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A Fresh Start
A Review of Basic Writing Skills
By Louise Schreier
© 2016 by Louise Schreier
4 Eagle Court New City, NY 10956
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the
author.
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FOREWORD
Effective communication is necessary to function and
succeed in society. Speaking eloquently and writing skillfully are
tasks that can be accomplished once you have mastered grammar,
punctuation and mechanics.
Often, people experience fear (writer’s block) when asked
to write an essay on any given topic. Writing a five paragraph
essay is simple when you use a template designed to make your
thesis and supporting details visual to you the writer.
This workbook will familiarize you with Standard English
grammar and alert you to common grammatical errors. There will
be many activities and assignments to help you understand
grammar and also many opportunities to practice writing five
paragraph essays. The pages in this book will be useful in
improving your confidence and your competence in speaking and
writing.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I
Grammar, Punctuation, Mechanics
 Parts of Speech ………………………………………………………………
 Capitalization …………………………………………………………………
 Subject – Verb Agreement …………………………………………
o Singular/plural
 Indefinite Pronouns ………………………………………………………
 Pronoun Agreement ……………………………………………………….
 Quotations ……………………………………………………………………….
 Commas ……………………………………………………………………………..
 Semicolons ……………………………………………………………………….
 Colons ………………………………………………………………………………..
 Hyphens ……………………………………………………………………………
 Dashes ………………………………………………………………………………
 Ellipsis ……………………………………………………………………………….
 Apostrophes …………………………………………………………………….
 Contractions …………………………………………………………………….
 Letters and Numerals ……………………………………………………
 Synonyms, Antonyms, Homophones …………………………….
 Literary Terms ………………………………………………………………..
 Abbreviations …………………………………………………………………..
 Double Negative ……………………………………………………………..
 Parallel Structure …………………………………………………………..
 Problem Words ……………………………………………………………….
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Part II The Writing Process
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Thesis Statement ………………………………………………………….
Prewriting ……………………………………………………………………….
Writing the First Draft ………………………………………………
Revising and Editing ……………………………………………………..
Example of a 5 paragraph essay ………………………………..
Part III
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Practicing Writing an essay
 Essay ………………………………………………………………………………....
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Part IV
Grammar Activities
 Activity 1 – 10 …………………………………………………………………..
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Part V
Answer Key
 Answers 1 – 10 …………………………………………………………………… 33
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Part I
Grammar, Punctuation, Mechanics
Parts of Speech
Words, which are the foundation of language, are used in
eight specific ways. These eight ways are called parts of speech;
they demonstrate how words function in a sentence.
Each word in a sentence falls into one of the eight
categories known as parts of speech.
The Eight Parts of Speech
1. Nouns
2. Pronouns
3. Verbs
4. Adverbs
5. Adjectives
6. Conjunctions
7. Interjections
8. Prepositions
1.
Nouns
 the names of persons, places, and things
 nouns can be singular (one) or plural (more than one)
ex. singular – school or fox, plural – schools or foxes
 2 types of nouns
o common – name of any person, place or thing
ex. The house is painted white.
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o proper nouns – names of particular persons, places or
things
ex. The White House is located in Washington, D.C.
2.
Pronouns
 take the place of nouns (called antecedents) in sentences
 two types of pronouns:
o subject pronouns act as subjects in sentences.
ex. He is a terrific friend. “He” is a subject
pronoun
o object pronouns act as objects in sentences.
ex. Whom did you see at the pool? “whom” is the
object pronoun
ex. To whom shall I give the book? whom is object of
the preposition
 examples of pronouns – I, he, she, it, they, them, us, we,
you, her, and him
Subject Pronouns
I
he
she
we
they
who
you
Object Pronouns
me
him
her
us
them
whom
you
Possesive Pronouns
my mine
his hers its
our ours
their theirs
whose
your yours
Indefinite Pronouns
 do not refer to specific persons or things
 most take a singular verb and a singular pronoun
any
anybody
anyone
everyone
everything
few (plural)
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nothing
one
several (plural)
anything
both (plural)
each
either
everybody
many (plural)
neither
nobody
none
no one
some
somebody
someone
something
ex. Everyone (singular) at the party brought his/her
(singular) own food.
ex. Many (plural) of my co-workers own their (plural) own
homes.
