European Cities

We did unit 25 of Impact grammar.
The lesson is about comparative
expressions with prepositions.


We then did a writing assignment in period 2.

HOMEWORK: -do unit 99 as/than sheet
-Compare any two Japanese cities.
write about:
weather
customs
size
how old the city is

-finish your writing assignment:The differences in culture of the country I lived in.

Outlining

Today we reviewed page 18-19 in
The Write Path text book.

HOMEWORK:
-do an outline for the topic: discuss the
differences between crime in Japan VS.
crime in the U.S ( or the foreign country
where you lived in the past)

USE PAGE 19c OF THE WRITE
PATH AS A MODEL TO FOLLOW

Animal Idioms

We did lesson # 24 of Impact Grammar.
I the second class we did some timed witting assignments.

HOMEWORK:
-doing trying it Impact Grammar
-research and find out your Japanese horoscope.
Tell me what animal you are and what is special about it.

A4 0r B5 paper

act like an ape
MEANING: behave badly, wildly, foolishly EXAMPLE: He has been acting like an ape ever since his girlfriend left him.
bark up the wrong tree
MEANING: choose the wrong course of action EXAMPLE: He is barking up the wrong tree. He accuses me of causing the computer problem but I was away at the time.

Her bark is worse than her bite
MEANING: someone�s words are worse than their action EXAMPLE: You shouldn''t worry about her. Her bark is worse than her bite and she is really a very nice person.

Try this fun online quiz http://www.english-zone.com/idioms/animals1a.html

Quiz Show

We did lesson # 23 in our Impact Grammar book.
Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives
was the grammar lesson.

In our second class we worked using The Write Path
in practicing how to write Conclusion sentences.

HOMEWORK:
-write path page 25e
-write 5 trivia Qs and As
using comparative and superlative
forms of adjectives.

The Comparative Form

The comparative form, which is made be adding -er or a preceding more to the positive form, shows either a greater degree than the positive form or a makes a comparison between two persons or things.

Examples:

    They chose a darker brown paint than their neighbours.
    The dancer moved more gracefully than the actor.

The Superlative Form

The superlative form, which is made by adding -est or a preceding most to the positive form, shows the greatest degree of a quality or quantity among three or more persons or things.

Examples:

They chose the darkest brown they could find.
The dancer moved the most gracefully of all the performers.

TRY THIS ONLINE TEST TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW

http://www.quia.com/quiz/316652.html?AP_rand=42088010

Billy Elliot Final Exam

Final exam day passed! We did a movie and book test on Billy Elliot.

Please remember to bring the write path book for next class!

Billy Elliot sample audio

The test on Monday will have 3 questions
with a short audio clip that students must
listen to and then fill in the blanks.

Ballet lesson

In class I showed a basic introduction to ballet.

The video taught about the 10 basic movements

of ballet. It looked very difficult!

Here are some sample questions that are

similar to the ones on the test Monday.

1. Describe the role that the 1984-85 miners strike
played in the film.

2. What are the similarities between dancers and
athletes who play football, baseball, basketball or
tennis? What are the differences?

3.Why was Miss Wilkinson especially interested in
teaching ballet to Billy?

4.Evaluate Billy's father as a parent. What did he do
well and what did he do poorly?

5.There were times when Billy didn't obey his father,
especially about taking dance lessons. What do you
think of this behavior?

Matthew Bourne's Swan lake

Today we watched some ballet clips from Matthew Bourne's swan lake.

We then worked on some group discussion questions.

In our second class we did Impact grammar lesson #22 on Weather Forecast.

HOMEWORK:

-Finish Billy Elliot workbook Qs #1-3 on pg 7-8

-Write a letter from the Ballet academy to Billy Elliot telling him that he was accepted into the dance school.

1/2 page A4 or B5 paper.

-Write about the weather yesterday & what you think the weather will be like next day.

please use few, a few, little, a little in your writing.

Billy Elliot Chapter 15

The last chapter of this great story!

We listened to the final audio chapter when Billy finally makes his debut as a professional dancer.

Tony, Jackie, and Michael are very proud of their Billy and cheer him on as he jumps again just for them.

Billy Elliot Chapter 14

We listened to the audio Cd of this chapter, as Billy prepares to leave Everington.
Brother Tony has a change of heart and he is able to tell Billy that he will "miss" him.

Billy Elliot Chapter 13

We listened to the audio Cd of this chapter in class.
Billy finally gets in to the ballet school.

HOMEWORK:

-book questions page 55-56 #s 24-28

Billy Elliot movie

We continued watching Billy Elliot the movie. We watched until the end of the part where Billy has the audition for ballet.

HOMEWORK:

-finish reading the book for Monday's class

-do page 6 from the BILLY ELLIOT workbook

Billy Elliot Chapter 12

In class students listened to chapter 12 and then we did some role

playing in class group conversations.

STUDENT A- was the teacher

STUDENT B- was Billy

STUDENT C- was Jackie

HOMEWORK:

-read chapter 13

-page 54-55 questions 21 and 23

-Writing assignment:

Imagine that Billy didn't get into ballet school. What happens to him??

Write about his life.

1/2 page to 1 page A4 or B5 size paper

Billy Elliot Chapter 11

We listened to chapter 11 in class and then we discussed in groups about the plot events.

In the second class we did Impact grammar lesson 21 HOBBIES

HOMEWORK:

-Write about your favorite hobby.

Tell me WHAT it is, WHEN you started this hobby, WHO else do you know that has this

same hobby too? (friends, family member...) WHERE do you usually practise this hobby?

WHY do you like this hobby??

Please write 1/2 page A4 or B5 paper

-Do pg. 54 before you read Qs #18-19

-Design your own raffle ticket for chapter 11. describe what raffle prize will be awarded

and how much does each ticket cost????

DRAW A PICTURE OF YOUR TICKET AND COLOR IT!

Billy Elliot Chapter 10

We listened to chapter 10 in class. I then asked students to think of the 3 most important

events fro this chapter. I then gave a lecture on the history of the word "GAY" used in

Japan and North America.

HOMEWORK:

-read chapter 11

-write a 1/2 page about: Why mining, boxing, and smoking are dangerous?

Billy Elliot Chapter 9

We talked about and listened to chapter 9 in class. We also worked in groups of 4 and took turns talking about, happy, sad, angry, jealous, embarassing, and scary moments in recent days in our lives.

HOMEWORK:

-Read chapter 10

-Do page 53 Questions for chapters 7-9 #s 14-17

USE A4 or B5 paper

Billy Elliot Chapter 8

We watched another bit of the DVD movie today, as well we listened to chapter 8 audio of the book. After watching the movie I gave you some questions to do from home work.

HOMEWORK:

-Billy Elliot workbook pg 5 Qs # 1-4 *Use A4 or B5 paper*

Billy Elliot Chapter 7

We continued working on our class assignment "when I was eight". After reading over your script with your partner and he or she editing it, we then presented our speech to the class.

We then listened to chapter 7 audio and the remaining time was used to start on your questions.

HOMEWORK:
-read chapter 8
-finish Qs pg 51 #s 7-11 for chapters 4-6

Billy Elliot Chapter 6

We watched a little bit of the movie Billy Elliot and listened to chapter 6.

After watching the first 20 minutes of the movie, students then had to answer some questions based on what they saw.

HOMEWORK:

-Read chapter 7

-Do worksheet "what I was doing when I was 8 years old"

Be prepared to share it with your partner-and then present it to the class.

Billy Elliot Chapter 5

We listened to chapter 5, then we worked in partners explaining the story to each other as well as the top 3 events of this chapter.

Billy Elliot Chapter 4

We listened to chapter 4 today, then we worked in pairs explaining

the chapter to each other in English.

HOMEWORK:

-Read chapter 6

-Finish chapters 1-3 book questions #s 1-6

Billy Elliot Chapter 3

At the start of class each student presented their facts about coal.
Everyone did very well!!
We listened to chapter 3 today in class.

HOMEWORK:
-Read chapters 4-6 by September 26th (nexy class)
-Find the top 3 events of chapter 3
-New character list for chapter 3
-New words list

ENJOY THE ICUHS FESTIVAL!

Billy Elliot Chapter 2

We covered chapter 2.
We talked about the characters found in the first two chapters.
Students also worked with in pairs and asked each other about
the top 3 plot events for chapter 2.

HOMEWORK
- Find new vocabulary words.
-Research coal: what is it used for? How is it made?

Billy Elliot Chapter 1

Glad to see you all! Hope you had a great summer!!!

Billy Elliot is our next book. Great......BOOK!!!!!!

We had an introduction to the book today. I showed

you a powerpoint slide show, and we listened to

Chapter one.

HOMEWORK:

-Make a list of the top 3 events for chapter 1

-Find 10 new words and wrte down their meaning.

-Write a paragraph about what you wanted to do at age 12.

-Finish page 1 & 2 of the BILLY ELLIOT worksheet using the

internet webpages.

Billy Elliot

Our new book for September will be Billy Elliot.

Set in northern England during the 1984 miner's strike, Billy Elliot tells the story of a young working class boy who chooses not to follow his widowed father's instructions to train to be a boxer. Instead, fascinated by the ballet class sharing the same building as his gym, Billy hangs up his gloves to pursue dreams of being a dancer. But even as he discovers his virtuoso gift for ballet he must hide his triumph from his father and brother -- both miners on strike struggling to keep food on the table.

Movie Listings

Impact Grammar lesson #18.

We learned about:SUBJECT VERB

AGREEMENT WITH SIMPLE PRESENT

TENSE

HOMEWORK:

-Subject verb agreement 13 questions

-Trying it: Think of a movie you have seen

recently(Cinema or DVD)

Write your own listing decribing the movie.

*USE THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE*

Complete Grammar Guide Subject/Verb Agreement

Structure
In present tenses, the verb must agree with the subject of the sentence. This means that there are two forms of the verb in present: one for subjects I, you, we, and they, and one for subjects he, she, and it.

"I/You/We/They live in New York."

"He/She/Itlives in New York."

(The easiest way to remember this is that first and second person nouns and third person plural nouns have no -s, and third person singular nouns have an -s.)

In the first example we used pronouns, but the same rules are true for proper nouns. If you aren't sure which verb form to use with a proper noun, ask yourself which pronoun could replace it, for example:

Mary >>> she

William >>> he

my cat >>> he/she/it

the Green Bay Packers team>>> they

me and my family >>> we

you and your family >>> you

Usage
As mentioned, subject/verb agreement generally only happens in present tenses.

The exeception to this rule is the verb be, which has the past forms were (for you, we, and they) and was (for he, she, it, and I).

Therefore, the simple past of be shows agreement, as does the past progressive of any verb.
In progressive tenses, the auxiliary be shows the agreement.

"Rod is making a lot of noise, and his neighbors are getting annoyed."

"Rod was making a lot of noise, and his neighbors were getting annoyed."

In perfect tenses, the auxiliary have shows the agreement:
"I have been to France three times, but he has never been there."

"I have been coming here for ten years, but hehas been coming here for twenty."

A Year in Madison

We did lesson #17 of Impact Grammar.

The topic was Transitive VS. Intransitive Verbs.

We also did pre-writing chapter 3 of The Write Path

pg 17-19 on Clustering and Outlining.

HOMEWORK:

-Page 19c and 19d

-Trying it: Write three or four sentences about an

experience that changed your life.

-Transitive & Intransitive worksheet 25 Questions

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Depending on the type of object they take, verbs may be transitive, intransitive, or linking.
The meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete without a direct object, as in the following examples:

INCOMPLETE
The shelf holds.

COMPLETE
The shelf holds three books and a vase of flowers.

INCOMPLETE

The committee named.

COMPLETE
The committee named a new chairperson.

INCOMPLETE
The child broke.

COMPLETE
The child broke the plate.

An intransitive verb, on the other hand, cannot take a direct object:
This plant has thrived on the south windowsill.
The compound verb "has thrived" is intransitive and takes no direct object in this sentence.

The prepositional phrase "on the south windowsill" acts as an adverb describing where the plant thrives.

The sound of the choir carried through the cathedral.

The verb "carried" is used intransitively in this sentence and takes no direct object. The prepositional phrase "through the cathedral" acts as an adverb describing where the sound carried.

The train from Montreal arrived four hours late.

The intransitive verb "arrived" takes no direct object, and the noun phrase "four hours late" acts as an adverb describing when the train arrived.

Since the company was pleasant and the coffee both plentiful and good, we lingered in the restaurant for several hours.

The verb "lingered" is used intransitively and takes no direct object. The prepositional phrase "in the restaurant for several hours" acts as an adverb modifying "lingered".

The painting was hung on the south wall of the reception room.

The compound verb "was hung" is used intransitively and the sentence has no direct object.

The prepositional phrase "on the south wall of the reception room" acts as a adverb describing where the paint hung.

Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on their context in the sentence.

