seventh grade english benchmark 3 grammar, usage, and mechanics

SEVENTH GRADE ENGLISH

BENCHMARK 3

GRAMMAR, USAGE, AND MECHANICS

Hey, Kai. Yes, I studied for the verb tense test. Huh? Oh… let’s see… the principal parts of a verb are present, past, and past participle. What? No.

Get your own hot chocolate.

PASS GUM 3.1.b.Use correct verb tense in writing.

PRESENT PASTEnds in -ed

PAST PARTICIPLEUses helping verb has / have / had; Ends in -ed

talk talked have talked

ask asked have asked

write wrote (No –ed; it is irregular.)

have written (No –ed; it is irregular.)

teach taught (No –ed; it is irregular.)

have taught (No –ed; it is irregular.)


(Sigh…) Olivia is always so nice, and her verb tenses are always

correct.

1. Olivia (had ran, had run) on the track team for two years.

2. Kai had already (ate, eaten) his sandwich.

3. Olivia said, “I’ve (went, gone) to track practice late two days in a row.”

4. Kai said, “I (sung, sang) in the school play last year.”

5. Olivia said, “I’ve (fell, fallen) over the hurdles several times.”

Write down what you think the correct verb forms are. Answers are on the next slide.

1.Olivia (had ran, had run) on the track team for two years.

2. Kai had already (ate, eaten) his sandwich.

3. Olivia said, “I’ve (went, gone) to track practice late two days in a row.

4. Kai said, “I (sung, sang) in the school play last year.”

5. Olivia said, “I’ve (fell, fallen) over the hurdles several times.


run ran have run

eat ate have eaten

go went have gone

sing sang have sung

fall fell have fallen

Today I…

Yesterday I…

Many times I…

This is a good way to think of present, past, and past participle:


Did you find all of Kai’s mistakes? Check the next slide to be sure.

Hey, Mei. Did you notice that big tree has fell down in our parking area? The principals have gave us new parking spots. Man,

I’ve went to the office three times to register for my spot – it hasn’t took me

very long – I want a good spot! That tree has tore up

a school bus! Hey, have you wrote your

essay for English? Ms. Periwinkle’s gave me bad

grades for every essay I’ve did so far!


1. …big tree has fell… 2. … principals have gave us…3. … I’ve went to the office…4. …it hasn’t took me very long…5. …tree has tore up… 6. …have you wrote your essay… 7. Ms. Periwinkle’s gave me… 8. …for every essay I’ve did…

fall fell has fallen

give gave have given

go went have gone

take took has taken

tear tore has torn

write wrote have written

give gave have given

do did have done

Use the Principal Parts of Verbs Chart to check Kai’s verb tense choices.

Principal Parts of Verbs Past Present Past Participle


Ms. Periwinkle, our English teacher, was so sweet today. She was telling Kai that

verb tense problems can easily be overcome!

We use the verb tenses that we grow up hearing from our friends, our babysitters

at daycare, our aunts and uncles, and people on TV.

How we hear it is how we say it! It just sounds right that way!

To change, we just have to make a list of the verb forms we learned incorrectly and

then memorize the right forms. Soon, they will begin to sound right to us!

We’re not dumb when we use the wrong verb form – we just heard it the wrong

way when we were young.

PASS GUM 3.1.c. Use nominative, objective, and possessive

pronouns correctly.

subject verb direct---------------------------object

1. Gidget loves Moondoggie and (I, me). sub. verb indirect----------------object adj. dir. obj.

2. Liz gave Gidget and (I, me) new surfboards. subject verb dir.obj. (prepositional phrase ending w/obj. of prep.)

3. Gidget gave a ride to Liz and (I, me, myself). subjects------------------------------ verb ---direct object---

4. Liz and (I, me, myself) love Moondoggie.

Can you select the correct pronouns?

PASS GUM 3.1.c. Use nominative, objective, and possessive pronouns correctly. Definitions and Examples1. Subject pronouns (Nominative pronouns) Used as subjects, predicate nominatives

2. Object pronouns Used as direct objects, indirect objects, objects of the preposition

3. Possessive pronouns Used to show possession

my mine our ours

your yours your yours

his her hers its their theirs

I we

you you

he she it they

me us

you you

him her it them


pronouns correctly.

subject verb direct----------------------- object

Gidget loves Moondoggie and (I, me).

Subject – GidgetVerb – loves

Say “loves who or what?” That’s your direct object - Moondoggie

and me.We choose me because the direct object pronoun must come from

the object pronouns. We can’t choose I because the pronoun I is a subject pronoun!

sub. verb indirect--------------object adj. dir. obj.

Liz gave Gidget and (I, me) new surfboards.


pronouns correctly.

Dude, don’t overthink; don’t do it the hard way. You are wasting your surfing energy on pronoun problems. Be like

me, the Moondog… I just eliminate the “Gidget and…” and

listen for what sounds right.Listen…

Liz gave I a surfboard…Liz gave me a surfboard… See?

sub. verb dir.obj. (prep. phrase ending with obj. of prep.)

Gidget gave a ride to Liz and (I, me, myself).

subjects-------------------------------------- verb ---direct object---

Liz and (I, me, myself) love Moondoggie.

Gidget gave a ride to Liz and (I, me, myself).

Liz and (I, me, myself) love Moondoggie.

It’s easy; just mentally mark out the “compound element”: Liz and…

Then you can listen for the correct pronoun answer!


pronouns correctly.

Try these two:

Liz is taking modeling lessons from Tyra and (I, me).

Moondog painted Liz and (me, I) a portrait.

Liz is taking modeling lessons from Tyra and (I, me).

Moondog painted Liz and (me, I) a portrait.

Yes!

Liz is taking lessons from ME.(Just mentally mark out …Tyra and…)

Moondog painted ME a portrait.(Just mentally mark out …Liz and…)

PASS GUM 3.1.l.Distinguish and correctly spell commonly

confused words.

Thank you, fellow Panthers! I, Olivia McPretty, except the honor of being crowned Prom Queen! May the Panthers never loose there glory! Go Cats!

Which is the best change, if any, to make to the underlined words in the sentence above?

A. except / lose / theirB. accept / loose / thereC. accept / lose / theirD. No change.

Commonly Confused Words:

to, two, too; our, are; accept, except; affect, effect;

past, passed; red, read; there, their, they’re; dessert, desert;

lead, led; its, it’s; loose, lose; peace, piece; break, brake;

choose, chose; capital, capitol; all right; all ready, already; altar, alter;

all together, altogether

These are some of the commonly confused words. One of the most

abused pairs is its/it’s. No worries:

It’s always means IT IS. It’s a contraction!

The other one (its) always means the possessive pronoun…like…the puppy

licked its paw.

What effect will the new soccer regulations have on your

team? Will they affect you very much? They’re saying that

their effect will be felt both in America and clear over there in

England. To enforce the two regulations will take too much

money! The economy is already bad. Oh well, I’m all

ready to play!

Here are a few more…

It’s time for you to look in your grammar book, make a list of the “commonly confused words” that you still get mixed up in your mind, and sit down and study them until you know them!

You know, whether you are an alert student like Olivia or a sleepy student like Maynard, you need to realize at some point that you are in charge of what you learn. If you see something in this lesson – or in any lesson -- that you don’t know, take responsibility for it. Make a list of what you don’t know, and learn it. It will be on your ACT and SAT.

If you wait around for your teacher to figure out exactly what each of you doesn’t know and then teach it to each of you, it will be harder for you to learn everything you need. Instead, if you see something you don’t know, learn it!

Ma’am, will you please email this PowerPoint to me

at my home? I want to study the grammar rules.

GUM 3.1.m.Use the correct forms of

plural and possessive forms of nouns.

OK – Noun – person, place, thing, idea –

right?

OK – Plural form is how we spell it when there is more

than one – like computer/computers or

foot/feet – right?

OK – Possessive form means when the noun shows ownership – like

Maynard’s computer or my friends’ cars – right?

Rules for Making Nouns PLURAL:

Most nouns: Add s Ex: bike(s), shop(s), the Jackson family/the Jackson(s), the Scott family/the Scott(s), the Deaver famly/the Deaver(s), the Dibrell family/the Dibrell(s), the Coke family/the Coke(s)

Nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, sh: Add es Ex: church(es), box(es), dress(es), waltz(es), brush(es), the Katz family/the Katzes, the Jones family/the Jones(es), the Evans family/ the Evans(es), the Barghols family/ the Barghols(es), the Butts family/ the Butts(es), the Burch family/the Burch(es), the Mills family/ the Mills(es), the Hughes family/ the Hughes(es), the McWatters family/ the McWatters(es)

Singular: one shopping bag

Plural: many shopping bags

Rules for Making Nouns PLURAL, continued

Nouns ending in vowel-y: Add sEx: key(s) essay(s) journey(s), the Toney family/ the Toney(s), the Lashley family/ the Lashley(s)

Nouns ending in consonant-y: Drop the y and add ies* Ex: baby/babies, sky/skies, comedy/comedies, trophy/trophies, cavity/cavities*Proper nouns ending in consonant-y: You cannot change their spelling, so just add s. Ex: The Gundy family/the Gundys (not the Gundies!), There are two Circuit Citys (not Circuit Cities!), the McElvany family/the McElvanys (not the McElvanies!), Principal Geri Woody/ the Woodys (not the Woodies!)


Nouns ending in vowel-o: Add sEx: radio(s), video(s), studio(s), Antonio(s), igloo(s), patio(s)Nouns ending in consonant-o: Add es*Ex: hero(es), tomato(es), potato(es), veto(es), torpedo(es)*Exceptions: Music words - piano(s), solo(s)*Other common exceptions: taco(s), photo(s)…For proper nouns ending in consonant-o, you can’t change their spelling, so just add s.Ex: the LoPresto family/the LoPrestos, the AlvaradosFor some nouns ending in consonant-o, add either s or es.Ex: tornado/tornado(s) tornado(es), motto/motto(s) motto(es), banjo/banjo(s) banjo(es)


Some nouns ending in f or fe: Drop the f or fe and add ves.Ex: knife/knives, leaf/leaves, shelf/shelves But…roof/roofs, safe/safes

Some nouns have irregular plurals.Ex: child/children, tooth/teeth, goose/geese, woman/women, mouse/mice, ox/oxen

Some nouns stay the same from singular to plural forms.Ex: one deer/two deer, one sheep/two sheep, one species/two species


Most compound nouns:Ex: notebook/notebook(s), disc jockey/ disc jockey(s), blueprint/blueprint(s), two-year old/two-year-old(s), Other compound nouns: Form the plural of the actual nounEx: brother(s)-in-law

Nouns from other languages use the plural form in the original language:Ex: alumnus/alumni, phenomenon/ phenomenaSome nouns from other languages have two plural forms – an original one and an English one. The English one is preferred.Ex: index/indexes or indices, appendix/appendixes or appendices, cactus/cactuses or cacti, cherub/cherubs or cherubim


Use ‘s to form the plural of numbers, letters, symbols, etc.

Ex. #1 There are two a’s in the word separate. (Without the apostrophe, the word a’s would look like as. Very confusing!) Ex. #2 Your i’s look like e’s. (Without the apostrophe, the word i’s would look like is.)Ex. #3 There are two 8’s in the address. The Civil War was in the 1860’s. I have several CD’s. (These are understandable with or without apostrophes.)

FYI: Many grammar books allow either s or ‘s with example #3 (CDs or CD’s, 1860s or 1860’s). Grammar rules insist, though, on using ‘s with examples #1 and #2, when the absence of the apostrophe would cause confusion.

Rules for Making Nouns POSSESSIVE

Singular nouns: Add ‘sEx: the player’s uniform, student’s car, the Jones family’s house, Sam’s cap, Francis’s baseball

Plural nouns ending in s: Add ‘Ex: the players’ uniforms, the students’ cars, the Joneses’ house

Plural nouns not ending in s: Add ‘sEx: the children’s uniforms, the women’s team, the men’s team

Man, I wish I knew some little trick for checking my possessive forms after I write them!

Hey, Maynard, Moondoggie taught me to check my possessive forms by mentally

circling everything to the left of the apostrophe.

Then ask, “Is that what I’m talking about?” Try these:

1. Mom gave all of my (sister’s, sisters’) toys away after they got married.

Hmm… sister’s… or… sisters’ …Am I talking about sister or sisters?

Right! It’s “they,” so it’s sisters’.

2. I can’t figure out all of this (computer’s, computers’) problems.

Hmm… computer’s… or… computers’ …Am I talking about computer or computers?

Right! It’s “this,” so it’s computer’s.

GUM 3.1.m.Use the correct forms of

plural and possessive forms of nouns.My Plural Example Words:

bikeschurcheskeysbabiesGundysradiosheroespianostornado(s,es)kniveschildrendeernotebooksbrothers-in-lawcactusesa’s

My Possessive Example Words:

the player’s uniform

the players’ uniforms

the children’s uniforms

If I can memorize how to spell these

words, I can remember each

plural and possessive rule!

Participial phrase1. Phrase – a group of words without a subject

and a verb2. Participial – beginning with a word that

ends in –ing or –ed3. A participial phrase always functions as an

adjective in the sentence.

PASS GUM 3.2.b.7. Use a comma after an

introductory participial phrase.

What is a participial phrase?

PASS GUM 3.2.b.7. Use a comma after an


Walking his dog, Arthur

enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Tired from the walk, Arthur

returned home.

Taking into consideration my appearance, can you guess my name?

Called “Spot” by all my friends, I have one beautiful black circle on my back.

PASS GUM 3.2.b.7.Use a comma after an


Gripping her surfboard with all ten toes Liz rode the wave to the shore.

What is the best change, if any, to make to toes Liz in the above sentence?

A. toes; LizB. toes, LizC. toes. LizD. No change.



Won by Gidget the karate championship trophy was awarded in the gym.Which is the best change, if any, to make to Won by Gidget the in the above sentence?

A. Won by Gidget, theB. Won by Gidget; theC. Won by Gidget. TheD. No change.

Hey, I thought the first word in the participial phrase had to

end in –ing or

–ed! Won ends in

–on. What’s that all

about?

Yes, participial phrases do begin with words ending in –ing and –ed.

Some –ed words, however, are irregular. Examples:

Verb Present Participle (-ing

form)

Past Participle (-ed form)

keep keeping keeped kept

go going goed gone

break breaking broked broken

build building builded built

win winning winned won

Won by Gidget, the karate championship trophy was awarded in the gym.

The participial phrase is an adjective modifying the subject, trophy.



Write two original sentences beginning with intro. participial phrases. Start one with an “-ing” participial phrase and one with an “–ed” participial phrase.1.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PASS GUM 3.2.b.8. Use a comma after a succession of introductory prepositional phrases.

In the beginning of my

dream,

At the foot of the bed,

With the blanket around my shoulders,

For the re

st of t

he

night,

Commonly Used Prepositionsabout, above, across, after, against, along, among,

around, as, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, but (meaning except), by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like,

near, of, off, on, out, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath,

until, unto, up, upon, with, within, without

Compound Prepositionsaccording to, along with, apart from, aside from, as of, because of, by means of, in addition to, in front of, in place of, in spite of, instead of, next to, on account of,

out of

A preposition shows association, direction, location, or relationship.

A preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object form a prepositional phrase.

beside

belo

w

un

der

ben

eath

across upon

in front of in addition to

do

wn

next to

nearin

on

Direction / Location Prepositions

above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond by, down, in, inside, into, near, on, out, outside, over, past, through, throughout, toward, under, underneath

up, upon, within

A preposition shows direction / location or association / relationship.

There are no monsters above my bed, on my bed, behind my bed, beneath my bed, in my bed, on my bed, under my bed or upon my bed.

Association / Relationship Prepositions

for, with, about, during, until, from, without, as, before, like, of, since, to, besides.

but (meaning except), except

A preposition shows direction / location or association / relationship.

I had a dream during the night.

(During makes a relationshipbetween the direct objectdream and the object of the preposition night.)

PASS GUM 3.2.b.8. Use a comma after a succession of introductory prepositional phrases.

--prep.phrase-- -----prep. phrase---- sub. verb adj.

With a look of confidence, Liz operated the ------direct object---- adverb

cash register expertly.

A “succession” of introductory prepositional phrases just means that there are two or more at the

beginning of the sentence. Don’t put the comma in until the

end of the succession of prepositional phrases.

PASS GUM 3.2.b.13.Use a comma to set off

parenthetical expressions.

Well, you did, after all, come over to spend time with me, Maynie.

Wanta play a game, Maynie? This is, indeed, very fun!

I am, in fact,

already playing a game, Gidgie.

You are, I believe, correct.

Let’s play!

PASS GUM 3.2.b.13.

Use a comma to set off parenthetical expressions.

A writer should (after all) be able to hear the interruption when (for example) a parenthetical expression is used.

What? Why are they called “parenthetical expressions”?

That’s easy!They are like little explanatory expressions that sound as if they could be in parentheses.

Get it? “parentheses…”“parenthetical…”

We don’t, of course, really use parentheses around parenthetical expressions; we set them off with commas.



