2015 Final Exam Review (6th Grade Language Arts)
REMEMBER: Clauses have a subject and a predicate, phrases do not!
NOUNS A noun is a person, place, thing or idea (abstract and concrete, count and noncount); nouns can be singular or plural; you should be able to use possessives properly.
APP Appositive (renames a noun) LV
S Subject (what the sentence is about/the doer of the verb) S = SC
SC Subject Complement (follows a Linking Verb, renames the subject)
DO Direct Object (ask ‘who/what’ after verb)
IO Indirect Object (ask ‘TO whom/what or FOR whom/what’ after verb)
OP Object of a Preposition (ask ‘what’ after the preposition)
You must be able to identify the things listed above!
PRONOUNS: A pronoun replaces a noun:
Subject Pronouns in 1st, 2nd and 3rd person (singular and plural) I/We, You, He/She/It/They
Object Pronouns in 1st, 2nd and 3rd person (singular and plural) Me/Us, You, Him/Her/It/Them
Demonstrative Pronouns: this (near/singular), that (far/singular), these (near/plural), those (far/plural)
Interrogative Pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, what
Indefinite Pronouns: some, a few, many, several, one, a lot, everybody, all, etc…
Be sure to know how to fix double negatives! (Nobody said he ain’t got none left.)
ADJECTIVES An adjective describes or modifies a noun or a pronoun.
Definite (the) and Indefinite (a, an) articles
Comparative and Superlative (fat, fatter, fattest; bad, worse, worst; fun, more fun, most fun)
Understand little/less/least and few/fewer/fewest and how to use them properly.
Demonstrative, Interrogative and Indefinite adjectives are just like pronouns except they’re acting like adjectives!
Prepositional phrases that describe a noun/pronoun are acting like ADJECTIVES:
The car in the parking lot is really cool. (describes car)
He took the pizza with pepperoni to his classroom. (describes pizza)
VERBS A verb shows an action or a state of being; know the principal parts of a verb (review the charts done in class; they should be in your notebooks!) Simple, Progressive, Perfect in present/past/future
Example: I sleep, I slept, I had slept, I am sleeping
They freeze, they froze, they were frozen, they are freezing
We eat, we ate, we had eaten, we are eating
He bites, he bit, he was bitten, he is biting
Subject and Verb Agreement
Always make sure the subject (number/person) matches the verb (number/person):
Example: They (plural) are going to the mall. Peter (singular) is a great singer.
If a subject and verb are interrupted by a prepositional phrase, remove it to check for agreement:
EX: A class [with good students] is always fun. The dogs [in the truck] bark a lot.
Subjects and Subject Complements:
Linking Verbs: link the subject with a subject complement; you’ve already memorized the most common linking (auxiliary, helping, being, modals) verbs (London Bridge), BUT any verb that appeals to the senses (taste, sound, feel, look, appear, seem, smell) or connects the subject to a subject complement can be a linking verb.
IN THE FORMULA S = SC, = is always going to be a linking verb
HINT: to determine whether or not a verb is a linking verb, simply replace it with is/was or are/were; if the sentence still makes sense, it’s a linking verb.
Example: The cake tastes delicious. (The cake is delicious)
They sounded fantastic. (They were fantastic)
The weather felt miserable. (The weather was miserable)
A verb phrase = the base verb and whatever linking/helping/auxiliary verbs are with it:
would have walked, might be going, will be eating, should have been sleeping, may have been worried
Remember that a predicate is a fancy name for a verb; know how to identify simple predicates [the verb(s)/verb phrase(s)] and complete predicates [verbs and all modifiers].
Know transitive (takes an object) and intransitive (no object) verbs and the various moods (see SENTENCES section below))
Modal Auxiliaries: You will find these at the end of the “London Bridge Song” that you’ve memorized; we also used the acronym PAINOP; just be able to identify them in a sentence.
Can/Could (ability) Shall (intention) Should (obligation) Will/Would (intention)
May (permission) Might (possibility) Must (necessity)
ADVERBS Adverbs describe a verb, an adjective or another adverb; they answer why, how, where, when and to what extent (time, manner, place, degree, affirmation and negation).
Know comparative and superlative forms: quickly, more quickly, most quickly, etc…
Similar to adjectives, there are adverb phrases and adverb clauses)
Adverb Phrases: prepositional phrases can act like adverbs
Example: They worked with persistence. (describes verb worked)
The boys seemed upset about their pens. (describes adjective upset)
He ran quickly onto the field. (describes adverb quickly)
Adverb Clauses: modify a verb, adjective or another adverb;
answer where/when/why/how and are DEPENDENT (must be linked to a strong man )
begin with a subordinating conjunction (after, although, because, before, since, until, when, if, though…)
KNOW AT LEAST TEN SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
Example: The whole class screamed when the bell rang.
Since it was created, the earth has been a mysterious place.
SENTENCES: simple, compound and complex (see below)
Active Voice: the subject is the doer of the action EX: He helped the school
Passive Voice: the subject is done to (receives the action) EX: The school was helped by him.
Indicative Mood: states a fact or asks a question EX: We went to class yesterday.
HINT: everything that’s not imperative or subjunctive HAS TO BE indicative!
Imperative Mood: gives a command EX: Stop it. Behave or go sit in the corner.
Subjunctive Mood: indicates a wish/desire or an impossibility (the weird verb mood)
EX: If I were you, I would not do that. They insisted that I be there by ten o’clock.
There are four TYPES of sentences (different than the moods):
1. Declarative (makes a statement or a declaration); ends with a period.
2. Interrogative (asks a question or interrogates); ends with a question mark (?)
3. Imperative (gives a command); can end with a period or an exclamation point.
4. Exclamatory (expresses an emotion or exclaims!); ends with an exclamation point!
There are three STRUCTURES for sentences:
1. Simple: ONE single independent clause—it can have MORE THAN ONE subject/verb (predicate)
Example: Sung Jin and Jonathan are the tallest boys in 6th grade. (two subjects)
Brooke folded and put away all of the laundry. (two verbs)
2. Compound: two or more (2+) independent clauses JOINED by
a comma (,) and a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, yet, so, nor) memorize!
a semicolon (;) or a comma (,) followed by a transitional adverb (however, therefore, in addition)
Example: Jiham and Carlise ran out of the classroom, but both girls forgot their books.
HINT: remove “but” and you have two independent clauses
3. Complex: one independent clause and one or more (1+) dependent clauses
Example: Alan and Leo both sit in the front row because they like to be close to the exit. (adv. clause)
Lauren, who comes in early to grab her seat, is a good student. (adj. clause)
How we study usually determines how well we do on a test. (noun/subject clause)
You also need to know how to identify a DEPENDENT clause (CANNOT stand on its own) and an INDEPENDENT clause (CAN stand on its own).
A RESTRICTIVE clause/phrase can’t be removed or it confuses the meaning of a sentence (no commas).
A NON-RESTRICTIVE clause/phrase is usually set off with commas; it can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.
You should be able to divide sentences into subject and predicate sections.
SEE BACK!
Extra space provided for you to WRITE QUESTIONS ON THE BACK OF THIS PAPER!
Know how to diagram sentences as reviewed in class (subject, verb, direct object, indirect object, prepositional phrases, adjectives and adverbs).
Know proper capitalization, punctuation and editing/proofreading symbols. Understand ICCS (in clear, complete sentences), Rule of Three (introduction, body, conclusion), Seven Traits of Writing (on blue board) and other composition terms as used throughout the school year.