Monday, April 5, 2021
Two Day Sale on TpT April 6 & 7
Sunday, March 21, 2021
3 Tips on Using Apostrophes Correctly
Knowing when and how to use apostrophes can be really confusing at times. The key to using apostrophes correctly is to know when they are needed and for what purpose they are used.
Here are three reasons to use an apostrophe:
1. Use an apostrophe to show that a letter or letters have been left out of a word or that numbers have been left out.
For example, can’t and ’80.
Be sure to place the apostrophe in the exact location of the missing letters or numbers. (can’t = can not) (‘80=1980)
2. Use an apostrophe to show ownership or possession of nouns and indefinite pronouns.
(Cathy’s car.) (someone’s fault)
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The rules to form possessive nouns are simple.
First, determine if the word you are making possessive in form is singular or plural.
If the word is singular, add an apostrophe and then an s. (cat’s meow)
Note: In words of more than one syllable that end in an s-sound, you are permitted to add only the apostrophe to avoid too many s-sounds. (Moses’ tablets)
If the word is plural, you must first check the spelling of the word before making it possessive.
If the plural word ends in an ‘s,’ just add the apostrophe. Flowers = flowers’ fragrance
If the plural word does not end in an ‘s,’ you would add an apostrophe and then an ‘s.’
men = men’s wardrobe
Never add an ‘s’ and then an apostrophe. (s’)
(Doing so would have made the word plural and possessive.)
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You do not use an apostrophe to make a word plural.
For example, one boy= three boys
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sometimes you need to make a word plural first and then make it possessive.
Here's an example.
A family named Wilson is having a party. Because there are several members of the family who are having the party, you would make the name plural and then possessive. On the invitation it should read: You are invited to the Wilsons’ Christmas party.
However, the Wilson family would sign their Christmas cards: The Wilsons. (Note: There is no apostrophe because “Wilsons” is a plural noun but not a possessive noun.)
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Indefinite pronouns refer to something that is not specified.
Singular indefinite pronouns do not end in an “s”. To make an indefinite pronoun possessive, you would add an apostrophe and an ‘s.’
•anybody = anybody’s guess
•anyone = anyone’s idea
•everybody = everybody’s right
•somebody = somebody’s idea
•nobody = nobody’s business
•no one = no one’s business
•someone = someone’s house
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If you follow these rules, the use of apostrophes becomes easier to understand. I have several resources that address the use of apostrophes and may be helpful for your students.
Practice with Apostrophes BOOM Cards Deck 1 $3.75
Practice with Apostrophes BOOM Cards Deck 2 $3.75
Avoid the Misuse of the Greengrocer's Apostrophe $3.15
Using Apostrophes Correctly Grammar Worksheets FREE
We have something to look forward to since it's almost spring. Here in the Rockies, we just had 28 inches of snow at my house. I'm ready to skip spring and go straight to summer.
Stay safe and well. Thanks for reading.
Charlene
Some of my teacher friends have written some interesting blog posts. Take a look below.
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5 Capitalization Hints
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How to Reduce Wordy Sentences
- repeat a word or phrase only when necessary.
- avoid a careless or needless repetition of a thought in different words.
- avoid clumsy, roundabout expressions.
- eliminate needless words and choppy sentences.
- avoid the double negative.
- use adverbs sparingly.
- choose the precise word to convey your meaning.
- avoid clichés.
It is quality, not quantity that counts in writing. Most good writing is not cluttered with superfluous words.
Here are three ways to improve your writing:
(1) Eliminate extra words and the unnecessary repetition of ideas.
For example:
Wordy: The dog played with a small, little, round ball, which was made of rubber.
Better: The dog played with a little rubber ball.
(2) Reduce clauses to phrases and phrases to single words.
For example:
Wordy: We decided that we would leave the meeting early.
Better: We decided to leave the meeting early.
Wordy: The illegal immigrants who had been captured were deported to Mexico.
Better: The captured illegal immigrants were deported to Mexico.
(3) Avoid trying to sound like Shakespeare. Write naturally.
For example:
Wordy: Illumination is required when the sun has sunk into the west and left the premises in darkness.
Better: Turn on the lights at dark.
What about you? Do you sometimes use more words that you really need? I know I do, so when I go back and proofread what I have written, I often find myself tapping the delete key.

“It ain't whatcha write, it's the way atcha write it.”
