• A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. A sentence names someone or something and tells what that person or thing is or does.
  • Sentences have a subject and predicate. A sentence always begins with a capital letter and ends with an end mark. (Text pg. 24)
  • A group of words may not always form a sentence. These groups or words are called fragments.

There are 4 types of sentences. (Text pg. 26)

declarative / makes a statement / ends with a period ( . )
interrogative / asks a question / ends with a question mark ( ? )
imperative / gives a command or makes a request / ends with a period ( . )
exclamatory / expresses strong feeling or surprise / ends with an exclamation ( ! )
  • The complete subject includes all the words that name who or what the sentence is about. The simple subject is the main word or words in the complete subject. (a noun) (Text pg. 34)

Complete Subject / Complete Predicate
The empty glass / fell onto the floor.
Pieces of glass / scattered everywhere.
Simple Subject
The empty glass fell onto the floor.
Pieces of glass scattered everywhere.
Simple Predicate
The empty glass fell onto the floor.
Pieces of glass scattered everywhere.
  • The complete predicate includes all the words that tell what the subject of the sentence is or does. The simple predicate is the main word or words in the complete predicate. (the verb)
  • Conjunctions- You may combine sentences that have the same subjects or the same predicates by using a conjunction.
  • If three or more subjects/predicates are joined together they must be separated by a comma.

Example: Sally, Susie, and Jane will go to the theater tonight.

Example: Sally likes to ride bikes, play with dolls, and go swimming.

Common Conjunctions:
and / for
but / so
or / yet
  • A sentence that expresses only one complete thought is a simple sentence. A compound sentence is made up of two or more simple sentences. The subject or predicate in a simple sentence may be simple or compound.
  • When you join two or more simple sentences, you join them with a comma and conjunction and, but, or or. (Text pg. 38)

Simple Sentence: / Sally likes to play with dolls.
Simple Sentence: / Jenny likes to play board games.
Compound Sentence: / Sally likes to play with dolls, but Jenny likes to play board games.
  • You can also use a semicolon to join simple sentences. When you choose to use a semicolon, DO NOT use a conjunction.

Example: Jeremy loves to play baseball; he also likes to play soccer.

  • A phrase is a group of words that has either no subject or no predicate.
  • opening the gate (no subject)
  • the man at the counter (no predicate)
  • across the river (a prepositional phrase)
  • A clause is a group of words containing both a subject and a predicate.
  • A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. When a clause begins with one of these words, it does not express a complete thought. It needs to be connected to an independent clause. (Text pg. 320-325)
  1. although the man held his daughter
  2. because Jerry was laughing at the joke

Common Subordinating Conjunctions:

after / although / because / before / if
since / unless / until / when / whenever
where / while / once / that / than
  • An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence.
  1. Alfred did not want to marry.
  2. My sister, Mariana, was talking about our mother.

When you combine independent and dependent clauses together, there are some rules you must follow.

Independent Clause + Dependent Clause.ICDC

Dependent Clause, + Independent Clause.DC,IC

These sentences are called COMPLEX sentences.

  1. Pioneers changed the land whenever they cleared it for farms. ICDC
  2. After the Homestead Act was passed, many pioneers settled on public land.DC, IC

**remember a compound sentence is 2 simple sentences joined together by a comma and a conjunction**

  1. People walked great distances, and animals carried their belongings.

Putting these 2 sentences together gives you a compound-complex sentence.

  1. Because they can farm their own land, farmers are excited to set out west, and they can not wait to get there.
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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
  • 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.

  • 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 in a 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.
  • 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”

  • 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.”

  • 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.

  • A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea. A proper noun is the name or title of a particular person, place, or thing. Notice that proper nouns are capitalized. (text pg. 94-95)

Some examples:

NOUNS / PERSON / PLACE / THING / IDEA
Common / pioneer / city / building / joy, sadness
Proper / Dewey Martin / Savannah / EmpireStateBuilding
  • A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
  • Most nouns are regular. They become plural when you add –s or –es. Nouns that end in s, x, z, sh, and ch need the ending –es. Most nouns ending in a consonant + o need –es endings. (text pg. 96-97)

Some examples:

Noun / Plural Form
beach / beaches
potato / potatoes
banana / bananas
  • Some nouns need a spelling change before the ending is added.

life ~ livesleaf ~ leaves

  • If the noun ends with a consonant and a –y, you must change the –y to an –i and add –es.

mystery ~ mysteriescolony ~ colonies

  • If the noun ends with a vowel and a –y, you just add an –s.

monkey ~ monkeys

  • Some irregular nouns have a special spelling in the plural form. Other irregular nouns have the same spelling for both the singular and plural forms. If you are not sure about the correct plural form of any noun, look it up in the dictionary.

Some Irregular Singular Nouns / Some Irregular Plural Nouns
woman / women
tooth / teeth
ox / oxen
moose / moose
deer / deer
mouse / mice
  • A possessive noun shows ownership. A singular possessive noun shows ownership by one person or thing. A plural possessive noun shows ownership by more than one person or thing. (text pg. 104)

Example: the book belonging to Scott ~ Scott’s book—singular possessive

the pictures belonging to the groups ~ the groups’ pictures—plural possessive

  • An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word. Use a period after most abbreviations. (text pg. 98)

Doctor ~ Dr. / Mister ~ Mr. / Reverend ~ Rev. / Street ~ St. / Road ~ Rd.
Avenue ~ Ave. / Monday ~ Mon. / gallon ~ gal. / December ~ Dec. / Tuesday ~ Tues.
  • A pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns.

Example: Cara’s father is a chef. He taught her to cook. He = Cara’s father ~ her = Cara

  • Subject Pronouns take the place of a noun or nouns as the subject of the sentence. A subject pronoun is in the subjective case. Always capitalize the pronounI. (text pg. 234-235)

SUBJECT PRONOUNS

Person / Singular / Plural
First person (person speaking) / I / we
Second person (person spoken to) / you / you
Third person (person or thing spoken about) / he, she, it / they
  • Object pronouns take the place of a noun after an action verb, such as see or tell, or after a preposition, such as about, at, for, from, in, of, to, or with. An object pronoun is in the objective case. (text pg. 236-237)

Person / Singular / Plural
First person / me / us
Second person / you / you
Third person / him, her, it / them
  • The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun or nouns to which the pronoun refers. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender and number. (text pg. 238-239)

Example: People bring baked goods with them to new neighbors.

People = plural ~ them, plural ~ object pronoun

  • A possessive pronoun shows ownership and takes the place of a possessive noun. (text pg. 244-245)

Example: This book is Tammy’s. This book is hers.

Possessive Pronouns used before a noun / Possessive Pronouns that stand alone
Singular / Plural / Singular / Plural
my / our / mine / ours
your / your / yours / yours
his, her, its / their / his, hers / theirs
  • A reflexive pronoun refers back to a noun or pronoun. A reflexive pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number. (text pg. 246-247)

Singular / Plural
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself / ourselves, yourselves, themselves
  • Subject pronouns are often used with verbs in contractions, as in we’re. The following contractions and possessive pronouns are often confused with each other. Remember that contractions with apostrophes are really two words put together. (text pg. 248-249)

Contractions / Possessive Pronouns
you’re ~ you are / your
it’s ~ it is / its
they’re ~ they are / their
  • Adjectives are words that modify a noun or pronoun. The adjectives a, an, and the are special adjectives called articles. A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun. Adjectives can tell what kind, which one, and how many. (text pg. 262-263)

Examples: a ripe banana, an ugly monster, two dollars, the pink blanket, the American flag, the Canadian bill

  • Adverbs are words that modify verbs. An adverb often tells how, when, or where the action took place. Many adverbs that tell how end in –ly. Negative words such as not and never are adverbs that usually describe verbs. (text pg. 264-265)

Examples: carefully prepared, never late, calls loudly, rides quickly

  • Adjectives and adverbs are used to compare. Adjectives can be used to compare people, places, and things. Adverbs can be used to compare actions. (text pg. 274-275)

Add –er to compare one thing with one otherthing. Example: I am taller than her.

Add –est to compare one thing with two or more things. Example: I am the tallest girl in class.

More or most is used with many adjectives or adverbs of two or more syllables.

Use more to compare one thing with one other thing. Example: She is more beautiful than Sally.

Use most to compare one thing with two or more things. Example: She is the most beautiful girl in all the land.

NEVER USE MORE/MOST WITH –ER AND –EST FORMS!!

  • Good and bad are adjectives. Well is an adverb unless it means “healthy.” Badly is always an adverb. (text pg. 276)

------ / Comparing Two / More than two
good, well / better / best
bad, badly / worse / worst