Download Skills Book Section I: Language Conventions

Skills Book
Section I:
Language Conventions
Review & Key
Modifiers
A modifier is used to describe, limit, or make something clearer.
It may be a word, phrase, or clause.
The beautiful wedding was held in May.
The bride wore a dress that had silk roses along the bottom.
The groom, who was very nervous, almost fainted!
Sometimes modifiers are not placed near the word it is
describing, which is confusing!
Covered in flowers, the bridesmaids stood at the top of the hill.
The bridesmaids were covered in flowers? That's interesting!
What should this sentence be?
Modifier Key
Check your answers!
1. monthly
2. at the corner of First and Main
3. which is near the door
4. almost
5. bike
6. store
7. sale
8. bought
9. hard rock section
Modifier Key
(next page)
Check your answers!
Modifier Practice
1. Spending way too much money on his old car, Fred's salary
just wasn't enough.
Spending way too much money on his old car, Fred soon found
he'd used up his salary.
2. To become a respected politician, one must administer
campaign funds carefully.
To become a respected politician, campaign funds must be
carefully administered.
3. I like to listen to rock music doing my homework.
I like to listen to rock music while I do my homework.
answers
To practice using modifiers correctly, choose the correct
sentence and underline the modifier.
Active & Passive Voice
A verb is in the active voice when its subject does the action:
The girl ate all the frozen yogurt.
A verb is in the passive voice when the subject receives the
action, or it is acted upon:
The frozen yogurt was eaten by the girl.
Active/Passive Voice Key
1. passive
2. active
3. passive
4. active
5. passive
6. passive
7. active
8. passive
9. passive
10. active
(answers can vary)
11. The teacher checked Tom's hall pass.
12. I pressed the button for the third floor.
13. We ate pizza and birthday cake on Sunday.
14. I reported on the project's success.
Active/Passive Voice Key
(next page)
Active/Passive Voice Key
(next page)
Active or Passive Practice
Identify whether the sentences are in active or passive voice.
1. I ate a piece of chocolate cake.
2. The librarian read the book to the students.
4. They are paid on Fridays.
5. The movie is being made in Hollywood.
6. I washed my car three weeks ago.
7. His hair was cut by a professional.
8. I will introduce you to my boss this week.
9. It would have been fixed on the weekend.
10.
The national anthem is being sung by Jason this time.
answers
3. The money was stolen.
Infinitives and Participles
Infinitives are verbs introduced by the word "to." It may act as a
noun, adjective, or adverb.
What a long day! To sleep will be easy tonight!
I was afraid to look at my test score on Zangle.
A participle is a verb form ending in -ing or -ed. It acts as an
adjective.
Complaining students are my pet peeve.
Having studied for 3 hours, he expected a high score on the test.
Infinitives and Participles
Key
1. to sail
2. to walk
3. to worry
4. to open
5. to study
6. simmering
7. steamed
8. crackling; spitting
9. having
10. flying
11. to open
12. to annoy
13. to freeze
14. to read
15. to tire
16. dancing
17. cleaning
18. opening
19. remembering
20. steering
21. answers will vary
Infinitive and Participle Practice
Underline the infinitive or participle and identify which one it is.
The crying baby had a wet diaper.
Shaken, he walked away from the wrecked car.
Everyone wanted to go.
The burning log fell off the fire.
His ambition is to fly.
To wait seemed foolish when decisive action was required.
We must study to learn.
answers
He lacked the strength to resist.
Pronouns and Antecedents
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun.
An antecedent is the noun the pronoun replaces.
A pronoun should agree with its antecedent (singular/plural and gender).
The girls wanted to go to the movies, so they bought tickets.
Her brother did not want to see the movie, so he went to a different one.
personal
pronouns
subject
object
possessive
first person
I, we
me, us
my, mine
second person
you
you
our, ours, your,
yours
him, her, them, his, hers, its,
third person he, she, they, it it
their, theirs
Demonstrative Pronouns
These pronouns are used to demonstrate (or indicate). This, that, these and those are
all demonstrative pronouns.
This is the one I left in the car.
(In this example, the speaker could be indicating to a cell phone, in which
case, the pronoun "this" replaces the words "cell phone".)
Shall I take those?
Indefinite Pronouns
Unlike demonstrative pronouns, which point out specific items, indefinite pronouns are
used for non-specific things. This is the largest group of pronouns. All, some, any,
several, anyone, nobody, each, both, few, either, none, one and no one are the most
common.
Somebody must have seen the driver leave.
(somebody - not a specific person)
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. (Oscar Wilde)
I have nothing to declare except my genius. (Oscar Wilde)
Interrogative Pronouns
These pronouns are used in questions. Who, which, what, where and how are all
interrogative pronouns.
Who told you to do that?
Where is the nearest bakery?
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to add more information to a sentence. Which, that, who
(including whom and whose) and where are all relative pronouns.
Miss Steinman, who has taught at MCMS for three years, really likes to read.
(In this example, the relative pronoun "who" introduces the clause "who really likes
to read" and refers back to "Miss Steinman".)
The man who first saw the comet reported it as a UFO.
(In this example, the relative pronoun "who" introduces the clause "who first
saw the comet" and refers back to "the man".)
Reflexive pronouns
These refer back to the subject of a sentence.
I gave myself plenty of time to get to work.
You should let yourself into the house.
Jim bought himself a shirt.
Intensive pronouns
These are the same words used to emphasize the subject of the sentence.
Intensive pronouns usually appear right near the subject of the sentence.
I myself am sick of the heat.
You yourself are responsible for this mess!
The president himself appeared at the rally.
Pronoun Key
1. they
2. those
3. who
4. mine
5. herself
6. who
Third person object: him, it
First person subject: I, we
Interrogative: which, what
Indefinite: nobody
Pronoun Practice
Fill in the blank with the correct pronoun.
2. The dog that bit __________ brother belongs to the man
down the road.
3. Do _________ know when the movie starts?
4. They think _________ is the most interesting submission.
5. The audience sat transfixed as the woman __________
had just won the award fell down the stairs.
answers
1. They didn't give __________ a chance to think before
beginning the competition.
Parts of Speech
The way a word is used in a sentence determines its part of speech.
Noun= person, place, thing, or idea
My dog loves to sit on the couch and chew on his bone. He's probably
thinking about world peace.
Verb= shows action or links subject and predicate
Tonight at the gym, I will kickbox.
Adjective= tells more about a noun, describes
Our humanities teacher is so wonderful!
Adverb= tells more about a verb
The students successfully learned the eight parts of speech.
Pronoun= can be used in place of a noun
He cooked dinner and she washed the dishes.
Preposition= shows a relationship between words
I left my social studies book in the classroom, under my desk.
Conjunction= joins words, phrases, or clauses
Cobi and Moose are best friends, but Rocco doesn't like Cobi.
Interjection= expresses strong feelings
Yippee! I love grammar!
Parts of Speech
Key
1. tiger
2. ate
3. and
4. near
5. cardinal; gold
6. we
7. adverb
8. conjunction
9. adjective
10. pronoun
11. verb
12. preposition
13. noun
14. interjection
1. The clown chased a dog around the ring and then fell flat on her
face.
2. The geese slowly waddled across the intersection.
3. Yikes! I'm late for class.
4. Bruno's shabby thesaurus tumbled out of the book bag when the
bus suddenly pulled out into traffic.
5. Mr. Frederick angrily stamped out the fire that the local
hooligans had started on his verandah.
6. Later that summer, she asked herself, "What was I thinking of?"
7. The zucchini and the carrots were especially delicious!
answers
Parts of Speech Practice
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word.
Sentences
A declarative sentence makes a statement.
Brussel sprouts are gross.
An interrogative sentence asks a question.
What is your favorite vegetable?
An exclamation expresses strong feelings.
Spinach is delicious!
An imperative sentence requests or orders.
Please melt cheese on top of my vegetables.
A simple sentence has one independent, or main, clause.
The chicken comes with a side of potatoes.
A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses.
The chicken comes with potatoes, but the fish comes with broccoli.
A complex sentence has one independent and one or more dependent
clauses.
While I do enjoy broccoli more than potatoes, I will order the chicken
instead of the fish.
Sentences Key
1. B
2. C
3. A
4. C
5. B
Answers will vary
6. A. After swimming, Wim Lu goes out for ice cream
B. complex
7. A. When the weather is nice, my friend and I like to jog through the
park.
B. complex
8. A. Mom takes a karate class.
B. simple
9. A. Shaniqua hopes to find another job.
B. simple
10. A. As the sun sets, the street lights go on.
B. complex
11. A. The girls rode the rollercoaster and they walked home.
B. compound
Sentences Practice
1. The house will be built on a hill.
2. How did you find the card?
3. The monster is attacking!
4. Cheryl, try the other door.
5. Look in the closet.
Identify the structure of the sentences:
6. Some students like to study in the mornings.
7. Alejandro played football, so Maria went
shopping. 8. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to
give the teacher the last page. answers
Identify the types of sentences:
Mechanics of Writing
Commas are used to make writing easier to read. They show a pause or change in
thought. They also....
Set apart direct quotations
Mickey Mouse exclaimed, "I love Minnie!"
Separate clauses and phrases
If I eat all my vegetables, I can have dessert.
Go between independent clauses
I love dark chocolate, but I do not enjoy milk chocolate.
Are used in a series of adjectives
My kind, intelligent, and fabulous teachers deserve a vacation.
Are in dates and addresses
I was born on May 10, 1985 in Tarzana, California.
Are used after items in a list
I have math, science, social studies, and language arts homework.
Are used in figures and numbers
They sold their house for $650,000.
Are used with nouns in a direct address
Dad, I can't do my homework because the dog ate it!
Are used as interrupters
We might, if we behave ourselves, go to Disneyland over winter break.
Mechanics of Writing Key
1. G
2. C
3. F
4. A
5. If you asked, I would say Denver, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe are my
favorite cities.
6. Rosa said, "Don't you think it's time to go, Stephie?"
7. Although it is a holiday, a few teachers will be at school.
8. It was a cold, wet, dreary day in April.
Mechanics Practice
Punctuate the letter with the correct use of commas.
September 3 2002
Today was my first day of second grade. My
teacher stood at the door and gave us a cheery
hello. I sat with Sara Jacob Mike and Pam. I wish
you hadn't moved Jack because you would love our
class! There is a new boy in our class named Scott.
He is from Syracuse New York. It was wonderful to
see my friends again. Jack my first day of school
was great!
Your friend
Matthew
answers
Dear Jack
Hyphens, Dashes, Brackets, and Semicolons
A hyphen is a dash used to show that two or more words are
combined.
You should always self-edit your essay before turning it in.
A dash is a mark used to show an interruption or to emphasize
something.
There is only one true love for Ron- Hermione.
Brackets are used to insert information or to make a brief comment.
We went on an amazing vacation to Hawaii [Kauai] last summer.
Semicolons are used to join two independent clauses or to separate
groups of words that already have commas.
Writing is fun; it prepares us for the STAR writing exam. I like
narrative, response to literature, and persuasive best; my friend
prefers summary.
Hyphens, Dashes, Brackets, and Semicolons Key
1. trade-in,
hyphen
2. [page 58]
bracket
3. things- CD, radios- in
dash
4. Friday- can
dash
5. one-month
hyphen
6. irresponsible; for
semicolon
7. skyscrapers; villas, attached; or
semicolon
8. today-I
dash
9. high-ranking
hyphen
Hyphens, Dashes, Brackets, and Semicolons Practice
1. The major gave an unclear order consequently, the troops marched over
the cliff.
2. He used a made up word
3. At the bottom of Pandora's box lay the final gift hope.
4. The reporter said that Pumita Espinoza, the new soccer coach at Notre
Dame Academy is going to be a real winner.
answers
Punctuate the sentences correctly.
Capitalization
Use capital letters for...
The first word in a sentence
The bell will ring at 2:40.
Names of people and their titles
Harry and Professor Snape had an unpleasant conversation.
