Name _____________________________________________ Date ________________________Period _________
GRAMMAR REVIEW: WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
A SEGERSTROM SCHOLAR’S GUIDE TO PARTS OF SPEECH: UNIT ONE
Standard(s) Addressed:
Grade 7 Review WOC: 1.2 Identify and use infinitives and participles and make clear references between pronouns and antecedents; 1.3 Identify all parts of speech
and types and structure of sentences; 1.4 Demonstrate the mechanics of writing (e.g., quotation marks, commas at end of dependent clauses) and appropriate
English usage (e.g., pronoun reference).
ESLR:
Reflective Communicators: Think, read, write, listen, speak well
Rationale: Each day we will begin class with a grammar review activity. As you can see from the standards, you should
have learned and mastered these grammar rules in the 7th grade. However, in an effort to better prepare you for the
CAHSEE ELA exam on March 13, 2012, we will be reviewing this material throughout the semester.
Directions: At the start of class each day you are to have this paper (or the latest version of it) on your desk. When the
bell rings you are to begin working on the activity. You will be responsible for knowing this material for the quiz at the
end of each unit. (Note: the Unit One exam is scheduled for Thursday, September 29, but you will have a quiz on nouns,
and pronouns on Friday, September 2.)
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 08/25): “Revisiting Elementary School: The Parts of Speech”
We know it’s probably been quite some time since you last thought about the parts of speech, so we’re going to ease
you into it with a simple review:
You should already know that different types of words do different jobs in a sentence. There are eight different kinds of
words, called the parts of speech, and every single (yes, every single) word in a sentence falls into one of those
categories.





Nouns
Pronouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs




Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections
And the intern (def: trainee) Articles
When you look at a sentence, you can break it apart are give a label to every word. While we admit, this probably
doesn’t sound like fun to many (okay, all) of you, it makes understanding grammar a whole lot easier.
So, what does each of the parts of speech do? We’re glad you asked!
 A noun is a naming word. It names a person, place, thing, idea, living creature, quality, or action.
Examples: cowboy, theatre, box, thought, tree, kindness, arrival
Look around the classroom. Write down four nouns.
1. _________________________
3. _________________________
2. _________________________
4. _________________________
 A pronoun is used instead of a noun, to avoid repeating the noun.
Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Take a look back at your list of four nouns. For each noun substitute an appropriate pronoun and write the pronouns
on the line below.
1. _________________________
3. _________________________
2. _________________________
4. _________________________
 A verb is a word that describes an action (doing something) or a state (being something).
Examples: walk, talk, think, believe, live, like, want
Take a look back at your list of four nouns. What could you do with or to your nouns? (e.g., I could open the door.)
On the lines below add four appropriate verbs to your list of four nouns.
1. N = _______________ V = _______________
3. N = _______________ V = _______________
2. N = _______________ V = _______________
4. N = _______________ V = _______________
 An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun. It tells you something about the noun or pronoun.
Examples: big, yellow, thin, amazing, beautiful, quick, important
Take a look back at your list of four nouns. How could you describe your nouns? (e.g., heavy door.) On the lines
below add four appropriate adjectives to your list of four nouns.
1. A = _______________ N = _______________
3. A = _______________ N = _______________
2. A = _______________ N = _______________
4. A = _______________ N = _______________
 An adverb is a word that usually describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It tells you how something is done.
It may also tell you when or where something happened. (Hint: Adverbs often, though not always, end in “-ly.”)
Examples: slowly, intelligently, well, yesterday, tomorrow, here, everywhere
Take a look back at your list of four nouns to which you added verbs. How could you describe the verbs? (e.g., I could
quickly open the door.) On the lines below add four appropriate adverbs to your list of four verbs and nouns.
1. N = __________ V = _________ A = _________
3. N = __________ V = _________ A = _________
2. N = __________ V = _________ A = _________
4. N = __________ V = _________ A = _________
 A preposition usually comes before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. It joins the noun to some other part of the
sentence.
