Warm Up Sentences
Quarter 1
Bell-Ringers: Sentence Fix Ups
Read
the sentence--write a correction in
your notebook. Be
prepared to explain
your revision
decisions.
Warm Up Sentence #1
swimming desperate
to reach the shore a
light was seen in the
distance
Word Challenge for the Day

What do the following words have in common?
Assess
Banana
Dresser
Grammar
Potato
Revive
Uneven
Voodoo
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Hint
It is more than having letters repeated in each one...
Hide
Show Hint
Answer
If you take the first letter and move it to the rear of the word, you get the same
word when read backwards.
Hide
Show Answer
Corrected:
Swimming desperately
to reach the shore, Bob
saw a light in the
distance. (active vs.
passive voice)
Warm Up Sentence #2
put small dry twigs at
the bottom of a fire
that makes it easier to
start the fire said juan
ortiz our counselor
Optical Illusion Challenge
 How
many legs does this elephant have?
Corrected:
"Put small, dry twigs
at the bottom of a fire
to make it easier to
start," said Juan Ortiz,
our counselor.
(appositive)
The Appositive
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An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right
beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look at
these examples:
The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen
table.
The insect, a large cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen
table.
The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling
across the kitchen table.
The insect, a large, hairy-legged cockroach that has spied
my bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the kitchen table.
Here are more examples:
During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the table,
spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano.
Genette's bedroom desk, the biggest disaster area in the house, is a collection
of overdue library books, dirty plates, computer components, old mail, cat hair,
and empty potato chip bags.
Reliable, Diane's eleven-year-old beagle, chews holes in the living room
carpeting as if he were still a puppy.




Punctuate the appositive
correctly.
The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive
is always separated from the rest of the sentence with
comma(s).
 When the appositive begins the sentence, it looks like this:
A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and
tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
 When the appositive interrupts the sentence, it looks like this:
Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and
tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
 And when the appositive ends the sentence, it looks like this:
Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hottempered tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to
crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
Appositive? Or Appositive
Phrase?
1. The boys repaired our television set, an eighteen-year-old
portable.
2. The poem, one of Robert Frost's best, is called "The Death of
the Hired Man."
3. I can't find my notebook, the one I use for history class.
4. Dick's new suit, a gray flannel one, makes him look much
older.
5. We enjoy walking, an exercise which requires no great skill.
6. The theater, an old and drafty one, is nevertheless always
crowded.
7. My math teacher, Miss Holmes, has taught for twenty years.
8. The garage, a two-car one, is attached to the house.
9. James Hilton's book, Lost Horizon, has been filmed twice
if you have either a
yardstick or a
measuring tape said
mr dixon bring them
tomorrow
Warm Up Sentence #3
Corrected:
“If you have either a
yardstick or a
measuring tape,"
said Mr. Dixon, "bring
it tomorrow."
Other options… “ …” / “ ‘ …’”
 Can
you believe that Mr. Dixon said, “If
you have a yardstick bring it tomorrow”?
(punctuating the entire sentence--quotation is inside)
 Sally complained to me, “I can’t believe
that Mr. Dixon said, ‘bring it tomorrow.’”
(Sally is quoting Mr. Dixon—single quotation
mark inside double)
Check for understanding…
Is the following sentence in active or passive
voice?:
Notes were taken from powerpoint or teacher to be
stored in personal folders.
 What is the appositive in the following sentence:
A hot-tempered tennis player Robbie charged the
umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with
a racket.
 What do we call written conversation in a text?
________________.

Change the passive voice to
My life has been changed by many different things. I remember when I
active:
learned that there was no Santa Claus. I was told by my friend Clive to wait
Flopsy
up for Santa, and I did, but Santa never came. Instead, I saw my parents, tired
and frazzled, slink down the stairs and lazily pile presents under the tree. My
faith was shaken. There was no Santa. I also remember when my younger
brother unmade the bed after I had made it up. I got so mad at him that he
was picked up by the collar of his Spider-Man pajamas and thrown across the
room by me. The nightstand was hit by his head, and his red and blue Spidey
p.j.s were stained a darker red by his blood. I was so sorry. I was taught to
control my anger by this event, and I was also reminded how much I loved my
little brother.
There are many more events that changed my life, but my life
was most changed by my little stuffed bunny, Flopsy. Flopsy was given to me
on Easter by my parents. He was pink and had funny, floppy ears and a cute
white cottontail. Of all his parts, his fluffy tail was loved most by me. He was
carried wherever I went. He was taken to breakfast, on the bus, to school, to
the playground, to dinner, and to bed. He was taken everywhere. He was a
well-loved little bunny, and he was loved most by me.


Active voice= direct, more
Many different things have changed my life. I remember when I
lively
learned
that there was no Santa Claus. My friend Clive told me to
wait up for Santa, and I did, but Santa never came. Instead, I saw
my parents, tired and frazzled, slink down the stairs and lazily pile
presents under the tree. That event shook my faith. There was no
Santa. I also remember when my younger brother unmade the
bed after I had made it up. I got so mad at him that I picked him
up by the collar of his Spider-Man pajamas and threw him across
the room. His head hit the nightstand, and his blood stained his red
and blue Spidey p.j.s a darker red. I was so sorry. This event taught
me to control my anger and also reminded me how much I loved
my little brother.
There are many more events that changed my life, but my little
stuffed bunny, Flopsy, changed it the most. My parents gave
Flopsy to me on Easter. He was pink and had funny, floppy ears
and a cute white cottontail. Of all his parts, I loved his fluffy tail the
most. I carried him wherever I went. I took him to breakfast, on
the bus, to school, to the playground, to dinner, and to bed. I took
him everywhere. He was a well-loved little bunny, and I loved him
the most.
Which woman do YOU see?
Stroop Effect
Try to say the color of the words, instead of actually reading them. You will find
it surprisingly difficult. The right half of your brain is trying to say the colors, the
left half is trying to say the word itself. This picture brain teaser is used by
mountaineers to test if their concentration is ok. (by J. R. Stroop).
More Trivia

Question
What is so fragile that when you say its name you break it?
Question
Forward I am heavy, backwards I am not. What am I?
Question
What object has keys that open no locks, space but no room, and you
can enter but not go in?
Question
I have five letters.
If you take the first and last ones I will still be the same.
Even if you take the middle letter I will be the same as before.
What am I?
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/word-brain-teasers.html
Warm Up Sentence
#4: Fix this!
before them girls may play said
coach pasternak they hafta
meet the requirements in the
manual
Corrected
“Before those girls
may play,” said Coach
Pasternak, “they have
to meet the
requirements in the
manual.”
WU#5--Revise for
Grammar/Usage
donna did mr ecklund
require your class to
read the short story
flight to freedom
bridget asked
Corrected
"Donna, did Mr. Ecklund
require your class to
read the short story
'Flight to Freedom’?"
Bridget asked.
Titles and Punctuation
 Short
Stories— “quotation marks”
 Poems-- “quotation marks”
 Plays —underline or italicize
 Movies —underline or italicize
 Television Programs —underline or italicize
 Episodes on television “quotation marks”
 Songs “quotation marks”
 CDs/Albums —underline or italicize
WU#6—Revise for
Grammar/Usage
the macaroni and cheese was made by saras mom for
the party, the dish was liked by every one at the
party
Corrected
Sara’s
mom made the macaroni
and cheese for the party;
everyone liked the dish.
or
Everyone at the party liked the
macaroni and cheese dish that
Sara’s mom made.
run-ons or fused and comma
splice ppt.pps
 Comma
splice— two independent
clauses separated by a comma when a
semi-colon, period, or additional
coordinating conjunction is needed.
 Fused sentence (also known as a “Run
on”) two or more independent clauses in
a sentence that are not separated by any
punctuation, but that should be.
Fix This! WU #7
a plaque at riverside park
bears this quotation form
thoreaus book walden that
man is the richest whose
pleasures are cheapest
Corrected:

A plaque at Riverside
Park bears this quotation
from Thoreau's book
Walden: "That man is the
richest whose pleasures
are the cheapest."
Use a Colon :
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After an independent clause that precedes a list.

The use of these punctuation marks often confuses students: comma, semicolon, colon, hyphen, and
dash.

The Stearns County Theatrical Company announces the opening of the following plays: Lear, May 10th;
Death of a Salesman, June 15th; and Camelot, August 20th.

There are three historical sources of belief: reason or intellect, custom or habit,and inspiration.
To separate an explanation, rule, or example from a preceding independent clause.
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After a sleepless night, the senator made her decision: she would not seek re-election.
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Music is more than a mechanical arrangement of sounds: it is an expression of deep feeling and ethical
values.

A way to remember which direction to move the hands of the clock when changing to or from Daylight
Savings Time: spring forward, fall back.
After the salutation of a business letter.

Dear Mr. Peterson:

Dear Faculty Member:
In the heading of a business memo.

TO:

SUBJECT:
Between the hour and the minutes.

5:30 p.m.

3:00 a.m.
Between the chapter and the verse in the Bible, in citations for some literary works, and between the volume
and the number of some publications.

Genesis 1:18-20

Part 3:121

Vol. 2:34
As part of a title.

Grey Power: A Practical Survival Handbook for Senior Citizens.
In a bibliography between the place of publication and the name of the publisher.

Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1966.
WU #8 Revise for
Grammar/Usage
somebody must of
lent my brother in
laws ladder it weren't
in the garage
fragment, fused, comma
splice, complete sentence?
Corrected:
Somebody must have
borrowed my brother-inlaw's ladder; it wasn't in the
garage.
Was the sentence before an example
of comma splice or fused?
run-ons or fused and comma
splice ppt.pps
 Comma
splice— two independent
clauses separated by a comma when a
semi-colon, period, or additional
coordinating conjunction is needed.
 Fused sentence (also known as a “Run
on”) two or more independent clauses in
a sentence that are not separated by any
punctuation, but that should be.
WU #9
camping near lake
george we went fishing
in the lake have taken
many hikes and we like
to explore in the area
Verb Tense and Consistency
Went fishing past tense
2.
Have taken many hikes past perfect tense
3.
Like to explore present tense
 Went fishing
 Went hiking
 Went exploring—too many “wents”
Fishing, hiking, exploring
Fished, hiked, explored
Fish, hike, and explore
1.
Corrected:
Camping near Lake
George, we fished, hiked,
and explored the area.
Smiley-face technique? ____________
WU # 10 – Fix this!
he hasnt never showed
much self reliance or
had growed much
from his experiences
Corrected:
He has never shown
much self-reliance
or grown much
from his
experiences.
The dreaded double
negative--

Incorrect
He can't convince no one to go with him.

Correct




He can convince no one to go with him.
He can't convince anyone to go with him.
Incorrect
I haven't never gone to the circus.

Correct


I have never gone to the circus.
I haven't ever gone to the circus.
Correct These Please
 Once
he gets going, there isn't nothing
that can stop him.
 Once he gets going, there isn’t anything
that can stop him.
 I've
tried to go with him, but I can't hardly
keep up.
Warm Up Sentence # 11
ms ruffalo shouldnt of left
mr logan buy that
computer she is
president of design
international
Corrected:


Ms. Ruffalo, president
of Design International,
shouldn't have let Mr.
Logan buy that
computer.
What is the term between parentheses?
Warm Up #12
justin was reflecting
back on his career in
music entertainment
and then justin thanks
every one who he had
been associated with
Avoid ending with a
preposition
Where
are you at?
Where are you?
What suitcase should I
use to put my clothes
into?
Into what suitcase
Corrected
Reflecting on his
entertainment career,
Justin thanked everyone
with whom he had been
associated.
How to identify?

links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a
sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition
introduces is called the object of the preposition.
 The
book is on the table. The book is
beneath the table. The book is leaning
against the table. The book is beside the
table. She held the book over the table. She
read the book during class.

is the noun—ON is the preposition --and TABLE is the object of the preposition
BOOK
Prepositions show “position”
or relationship
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
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





aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
anti
around
as
at
before
behind
below

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










beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by
concerning
considering
despite
down
during
except
excepting
excluding
following
















for
from
in
inside
into
like
minus
near
of
off
on
onto
opposite
outside
over
past
















per
plus
regarding
round
save
since
than
through
to
toward
towards
under
underneath
unlike
until
up






upon
versus
via
with
within
without
Prepositions: words that
indicate “position” or
relationship
 common

prepositions are
about, above, across, after, against, along,
among, around, at, before, behind, below,
beneath, beside, between, beyond, but,
by, despite, down, during, except, for, from,
in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto,
out, outside, over, past, since, through,
throughout, till, to, toward, under,
underneath, until, up, upon, with, within,
and without.
Warm Up # 13
my mother she is the
person who you
must ask for a copy
of the book careers
in computers
Corrected

My mother is the
person whom you
must ask for a copy of
the book Careers in
Computers.
Is it Who? Or Whom?
RULE.
Use the he/him
method to decide
which word is correct.
he = who
him = whom
How to Decide?
WHO
he
she
they
WHOM
him
her
them
“he owns it” “it belongs to
him”
Tom is the one I _____ I will
meet.
Switch it around and ask
yourself: I am meeting ….?
•
•
I will meet he at the game.
(sounds incorrect)
I will meet him at the game.
(much better!)
Him sounds better, so choose
WHOM
For who/whom should I vote
for president?
Should I vote for he?
(nah….doesn’t sound right)
Should I vote for him? (yes,
sounds like a plan!)
For whom should I vote for
president?
(Who or Whom) ____________
Did
him write the letter?
(sounds
Did
wrote the letter?
weird)
he write the letter?
(sounds
ok)
Who wrote the letter?
(Correct!)
Test Yourself. Who or whom?
Whomever? Whoever?
A prank was pulled on a student {____ I
know quite well}.
 When the going gets tough,{ _______
are you going to call}?*
 To _______ am I speaking? (switch to sent)
 {________ we elect for president} will be in
office for the next four years.

*Ghost-busters!!
Who or Whom?
Whoever? Whomever?
 One
trick: [Isolate the phrase that includes the
who/whom]
Ask yourself if the phrase (JUST the phrase) would
sound better with the subjective form (he, she, we,
they, I) or the objective case (him, her, us, them,
me)?
We will be kind to [_ whoever____ knocks on our door.]
she knocks; he knocks; we knock
 Another: If the sentence itself sounds good without
any pronoun, it is generally WHOM
Tom is the student ( whom ) the teachers picked as
outstanding.
Warm Up# 14
the guidence counseler made a
suggestion that seniors who
are graduating should submit
early applications to the
colleges of there choices
(21 wds)
Corrected
The
guidance counselor
suggested that graduating
seniors should apply early to
the colleges of their choice.*
*…their top colleges. (14)
*. . . their chosen colleges.
(16 wds) *. . .their preferred colleges.
What is a Nominalization?

