If you are really interested in VERBALS and if you really need answers about them, you can check into the archives and find the answers to all of the questions below. But, I will not, and probably cannot, tell you which date to access. Feel free to go on an expedition through the archives; you might be surprised what you find.
VERBALS
What is an infinitive?
What are the characteristics of an infinitive?
What are the uses of an infinitive?
Create three sentences using infinitives.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "deleterious".
What part of speech is "deleterious"?
Define "deleterious" and use it in a sentence.
CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS
Corrections and explanations for this week's entries will be posted Sunday.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A SLIGHT DEPARTURE - Part 4
Yippee! More verb usage!
VERBALS
What is a gerund?
What are the characteristics of a gerund?
What are the uses of a gerund?
Create three sentences using gerunds.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "substantive".
What part of speech is "substantive"?
Define "substantive" and use it in a sentence.
BONUS: present more than one definition and get a gold star.
VERBALS
What is a gerund?
What are the characteristics of a gerund?
What are the uses of a gerund?
Create three sentences using gerunds.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "substantive".
What part of speech is "substantive"?
Define "substantive" and use it in a sentence.
BONUS: present more than one definition and get a gold star.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A SLIGHT DEPARTURE - Part 3
This has become verb week. Think of it as a way to broaden your writing and speaking horizons.
VERBALS
What is a participle?
What are the characteristics of a participle?
What are the uses of a participle?
Create three sentences using participles.
A GOOD THOUGHT
Identify the author of the following.
“Purchase not friends by gifts; when thou ceasest to give, such will cease to love.”
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "recondite".
What part of speech is "recondite"?
Define "recondite" and use it in a sentence.
VERBALS
What is a participle?
What are the characteristics of a participle?
What are the uses of a participle?
Create three sentences using participles.
A GOOD THOUGHT
Identify the author of the following.
“Purchase not friends by gifts; when thou ceasest to give, such will cease to love.”
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "recondite".
What part of speech is "recondite"?
Define "recondite" and use it in a sentence.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A SLIGHT DEPARTURE - Part 2
Here is another tricky area of verb use.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Verb voice can be active or passive.
What is an active verb?
What is a passive verb?
What are the guidelines or rules for the use of the active and passive voices of verbs?
Using the verbs, "revise" and "approve", create both active and passive sentences.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "ineffable".
What part of speech is "ineffable"?
Define "ineffable" and use it in a sentence.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Verb voice can be active or passive.
What is an active verb?
What is a passive verb?
What are the guidelines or rules for the use of the active and passive voices of verbs?
Using the verbs, "revise" and "approve", create both active and passive sentences.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "ineffable".
What part of speech is "ineffable"?
Define "ineffable" and use it in a sentence.
Monday, August 10, 2009
A SLIGHT DEPARTURE
This is a tricky area, but I will try to make some sense of it.
COPULA VERBS
What is a copula verb?
What verbs can be considered copula verbs?
Explain the differences between a sentence with a copula verb and a normal sentence.
Analyse, or parse, the following sentences which have copula verbs in them.
"I am the man."
"This room smells bad."
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "predilection".
What part of speech is "predilection"?
Define "predilection" and use it in a sentence.
COPULA VERBS
What is a copula verb?
What verbs can be considered copula verbs?
Explain the differences between a sentence with a copula verb and a normal sentence.
Analyse, or parse, the following sentences which have copula verbs in them.
"I am the man."
"This room smells bad."
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "predilection".
What part of speech is "predilection"?
Define "predilection" and use it in a sentence.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - August 9, 2009
Here are the corrections and explanations for last week's abbreviated entries.
Tuesday
Find and correct the three errors in the following entries.
“There were a total of 168 passengers on the plane.”
The verb “were” must be in agreement with “total”, the singular subjective completion.
“There was a total of 168 passengers on the plane.”
“‘I use to live in Amherstburg and get to see a lot of people I've not seen in a long time.’”
