by Donna | Apr 24, 2011
We will get back to our sit/set; rise/raise; lie/lay study next week. However, I am adding a new little feature to LL 365–the holidays for that month capitalized and punctated properly (well, relatively so!). Many holidays come and people wonder, “Do you cap Day in Thanksgiving Day?” “Do you show possession to Fool in April Fools Day?” etc. etc.
So…for April…a list of holidays punctuated and capitalized as correctly as I found! Note that different style guides (i.e. Associated Press vs. Modern Language Association, etc.) choose to punctuate and capitalize lesser known (National Kool-Aid Day!) or newer things (i.e. email ve e-mail) differently. In those cases, it is truly a style preference rather than a hard and fast rule. So….Happy April…I mean, happy April! 🙂 And definitely, Happy Easter!
All Fool’s Day/April Fools Day
Daylight Savings Time
Palm Sunday
Passover
Good Friday
Easter
Easter Monday
Earth Day
Administrative Professionals Day
Arbor Day
Cancer Control Month
Alcohol Awareness Month
by Donna | Apr 20, 2011
Sit and rise have I’s–and lie does too.
“Coz these are things that I, all by myself, can do.
Set, raise, and lay are words that you choose
When each one has an object after it to use.
 |
| “Sit, Fido! Before I have to set you down myself!” |
Remember these sit and set tips:
- Sit has an I—and I alone can do it (it is not done TO something else).
- I sit down.
- Yesterday I sat down.
- Before that I had sat down.
- Sit means to recline or lower down to a sitting position—anybody or anything can sit, as long as it does it by itself (i.e. it is NOT set)
- The chair sits in the corner empty, missing its owner.
- She sat there and pouted all afternoon.
- They are sitting down in protest.
- She has sat there in tears all day.
- They are sitting in the parlor.
- Set does not have an I—it is done TO something.
- Set must have an object following it—something that it is setting.
- Set the table.
- Set the baby down in her seat.
- God set the stars in the sky.
- Set the book on the counter.
- We will be setting up decorations at noon.
- The jello still needs to set . (It’s like you are saying to set the jello!)
- She sets the table as though a king is coming.
- Set is the same base word for all of its tenses: set; set; set; sets; setting. That is why I recommend teaching this Wacky Word pair first (of the three).
Okay…the tenses for the three:
1, Sit
a. Base form: sit—Today I sit down. (Remember—no object; down is an adverb here, not an object.
b. Past simple: sat—Yesterday I sat down.
b. Past participle: sat—Before that, I had sat down.
d. Third person singular: sits—The dog sits in the corner.
e. Present participle/gerund: sitting—I was sitting down.
2. Set
- Base form: set—Today I set the vase on the table. (Object—vase)
- Past simple: set—Yesterday I set the vase on the table.
- Past participle: set—Before that I set the vase on the table.
- Third person singular: sets—She sets the vase on the table.
- Present participle/gerund: setting—I am setting the vase on the table.
Tomorrow is quiz day…so be ready! J
by Donna | Apr 19, 2011
Sit and rise have I’s–and lie does too.
“Coz these are things that I, all by myself, can do.
Set, raise, and lay are words that you choose
When each one has an object after it to use.
I am going to take sit/set; rise/raise; and lie/lay one pair at a time over the next few days; however, I wanted to start the series (or at least this second post) with teacher tips.
I have watched kids with glossed over eyes as I have tried many techniques and order to teach these tricky pairs, and have had many difficulties “rise” up and confuse them (and me!):
- People lie; things get laid down—sort of works, but it’s not just people who lie—the sun lies on the horizon; the city lies asleep in the early morning hours; the animal lies in the middle of the road….you get the idea
- People lie; things get laid down—but it still didn’t help with the sit/set and rise/raise dilemma
- The past tense of lie (as in yesterday I lay down to take a nap…don’t I wish!) is the same as the current tense of lay (as in I am going to lay the book on the table)—poor kids!
- And so many more!
So here are a few tips that I would like to pass along to those trying to teach these rules:
- Consider a rhyme or mnemonic like the one above to reinforce the I’s in sit, rise, and lie—when we remind students that I do those things—and they have I’s in them, we are helping them remember that these do not have objects following them.
- Do NOT start with lie. It is by far the most confusing of the trio—and I try to do that one after rise and sit (with fewer exceptions, etc.) are established in students’ minds.
- DO start with sit. Set has the same tense for all—present; past; and past participle. Today I set the table; yesterday I set the table; before that I have set the table.
- If you are teaching from a Christian standpoint, Jesus and God are prime examples of rise/rose/has risen and raise/raised/has raised:
- Jesus will rise from the grave. God will raise Jesus.
- Jesus rose from the grave. God raised Jesus.
- Jesus has risen from the grave. God has raised Jesus.
- Suggested order: sit/set; rise/raise; and lie/lay.
Happy teaching—and learning! J
by Donna | Apr 14, 2011
Moving on from National Poetry Month–though if someone would like to send poetry, I will still publish it until the end of April.
With Easter so close, I thought we would look at a tricky Wacky Word pair–rise and raise (followed by sit and set and lie and lay since you really should learn them together, if possible).
First, an overview:
Rise and sit have I’s–and lie does too.
“Coz these are things that I, all by myself, can do.
Raise, set, and lay are words that you choose
When each one has an object after it to use.
What does that mean? It means that I and rIse, I can sIt, and I can lIe without any object.
But I raise something; I set something; and I lay something….
More tomorrow…then one at a time. These are confusing ones, but with LL’s tips and tricks, you will be raising your head high, sitting with grammarians with confidence, laying your dictionary aside, rising up to the occasion, setting the stage for future success, and lying down at night, knowing that you understand lie, rise, and sit! 🙂
by Donna | Mar 25, 2011
Another confusing word pair–cavalry and calvary. And yes, we will see them written incorrectly over the next few weeks as Easter approaches! How can you differentiate between the two in this Wacky Word pair?
As a Christian, I have a unique way of remembering calvary and cavalry–see it helps you!
1. Cavalry–
a. A group of miliary people
b. We often say, “Send in the cavalry” to indicate help is needed
c. I remember this by remembering that the V comes before the L—Victory comes first if the cavalry comes caValry.
2. Calvary–
a. The hill on which Jesus was crucified
b. I remember this by remembering that the L comes before the V–Calvary denotes Love–CaLvary
by Donna | Mar 25, 2011
Another quick tip for you!
- Wonder is spelled like ponder—and they both mean to think
- Wander is spelled like land—and you wANDer all over the lAND (or wAnder has an A in it and Area has an A in it—and you wAnder in an Area)
So…does Winnie the Pooh like to wander or wonder?
- Pooh: “I’d rather be wondering.” OR
- Pooh: “I’d rather be wandering.”
Well, I’ll give you a little hint. My daughter was a thinker—always thinking and/or reading—as a child (and still is!). When she had to do something she didn’t want to do—or her thoughts were interrupted by something, she would say, “I’m just like Winnie the Pooh. I’d rather be wondering!” In other words, she, just like Pooh Bear, would rather be pondering/thinking! J