Nominalization – a noun derived from a verb
or adjective, such as determination from
determine

In general, try to avoid these and choose the
stronger verb form to be concise

Made a suggestion= suggested
Should submit early applications= apply early

Active, strong verbs and
adjectives
Analysis
Suggestion
Analyze
Suggest
Conclusion
Conclude
Carelessness
Difficulty
Careless
Difficult
Try it…
 It
was the intention of the steering
committee to interview all candidates
face to face.
 The
steering committee intended to
interview all candidates personally.
Warm Up # 15

wandering around in a
daze, and blabbering
incoherantly the
paramedic made the
decision that the
motorcycle accident
victim is in shock
Revised
The
paramedic decided
the motorcycle accident
victim, wandering around
in a daze and blabbering
incoherently, was in shock.
Participle (the –ing word
modifying the noun---acts as a
modifier---thus, D.M.
 Building
blocks:
A participle is an '-ing' word that modifies
a noun. Quite often, words that end in 'ing' are the present participles of verbs,
such as swimming, talking, laughing, and
so on.
 A participle can be part of a larger
phrase, called a participial phrase, that
modifies a noun.
Quick rules:
 The
participial phrase should be
followed by a comma and then
by the noun that's being
modified.
 When
singing a tune, I often close
my eyes


That noun must be the subject of the main clause.
When the participial phrase does not modify the
subject, we say that it is dangling.
When singing a tune, the music is sweetly flowing.
Misplaced (or dangling)
Modifiers
A.K.A. Dangling/misplaced participial phrases -ing
 After following the vision program for two weeks,
my doctor told me that my eyesight had
improved.
THINK:
Who’s? following the vision program?
Are you or is the Doc?
Make sure your modifying participial phrase is close
to its antecedent
Let's break down Ted's
sentence.


After getting kicked off the basketball team, the mall
became Jake's new favorite hangout.
As the sentence is written now, the subject of the main
clause seems to be 'the mall.' Ted's teacher asked if malls
could dribble and shoot (heh heh) because this sentence
implies that the mall got kicked off the basketball team.
Correction: Sentences with dangling participles usually
require some reworking. Here are two alternatives:


After getting kicked off the basketball team, Jake started
hanging out at the mall.
The mall became Jake's new favorite hangout after he got
kicked off the basketball team.
http://www.methodist.edu/english/dd_index.htm
Warm Up Sentence #16
looking for my assignment it
was found that someone
sat it under a pile of house
beautiful magazines
Corrected
Looking for my
assignment, I found
that someone had set
it under a pile of
House Beautiful
magazines.
http://www.chompchomp.co
m/rules/csfsrules.htm
 Anne
enjoyed her high school reunion she
hadn't seen her old friends in over ten
years.
 Comma splice? Fragment? Fused?
Complete?
Anne enjoyed her high school reunion,
she hadn't seen her old friends in over ten
years.
Comma splice? Fragment? Fused?
Complete?
Warm Up Sentence #17
our
neighbors left us
see pictures of there
photo safari in africa
they plan to return
back there soon
Options for CS and Fusion
Errors


He has completed his research, he will not report
his findings to class today. (CS—incorrect)
He has completed his research he will not report
his findings to class today. (FS—incorrect)



He has completed his research, so he will report his
findings to class today.
He has completed his research, but he will not
report his findings to class today.
He has completed his research; he will report his
findings to class today.
(All of these are grammatically correct, but context
and purpose dictate which works best.)
Corrected (wordiness/fused
error)
Our
neighbors let us
see pictures of their
photo safari in
Africa; they plan to
return soon.
The tricky thing to remember is that comma splices and fused sentences
can appear in a longer string of sentences with other punctuation. me more
examples below.

Comma splice:
To get ready for the party, Sharon baked cookies and brownies
until she thought her oven would explode, finally, she cleaned
the kitchen, satisfied that the goodies would be a hit.
Fused sentence:
To get ready for the party, Sharon baked cookies and brownies
until she thought her oven would explode finally, she cleaned
the kitchen, satisfied that the goodies would be a hit.
Correct grammar:
"To get ready for the party, Sharon baked cookies and
brownies until she thought her oven would explode. Finally, she
cleaned the kitchen, satisfied that the goodies would be a hit."
WU # 18
the corruption of the
church during the middle
ages is illustrated by
chaucer in the pardoners
tale who uses allegorical
references
Corrected
Chaucer uses allegorical
references to illustrate the
corruption of the church
during the Middle Ages in
the “Pardoner’s Tale.”
(also
a good thesis sentence!)
WU# 18A
my
dress for homecoming a
vera wang designer special
only cost 25 dollars at target
my friends dress from
nordstroms cost her $450
Corrected
My homecoming
dress, a Vera Wang
design, only cost $25
at Target; by contrast,
my friend’s dress from
Nordstrom’s cost $450.
Transition words and semicolons
or Comma-Conjunctions
; however, my . . .
; by contrast, my . . .
; consequently, . . .
; furthermore,
, but my . . .
, so
, for
, yet
Consistency with Numbers
 Numbers
under 10---spell out
one, two, three. . . 10, 11
 Numbers under two syllables---spell out
Twenty, thirty, twelve, forty
 Be consistent within sentence
25 dollars and $450 = $25 and $450
 NEVER EVER begin sentence with a numeral
4 score and seven years… Four-score and
seven…
Second Quarter Warm Ups
Quarter
2
Warm Up # 19
After visiting Agra the
site of the taj mahal with
the Morris’s, the photos
were fun to look at.
Corrected
After
visiting Agra, the
site of the Taj Mahal, with
the Morrises, we had fun
looking at the photos.