Names of geographic places
I'd like to live in Panem or Hogsmead.
Periods in history and historical documents
We will learn about the Declaration of Independence in 8th grade.
First, last, and important words in book titles
My favorite book of the series is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Names of days, months, and holidays
We have Thursday, November 24th off for Thanksgiving.
Particular sections of the country
They went to the East Coast to visit family.
Languages, races, and nationalities
He was Italian, French, and Native American.
Capitalization
1. Because of her lingering cold, Keesha went to see Dr. Knowles.
2. Jack's father fought in Kuwait during the Gulf War.
3. We are getting together to study for the test on the book Where
the Red Fern Grows.
4. On Wednesday, Mayor Novak will meet in Chicago with the mayors
of other cities.
5. The East was home to the Iroquois tribe, while the Yurok lived in
the West.
6. 3
7. 1
8. 4
9. 2
10. 3
Capitalization Practice
Capitalize the appropriate words in the paragraph.
let's go to the movie theatre on saturday, october
muvico because they have the most comfortable seats.
i would like to see the movie with morgan freeman
called dolphin tale. we should also invite taelor,
jessica, and chad to join us! afterward, we can go
look for halloween costumes!
answers
29th in thousand oaks. i think we should go to
Spelling Derivatives
Spelling Rules:
1. The silent "e" usually IS NOT dropped before a word ending that begins
with a consonant.
encourage/encouragement, care/careless
2. The silent "e" usually IS dropped before a word ending that begins with
a vowel.
arrive/arrival, continue/continuous, encourage/encouraging
3. When a final "y" follows a consonant, it is usually changed to an "i"
before an ending.
company/companies, worry/worried
4. When a word ends in a consonant that follows a vowel, the consonant
usually is doubled before an ending beginning with a vowel.
begin/beginner, forbid/forbidden, occur/occurred
Spelling Key
1. batting
2. imaginary
3. companies
4. clueless
5. carried
6. 2
7. 4
8. 3
9. 2
10. 3
11. 4
12. 2
13. 1
14. 1
15. 2
16. 4
Choose the correctly spelled word.
2. cutst
cutest
3. worried
woried
4. hapened
happened
5. bunies
bunnies
answers
1. awsome
awesome
Latin and Greek Roots
Section I:
Units 1 - 5
Review & Key
Unit 1:
Exercise I
These are examples - your answers may vary.
1. When doctors discovered that Daniel's tumor was inoperable, they offered him another treatment
plan.
2. The children were petrified by the shadow in the corner because they couldn't see who it was.
3. Todd's affection for Lisa showed that their relationship was quickly becoming a romance.
4. A malfunction in the jet engine forced the pilot to land the plane.
5. Terence's landscaping business is defunct because he didn't pay his taxes.
6. If the bank chooses to transact its business overseas, then it will need to contact its customers.
7. The chemical that had spilled took only a short time to coagulate, so the workers had to scrap the
solidified chemicals quickly.
8. Robert's agenda for the camping trip included fishing, hiking, and eating s'mores.
9. A cup of sugar did not suffice for the recipe because the lemonade was still sour.
10. Because the bank robber would not cooperate, with the police, they arrested him.
11. It took a long time for the mill to become fully operational because it needed many parts to be
working properly.
12. Billy does not eat enough vegetables, so he is deficient in many vitamins.
13. We knew that the document was a facsimile of the original contract rather than the original paper.
Unit 1:
Exercise II
1. deficient
2. transact
3. malfunction
4. facsimile
5. suffice
6. petrifies
7. coagulates
8. cooperate
9. inoperable
10. agenda
11. operational
12. defunct
13. affection
Unit 1:
Exercise III
1. B: deficient; coagulate
2. A: petrified; cooperate
3. B: affection; suffice
4. D: operational; transact
5. A: agenda; malfunction
Unit 1:
Exercise IV
These are examples - your answers will vary.
1. The thing that petrified us the most during the nature presentation was the pictures of snakes.
2. When there is a malfunction in the car, the owner should take it to a repairman.
3. If the half-hour meeting lasts two hours, it probably means the agenda is unreasonably long.
Unit 1:
Exercise V
In the paragraphs:
1. cooperate
2. suffice
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. A: a group of people who make and enforce decisions affecting society
2. A: They ensure that all aspects of society are represented by government decisions
3. A: It defines the area where the government is allowed to act
4. B: Citizens have the right to election, through which they grant authority to officials
5. D: Law and Government
Unit 1:
Exercise VI
1. Functional: something that works
2. Beneficial: something that is good or
positive
Unit 2:
Exercise I
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. When I made my opening statement, my opponent on the debate team started laughing.
2. Serita's proposition about going out for dinner was rejected because it was raining outside.
3. One circumstance that cause the picnic to be cancelled is the weather.
4. Scientists wondered if the strange piece of metal was a remnant of the satellite because it was made of
a mysterious substance.
5. In order to check the status of the departing flight, Patricia, checked the airport's website.
6. Geologists studied the composition of the mysterious rock because it looked strange.
7. We wanted the deposit all the Halloween candy at the dentist's office.
8. Because snow is a constant in the Brownsville weather forecast, the residents expect traffic.
9. We learned how impermanent sand castles could be when the high tide washed ours away.
10. The police ordered the suspect to remain stationary because they thought he was armed.
Unit Two:
Exercise II
1. stationary
2. remnant
3. opponents
4. constant
5. status
6. composition
7. circumstances
8. deposited
9. impermanent
10. proposition
Unit 2:
Exercise III
1. B: composition; impermanent
2. A: status; proposition
3. D: opponent; deposit
4. B: constant; stationary
5. A: circumstance; remnant
Unit 2:
Exercise IV
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. You might need to know the status of your application if the paperwork is taking longer than expected.
2. The tiger remained quiet and stationary because it was about to pounce.
3. If police find remnants of explosives in the destroyed building, it probably means that the explosion was
no accident.
Unit 2:
Exercise V
In the paragraphs:
1. opponent
2. circumstances
3. status
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. A: The National Banking Acts were set up in 1863 and 1864
2. B: United States Federal Reserve
3. D: The United States has always had a central banking system
4. B: "The history of central banking in the United States."
Unit 2:
Exercise VI
1. Impose: to enforce
2. Station: to assign a position
Unit 3:
Exercise I
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. Once the teachers had apprehended the fleeing student, they took him to the principal.
2. Darren was the recipient of several awards for his architecture because it was so creative.
3. The actress has captivated audiences across America because she has a beautiful voice.
4. The assumption the George will not visit the dentist is wrong because he goes twice each year.
5. Linda was not able to comprehend what had happened to her car until someone explained it to her.
6. Cynthia felt rapture as she stood on the tropical beach because of the beautiful sunset.
7. Because Hal's office has a large, fast computer network, he has the capacity to handle large files.
8. When we entered the dining room and saw the sumptuous meal, we were excited to taste everything.
9. In response to her sister's rather presumptuous question, Carla gave her a sarcastic answer.
10. When the cows have consumed all the grass in the pasture, they will be moved into the barn.
11. Charles finished his morning chores with great rapidity because he wanted to play with his friends.
Unit 3:
Exercise II
1. rapidity
2. recipient
3. capacity
4. assumption
5. sumptuous
6. rapture
7. captivated
8. presumptuous
9. comprehend
10. consumes
11. apprehend
Unit 3:
Exercise III
1. C: sumptuous; captivated
2. D: assumption; recipient
3. B: capacity; comprehend
4. C: rapidity; apprehend
5. A: rapture; consume
Unit 3:
Exercise 4
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. Someone who is the recipient of a million dollars should feel very lucky.
2. If Stacie prepares a sumptuous meal, her family will probably eat it all.
3. When the river moves with such rapidity, you should probably watch your step carefully.
Unit 3:
Exercise 5
In the paragraphs:
1. assumption
2. comprehend
3. recipients
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. B: Good prison programs can produce good results
2. C: good programs are less costly than more crime on the streets
3. C: good treatment programs might be costly, but they are well worth it
4. A: not all prisoners should be treated alike.
Unit 3:
Exercise VI
1. Anticipate: look forward to
2. Resume: to begin again
Unit 4:
Exercise I
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. Shawn's basketball team was victorious today, so Shawn celebrated after the game.
2. The reign of Peter as yearbook editor was brought to an end by an invading tribe.
3. The country was stunned by the news of the regicide because they worshipped their king.
4. In order to dominate the other baseball teams in our league, we will have to have strong pitching.
5. The drug I was given when I had the flu was so potent that it made me fall asleep.
6. During the nineteenth century, because many women were allowed only domestic jobs, they were not
often seen in office buildings.
7. The jury decides today whether it will convict the accused woman or set her free.
8. The villagers no longer wished to be under the dominion of the queen because they thought she wasn't a
fair leader.
9. The landlord says that he will be forced to evict us if we do not get rid of our pet.
10. Walter was very possessive when it came to his new friend because he wanted to play with him alone.
11. I always thought my mother was regal in appearance because she was very poised and had wonderful
posture.
12. The store manager considered himself omnipotent, but was actually very ineffective.
13. Jesse was happiest in his domicile because he could wear his pajamas.
Unit 4:
Exercise II
1. domestic
2. reign
3. victorious
4. possessive
5. dominion
6. regal
7. convicted
8. omnipotent
9. evicted
10. dominate
11. potent
12. regicide
13. domicile
Unit 4:
Exercise III
1. D: regal; omnipotent
2. B: victorious; reign
3. A: dominion; regicide
4. D: possessive; evict
5. B: convicted; dominate
Unit 4:
Exercise IV
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. If Kasey's domicile isn't large enough, she can always move to a bigger house.
2. The mayor is small and never yells, but he dominates with an iron fist.
3. If Tiffany was evicted from her apartment, it probably means she did not pay her rent.
Unit 4:
Exercise V
In the paragraphs:
1. dominate
2. domestic
3. dominion
4. evict
5. regicide
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. C: 18th
2. B: His father died
3. D: Scandinavia
4. B: France
5. C: Sweden's parliament
Unit 4:
Exercise VI
1. Potentate: the person in charge
2. Domain: his area
Unit 5:
Exercise I
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. The mill was forced to suspend its operations when the equipment broke.
2. The soldiers raised the American flag to symbolize that they had won the battle.
3. Although Ben's performance in math class was passable, he could perform at a higher level.
4. The doctors will subject Jeremy to a variety of tests so that they can give him the correct medicine.
5. When the children heard their mother's parable, they knew she was trying to teach them a lesson.
6. In his book on the history of automobiles, the author tries to encompass all the models of each vehicle.
7. Because the grocery store was adjacent to a school, the students often went there after school ended.
8. The reading teacher wanted the class to study the appendix to understand all the parts of the book.
9. The soda machine would not dispense cola because it was broken.
10. When Daniel walked in front of the goal, a projectile similar to a soccer ball almost hit him.
11. The ballistic measurements of the slingshot showed that it could do serious damage.
Unit 5:
Exercise II
1. adjacent
2. parable
3. projectile
4. appendix
5. symbolize
6. subject
7. suspend
8. passable
9. ballistic
10. dispensed
11. encompass
Unit 5:
Exercise III
1. C: encompass; adjacent
2. B: subject; dispense
3. C appendix; projectiles
4. D: parables; symbolize
5. B: passable; suspend
Unit 5:
Exercise IV
These are samples - your answers will vary.
1. If your teacher tells you to consult the book's appendix, he probably wants you to read the extra
information.
2. If Shawna is told that her essay is passable, she should feel as if she should try harder next time.
3. If Tom and his new wife move to the house adjacent to his old one, it may be because they like the
neighborhood.
Unit 5:
Exercise V
In the paragraphs:
1. parable
2. symbolizes
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. C: the setting sun.
2. C: Not all poems have hidden meanings.
3. A: a wheelbarrow and chickens
Unit 5:
Exercise VI
1. Pendulous: long and hanging
2. Interjected: interrupted and added