*** Look at the prepositional phrase that follows the
subject to help you choose a singular or plural verb.
ex. Most (singular) of the money (singular) is (singular)
missing.
ex. None of the students (plural) are (plural) present.
ex. All of the sugar (singular) is (singular) gone.
ex. All of the toys (plural) were (plural) broken.
ex. One-half of the room (singular) was (singular) painted
red.
ex. One-half of the students (plural) were (plural) from
New York.
Demonstrative Pronouns: this, that those
Interrogative Pronouns: who, whom, what
Relative Pronouns: who, whom, which, that, whoever, whomever,
whatever
Either, or / Neither, nor
 when one of the subjects is singular and the other is
plural, the verb agrees with the subject closest to the
verb.
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ex. Either the children or the mother (singular) is
(singular) permitted to enter.
ex. Either the mother or the children (plural) are (plural)
permitted to enter.
3.
Verbs
 express action or are state of being
 action verbs – jump, fly, run
ex. He eats dinner at the table.
 state of being verbs – is, am, was, were (all forms of be)
ex. She is so sweet.
 helping/linking verbs
ex. She is helping her sister,
ex. The test should have been marked.
4.
Adverbs
 describe verbs, adjectives and other adverbs
 they often end in – ly
 they answer the question how
ex. He walked slowly by the car.
ex. The man asked politely for his ticket.
ex. It was awfully cold out today.
ex. The team performed well in tryouts.
5.
Adjectives
 describe nouns and pronouns
ex. tall, short, green
ex. The small boy sat in the front seat of an old car.
ex. On a cold winter day, you wear winter coats and
warm boots.
Articles
 are adjectives that describe nouns
 only 3 articles – a, an, the
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 an is used before words that begin with a vowel
ex. She ate a pear.
ex. She ate an apple.
ex. The boy is my brother.
6.
Conjunctions
 join words or groups of words
 and, or, but, nor, yet, so, for
ex. Mary and Jane are best friends.
ex. Paul likes to jog but he also likes to play ball.
Conjunctive Adverbs – however, therefore, moreover,
furthermore, then, later, consequently, also
7.
Interjections
 show strong emotion
 often set apart from the sentence by a comma or an
exclamation point
ex. Ouch! That hurts.
ex. Look! It’s a full moon.
Ouch
Goodness
Look
Watch out
8.
Common Interjections
Oops
Wow
Yikes
Hey
Ok
Aha
Prepositions
 show relationships between other words in the sentence
 show direction
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Common Prepositions
about
behind
for
till
above
below
from
to
across
of
beneath
in
toward
after
beside
into
under
against
between
at
until
among
along
beyond
off
up
by
upon
around
since
during
at
past
within
before
except
through
without
into
over
ex. The children ran into the house to see the new puppy.
ex. The cat was under the table.
Capitalization
 capitalize the first word in a sentence
 the first word in a quotation
ex. She said, “Everything is okay.”
 names of proper nouns (specific people, places and things)
ex. Joanne is traveling to Massachusetts to enroll in
Boston University.
 the pronoun I is always capitalized
ex. Paul and I are brothers.
 the names of cities, counties, regions, states, countries,
continents and planets
ex. He lives in Rockland County, New York.
 words: south, north, east and west are capitalized only if
they name a geographical area – not a direction
ex. Joan will be traveling west this summer.
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ex. The South is known for its warmer temperatures.
 the seasons are not capitalized unless it is a specific
season
ex. The leaves come down in the fall.
ex. In Spring 2005 the fares will go up.
 capitalize only specific school subjects
ex. I passed Fundamentals of Algebra.
ex. I didn’t do well in math.
 specific people and their titles
ex. I saw a movie about Mother Teresa.
ex. The queen of Jordan is an American.
 capitalize religions, holy days and holy books
ex. He is a Buddhist.
ex. She is coming for dinner on Easter.
ex. I read the Bible last night.
 don’t capitalize academic degrees except after a person’s
name
ex. I earned a master of arts degree in science.
ex. Joan Lee, Master of Arts, graduated in 1999.
 capitalize names of specific products (trademarked)
ex. I had Jell-O for dessert.
 capitalize the first word, the last word, and all important
words in titles
ex. She read Of Mice and Men.
 do not capitalize a, an, and, the, of, to, with, when they
are in the middle of a title
ex. I read How to Write, Speak and Think More
Effectively.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
 if the subject of the sentence is singular than the verb
must be singular
ex. The boy (singular) is (singular) in the fifth grade.
 if the subject is plural than the verb must be plural.
ex. The boys (plural) are (plural) in the fifth grade.
 the subject of the sentence is never found in a
prepositional phrase.
ex. The flowers in the garden (prepositional phrase) have
a wonderful scent.