Correcting for appositive, misplaced participial phrase, and
preposition placement
SAT Practice
The fields have soil (A) so rich that corn (B)
growing here commonly (C) had stood
more than six feet
(D) tall. (E) No error





A. so rich that
B. growing here
C. had stood
D. tall
E. No error
Warm Up Sentence #20
there is many events that
have changed my life
but my life was changed
more by my little stuffed
bunny flopsy
Corrected

There are many
events that have
changed my life, but
Flopsy, my little stuffed
bunny, changed my
life the most.
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/illusions
/index.htm
Warm Up # 21
Find SIX Problems:
Toms and Jerrys Mother
made a conclusion that the
two boys didn’t go to
school neither toms nor
jerry's lunch had been
taken by them.
SIX problems… (one sentence
–whew!!)
 Capitalization---
his mother and my mother vs.
“Mother!” Mother Jones
 Nominalization— came to the conclusion =
concluded
 FUSED sentence--- comma and coordinating
conjunction and --- FANBOYS
 Passive changed to Active----lunch was taken
by= had taken his lunch
 Agreement--- neither one (of them) took his or
their
 Possessive for compound subjects--- ‘s for BOTH
subjects if each takes a different object; ‘s for
second subject if BOTH have the same object
Key= Cap Nom Poss’s CS/F
Act/Pas Agreement
Tom and Jerry’s mother
concluded that the two
boys didn’t go to school,
for neither one had
taken his lunch.
Possessives
1.
Most English nouns form their
possessives with an apostrophe s (’s) if
they are singular, and an s apostrophe
(s’) if they are plural.
 Singular
possessive: The car’s hood.
 Plural possessive: The cars’ hoods.
 Remember, just because a possessive adds
an s to a word, it does not make that word
plural. On the other hand, both singular
and plural nouns can be made possessive.
Possessive plurals
2.
For nouns that form their plural
in ways other than the addition
of an s, form the possessive plural
by adding ’s. For example:
Woman’s/women’s,
man’s/men’s, child’s/children’s,
ox’s/oxen’s, deer’s/deer’s,
mouse’s/mice’s
singular nouns that end in “s”
 3.
You have a couple of options in forming
the possessive of singular nouns that end in s.
You can either:
 Add an apostrophe to the end of the word:
 Jesus’ miracles
 Keats’ odes
 Dickens’ novels
 …or add an apostrophe s to the end of the
word:
 Jesus’s miracles
 Keats’s odes
 Dickens’s novels
Plural or Possessive Noun?





The cars / car’s breaks failed to operate on
the snowy mountain road.
Albert Einsteins / Albert Einstein’s theory of
relativity changed our understanding of time.
On weekends, students / student’s love to
sleep in.
Civil liberties / Civil liberties’ were bought with
blood.
Fast food has its / it’s downsides.
What do YOU see?
More Possessives









4. The possessive of pairs:
 a. To show joint possession, add ’s only to the
second member of the pair:
John and Mary’s mother (John and Mary have the
same mother.)
 b. To show individual possession, add ’s to each
member of the pair:
John’s and Mary’s tennis rackets (John and Mary
each have their own tennis rackets.)
5. Form the possessive of group and compound nouns
by adding ’s to the end of the unit:
commander in chief’s, someone else’s, son-in-law’s
6. We usually reserve the ’s or s’ for the possessive of
nouns naming living creatures (human beings and
animals). For inanimate objects we usually show
possession with the of phrase:
The roof of the house instead of The house’s roof
Some common exceptions to this rule:
A day’s wages, a week’s work, the year’s (storm’s,
Warm Up Sentence # 22
pocahontas lived in
england for
several years she
dies and was
buried in england
Corrected
For
several years
Pocahontas lived in
England, where she
died and was
buried

\\Brhtdc\thome\DFossum\VerbTense.pptx good one.pptx
Happy Thanksgiving! Warm Up
Sentence # 23
41 pilgrims signed the mayflower
compact which has established a
government in plymouth colony
Corrected
Forty-one pilgrims
signed the Mayflower
Compact, which
established a
government in
Plymouth Colony.
SAT Practice

Either of the solutions you (A) have proposed
(B) are acceptable to the union, (C) whose
members are (D) willing to compromise. (E)
No error.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.




