Tuesday January 12th: Day 4
YWBAT:
 Define important terms used to discuss the basic parts of
sentence structure.
 Differentiate between phrases, dependent, and independent
clauses.
 Avoid run-on sentences and fragments (Grammar for S.A.T.
Error #1).
Do now: Take out QUIZ 3 (Your Short Response Analysis)
to hand in to me.
Work with your partner to answer the question below AND
to complete the do now activity on the handout.
 How will a knowledge of grammar and style benefit you
in your life? Why should you care about writing and
speaking using correct grammar?
Homework: Study vocabulary and literary terms.
Make-up of “Part Two Vocab/Lit. Terms Test” is
offered TOMORROW during lunch. It is the second
to last make-up test.
PRONOUNS –
These are NOT nouns. They take the place of nouns. The noun a pronoun replaces
is called its ANTECEDENT.
An ANTECEDENT is the word a pronoun replaces.
Example:
John came into the room. He sat down in his chair.
‘John’ is the antecedent for ‘He’ and ‘his’.
SUBJECT
PRONOUNS
FIRST
PERSON
SECOND
PERSON
OBJECT
PRONOUNS
POSSESSIVE
PRONOUNS
REFLEXIVE
PRONOUNS
I
me
my / mine
myself
we (pl)
us (pl)
our / ours (pl)
ourselves (pl)
you
you
your / yours
yourself
yourselves (pl)
THIRD
PERSON
he / she
him / her
his / hers
they (pl)
them (pl)
their / theirs
(pl)
himself
herself
themselves
(pl)
NOTE:
Hisself, Theirself / Theirselves, and MINES ARE
NOT words.
Name and Date: ___________________________________
Mrs. DeMella / English 2R
“Grammar and Spelling”
Fragments/ Run Ons: Practice SAT Questions
Improving Sentences
1. A recent report indicates that sleep deprived drivers caused more than 100,000 accidents last
year, they fall asleep at the wheel
a) year, they fall asleep
b) year, and they fall asleep
c) year by falling asleep
d) year and falling
e) year, they were falling
2. Recent evidence suggests that dark energy, a mysterious repulsive force that causes the
universe to expand, it has been present for most of the universe’s history.
a) it has
b) it had
c) this has
d) has
e) having
3. One of only a few venomous mammals, the slow loris, coats the fur of its young offspring
with toxic saliva, which it protects them from predators.
a) saliva, which it protects them
b) saliva, which protects them
c) saliva, it protects them
d) saliva, for protecting them
e) saliva, they are protected
4. Many students work after school and on weekends, consequently they do not have much time
for doing their homework.
a) weekends, consequently they do not have
b) weekends, they do not have
c) weekends, as a consequence they do not have
d) weekends, therefore they do not have
e) weekends; consequently, they do not have
DAY ONE:
ALL CLASSES DID ONLY THE DO NOW and discussed NOUNS and PRONOUNS (Give them
the pronoun handout tomorrow since I made it up after class. They needed it. Next year, do
simultaneously to avoid confusion).
Only practice one was completed. Actually, didn’t even finish going over the answers in periods
three and five.
Wednesday January 13th: Day 5
YWBAT:
 Define important terms used to discuss the basic parts of
sentence structure.
 Differentiate between phrases, dependent, and independent
clauses.
 Avoid run-on sentences and fragments (Grammar for S.A.T.
Error #1).
Do now: Take out any LATE QUIZ 3 ASSESSMENTS
(Your Short Response Analysis) to hand in to me.
Work with your partner to write a sentence that contains
one count noun, one noncount noun, and two proper nouns.
Be sure to capitalize the proper nouns.
Homework: Study your GRAMMAR NOTES and
continue to study vocabulary and literary terms.
Make-up of “Part Two Vocab/Lit. Terms Test” is
offered TODAY during lunch. It is the second to last
make-up test.
LESSON:
Begin by giving them the pronoun chart I created. Tell them to check over their work on practice
one from yesterday.
Go over the do now and continue with VERBS and related exercises. Give the verb chart
handout.
Name & Date : ________________________________________
Ms. DeMella: English 2R
Sentence and Punctuation Review: GRAMMATICAL ERROR 1
REVIEW: Parts of Speech
NOUNS – NAME one of the following:




Person (girl, boy, mom, principal, robber, Martin Luther King, priest, etc…)
Place (school, India, bedroom, beach, church, Main Street, apartment )
Thing (desk, book, dog, pencil, August)
Idea (freedom, love, justice, happiness, creativity, imagination, sadness)
Common or Proper??? Proper nouns name SPECIFIC THINGS and begin with
capital letters (Miranda, New York, Peru, Saturn, Monday)
Count or Non-Count??? Count nouns can be made plural by adding an –s, or
they have an irregular plural form (girls, mice, trees). Non-count nouns cannot be
made plural (sand, rice, wind, rain, furniture)
EXAMPLES OF NONCOUNT NOUNS
Abstractions: advice, courage, enjoyment, fun, help, honesty, information,
intelligence, knowledge, patience, etc.
Activities: chess, homework, housework, music, reading, singing, sleeping,
soccer, tennis, work, etc.
Food: beef, bread, butter, fish, macaroni, meat, popcorn, pork, poultry, toast,
etc.
Gases: air, exhaust, helium, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, pollution, smog,
smoke, steam, etc.
Groups of Similar Items: baggage, clothing, furniture, hardware, luggage,
equipment, mail, money, software, vocabulary, etc.
Liquids: blood, coffee, gasoline, milk, oil, soup, syrup, tea, water, wine, etc.
Natural Events: electricity, gravity, heat, humidity, moonlight, rain, snow,
sunshine, thunder, weather, etc.
Materials: aluminum, asphalt, chalk, cloth, concrete, cotton, glue, lumber,
wood, wool, etc.
Particles or Grains: corn, dirt, dust, flour, hair, pepper, rice, salt, sugar,
wheat, etc.
Practice One: Underline all the nouns in the sentences below. Capitalize the
proper nouns, and circle any noncount nouns.
1. My friend mayra lives in atlanta.
2. She told me not to be sad after my boyfriend broke up with me because there
are other fish in the sea.
3. When she visits new york and we spend time together, we always have fun.
We like to go to chipotle to chat and check out cute guys.
4. We like to play soccer together, but when the weather is bad we sometimes
go to the galleria to buy clothing.
VERBS – ACTION or LINKING VERBS
ACTION – hit, go, walk, write, jump, kiss, paint
LINKING – ‘to be’ (is, am, are, was, were, be, been, being)
SOME VERBS CAN BE EITHER ACTION OR LINKING – look, feel, smell, etc.
ACTION
Smell my perfume.
Feel this sweater. Isn’t it soft?
She looks out the window a lot.
LINKING
He smells bad.
I feel sick.
You look angry.
Practice Two: Underline all the linking verbs in the sentences below. Circle the
action verbs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Harriet wrote an essay about her vacation to France.
The new teacher was a young man from England.
The energetic student dropped his pencil on the floor.
Bobby forgot his trumpet at home.
The children were sad.
Mrs. Anderson gave the students a reward.
Peter and Steven ran on the field during recess.
Infinitive Present
(base)
Tense
Gerund
(verb form
used as a
noun)/
Present or
Past
Continuous
(preceded
by to be)
jump/jumps jumping
run/runs
running
eat/eats
eating
do/does
doing
ride/rides
riding
Past
Tense
(Simple
or
Regular)
Past
Participle
(preceded
by have,
has, had,
to be,
etc…)
To jump
To run
To eat
To do
To ride
jumped
ran
ate
did
rode
jumped
run
eaten
done
ridden
Basic Overview –
1) Present Tense is used for things done regularly (every day
or often). Example: She plays basketball.
2) Present Continuous is used for things happening right now
(always with a helping verb that is a form of ‘to be’ such as
‘is’, ‘am’, ‘are’). Example: She is sleeping.
3) Past Continuous is used for things that were happening
when something else happened (always used with a linking
verb that is a past tense form of ‘to be’ such as ‘was’ or
‘were’). Example: She was sleeping when the alarm went
off.