Examples: on, in, by, with, under, through, at
Answer the following questions. Each response must begin with a preposition.
Where is the clock? _______________________________________________________________________________
Where should your backpack be? ____________________________________________________________________
Where is your agenda? ____________________________________________________________________________
 A conjunction joins two words, phrases, or sentences together.
Examples: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (Note: you can remember all the coordinating conjunctions using the acronym
[def: word formed from the first letter of words] F.A.N.B.O.Y.S.)
Take a look back at your list of four nouns. Write a sentence using two of those nouns and join them using a
coordinating conjunction. (Bonus points if you correctly include verbs, adjectives, and adverbs!)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
 An interjection is an unusual kind of word, because it often stands alone. Interjections are words that express
emotion or surprise, and they are usually followed by exclamation marks.
Examples: Ouch!, Hello!, Hurray!, Oh no!, Ha!, Yikes!
Take a look back at your list of four nouns. Write a sentence using at least one of those nouns, and begin your
sentence with an interjection. (Bonus points if you correctly include verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and a conjunction!)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
 An article is used to introduce a noun.
Examples: the, a, an (Note: this is the entire list of articles . . . yep, there are only three)
Take a look back at your list of four nouns. Rewrite them here adding an appropriate article before each.
1. A = _______________ N = _______________
3. A = _______________ N = _______________
2. A = _______________ N = _______________
4. A = _______________ N = _______________
Grammar Activity (Friday, 08/26): “Parts of Speech: Nouns”
You should remember from yesterday:
A noun is a _______________ word. It names a person, ___________, thing, _________, living creature,
quality, or action.
Examples: computer, sister, anxiety, love, email, New Jersey, pen, family, Hernandez
Common vs. Proper Nouns
Look at the list of example nouns above. Notice that some of the nouns start with capital letters, and some don’t. The
capitalization isn’t random, though.
Use capital letters for names, places, religions, nationalities, languages, organizations, and brand names (proper
nouns): Anna, Argentina, Abercrombie
Use lowercase letters for everything else (common nouns): friend, country, restaurant
Concrete vs. Abstract
Look at the following list of words:
Charlene
friend
laptop
home
love
anger
jealousy
flirtation
What do they all have in common? They’re all nouns. Each one of them is a person, place, thing, or idea.
Notice that the nouns in the first list (Charlene, friend, laptop, home) are very different from the nouns in the second list
(love, anger, jealousy, flirtation). The nouns in the first list are things you can reach out and touch. You can’t touch the
things in the second list. Nouns you can touch are called concrete nouns. Those you can’t touch are called abstract
nouns.
Directions: in the following four sentences, underline and then label each noun common (“C”) or proper (“P”). Finally,
further identify them as either a concrete noun (“CN”) or abstract noun (“AN”).
1. She doesn’t like to admit it to most people, but Lucy has a huge collection of stuffed animals she won at the Orange
County Fair.
2. I have lived in the city of Santa Ana my whole life.
3. My favorite television show, Modern Family, airs on ABC on Wednesday nights.
4. Rory loves social studies and Christiane Amanpour, and wants to be a CNN reporter so she can travel to exotic
countries like Ethiopia and Egypt.
Grammar Activity (Monday, 08/29): “Review Parts of Speech: Nouns”
Before you begin, carefully review yesterday’s activity and complete the following sentences.
Use ___________________ letters for names, places, religions, nationalities, languages,
organizations, and brand names because these are ______________ nouns.
Use _______________ letters for everything else because these are _______________ nouns.
Nouns you can ______________ are called _______________ nouns. Those you can’t touch are
called ________________ nouns.
Directions: Each of the following words is a noun. You will need to identify each noun as either common (“C”) or proper
(“P”), concrete noun (“CN”) and/or abstract noun (“AN”). Remember, most nouns will be more than one type.
1. Great Barrier Reef ______________
2. coral ______________
3. goals ______________
4. water ______________
5. crew ______________
6. Australia ______________
7. atolls (def: coral islands surrounding a lagoon) ______________
8. species ______________
9. research ______________
10. reef ______________
Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 08/30): “Parts of Speech: Pronouns”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
A pronoun is used _____________ of a __________, to avoid _______________ the noun.
