One of the first things that we teach students who are learning to write sentences is that every sentence must have two things: a subject and a verb. (Technically, I teach that a sentence must have FIVE things—CAVES: Capital, All Makes Sense, Verb, End Mark, Subject.) Verbs are important! Action verbs are the forward motion of sentences. They persuade in persuasive writing; inform in research-based writing; and entertain in story writing. They do all of this in spite of one man, Michel Thaler, writing a 233-page French novel in 2004 that did not contain a single verb. (And I would say it also did not contain a single sentence! 😉 ).

There are three main classes of verbs that I teach in my books:

1) Action Verbs

2) Being, Helping, and Linking Verbs (BHL Verbs)

3) Infinitives Made Up of Either Action Verbs or BHL Verbs

Obviously, there are various tenses of verbs. And yes, there are verbs that can have objects (i.e. direct objects) and verbs that are not known for having objects. And there are dozens of other ways to categorize verbs.

However, I have found that the best way to teach any grammar skill is to teach it as it relates to writing. After all, we learn grammar for writing and speaking (not to choose the correct answer on a grammar quiz!). Thus, I focus on action verbs and another group of verbs that we affectionately call Be a Helper, Link verbs—being, helping, and linking verbs all grouped together.

AND….I teach infinitives (to+verb) immediately when teaching prepositions and verbs because students need to know that not every phrase that begins with TO is a prepositional phrase and sometimes TO is the beginning of a verb.

There are many reasons for my method of action verbs in one big category and BHL verbs in another big category, and since many teachers have questioned me through the years, I will give my reasons here—and then tomorrow, introduce you to a simple-as-pie way to learn (or teach your kids/students) all being, helping, and linking verbs in one easy swoop!

1. ACTION VERBS–Action verbs all have the same characteristics

They show that the subject did some type of action.
They can all have adverbs with them.
They can have direct objects following them (if they are transitive verbs–meaning the action TRANSFERS onto the object)

i. I gave the book away. (Action verb—gave; Direct object book)
ii. She spoke the words clearly. (Action verb—spoke; Direct object words)

2. BEING, HELPING, LINKING VERBS (BHL)—Being, helping, and linking verbs all have the same characteristics:

They show the state of being of the subject: He was here.

They cannot have adverbs with them.

They can have predicate adjectives following them: He was smart.

They can have predicate nominatives following them: They were the ones.

Most of them may be used as helping verbs—each one can help a base word by telling when the base verb took place: They were reading the novel in class.

For those reasons, we group action verbs all together as action verbs—and being, helping, and linking verbs all together into BHL verbs (Be a Helper, Link)—being, helping, and linking verbs:

(Note: Read more about BHL Verbs and get the Tricky Trick downloadable sheet for your students at this post!)

To help you remember the Be, a Helper, Link verbs, there is a little rhyme that you can sing to the tune of ABC’s (or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”):

(ABCDEFG)
Be, a Helper, Link verbs,

(HIJKLMNOP)
Is, Are, Am, Was, & Were.

(QRSTUV)
Be, & Being, Been, Become,

(WXYZ)
Has, & Had, & Have are ones.

(Now I said my ABC’s)
Can, Could, Shall, Should—they are fun.

(Next time won’t you sing with me?)
Will, Would, Do, Did, Does, & Done.

(ABCDEFG)
May, Might, Must—they are some as well,

(HIJKLMNOP)
Appear, Look, Seem, Remain, Taste, Feel, & Smell.

3. INFINITIVES— To+any verb

1) When to is followed by a verb, it usually makes an infinitive, not a prepositional phrase.

2) An infinitive can be made up of to+action verb or to+BHL verb

a. Action: to run

b. BHL: to be

So use the verbs! And use them well! I’ll be teaching more about how to use verbs well in upcoming posts!

The post 3 Verb Types & Tricks to Teach Them! (Song Included!) appeared first on Character Ink.

To recite or not to recite? Most of us grew up with recitations, rhymes, jingles, songs, and mnemonics to learn the planets, math facts, presidents of the US, and more. But what about language arts and grammar? Do these “tricks” work well for a subject that needs APPLIED once it is memorized? I mean, once you learn the presidents, you can easily figure out where to fit in history. Math is all about facts and figures. But language arts/English/grammar recitations are different. Memorizing and reciting are not enough when it comes to parts of speech, punctuation, and more.

