Writer s Notebook Table of Contents 101 151 102 152 103 153 104 154 105 155 106 156 107 157 108 158 109 159 110 160 111 161 112 162 113 163 Peer Editing Checklist 114 164 Plural Nouns 115 165 Nouns 116 166 Transition Words 117 167 118 168 119 169 120 170 121 171 Spelling Demons 122 172 Dialogue 123 173 Helping Verbs 124 174 Simple, Compound, Complex Sentences 125 175 Fragments, Run-Ons, Comma Splices 126 176 Leads 127 177 Figurative Language 128 178 Types of Sentences 129 179 Prepositional Phrases 130 180 Prepositions 131 181 Subject & Predicate 132 182 Other Synonyms II 133 183 Other Synonyms I 134 184 Synonyms for went 135 185 Synonyms for said 136 186 How to Show Character s Emotions 137 187 Action Verbs 138 188 Active v. Passive Voice 139 189 Alliteration 140 190 Heading 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
Writer s Notebook p. 190 Heading Every writing assignment you complete must have a proper heading. Your first & last name Class name Teacher name Date Title Example: Mary Jones English 6B Madigan September 20, 2013 Dark and Stormy Night
Writer s Notebook p. 189 Alliteration Alliteration: repeating the beginning consonant sounds of words VOWELS = a, e, i, o, u CONSONANTS = every letter of the alphabet that is not a vowel Examples from Secret Knowledge of Adults by D. Wisniewski Vanquished vegetables Packs of peas Big bunch of broccoli Colossal cows Bomb-proof briefcase
Writer s Notebook p. 188 Active v. Passive Voice 1.) Action verbs something the subject can do (cry, smile, walk) 2.) Linking verbs link the subject to the rest of the sentence *is am are was were be being been* Active Voice the subject does the action Ex.) The dog bit the boy. Passive Voice the action is done to the subject Ex.) The boy was bitten by the dog. In this sentence, the subject (boy) is NOT doing the biting. Look for linking verbs (was) to signal Passive Voice. Try to avoid Passive Voice in your writing! Look for linking verbs and ask yourself: Can I use action verbs instead? Ex.) Passive voice: The test was failed by the whole class. Active voice: The whole class failed the test.
Writer s Notebook p. 187 Action Verbs 1.) Circle the action verbs. Draw an arrow from the subject to the action verb. 2.) Look for linking verbs (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been). Try to rewrite the sentence using action verbs. John Henry sang and he hammered and the air danced and the rainbow shimmered and the earth shook and rolled from the blows of the hammer. Finally it was quiet. Slowly the dust cleared. Folks could not believe their eyes. The boulder was gone. In its place was the prettiest and straightest road they had ever seen. Not only had John Henry pulverized the boulder into pebbles, he had finished building the road. In the distance, where the new road connected to the main one, the road crew saw John Henry waving good-bye, a hammer on each shoulder, the rainbow draped around him in love.
Writer s Notebook p. 186 How to Show Character s Emotions When writing a story, don t simply tell how a character feels. Use these descriptors to show the reader the character s emotions.
Writer s Notebook p. 185 Synonyms for said in a happy way laughed rejoiced giggled joked in an angry way raged miffed seethed fumed retorted thundered blurted barked roared in an understanding way empathized accepted consoled crooned comforted sympathized agreed as an answer responded retorted replied answered acknowledged in a sad way cried agonized bawled blubbered lamented sobbed groaned sniveled wept mourned in an upset way cried out cried screamed jabbered bellowed groaned howled shrieked grieved wailed yelped in a tired way mumbled struggled emitted wearied in a bossy way insisted bossed demanded preached dictated professed ordered in a frightened way quaked stammered shuddered quivered trembled in a begging way beseeched begged implored pleaded entreated appealed to
Writer s Notebook p. 184 Synonyms for went
Writer s Notebook p. 183 Other Synonyms I GOOD great excellent fantastic superb wonderful delightful exceptional fine terrific jolly fabulous brilliant killer marvelous outstanding smashing BAD imperfect shoddy careless pathetic miserable awful atrocious unacceptable unsatisfactory terrible crummy rotten lousy disagreeable unpleasant dreadful NICE pleasant kind polite warm goodhearted agreeable lovely wellbehaved courteous respectful obedient honorable decent trustworthy WORDS TO AVOID: things o Things were scattered around the room. o Papers and books were scattered around the room. stuff o He likes soccer and stuff like that. o In addition to soccer, he likes tennis and skiing. got o I got a gold medal at the spelling bee. o I received a gold medal at the spelling bee. is/am/are o The sun is warm. o The sun s warmth comforts me. was/were o We were late to the meeting. o We arrived late to the meeting. very o She talks very fast. o She talks extremely fast. always o Teachers always give homework. o The older I get, the more homework I get. never o Parents never understand their kids. o Parents sometimes struggle to understand their kids. just o Her house is just down the street. o Her house is down the street.
