1. A conjunction is a joining word. Common conjunctions are: and, but, or, for, so, yet.

Conjunctions are used for: combining compound subjects- (Text pg. 38)

Example: SallyandSusie love to ride bikes.

combining compound predicates- (Text pg. 52)

Example: Sally likes to ride bikes andplay with dolls.

combining compound sentences- (Text pg. 64)

Example: Sally likes to ride bikes, butTimmy likes to play with cars.

  1. Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that are in the form of a pair of words. Common correlative conjunctions are: both, and; either, or; neither, nor; whether, or. These words connect 2 elements that are similar in a sentence.

Example: She will neither go to the dance nor the party afterward

Example: You may either have the tuna salad or the egg salad for lunch.

Example: In the morning, turn in both your homework and permission slip.

Example: I do not know whether my father is arriving by the 8o’clock flight or 9o’clock flight.

  1. An interjection is a word which expresses some sudden feeling or emotions. Interjections may be used to express joy, grief, or surprise. They are set apart in sentences by using an exclamation mark or a comma.

Example: Wow! That was a great game.

Example: Oh No! We lost.

Example: Ouch, you stepped on my big toe.

Example: Hey, did you see the new kid in class?

  1. Present Tense Verbs show that an action is happening now or that it happens over and over. (Text pgs. 166-169)

Example: Water covers much of the earth’s surface.

  1. Past Tense Verbs show that an action happened at a definite time in the past. (Text pgs. 166-169)- usually ends in -ed

Example: The dolphin weighed five hundred pounds.

  1. Future Tense Verbs show that an action will happen at a time yet to come. (Text pgs. 176-177)

Example: My teacher will talk about sea creatures tomorrow.

  1. Verbs must agree with their subject in gender and number. (Text pgs.170-171)

*If you have a singular subject most verbs will have an ending.

Example: The boat passes near a humpback whale. (boat- singular)

*If you have a plural subject most verbs DO NOT have an ending.

Example: Many whales breathe through a blowhole. (whales- plural)

**Regular Verbs end with –ed in the past form.

**Irregular Verbs have past forms that are spelled in different ways. (Text pgs. 194-197)- Here are a few irregular verbs…

fly / flew / flown
teach / taught / taught
go / went / gone
bring / brought / brought
  1. The Perfect Tenses- Present Perfect (has), Past Perfect (had), and Future Perfect (will have) all use the past participle with a form of the helping verb have. (Text pgs. 204-206)

Present Perfect Example: Dry weather has hurt farm crops this year.

Past Perfect Example: By 8:00P.M. clouds had gathered over the farm.

Future Perfect Example: I will have watered the garden by supper time.

  1. Commas- There are several rules for using commas. (Text pgs. 380-392)

Rule / Example
Use a comma to separate words in a series of three or more items. / I like apples, bananas, and peaches.
Use a comma to separate three or more simple subjects in a compound subject. / Brenna, Kate, and Ben are using the art supplies.
Use a comma to separate three or more simple predicates in a compound predicate. / We cleaned the canvas, mixed the paint, and set up the easel.
Rule / Example
Use a comma to separate independent clauses ina compound sentences. / Some people paint portraits, but others like to paint landscapes.
Use a comma to set off the name of a person who is spoken to directly in a sentence. / A story, Jackie, is about a boy who has to travel down the river on a raft.
Use a comma after an introductory word or phrase. / Yes, I have been to Disney World before.
Use a comma after the last word in the greeting of a friendly letter. / Dear Billy,
I have a new game for the Xbox.
Use commas before and after an appositive. / Mrs. Allen, the dance teacher, knows how to tango.
  1. Punctuating Titles & Capitalizing Words in Titles- Underline the titles of books, movies, plays, and television programs and the names of newspapers and magazines. When titles of works appear in print, italics takes the place ofunderlining. Use quotation marks around the titles of stories, magazine articles, essays, songs, and poems. Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all the important words in the title. Do not capitalize articles or conjunctions (a, an, the) (and, but, or). Do not capitalize a preposition unless it has five or more letters or unless it is the first or last word. (Text pgs. 408-410)

Example: “Old King Cole” is a famous nursery rhyme.

Example: Lois Lowery’s Number the Stars is my favorite book.

Incorrect Title: “the highwayman” (a poem)

Correct Title: “The Highwayman”

  1. Quotation Marks- (Text pgs. 390-392) A speaker’s exact words are called a direct quotation. Use quotation marks before and after a direct quotation. When the speaker comes first use a comma after the speaker. Example:

Mrs. Tanner said, “We will all have 3 novels to read this year.”

When the speaker comes at the end of the quotation, use a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation mark to separate the quotation from the rest of the sentence. Example:

“Quiet, everyone!” shouted Mrs. Tanner.

In a divided quotation the quotation is interrupted by words that are not part of the direct quotation. Place quotations around the quoted words only. If the divided quotation is all one sentence, use another comma after the speaker’s name. Example:

“Tell me what stories you want to read,” said Mrs. Tanner, “and I will list them on the board.”

If the divided quotation is two sentences, use a period after the words that interrupt. Example:

“I want to read Julius Caesar.” said Rebecca. “We’re studying him in history class.”

  1. A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence. It’s like a linking word that connects nouns (or pronouns) with other words. (Text pgs. 310-315)

A preposition can indicate: (some can indicate more than one thing)

POSITION / DIRECTION / TIME / CAUSE (reason for) / POSSESSION (ownership)
across / above / about / but (meaning except) / for
against / around / after / except / of
along / below / at / since
behind / down / before
beside / from / during
between / in / past
beyond / over / until
by / through
into / to
off / toward
on / under
with / up

Compound prepositions:

according to / ahead of / along with / as for / away from
because of / by way of / due to / except for / in addition to
in back of / in case of / in front of / in regard to / in spite of
instead of / out of / up to / with the exception of
  • A prepositional phrase is a group of two or more words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition. Every preposition as an object.

Example: We found identification inside the man’s jacket pocket.

Additional Notes: