Punctuation
Grade 4
Daily Language Workouts
Writers Express
Houghton Mifflin Company
Wilmington, Massachusetts
The End of the Line (End
punctuation)
• Mirrors actually show reverse
images of objects .
• Did you know that California
was named after a character in
a popular Spanish novel ?
• Wake up, America-swing
dancing is back !
Get in Line (Comma, items
in a series)
• The United States team at the
first Olympics in 1896 consisted
of seven runners, a pole-vaulter,
a shot-putter, and a hurdler.
• On Saturday mornings, I watch
cartoons, eat breakfast, help
clean the house,and wash the
dog.
Get in Line (Comma, items in a
series)
• Here’s a list of my least favorite
vegetables: broccoli, lima beans,
cauliflower,beets, and
artichokes.
• Anteaters have eyes, ears, noses ,
and mouths but no teeth.
Addressing the Issue
(Comma in Dates)
• On June 16, 1963, Valentina V.
Tereshkova (a Russian) became
the first woman to travel in
outer space.
• The English first celebrated May
Day as a day to honor workers
on May 1 ,1890.
Addressing the Issue
(Comma in addresses)
• Animal lovers may join Ranger
Rick’s Nature Club, 8925
Leesburg Pike,Vienna,Virginia
22184.
• One June 25,1998,my family
stayed in a motel at 5353
Midland Avenue ,Billings,
Montana.
A Number of Interruptions
(Comma to keep numbers
clear)
• A mile is just a mile unless it is
5, 280 feet, 1,760 yards, or a
little more than 1609
meters.
,
,
• The moon is 2155
miles across,
but the sun is 867000
miles
,
across.
• Light travels at a speed of
186282
miles per second.
,
Pause of a Clause (Between
two independent clauses)
• I have never been to Alaska, so I
have never seen Mt. McKinley.
• Most fish do not sleep, but some
types stand on their tails and
lean against coral for a snooze.
• After the first harvest the
Pilgrims held a feast, for they
wanted to give God thanks.
Pause of a Clause (Between
two independent clauses)
• Andrew Jackson was born in
South Carolina, and he became
the first man born in a log cabin
to be elected president of the
United States.
• Quicksand can suck animals
down to their deaths ,but a
person can escape by lying flat
and rolling out.
Hyperlinks (Hyphen)
• Well -informed football fans
know that the Green Bay
Packers beat the Kansas City
Chiefs in the first Super Bowl.
• My great-aunt had 18 children;
one-half were boys, and the
other half were girls.
Hyperlinks (Hyphens)
• The Beatles, a well-known
musical group, released 29
records in 1964.
• I would guess that two-thirds of
the class knows that you cannot
divide a one syllable word at the
end of a line.
It’s All Yours ( Apostrophe
in contractions and in
possessives)
’ very big, the
• Although a flea isnt
’ remarkable strength
critters
allows it to jump 200 times its
length.
• Koala bears’main food is
eucalyptus leaves.
It’s All Yours ( Apostrophe
in contractions and in
possessives)
• Harriet Beecher Stowes’ book
Uncle Toms
’ Cabin made people
aware of the evils of slavery.
’ first
• Alexander Graham Bells
telephone was displayed in
Philadelphias
’ Exhibition Hall in
1876.
And I Quote...
• When astronaut Neil Armstrong
stepped onto the moon, he said,
“That’s one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.”
• The skydiving instructor asked,
“Who wants to go first?”
And I Quote...
• Was it Eleanor Roosevelt who
said,“ You must do the thing you
think you cannot do?”
• I always laugh when I read Shel
Silverstein’s poem“Jumping
Rope.”
Capital Idea!
• The
the address for the Football hall
Hall
of Fame
fame is 2121 George
george Halas
halas
drive; canton,
Drive
Canton, ohio
Ohio44708.
• Elijah
elijah McCoy’s
mcCoy’s parents escaped
from slavery in Kentucky
kentucky many
years before the Civil
civil war.
War.
Capital Idea!
• Today
today the people Christopher
christopher
Columbus
Indians are
columbus called indians
often called Native
native americans.
Americans.
E. matzeliger
Matzeliger made the first
• Jan
jan e.
shoe-stitching machine in the
united States.
states.
United
Capitalization
(Geographically speaking)
Canal connects the
• The Suez
suez canal
Mediterranean
mediterranean Sea
sea to the Red
red
sea.
Sea.
• Many Germans
germans and
scandinavians settled in the
Scandinavians
midwest.
Midwest.
• The Amazon
amazon River
river contains more
water than theNile
nileRiver,
river, the
Mississippi
mississippiRiver
river and the
yangtzeRiver
river put together.
