Writing - Subjects & Verbs (Part 2)

Verbs can be the hardest part of the English language. In fact, conjugating verbs (putting them in the correct forms depending upon what the subject is) can be tough! The verb "to be" can have many conjugated forms including the following: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, has, have, will, shall, etc. Part of what makes this so hard is that it's an "irregular verb" which means it doesn't follow a standard verb format like other "regular" verbs do (such as the verbs "ask," "call," or "dance").

For a list of 600 regular verbs, click here: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/regular-verbs-list.htm.

Pick 1 of those regular verbs and write 5 sentences with it where the subjects are "I," "you," "she," "they," and "we." I'll do an example.

Verb: admire
I admire my cat's ability to sleep anywhere!
You admire your sister's creativity.
She admires her father's intelligence.
They admire people who can cook.
We admire anyone who works hard.


Now you try with a different verb from the list of regular verbs (using the link above).

Back to Blogging!

Gosh, it's been a while since there was a new blog topic. (I apologize about that!) Actually, part of what kept me away was a GED conference. However, I came away with some great ideas on things that I can use as blog topics.

Did you know that one of the most missed language arts questions on the GED test deals with subject-verb agreement? Problems with subject-verb agreement can impact you negatively on both the multiple choice section and the actual essay part. Don't let something give you double deductions!

Try this short Quia game & see how you do on some questions for subject-verb agreement. Then come back here & post your results. After that, write 2 more sentences telling me if you feel comfortable with this topic. Be sure you have correct subject-verb agreement in your sentences!

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

Tell me a story - April's edition

April 15th will be "tax day" when income tax returns are due. In a strange "celebration" of this, let's have April's "tell me a story" blog topic. I'll give you a portion of a sentence to start with and then you can take that in any direction. Please finish up the sentence and add 3-6 correctly written sentences to help create your story. Have fun with it!

Maria called her tax account and was flabbergasted when he said . . .

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 25)

Here's the last installment of the Quia vocabulary list. Are you ready to learn more important words? Take a look at what's below.

inhabitant	resident
numb	unfeeling
pacify	to make peaceful or calm; soothe
ravenous	starved
refute	to prove incorrect
remorse	guilt
setback	failure
smug	conceited
synopsis	outline, brief summary
tarry	dawdle

Which 2-3 words did you already know? Post those words with their definitions.

Which 2-3 words did you not know (or not know too well)? Post those words with their definitions.

Which 1 word do you think you could use the most in your writing or speaking? Post that word, its definition, and then use it in a sentence.

Writing - Brainstorming (Part 3)

Hopefully you participated in yesterday's blog post about brainstorming. (If not, please go to that post by clicking here and then coming back to this blog topic.)

We're going to experiment with a website called Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/create). Go to that website by clicking the link. Once there, you'll see a screen like the image shown below.











Type your brainstormed words & phrases (from yesterday's blog post) into the big box and then click the button underneath it that says "Go." Give the website a minute or so to load. (It will take some time for the image to come up, but that's ok!) Once the image loads, scroll down & look below it. There will be a button near the bottom right corner that says "Save to public gallery." Click that and then give your picture a title. For the user name, type in just your first name, and then click "Ok." When your image comes up next, look up top in the address bar of your browser. That's the web address of your image!

Let's see what you come up with in Wordle! Highlight that web address, go up to the "Edit" menu of your browser, click on that, and go to "Copy." Then, come back to this blog, reply to the topic, and paste your web address in the box. (To paste it, click in the blog box like you're going to type in a reply, go up to "Edit," and then go to "Paste.")

Want to see what I did using Wordle? Click here: http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/732584/GED_Online

Writing - Brainstorming (Part 2)

Let's take a detour from the vocabulary studies & have some fun with something else. (Vocabulary is fun, right?) I'd like you to brainstorm some words or short phrases that come to mind when you think of your online class.

Make a short list below with 3-6 items. It can be anything that comes to mind when you think of your online class: subjects you study, technology you use, skills you've learned, etc.