Write down four pronouns you can remember: ___________________________________________________________
We use pronouns all the time to refer to specific people and things. We do this to avoid repeating ourselves. Take a
look:
Jacob is most girls’ favorite character in the Twilight series. Girls think Jacob is hot. Girls like Jacob more than
girls like Edward. Most girls are on Team Jacob.
That’s a lot of Jacobs (and girls), especially if you prefer Edward or can’t stand hearing any more about the Twilight
books. Here’s what it looks like when you make good use of pronouns:
Jacob is most girls’ favorite character in the Twilight series. They think he is hot. They like him more than they like
Edward. Most girls are on Team Jacob.
Personal pronouns can be divided into three groups: first person, second person, and third person. To understand
which pronoun to use when, you have to understand the point of view.
 First Person: I’m telling my story to you from my point of view (I, me, we, us, my, myself)
 Second Person: I’m addressing you and telling you what to do (you, your, yourself)
 Third Person: I’m describing things from a distance; I’m not involved, just telling the story (it, he, she, they, them,
him, her, himself, herself, themselves)
Demonstrative pronouns are like pointers; they are pronouns that point to specific nouns. There aren’t too many, but
they’re pretty important: this, that, these, those. (They can act like nouns or adjectives depending on how they’re used,
but we’ll worry more about that later.)
The pronouns we’ve reviewed up to this point have always referred to a specific noun in a sentence. But some pronouns
are not so clear. Sometimes you see a pronoun, but you don’t know to whom or to what it refers:
Why does Ashley have to like Pedro? Can’t she have a crush on someone else?
Who is “someone”? We don’t know, and that is what is called an indefinite pronoun (someone, both, nobody, all,
either, many, anyone, everything, some, something).
Warning: Use indefinite pronouns cautiously. If people don’t know what you’re talking about, why are they going to
care what you say? Always be specific!
Directions: Underline all of the pronouns in each of the following sentences. Then label each pronoun singular (“S”) or
plural (“P”). Label any demonstrative pronouns (“D”) and indefinite pronouns (“I”).
1. We talked all night about movies and music.
2. Has anyone read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird?
3. Walking along the beach, they saw three starfish washed up on the shore.
4. If he eats spicy food before going to sleep, he will have nightmares.
5. If you don’t stop doing that, you will hurt yourself.
6. I like my salad with its dressing on the side.
7. Someone’s car has a hole in its radiator; it is leaking fluid everywhere.
8. Many of the football players wanted their coach to go for a first down.
Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 08/31): “Pronoun Cases: I and Me”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but after yesterday, you
should be able to remember this on your own):
A _______________ is used instead of a __________, to ____________ repeating the __________.
Write down four pronouns (one must be demonstrative and one indefinite): ___________________________________
Knowing when to use the pronoun “I” and when to use “me” can be difficult, but a few tricks should be able to make it
easier. Here’s a poem we found to help:
Pronouns make my eyeballs blur—
He and she, him and her,
She and I, me and him—
My poor noggin starts to swim.
Subject, object, what to do?
Here’s a rhyme to help you through,
He can go with her and me
If she and I go to the sea.
Pronouns change case depending on how they are used in a sentence. There are three cases: nominative (used as
subjects), objective (used as indirect and direct objects, or objects of prepositions), and possessive (used to indicate
ownership). Now, if you understand all this (and eventually you will), great. If not, refer to the poem.
If you can substitute “he” or “her” in the sentence (and it makes grammatical sense), use “me.”
If you can substitute “him” or “she” in the sentence (and, again, it makes grammatical sense), use “I.”
Why do this? Good question. Rarely does anyone mess up he/her or him/she, so it’s a pretty good trick to make sure
you use the right word, “me” or “I.”
Directions: Using either the explanation about the three cases or the poem trick, choose the correct pronouns in the
sentences below. Circle the correct answer choice.
