Holiday Readings

Ok, so maybe I can't stay away from this blog. :-)

Remember that reading & writing go hand-in-hand. Good writers, generally, are also good readers (and vice versa). So, to keep you busy over the winter break, try reading some of the items below.

Holiday stories: http://north.pole.org/stories.html

Popular New Year's Resolutions: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml

Keeping your resolutions: http://www.ehow.com/how_12076_keep-new-years.html

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

I wanted to take a moment and say "thank you" to everyone who's been using the eLearning writing blog and taking the time to go through the activities and topics that have been posted. I hope you have found some things that have improved your writing.

The blog will still be available to you during the winter break (12/22/08 through 1/4/09). However, during that time, no new topics will be added. I encourage you to start visiting some of the earlier blog topics, especially ones from the start of the blog! There are tons of great things to work on even without new topics being added.

Have a very happy, safe, and healthy holiday season! I will "see" you back online in 2009!!!

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 9)

Take a look at this chart below. You'll see various prefixes & their corresponding meanings.

A	B
bene-	good
circum-	around
contra-	opposed
equi-	equal
extra-	outside
hemi-	half
hyper-	over, above
inter-	between, among
intra-	within
intro-	into
mal-	bad
mid-	halfway
mis-	wrong
non-	not
pre-	before
retro-	backward, behind
sub-	under, below

Which prefix shown above are you least familiar with? Which one are you most familiar with? Can you tell me a word or two that uses any of the prefixes shown above?

(That list above came from here.)

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 8)

You can never have too much practice with word prefixes! With that in mind, try this next activity that will test you on some prefixes we've discussed in past blog topics. You might even see a new prefix or two!

Click on this link (http://www.quia.com/cm/128795.html), and then click the "Play this game!" button. The activity will see if you can correctly match the prefixes on the left to the meanings on the right. (Please note that some prefixes will match up to the same meaning!)

Good luck & have fun!

Once you're done, come back here & report how you did! Did you see any prefix that was new to you?

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 7)

We could go on almost forever with all of the prefixes that exist in the English language. Instead, take a look at the chart below that shows some of the ones you'll come across regularly.

Prefix ante bi equi hypo neo poly semi

Meaning before two equal under new many half

Prefix auto circum im inter omni retro trans

Meaning self around not between all backward across

Now's the time to test your prefix skills by playing this Quia game that's similar to Jeopardy! You can play either by yourself or against someone. If you play by yourself, enter your name in the area for "Player 1 Name" and then click the "Begin 1-player game" box. If you want to play with someone else, enter your names in the areas for "Player 1 Name" and "Player 2 Name;" then click the "Begin 2-player" game box. Then come back here, report how you did, what you learned, and if you enjoyed the activity!

http://www.quia.com/cb/221179.html

Enjoy!!!

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 6)

Let's focus on another common prefix, "co-." This is one that you'll see pretty often.

Prefix: co-
Meaning: with
Examples: copilot, cosign, coteach

If you're on a plane that has a copilot, you have one pilot who is with another pilot.

Sometimes you may need to have someone cosign a loan with you.

Many of the online workshops have two teachers there; they are coteaching the session.


Words that use the prefix "co-" may use a hyphen. Examples would be the terms "co-own" and "co-exist." Why would some words with the prefix "co-" use a hyphen and others don't? The answer lies in the first letter of the word that comes after the prefix. According to one of the rules about hyphens, if you're going to have an awkward combination of letters together (such as two vowels right next to each other), you should use a hyphen. (Visit this blog topic link to learn more about that.)

Visit this link (prefix quiz) and try the activity with 10 questions. Then, come back here & report your results in a complete, correctly-written sentence!

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 5)

We've already covered the four most common prefixes. But there are still other prefixes that are important to know, so let's focus on them for a bit!

Prefix: pre-
Meaning: before
Examples: prepay, prepackage, precook

If you prepay for a movie, you have paid for your tickets before the movie begins.

Some companies may prepackage books with CD's so that it's already done and you don't have to put those pieces together.

Publix sells precooked turkeys around holiday time. The turkeys are already cooked and all you need to do is reheat them!


Try this next activity to see how well you know some words that use the "pre-" prefix & their meanings. Click on this link (http://www.studystack.com/studytable-21628) and a table will appear with some parts showing and other parts hidden. See if you can guess what's in the hidden section. To check yourself, click on that hidden area and you'll see what's there. Then, pick one of the ten terms that you saw, come back to this blog, and post the term with its definition.

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 4)

Do you recall that the four most common prefixes account for 97% of the prefixed words in written school English? Here's the last prefix of those top four. I bet this is one that you've seen quite often.

Prefix: re-
Meaning: again, once more
Examples: redo, refresh, rerun, reuse, rewrite

For more words using this particular prefix, click on this link: http://mrsdell.org/rewords.htm. Then, come back here and post the word that you were least familiar with. Visit an online dictionary site to find that word's definition and share it with the group. (Here's a link to an online dictionary that you might want to use: http://www.merriam-webster.com/.)

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 3)

Here's the next important prefix to know!

Prefix: un-
Meaning: not
Examples: unfriendly, uncooked, unused, untie

Visit this website to learn more about words that use the prefix "un-" and then return here to say whether you knew all of the words already or if you learned something new!

http://quizlet.com/familiarize/525197/

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 2)

Here's the second installment of information about common prefixes! Are you ready?

Prefix: im-, in-, il-, ir-
Meaning: not
Examples: impossible, injustice, illegible, irresponsible

How well do you know when to use those prefixes? Test your skills by trying the activity shown below. Once you complete it, return to the blog & tell us how you did. What parts, if any, were new to you? Did you enjoy it?

http://www.spelling.hemscott.net/puzzles35.htm
(Be sure that your browser allows pop-ups for this site so you can see if you're right for each one!)

Word Parts - Prefixes (Part 1)

If you read the blog post from December 5th, you saw that fun fact about the four most common prefixes accounting for 97% of prefixed words in written school English. These next few blog posts will focus on those prefixes, their meanings, and how that can help you understand the meanings better.

Prefix: dis-
Meaning: not, opposite of
Examples: disagree, dislocate, discomfort, displace, disprove

Visit this website to learn more about words that use the prefix "dis-" and then return here to say whether you knew all of the words already or if you learned something new!

http://quizlet.com/familiarize/108611/

Word Parts

If you know the meaning of some common word parts, it'll be easier for you to figure out the meaning of a word. Let's begin to examine this.

Some words have prefixes. Those are word parts that come in the beginning of the word. Think about the word "misunderstand." That word has the prefix "mis-" in it. (The dash is used to show that something would follow that word part.) Another common prefix is "un-," as in "undo," "untie," or "unwrap."

Other words may have suffixes. A suffix is a word part that comes at the end of the word. Let's look at the words "edible" and "drivable." The suffixes "-ible" and "-able" mean "can be done." So "edible" means that something can be eaten. You might say that potato chips are very edible. The word "drivable" means that something is able to be driven. Your vehicle, if it's in working order, is drivable.

Fun fact: Did you know that the four most common prefixes and suffixes account for 97% of all words that use a prefix or suffix in written school English?

Did you know much about prefixes & suffixes already? If not, that's ok. The next few blog posts will focus on this a bit more! Are you ready to learn more about word parts?

Commonly Misused Words: Break and Brake

Words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings are called "homonyms" or "homophones." In your writing, it's important to make sure that you use the right word. Remember that writing is a reflection of you and you always want to make a great impression, even with your readers!

The word "break" can be used as a verb or as a noun. Let's look at some examples. (The first two sentences use "break" as a verb, and the last two sentences use "break" as a noun.)

1.) If you drop the glass, it will break.
2.) The burglar was going to break into the neighbor's home.
3.) There will be a break between the morning and afternoon classes.
4.) Let's stop the car and take a break at the gas station.


Quite the opposite, though, is the word "brake." This word can also be used as a verb, noun, or adjective, but has very different meanings.

Verb Example: I had to brake hard to avoid hitting the skunk in the road.
Noun Example: Tim had the brakes replaced on his truck.
Adjective Example: Pep Boys will have brake pads on sale this week.

Notice that in all of those examples, there is some relation to a vehicle. (You could also talk about "brakes" on a bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, dirt bike, etc.)

Can you use those words in two sentences and use them correctly? Give it a try now!

Writing - Be Persuasive!

Back in July, there was a blog topic that dealt with the purpose of being persuasive. (Please review that topic by clicking here.) I want you to practice that skill today by thinking about this blog and what it is that keeps you coming back day after day.

How would you persuade someone to use this blog if they hadn't tried it before? What reasons would you present to convince them this is something worth the time & energy to use? What's the best thing about the writing blog?

Please share your thoughts in 3-4 correctly written sentences. Remember to carefully read your post before submitting it and check for all of those things that go into good writing: correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, word choice, and sentence structure.

Writing - Synonyms (Part 2)

There was a previous blog topic about synonyms. If you haven't seen it already, please click here to review it before going further with this second part.

Good writing always has varied word choice. Here's a Quia activity to help you test your vocabulary skills on synonyms. Can you match words that mean the same thing? Try it out & then let me know how you did!

Quia link: http://www.quia.com/cm/99498.html
After you click on that link, click the part that says "Play this game."

Have fun & stretch those brains!

Tell me a story - December's edition

One of the most fun things about writing is using it when you don't have to! So let's do just that! This topic, although not an informative or instructional one, is here to let you practice all of the writing tips, tricks, and rules that we've previously discussed. Please remember to pay close attention to your spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

Like some of the past "Tell me a story" blog entries, this one is going to use the same beginning and then you can take the story in any direction that you want. Try to be creative and add 3-5 sentences. Be sure to check back here & read other bloggers' responses.

Please begin your story with the following and then continue it on as you'd like!

--

"I saw a small gift-wrapped package with a big gold bow left on my doorstep and decided to..."

Writing - The Process

Think about many things you do in your day. There's a certain order or process that you follow. If you do any type of cooking, you know that the steps have to be completed in a specific order or things just won't come out right. Believe it or not, writing is the same way! You can't do your final draft before doing your brainstorming!

Let's see how well you know the steps in the writing process and what each step encompasses. Try this Quia matching game. Then, once you're done, return to the blog and tell me if it was a review or if you learned something new! Either way, this will be a great activity for you!

Link for Quia activity: http://www.quia.com/mc/578080.html

Writing Terminology

No matter what test you're doing (GED, FCAT, SAT, etc.), there are some basic terms associated with essay writing. In fact, if you've ever attended one of the online workshops about essay writing, you've probably heard these terms used.

Try this Quia "Rags to Riches" game that tests your knowledge of writing terminology. It's ok if you don't know all of the terms; for those that you don't know, however, consider writing them down and making flash cards to help you learn them!

Once you complete the game, come back here & blog about your results. Was this a review for you or did you learn something new? What terms (if any) were you not familiar with, but learned after doing the activity? What was your final score? Did you enjoy this activity?

Quia game link: http://www.quia.com/rr/311270.html

(Please note that although this game is referencing the FCAT test, everything presented is still 100% valid for those who are not doing the FCAT. Feel free to share this with any friends or relatives who are working on their FCAT writing skills, as this can help them too.)

Have fun!!!

Writing - Compound Words (Part 2)

Back on November 5th, there was a blog topic about compound words. (Please review that topic by clicking here before going on with the current blog entry.)

This Quia activity is a fun way to test your skills when it comes to compound words. Can you match up the parts of a compound word? Give it a shot!

Click here to play the Quia game and then report how you did!

Outlines - Thanksgiving Style

A few previous blog topics have dealt with outlines. When doing formal writing (such as essays, papers, or even something that you'll be submitting for work), it's best to do an outline to plan your thoughts and make sure you have the "map" of where you want to go!

So let's practice this! Make a simple outline telling about your Thanksgiving day. Imagine that this outline would then form the basis of your essay. Remember that outlines can be short. Just using a word or a phrase for each part is enough.

I'll start!

I.) Introduction
II.) Food preparation
III.) Cooking
IV.) Clean-up
V.) Conclusion

From that outline, it's pretty easy to see that my essay would have 5 paragraphs and that the body paragraphs would talk about the preparation, cooking, and clean-up (in that order). Wasn't that neat?

Now you try!

Writing - Let's End Hunger (Part 4)

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I think it's very appropriate to do a "Writing - Let's End Hunger" post. Have you participated in the other three? Check them out (September 26th, October 2nd, and November 3rd).

By playing this vocabulary game, you are benefiting yourself (by working on your vocabulary skills) and benefiting others (by helping to end world hunger). Isn't that the best "win-win" situation?

For every 1 question you answer correctly, you will have 20 grains of rice donated through the United Nations World Food Program. Once you've played the game, come back here and write 2-3 sentences to state how you did! Also, please include one sentence that includes something (or someone) that you're thankful for having in your life!

Click here to play: http://freerice.com/

Writing - Compound Words

A compound word is one that has two parts to it. Think of the word "pancake." That's a compound word made by combining the terms "pan" and "cake." So why is it important to know about compound words? Well, like many of the things we've discussed, the more correct your words and writing are, the more effective you'll be in getting your ideas across to the reader!

Test your knowledge of compound words. Try this activity and see how you do! Did you know all of them? Did you know most of them? Pick out your favorite compound word from the activity and use it in a sentence.

Writing - Antonyms

An antonym is the opposite of a word. For example, if I said "happy," you might tell me that the antonym of that is "sad." Hopefully you participated on the November 22nd blog topic about synonyms, and you had a chance to check out a fun game that let you test your skills. Being that we're discussing antonyms, which is another important part of good writing, I'd like you to try the antonym game. Once you're done, come back here, report how you did, if you enjoyed it, and if any of the antonyms were new to you!

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/antonyms/antonyms.htm

Have fun!

Writing - Synonyms

Have you heard of the term "synonym" before? A synonym is a word that has a similar meaning of another word. Some synonyms are listed below.