:-)

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 24)

Our April exploration of vocabulary (at least for this word list) is quickly coming to an end. Look at this next set of words.

revocation	cancellation; withdrawal
scan	to look closely but quickly
strand	a beach; to abandon; thread
strife	fighting; struggle
topple	fall down
acute	with a sharp point; keen and alert
bluster	rant, talk in a threatening way
bungle	blunder; work clumsily
commentary	explanation
duration	the length of time that something lasts
eerie	causing fear; frightening
facet	characteristic
fidelity	loyalty
fray	a brawl, noisy quarrel, unravel
headstrong	willful; stubborn

Which 2-3 words did you already know or have you seen before in writing? Post those words and their definitions. Which 2-3 words were you least familiar with? Post those words with their definitions. Then try using each of those words in a correctly written sentence to show that you now know the word!

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 23)

More vocabulary is here! (Don't you just love it?!)

acquit	to be found innocent
deem	to think or believe
devastate	to destroy; wreck
discredit	to damage a reputation
elusive	hard to understand or catch
generate	to start; create
idolize	to worship as a god; adore
ingratitude	lack of thankfulness
keepsake	souvenir
mortal	a being that eventually will die; human
ovation	applause; cheers
petty	unimportant
plight	a sad condition
repent	to feel sorry for something you did; regret
reverie	daydream

Which 2-3 words do you think you could use the most in your writing & speaking? Post those words with their definitions. Then use 1 of them in a correctly written sentence.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 22)

Get ready for more great vocabulary terms!

gloat	look at with great satisfaction
global	worldwide
illusion	deception, false idea
infuriate	to make very angry
motivate	encourage
pacifist	peacemaker
queue	line of people
restrict	hold back
sage	wise
slake	to satisfy, quench thirst
terrain	the landscape
vocation	career
vow	word of honor
waylay	entrap, ambush
wither	shrivel, dry up

Today, identify 2-3 words from that list that you knew. Show that you know 1 of those word by correctly using it in a sentence. After that, identify 2-3 words that you didn't know (or didn't know well) before this activity. Post each word with its definition. Then write individual sentences to correctly use each of those words. You can do it!!!

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 21)

Let's continue on with our quest for good vocabulary skills! Look at this next set of words.

groundless	without any good reason or cause
hypocrite	phony person
incomprehensible	impossible to understand
manipulate	to handle or use skillfully
maximum	largest amount possible
mimic	copycat
ruffle	to wrinkle
serene	peaceful, calm
sheepish	embarrassed
stamina	endurance, staying power
barrage	bombardment
bigot	racist
designate	choose, point out
diversity	dissimilarity
enigma	riddle, mystery

Please pick out 1-2 words that you're most comfortable with and post those words with definitions. Then pick out 2-3 words that you don't know (or don't know that well) and post those words with definitions. Try correctly using at least 2 of those words in separate sentences.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 20)

Here's another set of vocabulary words that are important to know & be able to use correctly.

libel	a statement that unfairly harms the reputation
misgiving	worry, doubt
oaf	a stupid person
recede	retreat, back up
repast	a meal, food
adverse	unfavorable, negative
arid	extremely dry
assailant	attacker
billow	a large wave, to rise
confront	to meet face-to face
constrain	to force, hold back
contemporary	present-day
depict	to portray, to represent
disinterested	impartial, fair minded
encompass	surround

Which 1-2 words did you already know quite well? Post those words & definitions. Which 2-3 words did you not know too well? Post those words with the definitions & then write a sentence correctly using each one.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 19)

Look at this next set of vocabulary terms (with meanings).

A	B
apparel	clothing
beseige	blockade
compress	shrink
denounce	to condemn openly
dispatch	report, kill
douse	soak
expressly	plainly
famished	starving
forsake	to give up, to leave
gainful	profitable
immense	very large or great
inept	totally without skill
ingenious	imaginative
instantaneous	done in an instant
irk	to annoy

Which 1 or 2 words did you already know? Which 2-3 words did you not know that well (prior to this activity)? Please post those words with their meanings. Then, challenge yourself to use one of them in a correctly written sentence!

Writing - Happy April Fools' Day

Today, April 1st, is commonly known as April Fools' Day. (Writing connection: Do you see the apostrophe used with the word "Fools" in the name? That means it is a day that belongs to the fools!)

Want to know more about this day? Read the information below (from this Wikipedia page).

