D.L.P. – Week Three GRADE EIGHT

Day One – Skills Punctuation – Comma – Nonrestrictive Clause vs. Restrictive Clause A nonrestrictive clause is a subordinate (dependent) clause that is not needed for the independent clause to make sense. This nonrestrictive clause adds detail and description, but since the independent clause can function without it, it must be set off by commas. If the subordinate clause is integral to the meaning of the independent clause, it is called a restrictive clause, and no commas are used. Use of the verb “to know” The verb know is an action verb that is irregular. In the past, the verb changes to knew, and in the past participle it becomes known. Punctuation of titles When referring to a title when writing, it must be punctuated properly. Shorter works are placed in quotations. Shorter works include poems, short stories, songs, a chapter in a longer book, or a newspaper or magazine article. Longer works include books, names of magazines or newspapers, and movies.

O. Henry who had spent time in prison based many of his characters on people he had knowed. DAY ONE – SENTENCE ONE O. Henry, who had spent time in prison, based many of his characters on people he had known.

The main character in the story A Retrieved Reformation may have been based on a real gentleman bank robber. DAY ONE – SENTENCE TWO The main character in the story “A Retrieved Reformation” may have been based on a real gentleman bank robber.

Day Two – Skills Pronoun usage - case with who and whom The pronoun who is nominative. That means it can be a subject of a sentence. (Who is going to the party? The man, who is tall, is my neighbor.) Whenever no other subject is found in the clause, who should be used. The pronoun whom is objective; therefore, it can work as a direct object, indirect object, or object of the preposition. (Whom do you see? I gave whomever wanted a prize a choice of one. To whom did you speak?) Remember, if a subject can be located, use whom. Use of a comma after an interrupting introductory word An interrupter breaks up the flow of a sentence. If the interrupter starts the sentence, place a comma after it. If the interrupter is mid-sentence, place commas before and after it. Using an adverb to modify a verb Adverbs are used to describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. An adjective cannot be used to describe a verb. (opened quick must be opened quickly) An adjective cannot be used to describe another adjective. (real exciting must be turned into really excited.)

Ralph Spencer is a young man who everybody in town likes. DAY TWO – SENTENCE ONE Ralph Spencer is a young man whom everybody in town likes.

Actually Ralph is Jimmy Valentine, a former bank robber who wants very bad to keep his past a secret. DAY TWO – SENTENCE TWO Actually, Ralph is Jimmy Valentine, a former bank robber who wants very badly to keep his past a secret.

Day Three– Skills Agreement with indefinite pronouns Indefinite pronouns are words that can take the place of nouns, but they are not specific. They are also complicated to use since they affected by whether they are singular or plural. They must agree with the verb and other pronouns in the sentence. Another, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, much, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, and something are singular. That means these words would pair with an action verb that ends in an s or a linking verb like “is” or “was.” Both, few, many, and several are plural. That means these words would pair with an action verb that does not end in an s or a linking verb like “are” or “were.” All, any, more, most, none, and some can be either singular or plural. To determine how to make these words agree with their verb, look at the object of the preposition that follows the pronoun. If it is singular, it needs a singular verb. (All of ice is melted.) If it is plural, it needs a plural verb. (All of the pages are torn.) Correction of easily confused words – lie/lay The verb lie means to rest or recline. It’s parts are lie, lay, and lain. (I lie on the beach. I lay on the blanket. I have lain in bed for hours.) The verb lay means to put something down or to place it somewhere. It’s parts are lay, laid, and laid. (I lay the book on the floor. I laid the pencil on the desk. I have laid the papers aside for now.) Use of a comma after introductory prepositional phrases When a sentence starts with one prepositional phrase, it is the writer’s choice to place a comma after it or not. Be consistent. Some single prepositional phrases involving time seem logical. (At first, I was unsure.) However, if more than prepositional phrase begins a sentence, a comma must be placed at the end of them. (On Thursday in the morning, I…)

Someone knows Jimmy’s secret, and they are laying in wait for Jimmy to make a mistake. DAY THREE – SENTENCE ONE Someone knows Jimmy’s secret, and he is lying in wait for Jimmy to make a mistake.

In an emergency at the local bank Jimmy must choose between keeping his secret and saving a child’s life. DAY THREE – SENTENCE TWO In an emergency at the local bank, Jimmy must choose between keeping his secret and saving a child’s life.

Day Four– Skills Capitalization of a proper noun- place Names of specific places must be capitalized since they are proper nouns. These could include the names of buildings and monuments. They could also include towns, cities, states, and countries. Use of punctuation in monetary amounts When writing monetary amounts, a comma is used to separate the thousands from the hundreds spot. (1,203) In addition, a period is used to separate the dollars from the cents. ($2.12) When writing numbers in general, be careful of the punctuation. Capitalization of a proper noun – thing Names of specific things must be capitalized. They may be the names of products (Kleenex), holidays (Fourth of July), languages (French), historical events (Battle of Gettysburg), or companies (Nike). When the noun is more than one word, follow the same rules for capitalizing words in a title.

Some popular O. Henry stories are about ordinary people living in new york city in the early 1900’s. DAY FOUR – SENTENCE ONE Some popular O. Henry stories are about ordinary people living in New York City in the early 1900’s.

“The Gift of the Magi” is about a young wife with not quite two dollars – actually $1,87 – to spend as christmas approaches. DAY FOUR – SENTENCE TWO “The Gift of the Magi” is about a young wife with not quite two dollars – actually $1.87 – to spend as Christmas approaches.

Day Five– Skills Use of consistent verb tense For logic purposes, the verbs used in a sentence or longer piece must be in the same tense. Elimination of a double comparison The three degrees of comparison are positive, comparative, and superlative. The positive degree is simply the adjective or adverb. The comparative degree means that two things are being compared. The suffix “er” is used or the words more or less. (bigger, more interesting, less exciting) The superlative degree compares more than two things. The suffix “est” or the words most or least are used. (biggest, most interesting, least exciting) A double comparison occurs when both the suffix and the words are used. Use one or the other. Correction of a dangling modifier – participle A participle must describe a noun. When it is not placed near enough to what it describes or the noun is not present, the participle is said to be dangling. To solve this, place the participle close to what it describes.

To get money, Della sells her beautiful hair, and Jim sold his watch, the most finest thing he owns. DAY FIVE – SENTENCE ONE To get money, Della sells her beautiful hair, and Jim sells his watch, the finest thing he owns.

Their gifts to each other, a watch chain and combs, are useless, having sold her hair and his watch. DAY FIVE – SENTENCE TWO Their gifts to each other, a watch chain and combs, are useless since he sold his watch she sold her hair.