Friday March 28th: Day 1

YWBAT:

Avoid errors # 1-7 on your “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” handout (REVIEW) in preparation for our next error.

Do Now: Take out your homework to be checked (HW 13 on Dave Barry’s satire).

Take out your handout entitled: “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” and be sure you have corrected all the errors in #’s 1-7.

Work with your partner to complete the “Review of Grammar Notes 1-7”

HW 14: DUE TUESDAY = Read “Going to Japan” by Barbara Kingsolver (122-124 in Springboard) and annotate it noting comedic devices and literary techniques. Then, fill in the SOAPSTone chart on page 125.

Name and Date: _______________________________Mrs. DeMella: English 2HReview of Grammar Notes: High Frequency S.A.T. Errors #1-7.

Directions: Work with your partner to … Identify the error in the sentence and circle the corresponding letter. Identify the type of error (i.e. adjective and adverb confusion, error in case of a

pronoun, etc…), and write it in the margin. Correct the error.

1. Sundaes with whipped cream and cherries, while good if consumed in A B

moderation, is heinous if eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No error. C D E

2. There is usually a haze of blue smoke surrounding Linda, Jenny, and I in A B

chemistry lab, especially when we girls are mixing together chemicals of C

unknown origin. No error.D E

3. Even though some possess the flexibility to put their legs over their heads, most A

people vary in his or her ability to achieve this feat. No error. B C D E

4. At swimming pools last summer, the heat will have brought hundreds and even A B

thousands of people to bathe in chlorine infested waters. No error. C D E

5. After the sun set behind the mountains, a cool breeze sprang up and brought A B C

relief from the heat. No error. D E

6. The fascinating TV special shows how quick the hungry tiger can devour its prey. A B C D

No error. E

NOTES ON RULE SEVEN: Error in the Tense of a Verb

1) Keep Verb Tense Consistent!

WRONG: Throughout his life, James McBride’s knowledge grows and his understanding of his identity expanded.

Expands =

WRONG: His mother had a huge influence on the man he becomes.

Became = But note that present tense is the preferred tense when writing about literature.

2) Past Perfect (had + past participle – done/eaten)

Used to show the chronological order of past events (especially when there are no other indicators).

Past I lost the keys I found the keys Present Future(NOW)

WRONG: I found the keys I lost.

Had lost =

3) Present Perfect (has/have + past participle)

Used to discuss an action performed at an unstated past time (simple past tense is used when the time is directly stated).

WRONG: I ate sushi before.WRONG: “Did you ever ride a motorcycle?”WRONG: “Yah, I rode a motorcycle lots of times.”

CORRECT: I have eaten sushi before. I ate it last week. CORRECT: “Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?”CORRECT: “Yes. I’ve ridden a motorcycle many times.”

Her teacher came to her house when he found out that her parents did not know she had been cutting class.

(In a film or book): Her teacher comes to her house when he finds out that her parents do not know she has been cutting class

Infinitive (base)

Present Tense

Gerund/ Present Continuous (preceded by to be)

Past Tense (Simple or Regular)

Past Participle (preceded by have, has, had, to be, etc…)

To jump jump/jumps jumping jumped jumpedTo run run/runs running ran runTo eat eat/eats eating ate eatenTo do do/does doing did doneTo ride ride/rides riding rode ridden

More Practice: Correct the following for errors in verb tense.

1. He was the most handsome man I have ever seen.

2. When Julian found out that my goldfish died, he sent me a condolence card.

Friday Lesson:

Tell them to take out their grammar overview handouts and to work on the SAT practice questions while I check off their HW 13 (Dave Barry satire).

Briefly discuss the Barry piece. Then, tell them that we will compare it to another author’s perspective on her trip to Japan on Tuesday. Explain the homework.

Next: Tell them that we will be studying grammar for the next two days (today and Monday)

Give the new tips on verbs and go over them. Go over the grammar review answers. Time? Have them try to answer #8 on OVERVIEW. Begin to

discuss modifiers and talk about how they function in sentences as a lead in to Monday’s lesson on misplaced modifiers.

