english booklet grade 5
TRANSCRIPT
Saint Joseph School
Cornet Chahwan
English Department
English Booklet Grade 5
2019-2020
Exclusive use for the students of Saint Joseph School - Cornet Chahwan
Table of Contents
Reading Comprehension
Albert Einstein 1
Marie Curie 4
The Princess and the Pea 8
Thirty Minutes Alone 11
A Messy Room (Fantasy) 13
A Clever Way to Catch a Thief // Sentences – Subjects and Predicates 17
The Battle of the Bedroom 24
On the Trail 28
Camping Without a Phone 33
Story Elements: Best Friends 38
Main Idea and Supporting Details: Mount St. Helens Blows its Top 40
Sequence of Events (Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action): Summer Storm 42
The Broken Lamp 44
A New Hero // Combining Sentences 48
Christmas Remedial Work 53
The Way to Her Heart 55
The Prince Who Learned Wisdom // Simple Tenses – Present Progressive 59
Ug The Thug // Transitive – Intransitive – Simple Tenses 66
She Plays Music for Plants (cause and effect) // Modifiers 72
The Monster in the Barn 79
Class Klutz 82
Building a Bridge (problem-solution and drawing conclusion) // Simple Tenses – Modifiers – Pronouns – Prepositions
85
Patrick 93
The Wise Fools of Gotham (Cause-Effect) 96
I’m so frustrated (Problem-Solution/ Infer) // Simple – Progressive – Adjectives 100
Calling All Spiders 105
Nick Kristof’s Team // Adjectives 109
Volcanos 112
Got Allergies? 116
A School for Heroes // Nouns – Simple Tenses – Modifiers – Pronouns 120
Language Theories
Compound Subjects, Predicates, Sentences 126
Singular and plural Nouns 129
Changing Sentences from Singular to Plural or from Plural to Singular 131
Possessive Nouns 134
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 135
Direct Objects 137
Linking Verbs 139
Present and Past Tense 141
Subject-Verb Agreement 142
Irregular Verbs 143
Progressive Tenses 145
Adjectives 149
Proper Adjectives 152
Pronouns 154
Adverbs 156
Adjective or Adverb? 158
Prepositions 160
Adverb or Preposition 162
Writing
Supplying Details 163
How to Do things 164
How to Write a Story 165
Character Sketch 169
Compare and Contrast 170
Character Description 173
Vocabulary for Writing
Adjectives Describing Characters 175
Synonyms and Antonyms 176
Sensory Words 180
1
Reading Comprehension
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. But he
couldn’t find his way home when he went for a walk. He dressed in wrinkled clothes and an old coat. He often forgot things. Once he used a $ 1, 500 check to mark a page in a book. Then he lost the book! Einstein had other things to think about. Science was more important to him than the ordinary things in life.
Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany. When he was a child, he learned things very slowly. Albert didn’t speak until he was three years old. His parents worried about him. The principal of his school told his father, “Your son will never make a success of anything.” His grades in school were bad. The only thing he liked to do was play the violin.
When he was 12, Albert began reading math and science books. He was excited about the things he learned. At age 17, he started college in Switzerland. Einstein wanted to be a teacher. He graduated in 1900, but he could not find a job. A friend helped him get a job in a government office.
While he was in school, Einstein became more and more interested in math and physics. He wanted to find the answers to questions about the universe. In 1905, Einstein published his ideas. At first, other scientists laughed at them. But Einstein’s theory of relativity changed the world. Scientists looked at the universe in a new way. Because of Einstein, we have such things as computers, television, and space travel today.
Einstein quickly became famous. He traveled around the world and talked about his ideas. In 1922, he received the Nobel Prize for physics. In 1933, Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany. Life became difficult for Jews like Einstein. So Einstein moved to America. He lived and taught in Princeton, New Jersey, for 22 years until he died in 1955. He once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Albert Einstein never did.
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A. Vocabulary I. Meaning Write the correct words in the blanks.
mark ordinary principal universe wrinkled theory physics 1. When clothes get __________, we iron them.
2. Albert Einstein was not __________. He was a genius.
3. The speed of light is one thing you study in __________.
4. The head of a school is called a __________.
5. Einstein used a $ 1,500 check to __________ a page in a book.
6. The stars, the planets, and space together are the __________.
7. A __________ is an idea that explains something.
II. Use Work with a partner to answer these questions. Use complete sentences.
1. What do you use to mark a page in a book? ______________________________.
2. What does a high school principal do? __________________________________.
3. Do you know someone that is not ordinary? ______________________________.
4. Do you want to travel across the universe? Why or why not? _________________.
5. What things get wrinkled? ____________________________________________.
B. Comprehension
I. Understanding the reading Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. As a child, Einstein didn’t __________. a. learn quickly b. work hard c. play the violin
2. Einstein became famous because of his ideas about__________. a. scientists b. the Nobel Prize c. the universe
3. From Einstein’s story, we learn that it is important to __________. a. study hard b. question everything c. remember everything
II. Remembering Details Reread the passage and answer the questions
1. What did Einstein use to mark a page? __________________________________.
2. In which country was Einstein born? ____________________________________.
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3. Why did Einstein’s parents worry? _____________________________________.
4. At what age did Einstein begin reading math and science books? _____________.
5. When did Einstein get the Nobel Prize? _________________________________.
6. Where did Einstein die? _____________________________________________.
III. Understanding the sequence
Which happened first? Write 1 on the line. Which happened second? Write 2 on the line.
1. ____ Einstein began reading math and science books. ____ Einstein was a poor student.
2. ____ Einstein published his ideas. ____ Einstein became famous.
3. ____ Einstein left Germany. ____ Einstein got the Noble Prize.
4. ____ Einstein traveled around the world. ____ Einstein worked at Princeton University.
IV. Tell the story
Work with a partner. Tell the story of Albert Einstein to your partner. Use your own words. Your partner can ask you questions about the story. Then, your partner tells you the story and you ask questions.
C. Discussion
Discuss the answers to these questions with your classmates.
1. What is your favorite subject? Do you like to study science? 2. Einstein was very intelligent, but he forgot many simple things. Why is this? Do you
know other people like Einstein? Describe them. 3. Do you think countries should spend a lot of money on space travel?
D. Writing
Describe what you think the world would be like 200 years from now.
Example: We will have vacations on the moon. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
4
MARIE CURIE
Marie Curie was a great scientist. She was born Marja Sklodowska in
Warsaw, Poland, in 1867. Both of her parents were teachers. When Marie was only ten years old, her mother died.
Marie was a very good student. She loved science, math, and languages. She and her sister Bronya wanted to go to college. But in those days, only men could go to college in Poland. The girls had to go to France to study. There was not enough money for both sisters to go. So Marie worked as a teacher in Poland. She sent money to Bronya for medical school in Paris. After Bronya became a doctor, she helped Marie.
When she was 24, Marie became a science student at the Sorbonne, a university in Paris. Even with her sister’s help, she did not have much money. She lived in a small room near the college. It had no lights, no water, and no heat. Sometimes Marie only had bread and tea to eat.
Marie studied hard and graduated in 1894. A year later, she married Pierre Curie. He was also a scientist. They worked together for many years. Their most important discovery was radium. Today, doctors use the rays from radium to treat cancer. The Curies won a Nobel Prize for their discovery. This is the highest award for a scientist. Marie Curie was the first woman to receive this award.
When Marie Curie was 39, Pierre died in a road accident. But she continued their work. Curie became the first woman professor in France. In 1911, she won a second Nobel Prize. But years of working with radium ruined her health. She died of cancer in 1934. Her daughter Irene continued Curie’s work. She also received a Nobel Prize. Sadly, Irene also got cancer and died young. Both women gave their lives to their work.
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A. Vocabulary
I. Meaning Write the correct word in the blanks. scientist graduated discovery treat award ruin rays 1. Marie Curie was a __________. She studied the world around her.
2. The sun gives out __________ of light.
3. Marie and Pierre Curie found something new. No one had found it before. Their
__________ was radium.
4. Marie Curie finished her studies at the university. She __________.
5. Radium is used to __________ cancer, but too much radium can cause cancer.
6. The Nobel Prize is a prize that people receive when they do something very special.
It is an important __________.
7. There are many things, like smoking, that are bad for your health. They
__________ your health.
II. Use Work with a partner to answer these questions. Use complete sentences.
1. When did or when will you graduate from high school?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
2. What is an important discovery? When did it happen?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
3. What is the name of the award Marie Curie got for her work? What is another
important award? ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
4. What are some things that can ruin your health?
__________________________________________________________________.
5. What is the name of the rays that doctors use to take picture of your bones?
__________________________________________________________________.
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6. What do you do to treat a cold?
__________________________________________________________________.
B. Comprehension I. Understanding the reading Circle the letter of the correct answer. 1. Marie Curie was __________.
a. a great scientist b. a great doctor c. a great scientist because of her husband
2. Marie Curie’s work __________. a. made her rich b. killed her husband c. ruined her health
3. Today radium is used by __________. a. scientists to win awards b. doctors to treat cancer c. science students to study cancer
II. Remembering Details Reread the passage and answer the questions
1. Where was Marie Curie born? __________________________________________.
2. Where was the university Marie went to? __________________________________.
3. What was Pierre Curie’s job? ___________________________________________.
4. What did the Curies discover? __________________________________________.
5. How old was Marie Curie when her husband died? __________________________.
6. When did she get a second Nobel Prize? _________________________________.
7. What was Curie’s daughter’s name? _____________________________________.
III. Understanding the sequence Which happened first? Write 1 on the line. Which happened second? Write 2 on the
line. 1. ____ Marie became a teacher in Poland.
____ Bronya became a doctor.
2. ____ Curie was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize. ____ Curie was the first woman professor in France.
3. ____ Marie Curie became a professor in France.
____ Pierre Curie died in an accident.
4. ____ Curie and her husband discovered radium. ____ Curie and her husband won the Nobel Prize.
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IV. Tell the story
Work with a partner. Tell the story of Marie Curie to your partner. Use your own words. Your partner can ask you questions about the story. Then, your partner tells you the story and you ask questions.
C. Discussion
Discuss the answers of these questions with your classmates.
1. Marie Curie gave her life to her work. In what other professions do people give their lives to their works?
2. Many diseases do not have cures. What are some of these diseases? 3. Do you think in the future there will be no disease? Why or why not?
D. Writing
Write about a job you like. Example: Teaching is a good job. A teacher has a lot of vacation.
________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
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Read the following story to learn why the princess was unable to sleep. Then answer the questions.
The Princess and the Pea
1 Once upon a time, there was a prince in search of a princess. He went from village
to village looking for the perfect princess to marry. His father and mother, the king
and queen, said it was his destiny. So, the prince knew it must be his fate to marry
a beautiful, loving, and generous princess.
2 However, the more he searched, the more the prince became sad and frustrated. He
could not find a young woman with all of the traits a princess should have, so the
prince continued his search around the world. Each time he met a new princess, he
always found something wrong. One was beautiful, but not loving. Another was
generous, but could be mean. Each time he left a castle, he wondered, “Will I ever
meet the perfect princess?” Finally, the prince returned home.
3 One evening, there was a terrible storm with loud roars of thunder followed by bright
flashes of lightning. Rain pounded against the castle rooftops. It was quite a
frightful night.
4 Suddenly, there was a knock at the castle door. “Who would be calling on us this
evening?” wondered the king as he went to answer the door.
5 Standing there was a young woman, soaking wet from the rain. Streams of water
ran down her hair and face and into her shoes. Although she was wet, the prince still
found her to be very beautiful. Kindly, she asked, “Please, may I enter the castle? I
am a princess and I have lost my way.”
6 As the king led the princess inside, the queen thought to herself, “Hmmm. We shall
see if she is a true princess.” Then the queen went to a bedroom and removed the
bedding and even the mattress. She placed a single pea on the bed frame.
Afterward, she placed twenty mattresses and many layers of soft bedding on top of
the tiny pea.
7 The queen invited the princess to sleep on top of the mattresses. She soon fell fast
asleep.
8 In the morning, the family gathered for breakfast.
9 “How did you sleep?” asked the ever-hopeful prince.
10 “I am sorry to say that I slept poorly,” sighed the princess.
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11 “I tossed and turned all night, and my whole body is black and blue. I think that I was
lying on something hard in my bed, but I could not find any way to improve my
situation!”
12 The family sighed with relief, for only a real princess could feel a tiny pea through
twenty layers of mattresses. This is because princesses have very delicate skin.
13 The prince was joyful and asked the princess to be his wife. They were married that
very month and lived happily ever after.
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Objectives Recall details – Make inferences – Identify problem – Identify genre and its features – Identify and analyze character traits – Connect to real life – Recognize meaning of words through context clues
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. What was the prince’s problem?
a. The prince’s parents were making him get married.
b. The prince was not able to find the woman he wished to have.
c. The prince did not like rainy weather.
d. The prince couldn’t find something fun to do.
2. What clue proves that the prince searches very hard to find a princess?
a. The prince becomes sad and frustrated.
b. The prince goes from village to village.
c. The prince returns home after his search.
d. The prince finds something wrong in every woman he meets.
3. Why was the king surprised when someone knocked at their door that night?
a. It was very late.
b. The king did not expect any visitors.
c. The king was too tired to answer.
d. The weather was really bad.
4. Based on the story, what traits was the prince looking for in a princess?
a. Princesses are mean and beautiful.
b. Princesses are loving and generous.
c. Princesses are lazy and greedy.
d. Princesses are caring and friendly.
5. Which words from paragraph 11 help to explain the meaning of “destiny”?
a. fate
b. princess
c. world
d. purpose
6. Read the following sentence from the passage:
“Standing there was a young woman, soaking wet from the rain. Streams of water ran down her hair and face and into her shoes.”
What does streams mean?
a. flows
b. amounts
c. drops
d. buckets
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B. Answer the questions in complete sentences.
1. What is the genre of this story? Give two features.
2. What happens after the royal family figures out that the young woman is a real
princess?
3. How can you describe the prince’s personality? Support your answer with a detail
from the story.
4. Select a character trait for the queen. Support it with a detail from the text.
honest clever adventurous wise
5. If you were in the place of the princess and got lost, what would you have done?
C. Write “true” if the sentence is true. Write “false” is the sentence is false.
Rewrite the sentence on the line provided.
1. The prince’s parents disliked the princesses he met. ______
2. When the prince returned to the castle after his search, he was relieved. ______
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3. The queen wanted to know if the young woman is suitable for her son, the prince.
________
________________________________________________________________
4. The prince was pleased at the end of the story. _________
________________________________________________________________
D. Look back at the passage. Find the suitable boldface word to finish the
sentences below. Write the word.
1. That horror movie had ____________________ music. It made the audience jump
off their seats.
2. The actors worked really hard to ____________________ their scene. They
practiced day and night for a great performance.
3. That businessman was known for being thoughtful and ____________________
toward poor people especially during holidays.
4. The movie’s main character ____________________ what it would feel like to win a
case in court. He thought his destiny was to become a lawyer.
5. The investigator was so ____________________ about solving that mysterious
case. It seemed impossible to decipher, but he was glad he did not give up.
6. His heart ____________________ like a drum when he heard that strange sound
coming from his closet.
13
Thirty Minutes Alone
I. Unseen Passage Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
1 Miguel hated the half hour before his older brother got home from high school. The
house was too quiet, and he felt alone. He didn’t like feeling that way. In fact, he had
insisted to his parents that he would be fine and that he didn’t need a babysitter after
school. He was old enough to take care of himself. It was only a half hour.
2 On that day, he did what he usually did. He turned on the television, loud. He laid out
the snacks that he and his brother would eat. Their parents had a strange rule about not
eating alone, so he had to wait until Manolo got home, even if he was starving. He wasn’t
allowed to cook either, so any snacks he put out had to be cold. And he had to call his mom
at the store, just to let her know that he was home.
3 The phone rang. It was his mother. “Is Manolo home yet?” She sounded worried.
The store where she worked was almost an hour away. “Get into the basement!” she said.
Miguel could tell she was trying to sound calm.
4 “What’s the matter, Mom? You know Manolo won’t be home for another twenty
minutes.”
5 Manolo had a car now that he was 17 and no longer rode on the school bus. “Get
down…” Then the line cut out. Miguel ran to the window. Even though it was only four
o’clock, the sky had turned black. Hail hit the roof and the front yard. Every few seconds,
lightning lit up the landscape. In one flash, he saw the swirl of a tornado. It was headed
straight for their house. Then he saw Manolo’s car, about a half mile away. He was driving
fast. “Hurry up, Manolo!” Miguel whispered to himself.
6 He looked back at the twister, then again toward the road. Manolo was almost at the
driveway. He opened the door. In the strong wind, it battered against the side of the house.
Manolo rushed in. Without talking, the two of them headed for the basement. They knew
what to do. They huddled together and listened to the roar overhead. It seemed to last
forever.
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A. Circle the correct answer.
1. Miguel was home alone on school days for _________________.
a. twenty minutes
b. ten minutes
c. thirty minutes
d. one hour
2. Miguel’s main problem, which he doesn’t know until he looks out the window, is that
_________________.
a. his mother has called and is upset with him
b. he doesn’t really like being home alone
c. his brother Manolo drives too fast
d. a tornado is heading toward his house
3. Which detail shows that Miguel has a problem?
a. The television is really loud.
b. The phone rings.
c. Manolo’s car door batters the side of the house.
d. Miguel’s mother tells him to go to the basement.
4. Which of the following best describes Miguel?
a. He believes he does not need a babysitter.
b. He doesn’t like to be alone.
c. He obeys the rules.
d. all of the above.
5. The tornado hit ______________.
a. in the afternoon
b. Early in the morning
c. late at night
d. on the weekend B. Answer the following question in a complete sentence.
1. Based on your own knowledge, describe what the house would look like if the tornado were to hit it.
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2. Describe the mother’s mood and give two details to support your answer.
C. Write “true” if the statement is correct. Write “false” if it is wrong and correct
the statement in a complete sentence.
1. Miguel prepares hot snacks to eat with his brother. _______
2. It is a family rule that no one eats alone even if they are really hungry. _________
3. Miguel’s mother was at home. _______
4. Manolo gets into the basement safely. _______
D. Look back at the paragraph indicated in parentheses. Find the word that best
fits the sentence. Write the word. 1. When my parents go out to dinner, they always hire a _____________ to take
care of us. (paragraph 1)
2. My friends came over to watch a movie, and they brought the ____________ for
us to eat. (paragraph 2)
3. ____________ is more dangerous to cars than rain or snow because it can break
the glass. (paragraph 5)
4. Yesterday, we ______________ as we were doing our group work. (paragraph
5)
5. The small girl ran and ______________ next to her mother because she was
afraid of thunder. (paragraph 6)
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A Messy Room Read the unseen passage to find out what happened to Jennie while cleaning her room. Then answer the questions.
It didn’t take long for Jennie’s room to get messy. She was always in a hurry. Her soccer
pullover seemed to have a permanent home on the floor, and the garbage can seemed to
be taking on a life of its own. Jennie’s mom had tried every tactic in the book to get Jennie
to clean her room, but it was useless.
One lazy afternoon, Jennie was in her bedroom with the instructions that she was not to
come out until it was clean. After Jennie had been inside her room for about two hours, her
little sister Nellie went to check on her. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer.
Nellie called, “Jen?” There was still no answer. Not knowing what else to do, Nellie went
downstairs. That night when it came time for dinner, Jennie’s father called her down for
dinner. “Her room must really be a mess this time,” said Mother calmly. Sitting around the
dining room table, Jennie’s family began to eat their spaghetti. The family could hear
someone calling, “Help!” They all looked at one another. “That sounds like Jennie,” said
Nellie.
The family jumped to their feet and ran up the stairs. They threw open the door to see
Jennie’s room still a pile of mess. “Jennie, where are you?” asked Father. “I’m under here,”
called Jennie. “I’m stuck in my dollhouse and can’t get out!” Jennie’s family all knelt down
and peered through the windows of the dollhouse. There sat a miniature Jennie on the
dollhouse floor.
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Objective
Recall details - Use details to infer - Identify the cause and the effect - Identify genre - Connect to personal experience - Identify meaning of vocabulary words through context clue
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer. 1. Jenny’s family is made up of _______________.
a. 4 persons b. 2 persons c. 3 persons d. 5 persons
2. Jenny was instructed to ________________.
a. shrink b. clean her room c. play soccer d. stay in her room
3. How do you think Nellie feels after she leaves her sister’s room?
a. puzzled b. angry c. sad d. none of the above
4. How does Jennie fit into the dollhouse?
a. Her mother sends her to her room in the dollhouse. b. Somehow Jennie shrinks while cleaning the room. c. Nellie just tells her parents where to find her. d. Jennie is making it up.
5. Read the sentence from the text.
“Her soccer pullover seemed to have a permanent home on the floor, and the garbage can seemed to be taking on a life of its own.” What does permanent mean? a. lasting b. leaving c. storing d. fixing
6. What is the meaning of the word “tactic” as used in the following sentence?
“Jennie’s mom tried every tactic in the book to get Jennie to clean her room, but it was useless.”
a. method b. fantasy c. lengthy d. house
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B. Fill in the chart with suitable cause and effect.
Cause
Effect
The family opened Jennie’s bedroom door.
The family knelt down.
C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1. What genre is “A Messy Room”? Write one evidence.
2. How do you keep your room tidy and clean? Give two details.
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A Clever Way to Catch a Thief
There’s an old West Indian tale about a rich man who found that he was constantly losing things from his house. He suspects that one of his servants may be stealing, but which servant, and how could he possibly be sure? Then he thought of a plan.
1 One evening, when it was getting dark and the servants had finished their day’s work, he brought them all together.
2 “Sadly,” he said, “we seem to have a thief amongst us, but with your help I think we can rid ourselves of him or her.” The servants looked at each other, sorry to think that one of their number was untrustworthy, but uncertain how the rich man could possibly detect the culprit.
3 “I have placed a table in the centre of the room next door, and on the table is a box. I have put into the box an old cockerel that possesses magic powers. In turn I want each of you to go into the room. It is dark in there, but don’t put on any light. Feel your way to the table and gently rest your left hand on the box.”
4 “But what will that show?” asked one of the servants, quite perplexed. 5 “If you are not the guilty one, nothing will happen - but if you are the thief, the
magic cockerel will immediately detect this and will crow so loudly. We shall all immediately hear and know who is to blame.”
6 The servants glanced at each other, some thinking the rich man might be going mad! Other servants were anxious, not sure whether the cockerel really did possess magic powers. What might happen to them, they thought, if left alone with the strange creature?
7 “If you are innocent you have nothing to fear,” reassured the rich man. 8 So, one by one, the servants went into the room, but not a sound was heard.
Not once did the magic cockerel crow. 9 “Excellent!” exclaimed the rich man as the last servant emerged from the dark
room. “Now we know for sure who is the guilty person.” 10 The servants were totally puzzled. “There is a very good reason why the
cockerel made no sound. There was no cockerel in the box to make a sound! Each of you now show me your left hand. There was no cockerel, but there was soot on top of the box,” said the man. “You,” he exclaimed, thrusting his finger towards the only servant with a clean hand, “must be the guilty person. You were the only person frightened to place your hand top of the box!”
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A. Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. The rich man thought his things were being stolen by _________________________. a. a burglar who had broken in b. one of his servants c. the gardener
2. The servants were ____________________________________. a. sorry to think one of them was untrustworthy b. cross that the rich man suspected them c. sure they knew who had stolen the goods
3. The rich man told his servants to _________________________. a. go together into the darkened room b. go one at a time into the darkened room c. not to go into the darkened room
4. Inside the room there was ________________________________. a. an empty box on the table b. a box on the table with a cockerel inside c. a policeman
5. The box was ______________________________. a. painted black b. covered in black soot c. covered with a black cloth
B. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the setting of the story? (when - where) ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
2. Who are the characters? ___________________________________________________________________
3. What is the problem in the story?
___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
4. Who was the thief? Explain why?
___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
5. “Not once did the magic cockerel crow”. Explain it.
___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________
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C. Find the word in the story that fits each meaning.
1. straight away (5) ________________________________________
2. not guilty (7) ________________________________________
3. find out (2) ________________________________________
4. confused, puzzled (4) ________________________________________
5. cried out (9) ________________________________________
D. Find the word that best completes the sentence.
1. John was not studying at home, and his parents were _______________________
about his grades. (6)
2. The thief was __________________of stealing the gold. (9)
3. I am fascinated with ____________________ tricks. (6)
4. Mom tried to clean the _________________________ off the sides of the
chimney. (10)
Objectives
Identify the correct type of sentence and punctuate accordingly – Identify simple subject and simple predicate – Identify sentences with compound subjects or compound predicates – Proofread for end punctuation and capitalization – Write an imperative sentence and an interrogative sentence – Write sentences by using predicates or subjects
A. Read each group of words. Add the correct end punctuation and write
interrogative, imperative, declarative, or exclamatory.
1. Have you read any West Indian folktales _____ ______________________
2. One of them is about a wise old man ____ ______________________
3. What an interesting solution it has ____ ______________________
4. Who could possibly rob this wise old man ____ ______________________
5. How clever the plan was _____ ______________________
6. Read the folktale to learn more _____ ______________________
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B. Each set of sentences below is combined into one sentence using a compound subject or a compound predicate. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. The magic cockerel will be in the box. The magic cockerel will detect the thief.
a. The magic cockerel will be in the box and will detect the thief.
b. The magic cockerel will be in the box, and will detect the thief.
c. The magic cockerel will be in the box but will detect the thief.
d. The magic cockerel well be in the box, or will detect the thief.
2. The old man waited in the hallway. The servants waited in the hallway. The judge
waited in the hallway.
a. The old man the servants and the judge waited in the hallway.
b. The old man or the servants and the judge waited in the hallway.
c. The old man, the servants, and the judge waited in the hallway.
d. The old man, the servants but the judge waited in the hallway.
3. The thief went into the room. The thief did not put his hand on the box.
a. The thief went into the room, but did not put his hand on the box.
b. The thief went into the room and did not put his hand on the box.
c. The thief went into the room or did not put his hand on the box.
d. The thief went into the room but did not put his hand on the box.
C. Read the given sentences carefully. Then fill the chart below.
1. The old wise man talked calmly to his servants.
2. The amazed servants were waiting nervously for the wise man to talk.
3. His plan was to detect the criminal.
4. The room was filled with furniture.
5. He did not take long to tell them about his plan.
6. All of the servants had to go into the dark room.
Simple Subject Simple Predicate
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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D. Proofread this short paragraph carefully. There are six missing end punctuation
marks and six capitalization errors.
A servant was stealing from the house the rich man came up with a plan to catch
the thief what a weird plan it was all the servants wondered anxiously what would
happen if they were left alone with the cockerel the wise man said, “enter one by one
and place your hand on the box of the cockerel
E. Write a sentence of your own. Underline once the complete subject. Underline
twice the simple predicate.
_________________________________________________________________
F. Write sentences as indicated.
1. An exclamatory
2. An imperative sentence with a compound predicate:
3. A sentence with a compound subject:
4. An interrogative
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Read the passage below. Then answer the questions.
The Battle of the Bedroom
My older sister, Marta, glares at me from across the room. Her dark brown eyes blaze
with anger; she’s ready to burst. I almost say something to set her off, but Dad said if he
heard any more noise from our room that we would both be grounded.
Sure, we fight like all sisters do, but the battle lines were redrawn when we moved into
our new house a week ago. In our old house, we each had our own bedroom. Now we
have to share, and it has led to an all-out war. We still haven’t unpacked a thing because
we can’t agree on how to decorate the room. Right now, we’re stuck with cardboard boxes.
Marta wants dark walls, gray curtains, and posters of her favorite bands. I want a mural
of ocean and creatures against bright blue walls. Our family took a trip to the Gulf of Mexico
last year, and I fell in love with the sparkling blue water. I think it would be fun to have a
reminder of that. Marta despises my idea, and I sure don’t like hers, so now we’re stuck.
Dad pops his head into the room. “Lucia, Marta can we see you in the living room,
please?” He and Mom are sitting on the couch. Marta and I sit in chairs across from them.
Dad starts telling us how disappointed he is; especially about the disrespect we’ve
shown them and each other. I squirm in my seat, embarrassed that we’ve been acting
childish.
Mom cut to the chase and says, “It’s a mystery to us how two bright and reasonable girls
can be so inflexible.” She hands us each a spiral notebook and a ballpoint pen. “You both
have good ideas. So we’re giving you one hour to come up with a plan…..” she looks back
and forth between us, “for the other person’s idea. Lucia, you’ll tell us why Marta’s idea is
the best, and vice versa.”
“That isn’t fair,” Marta screeches, her shrill voice rising another octave. “Lucia’s idea is
childish and awful!”
I leap to defend myself but quickly choke back my words. Our parents’ faces are bleak.
We both storm into our bedroom and resume our positions: she’s on her bed, and I’m
across the room on mine. We lock eyes for a few moments before she sighs and slumps
against the wall. “So why do you want to do this ocean thing?” she asks in a monotone
voice, acting like she doesn’t care.
“Remember our vacation last year?” I cross my arms and glare at her. “It was so much
fun, and we didn’t fight all week, not even when it rained all day, and we stayed in the hotel
25
room. It would be nice to have a reminder of that.” I looked up, surprised to see the tension
draining from her face.
“I didn’t know that it meant so much to you,” she murmurs, sounding almost apologetic.
She thinks for a moment, then explains, “This is our only chance, Lucia. We get to decorate
once, and you might not want to see starfish every day for the next five years. If we choose
a simple design, we can enjoy it longer.”
I hadn’t considered that before. “The walls don’t have to be blue,”I say quietly,
uncrossing my arms. “I like other colors, too.”
“A darker blue could be nice, maybe with white trim?” Marta gives me a shy smile. She
mentions that Mom took a lot of photos during that trip, most of them of the ocean. “Maybe
we could use those for artwork instead of my old posters,” she offers.
I bean at her, “I would like that a lot.”
Marta scrambles onto my bed and together we brainstorm ideas for our shared living
space. I have a sneaking suspicion that this was Mom and Dad’s plan all along, but Marta
and I are having such a good time that I’ll let it slide….. this time.
A. Choose the correct answer. 1. What does father threaten the girls with if they continue fighting?
a. Both will do house chores for a whole week. b. Both will do the unpacking of the boxes in their room. c. The two girls will be grounded. d. The two sisters have to paint the house on their own.
2. When the family arrives to the new house, the two sisters face a problem.
What is their problem? a. They have to unpack their stuff right away. b. They are both angry. c. They have to share a room. d. They have to think of a new theme to decorate their room.
3. The girls are given _____________ to solve their problem.
a. two hours b. one hour c. a whole day d. one afternoon
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4. Which is one example of what made their parents angry with the girls? a. They have shown disrespect to their parents and to themselves. b. Marta wants to have gray curtains. c. Lucia likes a mural of ocean creatures. d. The two girls discuss their likes and dislikes.
5. After the two girls get the notebooks and the pen ball, they go back to their room.
They face one more problem. What is their problem now? a. Marta thinks Lucia’s idea is childish. b. Lucia wants an ocean mural. c. Both are too angry to talk together. d. The room is too small.
6. Mom says, “It’s a mystery to us how two bright and reasonable girls can be so inflexible.” Using this detail you conclude that the two girls_________________________ . a. are unreasonable. b. are quick thinkers. c. define the problem. d. find a solution.
7. What does this detail show? “So you remember our vacation last year?”
a. The beginning of the solution. b. The problem is getting worse. c. The two girls are too stubborn to think of a way to solve their problem. d. Their parents are not helping them.
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. What do you conclude when Marta says, “This is our only chance, Lucia. We get to decorate once, and you might not want to see starfish every day for the next five years.”?
2. How did the two sisters solve their problem? Explain.
3. Do Mom and Dad believe the two girls are able to solve their problem? Give one
detail.
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C. Use the bold typed words to finish the sentences correctly.
1. One of the warriors tried to bend the spear, but he couldn’t. It was
________________________.
2. Slow ______________ his childhood name. He practices, wrestles, and rides his pony to change it.
3. The child dislikes the ________________ voice of the story teller. He loses
interest in the rest of the story. 4. Joan and Sally ____________ in their seats as they listen to their teacher’s
comment about their test results.
5. Write a ______________ so you won’t forget what you should do for next week.
D. Read the following paragraph from the text and answer the following question. Marta scrambles onto my bed and together we brain storm ideas for our shared living space. I have a sneaking suspicion that this was Mom and Dad’s plan all along, but Marta and I are having such a good time that I’ll let it slide …… this time. How would you describe the parents? a. clever and patient b. courageous and supportive c. angry and delighted d. suspicious and deliberate
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On the Trail Read the passage below to find out what Luis and his friend do with the wallet they have found on the bike trail. Then answer the questions.
My name is Luis. Two weeks ago on Saturday, my friend Justin and I were biking
along Riverside Trail when all at once Justin shouted, “There’s something sparkling under
those bushes. Let’s see what it is!”
We got off our bikes and started poking around under the bushes. I spotted
something shining and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! It’s a wallet with jewels on it.” I picked it
up, and we saw that the wallet had sparkling imitation jewels.
“Let’s see if there is identification inside,” I said. “We should try to find the owner.”
We found photos, some money, and a library card for Mary Johnson. Justin said,
“We can try to find Mary Johnson’s phone number on the Internet.”
We headed for the computer at Justin’s house and searched for “Johnson” in a
directory for our town. We found eight Mary Johnsons and two M. Johnsons. That was too
many Mary and M. Johnsons!
Justin asked, “Should we lose hope?”
I said, “No, we shouldn’t give up. We could start calling, but what if she lives in
another town and only comes here to bike, or what if she has an unlisted number? We
should look for other clues first.”
Next, we examined the snapshots. One was very old, and another was of a boy
about two years old with “William, 2011” written on the back. The third showed a girl about
seven in front of Mount Rushmore, and “Annalee, 2011” was written on the back.
Justin guessed, “William and Annalee might be Mary Johnson’s children. On
Monday, we could see if she goes to our school. But that’s a long time for Mary Johnson to
wait for her wallet, so let’s look for other clues.”
We went through the wallet again and found, tucked in back, an appointment card
for an eye examination at a mall in town. The appointment was for two o’clock—that same
day!
I said, “If we want this plan to succeed, we have to get to the mall before two o’clock,
and we have no time to lose.”
Justin said, “My mom probably will drive us. I’ll ask her.”
29
So that is how we got to the mall at exactly three minutes before two. We hurried
into the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Almost immediately a worried-looking woman
came in. She said, “I have a two o’clock appointment. My name is Mary Johnson.”
When Justin and I introduced ourselves and showed her the wallet, her eyes lit up.
She said, “What a relief! I have been beside myself!” Mrs. Johnson thanked us repeatedly.
She was elated to have back her money and the photos of her children and great-
grandparents.
After we explained where we found the wallet, she said, “I took the children for a
bike ride this morning. William was in a cart that I attach to my bike. He must have found
the wallet in my bag and tossed it from the cart.”
She added, “You two deserve a reward” and handed each of us five dollars. It was
worth missing the rest of our Saturday bike ride, and it was fun using clues to solve the
problem!
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Objectives
Recall details - Infer details - Identify the problem - Identify the solution - Identify sequence of events - Identify meaning of vocabulary words through context - Use vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Where does the story take place?
a. in a neighborhood
b. at school
c. in a backyard
d. at the mall
2. Luis and Justin face more than one problem. What is the main problem in this story?
a. The boys want to find the owner of the wallet.
b. The boys find many Mary Johnsons.
c. The boys must find a way to get to the mall quickly.
d. There are too many elementary schools to check.
3. What happened right before the boys found the appointment card?
a. They found a wallet in the bushes.
b. They found an appointment card in a wallet.
c. They found photographs of children in a wallet.
d. They looked up “Mary Johnson” on the internet.
4. What happened after they got to the mall?
a. The boys sat and waited for Mary Johnson.
b. The boys went to the waiting room at the doctor’s office.
c. Justin’s mom waited with them.
d. The woman was already there.
5. Read this sentence from the passage:
“She was elated to have back her money and the photos of her children and great-
grandparents.” The word elated means ______________.
a. disappointed
b. confused
c. happy
d. surprised
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6. Read this sentence from the passage:
“Next, we examined the snapshots.” The word snapshots means ______________.
a. paintings
b. photos
c. magazines
d. mails
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. List two ideas the boys thought of to find the owner of the wallet.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. How is the problem solved?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. Was Mary Johnson happy to find her wallet? Write two details from the story.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Do you think the boys are problem solvers? Explain your answer using one detail.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
C. Write “True” if the statement is correct. Write “False” if it is wrong and rewrite
the sentence correctly on the line.
1. When the boys found the wallet, they searched for the owner’s identification. ______
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2. Both boys thought of giving up when they found too many Mary Johnson. _______
3. When the boys searched the wallet, they found two clues to find Mary Johnson. ___
4. Justin’s mom refused to drive the boys to the mall. ________
D. Use a word from the given box to complete each sentence below.
jewels – identification – appointment – reward –
tossed – immediately – repeatedly – sparkling
1. I collected 25 points from my teachers, and I went to the office to get my
__________.
2. Our homeroom teacher ______________ kept reminding us to bring our classroom
decoration.
3. Tom ________________ the ball and broke mom’s favorite vase.
4. When my friend fell on the stairs, I ______________ went to get the nurse.
5. My mom scheduled an ___________________ for me with the dentist because I
had a toothache.
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Camping Without a Phone 1 I couldn’t believe it when my parents told me we were going camping during winter
vacation. Camping! They are always trying to get me to go outside more. It seems like my
mom is always saying, “Brian, turn off the computer!” or “Brian, put down your phone and
talk to us!” They don’t seem to understand that I’m in the zone when I’m using a keyboard,
so of course I don’t want to stop.
2 We drove for an hour to Everglades National Park. As soon as we got there, my cell
phone stopped working. The precaution I had taken of fully charging it had done no good. I
couldn’t get a signal for it. Suddenly, I was facing three days of no contact with the outside
world. My little brother, Ben, thought it was funny, and my mom tried to tell me I’d like it.
3 “You’ll be able to look around more when you’re not staring at a screen,” she said.
4 “You might have to act like a human being,” said Ben as he started laughing. Then
he ran to the other side of the campground.
5 We took a hike with a ranger in the afternoon. At first, I couldn’t care less, but after a
while I started listening. By the end of the hike, I realized there was more action going on in
the park than in most video games. It just didn’t happen as obviously.
6 First, the ranger explained that fires can be good for the Everglades. Lightning starts
the fires. The pines and some other trees resist fire, and their branches are too high for the
fires to reach. Other trees and plants that try to take over from the pines are lower and get
burned away. I could almost envision the fires burning around us while we walked, as if they
were on a video screen.
7 Then we stopped to look at what a bobcat had left behind. It was a
pile of fur and little bones. They were probably the remains of a rabbit.
The ranger said that bobcats hunt nearly every night and sometimes eat
animals as large as a deer. We didn’t get to see the action, but we saw
some of the results.
8 Then we saw a wood stork wading and moving its beak back
and forth. It was over three feet tall. It can’t see the small fish it’s
trying to catch because the water is muddy and full of plants, but its
beak is very sensitive. When it touches a fish, its beak snaps
34
closed in 25 milliseconds! That’s faster than some computer networks respond when I touch
a key.
9 I was really tired that night. We’d done a lot of walking, and I didn’t use enough
sunscreen. I looked a little like what the ranger called the “tourist tree.” The gumbo limbo
tree has reddish bark that peels off, like it got sunburned. Even so, I woke up in the middle
of the night, and I was scared at first because of some strange sounds. But then I
recognized the barred owl the ranger had described. It sounds like it’s calling out “Who
cooks for you? Who cooks for you?” that helped me calm down, and I went back to sleep.
10 The next two days we did a lot more exploring. I started to see that all the land and
water and animals were connected. In the Everglades, you couldn’t even get rid of the
mosquitoes without making a big change for other animals. Small fish eat mosquito eggs;
other fish eat the smaller fish; large fish called gars eat those fish; and alligators eat the
gars. If you got rid of the mosquitoes, you might lose some of the other animals higher up
the food chain too.
11 After we left, we talked in the car about the Everglades and how different it was from
where we lived. Right in the middle of our discussion, I heard a familiar tone from my phone.
My friend Jeff was sending me a text. I reached for my phone, then put it back down. “Aren’t
you going to text back?” asked Ben.
12 “I will in a little while,” I said. Ben looked stunned. My dad and mom looked at each
other and just smiled.
Objectives
Recall details - Make inferences - Identify sequence of events - Identify problem and solution - Connect to real life - Determine meaning of vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer. 1. Brian and his family will camp for _______________.
a. three days b. four days c. a week d. one night
2. What happens when Brian arrives to the camping sight?
a. Brian loses his family. b. Brian loses his cellphone. c. Brian couldn’t get any signal on his phone. d. Brian’s phone battery dies.
35
3. What changes for Brian by the end of the camping trip? a. Brian starts getting along with his brother. b. Brian realizes that there are more important things than his phone. c. Brian loses interest in nature. d. Brian wishes to spend more time in nature.
4. Why do Brian’s parents smile at the end of the story? a. Brian’s parents realize that Brian has changed. b. Brian’s parents are so happy the trip ended. c. Brian’s parents are proud of Ben. d. Brian’s parents are happy to be at the Everglades.
5. Read this sentence from the passage. “Then we saw a wood stork wading and moving its beak back and forth. It was over three feet tall. It can’t see the small fish it’s trying to catch because the water is muddy and full of plants…” What does wading mean? a. swimming b. running c. flying d. walking
6. Read this sentence from the passage. “Right in the middle of our discussion, I heard a familiar tone from my phone. My friend Jeff was sending me a text.” What does familiar mean in the sentence? a. recognizable b. strange c. loud d. unknown
7. Read this sentence from the passage. “I will in a little while,” I said. Ben looked stunned. My dad and mom looked at each other and just smiled.” What does stunned mean? a. excited b. shocked c. disappointed d. mad
B. Write “True” if the statement is correct. Write “False” if it is wrong and rewrite the sentence correctly on the line. 1. The story takes place at Everglades National Park during winter. _______
______________________________________________________________
2. At the beginning of the story, Brian is happy about the trip. _______
______________________________________________________________
3. The ranger explains how the Everglades catch fire. ________
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______________________________________________________________ 4. On his first night, Brian wakes up because of the wood stork’s sound. ______
______________________________________________________________
C. Answer the questions in complete sentences.
1. Describe two things that Brian has learned during his camping experience.
2. At the beginning of the passage, why is Brian upset?
3. Why doesn’t Brian text his friend back at the end of the story?
4. In your opinion, should someone of your age have a cell phone? Give two reasons
D. Number the events from 1 to 4.
_____ Ben and Brian’s mom tease him. _____ Brian and his family arrive to the campground. _____ Brian learns that everything in nature is connected. _____ Brian learns about bobcats.
37
E. Look back at the paragraph indicated in parentheses. Find the word that best
fits the sentence. Write the word.
1. When driving, she always wears her seatbelt as a ___________________.
(paragraph 2)
2. He acts like a tough guy, but he is actually very ___________________ when
it comes to his sister. (paragraph 8)
3. ___________________ the woods was the first thing the family did when they
arrived to the campsite. (paragraph 10)
4. The class was involved in a ___________________ about the advantages and
disadvantages of a cellphone. (paragraph 11)
38
Story Elements As you read this story, think about the conflict between the characters and how this conflict is solved.
Best Friends
I hated my first day at Bay View School. Bay View had just opened because my old school, Jefferson, was too crowded. Starting a new school is never fun. But to make matters worse, by the end of that first day I was afraid I was losing my best friend. Though half the students at Bay View had come from Jefferson, the other half were strangers. At Jefferson, everyone had known that Lindsey and I did everything together. At Bay View, no one treated us like best friends. Even Lindsey started acting as though we weren’t. The trouble began when we were assigned to study groups. I was assigned to Group B, and Lindsey was assigned to Group F. We had always been in the same group. But Lindsey didn’t seem to mind. She just said, “This will be a nice change for you, Sarah.” We had to introduce ourselves to the other students in our groups and tell them about our interests. When I said I plan to be a veterinarian, a boy named Eddie said that his dad is a vet and that he likes animals, too. Dustin said he wants to be pilot, and Adam said he likes to draw. They acted friendly, but I would rather have been with Lindsey. She didn’t seem to miss me. I could see her laughing with the kids in Group F. Later that day things got worse. While Lindsey and I were eating lunch, she told me about a girl in her study group. “Michelle is really nice. She told me about an after-school group that’s going to put on plays,” Lindsey said. “They asked me to paint the scenery!” She always had been good at art. I hate acting and art. Why did she want to spend time with those people? As Lindsey and I were leaving school, Eddie came up to me. “Hey, Sarah, do you want to walk home with me and see my dad’s vet offices?” “No. I always walk home with Lindsey.” As Eddie left, I looked to see if Lindsey had gotten the message about how best friends act. She sighed unhappily. “Don’t you want to make new friends here?” “Why? We’re best friends.”
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“I don’t know if I can be best friends in the same way anymore.” She suddenly ran off, leaving me to walk home alone. I was almost crying by the time I got home. I found Dad in the yard. “Dad, who’s your best friend?” I asked. Dad smiled. “Your mom.” I was puzzled. “Then why do you do so many things with other people?” “For one thing, she and I don’t enjoy all the same things,” he said. “For another, we do enjoy sharing stories about the things we do with our other friends. Now, tell me what’s on your mind.” I told him everything. That’s when I realized that there was only one way to keep from losing Lindsey as my friend. The next day, Lindsey hardly spoke to me and went off to sit with Michelle at lunch time. I asked Eddie and Adam if they would like to join me for lunch. After they said they would, we walked over to Lindsey’s table. I said “Hi,” but Lindsey didn’t look up. I asked, “Is it ok if we join you, Lindsey? You know Eddie and Adam, don’t you? Adam’s an artist. He would like to paint scenery with you.” This time Lindsey did raise her head. She had a smile on her face. I grinned right back at her.
Answer these questions about Best Friends. Look back at the story if you need to. 1. Who are the two main characters of the story? _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Describe the conflict of the story. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Write two of the events that make up the plot of the story. Write the events in the order that they happen.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What is the resolution of the story? _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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Main Ideas and Supporting Details Read the article below. Then answer the questions that follow the article.
Mount St. Helens Blows Its Top
1. In January 1980, Mount St. Helens, a mountain peak in Washington State, looked the same as it had for hundreds of winters. The mountain, which was surrounded by frozen lakes and dense forests, was covered with a thick blanket of snow. From a distance, the mountain looked peaceful and serene.
2. In March of that year the once-peaceful mountain began to change. Two earthquakes shook the ground around the mountain. Then the mountain began to shoot huge clouds of steam and ash into the air.
3. These changes did not surprise scientists. They had known for a long time that the mountain was a volcano. Mount St. Helens is a part of the Cascade mountain range. Most of the Cascade Mountains are volcanoes. Mount St. Helens had a history of volcanic eruptions and had been active as recently as 1857.
4. Then in April of 1980 something happened that alarmed scientists. They discovered a dangerous, rapidly growing bulge in the side of the mountain. They warned that this bulge, which was expanding by five feet a day, might set an avalanche or an eruption. But scientists could not predict the violence of the eruption that was soon to follow.
5. On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens exploded with such force that it nearly blew itself to bits. Rocks, some as large as trucks, shot up twelve miles into the air, hurled by the powerful blasts that shook the mountain. An avalanche of falling rocks roared down the mountain-side, shattering trees like matchsticks. The avalanche was followed by rivers of mud. Thousands of forest animals and more than fifty people were killed. The volcanic explosion was so powerful, it blasted away a thousand feet from the height of the peak. Mount St. Helens was once Washington’s most beautiful mountain peak. After the eruption, all that was left of the mountain was a large smoking crater.
6. Wind carried ash from the explosion for hundreds of miles. In the city of Yakima, Washington, eighty-five miles northeast of Mount St. Helens, the ash made the noon sky as dark as night. People had to wear masks to keep from choking on the ash-clogged air.
7. Mount St. Helens erupted several times after the first explosion in 1980. Altogether, the eruptions of Mount St. Helens caused more than $ 1.5
41
billion worth of damage to property, crops, and forests. Most living things within a fifteen-mile range of the exploding mountaintop were destroyed. Ash from the eruptions clogged streets and machinery in Washington, Oregon, and parts of Idaho and Montana for months afterward. The eruptions of Mount St. Helens showed just how surprising – and powerful - nature can be.
1. What is the topic of this article? __________________________________________
2. What is the main idea of the second paragraph of the article? ___________________________________________________________________
3. Write two details from the second paragraph that support the main idea.
A._________________________________________________________________ B._________________________________________________________________
4. Write the main idea and the three supporting details from the seventh paragraph. Main Idea: __________________________________________________________ Supporting Details: ___________________________________________________ A._________________________________________________________________ B._________________________________________________________________ C. _________________________________________________________________
5. Write the sentence in the fifth paragraph that expresses an opinion. ___________________________________________________________________
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Sequence of Events: Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action You have learned about the importance of the sequence of events in a suspense story. You have also learned to identify which of these events belong to the rising action, climax, and falling action. Look for these story elements as you read “Summer Storm”.
Summer Storm
“Emerald Lake, 3.2 miles,” Max’s little sister Dana read the trail marker aloud.
“We’re almost back at the campsite,” said Max. They had climbed so high that they had passed the timberline - there were no trees, only rocks, moss, and tiny wild flowers.
The weather that morning was perfect for a mountain hike. When Max and his sister had set out, though, their father had told them to be back by two o’clock. He had heard a weather report warning that a storm was coming. Max had promised to return on time, but he hadn’t counted on Dana running ahead and wandering off the trail. It had taken him almost an hour to find her. He glanced down at his watch and noticed that it was 3: 30. He knew that he’d have a lot of explaining to do.
But the suddenly darkened sky worried him more. The clouds had turned a dark gray, and the wind was picking up. It tore across the side of the mountain, throwing sand and dirt. A white flash of lightning pierced the air, followed by an ear-splitting clap of thunder.
“Max!” “It’s the storm Dad warned us about! We have to get off the mountaintop
before it hits.” As Max and Dana ran across the mountaintop, the sky grew darker and
the air turned very cold. Then hailstones began to fall, hitting Max’s face and arms with stinging force.
Max knew how dangerous lightning could be. Up there above the timberline there were no trees, and lightning usually struck the highest thing around including people.
“We need to find shelter,” Max gasped. “Where….where can we go?” “Just run as fast as you can!” They sprinted across the trail. More flashes of lightning were followed by
louder thunderclaps. Suddenly Dana grabbed Max’s coat.
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“I’m slipping, Max!” she screamed. Before either of them knew it, they tumbled thirty feet down the side of the mountain and slid into a ditch.
“Are you okay, Dana?” “Just a few scratches.” Max realized that they had accidentally found a great shelter from the
lightning. He lay down beside his sister and held her hand. When the storm ended, Max and Dana heard their parents’ scared
voices shouting for them. The children answered, “Here we are! We’re fine! We’re fine!”
Max and Dana climbed out of the ditch. They hugged their parents and cried with relief before they all headed back down the trail to Emerald Lake.
Complete the chart below by writing two events from the rising action, one event
from the climax, and two events from the falling action. Write the events in the correct sequence.
3. _____________________________________
______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________
2. ____________________________ CLIMAX 4. ______________________________
____________________________ _________________________________ ___________________________ ________________________________ __________________________ _______________________________
1. _________________________ 5. ___________________________ _______________________ ____________________________ ______________________ __________________________ _____________________ _________________________
STORY BEGINS STORY ENDS
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The Broken Lamp Read the passage below to find out what happens to the grandchildren when they break their grandmother’s lamp while playing in her house. Then answer the questions.
Scarlett and Ryan were chasing each other through the house, playing tag. They loved
to chase each other because grandma’s house was so big! There were practically
hundreds of hiding places in the different rooms.
There were weird little crawlspaces behind the hallway walls. There was an attic with
strange old furniture and chests to hide in and behind them. There were countless closets
and even some air ducts or laundry chutes they could climb into.
The best part though was the balcony on the second floor. They could race along that
long corridor and hit the wooden floors at a full skid, sliding at least ten feet if they were
running full tilt. They liked to race down the hall, slide, and then pound down the stairs or
ride the banister1 down to the ground floor.
This time, Ryan was in the lead with Scarlett hot on his heels. He didn’t want to slow
down, or she’d tag him “it.” He tried to keep running past the skid zone and grab the stair
rail as he ran past, so he could use it to slingshot himself down the stairs. Instead, he
stumbled and fell into a roll.
Ryan tumbled down the first few steps, hitting the console table at the first landing. An
antique lamp rocked unsteadily above him, and he was too dazed by his fall to reach out
and steady it.
CRASH! It fell right beside him, and a shout went out from the living room.
“What have you kids broken now?” Grandmother screamed anxiously.
“Uhhh… nothing?” Ryan lied.
Scarlett’s eyes were wide with horror as she looked down at her brother, sprawled out
with chips of fine antique lamp dusted all over him. “A lamp?”
“Not my collector’s edition lamp!” Grandmother gasped. They could almost hear her old
bones creak as she forced herself out of her recliner and made a run for the stairway. “No!”
She howled, seeing the destruction.
“Grandma, I’m sorry.” Ryan offered weakly.
1 Banister: handrail of the stairs, rail, bar, guardrail
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Grandmother’s face twisted in anger. “You’d better be, because I’m going to take that
out of your hide!” She waved her cane threateningly.
“Maybe we can make it up to you? We could clean and do yard work?” Scarlett offered.
Grandma’s gaze softened, and she nodded after some thought. “Start with cutting the
lawn, and then dust everything in the house. We’ll see what’s left after that.”
Scarlett and Ryan both thought they were getting off easy, but they didn’t know Grandma
had only paid $20 for that lamp a few years ago. It was hardly an antique. She giggled to
herself as the kids cleaned her house. That would teach them to behave!
Objectives
Recall details -Interpret - Evaluate - Identify mood - Use vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Where are Ryan and Scarlett?
a. at grandmother’s house
b. at home
c. at their uncle’s house
d. at school
2. What game are the children playing?
e. The children are playing cards.
f. The children are playing hide and go seek.
g. The children are playing chase or tag.
h. The children are playing cops and robbers.
3. What does Ryan break?
a. a table
b. a chair
c. a cabinet
d. a lamp
4. What did Scarlett offer to do?
a. pay for the lamp
b. buy a new one
c. help out to pay for the lamp
d. clean up the broken lamp
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5. Why is Grandma happy when the children break the lamp?
a. The lamp isn’t worth as much as the work she is going to get done.
b. Grandma thinks the lamp is ugly.
c. Grandma likes to punish the kids.
d. Grandma is just mean and crazy.
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Scarlett and Ryan face a problem. What do you think of the solution they came up
with? Explain your answer.
2. How many tasks does Grandma ask the kids to do? Name them.
3. Grandma wants to teach the children a lesson. What lesson does she want to teach
them?
4. At the end of the story, which detail helps you to understand that grandma wasn’t
really sorry for losing the lamp?
C. Write “True” if the statement is correct. Write “False” if it is wrong and rewrite the
sentence correctly on the line.
5. Grandmother’s house has a few good places to hide in. ________
6. The children liked to run down the hall and to hold on to the banister. _______
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7. Grandma shouted because she knew that Ryan fell down. ______
8. Scarlett and Ryan had to work for breaking the lamp. ________
D. Use a bold-faced word from the passage to complete each sentence below.
1. The baby _________________ out on the bed after hitting his tiny hand. He was
crying so hard; mom had to carry him.
2. Ryan went to the attic, opened the door, and got terrified when he heard the door
_____________.
3. Sarah had the _____________ role in the school play. She was so proud.
4. The thief threw the small package in the _____________. He hoped to leave the
building before the police arrived.
5. The ________________ after the storm was unbelievable.
6. Ryan _______________ his ankle after the terrible fall.
E. Circle the words that best describe the mood before the problem started.
a. nervous b. tense c. relaxed d. cheerful e. merry
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A New Hero
1
2
3
4
As the plane circled over the airport, everyone sensed that something
was wrong. The plane was moving unsteadily through the air, and
although the passengers had fastened their seat belts, they were
suddenly thrown forward.
At that moment, the air-hostess appeared. She looked very pale but
was quite calm. Speaking quickly but almost in a whisper, she informed
everyone that the pilot had fainted and asked if any of the passengers
knew anything about machines or at least how to drive a car. After a
moment of hesitation, a man got up and followed the hostess into the
pilot’s cabin.
Moving the pilot aside, the man took his seat and listened carefully to
the urgent instructions that were being sent by radio from the airport
below. The plane was now dangerously close to the ground, but to
everyone’s relief, it soon began to climb. The man had to circle the airport
several times in order to become familiar with the controls. But the
danger had not yet passed. The terrible moment came when he had to
land. Following instructions, the man guided the plane towards the
airfield. It shook violently as it touched the ground and then moved
rapidly across the field, but after a long run it stopped safely.
Outside, a crowd of people who had been watching anxiously, rushed
forward to congratulate the ‘pilot’ on perfect landing.
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A. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. When did the passengers sense danger?
2. What was wrong with the pilot?
3. Did the passengers feel that they were safe when the “man” took over? Explain.
4. How did the new hero save the plane and everybody who was on the plane?
B. Finish the statements from the story.
1. The man moved the pilot and ____________________________.
2. The air-hostess appeared and asked __________________________.
3. The horrible moment was when _________________________.
4. The hostess spoke quietly because ___________________________.
C. Use a word from the story to finish the sentences below.
1. The boy ___________________ his shoe laces before he walked across the
field. (1)
2. The engineer worked on the damaged ______________. (3)
3. The swimmer almost _________________ because he swam right after a big
meal. (2)
4. The angry man attacked ____________ the thief. (3)
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D. Find the word that means the same as.
1. directed; controlled (3) ___________________
2. adjacent; next to (3) ___________________
3. indecision; uncertainty (2) ___________________
4. acquainted; aware (3) ___________________
5. arrival; touchdown (4) ___________________
E. Circle the right answer.
1. As the airplane ________ over the airport, the passengers felt that something is
wrong.
a. landed b. took off c. circled
2. The passengers fastened their seatbelts because _____________.
a. the plane was landing
b. the plane was unsteady and they were terrified
c. it was the pilot’s instructions
3. The man had to circle _____________________.
a. several times to land the plane
b. several times to leave the runway
c. several times to take off
Objectives
Identify simple sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences - Recognize correctly written simple, compound, and complex sentences - Use the correct conjunction - Combine simple sentences into compound sentences - Combine simple sentences into complex sentences - Write a compound sentence - Write a complex sentence
G. Read each sentence and label it as simple sentence, compound sentence, or
complex sentence.
1. As the plane circled over the airport, everyone sensed that something was wrong.
____________________
2. At that moment, the air-hostess appeared. ______________
3. Speaking quickly, she asked for help. _________________
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4. The man walked slowly to the pilot’s cabin, and he entered it carefully.
___________
5. The plane was dangerously close to the ground, but it didn’t land.
_______________
6. Even though the pilot had fainted, the man was able to finally land the plane
safely. _________________
H. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which simple sentence is written correctly?
a. The crowd of people had been watching and cheering.
b. The crowd of people had been watching anxiously, and didn’t cheer.
c. The crowd of people, and the air-hostess, had been watching.
d. The crowd of people had been watching as the plane landed.
2. Which compound sentence is written correctly?
a. The man had to circle the airport several times but didn’t land.
b. The man had to circle the airport several times, and he didn’t land.
c. The man had to circle and listen to the urgent instructions given over the radio.
d. The man had to circle the airport several times, but he didn’t land.
3. Which complex sentence is written correctly?
a. It shook violently as it touched the ground.
b. It shook violently, as it touched the ground.
c. As it shook violently, and touched the ground.
d. It shook violently, when it touched the ground.
4. Which compound sentence shows choice?
a. Did any of the passengers know anything about machines or cars?
b. Did the man or the air-hostess land the plan?
c. Who landed the plane, the man, or the pilot?
d. Did the man land the plane, or did the pilot land it?
I. Write the appropriate coordinating conjunction.
1. The plane was moving unsteadily, ______ not all the passengers buckled their
seatbelts.
2. The man landed the plane, ____________ it moved rapidly across the field.
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3. Was the man forced to take the pilot’s seat, ________ did he volunteer?
4. Have you ever been on a plane _______ on a train before?
J. Combine each pair of simple sentences to make one compound sentence.
Use the appropriate conjunction.
1. The air-hostess was pale and nervous. She spoke calmly and remained patient.
2. The man moved the pilot aside. He sat on his seat.
K. Combine each pair of simple sentences to make one complex sentence.
Use the appropriate subordinating conjunction from the box.
because - when - unless
1. The crowd was looking at the dark sky. Lightning struck.
2. The man followed instructions. He was able to safely land the plane.
L. Write sentences as indicated.
a. A compound sentence that shows contrast:
b. A complex sentence:
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Christmas Remedial Work
A. The following sentences belong to two different paragraphs. Order the sentences and use them to write the paragraphs in the two boxes below. Write a title for each story.
1. There were so many kinds of trees in the shop we went to that I was not able to choose one right away.
2. One of the children saw him standing by the tree and offered him a gift.
3. Hector was a very poor boy who always wore torn clothes. 4. The boy looked at the gifts that the others had to offer and felt ashamed that he did not bring
anything. 5. When we moved to a new house, my mom and I decided to buy a new tree that would go better
with our living room. 6. He heard that a group of children were going to gather around a huge tree in the park to sing
Christmas carols. 7. My mom helped me choose a big tree that was already decorated with red and white candles. 8. Hector went to join them since he also wanted to sing with them. 9. He smiled at the strange boy who gave him the gift and invited him to join the other children. 10. On our way back home, I looked at Mom and smiled because we had chosen a truly wonderful
tree. 11. When he got there, he found out that the children were also supposed to bring gifts for each
other.
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B. Proofread the following paragraph. Correct mistakes in capitalization,
punctuation, spelling, and sentences.
I once read somewere that during the Christmas
season. the whole world is involved in a conspiracy of
love I think that is possibly true. For instance, many
people who usually are not on goud terms with one
another put their diferences aside when it is Christmas.
It is the time when everyone is merry. One should
never be unhappy when it’s Christmas time. Ask for
forgivenes if you’v done something wrong! and always
be ready to forgive those who you think need your
forgiveness. There’s nothing gooder than a pure heart
to offer the lord on a Christmas Eve?
C. Complete the following sentences with ideas of your own to make up a short
Christmas story.
1. Last week, I fought with my friend because ___________________________________
2. I later decided that since it’s going to be Christmas soon _________________________
3. When I apologized to my friend _____________________________________________
4. We are going to spend Christmas together, and ________________________________
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The Way to Her Heart Read the unseen passage about the prince who found a way to the princess’s heart.
Then answer the questions.
1 Once upon a time, there was a prince who walked to the market every day. On his
return to the castle, he would pass through a meadow. Each time, he saw the same
beautiful young woman picking flowers. One day, he approached her.
2 “My name is Princess Ana,” said the woman when the prince asked her name. The
prince was delighted that she was royalty. “May I call on you tomorrow?” he asked.
3 “My father, the king, would not approve. He wants me to marry a prince who lives in a
faraway land.” explained the princess.
4 “But I am a prince, and I live in the next village! How can I convince him?” he added.
5 “Find a gift worthy of my love and my father’s respect,” she suggested.
6 The next day, the prince set out to find the princess a gift. Soon, he met a goldsmith.
7 “I am looking for a gift worthy of a princess,” he said. “It must impress her father, too.”
8 “Here is a crate filled with gold for your consideration,” said the goldsmith. “It will show
your great wealth!”
9 The prince thought about it and made a decision. “This is not what I am looking for.”
10 The prince continued on. Next, the prince shared his story with a jewelry maker.
11 “Here is a valuable necklace made of diamonds,” said the jewelry maker. “It will capture
the princess’s heart.”
12 Again, the prince declined, and he sadly returned home empty-handed.
13 As he traveled across the meadow, he had an idea. In a flurry of excitement, he rushed
about and picked a bunch of flowers. Then, he tied them together with a velvet ribbon.
14 The prince went to the princess’s castle and met the king and his daughter in the great
hall. The prince bowed to the king and said, “I have come to call on your daughter. I did
not think a crate of gold or a diamond necklace were worthy of her.” He handed the
princess the flowers. “These flowers capture your daughter’s beauty: the blue of her
eyes, the red of her lips, the yellow of her hair.”
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15 The princess looked at the king, smiled, and conveyed. “This prince understands the
way to my heart,” she said. Princess Ana took the prince’s hand, and they married with
the king’s blessing. They lived happily ever after.
Objectives
Recall details - Make inferences - Identify character trait - Recognize the meaning of vocabulary words using context clues - Use vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer. 1. Where does the prince meet the princess at the beginning of the story?
a. at the market
b. in the castle
c. in the meadow
d. in the hall
2. Who comes up with the idea of giving flowers to the princess?
a. The prince b. The florist c. The goldsmith d. The jewelry maker
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3. Which problem does the prince find with the crate of gold and the necklace?
a. They are not worthy of the princess.
b. They are gifts the princess already owns.
c. They are not what the princess has asked for.
d. The princess will not like them.
4. At the end of the passage, what does the prince compare the beauty of the princess
to? a. diamonds
b. gold
c. colors
d. flowers
5. Read the following sentence from the text.
“On his return to the castle, he would pass through a meadow. Each time, he saw the same beautiful young woman picking flowers.” What does the word “meadow” mean? a. hole b. field c. door d. tunnel
B. Look back at the paragraph indicated in parentheses. Find the word that best fits
the sentence. Write the word.
1. John tried really hard to ______________________ his mother that he had no
homework during the weekend. (paragraph 4)
2. I picked so many apples from the orchard. Once the _________________ was filled
I could not lift it up. (paragraph 8)
3. John’s mom told him to show some ____________________ and turn down the
radio because his sister was studying for her exams. (paragraph 8)
4. The child bought his mother a bouquet of _______________ for Mother’s Day.
(paragraph 14)
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C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. In your opinion, why didn’t the prince guess that the beautiful young woman at the beginning of the story was a princess?
2. Circle the trait that best describes the princess. Use evidence from the tale to explain your answer. selfish rude caring respectful well-mannered
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Read the following passage to learn more about how the prince learned wisdom.