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
 take singular verbs
ex. Everyone likes ice cream.
ex. Each of the Boy Scouts builds a birdhouse.
 plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs
both, few, many, several
ex. Both of the boys have red hair.
ex. Many of the books are missing.
 the following indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural
if they refer to a singular or plural noun or pronoun
all
none
any
some
a lot of
most
ex. All of the bikes were on sale.
ex. None of the cake is cut.
*** Neither, nor
Either, or
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Or, nor
 if one subject is singular and the other is plural, then the
verb agrees with the nearest subject
ex. Either the passengers or the conductor has the
tickets.
ex. Neither my mom nor sisters have blue eyes.
Collective Nouns
 name a group
 usually singular and take a singular
band
jury
pair
class
crowd
staff
couple
team
group
verb
family
crew
faculty
audience
committee
orchestra
 collective nouns take singular verbs when the collective
noun acts as a collective group
ex. The jury (singular) eats (singular) together in the jury
room.
 collective nouns take plural verbs when the collective
noun acts as an individual
ex. The jury (plural) sleep (plural) in different rooms.
 the following words are singular and take a singular verb
music
history
mathematics
statistics biology
 ex. Statistics is offered in freshman year.
*** Some nouns have the same singular and plural form.
ex. The fish is/are swimming rapidly.
ex. These fish are very expensive.
ex. This species is known for its venom.
ex. Several species are dangerous.
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Pronoun Agreement
 a pronoun agrees with the noun or nouns it replaces
 the replaced noun is called an antecedent
ex. The child (singular) wants his (singular) toys in his
(singular) room.
ex. The children (plural) want their toys (plural) in their
(plural) rooms.
ex. Some (singular) of the cake (singular) lost its
(singular) freshness.
ex. Some (plural) of the flowers (plural) lost their (plural)
petals.
ex. Neither (singular) of the students has his (singular)
own book.
ex. Each (singular) of the girls has her (singular) book
bag.
Quotations
 used to note what someone has said
ex. Paul said, “I am going out.”
 use quotes for words being defined or words that are
slang or for words used ironically
ex. He can get really “crazy” when he is overtired.
 use quotes for the title of a story
ex. John wrote the story “To be a Winner.”
*** titles of books are underlined
ex. I read the book Jaws.
Commas
 used to make the meaning clear
ex. The students who studied, passed the test.
 use commas to separate items in a sentence
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

***


***

***
ex. I had meatloaf, potatoes, some carrots, and a roll for
dinner.
use commas for three items
ex. You will need paper, pens, crayons and rulers.
use commas to introduce a clause in a sentence
ex. After eating lunch, I planned to go walking.
use a comma to separate two or more adjectives
ex. The dress is long, pink and strapless.
don’t use a comma if you cannot use and between the
adjectives
ex. A long train journey can be peaceful.
use a comma to separate transition words
ex. However, more teachers are needed.
use a comma between items in dates and addresses
ex. His birthday is March 26, 1983.
don’t use a comma if the date isn’t given
ex. She graduated June 1996.
use a comma between two independent clauses joined by a
coordinating conjunction
ex. The ballet ended, and the dancers left the stage.
the comma after the last item before the and is optional
ex. I study English, French, geology, and math.
ex. I study English, French, geology and math.
Semicolons
 used to tell the reader to pause
 used between parts of a compound sentence when no
conjunction is used
ex. She rummaged through all the boxes; she was looking
for the key.
 used to separate independent clauses joined by the
following adverbs:
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also
besides
hence
however
moreover
nevertheless
otherwise
therefore
thus
ex. Jill is an excellent student; therefore, she is exempt
from the final.
*** if confused, avoid the semicolon in the compound
sentence by writing two separate sentences
ex. Jill is an excellent student. She is exempt from the
final.
Colons
 signal that something is to follow
 use colons to introduce a list
ex. The job offered three things: good pay, great hours,
and a positive environment.
 use a colon after a salutation in a business letter
ex. To Whom It May Concern:
ex. Gentlemen:
ex. Dear Sir:
 use a colon before a long quotation begins
ex. The senator began his speech as follows: “My
colleagues, I am pleased ……….”
