Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Usage - Who versus Whom

Have you ever wondered when to use the word "who" and when to use the word "whom" in your writing? I have and finally decided to find out when to use one instead of the other.

If you're using the word "whom," it must follow a preposition. (For more information on prepositions, click here.) Below are two examples of this.

To whom would you like to speak?
From whom did that package arrive?


If you're not using a preposition (such as the word "to" or "from"), you should use the word "who" instead. Below are two examples of this.

Who was on the phone?
You went to the mall to see who?

*** You want to stay away from ending a sentence with a preposition (such as the word "to," "from," or "at"). Those are big grammatical no-no's! ***

Did you know about those rules for using the words "who" and "whom" in your writing and speaking? If so, who taught you that? If not, do you think you will start practicing to use these terms as you see described here? Let me know!!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Writing - Idioms

Have you ever heard of the term "idiom" before? You might not have, but I'm sure you've heard phrases such as "a drop in the bucket," "a leopard can't change his spots," or "dog days of summer." Those phrases are called "idioms." According to Wikipedia.com, an idiom is a term or phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use.

Visit the website shown below to see a very comprehensive list of idioms that are organized alphabetically. Be sure to scroll through it, as there are tons of good ones there!

http://www.idiomsite.com/

Pick one or two idioms that are new to you and post the idiom and its meaning.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 9)

It's Monday and that means it's time for the next installment of words from the Academic Word List. Below you'll see a selection of words from sublist 2.

Please pick one word, post the definition, and then use that word in an original sentence. You may use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com).

potential
previous
primary
purchase
range
region
regulations
relevant
resident
resources

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Relationship: Good Writing and Good Reading (Part 2)

Back on July 8th, the blog topic discussed the relationship between being a good writer and also reading! (For more info, visit this link.) By reading daily, you are coming across more vocabulary, strengthening your current vocabulary, and getting more knowledge that you can use at a later time!

Reading doesn't have to be boring! Pick something you enjoy! Maybe you like to read the latest celebrity gossip, or perhaps you are a fan of current world news. No matter what your interest is, there's something to read about it!

If you need some suggestions for things to read, try the links below!

Current Events: USA Today
Travel Info: Travel Channel
Comic Books: News, Reviews, and Previews
Television: TV Guide

Tell me what you've read lately. Maybe it was something from one of the above links or maybe it was something completely different. Share what you've been reading.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Writing - Don't Neglect Those Details

We all know how important details are in your writing. Your words will form a picture in the reader's mind and you want that to be as exact as possible.

Imagine that I write about my day at a park. Just from that one sentence alone, you may already have a picture forming, complete with trees, grassy areas, and maybe even a park bench with a water fountain nearby. However, if my day was spent at a skateboard park, you'd probably find a lot less grass and a lot more concrete! I'd need to describe the scene and the layout of items, especially for those readers who may have never been to a skateboard park.

Practice giving me those important details. Pick a place where you go and describe it in a few sentences. This could be your local grocery store, shopping mall, or even where you work. Describe it in a way where any reader can get a good idea of what this place looks like, even though (chances are) we've never been there!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Commonly Misused Words: Band and Banned

Another set of commonly misused words are "band" and "banned." They are homonyms (words that sound alike when said out loud, but with different spellings and meanings from one another). Let's examine each one a bit closer.

The word "band," when used as a noun, means a group of certain people with something in common. Examples could be a rock band or a band of hooligans. This word can also be used as a verb, meaning to come together as a group. An example would be a neighborhood that bands together to protest more taxes for their area.

The word "banned" is a verb. It means that something is not allowed. Those of us in Florida know that smoking is banned in restaurants. If a person gets kicked out of a particular place, he or she may be banned from returning there in the future.

Pick one of those words and use it in an appropriate sentence. If you really want to challenge yourself, write two sentences illustrating the correct use of both "band" and "banned."

Monday, July 21, 2008

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 8)

Are you ready to expand your vocabulary? Take a look at the next selection of words from the academic word list.

Please pick one word, post the definition, and then use that word in an original sentence. You may use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com).

institute
investment

items

journal

maintenance

normal

obtained

participation

perceived

positive

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Writing - Common Misspellings (Part 4)

Let's continue our study of some commonly misspelled words. By avoiding these mistakes, we can let our ideas shine and not become second to the misspelling. If you'd like to see the entire list, please check out this website: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0781709.html.