Writer s Notebook p. 182 Other Synonyms II
Writer s Notebook p. 181 Subject & Predicate Subject: the person, place, thing or idea that the sentence is about Predicate: tells you what happened Ex. Camp starts today. Subject: camp Predicate: starts simple subject: the main word in the complete subject. complete subject: contains all the words that help to identify the main person, place, thing, or idea of the sentence. The complete subject in each of the following sentences is italicized. The simple subject is underlined. Someone in this row is sitting in the wrong seat. A wonderful and exciting display is planned. simple predicate: the verb or verb phrase complete predicate: the verb and all the words that describe it. The complete predicate in each of the following sentences is italicized. The simple predicate is underlined. Veronica finished the puzzle in record time.
Prepositions aboard beside(s) onto about between out above beyond outside according to but over across by past after concerning regarding against despite since ahead of down through along due to throughout alongside during to amid except toward(s) amidst for under among(st) from underneath apart in until around inside up aside instead of upon at into with because of near within before next to without behind of below off beneath on
Writer s Notebook p. 179 Prepositional Phrases Begin with a preposition End with a noun or pronoun = Object of the Preposition (OP) Show a relationship between words: o Where: I went to the store. o When: We left after dinner. o How: He washed the dishes with soapy water. OP OP OP More Examples: OP OP Before lunch they play on the soccer field. OP Throughout the year we will take notes in our Writer s Notebooks. OP OP OP According to our teacher, the test is on Friday.
Writer s Notebook p. 178 Types of Sentences 1.) Declarative Makes a statement Ends with a period Ex.) I like pizza. 2.) Imperative Gives a command Ends with a period Ex.) Finish your pizza. 3.) Interrogative Asks a question Ends with a? Ex.) Do you like pizza? 4.) Exclamatory Shows strong feeling Ends with an! Ex.) I love pizza!
Writer s Notebook p. 177 Figurative Language Simile compares 2 unlike things using like or as Ex.) Her hair is like silk. Metaphor compares 2 unlike things but does NOT use like or as Ex.) She has a bubbly personality. Idiom an expression that cannot be understood using the individual meanings of words Ex.) It s raining cats and dogs. Onomatopoeia words that imitate the sounds they are describing Ex.) Buzz, Swish, Click Personification giving human traits to nonhuman things Ex.) My computer hates me. The alarm clock was screaming at me. Imagery words/phrases that help the reader see the story in his/her mind; describes the 5 senses: see, hear, touch, taste, smell, Ex.) I was scared. v. Eyes wide, my hands trembled as I croaked, Who s there? Hyperbole extreme over exaggeration Ex.) The whole world just heard you burp. My parents are going to kill me!
Writer s Notebook p. 176 Leads 5 ways to hook the reader in the first few sentences of a story: 1. Thoughtshot Put the reader inside a character s mind Why am I afraid to tell my sister how I feel? Billy thought to himself. 2. Dialogue Spark the reader s interest with a character quote Come on, Billy! Hurry! If we run, we can ride in the front car! Lyddie squealed with excitement. 3. Question - Engage the reader by asking a question Is there any better way to spend a beautiful Saturday than at Great Adventure Amusement Park with your best friends? 4. Snapshot Setting - Create a picture in the reader's mind It was hard to walk through the throngs of people women pushing carriages, children running and bumping into each other, older couples strolling along arm-in-arm as bits of notes floated in between from the merry-go-round, my favorite ride. 5. Snapshot Character Create a picture in the reader's mind Billy was not a coward. He just didn t like the twisty, turny rides, especially the ones that turned you upside down. For an eight-year-old, he usually was pretty bold. He even didn t mind sleeping in his own bedroom without a nightlight.
Writer s Notebook p. 175 Fragments, Run-Ons, Comma Splices Fragment: is missing a subject or verb OR is not a complete thought Ex.) My Aunt Sally. Whenever we go to the mall. Run-On: a sentence with 2+ complete thoughts that run together Ex.) Rowena and Woovis are friends they jog together twice a week. Comma Splice: a sentence with 2 complete thoughts separated only by a comma. Ex.) We went to the movies, I bought popcorn. 3 ways to fix a Run-On or Comma Splice: Use a comma AND a conjunction We went to the movies, and I bought popcorn. Make two sentences We went to the movies. I bought popcorn. Separate with a semicolon We went to the movies; I bought popcorn.
