New on the "Assignments" page!

FOR EVERYONE...

Mrs. Garrett

angela_smoorenburg@mail.cl.k12.md.us

a.smoorenburg@hotmail.com

"The time is always right to do what is right."
     - Martin Luther King Jr.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

      - Albert Einstein

The Writing Process

Brainstorming - Gathering ideas and writing all of them down as you think of them; this is not the time to be picky...if your brain says it, write it!

Prewriting - Look back at your notes...now take out what's unnecessary...now fill in the gaps with related information...isn't that better?

Working Copy - Also known as the "rough draft" and, unfortunately "sloppy copy."  I dislike both of these.  It's a working copy because it's the first time you put your notes into sentence form, and it's the copy that you take through the revision process.

Revision - Don't think about spelling, punctuation, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, or anything mechanical.  This is the time to pump up your writing.  Add in sensory language, dialogue, change things around, fill in the gaps for the reader, and get in some high-octane words.  Caution: This step may be repeated as necessary!

Editing - Now's the time to think about grammar.  This is when you make your work technically correct. 

Publication - Hooray!  You are now officially an author.  Your published copy is refined.  It is distinguished and dignified.  It is ready for an audience.  It may be written neatly or typed, but either way, it shines.

Parts of Speech

Part of Speech	Function	Examples
noun	person, place, or thing (a specific noun, like Empire State Building or Great Dane, is a proper noun)	dog, shoe, idea, belief, word, box, person
pronoun	replaces a noun (Angie put on Angie's shoes because Angie's feet were cold.  No.)	she, he, it, we, us, they, our, him
adjective	describes a noun	red, funny, confusing, seven, tired, massive
verb	action	run, fly, see, am, is, be, go, decide, paint
adverb	describes an action (tells how, when, where, and how much)	quickly, very, hardly, too, almost, clumsily, completely
conjunction	joins words, phrases, or sentences	and, or, so, but, although, nor
interjection	shows emotion	wow! aha! oh! hey! ouch!
preposition	joins with a noun to create a descriptive phrase	in, from , by, at, on, near, above