2. Homophones When writing, it is important to use the correct homophone. Which is correct? I need a new pear of shoes for running. I ate a green pear for lunch.

3. Properly connecting sentences It is important to be able to correctly connect two sentences, making either a compound or complex sentence. Word choice is critical. How would you properly connect these two sentences? Sarah is limber, coordinated, and adaptable. She will make a terrific dancer. Because Sarah is limber, coordinated, and adaptable, she will make a terrific dancer.

4. Worse vs. Worst Worse is a comparative. Use it when comparing two things, just like better only in the negative instead of the positive. This means when comparing two things, one will always be “worse” and not “worst” than the other. The Worst Idea Ever!!! Example: Cardio is worse than strength training because it takes longer. Worst is a superlative. Think of worst like best, only in the negative. When something is much more terrible than multiple items, it is the “worst” of them all. Example: The worst idea is to attempt to lift heavy weights while balancing on a ball.

5. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement in Gender The gender of a pronoun must be the same as the gender of its antecedent FeminineMasculineNeuter she, her, hershe, him, hisit, its

6. When to Use Us and We It can be tricky but there is an easy way to decide whether to use we or us in sentences that contain statements such as “we bloggers” or “us girls.” Simply remove the noun from the sentence and decide which pronoun would be used on its own. Examples: We bloggers were introduced first at the conference. (“We were introduced first at the conference” is correct whereas “Us were introduced at the conference” is incorrect.) That movie didn’t frighten us girls at all. (“That movie didn’t frighten us at all” is correct whereas “That movie didn’t frighten we at all.”)

7. Quick vs. Quickly Quick is an adjective. Quickly is an adverb. So you have to ask yourself what is quick? A verb or a noun? If the noun is quick, use quick. If a verb is being done quickly, then use quickly. For example: The quick dog ran. The dog is being described as quick. (dog=noun) or The dog ran quickly. The running is being done quickly. (run=verb)

8. Good vs. Well When to use good and well. Good is an adjective, which means that it modifies nouns. This is a good movie What a good idea! You speak good English Well is an adverb, which means that it modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Did the movie do well at the box office? It was a well-defined idea You speak English well

9. Take vs. Bring Bring - We ask people to bring things to the place where we are. Bring is used in relation to a destination: "Bring some food to the party at my house." "Bring your homework to me" "Please bring your bag here." Take - We take things to the place we are going to. We take them from the place where we are to another place. Take is used in relation to a starting point. "I'm going to take some cake to Paul's house for his birthday party." "Take your dog away from me." "Please take your bag there."

10. Principle vs. Principal Principal, which can be used as an adjective or noun, conveys the meaning of "primary" or "chief.“ Think of principal of the school. Looking at the last three letters “p-a-l,” remember the principal is your pal. Meanwhile, principle is only ever a noun that refers to a rule, law, or general truth (e.g., the rules or principles of mathematics).

11. To, Too, and Two To – Use to as a preposition before a noun or as an infinitive before a verb. To and Too can be tricky! "Please take me to the dance" Too - Use too as a synonym for also or to indicate excessiveness before a verb. Usually, if you can replace too with also in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly. "I had too many tacos for lunch." Two - Use two to spell out the number 2. If you can replace two with 2 in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly. "Can you give me two dollars?"

12. Their, There, and They’re "They're - There - Their" are pronounced the same, but spelled differently according to usage: "There" refers to a place. Examples: There is a library in the first building. It is over there. Hint: If you can use the word "here," you have it right! "They're" is a contraction of "they are" Example: They're not in this building. Hint: "They" is a pronoun and "are" is the verb. If you can substitute "We are" you have it right! "Their" is the possessive pronoun. Example: Their library is located on the next street. Hint: If you can substitute "our" you have it right!

13. Misplace Modifiers A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies / describes. Explain if the modifier is used correctly in the following sentences: 1.When I was ten years old, my dad became a police officer. 2.Walking to the store, the wind blew Bridget’s hair around. 3.Looking toward the north, a storm cloud gathered in the distance. 4.Having been packed the night before, Tyler could not use the suitcase.

14. Familiar – 1. known or reminding someone of something. 2. happening or found frequently and in various places. 3. acting well- acquainted; informal. 4. being too presumptuous; bold. Which definition BEST fits the meaning of the underlined word in the sentence below? Mr. Winston disliked the dignified business world because he could not be on the familiar terms with his associates. A.Definition 1 B.Definition 2 C.Definition 3 D.Definition 4