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, although not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. Traditionally, in some countries, the jokes only last until noon: like UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool".^[1] Elsewhere, such as in Ireland, France, and the USA, the jokes last all day. Another origin is that April 1 was counted the first day of the year in France. When King Charles IX changed that to January 1, some people stayed with April 1. Those who did were called "April Fools" and were taunted by their neighbors.

Did you participate in any pranks or jokes for today? Please correctly write 1-2 sentences telling us what you did (or didn't) do.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 18)

Check out these vocabulary words. Which one or ones do you know? Which one or ones don't you know? Please post 1-2 words (with the meanings) that you know and 1-2 words (with the meanings) that you didn't know (prior to this blog entry).

A	B
berate	"to criticize or scold harshly."
estrange	"to drive away or alienate."
euphoric	"very happy, overjoyed."
impetuous	"impulsive, done in a hurry."
infallible	"perfect,unable to make a mistake."
maudlin	"overly emotional,tearfully sentimental."
regress	"to go backward,to return to a worse condition."
relinquish	"to yield or surrender."
ubiquitous	"found or existing everywhere"
zenith	"the highest point, the peak."

(Words from http://www.quia.com/jg/527603list.html.)

Tell me a story - March's edition

Before March is over, let's have some fun with writing! The Monday (March 23rd) blog topic dealt with brainstorming some terms that you think of when you hear "spring." (To participate in that topic, click here.)

Use those brainstorming terms & develop a short (3-6 sentence) story. Please share your brainstorming terms before you write your story. (If already participated in the brainstorming, but can't recall what you used, click here.)

I'll start!

My terms were warmer weather, greener grass, rain storms, flowers.

The warmer weather had arrived to Tracy's neighborhood. There was greener grass all over and kids were outside playing every day. Only when rain storms arrived did the children go inside to play. Every yard had colorful pink, yellow, and purple flowers outside. What a beautiful site it was!

Now you go!

Vocabulary - Technology Terms (Part 3)

Here's the third and final part of vocabulary terms from http://www.tekmom.com/buzzwords/. Check out this list. Find one word that you're very familiar with and check to make sure that the meaning of the word shown on the site is the same as the meaning you think it has. Then, find the word that you're most unfamiliar with, click on it to view the meaning, and post that word with the meaning on the blog. Want an extra challenge? See if you can correctly use that word in a sentence!

monitor
network
peripheral
pixel
processor (micro-)
RAM
RAM vs. Hard Disk
record
scanner
software
spreadsheet
URL
USB
virus
World Wide Web (or Web)

Vocabulary - Technology Terms (Part 2)

Here's the next set of technology terms (from http://www.tekmom.com/buzzwords/) to review. Just like before, please look for 2 or 3 words that you aren't familiar with, click on each word, and look at the definition. Then come back & post what you learned!

download
e-mail
field
floppy disk (diskette)
gigabyte (GB)
hard disk/hard drive
hardware
HTML
icon
initialize
Internet
kilobyte (K)
megabyte (MB)
memory
modem

Vocabulary - Technology Terms (Part 1)

There's a great website that I found (http://www.tekmom.com/buzzwords/) that has important technology words that everyone should know. This blog post & the next two will focus on these words.

Take a look at the first set (shown below). Which 2 or 3 words don't you know (or don't you know that well)? Click on each of those words to see a definition. Then, come back to this blog and report the words you looked up and each one's definition.

backup
binary
bit
browser
byte
cable
CD-ROM
cell
chat
chip (integr. circuit)
computer
CPU
cursor
database
disk drive

Writing - Turning Your Brainstorming Into More!

The last blog post asked you to do some brainstorming on things that came to mind when you thought of the season of "spring." I'd like you to make sure that you participated on that topic and then, once you've done that, think about one of your brainstorming ideas. Turn that into a sentence or two where you're giving more detail about that item.

I'll start!

Brainstorming: warmer weather

Sentences: The spring brings warmer weather. Instead of having cold fronts that bring chilly air, you can count on spring having comfortable temperatures that range from 75 to 80 degrees. What a nice time of year it is to be outside!

Now you try!

Writing - Brainstorming

Any good writing has some planning, pre-writing, and/or brainstorming that happens before the actual writing starts. Did you know that this part of the writing process only needs a few minutes and can be as short as just some words & phrases?

