury

M
magazine maintain maintenance manageable maneuver manufacture marriage mathematics medicine millennium millionaire miniature minuscule minutes miscellaneous mischievous missile misspelled mortgage mosquito mosquitoes murmur muscle mysterious

N
narrative naturally necessary necessity neighbor neutron ninety ninth noticeable nowadays nuisance

O
obedience obstacle occasion occasionally occurred occurrence official omission omit omitted opinion opponent opportunity oppression optimism optimistic orchestra ordinarily origin outrageous overrun

P
pamphlets parallel particular pavilion peaceable peculiar penetrate perceive performance performance permanent permissible permissible permitted perseverance persistence personal personnel perspiration physical physician piece pilgrimage pitiful planning pleasant portray possess possession possessive potato potatoes possibility possible practically prairie precede precedence preceding preference preferred prejudice preparation prescription prevalent primitive principal principle privilege probably procedure proceed profession professor prominent pronounce pronunciation propaganda psychology publicly pursue

Q
quantity quarantine questionnaire quizzes

R
realistically realize really recede receipt receive recognize recommend reference referring relevant relieving religious remembrance reminiscence repetition representative resemblance reservoir resistance restaurant rheumatism rhythm rhythmical ridiculous roommate

S
sacrilegious sacrifice safety salary satellite scary scenery schedule secede secretary seize sense sentence separate separation sergeant several severely shepherd shining siege similar simile simply simultaneous sincerely skiing sophomore souvenir specifically specimen sponsor spontaneous statistics stopped strategy strength strenuous stubbornness studying subordinate subtle succeed success succession sufficient supersede suppress surprise surround susceptible suspicious syllable symmetrical synonymous

T
tangible technical technique temperamental temperature tendency themselves theories therefore thorough though through tomorrow tournament towards tragedy transferring tries truly twelfth tyranny

U
unanimous undoubtedly unforgettable unique unnecessary until usable usage usually utilization

V
vacuum valuable vengeance vigilant village villain violence visible vision virtue volume

W
warrant warriors weather Wednesday weird wherever whether which wholly withdrawal woman women worthwhile writing

Y
yacht yield young

More spelling help:
Aacceptable
Several words made the list because of the suffix pronounced -êbl but sometimes spelled -ible, sometimes -able. Just remember to accept any table offered to you and you will spell this word OK.
accidentally
It is no accident that the test for adverbs on -ly is whether they come from an adjective on -al ("accidental" in this case). If so, the -al has to be in the spelling. No publical, then publicly.
accommodate
Remember, this word is large enough to accommodate both a double "c" AND a double "m".
acquire
Try to acquire the knowledge that this word and the next began with the prefix ad- but the [d] converts to [c] before [q].
acquit
See the previous discussion.
a lot
Two words! Hopefully, you won't have to allot a lot of time to this problem.
amateur
Amateurs need not be mature: this word ends on the French suffix -eur (the equivalent of English -er).
apparent
A parent need not be apparent but "apparent" must pay the rent, so remember this word always has the rent.
argument
Let's not argue about the loss of this verb's silent [e] before the suffix -ment.
atheist
Lord help you remember that this word comprises the prefix a- "not" + the "god" (also in the-ology) + -ist "one who believes."
Bbelieve
You must believe that [i] usually comes before [e] except after [c] or when it is pronounced like "a" as "neighbor" and "weigh" or "e" as in "their" and "heir." Also take a look at "foreign" below. (The "i-before-e" rule has more exceptions than words it applies to.)
bellwether
Often misspelled "bellweather." A wether is a gelded ram, chosen to lead the herd (thus his bell) due to the greater likelihood that he will remain at all times ahead of the ewes.
Ccalendar
This word has an [e] between two [a]s. The last vowel is [a].
category
This word is not in a category with "catastrophe" even if it sounds like it: the middle letter is [e].
cemetery
Don't let this one bury you: it ends on -ery—nary an -ary in it. You already know it starts on [c], of course.
changeable
The verb "change" keeps its [e] here to indicate that the [g] is soft, not hard. (That is also why "judgement" is the correct spelling of this word, no matter what anyone says.)
collectible
Another -ible word. You just have to remember.
column
Silent final [e] is commonplace in English but a silent final [n] is not uncommon, especially after [m].
committed
If you are committed to correct spelling, you will remember that this word doubles its final [t] from "commit" to "committed."
conscience
Don't let misspelling this word weigh on your conscience: [ch] spelled "sc" is unusual but legitimate.
conscientious
Work on your spelling conscientiously and remember this word with [ch] spelled two different ways: "sc" and "ti". English spelling!
conscious
Try to be conscious of the "sc" [ch] sound and all the vowels in this word's ending and i-o-u a note of congratulations.
consensus
The census does not require a consensus, since they are not related.
Ddaiquiri
Don't make yourself another daiquiri until you learn how to spell this funny word-the name of a Cuban village.
definite (ly)
This word definitely sounds as though it ends only on -it, but it carries a silent "e" everywhere it goes.
discipline
A little discipline, spelled with the [s] and the [c] will get you to the correct spelling of this one.
drunkenness
You would be surprised how many sober people omit one of the [n]s in this one.
dumbbell
Even smart people forget one of the [b]s in this one. (So be careful who you call one when you write.)
Eembarrass (ment)
This one won't embarrass you if you remember it is large enough for a double [r] AND a double [s].
equipment
This word is misspelled "equiptment" 22,932 times on the web right now.
exhilarate
Remembering that [h] when you spell this word will lift your spirits and if you remember both [a]s, it will be exhilarating!
exceed
Remember that this one is -ceed, not -cede. (To exceed all expectations, master the spellings of this word, "precede" and "supersede" below.)
existence
No word like this one spelled with an [a] is in existence. This word is a menage a quatre of one [i] with three [e]s.
experience
Don't experience the same problem many have with "existence" above in this word: -ence!
Ffiery
The silent "e" on "fire" is also cowardly: it retreats inside the word rather than face the suffix -y.
foreign
Here is one of several words that violate the i-before-e rule. (See "believe" above.)
Ggauge
You must learn to gauge the positioning of the [a] and [u] in this word. Remember, they are in alphabetical order (though not the [e]).
grateful
You should be grateful to know that keeping "great" out of "grateful" is great.
guarantee
I guarantee you that this word is not spelled like "warranty" even though they are synonyms.
Hharass
This word is too small for two double letters but don't let it harass you, just keep the [r]s down to one.
height
English reaches the height (not heighth!) of absurdity when it spells "height" and "width" so differently.
hierarchy
The i-before-e rule works here, so what is the problem?
humorous
Humor us and spell this word "humorous": the [r] is so weak, it needs an [o] on both sides to hold it up.
Iignorance
Don't show your ignorance by spelling this word -ence!
immediate
The immediate thing to remember is that this word has a prefix, in- "not" which becomes [m] before [m] (or [b] or [p]). "Not mediate" means direct which is why "immediately" means "directly."
independent
Please be independent but not in your spelling of this word. It ends on -ent.
indispensable
Knowing that this word ends on -able is indispensable to good writing.
inoculate
This one sounds like a shot in the eye. One [n] the eye is enough.
intelligence
Using two [l]s in this word and ending it on -ence rather than -ance are marks of . . . you guessed it.
its/it's
The apostrophe marks a contraction of "it is." Something that belongs to it is "its."
Jjewelry
Sure, sure, it is made by a jeweler but the last [e] in this case flees the scene like a jewel thief. However, if you prefer British spelling, remember to double the [l]: "jeweller," "jewellery." (See also pronunciation.)
judgment
Traditionally, the word has been spelled judgment in all forms of the English language. However, the spelling judgement (with e added) largely replaced judgment in the United Kingdom in a non-legal context. In the context of the law, however, judgment is preferred. This spelling change contrasts with other similar spelling changes made in American English, which were rejected in the UK. In the US at least, judgment is still preferred and judgement is considered incorrect by many American style guides.
Kkernel (colonel)
There is more than a kernel of truth in the claim that all the vowels in this word are [e]s. So why is the military rank (colonel) pronounced identically? English spelling can be chaotic.
Lleisure
Yet another violator of the i-before-e rule. You can be sure of the spelling of the last syllable but not of the pronunciation.
liaison
Another French word throwing us an orthographical curve: a spare [i], just in case. That's an [s], too, that sounds like a [z].
library
It may be as enjoyable as a berry patch but that isn't the way it is spelled. That first [r] should be pronounced, too.
license
Where does English get the license to use both its letters for the sound [s] in one word?
lightning
Learning how to omit the [e] in this word should lighten the load of English orthography a little bit.
Mmaintenance
The main tenants of this word are "main" and "tenance" even though it comes from the verb "maintain." English orthography at its most spiteful.
maneuver
Man, the price you pay for borrowing from French is high. This one goes back to French main + oeuvre "hand-work," a spelling better retained in the British spelling, "manoeuvre."
medieval
The medieval orthography of English even lays traps for you: everything about the MIDdle Ages is MEDieval or, as the British would write, mediaeval.
memento
Why would something to remind of you of a moment be spelled "memento?" Well, it is.
millennium
Here is another big word, large enough to hold two double consonants, double [l] and double [n].
miniature
Since that [a] is seldom pronounced, it is seldom included in the spelling. This one is a "mini ature;" remember that.
minuscule
Since something minuscule is smaller than a miniature, shouldn't they be spelled similarly? Less than cool, or "minus cule."
mischievous
This mischievous word holds two traps: [i] before [e] and [o] before [u]. Four of the five vowels in English reside here.
misspell
What is more embarrassing than to misspell the name of the problem? Just remember that it is mis + spell and that will spell you the worry about spelling "spell."
Nneighbor
The word "neighbor" breaks the i-before-e rule and invokes the silent "gh". This is fraught with error potential. If you use British spelling, it will cost you another [u]: "neighbour."
noticeable
The [e] is noticeably retained in this word to indicate the [c] is "soft," pronounced like [s]. Without the [e], it would be pronounced "hard," like [k], as in "applicable."
Ooccasionally
Writers occasionally tire of doubling so many consonants and omit one, usually one of the [l]s. Don't you ever do it.
occurrence
Remember not only the occurrence of double double consonants in this word, but that the suffix is -ence, not -ance. No reason, just the English language keeping us on our toes.
Ppastime
Since a pastime is something you do to pass the time, you would expect a double [s] here. Well, there is only one. The second [s] was slipped through the cracks in English orthography long ago.
perseverance
All it takes is perseverance and you, too, can be a (near-)perfect speller. The suffix is -ance for no reason at all.
personnel
Funny Story (passed along by Bill Rudersdorf): The assistant Vice-President of Personnel notices that his superior, the VP himself, upon arriving at his desk in the morning opens a small, locked box, smiles, and locks it back again. Some years later when he advanced to that position (inheriting the key), he came to work early one morning to be assured of privacy. Expectantly, he opened the box. In it was a single piece of paper which said: "Two Ns, one L."
playwright
Those who play right are right-players, not playwrights. Well, since they write plays, they should be "play-writes," wright right? Rong Wrong. Remember that a play writer in Old English was called a "play worker" and "wright" is from an old form of "work" (wrought iron, etc.)
possession
Possession possesses more [s]s than a snake.
precede
What follows, succeeds, so what goes before should, what? No, no, no, you are using logic. Nothing confuses English spelling more than common sense. "Succeed" but "precede." (Wait until you see "supersede.")
principal/principle
The spelling principle to remember here is that the school principal is a prince and a pal (despite appearances)--and the same applies to anything of foremost importance, such as a principal principle. A "principle" is a rule. (Thank you, Meghan Cope, for help on this one.)
privilege
According to the pronunciation (not "pronounciation"!) of this word, that middle vowel could be anything. Remember: two [i]s + two [e]s in that order.
pronunciation
Nouns often differ from the verbs they are derived from. This is one of those. In this case, the pronunciation is different, too, an important clue.
publicly
Let me publicly declare the rule (again): if the adverb comes from an adjective ending on -al, you include that ending in the adverb; if not, as here, you don't.
Qquestionnaire
The French doing it to us again. Double up on the [n]s in this word and don't forget the silent [e]. Maybe someday we will spell it the English way.
Rreceive/receipt
I hope you have received the message by now: [i] before [e] except after . . . .
recommend
I would recommend you think of this word as the equivalent of commending all over again: re+commend. That would be recommendable.
referred
Final consonants are often doubled before suffixes (remit: remitted, remitting). However, this rule applies only to accented syllables ending on [l] and [r], e.g. "rebelled," "referred" but "traveled," "buffered" and not containing a diphthong, e.g. "prevailed," "coiled."
reference
Refer to the last mentioned word and also remember to add -ence to the end for the noun.
relevant
The relevant factor here is that the word is not "revelant," "revelent," or even "relevent." [l] before [v] and the suffix -ant.
restaurant
'Ey, you! Remember, these two words when you spell "restaurant." They are in the middle of it.
rhyme
Actually, "rime" was the correct spelling until 1650. After that, egg-heads began spelling it like "rhythm." Why? No rhyme nor reason other than to make it look like "rhythm."
rhythm
This one was borrowed from Greek (and conveniently never returned) so it is spelled the way we spell words borrowed from Greek and conveniently never returned.
Sschedule
If perfecting your spelling is on your schedule, remember the [sk] is spelled as in "school." (If you use British or Canadian pronunciation, why do you pronounce this word [shedyul] but "school," [skul]? That has always puzzled me.)
separate
How do you separate the [e]s from the [a]s in this word? Simple: the [e]s surround the [a]s.
sergeant
The [a] needed in both syllables of this word has been pushed to the back of the line. Remember that, and the fact that [e] is used in both syllables, and you can write your sergeant without fear of misspelling his rank.
supersede
This word supersedes all others in perversity. As if we don't have enough to worry about, keeping words on -ceed and -cede ("succeed," "precede," etc.) straight in our minds, this one has to be different from all the rest. The good news is: this is the only English word based on this stem spelled -sede.
T their/they're/there
They're all pronounced the same but spelled differently. Possessive is "their" and the contraction of "they are" is "they're." Everywhere else, it is "there."
threshold
This one can push you over the threshold. It looks like a compound "thresh + hold" but it isn't. Two [h]s are enough.
twelfth
Even if you omit the [f] in your pronunciation of this word (which you shouldn't do), it is retained in the spelling.
tyranny
If you are still resisting the tyranny of English orthography at this point, you must face the problem of [y] inside this word, where it shouldn't be. The guy is a "tyrant" and his problem is "tyranny." (Don't forget to double up on the [n]s, too.)
U until
I will never stop harping on this until this word is spelled with an extra [l] for the last time!
V vacuum
If your head is not a vacuum, remember that the silent [e] on this one married the [u] and joined him inside the word where they are living happily ever since. Well, the evidence is suggestive but not conclusive. Anyway, spell this word with two [u]s and not like "volume."
WXYZweather
Whether you like the weather or not, you have to write the [a] after the [e] when you spell it.
weird
It is weird having to repeat this rule so many times: [i] before [e] except after...? (It isn't [w]!)

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Parts of speech

A noun is a person, place, or thing. If the noun is the name of a person or place it is called a proper noun. A proper noun is always capitalized.

Look at the words. Decide if they are a person, place, or thing. Put them in the correct space in the chart below.

ball
Peter
kitchen
Africa
bike
clock
park
school
teacher
doctor
computer
desk
grass
England
mother
foot
squirrel
king
palace
bridge



Person ********Place ******** Thing ********
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

**************************************************
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.

For example: Linda is a pretty girl. She is a pretty girl. The pronoun "she" takes the place of the noun "Linda".


Look at the pronouns in the box.

anybody, everybody, he, her, herself, him, himself, his,
I, it, its, itself, me, my, oneself, our, ourselves, she,
somebody, their, theirs, they, us, we, you, yourself.


Read the sentences below. Circle the noun and replace it by writing a pronoun above the word.

1. Mrs. Owens wrote on the chalkboard.

__________________________________________________________

2. Mr. Owens is a principal.

__________________________________________________________

3. Sandy likes to draw pictures.

__________________________________________________________

4. Let's go to Mike's house.

__________________________________________________________

5. Children like to play outside when it is warm.

_________________________________________________________


Write some sentences of your own using pronouns. Circle the pronoun.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

*****************************************************
Verbs may be divided into three types:

A.Action verbs - show an action -- either physical or mental
Examples:
Smith catches the ball. (catches shows a physical action)

Smith imagines great things. (imagines shows a mental action)

Smith is wearing good clothes. (is wearing shows a physical action)

B.Verbs of being (forms of be) - show a state of existence
Examples:
Am, is, are, were, was,
be, being, been
have, has, had
do, does, did
may, might, must
can - could
shall - should
will- would

Smith is strange. (is shows a state of existence)

Smith will always be my friend. (will be shows a state of existence)

Smith has been here for a week. (has been shows a state of existence)

Smith was away last week. (was shows a state of existence)

C.Linking verbs: A linking verb links the subject to some other word in the sentence.
1. Forms of be: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
2. verbs of seeming and becoming
3. verbs of sensing: taste, feel, smell, sound, look, appear.
Examples:
1. That compost smells good.

The linking verb is “smells.” It connects “compost” to “good,” the predicate adjective.

2. After the compost was devoured, the raccoon felt nauseated.

The linking verb is “felt,” connecting the “raccoon” to the predicate adjective, “nauseated.”