Laugh - Chuckle
Cry - Sob
Happy - Elated
Sad - Dejected
Walk - Stroll
Run - Trot

Here's a really great website that will test how well you know your synonyms for some words. It's also a fun way to help expand your vocabulary! Knowing synonyms will help improve your writing because you'll have varied word choice. Try this synonym game, come back here, report how you did, if you enjoyed it, and which set of synonyms were new to you!

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/synonyms/synonyms.htm

Writing - The Most Important Proper Noun

We've discussed proper nouns before. (To see the blog post, click here.) But what do you think is the most important proper noun of all? I bet you wouldn't be surprised to hear that it's your own name!

How many times each day do you write (or type) your name? It's probably many more times than you really think! Your name should always be written just the way you'd write any other proper noun (such as "Coca Cola," "Pepsi," "New York City," or "Florida"). The first letter of each name should be capitalized. But do you do that? Do you always do that?

No matter if it's an email, a blog post, or signing in to an online workshop, your name should always be typed with the first letter of each part being capitalized! Sometimes we all feel a bit lazy, and it might be easier to not capitalize it, but that's not right. You are important! Your name is important! Write it in a way that shows the importance!

*** Remember that on the blog, you can type your full first name and just the last initial! ***

Write one short sentence telling me what you hope to do before the end of the year. Then, be sure to correctly sign (type) your name at the end. Here's an example.

By the end of 2008, I hope to have met all of my new neighbors.
- Kim G.

Writing - Spelling (Part 2)

When you read, many times you are expecting to see a certain word come next in the sentence. So your brain is already anticipating what will be there. Research has shown that if the first and last letters of the word are in the correct place, but some letters in the middle are mixed up, your brain can still recognize the word and you might not even catch the misspelling. (Have you seen emails about that?!)

Here's an example:
I decided to drive to Orlando, and it was quite a far disatnce to go.

In that sentence, the word "distance" was (intentionally) misspelled. However, I bet it didn't cause a problem for many of you because you had a feeling about what the generally sentence was discussing, and that word had just two letters in the middle that were mixed up.

Years ago, I heard of a great trick to help you check your spelling (without using a dictionary or online spell check program). If you read your sentence backward, you will have to read much slower than if you read the sentence forward. By reading it backward, you are spending more time looking at each word and paying more attention to it. This can help you catch misspellings a bit easier since you really can't anticipate what word's coming next.

Give this a try! Write one or two short sentences in response to this blog. Before you post your reply, read your sentences backward and see if you misspelled anything! Even if you didn't misspell anything, do you think that would help you catch something in the future?

Writing - Spelling (Part 1)

It may seem obvious, but part of good writing is correct spelling. Did you know that there are 300 words in the English language that seem to make up about 65% of everything written? This next Quia activity is going to be one where you get to see some of those most frequently used words and let's you try to guess them.

Try the game and see what words you are shown. Are you familiar with all of them? More importantly, do you know how to correctly spell them? (Don't worry, the activity won't make you go through all 300 of the words!)

Spelling activity link: http://www.quia.com/hm/243006.html

When you get to that site, let the game load, and then use the letters underneath it. Click on the letter you want to choose. If it's a part of that word, it will show up in the appropriate place. If it's not used, you'll be told that and can pick a new option!

Irregular Verbs - Activity

This blog post is a follow-up to the previous post about irregular verbs (from November 16th). Try this Quia activity to test your skills on irregular verbs. The "challenge board" activity can be played either by yourself or with someone else. If you're playing by yourself, enter your name in the "Player 1 box;" if you're playing with someone else, enter your name in the box for player 1 and the other person's name in the box for player 2.

Irregular verb challenge board game: http://www.quia.com/cb/8111.html

Once you complete the activity, come back to the blog, and write a few sentences to state if you played the game by yourself or with someone else, how you did, and if you learned anything new!

Enjoy!

Commonly Misused Words: Peace and Piece

Today is World Peace Day. (For more information about that, click on the link.) It's also a good time to discuss two commonly misused words: peace and piece. These words, like many of the commonly misused words we've discussed in previous blog topics, are homonyms. They are pronounced almost exactly the same, but have very different meanings and spellings.

The word "peace" means harmony, calmness, or a lack of fighting.
The word "piece" means a part of something.

Can you use those two words correctly? Try it now by writing two simple sentences that show the correct meanings of "peace" and "piece."

Here's an example.

1.) There is no peace when war is happening.
2.) I'd like to try a piece of the chocolate cake.

Irregular Verbs

Yesterday's blog post dealt with regular verbs. Today, we're going to switch gears and go over irregular verbs.

Recall that regular verbs are formed by just taking the present tense verb and adding "-ed" to the end. An example of that would be the verb "yell." The past tense, because it's a regular verb, would be "yelled."

An irregular verb, however, does not follow that "nice" rule about adding "-ed" to the end for the past tense. Irregular verbs have a completely different word used.

Let's look at some examples.

1.)
Present tense: run
Past tense: ran

2.)
Present tense: shake
Past tense: shook

3.)
Present tense: shine
Past tense: shone

For a list of some irregular verbs, visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslirrverb.html and http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/verbs.htm.

Check out those sites, pick 1 irregular verb, come back here, and post the following things: the present tense form, the irregular past tense form, and then use that past tense form in a correctly written sentence.

I'll start!

Present tense: awake
Past tense: awoke
Sentence: Last week, I awoke to the sound of a honking horn.

Now you try!

Regular Verbs

Three past blog posts dealt with different tenses of verbs (past, present, and future). This post is going to deal with the concept of "regular verbs." Have you heard of that term before? A regular verb is one that follows the "regular" rule when changing it to the past tense. Let's look at a few examples and then get into the specifics.

Present tense form: cook
Past tense form: cooked

Present tense form: paint
Past tense form: painted

Present tense form: use
Past tense form: used

What's so "regular" about that? Well, all past tense forms took the present tense form and just added "-ed" to the end. There was no change in the form of the original verb.

For a list of the 600 most common regular verbs, visit this site: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/regular-verbs-list.htm. When you get there, scroll through the list. Pick one regular verb, come back to this blog, type the verb in it's present tense form, and then type it in the past tense form. Can you then use that regular past tense form in a sentence? Give it a shot!

Example:
Present tense: calculate
Past tense: calculated
Sentence: I calculated the waiter's tip.

Test Your Skills - Subject-Verb Agreement

The last blog post challenged you to test your skills when it came to capitalization and punctuation. This entry is going to ask you to test your subject-verb agreement skills. As you know from previous blog posts, having sentences with correct subject-verb agreement is essential for good writing!

So stretch those brains and have some fun! After completing the Quia game, come back here and write a few sentences to tell how you did!

Quia game link: http://www.quia.com/pop/38406.html

Test Your Skills - Capitalization & Punctuation

Frequent bloggers on this site know that I love those Quia games! I found a great one so you can test your capitalization & punctuation skills, two things we've talked about in many different previous blog posts.

Try this "Rags to Riches" game (similar to the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game show). Then, come back to the blog and write just a few sentences to tell us how you did, if you enjoyed it, and if you learned anything new!!!

Have fun!

