Do you have to write an essay?
Are you stuck for ideas?
Have no fear. Here’s a strange way to get ideas for essays: Use your initials.
Read MoreA Strange Way to Get Ideas for Essays
It’s True: “Everyone” Is Singular!
It is hard to believe, but the word “everyone” is singular.
It sounds as though it should include a lot of people; in fact, it should include everyone—and that sounds plural.
But “everyone” is in the list of singular indefinite pronouns, which are listed here: each, every, either, neither, no, one, no one, everyone, someone, anyone, nobody, everybody, somebody, anybody, nothing, everything, something, anything.
I grouped them by their endings: -one, -body, and -thing. You also could list most of them by their beginnings: no-, every-, some-, and any-.
This week’s blog, which is another in a series of grammar tutorials, includes the following:
- An infographic to teach the material
- An exercise for your students
- Answers to the exercise
Too Many Question Marks and Exclamation Points?
Welcome to yet another of biting, incisive grammar question like this one: “Mom, is this sentence supposed to have one question mark or two at the end?”
Other grammar tutorials
If you’re dying to know what the other grammar tutorials are about, click here for one on punctuation in dialog. (Tarzan and Jane help out on that one.)
End Punctuation
I’m fully aware that the heading “End Punctuation” could be the heart’s cry of your struggling students.
However, this week, your students will wrestle with the thorny problem of what to do if a sentence is a question (interrogative) but there’s already a question mark to the left of the end quotation mark.
Take a look at the infographic, which is the lesson.
Read MorePunctuation in Dialog
Welcome to the third in a series of grammar tutorials! You can find the first one on commas in compound sentences here.
The second one teaches the position of commas, periods, colons, and semicolons when used with quotation marks. What could be more exciting?!
Dialog punctuation tutorial
Do you have students who love to hide in their bedrooms and write story after story?
Most likely, they are hoping to be published one day, their stories read and loved by millions, their names on the covers of sought-after books.
One thing editors look for in a new writer is proficiency in grammar and punctuation. Granted, it’s not a huge thing; it’s more important to know how to write a great story. But grammar is an indicator of how well the writer knows the language and its conventions, and it is something that editors take into account when determining whom to publish.
Let’s make sure our students have access to the skills they need to get published.
A tiff between Tarzan and Jane in this fun tutorial will guide your students through the punctuation-in-dialog jungle.
Read MoreWhere to Put the Comma, Period, Colon, and Semicolon When Using Quotation Marks
This compelling grammar lesson answers such thorny questions as this one: “Mom, does a period go before or after the last quotation mark?”
You can find the first in the series of grammar tutorials here; it’s all about compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, and commas. And if that doesn’t create some excitement in the classroom, I don’t know what will.
Punctuation and quotation marks tutorial
This week’s tutorial includes the following:
- An infographic to teach the material
- A set of sentences your students can correct to reinforce the material
- The answers to the sentences
There are only two rules (can you believe it?), and they are easy (again, is it to be believed?).
This lesson does not cover quotation marks in dialog. Tarzan is in charge of that here.
As you’ll notice by the infographic,
Read MoreHow to Use Commas in Compound Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions
Okay, so the title of today’s article isn’t the most exciting. In fact, you might find it downright boring—or intimidating.
I’ve been known to zone out when my husband tries to explain football lingo and rules to me. My eyes glaze over. My ears stop working. The same might be true for your students and the subject of commas.
Commas, Compound Sentences, and Coordinating Conjunctions
You can use the infographic below to teach students when to use commas in a compound sentence that is joined by a coordinating conjunction.
In this tutorial, you’ll find the following goodies:
- An infographic to teach the material
- A free, downloadable exercise
- The answers
How to Avoid Plagiarism
Today’s article comes to you from my friend Lily Iatridis of Fortuigence.com. Her article is a tutorial on plagiarism and how to avoid it. You’ll even find helpful links your students can use to create those pesky citations.
In addition, Lily shares a solid method for taking notes and for keeping track of all the sources. And check out her handy anti-plagiarism checklist at the end!
This is well worth the read. I won’t be surprised if you use this article often as a reference for you and your children throughout the school year.
You can find Lily’s online writing course Essay Rock Star here.
Read MoreProofreading: Three Methods to Make it Easier
Proofreading is never easy. Anyone who says it’s easy is trying to sell you something or has never actually tried it.
If we can’t make it easy, at least we can make it easier for our troubled, weeping students. In fact, with these three tips, you can change it from a job that requires the strength of a backhoe to one that uses a garden trowel.
Many professional writers use the first two methods in their own writing, and so can your students. The third one is exclusively for students.
Read More3 Powerful Tools for Writing Persuasively
If your writer is reluctant, writing opinions is a good place to start. Everyone has opinions, and most students like to express theirs.
Opinions are all about the writer: “I love . . . ,” “I think people should . . . ,” “I hate it when . . . .”
Writing to persuade someone else, on the other hand, is all about the reader. Your students make a shift in their thinking: What ideas and points do readers need before they will change their minds? A persuasion essay needs a few important tools.
Read MoreHelp Your Students Avoid These Three Mistakes in Persuasive Writing
It’s easy for our students to make these common mistakes in persuasive writing. I’ve seen them in any number of newspapers and magazines in letters to the editor, and they abound in student essays. I’m guessing you have seen them as well.
I won’t keep you in suspense. Here’s the list:
Read More
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