3. He became deathly ill.
The linking verb is “became.” It connects “he” to the predicate adjective, “deathly ill.”

NOTE: Most linking verbs can also be used as action verbs.

Look at the words below. Circle the words that are action
verbs. Underline the words that show state of being.


were -----run ----- will be ------jump
shine----- skip ----- sing ------- is
could ----- has ----- drive ------ draw
listen ----- write ---- was ------- cut
wash -------- comb ----- have been ----- slide

Use the words above to write sentences. Underline
the verb you use in each sentence.

1. _____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________

6. _____________________________________________

7.______________________________________________

8.______________________________________________

9.______________________________________________

10._____________________________________________

11._____________________________________________

12.______________________________________________

13._____________________________________________

14._____________________________________________

15._____________________________________________

16._____________________________________________

17._____________________________________________

18._____________________________________________

19._____________________________________________

20._____________________________________________

***************************************************
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. For example: The hungry tiger. The word "hungry" describes the noun "tiger."

Adjectives answer these questions:
What kind?
Which one?
How many?
How much?

Look at the sentences below. Circle the adjectives. Some sentences have more than one adjective. For example: The soft green caterpillar crawled up my arm. The adjectives soft and green describe the caterpillar.

1. The hot sun was heating the earth.

2. The cute girl wore a yellow dress.

3. The mean king wouldn't share his riches.

4. The bright red coat could be seen from blocks away.

5. The furry brown gorilla was hungry.

Brainstorm some adjectives. Write them in the box below.

Adjectives --------------------------------------------





-------------------------------------------------------
Write some sentences using your adjectives. Circle the adjectives.

1. ___________________________________________________

2.____________________________________________________

3.____________________________________________________

4.____________________________________________________

5.____________________________________________________

******************************************************
Adverbs are words used to describe or modify verbs,
adjective, or another adverb.

Adverbs answer the questions...
Where?, When?, How?, How Often?, To what extent?

Use adverbs to make your writing more interesting.


Adverb Worksheet
Adverbs describe verbs. They tell how, when, and where things happen.

Direction: Circle the adverb in each sentence and does the adverb tell how, when, or where.

1. The mail carrier finally arrived. __________

2. We ran out to meet her.__________

3. Maggie clapped her hands excitedly. _________

4. I quickly opened the gold envelope. __________

5. Then Maggie read the letter.__________

6. "We won the contest!" she shouted proudly.__________

7. He keeps his collection upstairs. _________

8. He works on it often. __________

9. Sometimes friends send Butch new stamps. _______

10. He buys unusual stamps downtown. _________

Adverbs are words that modify (1) verbs, (2) adjectives, and (3) other adverbs. They tell how (manner), when (time), where (place), how much (degree), and why (cause). Why is a common one-word adverb that tells why. Adverbs that tell us how, when, where, and why always modify the verb. Adverbs that tell us how much modify adjectives or other adverbs. These adverbs are also called qualifiers because they strengthen or weaken the words they modify.

Examples: He kicked the ball solidly. (how); He kicked the ball immediately. (when); He kicked the ball forward. (where); He kicked the ball too hard. (how much).

Find the adverbs in the following sentences and what they tell us.

1. Paul answered the question quickly.

2. The answer was given too softly.

3. I soon understood what he said yesterday.

4. Becky and Pam wanted to know then and there.

5. Why do we misunderstand others so often?

Answers

1. quickly (how)

2. too (how much), softly (how)

3. soon (when), yesterday (when)

4. then (when), there (where)

5. why (why), so (how much), often (when)

Most adverbs are formed from adjectives. Many adverbs are formed by adding ly to the adjective.

Example: slow - slowly

Change the following adjectives to adverbs.

1. fierce

2. quick

3. large

4. useful

5. equal

Answers

1. fiercely

2. quickly

3. largely

4. usefully

5. equally

Adverbs like adjectives can be compared. They have the same three degrees (1) positive - one thing or person, (2) comparative - two things or persons, and (3) superlative - more than two things or persons. Most adverbs formed from adjectives use more or most to express comparisons.
Example: slowly, more slowly, most slowly

Write the comparative and superlative forms of the following adverbs.

1. softly

2. lazily

3. heavily

4. comfortably

5. quietly

Answers

1. softly, more softly, most softly

2. lazily, more lazily, most lazily

3. heavily, more heavily, most heavily

4. comfortably, more comfortably, most comfortably

5. quietly, more quietly, most quietly

Since there has been some confusion about adverbs, I think we need a few more lessons about adverbs. We need to memorize what adverbs tell us and what they modify. We must always remember this basic information to handle them correctly.

Adverbs are words that modify (1) verbs, (2) adjectives, and (3) other adverbs. They tell how (manner), when (time), where (place), how much (degree), and why (cause). Why is a common one-word adverb that tells why. Adverbs that tell us how, when, where, and why always modify the verb. Adverbs that tell us how much modify adjectives or other adverbs. These adverbs are also called qualifiers because they strengthen or weaken the words they modify.

Examples: He kicked the ball solidly. (how); He kicked the ball immediately. (when); He kicked the ball forward. (where); He kicked the ball too hard. (how much).

The following sentences have adverbs that tell us how, and they modify the verb. Find the adverbs in these sentences and tell what they modify.

1. Joe was frantically mumbling to the 911 operator.

2. The message was secretly hidden in the cushion.

3. The room was decorated beautifully for the wedding.

4. The spy readily accepted the new assignment.

5. He was carefully disguised but captured quickly by police.

Answers

1. frantically modifying the verb was mumbling

2. secretly modifying the verb was hidden

3. beautifully modifying the verb was decorated

4. readily modifying the verb accepted

5. carefully modifying the verb was disguised and quickly modifying the verb was captured (was is a helping verb to both main verbs)

Often people confuse the use of some adverbs and some adjectives. The next few lessons will cover some of the common mistakes. Remember that adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

This lesson will be about the use of the adjective sure and the adverbs surely, certainly, and really. Use sure only when one of these three adverbs does not make sense.

Examples: Jim is sure he is right. Surely he is right.

Choose the correct form for each of these sentences.

1. You seem very (surely, sure) of yourself.

2. Ila (surely, sure) is tired from work.

3. The milk (surely, sure) tastes sour.

4. Are you (surely, sure) this is the right road?

5. This story (surely, sure) is exciting.

Answers

1. sure

2. surely

3. surely

4. sure

5. surely

(Each answer in which you used surely could be substituted with the other adverbs really and certainly and still make sense.)
*********************************************
A preposition is a word that begins a prepositional phrase and shows the relationship between its object and another word in the sentence. A preposition must always have an object. A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition, ends with an object, and may have modifiers between the proposition and object of the preposition.
Here is a list of common words that can be used as prepositions: about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, but (when it means except), by, concerning, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, out, outside, over, past, since, through, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with, within, and without.
These words can be used as other parts of speech. What part of speech it is depends on how it is used in that sentence. Many of the common words used as prepositions can be used as adverbs. Words are prepositions if they have an object to complete them. To decide which it is say the preposition followed by whom or what. If a noun or a pronoun answers the question, the word is a preposition.

Example: The boy stood up and ran down the street. Up what? There is no object; therefore up is not a preposition. Down what? Street answers the question; therefore, down is a preposition. Down the street is the prepositional phrase starting with the preposition down and ending with the object street with a modifier the in between.

Find the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.

1. Jim painted a picture on the wall of the house.

2. I like to lie in the shade of the apricot tree and think of the jobs for the day.

3. The dog jumped over the mound behind the barn and ran into the street.

4. Everyone but you will need a note from home with parental permission.

5. Around the yard for miles, you could see nothing except junk.

Answers

1. on the wall, of the house

2. in the shade, of the apricot tree, of the jobs, for the day

3. over the mound, behind the barn, into the street.

4. but you, from home, with parental permission

5. around the yard, for miles, except junk

Find the prepositions in these sentences. Remember that a preposition must have an object to complete it.

1. I like the color of the curtain on the window.

2. Jane walked along in the rain during the shower.

3. Hang the picture up or set it down behind the couch.

4. Eric was shining his light around in the car beside us.

5. The bird swooped down, picked up the mouse, and landed on the fence.

Answers

1. of, on - because they have objects

2. in, during

3. behind

4. in, beside

5. on - (up appears to have an object, but really it is telling how or where the bird picked the mouse. You are really saying "The bird picked the mouse up.")

Combine the two sentences into one sentence using a prepositional phrase. Example: The ice melted. The ice was in the glass. Combined: The ice in the glass melted.

1. My dog is named Badger. He is in the garden area.

2. The sunset was beautiful. The sunset was in the west.

3. The grass is dead. The grass is near the road.

4. That girl is my best friend. She lives across the street.

5. I talked to that man. He is in my club.

Answers

1. My dog in the garden area is named Badger

2. The sunset in the west was beautiful.

3. The grass near the road is dead.

4. That girl across the street is my best friend.

5. I talked to that man in my club.

Combine the sentences into one sentence using prepositional phrases. Example: The band marched. They marched across the football field. The band marched across the football field.