4) Past Tense is used for things that happened at a specific
time in the past. Example: She played basketball yesterday.
She played lacrosse last summer.
5) The Past Participle is used to make several more complex
verb forms. We will discuss their uses at a later time:
 Present Perfect (have / has + past participle)
Examples: She has eaten all of the cookies. / He has finished his
dinner.
 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
Examples: He had cleaned up his mess by the time his mom
came home. / If she had done her homework she would have
passed the class).
 Passive Voice (to be + past participle)
Examples: The house was cleaned by the oldest child. / The
book was written by Steinbeck. / The clothes were purchased by
the charity group.
More Practice: Action vs. Linking
Directions: Identify VERBS and note if they are ACTION
or LINKING
1. The magician appeared onstage in a cloud of smoke.
2. Ellie appeared tired after six hours of working
overtime.
3. Take the umbrella in case the weather turns ugly.
4. To open the box, turn the circle one twist to the right.
5. My aunt in Louisiana grows the most beautiful roses.
6. My grandmother tells my sister that she grows more
beautiful every year.
BASIC SENTENCE STRUCTURE
All sentences have a SUBJECT and a PREDICATE.
My sister Mary / is a lovely girl.
Subject
Predicate
 The subject is what or whom the sentence is about. It is a
noun or nouns (or sometimes a pronoun, which is a word
that stands for a noun, like: he, she, we, I, me, us, etc.)
 The predicate tells something about the subject. It always
includes a verb.
PREDICATES
 Some predicates are composed of an ACTION verb and its
object(s), but some predicates to not include any objects.
Action verbs are often followed by an object or objects (direct
object, indirect object).
Direct Object – He kissed her.
Indirect Object (to whom or for whom – must go with a direct
object) – He gave me the book. I gave him the present.
ACTION VERBS THAT HAVE OBJECTS ARE
CALLED TRANSITIVE VERBS
These are ACTION VERBS that have a DIRECT OBJECT (who or what receives the
action of the verb). Some of these also have INDIRECT OBJECTS.
Examples:
Sylvia kicked Juan.
Kicked = transitive verb; Juan = direct object.
Joshua gave me some money.
Gave = transitive verb; money = direct object; me = indirect object
Cornelius painted the canvas.
Painted = transitive verb; canvas = direct object.
Alicia wrote W illiam love poem.
Wrote = transitive verb; poem = direct object; William = indirect object
Antonio eats lima beans.
Eats = transitive verb; lima beans = direct object.
Pinky the poodle cleans the dirty supper dishes.
Cleans, loads = transitive verbs; dishes = direct object.
ACTION VERBS THAT DO NOT HAVE OBJECTS
ARE CALLED INTRANSITIVE VERBS
Examples:
Huffing and puffing, we arrived at the classroom door.
Arrived = intransitive verb.
James went to the campus cafe for a steaming bowl of squid eyeball
stew.
Went = intransitive verb.
Around fresh ground pepper, Sheryl sneezes.
Sneezes = intransitive verb.
In the evenings, Glenda sits on the front porch .
Sits = intransitive verb.
SOME VERBS CAN BE TRANSITIVE OR INTRANSITIVE
Because of blood sugar problems, Rosa always eats before leaving for
school.
Eats = intransitive verb.
If there is no leftover pizza, Rosa usually eats whole-grain cereal.
Eats = transitive verb; cereal = direct object.
During cross-country practice, Damien runs over hills, through fields,
across the river, and along the highway.
Runs = intransitive verb.
In the spring, Damien will run his first marathon.
Will run = transitive verb; marathon = direct object.
Practice Three: Look again at the sentences you analyzed in practice two. This time, underline
the verb in the sentence. Decide if it is transitive, intransitive or neither, and circle your
choice. If it is a transitive verb, label any direct and indirect objects.
1. Harriet wrote an essay about her vacation to France.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
2. The new teacher was a young man from England.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
3. The energetic student dropped his pencil on the floor.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
4. Bobby forgot his trumpet at home.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
5. The children were sad.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
6. Mrs. Anderson gave the students a reward.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
7. Peter and Steven ran on the field during recess.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
 Other predicates are composed of a LINKING verb and its
subject complement.
