January LEVEL 1-WRITING

LESSON 1

GOAL: To learn how to write a correct simple sentence.

*Grammar and Sentence Structure: Subjects, verbs and objects; the verb be

*Sentence development: Simple Sentence

What is a Sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. The

words in a sentence are in a special order.

Examples: Joe likes basketball.

The weather is cold today.

Words, sentences, paragraphs, and essays are all related. Words can go
together to make sentences. Sentences can go together to make a paragraph.
Finally, paragraphs can be combined into an essay.

In this book, you will study sentences. Then you will study sentences in
paragraphs.

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LETTER

WORD

SENTENCE The first focus of this book

PARAGRAPH The second focus of this

book

ESSAY

ACTIVITY 1. WORDS INTO SENTENCES

Unscramble the words below to make correct English sentences. The first one
has been done for you.

Topic: My Family

1. is not/ very big/ My family/. My family is not very big.

2. only four/ people/ There are/. __________________________________________

3. I/ one/ younger sister/ have/. __________________________________________

4. Henry/ My father's/is/ name/. __________________________________________

5. is/ Katherine/name/ My mother's/. __________________________________________

6. have/ I/ older brother/one/. __________________________________________

7. Andy/ His name/ is/. __________________________________________

8. very much/ I/my family/love/. __________________________________________

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ACTIVITY 2. Writing Simple Sentences: A Diagnostic.

Write eight sentences about your family. Follow the example in Activity 1.

Topic: My family

1. ________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________________________

6. ________________________________________________________________________

7. ________________________________________________________________________

8. ________________________________________________________________________

WORKING WITH SENTENCES

In this section, you will learn the basics of how to write simple sentences,
including capitalization and some punctuation rules.

NOTE: BEGINNING A SENTENCE WITH A CAPITAL LETTER

In English, there are two kinds of letter: capital letters (H,R) and
lowercase letter (h,r). Most of the time we use lowercase letter. However, we
always begin a sentence with a capital letter.

Incorrect: the boxes on the table are heavy.

Correct: The boxes on the table are heavy.
Incorrect: where do you live?
Correct: Where do you live?

 In English, there are three ways to end a sentence:

 with a period (.)
 with a question mark (?)
 with an exclamation point (!)

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ENDING A SENTENCE WITH A PERIOD

The most common or usual way to end a sentence is with a period. A

sentence that tells us information is called a statement. We usually put a
period at the end of a sentence that is a statement.

Incorrect: Brazil is a large country

Correct: Brazil is a large country.
Incorrect: I do not like coffee with sugar
Correct: I do not like coffee with sugar.

ACTIVITY 3. UNSCRAMBLING AND WRITING SENTENCES

Unscramble the groups of words on the next page to write simple sentences. Be
sure to begin each sentence with a capital letter. In addition, be sure to put
period at the end of each sentence.

Topic: Something good to eat

1. spaghetti / most kids / like

_____________________________________________________________________________
2. enjoy/ they / the taste of spaghetti
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. the smell /of spaghetti / they / love
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. tomato sauce / on their spaghetti / some kids / put
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. like / on their spaghetti / cheese / other kids
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. is very / most kids / popular with / spaghetti
_____________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 4. WRITING SIMPLE SENTENCES

Copy the sentences you unscrambled in Activity 3. In each sentence, change
the word spaghetti to ice cream. Make other appropriate changes as
necessary.

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1. ___________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 5. EDITING SIMPLE SENTENCES

Read the eight sentences below about a taxi driver. In

each sentence, correct the capitalization mistake and
add a period at the end. Then write the sentences on
another piece of paper. The first one has been done for
you.

TOPIC: A person and his or her job

1. my cousin Albert has an interesting job.

M
2. albert is a taxi driver

3. he is a good taxi driver

4. albert works for a large taxi company

5. the name of the taxi company is Lighting Taxi Service

6. albert drives a taxi six days a week

7. he meets fascinating people from many different places

8. albert really loves his work

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USING CAPITAL LETTERS

PROPER NOUNS

In English, the name of a specific person, place, or thing always begins with a
capital letter. These types of words are called proper nouns. Nelson Mandela
is the name of a specific person. San Francisco is the name of a specific
place. Mona Lisa is the name of a specific thing. Can you think of more
examples?

Incorrect: My friend john works in chicago.

Correct: My friend John works in Chicago. (a specific person, a specific place)
Incorrect: lucille and robby learned about world war I.
Correct: Lucille and Robby learned about World War I. (specific people, a
specific thing)

COMMON NOUNS
Common nouns do not begin with a capital letter. They begin with a
lowercase letter.
Some examples of common nouns are car, computer, garage, snow, and
television.
More Capital Letters
In English, many other kinds of words begin with capital letters. Here are some
examples.
Days of the week
Incorrect: My birthday is on monday.
Correct: My birthday is on Monday.
Months
Incorrect: The shortest month of the year is february.
Correct: The shortest month of the year is February.
Languages
Incorrect: Sireesha speaks hindi.
Correct: Sireesha speaks Hindi.
Countries
Incorrect: My father is from thailand.
Correct: My father is from Thailand.

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In English, some sentences end with a

question mark (?).

Do you understand this? Do you have

any questions? These are examples of
questions. They have a question mark at
the end.

Incorrect: Is Brazil a large country.