Quia game link: http://www.quia.com/rr/90027.html

Writing - Complex Sentences

The last type of sentence we're going to discuss is the complex sentence. Recall that compound sentences (as discussed in the November 10th blog) have two or more independent clauses. A complex sentence is similar in that there will be one independent clause, but there will also be one or more dependent clauses.

Before we go on, let's look closer at those clauses. Independent clauses are parts of a sentence that could stand on their own as a complete sentence. They are complete thoughts with both a subject and a verb. On the other hand, dependent clauses (as the name implies) cannot stand on their own because they "depend" on the independent clause for completion.

In the examples below, you'll see a few complex sentences. For each one, the independent clause is shown in blue, and the dependent clause is shown in red.

1.) Because Sue got stuck at the bridge, she was late for work.

2.) I went to the mall although I had no money to spend.

3.) When studying for a test, try turning off all televisions.

4.) The house was sold after the price was dropped.

Notice a few key things. First, when the sentence begins with the dependent clause, a comma is needed after that clause. However, when the sentence begins with the independent clause, no comma is needed. The independent clauses could stand on their own. For example #1, that independent clause could have been written as a sentence on it's own. You could have typed "She was late for work." The dependent clause of that sentence ("Because Sue got stuck at the bridge") could not be a sentence on its own because you need more information to complete the thought.

For more information about complex sentences, visit this website from Empire State College in New York.

What have you thought about the sentence types that we've discussed so far? Did you know about them and the characteristics of each or is this something new?

Writing - Compound Sentences

The next type of sentence to discuss is the compound sentence. To help you remember what this is, think of a compound word like "sandpaper." A compound word is made from two individual (or independent) words that are joined together. Similarly, a compound sentence has two parts to it and each is an independent clause. Independent clauses are complete thoughts that could stand on their own (if separated).

There are two key things to remember with compound sentences. First, you will always have a comma used at the end of the first independent clause. Then, immediately after the comma, you will have a connector or conjunction (such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) used. You can remember those connectors by using the acronym FANBOYS, which comes from the first letter of each of those connecting words. (Isn't that neat?!)

Let's look at some examples of compound sentences. These use the most common connectors.

1.) Today is Monday, and tomorrow I have off of work.

2.) Robert was listening to the radio, but the power went out.

3.) The calendar is on the wall, so you can mark your birthday on it.


Notice that each sentence has two complete thoughts. For the first example, you could have separated the thoughts. If you did that, you could have written this. "Today is Monday. Tomorrow I have off of work." If you write the thoughts separately, you have two simple sentences! If you keep the thoughts together and use the connector "and," then you need to have a comma before the connector. Plus, if you read that sentence out loud, you pause after the first thought, so that's another indicator that a comma is needed.

To practice joining the independent clauses, play this Quia game. Then, come back here & write 1 compound sentence to tell us how you did and if you enjoyed it!

Writing - Simple Sentences

The next few blog topics are going to focus on different types of sentences. The first one that you'll use is the simplest out of all sentence types. The "simple sentence" is exactly what it sounds like. It has a subject and a verb, but no dependent or independent clauses to worry about. Below are a few examples of simple sentences.

1.) The newspaper was delivered today.

2.) Tuesday is Veterans' Day.

3.) Sheridan Technical Center has a graduation ceremony in May.

4.) Red is a good color for you.

5.) Peter brought soda and water to the soccer game.

Notice that a simple sentence is not always a short sentence, as you saw in the third and fifth examples. However, a simple sentence has just one thought to it. There are no connection of thoughts with words like "and," "however," "but," etc. (You can have a connection of items in a simple sentence. This would be similar to what you saw in example number five.)

By using simple sentences, you can focus on the other important aspects of your writing: correct capitalization, punctuation, and subject-verb agreement.

Tell me about what you did today. In two or three simple sentences, share your activities. Remember the characteristics of simple sentences as we discussed above and show me what you can do!!

Writing - Using Contractions

You may find that you want to use a contraction of words in your writing. Below is a short list of some common contractions. (For a more complete list of contractions visit this site: http://edhelper.com/Contractions3103.htm.)

it is = it's

I am = I'm

they are = they're

do not = don't

does not = doesn't

would not = wouldn't


Some writing experts say that you should not use contractions in your formal writing. However, if you can use them correctly, you don't need to avoid them! Notice that all contractions need the apostrophe used.

How well do you know your contractions? Try this Quia game to test your skills! Come back to the blog after you complete the game and write two sentences. First, tell us how you did. Next, correctly write a sentence using a contraction.

Quia game: http://www.quia.com/mc/366989.html

Capitalization & Punctuation

Two of the most basic and most important parts of good writing are correct capitalization & punctuation. Without these items, sentences look sloppy and incomplete. Play this Quia game to test your capitalization & punctuation skills. Then, return to the blog and tell us how you did! Also, write a sentence or two stating who else you could share this game with so other people could work on these important things.

http://www.quia.com/rr/242194.html

Enjoy!

Word of the Day Websites

If you do a Google search for "Word of the Day," you'll get a ton of matches. There are so many resources out on the web for you to expand your vocabulary. Some of them even let you sign up so you get each word of the day emailed right to you! Here are 4 sites where you can see the word of the day and then sign up if you're interested in getting on their email list.

http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/

http://wordsmith.org/words/today.html

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwod.pl

http://www.oed.com/cgi/display/wotd

Visit one or more of those sites, come back here, and tell us what was your favorite word of the day that you saw! (Don't forget to include that word's definition so we can all learn together!) Also, if you added yourself to any of those word of the day email lists, let me know!

:-)

Tell me a story - November's edition

If you're a regular "blogger" on this site, you've probably done some of the "tell me a story" topics that we've had. They're fun because you can take the story in any direction.

For this installment, we'll all start with the very same beginning and from there, you should complete the first sentence and add another 3-5 sentences to complete your story. Remember to write those sentences correctly! (Did you know you can use an online spell checker to help you? Visit this site http://www.spellchecker.net/spellcheck/. You can type your story, check it, make any necessary corrections, and then post it!)

During the New York City marathon, Amber decided to . . .

Writing - Let's End Hunger (Part 3)

The eLearning blog has had two previous topics about how you can improve your writing and also help end world hunger. (To see those posts, click here: September 26th and October 2nd.)

For this post, I'd like you to go back to the FreeRice.com website, play their vocabulary games, and see how you can do! You'll notice that for every correct answer you give, 20 grains of rice will be donated through the United Nations World Food Program. Once you've played the game, come back here and write 2-3 sentences to state how you did!

Click here to play: http://freerice.com/

Have fun!!

Usage - The Pronoun "I"

Believe it or not, a little error like not capitalizing the letter "I" in your writing can overshadow your ideas. You never want your reader focusing on mistakes instead of your ideas.

Rule: The letter "I" will always be capitalized in your writing, no matter where it occurs.

Let's look at some example of this.

1.) I went to the grocery store today.
2.) Heather and I have been friends for years.
3.) Mr. Williams asked if I would watch his dog.

It's important that all of your writing (including emails, instant messages, and "formal writing" like essays) have this correctly done. There's no reason to lose points for something so easy to do correctly!

Now it's your turn to practice this. Write 2 sentences that use the letter "I."

Verbs - Future Tense

Perhaps your writing is telling someone about what is going to happen in the future. When using future tense verbs, you may use the helping verb "will" or you may use one of the verbs "am," "is," or "are" with the phrase "going to." Below are some examples of each.

I will go to the office tomorrow.
He will run the marathon next weekend.
Lauren and Brian will walk the dog tonight.

You are going to school next year.
She is going to sing in the concert on Saturday.
They are going to leave for the airport at noon.

For more information about future tense verbs, visit this site:http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html. To practice this, write 2 sentences that tell me about things you'll do in the next month! I'll start!

I will have my in-laws visit later this month. While they are here, we will go out to dinner.

Verbs - Past Tense

If you want to talk about something that already happened, you need to use the past tense of a verb. These verbs, combined with other phrases like "Three years ago," help the reader know that you're writing about things that are already done. Just like with present tense verbs, past tense verbs also need to correctly agree with the subject, whether it's singular or plural. Take a look at some examples below.

The palm tree fell over yesterday.
Last night, my husband cooked dinner.
We danced all night at the wedding.

Try these 15 questions to see how well you can work with past tense verbs. To use this fun Quia game, click here. When the page loads, click the "Play this game!" button. Then come back and state how you did! Is this an activity that you'd share with other people, maybe even your friends or relatives, if they wanted to practice using past tense verbs? Let me know!

Verbs - Present Tense

Part of good writing depends on your verbs. You always want to make sure that you're using the correct tense of the verbs you use so that your message makes sense. If you're talking about something happening now, you would use the present tense. Below are some examples of verbs in present tense.

I shop at the mall.
Sharon wraps the birthday presents.
Taylor and Robert walk their dog.
They prepare the spaghetti dinner.

Try your skills at picking out the correct present tense verb by playing this Quia game that's similar to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". Remember that your verbs will have be in the correct tense and also have the correct subject-verb agreement. Are you ready to give it a try? If so, click here. Come back & report your results by writing a few complete sentences.

Writing - Do you paint an "exact" picture?

If you've been outside in the last few hours, you know that it's "cold." But that word is not as descriptive as you'd like. If you said "cold" to different people, you'd get some different interpretations of what that means. Let's take a look!

Someone from Miami may say that "cold" to them means anything under 70 degrees.

Someone from New York may say that "cold" means anything under 40 degrees.

Lastly, someone from Alaska may say that "cold" means anything under 0 degrees!

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use the word "cold" in your writing. However, with words like that where meanings can be different, be sure to add in those additional details to help paint that "exact" picture.

To practice this, tell me about how the cold weather feels to you. Is it really cold or are you thinking it's pretty nice? Give me those details to help me understand what you mean! In fact, I'll give you a short example.

Today I went outside and it was cold! The thermometer said 57 degrees, but I was sure it was colder than that. The air was crisp and the wind was strong. I decided to put on my sweater and get a jacket too. If it got any colder, I'd need my fleece gloves.

Now you try!

Writing: Subject Pronouns

An important part of writing is varying the words you use. To help accomplish this, you can use subject pronouns such as "he," "she," and "they." But, be sure you use them correctly! Think about whose name you're replacing with the pronoun and then make sure the pronoun matches in both gender and number.

Try this Quia game about subject pronouns. Then, come back here & post how you did! Remember to write your results in complete, correctly-written sentences.

http://www.quia.com/pop/51661.html

Enjoy!

Commonly Misused Words: Witch and Which

With Halloween right around the corner, this next blog post about the words "witch" and "which" is quite appropriate. These words, like many of the others that we've discussed during the "Commonly Misused Words" topics, are homonyms or homophones. They're pronounced almost identically, but have very different meanings. Let's look at each one a bit closer!

The word "witch" is meant to be used when describing the Halloween character who has the pointy hat, pointy shoes, and rides a broom. It can also be used to describe a nasty, mean-spirited person.

The word "which" can be used as a pronoun, as in the example below.
"Which of these should we buy?"

It can also be used as an adjective, shown in the example below.
"I spent the day at the mall, during which time my car was being fixed."

Probably the easiest way to remember this is to ask yourself if you're talking about a person or character, similar to what you see in the picture below. If that's not what you mean, then go with the word "which."


Can you write two sentences that show how to use the words "witch" and "which" correctly? Give it a try now!

Prepositions

Did you know that you use prepositions all the time in your writing & speaking? According to Wikipedia, a preposition indicates a relation between things mentioned in a sentence. In English, the most used prepositions are "of", "to", "in", "for", and "on." (Wikipedia link)

Think about it! Without prepositions, you wouldn't be able to give you reader that exact picture that you want to paint for them.

Test your preposition skills by playing this short 8-question game by going here: http://www.quia.com/pop/46312.html. Once you're on that site, click the "Play this game" box to start the activity. Once you're done, return to the blog & post your results by using complete, correctly-written sentences!

Usage - "A" versus "An"

In grammar, the terms "a" and "an" are referred to as indefinite articles. They're used before singular nouns. But what's the difference and how do you know which one to use? In most instances, the article "a" can be used. The exception, however, comes when the noun that follows starts with a vowel (the letters 'a,' 'e,' 'i,' 'o,' and 'u'). Let's look at some examples!

1.) I borrowed a book from the library.
2.) A thunderstorm is predicted for tomorrow.
3.) Did you see a movie this weekend?

4.) An elephant was part of the circus.
5.) My sister packed an umbrella in her car.
6.) Did you taken an English class this year?

How good do you think you are at using "a" and "an" correctly? Test your skills by playing the "Rags to Riches" game found here: http://www.quia.com/rr/53245.html. Then, come back & report how you did. Don't forget to include your thoughts on the activity. Was it fun? Did you challenge yourself? Would you recommend this activity to others who'd like to practice their "a" versus "an" skills?

Writing - Choosing the Right Word

How many times have words like "there," "their," and "they're" been confusing to you in your writing? Those words are called "homonyms" or "homophones" which means they sound the same when you say them, but they have different meanings and spellings.

In fact, we've had some past blog topics that dealt with these commonly confused words! (For a quick review, visit these links: May 31st, July 22nd, and August 12th.)

So let's continue on with our study of these words and have a little fun at the FunBrain.com site with a "Word Confusion" game. Click the link below to visit the site, play the game, and then report your results! If you get a part wrong, that's ok! Just write down the two words, make some flash cards to learn the different meanings, and review them daily.

Word Confusion Game

Writing - Parallel Structure

Have you heard of the term "parallel structure" when it comes to writing? It's certainly not something you hear of every day, but is an important part of good (and correct) writing!

If you're a fan of the Olympics and gymnastics, you've heard of and seen the parallel bars. Think about those for a minute and look at the image below of parallel bars.


What do you notice about those bars? Well, you could say that they are very similar to each other. They have the same form, style, and layout as each other. Believe it or not, this is true of good writing! Let's take a closer look at how.

Sometimes you may have a sentence that has multiple verbs in it. Just like those parallel bars, you want those verbs to be in the same format as each other and to follow the same layout. So if one verb is in the past tense, they all should be! If one verb is using the present participle form, they all should be! Below are some examples.