1. The runner jogged. He jogged around the park.

2. I found my money. It was under the mattress.

3. She looked around. She was in the store.

4. The students performed well. The performance was for the school play.

5. The man walked home. He was walking from work.

Answers

1. The runner jogged around the park. or Around the park the runner jogged.

2. I found my money under the mattress. or Under the mattress I found my money.

3. She looked around in the store. or In the store she looked around.

4. The students performed well for the school play. or For the school play the students performed well.

5. The man walked home from work. or The man walked from work home. or From work the man walked home.

Tell which of the italicized words are prepositions. Remember that prepositions must have an object.

1. Come in and sit down with me.

2. He climbed up on the ladder and through the window.

3. Mrs. Jones came by at suppertime but not since.

4. The firefighter crawled along with the child who was near death.

5. Since no noise came from the building, he walked away.

Answers

1. with

2. on, through

3. at

4. with, near

5. from

Find the prepositional phrases in these sentences. Remember the object must be a noun or a pronoun.

1. Joe came out in a real hurry.

2. The wind arrived before the storm.

3. The tiger leaped over the wall and into the bushes.

4. The boy with the skateboard hurried down the street and into the building.

5. I took a trip to Canada and Mexico.

6. My wife traveled to the glaciers of the Grand Tetons.

7. By the light of the silvery moon, the man on his knees begged for forgiveness.

8. Under the shade of the apple tree, I read my book in peace.

9. She had lost the name of the book about airplanes.

10. The sentences in this lesson are difficult for me to write.

Answers

1. in a real hurry

2. before the storm

3. over the wall, into the bushes

4. with the skateboard, down the street, into the building

5. to Canada and Mexico

6. to the glaciers, of the Grand Tetons

7. by the light, of the silvery moon, on his knees, for forgiveness

8. under the shade, of the apple tree, in peace

9. of the book, about airplanes

10. in this lesson, for me
*************************************************
A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases (groups of words), or clauses (groups of words with a subject and verb). Co-ordinate conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank. There are two kinds: simple and correlative. Subordinate conjunctions join dependent clauses to independent clauses. I will refer to them simply as co-ordinate, correlative, and subordinate.

The co-ordinate conjunctions are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, and yet. (For and yet can only join clauses.)

The correlative conjunctions are always in pairs. They are either-or, neither-nor, both-and, not only-but also, and whether-or.

Some common subordinate conjunctions are after, although, as, as if, because, before, if, since, so that, than, unless, until, when, where, while.

The co-ordinate and correlative conjunctions should be memorized since they are common and few in number.


Find the co-ordinate conjunctions which are joining words in the following sentences and the words that are joined.

1. Jeff and I mowed all the lawns.

2. Grandpa is a slow but strong person.

3. Our guest will be Jeanne or Barbara.

4. I did not like nor appreciate your actions.

5. You or I must do the dishes.

Answers

1. and - joining Jeff/I

2. but - joining slow/strong

3. or - joining Jeanne/Barbara

4. nor - joining like/appreciate

5. or - joining You/I

A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases (groups of words), or clauses (groups of words with a subject and verb). Co-ordinate conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank.
The co-ordinate conjunctions are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, and yet. (For and yet can only join clauses.)


Find the co-ordinate conjunctions which are joining phrases in these sentences and the phrases that are joined.

1. The girls ran up the path and over the hill.

2. I became ill by eating the food and stuffing myself.

3. Meet me by the fountain or near the train station.

4. He should have arrived or will be arriving soon.

5. Joe had promised to come but did not keep his promise.

Answers

1. and - joining up the path/over the hill

2. and - joining eating the food/stuffing myself

3. or - joining by the fountain/near the train station

4. or - joining should have arrived/will be arriving

5. but - joining had promised/did keep

A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases (groups of words), or clauses (groups of words with a subject and verb). Co-ordinate conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank.
The co-ordinate conjunctions are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, and yet. (For and yet can only join clauses.)

Find the co-ordinate conjunctions which are joining clauses in these sentences.

1. I do not like the idea, yet I will help.

2. The trip was a delight for us, for we had a great time.

3. The mail has not arrived, nor will it come today.

4. I will speak the truth, or I will not work for you.

5. Mom likes Christmas, but Dad likes Halloween.

6. Ann washes the walls, and Pam vacuums the carpet.

Answers

1. yet

2. for

3. nor

4. or

5. but

6. and

A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases (groups of words), or clauses (groups of words with a subject and verb). Co-ordinate conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank.
The co-ordinate conjunctions are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, and yet. (For and yet can only join clauses.)


Find the co-ordinate conjunctions in these sentences and tell if they are joining words, phrases, or clauses.

1. Will and I went to the game, but Jeff and Jim went swimming.

2. I will go, but I will stay in the hotel or in the waiting room.

3. The men work through the day and into the night.

4. The message will be sent tomorrow or the next day and will arrive in time for the event.

5. He would not help, nor would he allow me to help.

Answers

1. and (words), but (clauses), and (words)

2. but (clauses), or (phrases)

3. and (phrases)

4. or (words), and (phrases)

5. nor (clauses)

A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases (groups of words), or clauses (groups of words with a subject and verb). Correlative conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank.
The correlative conjunctions are always in pairs. They are either-or, neither-nor, both-and, not only-but also, and whether-or.


Find the correlative conjunctions joining words in the following sentences.

1. Either you or I will have to move.

2. I like neither writing nor reading.

3. Your work is both neat and accurate.

4. The meal is not only delicious but also nutritious.

5. The little boy didn't know whether to cry or not.

Answers

1. either-or

2. neither-nor

3. both-and

4. not only-but also

5. whether-or

A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases, or clauses. Co-ordinate conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank.
The co-ordinate conjunctions are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, and yet. (For and yet can only join clauses.)
The correlative conjunctions are always in pairs. They are either-or, neither-nor, both-and, not only-but also, and whether-or.


Find the co-ordinate and correlative conjunctions in these sentences.

1. The boys and the girls not only like but also adore both the puppies and the kittens.

2. My mother or my father will come to see you either today or tomorrow.

3. Neither the plane nor the train would arrive on time.

4. Both the man and his friend came down the hall and went into the room.

5. The cook didn't know whether to bake or to mash the potatoes for supper.

6. I didn't win the race, but I didn't care.

7. The trip will take us through the hills and across the valleys.

8. Canada is both beautiful and cold, but I like to visit there.

9. Jeff and Jim are brothers, yet they are not alike.

10. Carl likes to eat and sleep but not work.

Answers

1. and, not only-but also, both-and

2. or, either-or

3. neither-nor

4. both-and, and

5. whether-or

6. but

7. and

8. both-and, but

9. and, yet

10. and, but
*********************************************
An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion. It is not grammatically related to any other part of the sentence.

You usually follow an interjection with an exclamation mark. Interjections are uncommon in formal academic prose, except in direct quotations.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are interjections:

Ouch, that hurt!
Oh no, I forgot that the exam was today.
Hey! Put that down!
I heard one guy say to another guy, "He has a new car, eh?"
I don't know about you but, good lord, I think taxes are too high!

Please circle the interjections in the following sentences. What emotion do you think is expressed?


1. Oh! The baby walked!


2. Sh! Mark is taking a math test.


3. Bravo! Your paper is perfect!

4. Whew! I am worn out.


5. Darn! I can't find the picture.


Please supply an interjection and the proper punctuation.


1. _____________________ How did you skin your knee?


2. _____________________ The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is breathtaking.


3. _____________________ That step is loose.


4. _____________________ I'm finally finished.


5. _____________________ It's snowing!


Review: Parts of speech

Please define:

Noun --

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Pronoun --


_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Verb --

_____________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________

Adjective --


_____________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________

Adverb --

_____________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________

Preposition --

_____________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________

Conjunction --

_____________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________

Interjection --

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Please identify parts of speech for each word in the sentences below. Write the correct letter(s) neatly above each word.
N-Noun
P-Pronoun
V-Verb
Adj-Adjective
Adv-Adverb
P-Preposition
C-Conjunction
I-Interjection

1. The little dog ran.


2. Oh! You scared me!


3. The snow fell softly.


4. God made us.


5. Pat and Joe quickly raked the leaves.


6. With great joy, Mom and Dad welcomed the new baby.


7. The boys fished in the gurgling stream.


8. Mary finished her reading assignment.


9. The earth travels around the sun.


10. I like humorous stories.


11. Math or English is my favorite subject.

Answers

Noun--name of any person, place or thing


Pronoun--a word used in place of a noun


Verb--a word that tell what someone or something does (An older students should know "A verb is an action word or word of being.")

