Title Details

THE AUTHOR

JACK UMSTATTER taught English at the junior high, middle school, and high school levels for more than thirty years. A three-time Teacher of the Year, Umstatter is the best-selling author of 15 books including Grammar Grabbers!, Hooked on English!, and English Brainstormers! He currently conducts both local and national teacher-training workshops in the areas of reading, writing, poetry, and curriculum.

About This Book v

About the Author v

Dedication vi

Acknowledgments vi

Standards Grid xvii

Introduction 1

SECTION ONE PARTS OF SPEECH 3

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 5

Diagnostic Test 1: Parts of Speech 6

Diagnostic Test 2: Parts of Speech 7

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 9

Nouns

1.1 Nouns 10

1.1A Plus a Quotation 11

1.1B Nouns Abound in the Classroom 12

Pronouns

1.2 Pronouns 13

1.2A Two at a Time 15

1.2B Naming the Pronouns 16

Adjectives

1.3 Adjectives 17

1.3A And a Trip to the Zoo 19

1.3B Listing Three Adjectives 20

Verbs

1.4 Verbs 21

1.4A Where the Boys Are 23

1.4B Connecting Verbs and Vocabulary 24

1.4C You Will Not Need Help Here 25

Adverbs

1.5 Adverbs 26

1.5A Scrambled Up for You! 28

1.5B Dressing Up 29

Prepositions

1.6 Prepositions 30

1.6A Finding the Four Words 32

Conjunctions

1.7 Conjunctions 33

1.7A Appropriately Chosen! 34

Interjections

1.8 Interjections 35

1.8A With Great Feeling!!! 36

REVIEW ACTIVITIES 37

Review Activity 1: O What an Activity! 38

Review Activity 2: Finding the Missing Link 39

Review Activity 3: Checking Out the Two Sentences 40

FINAL TESTS 42

Final Test 1 43

Final Test 2 44

SECTION TWO PARTS OF A SENTENCE 45

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 47

Diagnostic Test 1: The Parts of a Sentence 48

Diagnostic Test 2: Prepositional and Verbal Phrases 49

Diagnostic Test 3: Complements 50

Diagnostic Test 4: Subordinate Clauses 51

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 52

Simple Subjects

2.1 Simple Subjects 53

2.1A Look for Something Easy 54

Complete Subjects

2.2 Complete Subjects 55

2.2A Healthy Advice 56

Subjects in Unusual Positions

2.3Subjects in Unusual Positions 57

2.3A You Name Them 58

Simple Predicates

2.4 Simple Predicates 59

2.4A Matching Them Up 60

Compound Verbs

2.5 Compound Verbs 61

2.5A A Walk in the Park 62

Complete Predicates

2.6 Complete Predicates 63

2.6A Yours to Complete 64

Verb Phrases

2.7 Verb Phrases 66

2.7A Phasing In Verb Phrases 67

Prepositional Phrases

2.8 Prepositional Phrases 68

2.8A Hidden Prepositional Phrases 69

2.8B One to a Sentence 70

Adjective Phrases

2.9 Adjective Phrases 71

2.9A Making Sense of the Adjective Phrase 72

Adverb Phrases

2.10 Adverb Phrases 74

2.10A Traveling the World 75

Appositives

2.11 Appositives 76

2.11A Be Positive About Appositives 77

Prepositional Phrases

2.12 Misplaced Prepositional Phrases 79

2.12A Misplaced Information 80

Participles and Participle Phrases

2.13 Participles and Participle Phrases 81

2.13A Find the Six 82

Gerunds

2.14 Gerunds 83

2.14A Five Apiece 84

Infinitives

2.15 Infinitives 85

2.15A Each of the Three Gets Five 87

2.15B Infinitive Goals 88

Direct Objects

2.16 Direct Objects 89

2.16A Five-Letter Words 90

Indirect Objects

2.17 Indirect Objects 91

2.17A Find the Thirty Letters 92

Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives

2.18 Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives 93

2.18A Two to One 94