Look at the list below. Pick one word from it and then use it in a sentence. Remember that your goal is to write the sentence correctly and also to spell the word correctly!
  • pleasant
  • potatoes
  • privilege
  • pursuit
  • receive
  • recommend
  • religious
  • remembrance
  • restaurant
  • rhythm

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Writing - What's Your Purpose? (Part 3)

There were two blog topics in June that dealt with having a purpose for your writing (June 14th and 19th, in case you want to go back and take a look at them!). When reading something, it's important to take note of the author's purpose because the goal may be to get you to think a certain way or even to buy a certain product!

Many times, you may write (or read) a persuasive paragraph (or essay). How is it that you can convince someone that what you're communicating is what they should believe? Well, that's a hard question to answer and depends on exactly what route you're going to use! If you were trying to get people to buy a car, you might talk about how good the gas mileage is or how low the payments will be. If you were trying to get people to donate money to a charity, you may "pull on their heart-strings" with statements about how the money will help children or animals.

I'd like you to practice your persuasive abilities! Write a 3-4 sentence and tell me why people should go to the new restaurant down the street. It's called "Kim's Kitchen." Imagine that your information will go into advertising that's printed in a local magazine to promote this new restaurant. What will you tell people that will make them try Kim's Kitchen?

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Commonly Misused Words: Accept and Except

By making an effort to correctly use all words in your writing, you can see big improvements in overall quality. What you say (and write) is a representation of you. If you went to the mall, you'd probably try to not mistakenly wear your shirt backwards or inside-out. With writing, it's the same way!

Another set of common misused words are the terms "accept" and "except." These aren't truly homonyms (words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings), as they are said two different ways.

The word "accept" is used when talking about receiving something. Two examples are below.
I have accepted the new job offer.
My mailman asked if I'd accept the package on behalf of my neighbor.

The word "except" is used when excluding or leaving something out. Two examples are below.
I like many vegetables except broccoli and cauliflower.
Everyone came to the party except for my sister and her boyfriend.

Practice using those two terms. Write one sentence that shows the correct way to use each word, "accept" and "except."

Monday, July 14, 2008

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 7)

Here's the next selection of words from the academic word list. Challenge yourself!

Please pick one word, post the definition, and then use that word in an original sentence. You may use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com).

design
distinction

elements

equation

evaluation

features

final

focus

impact

injury

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Special Vocabulary

Many activities, such as sports and even cooking, have their own special vocabulary. These are terms that have a specific meaning that's much different than the "normal" meaning. Sometimes there are different spellings too. Can you think of a term that's specific to some activity that you know about? Share the term and definition. You can also give an example in case other bloggers haven't heard that term before.

Here are two that come to mind for me.

1.) birdie: a term used in golf when a player completes a hole with a 1-under-par score.
Example: Tiger Woods had a birdie on hole number 18.

2.) cream: a term used in baking when combining butter and sugar.
Example: You should cream together the 1 cup of butter and the 1/2 cup of brown sugar until it's fluffy.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Commonly Misused Words: Then and Than

It's very easy to mistakenly type one letter and change the whole meaning of a word. Take, for example, the words "then" and "than." Those have very different meanings and usages.

The word "then" is used when referring to a time or an order of events. Look at the examples below.
She opened up her purse and then took out the car keys.
First, put the bread in the toaster. Then turn it on and wait.

The word "than" is used when making a comparison between things. Look at the examples below.
I like cookies more than I like ice cream.
Henry buys broccoli less often than carrots.

Show me how you'd correctly use the words "then" and "than." Write one sentence illustrating usage of each word.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Relationship: Good Writing and Good Reading

Would you believe me if I told you that good writers are generally good readers too? So one way that you can improve your writing skills is to practice reading! Think about it this way: when you read something, no matter if it's a book, magazine article, or even a recipe, you're coming across important vocabulary words, seeing punctuation being used, and getting ideas that expand your mind!

You (or your children) may have heard the term SSR used before. SSR stands for sustained silent reading. Everyone, no matter what age they are, should do at least 20 minutes of sustained silent reading each day. This will improve your reading skills and your writing skills too! Would you believe that even comic strips or comic books (sometimes called "graphic novels") can be used for your daily SSR time!

