Sentence Imitating Becoming a BETTER writer!

The Serial Comma  Commas separate items or actions written in a series  List consist of three (3) or more items or actions.  Two (2) items or actions are a PAIR, not a list, and do not require commas.

Read the sentence, what do you notice?  His room smelled of cooked grease, Lysol, and age. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings(1969)

Compare with this sentence. What do you notice?  Joey’s room smelled of dirty socks, cheetos, and fruit punch.

Use the structure below to create your own.  ____________smells of _______________, ______________, and ___________________.

Read the 2 sentences below. What do you notice about the lists?  She went to Costco to buy fruit, cake, and punch.  She went running, jumping, and hoping.  Which are actions(verbs) and which are items(nouns)

Commas in a series- items(nouns)  Mom asked that I get bread, milk, and juice at the store.  Imitation: Dad said to buy batteries, peas, and ice cream at Costco.  Now, write your own sentence that imitates the structure of the one above, listing three nouns in a series.

Verbs in a series  Typically Broadway performers must be able to sing, dance, and act to be successful in the business.  I have never seen someone who can talk, text, and drive while also driving a car.  Now, write your own sentence that imitates the structure of the one above, listing three verbs in a series.

Colons:  Colons can introduce list.  Colons emphasize to readers that something important will follow.  Can introduce a complete sentence.

Example Sentence  The deputy told me to empty my pockets: two quarters, a penny, a stick of bubble gum, and a roll of grip tape for my skateboard. Carl Hiassen, Flush( 2005)  What do you notice?

More examples:  Reluctantly, one by one, Hugo pulled out dozens of objects: screws and nails and bits of glass, gears and crumpled playing cards, tiny pieces of clockworks, cogs, and wheels. Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)  But the car is quiet for now, as are the noontime streets: gas stations, boundless concrete, brick buildings with plywood windows. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J Dubner, Freakonomics (2005)

Imitate  The TSA agent emptied my backpack: three books, a journal, and 17 pens.  Use this pattern to create your own. _______ told me to empty my _______: _____,_________, and _________.

Capitalization  Proper nouns: specific names, cities, states, countries, stores, and restaurants.  Titles: books, songs, poems, TV shows, and movies.  Titles used before someone’s name: professional, government, and personal titles.  First word in a direct quotation: dialogue, quotes from other works when it’s the entire sentence.

Example in text: “Look for words that begin with W,” my teacher, Mrs. Evans, had said. She was the one who marked in the X, spoiling my picture. She pointed. “This is a picture of a family, Hollis. A mother, M, a father, F, a brother, B a sister, S. They’re standing in front of their house, H. I don’t see one W word here. Patricia Reilly Giff, Pictures of Hollis Woods (2002) Where do you notice the capitalization?

Capitalization Sentences  Mrs. Jackson teaches English II at Central High School in Burlington, Illinois.  Charlotte works at Red Robin in Flower Mound.  Write your imitation of one of the sentences above.

Review Commas  Commas separate items or actions written in a series  List consist of three (3) or more items or actions.  Two (2) items or actions are a PAIR, not a list, and do not require commas.

Review Colons  Colons can introduce list.  Colons emphasize to readers that something important will follow.  Can introduce a complete sentence.

Review Capitalization  Proper nouns: specific names, cities, states, countries, stores, and restaurants.  Titles: books, songs, poems, TV shows, and movies.  Titles used before someone’s name: professional, government, and personal titles.  First word in a direct quotation: dialogue, quotes from other works when it’s the entire sentence.

Exit Ticket  Create 3 sentences to model our learning this week.  One using commas, one using the colon, and one using capitalization.