Writer s Notebook p. 174 Simple, Compound, & Complex Sentences Independent Clause a group of words that can stand alone as a complete sentence Dependent Clause a group of words that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence, more words are needed to complete the thought Simple Sentence - expresses only one complete thought. It is one independent clause. Ex.) Mary and Tom washed the dishes and put them away. Compound Sentence two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction Ex.) The students cleared their desks, and they put their chairs on their desks. Common Conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so Complex Sentence one independent clause and one (or more) dependent clause Ex.) Whenever we go camping, mom and dad set up a six-person tent.
Writer s Notebook p. 173 Helping Verbs do be has may can does being have might shall did been had must will could should would is am are was were Exs.) We might help Tim with his homework. My parents were reading the newspaper. Did she see that movie last week?
Writer s Notebook p. 172 Dialogue Today is Friday, said Tim. Tim said, Today is Friday. Is today Friday? asked Tim. Tim asked, Is today Friday? I love Fridays! exclaimed Tim. Tim exclaimed, I love Fridays! Split Dialogue: I love Fridays, remarked Tim, but I hate Mondays. *always capitalize the first word in the dialogue!
Writer s Notebook p. 171-167 Spelling Demons There a location sit over there Their possessive pronoun their car is blue They re they are they re leaving early today Your possessive pronoun your book is lost You re you are you re my best friend Its possessive pronoun its fur is striped It s it is it s raining outside
Writer s Notebook p. 166 Transition Words Use these words to add fluency to your sentences in your writing. Further/furthermore Also In addition (to) Actually For example However Although Because (of) Then To begin with Eventually Not only, but also As a matter of fact/in fact Besides On the other hand The fact that Even though Due to For this reason In that/this case First of all Next Use these for a concluding sentence or paragraph: Finally Lastly Overall Therefore To summarize
Writer s Notebook p. 165 Nouns CONCRETE: People nurse, Timothy, poet o Can you talk to it? Places bank, Chicago, field o Can you go there? Things shoe, Checkers, rope o Can you touch it? ABSTRACT: Ideas/Feelings/Emotions hour, anger, July o You can t talk to it, go there, or touch it! Proper Nouns: a specific person, place, thing, or idea; gets a capital letter Ex.) Mr. Jones, Hawaii, Snuggie, Communism Common Nouns: any general person, place, thing, or idea Ex.) man, island, blanket, government POSSESSIVE NOUNS: Singular add s o Ex.) a boy s hat, one house s front door, Miss Guss s car Plural, ends in s add only o Ex.) three cats tails, many balloons helium, the desks legs Plural, does NOT end in s add s o Ex.) five children s books, many sheep s hooves,
Writer s Notebook p. 164 Plural Nouns 1.Ending in a consonant and y, change the y to i and ad es Story stories Lady ladies Fly - flies 3. Some nouns ending in f or fe, change the f to v and add s or es Knife knives Loaf loaves Hoof - hooves 5. Ending in a consonant and o, add es Potato potatoes Hero heroes Mosquito - mosquitoes 7. Plural of a compound noun written as a hyphenated word, make the most important word plural Sister-in-law sisters-in-law Editor-in-chief editors-in-chief 9. Just strange! cactus cacti, cactuses, cactus ox oxen man men fungus fungi, funguses 2.Ending in a vowel and y, add s Monkey monkeys Toy toys Journey - journeys 4. Ending with a vowel and o, add s Rodeo rodeos Radio radios Video - videos 6. Same in singular and plural Chinese Chinese Sheep sheep Fish fish (or fishes) 8. Compound word written as one word, add s or es Spoonful spoonfuls Hotdog - hotdogs 10. Add s to form the plural of letters, numbers, and symbols A A s 1980 1980 s 13 13 s
Writer s Notebook p. 163 Peer Editing Checklist PEER EDITING CHECKLIST IDEAS & CONTENT: What questions do you have while you read? Which sections are unclear? Where could specific details be added? ORGANIZATION: Is there a clear beginning, middle, & end? Are important points/info missing or out of place? Is the writing confusing? If so, where? SENTENCE FLUENCY Does the writing flow smoothly as you read it aloud? Are there opportunities to join short, choppy sentences together? Have compound & complex sentences been used? Check for fragments and run-ons. WORD CHOICE Are certain words repeated over and over? Do sentences begin with different words? Has the writer used I, me, my, we, us, you? If so, is it appropriate for the style of writing? AVOID: good, bad, things, stuff, nice VOICE Does the writing use an appropriate tone? Formal v. informal? CONVENTIONS Check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors