sixth grade english benchmark 3 grammar, usage, and mechanics

SIXTH GRADE ENGLISHBENCHMARK 3

GRAMMAR, USAGE, AND MECHANICS

Merton won’t give the balloon

to Stella or I.

What is the best change, if any, to make to Stella or I in the above sentence?

A. Stella or myselfB. Stella or meC. I or StellaD. No change.

PASS GUM 3.1.c. Use nominative, objective, and possessive pronouns correctly. Definitions and Examples 1. 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

who

whom

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

pronouns correctly.

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

1. Merton loves Stella and (I, me, myself). subject verb indirect-----------------------------object dir. obj.

2. Merton gave Zoey and (I, me, myself) a ride. subject verb dir. obj. (prep. phrase ending w/obj. of prep.)

3. Stella gave a balloon to Merton and (I, me). subjects---------------------------------- verb direct obj.

4. Zoey and (I, me, myself) love Merton.

Try to choose the correct pronouns.


pronouns correctly.

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

Merton loves Stella and (I, me, myself).

Merton – subject!loves - verb!

Stella and me – direct object!

See, people, me is an object, so you can’t use the pronoun I since I is a pronoun used for subjects!

subject verb indirect---------------------object dir. obj.

Merton gave Zoey and (I, me, myself) a ride.


pronouns correctly.

subject pronoun…object pronoun…why do it the

hard way?

Why not just eliminate “…Zoey and…” and listen for what sounds right?

Listen, people… Merton gave I a ride.Merton gave myself a ride.

Merton gave me a ride. Get it?

subject verb dir. obj. (prep. phrase ending w/object of prep.)

Stella gave a balloon to Merton and (I, me).

Subjects---------------------------------- verb direct obj.

Zoey and (I, me, myself) love Merton.

Stella gave a balloon to Merton and (I, me).

Zoey and (I, me, myself) love Merton.

It’s easy; just mentally mark out the “compound element” (Merton and) or

(Zoey and). Then you can listen for the correct pronoun answer!


pronouns correctly.

Try these two:

Stella is jumping on the trampoline with Zoey and (I, me).

Stella gave Zoey and (me, I) a wave.

Stella is jumping on the trampoline with Zoey and (I, me).

Stella gave Zoey and (me, I) a wave.

Yes!Stella is jumping on the trampoline with

Zoey and me.(Just mentally mark out …Zoey and…)

Stella gave Zoey and me a wave.

(Just mentally mark out …Zoey and…)

PASS GUM 3.1.d. Make pronouns agree with their antecedents.

Every building in Barcelona has (their, its) own history.

I know what a pronoun is. A pronoun is like… I, you, its, hers, them, myself, he, their, everybody,

ourselves, it… and words like that.But what are antecedents?

Oh, Mom, the antecedent is the word that the pronoun refers to. You know, like this… The dog ate its food. Dog is the antecedent

of the pronoun its.

Every building in Barcelona has (their, its) own history.

In the sentence, then, the antecedent is building.

Building is a singular noun. You must choose its to match

building. You can’t choose their because their is plural. I

get it!

See, Mom, a pronoun must “agree” – that is, it must be matching either singular or

plural – with the word it refers to. That’s called “pronoun-antecedent agreement.”

Oh Mom, it is so fun to travel with you ‘cause you like grammar as much as me…

Mom, will you buy me a…

…as much as I, Honey…

Huh?

…as much as I love grammar…, Sweetie

Mom. Stop. Will you buy souvenirs for my friends and I?

…for my friends and me…, Dear…

OK, Mom. How’s this… Mom, do you like to shop as much as I?

Let’s buy my friends and me some souvenirs!

Great!

Each of the girls thought that (their, her) soda was warm.

All of the tourists enjoyed (their, his or her) lunch.

One of the tour group members lost (their, his or her) bus pass.


Now you try a couple:

Hint: The pronouns all refer to the subjects of the sentences. Mentally mark out the prepositional phrases.