Warm Up # 24
Tammy
is the person
who you should call if
you need to get your
hair cut in my opinion
she is the better stylist
in Ashburn
Revised
Tammy is the person whom
you should call if you need
to get your hair cut; she is
the best stylist in Ashburn.
whom ; (cs) superlative
(in my opinion)---just SAY it!!
Warm Up # 25
carl
waisted his 1st year
at college by not studying
enough and spending to
much time at parties
REVISED
Carl wasted his first year
at college by studying
too little and partying too
much.
SAT Practice

A number of trainees (A) who take this course
every year (B) find that (C) their knowledge of
mathematics (D) is inadequate. (E) No error.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.




Warm Up #26
of all my relatives uncle
frank is more noted for
his generosity he gives
everyone the
expensivest gifts at
christmastime
http://englishzone.com/teach/pdffiles/comparatives.pdf
Comparative (comparing)---more (than the
other)
 Superlative (assessing as to the best)---most
(of all)
 Big
biggerbiggest
 Jolly
jollier
jolliest
 Sweet
sweeter
sweetest
 Expensive
more expensive most expensive
 Delicious more delicious
most delicious
(notice anything about the longer words …???)

Of all my relatives, Uncle
Frank is most noted for
his generosity; he gives
everyone the most
expensive gifts at
Christmas time.
SAT Practice

For a successful career (A) as a beautician,
(B) one must be prepared to (C) dissemble:
you must not tell your client the unvarnished
truth about his or (D) her appearance. (E) No
error.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.




Warm Up #27

yes before
grandmother arrives
for the Holidays we
finished painting the
West Bedroom
Corrected
Yes,
before
Grandmother arrives
for the holidays, we
will finish painting the
west bedroom.
Warm Up # 28- SAT question
Because of less availability and greater demand for
scientific research, platinum remains consistently
expensive, like gold.





(A) Because of less availability and greater demand for scientific research,
platinum remains consistently expensive, like gold.
(B) Because of less availability and increased demand for scientific research,
platinum remains consistently expensive, like that of gold.
(C) Because of decreased availability and increased demand in scientific
research, platinum remains expensive, like gold.
(D) Because of decreased availability and increased demand for scientific
research, platinum remains expensive, like gold.
(E) Because of decreased availability and greater demand in scientific
research, platinum remains at a consistently high price, like that of gold.
SAT Practice
According to surveys by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, about 20 percent of young adults used
cocaine in 1979, doubling those reported in the 1977
survey.
 a) doubling those reported in the 1977 survey
 b) to double the number the 1977 survey reported
 c) twice those the 1977 survey reported
 d) twice as much as those reported in the 1977
survey
 e) twice the number reported in the 1977 survey
SAT Practice

Cynthia argued vehemently (A) with her
mother (B) over (C) her refusal to (D) attend
the school concert. (E) No error.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.




Warm Up # 28
each year americans chop
down more then 30,000,000
christmas trees, most of
them are just throwed
away after the hollidays
Revised
Every
year Americans
chop down more than
30 million Christmas
trees; most of them are
just thrown away after
the holidays.
WU # 29 Correct This!
last
saturday night we
began hanakah the 8
day merriment other
wise known as the
festival of lights jewish
holiday
29--Corrected
Last
Saturday night we
began Hanukkah, the eightday merriment otherwise
known as the Festival of
Lights, a Jewish holiday.
(appositive phrase and use of
numbers in writing)
WU # 30
If you believe the
conspiracy theorists a
planet called nibiru will
collide with the earth in
December, 2012, which
will cause the end of the
world to happen
30--Corrected
According
to conspiracy
theorists, a planet called ‘Nibiru’
will collide with the earth in
December 2012, causing the
world to end.


Avoid use of you—eliminate superfluous
wording
Single quotation marks for ‘special’ terms
Happy 2013
Quote for Today: Respond…
“For last year’s words
belong to last year’s
language and this year’s
words await another
voice.”
 T.S.
Eliot

Poet, author (1888-1965) -- “Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock;” The Wasteland
WU # 31
this year I have began to
really think of my options in
depth and take in account
what I would be gaining or
losing if I did or didnt do
something
Eliminate wordiness and weak,
filler words
this
year I have began (un)
to
really think of my options in
depth and take in account
what I would be gaining or
losing if I did or didn’t do
something.
Revised
This year I have begun to
think of my options.
Or:
This year I have begun to
think of my college options.
Avoid Clichés and Bloated
Writing
 http://www.canadianwriterspocketguide
2e.nelson.com/includes/HED/buscomm/P
DF/Module21.PDF
WU #32
islam a major world
religion is dominent in the
middle east it’s followers
are called muslims and
their sacred book is the
koran
32--Corrected
Islam,
a major world
religion, is dominant in
the Middle East; its
followers are called
Muslims and its sacred
book is the Koran.
WU #33

