Modifiers
Name all the adjectives in this sentence:
The furious pirate crashed his wooden ship into a huge rock!
furious, wooden, huge
What is the VERB in this sentence?
Yesterday we were extremely busy.
were
The part of a paragraph that tells readers what the paragraph is about is called...?
The topic sentence.
How many comma mistakes are there in this sentence?
How many COMMA mistakes does this sentence have? [comma mistake = 1) comma is missing OR 2) comma should be deleted]
I like SpongeBob Baby Yoda and, Snoopy.
2
Which transition can be used to show TIME ORDER (order of events)?
A) because
B) suddenly
C) finally
D) however
C
because = cause and effect
suddenly = how (the way) an event happened
finally = time order (the last event or action)
however = contrast, difference, unexpectedness
What is the SUBJECT in this sentence?
A cardboard box with six kittens inside was left on the side of the road.
a cardboard box [with six kittens inside]
How many CAPITALIZATION mistakes does this sentence have? [**NOTE** capitalization mistake = 1) lowercase letter should be capitalized OR 2) capitalized letter should be lowercase.**]
everybody learns about abraham lincoln in School.
4 mistakes
CORRECTION:
Everybody learns about Abraham Lincoln in school.
How many comma mistakes are found in the sentence below?
First you need to mix the flour, and eggs.
2
Choose the BEST transition.
I wanted to buy the toy. _____ , I didn't have any money.
A) But
B) Because
C) Although
D) However
D
A, C, and D all show contrast / difference / change, which matches the relationship between the first sentence and the second sentence.
A = But = never used with a comma after it
C = Although = close to the correct answer, but this word (like but) is never used with a comma after it
**although also makes a sentence incomplete once you add this word to the beginning... so even without the comma in this example, the word although cannot be used here since it would create an incomplete sentence**
D) However = can be used at the beginning of a sentence, is always followed by a comma, and does not make a sentence incomplete... CORRECT!
Which SUBJECT correctly fits the sentence?
Surprisingly, _______ doesn't like to swim.
A) those fish
B) my goldfish
C) the mermaids
D) many dolphins
B
verb = "DOESN'T LIKE"
DOES / DOESN'T = same as "do" / "don't" but for SINGULAR 3rd-PERSON SUBJECTS ... in other words, subjects that can be called HE, SHE, or IT
Since the verb is doesn't like, and doesn't is only used for SINGULAR subjects, we must choose the subject that is a singular noun...
A) those fish = plural ("fish" = singular OR plural, but "those" tells us it's plural) = INCORRECT
B) my goldfish = singular = CORRECT
C) the mermaids = plural = INCORRECT
D) many dolphins = plural = INCORRECT
How many CAPITALIZATION mistakes does this sentence have? [**NOTE** capitalization mistake = 1) lowercase letter should be capitalized OR 2) capitalized letter should be lowercase.**]
I told my Mother and Father that i wanted to visit Disney world.
4 mistakes
CORRECTION:
I told my mother and father that I wanted to visit Disney World.
How many comma mistakes are found in the sentence below?
My mom, my dad, and I, drove to the zoo but, the zoo was closed.
2 or 3 (depending on how you count the mistakes)
2 mistakes: 1) no comma between I and drove, and 2) move the comma from after the word but to after the word zoo.
3 mistakes: 1) no comma between I and drove, 2) no comma after the word but, and 3) add a comma after the word zoo.
Choose the BEST transition.
Peter studied for hours and hours. ______ , he failed his test.
A) Although
B) Nevertheless
C) Simultaneously
D) Fortunately
B
Although = cannot have a comma after it / cannot begin a sentence unless there are TWO ideas inside joined by a comma (here there is only one idea... he failed his test ... so adding although would make the sentence incomplete)
Nevertheless = "even though" = "even though Peter studied for hours, he still failed" = CORRECT
Simultaneously = "at the same time" = impossible since Peter can't study for hours WHILE he's failing his test... sentence 1 must happen first
Fortunately = "luckily" = good news = incorrect because failing a test is bad news
What is the VERB in this sentence?
I saw a dancing monkey last night.
saw
In this sentence, the main action is SAW. It's true that DANCING seems like a verb, but a word is only a verb in a sentence if that word's "job" is to tell you the ACTION of the sentence. Here, the word DANCING is describing the noun MONKEY, so DANCING is closer to an adjective or describing word. We can also get a big hint from the "a" in front of DANCING. The "a" tells us that DANCING is a part of the noun "a monkey" (becomes A DANCING MONKEY) ...
Also, "a dancing monkey" tells us WHAT I SAW, which means "a dancing monkey" = WHAT = a thing = a NOUN...
SAW, however, is what the subject "I" actually DID last night... the ACTION ... the VERB!
How many CAPITALIZATION mistakes does this sentence have? [**NOTE** capitalization mistake = 1) lowercase letter should be capitalized OR 2) capitalized letter should be lowercase.**]
on april 2nd, my Sister emily was born, and my Dad took Me to see her at the Hospital.
7 mistakes
CORRECTION:
On April 2nd, my sister Emily was born, and my dad took me to see her at the hospital.
How many comma mistakes are found in the sentence below?
After I finished, brushing my teeth I got into bed, and read, my favorite book.
4
CORRECT:
After I finished brushing my teeth, I got into bed and read my favorite book.
Choose the BEST transition.
The heavy snow has blocked all the roads. _____ , school is closed today.
A) However
B) Furthermore
C) Therefore
D) Meanwhile
C
However = contrast / change / unexpectedness
(doesn't work since sentence 1 is the logical reason for sentence 2... not surprising to close schools)
Furthermore = adding an idea
(doesn't work since sentence 2 is not the same type as sentence 1 / they have different functions ... sentence 1 = cause, sentence 2 = effect ...)
Therefore = cause/effect --> CORRECT
Meanwhile = two separate events happening at the same time in different places
(doesn't work because the important message is not that sentence 1 and 2 are happening at the same time... the message is that sentence 1 is the reason or cause for sentence 2 ... which also means they didn't happen at the same time)