1. Both he and (I, me) are determined to speak and write well.
2. Our teachers offered him and (I, me) recommendations.
3. My dog plays more than (I, me).
4. Snooki and (I, me) ate all the dill pickles.
5. Thank you for giving Michael and (I, me) a ride to work.
6. Just between you and (I, me), I don’t think he’s a good friend.
7. Both my mom and (I, me) wanted to dance with my dad.
8. My mother wanted to dance more than (I, me).
9. Stephanie found out that Harlan and (I, me) are twins.
10. Do you want to go with (I, me)?
Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 09/06): “Parts of Speech: Verbs”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
A verb is a word that describes an _____________ (doing something) or a state (__________ something).
We will be spending a lot of time with verbs in the next unit, so this will be a quick review. It is important, however, that
you are easily able to recognize them; they’re in every sentence!
Action Verbs: For a sentence to be a sentence, people, places, things, or ideas (in other words, nouns) must act in some
way. What the nouns do can be physical or mental, but when an action takes place—like when someone is eating or
thinking or wondering—the verb is called an action verb.
Linking Verbs: Sometimes a verb doesn’t express an action, like in this sentence: Linda is intelligent. The verb “is” links
the two parts of the sentence together, but Linda isn’t doing anything. She’s not performing an activity. Instead, she’s
being something (intelligent). When a verb expresses being, it’s called a linking verb. Linking verbs are like an equals
sign in math. They connect the subject of a sentence (Linda) and another part of speech.
Helping Verbs: Some verbs don’t show action or being. Instead, they help other verbs shift into certain tenses (like
present tense, future tense . . . don’t worry we’re not going to talk about that today). Verbs that help other verbs are
called helping verbs (I had helped Sara with her homework; Daniel will like the cookies).
Directions: Read each of the following sentences and underline the verbs. Don’t forget to underline linking and helping
verbs; they count too!
1. Kara and Tara’s friendship has lasted through thick and thin.
2. Until Kara met Tara, she had no genuine best friend.
3. Kara thought she knew what made a friendship, but she was wrong.
4. One of her friends from middle school, Jessica, cheered her up when she failed a quiz and consoled her when her
pet rat died, but it was not the same.
5. In October Kara and Tara will have been friends for two years.
6. Their friendship is still going strong.
7. If you know Kara and Tara, you know how great their friendship is.
8. Now they use the word “friend” more selectively.
9. If you have just a few great friends in life, you should consider yourself lucky.
10. Have you had a great friend?
Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 09/07): “Parts of Speech: Adjectives”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
An adjective is a word that ______________ a ________ or a pronoun. It tells you something __________ the
noun or the ________________.
Adjectives give extra information about nouns and pronouns in three ways: by describing, identifying, and quantifying.
Describing adjectives do exactly what their name suggests: they describe the noun or pronoun. They answer the
question “What kind?” (red sweater, terrible secret) They usually come before the noun/pronoun they modify, but they
can also rename the subject of a sentence or appear after a linking verb connecting them to their noun (George is
adorable. Rose is lucky. ). When they come after a linking verb, they’re called predicate adjectives, but you don’t need
to worry about that . . . yet.
Identifying adjectives can help you identify exactly what you’re talking about (I want that one. Those are the answers to
the grammar activity. This is not the homework assignment.)
Quantifying adjectives sound mathematical because they are (sort of). They answer the question “How many?” (several
cookies, a few tardies).
Directions: For each of the following sentences underline the adjectives. Above the word label it describing (“D”),
identifying (“I”), or quantifying (“Q”).
1. Many Caribbean countries are troubled.
2. Pale North Americans and Europeans enjoy these warm havens during their hemisphere’s long, cold winters.
3. All residents of the Caribbean, however, must deal with this natural hazard: hurricanes.
4. In addition, individual islands have their own dilemmas.
5. One Caribbean island, Anguilla, has no arable [def: land that can be used for growing crops] land, so crops do not
grow.