Adjective--a word used to describe a noun

Adverb--a word that modifies a verb (An older child-- "An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.")

Preposition--a preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship to some other word in the sentence

Conjunction--a word used to connect other words (Older child--"A conjunction is a word used to connect words*, phrases or clauses in a sentence.")

Interjection--an interjection is a word that expresses strong or sudden emotion

N-Noun
P-Pronoun
V-Verb
Adj-Adjective
Adv-Adverb
P-Preposition
C-Conjunction
I-Interjection

1. The--Adj
little--Adj
dog--N
ran--V

2. Oh!--I
You--P
scared--V
me!--P

3. The--Adj
snow--N
fell--V
softly--Adv

4. God--N
made--V
us--P

5. Pat--N
and--C
Joe--N
quickly--Adv
raked--V
the--Adj
leaves--N

6. With--P
great--Adj
joy--N
Mom--N
and--C
Dad--N
welcomed--V
the--Adj
new--Adj
baby--N

7. The--Adj
boys--N
fished--V
in--P
the--Adj
gurgling--Adj
stream--N

8. Mary--N
finished--V
the--Adj
reading--Adj
assignment--N

9. The--Adj
earth--N
travels--V
around--P
the--Adj
sun--N

10. I--P
like--V
humorous--Adj
stories--N

11. Math--N
or--C
English--N
is--V
my--Adj
favorite--Adj
subject--N

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence forms when two
sentences join with the use of a conjunction.

The two sentences are called clauses, and they
should be about similar but separate ideas. In a
compound sentence, each clause can stand alone
as its own sentence.

To form the compound sentence:

• write the first clause and follow it with
a comma
• choose a coordinating conjunction: and, but,
for, nor, or, so, yet
• write the second clause


Example: I did not understand the homework.

I asked my teacher for help.

I did not understand the homework, so I asked
my teacher for help.

Teach the Skill


10 minutes

¦
Pose the following question: What is
something you like to do? Are you good at it?
Select a volunteer to answer both questions
and write his/her response on the board or
chart paper. (For example, Sarah likes to draw.
She is good at it.)

¦
Post the list of conjunctions for students to
use as a reference. Explain that two sentences
about a similar idea can be joined by a
conjunction, creating a compound sentence.
Model how to create a compound sentence
from the two sentences on the board. (Sarah
likes to draw, and she is good at it.)
¦
Explain to students that fluent writers vary
the types of sentences they use, which makes
their writing more interesting to read.
¦
Make a 3-column chart on the board or
chart paper. Ask a volunteer to tell something
he/she enjoys doing. Write the response
in the first column. Ask the student to tell a
detail about the activity. Write this sentence in
the second column. (For example, Kevin loves
to play the drums. He needs more practice.)
¦
Review the list of conjunctions with
students. Discuss with students possible ways
that would make sense to join the sentences.
Write the new compound sentence in the
third column. Use a different color chalk
or marker to highlight the comma and the
conjunction. (For example, Kevin loves to play
the drums, but (yet) he needs more practice.)
Practice the Skill


10–15 minutes

¦
Distribute two short sentence strips and
one longer strip to each student. Explain that
they will write two sentences using topic
ideas from the board or chart paper. Then
they will use a conjunction to make a
compound sentence.
¦
Prepare and discuss with students a list
of possible topics for their first sentence.
Possibilities might include: What is your
favorite holiday? Which is your least favorite
day of the week? Where would you like to go on
vacation? Who do you most like to spend time
with? Tell students that the second sentence
they write should tell something more about
the first sentence, as in the opening activity.
Direct them to write these first two sentences
on the shorter sentence strips.
¦
Have students join the sentences to create
a compound sentence and write it on their
longer sentence strip. Have them circle the
comma and the conjunction in the new
sentence. When all students have completed
their sentence strips, have them take turns
reading their sentences.

Apply the Skill

INSTRUCTIONS: Read each pair of sentences. Choose a conjunction and combine the sentences to make
a compound sentence. Write the sentence on the line, circling the comma and coordinating conjunction in the
sentence.

Conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet


1.The pizza is ready. It is too hot to eat.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. My sister is sick. My mom will call the doctor.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Rob is my best friend. He lives next door.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. I might go to the beach. I might go to the amusement park.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. I don’t like to feel cold. I like to go skiing.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

For futher practice you can make your own sentences.

Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains one independent
clause and at least one dependent clause.

• An independent clause is the part of the
sentence that can stand alone.
• The dependent clause cannot stand by itself.
• A subordinating conjunction begins the
dependent clause.

Common subordinating conjunctions: after,
although, as, because, before, for, if, once, since,
than, that, though, unless, until, when, whenever,
where, wherever, whether, while.

(subordinating conjunction)

Example: Because I did not study, I failed the test.

dependent clause independent clause

Teach the Skill


5 minutes

¦
Post the list of subordinating conjunctions
for students to use as a reference.
¦
Write the following phrase on the board or
chart paper: After he washed his hands. Have
students share questions they might ask after
reading this phrase. (For example, What did he
do after he washed his hands?)
¦
Write the following sentence on the board:
After he washed his hands, Danny baked
cupcakes. Discuss how the phrase Danny baked
cupcakes must be included for the first part of
the sentence to make sense. Explain that the
phrase Danny baked cupcakes is called the
independent clause because it makes sense
on its own. Explain that the phrase After he
washed his hands is called the dependent clause
because it needs the independent clause to
be completely understood by readers.

¦
Identify for students the subordinating
conjunction from the posted list that was
used to join the sentences (after). Point out
that when the dependent clause appears first
in a sentence, a comma is used to separate
the two clauses.
¦
Ask students to tell the sentences created
by placing the independent clause first.
(Danny baked cupcakes after he washed his
hands.) Point out that since the independent
clause appeared first in this sentence, a
comma was not used to separate the
two clauses.
¦
Explain to students that fluent writers use
complex sentences to make their writing
more interesting to read.
¦
Write the following sentences on the
board: I make my bed. My chores will be
finished. Ask students to use a subordinating
conjunction to create a complex sentence.
Invite students to share their sentence aloud.
Write each sentence on the board. Ask
volunteers to identify the dependent clause,
the subordinating conjunction, and the
independent clause.
Practice the Skill


10–15 minutes

¦
Write the following clauses on the board
or chart paper out of order: I turn 21 years old.
I can vote. I go shopping. I need milk. Divide
students into pairs. Give three blank sentence
strips to each pair. Have them create two
complex sentences from the clauses listed.
Then have students create one complex
sentence of their own. When students are
finished, invite them to share their sentences.
Write each sentence on the board or chart
paper. Have volunteers draw one line under
the subordinate clause, two lines under
the independent clause, and circle the
subordinate conjunction in the sentences.

Apply the Skill

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose a subordinating conjunction and join the sentences to create a complex sentence.
Write the new sentence on the lines, underlining the dependent clause once and the independent clause twice.

after, although, as, because, before, for, if, once, since, than,
that, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever,
whether, while



1. I say please. I can have a cookie.

2. I go to the party. I need to buy a birthday gift.

3. He opened his presents. He wrote thank-you cards.

4. I will ride the bus to work. I fix my car.

5. I don’t like to feel cold. I like to go skiing.

For more practice you can make up your own sentences.

Combined Sentences

When two sentences with a similar subject or
predicate are joined, it is called a combined
sentence.

Two sentences may be combined when:
• the subject of the sentences is the same.
• the predicate of the sentences is the same.


Examples:
Anna jumped. Anna ran.

Anna jumped and ran.

Bear is my dog. He loves to play.

Bear, my dog, loves to play.

Anna jumped. Sam jumped.

Anna and Sam jumped.

Teach the Skill


10 minutes

¦
Write the subject The cat twice on the
board or chart paper. Ask volunteers to write
a predicate for each subject. Have students
tell which part of the sentence is the same.
Point out that the two sentences are about
a similar idea: the cat and what it did.
¦
Ask them to suggest a way the two
sentences could be combined. Write the new
sentence on the board. (For example: The cat
jumped down from the tree and ran into the
house.) Point out how the predicates of each
sentence were combined into one sentence
with a similar subject.
¦
Explain that combining sentences with
similar ideas helps to eliminate short, choppy
sentences, making the writing more fluent.
¦
Write the following sentences on the
board: Claire is my sister. She plays the piano.
Have students identify to whom the word
She refers (Claire). Ask them to identify which
idea is similar in both sentences (Claire, the
sister). Write the following combined sentence
on the board: Claire, my sister, plays the piano.
Point out that since the first sentence explains
who Claire is, this information is included in
the combined sentence.
¦
Write the following predicate twice on
the board or on chart paper: played at the park.
Ask volunteers to write a subject to create
complete sentences. Have students tell the
idea that is similar in each sentence: someone/
something played at the park. Ask them to
suggest a way the two sentences could be
combined. Write the new sentence on the
board. (For example: The child and dog played
at the park.)
Practice the Skill


10–15 minutes

¦
Write each following pair of sentences on
sentence strips: [Bucky is a dog. Bucky barks
loudly.] [Nick’s scooter is rolling down the hill.
Nick’s skateboard is rolling down the hill.] [The
team played well. They won the game.] [Tom is
in my class. Sara is in my class.] [The ball is red.
The bat is red.] [A Mustang is a kind of car.
A Fire-bird is a kind of car.]
¦
Place each pair of sentences around the
room. Divide students into groups. Give
each group six sentence strips. Have students
rotate to each pair of sentences, combine the
two sentences, and write the new sentence
on a blank sentence strip.
¦
After students have rotated to each pair
of sentences, have them share the combined
sentences they wrote on their sentence strips.
Discuss the subject, predicate, and subject-
verb agreement of each new sentence.

