Author Archives: allisonramsaur

Pronouns

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A subject pronoun is used in the subject of a sentence.

Singular Subject Pronouns- I, you, he, she, it         Example: I went to the store.

Plural Subject Pronouns- we, you, and they            Example: We went to the store.

*When you use a person’s name and a pronoun in a compound subject, be sure to use a subject pronoun.

Liz and I planned a trip there.

An object pronoun is used in the predicate of a sentence after an action verb or with a preposition, such as for, at, into, with, or to.

Singular Object Pronouns- me, you, him, her, and it   Example: I went to the store with her.

Plural Object Pronouns– us, you, and them                   Example: I went to the store with them.

*When you use a person’s name and a pronoun in a compound object, be sure to use an object pronoun.

He helped Jenny and me.

TIP: You can decide whether the subject pronoun or object pronoun is correct by saying the sentence with just the pronoun and not the rest of the phrase.

Example: Jane showed her our pictures. / Jane showed Terry and her our pictures.

Vocabulary Strategies

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SKILL: Inflectional Ending/ Suffix

An inflectional ending or suffix is a letter or letters added to the end of a base word.

*The endings –ed, –ing, and –s may be added to verbs to change the tense. You can use endings to help you figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

  1. The endings –s and –es can be added to singular nouns to make them plural.
  2.  The endings –s, -ed, and –ing can be added to verbs to change the tense.
  3. The endings –er and –est can be added to adjectives to use them to compare.

Rule to remember: Some base words drop the final –e before adding an ending.

Example: rustle + ing = rustling                      ignore + ing =ignoring

Reading Comprehension Skills

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SKILL: Draw conclusions

*A conclusion is a decision you make after thinking about the details in what you read.

*Often your prior knowledge can help you draw, or make, a conclusion.

*When you draw a conclusion, be sure it makes sense and is supported by what you have read.

*Sometimes you must draw a conclusion to answer a question asked in a book, by a teacher, or on a test. The details you need for your answer may be in one place or in several places. Use those details plus what you already know to draw a conclusion that answers the question.

SKILL- Author’s Purpose/ While you are reading, think about why the author wrote it. 

An author may write to persuade, to inform, to entertain, or to express himself or herself.

To persuade- The author is trying to convince the reader or change the reader’s opinion.

To entertain- The author is trying to make me laugh or keep me interested in a fictional story.

To inform- The author is giving me facts about something that took place.

To share feelings- The author is writing to share their own personal feelings. (example- a journal, letter, postcard, diary)

Figurative Language

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Types of Figurative Language- Figurative language is used to make writing more interesting. It helps the reader visualize what they are reading.

Simile- Comparing two unlike things using like or as.

Example: She is as thin as a toothpick.

Metaphor- Comparing two unlike things without using like or as.

Example: She is a toothpick.

Personification- Giving human characteristics to non-living things or objects.

Example: The waves danced along the shore.

Onomatopoeia- A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Example: Bam!

Hyperbole- An exaggeration.

Example: I am so hungry, I could eat a horse. 

Nouns

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Proper nouns- The names of particular persons, places, and things are proper nouns. Capitalize the first letter of a proper noun. All other nouns are common nouns and are not capitalized. (dog is a common noun)

*Rules to remember-

1. Capitalize the first and all important words in a book title. (My Side of the Mountain)

2. Capitalize days of the week and months of the year. (Wednesday)

3. Capitalize the first letter of an abbreviated proper noun. (St.)

*Most abbreviations end with a period. In addresses, state names are abbreviated using two capital letters and no period. (TN)

4. Capitalize titles before people’s names. (President Jefferson)

Possessive noun- shows ownership (The dog’s bark)

Singular possessive noun- shows that one person, place, or thing has or owns something.

Plural possessive noun- shoes that more than one person, place, or thing has or owns something.

Rule to remember-

Add an apostrophe and –s to form singular possessive nouns.

Add an apostrophe to a plural noun ending in –s to form the possessive.

If the plural noun does not end in –s, add an apostrophe and –s.

Genres

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Theme- the underlying meaning of a story.  It is often not stated. You can figure out a theme when you have finished reading from events and other evidence in the story. It is the idea that holds a story together. A theme is the big idea that the reader determines from the setting, events, and characters in a story.

POETRY- 

A poem is a composition arranged in lines. Some poems have rhyme, some have a rhythm, and some have both.

Narrative poem- a long poem that tells a story.

FICTION-

Fictional stories always have the following:

  1. Setting- where and when the story takes place. Writers use details, such as sights and sounds, to describe it.
  2. Plot
  3. Characters

Types of Fiction:

  1. Historical Fiction- a combination of imagination and fact, with fictional characters and plot placed in a factual historical setting. It is realistic fiction that takes place in the past and is often full of adventure.
NONFICTION-
Types of Nonfiction:
  1. Expository Nonfiction- Explains a person, a thing, or an idea. It tells a real-life story.

Sentence Structure

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Clause- A related group of words with a subject and predicate.

Subject- Tells whom or what the sentence is about.

Predicate- Tells what the subject is or does. (the verb)

Independent clause- A clause that makes sense by itself. It expresses a complete thought and forms a sentence.

Example: The tides affect your life. (tides is the subject and affect is the predicate)

Dependent clause- A clause that does not make sense by itself. It must always be combined with an independent clause. *It depends on another clause.

Example: If you live on an island.

Helpful hint: Dependent clauses are often introduced by such words as although, if, because, how, what, why, that, when, and since.

Rule to remember- A dependent clause may come before or after an independent clause. When it comes first, it is set off by a comma.

Example: When the salmon swam upriver, natives caught many fish. (dependent clause is in bold)

Example: Natives caught many fish when the salmon swam upriver.

Subject and verb agreement in the present tense.

The subject and verb of a sentence must work together, or agree in number.

–       If the subject is a singular noun or he, she, or it, add –s or –es to most verbs.

Example: A horse runs.

A dog chases the horse.

– If the subject is a plural noun or I, you, we, or they, do not add –s, or –es to the verb.

Example: Horses run.

Dogs chase the horse.

–       Use am and is to agree with singular subjects. (Thomas is happy.)

–       Use are to agree with plural subjects. (We are late.)