Real Life Writing

 

REAL-LIFE WRITING by Eleanor Angeles

1 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

Photography: PhotoDisk/Getty Images Illustration: Solás Cover design: Solás Interior design: Solás Scholastic grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher recording publisher.. For information regarding permission, write to Permission Dept., Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 ISBN: 0-439-23778-5 Copyright © 2002 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

REAL-LIFE WRITING CONTENTS To the Teacher Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Section 1: Spelling

1. Spelling Words Words That Sound the the Same . . . .6 2. More Words That Sound the Same. . . . . . 8 3. Spelling Contractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4. More Contractions Contractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5. Spelling Words to Tell About the Past. . . 14 6. More Words Words About the Past . . . . . . . . . . 16 7. Using Alphabetical Order . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 8. Using Capital Letters Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Section 1 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Section 2: Nouns and Verbs

1. Identifying Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2. Pronouns: Words Words That Stand Stand for Nouns . 26 3. Compound Compound Nouns Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4. Identifyi Identifying ng Verbs Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 5. Using Regular Verbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 6. Using Irregular Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 7. Words Words That Can Be Nouns or Verbs Verbs . . . . 36 8. Turning Verbs Into Nouns and  Vice-Versa  Vice-V ersa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Section 2 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Section 3: Adjectives and Adverbs

1. Recognizing and Using Adjectives . . . . . 42 2. Comparing Comparing Two Two Things Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 3. Comparing More Than Than Two Two Things . . . . .46 4. Recogniz Recognizing ing and Using Using Adverbs Adverbs . . . . . . 48

6. Using Using Adverbs Adverbs in Compari Comparisons sons . . . . . . . 52 52 7. Playing With Adjectives, Adverbs, and Nouns.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Section 3 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Section 4: Building Sentences

1. Subjects and Predicates. Predicates. . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 2. Different Different Kinds of Sentences Sentences . . . . . . . . . 60 3. Combining Sentences With And. . . . . . . 62 4. Combining Sentences With But and Because Beca use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 64 5. Using Phrases to to Build Sentences . . . . . 66 6. Using Clauses to to Build Sentences . . . . . 68 7. Finding Finding the the Right Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Section 4 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Section 5: Handbook

1. Rules for Capitalization and Punctuation.74 2. Synonyms Synonyms and and Antonyms Antonyms . . . . . . . . . . . 76 3. Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 4. Words Often Confused. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 5. Idiomatic Idiomatic Expre Expression ssionss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 6. Irregular Verbs Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 7. Taking Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 8. Writing Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84  Answer Key  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

5. More Ways Ways to Use Adverbs Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . 50

 3 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

To th thee Tea Teache cherr Real-Life Writing is designed to help young adults apply the most basic spelling skills and English grammar conventions to their own writing. The lessons will be of particular value to ESL students, as well as to native English speakers who need intensive review of the elementary skills and conventions. Here are the main features of the program: 1. Each lesson leads up to a brief independent writing assignment. assignment. In this way, students see immediately how a mastery of the skills and conventions improves their own writing. 2. A “useful redundancy” redundancy” or “built-in review” review” helps students revisit revisit rules and broaden broaden concepts. For example, in lessons 5 and 6 of Section 1, students are introduced to present and past tenses of verbs, and then review these forms in lessons 5 and 6 of Section 2 as they learn how to write past participles. 3. The lesson format helps students learn in three ways: with you to instruct; with a partner to practice, review, and extend the skills; and with a writing assignment that asks them to independently use what they’ve learned.

Suggested Procedure 1. Teacher works with the class ■ to read and discuss the opening page for each section, and ■ to read and carry out the activities in the discuss section of each lesson. 2. In each lesson, students practice the skill individually through Writing Practice. 3. In Partner Work, students work with a classmate ■ to review and correct their Writing Practice work, and ■ to apply the concept or skill to an extension of it. Note: During Partner Work, you may wish to act act as sort of “wandering “wandering mentor” to help

partners describe and resolve any problems they have. 4. In Writing on Your Own—as the title implies—each student independentl independently y applies what she or he has learned through prior practice and partner work. Notes: (1) As mentor, consider always being available to help students correct and amend their independent writing. (2) Encourage students to share their corrected Writing on Your Own products. The following are a few suggestions for sharing:

a. Students read their work aloud to the class or to a small group. b. You or a student reads the final version of the work aloud to the class. c. Students post their final versions on a bulletin board, or distribute copies to classmates. d. Encourage students to build a portfolio incorporating incorporating all the Writing on Your Own work they do for this book. In individual conferences, discuss with the student what she or he likes best about each product.

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In conclusion, remember that we all learn about “good writing” through being exposed to it.  A good way to begin each writing/grammar lesson is to read to your class a wonderful literary passage that has moved you through its command of English and through its precise choice of words. Your Your enthusiasm for the brilliance of language will encourage your students to aspire to it in their own writing. Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

Spelling When you write, you are

sharing your ideas with

section

other people. You You want your readers to focus on those ideas and move ahead with them. You don’t want your readers to get confused by spelling errors so that they

1

have to stop, go back, and figure out what you mean.

write means to form letters with a tool such as a pencil, pen, or word processor. Right has For example,

many meanings. Among them are correct or true, and the side opposite the left. So, what’s what’s confusing about the sentences below? Did you right a story about your family? Go write when you get to Elm Street. She can’t do anything write. I want to right a letter to my aunt. In this section, you’ll get some tips about how to use the right spelling in the things you write.

Contents 1. Spelling Spelling Words Words That Sound Sound the Same Same . . 6 2. More More Words Words That That Sound Sound the Same Same . . . . 8 3. Spelling Spelling Contracti Contractions ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 4. More More Contractio Contractions ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 .12 5. Spelling Words Words to Tell Tell About the Past. . 14 6. More Words Words About About the Past. Past. . . . . . . . . 16 7. Using Alphabetical Order.. . . . . . . . . . . 18 8. Using Capita Capitall Letters Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Section 1 Review. Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Words That Sound the Same 1. Spelling Words Discuss Many words sound the same when you say them, but they have different meanings and different spellings. These words are called

homophones. Here are some

examples of homophones. Say aloud the words in dark letters. Notice the different meanings when the words are written.

ant—an insect

hear—listen

aunt—a relative

here—this place

be—is; exist

hole—opening

bee—a kind of insect

whole—complete

cent—penny

meat—beef

scent—odor

meet—greet

sent—did send rap—hit chews—bites

wrap—cover

choose—select

Writing Practice Complete the sentences by writing the correct words on the lines.

1. My _________ _____________ ______ __ is coming com ing to visi visitt us. She Sh e ________ ____________ _______ ___ us a letter. let ter. ant aunt cent sent scent 2. This will ______ _________ _____ _____ _____ a great day d ay.. I can’t wait to _______ __________ _____ _____ ___ her! bee be meet meat 3. She will be ___ ______ ______ ______ _____ ____ for a ______ _________ _____ _____ _____ week. here hear whole hole 6 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

Use what you’ve learned.

2. In the sentences below, the underlined

Partner Work  1. With a partner, discuss the words you chose

in Writing Practice. Why did you choose them? Make any corrections that you think are needed.

words are not correct for the meaning of the sentence. Read the sentences aloud with your partner. partner. Then write each sentence to make it correct. a. Please chews a gift gift and and rap rap it. ____________________________________________ b. I can her here e the be buz buzz. z. ____________________________________________ c. An aunt aunt came out out of the whole. whole. ____________________________________________ d. The The cent cent of meet meet made me hungry hungry.. ____________________________________________

Writing on Your Own 1. Choose five words from the box on page 6. Write the words and their meanings.

a. Word: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Meaning: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

b. Word: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Meaning: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

c. Word: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Meaning:: __ Meaning ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

d. Word: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Meaning:: __ Meaning ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

e. Word: __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Meaning:: __ Meaning ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Now,, write your own sentences using these words. 2. Now ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

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2. More Words That Sound the Same Discuss In the box below, there are more homophones. Remember: Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Say the words. Discuss the meanings.

for—in favor of

wood—tree product

four—a number

would—willing to

fair—honest

too—also

fare—cost of

two—a number

transportation weak—not strong hour—sixty minutes

week—seven days

our—belonging to us

Writing Practice Complete the sentences by writing the correct words on the lines.

1. I am voting _____ ________ ______ ______ _____ Louisa as Most Helpful Teacher. Teacher. four for 2. She ______ _________ ______ _____ ____ do anything for her students. wood would 3. She is __ _____ ______ _____ _____ _____ __ in the grades gra des she gives give s us. fare fair 4. I learn lear n something in every ______ _________ ______ _____ ____ I spend with wit h her. her. our hour 5. I was _______ __________ ______ _____ __ in English before I met m et Louisa. week weak 6. Now I can speak English better, and write it better, _______________. too two 8 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  Choose a word from the box on page 8 or the box on page 6. Say the word aloud in a sentence of your own. Then say the word again. Ask your partner to spell the word.

Example: Say: I sat there for an hour. HOUR. Partner: h-o-u-r Discuss the spelling. Is it right or wrong? Tell why. Take turns doing this until you have discussed ten words altogether.

Writing on Your Own

1. Write the meanings of the following words.

a. ho hole le ________________________ ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _____________________________________ __________ b. wo wood od ___________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _________________________________ ______ c. fa fare re ________________________ ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _____________________________________ __________ d. our _____ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ________ ___ e. tw two o ________________________ ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _____________________________________ __________

2. Now Now,, write your own sentences using the words above.

a. ___________________________ ____________________________________________ _________________

d. ________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

b. ___________________________ ____________________________________________ _________________

e. _________________________ ____________________________________________ ___________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

c. ___________________________ ____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________________________ 9 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

3. Spelling Contractions Discuss  A contraction is a shortened form of two words. Say the examples below. What letter is left out in the contraction? What mark takes the place of the letter that is left out?

Two Words

Contraction

Two Words

Contraction

I am

I’m

it is

it’s

he is

he’s

that is

that’s

she is

she’s

is not

isn’t

we are

we’re

are not

aren’t

you are

you’re

does not

doesn’t

they are

they’re

do not

don’t

Writing Practice Complete the sentences by writing the contraction for the words under the line. Refer to the chart above. Be sure to put the apostrophe (’) in the right place.

1. _______________ going to the movies with Laura. I am 2. I _______________ really like the stars, but _______________ Laura’s favorites. do not they are 3. Next week,_______________ going to see Slime From Outer Space. we are 4. _______________ a movie I really want to see! That is 5. The alien is ugly, but _______________ also very friendly. he is 10 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner, go over the contractions

you wrote in Writing Practice. Wh Wher ere e did did you put the apostrophes? What letters did

a. Shes She’s a basketball star. b. I think its __________ too late to go to the movies.

you correctly leave out? Make any correc-

c. A poem doesnt __________ have to rhyme.

tions that are needed. Then read your sen-

d. That book isnt __________ in our library.

tences aloud to one another.

e. My dogs arent __________ allowed to go out without leashes.

3. With your partner, write the two words that 2. In the following sentences, the underlined

words are not spelled correctly. With your partner,, decide how they should be spelled. partner Cross out the incorrect spelling. Write the correct spelling on the line after the word.

each correct contraction above stands for. The first one is done for you.

She______ is ______ a._____ a.________ ______ ______ ___ d. ______ _____________ __________ ___ b.___ b. _____ ____ _____ _____ ____ ____ _____ _____ ____ e. e.______ ____________ ____________ ______ c. _______ ______________ ______________ _________

The first one is done for you.

Writing on Your Own Rewrite the following paragraph. Use contractions for the underlined words. We are takin taking g a test tomorr tomorrow ow.. I am not looking looking forwar forward d to it. It is a science science test test and science science is not not my best subject. Jan will help me study because she is a science whiz. whiz. I do not know what I would do without without her help. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

4. More Contractions Discuss You’ve learned that a contraction is a short form of two words. You know that an apostrophe stands for the letter that is left out. Say the following sentences. Talk about what letter is left out in the contraction. Sentence

Contraction

John is asleep.

John’s asleep.

Mari Ma risa sa is gi givi ving ng a re repo port rt..

Mari Ma risa sa’’s giv givin ing g a rep repor ort. t.

Jami Ja mie e is is a go good od st stud uden ent. t.

Jami Ja mie’ e’ss a go good od st stud uden ent. t.

In some contractions, more than one letter is omitted. Say the following words and contractions. Talk about what letters are omitted in each contraction. What stands for the missing letters? I will

I’ll

he will

he’ll

she will

she’ll

it will

it’ll

we will

we’ll

they will

they’ll

you will

you’ll

Writing Practice Complete the sentences. Use a contraction for the words under each line.

1. __ _____ ______ ______ ______ _____ _____ ______ ______ ___ sin singi ging. ng. Tammy is 2. __ _____ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ _____ ______ ___ pla playin ying g the t he gui guitar. tar. Steve is 3. __ _____ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ _____ ______ ___ per perfo form rm to toget gether. her. They will 4. _______ _________ _____ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ lis listen ten and app appla laud. ud. We will 5. _______ __________ _____ _____ ______ ______ ______ _____ lilike ke this t his con concer cert. t. You will 12 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources

 

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own 1. Rewrite the following paragraph. Use contractions

Partner Work 

for the underlined words.

1. With your partner, go over the contractions

You will like the play play we are going to present present.. We will will do a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. Adell is great in the part of Juliet. John plays Romeo, and he will surpr surprise ise you you with his his talent. talent. I hope hope I will see you at the theater on opening night.

you wrote in Writing Practice. Whe Where re did you put the apostrophes? What letters do they replace? Make any corrections that are

____________________________________________________

needed.

____________________________________________________ 2. In each of the sentences below, an

apostrophe is missing in the underlined word. With your partner, decide where the apostrophe belongs. Then write the

____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

sentence correctly.

______________________________________________________

a. Ill help you you do your homewor homework. k.

2. Now Now,, rewrite the following sentences, changing the

__________________________________________

underlined contractions to make them two words. play’s the thing that will get get your attention. attention. Example: The play’s

b. Sarah Sarah said shell help you, you, too. __________________________________________

The play is the thing that will will get your attention. attention. a. They’ll be the ushers at the theater theater..

c. Alex Alex says hell hell win the race. race.

____________________________________________________

__________________________________________ b. Lana’s Lana’s takin taking g the tickets. d. Do you you think think itll be fun? __________________________________________

____________________________________________________ c. It’ll It’ll be a wonderful wonderful night. night.

e. I think think well be the winners. winners. __________________________________________

____________________________________________________ d. I hope we’ll we’ll see you you there. there. ____________________________________________________ e. The usher usher says he’ll he’ll look for you. you. ____________________________________________________

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5. Spelling Words to Tell About the Past Discuss Read the sentence pairs aloud. Which sentence in the pair tells about the past? They answer the questions.

They answered the questions.

They jump over the stream.

They jumped over the stream.

They like the movie.

They liked the movie.

They walk in the woods.

They walked in the woods.

Notice that to form the past, or

past tense, of the words above, you add -ed

or -d. Many words are like that. Read these pairs aloud. Say each word in a sentence.

Presentt Tense Presen

Past Tense

talk

talked

look

looked

show

showed

love

loved

Writing Practice Complete the sentences. Use the past tense of the word below each line.

