PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

The exotic imported sports dark red car has been driving to fast when it'd skid of the road and the passenger too young women is injured serious.

1. Adjective word order: 

Adjectives conventionally take the following order: opinion, dimension, age, shape, colour, origin, material, so we should say "exotic, imported, dark red, sports.

2. Passive voice: 

Since we do not have an explicit subject, the verb should be in the passive voice ("was being driven").

4. Verb tense: 

Since the activity occurred in the past and driving is an activity that extends through time, so the past progressive tense is probably best: "was being driven".

5. Word confusion: 

"To" is a preposition. In this case, we want to use an intensifier: "too".

6. Word confusion: 

Be careful not to confuse "of" and "off".

7. Verb tense: 

"It'd skid" means "it had skid" (or "it would skid"). Since we want to say what happen at a particular moment in time ("when"), the simple past is probably best: "skidded".

8. Verb tense: 

Again, since these events happened in the past, we should use the simple past tense: "was".

9. Word form/order:

“Serious” is an adjective. We want to describe the verb "injure" so we need an adverb: "seriously". Also note that the adverb is usually placed in front of the verb (not after it): "seriously injured".

10. Punctuation: 

Adjectives combined in a series should be separated by commas. Also note that "two young women" is an appositive, so it also needs to be separated with commas.

Possible solution: 

The exotic, imported, dark red, sports car was being driven too fast when it skidded off the road, and the passengers, two young women, were seriously injured.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

For instant; the way in which the correspondents course differ then classrooms, is that the equipments' costs are very expensive  for  students are ought to have computer, internet, and another modern up to date things.

Solutions will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle:  

1. Wall - All
2. Whole - Hole
3. Winter - Inter
4. Wallow - Allow
5. Women - Omen
6. Wring - Ring
7. Winning - Inning
8. What - Hat

New Puzzle:

Move a single letter from one word to the other to make a pair of synonyms, or near synonyms. 

Example: Boast - Hip, 
Answer: Boat - Ship.

1. Flat - Pump
2. Feather - Crate
3. Bet - Stop
4. Ear - Trip
5. Lopes - Shills

*Note, the first person with the correct answer gets the bonus point.

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use FISH:

Watch this video, and then write a sentence that uses one (or more) of these three idioms.

Try not to use the same idiom as the other posters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090311_teacher_animal_fish.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the following sentence as indicated.

The employees enthusiastically celebrated their colleague's well-deserved promotion at the company.

Please change only the exact word in the sequence given. Each participant should build on the changes made by the previous participant.

For instance, Participant 1 writes #1 Subject Noun, and changes the subject noun; Participant 2 writes #2 Direct Object Noun, and changes the direct object noun, etc.

You are free to make as many changes as you wish. Just remember to number each change (and indicate the part of speech) so it is clear to everyone where we are on the list.

When all 7 changes have been made, return to the top of the list and continue.

Changes:                                                                                                                          

1. subject noun
2. direct object noun          
3. indirect object noun                  
4. adjective(s)
5. adverb(s)    
6. verb name      
7. verb tense

AFFIXES

The word stem mal- (meaning "bad") occurs in many words. 

Add an affix (either a prefix or a suffix) to this stem to make another word. 

Each participant should add a different word to the list.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCE*

Follow the instructions below to create three different sentences from the following clause.*

... warm weather should arrive in June ...

Sentence 1. Add a phrase      
Sentence 2. Add a dependent clause
Sentence 3. Add an independent clause


*Add your words to the beginning or end of the clause (but not both).

*NUMBER CHANGE*

If the sentence is singular, change it to the plural; if it is plural, change it to the singular.

Many people were enjoying the Midsummer Day celebrations in the park with their family and friends. None of them wanted to think about the fact that the days would now be getting shorter and that the warm summer weather would be followed by the cold of winter again.

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

Use the following two words in one sentence (note the part of speech).

intermittently (adverb) and averse (verb).

To further improve your vocabulary, remember to check out the Word of the Day. 

The site also has word games and puzzles.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe being careful to consider the possible consequences of an action as being circumspect. 

Provide a synonym and an antonym for this word. Each participant should suggest a different word.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb throw.

In the first sentence, use the verb in the active voice; in the second sentence, use it in the passive voice.

*TIME CHANGE*

Last Friday I went to a poetry reading at the local book store. The poet, who was in attendance, read excerpts from his most recent work, which had been published earlier in the year. Even though the poet was not well known, the event was well attended, and many people bought a copy of his book to take home with them.

*SENTENCE COMBINATION*

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important writing skill. There are many ways to do this. Try to combine the following three sentences.

Sentence 1: Yuri did poorly on his  final exam last week.
Sentence 2: He stayed up very late studying before the exam.

Sentence 3: Research shows that getting a good night's sleep before an exam is important.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary or grammar indicated.

Write a sentence using an independent clause in the past tense with a modal verb and a dependent clause in the past tense.

Welcome to the English Skills blog for English 140 (Grammar), English 143 (Writing for Academic Purposes), and English 146 (Reading for Academic Purposes) at Athabasca University. These courses may be taken separately or as part of the English Language Proficiency Program. The goal is to increase communication between students and instructors, and to provide students with an opportunity to communicate with each other and to practice the skills taught in these courses. If you post general questions about the assignments or the course, they will be addressed in the blog. If you have detailed questions you want answered, then e-mail your instructor.

Feel free to post comments and suggestions for how to improve this site!

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!

A hearty welcome to all the new students joining these courses. We hope you enjoy your studies and have fun participating in this blog.

Assignments marked with asterisks (*.*) are mandatory for ENGL140 students (Assignment 9).

IMPORTANT: This blog site is open to the public; do not post personal information that could identify you--first name and the initial of your last name are the only personal information you should post. Please watch this video from the Canadian Government explaining privacy issues and social networking. 

Also, be sure to let your tutors know the nickname you have chosen for this blog; otherwise, they will not be able to give you the marks/bonus marks that you have earned for your participation.

Next blog: Friday, June 20, 2014.

PREVIOUS GRAMMAR QUESTION

Please ask her where is she going over the week-end and is her boyfriend going to but don’t tell her that I ask for the informations.

1. Embedded question: 

When a question clause (i.e., a clause introduced by a question word) is embedded within a longer clause, you should use the declarative sentence word order (i.e., the subject followed by the verb) unless you want to use direct speech, in which case you need to change the pronouns to match the original speech participants. 

2. Preposition: 

In this context, “over” seems a little too informal. It is to use “for”.

3. Word form: 

“Weekend” is one word. There is no hyphen.

4. Embedded question: 

Here, too, we need to maintain the declarative sentence word order. 

5. Conjunction required:

We need to add a conjunction to connect the implied clause (“Please ask her”) with the second question clause. “Whether” is preferable here, but “if” is also frequently used in this situation.

6. Word confusion: 

We want to say “too” (meaning “also” or “as well”) rather than “to”.

7. Verb tense: 

These questioning occurs in the past, so we probably want to put the verb in the past tense (“asked”). Alternatively, if we construe that question as something that continues in the speaker’s mind, we might use the present progressive (“am asking”), or the present perfect (“have asked”).

8. Word form: 

Information is uncountable, so there is no plural form.

9. Internal punctuation: 

There are several ways of doing this. The simplest is to use a comma after “too” to separate the two independent clauses.

Possible solution: 

Please ask her where she is going for the weekend and whether her boyfriend is going too, but don’t tell her that I asked for the information.

*GRAMMAR QUESTION*

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

The exotic imported sports dark red car has been driving to fast when it'd skid of the road and the passenger too young women is injured serious.

Solutions will be posted in the next edition of the blog.

PUZZLE

Solution to the previous puzzle:  

1. scar - car 
2. struck - truck 
3. smart - mart 
4. small - mall 
5. steal - teal 
6. sweep - weep 
7. said - aid 
8. speak - peak

New Puzzle:

Now that everyone understands how to do this kind of puzzle, let's try it one last time! 

Hint: Find the words that fit the definitions below. The two words will be the same except for the extra letter at the beginning of the first word.

Example: Begin --> Sour
Answer:   Start   --> Tart

1. Barrier                     -->    Everything
2. Full amount              -->    An opening
3. Season                    -->     Bury 
4. Roll around in mud    -->     Permit
5. Females                  -->    Prophetic sign
6. Twist forcibly            -->    Circular band
7. Being victorius          -->    Baseball game division
8. One of the five W's    -->    Head covering 

*Note, the first person to post the correct answer will get the bonus point.

IDIOMS

There are three idioms that use FRUIT:

Watch this video, and then write a sentence that uses one (or more) of these three idioms.

Try not to use the same idiom as the other posters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theteacher/2009/03/090303_teacher_food_fruit.shtml

*ALL CHANGE!*

Change the words in the following sentence as indicated.

I often take an interesting book with me to the beach.

Please change only the exact word in the sequence given. Each participant should build on the changes made by the previous participant.

For instance, Participant 1 writes #1 Subject Noun, and changes the subject noun; Participant 2 writes #2 Direct Object Noun, and changes the direct object noun, etc.

You are free to make as many changes as you wish. Just remember to number each change (and indicate the part of speech) so it is clear to everyone where we are on the list.

When all 7 changes have been made, return to the top of the list and continue.

Changes:                                                                                                                          

1. subject noun
2. direct object noun          
3. indirect object noun                  
4. adjective(s)
5. adverb(s)    
6. verb name      
7. verb tense

AFFIXES

The word stem tele- (meaning "far") occurs in many words. 

Add an affix (either a prefix or a suffix) to this stem to make another word. 

Each participant should add a different word to the list.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCE*

Follow the instructions below to create three different sentences from the following clause.*

... this year I will celebrate Father’s Day ...

Sentence 1. Add a phrase      
Sentence 2. Add a dependent clause
Sentence 3. Add an independent clause


*Add your words to the beginning or end of the clause (but not both).

*NUMBER CHANGE*

If the sentence is singular, change it to the plural; if it is plural, change it to the singular.

After completing his chores, the young man went to the store to pick up a small snack. He bought a bag of chips, two chocolate bars, an ice cream sandwich, and a bottle of root beer to wash it all down! 

*VOCABULARY*

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. 

Use the following two words in one sentence (note the part of speech).

incredulous (adjective) and exasperating (noun).

To further improve your vocabulary, remember to check out the Word of the Day. 

The site also has word games and puzzles.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

We can describe a bad situation as iniquitous. 

Provide a synonym and an antonym for this word. Each participant should suggest a different word.

*ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE*

Write two sentences using the verb find.

In the first sentence, use the verb in the active voice; in the second sentence, use it in the passive voice.

*TIME CHANGE*

Change the time in the following sentences by using a different verb tense and replacing any necessary time clues. Each student should choose a different verb tense.

Last year, we visited our son and his family for Father’s Day. It was worth the long drive to see them. We had fun visiting places along the way, and both son and father were happy to spend some time together.

*SENTENCE COMBINATION*

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important writing skill. There are many ways to do this. Try to combine the following three sentences.

Sentence 1: Father’s Day is not a holiday in Canada.
Sentence 2: Father’s Day does fall on a Sunday, and many people do have that day off work.

Sentence 3: It is good to see that Fathers are acquiring larger recognition for their role in bringing up their children.

BUILD-A-SENTENCE

Write a sentence using the vocabulary or grammar indicated.

Use the phrase "last month" with a dependent clause in the past perfect and an independent clause in the simple past.

HALF-WAY THERE CHALLENGE!

This is an exercise in advanced sentence combining. 

Sentence 1: It is nice to have a celebration for fathers.
Sentence 2: It is important to recognize the role of both mothers and fathers in society today.

Sentence 3: Many fathers now take  a very active role in bringing up their children.

Grammar:

1.    Use a gerund to combine the sentences.

2.    Use an appositive to combine the sentences.
2.    Use a relative pronoun to combine the sentences.