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.