1. We _______________ that movie! love 2. We _______________ all the actors. like 3. We _______________ about the movie for a long time. talk 4. It _______________ how different people act in emergencies. show 5. The movie _______________ a lot of questions about being a hero. answer

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Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. Spell aloud the words you wrote in Writing Practice. Make

any corrections that are needed. rewrite the following sentences to make 2. With your partner, rewrite the underlined words tell about the present. a. We walked in the woods. __________________________________________________________ b. We jumped over fallen trees. __________________________________________________________ c. We talked about what we see. __________________________________________________________ d. I showed my friend a bird’s nest. __________________________________________________________ e. We looked at it carefully. __________________________________________________________

Writing on Your Own Write a story about something that happened to you in the past. It could be an event at school, at home, or with a friend. Here are some story ideas: ■

 A movie you just saw, why you like it, and why you would recommend it to friends.  A goal you reached and felt happy about. ■  A frightening thing that happened to you. ■  A big problem that happened in your neighborhood. ■

In your story, you must use all four past-tense words from the list under Discuss on page 14. Write your story on the lines below. Underline the past-tense words. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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6. More Words About the Past Discuss With many words, spelling the past tense is not as easy as adding -ed or -d. Often, the word changes a lot in the spelling. Read aloud the sentence pairs below. Present Prese nt Tense

Past Tense

I think abo about ut the the story story.. I thought about the story. I choose a book.

I chose a book.

I see the title.

I saw the title.

I say the title.

I said the title.

I find the book.

I found the book.

Below, match each past-tense word in the box to the correct present-tense word. Say each past tense aloud. catch drew

do held

bring caught

draw

keep

did

brought

hold kept

Writing Practice Complete the sentences. Write the past tense of the word shown below each line.

1. We _______ __________ ______ _____ __ a map. draw 2. I ________ ___________ ______ _____ a fish. catch 3. I _______ __________ ______ _____ __ that movie. see 4. She ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ___ a partner part ner.. choose 5. They ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ___ the answer answe r. find 16

6. They _______ __________ ______ _____ __ about the test. te st. think

Real Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, discuss the past-tense

words you wrote for Writing Practice. Is your spelling correct? Say your sentences. Rewrite

Writing on Your Own Write at least one paragraph on one of the subjects below.. Circle the subject you choose. below ■ ■

any words that you didn’t spell correctly.

2. With your partner, rewrite each sentence

below by changing the underlined word to the present tense. Say your sentences.

friendship shopping

 jobs ■ pets ■

■ ■

food television

In your paragraph, you must use at least five pasttense words from the boxes on page 16. Write your paragraph on the lines lin es below. Underline your pasttense words. Example: I saw a job in the newspaper newspaper.. I drew a

We kept the secret secret..

circle around it.

____________________________________________ I held held his hand hand..

__________________________________________________

____________________________________________ They brought brought their kids kids to school. school.

__________________________________________________

____________________________________________ Did you like the movie?

__________________________________________________

____________________________________

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 17

Real Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Alphabetical Order 7. Using Alphabetical Discuss If you want to find the correct spelling of a word, the best place to look is the

dictionary. Words in a dictionary are listed in alphabetical order. Capital letters:

 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lower-case letters: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

What letter or letters are missing in each group below? Write the missing letters, then read aloud the whole group.  A B ___ D

d ___ ___ g

p q ___ s

___ ___ Q ___

e f ___ h

K ___ ___ __ ____ N

___ g h ___

O ___ ___ R

I J ___ L

T ___ ___ W

___ h ___ j

M ___ ___ P

Writing Practice Rewrite each group below so that the words are in alphabetical order.

1. hand enter en ter ill i ll grow g row fall fal l ________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. ever dandy d andy candy c andy gun gu n fun ________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. many kick k ick open never low __________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. time see very v ery run under ________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. next play jam box b ox van va n ________________________________________________________________________________________ 18

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own Find the following words in a dictionary. dictionary. Each word has more than one meaning. Write one of the meanings for the word. Then use the word in a sentence of your own. 1. stop

Mean Me anin ing: g: ___________ ______________________ _______________________ __________________ ______ My se sent nten ence ce:: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ _____ ____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ ______________________ ________

Partner Work  1. With your partner, go over your Writing Practice work. Make any corrections that are

needed. 2. If words begin with the same letter or letters,

you must look at the next letters to put the words in alphabetical order. Examples: cake

2. stoop

Mean Me anin ing: g: ___________ ______________________ _______________________ __________________ ______ My se sent nten ence ce:: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ _____ ________________________________________________ 3. cape

cheese (a comes before h)

coffee

cola

(f comes before l)

cream

crew

(a comes before w)

With your partner, put each list below in alphabetical order. pear potato

pound

pint

____________________________________ __________________ ________________________________ ______________

Mean Me anin ing: g: __________ ______________________ _______________________ __________________ _______

strange

stretch

My se sent nten ence ce:: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ _____

______________________________________________

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ ______________________ ________

meat

market

stuff

melt

straight

meant

______________________________________________ 4. cap

fright

frost

from

fight

Mean Me anin ing: g: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ __________ ___

______________________________________________

My se sent nten ence ce:: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ _____ ____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ ______________________ ________

tax

5. fine

tale

tall

tape

______________________________________________ 7. band

Mean Me anin ing: g: __________ ______________________ _______________________ __________________ _______

Mean Me anin ing: g: ____ ________ _________ __________ __________ _________ _________ __________ __________ _____

My se sent nten ence ce:: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ _____

My se sent nten ence ce:________ :____________ ________ _________ __________ _________ _________ ________ ___

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ ______________________ ________

__________________________________________________

6. find

8. ban

Me anin Mean ing: g: __________ ______________________ _______________________ __________________ _______ My se sent nten ence ce:: ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ _____

Me anin Mean ing: g: ____ ________ _________ __________ __________ _________ _________ __________ __________ _____ My sen senten tence: ce: ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ _______ ______ ______ ______ _____ __

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ ______________________ ________

__________________________________________________ 19

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

8. Using Capital Letters Discuss The capital letters in the

RUL RU LE BOX  CAPITALIZE:

sentences below are in bold.

a. the first word in a sentence

Look in the Rule Box.

b. the word I c. the names of particular people and their titles

Which rules found in the Rule Box

d. the names of days and months

are followed in the sentences below?

e. the names of particular places, such as streets, cities, states, countries, and buildings

1. We waited at the corner. 2. I liked the book, but I didn’t like the movie. 3. He went to New Y ork ork with his friend Lucia Gomez. 4. The party will be on Monday, March 21, at Sunset Lodge. 5. She drove Mrs. Smith to Dr. Lane’s office on Fern Street. On page 74, you’ll find more rules for using capital letters.

Writing Practice Rewrite each sentence to make it correct.

1. is this the right answer? __________________________________________________________________________________ 2. This is the book i told you about. __________________________________________________________________________________ 3. I think mr. ansel lives on second avenue. __________________________________________________________________________________ 4. he went to work on tuesday, april 25. __________________________________________________________________________________ 5. They live at fern gardens in new jersey. __________________________________________________________________________________ 20

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own

Partner Work 

Read the paragraph in the box. In each sentence, three words need to be capitalized. Rewrite the

1. With your partner, go over your Writing

paragraph correctly on the lines below the box.

are needed.

Practice work. Make any corrections that 2. The first word and all the important words

tina and Andre are driving through the state of new mexico. It’s early in the month of april, and  Andre is looking looking at his guide book, book, The american  southwest. “We have to go to the city of santa fe!” says andre. “It was featured in the TV program land of enchantment, and i want to check it out.” Tina says, “Maybe we can stay there overnight on monday with mrs. perez!”

in the titles of books, movies, TV shows, plays and musicals must also be capitalized. Examples: Jake and I are reading  B aseball  and I ts ts H eroes. eroes.

My favorite TV show is C lenda, the  E   lderly W   itch.

With your partner partner,, rewrite the following sentences to make them correct. a. Maria is reading a book called the mystery of wilderness castle.

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________________

b. I read work in the 21st century to get some tips about good jobs. __________________________________________

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

c. The TV show here’s george! george! is based on the movie where’s george? __________________________________________ d. I have two tickets for the musical the

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

 phantom cats.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

21

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Section 1 Review  A. Write the correct word in each sentence.

1. We ____________ her a birthday card. cent sent

D. On the line below the box, write the words in

alphabetical order. quiz

quick

quit

question

quiet

2. He has ___________ sisters and two too ___________ brothers. for four 3. I can’t ____________ the music here hear from ____________. here hear

________________________________________________

E. Find the two words in each sentence that need

to be capitalized. Write the sentences correctly. 1. We drove to the city of helena, montana. ________________________________________________

B. Write the contraction for the words under

each line. 1. I think ____________ pass this test. I will 2. Leo ____________ going to the party, but is not

2. On tuesday, Laurie and i missed the bus. ________________________________________________ You’re 3. who likes the TV program  so You Think You’re So Smart?

________________________________________________

____________ going to be there. Jake is 3. It ____________ look like ____________ win. does not she will

C. Write the past-tense form of the word

under each line. 1. They ____________ the puppies in a warm keep place. 2. We ____________ some fish and catch

____________ them home. bring 3. She ____________ me the picture she show

____________. draw 22

With a partner or your instructor instructor,, go over the questions and your answers. Make a check mark ( ✓ ) beside each of your correct answers. Discuss any answers that are not correct. Make any changes that are needed. Check the box that shows how you rate yourself: ■ Superior: All my answers are correct. ■ Good: No more than four of my answers were incorrect. Review This Section: Section: Five or more ■ I Need to Review of my answers had to be corrected.

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Nouns Nou ns and Verbs Nouns and verbs are nothing new to you because you use them constantly when you speak. In

section

 2

this section, you’ll become skillful in identifying nouns

read and in using nouns and verbs correctly when you write. and verbs in the material you

In fact, if you can identify the nouns and verbs in the following sentences, you’re already on your way to success. 1. The audience applauded loudly. (1 noun, 1 verb) 2. The car stopped at the light. (2 nouns, 1 verb) 3. Tomas Tomas cooked and served the meal. (2 nouns, 2 verbs)

Contents 1. Identifying Nouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2. Pronouns: Words That Stand for Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 3. Compound Compound Nouns Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 28 4. Identifyin Identifying g Verbs Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 30 5. Using Using Regular Regular Verbs Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 6. Using Irregu Irregular lar Verbs Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 7. Words That Can Be Nouns or Verbs. . . 36 8. Turning Verbs Into Nouns and  Vice-Versa  Vice-V ersa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Section Secti on 2 Review Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

23

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

1. Identifying Nouns Discuss  A noun is a word that names a person, place, animal, or thing. Read alou aloud d the the following examples. person: woman

Gloria

umpire

place: Ohio

Mexico

airport

animal: dog

horse

butterfly

thing: desk

shoe

ear

student

George

teacher

Empire State Building robin

window

snake

book

Mr.. Perry Mr

house

school

mall

fish

basketball

river

flower

planes

Keep in mind: A thing may also be something you cannot touch or see. Read aloud

the following nouns. music

English

sadne ss sadness

friendship Spanish

humor problem

idea

Writing Practice Complete each sentence with a noun from the boxes above. For some questions, different answers are possible.

1. The ______________________ didn’t fit. *2. ______________________ is an important language. *3. ______________________ was his favorite sport. *4. ______________________ owns a grocery store. 5. The ______________________ scared us. *6. ____ ________ ________ ________ _______ ______ ___ make make good good pets. pets. 7. The ______________________ was crowded. *8. ______________________ flew over our house.

*Check your sentences. Each one with an asterisk should begin with a capital letter!

24 

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner, read aloud your Writing

3. With your partner, write a noun to complete

Practice sentences. Identify the noun you

each sentence below below..

wrote. Tell whether it names a person, place, animal, or thing.

a. ___________________ won the prize.

2. With your partner, identify and underline

the noun in each sentence below. a. The house house was empty empty.. b. Jac Jacob ob went went in. c. Mus Music ic was was playin playing. g. d. The sound sound was was mysterio mysterious. us. e. A bird bird san sang. g. f. The flow flowers ers wilt wilted ed and and droope drooped. d. g. Two people people were dancing. dancing. h. My friend friend sang along along happily happily..

b. _________________ like to eat bananas. c. _____________ can’t come to the party. d. _____________ are amazing animals.

e. The _____________ seemed confusing.

Writing on Your Own Choose and circle a topic from the box below. Look at the nouns listed after the topic. Write about your topic using each of the nouns at least once. Underline those nouns. Topics

Nouns to Use

 An Awful Situation

situation

fright adventure family predicament

Good Friend ndss Feeling Sad Feeling Happy

friends helpf pfu ulness school people neighbo borrhood sadness anger luck lesson person happiness pleasure fun places excitement

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25 

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Words That Stand for Nouns 2. Pronouns: Words Discuss Read aloud the sentence pairs below. Identify which noun or nouns in sentence 1 have been replaced by the underlined word in sentence 2. Example: 1. Jon hit the ball. ball. 2. He watched it fly out of the park. He stands for Jon.

1. My My sister go goes to co college

2. Sh She studies ev every night.

1. The building is empty empty..

2. It is falling apart.

1. The dogs are lonely.

2. They miss their owner.

1. Kim and I like to write.

2. We write stories about our childhood.

1. The books were helpful.

2. They provided the information I needed.

The underlined words above are pronouns. A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. By using pronouns correctly, you can make your writing smooth and professional. Decide which pronouns to use in place of the underlined nouns below. Then read aloud the new second sentence in each pair. ■

Laura is a nurse. nurse. Laura Laura works at Mercy Mercy Hospital. Hospital.

■

Tim and Robert repaired repaired the car. car. Tim and Robert replaced the gears and wheels. wheels.

■

The music was was soothing. The The music helped me calm calm down.

■

David owns a truck. truck. David drives hundreds hundreds of miles each day day.

■

Stella and I were were late for work. work. Stella and I ran to the bus stop.

Writing Practice Read the sentence pairs. Rewrite the second sentence in the pair by replacing the underlined noun or nouns with the correct pronoun.

26

1. Jane read read the book. Jane Jane recommen recommended ded it to us. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. The book is exciting. exciting. The book book is definitely worth worth reading. reading. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Laurie and Ben liked the book. Laurie and Ben admired the main character character.. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Mr. Mr. King talked about the book. Mr. Mr. King had read it several times. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Fernando and I saw the movie. Fernando and I thought it was better than the book. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own Rewrite the following paragraph by using the correct pronouns in place of the underlined words.

Partner Work  1. With your partner, read aloud your Writing Practice sentences. Discuss and make any

corrections that are needed.

2. With your partner partner,, rewrite the second

sentence in each pair below below.. Use the

 After my sister graduates from high school, my sister will go to the community college. college. The college is near our home, and the college offers a variety of classes. Business Skills and Computer Literacy are the two most popular classes. Business Skills and Computer Literacy are offered five days a week and on four evenings. Mr. Mr. Lennon teaches the evening classes. Mr. Mr. Lennon is a great teacher. teacher. Rocky and I studied with him last year, so Rocky and I advised my sister to register for the evening classes.

noun or nouns that each underlined pronoun stands for. a. Arnold gave gave a report. report. He did a good job.

____________________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

b. I saw the the plane take off. It left on time.

____________________________________________________

______________________________________________ c. Renee avoids the mall on weekends. She

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

shops on Monday or Tuesday. ______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

d. The lot was full of used cars. They They were

____________________________________________________

in bad shape. ______________________________________________ e. Lenny and I visited our parents. We We try to see them them at least least once a month. month.

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 27

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

3. Compound Nouns Discuss  A compound noun is two nouns used to name one thing. ■

Some compound nouns are written as one word; headache is an example.

■

Some compound nouns are written as two words; tape recorder is an example.

Usually, the first word of a compound noun is

stressed when you say the noun.

That is, emphasis is placed on the first noun. Read aloud the compound nouns in the box below. HEADache

TAPE recorder  AIRplane HOMEwork BALLgame

Writing Practice Write the compound noun found in each sentence. Then underline the part of the noun to stress when you say the noun aloud.

Example: This is a tape recorder. tape recorder

1. Where’s the restroom? 2. Can you read my handwriting? 3. What’s your phone number? 4. She’s my science teacher. 5. I’ll buy a notebook. 28

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own 1. First, choose and circle five of the compound

nouns from the following list.

Partner Work  1. With your partner, identify the compound

nouns you wrote for Writing Practice. Read aloud the compound nouns to make sure you stress the correct part of the noun.

chalkboard

guesswork

traffic light

firefighter

candlelight

Thanksgiving Day

handshake

flying saucer

United States

library book

Pacific Ocean

driveway

ceiling fan

underwater

Main Street

grammar lesson

cottage cheese

mailbox

2. With your partner, write sentences using the

following compound nouns. a. text textbo book ok __________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Now Now,, use the five compound nouns you’ve

circled in a paragraph of your own. Check your spelling. ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ b. ten tennis nis play player er __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ c. wa wate terr ski ski

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

d. ma math th te test st

____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

e. cl clas assr sroo oom m __________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 29

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

4. Identifyi Identifying ng Verbs Discuss  A verb is a word that names an action or a state of being. The verbs in the sentences below are underlined. Read aloud the sentences, then say the verbs. ■

Glen stacks stacks the firewoo firewood. d.

■

The boy helps his neighbor neighbor..

■

The logs logs are heav heavyy.

■

Then the job becomes becomes easier easier..

■

The men men rest rest on the porch porch..

 A verb can tell about something that happens now (the present ), or about

past. The underlined verbs above are in the prese pr esent nt ten tense se. In the box below below,, you’ll find find the pa past st te tens nse e of the verbs. something that happened in the

Say the sentences sentences above again, again, this time using the past tense. Example: Glen stacked the firewood.

rested helped stacked became were

Writing Practice 1. Complete each sentence with a verb from the box below. Different choices are possible.

liked hated saw left passed attended were are

a. The dog b. We

the cat. that movie.

c. A lot of people

the fair fair..

d. Everyone in our class

the test.

e. Some of the lessons in the book

hard.

2. On the line after each sentence, write the verb in that sentence.

a. My sister works at ValueMart. b. She trains new employees. c. Last week she got a raise. d. The boss praised her.  30

e. She needs the extra money for her kids.

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner, read aloud the sentences

you completed for part 1 in Writing Practice.

Example: We followed the recipe and baked

the cake.

 Ask your partner to identify the verb in each

a. I read the schedule and chose a program.

sentence.

b. She sang the song and danced with her partner.

2. With your partner, check the verbs you wrote

c. John likes soccer but hates basketball.

for part 2 in Writing Practice. Ma Make ke any any

d. Tanya was sad, but now she is happy.

corrections that are needed.

e. He feels proud when he reads his story aloud to the class.

3. Each sentence at right has two verbs. With

your partner, partner, identify the two verbs and underline them.

Writing on Your Own Each noun phrase at right can become part of a sentence if you add a verb phrase. Write the whole sentences. Underline the verbs. Remember to capitalize the first word in your sentences and to end the sentence with a period (.).

Noun Phrases 1. most students

 Verb  V erb Phrases

left for the holiday

____________________________________________________ 2. angry passengers

wandered around the airport

____________________________________________________

Examples: Noun Phrases

 Verb  Ve rb Phrases

the party

was a lot of fun

the car in the dump

has no wheels

3. all the flights

____________________________________________________ 4. bad weather on the

Sent Se nten ence ces: s: Th The e party party was was a lot of fun. The car in in the dump has no wheels. wheels.

were late

delayed the flights

East Coast ____________________________________________________ 5. a great many people

spent Christmas at the airport

____________________________________________________  31

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

5. Using Regular Verbs Verbs Discuss  Verbs  V erbs can indicate the time at which something something happened. A regular

verb is

one that shows its past tense, or past time, by adding -ed. Read aloud the following examples. Present

Past

Past Participle

help(s)

helped

(have, has, had) helped

move(s)

moved

(have, has, had) moved

look(s)

looked

(have, has, had) looked

open(s)

opened

(have, has, had) opened

The verbs in the box at right are also regular. Say the past and past participle forms of each. save(s)

Example:

 jump(s))  jump(s

jumped

have jumped, jumped, has jumped, jumped, had had jumped jumped

wonder(s) work(s)

Look at the chart at right. Can you figure out

I help

we help

when you add -s to the present form

you help

they help

of a verb?

he, she, it helps

Writing Practice Complete the sentences. Write each verb in the form named below the line.

1. They have

organize past participle of help

4. He

at the garage. present of work 

the fair. 5. They 2. He

the door.

into a larger apartment. past of move

past of open 6. The children had 3. She

 32

present of save

all her records.

the stream.

across past participle of jump

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, read the sentences you

completed for Writing Practice. Make any corrections that are needed in the forms and spellings of verbs.

1. The present tenses of four regular verbs are

given below. Write the past and past participle of each verb. Present

Past

Past Participle

hope(s hop e(s)) ____________

(have, (ha ve, has has,, had had)) ________

need(s nee d(s)) ____________

(have, (ha ve, has has,, had had)) ________

rest re st(s (s))

____________

(hav (h ave, e, ha has, s, ha had) d) ________

yellll(s ye (s))

____________

(hav (h ave, e, ha has, s, ha had) d) ________

2. With your partner, discuss the spelling

changes that you need to make when writing the verbs below.

Present

Past

Past Participle

cry, cries try, tries

cried tried

(have, has, had) cried (have, has, had) tried

pass pa ss,, pa pass sses es

pass pa ssed ed (h (hav ave, e, ha has, s, ha had) d) pa pass ssed ed

Which spelling of the present tense of cry  do you use after I? After she?

2. Write

a. a sentence using the past participle of  rest. ____________________________________________________ b. a sentence using the past of  yell.

Which spelling of the present tense of  pass do you use after it?

____________________________________________________ c. a sentence using the past participle of  need. ____________________________________________________ d. a sentence using the past of  hope. ____________________________________________________

 33

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

6. Using Irregular Verbs Discuss Many verbs are irregular . That is, the past and past participle forms don’t use -ed. They are spelled in different ways. Read aloud the sentences in the box below.

Present

Past

Past Participle

I wr write a story.

I wrote a story.

I have written a story.

I forget the ending.

I forgot the ending.

I have forgotten the ending.

They build a house.

They built a house.

They had built a house.

She sees the movie.

She saw the movie.

She has seen the movie.

Writing Practice It takes practice to learn the forms of irregular verbs. In the box below, find the correct form to write in each sentence.

Example: Our teacher has

shown

us how to observe birds.

past participle of show

1. The geese

over the pond. past of fly 

2. They have

this way every year year.. past participle of fly 

3. I

them calling to one another. past of hear 

4. They have

Present

Past

Past Participle (have, has, had)

fly, flies

flew

flown

do, does eat, eats

did ate

done eaten

see, sees

saw

seen

hear, hears

heard

heard

show, shows

showed

shown

some fish. past participle of eat 

5. I have

them come down on ponds to find food. past participle of see

6.

the birds know we were watching them? past of do

 34 

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own

Partner Work 

Choose a verb from the box below. Underline the present tense of the verb you choose.

1. With your partner, read aloud your Writing

Then write a paragraph in which you use the present, past, and past participle of your verb.

Practice sentences. Check one another’s use

Example: wear

of verbs. Make any corrections that are

Every year she wears an army hat in the July 4th parade. She wore the hat last year, too. Her dad had worn the hat when he was a Marine.

needed.

of the past, present, and past participle forms

2. With your partner, write a sentence using

each verb below. Present

Present

Past

Past Participle

wear, wears

wore

(have, has, had) worn

pay, pays go, goes

paid went

(have, has, had) paid (have, has, had) gone

________________________________________________

make, makes

made

(have, has, had) made

Past

know, knows

knew

(have, has, had) known

ring, rings

rang

(have, has, had) rung

grow, grows

grew

(have, has, had) grown

hurt, hurts

hurt

(have, has, had) hurt

take, takes ________________________________________________

took ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Past Participle

__________________________________________________________

(have, has, had) taken ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________  35 

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

7. Words C an Be Noun Nounss or Verbs Words That Can Discuss Some words can be used as both nouns and verbs. For example, in the first sentence below, dance is a verb because it names an action. In the second sentence,

dance is a noun because it names a thing (the dance ). ■

Raisa and Martin dance every Saturday night.

■

Everybody went to the dance.

Read aloud the sentences below. Decide whether the underlined words are used as verbs or nouns. Explain your choices. 1. The paint was dry.

5. Our family will drive to Oregon.

2. She paints pi pict ctu ures of he herr fa fami mily ly..

6. It It’’s a lo lon ng drive.

3. They enjoy their work .

7. The answer is easy.

4. They work  six days a week.

8. We answer the question.

Writing Practice Complete each sentence with the word below the line. Read the sentence to yourself. Then write noun or verb on the line after after the sentence sentence to show how the word word is used in that sentence.

Example:

We look forward to the 1. The

race race

.

noun

lasted for two hours. show

2. Jon and Tina

a lot of interest in science. show

3. The baby

a lot. cries

4. We heard the

of the wolves. cries

5. The

end

of that story was sad.

6. We thought the show would never  36

. end

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, read aloud your Writing

Writing on Your Own Write a sentence using each of the words below. On the line after each of your sentences, tell whether

Practice sentences. Explain why each word

you wrote is a noun or a verb.

2. With your partner, use each word below as

instructed. Write your sentences together. Example: Use cook  or cooks as a noun.

you used the word as a noun or as a verb. Examples: like(s)

 Verb Jon and Naomi like dogs. ___________ or noun She listed her likes and dislikes. __________ _____ _______ 1. face(s)

He is a cook in a restaurant.

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________

a. Use cook or cooks as a verb. ________________________________________________

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________ ____________________________

b. Use sounds as a verb. ________________________________________________ c. Use sound or sounds as a noun. ________________________________________________ d. Use love or loves as a verb. ________________________________________________

2. help(s)

____________________________ _____________ _____________________________ __________________________ ____________ ____________________________ _____________ _____________________________ __________________________ ____________ ____________________________ 3. hit(s)

___________________________ _____________ _____________________________ ___________________________ ____________ ___________________________ _____________ _____________________________ ___________________________ ____________

3. Read your sentences aloud to another

group of students. Note and discuss any

____________________________

disagreements. Make any corrections that

4. fight(s)

are needed.

___________________________ _____________ ____________________________ ___________________________ _____________ ___________________________ _____________ ____________________________ ___________________________ _____________ ____________________________ 5. talk(s)

___________________________ _____________ ____________________________ ___________________________ _____________ ___________________________ _____________ ____________________________ ___________________________ _____________ ____________________________

 37

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

urning ng Verbs Into Noun Nounss and ViceVice-V Versa 8. Turni Discuss Language is an exciting thing because you can work with it in different ways. For example, there are many English verbs that you can

change into nouns

 just by adding -er or -or. Read aloud and discuss the following examples together. How do you change the verbs into nouns? a. He teaches our science class. ( Teaches Teaches is a verb.) He is a teacher . ( Teach Teacher is a noun.) b. They collect stamps. ( Collect  Collect is a verb.) They are collect ors ors. ( Collect  Collect ors ors is a noun.) c. Arno writes stories. ( Writes Writes is a verb.) er . ( Writ  Writ er  er  is a noun.)  Arno is a writ er 

Conducts onducts is a verb.) d. Naomi conducts an orchestra. ( C or . ( Conduct  Conduct or  or is a noun.) Naomi is a conduct or 

Now try it the other way. Change the underlined noun into a verb, and say the new sentence.

Example: She is a hiker.

She hikes hikes in the hill hills. s. a. Pam is a good speller. She everything right. b. He’s a great driver. He

c. They are mowers of lawns. a truck.

They

lawns.

Writing Practice Complete each sentence with the word below the line. Read the sentences to yourself. Then write noun or verb to identify the word you added.

Example: Mark and his band

rap music. play

 38

verb

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned. 1. All the

went to school together. players

2. They

a lot of contests. win

3. Mark and the band are

. winners

4. Mark

the band. manages

Partner Work 

Writing on Your Own

1. With your partner, read aloud your Writing

Use the words below in sentences of your own.

Practice sentences and tell whether the word

you added is a noun or a verb. Make any corrections that are needed. 2. With your partner, change each verb below

into a noun by adding -er. Then write a

 Verbs  Ve rbs

1. swim 2. listen 3. run 4. speak 5. help

Nouns

swimmer(s) listener(s) runner(s) speaker(s) helper(s)

sentence using your noun.

Example:  Verb: talk Noun: talker Sentence: He was a fast talker. a. Verb: lead Noun:: _____ Noun __________ __________ ___________ ___________ ___________ __________ ____ Sentence:________________________________ ____________________________________________ b. Verb: read Noun:: _____ Noun __________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ____________ _________ ___ Sentence:________________________________ ____________________________________________ c. Verb: work

1. _____________ ____________________________ _____________________________ ____________________ ______

__________________________________________________ 2. _____________ ____________________________ _____________________________ ____________________ ______

__________________________________________________ 3. _____________ ____________________________ _____________________________ ____________________ ______

__________________________________________________ 4. _____________ ____________________________ _____________________________ ____________________ ______

__________________________________________________

Noun:: _____ Noun __________ ___________ ____________ ___________ ___________ _________ ___

5. _____________ ____________________________ _____________________________ ____________________ ______

Sentence: ______________________________

__________________________________________________

____________________________________________  39

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Section 2 Review  A. On the line after each sentence, write the two

nouns in that sentence. Hint: Several of the nouns are compound nouns.

C. Write the two verbs in each sentence.

1. He wrapped and sent the present. __________________________________________________

1. The classroom was filled with laughter laughter.. __________________________________________________ 2. She picked up the package at the post office. __________________________________________________ 3. The soccer game will be held in Central Park. __________________________________________________ 4. The deer ran through the tall grass. __________________________________________________

2. She made a turn at Elm Street and then turned left on Park. __________________________________________________ 3. The driver swerved and drove off the road. __________________________________________________ 4. They answer the questions and then check their answers. __________________________________________________

5. Jeff signed up for the computer class. __________________________________________________

D. Complete each sentence with the verb form

under the line. You may refer to pages 34–35 if you wish. B. Write the pronoun that can stand for the

underlined word or words. 1. Mary sat down. Mary said she was tired.

1. I have Jeanne for ten years. past participle of know 2. We

__________________________________________________ 2. The storm storm was destructive. The storm blew down huge trees. __________________________________________________

that movie last night. past of see

3. The kids

on a hike. past of go

4. I

the bell and waited for an answer answer.. past of ring

3. The tenants wrote to the landlord. The tenants complained about the noise.

5. He has

past participle of do

all the assignments.

__________________________________________________ 4. Lenny and I studied the map. Lenny and I planned our trip. __________________________________________________ 5. Tom Tom joined the gym. Tom Tom planned to go there every day. __________________________________________________

With a partner or your instructor instructor,, go over the questions and your answers. Make a check mark ( ✓ ) beside each of your correct answers. Discuss any answers that are not correct. Make any changes that are needed. Check the box that shows how you rate yourself: ■ Superior: All my answers are correct. ■ Good: No more than four of my answers were incorrect. ■ I Need to Review Review This Section: Section: Five or more of my answers had to be corrected.

 40

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Adjectives and Adverbs  Adjectives and adverbs are descriptive words. You use adjectives and adverbs all the time when you speak.

section

 3

Here are two examples:

Tremendous  A tremendous crowd gathered gathered in the park. ( Tremendous is an

adjective describing the noun crowd .).)

Everyone cheered loudly for the home team. (The verb in this sentence is cheered . Loudly is an

adverb describing how everyone cheered.) Can you identify the adjectives and adverbs in the following sentences? If so, you’re already on your way to success with adjectives and adverbs. 1. A few fans brought cameras. 2. The angry umpire stopped the game. 3. The game stopped suddenly. suddenly. 4. The umpire walked slowly onto the field. In this section, you’ll learn how to use adjectives and adverbs to add sparkle to your writing.

Contents 1. Recognizing and Using Adjectives . . . . 42 2. Comparing Comparing Two Two Things Things . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 3. Comparing More Than Two Things. . . . 46 4. Recognizi Recognizing ng and Using Using Adverbs Adverbs . . . . . 48 5. More Ways Ways to Use Adverbs Adverbs . . . . . . . . . 50 6. Using Adverb Adverbss in Compariso Comparisons ns . . . . . . 52 7. Playing With Adjectives, Adverbs, and Nouns Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Section 3 Review. Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

 41

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

1. Recognizing and Using Adjectives Discuss  An adjective is a word that describes or adds to the meaning of a noun or pronoun. For example, in the sentence below, strange is an adjective that adds to

the meaning of the noun noise. The strange

noise keeps us awake.

Often an adjective can appear after the noun it describes: The noise is strange. In the sentence below, strange modifies the pronoun it: It is strange. Read aloud the sentences below. Identify the adjective. Tell what noun or pronoun it describes. 1. Most students passed the test.

5. A kind family adopted the cat.

2. The test was difficult.

6. She is happy.

3. The The home homeles lesss cat cat wan wander dered ed alo along ng the str street eet..

7. The The house house seems seems small small..

4. It was hungry.

8. The cat sleeps on a tiny cushion.

Writing Practice Choose an adjective from the box to complete each sentence below. below. Write your choices on the lines. Different answers are possible. green difficult

1. He made

4. The

 42

dessert. . kids didn’t like the movie.

5. They made a

poster for the fair fair..

6. The trees are

and full of blossoms.

7. Nobody liked that 8. The

beautiful silly first little new special

mistakes on the test.

2. She prepared a 3. It was

several scary big delicious

TV program. contestants won a

prize.

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, read aloud the sentences

you completed for Writing Practice. Name the adjective or adjectives you used in each sentence. Then tell which word in the sentence your adjective describes. Example: He made several mistakes on the

test. The adjective  several describes the noun  mistakes.

Writing on Your Own Use each of the words in the box below as an adjective in a sentence of your own. Underline the adjective. Circle the word it describes. Example: large The mail mail carrier carrier delivered delivered a large large box. large easy mysterious

purple sad

good

different

enormous

quiet

1. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 2. With your partner partner,, write sentences using

each word below as an adjective. a. gl gloo oomy my ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ___

2. ________________________________________________

______________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________

b. co conf nfus usin ing g ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ___

__________________________________________________

______________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________

c. ho horr rrib ible le ____ _________ __________ __________ _________ _________ __________ __________ _____

__________________________________________________

______________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________

d. brave brav e ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____

__________________________________________________

______________________________________________

6. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 7. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 8. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 9. ________________________________________________ __________________________________________________  43

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Compari aring ng Two Two Things 2. Comp Discuss You can use adjectives to compare two things, or to tell how the two things are alike or different. Read these examples together. What do you add to show the comparison? 1. The movie was strange. It was stranger than the movie I saw last week. 2. The music was loud. It was louder than the music on the tape. 3. Jake is happy about the test results. He is happier than his brother is. Some adjectives are longer than the ones above. They have more than two syllables. Say these examples:

 peculiar

interesting

amazing

fascinating

With long adjectives like these, you don’t add -er to compare two things. Instead, you add more before the word. Read aloud these examples. This mystery story was more peculiar than the last one we read. The plot was more interesting than the one in the other book. The outcome of the story was more amazing than the one in the first book. The characters are more fascinating than the ones in the last book.

Writing Practice 1. On the line in each sentence, choose and write the correct comparative form of the adjective. It will help if you say the adjective aloud to yourself first to figure out how many syllables it has.

a. big

Their house is

than ours. bigger, more big

b. long

Her story is

than mine. more long, longer

c. terrifying

His ghost story was

than the one I wrote. terrifyinger, more terrifying

 44  Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned. d. deep

Sutter Lake is

than Long Lake. deeper, more deep

e. unusual

The end of her story is

than yours. more unusual, unusualer

2. Now, draw an arrow

from the adjectives you wrote in part 1 to the nouns they describe.

Example: The end of her story is more unusual than yours.

Writing on Your Own Partner Work 

Use each adjective below in a sentence of your own that compares two things. easier sweeter more exciting less interesting

1. With your partner, read aloud the sentences

funnier more helpful sadder less helpful

you completed for part 1 in Writing Practice. Make any corrections that are needed.

1. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________ 2. With your partner partner,, write the comparative

form of each adjective below. below.

__________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________

a. cu cute te ___________ ______________________ ______________________ ________________ _____ __________________________________________________ b. ni nice ce ___________ ______________________ ______________________ ________________ _____

4. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ c. inte intelli lligent gent ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ____

5. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ d. tou tough gh ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ___________ ________ e. in inqu quisi isiti tive ve ______ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ __________ ____

6. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 7. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ 8. ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

 45  Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Compari aring ng More Than Than Two Two Things 3. Comp Discuss Read aloud the sentences in the box below. How does the

adjective change?

Base Form

Comparative Form

Superlative Form

(Describes one thing.)

(Compares two things.)

(Compares more than two things.)

1. This band is loud.

2. It is louder th than an th the e ban band d we heard yesterday.

3. In fa fact ct,, itit is is the the loudest band I’ve ever heard!

1. The movie was funny .

2. It was funn ier than the movie we we sa saw last week.

3. The funn iest part was when the whale ate the car.

1. The riddle was silly .

2. It was sill ier   ier th tha an the the one you told last week.

3. It’s the sillies est  t riddl riddle e I’ve I’ve ever ever heard.

In the second sentences above, two things are being compared. What ending is added to the adjective? In the third sentences above,  more than two things are being compared. What ending is added to make the superlative form? With adjectives that have one syllable, like loud, you usually add -est to form the superlative. Note: Many two-syllable adjectives that end in -y , like funny and silly , change -y to -i before adding -er or -est. Now, say the base forms and sentences below. How many syllables are in the base form of each adjective? What is the superlativ superlative e form of each adjective? (Base forms) 1. (expe (expensiv nsive) e) This This car is is the most expensive one on the lot. 2. (bea (beautifu utiful)l) It is the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen. 3. (comfortable) Of all all the cars, however however,, it is the least comfortable. 4. (reasona (reasonable) ble) I’ll buy the car that is most reasonable.

To form the superlative of longer adjectives, use most or least before the base form.

 46 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned. e. They have the

Writing Practice 1. Complete the sentences below. Write the  superlative form of the adjective under the line.

garden on our beautiful

block. f. We took the

a. That’s the

small

b. It was the

dog I’ve ever seen! test we’d had all year year..

difficult c. What’s the

book you’ve ever long

route to the park. short

2. For each sentence in part 1 above, draw an arrow from the adjective you wrote to the noun it describes.

Example:

read? d. The mayor holds the

 job

She won the prize for the most unusual costume. unusual

responsible in our town.

Writing on Your Own Read the following paragraph and decide which adjectives are correct. Circle the correct adjectives. Then write the paragraph correctly.

Partner Work  With your partner, read aloud the sentences you completed in Writing Practice. Id Iden enti tify fy the superlative form of the adjective and the

The (most new, newest) store at the mall is SellMore. They claim to have the (lowest, most low) prices and the (helpfulest, most helpful) staff

noun it describes. If you disagree, explain your choices, then make any corrections that are needed.

of any store around here. However, the signs in the store are the (confusingest, most confusing) I’ve ever seen. The (most peculiar, peculiarest) sign said Not in This Section.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 47 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

4. Recognizing and Using Adverbs Discuss  Adverbs are descriptive words that usually modify, or add to the meaning of, verbs. The adverbs tell how  how,, when, or where an action takes place. For example, in

the following sentences, walks is the verb. The adverbs add to the meaning of walks.  Andre walks slowly . ( Slowly  Slowly is an adverb telling  how Andre walks.) walks.)

■

 Andre always walks.  Always (  is an adverb telling when Andre walks.) walks.)

■

 Andre walks everywhere. ( Everywhere Everywhere is an adverb telling where Andre walks.) walks.)

■

 As a writer, writer, you can use adverbs to make your writing more interesting interesting and exact. For example, Andre walks slowly gives a more precise description of Andre than simply Andre walks. Read aloud each sentence in the box below. Identify the adverb and the verb. Tell whether the adverb tells  how, when, or where.

1. She carefully opened the package. 2. They often watch TV game shows. 3. The children played outdoors.

Writing Practice

4. He quickly completed the assignment.

Choose a different adverb from the box

5. She visited us yesterday.

below to complete each sentence. Then,

6. They ran inside.

underline the verb that your adverb modifies. Different answers are possible.

Example: Selm Selma a answ answere ered d the phon phone e

cautiously

.

cautiously down somewhere bravely tomorrow suddenly today nervously eagerly 1. The repor re ports ts are due du e _____ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ _______. __. 2. The T he class cl ass list l istene ened d _____ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ _________. ____. 3. He mislai mi slaid d his homewor ho mework k __ _____ ______ _____ _____ ______ ______ ______ _____ _____ ______ ______ _____ ___. _. 4. We _______ __________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ fol followe lowed d the direc direction tions. s. 5. They ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ __ clim climbed bed the stee steep p cliff c liff.. 6. She threw the book __________________________________________.

 48 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, read aloud the sentences

you completed for Writing Practice. Check to make sure you correctly underlined the

Writing on Your Own 1. Read the following paragraph and decide which

word in parentheses is correct. Circle the correct word. Underline the verb it modifies The first sentence is done for you as an example.

verb your adverb modifies. Jen stepped stepped (conf (confident, ident, confide confidently ntly ) up to the 2. With your partner, discuss what each adverb

starting line. She (usually, usual) felt nervous, but

you chose tells about the verb: Is it how,

today she knew she would (surely, (surely, sure) win the

when, or where?

race. The starting whistle blew (loudly (loudly,, loud). Jen ran (swift, swiftly), but saw that Peter was (quickly, quick) catching up with her. Jen breathed (deeply, deep) and plunged toward the finish line.

2. Check the words you chose in 1 above with your

instructor or with a classmate. Then write the entire paragraph correctly on the lines below below..

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

 49 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

5. More Ways to Use Adverbs Discuss You’ve just learned how to use adverbs to add to the

meaning of verbs in your

writing. For example, in the following sentence the adverb quickly adds to the meaning of the verb opened opened.. Quickly tells how she opened the package. She opened the package quickly. You can also use adverbs to add to the meaning of adjectives and other adverbs. For example, in the sentence below, very is an adverb adverb that adds to the meaning meaning of the adverb quickly . She opened the package very quickly. In the sentence below, very  is an adverb that adds to the meaning of the adjective good.

She writes writes very very good stori stories. es. Read aloud the sentences below. Tell what word each underlined adverb modifies. 1. He was re really hungry.

4. I almost always finish my homework on time.

2. He He re real ally ly lilik kes sci cien ence ce cl clas asss.

5. Sh She tru trully enjo joyys bab babys ysiitt ttin ing. g.

3. I almost lost my way.

6. He wrote a truly wonderful sci-fi story.

Writing Practice Use a word from the box below to complete each sentence. Draw an arrow to the word it modifies. Different choices are possible.

Example: They

nearly

1. He is 2. The mail arrived 3. They watched 4. Our electric bill was 5. She

won the contest. likely to succeed. early today. as the boat drifted away away.. lower this month. tossed the ball over the fence.

definitely quietly least helplessly nearly fairly angrily

50 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing on Your Own

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, read aloud the sentences

you completed for Writing Practice. Id Iden enti tify fy the word you wrote and the word it modifies. Make any corrections that are needed.

2. With your partner, write sentences using the

following phrases. a. quite silly

b. awfully sad

c. fairly recently

Write about a big event in your life. Some possible subjects are in the box below. moving to a new home responding to an emergency a big achievement an argument with a friend finding a good job conquering fear

d. very best e. quite badly a. ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ________ _______ _______ _______ _____ __________________________________________ b. ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ________ _______ _______ _______ _____

When writing about the big event, use  at least five adverbs. You can use adverbs listed in this lesson or in Lesson 4. Underline each of your adverbs. Be ready to tell which word each adverb modifies.

__________________________________________ c. ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ________ _______ _______ _______ _____ __________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

d. ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ________ _______ _______ _______ _____ ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________ e. ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ________ _______ _______ _______ _____ __________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

51 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

6. Using Adverb Adverbss in Comparisons Discuss You may remember that you can use adjectives to make comparisons. You can use

adverbs to make comparisons, too. Read aloud the examples below. Notice that -er is added to form the comparative, and -est is added to form the superlative. Base Form

Comparative Form

Superlative Form

He arrived late.

He arrived later th than an th the e tea teach cher er..

Of all all tthe he stu stude dent nts, s, he ar arri rive ved d latest.

She arrived early .

She arrived earlier than he he did.

Of al all tthe he students, she arrived earliest.

I can run fast.

I can run faster than you can.

Of all our team members, I run fastest.

Here’s an important rule to keep in mind: Here’s mind: For most adverbs that end end in -ly , add more to form the comparative and add most to form the superlative. (You’ll notice that early , above, is an exception to this rule.) Read aloud these examples: Base Form

Comparative Form

Superlative Form

quickly easily clearly

more quickly more easily more clearly

most quickly most easily most clearly

Writing Practice Refer to the boxes above to complete the sentences. Use the directions under the lines to write the correct form of each adverb.

1. The test results arrived

than we had expected. comparative form of quickly 

2. She sings

when she is part of a choir choir.. superlative form of clearly 

3. He does his chores

than his sister does. comparative form of easily 

4. They eat supper

than we do. comparative form of early 

5. That train arrives

superlative superlativ e form of late

on Monday.

6. Which of the ten contestants ran

in the race? superlative superlativ e form of fast

52 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner partner,, read aloud the sentences

you completed for Writing Practice. Ma Make ke any corrections that are needed.

partner,, rewrite each sentence 3. With your partner below to make it correct. a. His desk looks looks more neater neater than mine. mine. __________________________________________________

2. Discuss the following rules with your partner:

a. Don’t add both more and -er to comparative

b. This story is the most most longest I’ve I’ve ever written. written. __________________________________________________

forms. Wrong: He arrived more later than I did. Right: He arrived later than I did.

c. She seems more happier today than she did yesterday. __________________________________________________

b. Don’t add both most and -est to superlative forms. Wrong: Roz was the most cutest dog in the

d. That movie is the most scariest one I’ve seen in a long time. __________________________________________________

dog show. Right: Roz was the cutest dog in the dog

show.

e. This dress is more prettier than that one. __________________________________________________

Writing on Your Own Use each adverb below in a sentence of your own. 1. sooner __________________________________________________________________

5. aga again in ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ______ __

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

2. fi fina nallllyy ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ __

more re con confifiden dently tly ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ __ 6. mo

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

reallllyy _____ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ____________ _________ ___ 3. rea

hasti stily ly ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ _______ ______ _____ __ 7. ha

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

wear arililyy _____ _________ _________ __________ __________ _________ _________ __________ _________ ____ 4. we

8. most often ____________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

53 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

7. Playing With Adjectives, Adverbs, and Nouns Discuss Many words can appear as

nouns, adjectives , or adverbs in a sentence.

It all depends upon the form of the word and how it’s used in the sentence. Once you’ve learned the difference between nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, you can play with many words in many ways in your writing. Discuss the following examples: 1. They run fast. (In this sentence, run is a verb.) He hit a home run. (In this sentence, run is a part of the compound noun  home run. run )  .) 2. They danced slowly . ( Slowly  Slowly is an adverb modifying the verb danced .) .) The turtle was the slowest contestant in the race. ( Slowest Slowest is an adjective telling more about the noun contestant. )  ) Face is a verb in this sentence.) 3. He can an’’t face big problems. ( Face His face is on all the posters. ( Face Face is a noun in this sentence.) Promptly is an adverb modifying the verb  rang.) 4. She promptly rang the bell. ( Promptly 

The teacher provided prompts to help us on the test. ( Prompts Prompts is a noun in this sentence.)

Writing Practice Complete each sentence with the word below the line. The read the sentence to yourself. Write noun, adjective, or adverb to tell how the word is used.

Example: The

cost 

of gas went up.

cost 1. Gas

more lately. costs

2. He

to Oregon. moved

3. The

packed the furnitu furniture. re. movers

4. He drove

across the country. slowly

noun

54  Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned. 5. It was the

trip he had ever made. slowest

6. The

seemed endless. drive

Partner Work  7. He is an excellent

.

1. With your partner partner,, discuss your

driver

Writing Practice answers. Explain

8. He reads road maps

. carefully

why you classified the word you wrote as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Make any corrections that are needed.

2. With your partner, use each word

below in a sentence. Write noun, adjective, or adverb after your sen-

Writing on Your Own Use each word below in a sentence of your own. The word in parentheses tells you how to use the word. Example: comedy (noun)

The play was a comedy about stupid television shows. 1. suddenly (adverb)

____________________________________________________ 2. successfully (adverb)

tence to tell how you used the word. a. be best st ______ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ __________ ____ ________________________________________ b. wi winn nnin ing g ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ _______ _____ __ ________________________________________ c. sl slow ower er ______ ____________ ____________ _____________ _____________ ________ ________________________________________ d. car caref eful ully ly ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ _______ ______ _____ __ ________________________________________

____________________________________________________ 3. dangerous (adjective)

____________________________________________________ 4. lovingly (adverb)

____________________________________________________ 5. writer (noun)

____________________________________________________

6. idea (noun)

____________________________________________________ 7. trip (noun)

____________________________________________________ 8. slow (adjective)

____________________________________________________

55  Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Section 3 Review adjectives in each each sentence  A. Circle the two adjectives below. Underline the word or words they below. modify.

D. Complete each sentence. Write the correct

form of the adverb below the line. 1. She writes

1. Some student studentss read excitin exciting g mysteries. mysteries.

than I do. clearly

2. The firs firstt book book was shor short. t. 3. The long longest est chapter chapter describ described ed an amazing amazing discovery.

2. He He stayed up

than his brother did. late

3. Sh She can see

with her new glasses. easily

4. Of all the cars, this one starts

. fast

B. Complete each sentence. Write the correct

form of the adjective below the line. 1. That piano is

than this one. old

2. The music was the

I had ever hear heard. d. weird

3. Jason was

in the composer than I was. interested

4. The Brightcliff Band was the

band in our town. popular

5. He had a

voice voic e than his siste sisterr did. soft

C. Circle the adverb in each sentence. Underline Underline

the word it modifies. 1. They almos almostt lost lost their their way. way. 2. She is is a truly grea greatt friend. friend. 3. He put the boo book k down. down. 4. We ne never ver leav leave e the the kids. kids.

With a partner or your instructor instructor,, go over the questions and your answers. Make a check mark ( ✓ ) beside each of your correct answers. Discuss any answers that are not correct. Make any changes that are needed. Check the box that shows how you rate yourself: ■ Superior: All my answers are correct. ■ Good: No more than four of my answers were incorrect. ■ I Need to Review Review This Section: Section: Five or more of my answers had to be corrected.

56 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Building Sentences section  As you learn to identify and use nouns, pronouns, ,

, and

correctly, the

verbs adjectives adverbs sentences you write become more interesting. For example,

4

complete each of the following sentences with the kinds of words named in parentheses. See how many different sentences you can come up with. 1. The (adjective) truck moved (adverb) along the (adjective) highway. 2. A (adjective) (noun) ran across the (adjective)(noun). 3. (pronoun) stopped (adverb) at the edge of the (noun). In this section, you’ll become even more experienced in writing interesting sentences.

Contents 1. Subjects Subjects and Predica Predicates. tes. . . . . . . . . . . . 58 2. Different Kinds of Sentences. . . . . . . . .60 3. Combining Combining Sentence Sentencess With And . . . . . .62 4. Combining Sentences With . . . . . . . . . . But and Becaus Because e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 5. Using Phrases to Build Sentences . . . . 66 6. Using Clauses Clauses to Build Build Sentences Sentences . . . . 68 7. Finding Finding the Right Word Word . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Section 4 Review. Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

57 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

1. Subjects and Predicates Discuss Every sentence has a subject and a

predicate.

The complete subject, underlined below, tells who or what the sentence is about. The wild horses horses ran freely freely along the shore. shore. The simple subject is the most important word in the complete subject. The wild horses horses ran freely freely along the shore. shore.

Together, read the sentences below. Identify the complete subject and the simple subject. Several tourists watched the horses. The newborn colt stayed close to its mother.

The complete predicate of a sentence, underlined below, tells what the subject does or is. The wild horses ran fr freely eely alon along g the shor shore. e. The most important word in the complete predicate is the verb. The verb is called the simple predicate. Several tourists watched the horses. horses.

Together, read the sentences below. Identify the complete predicate and the simple predicate. The newborn colt stayed close to its mother. The older colts played together on the beach.

58 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing Practice Copy each sentence. Then draw a line between the complete subject and the complete predicate.

Example: Most of the dancers/come from Spain.

1. The audience was fascinated by the performance. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. All of the performers wore beautiful costumes. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Two guitarists provided the music. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Everyone in the audience applauded. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. This group has fans all over the world. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Partner Work  1. Check your Writing Practice work with your

partner.. Did you correctly separate the compartner plete subject from the complete predicate? Make any corrections that are needed. 2. Read the following sentences with your

partner.. Draw a line between the complete partner subject and the complete predicate. Then underline the simple subject once. Underline the simple predicate twice. Example: The youngest youngest kids/sw kids/swim im in the

shallow pool. a. My older brother applied for a job at the pool. b. Ralph is an excellent swimmer. swimmer. c. He often gives lessons at the YMCA. d. Most little children need lots of instruction about safety. e. A responsible parent watches the child every minute.

Writing on Your Own Write a sentence about each of the following topics. Draw a line between the complete subject and the complete predicate. Underline the simple subject once. Underline the simple predicate twice. Example: Topic: music

I / like like rap musi music. c. 1. Topic: pet(s)

____________________________________________________ 2. Topic: book(s)

____________________________________________________ 3. Topic: friendship

____________________________________________________ 4. Topic: food

____________________________________________________ 5. Topic: car(s)

____________________________________________________

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2. Different Kinds of Sentences Discuss In your writing, you use four different kinds of sentences. All four kinds begin with a capital letter.  A declarative sentence makes a statement. It ends with a period.

■

Example: The subways usually run on time.

 An interrogative sentence asks a question. It ends with a question mark.

■

Example: Was the subway station crowded?

 An imperative sentence makes a request or gives a command. It ends with a period.

■

Notice that in an imperative sentence the subject is not stated. The subject is understood to be you: (Y (You) ou) please don’t push . Examples: Please don’t push.

Take your time.  An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling. It ends with an

■

exclamation point. Examples: What a slow train this is!

Goodness, look at this crowd!

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Use what you’ve learned.

Writing Practice Copy each sentence. Add the correct capitalization and end punctuation. Example: buy your tickets here

 Answer: Buy your tickets here.

1. did you get to work on time ____________________________________________________

2. the boss was glad to see me ____________________________________________________

3. what a pile of work there was on my desk ____________________________________________________

4. don’t forget our lunch date ____________________________________________________

Partner Work  1. Check your Writing Practice sentences with

5. where are we meeting ____________________________________________________

6. write down the address ____________________________________________________

7. you’ll like the food there a lot ____________________________________________________

8. wow, what a fantastic menu this is ____________________________________________________

Writing on Your Own 1. Choose a topic from the box below. Circle the topic you choose.

your partner. partner. Did you capitalize the first word

Best Friends Look Lo okin ing g for for a Jo Job b

in each sentence? Explain the end punctuation you used. 2. With your partner, read each group of words

below. Which group is a sentence? Explain your choice. a. The city streets. What a crowd there is at lunch time! b. Taxis Taxis honk their horns. So much noise and action. c. A full bus? Is the bus full?

My Favorite Sport My Fa Fami mily ly

2. Write your topic on the first line below. Then write a paragraph on your topic. Your Your paragraph can have as many sentences as you like, but you must use ■

at least one declarative sentence; at least one interrogative sentence; ■ at least one imperative sentence; and ■ at least one exclamatory sentence. ■

TOPIC : ________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

d. Don’t take a bus.  A short trip across town to the restaurant. e. All kinds of delicious food. I ordered the salad.

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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3. Combining Sentences With And Discuss You can often combine two short sentences to make a longer sentence. You can often use

and to connect the sentences sentences.. Read these examples together:

1. Karen is reading reading a book. Antonio is writing a report. Karen is reading a book, and Antonio is writing a report. 2. Carlos is coming home tomorrow. tomorrow. His friends are coming with him. Carlos is coming home tomorrow, and his friends are coming with him. 3. Jake is cooking dinner dinner.. Jake is serving serving dinner. dinner. Jake is cooking and serving dinner. 4. Lenore was was listening to the teacher. teacher. Lenore was taking notes. notes. Lenore was listening to the teacher and taking notes. Which example in each pair above sounds more professional and grown-up? Why? Notice that you use a comma (,) before and when it’s needed to make the meaning clear.

Writing Practice Use and to combine the two sentences in each pair below into one sentence.

Examples:

■

Sam played tennis. Sam played golf. Sam played tennis and golf.

■

Tina is a swimming instructor. Jorge is a lifeguard. Tina is a swimming instructor, and Jorge is a lifeguard.

1. My grandmother visited over the holidays. My grandfather visited over the holidays. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

2. I swept up the leaves. Tim trimmed the bushes. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

3. She applied for the job. She waited for the answer. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Selma wrote the play. Her friends played the different roles. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Use what you’ve learned. 5. The truck entered the driveway. The truck knocked over the mailbox. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Luis gobbled up the sandwich. Luis asked for another one. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Jake plays the bongos. Ellie plays the flute. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. The puppy curled up at my feet. The puppy went to sleep. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Partner Work 

Writing on Your Own

1. With your partner, read aloud the sentences

First, read the following paragraph to yourself. Then

you wrote for Writing Practice. Dis Discus cusss any likenesses and differences between your answers. 2. Is it possible to use and too much? The

answer is yes. As an example, read aloud the paragraph below below.. We got on the bus and traveled to the museum and went inside and saw the exhibit of dinosaurs and ate lunch and then we went to the IMAX theater and saw a movie about dolphins and then we hopped a bus and went home and we told my Dad about what we learned.

With your partner partner,, rewrite the paragraph above to make four or more sentences. Use and only where it seems correct to combine sentences.

improve it by ■ combining some sentences with and, and ■ eliminating and in some places to make a new sentence. Write your revised paragraph on the lines provided. Jon went to the yard sale. I went to the yard sale. We saw a lot of beat-up furniture and some stained and dirty clothing and Jon decided it wasn’t worth staying any longer and he said he wanted to go home and then all of a sudden I saw a beautiful painting. The painting was of horses running along the shore. The painting cost only $8.00 and I bought it and I hung it in my bedroom. ____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________ ____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________

Eliminate the other ands. ____________________________ ______________ _____________________________ ____________________ _____

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________

____________________________ ______________ _____________________________ ____________________ _____

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________

____________________________ ______________ _____________________________ ____________________ _____ ____________________________ ______________ _____________________________ ____________________ _____

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________

____________________________ ______________ ____________________________ __________________________ ____________

____________________________________________________

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4. Combining Sentences With But and Because Discuss The word but usually signals an exception or difference. Read the examples together. Examples:

The job pays well, but it’s awfully boring. He needs money, but he won’t look for a job. She buys lottery tickets, but she never wins anything. She wanted to go to college, but she had to save some money first.

Notice that you put a comma before but. The word because usually comes before a reason. Read the examples together. Examples:

He doesn’t eat ice cream because he’s on a diet. He passed the test because he studied hard. The house is cold because the pipes froze. She picked up the baby because he was crying.

Notice that the words but and because help writers show the connection between ideas and actions. Read the examples together. Examples:

1. She read the book. Her friend recommended it. She read the book because her friend recommended it. 2. He got the job. He had a lot of experience. He got the job because he had a lot of experience. 3. They went to the airport. They forgot to bring their tickets. They went to the airport, but they forgot to bring their tickets. 4. The movie is popular. I think it’s a waste of time. The movie is popular, but I think it’s a waste of time.

Writing Practice 1. Use but to combine each pair of sentences below into one sentence. Remember to use a comma before but.

a. They packed the van. There wasn’t enough room for everything.

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Use what you’ve learned. b. The cold winter wind howled outside. Everyone inside was warm and cozy. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. We boarded on time. The plane was delayed on the runway. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Use because to combine each pair of sentences below into one sentence.

a. The kids were unhappy. The TV was broken. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. He liked her. She was honest and had a great sense of humor. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. I missed the bus. My alarm clock didn’t go off. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Partner Work  1. Read aloud the sentences that you wrote for use a comma comma after after Writing Practice. Did you use but? Did you use capital letters correctly?

Writing on Your Own

2. Read aloud the following sentence pairs.

Read the sentence pairs. Combine each pair by correctly using but or because.

Decide how to combine each pair into one sentence. Will you use but or because? Write the new sentence. a. I threw the darts. I kept missing the target. ________________________________________________ b. She joined the YWCA. She wanted to use the swimming pool there. ________________________________________________ c. Fido was a huge dog with long teeth. He was very friendly. ________________________________________________ d. I watched the TV show. I fell asleep halfway through it. ________________________________________________ e. I took my car to Lemmon’s Repair. Its prices are lower. ________________________________________________

1. I can’t eat peanuts. I’m allergic to them.

____________________________________________________ 2. I went to the museum. I wanted to see the new

dinosaur exhibit there.

____________________________________________________ 3. She wants to learn Spanish. She can’t find a

good teacher. ____________________________________________________ 4. The car is twenty years old. It still runs well.

____________________________________________________ 5. The tree fell over. The windstorm was severe.

____________________________________________________

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5. Using Phrases to Build Sentences Discuss  A phrase is a group of words that acts as a unit within a sentence. The phrases are underlined in the examples below. Read the rules and discuss the examples together.  A phrase can act like a noun.

■

Example: Postal workers sort thousands of letters.

 A phrase can act like a verb.

■

Example: The mail delivery was late.

 A phrase can modify a noun.

■

Example: The picture is from a satellite circling the earth.

 A phrase can modify a verb.

■

Example: He left in a hurry.

Writing Wr iting Prac Practice tice Complete each sentence with a phrase from the box below below.. her paintings with watercolors is old on the wall a lot of money to pay can’t afford every day

1. Look at the picture _____ __________ __________ __________ __________ ________. ___. 2. The fra frame me _______________________ ____________________________________. _____________. 3. The artist painted ______________________________. 4. People buy ____________________________________. 5. I _____________________________________ to buy one. 6. She makes ____________________________________. 7. She has bil bills ls _________________________ __________________________________. _________. 8. She works ______________________ on her paintings.

66 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Partner Work  1. With your partner, read aloud the sentences

you completed for Writing Practice. Discuss how you used each phrase: As a noun? As a verb? To modify a noun? To modify a verb?

2. With your partner, write a sentence using

each phrase below, then discuss how you used each phrase: As a noun? As a verb? To modify a noun? To modify a verb? a. a great many people ________________________________________________ b. never stopped ________________________________________________ c. over the wall ________________________________________________ d. at the Animal Shelter ________________________________________________

Writing on Your Own Complete the paragraph using the kind of phrase indicated below each line. Example: We see

at the mall cineplex.

the latest movies noun phrase

The

movie this month was Revenge of the Spider People. adjective phrase to modify the noun movie

We sat

. adverb phrase to modify the verb sat

None of us liked We

noun phrase

. the best parts of the movie.

verb phrase

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6. Using Clauses to Build Sentences Discuss  A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate. There are two types of clauses.

You’re already familiar with one kind: the

independent clause. The independent

clause can stand alone as a sentence. Together, identify the subject and the predicate in the following sentences: ■

They practiced all summer.

■

The coach helped them.

■

Jake joined the practice.

■

He passed the test.

You can join independent clauses with the words and or but. The subjects and predicates are underlined in the following sentences: ■

They practiced practiced all summer summer,, and the coach coach helpe helped d them them..

■

Jake joined joined the practic practice, e, but he faile failed d the test test..

Sometimes, you can also use the word so to join independent causes. ■

He wanted wanted adve adventur nture. e. He joined joined the Coast Coast Guard. Guard.

■

He wanted wanted adve adventur nture, e, so he joined joined the Coast Coast Guard. Guard.

■

The boat was sinking. sinking. The Coast Guard Guard sent a rescue team. team.

■

The boat was sinking, so the Coast Guard sent a rescue rescue team. team.

 A dependent

clause also has a subject and a predicate. But a dependent

clause cannot stand alone. It is part of a sentence. Read the following f ollowing examples together. The dependent clauses are bold. The subjects and verb form are underlined in each dependent clause. The joining words are circled. ■

sunny  nny . We will go on a picnic tomorrow if it is su ■ I can’t understand wha whatt the they y are say saying ing. ■

Write my address so you don’ don’tt forg forget et it.

68 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Use what you’ve learned.

Writing Practice 1. Join the sentences below with and, but, or so to make two

Partner Work 

independent clauses.

Together, read the sentences you

Example: (Use so ) The VCR was broken. We took it to the

wrote for 1 and 2 in Writing Practice.

repair shop.

Then exchange papers. Check one

 The VCR was broken, so we took it to the repair shop.

another’s sentences to make sure

a. (Use so ) The movie was boring. We We left before it ended. ______________________________________________________________

b. (Use and ) Linda drove. Kerry read read the directions from from the map. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

c. (Use but )  ) Josh has a new computer. computer. He doesn’t know how to use it.

you’ve used capital letters, lowercase letters, and periods correctly. Make any corrections that are needed.

Writing on Your Own Use each clause below as a dependent clause in a sentence of your own. Example: why he bought a parachute

He couldn’t explain why he bought a parachute.

______________________________________________________________

1. when the tent blew over __________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

__________________________________________

2. Correctly write one sentence based on the two clauses. Examples:

He told me. Why he was unhappy unhappy..

He told me why he was unhappy. She’ll go the party. You go, too.

She’ll go to the party if you go, too a. They will tell us. They are ready. ______________________________________________________________

b. Use the map. You don’t get lost. ______________________________________________________________

c. She wouldn’t explain. She was scared. ______________________________________________________________

d. Doreen couldn’t figure out. Which answer was correct.

2. so that the puppies were safe __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 3. after everyone had gone to bed __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 4. as the lights went out __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 5. while it was still warm __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 6. if you arrive too late __________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

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7. Finding the Right Word Discuss When you write, you want to use words that say

exactly what you mean. Many

words are close in meaning, but the differences make a big difference! Read the following examples together: look 

Look means turn your your eyes toward something. I looked looked at the phot photos. os.

glance

Glance means to look quickly at something. I glanced glanced at the clock clock to see what time it was.

peek 

Peek means to look quickly and slyly. slyly. Don Don’t ’t peek at the answers answers..

stare

Stare means to look at something something for a long time with with wide-open eyes. She stared stared at the stars stars for hours. hours.

glare

Glare means to look look angrily at someone or something. something. He glare glared d at the the driver who was honking her horn.

 As a group, discuss which which word in parentheses parentheses fits best in each sentence below. below. Explain your choices. 1. He (glared, glanced) at his watch to see what time it was. 2. She (stared, peeked) around the corner to see where he was hiding. 3. They (stared, looked) at the table of contents to find the right chapter. 4. I (glared, stared) at my favorite rock stars as they entered the stadium. 5. She (peeked, glared) at the kids who were making fun of her brother.

Writing Practice Study the words and meanings below. Then complete each sentence following the box with the best word possible. handsome

Handsome describes someone who is good-looking good-looking or something that is very impressive. The castle was extremely handsome.

gorgeous

Gorgeous means very beautiful and colorful. She wore a gorgeous red and gold gold dress to to the dance.

graceful

Graceful means beautiful beautiful in form and movement. She was a graceful dancer.. The tree swayed gracefully dancer gracefully in the breeze.

pretty

Pretty describes something that is nice to look at, but isn’t outstanding enough to be called gorgeous or beautiful. These daisies

are pretty. The blue dress isn’t gorgeous, but it’s very pretty.

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Use what you’ve learned. 1. She Sh e wore a _______ __________ ______ ______ ______ _____ _____ ______ ______ _____ co costu stume me made ma de of red re d and gree g reen n silk. sil k. 2. He was modest about his looks, even though he was very ______________________________. 3. The daffodils are _______________________________, but they can’t compare with the beauty of the roses. 4. As she left l eft the stag stage, e, the t he singer si nger waved in a __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __ way to t o her fans fans..

Partner Work 

Writing on Your Own

1. Discuss the sentences you completed for

Use a dictionary to find the exact meaning of each word below. Write the meaning. Then use the word

Writing Practice. Explain your choices.

in a sentence of your own. Example: request 2. With your partner, read aloud each boldfaced

Meaning: ask for something or ask someone to

word and its meaning. Then use each word

do something

in a sentence.

Sentence: I requested a favor from my teacher.

Example: leave: to go away from or move

1. beg

away from

Meani Mea ning ng:: _____ ___________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ___________ ______

The bus will leave the terminal at

Sentence:______________________________________

8  A.M.

________________________________________________

a. quit: to stop doing something ________________________________________________ b. vacate: to go away from a place and leave nothing in it ________________________________________________ c. abandon: to leave a place or person and never return ________________________________________________

2. coax Meani Mea ning ng:: _________ __________________ ___________________ ____________________ ____________ __ Sentence:__________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 3. demand Meaning: ___ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____ __ Senten Sen tence: ce:_____ ___________ ___________ ___________ ____________ ___________ ___________ ________ __________________________________________________ 4. plead Mea ning Meani ng:: ____ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ____ Sentence:__________________________________________ __________________________________________________

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Section 4 Review  A. Underline the complete subject once. Underline

the complete predicate twice. 1. The Thanksgiving Day parade will begin at noon. 2. Most of the marchers are wearing uniforms. 3. My father and my uncle march with the  Vietnam veterans.

D. Correctly use but or because to combine the

following sentences. 1. She packed her suitcase. She forgot to put it in the car. __________________________________________________ 2. He ordered a salad. He is on a strict diet. __________________________________________________

B. Copy each sentence. Use capital letters

3. The lights went out. You forgot to pay the electric bill. __________________________________________________

and end punctuation correctly. correctly. 1. what a pleasure it will be to see my friends again __________________________________________________

E. Underline the two phrases in each sentence.

2. we’ll get together for a big party __________________________________________________

1. Little kids enjoy the amusement park. 2. The water slide is very popular. 3. Some kids slide over and over.

3. did you send the invitations __________________________________________________ 4. please bring something to eat __________________________________________________

C. Combine the sentences below with and.

1. Tony likes sci-fi movies. Tony likes sci-fi books. __________________________________________________ 2. Jorge designed the poster. Terry made copies of it. __________________________________________________ 3. Look at this drawing. Tell Tell me what you think of it. __________________________________________________

F. Draw one line under each independent clause.

Draw two lines under each dependent clause. 1. We waited for the letter but it never arrived. 2. She watered the flowers so that they wouldn’t die. 3. We will go to the movies if we have time. 4. I don’t know why he hasn’t arrived. 5. I wrapped the present and Lenore signed the card. With a partner or your instructor, instructor, go over the questions and your answers. Make a check mark ( ✓ ) beside each of your correct answers. Discuss any answers that are not correct. Make any changes that are needed. Check the box that shows how you rate yourself: ■ Superior: All my answers are correct. ■ Good: No more than four of my answers were incorrect.

■ I Need to Review Review This Section: Section: Five or more of my answers had to be corrected.

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Handbook  A handbook provides directions or short notes on specific topics. Here’s Here’s what you’ll find in this handbook:

section

5

Contents 1. Rules for Capitalization and Punctuatio Punct uation n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 2. Synonyms Synonyms and and Antonyms Antonyms . . . . . . . . . . 76 3. Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 4. Words Often Confused. . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 5. Idiomatic Idiomatic Express Expressions ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 6. Irregular Irregular Verbs Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 7. Taking Taking Tests Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 8. Writing Writing Letters Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

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1. Rules for Capitalization and Punctuation Capital Letters 1. Capitalize the first word in a sentence. We waited at the corner.

2. Capitalize the word I. Max and I washed the car. 3. Capitalize the names of particular people, cities, states, countries, buildings, and streets. She asked Luis Uribe to describe the Colombian city of Medelin. The Empire State Building is on Fifth A venue venue in New Y ork. ork. 4. Capitalize a title used with a person’s name. I asked Miss Seacrove and Dr. Allan to give me a recommendation for the job. 5. Capitalize the names of days, months, and holidays. Do not capitalize the names of the four seasons. Our spring vacation begins on Monday, March 21. In November, we celebrate Thanksgiving with our whole family. 6. Capitalize the names of languages, religions, and nationalities. Many A mericans mericans study Buddhism. Many people in Switzerland speak French and German. 7. Capitalize the names of clubs, organizations, businesses, and groups. We asked the Tinnitus Ear Breakers to play at the Fast Track Club. She was offered a great job by the president of Cyber Works. 8. Capitalize the beginning of a direct quotation. Samantha yelled, “Don’t forget to wash the car.” 9. Capitalize the first word, last word, and all other important words in book and story titles. I just read F or or W   hom the Bell T olls olls.

The title of his story is “ I Like It, But...”

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Periods

If the two names come in the middle of a sen-

1. Use a period at the end of a statement or

tence, place a comma after the second name. They traveled to Davis, West Virginia, last

command. The band has rehearsed for days. Please clap when you hear them play. 2. Use a period after an abbreviation. He arrived at Spring St. at 4

P.M.

summer. 3. Use a comma after introductory words such as yes and no. No, I won’t be able to come to the party. Yes, supper is ready.

3. Use a period after an initial. The winners are Elaine T. Jones and E. J. Walker.

4. Use a comma in a long compound sentence. She worked very hard during high school, and many colleges offered her

Question Marks

Use a question mark a the end of a question. Is this the right road?

scholarships and student loans. He had tried to help his friend, but somehow his efforts never paid off.

“Where on Earth are we?” asked Beryl.

Exclamation Points

5. Use a comma to set off the name of a person spoken to.

Use an exclamation point to show strong

Charlie, you may be right.

feeling.

I think, Charlie, that you may be right.

What a fantastic time we had at the party! Ouch! That hurts!

Commas 1. Use a comma after items in a series.

Let’s go home and eat, Charlie. 6. Use a comma to separate an introductory dependent clause from the rest of the sentence.  Although I had met her before, I couldn’t

He bought bread, milk, eggs, and yogurt.

remember her name.

Mindy, Jake, and Lenore organized

 Afterr the movie  Afte movie was was over over, we discus discussed sed it. it.

the trip. 7. Use a comma after the greeting of a friendly 2. Use a comma to separate the name of a city from the name of a state or country. They traveled to Davis, West Virginia.

letter and after the closing of any letter. (See pages 84 and 85 for examples.)

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2. Synonyms and Antonyms Synonyms are words that are very close in meaning. The small differences, however, are usually important. Here are some examples of synonyms: ■

every, all, entire

He ate every cookie in the box. He ate all the cookies in the box. He ate an entire box of cookies. ■

push, shove, nudge

They pushed the car out of the ditch. Some people were shoving their way into the line. She got my attention by nudging me with her elbow.

Here are some other commonly used synonyms: yank, drag, tug, haul

decrease, shorten, cut, dwindle

contribute, donate, present

special, particular, unique

expensive, valuable, costly

strength, power, energy

lengthen, stretch, extend, continue

sudden, quick, hasty, abrupt

law, rule, regulation

weak, feeble, frail, flimsy

examine, investigate, explore

danger, peril, menace, threat

serious, solemn, thoughtful

delicious, appetizing, tasty

shake, tremble, shudder, shiver

throw, toss, pitch, hurl

 Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Examples:

to, from

less, more

off, on

begin, end

in, out

lost, found

up, down

dark, light

all, none

stay, leave

like, dislike

last, first

different, same

apart, together

yes, no

start, stop

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3. Abbreviations  Abbreviations  Abbrev iations of Words Words Used in Addres Addresses ses  Ave. (Avenue) (Avenue)

Blvd. (Boulevard) (Boulevard)

St. (Street)

Apt. (Apartment)

Rd. (Road)

Rte. (Route)

Mr. Henry Miller 1560 Kendall St.  Apt. 9B Delmarville, NY 15672

Dr.. (Drive) Dr (Dr ive)

Examples of Post Office Abbreviations for Names of States  Ask at your post office for a complete list.  AL (Alabama)

 AR (Arkansas)

NH (New Hampshire)

 AK (Alaska)

NE (Nebraska)

NY (New York)

 AZ (Arizona)

NV (Nevada)

 Abbreviations  Abbrev iations of Words Words Used in Measure Measurements ments yd. (yard)

pt. (pint)

ft. (foot)

qt. (quart)

in. (inch)

gal. (gallon)

km (kilometer)

oz. (ounce)

g (gram)

lb. (pound) tsp. (teaspoon) tbsp. (tablespoon)

 Abbreviations  Abbrev iations of the Names of Months ( May  May , June, and July are not abbreviated.)

 Abbreviations of  Abbreviations Time Words

Jan. (January)

Sept. (September)

yr.. (year) yr (y ear)

Feb. (February)

Oct. (October)

mo. (month)

Mar. (March)

Nov. (November)

wk. ( week)

 Apr.. (April)  Apr

Dec. (December)

hr.. (hour) hr (ho ur)

 Aug. (August)

min. (minute)

sec. (second)  77 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

4. Words O ften Confused Words Often Many words look similar in writing. These words, however, really do have different spellings, and they have different meanings, too. Be sure to use the

correct corr ect spel spelling ling when you write. 1. alley

An alley is a narrow street between buildings. He found the puppy in an alley .

ally

An ally is someone who supports you. She was my ally  in  in our demand for better day-care for kids.

2. anyway

 Anyway means regardless or in spite of. I don’t care what you think. I’ll do it anyway .

any way  Any way means in whatever way. We’ll rescue the child in any way  possible.  possible.

3. desert

A desert is a huge area of dry land. The camels plodded across the desert . Desert means to leave or abandon someone.

dessert

Don’t desert  me  me in this awful place! A dessert is something to eat. For dessert   , he served apple pie and ice cream.

4. later

Later means after this particular time.

I’ll register as a voter later today.

latter 5. loose lose 6. of off 7. quiet quite 8. picture

Latter means the last of two things mentioned. Of the two photos you showed me, I prefer the latter . Loose means not tight. These jeans are too loose on me. Lose means to misplace something. Don’t lose your ticket to the concert. Of means part of or belonging to.

The beginning of the story was fascinating. Off is the opposite of on. She jumped off the ski lift. Quiet means silent. The children were quiet  as  as they watched the play. play. Quite means very. It is quite cold today.

A picture is a drawing. I drew a picture of my brother.

pitcher

A pitcher is a someone who throws a ball. The pitcher  struck  struck a lot of players out. Pitcher can also mean a container that holds liquid.

9. than

W e poured the lemonade into the pitcher . Than is used for comparing two things. She can run faster than I can.

then

Then means the next thing that happened.

She studied the assignment, and then she completed it.

 78

Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

5. Idiomatic Expres Expressions sions  An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning can’t be understood from the ordinary meanings of the words in it. For example, “Get off my back!” is an idiom meaning “Stop bothering me!” The idiom “You hit the nail on the head” means “You’re exactly right.” Here are some other idioms you might use in your writing.

Idiom

Meaning

We’re in hot water water..

We’re in trouble.

Drop me a line.

Write me a short letter or call me sometime.

She gave him a dirty look.

She looked at him angrily.

The traffic was heavy.

There was a lot of traffic.

We don’t see eye to eye.

We don’t agree.

We’re all in the same boat. The boss just gave him the ax.

We all have the same problem. The boss just fired him.

You really put your foot in your mouth.

You really said the wrong thing.

The judge threw the book at her her..

The judge gave her a severe penalty.

This car can stop on a dime.

This car can stop very quickly.

I’m hung up on this problem.

I can’t figure out this problem.

It’s in the bag.

It will surely happen.

I’m stumped.

I can’t figure this out.

He passed the test by the skin of his teeth.

He barely passed the test.

Let’s see which way the wind blows. She let the cat out of the bag.

Let’s see what happens. She told the secret.

You can’t pull the wool over my eyes.

You can’t fool me.

He gave me a leg up.

He helped me when I was in need.

Give me a hand with this assignment.

Help me with this assignment.

He thinks he’s hot stuff.

He’ss conceited. He’

She’ll full of herself.

She’s conceited.

I gave the assignment my all.

I worked very hard on the assignmen assignment. t.

Let’s face the music music..

Let’ss admit we’re in a difficult situation. Let’

The story really got to me.

The story affected me strongly.

 79 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Verbs 6. Irregular Verbs  As you learned on pages 32 and 33, regular verbs form their past and past participle by adding -ed. As you learned on pages 34 and 35,

irregular verbs

form their past and past participle in very different ways. Example: (present) Let’s sing that song together.

(past) They sang off key. (past participle) They have sung that song too often. Use the lists on these pages to help you choose the correct forms of irregular verbs in your writing. You can also use a dictionary to find irregular past and past participle forms. Look under the present tense form of the verb.

Present

Past

be become begin bet break bring buy choose cut draw drive fall feel find forgive

was became began bet broke brought bought chose cut drew drove fell felt found forgave

Past Participle (Use with have, has, had.)

been become begun bet broken brought bought chosen cut drawn driven fallen felt found forgiven

Here are some sample sentences using present forms. Please be quiet. The story begins on page 8. Your sad story breaks my heart. I drive to work every day on Route 8. She buys too much stuff from the Shopping Channel.

80 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Here are some sample sentences using past and past participle forms. He was tired. He had been out late the night before. She became a teacher. She has become devoted to her students. They began a neighborhood campaign. They have begun to find a lot of support. He bet that Tony would win the race. He had bet on Tony before. Last year Tony broke racing records. Has he broken any this year? You bought a lot of stuff today. Have you ever bought that much before? He cut his hand while he was working. He ha had d cu cutt his arm the same way last year. He drove the Land Rover through Mercer Park. Had he driven that way before? I forgave him for making fun of me. I ha have ve for forgi give ven n him many times before.

Past Participle (Use with have, has, had.)

Here are some sample sentences using present forms.

Present

Past

hide hit keep lean leave lose meet ride run send shake

hid hit kept leaned left lost met rode ran sent shook

hidden hit kept leaned left lost met ridden run sent shaken

shrink sink sit speak stand steal swim teach tear think throw

shrank sank sat spoke stood stole swam taught tore thought threw

shrunk sunk sat spoken stood stolen swum taught torn thought thrown

They hid the prize behind the tree. They have never hidden it there before.

understand win write

understood won wrote

understood won written

He rodeit his bike to today. He has ridden to work all work summer.

He hides his fears from other people. She keeps her money under the mattress. Please leave the check in my mailbox. I often lose my car keys. He often rides the bus to Boston.

Below are a few sample sentences using past and past participle forms.

He kept the money in a safe. Has he always kept his money there? She left the kids at the day-care center. She ha had d le left ft their lunch in the kitchen. Mary lost the race. She had never lost a race before.

81 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

aking ng Test estss 7. Taki To do well on a test, you must: (1) indicate or write the correct answer; (2) show the correct answer in the way the directions tell you to.

Direction Words to Know Circle Check

 

✔

Put an X 

 ✗

Print

 Print or print

Underline   Underline 

You must

fill in

the correct answer answer..

Below are examples of directions and correct ways to answer the questions. 1. Circle the number of the correct answer. The capital of the United States is (1) Philade Philadelphia. lphia. (2) New York City.

(3) Washington, Washington , D.C.

2. Fill in the the correct correct answer answer to the the question. question. Alaska  AK is the abbreviation for the state of (a) Alaska (b) Arizona (c) Alabama

.

3. Put a check in the box to show the correct correct answer to the question. question. What country is directly north of the United States? ✓ Canada ■ England ■ ■ Mexico 4. Put an X in the box beside beside the row of le letters. tters. Put a ✓ in the the box box by the column of letters. ■  A W E R  ✗ ✓ ■  A  W E R

82 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Underline the the word word that means means almost almost the the 5. Underline same as the word in capital letters. (a) RESCUE brave save dare yell (b) SCREAM talk fear

anger

NSWER SHEET  A NSWER

a. 1

2

3

4

b. 1

2

3

4

c. 1

2

3

4

yell

Essay Questions The following are examples of true-false questions. Every part of a true-false statement must be true, or the statement is false. Be careful of words like all, always, every, and never. Examples:

Circle T or F to tell whether the sentence is true or false. 1. T F All wild animals are dangerous to humans. 2. T F Most of Earth is made up of oceans and other water. 3. T F Holidays always occur on weekends.

 Answer Sheets For some tests, you must put your answer on a separate sheet or form. Be sure to mark the answer sheet according to the directions. Examples: Find the right answer answer.. Underline the number on the answer sheet. a. Which word does not belong in the group? 1. tall 2. person 3. short 4. tiny b. Which word does not belong in the group? 1. look 2. gaze 3. stare 4. like c. Which word names a feeling? 1. luck 2. prize 3. happy

4. winning

To answer an essay question, you must write several sentences on a specific topic.  A good way to begin is to restate the question as an opening statement. Then add seve several ral sentences that back up or support your opening statement. Example essay question:

What are some problems in our community today? Example of a way to begin the essay:

Our community has several problems these days. One problem is the lack of day-care facilities for children of working parents. Another problem is the number of teenagers who get in trouble after school because there are no after-school activities for them. (You would add to this essay with other examples (You of community.)

83 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

8. Writing Letters While many of us communicate via e-mail these days, there are situations when a handwritten letter is more appropriate. Here are some models of

social letters

that you might write by hand and then send through the post office. Notice that a social letter has five parts to it. Also notice where capital letters are used.

 A Thank-You Thank-You Note: 1. HEADING Your address and today’s date

2. GREETING Name of person to whom you are writing. Put a comma after the name.

3. BODY The main part of the letter

4. CLOSING Follow with a comma. 5. SIGNATURE Your name in longhand

 A Letter of Sympathy 8  D i il l  l lo  o   no  S t  tr  r  e  et  T w  w i ig  s b b er r  r y    , ,  N Y  Y 1 28 7 79  9    Au gu s st  t   1 8  8 , ,   20 0  02 

D ear  E l lm  o r  re   and  S ar ah , GREETING W e’ r  re   s o  o s o  or  r  r  r  y     t o  o hear  ab o  o u  ut  t   W i i l ll l i i  e’ s s d eat h.  H e w as  s u  BODY u c c h a gr eat  d o  og  !  I  r ememb er  ho  w he  w  c u  u d  d d  dl l e  d  u p p t o  o o u  ur  r    c at  , ,  S i i s ss  y  s   , ,  and  ho w  w hap p p y      he w as  t o  o meet  al l l k i in  d s s o f f  v i i s si i t  t  o     r  o r   s s.  W e w i i l ll l  mi s s s s  hi m a l o  o t  t.  Al l l o u  u r  r l o  o v ve  ,,

BUSINESS LETTERS

HEADING

CLOSING

J  a c k  a  n d   d   S  u  s a  a n   

The box below contains some examples of when you might write a business letter. to apply for a job

SIGNATURE

to express your opinion in a newspaper letters column

to order something from a store

to write to a political representative

Notice that a business letter has six parts to it. Also notice that you use a colon (:), not a comma, after the greeting, and that you print your name under your signature.

84  Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

1. HEADING The heading in a business letter should include the sender’s address and today’s date.

12 Wolf Drive San Solo, Solo, CA 94611 94611 May Ma y 9, 9, 200 2002 2 Editor The San Solo Weekly Times 4123 Fair Street

2. INSIDE ADDRESS The address of the person to whom you are writing. This same address appears on the envelope.

San Solo, Solo, CA 94611 94611

3. GREETING Put a colon after the name.

Dear Editor:

4. BODY

I want to thank the Weekly Times for the advance publicity you gave to our annual annual Fur Ball. As a result, more than two hundred hundred people attended attended the event and we raised $12,000 for the Animal Rescue Center. Center. Thanks to everyone who attended! Sincerely,

6. SIGNATURE

5. CLOSING

 Jee n n y A t w a t e r   J Jenny Atwater

RETURN ADDRESS The address of the sender Jenny Atwater  Animal Rescue Rescue Center 12 Wolf Drive San Solo, Solo, CA 94611

Editor The San Solo Weekly Times 4123 Fair Street San Solo, Solo, CA 94611 94611

 ADDRESS The address of the person to whom you are sending the letter

85  Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

86 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Answer Key pp. 12–13 Writing Practice

Section 1: Spelling pp. 6–7 Writing Practice

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

1. Ta Tammy’s

4. We’ll

1. aunt, sent

2. St Steve’s

5. You’ll

2. be, meet

3. Th They ey’l ’lll

pp. 18–19 Writing Practice

Partner Work

1. enter, enter, fall, grow, hand, ill 2. candy, dandy, dandy, ever, ever, fun, gun

3. here, whole

2. a. I’ll

Partner Work

b. she’ll

2. a. choos choose, e, wrap b. hear, bee c. ant, hole d. scent, meat

d. it’ll

3. kick, low, many many,, never, never, open

e. we’ll

4. run, see, time, under, under, very

c. he’ll

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

5. box, jam, jam, next, play play, van

Writing on Your Own

Partner Work

1. You’ll, we’re, we’ll, Adell’s,

2. pear, pint, potato, pound

he’ll, I’ll 2. a.

They will

straight, strange, stretch, stuff market, meant, meat, melt

b. Lana is

pp. 8–9 Writing Practice

fight, fright, from, frost

c.

tale, tall, tape, tax

1. for

e.

It will

d. we will he will

Writing on Your Own

2. would 3. fair

 Answers will vary. vary.

4. hour

pp. 14–15 Writing Practice

5. weak

1. lo love ved d

pp. 20–21 Writing Practice

6. too

2. li like ked d

1. Is this the the right right answer? answer?

3. ta talk lked ed

Writing on Your Own

2. This is the the book I told you you about.

4. sh show owed ed

1. a. hole: opening

5. ans answer wered ed

3. I think Mr. Mr. Ansel lives lives on Second  Avenue.

b. wood: tree product

4. He went to work on Tuesday Tuesday,, April 25.

c. fare: cost of transportation

Partner Work

d. our: belonging to us

2. a.

e. two: a number

walk

b. jump

pp. 10–11 Writing Practice

c. talk

Partner Work

d. show

2. a.

e. look

1. I’m 2. don’t

Writing on Your Own

3. they’re

 Answers will vary. vary.

4. That’s

pp. 16–17 Writing Practice

Partner Work She’s

b. it’s c.

b. it it is

c.

The TV show Here’s George! is based on the movie Where’s

d. I have have two tick tickets ets for for the the musica musicall The Phantom Cats.

1. drew 2. ca caug ught ht

Writing on Your Own

e. aren’t

3. saw

Tina and Andre are driving through the state of New Mexico. It’ I t’ss early in the month of April, and Andre is looking at his guide book, The American Southwest. “We have to go to the city of Santa Fe!” says Andre. “It was featured on the TV program Land of Enchantment, and I want to check it out.” Tina says, “Maybe we can stay there overnight on Monday with Mrs. Perez!”

doesn’t She is

b. I read Work in the 21st Century to get some tips about good jobs.

d. isn’t

4. ch chos ose e 5. fo foun und d

3. a

Maria Mar ia is re readi ading ng a book book cal called led The Mystery of Wilderness Castle.

George?

5. he’s

2. a.

5. They live live at Fern Gardens Gardens in New New Jersey.

d. is not

6. th thou ough ghtt

e. are not

c. does not

Partner Work 2. keep

Writing on Your Own

hold

We’re, I’m, It’s, isn’t, she’s, don’t

bring

do

87 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Answer Key p. 22

4. The cars were in bad shape.

Section 1 Review

5. Lenny and I try to see our parents at least once a month.

 A. 1. sent 2. two, four 3. hear, hear, here B. 1. I’ll I’ll 2. isn’t, isn’t, Jake’ Jake’ss 3. doesn’t, doesn’t, she’ll C. 1. kept 2. caught, brought 3. showed, drew D. question, quick, quick, quiet, quit, quiz E. 1. We We drove to the city of Helena, Montana. 2. On Tuesday, Laurie and I missed the bus. 3. Who likes the TV program So You Think You’re So Smart?

Section 2: Nouns and Verbs

Writing on Your Own  After my sister graduates form form highschool, she will go to the community college. The college is near our home, and it offers a variety of classes. Business Skills and Computer Literacy are the two most popular classes. They are offered five days a week and on four evenings. Mr.. Lennon teaches the evening classes. Mr He is a great teacher. Rocky and I studied with him last year, so we advised my sister to register for the evening classes.

pp. 24–25 Writing Practice

pp. 28–29 Writing Practice

Different answers are possible in most cases. Example answers:

1. restroom

3. Bask Basketbal etballl was his favorite favorite sport.

6. Dogs make make good good pets. pets.

Partner Work 2. a. house

e. bird

b. Jacob

f. flowers

c. Music

g. people

d. sound

h. friend

 Answers will vary. vary.

pp. 26–27 Writing Practice 1. She recommended it to us. 2. It is definitely worth reading. 3. They admired the main character. 4. He had read it several times. 5. We thought it was better than the book.

Partner Work 2. 1. Arnold did a good job.

pp. 32–33 Writing Practice 1. helped 2. opened 3. saves 4. works 5. moved 6. jumped

Partner Work

5. notebook

Writing on Your Own 1. Past

Partner Work

Past Participle (have, has, had)

hoped

hoped

needed

needed

Writing on Your Own

rested

rested

 Answers will vary. vary.

yelled

yelled

2. Answers will vary. vary.

pp. 30–31 Writing Practice 1. Different answers are are possible in most cases. Example answers: b. We hate hated d that that mov movie ie.. c. A lot of of people people atte attende nded d the fair fair..

Writing on Your Own

at the airport.

 After it, use passes.

a. Th The e dog dog like liked d the the cat. cat. 3. Answ Answers ers will will vary. vary.

5. A great many people spent Christmas Christmas

3. phone number 4. science teacher

7. The airport airport was was crowded. crowded. 8. Robin Robinss flew over over our house. house.

4. Bad weather weather on the the east coast coast delayed the flights.

2. Present tense: After I, use cry.  After she, use cries.

4. Glori Gloria a owns a grocery grocery store. store. 5. The snakes snakes scared scared us. us.

3. All the flights flights were were late. late.

2. handwriting

1. The shoe shoe didn’t didn’t fit. fit. 2. Spani Spanish sh is an important important language. language.

2. Angry passengers wandered around the airport.

d. Everyo Everyone ne in our our class class pass passed ed the the test. e. Some Some of the the less lessons ons in the the book book are hard.

2.  Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

a. The baby has rested for an hour. b. The coach yelled at the players. c. He has needed extra help for a long time. d. We hoped our team would win first prize.

pp. 34–35 Writing Practice 1. fl fle ew 2. fl flow own n

2. a. works b. trains c. got d. prais praised ed e. needs

Partner Work 3. a.

3. he hear ard d 4. ea eate ten n 5. se seen en 6. Did

rea ead, d, ch cho ose

b. sa sang ng,, da danc nced ed

Partner Work

c. likes, hates

2. Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

d. was, is e. fee eels ls,, rea reads ds

2. The plane left on time.

Writing on Your Own

They take a vacation every year. She takes the test on Monday. He took his dog to the animal hospital.

3. Renee shops on Monday or Tuesday.

hospital. 1. Most students students left for the holiday holiday..

He had taken all his pets there before.

88 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Writing on Your Own

2. saw

Partner Work

 Answers will vary. vary.

3. went

2. a. cuter cuter b. nicer c. more more intelligent intelligent

4. rang

d. tougher e. more inquisitive

pp. 36–37 Writing Practice

5. done

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

1. noun 2. verb 3. verb 4. noun 5. noun 6. verb

Section 3: Adjectives and Adverbs pp. 42–43 Writing Practice

 Answers will vary. vary. Examples: 1. He made several mistakes on the test. 2. She prepared a delicious dessert.

Partner Work 2.  Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

a. He cooks in a famous famous restaura restaurant. nt. b. The music music sounds funny funny.. c. He liked the sound sound of the ocean ocean waves. waves. d. My boyfriend boyfriend loves classical music. music.

3. It was difficult. 4. The little kids didn’t like the scary movie. 5. They made a beautiful poster for the fair. 6. The trees are green and full of blossoms. 7. Nobody liked that silly TV program.

Writing on Your Own

 Answers will vary. vary.

pp. 38–39 Writing Practice 1. noun 2. verb 3. noun 4. verb

Partner Work 2. Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

a. leader. Sam is the leader of he band. b. reader. She’s a good reader. c. worker. He is a worker at Louie’s garage.

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

p. 40 Section 2 Review  A. 1. classroom, laughter laughter 2. package, post office 3. soccer game, Central Park 4. deer, grass 5. Jeff, computer class B. 1. She 2. It 3. They 4. We 5. He C. 1. wrapped, wrapped, sent sent 2. made, turned 3. swerved, drove 4. answer, check

8. The first contestants won a special prize.

Partner Work 2.  Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

a. The house was gloomy. b. She gave confusing directions. c. We had a horrible time at the party. d. The brave sailors rescued the sinking ship.

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

pp. 46–47 Writing Practice 1 and 2 a. That’s the smallest dog I’ve ever seen! b. It was the most difficult test we’d had all year. c. What’s the longest book you’ve ever read? d. The mayor has the most responsible job in our town. e. They have the most beautiful garden on our block. f. We took the shortest route to the park.

Writing on Your Own The newest store at the mall is SellMore. They claim to have the lowest prices and the most helpful staff of any store around here. However, the signs in the store are the most confusing I’ve ever seen. The most peculiar sign said Not in This Section.

pp. 44–45 Writing Practice 1 and 2 a. Their house is bigger than ours. b. Her story is longer than mine. c. His ghost story was more terrifying than the one I wrote.

pp. 48–49 Writing Practice  Answers will vary. vary. Examples: 1. The reports are due tomorrow. 2. The class listened l istened nervously. nervously. 3. He mislaid his homework somewhere. 4. We cautiously followed the directions. 5. They bravely climbed the steep cliff. 6. She threw the book down.

Writing on Your Own d. Sutter Lake is deeper than Long Lake. e. The end of her story is more unusual than yours.

2. Jen stepped confidently up to to the start-

ing line. She usually felt nervous, but today she knew knew she would surely surely win the race. The starting whistle whistle blew loudly. Jen ran swiftly swiftly,, but saw that Peter Peter was quickly catching catc hing up with her. her. Jen breathed breathed deeply and plunged toward the finish line.

D. 1. know known n

89 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Answer Key pp. 50–51 Writing Practice

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

 Answers may vary. vary. Examples: 1. He is least likely to succeed. 2. The mail arrived fairly early today. 3. They watched helplessly as the boat drifted away. 4. Our electric bill was definitely lower this month. 5. She angrily angrily tossed tossed the ball over over the fence.

Partner Work 2.  Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

a. She acted quite silly during the rehearsal. b. He looked awfully sad as he spoke about his grandmother. c. They arrived in our town fairly recently. d. He does his very best when he’s on his own. e. It hurt quite badly when they pulled out the stitches.

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary.

pp. 52–53 Writing Practice 1. The test results arrived more quickly than we had expected.

pp. 54–55 Writing Practice 1. 2. verb verb 3. noun 4. adverb 5. adjective 6. noun 7. noun 8. adverb

D. 1. more more clearly clearly 2. later 3. easily 4. fastest

Section 4: Building Sentences pp. 58–59 Writing Practice 1. The audience/w audience/was as fascinated fascinated by the performance. 2. All of the performers/wore performers/wore beautiful costumes. 3. Two guitarists/provided guitarists/provided the music.

Partner Work

4. Everyone in the audience/app audience/applauded. lauded.

2.  Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

5. This group/has group/has fans all over the world.

a. He wrote the best answer. (adjective) b. She had the winning number. (adjective)

Partner Work 2. 1. My older brother/applied for a job at

c. He drove slower when he got to town. (adverb)

the pool.

d. Lena opened the door carefully. (adverb)

3. He/often gives lessons at the the YMCA. 4. Most little children/need children/need lots of instruction about safety safety..

Writing on Your Own  Answers will vary. vary. Examples: 1.They suddenly reached the end of the road.

2. Ralph/is an excellent swimmer swimmer..

5. A responsible parent/watches parent/watches the child every minute.

Writing on Your Own

2. He successfully finished his assignment.

 Answers will vary. vary.

3. The hurricane was dangerous. 4. She cuddled the kitten lovingly.

pp. 60–61 Writing Practice

5. Linda is a great writer.

1. Did you get get to work work on time? time?

6. I had a great idea.

2. The boss boss was glad glad to see see me.

7. We took a trip to Washington, D.C.

3 What a pile of of work ther there e was on on my desk!

8. It was a slow train.

4. Don’t forget our lunch date.

2. She sings most clearly when she is part of a choir.

p. 56 Section 3 Review

5. Where are we meeting?

3. He does his chores more easily than his sister does.

 A. 1. Some students read exciting mysteries.

7. You’ll like the food there a lot.

4. They eat supper earlier than we do.

2. The first book was short.

5. That train arrives latest on Monday.

3. The longest chapter described an amazing discovery.

6. Which of the ten contestants ran fastest in the race?

Partner Work 3. a. His desk looks looks neater neater than mine. mine. b. This story is the longest I’ve ever written.

6. Write down the address. 8. Wow, what a fantastic menu this is!

Partner Work 2. a. What a crowd there is at lunch time!

b. Taxis honk their horns. B. 1. olde olderr 2. weirdest 3. more interested 4. most popular 5. softer

c. She seems happier today than she did yesterday.

C. 1.The 1.Theyy almost lost their way.

d. That movie is the scariest one I’ve seen in a long time.

3. He put the book down.

2. She is a truly great friend.

c. Is the bus full? d. Don’t take a bus. e. I ordered the salad.

Writingwill onvary. Your Own  Answers vary .

e. This dress is prettier than that one.

4. We never leave the kids.

90 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

pp. 62–63 Writing Practice 1. My grandmother and grandfather visited over the holidays.

Partner Work

Writing on Your Own

2. a. I threw the darts, but but I kept missing missing the target.

 Answers will vary. vary. Example: The most popular movie this month was Revenge of the Spider People. We sat through the entire thing. None of us liked the ridiculous plot. We couldn’t identify the best

2. I swept up the leaves and Tim trimmed the bushes.

b. She joined the YWCA because she wanted to use the swimming pool there.

3. She applied for the job and waited for the answer.

c. Fido was a huge dog with long teeth, but he was very friendly.

parts of the movie.

4. Selma wrote the play, and her friends played the different roles.

d. I watched the TV show, but I fell asleep halfway through it.

pp. 68–69 Writing Practice

5. The truck entered the driveway and knocked over the mailbox.

e. I took my car to Lemmon’s Repair because their prices are lower.

1. a. The movie movie was boring, boring, so we left left before it ended.

6. Luis gobbled up the sandwich and asked for another one.

Writing on Your Own

b. Linda drove and Kerry read the directions on the map.

7. Jake plays the bongos and Ellie plays the flute.

1. I can’t eat peanuts peanuts because because I’m I’m allergic to them.

c. Josh has a new computer, but he doesn’t know how to use it.

8. The puppy curled up at my feet and went to sleep.

2. I went to the museum museum becaus because eI wanted to see the new dinosaur exhibit there.

Partner Work 2. Paragraphs will vary. Example:

We got on the bus and traveled to the museum. We went inside and saw the exhibit of dinosaurs. After we ate lunch, we went to the IMAX theater and saw a movie about dolphins. Then we hopped a bus and went home. We told my Dad about what we learned.

Writing on Your Own Paragraphs will vary. Example: Jon and I went to the yard sale. We saw a lot of beat-up furniture and some stained and dirty clothing. Jon decided it wasn’t worth staying any longer,, and said he wanted to go longer home. Then all of a sudden I saw a beautiful painting of a horse running along the shore. It cost only $8.00. I bought it and hung it in my bedroom.

pp. 64–65 Writing Practice 1. a. They packed the van, but there wasn’t enough room for everything. b. The cold winter wind howled outside, but everyone inside was warm and cozy. c. We boarded on time, but the plane was delayed on the runway. 2. a. The kids kids were unhappy because the TV was broken. b. He liked her because she was honest and had a great sense of humor. c. I missed the bus because my alarm clock didn’t go off.

2. a. They will will tell us when when they are are ready. b. Use the map so that you don’t get lost.

3. She wants wants to learn Spanish, Spanish, but she she can’t find a good teacher.

c. She wouldn’t explain why she was

4. The car is twenty twenty years old, but it still runs well.

scared. d. Doreen couldn’t figure out which answer was correct.

5. The tree tree fell over because because the wind wind storm was severe.

Writing on Your Own pp. 66–67 Writing Practice  Answers will vary. vary. Examples: 1. Look at the the picture picture on the wall. wall. 2. The fram frame e is old. 3. The artist artist painted with with watercolors. watercolors. 4. Peop People le buy her her paintings. paintings. 5. I can’t can’t afford afford to buy one. one. 6. She makes makes a lot of money money..

 Answers will vary. vary. Examples: 1. The party party ended when when the tent tent blew over. 2. She locked locked the gate gate so that the the puppies were safe. 3. The electricity went out after everyone everyone had gone to bed. 4. He finished finished reading reading the book as the lights went out. 5. They went went swimming swimming while it was still still

7. She has has bills to to pay. pay. 8. She wor works ks every every day on her paintings.

warm. 6. There won’t won’t be any any food left left if you you arrive too late.

Partner Work

pp. 70–71 Writing Practice

 2. Answers will vary. vary. Examples:

a. A great many people attended the fair. (noun) b. The noise never stopped. (verb) c. The dog jumped over the wall. (adverb, modifies the verb jumped) d. The volunteers at the Animal Shelter organized a party. (adjective, modifies the noun volunteers)

1. 2. 3. 4.

gorgeous gorgeo us hand ha ndso some me pret pr etty ty grac gr acef eful ul

Partner Work  Answers will vary. vary. Examples: a. He decided to quit smoking. b. They were asked to vacate the apartment. c. We decided to abandon that campground and look for a better one.

91 Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources  

Answer Key Writing on Your Own Example sentences:

1. I’m going to beg Mr Mr.. Hendrik to let me retake the test. 2. She coaxed the baby to eat the the cereal. 3. The landlord landlord demands demands that that we pay the rent on time. 4. The captives plead for mercy mercy..

p. 72 Section 4 Review  A. 1. The Thanksgiving Day parade will begin begin at noon. noon. 2. Most of the marchers marchers are wearing uniforms. 3. My father father and my uncle uncle march with the Vietnam veterans. B. 1. What a pleasure it will be to see my friends again! 2. We’ll get together for a big party. 3. Did you send the invitations? i nvitations? 4. Please bring something to eat. C. 1. Tony Tony likes sci–fi movies and books. 2. Jorge designed the poster and Terry made copies of it. 3. Look at this drawing and tell me what you think of it. D. 1. She packed packed her suitcase, but she forgot to put it in the car. 2. He ordered a salad because he is on a strict diet. 3. The lights went out because you forgot to pay the electric bill. E. 1. Little Little kids kids enjoy the amusem amusement ent park. 2. The water slide is very popular. popular. 3. Some kids slide over and over. over. F. 1. We We waited waited for the the letter letter but it never never arrived. 2. She watered watered the flowers flowers so that they wouldn’t die. 3. We will go to to the movies if we have time. 4. I don’t know why he hasn’t hasn’t arrived. 5. I wrapped the the present and Lenore signed the card.