1. Writing Tips English II

2. Subjects and Verbs BAD : I have many resolutions. First, studying more. GOOD : I have many resolutions. First, I want to study more. Every sentence must have a subject and a verb.

3. Your turn! Going home and throwing my backpack in the closet, which is why I always forget to do my homework. I always forget to do my homework because I throw my backpack in the closet when I get home.

4. Your turn! There are many things I can do to become a better football player. For example, ask for additional help when needed. For example, I can ask for additional help when needed.

5. Verbs and “To Be” Avoid linking verbs and all forms of the verb “to be.” am, is, are, was, were, would be, could be, should be ACTION VERBS are more interesting! BAD : I will get good grades. GOOD : I aspire to get good grades. BAD : My goal is to get As and Bs. GOOD : I hope to achieve all As and Bs.

6. Your turn! Shakespeare is the author of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shakespeare wrote A Misummer Night’s dream.

7. Your turn! What is the plural form of “test”?

8. Language The word “test” = either says “tests” or “a test” or “the test” BAD : I need to study more for test. GOOD : I need to study more for tests. BAD : If I use flashcards, I can improve my grade on test. GOOD : If I use flashcards, I can improve my grade on the test. Use specific, formal language. No slang! BAD : wanna, gonna, cause, till, thing Use “until” instead of “till” or “til”

9. How would you fix this? The book Night is a really good story about a man during the Holocaust. The book Night explores one man’s incredible experience during the Holocaust.

10. How would you fix this? In English, I’m gonna get better grades on my test. In English, I am going to improve my grades on my tests.

11. Topic Sentences NEVER say: “This paragraph will be about…” “I am going to tell you about…” “In this paragraph, I will discuss…”

12. Conclusion Sentences Your conclusion should: 1. Remind reader of your topic sentence. 2. Leave your reader a little something new or interesting. BAD : These are my 2015 resolutions. GOOD : Ultimately, I hope to achieve my resolution of getting better grades so that I can someday go to college at WKU. BAD : This paragraph was about my thoughts on Shakespeare. GOOD : In conclusion, I feel that Shakespeare was an influential poet whose sonnets will be celebrated for years to come.

13. Which is better? In the following sentences, I plan to discuss Shakespeare’s use of irony and imagery in Romeo and Juliet. A In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses both irony and imagery. B

14. Apostrophes ONLY two reasons to use an apostrophe: 1. Contraction  can not = can’t 2. Possessive  Allie’s book  the animals’ cages

15. Rules for adding an S Plural = only an S the girls Singular Possessive = apostrophe S the girl’s book; Chris’s book Plural Possessive = S apostrophe the girls’ books

16. Exception: its and it’s it’s = it is It’s time to go to the store. its = possessive The cat played with its toy.

17. Question #1 Bill lives on Chestnut Street. ____ house is beautiful. A. Bills B. Bill’s C. Bills’

18. Question #2 My older sister owns a white poodle. My ______ dog is adorable. A. sisters B. sister’s C. sisters’

19. Question #3 My parents threw me a surprise party. My ________ are so sneaky! A. parents B. parent’s C. parents’

20. Question #4 All of my friends have Miley concert tickets. I am so jealous of my _______ tickets! A. friends B. friend’s C. friends’

21. Question #5 The children play outside every day, so the _______ toys are getting very dirty. A. childrens B. children’s C. childrens’

22. Question #6 We are going on a road trip, so we need to fill all of the _____ with gas. A. cars B. car’s C. cars’

23. Question #7 Jimmy is an excellent farmer. On Monday, I bought some of Jimmy’s ______. A. apples B. apple’s C. apples’

24. Question #8 The cat was left on ____ own. A. its B. it’s

25. Question #9 I had to babysit fifteen boys yesterday. I couldn’t wait for the _____ mothers to return. A. boys B. boy’s C. boys’