6. Its economic health depends heavily on the tourist industry.
7. The small island of Montserrat is highly subject to volcanic explosions.
8. Continued eruptions have left half the island uninhabitable.
9. The poorest country is Haiti. Those people have suffered so much.
10. Many residents of Haiti were left with nothing after the hurricane last year.
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 09/08): “Parts of Speech: Adverbs”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
An adverb is a word that usually describes a _____________, an adjective, or another _______________. It
tells you ________ something is done. It may also tell you ________ or ____________ something happened.
Adjectives give extra information about nouns and pronouns, but if you need to give extra information about another
part of speech, you’ll need to call in an adverb. Adverbs answer the question “How?”
Adverbs can be catalogued in four basic ways: time, place, manner, and degree.
Time: these adverbs tell when, how often, and how long (today, yesterday, weekly, briefly)
Place: these adverbs tell where, to where, and from where (here, there, nearby, forward)
Manner: these adverbs often end in “-ly” and tell how something is done (slowly, precisely, well)
Degree: these adverbs tell how much or how little (substantially, greatly, partly, too)
Directions: Underline all the adverbs in the following narrative. Hint: there are 26 adverbs (12 in the first paragraph, 14
in the second).
It was so hot! We sweated as we marched slowly under the scorching sun. Our wool band uniforms grew heavier
and heavier, clinging more and more tightly to our bodies. Suddenly, the tuba player fell backward. Several paramedics
rushed to him and quickly moved him to the sideline. Still we marched on, regally and precisely.
Then, a flute player fell down. The front three rows marched away because they had not seen the girl faint. The
rest of the band stopped, however. Watching the chaos, the band director blew his whistle sharply. Now the front rows
stopped abruptly—a half-dozen paces away. Several parents began vigorously fanning the flute player. The band
director told us to take off our jackets and hats. We laid them neatly on the curb. Firefighters and paramedics began
passing cups of water around. Finally, the flute player revived and someone carefully helped her to the shade.
Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 09/13): “Parts of Speech: Prepositions”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
A preposition usually comes ____________ a noun, _____________, or noun phrase. It __________ the
noun to some other part of the sentence.
Prepositions introduce prepositional phrases, which contain nouns and, sometimes, adjectives. A prepositional phrase,
like an adjective or adverb, modifies (def: changes, usually by adding information) another word in a sentence, usually a
noun or a verb. Prepositions answer questions like “Where?,” “When?,” and “How so?”
Directions: Underline all of the prepositions in each of the following sentences. To help you in your search, at the end of
the sentence we have included the number of prepositions you should identify.
1. The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago, Illinois, remains one of the world’s tallest buildings since its
completion on 3 May 1973. (4)
2. At a height of 1,450 feet, it held the record as the tallest building for 25 years. (4)
3. If spread across a single level, the building’s 4.56 million square feet would cover 105 acres. (1)
4. Miles of electrical wiring (1,500) and plumbing (25) run through the tower. (2)
5. An elevator system with 104 cars services the 110 floors above three lower levels. (2)
6. Each floor is divided into 75-square-foot column-free modules. (1)
7. The building’s base has nine modules, several of which terminate at different levels, leaving two at the top. (3)
8. A restaurant on the 99th floor offers breathtaking views in all directions. (2)
Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 09/14): “Parts of Speech: Conjunctions”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
A conjunction __________ two words, ____________, or sentences together.
There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating, correlative, and subordinating.
A coordinating conjunction usually connects a word to a word, a phrase to a phrase, a clause to a clause. A coordinating
conjunction coordinates because it joins parts of sentences that are equal. There are not too many coordinating
conjunctions, so it’s a good idea to memorize them (remember, FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions used in pairs. These pairs are inseparable: you can’t have one without the
other, and you can’t mix them (either, or; neither, nor; not only, but also; both, and; whether, or).
Subordinating conjunctions connect two clauses that are not equally important, thereby showing the relationship
between them (this creates a complex sentence (joining together an independent and dependent clause), but you don’t
need to worry about that here). Here are just a few (there are many): after, although, as if, as though, because, before,
if, provided that, since, so that, though, unless, until, when, where, while.
