ELA Cheat Sheet
GRAMMAR
Comma after an introductory phrase
Introductory phrases also set the stage for the main action of the sentence, but they are
not complete clauses.
Clue: Many times introductory clauses start with adverbs like after, although, as, because,
before, if, since, though, until, when, etc.
Examples:
Because he kept barking insistently, we threw the ball for Smokey
To stay in shape for competition, athletes must exercise every day
If they want to win, athletes must exercise every day.
Conjunctions
Use commas to separate independent clauses (sentences that can stand on their own)
when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet,
so. [aka FANBOYS]. Remember, the comma goes BEFORE the conjunction.
Clue: If the phrase in front of the conjunction is a complete sentence AND the phrase after the
conjunction is a complete sentence, these use a comma.
Examples:
Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.
The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
While I work, my cat sleeps on the floor, and my dog naps on the bed.
Pronouns (and Compound Pronouns, when you use two pronouns)
A pronoun is used to replace a noun. For example instead of saying “Cinderella” a
thousand times, you can replace some of them with a pronoun (“she”). Remember that when you
use more than one pronoun (includes me, you, I, he, she, it, we, us, they, them, my), they both
must agree with the verb. Remember, you go last in a series [John, Bob, and I…]
Clue: For compound pronouns, take one away for the moment and see if it still makes sense.
Example:
Bob and I went to the store on Monday [I go to the store, not me go the store.]
He gave a dozen roses to Jane and me [He gave the roses to I? That doesn’t sound
right, so it must be me.]
He and I walked to school this morning. [I walked to school, not me walked to
school.]
Punctuation with Quotations
1) After you introduce dialogue, offset that with a comma.
Example:
John said, “How are you today?”
2) Punctuation goes inside of the quotation marks, unless the punctuation
applies to the whole sentence.
Example:
Chad asked his teacher, “Is class over yet?”
Jaime shouted at her desk, “Arrrggghhhhh, I hate grammar!”
Does Robert always say, “This is easy”? [the punctuation is outside because the
entire sentence is a question]
Hyphens
1) Use with compound numbers
Example:
forty-six; ninety-nine
2) Use to join two or more words serving as a single adjective
Example:
He ate the chocolate-covered cookies.
Her yellow-green hair made her look silly.
Dashes
Use to emphasize a point (but don’t overuse it!)
Example:
Some of you may think my project is funny--even insane--but it is excellent
if you take the time to think about it.
Colons
Used as part of a sentence to introduce a list of items
Example:
My favorite poets include the following: Dr. Seuss, Emily Dickinson,
Langston Hughes, and Walt Whitman
The prince wished to be turned into four different animals: a whale, a
unicorn, a spider, and a monkey.
Semicolons
Used to join two related independent clauses. It is also a way to make a sentence more
complex and vary the sentence structure.
Example:
Environmental action is necessary to save the planet; everyone must take
action in her or his own community
All middle school students should get straight A’s; after all, working for
grades is overrated.
LITERARY DEVICES
Similes
Comparing something to another using “like” or “as.”
Example:
Stargirl ran as fast as lightning.
I went running up to the ice cream man like a cheetah attacking his prey.
Foreshadowing
Giving a hint (not an obvious one) to the reader as to what might happen later on in the
story. When the author presents an indication of what lies ahead.
Example:
When a soothsayer (fortune teller) warns Julius Caesar to beware of the
Ides of March (March 15th). It turns out that Caesar is killed that day.
If a princess wishes that one day she might marry Prince Charming. Then at the
end of the story, she does marry him.
Personification
Giving human traits/characteristics to something not human (say, to animals or
trees)
Example:
Flowers danced in the wind.
Dusk slid its dainty fingers over the daytime.