Grammar Gurus
This part of speech is an action word, like run, jump, or sing.
What is a verb?
What do you need before a conjunction in a compound sentence?
What is a comma?
These are words that mean almost the same thing, like big and huge.
What are synonyms?
This is a story you write about events that happened, with a beginning, middle, and end.
What is a narrative?
The main goal of an opinion essay is to do this to your reader—making them agree with your point of view.
What is persuade (or convince) them?
This part of speech is a person, place, thing, or idea.
What is a noun?
These marks go around the exact words a character speaks in a story.
What are quotation marks?
This is what the prefix "un-" means in the word untie or unhappy.
What is "not" (or the opposite of)?
This kind of writing states your beliefs and tries to convince the reader to agree with your point of view.
What is opinion writing?
The statement "Dogs are the greatest pets in the whole world" is an example of this, rather than a proven fact.
What is an opinion?
This part of speech describes a noun, like the words blue or tall.
What is an adjective?
You use this punctuation mark to show ownership, like in "the dog's bone".
What is an apostrophe?
These are words that mean the exact opposite of each other, like hot and cold.
What are antonyms?
This type of writing gives facts and teaches the reader about a specific topic.
What is informational (or explanatory) writing?
This is the exciting first sentence of your essay that grabs the reader's attention so they want to keep reading.
What is the hook?
This is the irregular plural form of the word "mouse".
What is "mice"?
This is the mark you put at the end of an asking sentence.
What is a question mark?
This is what the prefix "intra-" means in the word intrastate.
What is "within"?
This is the section of your writing that wraps everything up at the very end.
What is the conclusion?
This connecting word is perfect for introducing a reason, like in the sentence: "We should have extra recess _______ it helps us focus better in class."
What is "because"?
This is a noun you cannot see or touch, like bravery, friendship, or happiness.
What is an abstract noun?
These are the three words that need capital letters in the book title the cat in the hat.
What are The, Cat, and Hat?
This is the term for a phrase that doesn't mean exactly what the words say, like "it's raining cats and dogs".
What is nonliteral language (or an idiom)?
Words like First, Next, Therefore, and Finally that help connect your ideas together.
What are linking words (or transition words)?
If you are writing an opinion about a book you read, you should use this—details pulled right from the story—to prove your point.
What is text evidence (or examples from the text)?