Let's practice this now! Brainstorm some words or phrases that come to mind when you think of the season of spring. (Note: there's no right or wrong answers when doing brainstorming!)

Here are a few things that come to mind for me. Your list may be similar or different!

warmer weather
greener grass
rain storms
flowers

Now let's see your brainstorming list for some spring terms.

Writing - Proper Nouns

I'm sure you remember learning that nouns could be a person, place, or a thing. Nouns can also be singular or plural. But, in general, nouns don't get capitalized unless they are the first word of a sentence. Why do other nouns, like "Bank of America," get capitalized no matter where they are in the sentence? That's because it's a proper noun is the specific name of a person, place, or a thing. Let's look a few examples.

Noun: country
Proper noun: Canada

Noun: city
Proper noun: Hollywood

Noun: teacher
Proper noun: Mrs. Jones

Noun: police officer
Proper noun: Captain Harold Cornwall

Noun: soda
Proper noun: Pepsi

Noun: company
Proper noun: Sony

Now it's your turn. Please write two sentences. One sentence should use a regular (general) noun; the next sentence should use a proper noun representing that same thing. An example is below.

I bought the newspaper at the store. The Sun-Sentinel is my favorite publication.
(My regular noun was "newspaper" and my proper noun was "Sun-Sentinel," which is the name of a specific newspaper.)

Business Vocabulary (Part 3)

With any discussion of business, it's important to include mention of money. Our next set of business vocabulary terms will relate to money! (Who doesn't love that?!)

Visit this link (http://www.englishclub.com/business-english/vocabulary_money.htm). Find 1-2 terms that you don't know (or don't know well) and post the words with their definitions. Can you then write one sentence that incorporates both of those words used correctly? Give it a try!

Business Vocabulary (Part 2)

Next, let's explore some business vocabulary related to meetings. (At some point it seems like we're all in a meeting or hearing about a meeting that happened!)

Visit this link (http://www.englishclub.com/business-english/vocabulary_meetings.htm). Pick 2 or 3 terms that you're not familiar with and post them to this blog. Be sure to review what others have posted too!

Business Vocabulary (Part 1)

With so much emphasis today on the economy and the job market, let's spend some time looking over some important business vocabulary terms that relate to employment.

Visit this link (http://www.englishclub.com/business-english/vocabulary_employment.htm). Find 2-3 terms that you're not totally familiar with and come back to this blog so you can post the words & definitions of each. Then try to use one of those words correctly in a sentence.

Business Writing - Know Your Audience (Part 2)

Did the last blog topic get you thinking about what might need to be done differently if your audience is not a North American company or business person? Let's take a look at what protocols should be followed if you have a Chinese business audience. (Did you know that China is one of the fastest growing business markets in the world?)

This website link (for Perdue's OWL site) will focus on two areas:

• Letters and Memos
• Style considerations

Take a look at the site shown below.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/676/01/

Review the various topics covered. Then come back here & write a few sentences about what you found to be the most different from what you're used to seeing or doing with North American business writing.

Business Writing - Know Your Audience (Part 1)

The Online Writing Lab (sometimes referred to as "OWL") at Perdue University has some excellent writing resources, including the next few sites that this blog will use.

In any type of writing, it's important to know who your audience is and what they are looking for in your writing. Let's take a look at some tips when doing business writing for a North American audience. (Recall that North America comprises Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.)

The topics covered will include:

• Getting to the point
• Keeping it simple
• Using passive and active voice
• Using nondiscriminatory language
• Over-generalizing verbs

Which one, to you, is most important? Please post that topic & the tips/suggestions shared in that section. Be sure to share with us why you thought that particular part was important.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/651/01/

Writing - Business Expressions (Part 2)

The previous blog post let you check out 20 common business idioms. How about a look at another set of 20 to see which ones you know & which ones you don't know?

Check out this site: http://www.teacherjoe.us/BusinessExpressions02.html.

Please review that list, post the 2 idioms that you're least familiar with, and include the meaning of each.

