1. Name That Noun! Identifying Common and Proper Nouns This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

2. Why Nouns? Nouns are important because the subject of a sentence is always either a noun or a pronoun. Without a subject, a sentence is not complete! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

3. Common Nouns Common Nouns are words that name persons, places, things or ideas. Person: man, girl, woman Place: mall, town, street, state Thing: table, book, food Idea: excitement, health, love This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

4. Common Noun Examples The new cars are more expensive than the models from last year. He is my brother-in-law. I know he is in love with her and will make a very good husband. The excitement of the hunting trip made the men hungry. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

5. Proper Nouns Proper Nouns are words that name specific persons, places or things. Person: Mr. Green, John Evans Place: Cumberland County Hospital Thing: Monday, Christmas Holidays This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

6. Proper Nouns Proper Nouns also name days of the week, months of the year, and specific titles. Days and Months: Monday, July Titles: The Deep Green Mountains, CSI New York, Mr. Evans This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

7. Guided Practice with Common Nouns My ____ is the busiest person I know. The new ___ will be released on Monday. ___ has never flown on an airplane. Help me understand her ____ for being late for work again. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

8. Guided Practice with Proper Nouns ____ are the best new band this year. I always go to the ____ games to see them win! My best friend, ____, is the smartest man I know. My daughter sees _____ when she is sick. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

9. Puzzling Pronouns Identifying Pronouns This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

10. Why Pronouns? Pronouns are important because the subject of a sentence is always either a noun or a pronoun. Without a subject, a sentence is not complete! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

11. Pronouns Pronouns take the place of a noun. Examples: he, she, them, it, us, we they, one Without pronouns, sentences would be very repetitive. We’d sound like robots! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

12. Guided Practice with Pronouns He is my best friend, John. We are going to see them play ball. Mary is nervous. She takes her test today. My car is old, but it gets me where I need to go. They are going shopping tonight. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

13. Verbs, Verbs, Verbs! Verb Tense & Helping Verbs This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

14. Verbs: Action or State of Being This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

15. Tense Means Time! There are three “simple” tenses: Past, Present, and Future. Past: I walked to the park yesterday. Present: I walk there everyday. Future: I will walk in the park tomorrow. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

16. Tense Means Time! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

17. Verb Tense on the GED The test will not require identification of the tense being used in a sentence. The test will require identification of the verb tense that is used correctly. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

18. Simple Verb Tense- Practice We can ____ things from the past. (learn) I ____ the books yesterday. (return) They _____ in 2012. (marry) I have _____ the gift to her. (give) The police _____ the man for robbery yesterday. (arrest) Mom ______ the best turkey casserole I have ever tasted. (make) This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

19. Simple Verb Tense- Practice We have ____ lunch. (ate) Some parents ____ their toddlers to read. (teach) The dogs in the show have ____ for many hours to lean to compete. (train) The investigation of the robbery has ____ that he is guilty. (show) There are 300 students who have ____their GED in this program. (pass) This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

20. Can’t We All Just Get Along? Subject-Verb Agreement This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

21. Singular and Plural Complete sentences must have a SUBJECT and a VERB! Subjects are either SINGLUAR (one) or PLURAL (more than one). Subjects and verbs must agree in number. A singular verb must be matched with a singular subject. A plural verb must be matched with a plural subject. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

22. Singular and Plural: Practice My friends and I ___ sending letters to soldiers. (is/are) David ___ too fast and I am afraid he will get a ticket. (drives/drive) The announcer on TV ___ too slowly. (talk/talks) ____ the cost of gas gone up this week? (Has/Have) This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

23. Fussy Fragments Identifying Complete and Incomplete Sentences This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

24. What Makes a Sentence? Complete Thought: A sentence must give all the needed information for the reader to understand it completely. Subject: A noun or pronoun. Verb: A word that shows action or state of being. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

25. Fragments on the GED Questions on both the TABE, OPT, and the GED will require you to recognize when a sentence is incomplete and choose the correct revision. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

26. Identifying Fragments: Practice After a movie. Tragic accidents causing injuries. Going in the right direction. Because you are always late. Susan going to the movie. Some students yelling in the halls. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

27. Run, Baby, Run! Identifying and Correcting Run-On Sentences This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

28. What is a Run-On? A run-on sentence is two or more complete thoughts that “run together” because there is no word or punctuation to separate them. Ex: The best computers are very fast they can download an average novel in about three minutes. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

29. What is a Run-On? This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

31. Three Run-On Fixes This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

32. Correcting Run-on Sentences: Practice Domestic animals are not able to survive in the wild a few have managed to learn to survive. Visitors can see many different kinds of animals in the zoo in some zoos then can touch certain animals. I couldn’t run as fast as the other people in the race I quit trying. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

33. Contractions Writing and Using Contractions Correctly This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

34. What are Contractions? Contractions are formed when two words are joined into one word. Contractions are used in speaking and in some writing. DO NOT USE THEM IN THE GED ESSAY. DO NOT confuse Contractions with Possessives. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

35. Examples of Contractions I am = I’mhe will = he’ll you are = you’reyou have = you’ve Is not = Isn’twas not = wasn’t we are = we’rethey are = they’re I will = I’llwe will = we’ll they will = they’llwill not = won’t there is = there’s did not = didn’t This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

36. Contractions: Practice The next thing you will taste is not going to be sweet. There is a new player on the school’s football team. Our favorite TV show does not come on until 11:00. We will go to the court house today. The Titans are not going to win this game. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

37. Capitalization To Capitalize or NOT to Capitalize? That is the question! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

38. DO Capitalize! The FIRST word of a sentence. The word “I”, on its own and in contractions. Ex: I’ll, I’ve, I’m Proper adjectives. Ex: East Nashville, Mexican Food, Algebra I Class This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

39. DO Capitalize! Proper Nouns: Specific persons, places or things. Ex: John and Annie Smith, Memphis, Tennessee 13 Mocking Bird Lane Monday September Titles: Book, Movie, Video or a Person’s Title Ex: Mr. Smith Sherriff Johnson Captain Hook Message in a Bottle A Tale of Two Cities Grandfather Bob Auntie Sue This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

40. DO Capitalize! Languages: English, Spanish, French Specific Class Names: Algebra I, US History 101, Science 400, Chemistry 100 This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

41. DO NOT Capitalize! Possessives: our, my, his, her, their A School Subject that is NOT specific and NOT a language: math, economics, social studies, history Seasons of the Year: summer, fall, spring, winter Directions: north, south, east and west This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

42. Capitalization: Practice I have just finished reading james patterson’s new book, to catch a theif. My sister had her first baby at the old hospital in nashville, tn. We thanked the entire community for supporting the united way fund’s thanksgiving food drive. My friend has no family except his uncle bob who lives somewhere out west. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

43. Possessive Pronouns Identifying Words that Show Ownership This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

44. Possessive Pronouns These words show ownership, and they do not need an apostrophe! The most common possessive pronouns are: mineour/ours their/theirs you/yours whosehis its hers This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

45. Possessive Pronoun: Practice The boys have to lock up ____ athletic equipment at night. (their/there/theres) The flashlight does not belong to you, it is ____. (mine/mind/me’s) These are my first efforts at gardening and even thought he are good, they are not as good as______. (you’res/yours/you’s) The first picture of the baby is ____. (hours, ours, our’s) This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

46. Punctuation Part One! Ending Marks This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

47. Punctuation: Ending Marks Period: Use a period to end a sentence that states facts or explains. Exclamation Mark: Use an exclamation mark to show strong emotion. Question Mark: Use this to end a question. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

48. Punctuation: End Mark Practice Can you hand the cleaning cloth to me I can’t wait for summer Stop Thief We can buy that when we get there Some birds fly south for the winter When will you stop telling me what to do After the dance, we can go get dessert I can’t believe she said that This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

49. Punctuation Part Two! Commas, Commas, Commas! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

50. Punctuation: Commas There are many comma rules. The Good News: The GED focuses on only a handful of these rules. For our purposes, we will study 5 occasions for using commas! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

51. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 1 Items in a Series: Use commas to separate more than two words or phrases that appear in a series. Ex: The students are collecting paper, cans and plastic for the recycling drive. We will find the campsite, put up the tent and launch the boat before you arrive. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

52. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 1 Practice: My favorite foods are pizza barbeque and chicken wings. Today I am making out my list going to the store finding the best bargains and returning home as quickly as possible. My daughter is afraid of the dark spiders and the doctor. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

53. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 2 Separate Two Sentences: When you have two sentences joined together by a conjunction, you must use a comma before the conjunction. Ex: We were tired after the swim, but we cooked a great meal for our guests. Ex:He is my best friend, and I am going to keep in touch with him. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

54. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 2 Practice The cats are very loving but they need constant attention. The lions are wild therefore we will need to hire an expert to care for them. John and I are coming to the party but we will have to leave in one hour. She is a sweet and her family adores her. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

55. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 3 Separate Months, Days, Years, Cities, States and Countries: Commas are used when writing a date to keep the days, months and numbers from running together. They are used to separate cities, states and countries, also. Ex: January 25, 1968Monday, May 8 Murfreesboro, TN Lenoir City, TN, USA This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

56. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 3 Practice Please change my address to 122 West Ave. Memphis TN 37788. The wedding is on March 15 2012 at 609 Cherry Street in Cookeville TN 37799. His address has changed to 4545 Mill Creek Rd. in Knoxville TN 37778. We are leaving Monday May 3 2011. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

57. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 4 Dependent Clause at the Beginning of a Sentence Ex: Because you are my friend, I will trust you. HOWEVER: A dependent clause at the END of a sentence does NOT require a comma. Ex: I will trust you because you are my friend. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

58. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 4 Practice Since you are already here you can stay for lunch. When you passed my car I could tell that your tire was low. Because I like children I have decided to become an elementary school teacher. Knowing my husband he will home late from work tonight. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

59. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 5 Set Off a Noun or Phrase Describing a Noun: The word or words you are “setting off” with commas could be left out of the sentence without changing the meaning or clarity of the sentence. Ex: Susan, my best friend, is thirty years old. That dog, a black lab, is very friendly. My favorite game, UNO, is great fun. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

60. Punctuation: Commas: Rule 5 Practice I go to school at The University of Tennessee one of the best schools in the state. John and Mary, my friends from high school, are working at Allied Tire. Grammar my favorite subject is fun for me. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

61. Possessives Words that Use an Apostrophe to Show Ownership This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

62. Possessives Possessives are words that use an apostrophe (‘) to show ownership. Add an “’s” when a noun is singular or if it is a plural noun not ending in “s”. Ex: Next week’s paper will be the last. Lucas’s shirt has a hole in it. My cat’s bowl is empty. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

63. Possessives Add an (‘) apostrophe ONLY when the word is ALREADY plural and ending in “s”. Ex: His friends’ tickets cost over fifty dollars each! Men tend to forget their wives’ birthdays. Six schools’ basketball teams are here for the tournament. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

64. Possessives: Practice ____ mother has told her to be home by 10. (Jills / Jill’s) Will you help me paint the ____ playroom? (children’s / childrens’) How many of my ____ newspapers did you throw away? (dad’s / dads’) We left the ____ house at 9:00. (Davis’ / Davis’s) This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

65. Transitional Words or Phrases Smooth Transitions are a Hallmark of Great Writing! This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

66. Why Use Transitional Words? Transitional words can be used to help clarify sequence of events, show time, add information, show cause and effect, or to contrast or compare. These words help make writing flow nicely. If the transitional word is the first word in a sentence, it is followed by a comma. If the transitional word is inside a sentence, it is “set off” by commas. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

67. Common Transitional Words Sequence: First, Second, Third, Last, Finally Time: Now, Since, Later, Meanwhile Compare/Contrast: However, Comparatively Add Information/Give Example: Specifically, Particularly, Also, Including Cause/Effect: Furthermore, Therefore This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

68. Common Transitional Phrases Sequence: at last, in the end, in the beginning Time: in the meantime, after the… Compare/Contrast: on the other hand, now that we understand Add Information/Give Example: for example, as you can see, for instance Cause/Effect: as a result, because of this This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

69. Transitional Words or Phrases Practice I think that your opinion makes sense, ______, so does mine. I think everyone should go on this trip, _____, the office staff. _____, put the keys in the ignition. _____, turn the key and start the car. _____, put the car in drive. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

70. Paragraph Structure The Foundation of Strong Writing This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

71. What is a Paragraph? A Paragraph is a group of sentences that discuss, describe or relate information about ONE topic. Typically a Paragraph is five to seven sentences long. Paragraphs have a TOPIC sentence and DETAIL sentences. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

72. What is a Paragraph? The TOPIC Sentence: This is usually the FIRST sentence of the paragraph. This sentence is a general statement that tells the reader what the entire paragraph will be about. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

73. What is a Paragraph? The rest of the paragraph is made up of DETAIL sentences. The detail sentences support the topic sentence and describe, give examples, provide a “picture” or story or provide directions. If these sentences are written in “order” the paragraph makes sense. If not, the reader will not understand the writer’s intended meaning. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

74. Paragraphs: So What? On the GED you will be given paragraphs where the sentences may be out of order. You will be asked to put those sentences back into the correct place. You may have to move them inside a singe paragraph, or from one paragraph to the other. You may also have sentences that don’t belong in ANY of the given paragraphs. Sentences that don’t belong must be deleted, or omitted altogether. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

75. Omitting Sentences: Reason 1 Omit a sentence from a paragraph when the sentence does not fill in the passage because of the time sequence of events or the order of operation in a direction. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

76. Omitting Sentences: Reason 2 Omit a sentence from a paragraph when the sentence does not match the information or action that occurs in the rest of the paragraph and would be better placed in a paragraph that matches the content better. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.

77. Omitting Sentences: Reason 3 Omit a sentence from a paragraph when the sentence is not needed in the passage because it describes things, actions or ideas that are not part of the passage. This curriculum was written with funding from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and may not be reproduced in any way without written permission.