Mini-lessons for
Clocking
Carole Hyde
PISD 2009
Punctuation Surrounding
Dialogue
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Each time a new speaker speaks, a new
paragraph should begin.
Everything a character says should be in
quotation marks.
Use a comma to separate explanatory phrases.
Place an !, ?, or . inside the closing quotation
mark. Put a comma instead of a period if the
quotation does not end the sentence.
Example:
“Don’t fall down the hill!” Jack exclaimed.
Jack said, “Jill, let’s go up the hill.”
“We need a pail of water,” said Jill.
Dialogue
Does all dialogue have quotation marks
around it?
“I gave him his medicine at noon,” she
confirmed.
Jackie mumbled under her breath, “But not
all of it.”
“What did you say?” she snapped.
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Dialogue Practice
I knew she wouldn't come. She is always
flaking out Jenny complained.
What time are we supposed to be going
tonight I asked?
She lifted her head up from her phone and
replied around midnight. Isn’t that kind of
late I said.
5 Reasons to Begin a New
Paragraph
 1.
change in speaker
 2. change in setting
 3. change in subject
 4. change in time
 5. change in person or thing doing
the verb
Run-on Sentences
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When two or more complete sentences are joined
together without the proper punctuation
Example: I put small braids in my sister’s hair she is short
and skinny.
What would make this correct?
I put small braids in my sister’s hair. She is short and
skinny.
Even better, how could you combine these sentences?
I put small braids in my short and skinny sister’s hair.
Independent Clause
(This slide is for the purpose of note taking only. Do not clock for errors until
next slide)
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An independent clause is a group of words
that contains a subject and verb and
expresses a complete thought. An
independent clause is a sentence.
Example: The child became placid as the
mother condemned her behavior.
Dependent Clause/AKA- the
FRAGMENT
(Don’t rotate. Use same clocker from last slide)
A dependent clause is a group of words that
contains a subject and verb but does not
express a complete thought. A dependent
clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent
clause is marked by a dependent marker word.
Examples:
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When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz.
After she said those horrible things.
How could you fix this?
After she said those horrible things, she felt remorse for not
holding her tongue.
. ! ?
.- goes at the end of a complete thought
 ! – goes at the end of something being
yelled or expressed in a dramatic way.
 ?- goes at the end of a question- DUH!
Practice:
“I told you never to see him again__” the
father screamed__
“This is so stupid__ Why can’t I see
him__” she mumbled under her breath__
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Sentence Combining
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Find two simple sentences that are next to
each other. Combine these sentences for
them. Be sure not to just write them a new
run-on sentence to add to their paper. Be
careful to use proper punctuation to
combine the sentences. Write this new
sentence in the middle column of their
clocking paper.
Capitalization
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The main things to capitalize:
Proper names of people and places
Months and days of the week
Company names
Countries, cities, states
Holidays
1st letter inside dialogue
Important words in a title
All letters of an exaggerated onomatopoeia
The beginning of every new sentence
Acronyms
Spelling and Usage
Common Spelling and Usage Errors:
- Whole numbers one through one hundred are
spelled out
- I now know how to spell.
- Where were you?
Where refers to a place.
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Were refers to a 2nd person singular pt.
indicative, plural past indicative, and past
subjunctive of be.
- “Cause” is not the same as “because”
- “Cuz” is not a word (because or cousin are words)
- Text message lingo is NOT okay in a formal paper
- Alot is not a word. (“a lot” is two words)
- Any symbol that stands for “and” is not okay. Spell
it out.
- Use affect as a verb and effect as a noun.
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Use of Personal Pronouns
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If the essay is an academic paper, remove
all uses of personal pronouns. (Exception: If the
personal pronoun is in a quote or dialogue)
I, I’ve (TAKS essay okay)
 Me (TAKS essay okay)
 You (NEVER!)
 Your (NEVER!)
 You’re (NEVER!)
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* Us (TAKS essay okay)
* We (TAKS essay okay)
* Let’s (NEVER!)
Exception: When you are referring to us or we in the sense of the human
race as a whole or humanity, then using us and we are okay.
Your, You’re
“Your” – shows ownership
-Is this your textbook?
“You’re”- a contraction of you are
you + are = you’re
-You’re awesome! - correct
-Your awesome! - incorrect
There, Their, They’re, and There’s
There- a place
-He sits over there by the window.
Their- shows ownership of something to more than one
person
-Their dog is always in my yard.