Writing - Business Expressions (Part 1)

There are some common business expressions that you may hear (or read or write). Do you know what they mean? Like some other idioms that we've explored, they mean something different than if you tried to literally interpret them.

http://www.teacherjoe.us/BusinessExpressions01.html

Check out the 20 business expressions. Pick the 2 that you were least familiar with, come back here, and post the expression with its meaning.

Writing - 100 Essential Business Verbs

With yesterday's topic being business nouns, it only makes sense that today we'd focus on business verbs! Take a look at this list of 100 essential business verbs by clicking here: http://www.speakspeak.com/html/d2d_english_top_100_verbs_library.htm.

Review the list, pick out two or more verbs that you're not familiar with, and look them up using an online dictionary (such as Dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster.com). Then return to the blog and post the words with definitions. Be sure to check this topic often, as other people will be added words and we can all learn by reading what's been added!

Being familiar with common business nouns and verbs will not only help you increase your vocabulary, but will also help you understand business related discussions & writings. Aren't those good things?

Writing - 100 Essential Business Nouns

Let's continue our exploration of business writing.

Today, we'll look at 100 essential business nouns. Visit this site (http://www.speakspeak.com/html/d2e_resources_top_100_nouns_library.htm) and review the list.

Pick out the first 2 or 3 words that you're not familiar with and go look up those terms in an online dictionary, such as Dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster.com. Then, once you've gotten the definitions, please come back here, post each word & its definition.

Be sure to return to this blog topic to see what other students have added after your response. It's a quick way to learn more words and to help others learn new terms too!

Writing - Business Letters (Part 2)

Yesterday's blog topic dealt with business letters and various parts that you may see. Hopefully you reviewed those terms & definitions. (If not, visit this link to look over everything before continuing on here with today's topic.)

Test your skills of components of business letters by trying this Quia matching game. Then come back here & write a sentence or two telling us how you did!

Writing - Business Letters

When you write, you've got to know what your purpose is. If you're writing a business letter, there are some components that you're probably going to include. It's just like if you were writing an essay; there are components that must be included with that.

Let's take a look at some common elements on business letters.

A	B
Dateline	Displays the date the letter was keyed and mailed.
Inside Address	Consists of the receiver's name and title, street address or post office box number, and the city/state/zip code.
Salutation	A formal greeting consisting of the receiver's title and last name.
Body	The paragraphs of the letter.
Complimentary Closing	A formal "goodbye" after the body of the paragraph.
Author	The person who wrote the letter.
Author's title	The official title of the author.
Reference initials	The two or three-letter acronym of the name of the one who typed the letter.
Enclosure notation	A note specifying that additional items have been included with the mailing of the letter.
Copy notation	A note signifying that another person will receive a copy of the letter.
Block style	All items of the business letter begin at the left margin.
Modified block style	All items of the business letter begin at the left margin except the date, complimentary closing, and author's name and title, which are keyed begnning at the center point.
Open punctuation	Omit the punctuation following the salutation and complimentary closing.
Mixed punctuation	Use punctuation after the salutation and complimentary closing.

(Chart found by clicking here.)

Which item were you most familiar with? Which item, if any, was new to you? Please share those items with us and be sure to include the definition of each one!

Writing - Antonyms (Part 2)

An antonym is the opposite of a word. If I asked you what the antonym was for "cat," I bet you'd say "dog." What's the antonym of "dry?" Most people would say "wet," but of course other words could be acceptable too (such as "moist," and "saturated").

Try this short Quia antonym activity & see how you do.

http://www.quia.com/cm/233263.html

Once you're done, come back here & post your favorite word & antonym set from the activity.

Writing - Commonly Confused Words

Past blog topics have focused on some commonly confused words, in particular, homonyms. Here's a great site that gives a list of these words.

http://www2.actden.com/writ_Den/tips/sentence/confused.htm

Visit that site and look through the list. Then pick the set (or two) that you tend to get most confused. Come back to this blog and tell us those words, as well as the meanings for each. Challenge yourself to correctly use each of those words in a sentence!

Time Management Part II

Earlier this month (February 4) time management was a blog topic. Many of you shared what worked for you in managing time with your family, work and school life. We had some great suggestions! Thank you all for sharing.