A subject complement can be EITHER a predicate adjective or
a predicate nominative/noun.
 A predicate adjective is an adjective, and that is in the
predicate of a sentence. It follows a linking verb, and
it describes the subject. (That idea is great.)
 A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun located
in the predicate of a sentence (it follows a linking
verb) and it renames the subject. (Our teacher is
Mrs. DeMella).
Practice Four:
1. For the following sentences, separate the subject from
the predicate by using a backslash (/).
A. Meghan and her friends are cool.
B. They are the nicest girls in school.
C. My sister and I did the crossword puzzle.
2. Underline the verb in each sentence above and indicate
whether or not the verb is an ACTION or a LINKING
verb.
3. Which sentence has a DIRECT OBJECT in the
predicate? ___
4. Which sentence contains a predicate adjective? ____
5. Which sentence contains a predicate nominative? ____
6. Now look at the sentences in ‘Practice Three’. Which
one contains a predicate adjective? ____ Which one
contains a predicate nominative? ____
NOTE THAT VERBS AREN’T THE ONLY PARTS OF
SPEECH THAT HAVE OBJECTS.
PREPOSITIONS are also followed by objects
PREPOSITIONS: These (usually small) words link a noun
or a pronoun (he, she, him, her, it, you, us, we I, etc.) to the
rest of the sentence. They show time, spatial (location) or
logical relationships between words.
Examples: on, beneath, between, during, above, after, up, for,
with, at, in, by, below, except, into, across, about, etc…
Object of a Preposition – The book was written by her. He went
to the concert with me.
More Practice:
Practice Five: Identify the function of the underlined words (subject,
indirect object, direct object, object of a preposition, predicate
nominative, predicate adjective)
1. The book that I am reading is interesting.
2. John, Manny, and she will graduate this spring.
3. The best basketball players will play Michael Jordan and me.
4. The woman with Bob and her is an opera singer.
5. William offered Todd and us coffee. Only Manny and I accepted
his offer.
Thursday January 14th: Day 8
YWBAT:
 Define important terms used to discuss the basic parts of
sentence structure.
 Differentiate between phrases, dependent, and independent
clauses.
 Avoid run-on sentences and fragments (Grammar for S.A.T.
Error #1).
Do now:
Underline the verb in each of the following sentences and
identify it as ACTION or LINKING. If it is an action verb,
decide if it is TRANSITIVE or INTRANSITIVE. CIRCLE
the direct object of any transitive verbs.
1. My best friend feels really depressed today.
2. Sam and Kelly are late to class a lot.
3. The teacher gives homework every day.
4. I eat vegetables with every meal.
5. She chats with her friends in the hallway.
Homework: Study your GRAMMAR NOTES and
continue to study vocabulary and literary terms.
LESSON:
Period One:
Begin with the do now and review transitive and
intransitive verbs.
Do the practice and continue.
Period Three:
Start with the do now, but cut out the transitive and
intransitive part.
Teach basic sentence structure and THEN go over the do
now identifying transitive verbs and objects.
Continue with the exercises in the packet.
TRY TO FINISH IT!!!!!!
If there is time in class, give them the last page as a
graded class work assignment and have them turn it in as
an exit ticket.
Friday January 15th: Day 1
YWBAT:
 Define important terms used to discuss the basic parts of
sentence structure.
 Differentiate between phrases, dependent, and independent
clauses.
 Avoid run-on sentences and fragments (Grammar for S.A.T.
Error #1).
Do now:
Complete the review handout. You may work with you
partner.
Homework: Study your GRAMMAR NOTES and
continue to study vocabulary and literary terms.
Yesterday’s DO NOW Review
Yesterday, you underlined the verb in each of the following
sentences and identified them as ACTION or LINKING
VERBS.
Now: If it is an action verb, decide if it is TRANSITIVE or
INTRANSITIVE. CIRCLE the direct object of any
transitive verbs.
1.My best friend feels really depressed
today.
2.Sam and Kelly are late to class a lot.
3.The teacher gives homework every day.
4.I eat vegetables with every meal.