yesterday when i saw
my friend from boise
idaho i should of
returned the book she
borrowed me
33-Corrected
Yesterday,
when I
saw my friend from
Boise, Idaho, I should
have returned the
book she lent me.
 Quarter
3
Warm Up #34
costa
rica, one of the few
countries in the world that
doesn’t have no army,
educates it’s population good
the central american country
has a 93 percent literacy rate
Revised
Costa Rica--one
of the few
countries in the world that
doesn’t have an army-educates its population well;
the Central American country
has a ninety-three percent
literacy rate.
Warm Up # 35
2/3 of all adult Americans
wears corrective lenses.
Because of nearsightedness if
they have farsightedness or
an astigmatism.
Two-thirds
of all adult
Americans wear
corrective lenses
because of
nearsightedness,
farsightedness, or
astigmatism.
Better
Warm Up # 36
Perhaps the more finicky
eater in the world is the
beloved koala bear of
Australia, whom won’t eat
nothing accept eucalyptus
leafs.
The
beloved Australian
koala bear--who won’t eat
anything except
eucalyptus leaves--is
perhaps the most finicky
eater in the world.
Better
Warm Up #37
I
believe that feburary is
the best month for
sending the ones you love
gifts and to give cards to
new friends and go out to
eat at romantic
restuarants
I
believe
I think
It can be seen that
One can assume that
In my opinion
The reader may consider that
Use Your Strong and
Authoritative Voice
Corrected
February
is the best
month for sending loved
ones gifts, giving cards,
and going out to eat at
romantic restaurants.
Warm Up # 38
Would you borrow me your
notes from that Social
Studies lecture on the bill
of rights, which I should of
listened to more careful?
Revised
Would
you lend me your
notes from that social
studies lecture on the Bill
of Rights, which I should
have listened to more
carefully.
Warm Up # 39
in the dead sea located
between israel and Jordan a
human body cannot remain
submerged for long because
it is 25 % salt
Corrected for dangling
modifier
In
the Dead Sea, located
between Israel and Jordan,
a human body can't
remain submerged for long
because the Sea is twentyfive percent salt.
WU # 40
the
reason they were so
eager to sell tickets is
because their trying to
re-furbish the old
gymnasium
Revised
They
were so eager to
sell tickets because
they're trying to refurbish
the old gymnasium.
Bad vs. Badly
Badly is an adverb used to describe how
something is done. Bad is an adjective
that refers to health or feelings. Bad is
also used to complete linking verbs, such
as seem, look, taste, and smell.
Fill in the blanks with bad or badly:
1. I feel ______ that Harriet wasn’t invited.
2. Rudolph dances ____, but at least he tried hard.
3. The soup tasted ____ on the first day and even worse on the second.
4. You look really _____. When was the last time you slept?
5. Ms. Kramer spells _____, so it’s lucky she has a smart secretary.
6. Roger wanted to see Gisele so _____ that he postponed his flight.
WU # 41
by changing the oil
every three thousand
miles the car was
kept in excellent
condition
Revised for dangling modifier
Changing
the oil
every 3,000 miles,
we kept the car in
excellent condition.
WU# 42
there
is a desire on the
part of many of us to
maintain a Spring Recess
for the purpose of
getting away from the
demands of our Studies
Much Better
We
want a spring recess
so we can get away
from our studies.
OR
 We want a spring recess
to escape our studies.
Quarter 4---Final Stretch
Nine more
weeks
and
counting…
WU # 43
he
was really late
to his English class
due to the fact
that he had to
finish his Math test
Revising for “bloat”
He
was late for
English because
he had to finish
his math test.
Bloated Expressions To
Avoid
 At
this point in time . . .“
 Meaning:
 "It
Now.
would be appreciated if . . .“
 Meaning:
 "In
the month of December . . ."
 Meaning:
 "It
Please.
In December.
has come to my attention that . . ."
 Meaning:
 "In
the eventuality that . . ."
 Meaning:
 "At
Whatever comes after "that."
If.
the present time . . .“ Now…
More…Redundancies
 "Bad
mistakes"
 Use
 "My
mistakes. All mistakes are bad.
personal opinion is that . . ."
 Use
my opinion. All opinions are personal.
 "Repeat

again"
Use repeat. Repeat means to do again.
 "Visible
to the eye"
 Use
visible. Can anything be visible to
anything but the eye?
 "For

the purpose of . . ."
Meaning: For.
Warm Up # 44
noone on this bus
seem to know
they’re way around
this part of the city of
new york
Revised (indef. pron.
agmt)
No
one on this bus
seems to know his
or her way around
this part of New
York City.
Indefinite Pronoun
agreement
 No
one (person)----has? vs. have? the
answer

People have
 Everybody----has?