Apply the Skill

INSTRUCTIONS: Have students combine each pair of sentences to make a new sentence and write it on the line.
Ask them to underline the subject and circle the predicate in each sentence. Then have students write their own
combined sentence on the back of this worksheet.

1. The cup is blue. The cup is tall.


2. England is a country in Europe. Spain is a country in Europe.


3. Your grandmother is friendly. Your grandfather is friendly.


4. Tom is my brother. He is in college.


5. The band marched in the parade. The band played in the parade.


For more practice you can make up your sentences.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Compound words

Here is a trick for reading some longer words. Look for small words within big compound words.

hilltop = hill + top
w * w
backpack = back + pack
w * w
Put w and w under the 2 small words in each compound word. Then draw a line
between the 2 small words. Read them.

up/hill
w w

upset

sunset

catnip

hotdog

cannot

suntan

tomcat

backpack

hatbox

boxtop

catnap

bobcat

cobweb

duckbill

tenpin

setback

potluck

inlet

inset

cobweb

Draw a line from the bold word in sentence to the bold word on the out side make a compound word and complete the sentence. (For extra, write the correct sentence on the lines below.)

1.A boy cat is a tom ---- pot

2.Get a bun for the hot ---- nap

3.Put the hat in the hat ---- pack

4.If you can’t do it, you can ----- cat

5.When you sleep for a bit, you have a cat --- set

6.The girl won the jack ---- not

7.A bag you put on your back is a back ---- dog

8.We are up on the hill ---- cat

9.If a man is mad, he is up ---- nip

10.The cat likes the cat ---- tan

11.The wild animal is a bob ---- top

12.The woman got a sun ---- box

1. ___________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________________

6. ___________________________________________________________________

7. ___________________________________________________________________

8. ___________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________

10. __________________________________________________________________

11. ___________________________________________________________________

12. ___________________________________________________________________

Connect the words to make compound words. Write the compound words on the lines below.

back ----- sand
rattle ----- stack
cup ----- snake
kick ----- bone
quick ----- cake
smoke ----- ball

1. ______________________

2. ______________________

3. ______________________

4. ______________________

5. ______________________

6. ______________________


Write the compound word in the blank.

1. rain + coat = ___________________

2. sail + boat = ___________________

3. snow + flake = _________________

4. air + plane = __________________

5. bed + room = __________________

6. up + stairs = _________________

7. down + stairs = ________________

8. foot + ball = __________________

9. cow + boy = ____________________

10. out + side = ___________________

11. moon + light = _________________

12. bath + tub = __________________

Put a line through the compound word to show each of the small words, then write each small word on the lines.

(Example) horse/back horse back

pancake _______________ _______________

playmate _______________ _______________

sailboat _______________ _______________

Sunday _______________ _______________

outside _______________ _______________

sometimes _______________ _______________

moonlight _______________ _______________

driveway _______________ _______________

snowball _______________ _______________

peanut _______________ _______________

playground_______________ _______________

tonight _______________ _______________

yourself _______________ _______________

forgive _______________ _______________

washtub _______________ _______________

lookout _______________ _______________

bluebird _______________ _______________

snowflake _______________ _______________

Friday, September 19, 2008

Fun Science Projects

Design and test a parachute

What you'll need:
A plastic bag or light material
Scissors
String
A small object to act as the weight, a little action figure would be perfect

Instructions:
Cut out a large square from your plastic bag or material.
Trim the edges so it looks like an octagon (an eight sided shape).
Cut a small whole near the edge of each side.
Attach 8 pieces of string of the same length to each of the holes.
Tie the pieces of string to the object you are using as a weight.
Use a chair or find a high spot to drop your parachute and test how well it worked, remember that you want it to drop as slow as possible.

What's happening?
Hopefully your parachute will descend slowly to the ground, giving your weight a comfortable landing. When you release the parachute the weight pulls down on the strings and opens up a large surface area of material that uses air resistance to slow it down. The larger the surface area the more air resistance and the slower the parachute will drop.
Cutting a small hole in the middle of the parachute will allow air to slowly pass through it rather than spilling out over one side, this should help the parachute fall straighter.

Warm air needs more room

What you'll need:
Empty bottle
Balloon
Pot of hot water (not boiling)

Instructions:
Stretch the balloon over the mouth of the empty bottle.
Put the bottle in the pot of hot water, let it stand for a few minutes and watch what happens.

What's happening?
As the air inside the balloon heats up it starts to expand. The molecules begin to move faster and further apart from each other. This is what makes the balloon stretch. There is still the same amount of air inside the balloon and bottle, it has just expanded as it heats up.
Warm air therefore takes up more space than the same amount of cold air, it also weighs less than cold air occupying the same space. You might have seen this principle in action if you've flown in or watched a hot air balloon.


Make an egg float in salt water

What you'll need:
One egg
Water
Salt
A tall drinking glass

Instructions:
Pour water into the glass until it is about half full.
Stir in lots of salt (about 6 tablespoons).
Carefully pour in plain water until the glass is nearly full (be careful to not disturb or mix the salty water with the plain water).
Gently lower the egg into the water and watch what happens.

What's happening?
Salt water is denser than ordinary tap water, the denser the liquid the easier it is for an object to float in it. When you lower the egg into the liquid it drops through the normal tap water until it reaches the salty water, at this point the water is dense enough for the egg to float. If you were careful when you added the tap water to the salt water, they will not have mixed, enabling the egg to amazingly float in the middle of the glass.

Diet Coke eruptions with Mentos

What you'll need:
Large bottle of Diet Coke
About half a pack of Mentos
Geyser tube (optional but makes things much easier)

Instructions:
Make sure you are doing this experiment in a place where you won't get in trouble for getting Diet Coke everywhere. Outside on some grass is perfect, please don't try this one in your family lounge!!
Stand the Diet Coke upright and unscrew the lid. Put some sort of funnel or tube on top of it so you can drop the Mentos in at the same time (about half the pack is a good amount). Doing this part can be tricky if you don't have a specially designed geyser tube, I recommend buying one from a local store such as Natures Discoveries (NZ) or online.
Time for the fun part, drop the Mentos into the Diet Coke and run like mad! If you've done it properly a huge geyser of Diet Coke should come flying out of the bottle, it's a very impressive sight. The record is about 9 metres (29 feet) high!

What's happening?

Although there are a few different theories around about how this experiment works, the most favoured reason is because of the combination of carbon dioxide in the Diet Coke and the little dimples found on Mentos candy pieces.

The thing that makes soda drinks bubbly is the carbon dioxide that is pumped in when they bottle the drink at the factory. It doesn't get released from the liquid until you pour it into a glass and drink it, some also gets released when you open the lid (more if you shake it up beforehand). This means that there is a whole lot of carbon dioxide gas just waiting to escape the liquid in the form of bubbles.
Dropping something into the Diet Coke speeds up this process by both breaking the surface tension of the liquid and also allowing bubbles to form on the surface area of the Mentos. Mentos candy pieces are covered in tiny dimples (a bit like a golf ball), which dramatically increases the surface area and allows a huge amount of bubbles to form.

The experiment works better with Diet Coke than other sodas due to its slightly different ingredients and the fact that it isn't so sticky. I also found that Diet Coke that had been bottled more recently worked better than older bottles that might have lost some of their fizz sitting on shop shelves for too long, just check the bottle for the date.

Make a ping pong ball float

What you'll need:

At least 1 ping pong ball (2 or 3 would be great)
A hair dryer
Instructions:

Plug in the hair dryer and turn it on.
Put it on the highest setting and point it straight up.
Place your ping pong ball above the hair dryer and watch what happens.
What's happening?

Your ping pong ball floats gently above the hair dryer without shifting sideways or flying across the other side of the room. The airflow from the hair dryer pushes the ping pong ball upwards until its upward force equals the force of gravity pushing down on it. When it reaches this point it gently bounces around, floating where the upward and downward forces are equal.