Correct: ls Brazil a large country?

Incorrect: Where do you live.

Correct: Where do you live?

ACTIVITY 6. GEOGRAPHY QUIZ

How well do you know geography? Unscramble the words below to write
questions about geography. Then write the answers in complete sentences.
Make sure the words are in the correct order. Be careful to use capital letters
and end punctuation. The first one has been done for you.

1. what/ the capital/ of brazil/ is

Question: What is the capital of Brazil?
Answer: The capital of Brazil is Brasilia.

2. is/what city/ the white house in

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

3. what country/ the nile river in/is

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

4. what city/is/ the eiffel tower in

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

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5. what/ the biggest city/ in mexico/is

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

6. where/are/the andes mountains

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

7. is/what/ the capital of saudi arabia

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

8. what/the biggest province/is/in Canada

Question: __________________________________________________________________
Answer: __________________________________________________________________

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE- At, on, and in

Three important prepositions are at, on, and in. These prepositions have many
meanings, but one important function is to indicate location.

At is used with specific locations such as

 business names I work at First Union Bank.

 street names with a house I live at 915 W. Norcross Street.
or business number

On is used with
 street names (without the house I live on W. Norcross Street.
or business number)

In is used with
 town or city names I live in Houston.
 state names I live in Texas.
 larger region names I live in the Middle East. I live in the South.
 country names live in Korea. I live in the U.S.

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Why do we use the pyramid to explain the uses of at, in, and on? The pyramid
design is especially good to show the difference in meaning for at, on, and in for
place. The top of the pyramid is a point. It is a very small, specific place.

We use at for a specific place.

We use on for the next largest place.
Finally, we use in for the largest places.

Look at the examples to the right of the pyramid. We use at for the bank, which
is a specific place. We use on for the street, which is a larger place. We use in for
the city, which is an even larger place.

ACTIVITY 7. CHOOSING THE CORRECT PREPOSITION

Read the paragraph about banks in a small town. Underline the correct
prepositions.

Banks in a Small Town

It is surprising that Nelson has seven banks. Nelson is a small town (at, in, on)
California. There are only about 36,000 people (at, in, on) this town. However,
there are three banks, and each bank has at least two branches. The banks are
National, First California, and Trust. National Bank has branches (at, in, on) 60
Green Street and (at, in, on) Hanks Avenue. First California Bank has branches
(at, in, on) Princeton Street and (at, in, on) Lee Road. Trust Bank has branches
(at, in, on) 27 Temple Street, (at, in, on) Whispering Street, and (at, in, on) 445
Orange Avenue. No one understands why there are seven banks (at, in, on) a
small town like Nelson, California.

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NOTE

EXCLAMATION POINTS

You use an exclamation point (!) to show emphasis or emotion about

something. Exclamation points are not used often, but when a sentence
expresses surprise or strong emotion, it is appropriate to use an exclamation
point.

Simple Fact: It is snowing.

With Surprise: It is snowing!
Simple Fact: I won the lottery last night. With Surprise: I won the lottery
last night!

ACTIVITY 8. STATEMENT, QUESTIONS, OR EXCLAMATION?

Read each sentence. If it is a statement, write S on the line and put a period (.)
at the end of the sentence. If it is a question, write Q on the line and put a
question mark (?) at the end of the sentence. If it is an exclamation, write E on
the line and put an exclamation point (!) at the end of the sentence. The first
two have been done for you.

1. Q How many days are there in a month?

2. S The answer depends on the month.
3. ______ Only four months have thirty days
4. ______ An example of a month with only thirty days is
September
5. ______ Other months have thirty-one days
6. ______ Examples of months with thirty-one days are July
and December
7. ______ Which month never has thirty days
8. ______ The answer is February
9. ______ February usually has only twenty-eight days
10. ______ Everyone in my family was born in February
11. ______ I just won the lottery

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EDITING SCRAMBLED SENTENCES

ACTIVITY 9. Here are some sentences and questions about Costa Rica. The
words and phrases in each sentence are scrambled. First, put the sentence or
question parts in the correct order. Then add capital letters. Finally, add a period,
a question mark, or an exclamation point at the end of each sentence.

Topic: A Country

1. costa rica / where / is

______________________________________________________________________________
2. in central america / a small country / costa rica / is
______________________________________________________________________________
3. between panama / and nicaragua / it / is
______________________________________________________________________________
4. this country / is / between the paciflc ocean / and the caribbean sea
______________________________________________________________________________
5. approximately four million / is / the population / of costa rica
______________________________________________________________________________
6. many tourists I there I go
______________________________________________________________________________
7. wild animals I they I see / in the jungle
______________________________________________________________________________
8. in the world / the most beautiful country / it is
______________________________________________________________________________
9. want to visit / I / this beautiful country
______________________________________________________________________________
10. costa rica I do you want / to visit
______________________________________________________________________________

THE PARTS OF A SENTENCE

Every English sentence must have a subject and a verb.

SENTENCE DEVELOPMENT

The Simple Sentence

The basic sentence pattern that you are studying in this unit is called a simple
sentence.

A simple sentence has one subject-verb combination. Sometimes there is a

noun or pronoun object and/or other information after the verb.

