Vocabulary
Writing
Sentence Structures
Writing Mistakes
Bonus, Random
100

No one likes repetition! Name three synonyms of said. 

Exclaimed, yelled, demanded, whispered, shrieked, cried, yelped, weld, mumbled, murmured, screamed, shouted, told, etc.

100

There were four types of essays we covered; one of which is a narrative. What is a narrative essay and what purpose does it serve?

Narrative essays tell a story. The text is often about a real-life experience that is used to convey a message to readers and tries to engage readers by describing the event very vividly. 

100

Fix the following to make it complete and grammatically correct: 

When I went to the mall.

What is missing here?

It is a dependent clause/incomplete sentence. 

Example Solution: When I went to the mall, I bought christmas gifts. 

100
How do we correctly use this set of commonly confused words: affect vs effect?
  • Affect - used as a verb, to cause something to change (e.g. global warming affected the earth)

  • Effect - used as a noun, the result of something (e.g. global warming has an effect on the earth)

100

What is the world's best-selling book series?

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter with about 500 million in sales, followed by R. L. Stine's Goosebumps with about 400 million in sales

200

What is the definition of nostalgia? Use the word in a sentence.

Brackish - something slightly salty (describing water), or unpleasant

200

Which sentence is correctly punctuated? 

A. I can't see Tim's car, there must have been an accident.

B. I can't see Tim's car: there must have been an accident.

C. I can't see Tim's car there must have been an accident.

D. I can't see Tim's car; there must have been an accident.

D
200

What type of sentence is this? Break down the components. 

"I find it relaxing to listen to quiet music after school, and I often wear headphones while I am studying."

Compound-Complex

 I find it relaxing to listen to quiet music after school - independent clause

and - conjunction

I often wear headphones - independent clause

while I am studying - dependent clause

200

What is a comma splice? Provide an example of this writing error. 

Comma Splice: A comma splice is an error that comes from using a comma to separate two independent clauses. It is when two sentences are punctuated as if they were one.

200

Name a famous poet. Any.

Examples: Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou, William Wordsworth, Pablo Neruda, John Keats, Sylvia Plath, William Blake, E. E. Cummings, etc.

300

What is the definition of nostalgia? Use the word in a sentence.

Nostalgia - a longing for something from the past, normally because of personal experiences, similar to remembrance or reminiscence

300

What are the three types of irony?

  • Situational - something happens that you don’t expect 

  • Dramatic - often when watching a movie or reading a book, when the audience knows something the characters in the story do not

  • Verbal - saying something you do not mean, often confused with sarcasm

    • Sarcasm - saying something you don’t mean in attempts to hurt or offend someone and is accompanied by a sarcastic tone

300

Write a compound sentence. 

Compound Sentence

2 or more independent clauses by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)

300

What is a run-on sentence and what are two ways you can fix them?

Run-on Sentences: A run-on sentence results from two or more complete sentences being connected without any punctuation.

Solutions: 

  • Separate the two clauses with a period.

    • E.g. Jim is the fastest runner in the class he wins all of the races.

    • Fixed: Jim is the fastest runner in the class. He wins all of the races.

  • Separate the clauses with a semi-colon.

    • E.g. I have owned four different guitars my first guitar was a Gibson Explorer.

    • Fixed: I have owned four different guitars; my first guitar was a Gibson Explorer.

  • Use a comma with a coordinating conjunction (e.g. and, but, or, for, yet, nor, so) to separate the clauses.

    • E.g. Our parents did not like the loud music we could not stop dancing.

    • Fixed: Our parents did not like the loud music, but we could not stop dancing.

  • Use a subordinating conjunction (e.g. although, after, before, unless, as, because, even though, if, since, until, when, while) and a comma to separate the two clauses.

    • E.g. Stephanie worked all week she still partied on Fridays.

    • Fixed: Although Stephanie worked all week, she still partied on Fridays.

300

Who is the all-time best-selling author to date?

William Shakespeare

400

Vocabulary can sometimes be hard when reading. What are the ways in which you can find the meaning of a word?

