Pre-AP English I Opening Assignments

Making Inferences (Always title and date your O.A.) Read the notes about making inferences and drawing conclusions. Answer the following: Write the definition for inference as a statement (i.e. To make an inference means…) Read “A Coffee Complication” (on the back) and answer the two questions. Provide at least one piece of evidence from the text to support your answer for each (quote the text explicitly).

Making Inferences 2.) How do you know this? Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch. Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat. He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning. On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed. He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. 1. Make an inference: what type of job does Paul work? ____________________________________________________ 2.) How do you know this?

Making Inferences #3 Read the passage “Social Networking Sites- the Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” It’s in your O.A. folder! Answer the two multiple choice questions. Write the question and your complete answer. DO NOT WRITE ON THE PASSAGE. Remember to title and date your O.A.

Making Inferences #4 2. How do you know this? During the California Gold Rush of 1849, the world’s supply of gold more than doubled, and hundreds of thousands of people rushed to California to find their share. Boomtowns popped up to accommodate the visitors. A boomtown is a community that receives sudden and explosive growth and development. San Francisco had around two-hundred residents in 1846, and about 36,000 in 1852. The few merchants in these boomtowns sold goods for more than ten times what they cost back East. For example, a single pound of flour sold for as much as $17. Not everyone who joined in the California Gold Rush got rich, but most of the boomtown merchants did. 1. Make an inference: Why were boomtown merchants able to sell their products for so much money?   2. How do you know this?

Inference Quiz -On a clean sheet of paper, write you name, the date, number it 1-4, and title it – Inference Quiz

Word Crimes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

There, Their, They’re There – to show location Their – possession – belonging to They’re – contraction of They + are Write the notes from above. Use each correctly in a sentence about a historical event.

its OR it’s its: belongs to/possession it’s: contraction of it + is Write the notes from above. Use each correctly in a sentence about a specific planet.

TO / TWO / TOO Two : number To: Too: Preposition (location) Before the verb of an infinitive Too: Also show excessiveness USE THEM ALL IN SEPARATE SENTENCES! YOU SHOULD HAVE 5 SENTENCES! Also, please notice how “separate” is spelled above. Learn it. There is “a rat” in the middle of it.

Your vs. You’re Your: possessive You’re : contraction of you + are Write the notes from above and use each in a sentence about a pet peeve.

EFFECT VS. AFFECT Effect is a noun Affect is a verb Write the example. Then make a sentence of your own for each word.

Who’s / Whose Who’s = Who + is (contraction) Whose = possession Use each correctly in a sentence about a current news topic.

Then vs. Than Use THEN when speaking of time: I painted my nails, then I plucked my eyebrows. Use THAN when talking about a comparison. Your hair is uglier than a floor mop. Use each in a sentence of your own.

Lie vs. Lay (Write all of these notes and examples) Lay means to put something [or someone] down. Because lay is a transitive verb, a direct object will come after it. A direct object receives the action of the verb. Read this example: Before returning to the Godzilla marathon on late night TV, Quentin laid his sleeping son Jeremy on the bed and covered him with a quilt. Quentin laid whom on the bed? Jeremy. Lie, on the other hand, means to rest or recline. Lie is an intransitive verb, so no direct object will follow. The center of Diane's bed always smells like dog because Rel iable, her beagle, lies there every chance he gets. What is Reliable doing in the middle of the bed? Resting.

Lie vs. Lay Practice Which word would be used in each sentence? 1.) Sassy was feeling tired, so she decided to ______ down in her favorite spot on the rug. 2.) Please ______ your pencils on your desk when you are finished with your work. 3.) Write a sentence of your own using either lie or lay correctly.

Who vs. Whom Who is used as the subject of a sentence. Whom is used as the object of the sentence (receives the action) Examples: Who wants to eat ice cream after school? To whom would you like to give your extra ice cream?

Who vs. Whom Examples A trick: Figure it out by turning the sentence around and replacing the who or whom with he/she or him/her. If he is wrong, so is who. If him is wrong, so is whom. It was Sam ______ helped the new student. He helped the new student. Him helped the new student. Since ‘he’ is correct, the sentence should read: It was Sam who helped the new student.

Practice 1.) I have not seen the man _____lives in the hut by the beach for a week. 2.) You sat with _____ during the movie? 3.) I saw Wes, a football player ______I had met after the game. 4.) _____ stole the chocolate chip cookies?

Quiz Today You will need a pencil. You will take this quiz on the green side.

“About the Rabbits” In “About the Rabbits,” George tells Lennie a story about their future home. Before describing the house they may have one day, George explains the difference between Lennie and George and other men who work on ranches. Briefly explain, in your own words, the difference between Lennie and George and the other men. Then, explain why George decides to explain this difference before describing the house.

“About the Rabbits” What is the most likely reason Lennie asks George to tell the story about the rabbits? A. It reminds him of the past. B. It gives him hope for the future. C. It distracts him from being hungry. D. It allows him to stop talking for a while. Justify your answer.

“About the Rabbits” What is the primary technique the author uses to develop the characters? A. Dialogue B. Conflict C. Imagery D. Metaphor Justify your answer.

“About the Rabbits” Which of the following best describes the relationship between Lennie and George? A. Enemies B. Rivals C. Close friends D. Casual acquaintances Justify your answer.

“About the Rabbits” Which line offers the sharpest contrast between Lennie and George’s dream and their present situation? A. “You ain’t gonna put nothing over on me.” B. “You get a kick outta that, don’t you?” C. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. D. He drove his knife through the top of one of the bean cans, sawed out the top and passed the can to Lennie.

“About the Rabbits” Skill Check 1.) What does the author imply about George’s story in lines 32–36 ? A. Lennie finds it boring. B. Lennie has forgotten most of it. C. Lennie wants to tell it instead of George. D. Lennie has heard it before and likes it. 2.) What is the most appropriate description of Lennie’s personality? A. Childlike B. Fearful C. Irritable D. Self-pitying

Punctuation: Commas Copy the Notes 1: Commas can be used to separate items in a series or list. Ex. Sherry was very good at many sports including skiing, badminton, and football. 2: Commas can be used to separate an introductory word or clause from the rest of the sentence. -Ex. Walking through the woods, Lisa heard scary sounds. Yes, I think going on a field trip to the museum would be fun.

Punctuation: Commas Copy the Notes 3: Commas can be used with a conjunction to separate two independent clauses (complete sentences) Ex. The crazy clown lost his nose, but he still had his bright makeup. The crazy clown lost his nose but still had his bright makeup.

Punctuation: Commas Copy the Notes 4: Use commas to separate non-essential information or information that renames. Ex. Shaggy, the neighbor’s dog, ran away last week.

Write a sentence using comma rule # 3

Write a sentence that follows comma rule #4