They’re- a contraction of “they” and “are”
They + are = they’re
-They’re messing up the whole house with
those muddy shoes.
There’s- a contraction of “there” and “is”
There + is = there’s
- There’s going to be a big party this weekend.
Apostrophe
The apostrophe shows ownership
-This is Karen’s pencil.
Common misconception: All words ending in “s” need an
apostrophe. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!
-The hot dogs were the best I ever had.
The hot dogs do not own anything in this sentence. Now look at
this:
-The hot dog’s container is dirty.
The container belongs to the hot dogs; Therefore, an apostrophe
is needed.
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The weird thing: If someone’s name ends in “s,” such as Jesus
or Jones, and the name is showing ownership of something,
the apostrophe goes after the “s.”
-This is Jesus’ pencil.
(Do not add an additional “s”)
The Plural Apostrophe
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The plural apostrophe goes after the “s.” This means that
something belongs to more than one person. Pay close
attention for the exceptions:
Bryan’s desk is messy. (Singular apostrophe)
The students’ desks are messy. (Plural Apostrophe)
The student’s desk is messy. (?)
The Jones’ dog is loud. (?)
The children’s desks are messy.(?)
Where does the apostrophe go? For one dog? For two
dogs?
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The dogs food is scattered all over the floor.
Some 1st Grade Words to Avoid
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fun
very
really
mad
sad
great
good
said/ says
many
hot
got
very
was (or any BE verb)
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cold
like (when used like a
valley girl)
you (use in dialog only)
excellent
sit/ sat
ran/ run/running
walk/ walked/ walking
important/ importance
saw/ seen
want/ wanted/ wanting
bad
really
Verbs: Present to Past to
Present to Past to Present…
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Locate all verbs for the first sentence. What tense
are they written in? Write that down in the middle
clocking column. With the TAKS essay, they should
be in past tense.
Now, locate all verbs in each and every sentence.
Are they all in past or past progressive tense? If not,
tell them the line # of error. Ignore verbs spoken by
characters, but pay attention to explanatory phrases
around dialog. Secondary verbs used in the present
or present progressive tense are okay.
We were just passing by.
It had been raining all day.
I was taking chemistry that year.
Semicolons;
*Used to join two phrases that could stand alone as sentences instead
of using a fanboys word (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
*Used to join two phrases that could stand alone as sentences joined
by a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, in addition, meanwhile,
etc.).
I was late to practice that day; however, I did not get a ticket for
speeding again.
*Used to separate phrases that are long or contain commas.
The Writing Center will gladly work with students who want help with
improving their writing skills; with students who need assistance with
citing, documenting, or researching internet sources; and with
students who desire feedback on resumes, cover letters, or
graduate school applications.
*Used between items in a series if the items contain commas.
The winners of the writing contest were: Marty Rubens, original
fiction; Janet Spurlow, poetry; and Mike Jacobs, who received the
award for the most creative piece overall.
Colons:
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The colon is used after an independent clause to introduce a
list of items.
Ex: The following energy sources are renewable: wind,
hydropower, biomass, solar, and nuclear.
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2. The colon may be used to emphasize a word, phrase,
clause, or sentence which explains or impacts the main
clause.
Ex: Yesterday, a revolutionary new plan was unveiled to
"solve" one of Xavier's most frustrating problems: parking.
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3. Use a colon to introduce a quotation (only if the words
before the colon are an independent clause).
Ex: The writer offered wise advice: "Get into the habit of
reading your work aloud."
Commas
A. Between items in a series
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Place a comma between three or more
items that are listed or three or more
verbal/prepositional phrases.
I like my hot dog with chili, cheese, onions,
and relish.
 I like my hot dog with chili and cheese.
 After school I go play soccer with my friends, I
do my homework, and I take a shower.
 After school I go play soccer with my friends
and I do my homework.
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Commas
B. In dates and addresses
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Place a comma after a numerical day.
March 12, 2009
Place a comma after the name of a city and
before the name of the state.
• South Houston, TX
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4567 South Shaver
South Houston, TX 77504
Commas
C. To set off interruptions
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Use commas to set off a word, phrase, or
clause that interrupts the main thought of a
sentence.
Becky, however, traveled only 100 miles.
 However, Becky traveled only 100 miles.
 On the other hand, she didn’t pay for her gas.
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Commas
D. To set off dialog
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Set off the exact words of the speaker
from the rest of the sentence with a
comma.