My sister was running, jumping, and playing all over the soccer field.
Bill ate dinner, slept for a bit, and then jogged.
The cat eats and sleeps throughout the day.

Did you see how each sentence had multiple verbs, but they were all similar in format and tense? That's something to pay attention to the next time you write!

Now you try it! Write a single sentence that uses two or three verbs and has correct parallel structure. I know you can do it!

Commas - The Best Trick!

The English language has so many rules and even more exceptions to those rules. This is especially true of rules relating to comma usage in writing. Rather than go over all of those rules, I'm going to share with you my favorite "trick" for writing. You're going to love it!

Writing and speaking are very closely related. If you have a sentence and don't know if a comma is needed, read your sentence out loud. Pay close attention to where you naturally tend to pause. That's where a comma is probably needed!!! Let's try it now.

Read the sentence (shown below) out loud and see where you pause.

While flipping channels I came across a new television show.

I bet you paused after the phrase "while flipping channels." That gives you an indication to put a comma at that point in the sentence. Doing so, you'd end up with this: "While flipping channels, I came across a new television show."

The next time you're unsure if a comma is needed, try this trick! In fact, reply to this post and tell me if you think it will help you.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 17)

Today's the day to learn a new word (or two)! Look at the list of words below. Pick one that you're not familiar with, visit the online dictionary, get the definition, and then come back here to post your findings!

Accolade
Bolster
Cryptic
Ephemeral
Hedonist
Lamentation
Obliterate
Plummet
Resolution
Tentative

You can use this link (http://www.merriam-webster.com) to get to the online dictionary.

It's helpful to see the part of speech of the word, so include that too & see if you can then use the word correctly in a sentence!

Writing - Know Your Word Parts

Yesterday's blog post sent you to the FunBrain.com site to play the "Grammar Gorilla" game. That one had you working on subjects and verbs. This next "Grammar Gorilla" game is a tougher version that will challenge you to correctly identify more parts of speech. Are you up for it?

Click here to play the game and then report back to share how you did & what you thought of it! If you played the previous game for subjects & verbs, how did this one compare?

Remember to write your sentences correctly and to have proper capitalization and punctuation!
:-)

Writing - Subjects & Verbs

A key part of avoiding sentence fragments (like we discussed in the October 18th blog entry) is knowing what's your subject and what's your verb for every sentence you write.

Here's a fun site that has a game called "Grammar Gorillas" and will have you test your knowledge of subject & verb identification. I think you'll enjoy it!

Click here to play the game and then report back to tell us how you did, if you liked it, and if you learned anything new!

Writing - Avoiding Sentence Fragments

Have you ever read something that wasn't a complete thought and you're wondering about the other information that was needed? In cases like that, the sentence was probably a fragment. This is something you definitely want to stay away from in your writing. Let's look at some examples of fragments and ways they could be fixed.

Example 1: Went to the mall.
Problem: This sentence is missing a subject. Who went to the mall?
Solution: Add the subject into the sentence.
Possible sentence: Sharon went to the mall.

Example 2: The basketball player at the gym.
Problem: This sentence is missing a verb. What did the basketball player do?
Solution: Add the verb into the sentence.
Possible sentence: The basketball player at the gym drank some water.

Example 3: Such as books and magazines.
Problem: This is a subordinate clause and actually needs a subject & a verb.
Solution: Add the subject and verb into the sentence.
Possible sentence: The library is filled with great things, such as books and magazines.

For more information about sentence fragments, how to avoid them, and how to fix them, please visit Lauren Scerbo's Elluminate session from 10/15/08. Navigate through the slides and then post here to state what part you found to be most helpful!

(If you're wanting more information about sentence fragments, visit Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_frag.html.)

Writing - Using the "Quia" Website

One of my new favorite websites is Quia (pronounced like the car company Kia). There, you can find tons of great educational activities for almost any subject out there! As I explore it more, I've found games that I love, especially vocabulary games.

Take a look at a few of them & see how you do!

Vocabulary Matching Game #1

Vocabulary Matching Game #2

Vocabulary Matching Game #3

Once you've tried them, report back & tell us in complete sentences how you enjoyed those games. Feel free to explore more of the site & to use it for other members in your family who may be looking for some fantastic educational web resources!

http://www.quia.com/shared/

Writing - Let's Celebrate Dictionary Day!

Today, October 16th, is "Dictionary Day!" Did you know such a thing existed? If you've participated in other blog topics, you've probably had a chance to use an online dictionary.

Fun Fact: Noah Webster, considered the Father of the American Dictionary, was born on October 16, 1758. Webster began to write his dictionary at the age of 43 and completed the dictionary 27 years later.

Take a look at this online dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com. On there, they have a "Word of the Day" category and even an archive where you can see past words of the day!

So, to celebrate "Dictionary Day" I'd like you to visit the Merriam-Webster online dictionary's word of the day. To get there, click this link: http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/wodcalendar.pl. Pick any word or date you want & click on that word. You'll see the word, a definition, and an example sentence. Come back here & post those results!

I'll start!

kvell
\KVEL\
verb
to be extraordinarily proud, rejoice

Example Sentence: Critics kvelled over the violinist's triumphant return to the stage where she had made her debut many years ago.

Commonly Misused Words: Been and Being

The words "been" and "being" have very different meanings & usages. Getting them confused and using the wrong one can really jump out at a reader. So let's spend some time focusing on each one and learning more about them.

Been: This word is pronounced like "bin." It is used as a helping (or auxilary) verb and is the past participle of the verb "be." Here are some examples of the word "been" in a correct sentence.
1.) I have been waiting for 5 hours.
2.) Terrance has been on the varsity football team for a while.
3.) My grandparents have been in the hospital.
4.) You have been a great student.
5.) She has been shopping already.
6.) The test has been completed as of yesterday.

Being: This word is pronounced like "bee-ing." It can be used in various formats including a noun and a present participle. Let's look at some examples of each.
1.) We are all human beings. (noun)
2.) The alien beings are shown in movies. (noun)
3.) I am being a cat for Halloween. (present participle)
4.) You are being a good student by studying. (present participle)
5.) They are being taken to the airport right now. (present participle)
6.) She is being given an award. (present participle)

Here are some helpful hints to use!
** The word "been" will always have either "has" or "have" in front of it. It' s used when talking about something that already happened.
** The word "being" might use "am," "is," "are," "was," or "were" in front of it. It will never have the words "has" or "have" used with it.

Can you correctly use the words "being" and "been" in a sentence? Give it a shot!!!

Vocabulary - Words with Multiple Meanings (Math)

The English language can be tricky because so many words have more than one meaning. This blog post is going to focus on some math terms that you know (and love) that have multiple meanings. Let's examine a few.

Fraction:
In math, a fraction would be represented by values like 1/2, 1/4, or 5/8.
In general terms, a fraction means just a portion of something.
Example sentence: Sally completed just a fraction of her work for the day.

Area:
In math, area is the amount of flat space that a figure covers. Depending on the figure, there are different formulas to use to calculate that specific value.
In general terms, area means a certain section of land or space.
Example sentence: This particular area of North Carolina is beautiful.