In the following pairs of sentences, the first sentence uses the verb transitively and the second uses the same verb intransitively:

transitive
According to the instructions, we must leave this goo in our hair for twenty minutes.
In this example, the verb "leave" takes a direct object, the noun phrase "this goo".

intransitive
We would like to stay longer, but we must leave.
In this example, the verb "leave" does not take a direct object.

transitive
The audience attentively watched the latest production of The Trojan Women.
In this example, the verb "watch" is used transitively and takes the noun phrase "the latest production of The Trojan Women" as a direct object.

intransitive
The cook watched while the new dishwasher surreptitiously picked up the fragments of the broken dish.

In this example, the verb "watched" is used intransitively and takes no direct object.

intransitive
The crowd moves across the field in an attempt to see the rock star get into her helicopter.
Here the verb "moves" is used as an intransitive verb and takes no direct object.

transitive

Every spring, William moves all boxes and trunks from one side of the attic to the other.
In this sentence "moves" is used as a transitive verb and takes the noun phrase "all the boxes and trunk" as a direct object.

A Terrible Hoiliday

Lesson # 16 of Impact Grammar

Was about Yes/No Questions

In The Simple Past.

HOMEWORK:

-Trying it:

Your friend has been on vacation

to Japan. Think of five famous places

to visit in Japan.

Write questions to find out whether

your friend went to these places.

*Write the questions in the simple past tense*

FOR MORE HELP UNDERSTANDING SIMPLE PAST TENSE:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/frage5.htm

Newspaper Stories

We did page #15 today of IMPACT GRAMMAR.

The topic was Adjectives & Adverbs.

HOMEWORK:

-Write a story for this headline:

TEENAGER SETS FIRE TO FAMILY HOME

-Adverbs and Adjectives work sheet

Adverbs and adjectives

What is the difference between adverbs and adjectives?
A very basic answer to this question is:

Adjectives are used to describe nouns.

A big house

Black cats

Two things to note here:
Adjectives usually come immediately before the noun, and not after it as in some other languages.

Adjectives only have one form, i.e. they do not change when describing plural nouns.

One black cat.
Two black cats (not blacks).

Adverbs are used to describe verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

He runs quickly.
It is an extremely difficult question.
The car rolled very slowly down the road.

Many adverbs end in the letters 'ly', but there are also many exceptions.

Weekend Activities

We had two classes today. In the first one
we did part of unit #3 Prewriting; of The Write Path book.

We just covered the Brainstorming section.

In the second class we did unit 14 of Impact
Grammar. The lesson was about:Prepositions
of location and direction.

HOMEWORK:
-Brainstorming: What I like about ICUHS
-Prepositions worksheet 20 Qs
-Trying it: Where do you like to go in your
city or town. You need to describe the location
of some of these places. Write directions to
go from one place to another.

*Use prepositions IN, AT, ON, TO*

In is used with the names of cities, states, counties and countries (in Dallas, in New Jersey, in Bexar County, in Mexico).

On is used with the names of streets (on Broadway, on Park Drive).

At is used with numerical addresses (at 8649 Broadway).

Try this online quiz to see what you remember:
http://palc.sd40.bc.ca/palc/Quiz/prep-location1.htm

Making an appointment

We looked at lesson #13 and the lesson was

about Prepositions in expressions of time.

HOMEWORK:

-Question sheet about: AT, IN,ON

-Trying it: Do you know when you were born?

at what time? on what day? in what month?

in what year? in the morning, afternoon or night?

In, On, At (Expressions of Time)

In = Period of Time, Year, Season, Month, Part of Day
I went to school in the past.
I went to school in the summer.
I went to school in 1974.
I went to school in March.
I went to school in the morning.

On = Specific Day, Specific Day + Part of Day
I went to school on March 10th.
I went to school on Tuesday.
I went to school on Tuesday afternoon.
I went to school on the morning of March 10th.

At = Specific Time, Specific Time + Day
I went to school at 10:00.
I went to school at noon.
I went to school at noon yesterday.
I went to school at two o'clock.

In, On At (Expressions of Place)

In = Large Areas: Continents, Countries, Cities, Towns, etc.
I live in South America.
I live in Germany.
I live in New York.
I live in South Dakota.
I live in Plains, Georgia.

On = Street Names, Island Names, Floors
I live on Fifth Avenue.
I live on South Capital Street.
I live on Long Island.
I live on Samson Boulevard.
I live on Park Road.
I live on the fourth floor.
I live on the floor above you.

At = Numbered Addresses, Institutions
I live at 241 Fifth Avenue.
I live at 9 Suiter Place.
I live at 9234 South Capital Street.
I live at Gallaudet University.
I live at this hospital.
I live at home.
I study at school.
I work at the capital.

Great Musicians

What kind of music do you like?

We completed our study worksheet pages

for "The write path." In the second class today

we did lesson #12 of Impact Grammar.

Homework:

-Write 7 wordbox sentences

-Workbook pages 13b-13g write path book

-Trying it: Bio about a musician

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:
I saw a movie yesterday.
I didn't see a play yesterday.
Last year, I traveled to Japan.
Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
Did you have dinner last night?
She washed her car.
He didn't wash his car.

[VERB+ed] or Irregular Verbs

Try some Irregular Verbs questions:

http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/interactiveirregularverbs1.htm

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:
I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

Try the online simple past tense quiz

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_past_quiz.htm

A visit to the Doctor

We learned about "STATIVE VERBS" in Impact Grammar lesson #11.

HOMEWORK:

-Trying it: Write a dialogue between you and your Doctor.

Tell your Doctor about your health. Discuss diet, exercise, and

weight information.

*USE STATIVE VERBS IN YOUR WRITING*

Definition
A stative verb is a verb that expresses a state of affairs or being rather than action.

Stative verbs differ from verbs of action not just in meaning but in formal structure and usage.
Discussion

Some verbs have both senses that express

a state of affairs or being, and
action.

Examples (English)
-be
-concern
-have
-know

TRY THE STATIVE VERB QUIZ HERE:

http://www.englishqed.com/stativeverb.html

At the Zoo

We had two classes today. In our first class we covered chapter 2 of the write path.

We talked about Restrictive and Nonrestrictive clauses.

In period two, we did unit #10 of Impact Grammar:BE IN YES/NO QUESTIONS.

HOMEWORK:

- Finish write path pages 13e,13f,13g (DUE NEXT MONDAY)

-Think about a Zoo animal for next class to play the YES/No question game.

- Write a short story 5 sentences or more, about a mammal. The story can be real, funny, serious, or made up.

Commas with Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses
Usually, the terms restrictive and nonrestrictive describe relative clauses—clauses beginning with who, which, or that.

A clause is restrictive (or essential or identifying) if the meaning of the sentence would not be clear without it. Do not use a comma with a restrictive clause.
Consider this example:

Full-time students who attend summer school usually graduate in less than four years.

Without the modifying clause, the meaning of this sentence would change, as not all full-time students graduate in less than four years. Consequently, the relative clause is restrictive and does not require commas.

A clause is nonrestrictive (or nonessential or non-identifying) if the meaning of the sentence would remain the same even without it. Always use commas with nonrestrictive clauses.
The following sentence contains a nonrestrictive clause:

College students, who buy many compact discs, are a main source of income for record companies.

The relative clause in this sentence simply adds extra information. The basic meaning of the sentence would not change if the clause were omitted. Consequently, the clause is nonrestrictive and needs to be enclosed by commas.

When a relative clause follows a proper name, the clause is always nonrestrictive because the name already makes the identity clear. Consequently, relative clauses following proper names are always set off by commas, as shown in the following examples:

Dudley Wilson, who was the highest scorer on our team, received a scholarship offer from Penn State.Penn State, which recruits only the best players, was impressed with Dudley Wilson’s scoring record.

A shopping trip

Last day we covered lesson # 9 of Impact Grammar.

The lesson was about DETERMINERS WITH NOUNS.

HOMEWORK:

-Trying it your good friend is coming to dinner. Plan a meal that you would like to cook for your friend. Be sure to use determiners:SOME, A LITTLE, A FEW, SEVERAL...............ETC.

DETERMINERS WITH NOUNS

Nouns are often preceded by the words the, a, or an. These words are called DETERMINERS. They indicate the kind of reference which the noun has. The determiner the is known as the DEFINITE ARTICLE. It is used before both singular and plural nouns:
Singular-S
Plural-P
the taxi-S
the taxis-P
the paper-S
the papers-P
the apple-S
the apples-P

The determiner a (or an, when the following noun begins with a vowel) is the INDEFINITE ARTICLE. It is used when the noun is singular:

a taxi a paper an appleThe articles the and a/an are the most common determiners, but there are many others:

any taxi that question those apples this paper some apple whatever taxi whichever taxiMany determiners express quantity:

all examples both parents many people each person every night several computers few excuses enough water no escapePerhaps the most common way to express quantity is to use a numeral. We look at numerals as determiners in the next section.