Commonly used parenthetical expressions:

after all, at any rate, by the way, consequently, for example, for instance, however, I believe (hope, etc.),

incidentally, in fact, in general, in the first place, meanwhile, moreover, naturally, nevertheless, of

course, on the contrary, on the other hand, that is, therefore

Pinball, by the way, is a great game.

Video games, on the other hand, bore me!



Parenthetical expressions are “interrupters.” They plop down right in the middle of an independent

clause, splitting it open.

parenthetical -------- subject---------- expression verb adj. dir. object

Maynard Doo, by the way, plays video games --------prep. phrase------

after school.

Yeah…parenthetical expressions can come between subjects and verbs, or they can come after the verb.

See how ,by the way, splits the sentence in half right

between the subject (Maynard Doo) and the verb (plays)!

PASS GUM 3.2.b.19.Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by conjunctive adverbs or transitional

expressions followed by a comma.

subject --verb- direct obj. conjunctive adv. sub. adverb verb

Moondog loves surfing; however, he also loves direct obj. (gerund phrase)

singing in his band.

Check it out:Independent Clause #1: Moondog loves surfingIndependent Clause #2:

he also loves singing in his bandConjunctive Adverb: ;however,

Commonly Used Conjunctive Adverbs

accordingly, additionally, also, anyway, besides, consequently, furthermore, however, indeed, instead, meanwhile, moreover,

nevertheless, otherwise, still, then, therefore

Commonly Used Transitional Expressions

as a result, at any rate, by the way, for example, for instance, in other words, in

addition, in fact, of course, that is

Independent clause: 1. Has a subject and verb2. Can stand on its own





Moon-dawg, my man! I want to write some righteous lyrics for an awesome song, but, of course, one must have perfect grammar if one

expects one’s tune to climb the charts. I noticed you listed of course and in fact as transitional expressions to be used

between two independent clauses. Well, I thought of course and in fact were

parenthetical expressions to be used as interrupters in the middle of one

independent clause. Dude, lay an explanation on me!

PASS GUM 3.2.b.19.

Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by conjunctive adverbs or transitional


They can be both. Look:

sub. verb

Olivia, of course, wants to sing. sub. verb sub. verb

Olivia likes singing; of course, she likes surfing also. sub. verb

Olivia ,in fact, enjoys all sports. sub. verb sub. verb

Olivia plays basketball; in fact, she is the best player on her team.

PASS GUM 3.2.b.19.Use a semicolon between independent clauses

joined by conjunctive adverbs or transitional expressions followed by a comma.

Now you write two sentences, each with a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.

1.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PASS GUM 3.2.b.42. Use ’s to make a singular noun possessive.

Definitions and Examples

1. ’s – apostrophe s2. Singular – one3. Noun – person (friend); place (school); thing (book); idea (frustration, happiness)4. Possessive – show ownership

Ex: Singular noun – friend Singular possessive noun – friend’s

phone

PASS GUM 3.2.b.42.

Use ’s to make a singular noun possessive.

Olivia’s weights / Liz’s skis / Gidget’s racquet

Make your own sentences using the possessive form for the following singular nouns: wrist / Ms. Jones

1.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PASS GUM 3.2.b.42. To make a plural noun ending in –s

possessive, add an apostrophe.

Definitions and Examples

1. ’s - apostrophe s2. Plural - two or more3. Noun - person (friend); place (school); thing (book); idea (frustration, happiness)4. Plural noun ending in -s - friends; schools; books; ideas (attitudes, goals, possibilities)5. Possessive - shows ownership

Ex: Plural noun ending in –s - students Plural possessive noun - students’ grades

PASS GUM 3.2.b.42. To make a plural noun ending in –s

possessive, add an apostrophe.

Look at the musicians. Look at the musicians’ guitars!

Look at the graduates. Look at the graduates’

gowns!

Make your own sentences using the possessive form for the following plural nouns: singers / teachers.

1.singers_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.teachers________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PASS GUM 3.2.b.44. Use an apostrophe and –s to form the

possessive of a plural noun not ending in –s.

adj. possessive adj. sub. verb -------prep. phrase---------

The children’s desks sat in straight rows.

Bye! It’s a snow day

for me!

seventh grade english benchmark 3 grammar, usage, and mechanics

Documents

use correct verb tense

correct verb forms

verb tenses

verb tense problems

verb tense test

kais verb tense choices

pass gum

essay ive