Tuesday April 1st: Day 3

YWBAT:

Identify and correct errors in modification & word order (dangling and misplaced modifiers) ERROR #8.

Do now =

Put your Springboard book with (HW #14 completed) on the back shelf to be graded.

Take out your handout entitled: “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” and be sure you have corrected all the errors in #’s 1-8.

Place the new handout in the grammar section of your binder.

Homework #15 = Complete the “More Practice” with misplaced and dangling modifiers if not completed in class.

Name and Date: ____________________________

Mrs. DeMellaHonors English: GRAMMAR ERROR #8

More Practice: Think you understand dangling and misplaced modifiers? Correct as many of the following sentences as you can.

Piled up next to the washer, I began doing the laundry.

While talking on the phone, the doorbell rang.

Standing on the balcony, the ocean view was magnificent.

Running across the floor, the rug slipped and I lost my balance.

While taking out the trash, the sack broke.

I almost listened to the whole album.

The faulty alarm nearly sounded five times yesterday.

I heard that there was a revolution on the evening news.

After years of being lost under a pile of dust, Walter P. Stanley III found all the old records for the Bangor Lion’s Club.

One morning on safari in Africa I shot an elephant in my pajamas before I had eaten my breakfast.

The beautiful young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt, and all the boys were staring.

He nearly ate a whole box of Oreo cookies.

Name and Date: ____________________________________Mrs. DeMella: English 2HERROR #8: GRAMMAR

“Errors in Modification and Word Order – Including Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers”

To modify – (verb) - grammar : to limit or describe the meaning of (a word or group of words) ▪ Adjectives usually modify nouns, and adverbs usually modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. ▪ In the phrase “a red hat,” the adjective “red” modifies the noun “hat.”

Phrases can also be modifiers:

The girl with the long hair is nice. (modifies ‘girl’)The boy in my class is annoying. (modifies ‘boy’)He saw the soldiers coming over the hill. (modifies ‘soldiers’) – This is a participial phrase.

Clauses can also be modifiers:

The witch who turned me into a toad is now married to my prince. (modifies ‘witch’)

RULES:

MODIFIERS SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO THE NEAREST WORD THAT AGREES WITH THE MODIFIER IN NUMBER AND PERSON. When they are too far from the word they modify, ambiguity results. Ambiguity in writing is BAD!!!! Writing should, above all else, be CLEAR.

Examples of MISPLACED MODIFIERS:

Incorrect: Cheung and Martha sat talking about the movie in the office.

Incorrect: They wondered how much the house was really worth when they bought it.

Correct: Cheung and Martha sat in the office talking about the movie.

Correct: When they bought the house, they wondered how much it was really worth.

Incorrect: The dentist instructed him regularly to brush his teeth.

Incorrect: Tom said in the car he had a map of New Jersey.

Correct: The dentist instructed him to brush his teeth regularly.

Correct: Tom said he had a map of New Jersey in the car.

PARTICIPIAL PHRASES AT THE BEGINNING OF A SENTENCE MUST DESCRIBE THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE.

Examples of DANGLING MODIFIERS:

Incorrect: Coming out of context, Peter was startled by Julio’s perceptiveness.

Correct: Julios’ remark, coming out of context, startled Peter with its perceptiveness.

Thursday April 10th: Day 2

YWBAT …

Avoid errors # 1-9 on your “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” handout, including new errors in modification & word order (Error 8), and pronoun usage (error 9).

Do Now:

Take out your entitled: “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” and the homework assignment (#15) you completed on Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers (SAT ERROR 8)

Be sure you have corrected all the errors in #’s 1-8. Go on to look over the error in #9. Correct the error if you can. What do you think the problem is? You may work with your partner to do this.

ERROR 8 REVIEW

1) A small book lay on the desk that Sarah had read.

2) Walking through the park, the grass tickled my feet.

LESSON:

Send kids to pick up books.

Friday April 11th: Day 3

YWBAT …

Avoid errors # 1-9 on your “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” handout, including new errors in pronoun usage (error 9).

Do Now:

Correct the following sentences for pronoun errors:

1.The teacher gave the student her notes.2.Michelle is a shy person, but she keeps it

hidden.3.Fred visited Bob after his graduation.4.Zelda gave her daughter a bike that she rode

constantly.5.This is an amazing lesson! *

Name and Date: _______________________________Mrs DeMellaGrammatical Errors 1-9 Practice.HW # ______ Due: ___________

Directions: Each of the sentences (or each group of sentences) on this handout contain one or more errors.

A)Identify the error(s) BY NUMBER.B)Correct the error(s) – You may have to rewrite the entire

sentence in order to do this.

* This includes the directions – identify and correct the error here, too!

1) The young Jewish boy is protected by a kind farmer from the Nazis.

2) My parents do not approve of the man that I am bringing to Thanksgiving dinner as my guest.

3) In this quotation, Morrie was talking about how people should create his or her own culture.

4) As James grew older, he becomes more interested in his racial heritage, however his mother still refuses to discuss his ethnicity.

5) This confusion follows James McBride until he could sort it out.

6) Cars which have hybrid technology get great gas mileage.

7) My mom bought a raincoat that is impervious to rain from Sears.

8) Our teacher is not humane; she grades our work far too harsh. It is really infuriating.

9) Mr. Jones read a story to his son until he fell asleep.

10) The S.S. Officers were packing people into cattle cars that were going to be murdered.

11) The most important relationship one develops in their childhood is the relationship with one’s mother.

Monday June 2nd: Day 1

YWBAT …

Avoid errors # 1-11 on your “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” handout, including new errors in parallelism, and shifting of narrative voice.

Do Now:

Notebook Check: Open to the notes you copied into “Literary Terms” on November 19th: I want to see the definitions of ‘anaphora’, ‘rhetoric’, and ‘rhetorical device’.

Then, take out your “Grammar Overview” and look at errors 10 and 11. Can you see the problem?

Homework: Complete your poster on a THEME from Macbeth. Also, study grammar and vocabulary.

GRAMMAR FOR SAT (AND STYLE/USAGE) OVERVIEW

Can you correct the mistakes?

1. Fragments and Run-Ons (And correct use of transition words/punctuation)

I did not study, however, I did well. He did the work. But he still failed.

2. Adjective and Adverb Confusion

I hope you do excellent on the grammar test! I am doing good. It is amazing delicious. She felt badly about her poor behavior.

3. Use of Slang/Colloquialisms/Contractions in formal writing

That teacher sure knows her stuff. At first he wasn’t really into learning grammar, but eventually he came around.

4. Error in Case of Pronoun

Can you keep this secret between you and I? John and me went to the store. It is her. He is the one who I love.

5. Error in Pronoun Number Agreement

Each of the girls on the team wore their uniform. Everybody did their work.

6. Subject – Verb Agreement

We was happy yesterday. The joys of climbing mountains, especially if one is a novice climber, escapes me.

7. Error in Tense of a Verb

Charlie tells Professor Nemur that he had decided to get the surgery. I found the keys I lost. We begun to do the work.

8. Error in Modification and Word Order

The two young boys robbed the old lady with a gun. I saw the fight peeking through the window.

9. Use Pronouns correctly.

The teacher told the student he was lazy. Both Isabel and Barbara loved her children.

10. Error in Parallelism

Fred likes to swim and candy. All students should learn word processing, accounting, and how to program computers.

11. Shifting of Narrative Voice

In my lifetime I have seen many challenges to the principle of free speech. We can see how a free society can get too complacent when this freedom is taken for granted. One should always be informed and active about his or her rights!

12. Errors in Logical Comparison

Unfortunately some doubt exists over whether women’s salaries will ever achieve parity with men.

Between chocolate and vanilla I like vanilla best.

Supplemental: Avoid “Wordiness” (this means minimal use of passive voice!!!), and be sure to use correct punctuation, including: Apostrophes, Hyphens and Dashes, Colons, Semi-colons, and Commas. Also, remember to write formal literary essays in present tense .

Name and Date: _______________________________Mrs DeMellaGrammatical Errors 1-9 Practice.HW # ______ Due: ___________

Directions: Each of the sentences (or each group of sentences) on this handout contain one or more errors.

C)Identify the error(s) BY NUMBER.D)Correct the error(s) – You may have to rewrite the entire

sentence in order to do this.

* This includes the directions – identify and correct the error here, too! - subject verb agreement error!

1) The young Jewish boy is protected by a kind farmer from the Nazis. (passive voice and misplaced modifier)

2) My parents do not approve of the man that I am bringing to Thanksgiving dinner as my guest. (pronoun case)

3) In this quotation, Morrie was talking about how people should create his or her own culture. (verb tense and pronoun # agreement)

4) As James grew older, he becomes more interested in his racial heritage, however his mother still refuses to discuss his ethnicity. (verb tense and run-on)

5) This confusion follows James McBride until he could sort it out. (verb tense and informal voice)

6) Cars which have hybrid technology get great gas mileage. (pronoun usage error)

7) My mom bought a raincoat that is impervious to rain from Sears. (misplaced modifier)

8) Our teacher is not humane; she grades our work far too harsh. It is really infuriating. (adj/adv. Error and pronoun usage error – ‘It’)

9) Mr. Jones read a story to his son until he fell asleep. (ambiguous pronoun)

10) The S.S. Officers were packing people into cattle cars that were going to be murdered. (misplaced modifier and pronoun usage error)

11) The most important relationship one develops in their childhood is the relationship with one’s mother. (pronoun # agreement error)

Name and Date: ______________________________________English 2H: Mrs DeMellaGrammar: Errors 10 and 11

Pay Attention to Parallelism: RULE #10

It is often rhetorically effective to use parallel (matching) construction several times in succession, in order to provide emphasis. Of course, this technique is effective only when used sparingly. It is always best to vary sentence length and structure.

Example: As a leader, Lincoln inspired a nation to throw off the chains of slavery; as a philosopher, he proclaimed the greatness of the little man; as a human being, he served as a timeless example of humility. (This example is also an example of anaphora)

Unfortunately, when students attempt to use parallel construction (especially for a series of items), they often succumb to some common grammatical pitfalls.

1) DON’T use parallel structure for dissimilar items:

WRONG: They are sturdy, attractive, and cost only a dollar each.

They are … sturdy. They are … attractive. They are … cost only a dollar each.

CORRECT: They are sturdy and attractive, and they cost only a dollar each.

2) DON’T use parallel structure with different parts of speech in the series. The series must be ALL nouns, ALL adjectives, all infinitives (to go, to be), all gerunds (running, dancing) etc…

WRONG: All students should learn word processing, accounting, and how to program computers.

Word processing (noun)Accounting (noun)How to program computers (NOT a noun )

CORRECT: All students should learn word processing, accounting, and computer programming.

3) DO begin all words or phrases in a series with the same words. The SECOND element in the series determines the form of all the elements after it.

WRONG: He invested his money in stocks, in real estate, and a home for retired performers.

CORRECT: He invested his money in … stocks, real estate, and a home for retired performers. OR He invested his money … in stocks, in real estate, and in a home for retired performers.

PRACTICE

Directions: Rewrite each sentence to correct the error in parallelism.

1. An actor knows how to memorize his lines and getting into character.

2.  Tell me where you were, what you were doing, and your reasons for doing it.

3.  Clark's daily exercises include running, swimming, and to lift weights.

4.  We followed the path through the forest, over the hill, and we went across the river.

5. The writer was brilliant but a recluse.

6. After the party, we want to either go to a movie or the diner.

7. She told Jake to take out the trash, to mow the lawn, and be listening for the phone call.

8.  Marcie studied for the test by reviewing her class notes and she read her textbook.

DON’T SHIFT NARRATIVE VOICE: RULE # 11

1) When writing, choose first, second or third person, and STICK TO IT!!!!

First Person I, We Me, Us My, Mine, Our, Ours

Second Person You You Your, YoursThird Person It, He, She, They,

OneIt, Him, Her, Them, People

Its, His, Hers, Their, Theirs, One’s

WRONG: Just by following the news, you can readily see how politicians have a vested interest

in pleasing powerful interest groups. But one should not generalize about this tendency.

CORRECT: Just by following the news, one can readily see how politicians have a vested

interest in pleasing powerful interest groups. But one should not generalize about this tendency.

PRACTICE:

1) I am disgusted with the waste we tolerate in this country.

One cannot simply stand by with-out adding to such waste:

Living here makes you wasteful.

2) You must take care not to take these grammar rules too

seriously, since one can often become bogged down in

details and forget why he is writing at all.

3) We all must take a stand against waste in this country; else

how will one be able to look oneself in the mirror.

LESSON:

1) Notebook Check on anaphora, rhetoric, rhetorical device while they look over errors 10 and 11 on their grammar overview handout.

2) Return their last grammar handout and quickly go over the answers (errors listed on whiteboard).

3) Pass out the new errors and have students read the rules and examples aloud.

4) Then, pairs do the new practice.

5) Go over the new practice.

6) READ ERROR #11 (shifts in narrative voice)

7) They do the practice (or we can just do it together)

8) Go back and GO OVER THE DO NOW/OVERVIEW for #’s 10 and 11.

9) Give them the packet of MC questions for extra practice (?)

Wednesday June 4th: Day 3

YWBAT …

Avoid errors # 1-12 on your “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview” handout, including ‘Error #12’, in logical comparison.

Do Now: Take out your Thematic Poster to Submit. If you made a Prezi or PowerPoint, you must check that you received an email response from me. If you did not, I did not receive it.

Read and correct the practice errors on page three of your parallelism packet (given Monday).

Take out your handout entitled: “Grammar for S.A.T. (usage) Overview”. Be sure you have corrected all the errors in #’s 1-11. Go on to correct the error #12. You may work with your partner to do this.

Name and Date: _________________________________Mrs. DeMella: English 2H

Grammatical Error #12 (last one!)

ERROR IN LOGICAL COMPARISON

I can go to California or Florida. I wonder which is best.

When you are comparing only two things, you should use the comparative form of the adjective, not the superlative:

I wonder which is better.

Comparisons must also be complete and logical.

The rooms on the second floor are larger than the first floor.

It would be a strange building that had rooms larger than an entire floor. Logically, this sentence should be corrected to:

The rooms on the second floor are larger than those on the first floor.

PRACTICE: Find the error in logical comparison AND correct it, OR choose the best answer to correct the sentence (in sentence improvement questions).

1. Unfortunately, some doubt exists whether women’s salaries will ever achieve A B C

parity with men. D

2. Today, among twentieth-century artists, Salvador Dali’s renown is probably exceeded only by Picasso.

(A) artists, Salvador Dali’s renown is probably exceeded only by Picasso(B) artists, Salvador Dali is probably exceeded in renown only by Picasso’s(C) artists, Salvador Dali’s renown is probably exceeded only by Picasso’s(D) artists, Salvador Dali is only exceeded in renown probably by only Piscasso(E) artists, Salvador Dali’s renown is only probably exceeded by Picasso’s

3. Veterans of World War II received greater support from the public than the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

(A) than(B) than did(C) than did veterans of(D) than from the support of(E) than from the

4. The real estate reporter maintained that housing prices in San Francisco were higher than any other city in the country.

(A) higher than any other city(B) higher than every other city(C) the highest of those of any other city(D) higher than those in any other city(E) higher than any city

5. Although J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling are superficially similar authors, A B

Tolkein possesses the greatest range and sense of history. C D

Name and Date: ____________________________________Mrs DeMella: English 2HGrammar

Practice: Correct the following sentences, identifying the error.

1. Are Brad Pitt’s parenting skills as bad as Britney Spears?

2. There is no cure; however there is treatment.

3. The temperature tomorrow will be a few degrees hotter than today.

4. The newspaper published a photo of my friend and I.

5. Oprah Winfrey has reportedly signed a deal to write a book about weight loss. Her advance is said to be more than Bill Clinton, who received $12 million for his autobiography My Life.