Hyphens
 used to show a word has been separated at the end of
the line (must be divided by syllable)
ex. She loves the idea of planting a garden in the backyard.
 use a hyphen with compound numbers from twenty-one to
ninety-nine and with fractions used as adjectives
ex. June has thirty-one days.
ex. He ate two-thirds of the pie.
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Dashes
 used when there is a break in the thought
ex. I truly love you – but I need time.
 used to emphasize a particular word or phrase
ex. We loved the play – really loved it.
*** dashes are seldom used in formal writing
Ellipsis
 three dots … that are used to show: omissions, dramatic
pauses, more to come
ex. We wish you a lifetime of love, happiness, health …
Apostrophe
 used to show possession
 the apostrophe shows that the second word group
belongs to the first word group
ex. Tim’s sister lives in Chicago.
 apostrophe used to show joint possession
ex. Paul and Jean’s house is on Remson Street.
 use an apostrophe s added to the singular word to show
possession
ex. The dog’s owner is gone.
 use an apostrophe added to the plural word to show
possession
ex. The boys’ coats are hanging up.
*** it’s versus its
 it’s is a contraction of it is
ex. It’s raining outside.
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 its is a possessive pronoun
ex. The dog lost its collar.
Contractions
 apostrophes are used in contractions to take the place of
missing letters
ex. he will - he’ll
you are - you’re
I have - I’ve
*** do not use contractions in formal writing
Letters and Numerals
 use an apostrophe to make a letter or numeral plural
ex. The math teacher gave five A’s and only two F’s.
ex. The 1920’s saw Prohibition.
ex. There are two m’s in committee.
ex. There are three 5’s in my address.
*** Write out all numbers that begin a sentence.
ex. Twenty people were at the dinner.
 use figures for all numbers over ten
ex. I have 11 cousins.
ex. He raised 27 million dollars.
ex. Four years is a short time to wait for a vacation.
ex. Twenty-two pounds is the average weight of a marlin.
*** An amount of time, money or weight (even if the word is
plural) is considered one unit.
ex. Thirty dollars is the price of dinner.
Synonyms
 are words that have similar meanings
ex. cold - frigid
ex. hungry - famished
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Antonyms
 are words that have opposite meanings
ex. victory - defeat
ex. love - hate
Homonyms
 are words spelled exactly the same but with different
meanings.
ex. type – type
ex. right - right
Homophones
 are words that sound similar but are different in spelling
and meaning
ex. steak - stake
ex. by - buy
Literary Terms
 Participle - ing words or ed words used as adjectives
ex. The starving shark hunted for food.
 Gerund - ing words used as nouns
ex. Swimming is fun.
 Infinitive - to plus a verb
ex. Paul likes to run.
 simile - a comparison using like or as
ex. Her eyes are as blue as the ocean.
 metaphor - a comparison of two unlike objects
ex. My little brother is a monster.
 hyperbole - an exaggeration
ex. My date last night was the date from hell!
 personification - giving life to an inanimate object
ex. My computer is giving me a hard time.
 cliché - overused phrases that have lost their appeal
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ex. He and his brother are birds of a feather.
ex. Her brownies were hard as a rock.
 slang - is language used by particular groups – such as
teenagers
ex. Skipping school is phat.
*** avoid slang in formal writing
 acronyms - a word composed of the first letters in
several words
ex. MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
 alliteration - repeated consonant sounds
ex. Mary made mashed mango muffins.
 onomatopoeia - words sound like what they are
ex. The cat meowed so softly.
 allusion - a cross reference to another work
ex. He writes like Edgar Allan Poe.
Abbreviations
 are shortened versions of a word
 are used in titles
 end with a period
ex. I had an appointment with Dr. Black.
 are used with dates, times, months, states
ex. She was born at 9:32 a.m. on Aug. 3, 1999
*** avoid abbreviations in formal writing
Double Negative
 avoid using two negative words in one sentence
ex. (wrong) - I don’t like none of these shirts.
ex. (correct) - I don’t like any of these shirts.
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Parallel Structure
 using similar grammar structures within a sentence
ex. He loves biking, painting and jogging.