5.She chats with her friends in the hallway.
Name and Date: _______________________
Mrs. DeMella / English 2R
DO NOW:
1) Underline the subject in each sentence below. Write an
‘S’ above it. Note that some subjects are MORE THAN
ONE WORD.
2) Underline the verb in each sentence and identify it as
ACTION or LINKING. If it is an action verb, decide if
it is TRANSITIVE or INTRANSITIVE. CIRCLE the
direct object of any transitive verbs.
1. In the morning, I like coffee with my breakfast.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
2. Anthony and William played the football game after
school yesterday.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
3. The boys and girls in the classroom were bored.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
4. The dog died after the car accident.
Transitive / Intransitive / Neither - Linking
LESSON:
1) PERIOD ONE: Check their answers on practice three
while they complete the DO NOW handout.
2) Quickly go over practice three answers and the do now.
WRITE AGAIN ON BOARD:
ACTION VERBS (with transitive and intransitive beneath
it) - REVIEW
LINKING VERBS (with forms of to be as king beneath it).
PERIOD THREE AND FIVE:
Have them complete the do now. Then go over
YESTERDAY’S DO NOW practice before going over the
answers for the do now. Then continue as with period one.
3) Go through sentence structure for linking verbs and the
rest of the packet.
4) Connect the final exercise to PRONOUN USE (show
them the chart).
5) Begin the next packet.
(On Tuesday make a review exercise and then go through
sentence rules. Follow up with mid-term review).
YWBAT:
 Correctly punctuate sentences containing THREE different
kinds of connectors.
See handouts below when ready for this lesson
IMPORTANT RULES FOR PUNCTUATING
SENTENCES (ERROR #1):
A CLAUSE is any group of words with a subject (a noun or nouns) and a verb
(action or linking) in it.
Independent clauses (or simple sentences) STAND ALONE. They express a
complete thought.
Ex: He went to town.
I threw the ball.
Sarah is pretty.
Dependent clauses (or fragments) CANNOT STAND ALONE. They express an
unfinished thought.
Ex: When we went to town…
Because she is pretty…
After I threw the ball…
Unless she does her homework….
A PHRASE is two or more words that do not contain the subject – verb pairing
necessary to form a clause. Phrases can be very short or quite long.
Ex: After lunch.
Ex: Slithering down the stairs
Ex: To do the work
PRACTICE ONE: Identify the following as phrases, independent clauses
(simple sentences) or dependent clauses (fragments).
1. If you do your work ________________________________________
2. In the sunny late autumn afternoon ____________________________
3. I do not believe you ________________________________________
4. Although she is nice _______________________________________
5. Because she did all of her work ______________________________
6. Underneath the sagging yellow couch _________________________
7. The mood is nostalgic ______________________________________
8. To hand in the paper _______________________________________
9. Doing all of my homework __________________________________
10. I ate. ___________________________________________________
A COMPOUND SENTENCE contains TWO independent clauses connected by a
little conjunction (coordinator).
PUNCTUATION RULE #1: When you make a compound sentence, use a
comma + a little conjunction (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So = FANBOYS) to
connect two independent clauses, as in "He hit the ball well, but he ran toward
third base."
Ex: I do my homework, and I am getting an A. 
Ex: I ate, and I slept.
Note that you DO NOT need a comma when you connect an independent clause
to a word or phrase.
Ex: She is smart but silly.
Ex: She ate and slept.
PRACTICE TWO: Put commas where needed in the following sentences.
1. My boyfriend did his work and he called me afterwards.
2. Cheryl does her work in class but she never does her homework.
3. Evelyn is very intelligent but not hard working.
4. Bobby never washes his hands so he always gets sick.
5. Linda comes to class late yet passes her classes somehow.
PUNCTUATION/USAGE RULE #2:
A COMPLEX SENTENCE contains an independent clause (sentence) joined by
one or more dependent clauses (fragments).
Ex: I slept after I ate.
Ex: After I ate, I slept.
ADVERBIAL SUBORDINATORS turn independent clauses into dependent
clauses (fragments). They appear in complex sentences.
