Pre-AP English I
Opening Assignments
Making Inferences
• (Always title and date your O.A.)
• Read the notes about making inferences and
drawing conclusions.
• Answer the following:
– Write the definition for inference as a statement (i.e.
To make an inference means…)
– Read “A Coffee Complication” (on the back) and
answer the two questions. Provide at least one piece
of evidence from the text to support your answer for
each (quote the text explicitly).
Making Inferences
Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the
front porch. Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the
welcome mat. He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them
into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the
porch railing for him every morning. On his way in the house, he
dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went
straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed. He would
eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often
said.
1. Make an inference: what type of job does Paul work?
____________________________________________________
2.) How do you know this?
Making Inferences #3
• Read the passage “Social Networking Sitesthe Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” It’s in your O.A.
folder!
• Answer the two multiple choice questions.
Write the question and your complete answer.
DO NOT WRITE ON THE PASSAGE.
• Remember to title and date your O.A.
Making Inferences #4
• During the California Gold Rush of 1849, the world’s supply of gold
more than doubled, and hundreds of thousands of people rushed
to California to find their share. Boomtowns popped up to
accommodate the visitors. A boomtown is a community that
receives sudden and explosive growth and development. San
Francisco had around two-hundred residents in 1846, and about
36,000 in 1852. The few merchants in these boomtowns sold goods
for more than ten times what they cost back East. For example, a
single pound of flour sold for as much as $17. Not everyone who
joined in the California Gold Rush got rich, but most of the
boomtown merchants did.
1. Make an inference: Why were boomtown merchants able
to sell their products for so much money?
2. How do you know this?
Inference Quiz
• -On a clean sheet of paper, write you name,
the date, number it 1-4, and title it –
Inference Quiz
Word Crimes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0HvPoDc
There, Their, They’re
• There – to show location
• Their – possession – belonging to
• They’re – contraction of They + are
– Write the notes from above. Use each correctly in
a sentence about a historical event.
its OR it’s
• its: belongs to/possession
• it’s: contraction of it + is
Write the notes from above. Use each correctly in a
sentence about a specific planet.
TO / TWO / TOO
• Two : number
• To:
– Preposition (location)
– Before the verb of an
infinitive
• Too:
– Also
– show excessiveness
• USE THEM ALL IN SEPARATE SENTENCES! YOU SHOULD HAVE 5
SENTENCES!
• Also, please notice how “separate” is spelled above.
Learn it. There is “a rat” in the middle of it.
Your vs. You’re
• Your: possessive
• You’re : contraction of you + are
Write the notes from above and use each in a
sentence about a pet peeve.
EFFECT VS. AFFECT
• Effect is a noun
• Affect is a verb
Write the example. Then make a sentence of your
own for each word.
Who’s / Whose
• Who’s = Who + is (contraction)
• Whose = possession
• Use each correctly
in a sentence about
a current news topic.
Then vs. Than
Use THEN when speaking of time:
I painted my nails, then I plucked my eyebrows.
Use THAN when talking about a comparison.
Your hair is uglier than a floor mop.
Use each in a sentence of your own.
Lie vs. Lay
(Write all of these notes and
examples)
• Lay means to put something [or someone] down. Because lay is a
transitive verb, a direct object will come after it. A direct object
receives the action of the verb. Read this example:
Before returning to the Godzilla marathon on late night TV, Quentin
laid his sleeping son Jeremy on the bed and covered him with a quilt.
• Quentin laid whom on the bed? Jeremy.
• Lie, on the other hand, means to rest or recline. Lie is an
intransitive verb, so no direct object will follow.
The center of Diane's bed always smells like dog because Rel iable, her
beagle, lies there every chance he gets.
• What is Reliable doing in the middle of the bed? Resting.
Lie vs. Lay Practice
• Which word would be used in each sentence?
1.) Sassy was feeling tired, so she decided to
______ down in her favorite spot on the rug.
2.) Please ______ your pencils on your desk when
you are finished with your work.
3.) Write a sentence of your own using either lie or
lay correctly.
Who vs. Whom
• Who is used as the subject of a sentence.
• Whom is used as the object of the sentence
(receives the action)
Examples:
Who wants to eat ice cream after school?
To whom would you like to give your extra ice
cream?
Who vs. Whom Examples
A trick:
Figure it out by turning the sentence around and
replacing the who or whom with he/she or him/her. If he
is wrong, so is who. If him is wrong, so is whom.
It was Sam ______ helped the new student.
He helped the new student.
Him helped the new student.
Since ‘he’ is correct, the sentence should read:
It was Sam who helped the new student.
Practice
1.) I have not seen the man _____lives in the hut
by the beach for a week.
2.) You sat with _____ during the movie?
3.) I saw Wes, a football player ______I had met
after the game.
4.) _____ stole the chocolate chip cookies?
Quiz Today
• You will need a pencil. You will take this quiz
on the green side.
“About the Rabbits”
In “About the Rabbits,” George tells Lennie a story
about their future home. Before describing the
house they may have one day, George explains the
difference between Lennie and George and other
men who work on ranches. Briefly explain, in your
own words, the difference between Lennie and
George and the other men. Then, explain why
George decides to explain this difference before
describing the house.
“About the Rabbits”
What is the most likely reason Lennie asks
George to tell the story about the rabbits?
A. It reminds him of the past.
B. It gives him hope for the future.
C. It distracts him from being hungry.
D. It allows him to stop talking for a while.
Justify your answer.
“About the Rabbits”
• What is the primary technique the author
uses to develop the characters?
• A. Dialogue
• B. Conflict
• C. Imagery
• D. Metaphor
Justify your answer.
“About the Rabbits”
Which of the following best describes the
relationship between Lennie and George?
• A. Enemies
• B. Rivals
• C. Close friends
• D. Casual acquaintances
Justify your answer.
“About the Rabbits”
• Which line offers the sharpest contrast between
Lennie and George’s dream and their present
situation?
A. “You ain’t gonna put nothing over on me.”
B. “You get a kick outta that, don’t you?”
C. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he
had said them many times before.
D. He drove his knife through the top of one of the
bean cans, sawed out the top and passed the can to
Lennie.
“About the Rabbits” Skill Check
1.) What does the author imply about George’s story in lines
32–36 ?
• A. Lennie finds it boring.
• B. Lennie has forgotten most of it.
• C. Lennie wants to tell it instead of George.
• D. Lennie has heard it before and likes it.
2.) What is the most appropriate description of Lennie’s
personality?
• A. Childlike
• B. Fearful
• C. Irritable
• D. Self-pitying
Punctuation: Commas
Copy the Notes
1: Commas can be used to separate items in a series or
list.
– Ex.
Sherry was very good at many sports including skiing,
badminton, and football.
2: Commas can be used to separate an introductory
word or clause from the rest of the sentence.
-Ex.
Walking through the woods, Lisa heard scary
sounds.
Yes, I think going on a field trip to the museum
would be fun.
Punctuation: Commas
Copy the Notes
3: Commas can be used with a conjunction to
separate two independent clauses (complete
sentences)
– Ex.
• The crazy clown lost his nose, but he still had his bright
makeup.
• The crazy clown lost his nose but still had his bright
makeup.
Punctuation: Commas
Copy the Notes
4: Use commas to separate non-essential
information or information that renames.
Ex.
Shaggy, the neighbor’s dog, ran away last
week.
Write a sentence using comma rule # 3
Write a sentence that follows comma
rule #4