D.L.P. – Week Four GRADE EIGHT

Day One – Skills Correction of a sentence fragment A fragment occurs because a sentence is missing a vital part, a subject or a verb. Correct it by adding the missing part. A second way that a fragment occurs is that it is not a complete thought. Perhaps, it is only a dependent clause. Correct this type of fragment by adding an independent clause. Correct punctuation in dialogue The spoken and non-spoken parts of a sentence must be separated. Typically, that is done with a comma. (“Hello,” Mom said. I said, “How are You?”) The exception would be when an exclamation or question mark is used to separate the two parts. (“How are you?” she asked. “How wonderful!” Bob yelled.) Use of a colon in items in a series When a list of items is included in a sentence so that the reader is warned that a list is coming, a colon must precede the list. However, if the reader gets no forewarning that a list will be coming, no colon is needed.

A girl called Squeaky, the main character in Toni Cade Bombara’s story “Raymond’s Run”. DAY ONE – SENTENCE ONE A girl called Squeaky is the main character in Toni Cade Bombara’s story “Raymond’s Run.”

Squeaky’s family includes: her father, her mother, her brother George, her brother Raymond, and herself. DAY ONE – SENTENCE TWO Squeaky’s family includes her father, her mother, her brother George, her brother Raymond, and herself.

Day Two – Skills Correction of easily confused words – good/well The word good is an adjective which means it describes a noun. (It was a good book.) It turns to better in the comparative degree and best in the superlative degree. (I like this book better than that one. That was the best of all the books.) The word well is an adverb. It describes an action and tells how it was done. In the comparative degree it becomes better and the superlative becomes best. (He did better this time than last time. That was the best he ever did.) The word well is also used every time someone’s health is discussed; therefore, it can also be an adjective. (I feel well.) Capitalization of the pronoun I The pronoun I is always capitalized. I is still capitalized in contractions such as I’ll, I’m, and I’ve. Correct use of punctuation in dialogue The spoken and non-spoken parts of a sentence must be separated. Typically, that is done with a comma. (“Hello,” Mom said. I said, “How are You?”) The exception would be when an exclamation or question mark is used to separate the two parts. (“How are you?” she asked. “How wonderful!” Bob yelled.)

Squeaky runs very good. DAY TWO – SENTENCE ONE Squeaky runs very well.

“As anybody can tell you, i’m the fastest thing on two feet, she says proudly. DAY TWO – SENTENCE TWO “As anybody can tell you, I’m the fastest thing on two feet,” she says proudly.

Day Three– Skills Correct spelling – a lot One of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language is a lot. It is two words. Correct spelling – neighborhood Most English words follow the rule, “I before e except after c.” Hence, these words are spelled as such: piece and ceiling. 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. 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.)

Squeaky cares alot for her brother Raymond, who is mentally handicapped. DAY THREE – SENTENCE ONE Squeaky cares a lot for her brother Raymond, who is mentally handicapped.

If one of the nieghborhood boys try to tease her brother, she stands up for him. DAY THREE – SENTENCE TWO If one of the neighborhood boys tries to tease her brother, she stands up for him.

Day Four– Skills Correction of easily confused words – who’s/whose The word whose is a relative pronoun. It is used to show ownership and start a relative clause. (The author whose book won the prize will be at the library.) The contraction who’s takes the place of the words who and is. To use who’s, both words must fit in the sentence. Use of an adverb to modify an adverb 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.) Use of a hyphen Some compound words are connected by a hyphen. To be certain if a word needed a hyphen, consult a dictionary. Hyphens are also used at the end of a written or typed line of text if the complete word does not fit. Use the hyphen between syllables of the word.

Squeaky, who’s name is Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, is real good at everything she tries. DAY FOUR – SENTENCE ONE Squeaky, whose name is Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, is really good at everything she tries.

At the fifty yard dash, she dreams of becoming a running coach with Raymond as her champion. DAY FOUR – SENTENCE TWO At the fifty-yard dash, she dreams of becoming a running coach with Raymond as her champion.

Day Five– Skills Pronoun case with compounds Pronouns are used differently depending on what case they are. Subject pronouns, also known as nominative pronouns can work as subjects or predicate nouns. They are I, we, you, he, she, it, and they. Objective pronouns can work as direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of the preposition. They are me, us, you, him, her, it, and them. Possessive pronouns show ownership. They are my, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, their, and theirs. Note that possessive pronouns do not have apostrophes. To use pronouns correctly, they must be in the right case. See the explanation in the above entry. When the pronoun is compound, it must still be in the case to match the function of the pronoun in the sentence. (Maxine and I are friends. I talked to him and her.) If the pronoun is paired with a noun, the noun will precede the pronoun in the pair (Bobby and me). Correction of easily confused words – teach/learn The verb teach means to give information. The verb learn means to get information. Correction of easily confused words – its/it’s Its is a possessive pronoun. It’s is a contraction formed by combining it and is. Both of these words must fit in the sentence for the contraction to be used.

The race between she and Gretchen learns Squeaky an important lesson. DAY FIVE – SENTENCE ONE The race between Gretchen and her teaches Squeaky an important lesson.

Its about respect for the efforts of others. DAY FIVE – SENTENCE TWO It’s about respect for the efforts of others.