Grammar through Writing

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Grammar through Writing

• Nouns

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What do these words have in common?
Boy Girl Man Woman
Teacher Student Principal Cook
Brother Sister Cousin Uncle
Acrobat Nurse Lawyer clown
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What do these words have in common?
Swamp beach street city
St. Louis El Paso Denver Boise
United States Ireland Missouri Tibet
New Zealand Idaho Montana Oregon
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What do these words have in common?
House Fence Grass Door
Mirror Lamp Toothbrush Watch
Soap Dish Book Desk
Shoe Pencil Bucket telephone
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What do these words have in common?
Happiness Sadness Fear Anger
Truth Justice Honesty Beauty
Pride Loyalty Love Hate
Jealousy Envy Courage peace
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What do all the words have in common?

• They are all NOUNS!
• What is a noun?
• A NOUN is a word that names a PERSON, PLACE or
  THING.
• Nouns can name things we can touch, taste, see,
  hear, feel and smell. These are called CONCRETE
  NOUNS.
• Nouns also name things we cannot touch, taste,
  see, hear, or smell. These are ABSTRACT NOUNS.

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Writing Activity 1

• Complete the following pattern with abstract and
  concrete nouns. In the first blank put an
  abstract noun in the second blank put a concrete
  noun that tells something about the abstract
  noun. EX
• I cant see love, but I can see a wedding ring.
• I cant see chaos, but I can see a tornado.
• I cant see happiness, but I can see a smile.
• I cant hear anger, but I can hear yelling.
• I cant hear peace, but I can hear silence.

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Your turn

• I cant see joy, but I can see ________.
• I cant hear sadness, but I can hear _______.
• I cant hear victory, but I can hear _______.
• I cant see innocence, but I can see ________.
• I cant see peace, but I can see _______ .
• I cant see beauty, but I can see ________.

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Now, compare the emotion to an animal

• If anger were an animal, it would be a tiger.
• If anger were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If fear were an animal, it would be a _______ .
• If playfulness were an animal, it would be a
  ______.
• If loyalty were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If beauty were an animal, it would be a ______.
• If boredom were an animal, is would be a
  ________.
• If speed were an animal, it would be a _______.
• If determination were an animal, it would be a
  _______.
• If bravery were an animal, it would be a
  _________.
• If loneliness were an animal, it would be a
  _________.

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Complete the following pattern with an abstract
noun and an ing phrase.

• FEAR is going into the basement alone at night.
• FEAR is seeing a pit bull charging at you.
• FEAR is singing a song to a room full of
  strangers.
• FEAR is admitting that you broke the window.
• Now you try with other emotions.

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What do these words have in common?
Animal Country Game Food
Movie Book Group Building
Plant City person
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What do these words have in common?
Bullfrog Oak tree Star Wars George Washington
Seattle Chicago Monopoly Empire State Building
Tacos The Beatles Australia Where the Wild Things Are
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CONCRETE NOUNS come in 2 flavors GENERAL AND
SPECIFIC

• Think of three SPECIFIC NOUNS for each GENERAL
  NOUN
• EXAMPLE
• General Specific
• Music rock n roll, jazz, country
• Bird owl, hummingbird, cardinal
• dog collie, Chihuahua, Boxer
• Expression frown, grin, smirk

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Your turn

• City
• Country
• Book
• Person
• Weather
• Clothing
• Game
• Plant
• Author

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COMMON and PROPER NOUNS

• Proper nouns are capitalized, common are not. We
  capitalize nouns when
• They refer to specific people Tom, Mary , the
  Smiths, Dr. Einstein, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Cadwell,
  Uncle James, Aunt Ellen, William Shakespeare.
• They refer to the days of the week, months, and
  holidays Sunday, October, Christmas.
• They refer to specific places that have names
  Miami, Tennessee, the Missouri River, the Pacific
  Ocean, Main Street, the Teton Mountains, the
  Washington Monument, Franklin State Park, Sweden,
  Italy

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Proper nouns cont.

• They refer to people from other countries
  Germans, Japanese, Italians, Tibetans, Americans.
• They refer to periods in history the
  Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Victorian
  Era.
• They refer to titles of books, plays, articles,
  or movies (articles and prepositions are usually
  not capitalized) Where the Wild Things Are, The
  Wind in the Willows, Hamlet, Reading Books Is
  Good for Your Brains, Star Wars.

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Proper nouns cont.

• They refer to specific teams or organizations
  the St. Louis Cardinals, the Green Party, the
  National Council of Teachers of English.
• They refer to schools or businesses The
  University of Texas at El Paso, Apple Computer,
  Smith Elementary School.
• They refer to regions of the United States
  Southwest, Midwest, Northeast.

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CHALLENGE
fragment Villain Dungeon Creek
Blimp Current Festival Swamp
Laser Castle Elf Forrest
King Moat Lantern Slipper