  • Use word parts (roots, prefixes, and suffixes) to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

  • Use context clues to confirm the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

  • Root Word - the basic unit of a word

  • Prefix - a word part added in front of a root word to make a new word.

  • Suffix - a word part added at the end of a root word to make a new word.

  • Context Clues - Information from the text that helps a reader identify a word and understand its meaning

  • Synonyms - Words that mean the same or nearly the same

  • Nonexamples - Words that have different meanings or antonyms

400

When you are writing, you can make it entertaining by connecting with people through shared understandings with deeper meanings. One way to create this effect is through idioms. Name 5 common idioms and say what they mean.

Examples: 

  • Beat around the bush - avoid saying what you want to say or mean 

  • A blessing in disguise - a good thing that seems bad at first 

  • Break a leg - good luck 

  • Cutting corners - easy route in order to save time or money (sometimes use it to call someone lazy)

  • Get out of hand - let the situation get chaotic or crazy 

  • Hang in there - keep going, stay strong 

  • It’s not rocket science - it is not that hard 

  • So far so good - thing are going well so far 

  • Speak of the devil - someone we were talking about or mentioned showed up 

  • Under the weather - to feel sick 

400

What ate the two types of conjunctions? Explain with examples.

  • Coordinating Conjunctions - are used to join two independent clauses in compound sentences are coordinating conjunctions. The most common coordinating conjunctions are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.
    • Note: it is used to join clauses and has only one function: it joins clauses of equal importance. Removing the conjunction between two independent clauses will leave two simple sentences whose meanings remain unchanged. They can stand alone as complete sentences.
  • Subordinating Conjunctions -  has two functions: it joins, and it shows a relationship between the clauses that it joins. Removing a subordinating conjunction defeats the purpose for which it exists. Common examples include: after, although, as, because, even though, if, rather, since, so that, once, than, unless, where, until, when, whenever, whereas, while, in order, etc.
400

What writing mistake is present in this sentence? How would you fix it?

"Making up his mind quickly. Jim ordered two dozen red roses for his wife. Hoping she would accept his apology."

It is a sentence fragment

400

Name a Canadian author.

Examples: Margaret Atwood, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Michael Ondaatje, Lawrence Hill, Kelley Armstrong, Joseph Boyden, etc.

500

What is the definition of abnegation? Use the word in a sentence.

Abnegation - act of rejecting or denial of a belief, it could also mean self-denial or self-sacrifice

500

What are the five ways/hook types that can help you start off your expository writing on an interesting note?

Question

If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go?

Interesting Fact

Destin, Florida has some of the softest and whitest sand in the entire world.

Famous Quotes

Dorothy said “there is no place like home.” I tend to think there’s no place like the beach!

Personal Opinion

I think the white sand beaches of Destin, Florida are the best place to spend a summer vacation.

Turnaround

Most of my friends think a trip to Disney World would be an ideal vacation, not me. If I could go anywhere, I would go to the beach!

500

What are all four sentence structure types we had learnt in class?

Simple Sentence

Subject + Verb

e.g. Scott plays soccer in the morning. 

e.g. I kicked the ball.

Compound Sentence

2 or more independent clauses by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)

e.g. Scott was playing soccer, so Mary went to the beach.

e.g. I kicked the ball, and it hit Tom. 

Complex Sentence

1 independent clause + 1 or more dependent clauses + a subordinating conjunction such as after, although, because, since, when, etc. or a relative pronoun such as that, which, or who

e.g. Since Scott was playing soccer, I did not see him. 

e.g. Tom cried because the ball hit him. 

Compound-Complex Sentence

2 or more independent clauses + 1 or more dependent clauses 

e.g. Tom cried because the ball hit him, and I apologized immediately. 

500

Fix the short paragraph that is filled with writing mistakes:

did you no that bats are mammals. we no they are mammals just lik us becaus they are warm blooded they are the only mammals that no how to fly bats are Nocturnal which means thay sleep during the day and are awak at nite?

Did you know that bats are mammals? We know they are mammals just like us because they are warm blooded. They are the only mammals that know how to fly. Bats are nocturnal which means they sleep during the day and are awake at night.

500

Name a famous book that was not originally written in English.

Examples: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, Around the World in Eighty Days, etc.