Yangtze
Capitalization
(Geographically speaking)
• The empire
building in
Empire state
StateBuilding
New
new York
york City
city is not as tall as
the Sears
sears Tower
tower in Chicago,
chicago,
Illinois.
illinois.
• Would you rather visit Redwood
redwood
park in northern California
california or
Park
yosemite Park
park in central
Yosemite
california?
California?
One is a Lonely Number
(Plurals)
paints and
• We grabbed our paintes
brushes
brushs and headed for the art
room.
• My mother uses her sharpest
knifes to cut the loaves
loafs of bread.
knives
Pianos are popular because
• Pianoes
they can produce a wide range
of soundes.
sounds.
One is a Lonely Number
(plurals)
• My little brother enjoys chasing
bunnys and gooses
bunnies
geese at the park.
• For supper, Mom prepared two
plateful of tacoes
platefuls
tacos and burritos.
One Potato, Two Potato,
Three Potato, Four
(numbers)
• The Pacific Ocean covers
64 million square miles.
64,000,000
• Native Americans make up
1 percent of the United
about one
States population, more than
700,000 thousand Native
seven-hundred
Americans live in Oklahoma,
California and Arizona.
One Potato, Two Potato,
Three Potato, Four
(numbers)
2025
• By the year two thousand
and
twenty-five, experts think the
population of the United States
will be about three300
hundred
million.
1 out of every 5 people
• About one
in the world is Chinese.
Reaching an Agreement
(subject-verb agreement)
• Cirrus cloudsare
is the highest
clouds in the sky.
blow from
• Winter winds usually blows
north to south.
• Nobody knows
know who invented
eyeglasses, but theyare
is very
useful.
• The air in tornadoesspins
spin in a
circle.
Yes, I Agree (subject-verb
agreement)
• Eagles, pelicans, and trumpeter
swans have
has been seen in
Yellowstone National Park.
• New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvaniaare
is called the
Middle Atlantic States.
Yes, I Agree (subject-verb
agreement)
Was Christopher Columbus or
• Were
Vasco da Gama a greater
explorer?
• Either my mother or my
grandparents comes
come to my
soccer games.
• There are
is a dogsled race each
year in Alaska from Anchorage
to Nome.
Runaway Sentences
• Pocahontas saved the life of
John Smith she later married
another settler.
Correct Sentence
• Pocahontas saved the life of
John Smith, but she later
married another settler.
Runaway Sentences
• A triathlon is a three-part race it
includes swimming, running,
and biking.
Correct Sentence
• A triathlon is a three-part race.
It includes swimming, running,
and biking.
Runaway Sentences
• Russia is the largest country in
the world Canada is the second
largest.
Correct Sentence
• Russia is the largest country in
the world. Canada is the second
largest.
Runaway Sentences
• Pocahontas saved the life of
John Smith she later married
another settler.
Correct Sentence
• Pocahontas saved the life of
John Smith, but she later
married another settler.
Runaway Sentences
• On September 6, 1995, Cal
Ripken broke one of baseball’s
most amazing records he played
his 2,131st straight game.
Correct Sentence
• On September 6, 1995, Cal
Ripken broke one of baseball’s
most amazing records. He
played his 2,131st straight
game.
The Right Way (using the
right word)
no real reason why
• There
Their is know
wear white, but they
painters where
almost always due.
do.
their heads to the side
• Dogs tilt there
too
here you’re
to hear
your voice.
• Principals
Principles are people with
strong principles.
principals.
The Right Way (using the
right word)
Our science teacher is going
• Hour
to teach
two
learn us about the whole
hole in
the ozone layer.
stationeryseems
• Some
Sum stationary
seams too
pretty too
right on.
to write
A Combination of Factors
(combining sentences)
• Math was very hard yesterday.
Math was very hard today. I’m
going to ask for special help.
Correct Sentence
• Math was very hard yesterday
and today, so I’m going to ask
for special help.
A Combination of Factors
(combining sentences)
• Earth orbits our sun. Eight other
planets orbit our sun.
Correct Sentence
• Earth and eight other planets
orbit our sun.
A Combination of Factors
(combining sentences)
• Everyone likes cute, furry
animals. Naturalists even like
spiders and insects.
Correct Sentence
• Everyone likes cute, furry
animals , but naturalists even
like spiders and insects.
A Combination of Factors
(combining sentences)
• One American mile equals 5,280
feet. One American mile equals
1,609.3 meters.
Correct Sentence
• One American mile equals 5,280
feet or 1,609.3 meters.
A Combination of Factors
(combining sentences)
• Lobsters have large claws.
Lobsters run backward.
Lobsters taste good when
cooked and buttered.
Correct Sentence
• Lobsters have large claws, run
backward, and taste good when
cooked and buttered.
Review
Can you find what is wrong
in each sentence?
History of Language
26
• There
Their are twenty-six
letters in
the English
english alphabet.
• At one time intheir
its history, the
wrote from right to left.
Greeks writed
• The Semites
semites couldhave
of been the
first people to use pictures as
words.
History of language
• The Egyptians
egyptians invented
hieroglyphics, a kind of picture
writing,5,000 years ago.
use Sign
sign
• Today, deaf people uses
language. they
They use it to talk to
other people.
The English Language
• English was spoke only by people in
the British Isles until the british
empire spread the language to
america africa australia and the Far
East.
Corrected Sentence
• English was spoken only by the
people in the British Isles until the
British Empire spread the language
to America, Africa, Australia, and the
Far East.
The English Language
• Because English is spoken
throughout the world they is
being called the first global
language.
Corrected Sentence
• Because English is spoken
throughout the world, it is being
called the first global language.
The English Language
• The English language have more
words (close to 1,000,000) than the
German language (only one hundred
and eighty-five thousand).
Corrected Sentence
• The English language has more
words (close to 1 million) than the
German language (only 185,000).
The English Language
• Of all the worlds two
thousand and seven hundred
languages, English has the
most richest vocabulary.
Corrected Sentence
• Of all the world’s 2,700
languages, English has the
richest vocabulary.
The English Language
• Diane did you know three
fourths of the world’s mail
today is writed in English?
Corrected Sentence
• Diane, did you know three fourths of the world’s mail is
written in English?
Something Fishy...
• Wow, a female herring lays
lies
3030,000
thousand eggs at once!
• Shelly, did you know that the
male sea horse protects the
’ eggs by keepingthem
mothers
it in a
pouch on his stomach?
Animals on Parade
• Kangarooes are amazing animals
who live in Australia and can really
jump and large ones can cover more
then 30 feet with one leap!
Corrected sentence
• Kangaroos are amazing animals that
live in Australia. They can really
jump, and large ones can cover more
than 30 feet with one leap!
Animals on Parade
• Female black widow spiders
have poisenous bites and
sometimes kill there mates.
Corrected sentence
• Female back widow spiders
have poisonous bites and
sometimes kill their mates.
Animals on Parade
• A few animals sea in color, but
most animals sees only shades
of gray.
Corrected sentence
• A few animals see in color, but
most animals see only shades
of gray.
Maps, Maps, Maps
• The Gulf Stream, a warm
ocean current, flows from
Mexico, past the
the Gulf
gulf of mexico
east coast of Florida, to the
North Atlantic Ocean.
Maps, Maps, Maps
“
• Mr. Baily said, Look up the
Galapagos Islands on
your maps and write
down their latitude and
longitude. ”
Maps, Maps, Maps
• In 1849, a great flood of
settlers headed west. they
They
setlers
Oregon
followed a map of oregon
California made in
and california
1848.
Colors and Symbols
• If you lived in ancient Rome ,
’ where
wear purple
you couldnt
unless you were a member
of the emperor’s family.
there were no
• Because they’re
sidewalkes long ago, people
sidewalks
would roll out a red carpet for
the royalfamilies
family’s too
to walk on.
Writing Prompts
Life in the Sea
Someplace I’d really like
to visit...
I couldn’t believe my
eyes!
My Neighborhood
Shoes tell a lot about a
person.
I finally found those keys.
Writing Topics
Writing Topics- Possibilities
• If I could
• If I could…
climb a
• If I could have
mountain…
three wishes…
• If I could play • If I could buy
anything…
an
• If I could live
instrument…
anywhere…
• If I could fly...
• If I could
travel back in
time...
Characterization
•
•
•
•
If I were…
If I were incredibly smart…
If I were a teacher…
If I were unable to use my
legs…
• If I were an animal…
• If I were as old as my
grandparents...
School Life
•
•
•
•
A project I worked hard on
My favorite thing to do at recess
Waiting for the bus
What I do when I get home from
school
• My most challenging subject
• I wish our class could take a
field trip to...
Definitions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A friend is…
A good vacation is…
A good book is one that…
A playground is…
A father is…
Laughter is…
A computer is...
Nature
• A big fish in a small lake
• Once I saw a…in my
neighborhood.
• A tree that got hit by lightning.
• One way to be a good citizen of
the earth.
• A sky full of stars
Either/Or
• Would I rather play a sport or be
a spectator?
• Would I prefer reading the book
or seeing the movie?
• Would I choose to ride a horse
or a snowmobile?
• Would I rather play the piano or
a set of drums?
Compare/Contrast
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hand tools to power tools
Meat to vegetables
Freedom to slavery
Light to darkness
A house to an apartment
Leading to following
Winning to losing