Quiz Tomorrow!

Dear Students and Parents,

     Tomorrow, February 4, we have a quiz on Parts of Speech. These are all the different categories of words. You need to differentiate between each type to communicate clearly about more complex ideas than just simple sentences and basic thoughts. If you don't already have the notes, the terms are listed below with definitions.

1. Article - tells you which noun (thing) you are talking about
2. Noun - person, place, object, or idea (thing)
3. Pronoun - general word that replaces a noun
4. Adjective - describes a noun or pronoun (may be color, shape, size, age, origin, etc.)
5. Verb - action
6. Adverb - describes a verb; usually ends in -ly
7. Conjunction - connecting word
1. Coordinating Conjunction - connects equal ideas or clauses; FANBOYS
2. Correlative Conjunction - connects related ideas; works in pairs
3. Subordinating Conjunction - starts dependent clause; answers why, when, if, or opposition
8. Preposition - identifies time or location relative to another noun (thing)
9. Interjection - a word or phrase used to exclaim, protest, or command

     The first half of the quiz involves picking the proper definition out of multiple choices for each part of speech. The second half of the quiz involves reading a paragraph and correctly identifying at least one example of each part of speech from it. Today in class the students practiced this with one paragraph; we will use another for the quiz. Students will not be allowed to use notes for the quiz.

     For your convenience, I have included a list of examples for each category below.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

1. Article - a, an, the
2. Noun - Mr. DeMaris, chairs, table, thought, dream, cat, dinner, steak
3. Pronoun - he, it, they, we, she, them, us, her
4. Adjective - red, blue, green, fuzzy, cold, ancient, new, frozen, American
5. Verb - run, jump, think, fall, cry, repair, stand
6. Adverb - quickly, clumsily, carefully, foolishly, noisily, successfully, abruptly
7. Conjunction
1. Coordinating Conjunction - for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
2. Correlative Conjunction - either, or; neither, nor; if, then; but, so
3. Subordinating Conjunction - because, after, when, if, rather than, though
8. Preposition - before, during, after, on, in, beside, for, from, to
9. Interjection - Breakfast time! Stop! No! Wait! Sit down! Well, Um,

This Week in Preview

Dear Students,

     This week, I will be attending the two home games on Monday and Tuesday, and I will also attend a meeting on Monday afternoon. However, since this is the start of the quarter, you won't need to stay after for any work, so I will be going home right after school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On a personal note, on Wednesday I get to see a friend I haven't seen since New Year's last year; he is coming north again for a couple days, so we are going to dinner in Portland that afternoon. It should be fun!

     This is the first week of Quarter Three, which means you all start with perfect grades! I expect all of you to try your hardest to keep them just that perfect. I will help with that as best as I can.

     On Monday, we will go over classroom rules and layout, including how I will structure the grading for this quarter. This will cover MobyMax, classwork, graded assignments, quizzes, projects, and bonus points. After that, we will talk about the District Writing Competition, and how to submit your entries. Then, we will dive into parts of speech.

     On Tuesday, we will continue covering parts of speech, including the best ways to organize them and which ones are most appropriate in context. If something is allowed, that doesn't mean you should do it. Think of parts of speech like things you can say (they are things you can say, come to think of it); just because you can say something doesn't mean you should.

     On Wednesday, we will review parts of speech, and we will discuss sentence structure. We went over this previously in the year, but it didn't stick. So, we will try again! I will remind you all that you will take a quiz on Friday. Wednesday's homework will involve writing a page about a topic we discuss in class. This formative assessment will be graded on your grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling (L.8.1 and L.8.2).

     On Thursday, we will discuss ways to improve our own writing. We will identify the parts of speech in passages from our own work, and determine if we used them correctly. Then, we will read a short passage from a story and identify parts of speech in it as well. Thursday's homework will be to study for the quiz on Friday.

     On Friday, you will take a quiz on parts of speech; you must identify the definition and use of each part of speech, and then you must identify parts of speech within a sample paragraph. This is your summative assessment on parts of speech. Once you finish the quiz, you will begin reading a short story. Provided class goes well, you will have no homework over the weekend.

     Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week! Start Quarter Three out right!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Commas before Conjunctions!

Hello All,

     I have a new slogan for the coming week:  "Commas before Conjunctions!" When you are writing a compound, complex, or compound-complex sentence, you should always place the comma before the standard conjunction that separates your clauses. For example, consider the following sentence:

Students struggle every day with the pressures of adolescence, and homework only adds to the stress.

Teaches feel stress, too, and they must balance personal lives with professional responsibilities.

     Note how the conjunction "and" separates the two independent clauses. Note, too, how the comma goes before the conjunction. If you placed it after the conjunction, you would be adding the "and" to the first clause; it makes no sense to end a sentence (or clause of any kind) with "and."

The ability to read is useful because our society is based on long-distance communication.

The ability to read is useful, because our society is based on long-distance communication.

     Just remember that you do not need a comma before a subordinate conjunction like "because," "since," or "while."

     As you start a new week, remember:  "Commas before Conjunctions!"

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo

Hello All,

     The clever Sam L. found this treasure and shared it earlier today.  I give you perhaps the most ridiculous grammatically correct sentence you have ever seen.  Enjoy!

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
  
     You read that correctly; your eyes are not deceiving you.  That sentence is grammatically correct in every way, shape, and form.  Allow me to explain.

A buffalo is a bison, that large and shaggy plains animal that has been hunted to near extinction and now largely lives in small, privately controlled herds.

Buffalo is a city in New York.

To buffalo means to push or bully into something, as in, "He buffaloed me into doing my homework, even though I thought it was a terrible idea."

     Now, break the sentence into its individual parts.  The first two words, "Buffalo buffalo," mean buffalo from Buffalo, or bison from the city.  The second two words are the same.  The fifth word is the verb.  So, the first half of the sentence says, "City bison that city bison bully."

     Congratulations, we just wrote the subject of the sentence.

     Moving on to the predicate, we have three words:  buffalo, Buffalo, and buffalo.  The first word is the verb.  Those city bison that have been bullied by other city bison are starting to perpetuate the hatred and insecurity.  What do they do?  They buffalo!  Finally, we need to figure out the identities of their victims.  They are more Buffalo buffalo!  The vicious cycle is complete.  City bison that other city bison bully bully yet other city bison.

     Those poor, sad Buffalo buffalo.

     Thanks Sam!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Quiz on Sentence Completion and Style

Hello Everyone!

     Today you take your sentence completion and style quiz.  Click this link to take the quiz online; it is entirely multiple choice, and you have thirty minutes to complete it.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

You have one more quiz for this unit!

Hello Everyone!

     On Tuesday, October 14, you will have your last quiz of the unit.  This quiz will be entirely multiple choice, and is designed to see if you can identify the difference between fragment, complete, and run-on sentences, as well as the difference between simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences.  You will have the option to take it on the computer or on paper.

     Also, don't forget that Monday is Columbus Day, and you have no school.  Enjoy your three-day weekend, and be sure to study for the quiz!  If you can't remember the terms or the differences between them, look up assignment 02-12 or this handy review sheet.  Click this link for a completed review sheet for the quiz.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris