1.  Grammar

2. What is a preposition?  a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause  Please see the list of 51 on my website.  This list goes in the grammar section of your notebook.  We will be singing them.  I expect you to know all of them – there will be a quiz!

3. What is a prepositional phrase?  A modifying phrase containing a preposition and its object.

4. Verbs are just like people – they come in all shapes and sizes!  There are:  Action verbs  Linking verbs  Helping verbs

5. Think about it this way…  A sentence is a flatbed truck.  You pile all of your ideas onto the truck.  The truck then takes your thoughts to an audience.  The verb is the set of tires that gets your point across.

6. In other words:  Every sentence needs a verb.  The verb is what the sentence rests on and what gives the sentence movement.

7. Action Verbs  Action verbs are exactly what they sound like – ACTION!  They are things that you can do.  Whenever you are trying to figure out if it is a verb or not, ask: Can you ___________________?

8. Linking Verbs  Linking verbs are also called being verbs.  They express a state of being:  What is  Will be  Was  Think about it like algebra. The linking verb is the equal sign in the middle of the sentence.

9. Example:  Legghorn’s uncle is a cannibal with a taste for finger food.  Legghorn’s uncle = cannibal

10. What are the linking verbs?  You are being given a list of linking and helping verbs.  In addition to these linking verbs the following can also be linking verbs:  Remains, appears, seemed, stays  For example: With his foot-long fingernails and sly smile, Lochinvar seemed threatening.

11. Helping Verbs  Helping verbs won’t help you with your chores around the house, but they do help the main verb express meaning, usually changing the time of the action.

12. These little helpers make…  Our verb phrases  Helping verb + action verb = verb phrase  A note: NOT is NEVER, EVER, EVER a part of a verb phrase!

13. A point to notice:  Some linking verbs are helping verbs – they are both short, the same word, and sometimes it is tricky to tell them apart.  To decide whether you have a helping verb or a linking verb, look at the main (action) verb. If the verb is an action (duh), then the whole verb is an action. This means the short verb is a helping verb!

14. And now, another song to help you learn the helping verbs!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F2JWKY63K0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F2JWKY63K0

15. ADJECTIVES  Adjectives are simple – they modify and describe!!

16. What do they tell us?  What kind  Which one  How many

17. Where are they located?  Usually adjectives are right beside and frequently before the noun.  While this is a good rule, it isn’t always the case, so be careful!