Each of the girls thought that (their, her) soda was warm. All of the tourists enjoyed (their, his or her) lunch. One of the tour group members lost (their, his or her) bus pass.

I hope you noticed

that Each is a singular pronoun.

Each matches her. They are both singular!

Yeah, and in the next sentence, All is plural and their is plural.

Uh huh, and One

matches up with his or her in the

last sentence.

Now try this one:

Everybody was late to(his or her, their) gondola tour this morning.

Hint: Is Everybody a singular or plural pronoun?


To decide if it’s singular or plural, try Everybody with a singular and then a plural verb. Everybody is here. Everybody are here.Which one sounds correct?

Yes, Everybody is singular. It sounds kind of plural, but it means “every one body at a time.”

Everybody was late to (his or her, their) gondola tour this morning.

His or her, however, can get kind of awkward!

Most educated people try to think of a way to avoid saying his or her.

You could sayEverybody was late to the gondola tour.

orThe gondola tour started late because

people weren’t on time.

Correlative Conjunctions:

either… or neither… nor both… and not only… but also whether… or

Be careful to check pronoun-antecedent agreement (along with subject-verb agreement) with these

conjunctions.

Neither Kate nor her sisters leave (her, their) doors open. (Look at the subject nearer to the pronoun; it is in control of the pronoun.)

Either the boys or Lexi (want, wants) to go.(Look at the subject next to the verb – is it singular? Then the verb should be singular.

Either Kate or her sisters always (leave, leaves) the door open.

PASS GUM 3.1.f.Use correct pronoun reference.

Mia texted Allie while she was at the mall, but she didn’t

reply, so I guess she’s on her way over here!

Who, Pixie? Who was at the mall? Mia or Allie?

Pixie, your pronoun

reference is not very

clear! Who’s on her way

over here?

Did Allie get upset?

No, why would she get upset? She wasn’t there.

She who? She Allie? You said she was there.


Pixie talked about Allie when she

was at the birthday cake

table.

…it…? It what? It the piñata… it the

stick… or it the string?


Just hit the piñata with your stick before the

string breaks. It won’t last forever!


Allie told Pixie that

she thought this was the

very best birthday party she Pixie had

ever given.

PASS GUM 3.1.a. Identify the principal parts of verbs

to form verb tenses.

What are the principal parts of verbs?

You know…present, past, and past

participle. Like… I see, I saw, I

have seen.

PRESENT PAST

(Ends in –ed)

PAST PARTICIPLE

(Ends in –ed)

Uses helping verb has / have / had

talk talked have talked

ask asked have asked

write wrote

(No –ed; it’s irregular.)

have written


teach taught


have taught






1. Jana (had ran, had run) to get more marshmallows to roast.

2. Josh had already (ate, eaten) two hot dogs.

3. Jona said, “I’ve (went, gone) on two camping trips this year.

4. Jana said, “I (sung, sang) camp songs for Josh.”

5. Josh said, “I’ve (fell, fallen) over this rock three times tonight.

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

1. Jana (had ran, had run) to get more marshmallows to roast..

2. Josh had already (ate, eaten) two hot dogs.

3. Jona said, “I’ve (went, gone) on two camping trips this year.

4. Jana said, “I (sung, sang) camp songs for Josh.”

5. Josh said, “I’ve (fell, fallen) over this rock three times tonight.



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:



Hey, Josh, this tent has fell down about ten times already! I’ve just about give it everything I’ve got!

What? Jana’s brung me some mosquito spray, but I’ve went

back to get more because those things have flew all over the

place! It has took way too long to get this done!

I’ve tore a huge hole in this tent! Hey, you two, no one has gave

me enough help with this!

Can you help Jona with verb problems?