Volume:
In math, volume is the amount of 3-dimensional space that something takes up, such as a box or a basketball.
In general terms, it could mean the amount of sound.
Example sentence: The volume of his radio is too loud for me.

Can you think of more math words that have dual meanings? Take a look at the list found at http://www.mathwords.com/a_to_z.htm. Be sure to scroll down since there are a ton of words to see! Find a word that has a particular meaning in math, but then a different meaning when it's used outside of a math context. Post your word, the math definition, and then try to give your best definition of what the word means outside of math. Lastly, use that word's non-math version in a sentence (similar to what I showed you above).

Writing - Political Cartoons

Have you ever heard the term "political cartoon" or seen one of these? With all that's going on in politics right now, I bet you have!

Wikipedia.com defines a political cartoon (sometimes called an editorial cartoon) as an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message, that usually relates to current events or personalities.

Let's look at an example.

What does that image say to you? Look at the title shown on the image. It says "World Markets." So you know it's dealing with economics. Next, look down the left side. You see negative percentages. The shape that's used (a spiral) is also significant. To me, this political cartoon is expressing that the world markets seem to be in a downward spiral. Isn't that what you've been seeing & reading on the news lately?

Visit this site: http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoons/. Once you're there, be sure to scroll down to see all of the cartoons. Find one that you can relate to or maybe one that you've read about recently. Then, come back here and tell us about what the cartoon showed and what current event it was related to.

(In case you're wondering, political cartoons are included on the social studies part of the GED test!)

Relationship: Good Writing and Good Reading (Part 6)

If you've been an active blogger on here, you've probably seen some of the previous "Relationship: Good Writing and Good Reading" posts. (If you haven't or would like to review them again, go here: July 8th, July 26th, August 15th, September 11th, and September 30th. In fact, there's tons of great links provided in each of those posts!)

Do you want to be a good writer and a good reader? If so, an important part of that is staying "up" on all the latest events that are happening. This doesn't mean that you need to be an expert in world affairs, politics, the economy, or the environment, but does mean that you should be "well rounded" in what you know. If you're reading every day (for 30 minutes or more), there's no reason why you can't visit some sites to help you know what's new!

Here are a few of my favorite places to get news & current events from around the nation.

Boston Globe

New York Times

Washington Post

Los Angeles Times

Chicago Tribune

You may find that if you visit a few of these sites, the top stories are the same or very similar. For example, the economy is a big issue these days and seems to be the leading headline on almost every newspaper. Don't be afraid to read multiple stories on the same topic. Different journalists will focus on different aspects and the more you read, the more information you have to help "round you out."

Visit one or more of those sites shown above and then post where you visited and what you read about. If the economy or politics don't interest you, feel free to leave the "front page" and venture into other sections about technology, food, or entertainment! Remember that no reading is bad reading!!!

Writing - Be Descriptive!

Did you know that yesterday (October 10th) was "National Cake Decorating Day?" Doesn't that sound fun?

Imagine that you were going to create and decorate a cake to represent you and your personality. What would it look like? What colors would you use? Why did you pick those colors? What kind of decorations (edible or not) would be included on the top? Be as descriptive as possible! Good writing should paint a picture in the reader's mind and that's your task for this blog topic. Are you up to the challenge?

The inside of my cake would be yellow since that's a bright, happy, cheery color. I would make a creamy light blue icing because that's my favorite color and is soothing to the eyes. Lastly, I'd include multi-color sprinkles on top. Sprinkles are fun and always make me smile. Like my cake, I think every day should include those things: happiness, fun, and smiles!

Now describe your cake to me! How delicious and wonderful can you make those words and images?

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 16)

It's vocabulary time! Review the word list (shown below) and pick one word that you're not already familiar with in your day-to-day vocabulary. You can use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com) to define it. Post the word, its part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.), and the definition. Be sure to look through what others have posted! It'll help all of us improve our vocabularies! If you really want to stretch your brain & try something fun, use the word you select correctly in a sentence!

Abstemious
Blithe
Crepuscular
Enunciation
Headstrong
Lackluster
Objective
Pliable
Rescind
Temper

Writing Tips for Emails (Part 4)

Have you used the subject line in an email? This is a great way to let the reader know the overall topic of your email before he or she even opens it. Imagine that you can give a short title to your email. That's what you can use for the subject!

Good subject lines are specific, but concise. Here are some examples.

1.) Assignment 5.01 - Question #1
2.) Final Exam Follow-Up
3.) Online Workshop RSVP
4.) GED Test Location
5.) Vacation, 12/10/08

I'd like you to practice this and some of the other email tips you've seen in previous posts. Send an email to me at GetYourGED@aol.com and see how many of the tips you can incorporate! Once you send me an email, post a response here to let me know that you've completed the task!

Writing Tips for Emails (Part 3)

How you end your email is as essential as how you begin it! Could you imagine getting an email from someone and not knowing who sent it? What if it was from your friend who was using a new email address? If it was a general email address without a name (such as "sunshine_girl_2008@yahoo.com"), you might be a bit confused. So, to help your email recipients from experiencing confusion, be sure to always use this next tip!

Tip #3 for emails: Always "sign" your emails by typing your full name at the end.

Reason: It identifies the sender of the email.

Suggestion: Many email systems allow you to set up a "signature" that automatically gets applied to the end of every email. If you set this up with your name, you can let the technology do some of the work for you!

Do you sign your emails with your name? Have you set up a "signature" or thought about doing that? What are your thoughts on this third email tip?

Writing Tips for Emails (Part 2)

The way you start your email sets the tone for everything that follows. Do you want your reader to know that your message is meant for him or her? That's always very helpful and much appreciated by the reader. Knowing this, here's our second writing tip for emails.

Tip #2 for emails: Always begin an email with an appropriate salutation.

Reason: It identifies the recipient and shows that you put thought into the greeting.

Examples: The following salutations could begin an email.
1.) Dear Ms. Thomas.
2.) Hello Jane.
3.) Good morning, Mr. Castano.
4.) Greetings Robert.

Suggestion: If you don't know how to address the person, it's safest to go with the most respectful option which would be to use "Mr." or "Ms." before the last name.

Do you begin emails with a salutation? If not, do you think this is something you could start doing?

Writing Tips for Emails (Part 1)

We've had a few different series in the eLearning blog. Sometimes we've focused on vocabulary; other times we've focused on problem phrases or using hyphens correctly. The next series we'll have will be dedicated to writing skills for emails. However, the good news is that many of the things we'll discuss also pertain to "regular" writing you may do, including hand-written letters!

Tip #1 for emails: Stay away from using all caps (capital letters).

Reason: It comes across as screaming or shouting.

Example 1: DON'T WRITE YOUR EMAILS LIKE THIS.

Example 2: Instead, write "normally." Capitalize only the parts that need to be capitalized.

Did you know that all caps in emails (or even blog postings) means shouting or screaming? Have you ever read anything that was posted that way? What are your thoughts on it?

Writing - Word of the Day

I found a neat website called DailyWritingTips.com and on there they have a "word of the day" section. If you click that link above, you're brought to the archive area where you can see past words of the day.

There are tons of great words there that you may not know. I'd like you to visit that site (DailyWritingTips.com/), find a word you do not currently know (or know well), and click on it. When you do that, you'll see the word and its definition. Come back here & post the word plus its definition so we can all learn new words.

I'll start!

Word of the Day: Meritocracy
Meritocracy (mĕr’ĭ-tŏk’rə-sē) is a system where the advancement of individuals is based on their performance and ability. American companies, for instance, are said to be more meritocratic than Italian ones, where nepotism (family connections) prevail.

Now you try!

Tell me a story - October's edition

There's nothing worse than writing because you're forced to do so. Not every writing task should be like that, so let's have some fun and do a "tell me a story" blog! I'll give you some key terms that I'd like you to weave into your story. You can make your entries funny, serious, informative, or persuasive. It's up to you. The only "rules" are that you should write your entries correctly and, most importantly, you have to enjoy this task! :-)

Here are the key words to use.
lizard
palm tree
clouds
cell phone

I look forward to seeing what you submit!!!

Writing - Let's End Hunger (Part 2)

The September 26th blog introduced you to the freerice.com website where you could play vocabulary games and help end hunger. For every question that you answer correctly, the freerice.com website will donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations' World Food Program to help end hunger. Isn't that a great thing?

I'd like you to visit the site (freerice.com), play at least 3 vocabulary games, and then come back here & post your results. Did you win all 3 games? Did you win 2 of them? Maybe you won 1 of them. Don't worry about the result, but do give it your best shot & see if you can learn something new while helping someone else.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 15)

We're expanding our minds & vocabularies today with this installment of "Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It." Are you ready?

Take a look at the word list (shown below) and pick one word that you're not already familiar with in your day-to-day vocabulary. Use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com) to define it. Post the word, its part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.), and the definition. Be sure to look through what others have posted! It'll help all of us improve our vocabularies! As an extra challenge, you can try using that word correctly in a sentence!

Abstain
Blighted
Credulous
Enshroud
Haughtiness
Lachrymose
Obfuscate
Plethora
Repudiate
Tedium

Relationship: Good Writing and Good Reading (Part 5)

There have been 4 previous blog topics that talked about the relationship between good writing & good reading (July 8th, July 26th, August 15th, and September 11th). Did you know that you can improve your reading skills just by reading for at least 30 minutes daily every single day?

Today, let's take a look at some other blogs that are out there. Here are a few that I've been reading. Feel free to tell me about some of your favorite blogs or new ones that you've seen recently! (Did you know that if you do a Google search for any word, such as "restaurant," and add the word "blog" after it, you'll get tons of matches?!)

Mayo on the Side: Michael Mayo, a columnist for the Sun-Sentinel, adds flavor to the news. His posts are usually entertaining or thought provoking and you can easily add your comments on his blog!

FloriDUH: If you're looking for wacky stories that are somehow connected to Florida, visit this blog! It's sure to make you chuckle.

TV Plus: Sun-Sentinel columnist Tom Jicha talks about TV, what's on, what's coming, what to watch, and what to avoid. Do you agree with his opinions? Share your thoughts on his blog.

The Beat: Check out this Sun-Sentinel blog that focuses on music, art, film, television, and anything else that entertains!

Which blogs have you visited? Is it something you'd go back to in the future? Tell us about it!

Tell me a story - September's edition

We haven't had a "Tell me a story" topic in a while! In fact, it's been over a month. So I think it's time to write & have some fun! (To see past blog topics with the "Tell me a story" theme, read the responses, and add your comments, visit these links: May 21st blog, June 3rd blog, July 2nd blog, August 7th blog.)

Here's how the "Tell me a story" topics work. I'll start you off with a portion of a sentence. From there, you can take the story in any direction. Remember to be creative and correctly write your sentences. Everyone should start with the part you see below.

Upon stepping onto the airplane, Mr. Ramirez asked the flight attendant . . .

Writing: Let's End Hunger (Part 1)

Have you ever heard of a website called freerice.com? It's a great site with 2 main goals: to provide education to everyone for free and to help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. How nice would it be to help others while helping yourself?

On that site, you can play vocabulary games. For every question that you answer correctly, the freerice.com website will donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations' World Food Program to help end hunger.

Your task is to visit the site (freerice.com), play a vocabulary game (or even a few of them), and then report back on your experience! Did you enjoy the site? Was the vocabulary easy or difficult? How many games did you play? How many games did you win by answering correctly?

Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging!

Please share your name and your favorite day of the week.

For example:

Lourdes Perez, Sunday

Writing - Problem Phrases (Part 4)

Here's the next installment of problem phrases so you can improve your writing and speak!

Problem phrase: All walks of life
The phrase "all woks of life" is incorrect.
Reason: This phrase does not apply to oriental cooking.

Let's look at a correctly-written example.

At any international airport, such as Miami, you will see people from all walks of life.

Give it a try! Can you use it correctly?

Writing - Problem Phrases (Part 3)

Let's continue on with our examination of some problem phrases. Knowing how to use these items correctly will make your writing and speaker even better!

Problem phrase: Couldn't care less
Rule: Be sure to make it negative.
The phrase "I could care less" is incorrect.

Here's an example of how that phrase is used correctly.

I'm not a fan of broccoli. I couldn't care less about how it's cooked. I know I will never like it.

Now you try!

Writing - Problem Phrases (Part 2)

The next problem phrase that you should know about (and be able to use correctly) is below.

Problem phrase: Used to
Rule: Do not omit the "d."
The phrase "use to" is incorrect.

Here's an example of it being correctly used.
I used to love eating ice cream every night.

Now you try it!

Writing - Problem Phrases (Part 1)

In writing (and even speaking), it's important to use your words and phrases correctly. This next series of blog posts will focus on some commonly misused phrases. These items are ones highlighted on the Weber State University webpage.

Problem phrase: Supposed to
Rule: Do not omit the "d."
The phrase "suppose to" is incorrect.

I was supposed to go running today, but the rain stopped me.

Try using it correctly in a sentence!

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 14)

It's been a while since we had a "Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It" topic, so let's pick that up again! Good writing has varied word choice, so working on expanding vocabularies is always something we should do!

Take a look at the word list (shown below) and pick one word that you're not already familiar with in your day-to-day vocabulary. Use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com) to define it. Post the word, its part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.), and the definition. Be sure to look through what others have posted! It'll help all of us improve our vocabularies!

Abrogate
Blasphemy
Credible
Enigma
Harbingers
Labyrinthine
Nuzzle
Plaudit
Reprehensible
Tardy

Relationship: Good Writing and Good Reading (Part 4)

So far, we've had 3 previous blog topics that talked about the relationship between being a good writer and a good reader (July 8th, July 26th, and August 15th). Everyone can improve their reading skills and should read for at least 30 minutes daily.

So let's use this as an opportunity to read something and then write about it! You can read anything you'd like (a book, magazine, website, etc.). Here are a few suggestions in case you're looking for something.

Fort Lauderdale area news

West Palm Beach area news

Orlando area news

After you've read something, post your response and tell us what you read! Remember to write those sentences correctly! :-)