Grammar: Fast and Furious

1. Grammar: Fast and Furious Amy Benjamin www.amybenjamin.com

2. Now Entering the Complete Sentence Zone: The “Guess What!” test How it works: Say “Guess What!” in front of a group of words. If the group of words tells you “guess what!” then you have a complete sentence!

3. Phrase, Clause, Sentence A phrase is two or more words that go together (without being a sentence). There are noun phrases and verb phrases. Once we have both a noun and a verb, then we have a clause. A clause is a group of words that may or may not be a complete sentence. If a clause can stand alone as a sentence, then we call it an independent clause. (If a clause cannot stand alone as a sentence, then we call it a subordinate clause.

4. I went to bed early because <GUESS WHAT> I don’t have my homework because <GUESS WHAT’>

5. Now, reverse: Because <GUESS WHAT>, I went to bed early I don’t have my homework Because <GUESS WHAT, >

6. Formal Informal

7. Informal and Formal English Set your dial to the level of formality that is appropriate for your audience and purpose.

8. Informal and Formal Handout: Page 11 briefcase dress shoes sit-down restaurant football on the team lunch cooking, baking, roasting backpack flip-flops McDonald’s frisbee on the lawn snack zapping/nuking

9. Informal and Formal English Set your dial to the level of formality that is appropriate for your audience and purpose.

10. Parts of Speech: Fast and Furious Part of Sp.: Examples: Quick Definition: Hint: monkey, river, America. prize Person, place, thing Noun The______ eat, wish, is, find, cry He______ or He is______ing. Verb Action or state The _______truck dangerous, big, green, curly Describes a noun Adjective He joined the team______. usually, slowly, clearly, eventually sometimes, now. Describes a verb Adverb Somewhere _____ the rainbow Preposition Shows position in, on, at, for, with

11. The Language Tree Adjective Branches: very___________ Noun Branches: Verb Branches: very___________ very___________ can___________ the______________ very___________ can___________ can___________ very___________ the______________ the______________ can___________ can___________ the______________ can___________ the______________ the______________ Prepositional Phrase Branches: in________________ on________________ at_______________ for________________ with________________ Topic: ______________________________

12. Common Hitching Devices Coordinating Conjunctiions Subordinating Conjunctions Conjunctive Adverbs Relative Pronouns That Which Who, whom What Where Why How Whichever Whatever, etc. As, although, after While, when Until Because, before If AAAWWUBBI However Moreover Therefore Furthermore And But So Or/nor Can join clauses Warning: Many sentence fragments begin with these words. Usually, you must hitch these words and the clauses that they introduce to your previous sentence. Can join two independent clauses to make a compound sentence. Warning:You must use a comma with these when they join independent clauses. Can hitch up to an independent clause, creating a subordinate (dependent) clause, forming complex sentence. Can appear after main clause (no comma) or before main clause (needs a comma) Can move within own clause; Requires commas on both sides Warning: If you wish to use these to join clauses, you must use a semicolon.

13. Six Reasons for Teaching Prepositions: 1. Prepositions add time and place detail to sentences 2. Students can vary their sentence structure and set the stage for a sentence by beginning some sentences with prepositions. 3. Students can add power to their writing by ending paragraphs with a prepositional phrase. (Conversely: Students can avoid ending sentences with prepositions so that their sentences are not weak or too informal.) 4. Students can avoid subject-verb agreement errors by recognizing prepositional phrases that intervene between the subject and the verb, as in “A box of matches (is, are) on the kitchen table.” 5. Students can create parallel structure by repeating prepositional phrases deliberately. 6. Students can select the appropriate pronoun case as the object of a preposition. (between you and me; for Joe and me)

14. Objective Team Subjective Team me us I we 1st Person: you you you you 2nd Person: he, she, it they them him, her, it 3rd Person: whom who

15. A Pronoun Poem As Mom and I walked homewardly, A puppy followed her and me. Both she and I were quick to see He had adopted Mom and me. At home we showed him where to pee And where the doggy bed would be. Then Mom and I made lunch for three, A feast for him and Mom and me. from Woe is I Jr: The Younger Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. by Patricia T. O’Connor and Tom Stiglich.

16. subject A Pronoun Poem, Analyzed As Mom and I walked homewardly, A puppy followed her and me. Both she and I were quick to see He had adopted Mom and me. At home we showed him where to pee And where the doggy bed would be. Then Mom and I made lunch for three, A feast for him and Mom and me. Direct Object subjects Object of adopted subject Objects of The preposition for

17. bouncy shy friendly shyly vivaciously protectively protective recklessly hungry cautiously jovially playfully playful silly adventurously curiously adventurous curious Linking verbs tell the nature of things. Linking verbs: BE, + sense verbs: look, sound, smell, feel; seem verbs: seem appear, become, grow Action verbs are modified by adverbs. Pepper is… Pepper behaves… Pepper looks.. Pepper seems… Pepper became… Linking verbs are completed by adjectives.

18. Morphology Chart

19. This “Morphology Kit” is a great way to expand vocabulary because most of the words created by these suffixes express abstract ideas. Morphology Kit Adverb-making suffix: -ly 5

20. Point of intervention for substantial language improvement Point of intervention for surface error correction GRAMMAR IN THE HEART OF THE WRITING PROCESS: Sharpen your nouns Minimize your modifiers Replace BE verbs and weak verbs with strong action verbs Achieve parallel structure Combine sentences: create complex sentences use appositives use absolutes Expand and shrink noun phrases. Turn clauses into modifying phrases. Decide where to place modifiers for desired effect. Pre-writing experience: (non-sentence form) Drafting Revising Publication Editing

21. Learning the pattern of Standard English pronoun case: Establish the pattern of “Rusty and I went to the movies.” “Rusty and I went shopping.” “Rusty and I had dinner.” etc.