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SIMPLE SENTENCE: S+V+O

SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + OTHER INFORMATION
a. Maria Simms plays the piano well.
b. She practices the piano every day.
c. Maria likes classical piano music a lot.
d. She enjoys listening to German music

SIMPLE SENTENCE: S+V

SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + OTHER INFORMATION
a. Maria Simms plays extremely well.
b. She practices for three hours.
c. Maria goes to piano class every day

 Some verbs, such as /ike and enjoy, must have an object after them.
(These are called transitive verbs. ln a dictionary, these verbs are marked
with the letters v.t)
Incorrect: Maria likes a lot.
Correct: Maria likes classical piano music a lot

 Some verbs, such as go and arrive, can never have an object after them.
(These verbs are called intransitive verbs. ln a dictionary, these are marked
with the letters v.i.)

Incorrect: Maria goes piano class.

Correct: Maria enjoys piano class.
Correct: Maria goes to piano class.

 Some verbs, such as play and practice, can have an object or not have
an object. (ln a dictionary, these verbs are marked with only the letter v.)

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GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE

SUBJECTS, VERBS, and OBJECTS

ln English, every sentence has two main parts: the subject and the verb. As
you study the following simple sentences, look for this pattern.

SUBJECT

The subject is the person or thing that does the action. The subject comes
before the verb. Look at these simple sentences. The subjects are
underlined.

Maria Simms plays the piano.

She practices the piano every day.
Maria likes classical piano music a lot.
Maria goes to piano class every week. (no object)

VERB

The verb is usually the action word in the sentence. The verb comes after the
subject. Examples of verbs are go, speak, write, swim, and watch. Some
verbs do not have much action, Examples are be (am, is, are, was, were),
like, want, and need. Look at these simple sentences. The verbs are circled.

Maria Simms plays the piano.

She practices the piano every day.
Maria likes classical piano music a lot.
Maria goes to piano class every week. (no object)
OBJECT

The object is the thing or person after the verb. The object answers
the questions Who or What ? The object is the thing or person that receives
the action of the verb. Look at these simple sentences. The objects are in
the boxes. (These objects are also called direct objects.)

Maria Simms plays the piano.

She practices the piano every day.
Maria likes classical piano music a lot.
Maria goes to piano class every week. (no object)

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FRAGMENTS: Checking for the subject and the verb

Every sentence should have a subject and a verb. A sentence without a

subject or without a verb is called a fragment. A fragment is a piece of a
sentence.

Incorrect: John is my brother. Works at Ames Bank in Miami. (No subject)

Correct: John is my brother. He works at Ames Bank in Miami.

Incorrect: Many Japanese people a white car. (no verb)

Correct: Many Japanese people have a white car.

Correct: Many Japanese people drive a white car.

ln writing, a fragment is a serious mistake' A fragment shows the reader that

the writer did not check his or her work carefully. When you write your
sentences, check each of them to make sure that there is a subject AND a
verb.

COMMANDS

In command (imperative) sentences, the subject is you. However, the word

you is not usually stated.

Examples: Open the door now! (NOT: You open the door now!)
Do not say that word! (NOT: You do not say that word!)

ACTIVITY 10. SUBJECTS AND VERBS

Read these sentences about making tuna salad. Underline each subject and
circle each verb. The first one has been done for you.

l. Tuna salad is easy to make.

2. The ingredients are simple and cheap.

3. Two ingredients are tuna fish and mayonnaise.

4. I also use onions, salt, and pepper.

5. First, I cut up the onion.

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6. Then I add the tuna fish and the mayonnaise.

7. Finally, I add some salt and a lot of pepper.

8. Without a doubt, tuna salad is my favorite food!

ACTIVITY 11. SENTENCE OR FRAGMENT

Read each group of words. If it is a fragment, write F on the line. If it is a

complete sentence, write S on the line. If it is a question, write Q. The first two
have been done for you.

1. S Billy Mitchell lives in a big apartment.

2. F My mother breakfast every morning.

3. _____ Is incredibly delicious.

4. _____Does Carol have a car?

5. _____ They my cousins from Miami.

6. _____ You a student.

7. _____ Michael likes classical music.

8. _____ Nancy and Jeanine very best friends.

9. _____ The girls play soccer after school.

10. _____ I am from Colombia.

GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE

The Verb Be

The most frequently uses verb in the English language is the verb be. Be has five
main forms: am, is, are, was and were.

I am a student.

My writing is good

My friends are here.

I was a good student in kindergarten.

The questions on the quiz were difficult.

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There are four commonly used sentence patterns for the verb be. The
information that follows the verb be usually an adjective (a word that describes
a noun), a noun, or a place phrase.

1 SUBJECT + BE + ADJECTIVE
The tuna salad is delicious
2 SUBJECT + BE + NOUN
The tuna salad is delicious dish
3 SUBJECT + BE + PLACE PHRASE
The tuna salad is on the table

When you begin a sentence with there, the subject follows the verb be.

Extra Information
4 THERE + BE + SUBJECT usually place or time
There is + a tuna salad sandwich on the table
There + were + two empty plates on the table this morning
There was + a big sale on canned tuna last week

ACTIVITY 12. SUBJECTS AND VERBS

Read these eight sentences. Underline the subjects and circle the verbs. The
first one has been done for you.