Or have? their or his?
Every (individual) body of us has his or her
answer
 All
of us have
 Anyone will have their or his/her
 Any one (person) will have his/her
WU # 45
7 children were
injured in the
accident only one
required
hospitalizing
Revised for comma splice
Seven children
were injured in the
accident; only one
required
hospitalization.
WU # 46
after
reading the
original study the
article remains
unconvincing
Revision (dangling modifier)
After
reading the
original study, I remain
unconvinced.
(The article did not read the
study; a person — I did.)
WU # 47
do you want turkey
spinach and cheese
roast beef lettuce and
cheese or ham
tomato, and cheese
asked jim
Use semi-colons between
items on a list already
separated by commas
“Do you want turkey,
spinach, and cheese;
roast beef, lettuce,
and cheese; or ham,
tomato, and cheese?”
asked Jim.
Fix this: add the semi-colons…
I
cannot decide if I
want my room to be
green, brown, and
purple green, black,
and brown or green,
brown, and dark red.
Semi-colons join items in lists
I
cannot decide if I
want my room to be
green, brown, and
purple; green, black,
and brown; or green,
brown, and dark red.
WU # 48
atticus didn't want
scout to fight,
however she could
not ignore injustices
Correcting comma splice and
pronoun reference confusion
Atticus didn’t want
Scout to fight;
however, he knew
she could not
ignore injustices.
WU # 49
3 reasons why some
students drop out of
college are problems of to
much parting and if they
run out of money and if
they can’t meet deadlines
Revising for wordiness and
parallelism
Three
reasons why some
students drop out of
college are problems of
too much partying, and if
they run out of money and
if they can’t meet
deadlines
Much more succinct and thesisworthy
Some college students
drop out because of
academic, financial, or
time management
problems.

(Magic 3, anyone?)
Warm Up #50
of the 5 stages of
tradegy that artistotle
said there is included a
stage where a
character will make a
error in judgement
based on them having
a tragic flaw
Revised
One
of Aristotle’s five stages of
tragedy includes a character whose
tragic flaw causes him to make an
error in judgment.
Or-Aristotle’s five stages of tragedy
include a character whose tragic
flaw causes him to make an error in
judgment.
WU # 51
macbeth the thane of glamis
finds out that he has been
promoted to thane of
cawdor , this makes him
think about the other
witches prophecy
Remember appositives?
 Macbeth,
the Thane of Glamis, becomes
Macbeth, the Thane of Cawdor.
 An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that
renames another noun right beside it. The
appositive can be a short or long
combination of words. Look at these
examples:
 The insect, a tiny ant, is crawling across the
desk.
Revised
Macbeth,
the Thane of Glamis,
finds out that he has been
promoted to Thane of Cawdor ;
this makes him consider the
witches’ other prophecy.
 Not
the other witch’s prophecy
 Nor the other witches prophecy
WU # 52
In
macbeth a play by
shakespeare you
realize that the witches
are being used by him
to control the fate of
the characters
the fix….
In
macbeth a play by
shakespeare you realize that
the witches are being used by
him to control the fate of the
characters
Do NOT EVER use YOU in an
essay
more thesis-worthy
Shakespeare
uses
the witches in
Macbeth to control
the fate of his
characters.
WU # 53
writers
should spend
a great deal of time
thinking about their
arguments to make
sure they are not
superficial
Just who is superficial?
the writers? or the arguments?
Some possible revisions--- (pick one or make up
your own)
 Writers
should spend time ensuring that
their arguments are not superficial.
 Writers should make sure their
arguments are authentic.
 Good writers employ authentic
arguments.
WU # 54
In
1605 king james
survives a assassination
attempt which was the
inspiration for
Shakespeare to write
Macbeth
Revised for consistency
in tense, nominalization
In
1605 King James
survived an assassination
attempt, which inspired
Shakespeare to write
Macbeth.
Even more succinct…
The 1605 assassination
attempt on King
James inspired
Shakespeare to write
Macbeth.
WU #55
all of this year we have
corrected sentences for
comma splices and fragments
tenses that isn’t consistent,
pronoun agreement errors, if
they are punctuated
improperly and weather or not
they are parallel
all of this year we have corrected
sentences for comma splices and
fragments tenses that isn’t
consistent, pronoun agreement
errors, if they are punctuated
improperly and weather or not
they are parallel
Better
This year we have revised
sentences for errors of
comma splices and
fragments, tense
inconsistency, pronoun
agreement, punctuation,
and parallelism.
WU# 56
writing good is a skill
you can use your
whole entire life, the
importance of it can
not be underestimated
or overlooked
Wordy, wordy, wordy….
writing good is a skill
you can use your whole
entire life, the
importance of it can not
be underestimated or
overlooked
Revised
Writing
well is an
important life skill.

The importance of writing well can not be
underestimated.
WU #57
memorial day is a day of
remembrance for all of the
men and women who died
while serving in the united
states armed forces, it is also
generally used as a marker
for the start of the summer
vacation season
Revised—comma splice
Memorial Day is a day to
remember the men and
women who died while
serving in the United
States Armed Forces; it
also marks the start of the
summer vacation season.
SAT Practice

The last man on earth (A) will abandon his
ruined house (B) for a cave, (C) and his
woven clothes for an (D) animal's skin. (E)
No error.





A.
B.
C.
D.
E.