The reason the ping pong ball stays nicely inside the column of air produced by the hair dryer without shifting sideways is due to air pressure. The fast moving air from the hair dryer creates a column of lower air pressure, the surrounding higher air pressure forces the ping pong ball to stay inside this column, making it easy to move the hair dryer around without losing control of the ping pong ball.

See if you can float 2 or even 3 ping pong balls as an extra challenge.


Invisible Ink with Lemon Juice

What you'll need:

Half a lemon
Water
Spoon
Bowl
Cotton bud
White paper
Lamp or other light bulb
Instructions:

Squeeze some lemon juice into the bowl and add a few drops of water.
Mix the water and lemon juice with the spoon.
Dip the cotton bud into the mixture and write a message onto the white paper.
Wait for the juice to dry so it becomes completely invisible.
When you are ready to read your secret message or show it to someone else, heat the paper by holding it close to a light bulb.
What's happening?

Lemon juice is an organic substance that oxidizes and turns brown when heated. Diluting the lemon juice in water makes it very hard to notice when you apply it the paper, no one will be aware of its presence until it is heated and the secret message is revealed. Other substances which work in the same way include orange juice, honey, milk, onion juice, vinegar and wine. Invisible ink can also be made using chemical reactions or by viewing certain liquids under ultraviolet (UV) light.


Blowing Up Balloons With CO2

What you'll need:

Balloon
About 40 ml of water (a cup is about 250 ml so you don't need much)
Soft drink bottle
Drinking straw
Juice from a lemon
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Instructions:

Before you begin, make sure that you stretch out the balloon to make it as easy as possible to inflate.
Pour the 40 ml of water into the soft drink bottle.
Add the teaspoon of baking soda and stir it around with the straw until it has dissolved.
Pour the lemon juice in and quickly put the stretched balloon over the mouth of the bottle.
What's happening?

If all goes well then your balloon should inflate! Adding the lemon juice to the baking soda creates a chemical reaction. The baking soda is a base, while the lemon juice is an acid, when the two combine they create carbon dioxide (CO2). The gas rises up and escapes through the soft drink bottle, it doesn't however escape the balloon, pushing it outwards and blowing it up. If you don't have any lemons then you can substitute the lemon juice for vinegar.

Experience Gravity Free Water

What you'll need:

A glass filled right to the top with water
A piece of cardboard
Instructions:

Put the cardboard over the mouth of the glass, making sure that no air bubbles enter the glass as you hold onto the cardboard.
Turn the glass upside down (over a sink or outside until you get good).
Take away your hand holding the cardboard.
What's happening?

If all goes to plan then the cardboard and water should stay put. Even though the cup of water is upside down the water stays in place, defying gravity! So why is this happening? With no air inside the glass, the air pressure from outside the glass is greater than the pressure of the water inside the glass. The extra air pressure manages to hold the cardboard in place, keeping you dry and your water where it should be, inside the glass.


Making Music with Glasses of Water

What you'll need:

5 or more drinking glasses or glass bottles
Water
Wooden stick such as a pencil
Instructions:

Line the glasses up next to each other and fill them with different amounts of water. The first should have just a little water while the last should almost full, the ones in between should have slightly more than the last.
Hit the glass with the least amount of water and observe the sound, then hit the glass with the most water, which makes the higher sound?
Hit the other glasses and see what noise they make, see if you can get a tune going by hitting the glasses in a certain order.
What's happening?

Each of the glasses will have a different tone when hit with the pencil, the glass with the most water will have the lowest tone while the glass with the least water will have the highest. Small vibrations are made when you hit the glass, this creates sound waves which travel through the water. More water means slower vibrations and a deeper tone.



Mixing Oil & Water

What you'll need:

Small soft drink bottle
Water
Food colouring
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
Instructions:

Add a few drops of food colouring to the water.
Pour about 2 tablespoons of the coloured water along with the 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the small soft drink bottle.
Screw the lid on tight and shake the bottle as hard as you can.
Put the bottle back down and have a look, it may have seemed as though the liquids were mixing together but the oil will float back to the top.
What's happening?

While water often mixes with other liquids to form solutions, oil and water does not. Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other, this is the same for oil, because they are more attracted to their own molecules they just don't mix together. They separate and the oil floats above the water because it has a lower density.

If you really think oil and water belong together then try adding some dish washing liquid or detergent. Detergent is attracted to both water and oil helping them all join together and form something called an emulsion. This is extra handy when washing those greasy dishes, the detergent takes the oil and grime off the plates and into the water, yay!

Crazy Putty

What you'll need:

2 containers (1 smaller than the other, preferably a film canister)
Water
Food colouring
PVA glue
Borax solution (ratio of about 1 Tbsp of borax to a cup of water)
Instructions:

Fill the bottom of the larger container with PVA glue.
Add a few squirts of water and stir.
Add 2 or 3 drops of food colouring and stir.
Add a squirt of borax (possibly a bit more depending on how much PVA glue you used).
Stir the mixture up and put it into the smaller container. By now the mixture should be joining together, acting like putty, crazy putty!
What's happening?

The PVA glue you use is a type of polymer called polyvinyl acetate (PVA for short), while the borax is made of a chemical called sodium borate. When you combine the two in a water solution, the borax reacts with the glue molecules, joining them together into one giant molecule. This new compound is able to absorb large amounts of water, producing a putty like substance which you can squish in your hands or even bounce.


Bend A Straw With Your Eyes

What you'll need:

A glass half filled with water
A straw
2 eyes (preferably yours)
Instructions:

Look at the straw from the top and bottom of the glass.
Look at the straw from the side of the glass, focus on the point where the straw enters the water, what is strange about what you see?
What's happening?

Our eyes are using light to see various objects all the time, but when this light travels through different mediums (such as water & air) it changes direction slightly. Light refracts (or bends) when it passes from water to air. The straw looks bent because you are seeing the bottom part through the water and air but the top part through the air only. Air has a refractive index of around 1.0003 while water has a refractive index of about 1.33.

Water on the move

What you'll need:

A glass of water
An empty glass
Some paper towels
Instructions:

Twist a couple of pieces of paper towel together until it forms something that looks a little like a piece of rope, this will be the 'wick' that will absorb and transfer the water (a bit like the wick on a candle transferring the wax to the flame).
Place one end of the paper towels into the glass filled with water and the other into the empty glass.
Watch what happens (this experiment takes a little bit of patience).
What's happening?

Your paper towel rope (or wick) starts getting wet, after a few minutes you will notice that the empty glass is starting to fill with water, it keeps filling until there is an even amount of water in each glass, how does this happen?

This process is called 'capillary action', the water uses this process to move along the tiny gaps in the fibre of the paper towels. It occurs due to the adhesive force between the water and the paper towel being stronger than the cohesive forces inside the water itself. This process can also be seen in plants where moisture travels from the roots to the rest of the plant.

Is this egg hard boiled or raw?

What you'll need:

Two eggs, one hard boiled and one raw. Make sure the hard boiled egg has been in the fridge long enough to be the same temperature as the raw egg.
Instructions:

Spin the eggs and watch what happens, one egg should spin while the other wobbles.
You can also lightly touch each of the eggs while they are spinning, one should stop quickly while the other keeps moving after you have touched it.
What's happening?

The raw egg's centre of gravity changes as the white and yolk move around inside the shell, causing the wobbling motion. Even after you touch the shell it continues moving. This is because of inertia, the same type of force you feel when you change direction or stop suddenly in a car, your body wants to move one way while the car wants to do something different. Inertia causes the raw egg to spin even after you have stopped it, this contrasts with the solid white and yolk of the hard boiled egg, it responds much quicker if you touch it.

This is a good experiment to test a friend or someone in your family with, see if they can figure out how to tell the difference between the eggs (without smashing them of course) before showing them your nifty trick.

What absorbs more heat?

What you'll need:

2 identical drinking glasses or jars
Water
Thermometer
2 elastic bands or some sellotape
White paper
Black paper
Instructions:

Wrap the white paper around one of the glasses using an elastic band or sellotape to hold it on.
Do the same with the black paper and the other glass.
Fill the glasses with the exact same amount of water.
Leave the glasses out in the sun for a couple of hours before returning to measure the temperature of the water in each.
What's happening?

Dark surfaces such as the black paper absorb more light and heat than the lighter ones such as the white paper. After measuring the temperatures of the water, the glass with the black paper around it should be hotter than the other. Lighter surfaces reflect more light, that's why people where lighter colored clothes in the summer, it keeps them cooler.

Use a balloon to amplify sound

What you'll need:

Balloon
Instructions:

Blow up the balloon.
Hold the balloon close to your ear while you tap lightly on the other side.
What's happening?