Numerals and DeterminersNumerals are determiners when they appear before a noun. In this position, cardinal numerals express quantity:

one book two books twenty booksIn the same position, ordinal numerals express sequence:
first impressions second chance third prizeThe subclass of ordinals includes a set of words which are not directly related to numbers (as first is related to one, second is related to two, etc). These are called general ordinals, and they include last, latter, next, previous, and subsequent. These words also function as determiners:

next week last orders previous engagement subsequent developments When they do not come before a noun, as we've already seen, numerals are a subclass of nouns. And like nouns, they can take determiners:

the two of us the first of manyThey can even have numerals as determiners before them:
five twos are tenIn this example, twos is a plural noun and it has the determiner five before it.

TRY THE DETERMINERS FREE ONLINE QUIZ:
http://wps.prenhall.com/ipractice/0,9716,1626380-content,00.utf8.html

Summer Sale

Today we covered lesson # 8 dealing with

countable VS. uncountable nouns.

HOMEWORK:

-Trying it "You have just won a prize! You won two hours of free shopping. Make a list of what you would like to get. Use countable and uncountable nouns.

-Countable and Uncountable worksheet.

What are countable nouns?
Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted.
books, Italians, pictures, stations, men, etc.
A countable noun can be both singular - a friend, a house, etc. - or plural - a few apples, lots of trees, etc.
Use the singular form of the verb with a singular countable noun:
There is a book on the table.That student is excellent!
Use the plural form of the verb with a countable noun in the plural:
There are some students in the classroom.Those houses are very big, aren't they?

What are uncountable nouns?
Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc. which are not individual objects and can not be counted.
information, water, understanding, wood, cheese, etc.
Uncountable nouns are always singular.

TRY THE FREE ONLINE QUIZ!

http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/ch-countnouns.html

Islands in Paradise

Today we had two classes!

The first class we studied unit two of THE WRITE PATH.

You learned about SIMPLE & COMPLEX sentences.

In the second class we did IMPACT GRAMMAR #7

HOMEWORK:

-14 sentences using subordinating conjuntions

-word box 6 sentences

-Trying it. Write about a tourist attraction in Japan.

A simple sentence is a sentence structure that contains one independent clause and no dependent clauses.

Examples
The singer bowed.
This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, singer, and one predicate, bowed.
The baby cried.
This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, baby, and one predicate, cried.
The girl ran into her bedroom.
This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, girl, and one predicate, ran into her bedroom.
In the backyard, the dog barked and howled at the cat.
This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, dog, and one predicate, barked and howled at the cat. This predicate has two verbs, known as a compound predicate: barked and howled. This compound verb should not be confused with a compound sentence. In the backyard and at the cat are prepositional phrases.

In the English language, a compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses, but no dependent clauses. The clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (with or without a comma), a correlative conjunction (with or without a comma), or a semicolon with no conjunction.

Examples
He finally bought the book, or so I thought.
The two independent clauses are joined by a comma and the coordinating conjunction "or".
Either he goes or I go.
The compound sentence is held together by the correlative conjunction "either…or".
Mary understands math; she has studied it for years.
Here the two are joined by a semicolon with no conjunction.

PLURAL NOUNS

The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter s.

more than one snake = snakes
more than one ski = skis
more than one Barrymore = Barrymores

Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the plural:

more than one witch = witches
more than one box = boxes
more than one gas = gases
more than one bus = buses
more than one kiss = kisses
more than one Jones = Joneses

There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms.

more than one child = children
more than one woman = women
more than one man = men
more than one person = people
more than one goose = geese
more than one mouse = mice
more than one barracks = barracks
more than one deer = deer

TRY THIS TO SEE IF YOU REMEMBER

http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/nouns1.html

About People

We covered lesson # 6 today of Impact Grammar.

Negatives: No vs. Not was the topic.

HOMEWORK:

1-Using the word box make 10 sentences using the new words.

2-Think of three people you know well.

Write a sentence about them using NO or NOT.

NOT

------

1. Use not with an adjective.

2. Use not with a verb.

3. Use not if the noun has a(n), the or a

possessive pronoun before it.

NO

-----

1. Use no with a noun by itself.

2. Use no with an adjective and a noun.

Housework, Husbands, and Wives...

We covered lesson 5 today of IMPACT GRAMMAR.

HOMEWORK:

- Use A4 or B5 paper

- Write 3 Questions to ask a new friend that you have met.

If you are a boy>you are meeting a girl. If you are a girl>

you are meeting a boy.

*Use DOES HE/DOES SHE and DO YOU*

The rules:

Use do in yes-no questions when the subject is I, you, we , they.

Does is used when the subject is he, she, it.

•Begin yes-no questions with action verbs with do or does.

Try these http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/grammar/Interactive/yesno01.html

Holiday Postcards

Today we had two classes.
-1st class we did pages 3-5 in the WRITE PATH book.

Common errors in clauses are Fragment sentences, the run on sentence, and the comma splice.

HOMEWORK:
- write page pages 5b, 5c, 5d
- Impact Grammar lesson #4
- Post card writing assignment. Uses Present continuous and simple present tenses.

ERROR #1 THE FRAGMENT
Definition
A SENTENCE FRAGMENT fails to be a sentence in the sense that it cannot stand by itself. It does not contain even one independent clause. There are several reasons why a group of words may seem to act like a sentence but not have the wherewithal to make it as a complete thought.

It may locate something in time and place with a prepositional phrase or a series of such phrases, but it's still lacking a proper subject-verb relationship within an independent clause:
In Japan, during the last war and just before the armistice.This sentence accomplishes a great deal in terms of placing the reader in time and place, but there is no subject, no verb.

It describes something, but there is no subject-verb relationship:
Working far into the night in an effort to salvage her little boat. This is a verbal phrase that wants to modify something, the real subject of the sentence (about to come up), probably the she who was working so hard.

It may have most of the makings of a sentence but still be missing an important part of a verb string:
Some of the students working in Professor Espinoza's laboratory last semester. Remember that an -ing verb form without an auxiliary form to accompany it can never be a verb.

It may even have a subject-verb relationship, but it has been subordinated to another idea by a dependent word and so cannot stand by itself:
Even though he had the better arguments and was by far the more powerful speaker. This sentence fragment has a subject, he, and two verbs, had and was, but it cannot stand by itself because of the dependent word (subordinating conjunction) even though. We need an independent clause to follow up this dependent clause: . . . the more powerful speaker, he lost the case because he didn't understand the jury.

Try this online game http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/fragment_fixing.htm

ERROR #2 THE RUN-ON SENTENCE

A RUN ON SENTENCE (sometimes called a "fused sentence") has at least two parts, either one of which can stand by itself (in other words, two independent clauses), but the two parts have been smooshed together instead of being properly connected. Review, also, the section which describes Things That Can Happen Between Two Independent Clauses.
It is important to realize that the length of a sentence really has nothing to do with whether a sentence is a run-on or not; being a run-on is a structural flaw that can plague even a very short sentence:
The sun is high, put on some sunblock.
An extremely long sentence, on the other hand, might be a "run-off-at-the-mouth" sentence, but it can be otherwise sound, structurally. Click here to see a 239-word sentence that is a perfectly fine sentence (structurally)
When two independent clauses are connected by only a comma, they constitute a run-on sentence that is called a comma-splice. The example just above (about the sunscreen) is a comma-splice. When you use a comma to connect two independent clauses, it must be accompanied by a little conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so).
The sun is high, so put on some sunscreen.
Run-on sentences happen typically under the following circumstances*:
When an independent clause gives an order or directive based on what was said in the prior independent clause:
This next chapter has a lot of difficult information in it, you should start studying right away.(We could put a period where that comma is and start a new sentence. A semicolon might also work there.)
When two independent clauses are connected by a transitional expression (conjunctive adverb) such as however, moreover, nevertheless.
Mr. Nguyen has sent his four children to ivy-league colleges, however, he has sacrificed his health working day and night in that dusty bakery.(Again, where that first comma appears, we could have used either a period — and started a new sentence — or a semicolon.)
When the second of two independent clauses contains a pronoun that connects it to the first independent clause.
This computer doesn't make sense to me, it came without a manual. (Although these two clauses are quite brief, and the ideas are closely related, this is a run-on sentence. We need a period where that comma now stands.)
Most of those computers in the Learning Assistance Center are broken already, this proves my point about American computer manufacturers. Again, two nicely related clauses, incorrectly connected — a run-on. Use a period to cure this sentence.