Problem Words
 already - happened previously
ex. They were already winners of the lottery.
 all ready - everything is ready
ex. The candidates are all ready for the debate.
 affect - is a verb that means to influence
ex. Did losing the game affect you?
 effect - is a noun and an effect is a result
ex. What are the effects of radiation?
 fewer - used for things that can be counted
ex. I have fewer assignments in my math class.
 less - refers to amount or value
ex. This beer is less filling.
 past - already happened
ex. My grandfather lives in the past.
 passed - past tense of the verb pass
ex. An ambulance passed our car.
 suppose - means to guess or to assume
ex. She supposes that the play will be entertaining.
 supposed - means should and is used with the word to
ex. The girls were supposed to be home at five o’clock.
 between - use when you are writing about two items
ex. He sat between John and Steven.
 among - use when you are writing about more than two
items
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ex. She had the letter among the books on the shelf.
 than - used in comparisons
ex. My older brother is taller than you.
 then - means time
ex. We’ll go to class, then to the cafeteria.
 who’s - contraction for who is or who has
ex. Who’s the owner of the red car?
 whose - shows possession
ex. Whose car is blocking mine?
 your - shows possession
ex. Your coat is in the closet.
 you’re - is a contraction for you are
ex. You’re my best friend.
 were - is the past tense of are
ex. They were jogging in the park.
 where - means place
ex. Where are the missing keys?
 we’re - is a contraction for we are
ex. We’re on our way to visit him.
 their - shows possession
ex. Their mother is a doctor.
 there - means place
ex. She placed it over there.
 they’re - contraction for are
ex. They’re planning to come with us.
 good - is an adjective (and sometimes an adverb)
ex. She is a good student.
 well - is an adverb
ex. He did well on the exam.
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*** Use well when you’re talking about health
 beside - along the side of
ex. The chair was beside the bed.
 besides - in addition to
ex. Besides babysitting, I have to tidy up.
*** a lot - two words and should not be used in formal
writing, use much or many
ex. (wrong) - A lot of students failed.
ex. (correct) - Many students failed.
Part II






The Writing Process
choosing a thesis statement
brainstorming - prewriting
writing the first draft
revising
editing
writing the final copy
 the five paragraph essay consists of 5 paragraphs
 the thesis statement (which is the first sentence in the
first paragraph)
 the thesis statement is “backed up” with three major
supportive details
 the main supporting details are “backed up” with minor
supporting details
 the first paragraph and the fifth paragraph have the same
information, just worded differently
 There is a specific format to follow.
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Writing an Essay
Writing is a process. You choose a topic and then you write a
thesis statement from your topic. You brainstorm ideas to include
in your writing. From these ideas you write major supporting
detail sentences and minor supporting detail sentences. After
writing your first draft you revise your essay for content and
unity and edit for spelling and punctuation errors. Now you’re
ready to write your final copy.
Thesis Statement
Your topic is usually a word or phrase. However, you must
convert that topic into a thesis statement sentence. Your thesis
statement states the central idea of the essay.
example:
Topic:
Thesis Statement:
Television
Television can be harmful to children.
example:
Topic:
Thesis Statement:
Exercise
Exercise has many benefits.
example:
Topic:
Thesis Statement:
Computers
Computers can do many things. These
advantages add to our quality of life.
Your thesis sentence is usually the first sentence in the first
paragraph.
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Prewriting
Once you have chosen a topic you will then write a thesis
statement. You will need to think about and collect information on
your topic. For some essays you may need to use outside sources,
while for some essays you may use your life experiences to
formulate ideas.
There are several ways to formulate your ideas
 free writing
 clustering
 listing
 journal writing
example:
Topic:
Thesis Statement:
The Benefits of Computers
Computers have many advantages.
Prewriting on Computer Advantages
 convenience
 cost
 programs
 travel/vacations
 education
 entertainment
 research
 accessibility
 shop at home
 pay bills
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First Draft
Look at your prewriting activity. Use the ideas and begin
writing. Do not be concerned with grammar, punctuation or
spelling. Once you’ve written your thesis statement, then follow
with supporting detail sentences. Supporting details “back up”
your thesis statement.
Revising and Editing
Having written your first draft, it is time to revise and edit
your work. First, closely look at your writing – is your writing
clearly organized, have you supported your thesis statement.
Does your essay consist of 5 paragraphs: introductory
paragraph, three supporting paragraphs and the concluding
paragraph?
In the revising stage you may need to write a clearer thesis
and add more details.
Once you have revised it is time to edit your writing. Check
verb tenses, punctuation, spelling and poor word choices.
Now begin to write your final copy.
example:
Today computers are everywhere in our society. Computers
have made our lives easier. They provide countless hours of
research on any given topic. You can surf the Web and comparison
shop for any product, without leaving your home. Computers are
sources of entertainment – from films to music.
Computers supply you with information on any subject. Just
start a “search” and anything you wanted to know on that subject
appears on your screen. Whether you are researching a topic for
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school or seeking more information on a medication you are
taking, it is there. Both general and very specific information is
available to you.
If you prefer to shop at home for a product – then the
computer can supply you with prices, availability and more. Paying
bills is simple using a computer. Comparison shopping for items
ranging from televisions to sweaters is available. Store locations,
product warrantees and more are on your screen at the touch of
a key.
You need not travel to your local movie theater to view a
movie of your choice. Movies can be downloaded and viewed in the
comfort of your own home. The most recent songs are there for
your listening. Even music from several decades before is
available. You can also peruse the magazine or newspaper of your
choice on line.
Computers are here to stay. The technology afforded us by
these remarkable machines help improve the quality of our lives.
Researching a topic on the web is convenient. Comparison shopping
for any product is easy. Computers can make us laugh, smile, cry
as it provides hours of entertainment.
Outline of the Five Paragraph Essay
 Introductory Paragraph
 Thesis Sentence
Major Support
Major Support
Major Support
 First Body Paragraph
 Topic Sentence (1st Major Support)
Minor Support
Minor Support
Minor Support
 Second Body Paragraph
 Topic Sentence
(2nd Major Support)
Minor Support
Minor Support
Minor Support
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 Third Body Paragraph
 Topic Sentence
(3rd Major Support)
Minor Support
Minor Support
Minor Support
 Concluding Paragraph
 Reworded Thesis
Reworded Major Support
Reworded Major Support
Reworded Major Support
Practice:
Write a five-paragraph essay on one of the following topics.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Sex education should/not be taught in elementary schools.
All people should/not be forced to retire at the age of 65.
Being able to speak a foreign language has disadvantages as
well as advantages.
Governments should/not negotiate with terrorists.
Living together before marriage has both advantages and
disadvantages.
Working for the same company all of a person’s life has
advantages as well as disadvantages.
Grades should/not be eliminated in colleges.
Policemen and firemen should/not be allowed to strike.
Teenagers who break the law should/not be treated as
adults in court.
Minorities should/not be given special consideration when
applying for jobs.
Being a man/women has disadvantages as well as advantages.
Having a part-time job while attending college has both
advantages and disadvantages.
There are advantages as well as disadvantages to not
getting married.
Owning a car has advantages and disadvantages.
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Grammar Activities
Activity 1
Name the part of speech for the underlined word.
1.
Ouch! That hurts!
2.
Steven and John are best friends.
3.
I can read and write rather well.
4.
He walked quickly by the house.
5.
She ate a juicy apple.
6.
The children ran out of the door.
7.
A desk was on sale.
8.
Mrs., Stevens called me to her desk.
9.
The child ran around the corner.
10. Wow! That is outrageous!
Activity 2
Give
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
the part of speech for the underlined word.
A very large man crossed the busy street.
Mrs., Stevens called them into the small office.
Proudly, the twins claimed their prestigious award.
Paul and I rode very quickly around the long block.
Wow! I won the relay race.
Activity 3
Give
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
the part of speech for the underlined word.
The children ran into the crowded street.
The red, tart apple sat on my kitchen table.
I love skiing, but I love boating too.
“Help!” screamed the child in the burning building.
The girls laughed and smiled.
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Activity 4
Correct all the errors and give an explanation.
1.
To who shall I give this book?
2.
He gave she and me presents.
3.
Paul and me are brothers.
4.
He doesn’t have no brothers.
5.
The boys mother is not present.
Activity 5
Correct all the errors and give an explanation.
1.
You’re my best friend.
2.
He hid the book between all the books on the shelf.
3.
She shared the candy among the two of us.
4.
I prefer rice rather than pasta.
5.
He drank an ice-cold diet pepsi.
Activity 6
Correct all errors and give the justification.
1.
I hid the book between the weeds.
2.
He looks good after the operation.
3.
To who shall I give this book?
4.
Each of the girls ran to their mom.
5.
My mom is a art teacher.
6.
Scientists have studied the affects of radiation.
7.
I don’t have no homework.
8.
She walked slow by the house.
9.
She drank an ice-cold Gatorade.
10. He did all his work accept math.
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Activity 7
Correct all the errors and give an explanation.
1.
Mrs. Stevens and me are sharing a ride.
2.
She takes high school math and English.
3.
My brother is smarter than me.
4.
One of the brothers picked up their dad’s prescription.
5.
You’re mom will pick you up late.
6.
Tom was already to sign up.
7.
I tried to decide on a coarse of action.
8.
The girl sat between Paul, Joe and Mary.
9.
Homonyms are words that have opposite meanings.
10. Who’s mom is here?
Activity 8
Correct all the errors and give an explanation.
1.
She ate a ice cream cone.
2.
She sang beautiful.
3.
He did good on his test.
4.
No one brought their homework.
5.
Paul gave I a new bike for my birthday.
6.
She bought a short green party dress.
7.
John read the book Jaws.
8.
Doc. Jones examined the sick child.
9.
Rhoda is an artist, she paints beautifully.
10. Jean lives in orange county.
Activity 9
Identify the underlined words.
1.
Running is a fun activity.
2.
The starving shark hunted for food.
3.
I love skiing.
4.
The young child loves to swim in his pool.
5.
NASA is located in Florida.
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Her eyes are as blue as the ocean.
She baked chunky chutney chicken for dinner.
The cow mooed.
Is “Jaws” a book or a short story?
He loves helping in the dense forest.
Activity 10
Correct the error and give the explanation.
1.
My sister enjoys biking, camping and to swim.
2.
My grandfather past away.
3.
The chair was besides the bed.
4.
He moved to Tampa, Fla. last July.
5.
I supposed that you will be late.
6.
The boys in the first grade.
7.
Each of the girls have lunch.
8.
Neither my mom nor my sister has blue eyes.
9.
The family were traveling through Europe.
10. He read the bible last night.
Answer Key
Activity 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ouch – interjection
hurts - verb
Steven – proper noun
state of being
I – pronoun
and - conjunction
quickly – adverb
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
by - preposition
a – article
juicy – adjective
The – article
of – preposition
desk – common noun
on – preposition
Mrs. Stevens – proper noun
me – pronoun
ran – verb
around – preposition
wow – interjection
is – state of being verb
Activity 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
very – adjective
crossed – verb
them – pronoun
into – preposition
Proudly – adverb
prestigious - adjective
rode - verb
long - adjective
Wow – interjection
relay - adjective
Activity 3
1.
2.
3.
The - article
into - preposition
tart - adjective
sat - verb
but - conjunction
too - adverb
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4.
5.
Help - interjection
burning - adjective
laughed - verb
smiled - verb
Activity 4
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
to whom – object pronoun of the preposition to
her – object pronoun
I – subject pronoun
any – double negative
boy’s – ‘s shows possession
Activity 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
You’re – correct homophone – contraction for you are
among – more than 2 weeds
between – used with two
than – used for comparison
Diet Pepsi – Capitalize proper nouns (trademarks)
Activity 6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
among – more than two weeds
well – need an adverb
whom – object pronoun of preposition to
each takes singular pronoun his/her
an – precedes a word that begins with a vowel
effects – need a noun/object
any – avoid double negative
slowly – need an adverb
Gatorade – Proper Nouns are capitalized
except – confusing word choice
35
Activity 7
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
I – need subject pronoun
English is always capitalized
I – after “than” or “as” use subject pronoun
his/her – one takes singular pronoun
your – wrong homonym, need a possessive
all ready – wrong word choice
course – wrong homonym
among is used for 3 or more objects
Antonyms – have opposite meanings
whose = wrong homonym
Activity 8
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
an – ice cream begins with a vowel
beautifully – need an adverb
well – need an adverb
his/her – no one takes singular pronoun
me – need an object pronoun
three items need a comma
underline titles of books – Jaws
Dr. – misspelled abbreviation
; semicolon is used to separate two complete thoughts
Orange County – Proper Nouns are capitalized
Activity 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
gerund
participle
gerund
infinitive
acronym
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
simile
alliteration
onomatopoeia
underline books
prepositional phrase
Activity 10
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
swimming – parallel structure
passed – past tense of pass
beside – means next to
Fl. – all states are 2 letter abbreviations
suppose (guess or assume
are (agreement of subject and verb)
Each takes a singular verb
sisters take plural verb
family takes singular verb
Capitalize holy books
37