The Prince Who Learned Wisdom
1 There once lived a prince who would someday become the ruler. “Study hard, my
boy,” his father would say. “You will need a good education when you become the king.”
2 The prince took these words to heart and studied hard. Then one day, a thought
came to him. “My teachers give me a lot of useful knowledge, but I wonder if I am gaining
the wisdom that a ruler needs.” He decided the answer was no. To gain wisdom, he
needed a new plan.
3 The prince told his father he wanted to visit a nearby country whose philosophers
were said to be very wise. He would ask them to teach him their wisdom. The king thought
this was foolish. “Wisdom comes only from a good education,” he said. “Your teachers are
preparing you very well.” Still, he agreed to let his son go and even gave him some gold
coins for his journey. Neither suspected that the prince’s search would end up taking him in
a very different direction.
4 Early the next morning, the prince set out. To avoid attracting attention, he dressed
in ordinary clothes and carried his belongings on his back like anyone else. As he strode
along, he whistled a cheerful tune, happy to be out on his own.
5 By afternoon, he was hungry and sat
down in a field to eat his lunch. The warm sun
stroking his cheek and the soft breeze
whispering in his ears made him drowsy.
6 The prince was awakened suddenly by
the crackling of dry leaves. A thief was running
away with his pack! He was too far away to
catch, so the prince had to go on without it.
(Luckily, the gold coins were hidden inside his
coat.) He continued on, pondering what had occurred. As he was thinking deeply, he came
to a realization. “Anything can happen when you sleep outside. When I become the ruler, I
must make sure that everyone has a safe place to sleep.” Then he laughed. “That fellow
actually gave me a bit of wisdom!”
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7 As evening approached, it began to rain. With a long way still to go and his feet
soggy, the prince stopped at an inn. Aching with hunger, he welcomed the scents of fresh
bread and a stew that met him at the door. After a delicious meal, he went up to his room,
blew out the candle, and got into bed—but not for long. CREEEEEAK! A young woman
crept into the dark room and took his boots. As she tried to creep out again, the prince
leaped up, blocked her way, and yelled for the innkeeper. When the man arrived, the
outraged prince informed him the woman had been stealing his boots.
8 “No, she wasn’t,” said the innkeeper. “She was taking them downstairs to the fire
so they would dry before morning. I’m sorry if my daughter disturbed you.”
9 The prince felt embarrassed and gave the daughter a gold coin as an apology.
Back in bed, he thought about what had happened. “When I am king, I must be sure to get
all the facts before I make a judgment,” he concluded. Then, laughing, “I never expected to
acquire wisdom in a village inn!”
10 The next day, instead of continuing on, the prince went back the way he had come.
He did not stop until he was inside the palace.
11 “Back already?” exclaimed his father. “You can’t possibly have made it even to the
border. Why did you give up your plan?”
12 “Father,” answered the prince, “in just two days, I gained enough wisdom to know
it was not such a good plan. I now realize there is no need to seek wisdom in far-off places.
Wisdom can be found anywhere if you pay attention and try to learn from your
experiences.” This reply greatly pleased the king, who agreed with his son.
13 From that day on, the prince made a point of leaving the palace at least twice a
week to watch and listen to what was happening among the people. When the time came
for him to be king, he was a very wise ruler indeed.
Wonders
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Objectives Recall details from a passage - Interpret details - Make inferences - Compare characters - Determine the cause or the effect - Connect to real life - Use contextual clues to determine meaning of vocabulary words -
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. When does the story take place?
a. early in the morning b. late at night c. in the fall d. in the summer
2. I. What is the theme of the passage?
a. Observe what happens around you so you become wise.
b. Keep the lights on when you sleep at night.
c. Follow your parents’ advice to reach your goals.
d. Be careful when you sleep outside.
II. Which sentence best supports the theme of the passage?
a. There once lived a prince who would someday become the ruler.
b. “When I am king, I must be sure to get all the facts before I make a
judgment.”
c. The next day, instead of continuing on, the prince went back the way he
had come.
d. “Wisdom can be found anywhere if you pay attention and try to learn
from your experiences.”
3. What is the purpose of the illustration?
a. to show how the prince’s pack was stolen
b. to explain why the thief wanted the prince’s pack
c. to describe how the prince felt about being robbed
d. to indicate where the prince’s gold coins were hidden
4. What do the prince and his father agree about?
a. Wisdom comes only from a good education.
b. The prince has succeeded in meeting his goal.
c. Seeking wisdom from philosophers is a good idea.
d. The prince's teachers are preparing him fully to be king.
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5. Read this sentence from the passage.
“The prince was awakened suddenly by the crackling of dry leaves.”
The author’s use of sensory language appeals most to the sense of ________.
a. hearing
b. seeing
c. smelling
d. feeling
6. Read these sentences from the passage.
“He continued on, pondering what had occurred. As he was thinking deeply, he
came to a realization.”
What words tell you what pondering means?
a. continued on
b. thinking deeply
c. a realization
d. had occurred
B. Write “true” if the statement is correct. Write “false” if it is wrong and rewrite
the sentence correctly.
1. The prince thinks he must travel to a new place to learn wisdom. _________
2. The thief wants the prince’s clothes. __________
3. By keeping the gold coins inside his coat, the prince is greedy. _______
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C. Fill in the table.
Cause Effect
The prince didn’t want to be recognized by
anyone in his country.
The prince learned the importance of having
a safe place to sleep.
The prince gave the innkeeper’s daughter a
gold coin.
D. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. How did the prince feel as he left the palace? How do you know?
2. What did the prince think was different about the nearby country?
3. How are the thief and the innkeeper’s daughter alike?
4. Which trait best describes the prince’s father? Explain.
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5. If you were the prince and your bag was stolen by the thief, what would you have
done? Explain.
D. Use the bold-faced words to complete the sentences.
1. During picnics, I always feel __________________ after eating lunch. I think it’s
because of the food and the soft wind that blows on my face.
2. That chess player was thinking outloud during the final tournament. His voice
__________________ me, and I totally lost my concentration. He didn’t even
apologize.
3. While playing the famous Super Mario game yesterday, I found all the
__________________ coins. I got the highest score.
4. Alexander the Great was known to be the greatest __________________ of his
time. He was very successful in conquering cities with his army.
5. This taxi driver is taking us in the wrong __________________. I’ve been here
before, and I’m sure this isn’t the right way to reach my aunt’s house.
6. As the performance date __________________, my heart started beating faster
because I have to perform on stage in front of all my classmates.
Language
Objectives Use simple tenses correctly – Use simple present and present progressive correctly
A. Write the simple past, the simple present, or simple future form of the verb in
parentheses to complete the sentences.
1. The prince usually __________________ (go) to his teachers for more lessons.
2. He ______________ (read) daily in his book to acquire wisdom.
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3. Yesterday, he ______________ (sit) with one of the philosophers to talk about
kindness.
4. The king ________________ (think) about his son’s goal and decided to give him
some time to become the ruler.
5. The prince _______________ (visit) a nearby city soon.
6. When the prince ______________ (wake), he _________ (see) the thief running
away.
B. Write the simple present tense or the present progressive of the verb in
parentheses to complete each sentence.
The king and the queen ____________ (be) proud of the prince. The people in
his village like him very much. Now he _____________ (leave) the palace and
______________ (go) to search for a new way to learn wisdom. Suddenly, he
_______________ (reach) a huge forest.
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Ug the Thug Read the unseen passage to find out how ‘Ug the Thug’ made a friend. Then answer the questions.
About five thousand, two hundred and forty-six years ago there
lived a caveman called Ug the Thug2. He lived at the top of a lonely valley,
but then everywhere was lonely back then. He had a big bat and furry
boots, and he liked running after things and frightening them best of all.
Ug the Thug was nasty to everyone he met. It didn’t matter if the thing he
met was big or small, he liked to give it a fright. He liked making as much
noise as he could.
‘Raaar!’, ‘Aaargh!’ and ‘Graah!’ were some of his favorite sounds.
At night Ug the Thug came back to his cave. He sat beside his roaring fire
and ate as much meat as he could. He painted pictures of himself on the cave walls, and
he felt very pleased with himself.
But no one liked Ug the Thug. Everyone was frightened of him and stayed away
from him as much as possible. No one ever went to his cave or even passed near it. They
kept themselves to themselves. Then one night as Ug the Thug sat by the fire in the cave,
he saw a shooting star. A great white light streaked across the sky and he gasped. It was
beautiful. Ug the Thug stared at the sky and for the first time in his life he wished he had a
friend so he could tell them all about what he had seen. For the first time in his life Ug the
Thug felt lonely.
The following day, he went outside and he didn’t roar and thump about in his boots.
Instead he went down to the stream that ran through the tall grass and sat there looking
sadly at his reflection in the water. It so happened that at that very moment a mouse that
had been crossing the river higher up, fell into the water and began squeaking and waving
its paws in the air because it couldn’t swim. Ug the Thug looked down and saw the mouse.
Without thinking, he reached out his hand that was as big as a brick and he lifted the
mouse very gently onto the riverbank.
2 thug: a violent person, especially a criminal; a thug is someone who is going through struggles
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The mouse shook itself and rushed off into the grass, and Ug the Thug just sat there
by the river with his big head in his big hands. He felt lonelier than ever. That night he
didn’t eat a thing, nor did he make a fire. He just curled up in bed and lay there not able to
sleep. He felt very, very lonely.
But the next morning something happened. Ug the Thug had just got up when he
heard the pitter-patter of tiny paws. Someone was coming. It was the mouse. And the
mouse was carrying in its paws a flower. The mouse laid the flower down at the feet of Ug
and looked up at him with its big blue eyes.
Ug the Thug fell over backwards. He landed in the sand outside his cave, completely
amazed. He realized the flower was a thank-you from the mouse. He had made a friend!
He felt so happy he began singing. He got up and danced around the cave for joy. He felt
so good. He waded across the river, still singing. He couldn’t stop smiling to everyone he
met. At first people were suspicious. Was it possible Ug the Thug could really be happy
and friendly? Wasn’t he always angry and loud? But in the end they began to believe it
must be true, and they smiled back and shook hands with Ug and laughed with happiness,
too.
And after a time, nobody was afraid of him anymore. He left his old, lonely cave
behind and came to live with everyone else. He made lots of friends and never felt lonely
again. And in the end, he was given the name Ug the Hug because that was exactly what
he liked doing best.
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Objectives
Recall details - Make inferences - Identify the problem and the solution - Identify meaning of vocabulary words through context clues - Use vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer. 1. What is the setting of the passage at the beginning?
a. a crowded area a long time ago b. in the cramped city at the top of the valley nowadays c. a long time ago at the top of the valley d. near the village next to the river
2. At the beginning of the tale, Ug the Thug is ___________________.
a. caring b. cruel c. peaceful d. funny
3. What is Ug the Thug’s favorite activity?
a. He enjoys walking down the valley. b. He enjoys helping things around him. c. He enjoys the peaceful environment of the valley. d. He enjoys producing lots of noise.
4. How does Ug the Thug spend his nights?
a. Ug the Thug talks to friends. b. Ug the Thug sits in the cave near the roaring fire. c. Ug the Thug frightens things around him. d. Ug the Thug sits on the top of a tree.
5. Read the sentence from the text.
A great white light streaked across the sky, and he gasped. What does gasped mean? a. laughed out loud b. colored beautifully c. breathed in suddenly d. sighed deeply
6. After Ug the Thug saves the mouse, he proves that he is_________________. a. hateful b. thoughtful c. evil d. caring
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7. That night, after rescuing the mouse, Ug the Thug didn’t eat much, didn’t start a fire, and curled up in bed. Which word reveals his mood? a. happy b. lonely c. excited d. thoughtful
8. Why did the mouse get him a flower the next day?
a. to enjoy its aroma b. to thank him c. to plant it d. all of the above
B. Write “True” if the sentence is true. Write” False” if the sentence is false.
Underline the mistake and correct it on the line.
1. The mouse begins swimming down the river the minute it touches water. ____
2. Even though Ug the Thug was noisy and liked giving things a fright, he was
gentle with the mouse. _________
3. A few days later, the mouse came to visit Ug the Thug. __________
4. Ug the Thug was amazed with the mouse’s visit. __________
5. After meeting the mouse, when Ug the Thug went to see the people, they were
delighted. ______
C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Why is it a problem that Ug the Thug doesn’t have any friends? Explain.
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2. What new name does Ug the Thug get at the end of the tale? Why?
3. Why do you think people were suspicious with Ug the Thug new behavior?
4. What is the genre of this passage? Give one detail from the passage to support
your answer.
D. Use a bold-faced word to finish the sentences below.
1. As soon as the giant ___________________ the short tiny boy in his hands, he
laughed.
2. The tiny boy _______________ on the fluffy cloud and was stunned to see the
giant looking down at him.
3. The giant would roar and _____________ about in his boots to terrify Jack, the
tiny boy.
4. As Jack looked around to see the dark sky, a bundle of _____________
arrows hit the bean stalk.
5. The giant was startled. He fell in the river and the people on the __________
tried to capture him.
6. When the giant was placed in a humongous cage, he became _____________.
7. He tried to break the cage using his strong ____________.
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Language
Objectives
Identify transitive and intransitive verbs - Use simple tenses correctly - Proofread to write the past tense of verbs correctly
A. Read the following sentences underline the transitive verb once and the
intransitive verb twice.
1. Someone was there.
2. Ug the Thug used fancy steps to dance.
3. Ug the Thug hugged Tom, a neighbor.
4. Finally, he left his lonely cave and walked slowly to town.
5. The mouse gave Ug the Thug a tiny flower, thanked him, and rushed out.
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct simple present tense, simple past tense, or
simple future tense of the verbs in parentheses.
Mary _______________ (go) on a holiday last year, but it ____________ (be) a
disaster! She usually ______________ (visit) her grandmother in the far away
village and _____________ (enjoy) the beautiful scenery. When she changed her
plans it ______________ (not work) as she expected. As soon as she
__________________ (arrive) home, she ______________ (call) her grandma and
______________ (promise) that she ______________ (visit) her during the coming
weekend.
C. There are eight mistakes with the simple past tense form of irregular verbs.
Proofread the following paragraph and write the correction above the word.
Ug the Thug leaved the lonely cave and goed to live with the town’s people. He
maked lots of friends there. He forgoted what the meaning of being lonely was. The
mouse keeped on visiting him once a week to thank him. He finally understanded
the meaning of friendship. He thinked of inviting all his new friends to a dinner in the
park. He feeled happy with this idea.
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She Plays Music for Plants
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Mrs. Dorothy Retallack is a perfectly pleasant American lady who kills plants. She
does it by playing rock music for them.
When Mrs. Retallack went to college, most of her classes were in music. But she
also took a science course. To pass in science she had to do some tests with
plants. Her teacher thought she should try experiments using music.
“What in the world can you do with music and plants?” asked Mrs. Retallack. Then
she had an idea. She would play music for plants.
She planted seeds in small cups, each filled with the same kind of soil. She
planted both garden and house plants-some vegetables and some flowers. When
the plants started to grow, Mrs. Retallack divided them into groups of five. She
placed these groups of plants in big closed cabinets on wheels. All the plants were
put on the same watering schedule. The light, heat, and air were kept the same in
all the cabinets.
The only difference between the cabinets was sound, or the lack of it. At one side
of each cabinet was a loudspeaker. Through it, sound would be sent to the group of
plants inside. Inside only one of the cabinets the plants would grow in silence.
Mrs. Retallack started her tests with piano tones. She gave some plants long
sessions of these tones. They leaned away from the loudspeaker. Then they
collapsed. In three weeks all were dead. But plants that had piano tones for just a
short time grew well.
For the second test Mrs. Retallack used music from two different radio stations.
One station played rock music. The other played soft music and hymns.
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8
9
10
11
12
13
The group of plants receiving the rock station would not grow. The petunias in the
group would not bloom. In a month all plants given rock music were dead. The
plants given soft music were strong and healthy. The petunias among them had
lovely blooms. The plants growing in silence were straight and well. But they were
not as lush or strong-rooted as plants given soft music.
When she saw what had happened, Mrs. Retallack began to wonder what other
people had found out about sound and plants. She learned that in India scientists
had tried to increase plant yield with music. In Canada sounds of a high pitch had
seemed to help the growth of wheat. In the United States, when scientists had
broadcast city noise to plants, their growth was cut almost in half. Another
experimenter in the United States had found that plants seem to be able to show
fear, worry, and even love.
Because of her hard work, Mrs. Retallack passed in science with high marks. And
she kept on thinking about music and plants.
She had always believed that music could heal and noise could hurt. After seeing
what music did to plants, she wanted to learn more. She made up her mind to
spend the rest of her life studying what sound can do to plants — and to people.
Mrs. Retallack had seen that some sounds seemed to help plants. She felt that
maybe there were sounds that would help man. She had seen that soft music
seemed to be better for plants than complete silence. She thought perhaps there
could be blends of musical notes that would strengthen people, improve their
growth, and heal their illnesses.
If there really are such sounds, whoever finds them will do the world a great
service. Perhaps in the future many others will join Mrs. Retallack, studying the
effects of sound on people — and playing music for plants!
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A. Circle the correct answer.
1. Mrs. Retallack played music for plants because she
a. did not like them
b. wanted to study its effects
c. hoped to increase their yield
2. When she began her work, she gave all plants the same amounts of
a. water
b. light
c. both a and b
3. She gave them different amounts of
a. sound
b. plant food
c. both a and b
4. In her first test, plants that did well had
a. piano music from a radio station
b. short sessions of piano tones
c. long sessions of piano tones
5. Her second test seemed to show that
a. soft music helps plants
b. city noise harms plants
c. all radio music harms plants
6. Mrs. Retallack decided to continue her work because she thought
a. plants could help people
b. sound might help or harm people
c. she had failed in her science course
7. She felt people might be helped most by
a. garden and house plants
b. complete silence
c. the right blends of musical notes
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B. Find the word that best fits the meaning below. Write the word.
1. tests done to discover new facts (2) ______________________
2. walled-in places; cupboards (4) _________________________
3. instrument used to make sounds louder (5) ______________________
4. periods; lengths of time (6) _______________________
5. fell down; wilted (6) _________________
C. Look back at the paragraph and find the word that best fits. Write the word.
1. After high school, Jim hopes to go to _________________ to take courses in art. (2)
2. To keep up with our ________________, we will have to finish this work by noon. (4)
3. In church, people sometimes sing song called ________________. (7)
4. Of all the flowers in Susan’s garden, I like the ___________________ best. (8)
5. Tom’s voice is lower in ___________________ than Ruth’s. (9)
D. Write True or False. Correct the mistake.
1. Mrs. Retallack used music from two radio stations for her first test. ______
______________
2. The petunias in the group receiving rock music died. _________
_______________________
3. The cabinets containing the plants were similar. _________
__________________________
4. Mrs. Retallack believed that music could heal and noise could hurt. ______
______________
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E. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. How many kinds of music did Mrs. Retallack use in her experiments?
2. What happened to the plants given rock music?
3. What was better for plants, soft music or complete silence?
F. Fill in the chart with the right cause or effect.
Cause Effect
The petunias bloomed nicely.
The plants leaned away from the
loudspeaker.
Wheat grew healthier.
After her experiments on plants
using music, she was delighted.
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Objectives
Identify adverbs and state whether it tells how, when, where, or how much - Use the correct positive, comparative, or superlative forms of adjectives - Use the correct positive, comparative, and superlative forms of adverbs - Proofread for adjectives that compare - Write meaningful sentences using adjectives and adverbs
A. Underline the adverbs. Then, write them in the correct column.
1. Mrs. Dorothy Retallack is a really pleasant American lady.
2. Enthusiastically she studied plants of different kinds.
3. She divided the groups of plants equally.
4. Later she played many kinds of music to her plants there in the cabinets.
How When Where How much
B. Write the correct positive, comparative, or superlative form of each adjective
in parentheses.
The ______________ (scary) discovery was when Mrs. Dorothy saw the dead
petunias. Henceforth, she checked the other cabinets and saw the
_______________________ (delightful) sight. The petunia, given soft music, has
bloomed nicely. Their buds were ____________ (healthy). The plants were
_________________ (straight) than she expected. Mrs. Dorothy planned to continue
with her experiments. She believed that music has a ____________ (great) effect on
plants and humans.
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C. Write the correct positive, comparative, or superlative form of each adverb in
parentheses.
Looking at the research, Mrs. Dorothy ________________ (seriously) began to
wonder what other people had found out about sound and plants. She compared
her results to the findings of the Indian scientists _______________ (carefully).
She understood ______________ (clearly) than before what the Indian scientists
tried to do to increase plant yield with music. She also studied the Canadian
scientists’ experiments. Their findings showed ________________ (plainly) the
importance of music of all studies.
D. John made six mistakes using adjectives that compare while writing a short
paragraph about Mrs. Dorothy’s experiments with plants. Use the
proofreading marks to correct the errors. Write the correction above the word.
Mrs. Dorothy’s work is gooder than I expected. She is most creative than other
scientists I know. All the experiments that she has done not only surprised me, but
they also made me think about plants. I found them most interesting than other
experiments that I read about. How cleverer she is? Her lab is always full of
healthier plants. Can you imagine she does that by just using music? She even
believes that strongest plants have feelings such as love, fear, and worry.
E. Write meaningful sentences as indicated.
1. Use “red” as an adjective in the superlative form.
2. Use “early” as an adverb in the comparative form.
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The Monster in the Barn Read the unseen passage to find out what Bobby discovers in the barn. Then answer the questions.
Bobby was preparing to go to bed late one evening when he heard a shrill screech
coming from the barn outside. Bobby was unsure what was making such an eerie noise
so late in the night. He had trouble falling asleep and tossed and turned all night dreaming
about the haunting sounds emanating from the barn. When Bobby awakened the
following morning, he hurried out to the barn to discover what was causing such a
peculiar noise the night prior. He gathered his courage and entered the barn but left
befuddled when he could not find what was making such noise. That evening after dinner
as the sun was setting, Bobby grabbed a flashlight and set out for the barn.
“Where are you heading?” Bobby’s father asked.
“I am going to go find the monster that was making such a commotion last night,”
Bobby replied.
“If you are going to look for a monster, you might need some assistance,” Bobby’s
dad responded as he walked with Bobby out to the barn.
Bobby shined his flashlight into the barn, but he did not see anything. Bobby called
out but only his echo returned. He walked into the barn but there was no monster.
“What did this monster sound like?” Bobby’s dad asked.
“It was a screeching noise,” Bobby said, “and it was coming from the barn. I know
it!”
Bobby’s dad began to chuckle, and he took the flashlight from Bobby. Shining the
flashlight up at the roof of the barn, Bobby and his dad saw a small brown owl in the
rafters of the roof.
“It was only a barn owl that you heard last night,” Bobby’s dad said. “They are
nocturnal3 predators so that is why you only heard him at night. He must have been
hunting for his dinner.”
Bobby was elated that it wasn’t a monster and thanked his dad as they walked
back to the house. Just then they heard a loud screech and looked up to see the barn owl
flying away into the night sky.
3 nocturnal: active at night
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Objectives
Recall details - Infer details - Identify the problem and solution - Identify cause and effect - Identify meaning of vocabulary words through context clues
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. When did Bobby and his father go to the barn? a. right after Bobby heard the sound b. the next morning c. the next evening d. before going to school
2. Where was the barn owl when Bobby and his father found it? a. in a nest in a tree b. outside of Bobby’s window c. hiding in a hole in the floor d. inside the ceiling of the barn
3. The main problem in this story is that ________________.
a. Bobby stayed awake all night b. Bobby wasn’t able to find the source of that sound c. Bobby was scared of barns d. Bobby needed help in finding the source of the sound
4. Bobby and his father found the owl when _______________.
a. Bobby yelled and the owl flew b. Bobby imitated the screeching sound c. Bobby’s father took the flashlight and searched the barn’s roof d. they were leaving the barn
5. How many times did Bobby go to the barn to check what made that sound?
a. once b. twice c. three times d. four times
6. For how long did the owl stay in the barn?
a. one day b. two days c. three days d. four days
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7. Read this sentence from the passage: “When Bobby awakened the following morning, he hurried out to the barn to discover what was causing such a peculiar noise the night prior. He gathered his courage and entered the barn. He looked everywhere and found nothing. Then he left befuddled when he could not find what was making such noise.”
The word befuddled means: a. scared b. confused c. worried d. happy
B. Fill in the table by writing the suitable cause and effect.
Cause Effect
Bobby couldn’t fall asleep.
Owls are nocturnal predators.
C. Answer the following question in a complete sentence.
1. Circle one of the following traits to best describe Bobby.
careful curious courageous lazy insecure
Give an example from the text to support your choice.
2. If you face the same problem as Bobby, what would you do?
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Class Klutz
1 Susan and Charlie have been taking care of the class earth science exhibits during Science Fair days. The models and explanations of volcanoes, earthquakes, and the effects of glaciation stand tall in boxes and on bases of many sizes and forms. 2 Today, after making certain that the exhibits and their levels are visible and in order, Susan and Charlie return to playing word games at their Word Learning Center. Neither of them sees their classmate, Scott, takes a sudden turn and bumps against one of the exhibit tables. Several exhibits are upset. Looking up from their word games, Susan and Charlie see what has happened. 3 Scott looks very embarrassed; he tries to right the models and restores the labels while Susan and Charlie shake their heads and both remark, “that’s Scott. Get away.” 4 Then Susan complains,” And we just finished straightening up the exhibits for the fifth graders’ visit”. 5 Sarah, looking at the messed-up table, sings out, “Scott is sooo clumsy.” 6 Then George joins in. “I guess every class has to have a klutz. Yesterday he ruined our mural by stepping on it.” 7 “Class Klutz. That’s a good name for him,” says Judy, who thought her best art work had been ruined by Scott’s misstep on the mural. 8 Scott hears all of these remarks and thinks that if only they had painted their mural in the back of the room out of the way, nobody would have stepped on it. Unhappy, he walks to the class Book Corner to be by himself. 9 It takes him a while to select a book. In the meantime, he has upset several shelves. Nancy joins him in the Book Nook looking for a special poem. She notices the disorder of the shelves and complains, “Oh, Scott, can’t you do anything right? Look at the mess you’ve made. Now I’ll never find what I want.” 10 Angrily, Scott replies, “Well, I was just going to start to put the books back.” 11 Even more angrily, Nancy retorts, “When, next year?” 12 With his book in his hand, Scott, angry and thoroughly depressed, walks as far away from everyone as he can. He wonders unhappily if he’s really going to be known as the “Class Klutz”? Slouching in his chair, Scott looks sad and defeated.
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A- Answer the following questions in full sentences.
1. Did this name-calling help solve the problems? Explain.
2. Did the name-calling help Scott? How do you know?
3. Why did Nancy go to the Book Nook?
4. Do you think Nancy was nice to Scott? Explain.
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B- Fill in the blanks with the suitable word.
1. I enjoy going to ___________________ of different kinds. (paragraph 1)
2. Sarah was really __________ when her juice fell on the table. (paragraph 3)
3. Fluffy, my cat, ______________ the flower garden at my grandmother’s house.
(paragraph 6)
4. After the fight, Scott and his friend _______________ hands and leave the gym.
(paragraph 3)
5. All the _________________ you heard, would help you fix your science project.
(paragraph 8)
C- Find a word in the text that means the same as:
1. ponders; thinks (paragraph 12) ________________________
2. replies; responds (paragraph 11) _______________________
3. wall painting (paragraph 8) _______________________
4. slip; error (paragraph 5) _______________________
5. awkward; uneasy (paragraph 3) _______________________
D- Write a cause or an effect for each of the following events.
1. Scott was very angry:
2. Scott was the least popular student in class.
3. The students arranged all the projects on shelves.
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Reading Comprehension
Read the passage below. Then answer the questions. Building a Bridge
Summer vacation had just begun, and Alex and Maria were ready to spend all day
outside. They decided to walk to the neighborhood park, where there was a river that they
liked to swim in when it was particularly hot. Alex and Maria began to sweat as they
walked, even though their house was only ten minutes away from the park’s entrance.
When they got to the river, they saw that it was too shallow to swim in. The rocks that
made up the bed of the river were even poking out of the water in some places, glistening
in the sun.
Alex and Maria were frustrated. On the other side of the river, about fifty yards away, and
in a welcoming courtyard, there was a fountain discharging water in beautiful arcs.
“We should go play in the fountain,” Maria said.
“How will we get there?” asked Alex.
They thought for a moment. They knew if they walked upriver, they would eventually
come to a walkway that crossed the river, but it was so hot, and they were eager to get to
the fountain.
Maria looked around the grassy riverbank and noticed a few logs and branches lying
close to the water. “We could build a bridge!” she said. She ran over to a thick tree branch
that looked long enough to be placed across the river. Together, she and Alex hefted the
branch onto their shoulders and walked it to the water. Here, they stopped. How would they
get the branch across?
Maria suggested throwing it down into the water and seeing if it reached the other side.
That seemed imprecise to Alex – what if the branch did not reach the other side of the river,
and got stuck or swept away by the water? Then they would be unable to walk all the way
across the river.
Maria wondered if they could measure the distance from the riverbank they stood on to
the other shore. They put the log carefully down and decided to test the distance with
lighter, thinner branches. They found a few wispy branches by the spot where they had
first found the log, and they tied the branches together using their hair bands.
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On their first attempt, they tied two branches together and went back to the river to test
the length. The branches barely reached the center of the swirling water. After tying two
more branches together to the initial branches, Alex and Maria were able to get the thin
makeshift model bridge to touch the far bank.
“Hooray!” Maria said. “Now we know how long the log needs to be.”
They set the tied branches on the ground next to the log. The log was luckily the exact
length of the tied branches. Now Alex and Maria had to figure out how to make sure the log
was secure on both sides of the bank before they walked across it to reach the other side
of the river.
“I know!” Alex said. She began to gather thinner branches, like the ones they had tied
together, which were flexible and easy to bend. She twisted them together into a tight
bundle, then laid them horizontally across the edges of the log. Then she and Maria hauled
some of the stones out of the river and placed them on the branches on either side of the
log. In this way, they were able to stabilize the log—at least on one side—in order to run
across.
When Alex and Maria got to the other side of the river, they secured the other side of the
log with more branches and rocks and looked back at their handiwork. It had been a good
day’s work, but now they were free to enjoy the cool water in the fountain.
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Objectives: Recall details / Interpret details / Identify the problem / Draw conclusions / Recognize vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. What did Alex and Maria want to build?
a. a pool b. a car c. a fountain d. a bridge
2. The main challenge the characters face is _________________.
a. how to swim in a river so shallow that rocks are poking out of the water in
some places
b. how to get from one side of the river to the other without using the
walkway
c. how to find the distance from one side of the river to the other without
measuring tools
d. how to make sure the log they use for their bridge is secure on both sides
of the river.
3. Which of the following sentences from the story provides evidence that Maria
was cautious and thoughtful in her actions?
a. “Maria looked around the grassy riverbank and noticed a few logs and
branches lying close to the water.”
b. “Maria wondered if they could measure the distance from the riverbank
they stood on to the other shore.”
c. “She ran over to a thick tree branch that looked long enough to be placed
across the river.”
d. “Alex and Maria were frustrated.”
4. Which sentence from the text supports the idea that Alex and Maria used
teamwork to build the bridge?
a. “Alex and Maria began to sweat as they walked, even though their house
was only ten minutes away from the park’s entrance.”
b. “Together, she and Alex hefted the branch onto their shoulders and
walked it to the water.”
c. “‘I know!’ Alex said. She began to gather thinner branches, like the ones
they had tied together, which were pliable and easy to bend.”
d. “‘Hooray!’ Maria said. ‘Now we know how long the log needs to be.’”
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5. What is this passage mostly about?
a. the importance of girl power and teamwork
b. two girls solving a problem together
c. the benefits of value when working toward goals
d. the difference between two girls’ plans to get across a river
6. Read this sentence: “Now Alex and Maria had to figure out how to make sure
the log was secure on both sides of the bank before they walked across it to
reach the other side of the river.”
What is the meaning of the word secure in this sentence?
a. secure (adjective): self-confident
b. secure (adjective): fastened, stable
c. secure (verb): to make safe or lock up
d. secure (verb): to obtain or get ahold of
7. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the answer that best
completes the sentence.
The friends placed rocks on either side of the log to hold down the
lighter branches; _________, the log was stable enough to walk on.
a. before
b. as a result
c. especially
d. meanwhile
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1. What is the setting of the story?
2. Give two ways Alex helps to solve the problem facing them.
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3. If Alex and Maria had not worked together to solve their problem, what might have happened? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
4. Have you ever worked in a team? Were you a helpful team member? Explain.
C. Write “True” if the statement is true. Write “False” if the statement is false. Then correct the statement in a complete sentence.
1. The girls walked for ten minutes to reach the river. _______
2. It was so hot, and the girls were eager to get to the fountain. ________
3. The log was used to measure the distance from the river bank they stood on to the
other
shore. _____
4. Maria and Alex rolled the branch to the water edge. ________
D. Choose a bold typed word from the passage to complete each sentence.
1. The scout leader ___________the loose knot at the bottom step of the rope ladder.
2. To _________________ the ladder, Tom made one stronger, tighter knot.
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3. The scout members rolled the rope ladder, ___________ it on their shoulders, and
__________________ it on the bus.
4. After a lot of discussion, the children ___________________ finished
their chores.
