eng_gram_7.html

Language Arts, Writing

Using the English language correctly requires much effort, practice, and dedication. This lesson is devoted to spelling, punctuation and the construction of sentences.

Your assignment for Language Arts is to read the Red Eye every day, Monday through Friday, and then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, write a letter or email that explains what the City of Chicago did during the week.

Here are the lessons for Language Arts:

Grammar: How to Build a Sentence

No fragments allowed!: A fragment is a small piece of something. It is not complete.; "My name is." -- Fragment!; "My name is Bill." -- Complete!
A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark or exclamation mark.: A sentence talks about something. That "something" is called the subject.; A sentence shows some kind of action. That "action" is called the predicate.

Grammar: Rules for Words and Phrases

Spelling: Every word must be spelled correctly. Every word must use the correct capital letters. Every word must use the correct symbols, like the apostrophe.

English: Spelling and Punctuation

Comma: When I am speaking, I pause sometimes, maybe to catch my breath, or just because it seems natural to pause.; ,; When I am writing, I usually add a comma to each place where I would pause.
Period: .; Use a period at the end of a sentence. Change it to a question mark or exclamation mark if a question is being asked or there is much surprise.; ? !
Colon: I will list several things. I will use a colon.; :; I have several pets: a dog, a cat, and another cat.
Semi-Colon: Totally different use than the colon, above.; ;; Use the semi-colon to combine two different thoughts.
Spelling: The only way to improve your spelling is to keep a dictionary handy, write often, and look up both the meaning and the spelling of words you are not certain of.
Apostrophe: The apostrophe shows that something belongs to something else.; '; Bill's motorcycle goes very fast.; See the apostrophe between Bill and s? The apostrophe is a signal to the reader that the bike belongs to Bill.