Got Grammar? Ready-to-Use Lessons and Activities That Make Grammar Fun!

THE AUTHOR JACK UMSTATTER taught English at the junior high, middle school, and high school levels for more than thirty years. A three-time Teacher of the Year, Umstatter is the best-selling author of 15 books including Grammar Grabbers!, Hooked on English!, and English Brainstormers! He currently conducts both local and national teacher-training workshops in the areas of reading, writing, poetry, and curriculum.

• About This Book vAbout the Author vDedication viAcknowledgments viStandards Grid xviiIntroduction 1SECTION ONE PARTS OF SPEECH 3DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 5Diagnostic Test 1: Parts of Speech 6Diagnostic Test 2: Parts of Speech 7LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 9Nouns1.1 Nouns 101.1A Plus a Quotation 111.1B Nouns Abound in the Classroom 12Pronouns1.2 Pronouns 131.2A Two at a Time 151.2B Naming the Pronouns 16Adjectives1.3 Adjectives 171.3A And a Trip to the Zoo 191.3B Listing Three Adjectives 20Verbs1.4 Verbs 211.4A Where the Boys Are 231.4B Connecting Verbs and Vocabulary 241.4C You Will Not Need Help Here 25Adverbs1.5 Adverbs 261.5A Scrambled Up for You! 281.5B Dressing Up 29Prepositions1.6 Prepositions 301.6A Finding the Four Words 32Conjunctions1.7 Conjunctions 331.7A Appropriately Chosen! 34Interjections1.8 Interjections 351.8A With Great Feeling!!! 36REVIEW ACTIVITIES 37Review Activity 1: O What an Activity! 38Review Activity 2: Finding the Missing Link 39Review Activity 3: Checking Out the Two Sentences 40FINAL TESTS 42Final Test 1 43Final Test 2 44SECTION TWO PARTS OF A SENTENCE 45DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 47Diagnostic Test 1: The Parts of a Sentence 48Diagnostic Test 2: Prepositional and Verbal Phrases 49Diagnostic Test 3: Complements 50Diagnostic Test 4: Subordinate Clauses 51LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 52Simple Subjects2.1 Simple Subjects 532.1A Look for Something Easy 54Complete Subjects2.2 Complete Subjects 552.2A Healthy Advice 56Subjects in Unusual Positions2.3Subjects in Unusual Positions 572.3A You Name Them 58Simple Predicates2.4 Simple Predicates 592.4A Matching Them Up 60Compound Verbs2.5 Compound Verbs 612.5A A Walk in the Park 62Complete Predicates2.6 Complete Predicates 632.6A Yours to Complete 64Verb Phrases2.7 Verb Phrases 662.7A Phasing In Verb Phrases 67Prepositional Phrases2.8 Prepositional Phrases 682.8A Hidden Prepositional Phrases 692.8B One to a Sentence 70Adjective Phrases2.9 Adjective Phrases 712.9A Making Sense of the Adjective Phrase 72Adverb Phrases2.10 Adverb Phrases 742.10A Traveling the World 75Appositives2.11 Appositives 762.11A Be Positive About Appositives 77Prepositional Phrases2.12 Misplaced Prepositional Phrases 792.12A Misplaced Information 80Participles and Participle Phrases2.13 Participles and Participle Phrases 812.13A Find the Six 82Gerunds2.14 Gerunds 832.14A Five Apiece 84Infinitives2.15 Infinitives 852.15A Each of the Three Gets Five 872.15B Infinitive Goals 88Direct Objects2.16 Direct Objects 892.16A Five-Letter Words 90Indirect Objects2.17 Indirect Objects 912.17A Find the Thirty Letters 92Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives2.18 Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives 932.18A Two to One 94Adverb Clauses2.19 Adverb Clauses 952.19A Nine Is Fine 96Adjective Clauses2.20 Adjective Clauses 972.20A Underlining Issues 98Noun Clauses2.21 Noun Clauses 992.21A Functionally Speaking 100REVIEW ACTIVITIES 101Review Activity 1: Adjective and Adverb Phrases 102Review Activity 2: Essential and Nonessential Clauses and Participle Phrases 103Review Activity 3: Filling in the Clauses 104FINAL TESTS 105Final Test 1: Verbal Phrases 106Final Test 2: Phrases 107Final Test 3: Complements 108Final Test 4: Clauses and Verbal Phrases 109Final Test 5: Subordinate Clauses 111SECTION THREE SENTENCES 113DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 115Diagnostic Test 1: Complete and Incomplete Sentences 116Diagnostic Test 2: Sentences by Purpose117Diagnostic Test 3: Sentences by Structure 118LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 119Fragments3.1 The Fragment 1203.1A Half a Score for Each 121Run-Ons3.2 Run-Ons 1223.2A Let’s Get It Right! 123Sentences3.3 Types of Sentences by Purpose 1243.3A Spelling It All Out 1253.3B Sentences by Purpose 126Simple Sentences3.4 The Simple Sentence 1273.4A Quite Simply 128Compound Sentences3.5 Compound Sentences 1293.5A Don’t Be Confounded 130Complex Sentences3.6 Complex Sentences 1313.6A What’s Left Should Be Enough 132Compound-Complex Sentences3.7 Compound-Complex Sentences 1333.7A It’s Not That Complex! 134Sentence Starters3.8 Starting a Sentence 1353.8A Seven Starters 136Diagramming 3.9 Diagramming Subjects, Predicates, Modifiers, and Complements (Review) 1383.9A Diagramming Subjects, Predicates, Modifiers,and Complements 1413.10 Diagramming Compound Elements andPrepositional Phrases 1423.10A Diagramming Compound Elements and Prepositional Phrases 1443.11 Diagramming Verbals and Clauses 1453.11A Diagramming Verbals and Clauses 149REVIEW ACTIVITIES 150Review Activity 1: Sentences by Structure 151Review Activity 2: A Part Here, A Part There, and Another Part There. . .  152Review Activity 3: Combining Sentences 153Review Activity 4: Let’s Combine Some More Sentences 155FINAL TESTS 156Final Test 1: Complete and Incomplete Sentences 157Final Test 2: Sentences by Purpose 158Final Test 3: Sentences Classified According to Structure 159Final Test 4: Which Is the Best Sentence? 160SECTION FOUR USAGE 163DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 165Diagnostic Test 1: Agreement 166Diagnostic Test 2: Verb Tenses 167Diagnostic Test 3: Cases 168Diagnostic Test 4: Words Often Confused 169LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 170Subject-Verb Agreement 4.1 Agreement of Subjects and Verbs 1714.1A What’s Her Name? 172Prepositional Phrases Agreement4.2 Agreement Involving Prepositional Phrases 1734.2A Let’s Concur! 174Indefinite Pronoun Agreement4.3 Indefinite Pronoun Agreement 1754.3A Who Wins? 176Compound Subjects4.4 Compound Subjects 1774.4A Two or More (Subjects) at a Time 178Irregular Verbs4.5 Irregular Verbs 1794.5A Big and Small (Irregular Verbs) 183Tense4.6 Regular Verbs and Tense 1854.6A It’s All in the Numbers 186Active and Passive Voices4.7 Active and Passive Voices 1874.7A It’s Better in the Active Voice 188Transitive and Intransitive Verbs4.8 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 1894.8A College’s Orange 190Nominative Case4.9 Nominative Case 1914.9A Looking for 29 192Objects of the Preposition4.10 Objects of the Preposition 1934.10A All Objects Should Be Located! 195Objective Case4.11 Objective Case 1964.11A The Letter A 197Possessive Case4.12 Possessive Case 1984.12A Three in a Row 199Who Versus Whom4.13 Who Versus Whom 2004.13A Ten Times 202Modifiers4.14 Comparisons of Modifiers 2034.14A Half and Half 204Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers4.15 Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers 2064.15A Only Five 208Usage Words4.16 Usage Words 2094.16A Be Upbeat! 2174.16B More Usage Words 2194.16C Knowing When to Use What 220Words Often Confused4.17 Words Often Confused (Part One) 2224.17A Add Up the Points 2244.18 Words Often Confused (Part Two) 2264.18A Parade of Animals 2284.19 Words Often Confused (Part Three) 2294.19A Shady Characters 2314.20 Words Often Confused (Part Four) 2334.20A A Balancing Act 235Double Negatives4.21 Double Negatives 2364.21A This Can’t Get No Harder! 237REVIEW ACTIVITIES 238Review Activity: Words Often Confused 239FINAL TESTS 241Final Test 1: Agreement 242Final Test 2: Verb Tenses 243Final Test 3: Verb Tenses 244Final Test 4: Cases 245Final Test 5: Words Often Confused 246SECTION FIVE MECHANICS 247DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 249Diagnostic Test 1: Capitalization 250Diagnostic Test 2: Commas 251LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES 252Capitalization5.1 Capitalization 2535.1A Half and Half 2545.1B Sporting Around 2555.1C Ten Letters at a Time 257Spelling5.2 100 Challenging Spelling Words 2595.2A Finding the Missing Letters 260Commas5.3 Commas 2615.3A Why We Use Commas (Part One) 2625.3B Why We Use Commas (Part Two) 264Apostrophes5.4 Apostrophes 2655.4A Showing Your Apostrophe Skills 266Quotation Marks5.5 Quotation Marks 2675.5A Quotation Marks in Every Sentence 268Punctuation5.6 Semicolons, Colons, Italics, and Hyphens 2695.6A Working with Punctuation 2715.6B Using Semicolons, Colons, Italics, and Hyphens 2725.7 Brackets, Parentheses, Ellipsis Marks, and Dashes 2735.7A Proper Punctuation, Please! (Brackets, Parentheses, Ellipsis Marks, and Dashes) 274End Marks5.8 End Marks 2755.8A Putting the End Mark in Its Place 276REVIEW ACTIVITIES 277Review Activity 1: Traveling Along 278Review Activity 2: Showing Your Comma Skills 279Review Activity 3: Inserting Commas 281Review Activity 4: Writing and Punctuating 282FINAL TESTS 283Final Test 1: Capitalization 284Final Test 2: Commas 285SECTION SIX MEETING THE TESTS HEAD-ON 287Past Participles6.1 The Past Participles of Irregular Verbs 289Prepositions6.2 Pairing the Prepositions 290Phrases6.3 Clauses and Verbal Phrases 2916.4 Phrasing It the Correct Way 293Sentence Construction6.5 Placing the Words in Their Proper Places 2956.6 Placing the Phrases and Clauses as Directed 296Sentence Deconstruction6.7 Picking Apart the Sentences 2976.8 Let’s Pick Apart Another Sentence 298Sentence Reconstruction6.9 Putting It All Together 2996.10 Putting the Sentences Together—Bit by Bit 3006.11 Putting the Sentences Together Again—Bit by Bit 301Editing6.12 Is There an Error? (Part One) 3026.13 Is There an Error? (Part Two) 3036.14 Can You Find the Two Errors? 3046.15 What’s Wrong Here? 3056.16 Which Is the Best Sentence? 307Answer Key 309Index 363