Directions: Underline the conjunction(s) in each of the following sentences. On the line at the end of the sentence,
indicate whether the conjunction is coordinating, correlative, or subordinating.
1. I have the ball and bat in my garage. _____________________
2. Where do you think you’re going with my bat and ball? _____________________
3. Despite spending summers on the shores of Lake Michigan, I have learned neither to swim nor to sail.
_____________________
4. After going to the NBA Finals, I wanted a basketball hoop in my backyard. _____________________
5. That bee nearly stung you while you weren’t looking. _____________________
6. I think we can see both the Badlands in Nebraska and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming during our two-week
vacation. _____________________
7. I will not eat mashed potatoes with gravy after the gravy gets cold. _____________________
8. I’ll go to the store while you’re watching a movie. _____________________
9. Jaden will have to go home before the game is over if he doesn’t want to get in trouble. _____________________
10. I went through the tunnel and into the water to retrieve my hat. _____________________
11. My, you have grown since I last saw you! _____________________
12. My brother threw three touchdown passes, but we still lost the game. _____________________
13. I don’t want to hear about any problems you had with the babysitter while I was gone. _____________________
14. I burned my tongue when I took the first bite of pizza. _____________________
15. The Pony Express riders made their deliveries whether it snowed or not. _____________________
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 09/15): “Parts of Speech: Interjections and Articles”
You may need to review the grammar activity from 08/25 to complete the following statement (but we’re hoping you’ll
be able to remember it on your own):
An interjection is an unusual kind of ___________, because it often stands __________. Interjections are
words that express ____________ or surprise, and they are usually followed by ________________ marks.
An article is used to _____________ a __________.
Interjections express emotion, but not all emotion needs to be expressed the same. To express strong emotion, or to be
particularly emphatic (def: showing emphasis grammatically), use an exclamation mark. To be less intense, punctuate
your interjection with a comma.
There are only three articles (a, an, the), and they can be divided into two types: definite and indefinite. “The” is a
definite article, that is, you use it before a specific noun (the computer, the keys). “A” and “an” are indefinite articles,
that is, you use them when the noun isn’t so specific (a problem, an annoyance). When do you use “a” and when do
you use “an”? Good question. Whenever a noun begins with a consonant, you use “a,” when the noun begins with a
vowel, you use “an.”
Directions: Underline the interjections and circle the articles in the following sentences. Note: not all sentences contain
both interjections and articles.
1. Step behind the line so that you can shoot the free throw.
2. Yikes! What’s that, a spider?
3. Since you seem to have an answer, you do it.
4. Good grief! Both the emu and the ostrich are born with spindly (def: skinny) legs.
5. “Hey, Rita!” Dave called as he saw Rita limping toward him on crutches.
6. Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.
7. Wow! This grammar is easy.
8. I’m becoming a grammarian.
9. Mrs. DeVries likes the vanilla lattes at Starbucks.
10. Geez! Ms. Handley types fast on the computer.
Grammar Activity (Friday, 09/16): “Parts of Speech Review: Putting it all Together”
Let’s see what you’ve learned so far. In the sentences below identify the correct part of speech for each of the
underlined words. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. This summer I’m going on a backpacking trip with
my friend Aaron and his dad.
a. Noun; preposition; noun
b. Adjective; conjunction; noun
c. Adverb; verb; pronoun
d. Adjective; interjection; article
2. We’re going to hike through Yellowstone National
Park for five days.
a. Conjunction; adverb
b. Verb; noun
c. Preposition; adjective
d. Pronoun; noun
3. Backpacking is a lot like camping, but you have to
carry everything you need while you hike.
a. Adverb; article; noun
b. Conjunction; article; interjection
c. Pronoun; conjunction; verb
d. Preposition; conjunction; pronoun
4.