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



1. …this tent has fell down… 2. I’ve just about give it …3. Jana’s brung me some …4. … I’ve went back… 5. …those things have flew all over the place! 6. It has took way too long … 7. I’ve tore a huge hole … 8. …no one has gave me enough help …

fall fell has fallen

give gave have given

bring brought has brought

go went have gone

fly flew have flown

take took has taken

tear tore have torn

give gave has given

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

Principal Parts of Verbs Past Present Past Participle



Man, I wish I could fix my verb tense problems…

You can; it’s really easy.

Really? How?

We learned about it last year in school.


to form verb tenses.You see, you say the verb tenses like how you grow up hearing them. Day care

staff, friends, TV personalities, relatives –

how they speak is how we speak.

Your verb tenses are like your hair color – it’s part of

who you are!But like your hair color,

you can change your verb tense usage!

How?



Easy!Just start up a list of verb forms you use incorrectly. Listen to how

people use them the right way.

Memorize the right way, and you’ve

fixed the problem!

I’ve never gave…I mean, given it any thought, but I bet I could do it!

What is a participial phrase?

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

introductory participial phrase.

Why does he look so puzzled?

What is he

thinking about?

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.



Riding bicycles, Lea and Sam arrived early.



Driving the speedboat, Antonio raced to the marina.

Thrilled with the ride, his passengers laughed and shouted.



Holding on to the paddle with both hands Opie piloted the kayak through the white water.

What is the best change, if any, to make to hands Opie in the above sentence?

A. hands; OpieB. hands, OpieC. hands. OpieD. No change.



Hidden by the coral, Jo and Clare were able to photograph the moray eel.

Which is the best change, if any, to make to Hidden by the coral,in the above sentence?

A. Hidden, by the coral, B. Hidden by the coral;C. Hidden by the coral.D. No change.

I thought participial phrases

started with –ed words…

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

bring bringing bringed brought

Built by the Army Corps of Engineers, the seawall keeps the town safe from hurricanes.

ADJECTIVE MODIFIES SUBJECT



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.

-------prepositional phrase-------- ----------prepositional phrase------------

With its bold design of yellow and pink plaid,(proper) adj. adjective subject

Golda’s hot air balloon verb (possessive) adj.

attracts everyone’s direct object

attention.

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

Hey, what does a “succession” of

introductory prepositional phrases

mean?

Oh, a “succession” just means more than one.

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

Do I need to memorize the prepositions?

A preposition shows direction/location or association/relationship.

Some people do. If you don’t plan to memorize them, though, just notice that they fall into two

categories: direction/location and association/relationship.

All of the direction/location ones are…well…you know…anywhere a squirrel can go in a tree (up, down, around, under, etc.). The association/relationship

ones are the other ones (with, during, about, etc.).

You should study them so that you know them when you see

them.

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


subject verb -----prepositional phrase-----

The balloon floated over the mountain.

Location of balloon? Over mountain!

The preposition connects a noun or pronoun with the object of the

preposition.

DirectionLocation

Association/Relationship Prepositions

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

but (meaning except), except


Association/Relationship:

sub. verb prepositional phrase

Aja jumped from the cliff.

How are Aja and cliff related? Aja jumped FROM the cliff.

The preposition connects a noun or pronoun with the object of the preposition.

PASS GUM 3.2.b.13.Use a comma to separate items in dates and

addresses.

Come by and look at the fence Zani and I painted at 2700 Split Pea

Way, San Diego, CA 92119.

Mother said we had to finish it before

Monday, December 7, 2020.

PASS GUM 3.2.b.32.Use quotation marks to enclose titles of short works such as short stories, poems, essays, articles, songs, episodes of television series, and chapters and other

parts of books.

The article “Pit Bulls:

Dangerous or Darling?”

is very interesting!


parts of books.

Hey Rollo, Did you finish reading that scary chapter for

our student teaching class “Establishing

and Maintaining Classroom Rules and

Procedures”?


parts of books.

Yo, Jen…that chapter reminded me of that song, “We’re Gonna

Get Ya an’ Eat Ya Alive” by the Shrieking

Zombees!Aren’t you kinda

scared to be a middle school teacher?


parts of books.