6. Rachel Weisz gave birth to a baby boy this week, but the excitement surrounding his birth is nothing like Angelina Jolie’s baby girl.

7. At the February meeting we will hold a discussion of the new health plan, whether to revise the procedures manual, and then a draft will be developed of the early retirement policy.

Now, choose:

Who/Whom may I say is calling?

Who/Whom of the candidates do you support?

LESSON:

Collect posters while they complete the do now.

Go over the DO NOW. In period six I will need to go over the answers for the practice with parallelism from Monday as well.

Go through just a few of the SAT style practice questions (reviewing the test format)

In periods two and six I need to quickly teach error 11 (keeping narrative voice consistent) and do the practice.

Give the new error (#12). Go through the rules and they complete the practice.

Give the additional practice and they work on it in pairs. Go over this if time. They can also work on the additional parallelism practice if there is time.

Thursday = final review in groups + go over answers + funny grammar rules.

Thursday June 5th: Day 4

YWBAT … Pass your final grammar test with flying colors.

Do Now:

1) Sit in your performance group.

2) Take out your binder and your Macbeth book to return.

HW – Study GRAMMAR and “No Excuse” spelling words.

I suggest completing the additional grammar practice and

checking your answers on the webpage!

Name and Date: _______________________________English 2H: Final Grammar Review (In Class)Directions: Work in your group to correct all of the following sentences. All sentences contain errors.

1. Running down the street, a brick fell on my head.

2. A new survey released by the National Endowment for the Arts that describes a steep downward trend in art consumption by Americans.

3. If it is not raining on Sunday, Sheila and them are going on a picnic in Hyde park.

4. Although Jody Lee primarily illustrates fantasy novels, art critics have found her drawings to be surprising realistic.

5. Ricky wanted to finish his homework, take a walk, and to be in bed by ten o’clock.

6. Successful athletes pay attention to their coaches because they know the value of experience.

7. Anyone seeking to get in shape, regardless of age or ability, can benefit from having a personal trainer show them the best approach.

8. When one drives along the winding roads of the Mendocino coastline, fresh beauties await you at every turn in the road.

9. The piano, although considerably less capable of expressive nuance than many other musical instruments, are marvelously dramatic.

10.Last year, as in years past, the majority of the candidates are dropping out of the race before the election because they no longer had the funds or the will to campaign.

11. Some people look on the cell phone as a pointless luxury; countless others, however, rely on them as a lifeline in emergencies.

12. John’s drumming style is more explosive than Keith.

13. While many cooking experts hold that the only proper way to bake a potato is in a conventional oven, others contend that cooking them in a microwave is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

14. Diabetes can strike anyone, regardless of age, nevertheless many people still make the mistake of considering it a geriatric disease.

15. The Macaroni Penguin, along with the Erect-Crested, Fjordland, Rockhopper, Royal and Snare Island Penguins, have a crest of yellow feathers on their heads.

16. The affects of the storm could be seen for everywhere; nearly everyone seemed to be suffering, accept for a lucky few.

17. In his book on winter sports, the author discusses ice skating, skiing, hockey, and how to fish in an ice covered lake.

18. If we are going to send human beings into space, one must recognize that we are doing it primarily to fulfill the human yearning for adventure.

19. Restrictions on one of the committees that monitors corporate waste disposal were revoked, allowing the committee to levy fines on violators of the disposal laws.

20. Between you and I, this test review is not very difficult.

Name & Date: _________________________________________English 2H

Review/At Home Study Sheet: The Exam tomorrow will test the following:

‘No Excuse’ Spelling Words and …

The following grammatical errors/issues:

A) Adjective and adverb confusion. – I am doing good. / It is amazing delicious.B) Pronoun errors in BOTH case and agreement. – John and me went to the store. /

Everyone did their work.C) Subject verb agreement - We was happy yesterday. D) Inappropriate usage of slang and colloquialisms. - Lady Macbeth is a freaky chick.

E) Sentences and punctuation errors, including run-ons, fragments, and the correct use of ‘however’ and other connectors. I didn’t do my homework, however, I passed.

F) Errors in the tense/form of a verb. – I found the keys I lost. /He begun to do the work. G) Errors in modification and word order. - I saw the fight peeking through the window.H) Incorrect pronoun usage (UNCLEAR who/what antecedent is) – Both Isabel and Barbara

loved her children.I) Parallelism. – Fred likes to swim and candy.J) Shifting of narrative voice. – It is important that you remember to protect yourself;

otherwise one can get in a lot of trouble.K) Errors in logical comparison – Between chocolate and vanilla I like vanilla best.

Examples/Practice: Identify which of the errors above appears in each of the sentences below, and correct the sentence. Answers are posted on my webpage.

1) Little League programs introduce young people to the concept of team play, teach them sportsmanship, and give them the chance to learn fielding, hitting, and how to pitch.

2) Nowadays airport security guards have the right to search people’s bags who act in a suspicious manner.

3) Although scientists know surprising little about Americans’ favorite stimulant, coffee, they do know that most people do not use it efficiently.

4) Friends of the family constantly remark on the striking resemblance between my daughter and I.

5) By establishing strict rules of hygiene in maternity wards, Ignaz Semmelweis saved many women from dying of childbed fever, this was the fate that many expectant mothers feared.

6) In many states, facility in mathematics and language skills are tested in third grade and eighth grade as well as in high school.

7) Steven King’s novel Pet Sematary was inspired by a misspelled sign on a real pet cemetery near Orrington, where the Kings once are living.

8) We cannot hardly believe how rapidly the population of Columbia County has grown in just the past two decades.

9) I have broken up with my boyfriend, however I have never been happier.

10) . The new vacation resort, featuring tropical gardens and man made lagoons, and overlooks a magnificent white sand beach.

11) Carol is more successful in school than Lydia, but she doesn’t really care.

12) High school students at the beginning of the twenty-first century ate more fast food than the middle of the twentieth century.

13) Because each year our children are spending increasingly more time in front of computer monitors and television screens, you need to limit their viewing hours and encourage them to go outdoors and play.

14) Medical studies are providing increasing evidence that alternative therapies are beneficial, and patients are gradually demanding it.

Name and Date: _________________________________

Part One:

Directions: Each of the following rules breaks itself . Correct them all.

HUMOROUS GRAMMAR RULES

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.

2. Never use a preposition to end a sentence with. Winston Churchill, corrected on this error once, responded to the young man who corrected him by saying "Young man, that is the kind of impudence up with which I will not put!

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)

6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies endlessly over and over again

10. No sentence fragments.

11. Contractions aren't always necessary and shouldn't be used to excess so don’t.

12. Foreign words and phrases are not always apropos.

13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous and can be excessive

14. All generalizations are bad.

15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

16. Don't use no double negatives.

17. Avoid excessive use of ampersands & abbrevs., etc.

18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake (Unless they are as good as gold).

20. The passive voice is to be ignored.

21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words, however, should be enclosed in commas.

22. Never use a big word when substituting a diminutive one would suffice.

23. Don’t overuse exclamation points!!!

24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

25. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas

26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed and use it correctly with words’ that show possession.

27. Don’t use too many quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations.. Tell me what you know."

28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a billion times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly. Besides, hyperbole is always overdone, anyway.

29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.

30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

31. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

32. Who needs rhetorical questions? However, what if there were no rhetorical questions?

33. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

34. Avoid "buzz-words"; such integrated transitional scenarios complicate simplistic matters

35. People don’t spell "a lot" correctly alot of the time.

36. Each person should use their possessive pronouns correctly

37. All grammar and spelling rules have exceptions (with a few exceptions)....Morgan’s Law.

38. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

39. The dash – a sometimes useful punctuation mark – can often be overused – even though it’s a helpful tool some of the time.

40. Proofread carefully to make sure you don’t repeat repeat any words.

41. In writing, it’s important to remember that dangling sentences.

41. When numbering in a written document, check your numbering system carefully.