So how DOES recitation fit into language arts concepts? I have written over 50,000 pages of curriculum over the past nearly twenty years (over a hundred book)—and yes, I do have recitation/memorization in many forms throughout them. (See more about this in my Think Fast Grammar Quizzes below!)

If you can’t wait until the end of the tips to see some of my darling students doing some of our recitation, click here! 🙂

So, yes, I have some definite opinions about how and when to use these amazing memory tricks:

1. Don’t use recitations that severely limit the number of items taught.

For example, a preposition song that teaches thirty preps is fine to start with, but that should just be a starting point. Expand from there using other means since there are over two hundred total prepositions by some grammarians’ counts!

2. Use tricks that teach the part of speech in the context that it will be used whenever possible.

For example, I teach subordinators with a Subordinator Check Sentence that reads, _________ the submarine went down, we could still/not see it. This teaches subordinators (before, after, when, since, though, if, although, etc.) WHILE it teaches that they are SUBordinate (they make that part of the sentence less). My Preposition-Check Sentences both teach the REASON for prepositions (a spatial one and a time one). (See my Preposition Download and video here.)

3. Use tricks that are easy to remember.

I remember learning presidents in a sing-song, much-too-fast, barely discernible fashion. I can’t recite one of the presidents from that song today! The syllables were all jumbled, and it was nearly impossible to sing. While it was fast and furious, it wasn’t a good learning tool.

4. Use different tricks for different levels.

For example, I start out teaching The First Six Subordinators Learned in Rhyme for my elementary books then move on to the aforementioned Subordinator-Check Sentence. I do similar tricks with prepositions. I start students out with a little toy and bathroom tissue tube, then we move on to the check sentences.

5. Use various modes of learning.

Recitation of dozens of prepositions (and my kids singing the Be, a Helper, Link Verbs Song) is darling, but not all students learn through oral channels (even if it rhymes and is cute). Having songs, jingles, check sentences, written quizzes, and a myriad of other tricks will ensure that all students’ learning types are tapped into.

6. Use tricks at the time the student is being taught to write with that part of speech.

I’ll be the first to admit that it is darling to see children recite almost anything, but application is the purpose for all memorization in language arts. Whenever possible, attach the recitation or memory work to the skill being used. I use a Teach-Practice-Apply method in all of my language arts teaching. That is, I teach the concept. I have them practice it through trick, songs, etc. Then they practice it in context of sentences (i.e. finding the prepositions in sentences—never out of context, please!). Then they apply the concept by using in writing through my Checklist Challenge. (See my Checklist Challenge packet here!)

Yes, recitation and all manner of learning parts of speech and language arts skills can be utilized at nearly every grade. I have found way more success by applying the tips above in my books, downloads, and teaching. And I still get to watch sweet kids sing my songs and recite my rhymes. Sigh….happiness.

Check out some of my downloadable language arts products here:

Love and hope,

P.S What grammar concepts are you struggling to teach right now? I’d love to help you out!

Note: All of the products mentioned in this post, along with our How to Checklist Challenge product and video and How to Outline product and video, are available at our Members’ Area.

The post 6 Tips for Using Language Arts Recitation and Mnemonics (Cute Video Included!) appeared first on Character Ink.

Yep, you read that caption correctly! Contrary to what many people believe, capitOl does not refer to the head city, a good idea, or money invested. CapitOl Only refers to the capitOl building.

Here is the rundown:

1. Capitol
    a. Only has one use that we widely implement.
    b. Means the building or group of buildings in which the functions of government are carried out.
    c. Think. CapitOl Only means Office buildings for gOvernment–that is the Only meaning.

2. Capital
        a. All other uses of capital are the a one—capital is for all other uses. 
        b. ALL other uses of capitol/capital are the word capitAL.
        c. Adjectives
            1) Upper case letter: capital letter   
            2) Chief or primary: capital idea or the capital (most important) thing for us                             to     remember
            3) Die by the court: capital punishment
            4) Primary city: the capital city
        d. Nouns
            1) Stock of goods or income: to have capital in the bank
            2) Capital used by itself for the city: go to the capital of the state (i.e. the city that                 is the capital–not the building–the capitol building).

Watch the blog and Facebook page tomorrow for a quiz over this Wacky Word pair–and over last week‘s vane, vein, and vain! Better start studying!

The post WORDY WEDNESDAY: Capitol vs. Capital appeared first on Character Ink.

Today’s Comma Clue can be confusing–but it is one of the most needful for comprehension as well as for sentence fluidity when reading aloud. 



When you start a sentence with a subordinate clause,
Put the comma in when you hear the pause!


That is a cute rhyme (don’t you think?)….but unless you know what a subordinate clause is (and prior to that, what a subordinator is), it will not do you much good to recite it. So this post will go back to what subordinators are first. 

Maybe you were taught that subordinators (words that make the part of the sentence that they are in be “subordinate” to the rest of the sentence) are called other things, like conjunctives or subordinate conjunctions. Some grammar handbooks do not even classify subordinators at all but call them whatever other class they fall under (i.e. the preposition before might always be called a preposition, even though it is a subordinator when it has a subject and verb following it).

Regardless of what you were taught about subordinators, they are extremely important to good writing. Why? 

1. A subordinator is a word that falls at the beginning of a subordinate clause.
2. A subordinate clause is a group of words that begins with a subordinator and has a subject and verb following it.
3. A subordinate clause is subordinate to the rest of the sentence–that is, it is “less than” the real sentence.
4. A subordinate clause may not stand alone as it is not a real sentence.
5. A subordinate clause sounds as though something is missing when it is read–because something is (the real sentence!).
6. A subordinate clause may be joined with a complete sentence to create a complex sentence, but the subordinate clause may never stand alone.

So….what are subordinators?

Let’s start with the first six that we teach our youngest language arts students in our books:

Since, when, though
Because, if, although.

Yeah, it’s a rhyme! Cute, huh? (I love teaching!)

Anyway, for you older folks, we have a Subordinator-Check Sentence that most subordinators fit into. In a nutshell, if a word fits in the check sentence and the word is not an adverb, it likely a subordinator:

________________________ the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.


Since the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.


When the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.


Though the submarine went down, we could STILL  see it.


Because the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.


If the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.


Although the submarine went down, we could STILL see it.

Okay, that is the first six. Here is a lengthy, but not exhaustive list of subordinators:

-after (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-although
-as (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-as if
-as long as
-as soon as
-as though
-because
-because of (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-before (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-even
-even if
-even though
-if
-inasmuch as
-in order that
-lest
-now (more commonly used as an adverb)
-now since
-now that
-now when
-once
-provided
-rather than
-since
-than (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-that
-though
-til (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-unless
-until (also a preposition when it just has an object following it)
-when
-whenever
-where
-where ever
-where as
-whether
-which
-which ever
-while
-who
-whoever
-why


In as much as the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.

Until the submarine went down, we could STILL see it.

While the submarine went down, we could no longer see it.



 We will stop here and give you time to memorize these before we go on in a day or two working on punctuating sentences that begin with subordinate clauses. Just looking at the Subordinator-Check Sentence, though, you can probably deduce that the first rhyme in this post is accurate: a subordinate clause opener is followed by a comma. More later!


Picture from https://staff.jccc.net/mfitzpat/style/bd04892_.gif

The post COMMA CLUE #4: Comma Following a Subordinate Clause Opener Part I of III appeared first on Character Ink.

I try to use mnemonics, tricks, songs, and jingles to teach parts of speech, homophones, and any other grammar and usage tips that I can. Students (of all ages, including adults!) often remember usage better when a trick or tip is applied.

One of my students’ favorite tricks is for the confusing word pair (sometimes considered homophones, though they do have slightly different pronunciations) conscience/conscious:


The student’s conscience bothered him because he tried to con the science teacher. 

He wasn’t conscious enough to enjoy the delicious treat. 

 In today’s assignment, my students had to write sentences using conscience and conscious (one sentence each). My amazingly clever students had fun with this! Three of them used both words in one sentence and included the “trick” in that sentence too!

1. I conned the science teacher while I was conscious, and my conscience bothered me.

2. He wasn’t conscious of the fact that he conned the science teacher; once he realized he had, his conscience bothered him.

3. He had a guilty conscience after he consciously conned the science teacher. 

The post Wordy Wednesday: Conscience vs Conscious appeared first on Character Ink.

The post day 113: spelling Wednesday part i of ii appeared first on Character Ink.

This pair is tricky, along with all of the ea pairs, because ea says short e and long e–all by itself. For example:

1. Today I will read the book.
2. The leaf fell to the ground.
3. The thief is going to steal the diamond.

The key to knowing whether to use breath or breathe is to consider the pairs that do have e at the end–it is there to show that, that word is the long e one (not the short e one).

For example:

1. Take a deep breath (breth–short e).
2. Breathe deeply (long e).

3.  He took great pleasure in it (short e–plezz).
4. They want to please him (long e).

While there isn’t a fullproof trick (like their/there and affect/effect), it does help to keep in mind that if one of the set has an e at the end of it, it is there for a reason–in these cases, to make the first vowel say its long sound–breathe (long e) vs. breath (short e).

The post day 103: wacky words—breathe and breath appeared first on Character Ink.

1. Lie has an I—and I alone can do it (it is not done TO something else).
1. I lie in bed at midnight wide awake.
2. Yesterday I lay awake half the night.
3. Before that I had lain down when the cat jumped on me.

2. Lie means to stretch out in a flat position—anybody or anything can lie, as long as it does it by itself (i.e. it is NOT laid)
1. She lies down with a headache every day.
2. The sun is lying low.
3. She has lain down for a nap.

3. Lay must have an object following it—something that it is being laid down.
1. Lay your book on the table.
2. He laid his money down.
3. She has laid the towels in the sun.

1. Base form: lay—I lay the kids’ clothes out every day. (Tricky: lay is the base form of lay (to put something down; it is also the past tense of lie—to stretch out by yourself or itself.)
2. Past simple: laid—Yesterday I laid the pink pants out for Jon.
3. Past participle: laid—Before the dog came in, I had already laid his bones out.
4. Third person singular: lays—He lays the book down every night at ten.
5. Present participle/gerund: laying—I am laying the swim suits out to dry.

1. Again, do sit/set first (all same base word for tenses of set!) or rise/raise (since many people get this pair correct even if they do not know sit/set and lie/lay very well).
2. Do rise/raise after sit/set or sit/set after rise/raise (saving lie/lay for last).
3. Memorize acronym/rhyme to cement the fact that all three with I’s are the ones that are done by someone or something (not to something).
4. When you get to lie and lay, to lie first all by itself until it is memorized. Then do lay. (I am starting to wait a week between the two with lots of practice on lie during that week before moving on to lay.)

The post day 99: lie and lay appeared first on Character Ink.

1. Rise has an I—and I alone can do it (it is not done TO something else).
1. I rise around seven a.m.
2. Yesterday I rose at dawn yesterday. (Not really!)
3. Before that I had risen when the cat jumped on me.

2. Rise means to come up to a higher position—anybody or anything can rise, as long as it does it by itself (i.e. it is NOT raised)
1. She rose to greet us.
2. The sun is rising late.
3. Our grades have risen lately. (Technically, grades are raised by someone (“I raised my GPA”)—but if you do not state who raised them, they would be rising by themselves—which we know doesn’t really happen!)

3. Raise does have an i—but not only an I like rise—raise is done to something.
4. Raise must have an object following it—something that it is being raised.
1. Raise your glass for a toast.
2. He raised his children well.
3. The children are raising their hands in class now.

1. Base form: raise—Today I raise my voice in song. (Object—voice)
2. Past simple: raised—Yesterday I raised the log and found a mole.
3. Past participle: raised—Before I put the binoculars down, I raised them up and looked through them in the distance.
4. Third person singular: raises—She always raises her voice when she is angry.
5. Present participle/gerund: raising—I am raising the bar in that class!

The post day 99: rise and raise appeared first on Character Ink.

1. She _________ down and wept when she heard the news.
2. They _______ down.
3. They _______ the plants out.
4. They will be _______ the clothes out beforehand.
5. Yesterday, he ________ down to rest.
6. They will ________ the clothes out to dry.
7. He _________ down.
8. He is ____________ down.
9. They will be _________ the clothes out beforehand.
10. She has _________ the clothes out beforehand.
11. They have __________ down.
12. He has ____________ down.
13. They __________ the trap to catch the bear.
14. They are __________ down.
15. They will ________ the tent up at noon.

The post day 94: sit and set pop quiz! appeared first on Character Ink.