(1) There are four books on the desk. (2) The two large books are textbooks. (3)

The grammar book is green. (4) The composition book is next to the grammar

book. (5) It is blue. (6) The other two books are smaller. (7) They are workbooks.

(8) The textbooks are easy , but the workbooks are difficult.

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ACTIVITY 13. IDENTIFYING WORDS AND PHRASES

Look at the sentences in activity 12. Identify the words or phrases in the boxes as
an adjective, a noun, or a phrase. The first one has been done for you.

1. on the desk= a place phrase

2. textbooks = _______________________
3. green= _______________________
4. next to the grammar book= _______________________
5. blue= _______________________
6. smaller= _______________________
7. workbooks= _______________________
8. easy= _______________________
9. difficult= _______________________

ACTIVITY 14. SENTENCE COMPLETION

Read these sets of three sentences. Complete the sentences with the correct
form of be.

1. There ___________ seven colors in a rainbow. The colors ___________ red,

orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. My favorite rainbow color
___________green.

2. There ___________ twenty-six letters in the English alphabet. Twenty-one of

these letters ___________consonants. the other five letters ___________ vowels.

3. There ___________ an insect on the window. It ___________ a caterpillar. It

___________ light yellow, and it has spots on it.

4. There ___________ different students in my class. Five students ___________

from Venezuela. Only one student ___________ from China.

5. There ___________ a huge map of the world on the wall in our classroom. The
water areas ___________light blue. The land areas ___________ various colors.

Using Supporting ideas with there is/there are Sentences

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Sometimes a simple paragraph begins with a There is/There are sentence. This
sentence tells the reader that something exists. A good paragraph also contains
sentences that are related to the topic or idea in the first sentence.

There is a huge map of the world on the wall in our classroom. The water areas
are light blue. All of the oceans, seas, and lakes are light blue. The land areas
are various colors. The countries are red, yellow green, blue, and tan. Heavy
black dots are the capital cities. This map is so big that students in the back of
the room can see all of the country names.

1. The first sentence begins with There is. It tells the reader about a map.
2. The second sentence describes a part of the map. (water areas)
3. The third sentence describes a part of the map. (examples of water areas)
4. The fourth sentence describes a part of the map. (land areas)
5. The fifth sentence describes a part of the map. (examples of land areas)
6. The sixth sentence describes a part of the map. (capital cities)
7. The last sentence talks about how big the map is and how all the students
can see it.

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CONNECTING SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS

GOAL: To learn about paragraph structures.

*Grammar and Sentence Structure: adjectives, subject pronouns, possessive

adjectives

SENTENCES: USING ADJECTIVES

You already know that a sentence must have a subject and a verb. (Remember
from Unit I that a sentence without a subject or without a verb is called a
fragment and is a serious mistake in English writing.) However, you can make a
sentence much more interesting if you add descriptive words. These descriptive
words are called adjectives. They describe nouns.

GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Word Order: Adjectives before Nouns

Nouns are the names of people, places, things, or ideas. Examples are
teacher, doctor; student, city, park, book, and pencil.

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Examples are good teacher,
busy doctor; new student, crowded city, green park, heavy book, and
yellow pencil.

A simple way to combine two short sentences when there is an adjective

is to put the adjective before the noun. Look at the following examples.

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ACTIVITY 1

EDITING: NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES

Combine the following sentences. You will have to eliminate a few words.
Remember to use capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end of
each new sentence. The first one has been done for you.

1. Robert owns a car. The car is red.

Robert owns a red car.

2. I do not like this weather. The weather is humid.

_____________________________________________________________________
3. Paris is a city in France. This city is beautiful.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Ali has a job. The job is part-time.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. They like to drink cola. The cola is diet.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Kent reads folk tales. They are international.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. My mother grows roses. The roses are big. The roses are beautiful.
_____________________________________________________________________

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8. Alex works for a company. The company is small. The company is

independent.
_____________________________________________________________________
9. My grandparents live in a town. It is a farming town. The town is small.
_____________________________________________________________________
10. Sharon rents a house on Smith Street. The house is tiny. The house is white.
_____________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITY 2. PRACTICE WITH ADJECTIVES

Read the following paragraph. There are 10 adjectives in the paragraph.
Underline them. The first one has been done for you.

MY IDEAL VACATION

I have a dream to visit Alaska. The

weather is beautiful there. I love cold
weather. When the temperature is low, I
have energy! I also want to visit Alaska
because I love nature. Alaska is pure
and natural. I dream about its scenic
landscape. In addition, there are wild animals. Finally, I want to learn important
information about the native people of Alaska. I have hope to visit this
wonderful state soon.

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WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that fleshes out a single idea. In order for a
paragraph to be effective, it must begin with a topic sentence, have sentences
that support the main idea of that paragraph, and maintain a consistent flow.

A paragraph has three main parts: the topic sentence, the body, and the
concluding sentence.

The topic sentence is one sentence that tells the main idea of the whole
paragraph. This sentence is usually the first sentence of the paragraph.

The body of a paragraph has sentences with information that supports the topic
sentence. It is important to remember that every sentence in the body must be
connected in some way to the topic sentence.

In addition to the topic sentence and the body, paragraphs generally have a
third part: a concluding sentence. The concluding sentence is at the end of the
paragraph. It is a brief summary of the information in the paragraph. Some
paragraphs, especially short paragraphs, do not have a concluding sentence.

Note: TOPIC SENTENCES

Every good paragraph has a topic sentence. If there is no topic sentence,

the reader maybe confused because the ideas will not be organized
clearly. When you write a paragraph, remember to use a topic sentence. It
gives the general topic of the whole paragraph.

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ACTIVITY 3. PARAGRAPH STUDY

Read the following paragraphs. Answer the questions that follow.

MY FAVORITE COLOR

It is obvious that my favorite color is blue. I have six blue shirts. I wear blue
jeans almost every day. I have three pairs of light blue tennis shoes. I own a blue
car, and my computer is blue. Other colors are nice, but I like blue the best.

1. How many sentences are in this paragraph?

2. What is the main topic of this paragraph?
a. The writer likes blue computers.
b. The writer likes blue
c. The writer likes light blue clothes

3. What is the topic sentence? Remember that the topic sentence tells the
main idea of the whole paragraph. Write it here.

______________________________________________________________________________

4. The writer gives five examples of blue things. What five blue things does the
writer have? Write five sentences about these blue things. The first one has
been done for you.
a. The writer has six blue shirts.
b._________________________________________________________
c._________________________________________________________
d._________________________________________________________
e._________________________________________________________

5. Sometimes paragraphs have a concluding sentence. A concluding

sentence is a summary of the ideas in the paragraph. If there is a concluding
sentence, write it here.

______________________________________________________________________________

6. Read the paragraph again. Can you find at least two descriptive adjectives?
Write them below.

______________________________________________________________________________

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TAIPEI 101

I work in one of the world's tallest

buildings- Taipei 101. This building is in
Taipei's business district. Taipei 101 opened
to the public in 2004. It is made of steel and
glass panels, so it has a beautiful silver color.
It has one hundred and one floors. There are
even five more levels below the building.
Many international businesses have offices
in Taipei 101. There are great places to shop
in the building, too. I am proud to work in
such an important place.

1. How many sentences are in this paragraph? ____________________

2. What is the main topic of this paragraph? (circle the letter of the answer.)
a. information about a city
b. information about a person
c. information about a building

3.What is the topic sentence? Write it here.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Answer these questions in complete sentences.
a. Where is the building? ______________________________________________
b. How old is the building? _____________________________________________
c. What color is the building? __________________________________________
d. How many floors does the building have? ___________________________

5. Sometimes paragraphs have a concluding sentence. A concluding

sentence is a summary of the ideas in the paragraph. If there is a concluding
sentence, write it here. ______________________________________________________

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6. Rad the paragraph again. Can you find at least four descriptive adjectives?
Write them below.
______________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: Indenting the first line of every paragraph

When you start a new paragraph you need to indent – this means that you
move about 5 spaces in.

---->Last week something really funny happened. It was Saturday morning,

and my sister and I were getting ready to go to the grocery store with my
mother. When we were almost ready, my mother suddenly stopped.

---->“Oh no!” she said.

---->“What?” I asked her.

---->“I can’t find my keys! Where are my keys?” she yelled.

ACTIVITY 4. COPYING A PARAGRAPH

Rewrite the paragraph with the proper punctuation marks in the lines below. Be
sure to indent the first line. Insert the correct punctuation marks and capitalize
words wherever necessary. Give this paragraph a title.

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TITLE :___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

WORKING WITH TOPIC SENTENCES

Every paragraph must have a good topic sentence. The topic sentence gives
the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence should not be too specific
or too general. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

ACTIVITY 5: TOPIC SENTENCES

Read each paragraph and the three topic sentences below it. Then choose the
best topic sentence and write it on the line. Read the paragraph again. Make
sure that the topic sentence gives the main idea for the whole paragraph.
Remember to indent!

BEAUTIFUL SNOW?
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________Snow is beautiful when it falls. After a few days, the snow is
not beautiful anymore. It starts to melt, and the clean streets become messy. It is
difficult to walk anywhere. The sidewalks are slippery. Snow also causes traffic
problems. Some roads are closed. Other roads are hard to drive on safely.
Drivers have more accidents on snowy roads. I understand why some people
like snow but I do not like it very much.
a. In December, it usually snows.
b. Some people like snow, but I do not.
c. I love snow.

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MARIA AND HER GREAT JOB

______________________________________________________________________________
___________________She works at Papa Joe's Restaurant. She serves about sixty
people every day. Maria can remember all the dinner orders. If there is a
problem with any of the food, she takes it back to the kitchen immediately.
Maria wants every customer to have a good meal at the restaurant.

a. My cousin Maria is an excellent server.

b. My cousin Maria works at Papa Joe's Restaurant.
c. Marias customers do not eat big meals.

MY FAVORITE CITY
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________ I love to see all the interesting things there. The city is big,
exciting, and full of life. I always visit the Empire State Building and the Statue of
Liberty. I also visit Chinatown. At night, I go to shows on Broadway. The food in
the city is excellent, too. I truly enjoy New York City.

a. I like to see the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.
b. New York is a very big city.
c. My favorite city in the world is New York City.

NOTE:

Writing about People: Proper Nouns and Subject Pronouns

When you write about a person, you use that person's name. The name is called a
proper noun.

Study these examples:

George Woods teaches at Briar Elementary School. He teaches math and science there.
NOUN PRONOUN

Alisa lives in the city. She likes the noise and the crowds.
NOUN PRONOUN

It is correct to use a person's name when you write one or two sentences, but in a
paragraph or in conversation, good writers and speakers do not use the person's
name many times. Instead, they use a subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, or
they).

REMEMBER: Do not repeat the proper noun many times. Replace it with a pronoun.

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ACTIVITY 6: SUBJECT PRONOUNS

Read the following paragraph. Replace the nouns in parentheses with subject
pronoun. The first one has been done for you.

TWO DOCTORS

Rosemarie Bertrand and Michael Scott are interesting people. Rosemarie

is a doctor in Scotland. (1. Rosemarie Bertrand) She is married to Michael.
(2. Michael Scott) _________ is also a doctor. (3. Rosemarie and Michael)
_________ live in Edinburgh. (4. Edinburgh) _________ is a historic city. Dr. Bertrand
and Dr. Scott have an office together downtown. (5. The office) _________ is
busy every day. (6. Rosemarie and Michael) _________ work hard five days a
week. On weekends, however, (7. Rosemarie and Michael) _________ like to
travel to the countryside. (8. The countryside) _________ is a beautiful and
relaxing escape from all their hard work.

WORKING WITH THE BODY OF THE PARAGRAPH

On the previous activities, you practiced topic sentences. Every topic

sentence must have supporting sentences-these sentences make up the body
of the paragraph. This body of supporting sentences is directly related to the
topic sentence. Supporting sentences give information about the topic
sentence. Therefore, the supporting sentences are just as important as the topic
sentence.
One mistake that many writers make is writing sentences that are not
related to the topic sentence. Plan what your supporting information will be so
that it is related to the topic sentence.

NOTE: SUPPORTING SEMNTENCES: THE BODY OF THE PARAGRAPH

You have learned that a paragraph has three main parts: the topic sentence,
the body, and the concluding sentence. Remember, the body consists of sentences
that give supporting information and ideas about the topic sentence. Therefore, it is
important for every sentence to be related to the topic sentence.

Make sure that each sentence provides support, details, or examples for the
ideas in the topic sentence. Cut out any unrelated or unconnected ideas!

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ACTIVITY 7: THE BODY OF THE PARAGRAPH

Read each paragraph carefully. Underline the topic sentence. In each

paragraph, one supporting sentence does not belong because it is not directly
connected to the topic sentence. It does not fit the ideas in the paragraph.
Put parentheses ( ) around the one sentence that does not belong.

KEEPING SCORE IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Keeping score in American football is more difficult than keeping score in

soccer. In soccer, each goal is worth one point. For example, if a team scores
five goals in a game, then the team's score is five points. In American football,
the scoring system is different. When a player carries the ball across the end
zone, he scores a touchdown. A touchdown is worth six points. When a player
kicks the football between the goal posts, that team gets one point or three
points. Another sport that has easy scoring is basketball.

MAKING CHILI

Chili is an easy dish to prepare. Fried chicken is also easy to prepare. To

make chili, cut up two large onions. Then fry them in a little vegetable oil. You
can add fresh garlic and some diced chili peppers. When the onions are soft,
add two pounds of ground beef. Stir the onions and beef until they are fully
cooked. Sprinkle one tablespoon of red chili powder on top. Next, add four cups
of diced tomatoes, two cups of water, and one can of red beans. Finally, add
salt and pepper. Cover the saucepan and cook over low heat for about one
hour. If you follow this simple recipe, you will have a delicious meal!

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CELSIUS AND FAHRENHEIT TEMPERATURES

Changing temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit is not difficult. First,

multiply the Celsius temperature by 9. Then divide this answer by 5. When you
finish, add 32 degrees to your answer. The result is the temperature in Fahrenheit.
Many countries report temperatures in Celsius, but the United States uses
Fahrenheit. For example, if the Celsius temperature is 20, you multiply 20 by 9.
Then you divide the answer, 180, by 5. The result is 36. Next, add 32, and you
have the correct Fahrenheit temperature. Now you know how to change a
temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

GRAMMAR SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Possessive Adjectives

When you want to talk about something that belongs to someone or

something, you use a possessive adjective. A possessive adjective shows
possession. It answers questions related to ownership such as Whose house?
Whose books? and Whose television?
In English, there are seven possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its,
our, and their. A possessive adjective always occurs with a noun.

my I live in my father's house.

your Do you have your books?
his He lives with his father.
her She does not carry money in her purse.
its A butterfly moves its wings quickly.
our We write all our papers on a computer.
their They can bring their CDs.

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ACTIVITY 8. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

Read the following paragraph. Write the missing possessive adjectives. The
first one has been done for you.

CAROLINE AND HER SISTERS

Caroline has two sisters and one brother. (1.) Their their names are
Ashley, Margaret, and Nick. Ashley and Margaret live with (2.) ___________
parents. They are high school students. Ashley likes to play sports. (3.)
___________ favorite sport is softball. She is a very good player. Margaret does
not like sports, but she loves music. She plays guitar every afternoon after school.
Ashley and Margaret have the same (4.) ___________ friends. (5.) ___________
friends go to the same school. (6.) ___________ brother, Nick, is in college. (7.)
___________ major is business administration. Caroline's brother and sisters are all
very different, but she loves (8.) ___________ siblings very much.

ACTIVITY 9. SUBJECT PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

This paragraph contains many subject pronouns and possessive adjectives.
Underline the correct forms in parentheses ( ). The first one has been done for
you.

(I, My) GRANDMOTHER

A very important person in (1. I, my) life is (2. I, my) grandmother. (3. She,
Her) Evelyn Anna Kratz. (4. She, Her) life is very interesting. (5. She, Her) is 89 years
old (6. She, Her) comes from Poland. (7. She, Her) can speak English well, but
(8. she, her) first language is Polish. My grandmother comes from a large family.
(9. She, Her) has two brothers. (10. They, Their) names are Peter and John. (11. I,
My) grandmother has two sisters, too. (12. They, Their) names are Karina and
Maria. (13. I, My) like to listen to (14. my, her) grandmother's stories because
(15. they, their) are so interesting. In (16. I, my) opinion, they are the most
interesting stories in the world.

ACTIVITY 10. MORE PRACTICE WITH THE BODY OF THE PARAGRAPH

Read the topic sentence and body of each paragraph carefully. ln each
paragraph, there are two sentences that do not belong. Put parentheses ( )
around these two sentences.

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THE NEW STATES

Four U.S. states begin with the word new. New Hampshire, New Jersey,
and New York are in the Northeast, but New Mexico is in the Southwest. Arizona
is also in the Southwest. New Hampshire is a small state with about one million
people. New Jersey is also a small state, but its population is about eight million
people. The most well-known of the new states is New York. The population of
New York is about twenty million. New Mexico is the largest of these four states,
but its population is small. There are no states that begin with the word old.
Although all these states begin with new, they are all very different.

AN INCREDIBLE NEIGHBOR

My neighbor Mrs. Wills is an amazing person. She is 96 years old. My

grandmother lived to be 87. Mrs. Wills lives alone, and she takes care of herself.
In the morning, she works in her beautiful garden. She also does all of her own
cooking. She does not like to cook rice. She cleans her own house. She even
puts her heavy, garbage can by the street for trash collection. She pulls the can
slowly to the curb, and she goes up and down the steps to her door by herself. I
hope to have that much energy and ability when I am 96 years old'

MY OFFICE

My office is a comfortable place to work. On the left side of the room,

there is a big wooden desk. My computer sits on top of the desk, and the printer
sits under the desk. I keep paper files in the drawer. On the right side of the
room, there are two beautiful bookcases. My father makes bookcases and
other wood furniture. These bookcases are full of books, magazines, and

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computer software. There are also telephone and a fax machine in my office. I
have trouble remembering my fax number. There is a closet next to the fax
machine. And my office supplies are there. I enjoy my office very much.

NOTE: CHECKING FOR THE VERB

Do you sometimes forget to include the verb in a sentence? Many writers

make this mistake. This is the rule. Every sentence needs a verb.

Incorrect: My father's name Samuel.

Correct: May father's name is Samuel.
Incorrect: Many people in Switzerland French.
Correct: Many people in Switzerland speak French.
Incorrect: Some elementary schools computers for the students.
Correct: Some elementary schools have computers for the students.

When you check your writing, look at each sentence carefully. Is there a
verb? Remember that every sentence needs a verb.

ACTIVITY 11. EDITING: CHECKING FOR VERBS

Read the following sentences. Five sentences are missing the verb be. Find
these five sentences and then add the correct form of the verb. The first one is
done for you. Now, put the sentences in order to form a proper paragraph.
Write their number order on the line to the left of each sentence. The first one is
done for you.

______ a. Doctors say that one hour of moderate exercise each day can keep
you in good shape.
______ b. First, think about the food you eat.
___1___ c. It is easy to stay healthy if you follow some simple steps.
______d. Take time to appreciate the good things in life.
______ e . You can follow these steps to help yourself stay healthy.
______ f. The best types of food fruits and vegetables.
______ g. In addition, exercise good for the body and the mind.
______ h. Finally, relaxation very important.
______ i. It important to eat a lot of them every day.
______ j. Next, consider some exercise.

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WORKING WITH CONCLUDING SENTENCES

All good paragraphs have a topic sentence. The topic sentence is usually
(but not always) the first sentence in a paragraph. The body of a paragraph
contains several supporting sentences. These sentences must relate to the
topic sentence.

A paragraph may end with another part called the concluding sentence.
The concluding sentence often gives a summary of the information in the
paragraph. In many cases, the information in the topic sentence is similar to
the information I the concluding sentence. However, it could also be a
suggestion, opinion, or prediction.

Look at the topic sentences and concluding sentences from these paragraphs.

Title My Ideal vacation My favorite color Taipei 101

I work in one of
I have a dream to It is obvious that the world's tallest
Topic sentence visit Alaska my favorite color is buildings-Taipei
blue 101.
I hope to visit this Other colors are I am proud to
Concluding wonderful state nice, but I like blue work in such an
sentence soon. the best important place.

ACTIVITY 12. CHOOSING CONCLUDING SENTENCES

Read each paragraph. Then read the concluding sentences below it. Circle the
letter of the best concluding sentence.

MONDAY

I hate Monday for many reasons. One reason is work I get up early to go
to work on Monday. After a weekend of fun and relaxation, I do not like to go to
work. Another reason that I do not like Monday is that I have three meetings
every Monday. These meetings last a long time, and they are extremely boring.
Traffic is also a big problem on Monday. There are more cars on the road on
Monday. Drivers are in a bad mood, and I must be more careful than usual.

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a. Monday is worse than Tuesday, but it is better than Sunday.

b. I do not like meetings on Monday.
c. These are just a few reasons why I do not like Monday.

GOOD LUCK, BAD LUCK

Superstitions usually relate to luck. Some of the luck is good. For example,
some people believe that the number seven is lucky. Other people think that if
you see a shooting star, you can make a wish and it will come true. However,
most superstitions talk about bad luck. For instance, many people believe that it
is bad luck to open an umbrella inside a house. They also think that it is bad luck
if a black cat walks in front of you. Other people think that if your left ear is
burning, someone is saying something bad about you.

a. People believe exactly the same superstitions.

b. It is amazing how many good and bad superstitions there are!
c. The worst superstition is about breaking a mirror.

BUYING A CAR

Buying a car requires careful planning. Do you want a new or a used car? This
depends on how much money you can spend. Sometimes a used car needs
repairs. What style of car do you want? You can look at many different models
to help you decide. Next, do you want extra features in your new car? Adding
lots of extra features makes a car more expensive. Finally, you have to decide
where you will buy your car.

a. It is important to think about all these things when you are buying a car.
b. The most important thing is the kind of car that you want to buy.
c. Will you buy your new car from a friend or a car dealer?

ACTIVITY 16. EDITING: GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE REVIEW

Read this paragraph. There are seven mistakes: three mistakes with adjectives,
two missing be verbs, and two capitalization mistakes- Find and correct the
mistakes.

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ASPIRIN

aspirin is an incredible type of medicine. This small white pill is not a drug
new. We do not know exactly why or how it works. However, millions of people
use aspirin every day. we take aspirin for reasons many. Aspirin good for
headaches, colds, and pain. Aspirin can help with so many different health
problems. Aspirin is a medicine simple, but it great.

WRITING ABOUT THE PRESENT

GOAL: To learn how to write sentences in the simple present tense.

*Grammar and Sentence Structure: Simple present tense; object pronouns; a

and an

*Sentence development: Simple and compound sentences.

BEGIN WITH THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

When you write about daily habits and activities or things that are
generally true, use the simple present tense.

GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Simple Present Tense: Statements and Questions

In English, the simple present tense can be divided into two categories:
regular verbs and the verbs be and have. Study the following forms.

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NOTE: All verbs except be must add do or does to make a question.

*In this lesson you will practice writing sentences and paragraphs in the simple
present form.

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ACTIVITY 1. SIMPLE PRESENT FORMS

UNCLE CHARLIE

My Uncle Charlie (1. be)_______________ a wonderful man. He (2. be)

_______________ an entrepreneur. He began his restaurant business ten years
ago. Now he enjoys great success. In his restaurant, he (3.have) _______________
ten waiters, two managers, and three chefs. Uncle Charlie (4.work)
_______________ very hard in his restaurant. Sometimes he is there seven days a
week. He and his wife Valerie always (5. go) _______________ to the restaurant at
night to make sure that the customers are happy. I (6. love) _______________
Uncle Charlie and Aunt Valerie, and I really appreciate all their hard work. (7.
you / know) _______________ somebody like my uncle?

ACTIVITY 2. THE VERB BE IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Read this paragraph from Giacomo to his new classmate. Fill in the missing be
verbs.

MY CLASSMATES

My classmates come from all over the world. Jose (1.) ______________ from Spain,
so he speaks Spanish perfectly. Kuniko and Yasuhiro (2.) ______________
Japanese, but they do not sit next to each other in class. Yuri (3.) ______________
from Ukraine, and he plays soccer very well. The Al-Ahmad brothers (4.)
______________ from Dubai, and they (5.) ______________ both very nice. What
about me? I (6.) ______________ from Italy, and I love to sing in class. We (7.)
______________ all very good friends, and I hope we can be friends forever.
Where (8.) ______________ you from?

ACTIVITY 3. PARAGRAPH ORDER

Read the following sentences. Number them in the correct paragraph order.
The first two sentences have been done for you.

JIM'S DAILY ROUTINE

_________ a. After this part-time job, he goes home, eats a quick dinner, studies,
and does his homework.
____2____ b. He studies engineering at City College.

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_________ c. He goes to school for six hours.

_________ d. Jim knows that this life style is stressful.
____1____ e. Jim is a very busy student.
_________ f. Every day, he wakes up at 7:00 in the morning, takes a shower, and
then rushes off to school.
_________ g. He also knows that the stress will end soon, and he will get a
professional job.
_________ h. After school, he goes to the local mall where he works in a sporting
goods store.

ACTIVITY 4. VERBS: CHANGING SINGULAR TO PLURAL

Read the sentences in Activity 3. Make the following changes and rewrite the
paragraph on the lines.

l. Change the subject of the story, Jim, to Jim and Billy.

2. You will have to make certain changes to the verb forms and to some nouns
and pronouns, too.

JIM AND BILLY'S DAILY ROUTINE

Jim and Billy are very busy students._____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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XDD

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;;

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