Try the run-on sentence quiz http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.htm

ERROR #3 THE COMMA SPLICE
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (thoughts capable of standing by themselves) are connected only by a comma, as in the following example:
The Titanic continues to draw big crowds, I really want to see it. There are four ways to correct a comma splice.
Turn each independent clause into a separate sentence.
The Titanic continues to draw big crowds. I really want to see it.
Join the independent clauses with an appropriate coordinating conjunction (joining word), preceded by a comma:
The Titanic continues to draw big crowds, but I really want to see it.

Coordinating Conjunctions:
and
or
for
yet
but
nor
so
Join the independent clauses with a semicolon, if they are closely related in meaning or intent:
The Titanic continues to draw big crowds; I really want to see it.
Rearrange the clauses so that one is subordinate to (depends upon) the other:
Although The Titanic continues to draw big crowds, I really want to see it.

Try some questions here http://www.mun.ca/writingcentre/csexercise1.shtml

Describing people

We did Impact Grammar lesson 3 today.
The lesson was about BE vs. HAVE.


HOMEWORK:
- Write a description of yourself, beginning with your age.
Someone you don't know is going to meet you at the bus station.

Use BE & HAVE in your writing

*Please write on A4 or B5 paper.*

What's in the room?

We did lesson #2 of Impact Grammar today.
The lesson was on There is/There are.

There is or There are
RULES:
1. Use there IS for singular nouns (one item). There is a spider on the wall
2. Use there IS for non-count items(group nouns). There is milk on the floor
3. Use there ARE for many items (plural nouns). There are pencils on my desk

HOMEWORK:

- Finish page page 2
- Write about a room in your home. Use THERE IS & THERE ARE.

TRY THE ONLINE TEST:
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/74.html

http://www.english-zone.com/verbs/thereisare2.html

Starting our new books!

Today we started on our two new books, IMPACT GRAMMAR & THE WRITE PATH.

In our first class we learned about PRONOUNS.

HOMEWORK:
-Impact grammar> write about your parent's job.
-Write path> page 5a

Pronouns
A pronoun is often defined as a word which can be used instead of a noun. For example, instead of saying John is a student, the pronoun he can be used in place of the noun John and the sentence becomes He is a student. We use pronouns very often, especially so that we do not have to keep on repeating a noun. This chapter is about the kind of pronoun called a personal pronoun because it often refers to a person. Like nouns, personal pronouns sometimes have singular and plural forms (I-we, he-they).

Unlike nouns, personal pronouns sometimes have different forms for masculine/male, feminine/female and neuter (he-she-it). Also unlike nouns, personal pronouns have different forms depending on if they act as subjects or objects (he-him, she-her). A subject is a word which does an action and usually comes before the verb, and an object is a word that receives an action and usually comes after the verb. For example, in the sentence Yesterday Susan called her mother, Susan is the subject and mother is the object. The pronoun she can be used instead of Susan and the pronoun her can be used instead of mother. The form of a personal pronoun also changes according to what person is referred to. Person is used here as a grammar word and means: 1st person or the self (I, me, we), 2nd person or the person spoken to (you), 3rd person or the person spoken about (he, she, him, her, they, them).

Have a great GOLDEN WEEK!

Please remember to bring both of your

new books for Monday-"THE WRITE PATH & IMPACT GRAMMAR".

HOMEWORK:

Finish page 7 You have to have friends part ABC

That's what friends are for!

We talked about relative pronouns in class today.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS:

Relative pronouns relate to another noun preceding it in the sentence. In doing so, they connect a dependent clause to an antecedent (i.e., a noun that precedes the pronoun.) Therefore, relative pronouns acts as the subject or object of the dependent clause.

onsider the following sentence where the relative pronoun is a subject:
The chef who won the competition studied in Paris.

In this sentence, WHO relates back to (or is relative to) the noun CHEF. WHO also acts as the subject of the dependent clause and the verb WON. The dependent clause: who won the competition. The independent clause: The chef studied in Paris.

In this sentence, the relative pronoun is an object in the dependent clause.
The shirt that Carl bought has a stain on the pocket.

In this sentence, THAT relates back to (or is relative to) the noun SHIRT. THAT is also the object of the verb BOUGHT. The dependent clause is: that Carl bought. The independent clause: The shirt has a stain on the pocket.

Which relative pronoun to use is determined by what the antecedent is and whether the dependent clause is essential information in relation to the independent clause.

When referring to people use these relative pronouns:
(A person)-- USE>

Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever

Here is a practice page you can do online:

http://www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz/relativ2.htm