Aaron has been backpacking before, so last
weekend he helped me load my new backpack so I
could practice using it.
a. Verb; adverb; noun; pronoun
b. Verb; adjective; adjective; noun
c. Noun; conjunction; noun; preposition
d. Noun; preposition; adverb; conjunction
5. The first thing we packed was clothing, including a
warm sweater and jeans for when we go up into the
mountains—it gets cold there!
a. Noun; adverb; conjunction; preposition
b. Pronoun; adjective; verb; adverb
c. Article; adjective; adverb; interjection
d. Pronoun; noun; conjunction; adverb
6. Next I added a small bag with my flashlight, my
toothbrush, and some sunscreen.
a. Adverb; noun; conjunction; conjunction
b. Noun; adjective; adverb; preposition
c. Verb; adjective; preposition; conjunction
d. Conjunction; noun; verb; article
7. Then I attached my sleeping bag to the bottom of
the pack.
a. Verb; pronoun; preposition
b. Adjective; noun; conjunction
c. Verb; article; preposition
d. Adverb; pronoun; noun
8. I will have to carry more than just my personal gear,
though.
a. Verb; adjective; adverb
b. Verb; adverb; noun
c. Adjective; conjunction; pronoun
d. Adjective; adverb; conjunction
9. Our camp stove and a big cooking pot went into my
pack next.
a. Noun; article; preposition; adverb
b. Adverb; conjunction; noun; adjective
c. Verb; preposition; adjective; conjunction
d. Pronoun; conjunction; adjective;
preposition
a. Adverb; noun; adjective
b. Preposition; verb; article
10. They’re really heavy, but Aaron has to carry
something even heavier: our tent.
c. Interjection; adjective; pronoun
d. Conjunction; verb; adverb
a. Adjective; pronoun; verb; adverb
b. Adverb; noun; verb; noun
12. When we go up into the mountains, we will have to
adjust to the higher elevations.
c. Conjunction; pronoun; adverb; adjective
d. Noun; adjective; adverb; pronoun
11. Though I don’t think I’ll be able to make it for long,
Aaron says I’ll be walking around easily once I get
used to the pack on my shoulders.
a. Preposition; noun; adverb
b. Conjunction; pronoun; adjective
c. Adverb; adjective; noun
d. Noun; conjunction; verb
Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 09/20):”The Basic Sentence”
We’re going to start building on your knowledge of the parts of speech by taking a look at the next grammatical step:
sentences. The basic sentence is composed of a subject and a predicate (also known as a verb). Now, you should
already be familiar with this, but just in case your grammatical memory isn’t what it should be:
The subject is the part of the sentence about which something is said. The subject is always a noun; a pronoun; or a
word, clause, or phrase that functions as a noun (don’t worry about this last part right now).
The predicate is the part of the sentence that shows action or says something about the subject, that is, it is the
sentence’s verb.
1. Look at the following groups of words; circle the letters of those you believe form complete sentences.
a. Teenagers work.
b. Many teenagers work after school.
c. Many teenagers work after school to earn spending money.
2. In each of the sentences above underline the word that acts as each sentence’s subject once, underline the
word(s) that act as the sentences’ verb (predicate) twice.
3. Look at the following groups of words; circle the letters of those you believe form complete sentences.
a. They are.
b. They are students.
c. They are students hoping to succeed in college.
4. In each of the sentences above underline the word that acts as each sentence’s subject once, underline the
word(s) that act as the sentences’ verb (predicate) twice.
Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 09/21): “Sentence Structure”
Sentence structure refers to the way sentences are built using words, phrases (word groups without subjects and
verbs), and clauses (word groups with subjects and verbs). Clauses are the most important because they make
statements—they tell who did what (or what something is) in a sentence.
1. Look at the following sentence:
We bought oranges at the farmer’s market on Main Street.
Which of the words tell who? _____ What did “who” do? ______________________. Put this together
___________________________________________________________________. This is the sentence’s clause.
Which groups of words tell us where we did something? ________________________________. This is a
phrase. We can leave phrases out of a sentence (because they don’t have a subject and verb) and still have a
sentence, but we cannot leave a clause out of a sentence and still have a sentence. When a “sentence” is
missing its clause, it is called a fragment.