Adverb Clauses

2.19 Adverb Clauses 95

2.19A Nine Is Fine 96

Adjective Clauses

2.20 Adjective Clauses 97

2.20A Underlining Issues 98

Noun Clauses

2.21 Noun Clauses 99

2.21A Functionally Speaking 100

REVIEW ACTIVITIES 101

Review Activity 1: Adjective and Adverb Phrases 102

Review Activity 2: Essential and Nonessential Clauses and Participle Phrases 103

Review Activity 3: Filling in the Clauses 104

FINAL TESTS 105

Final Test 1: Verbal Phrases 106

Final Test 2: Phrases 107

Final Test 3: Complements 108

Final Test 4: Clauses and Verbal Phrases 109

Final Test 5: Subordinate Clauses 111

SECTION THREE SENTENCES 113

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 115

Diagnostic Test 1: Complete and Incomplete Sentences 116

Diagnostic Test 2: Sentences by Purpose117

Diagnostic Test 3: Sentences by Structure 118

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 119

Fragments

3.1 The Fragment 120

3.1A Half a Score for Each 121

Run-Ons

3.2 Run-Ons 122

3.2A Let’s Get It Right! 123

Sentences

3.3 Types of Sentences by Purpose 124

3.3A Spelling It All Out 125

3.3B Sentences by Purpose 126

Simple Sentences

3.4 The Simple Sentence 127

3.4A Quite Simply 128

Compound Sentences

3.5 Compound Sentences 129

3.5A Don’t Be Confounded 130

Complex Sentences

3.6 Complex Sentences 131

3.6A What’s Left Should Be Enough 132

Compound-Complex Sentences

3.7 Compound-Complex Sentences 133

3.7A It’s Not That Complex! 134

Sentence Starters

3.8 Starting a Sentence 135

3.8A Seven Starters 136

Diagramming

3.9 Diagramming Subjects, Predicates, Modifiers, and Complements (Review) 138

3.9A Diagramming Subjects, Predicates, Modifiers,and Complements 141

3.10 Diagramming Compound Elements andPrepositional Phrases 142

3.10A Diagramming Compound Elements and Prepositional Phrases 144

3.11 Diagramming Verbals and Clauses 145

3.11A Diagramming Verbals and Clauses 149

REVIEW ACTIVITIES 150

Review Activity 1: Sentences by Structure 151

Review Activity 2: A Part Here, A Part There, and Another Part There. . .  152

Review Activity 3: Combining Sentences 153

Review Activity 4: Let’s Combine Some More Sentences 155

FINAL TESTS 156

Final Test 1: Complete and Incomplete Sentences 157

Final Test 2: Sentences by Purpose 158

Final Test 3: Sentences Classified According to Structure 159

Final Test 4: Which Is the Best Sentence? 160

SECTION FOUR USAGE163

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 165

Diagnostic Test 1: Agreement 166

Diagnostic Test 2: Verb Tenses 167

Diagnostic Test 3: Cases 168

Diagnostic Test 4: Words Often Confused 169

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 170

Subject-Verb Agreement

4.1 Agreement of Subjects and Verbs 171

4.1A What’s Her Name? 172

Prepositional Phrases Agreement

4.2 Agreement Involving Prepositional Phrases 173

4.2A Let’s Concur! 174

Indefinite Pronoun Agreement

4.3 Indefinite Pronoun Agreement 175

4.3A Who Wins? 176

Compound Subjects

4.4 Compound Subjects 177

4.4A Two or More (Subjects) at a Time 178

Irregular Verbs

4.5 Irregular Verbs 179

4.5A Big and Small (Irregular Verbs) 183

Tense

4.6 Regular Verbs and Tense 185

4.6A It’s All in the Numbers 186

Active and Passive Voices

4.7 Active and Passive Voices 187

4.7A It’s Better in the Active Voice 188

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

4.8 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 189

4.8A College’s Orange 190

Nominative Case

4.9 Nominative Case 191

