Study/Review Guide for Q3 Nine Week Test

Study/Review Guide for Q3 Nine Week Test English 7 Ms. Poudrier

*Students you were given the interactive form of these notes and they should be in your binder. Refer to your interactive notes to help you prepare. Writing Nine Week Test Friday. March 28, 2014 Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas. Prewriting is a time to plan and organize what you are going to write about.  Get writing ideas from the world around you. People and places you know. Things and topics that interest you.  Look and listen. Notice things such as sounds, smells. Describe your surroundings.  Make a list in your brainstorm box. Lists will give you ideas for topics to write about.  Choose a topic to write about. This is when you go back and look at your lists

Organize details to elaborate the central idea. Narrow down your topic by choosing an idea that you can write about easily in one piece of writing.

 Make and “idea comb”

my pet frog Frodo ______l l l how to take care why frogs make good the time pets he escaped

 Make a topic map

 Make a topic web

 Make and experience chart

Select specific vocabulary and information. After choosing a topic and narrowing it down, you must think about what you want to say and how you will say it. Before you begin writing, ask yourself: 1. What am I writing? 2. Who is my audience? 3. What is my purpose? 4. Do I have all the facts I need? 5. How will I publish my writing?  Writing a First Draft – This is your first attempt to write something. It is your chance to get all your ideas down on paper.  Write using parts of a story (characters, setting, plot). Give details to your characters (how a character looks, feels, what he/she likes or dislikes). Revise writing for word choice, sentence variety, and transitions among paragraphs. 1 Time to make changes to improve your writing. How can you make your writing better? You can think about what you have written and listen to how your writing sounds.  Writing smoother sentences by joining short, choppy sentences into longer sentences to make the writing better.

Example one: Eric is a great friend! Eric is kind. Eric is friendly. Eric is cheerful.

Example two: Eric is a great friend! Eric is kind, friendly, and cheerful.

 Is the beginning strong? Begin writing with a sentence that grabs your reader’s attention. Starting with a question or a surprise will make your audience want to read more.

 Are the sentences in order? When you write you need to organize the ideas or events so your meaning is clear. Put the sentences in an order that makes sense to the reader. Use available technology. Using a computer to publish your final work.

 Create a good look by choosing fonts, design, and type size.  Add visuals like art, tables and charts.  Print, save and file your work

Comma Rules 1. Use commas to separate items in a series. There are many different kinds of series, one for each part of speech except conjunctions.

Examples: The teacher entered the class, wrote on the board and sat down at her desk. (Verb series). The teacher ate apples, bananas, and cherries. (noun series) The nice, kind, and beautiful teacher assigned no homework for the weekend. (adjective series) The teacher sat down quickly, quietly, and with great dignity. (adverb series) He went to the store, down the aisle, and into the vegetable section. (prepositional phrase series) She sat with him, her, and them. (series of pronouns) Oh boy, wow, and whoopee, the teacher had a great class! (series of interjections) You also can have a series of predicate nouns and adjectives. (These are just nouns and adjectives that are located after the predicate.)

2. Use commas between two or more adjectives that precede a noun unless one of the adjectives expresses a single idea with the noun (jet plane) or the last adjective tells color (green, etc.) or age (old, young).

Comma needed: The cute, fuzzy dog barked at everyone.

Comma omitted: The cute brown dog barked at everyone. (color adjective)

Examples: The noisy jet plane flew overhead. (“Jet plane” is one idea. The adjective is really part of the noun.) 2 The ugly young dog wolfed down its food. (age adjective).

Examples: The old oaken bucket was covered with wet green moss. (No commas needed as it would be awkward to say “The old and oaken bucket was covered with wet and green moss.”)

The floppy-eared, lazy Doberman slept all day. (Here you use a comma because it makes sense to say “The floppy-eared and lazy Doberman slept all day.”)

3. Use commas to separate the simple sentences included in a compound sentence.

Example: The teacher wrote the sentence, and she put in a comma because the sentence was compound.

4. Use commas after words, phrases, and clauses that come at the beginning of sentences. “No” and “yes” are included here. They always are followed by a comma.

Examples: No, you may not turn in your homework late. Yes, you may do extra work if you wish. Wow, the student earned an A+ on his test!

At the end of the phrase, there should be a comma.

If a subordinate clause is at the beginning of a sentence, you have to put a comma after it.

Suddenly, the teacher yelled. (This comma is often debated. Put a comma if a breath or a pause would help clarify the sentence or if you want to accentuate the adverb.)

Well, she said that she would come.

5. Use commas to separate interrupters such as parenthetical expressions, direct addresses, and unnecessary appositives in a sentence.

Examples: Parenthetical expression — The big dog, of course, was a wimp.

Direct address — You know, parents, it is important to write correctly.

Parents, you know it is important to write correctly.

Unnecessary appositive — My cat, Skeeter, likes to sit on my lap as I write. (I have only one cat; therefore his name is not necessary for the meaning of the sentence to be clear.)

My dog Dino has floppy ears. (No commas are needed because I have two dogs, and I need to identify to which dog I refer.) 3 6. Use commas to separate the month and the day from the year.

Example: September 15, 1945

7. Use commas between the city and the state and after the state as well if the address is within the sentence. Example: The animal lover lives in Gainesville, Florida, and teaches English at a middle school.

8. Use commas after the greeting in friendly letters and after the closing in both friendly and business letters.

Examples: Dear Jane, Sincerely yours,

9. Use commas with quotation marks to set off what is being said out loud.

Examples: “Get off my foot,” she whimpered to the heavy dog.

She whimpered to the heavy dog, “Get off my foot.”

“If you don’t get off my foot,” she said, “I’ll step on yours.

End Marks (Punctuation) Make sure each sentence has one! 1. Use a period at the end of a statement (a sentence that tells something).

Example: Dobermans can be sweet dogs. 2. Use an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence that expresses powerful emotion or strong feeling. You also can use an exclamation mark after an interjection of strong emotion so that the interjection stands all by itself.

Examples: Get out of here! Wow! I really like that.

3. Use a question mark at the end of an interrogative sentence (a sentence that asks a question).

Example: Will you please get out of here?

Colons 1. Use a colon before a list but never after a verb or a preposition.

Example: It is important to remember to bring the 4 following to class: pencil, paper, and a big grin.

2. Use after the greeting in a business letter.

Examples: Dear Sir or Madam: To Whom It May Concern:

3. Use a colon to separate the hour from the minute in telling time.

Examples: 5:45 P.M., 6:24 A.M.

4. If the wording that follows a colon forms a complete sentence, do not capitalize the first letter of the sentence.

Example: The question is as follows: do Dobermans like to eat broccoli?

Semicolons A semicolon is a punctuation mark (;) that is used to separate parts of a sentence.

1. Use semicolons in compound sentences instead of using a conjunction and a comma.

Example: The black cat nuzzled the big dog; it is either very friendly or very stupid.

2. Use semicolons in lists where the use of a lot of commas makes meaning difficult.

Example: Learn the meanings of these homophones: there, their, they’re; to, too, two; your, you’re; no, know; and hear, here.

3. Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses (two sentences within a sentence) when the second clause begins with however, nevertheless, consequently, besides, therefore, moreover, or furthermore.

Example: The Rottweiler may lick faces; however, she is charming.

4. To avoid confusion, use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses that have many commas within one or both of them.

Example: My Rottweiler likes to eat tomatoes, broccoli, and cucumbers; my Doberman likes to eat fruit, dog food, and cookies.

Hyphens 1. Use a hyphen to divide a word at the end of a line. Divide only at syllables. Check a dictionary for syllables.

Example: The two huge dogs ran around the yard, ter-rifying the little girl.

2. Use a hyphen to separate the words in compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and in 5 fractions that are used as adjectives.

Examples: The teacher had thirty-five pupils in the class.

They ate ten and one-half pizzas for lunch.

3. Use a hyphen in a compound noun that serves as an adjective. More simply stated, use with two or more words that express one thought and serve as one adjective. To test whether a hyphen is needed, simply see if each word alone makes sense in describing the noun.

Example: There was an old-rusted wheelbarrow in the shed.

Quotation Marks (In Uses Other Than Conversation) Use quotation marks around words referred to or letters referred to in the context of a sentence.

Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

Examples: If you wish to make plural the word “party,” take off the “y” and add “ies.” He loves the poem “Mother to Son.” The corpulent Rottweiler has been nicknamed “Miss Tub.”

Exclamation marks and question marks go outside the quotation marks unless they are part of the words in quotation marks.

Examples: She got an “A”! Did he give an extra bone to “Miss Tub”? Quotations can be avoided with the use of the word “that.” Instead of quotation marks, refer to what has been said with the word “that.”

Choose the correct case and number for pronouns in prepositional phrases with compound objects.

Pronouns Pronouns take the place of a noun and are the only way to refer to something without using its name every time. It is important to remember the difference between subject and object pronouns.

Subject pronouns come before the verb. They are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

Object pronouns come after the verb to which they are attached. They are: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

Examples of common errors:

My friend and me went . . . 6 It is me.

She is better than me.

Correct examples:

My friend and I went . . . (“I” is the subject of “went.”)

It is I. (Implied here is “It is I who does something.” “I” is a subject.)

She is better than I . . . (Again, something is implied. The word “am” has been left out. “I” is the subject of “am.”)

Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun I Me She Her He Him It It they them

You need to learn the correct use of the different kinds of pronouns. It is not the name of each that is important; it is recognizing the differences among them.

Singular and Plural pronouns: A singular pronoun replaces a singular noun. A plural pronoun replaces a plural noun.

Singular Plural I we You you He/she they Him/her them My our Your your His/her their Mine our Myself ourselves Himself/herself themselves

Correct example: The brothers could not decide which pizza would satisfy them.

Incorrect example: The brothers could not decide which pizza would satisfy him.

Possessive pronouns: These are pronouns that show ownership of something.

Singular possessive Plural possessive

7 pronouns pronouns:

my, Our mine Ours your your, yours yours his their her theirs its

Correct example: Haley and I both have cats; the female cat is my cat, and the male cats are her cats.

Incorrect example: Haley and I both have cats; the female cat is my cat, and the male cats are she cats.

Use comparative and superlative degrees in adverbs and adjectives Adverbs

An adverb is any word, phrase, or clause that tells more about a verb; many of the single-word adverbs end in “ly.”

An adverb also tells to what extent an adjective or another adverb is true (very, extremely, and so on).This is called an intensifier.

Examples: a very hungry dog, an extremely sleepy cat

An adverb answers one of the following six questions about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb: where, when, why, how, how often, or to what extent it happened.

Examples:

Where? - The students learned grammar at home.

When? -Yesterday the teacher was absent.

How? - The students quickly intimidated the substitute.

How often?- The student yawned four times during class.

To what extent? -The teacher was very angry. (modifies the adjective “angry”)

Why?- She yelled because she was angry Adverbs An adverb is any word, phrase, or clause that tells more about a verb; many of the single-word adverbs end in “ly.”

An adverb also tells to what extent an adjective or another adverb is true (very, extremely, and so on).This is called an intensifier.

Examples: a very hungry dog, an extremely sleepy cat 8 An adverb answers one of the following six questions about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb: where, when, why, how, how often, or to what extent it happened.

Examples:

Where? - The students learned grammar at home.

When? -Yesterday the teacher was absent.

How? - The students quickly intimidated the substitute.

How often?- The student yawned four times during class.

To what extent? -The teacher was very angry. (modifies the adjective “angry”)

Why?- She yelled because she was angry

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs

Both adjectives and adverbs can be used to compare two or more thins to each other. These forms are known as comparatives (comparing one thing to another) and superlatives (comparing one thing to two or more other things).

Adjective forms Comparative Superlative

only one syllable, ending in –e Add –r: Add –st:

Example:

Large, late, wise

Larger, later, wiser Largest, latest, wisest

Only one syllable, with one vowel Double the consonant, and add – Double the consonant, and and one consonant at the end. er add-est:

Example:

Sad, thin, green Sadder, thinner, greener Largest, latest, wisest

Only one syllable, ending with Add –er Add –est more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end.

9 Example:

Bland, quick, small

Blander, quicker, smaller Blandest, quickest, smallest

Two syllables, ending in -y Change y to I, then add –er: Change y to I, then add-est:

Examples:

Heavy, silly, funny Heavier, sillier, funnier Heaviest, silliest, funniest

Two syllables or more, not ending Use more before the adjective: Use most before the adjective: in -y

Example:

Modern, interesting, beautiful More modern, more interesting, Most modern, most interesting, more beautiful most beautiful

Maintain consistent verb tense across paragraphs

The consistent use of verbs in writing is extremely important for your writing to flow. Verbs have to agree in both tense (past, present, or future) and number (singular or plural).

Past and Present Tense

Verbs must stay consistent regarding when the action they are describing is happening. Most compositions (writing) are written in past or present tense and should remain in the same tense throughout.

There are some exceptions to the rules, however. If you are writing in present tense and you want to explain something by using a detail that happened in the past tense.

For Example:

I sit down to eat my sandwich. I made it in the morning before school.

Number Agreement

A plural subject requires a plural verb, and a singular subject requires a singular verb.

10 For singular subjects, most verbs end in –s or –es.

For plural subjects, the base form of the verb is usually used.

For Example:

Sammy plays the trombone. (Sammy is singular; the singular verb is plays.

The children play during recess. (children is plural; the plural verb is plays.

There is and important exception to this rule: the singular pronouns/and you require the plural verb form.

For example:

Maria skates like a professional.

I skate like a beginner.

You skate like a beginner, too.

*Watch out for singular nouns like team or class They may represent many people, but they function as singular subjects, and require singular verb forms.

For example:

All the kids from the class are on a field trip.

The whole class is on a field trip.

Helping Verbs They are verbs that help the main action verb properly describe the action sentence.

may do have will

might does are can

must did is been

be should was am

being could were would

*The future tense is always expressed with helping verbs. Some helping verbs like will can be placed in front of present tense action verbs to create a future tense. Other helping verbs require that the action verb is written as an –ing verb to make a future tense.

Correct example: Bill will sweep the porch Incorrect example: Bill will sweeping the porch

Correct example: Bill is going to sweep the porch.

Incorrect example: Bill is go to weep the porch.