Here are some links that you can use for your daily SSR time. These are some of the websites that I visit daily to read about different things.

People magazine (celebrity gossip)
Sun Sentinel (Broward/Dade/Palm Beach news)
CNN (National and world news)
Food Network (Recipes, show information, and more)
The Weather Channel (Forecasts and climate information)


What have you read lately? In a few sentences, tell me about the last thing you read. Maybe it was a magazine article about a celebrity or maybe it was something in your online course.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 6)

Here's another selection of words from the academic word list. It includes ten sets of words most frequently found in school text books of all types and was developed by Averil Coxhead of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

Please pick one word, post the definition, and then use that word in an original sentence. You may use an online dictionary (such as this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com).

community
complex

computer

conclusion

conduct

consequences

construction

consumer

credit

cultural


Remember that good writing contains good vocabulary! This is your chance to improve your vocabulary skills. (Be sure to check out the previous 5 "Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It" posts in the blog. Lots of other interesting and important words are there.)

Friday, July 4, 2008

Writing - Order of Emphasis

When you write, especially if you're trying to emphasize ideas and keep the order clear in the reader's mind, you want to use words such as "first," "second," "third," "then," "next," "lastly," "finally," etc. These are known as signal or transition words. If you were writing an essay with multiple paragraphs, you'd probably use one of these words near the beginning of each paragraph. If you're writing just a few sentences, it's possible that you may use one of those terms at the beginning of each sentence.

To celebrate the 4th of July, I'd like you to tell me three or four reasons why you enjoy this day or what you do to have fun! Remember to use some of those signal words in your writing!

Here's my answer!

First, I enjoy the 4th of July because it's a day off to spend with my husband. Secondly, it's a great time to have a cookout with friends. Last, but not least, the 4th of July is a time to reflect on our country and celebrate our freedom.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Usage - a lot

This blog has discussed many things about how to make your writing the best it can be, including vocabulary and usage. Today, we'll focus on a term that almost everyone uses in their writing at some point or another.

I'd bet that a lot of you use the term "a lot!" By now, you've probably noticed that a lot is written as two separate words. Believe it or not, writing it incorrectly (as one word) can cause a lot of people to focus on that error a lot more than they should.

One key to good writing is to vary your words. So the example given above with the multiple times that the phrase "a lot" was used is something you should try to stay away from doing! It's fine to use it once or twice in an essay, but ask yourself is there a different word or phrase that you can substitute in place of "a lot" and still keep the meaning the same? Let's look at an example.

"I go to Publix a lot."

Instead, I could say any of these statements.
"I go to Publix frequently."
"I go to Publix many times."
"I go to Publix all the time."

Now it's your turn to try this. I'll give you a few statements below that all use the phrase a lot. Pick one sentence and figure out how you can replace that term and use something else to get the same idea across to the reader. You could even redesign the entire sentence if needed! As you saw above, there are many ways that the same idea can be expressed.

1.) Billy eats a lot of ham sandwiches.
2.) My cat, Spanky, sleeps a lot.
3.) I enjoy watching television a lot.
4.) Mrs. Jones has a lot of students in her class.
5.) Dave spends a lot of his time on the computer.
6.) A lot of people will watch the Olympics.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Tell me a new story!

Writing shouldn't always be "work." Sometimes, it should just be fun to do! So let's have some fun!

Back in May, the topic was called "Tell me a story" and I started you off with a portion of a sentence. From there, you took it in whatever direction you wanted. The stories, although they all had the same beginning, were very different and very interesting! (If you'd like to see what was done then, check out this link to the eLearning blog post on 5/21/08: http://elearningbroward.blogspot.com/2008/05/tell-me-story.html.)

Please start with this first part and then continue the story with another 3-5 correctly written sentences.

Are you ready?

----

I walked out the front door and saw . . .

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Writing - Common Misspellings (Part 3)

Spelling errors can sometimes eclipse your writing and ideas. Don't let that happen! Like anything else, practice is the key! Here's another group from the list of frequently misspelled words (http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0781709.html). Please pick one word below, define it, and then use it in a sentence!

  • magically
  • maintenance
  • mosquito
  • neighbor
  • occasion
  • official
  • particular
  • physical
  • piece