Yeah, it was like that C.S.I. Space Station episode “Teach Your Children

Well…” you know, the one where the kids at school all turned into zombies and… well, never mind…We’ll be OK, Rollo – we’ll just stay in shape, and we won’t turn

our backs on ‘em!

PASS GUM 3.3.a.1. Identify and revise run-on sentences.

When The Bullet starts, you’re

scared to death, when it is over,

you don’t want to get off!

I love to ride The Bullet, it’s fun!

Hey, that’s bad grammar…


Hey, hey, hey! That last slide

reeked of run-on sentences!

Huh? Well, what’s a run-on?

It’s when you put two sentences together without correct punctuation!



scared to death, when it is over,


Like what?

Like the one below.

You need to replace that comma with a semicolon, leave the comma in and add a conjunction, or replace the comma with a period and start a new sentence.



scared to death. When it is over,



scared to death; when it is over,


TWO INDEP.CLAUSES SEP.

BYSEMICOLON

TWO SEP.SENTENCES WITH PERIODAND CAPITAL

LETTER.


scared to death, but when it is

over, you don’t want to get off!

TWO INDEP.CLAUSES SEP. BY

COMMA ANDCONJUNCTION

PASS GUM 3.3.A.2.Identify and revise sentence fragments.

Fragments…I always get those mixed up with run-

ons. What exactly are they?

Oh, you know… a run-on is two sentences “run”

together incorrectly. A fragment is just one

sentence that’s not all there – just a “fragment” of

it is there.


We’re starting to tilt!

Although that doesn’t seem possible.

As if I care!

Now, that is a fragment!

That’s another one…

PASS GUM 3.3.A.2. Identify and revise sentence fragments.

The Sky Ride, one arm hanging loosely from the tightly stretched cable, the passengers’ cage swaying dangerously in the wind above the canyon.

________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Revise the sentence fragment.


Rescued, as they remembered so well, by the brave park ranger named Jesse Jameson.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Revise the sentence fragment:

PASS GUM 3.3.b.Identify and correct misplaced modifiers.

Determined to make a goal, the tiny purple shoes did not stop Luke from kicking accurately.

Who was “determined to make a goal”?

The tiny purple shoes or Luke?


A “modifier” can be a prepositional phrase, a participial phrase, an

adverb clause, or anything like that. Just put it as close as you can to what

it describes!

Explaining misplaced modifiers, it was easy for Luke to quote the rule. (This intro. participial phrase is too far from Luke, the noun it modifies).

Explaining misplaced modifiers, Luke quoted the rule easily.


Determined to make a goal, the tiny purple shoes did not stop Luke from kicking accurately.This is bad! The modifier is right next to “the tiny purple shoes.”

Determined to make a goal, Luke did not let the tiny purple shoes stop him from kicking accurately. Ahhh…this is better! Now the modifier is right next to Luke, the noun it actually “modifies,” or describes.

Luke – not the shoes -- is “determined to make a goal.”


Liam saw the coach running across the gym floor as he hit the winning

ball across the net.

Is this one correct?


As he hit the winning ball across the net,subject verb Liam saw the coach running across the gym

floor.

No! You need to move the adverb clause to the

beginning of the sentence – near the verb saw.

(Saw when? Saw “as he hit the winning ball across the net.”)

Did you see that movie about the penguins and seals at summer camp?


Now you try this one:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


…and this one.

The balloons rose to the top of the room above the wedding party carried by helium.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Rewrite these sentences, correcting the misplaced modifiers.

1.Waiting after the soccer game, my older brother drove by in his new car.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. Dressed up for the first time, the children’s dance lasted until 9:30 P.M.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Go on. Shut it down. I’ve gotta get

this fence painted.

Seriously. Get outta here.

sixth grade english benchmark 3 grammar, usage, and mechanics

Documents

merton subject

object merton loves

object pronouns

people merton

possessive pronouns

merton wont

subject verb direct

subject verb indirect