Sandra said, “I will be late if I stop to talk.”
 “I will be late if I stop to talk,” Sandra said.
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Commas
E. In direct address
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Use commas to separate the person being
spoken to from the rest of the sentence.
Please, Ramon, sit quietly.
 Antonio, please have a seat.
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Commas
F. Between Two Independent
Clauses
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Use a comma between two complete
sentences that are joined by coordinating
conjunctions: (FANBOYS) for, and, nor,
but, or, yet, and so
Tom ran quickly for the door, but he did not
answer it.
*Only place a comma before a FANBOYS word
if the words after it make a complete
sentence.
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Commas
G. In letter writing
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Place a comma after the greeting in a
friendly letter and after the closing in all
letters.
Dear Mr. Green,
 Sincerely,
Joe
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Commas
H. To set off appositives
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Use commas to set off appositives. An
appositive is a word or phrase that
renames or redescribes the word before it.
If you were to take out the words between
the commas, you would still have a
complete sentence.
Gerald, my best friend, went with me to the
movies.
 Susan, the girl who sits behind me in French,
is really cute.
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Commas
I. To set off interjections
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Use a comma to separate an interjection
or a weak exclamation from the rest of the
sentence.
Wow, look at that sunrise!
 Hey, did you see the sunrise this morning?
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Commas
J. To separate adjectives
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commas to separate two or more
adjectives that equally modify a noun.
 Mandy
liked the feel of the cool, wet
pool water.
Commas
K. To set off introductory phrases
and clauses
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Use a comma to separate a long phrase
that comes before the main part of the
sentence. Sometimes you can spot these
by thinking of cause and effect.
After falling to the ground, Leslie picked
herself up and went on.
 If you hit your brother, you will get in trouble.
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You use that word too much!
Read the paper.
 What word is like an annoying bell in your
head every time you read it because you
see it too much?
 Count how many times the author used
that particular word.
 Example:
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Said- 12 times
To, Too, and Two
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We are going to the store after school.
Is used for expressing motion or direction toward a point
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There is too much talking in here!
An adverb meaning "excessively" or "also."
One, two, three…
A number
He is in our class _______.
 He is ______ funny.
 She is going with us ______ the circus.
 There were ______ students left.
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Facts about “Because”
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If you start a sentence with because it will
become an introductory phrase that will need
a comma later in the sentence.
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Because you missed school yesterday, you will have to
come to tutorials.
CAUSE does not mean the same thing as
BECAUSE
Because and the Comma
Some elementary teacher somewhere started
this rumor that you always put a comma before
the word because. Hmmmm….Not quite.
Usually, a comma will not be adjacent to the word because. It is
probably best to think of the word because as of not having a
comma near it. However, as with everything in the English
language, there are exceptions:
(1) When what follows the word because could be used in a
parenthetical phrase (meaning that it’s not that important).
Or, better yet;
When what follows the word because could be used in a
parenthetical phrase, because it’s not that important.
(2) He then replied, “Because I told you so.”
Common Article Errors
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An article goes in front of a noun. Many
people confuse the articles, “A” and “An.”
“A” goes in front of a noun that begins with
a consonant.
- A child who is failing, should go to tutorials.
“An” goes in front of a noun that begins with a
vowel.
-An owl usually comes out at night.
Chief Editor
Clock for all errors and any type of error that
has not been spotted by another clocker
yet.
Be specific in the center column.
Don’t just write the line #, write what type
of error, line #, and the word or phrase that
is involved in the error.
Score the essay like TAKS
0- in a different language, nothing written, did not answer
prompt
1- Does not make sense, too short and obviously not
developed, repetitive, grammar errors interfere with
message so much that the whole paper is confusing,
unorganized
2- On topic, there are grammar errors, but they don’t interfere
with meaning that much, very general, not personal, not a
narrative, no plot, little organization, restates the prompt
3- On topic, very few grammar errors, personal, tells a story,
has a plot, is a narrative, well developed and organized,
usually contains dialogue
4- On topic, less than 3-5 grammar errors, advanced
vocabulary, well developed and organized, personal, has a
plot, unique in a personal way or by format, usually has
figurative language, has a unique beginning and a unique
ending, takes risks
TAKS Score
(Don’t rotate- paper stays with same clocker from the last slide)
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Write what the author could have done to
make you score the essay one point
higher.
Compliment the author
Read the essay
 Find something specific that you liked
 Write what you liked
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