Despite you only tapping lightly on the balloon your ears can hear the noise loudly. When you blew up the balloon you forced the air molecules inside the balloon closer to each other. Because the air molecules inside the balloon are closer together, they become a better conductor of sound waves than the ordinary air around you.

Energy transfer through balls

What you'll need:

A large, heavy ball such as a basketball or soccer ball
A smaller, light ball such as a tennis ball or inflatable rubber ball
Instructions:

Make sure you're outside with plenty of room.
Carefully put the tennis ball on top of the basketball, holding one hand under the basketball and the other on top of the tennis ball.
Let go of both the balls at exactly the same time and observe what happens.
What's happening?

If you dropped the balls at the same time, the tennis ball should bounce off the basketball and fly high into the air. The two balls hit each other just after they hit the ground, a lot of the kinetic energy in the larger basketball is transferred through to the smaller tennis ball, sending it high into the air.

While you held the balls in the air before dropping them they had another type of energy called 'potential energy', the balls gained this through the effort it took you to lift the balls up, it is interesting to note that energy is never lost, only transferred into other kinds of energy.

Making Lemonade Fizzy Drink

What you'll need:

Lemon
Drinking glass
Water
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Some sugar to make it sweet
Instructions:

Squeeze as much of the juice from the lemon as you can into the glass.
Pour in an equal amount of water as lemon juice.
Stir in the teaspoon of baking soda.
Give the mixture a taste and add in some sugar if you think it needs to be sweeter.
What's happening?

The mixture you created should go bubbly and taste like a lemonade, soda, fizzy or soft drink, if you added some sugar it might even taste like a lemon flavoured soft drink you've bought at a store. The bubbles that form when you add the baking soda to the lemon mixture are carbon dioxide (CO2), these are the same bubbles you'll find in proper fizzy drinks. Of course they add a few other flavored sweeteners but it's not much different to what you made. If you are wondering how the carbon dioxide bubbles formed, it was because you created a chemical reaction when you added the lemon (an acid) to the baking soda (a base).

Dissolving sugar at different heats

What you'll need:

Sugar cubes
Cold water in a clear glass
Hot water in a clear glass (be careful with the hot water)
Spoon for stirring
Instructions:

Make sure the glasses have an equal amount of water.
Put a sugar cube into the cold water and stir with the spoon until the sugar disappears. Repeat this process (remembering to count the amount of sugar cubes you put into the water) until the sugar stops dissolving, you are at this point when sugar starts to gather on the bottom of the glass rather than dissolving.
Write down how many sugar cubes you could dissolve in the cold water.
Repeat the same process for the hot water, compare the number of sugar cubes dissolved in each liquid, which dissolved more?
What's happening?

The cold water isn't able to dissolve as much sugar as the hot water, but why? Another name for the liquids inside the cups is a 'solution', when this solution can no longer dissolve sugar it becomes a 'saturated solution', this means that sugar starts forming on the bottom of the cup.

The reason the hot water dissolves more is because it has faster moving molecules which are spread further apart than the molecules in the cold water. With bigger gaps between the molecules in the hot water, more sugar molecules can fit in between

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Syllable Division

Learn Accent Patterns
Practice accent patterns for 2-, 3- and 4-syllable words :


Accented Syllable—An accented syllable is pronounced as if it were a one-syllable word with a clear vowel sound according to its syllabic type (ac´ tive, com plete´, er´ vant, loy´ al).

Unaccented Syllable—An unaccented syllable is pronounced with a schwa /´/ or short-i /i/ vowel sound regardless of its syllabic type (rib´ bon,op´ po site,in de pen´ dent).

Accent Patterns—The dark lines and accent marks are accent patterns ( ). Each ´ line stands for one syllable. The accent mark shows which syllable is accented. Leaming to place the accent on the proper syllable will help you recognize most multisyllabic words. The accent patterns below will help you determine which syllable in a word is accented.

Primary Accent—A strong stress on a syllable in a multisyllabic word.

Secondary Accent—A weaker stress on a syllable in a multisyllabic word.

General Guideline—In two- and three-syllable words, accent the first syllable. Then pronounce the first vowel as if it were a short, long, r-controlled, or double-vowel sound in a one-syllable word. If that doesn’t make a recognizable word, accent the second syllable, and pronounce the second vowel according to its syllabic type.

Accent Patterns for Two-Syllable Words

1. Accent on the first syllable (__ ´__ )
The accent is usually on the first syllable in two-syllable words (stan´ dard, sis´ ter, dol´ lar).

2. Accent on the second syllable (__ __ ´)

Two-syllable words that have a prefix in the first syllable and a root in the second syllable are usually accented on the second syllable (ex tend´, con fuse´).

3. Accent on either the first or second syllable (__ ´ __ or __ __ ')

If a word can function as both noun and verb, the noun is accented on the prefix (con´ duct) and the verb is accented on the root (con duct´)

Accent Patterns for Three-Syllable Words

1. Accent on the first syllable (__'__ __)

The accent is usually on the first syllable in three-syllable words. The unaccented middle syllable has a schwa sound (vis´ i tor, char´ ac ter).

2. Accent on the second syllable (__ __' __)
The accent is usually on the second syllable (the root) in words that contain a prefix, root, and suffix (de stroy´ er, in ven´ tor)

Accent Patterns for Four-Syllable Words (__ __' __ __)
1. The accent is usually on the second syllable in four-syllable words (in tel´ li gence, sig nif ´ i cant).


Most two - syllable words are accented on the first syllable (fi´ nal, stu´ dent, hop´ ping)

However, the accent pattern changes in two-syllable words that have a prefix in the first syllable and a root in the second syllable. We usually accent the root (con fuse´, ex tend´, pre fer´).

Draw a box around the accented root in the following words and mark the accented vowel. Cross out silent letters. Then pronounce and combine the syllables.
expand

promote

unknown

inspect

propel

preside

explode

subsist

exempt

inflate

refuse

subscribe

demand

respect

express

decrease

reject

intend

perhaps

demote

exact

sublet

pervade

predict

subtract

persist

depend

insane

excuse

proceed

prepay

perplex

insult


In a few words, the prefix is accented. Draw a box around the accented prefix in the following words and mark the accented vowel. Notice that the prefix pro-can be pronounced two ways: /pro¤* (short o/ and /pro/, depending on the syllabication. The first syllable of prospect is pros; thus, the vowel is short. The first syllable of program is pro; thus, the vowel is long.

pros/pect (short o)

pro/gram (long o)

product

income

project

profit

profile

intake

promise

prosper

produce

inboard

subway

substance

subsoil


pro-says (pro)(long o)/in:

__________________

__________________

__________________



pro¤-says /pro* (short o)/ in:

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________


Some words can be used both as nouns (naming words) and as verbs (action words). When the word is a noun, accent the prefix (sub´ject). When the word is a verb, accent the root (sub ject´).
Draw a box around the accented syllable and mark the accented vowel. Then pronounce and combine the syllables.
Nouns --- Verbs ---

recess ---recess

insult --- insult

record*--- record

present*--- present

produce--- produce

permit --- permit

project*--- project

reject --- reject

progress*--- progress


Read these sentences aloud. If the italicized word is a noun, draw a box around the prefix to show that it is accented. If it is a verb, draw a box around the root to show that it is accented.


1. The farmer had fresh recess produce for sale.

2.The school will produce a play.

3. I gave Judith a birthday present.

4. Ms. Trabin will not permit smoking in her house.

5. Martha completed her science project.

6. Peter insulted his partner.

7. What is your best subject in school?

8. We progress in learning, step by step.

9. Janis bought another record at the music store.

10. Present your report to the class.

11. You must get a driver’s permit.

12. Project your voice so that we can hear you more clearly.

13. Do not add insult to injury.

14. Rome subjected all of Greece to her rule.

15. Donald made good progress in reading.

16. Record your progress on the Proficiency Graph.

*Syllabication differs in some words, depending on whether the word is a noun or a verb.


Unscramble these three-syllable words. If you circle the -it,-et,-ite, or -ate ending, you will know which syllable is last.

fa ite vor ________________________
pos it de ________________________
o choc late ________________________
po op site ________________________
it in hab ________________________
per ate des ________________________
i nite def ________________________
lus il trate ________________________

Find and circle the eighteen words above in the puzzle below. The words can be found in a straight line
across or up and down.

D E L I B E R A T E C E R T I F I C A T E I E C H M O P R E R E Q U I S I T E A N G E L F T H M P E F I C O N F E D E R A T E N A L I L Y A P P R O X I M A T E T O I B E F O I N R E CO N G R A T U L A T E D E P O S I T I L L U S T R A T E A D D I N G A N E N D E T I N L I F A V O R I T E G B E G I N N I R E N G A T I N H A B I T D E S P E R A T E A W I T T E H C H O C O L A T E A V O W E L T I N D E F I N I T E A F F E C T I O N A T E