2. Look at the following “sentences”; circle the letters of those you believe to be sentences and underline those
you believe to be fragments. For the sentences, above what you consider to be the subject of the sentence,
write “S”; above the verb, write “V.”
a. Wandering around the mall all afternoon.
b. The neighborhood cat sat on my porch.
c. She beat me at Wii tennis.
d. Because I tried to do too many things at once.
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 09/22): “Identifying Subjects and Verbs”
All sentences must have a subject (a noun or pronoun) and a predicate (verb) and express a complete thought. For the
sentences below, underline the subject once and the predicate twice. Remember these tips as you look for the subject
and predicate. When looking for the subject, ask yourself, “Who or what is this sentence about?” When looking for the
predicate, remember that it is a verb, and a verb is “what you do.”
1. Many aspects of daily life depend upon electricity.
2. Electricity is a basic part of the matter in the universe.
3. In the human body, electrical signals carry information to and from the brain.
4. Electrical signals tell the brain what the eyes see, what the ears hear, and what the fingers feel.
5. The brain, using electrical signals, tells muscles to move.
6. During the 1800s, people learned to use electricity to do work.
7. Soon inventors learned to generate electrical energy in large quantities.
8. Electricity has many practical applications.
9. Lighting, one practical application, has changed the way people live.
10. Without electricity, modern manufacturing would be impossible.
Now it’s your turn. Write your own sentence (it doesn’t have to be about electricity); underline the subject once and the
predicate twice. Now here’s the tricky part: you can’t cheat and use a predicate (verb) from the sentences above. Be
original!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grammar Activity (Friday, 09/23): “Recognizing Subjects”
Once you have located the verbs in sentences, it’s easier to find the subjects—the words that tell who or what does the
action or the form of be in the verbs.
1. Use the time test to find the verb; change the sentence to another time.
a. Alicia swims a mile every lunch hour.
b. (last year) Alicia _____________ a mile every lunch hour.
To show the change in time, or tense, we changed the verb.
2. Once you have found the verb, you can locate the subject of the verb by asking yourself:
a. Who or what ________?
(verb)
b. Who or what _______ a mile at every lunch hour?
(verb)
c. The answer is ___________, so __________ is the subject of the verb ____________.
3. Use the two steps to identify the subject and verb in each of the following sentences.
a. Most people work in conventional occupations, like accounting, teaching, or retail sales.
 (five years ago) Most people _____________ in conventional occupations, like
accounting, teaching or retail sales.
 Who or what __________?
(verb)
Verb =
Subject =
b. Some people have more interesting careers.
 (20 years ago)
 Who or what __________?
Subject =
Verb =
c. They become chefs, lawyers, or circus performers.
 (back then)
 Who or what ___________?
Verb =
Subject =
Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 09/27): “Finding Subjects and Verbs”
Using the tricks of the two steps you learned yesterday, identify the subjects and verbs in each sentence below.
Underline the subject once and the predicate (verb) twice.
1. Many people saw the movie The Dark Knight.
2. It was one of the highest earning films ever.
3. The movie followed the battle between Batman and the Joker.
4. Christopher Nolan directed the film.
5. Audiences loved the way Heath Ledger acted in the role of the Joker.
6. Even people who don’t like the Batman series seemed to enjoy this movie.
Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 09/28): “Finding Subjects and Verbs”
Using the tricks of the two steps, identify the subjects and verbs in each sentence below. Underline the subject once and
the verb twice. (Hint: some sentences have more than one verb.)
1. Travelers often carry food and other products from one country to another.
2. They ride trains or take planes to their new destinations.
3. Customs officials check passengers for illegal foods or other contraband.
4. Sometimes, customs officers catch smugglers of very unusual items.
5. One woman from Australia made the news recently.
6. There were two odd things about her skirt.
7. It looked very puffy and made a sloshing noise.
8. Customs officers found fifty-one live tropical fish in an apron under her skirt.
9. The apron had special pockets and held fifteen plastic bags.
10. Officials arrested the woman and confiscated her cargo.
Source: Underwatertimes.com, June 6, 2005 (Yes, this is a true story.)