Time Management is the ability to reclaim the minutes (or 84,600 seconds) in your day and to make those minutes more productive and not time wasters. Some of the most important steps in managing your time is to set a goal, keep track of wasted time, and avoid interruptions.

Can you share with us one of your current goals (in regards to your school work), something that you consider a time waster (there is no wrong or right answer-just your opinion), and what you do to avoid interruptions when you are working, completing your homework or studying?

Also, if you have some TIME consider viewing a presentation we conducted in July 2008 on time management. Visit our Elluminate workshop review area link below and click on 2008-July.

http://www.elearningbroward.com/html/workshop_review.html

Writing - Complete Sentences

One of the most important parts of good writing is to make sure that you are not writing sentence fragments. Remember that a fragment is sentence that's missing either its subject, its verb, or both. Let's look at three examples of fragments.

Example 1: "Went running for miles."
(In this case, the subject is missing. Who went running for miles?)

Example 2: "My cousin Henry."
(In this case, the verb is missing. What is it about your cousin Henry?)

Example 3: "At the mall."
(In this case, both the subject and the verb are missing. Who was at the mall and what was done there?)

You may hear the word referred to as a "predicate." A complete sentence must have a subject and a predicate (or verb). The subject is who or what the sentence is about. The predicate (or verb) is the action that's happening. Sometimes the verb will seem to not show an action, as is the case if you use the verbs "am," "is," "are," "were," "be," "been," etc.

Look at the predicates (verbs) that are underlined in the sentences below.

Kristen was at the mall today. The stores were all open for customers. She shopped all day.

Now that you've had a chance to review subject & predicates, try your skills at identifying them in this Quia activity. Click this link to play the game. Once you're done, come back to the blog and type 2 complete sentences to tell us if you enjoyed the game and how you did!

Have fun!

Vocabulary - Computer Terms

The eLearning blog has focused a number of posts on vocabulary. Good writers & speakers have a broad, varied knowledge of different words. Today, let's focus on some basic computer terms, as all online students should understand these words.

Take a look at the list below. Read through the terms. Pick 1 or 2 terms that either don't know or don't know well. Post the term and the definition. Then try to use the term in a sentence.

A	B
Hardware	The physical components of the computer system.
Software	The programs or instructions that tell the computer what to do.
CPU	The brain of the computer or central processing unit.
ROM	The permanent memory that is built in your computer. This is read only.
RAM	The computer's working memory, sometimes called random-accessed memory.
Megabyte	Approximately a million bytes.
Gigabyte	Approximately a billion bytes (or 1,000 megabytes).
Input Device	The hardware that is used to pass information into the computer.
Output Device	The hardware that receives and dislplays information coming from the computer.
Modem	The device that allows your computer to talk to other computers over a telephone line.
Monitor	A video or computer display device.
Laser Printer	A printer that uses both laser and photographic technology to produce high quality output.
Printer	The hardware that provides printed output from the computer.
Hard Copy	A printed copy of computer output.
Compact Disc	A disc on which a laser has digitally recorded information such as audio, video, or computer data.
Hard Disk	A fixed, large-capacity magnetic storage medium for computer data.
Floppy Disk	A portable magnetic storage medium for computer data that allows users to randomly access information.
Graphical User Interface	The use of graphical symbols instead of text commands to control common computer functions such as copying programs and disks.
Icon	A small picture or symbol respresenting a computer hardware function or component.
Ink-jet Printer	A type of printer that forms letters on the page by shooting tiny electrically charged droplets of ink.

(Chart found at http://www.quia.com/jg/65620list.html)

Tell me a story - February's edition

It's time to have some fun with our writing! Let's put on those creative thinking caps and get ready to spin some tales of happiness, humor, romance, mystery, or misery. We're going to have the February edition of "tell me a story." (To see some past "tell me a story" topics, visit these links: December 1st, November 4th, October 4th, September 27th, August 7th, July 2nd, June 3rd, and May 21st. Feel free to participate in them too!)

For this particular one, let's use Valentine's Day as the theme. In 4-6 sentences, tell me a story that involves the following items: candles, chocolate, a single red rose, and a phone call from Mrs. Hernandez. Remember that your story can go in any direction. It doesn't have to have a traditional romantic Valentine's Day theme. Perhaps you're going to create a short mystery or a humorous tale. It's up to you! No matter what you choose, though, have fun with it, and write those sentences correctly!!!

Writing - Common Homonyms

The eLearning writing blog has had many topics that focused on homonyms. Recall that a homonym is a word that has the same pronunciation as another word, but is spelled differently and has a different meaning. The words "sent," "scent," and "cent" are examples of homonyms.

How well do you know some common homonyms? Are you ready to challenge yourself with a Quia activity? Test your skills with the words "to," "too," "two," "who's," "whose," "your," and "you're" (among others). Find someone who you can play this game with, as it's more fun to have a partner for the challenge board game.

Play this Quia game, come back here, tell us who you shared the activity with, how you did, and if you learned anything new!

Writing - Using Contractions (Part 2)

Back in November, there was a blog post that dealt with using some common contractions. Please review that post by clicking here. Recall that contractions are used to write two words as one word and they will always involve an apostrophe.

After you've reviewed the November post, please try this Quia challenge board activity. Find someone else who can play with you. (Ask a relative, friend, or neighbor to play. They'll have fun too!) The challenge board activities are similar to "Jeopardy" and can be played by 1 person or 2 people. Enter the names of the players and click the "Begin 2-player game" button.

Once you've completed that Quia activity, come back to the blog and write a few sentences to state who played the activity with you, who won, and which contractions (if any) you were not familiar with. Try writing your sentences and including 1 or 2 appropriately placed, correctly used contractions!

I'm sure you'll enjoy this!
:-)

Time Management

Imagine that you had a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400, and carries over no balance from day to day. Every night it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during that day. What would you do with such an account? Most likely you would make certain that you spent every cent every day.

Are you surprised that you had such a bank?

It is the time bank!

Every morning, the bank credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever you have failed to spend or invest wisely. It will not carry over a balance. It does not allow for an overdraft. Each day, it opens a new account in your name: each night it erases your balance. If you fail to use the day's deposits wisely, the loss is profound. If you can invest about 10 percent of this resource each day, for your online course you will receive major dividends in your teaching and learning stock.

There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". No matter how wonderful your time management skills are, you cannot get more than 86,400 seconds in a day. You must live each day on your daily deposit, and invest it wisely to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success from your personal and professional life! The clock is ticking. Make the most of each online day as well!

How do you make the most of each online day? Share some of the techniques you use to keep you focused and organized in your class.

Writing - Prefix Challenge Board

Back in December, there was a series of blog posts about common prefixes and their meanings. (To review those topics, click here.)

Let's bring back our prefix studies with this Quia "challenge board" activity. This is a fun way to test your prefix skills and to learn a few new things. The challenge board is similar to Jeopardy where you can select a category and a point value. It can be played with 1 or 2 players. Fill in your names and then click the appropriate start button (either "Begin 1-player game" or "Begin 2-player game").

After you play the prefix challenge board game, come back here & post how you did. If you learned a new prefix, post that too!

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

Have fun!!!

Writing - Varied Word Choice

Could you imagine how boring a piece of writing would be if you used the same term or same phrase over and over? Let's take a look at an example of this so you can see just how bad repetition can be when it comes to your sentences.

My sister's name is Kris. Kris lives in New Jersey. Fort Monmouth is where Kris works. Kris drives a white car. Kris loves to go shopping. I talk to Kris at least three times each week. Either Kris calls me or I call her. Kris is getting married in May.

What word or phrase jumps out at you when you read that paragraph? Well, it isn't too hard to see that the name "Kris" is repeated over & over. (In fact, if this paragraph was read out loud to you, you'd certainly be sick of hearing the name "Kris.")

Grammatically, there's nothing wrong with those sentences. However, it's not too pleasant to read. How could I fix that paragraph so that the name "Kris" isn't used so much? Let's keep the first sentence the same, as it's important to know my sister's name. After that, however, we need to vary it for the reader. Pick a sentence and write it another way so I'm not using the name "Kris." (It wouldn't be bad to leave that name in the paragraph another time or two, but having that name repeated eight times is really too much!!!)

Don't worry about rewriting the whole paragraph. Instead, focus on just one sentence that you could modify.

Writing - Idioms (Part 7)

With today being "Superbowl Sunday," it's only fitting that we now focus on sports idioms. Check out this list of sports-related idioms (http://www.idiomconnection.com/sports.html#A) and find one that you've never heard before. Come back to the blog and post that idiom, as well as its meaning.

Can you use that idiom in a sentence? Give it a shot!

If you want to try something else, give the quiz a whirl! Let us know how you did!

Writing - Idioms (Part 6)

Our next stop on the "idiom tour" is going to be food idioms. Take a look at this list (http://www.idiomconnection.com/food.html#A) and find an idiom (or two) that you either don't know or don't know too well. Then, come back on here, post the idiom and its meaning. If you want to challenge yourself a bit more, see if you can correctly use that idiom in a sentence.

Writing - Idioms (Part 5)

Our next goal is to explore idioms that relate to money. This should be a fun one!

Money idioms: http://www.idiomconnection.com/money.html#B

There are a lot of them there, but it's well worth the time to review each one! Once you do that, try the money idiom quiz (found here: http://www.idiomconnection.com/money.html#BQ).

Come back to the blog, share your favorite money idiom, the meaning of it, and the results of your quiz!

:)

Writing - Idioms (Part 4)

Let's continue our exploration of idioms. The last blog post focused on some medical idioms. This time, we'll focus on idioms dealing with color.

Did you ever hear (or read) that a person's face was "as red as a cherry" after a certain event? That saying implies that a person's face was red, possibly from embarrassment or maybe a severe sunburn. That idiom helps you imagine just how red the person's face it. It may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly helps to convey the point!

Take a look at this list of idioms dealing with color.
http://www.idiomconnection.com/color.html#B

Then, once you've reviewed them, try the quiz to see how well you know them!
http://www.idiomconnection.com/color.html#BQ

Lastly, come back to the blog, write your favorite color idiom, the meaning of it, and tell us how you did on the quiz!!!

Writing - Idioms (Part 3)

Let's continue our exploration on idioms. Use the link below to access a website that talks about some medical idioms. Remember that an idiom is a phrase or saying that is not meant to be interpreted literally.

Have you ever heard the phrase "under the weather" stated by someone? Since that's a pretty common saying, I bet you already know that it means "not feeling well."

After you review the medical idioms on that page, try the short 10-question quiz that follows and check your answers! Then, return to the blog to tell us your favorite medical idiom, what it means, and how you did on the quiz.

Medical idioms: http://www.idiomconnection.com/medical.html#B

Writing - Idioms (Part 2)

Idioms are one of the hardest parts of the English language. 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. (Additional information can be found on the July 29th blog post. Click that link to visit the previous idiom post.)

The phrase "keep your eyes peeled" is an idiom. You couldn't interpret that literally, as your eyes can be "peeled" the way a banana can be. But, figuratively, that means to keep your eyes opened and be on the lookout!

Test your knowledge of some common idioms that you may come across in writing & speaking. Try this Quia activity and then come back here to report which idioms (if any) were new to you and which one you were most familiar with already.

Quia activity: http://www.quia.com/mc/66234.html

Writing - Nouns

Any complete sentence will always have two parts to it: a subject and a predicate (or verb). Sentence subjects can use singular or plural nouns. (Recall that a noun is a person, place, or thing.)

Singular subjects talk about one noun. Let's look at an example.
The phone is in the office.
In this case, the singular subject is "phone," as only one phone is being discussed.

Plural subjects talk about two or nouns. Below is an example.
Three phones are in my house.
In this case, the plural subject is "phones." There are multiple phones being referenced in that sentence.

Test your knowledge of the singular and plural forms of some nouns by playing this Quia matching activity. Then come back here & report how you did! Did you learn anything new?

Quia link: http://www.quia.com/mc/67715.html

Have fun!

eLearning Blog - Happy New Year!

Happy new year & welcome back to the eLearning writing blog! January is a great time to think about what you'd like to accomplish in the upcoming year.

What writing goals do you have? Would you like to be a better speller? Do you want to increase your vocabulary? Is your goal to write more often? Do you hope to use punctuation more correctly? These are just some ideas, but you might have others!

Please write 1 or 2 sentences describing your writing goals for 2009!

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!