WEEK #4: SIMPLE SUBJECTS

First, I apologize for not posting by Tuesday. I was having some technical difficulties, but it is in the process of being fixed. Thank goodness! This week's activity involves simple subjects. This is the noun on which the sentence focuses. An example would be the following: The boy ran for a touchdown. The simple subject is "boy." He is the focus of the action "ran." Remember that most of the time the simple subject comes before the verb but sometimes, as in a question, it comes after the verb or a part of the verb. Don't forget that some imperative sentences don't have a simple subject written in the sentence but it is understood to be "you" since the order is given to "you." Now give these a try. Each is worth .2 X 15 = 3 points.

1. My roof is being fixed from the storm.
2. That car broke down on the side of the road.
3. Hannah sang beautifully at her recital.
4. Did Barbara tell you about the party on Saturday?
5. I hope that you win the lottery someday.
6. Her airplane was delayed an hour.
7. Go to bed now!
8. Because I listened to that song so many times, it is in my head all day.
9. If you take an umbrella, you will be safe from the rain.
10. She borrowed my favorite outfit for her vacation.
11. Please stop talking and listen.
12. Those flowers in your garden are blooming so beautifully.
13. What time does the movie start?
14. After dinner, they decided to go shopping.
15. Please watch your little brother while I'm gone.

WEEK 3 ANSWERS

Thank you to the 22 of you that participated this past week. It is our biggest yet.

1. blew

2. bit

3. brought

4. eaten

5. cost

6. broken

7. came

8. become

9. chose

10. fallen

11. drawn

12. did

13. burst

14. bought

15. built

Week 3 Irregular Verbs

Verbs can change in awkward ways when going from the present to the past. We wish they could all add "ed," but the English language is too complicated for such a simple answer. Read each sentence and choose the correct verb to complete each. Each is worth .2 X 15= 3 bonus points

1. The strong wind from the thunderstorm (blew / blown ) the power lines down.

2. That annoying spider (bited / bit) my leg in two spots.

3. We (brought / bringed) our own snacks for the trip.

4. Something I had (ate / eaten) made my stomach hurt.

5. I think those shoes (costed / cost) more than you thought.

6. Have you ever (broken / broke) any bones?

7. In the morning, the mailman (come / came) with our long awaited package.

8. While watching the movie, I have (become / became) very sleepy.

9. Did you see the boy (chose / chosed) the winning number?

10. Has something (fell / fallen) out of your purse?

11. Ciara had (drawn / drew) the cutest picture for her mother.

12. When it came to the project, Janet (done / did) more than anyone else in her group.

13. As I went over that pothole, I think I (bursted / burst) the tire.

14. Before I leave for the trip, I will have (buyed / bought) new tennis shoes for all of the walking.

15. Some of the buildings he has (built / build) are tall and others are one level.

Week 2 Answers

Homophones worth 3 points .15 each


Thank you to the 17 participants in this week's bonus blog. The answers are as follows.
1. meet and meat
2. witch and which
3. bear and bare
4. red and read
5. be and bee
6. seen and scene


7. their and there
8. buy and by
9. its and it's but I accepted their and they're
10. vary and very

Homophones

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Often they are confused and misused. This week's challenge is to fill in the blanks with two homophones for each sentence. Yes, spelling does count! Each word is worth .15 making this week's activity worth 3 points.

1. I decided to _____________ my friend at the restaurant at 7:00P.M. She had a salad because she is a vegetarian and does not eat ___________.

2. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy met a good _____________ named Glenda who helped her decide ______________ road to follow.

3. At the zoo, the _____________ looked sad since his fur was _____________ in spots on his body.

4. Her eyes were ____________ because she ____________ the book cover to cover for over twelve hours.

5. She will ___________ in a lot of trouble if that ___________ stings her, since she is allergic.

6. She has __________ that _____________ in the movie over forty times, because she has a huge crush on Taylor Lautner.

7. _____________ house is a mansion, and I can't wait to go ____________ for the birthday party.

8. How will you ______________ anything if you don't have any money? You could drive _________ the bank before you go shopping.

9. ___________ leaves are droopy. I think ___________ going to need some water.

10. You will have to _____________ your routine, or it will get __________ boring.

Week #1 Answers

Thanks to the 17 of you who took the first weekly challenge of comparatives and superlatives. You should have received an e-mail from me indicating how many points you earned. The first week was worth 3 points. Each one was worth .1. Spelling did and does count. Here are the answers.

1. quiet, quieter, quietest

2. loud, louder, loudest

3. tall, taller, tallest

4. short, shorter, shortest

5. dreamy, dreamier, dreamiest

6. good, better, best

7. little, littler/less, littlest/least

8. hungry, hungrier, hungriest

9. some, more, most

10. bad, worse, worst

11. soft, softer, softest

12. much, more, most

13. lazy, lazier, laziest

14. many, more, most

15. tired, more tired, most tired

WEEK #1: Comparative and Superlative

Did you know that adjectives can be comparative or superlative?

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two items and superlatives compare three or more items. Comparatives usually end in "er" and superlatives usually end in "est." The following are basic adjectives that you need to transform into comparative and superlative. Some will not change regularly. Some may need more or most added to them, while others will be completely different words. Spelling does count. Remember that all answers must be e-mailed to me before next Tuesday.

EXAMPLE: rich richer richest

1. quiet

2. loud

3. tall

4. short

5. dreamy

6. good

7. little

8. hungry

9. some

10. bad

11. soft

12. much

13. lazy

14. many

15. tired