day 40: pop quiz–sentence or not?

by | Feb 12, 2011

Read the phrases below. Put an S beside the phrases that are
complete sentences and an N beside those that are not.

         1. A raccoon is an intelligent animal.             

           

        2. He does not avoid danger.             

           

        3. That he will go right into it.             

           

        4. When a raccoon studies sounds, smells, and sights that are new to
him.             

           

        5. Like tin cans and mirrors.             

           

        6. One trap a trapper likes to set is called a mirror trap.

7. When he puts a trap in shallow water and ties a mirror to it.
8. When the light hits the mirror.             

           

        9. When the raccoon sees the light.             

           

       10. When he does, the raccoon’s paw becomes caught in the trap.

Answers tomorrow! Smile…

day 39: more on caves—five parts of a sentence

by | Feb 11, 2011

When you write, it is vital that you know what is and what is not a
sentence.
A sentence must have five things in order to be complete:

            1. Capital at the beginning

            a. The first letter of the first word in a sentence must be
capitalized.

            b. It does not matter what the first word is; it is always
capitalized.

For example: A kindergarten child is so cute.

            2. All makes sense

            a. A sentence must make sense.

            b. If a phrase has four of the other things a sentence must
have, but it leaves you hanging and does not make sense, then it is not a
sentence.

Examples:

                        1) When the boy ran. This is not a complete sentence
because it leaves you hanging.

                        2) The boy ran though the woods. This is a complete
sentence because it has all five things a sentence must have.

            3. Verb

            a. A sentence must have a verb (action or BHL—being verb, helping verb, linking verb).

            b. This tells what the subject does or is.

For example: The boys played football in the snow.

            4. End mark

            a. A sentence must have ending punctuation: 

                        1) a period (.)

                        2) an exclamation point (!)

                        3) question mark (?)

            b. Examples:

                        1) The boys are playing football.

2) Watch out for the football!
3) Are they playing football?
            5. Subject

            a. A sentence must have a subject.

            b. This is what or whom the sentence is about.

 The following acronym will help you to remember these five things:

Capital at the beginning

All makes sense

Verb

End mark

Subject

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