Download Grammar essentials - Branson Public Schools

GRAMMAR ESSENTIALS
CAPITALIZATION RULES
Rule #1: Capitalize ALL proper nouns (name of a person, place, or thing)
Examples: Native Americans, Plymouth Colony, Crazy Horse, Battle of Little
Bighorn (historical event), George A. Custer
Rule #2: Capitalize titles of person if they come right before his or her name
Examples: Governor John Carver, President Barack Obama, Senator Claire
McCaskill
Rule #3: Capitalize titles when used as a proper noun (replaces the person’s
name)
Examples: Yesterday Mom went to the store. / My mom went to the store
yesterday.
CAPITALIZATION RULES
Rule #4: Do not capitalize seasons.
Examples: fall, spring, autumn, summer, winter
Rule #5: Capitalize proper adjectives
Examples: American history, Chinese food, Mexican
restaurant
CAPITALIZING TITLES
Rule #1: ALWAYS capitalize the first and last words in a title
Rule #2: Capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs (linking and action), adjectives, and
adverbs
Rule #3: DO NOT capitalize prepositions (of, in, on, under, with, etc.) OR conjunctions
(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), articles (the, a, an) UNLESS THEY START OR END THE
TITLE
Examples:
Where the Red Fern Grows
How to Promote Your Small Business in Five Easy Steps
The Running Dream
What Color Is Your Parachute?
EXIT TICKET
Rewrite the following sentences using correct capitalization.
1. i wish my teacher would read the adventures of tom sawyer to us.
2. if i could vote in the next election, i would vote congressman sam graves into the
house of representatives.
3. when discussing the civil rights movement, we discuss the book to kill a mockingbird
and what it means to african americans.
GRAMMAR ESSENTIALS
COMMA AND SEMI-COLON (COMPOUND SENTENCES)
Using your whiteboard, write the subject or
subjects of the following sentence.
My mom went to the store yesterday, but she
forgot to get milk.
Using your whiteboard, write down the verb(s)
of the above sentence.
WHAT IS A COMPOUND SENTENCE?
Compound sentences are….
 two complete sentences
 at least two subjects
 at least two verbs
 connected with a semi-colon OR a comma and
conjunction (FANBOYS)
PRACTICE
1. Mrs. Reinsch loves using a semi-colon she prefers them over using a comma
and conjunction.
2. Mrs. Reinsch loves using a semi-colon and she prefers them over using a
comma and conjunction.
3. Jill wrote about her work in Africa she is teaching English in Tanzania.
4. The equator cuts through Africa however most land lies north of it.
5. Southern Africa lies in the temperature zone but snow falls there
occasionally.
COMMA AND SEMI-COLON EXIT TICKET
1. Write a compound sentence using a comma and
conjunction.
2. Write a compound sentence using a semi-colon.
3. Connect two sentences using the transition additionally
and a semi-colon.
SINGULAR/ PLURAL
What does it mean when a word is singular?
Examples: city, boy, friend, ox, man, woman
What does it mean when a word is plural?
Examples: cities, boys, friends, oxen, men, women
What does it mean when a word is possessive?
Examples: cat’s, boys’, men’s,
POSSESSIVE VS. CONTRACTION
What does it mean when a word is possessive?
Examples: cat’s, boys’, men’s
What is a contraction?
Examples: it’s, we’ll, isn’t, we’re
USING APOSTROPHES
Rule #1: Use an apostrophe and s to form the possessive of a singular noun.
Examples: Jason’s, baby’s, car’s
Rule #2: Use an apostrophe and s to form the possessive of a plural noun that does
not end in s.
Examples: men’s, women’s, oxen’s, geese’s
Rule #3: Use an apostrophe alone to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in
s.
Examples: boys’, babies’, Thompsons’
Rule #4: Use an apostrophe to replace letters that have been omitted in a contraction.
Examples: it + is = it’s / I + will = I’ll
EXIT TICKET
Do not write the following sentences. Only write words that
are possessive, contractions, and plural. Add apostrophes
when necessary.
1. My friends bicycles are ready for a long trip.
2. The coach gave rings to the girls.
3. Well have to go pick up the babys pictures tomorrow.
4. Todays cities arent built beneath the earth.
PUNCTUATING TITLES
Underlining/Italics
Quotes
Books
Short stories/Chapter of Book
Plays/Long Poems
Poems
Magazines/Newspapers
Articles
Movies/T.V. Programs
Episodes of T.V. programs
Art Work
Long Musical Compositions
Songs
Ships
Aircrafts
Spacecrafts
~ Don’t punctuate any title of your personal writing.~
RULES OF DIALOGUE
1. Use quotation marks before and after a character's exact words.
“Tell me about the books you are reading,” announced Mr. Hayes.
2. Commas and periods are placed inside the quotation marks.
“We are not talking about movies,” Mr. Hayes replied.
Mr. Hayes replied, “We are not talking about movies.”
3. Use a comma after a dialogue tag, if it starts the quote.
4. If a quotation is not split or separated by a dialogue tag, don’t close the
quotation until the speaker is finished.
Fred replied, “Hey, has anyone seen the TV series, Crisis? My friend Caleb
played a stand-in part in the first episode.”
RULES OF DIALOGUE CONTINUED
Use the following format if the dialogue tag interrupts two complete sentences.
“We are not talking about movies,” Mr. Hayes replied. “We are discussing
books.”
Use the following format if it interrupts one complete thought.
“If we do not get back on track,” yelled Mr. Hayes, “we will not finish our
assignment.”
DIALOGUE AND TITLES
When someone new starts talking, you must start a new paragraph.
“Tell me about the books you are reading, “ announced Mr. Hayes.
“I am reading Divergent,” exclaimed Fred.
“Divergent?” asked Tony. “I love that movie.”
“We are not talking about movies,” Mr. Hayes replied. “We are
discussing books.”
“Oh, I don’t like reading, but I’ll go to the movies any day,” Tony
chuckled.
Fred replied, “Hey, has anyone seen the TV show, Crisis? My friend
Caleb played a stand-in part in the first episode.”
“Ok, class, I think we need to get back on track,” Mr. Hayes proclaimed
as he looked sternly over his glasses.
EXIT TICKET
Write the following correctly.
I was walking through the mall one day when I met a group of my friends. Hey, what
are you doing here? I asked. I thought you guys had to stay after school today to
finish your report over the book the running dream. no, we got out of that detention
because Mrs. Jones decided we really didn’t deserve it said Mary. Sue said are you
here to shop or browse? A little bit of both I replied because I need to find a
birthday card for my cousin. I also really want to check out the sales, and I’m meeting
my family later to see the new movie catching fire.