They include:
After, although, as, because, if, once, since, unless, though, until, whereas, while,
whenever, wherever, etc…
When these connectors fall in the middle of the sentence (an independent clause
followed by a dependent clause), there is NO PUNCTUATION.
Ex: She passed the class although she did not do much of her homework. 
She got an A in the class because she did all of her homework well. 
If they are at the beginning of a sentence that begins with a dependent clause
followed by an independent clause, there is a COMMA between the two clauses.
Ex: Although she did not do much of her homework, she passed the class. 
Because she did all of her homework well, she got an A in the class. 
An adverbial subordinator + one independent clause = a sentence fragment!!!!!!
That means it is poor grammar. These types of errors are fairly common in the
sentence improvement questions on the SAT.
Ex: She is very popular. Because she is nice. 
She will pass. Unless she fails the final exam. 
PRACTICE THREE: Correct the punctuation in the
following sentences by adding commas or taking them out.
ONE of the sentences is correct as is.
1. Laura always does well in her classes, because she
studies a lot.
2. Unless I fail the mid-term I will pass the class.
3. Matthew is short, whereas his brother is tall.
4. Although Jada is often out sick, she makes up the work.
5. Jose checks the webpage and emails his teacher
whenever, he is absent.
PUNCTUATION/USAGE RULE #3:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBIALS are different.
These connectors make a complete thought. Together with ONE independent
clause, they form a complete (simple) sentence. They are STRONGER than
adverbial subordinators (Note: Someone who is subordinate is below someone
else, in rank, power or position).
All of these are separated from the clause they accompany by a comma, except for
‘nevertheless’, which is special.
Here are some conjunctive adverbials (N.B. They’re good words to include in
Regents and Advanced Placement essays!):
similarly, likewise, additionally, in addition, consequently, conversely, after all, for
example, on the other hand, furthermore, in fact, in particular, in sum, in turn,
moreover, nevertheless, etc…
Ex: I have broken up with my boyfriend. However, I have never been happier.
She is rude. Moreover, she is lazy.
He is always criticizing others. Consequently, he is unpopular.
She apologized for her behavior. Nevertheless her parents grounded her.
I have broken up with my boyfriend. I have never been happier, however.
NOTE: when using these, the PERIOD is often replaced by a SEMICOLON to
emphasize the fact that the two independent clauses are LOGICALLY
CONNECTED.
When these conjunctive adverbials fall in the MIDDLE of one independent clause,
they are separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma on BOTH sides.
Ex: Yesterday was a tough day. I am, however, doing fine today. 
Thanks for asking about Michael. He is, in fact, needing some help. 
PRACTICE FOUR/ PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Correct any punctuation/capitalization errors in the
following examples:
1. Tom never washed his hands consequently he caught the
swine flu.
2. Although he was sick he came to school.
3. He felt very sick in his first period class however he chose
not to go to the nurse.
4. The bully taunted him mercilessly so he punched him.
5. He made a futile attempt to cram for the S.A.T. on the night
before the test but he earned a low score anyway.
6. Thanks for giving me time to think. I do after all have a lot
more to say.
7. Maria will go to Yale. Whereas her sister will not.
8. It is cold and rainy today. But I really like it.
9. I got an A on the test, because I studied.
10.
I think I am prepared nevertheless, I will study more.
Cheat Sheet to help with Grammatical Error #1
1) I don’t do homework, but I am passing.
Use this when the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) connect two independent clauses.
2) I do my homework because I want to pass.
Because I want to pass, I do my homework.
Use this with ADVERBIAL SUBORDINATORS like: After, although, as, because, if, once,
since, unless, though, until, whereas, while, whenever, wherever
3) I don’t do homework. However, I am passing.
I don’t do homework; however, I am passing.
I don’t do homework. I am passing, however.
I don’t do homework. I am, however, passing.
Use this with CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBIALS like: similarly, likewise, additionally, in
addition, consequently, conversely, after all, for example, on the other hand, furthermore, in
fact, in particular, in sum, in turn, moreover, nevertheless
(Remember that there is NO COMMA after ‘nevertheless’. All the others have commas after
them.)