------- Jack Kerouac

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Civility in the Classroom
I believe that the process by which students learn is much more important than the actual content data they acquire. If an information base were all that was required to be successful in life, the library and the internet could satisfy that requirement, and students wouldn’t need teachers at all.
In my classroom, I wanted my students to read good books, write insightful compositions, and learn to correct grammar to be understood and respected when speaking or writing. Those concepts were important to me, but much more important was the climate of the classroom in which they spent so much time with me.
Allowing students to work in small groups helps them learn to be civil to one another. I tried to mix up the groups in my classes so that students could work with people they did not know especially well.
How we treat one another in our daily interactions is something for which we can all take responsibility. Not everyone is raised in a home where family members respect each other and speak to each other kindly. That’s one of the most important reasons for teachers to require that the students in their classes treat each other with civility. Teachers can model that behavior and expect students to do the same. When teachers observe students treating each other with respect, it is important to reward their behavior with a smile, a nod, or a compliment.
No one should be subjected to a learning environment in which they are subject to criticism, racism, misogyny, or any manner of hate-filled speech. Civility begins in the home and in the classroom.
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Help with the Active and Passive Voice of Verbs
To change a sentence into the active voice do the following:
- Remove the form of the to be helping verb. Be sure to keep the tense of the verb the same as it was.
- Remove the word by.
- Flip the ends of the sentence.
Step 2 in SimpleSteps to Sentence Sense is all about finding the verb and the verb phrase.
Click here to access a mini-lesson from pages from the All About Verbs exercise that you can assign in Google Drive. Click here to access the answers to the exercise.
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Tips for Knowing When to Use Who, That, and Which
Here are a few simple hints to help you decide whether to use “who,” “that,” or “which” in the sentences you write.
Use “who” when referring to people. For example, The man who answered the phone was very polite.
Use "that" for clauses that define specific people or things and provide necessary information. For example, The cake that I made yesterday was delicious. (You are talking about a specific cake.)
Use "which" in a nonessential clause that adds information but is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence. For example, The movie, which I saw yesterday, was about a war hero.
Nonrestrictive clauses that begin with “which” should be placed in between commas or in between parentheses. A nonrestrictive clause is one that can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Misplaced Modifiers Often Create Strange Mental Pictures
Misplaced modifiers can create mental pictures that are often humorous. Sometimes, it's possible to read a sentence that contains a misplaced or dangling modifier and not notice the error. As always, it is easier to detect the mistakes in other people's writing than it is in your own. You know what you are trying to say, but you will say it badly if the modifiers are out of place in the sentence.
A modifying phrase or clause must clearly modify a word in the sentence. If there is no word to which the modifier is attached, the modifier is misplaced.
For example, Carrying an armful of flowers, his foot caught on the steps.
His foot is not carrying the flowers. There is no word in the sentence for the participial phrase to modify, so it contains a dangling modifier.
Corrected: Carrying an armful of flowers, he caught his foot on the steps.
Another way writers can confuse readers is by placing a modifier in a sentence that may be taken to modify two different words. As a result, the reader will not understand the writer's intended meaning. This error is called using a squinting modifier. (Sometimes it is called using a two-way modifier.)
For example, Todd said after the game Jack acted like a jerk.
Since the phrase after the game could modify said or acted, the meaning of this sentence is not clear. Did Todd say this after the game, or did Jack act like a jerk after the game?
Clear: After the game, Todd said Jack acted like a jerk.
Clear: Todd said Jack acted like a jerk after the game.
To avoid dangling modifiers, be sure to place the modifier close to the word it modifies. Sometimes you will have to add a word to the sentence, and sometimes you can just move the modifying phrase or clause closer to the word it modifies.
To avoid squinting modifiers, carefully construct your sentences to say what you mean, and make it clear which word is being modified.
How do you avoid errors such as these? Proofread what you write carefully and make sure to write sentences that are well constructed. The more you write, the better you will be at avoiding errors with misplaced and squinting modifiers.
For practice, here are a few examples for you to correct.
- The bear was near the empty garbage can searching for food.
- The dog ran into the room wiggling and jumping for joy.
- He saw her at the meat counter talking to the butcher.
I also have a self-grading deck of BOOM Cards™ that your students will love to play while reviewing misplaced modifiers. The resource comes with a mini-lesson. You can preview the deck before you buy it.
I hope you will find this information useful. Your students will become better writers if they can identify and correct errors with misplaced, dangling, and squinting modifiers.
Take a look at these helpful blog posts from my teacher friends at The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative.
Thanks for reading,
Charlene
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