“Use” is incorrect. It should be “used”.
“Used”, the verb of the principal clause, is past tense, so the verb, “get”, in the second clause must also be past tense.
To remain consistent, the verb in the third clause should be the past perfect tense, not the present perfect tense.
Because I thoroughly dislike the word “got” and all its forms and since I think that “got” should be banned from the English language, I am recommending changing it.
Because “a lot” is such a trite expression, it should be changed to “many”.
“‘I used to live in Amherstburg and I saw, at the gathering, many people I had not seen in a long time.’”
Wednesday
The construction of both entries below is weak. Determine what is incorrect and could be improved.
Read the second entry closely. Does it even make sense? Explain.
“Renaud said staff at America's Most Wanted have told her they will try and have his case featured on the broadcast version of the show.”
In the context of the sentence, “try and have” does not make sense. It should be changed to “try to have”.
“Renaud said staff at America's Most Wanted have told her they will try to have his case featured on the broadcast version of the show.”
“Police believe he may have been depressed when he went missing but not to the event of being suicidal.”
People and things do not “go missing”; to say that they do is inane!
“To the event” is completely incorrect. It is akin to using “prostrate” when meaning “prostate”.
Does the second clause even connect to the first? You be the judge; but read it very carefully.
“Police believe he may have been depressed when he disappeared but not to the extent of being suicidal.”
Friday
UNCHARTERED/UNCHARTED
“Unchartered” (adj.) means lacking a charter, lawless or unregulated.
“Uncharted” (adj.) means unmapped or unexplored.
LAST WEEK’S WORDS
“Prescience” (n.) means the power to foresee the future or the knowledge of things before they exist.
“Evocation” (n.) means an imaginative recreation, a calling forth or a summoning.
“Deleterious" (adj.) means having adverse effects on living things, injurious, noxious or abusive.
Tuesday
Find and correct the three errors in the following entries.
“There were a total of 168 passengers on the plane.”
The verb “were” must be in agreement with “total”, the singular subjective completion.
“There was a total of 168 passengers on the plane.”
“‘I use to live in Amherstburg and get to see a lot of people I've not seen in a long time.’”
“Use” is incorrect. It should be “used”.
“Used”, the verb of the principal clause, is past tense, so the verb, “get”, in the second clause must also be past tense.
To remain consistent, the verb in the third clause should be the past perfect tense, not the present perfect tense.
Because I thoroughly dislike the word “got” and all its forms and since I think that “got” should be banned from the English language, I am recommending changing it.
Because “a lot” is such a trite expression, it should be changed to “many”.
“‘I used to live in Amherstburg and I saw, at the gathering, many people I had not seen in a long time.’”
Wednesday
The construction of both entries below is weak. Determine what is incorrect and could be improved.
Read the second entry closely. Does it even make sense? Explain.
“Renaud said staff at America's Most Wanted have told her they will try and have his case featured on the broadcast version of the show.”
In the context of the sentence, “try and have” does not make sense. It should be changed to “try to have”.
“Renaud said staff at America's Most Wanted have told her they will try to have his case featured on the broadcast version of the show.”
“Police believe he may have been depressed when he went missing but not to the event of being suicidal.”
People and things do not “go missing”; to say that they do is inane!
“To the event” is completely incorrect. It is akin to using “prostrate” when meaning “prostate”.
Does the second clause even connect to the first? You be the judge; but read it very carefully.
“Police believe he may have been depressed when he disappeared but not to the extent of being suicidal.”
Friday
UNCHARTERED/UNCHARTED
“Unchartered” (adj.) means lacking a charter, lawless or unregulated.
“Uncharted” (adj.) means unmapped or unexplored.
LAST WEEK’S WORDS
“Prescience” (n.) means the power to foresee the future or the knowledge of things before they exist.
“Evocation” (n.) means an imaginative recreation, a calling forth or a summoning.
“Deleterious" (adj.) means having adverse effects on living things, injurious, noxious or abusive.
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