4.9A Looking for 29 192

Objects of the Preposition

4.10 Objects of the Preposition 193

4.10A All Objects Should Be Located! 195

Objective Case

4.11 Objective Case 196

4.11A The Letter A 197

Possessive Case

4.12 Possessive Case 198

4.12A Three in a Row 199

Who Versus Whom

4.13 Who Versus Whom 200

4.13A Ten Times 202

Modifiers

4.14 Comparisons of Modifiers 203

4.14A Half and Half 204

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers

4.15 Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers 206

4.15A Only Five 208

Usage Words

4.16 Usage Words 209

4.16A Be Upbeat! 217

4.16B More Usage Words 219

4.16C Knowing When to Use What 220

Words Often Confused

4.17 Words Often Confused (Part One) 222

4.17A Add Up the Points 224

4.18 Words Often Confused (Part Two) 226

4.18A Parade of Animals 228

4.19 Words Often Confused (Part Three) 229

4.19A Shady Characters 231

4.20 Words Often Confused (Part Four) 233

4.20A A Balancing Act 235

Double Negatives

4.21 Double Negatives 236

4.21A This Can’t Get No Harder! 237

REVIEW ACTIVITIES 238

Review Activity: Words Often Confused 239

FINAL TESTS 241

Final Test 1: Agreement 242

Final Test 2: Verb Tenses 243

Final Test 3: Verb Tenses 244

Final Test 4: Cases 245

Final Test 5: Words Often Confused 246

SECTION FIVE MECHANICS 247

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 249

Diagnostic Test 1: Capitalization 250

Diagnostic Test 2: Commas 251

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 252

Capitalization

5.1 Capitalization 253

5.1A Half and Half 254

5.1B Sporting Around 255

5.1C Ten Letters at a Time 257

Spelling

5.2 100 Challenging Spelling Words 259

5.2A Finding the Missing Letters 260

Commas

5.3 Commas 261

5.3A Why We Use Commas (Part One) 262

5.3B Why We Use Commas (Part Two) 264

Apostrophes

5.4 Apostrophes 265

5.4A Showing Your Apostrophe Skills 266

Quotation Marks

5.5 Quotation Marks 267

5.5A Quotation Marks in Every Sentence 268

Punctuation

5.6 Semicolons, Colons, Italics, and Hyphens 269

5.6A Working with Punctuation 271

5.6B Using Semicolons, Colons, Italics, and Hyphens 272

5.7 Brackets, Parentheses, Ellipsis Marks, and Dashes 273

5.7A Proper Punctuation, Please! (Brackets, Parentheses, Ellipsis Marks, and Dashes) 274

End Marks

5.8 End Marks 275

5.8A Putting the End Mark in Its Place 276

REVIEW ACTIVITIES 277

Review Activity 1: Traveling Along 278

Review Activity 2: Showing Your Comma Skills 279

Review Activity 3: Inserting Commas 281

Review Activity 4: Writing and Punctuating 282

FINAL TESTS 283

Final Test 1: Capitalization 284

Final Test 2: Commas 285

SECTION SIX MEETING THE TESTS HEAD-ON 287

Past Participles

6.1 The Past Participles of Irregular Verbs 289

Prepositions

6.2 Pairing the Prepositions 290

Phrases

6.3 Clauses and Verbal Phrases 291

6.4 Phrasing It the Correct Way 293

Sentence Construction

6.5 Placing the Words in Their Proper Places 295

6.6 Placing the Phrases and Clauses as Directed 296

Sentence Deconstruction

6.7 Picking Apart the Sentences 297

6.8 Let’s Pick Apart Another Sentence 298

Sentence Reconstruction

6.9 Putting It All Together 299

6.10 Putting the Sentences Together—Bit by Bit 300

6.11 Putting the Sentences Together Again—Bit by Bit 301

Editing

6.12 Is There an Error? (Part One) 302

6.13 Is There an Error? (Part Two) 303

6.14 Can You Find the Two Errors? 304

6.15 What’s Wrong Here? 305

6.16 Which Is the Best Sentence? 307

Answer Key 309

Index 363