5. Miss Lena stepped back and admired her ____________.
6. The _____________ problem of crossing the bridge was solved after
some thinking and lots of work.
Language
Objectives: Use the simple tenses correctly - Use adjectives correctly - Use
adverbs correctly - Use prepositions correctly - Use pronouns correctly
A. Read this short paragraph from “building a Bridge”. Circle the adjectives and
underline the adverbs. Do not include articles.
Maria and Alex wondered if they could measure the distance from the riverbank they
stood on to the other shore. They put the heavy log carefully down and decided to
test the distance with lighter, thinner branches. They found a few wispy branches by
the spot where they had first found the log. They put them together. Then, they tied
the branches using their hair bands.
B. Go back to part A in the above exercise. Replace the bold typed words with
their antecedents on the line below.
C. Circle the letter of the sentence that is written correctly.
1. a. The Cairo is the capital of Egypt.
b. Cairo is the capital of Egypt.
c. A Cairo is the capital of Egypt.
d. A Cairo is a capital of Egypt.
2. a. The spanish tomato festival is a little weird.
b. The Spain tomato festival is a little weird.
c. The Spainsh tomato festival is weird.
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d. The Spanish Tomato Festival is weird.
3. a. Alex and her sister were looking for their pet.
b. Alex and her sister were looking for hers pet.
c. Alex and her sister were looking for theirs pet.
d. Alex and her sister was looking for their pet.
4. a. The ferry trip is most expensive than a sail boat trip.
b. The ferry trip is expensiver than a sail boat trip.
c. The ferry trip are more expensive than a sail boat trip.
d. The ferry trip is more expensive than a sail boat trip.
D. Proofread the following paragraph. There are six subject-verb agreement
mistakes, three adjective mistakes, and one adverb mistake.
There is many benefits of exercise. First of all, regular exercise help people
deals with stress. Physical activity also increase your level of energy. People who
exercises regular feel less tired than people who does not. A third benefit are that
exercise can help prevent memory loss. If you are active when you are young, you
stay active. You can have a good life than these who are lazier.
E. Write a meaningful sentence using” heavy” in the comparative form.
F. Write a meaningful sentence using the positive form of worst as an adverb.
G. Write a meaningful sentence using ‘well’ as an adjective.
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H. Use the appropriate adjectives and prepositions from the box to complete the
paragraph.
every – under – at – through – crackling – sticky – on – in – warm – sweet
My family likes to go camping _________ summer. We like to sit _________ the
bright stars shining ____________ the dark sky .We like to listen to the chirping
crickets and _________ fire. __________ marshmallows on melting chocolate fill
our hungry tummies._______ night, we snuggle ______ our __________
sleeping bags and tell scary stories until we fall asleep.
I. Read the following paragraph and then answer the questions.
[1] Most people who apply for a job know about the power of clothes. [2] They
dress very nicely. [3] Often this helps win them a job. [4] Later they may find that
others in the office dress in a more casual way. [5] Then they start to dress more
casually, too.
1. Write the prepositional phrases from sentence 1. ________________________
__________________________ ________________________________
2. Write all the adverbs in sentences 3 and 4. _____________________________
3. Write the comparative adverb from sentence 5. __________________________
4. Which word from sentence 2 is an adverb that says how much? ______________
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Patrick
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on it. Patrick never did his homework. ‘Too boring,’ he said. He played rugby, cricket and Play
Station instead. His teachers told him, ‘Patrick! Do your homework or you won't learn a
thing!’ And it's true, sometimes he did forget about his homework.
But what could he do? He hated homework.
Then one Saturday afternoon, his cat, Fluffy, was playing with a little doll. He grabbed it
away from the cat. To his surprise it wasn't a doll at all, but a man of the tiniest size. He had
a little woolen shirt with old-fashioned pants and a high, tall hat much like a witch's. He
yelled, ‘Save me! Don't give me back to that cat. I'll grant you a wish, I promise you that.’
Patrick couldn't believe how lucky he was! Here was the answer to all of his problems. So
he said, ‘Only if you do all my homework until the end of the term, all 50 days. If you do a
good enough job, I could even get A's.’
The little man's face wrinkled like a dishcloth thrown in the sink. He kicked his legs and
doubled his fist.
He scowled and pursed his lips, ‘Oh, am I cursed! But I'll do it.’
True to his word, that little elf began to do Patrick's homework. Except there was one
glitch. The elf didn't always know what to do and he needed help. ‘Help me! Help me!’ he'd
say. And Patrick would have to help, in whatever way.
‘I don't know this word,’ the elf squeaked while reading Patrick's homework. ‘Get me a
dictionary. No, what's even better. Look up the word and sound it out by each letter.’
When it came to Maths, Patrick was out of luck. ‘What are times tables?’ the elf shrieked.
’We elves never need that. What are addition, subtraction, division and fractions? Here, sit
down beside me, you simply must guide me.’
Elves know nothing of human history. To them it's a mystery. So the little elf, already a
shouter, just got louder, ‘Go to the library, I need books. Get more and more books. And
you can help me read them too.’
As a matter of fact every day in every way that little elf was a nag! Patrick was working
harder than ever and was it a drag! He was staying up nights, had never felt so weary, he
was going to school with his eyes puffed and bleary.
Finally the last day of school arrived and the elf was free to go. As for homework, there
was no more, so he quietly and slyly slipped out the back door.
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Patrick got his A's; his classmates were amazed; his teachers smiled and were full of
praise. His parents wondered what had happened to Patrick. He was now the model child.
He cleaned his room, did his chores, was cheerful and was never rude. It was like he had
become a different person.
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which title would be most suitable for the above text? Patrick__________________. A Did his Homework B Played Rugby C Played Cricket D Played with his Cat 2. How did Patrick feel about homework?
He thought it was _____________________ . A long B difficult C boring D interesting 3. Which of the following would best describe the elf? Small and __________.
A friendly
B sweet
C grumpy
D happy
4. The elf was as sly as a ...
A snake B fox C dog D cat 5. Patrick was doing his homework. He was as busy as a ... A ant B mosquito C bee D cockroach
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B. Write down what you think could be the cause or effect of the following sentences. 1- Cause: __________________________________________________________ Effect: Patrick got A’s in all his subjects. 2- Cause: The little elf granted Patrick a wish. Effect: __________________________________________________________ C. Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. How can you tell that the elf didn’t like what Patrick asked him to do? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
2. How long did the elf have to help Patrick? _________________________________________________________________
3. Where did the elf send Patrick to go find books? _________________________________________________________________
4. What do you think was the elf’s plan all along? __________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5. Why did Patrick’s parents think of him as a model child at the end? ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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Read the following text. Then answer the questions that follow.
The Wise Fools of Gotham A Story from England
by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss
1
2
3
4
5
6
There’s a small town called Gotham. Some say it’s a town of fools. Others say all the
villagers are wise. Let me tell you about the people of Gotham so you can decide for
yourself.
Long ago, it and other towns were ruled by a cruel king named John. One day, the
people of Gotham heard that King John and his men would soon be riding through
their town. This worried the villagers, for they knew the greedy king would demand
food and housing for his men. What’s more, if he saw anything to his liking, he would
surely take it.
A town meeting was called. After much discussion, the townspeople decided to cut
down a number of huge trees to block the roads leading into Gotham. When King John
and his men reached the limits of the village, they could not pass. Enraged, King John
ordered his men to go into the town and punish the villagers.
When the king’s officers finally made their way over the trees, they found a village of
fools. Some say that was because the people of Gotham had a plan—they had
decided to act like fools since they had never heard of anyone being punished for
being a noodle head. Others say that’s just the way they were.
In the village, the king’s men met a man riding a donkey. The man was hunched over
because he carried a huge sack of grain on his own shoulders. He looked exhausted.
One of the king’s men approached him and asked, “Why, in heaven’s name, are you
carrying that sack? Why don’t you just put it behind you on your donkey’s back?”
“You see,” replied the man from Gotham, “my donkey is feeling ill today. It’s bad
enough that she has to carry me, so I decided to lighten her load by carrying the sack
myself?”
The king’s men said, “But sir, don’t you see that if you’re riding on top of the donkey,
she’s still carrying the weight of the sack?”
The man didn’t reply. He just looked at the king’s men as if they were crazy and went
on his way.
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7
8
9
10
11
The king’s officers giggled at the foolishness of the man. Before long, they passed a
pond where they found a number of villagers in the midst of a great argument. Two of
them were holding an enormous eel. “Quiet down!” commanded one of the king’s men.
“What’s the problem here?”
One of the villagers stepped forward and said, “Last year we took all the extra fish we
caught and put them in this pond so they would multiply. But this year when we came
back, all we caught was this one huge eel. Obviously it has eaten all of our fish! Since
then, we have argued long and hard over how to punish this wicked eel. But we have
finally agreed on the perfect punishment. We are just about to drown the eel in this
very pond!”
The king’s officers couldn’t believe their ears. Drown an eel whose home is in the
water? These men were sillier than the first man they met!
Before long, they reached the center of the village, where they were in for another
surprise. There, they found the rest of the townspeople building a high stone wall.
When the soldiers inquired what was going on, one of the villagers replied, “Every
spring a cuckoo comes to live in our village. It always brings warm weather. When it
leaves, the cold weather returns. Last year we decided that if we could get the cuckoo
to stay here all year, we would always have warm weather. We built this stone wall,
but it obviously wasn’t high enough because the bird flew away. This year we’re
determined to build it so high that the cuckoo can’t escape.”
The king’s officers had heard enough. They
couldn’t bring themselves to punish such
nincompoops. They returned to King John and
told him all about the fools of Gotham. Whether
it’s fair or not, the people of Gotham have been
known as fools ever since.
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The Wise Fools of Gotham A Story from England
by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss
Objectives
Recall details
Recognize the meaning of vocabulary words in context
Interpret details
Identify cause and effect
Use vocabulary words correctly in context
A. Circle the correct answer.
1. This story is mostly ________.
a. a folktale c. realistic fiction
b. historical fiction d. a news article
2. What is the setting of the story?
a. a city c. a forest
b. a royal palace d. a small village
3. Why do the townspeople cut down trees?
a. to make room for crops c. to block the road to the village
b. to create a gift for the king’s men d. to build room and board for the king
4. Based on the story, why might the townspeople be considered wise?
a. They trick the king’s men into thinking they are fools.
b. They think ahead by putting their extra fish into the pond.
c. They make sure their donkeys are healthy enough to work.
d. They realize the importance of warm weather to their crops.
B. Find the antonym of each of the given words in the text. Write the word.
1. fools (paragraph 1): _______________________
2. generous (paragraph 2): ________________ _______
3. relaxed (paragraph 5): _______________________
4. add to (paragraph 5): _______________________
5. wisdom (paragraph 7): _______________________
6. unjust (paragraph 11): _______________________
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C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Why are the townspeople worried about the king’s visit?
2. Why does the king send his men into the village?
3. In your opinion, are the villagers wise or foolish? Explain and support your answer
from the text.
D. Write “true” if the statement is correct. Write “false” if it is wrong and correct the
statement in a complete sentence.
1. King John was angry at the villagers. ______
2. The villagers believe that if they keep the birds, they will have warm weather forever.
______
3. The king’s officers frowned when they heard the man’s explanations. ______
4. The eel would drown if thrown in the pond. _______
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Read the passage below. Then answer the questions.
I’m So Frustrated and Angry!
Mary was upset. She was beyond upset. She was livid. She was wretchedly,
terribly angry. What made it worse was that she couldn’t do anything about it. It was out of
her hands, and that was frustrating.
You see, her best friend had invited her to go on a trip with her family. They were
going to go on a beach trip down to Florida, and she had been looking forward to it for
several months. Then, suddenly, someone got sick, and the trip was being changed to a
different date. That different date just happened to be when Mary’s own family had their trip
to a boring old campground they visited every year.
So, now she was going to be stuck sitting around swatting mosquitoes next to her
brother, and the highlight would likely be eating marshmallows on a stick. Not to mention
that her brother’s idea of a good time happened to be eating a whole can of baked beans
and tooting the night away in his tent. That was a far cry from a beachside resort in sunny
Florida with her BFF.
This being said, Mary was horribly angry at the world. She stormed around her
house for days, making everyone miserable. She snapped at everyone until they avoided
conversation with her entirely, and the general cloud of discontent that followed her
around was enough to dampen the mood of whatever room she happened to be in. It was
getting mighty U-G-L-Y.
It became such an issue that her mother called a family meeting. Dad pretended he
hadn’t noticed her moods, and her brother made armpit noises while they tried to call the
meeting to order. From there the family meeting descended into chaos, which her mood
brought about.
“Why don’t we just let her go where she wants to?” Her brother asked. “She’s not
even
pleasant to be around.”
Mary’s eyes and mood suddenly brightened. “Yeah! Why don’t we?”
“It’s not a family trip without everyone.” Mother protested, determined to be the lone
holdout.
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Dad, for once, agreed with his kids. “I don’t want a complainer in the car with me for
hours, and I’m tired of camping. Let’s do something different and fun, just the three of us.”
Everyone looked at mom, who finally caved. “Fine, but only if we do some other trip
together as a family this year...”
There were a few groans and moans, but everyone accepted. After that, Mary was
back to her old self. Sure, she felt a little bratty, but once-in-a-lifetime trips didn’t come
along often, did they?
Objectives: Interpret details - Recall details - Identify problem and solution – Infer - Use vocabulary words in context
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer:
1. What is Mary’s problem? a. Her friend says something mean.
b. Her brother punches her.
c. She can’t go on a trip.
d. She loses her cell phone.
2. Why can’t Mary go on the trip with her friend?
a. Her brother is sick.
b. Her parents change their minds.
c. It affects her family trip.
d. She gets really bad grades.
3. How does Mary react to the news of going with her parents instead of with her
friend? a. She gets really grumpy and terrible to be around.
b. She can’t stop crying.
c. She decides to stay in bed.
d. She buys new outfits.
4. What does Mom finally do when she notices Mary’s mood?
a. She lets Mary have her way.
b. She calls a family meeting.
c. She has a talk with her daughter one-on-one.
d. She grounds Mary.
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5. In the end, who seems LEAST pleased with the decision to take separate trips? a. Mom
b. Dad
c. Mary
d. Brother
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Where does Mary plan to go at the beginning of the story and with whom?
2. What causes the change in the date of the trip with her friend?
3. Was the new date suitable for Mary? Explain.
4. Have you ever wanted to go somewhere, and your parents didn’t let you? Explain
how you have solved your problem.
C. Write “true” if the statement is correct. Write “false” if it is wrong and rewrite
the sentence correctly. 1. Mary was happy that her trip was cancelled. ___________
______________________________________________________________
2. All the family felt comfortable around Mary. ___________ ________________________________________________________________
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3. Mom pretended that she hadn’t paid attention to her bad attitude. __________ ________________________________________________________________
4. They finally decided to do something different but together. __________ _______________________________________________________________
D. Use the boldfaced words in the passage to complete the sentences. 1. The students had a long _____________________ with their teacher discussing
the benefits of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
2. It is so ____________________ to be awake all night long studying for the Final
Exam.
3. The ___________________ of our trip would be to attend Selena Gomez’s
concert.
4. Katie cried, yelled, and begged Alex to let her drive, and he finally
____________________. He gave her the opportunity to drive after all.
5. Lea is sleepy, she is not in a good __________________ to go out and party
tonight.
6. The students were ____________________ when they had an English period
instead of sports.
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II. Language
Objectives
Use simple tenses correctly
Use progressive tenses correctly
Use adjectives correctly
A. Use the correct simple tense (present, past, future) or the progressive tense
(present, past) form of the verbs in parentheses.
Mary often __________________ (organize) various outings with her best friend,
Sara. They ___________________ (go) to the mall right now to buy some new
clothes for their friend’s birthday party. Last weekend, as they __________________
(set) the plan for their beach trip, Mary unexpectedly __________________
(receive) a phone call from her parents to get home within an hour. They
__________________(inform) her about their usual family excursion. As her parents
___________________ (try) to tell her about their journey, she immediately
__________________ (blurt) and _________________ (make) negative comments
about the two coincidental dates. She was furious and disappointed about the news.
B. Proofread the following paragraph. Correct six inappropriate adjectives, two
articles, and one demonstrative adjective.
Maria and Sara went on an school field trip last year. Of all the students in the class, Maria was the more interested to visit the art museum. The rooms on the first floor had oldest paintings than the rooms on the second floor. The paintings on the third floor were the nicer and beautifulest of all. She also saw a britain painting that depicted a ancient powerful leader. Moreover, she liked that sculpture over here which portrayed Abraham Lincoln, the america president.
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Calling All Spiders
Read the unseen article about spiders to learn more about these creatures. Does thinking about spiders and their hairy bodies, long legs, and sticky webs make your
skin crawl? Many people shiver at the thought of spiders. That is not the case for Rich
Bradley, a real-life Spider-Man. He can't get enough of the creepy crawlers. Bradley is an
arachnologist (ah-rak-NAHluh-jist). That is a scientist who studies spiders. Bradley has
spent the last 10 years identifying and studying spiders in his home state of Ohio.
Spider Seekers
So far, Bradley has uncovered 583 species, or types, of spiders living in the Buckeye State.
He and his team of volunteers have a sharp eye when it comes to collecting the creatures
indoors and outdoors. "They move really fast," he told Weekly Reader. Scientists say about
3,500 species of spiders live in North America, and nearly 35,000 live worldwide. Spiders
live in different places, including gardens, water, deserts, and caves.
Hairy hunters
Many people think spiders are insects, but they are actually arachnids (ahRAK-nidz).
Scorpions are also arachnids.
Along with fangs and eight hairy legs, a spider has two body parts--a head and a stomach.
It contains spinnerets, organs that produce silk. A spider uses its silk for many purposes,
including weaving webs, protecting its eggs, and catching food.
Spiders are predators, or hunters that eat other animals. They dine mostly on insects.
Some larger spiders also eat lizards, frogs, and even snakes. To capture their food, some
spiders spin webs. Other types of spiders chase down their prey. The venom, or poison,
from their fangs helps paralyze their food.
Fear Factor
Although the hairy creatures spook many people, there isn't much reason to be afraid of
spiders. "Most spiders are not very dangerous," said Bradley. In fact, most are timid
creatures that are unable to give humans more than a harmless bite. Although spider
venom is deadly to insects, it often has little effect on humans because of our larger size.
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Myth-Conception
Spiders may have a bad reputation for being scary, but they are important to us. Bradley
hopes his work shatters some myths about spiders. (A myth is a false idea that many
people believe is true.)
Spiders eat mosquitoes and other insects that harm farmers' crops and carry diseases.
Bradley's research is teaching scientists more about how spiders help control ecosystems,
or communities of plants and animals. If spiders didn't exist, there would be a lot more
insects! "Spiders are your friends," Bradley said. "They make our life more pleasant."
Spider Mania
Spiders come in all shapes and sizes. Crab spiders, jumping spiders, and orb weavers
have made Rich Bradley's Ohio count.
Crab Spider: can you guess how this spider got its name? It may not live in the ocean, but
it looks like a crab. The crab spider lives on flowers. It can match its body color to the
flower's color. That allows it to sneak up on insects.
Jumping Spider: What a leap! The jumping spider can jump between 10 and 40 inches.
To catch an insect, this hunting spider sneaks up on its prey and pounces.
The Trapdoor Spider: It lives in a tunnel. The spider, common in the southwestern United
States, lines the tunnel with silk and fashions a door made of silk and dirt. It peeks out of
the slightly open door and grabs passing insects.
The Tarantula: It is a large, hairy spider found mainly in warm regions, including the
southwestern United States. Although the tarantula's bite is painful, it is not very poisonous
to humans. Tarantulas hunt insects, lizards, mice, toads, and frogs.
Orb-Weaving Spider: E. B. White's famous
spider Charlotte was an orb weaver. The orb-
weaving spider spins a wheel-shaped web.
When an insect flies into the web, the spider
races toward its meal.
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Objectives Recall details from the text - Infer details - Interpret details - Identify facts and opinions -
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer. 1. The passage talks about ________ kinds of spiders found in Ohio.
a. three b. four c. five d. six
2. What effect might a spider have on humans? a. poisoning b. painful bite c. allergy d. sickness
3. According to the passage, which of the following is not a place where spiders
live? a. water b. gardens
c. beds d. caves
4. Read the following sentences and answer the question below:
“E. B. White's famous spider Charlotte was an orb weaver. The orb-weaving spider spins a wheel-shaped web.” The word orb means ________.
a. round b. flat c. thick d. squared
5. The main purpose of this passage is to_____________________.
a. persuade the reader that spiders are scary b. list all types of spider species in Ohio c. describe the personalities of scientists that study spiders d. inform the reader about different kinds of spiders
B. Write “True” if the sentence is true. Write” False” if the sentence is false. Correct the mistake.
1. Rich Bradley’s life is based on learning about spiders. _______
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2. One kind of spider can camouflage by changing colors. _______
3. A spider’s spinnerets release the venom. _______
4. The orb weaver is a large spider. ________
C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. List one detail to show how spiders are helpful to humans.
2. Which kind of spider, in paragraph 7, is the most interesting in your opinion?
Why?
3. After reading this article about spiders, what would you do if you see a
tarantula?
D. Label each statement as fact or opinion.
1. Spiders are predators. ________________
2. A spider’s spinnerets are found in its stomach. ________________
3. All humans hate spiders. ________________
4. There are thousands of spider species. ________________
5. A spider’s silk is very useful. ________________
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Read the following text about what Nick Kristof’s team did. Then answer the questions.
Nick Kristof’s Team
Around the world, many people do not have medicines they need. In some places,
women have few rights. Often, people work long hours in difficult conditions, making very
little money. Nick Kristof is a journalist who writes about some of these problems. He
hopes his writing will make others notice.
The Win-a-Trip Contest
Each year, Nick has a contest. He chooses one college student to travel with him. Like
Nicke, his hardworking partners have dedicated their time and effort to making the world a
better place.
The partners study problems up close with Nick. They collaborate, working together
closely to understand the problems. They interview people, take pictures, and write
articles as ways of sharing their discoveries. Some groups donate money when they learn
about these problems.
Nick’s Students Partners
Leana Wen was one of Nick’s partners. She was born with a serious form of asthma,
which is a lung problem. Leana’s illness made her want to become a doctor. She traveled
to Africa with Nick. They made a movie about poverty and disease there.
Nick and his partners help us learn about problems that people face around the world.
That’s the first step in fixing them.
Objectives
Recall details - Identify the main idea - Identify problem - Identify genre - connect to real life
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. What did Nick and his partners dedicate or offer to make the world a better
place?
a. money and books
b. time and effort
c. movies and articles
d. homework and learning
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2. What happens when Nick and his partners share their discoveries?
a. People learn about the problems and travel with them.
b. People ignore their call for help.
c. People learn about the problems and donate money.
d. People read the articles and watch the movie.
3. Which actions show how Leana Wen helped Nick?
a. Leana Wen traveled to Africa with Nick and made a movie about poverty and
disease there.
b. Leana Wen read about the problems and did a lot of research.
c. Leana Wen wrote about the problems and traveled to Africa.
d. Leana Wen interviewed people, took pictures, and wrote articles.
4. What is the main idea of the section “Nick’s Students Partners”?
a. Nick and his partners help us understand the problems.
b. Leana had asthma.
c. Leana wanted to be a doctor.
d. Nick and his partners made a movie about poverty.
B. Answer the questions in complete sentences.
1. What problems from around the world does Nick write about? List three.
2. What is the genre of this text? Give two features.
3. What is the first step to solving any problem?
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4. A journalist wrote the following. “Many people throw plastic bottles everywhere
and they never think of the harm they are causing.”
How can you help solve this issue? Write your solution.
Language
A. Use the correct positive, comparative, or superlative form of the adjectives in
parentheses to complete the sentences.
1. One group member took _________________ (remarkable) pictures than the rest of
his group members.
2. When Nick visited those faraway places, he wanted to make the world a
____________ (good) place.
3. He found ____________________ (interesting) facts than he had ever thought
possible.
4. The ______________ (bad) experience for him was when he saw the children
working.
5. The movie they made was the _______________________ (popular) among all the
movies that year.
6. The movie talks about ____________________________ (serious) diseases people
are facing.
B. Nick wrote an article about his trip. He made six mistakes in the usage of
adjectives. Use the proofreading marks to correct the errors. Write the correction
on the line.
My group members were ready for their trip, and they planned to make a
movie. Once we arrived, my partners were highly more impressed with what they
had seen. They looked with amazement at the children in the field especially those
who sat under the tinyest trees in the field. That trees over there were strangest
than the rest of the trees in the field. They looked fragile and unsteady. One group
member took pictures of the stranger scene. After checking all the pictures, they
would select a few to place in their movie. They hope that the people who see the
movie will become more generous donors than ever before. I think their idea will be
the goodest way to collect more donations.
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Read the following expository passage to learn more about why volcanos cause a lot of damage.
Volcanos
Why do volcanic eruptions create such havoc?
Hawaii resident Eleanor Shannon used to grow crops of protea. The big, spiky flowers that
bloom in brilliant shades of red and orange are popular among U.S. florists.
Then the vog hit and killed the flowers. Vog is volcanic smoke, a white, fog-like haze with
the odor of a just-struck match. It forms when sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas belched by a
volcano mixes with water vapor and oxygen in the presence of sunlight.
In March 2008, a new opening opened on Kilauea, a volcano in Hawaii. Vog levels took off
after that. The toxic haze is hazardous not just to flowers but also to food crops and human
health. Vog has been linked to headaches, coughs, sore throats, and irritated eyes.
Ash Clouds
Vog is just one type of volcanic threat. In the spring of 2010, a volcano in Iceland blew its
top. Its name is Eyjafjallajökull (ay-yah-FYAH-plah-yer-kuh-duhl).
Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean. Winds blew enormous clouds of ash across
Europe. Ash is tiny pieces of rock and glass.
So much ash filled the atmosphere that it became unsafe for airplanes to fly. Ash can
damage an airplane’s engines. Thousands of flights were canceled.
The ash disrupted flight schedules for several weeks. Experts cannot predict when the
volcano will eject ash again.
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Hot Rock
Another danger of volcanos is lava—hot, liquid rock. Sometimes it roars down a volcano.
Other times it creeps. In either case, it burns down everything in its path.
One of history’s most famous eruptions destroyed whole cities. Nearly 2,000 years ago,
Vesuvius in Italy erupted, and its lava swept across the city of Herculaneum. Many citizens
were caught off guard by that eruption. They had no time to escape.
In the neighboring city of Pompeii, people were covered in hot ash from the volcano. When
the ash cooled and hardened, their burned bodies turned to dust. That left empty spaces in
the rock.
Scientists have filled many of those spaces with plaster to create casts of the long-gone
people. The casts reveal how people tried to protect themselves against the volcano’s
terrible power.
Scientists cannot accurately predict when a volcano might blow. How might people who live
near a volcano prepare for an eruption?
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Objectives
Recall details from an expository text – interpret details – make inferences – compare the effects of natural disasters
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which of the following effects of vog on humans is NOT mentioned in the passage?
e. irritated eyes
f. throwing up
g. coughing
h. sore throats
2. It can be inferred from the passage that if there were a lot of vog, it would be difficult
for people.
a. to see
b. to stay inside
c. to smell
d. to smell and see
3. According to the passage, lava can move __________________.
a. only slowly
b. in a shower
c. only quickly
d. quickly or slowly
4. This passage is mostly about ________________________.
a. how to predict when a volcano will erupt
b. what to do if your flight is canceled
c. the dangerous effects of volcanic eruptions
d. the Icelandic volcano eruption in 2010
5. Read this sentence from the passage.
“The toxic haze is hazardous not just to flowers but also to food crops and human
health.”
As used in the passage, toxic means ____________________.
a. unsafe
b. poisonous
c. smelly
d. slow
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6. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best
completes the sentence.
When a volcano in Iceland erupted, clouds of ash filled the air __________
thousands of flights were canceled.
a. so
b. because
c. but
d. after
B. Write “true” if the statement is correct. Write “false” if it is wrong.
1. Ash that filled the air was harmless. ___________
2. Ash is tiny pieces of dust. ______________
C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. After reading about volcanos, write two details that prove that volcanos are
dangerous.
2. Volcanos and tornados affect humans. Write one similarity between volcanos and
tornados.
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Read the following expository passage to learn more about why allergies have increased over time.
Got Allergies?
1 More people in the United States have allergies today compared with decades ago.
Allergies are bad reactions to things around you or that you eat.
2 In 2010, more than half of Americans were sensitive to at least one allergen. That
was the finding of one survey by the National Institutes of Health. Allergens are
things that set off allergies. Many allergens—such as dust and mold—are found in
the air.
3 “Allergies are increasing over time,” said Andy Nish. He is a doctor from Georgia.
4 Allergens in the air aren’t the only problem. Kids’ food allergies have risen too.
Between 1997 and 2007, the number of kids with food allergies jumped 18 percent.
Eating milk products and eggs can give some children rashes. Those foods can
even cause some people to have trouble breathing.
5 What’s behind the spread of allergies? Some scientists think our immune systems
don’t have enough to do. Immune systems help our bodies fight germs. But kids
today come in contact with fewer germs than their grandparents did. That’s in part
because more medicine is available. Experts say that when our immune systems
have fewer germs to fight, they can get confused. They attack other things, such as
milk that we drink, instead.
6 Other scientists say hotter temperatures are to blame. They say the weather is
warmer for longer periods now, so plants bloom longer. Plants release pollen, which
is a common allergen.
7 Doctors do not know for sure what’s making allergies increase. But they do know
how to treat them with medicine. “There is very good treatment for allergies,” Nish
says. “No one should suffer with symptoms.”
Take Cover!
8 Dust and other allergens that float into your nose are in for a blast—a cough or a
sneeze, that is! Both are natural reflexes, or responses, to help keep you from
getting sick. Here’s a look at the big bursts.
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Sneeze
9 Sneezes start at the back of your throat. Each quick burst can force
out up to 40,000 droplets of saliva. The tiny droplets travel at up to
300 miles per hour.
Cough
10 Coughs come out of your lungs. Each blast can push out 3,000 saliva
droplets as fast as 50 miles per hour. Enough air comes out to almost
fill a two-liter bottle.
Objectives
Recall details from an expository text – Interpret details – make inferences -use contextual clues to determine meaning of words – compare and contrast – connect to real life
A. Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. According to the text, what are increasing in the United States? a. allergens b. germs
c. allergies
d. reflexes
2. Which of the following statements is a fact based on the information given in the
text?
a. Doctors do not know anything about allergies.
b. Americans are the most sensitive people in the world.
c. Everybody can get allergic to pollen during warm seasons.
d. Coming in contact with germs is good for our health.
3. What is the main idea of paragraphs 5 and 6?
a. Plants cause allergies.
b. Medicine is the solution of allergies.
c. Allergies are increasing for different reasons.
d. Spreading of allergies is happening quickly.
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4. What can be concluded from the passage?
a. A person with allergies is sick and needs to see a doctor.
b. A person who sneezes and coughs often may have allergies.
c. A person who drinks milk and eats eggs will definitely get allergies.
d. A person who lives in place with hot weather will never get allergies.
5. Read the following sentence: “There is very good treatment for allergies. No one should suffer with symptoms.” What does “symptoms” mean?
a. changes in the body that are signs that a person is sick
b. changes in temperature that give people allergies
c. changes in medicine to treat people when they are sick
d. changes in people’s immune systems that cause allergies
B. Write “true” if the statement is correct. Write “false” if it is wrong and rewrite
the sentence correctly.
1. According to the text, allergens found in the air are two. _________
2. The kids’ immune systems fought the germs better than the grandparents’ immune systems. __________
3. The solution for allergies is taking medicine. ___________
C. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Based on the text, how can allergies affect someone’s everyday life?
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2. Compare and contrast sneezing and coughing by writing one similarity and one
difference between these two.
3. What would be the best thing to do if you were allergic to pollen?
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Read the following text. Then answer the questions that follow.
A School for Heroes 1 Most students spend their school days sitting at desks learning. Aurelious Woolfolk,
however, does a lot more than sit at a desk when he is in school. He scrambles up high
ladders, walks down the sides of buildings, and rides in a fire engine. He is learning to be a
firefighter at the New Haven Fire Academy.
Fire School
2 Woolfolk and 28 other students are currently learning what it takes to become a
firefighter. Classes at the fire academy, which is in Connecticut, last for about 22 weeks.
On most days, the students go to school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, once a week,
school lasts until 10 p.m.
3 For two days each week, the students sit in a classroom to learn science, math, and
emergency medicine. They learn the science of fires, how to calculate water pressure, and
how to treat medical emergencies.
4 During the other three days, the students go outside and learn how to hook hoses to
fire hydrants, climb buildings, rescue people trapped in burning buildings, and many other
things. "Firefighters have to know lots of different things," said Pablo Menendez, an
instructor at the school. "We have to treat medical emergencies, know how to handle
dangerous chemicals, and rescue people who have fallen from cliffs."
5 Teamwork is one of the most important lessons students learn at the school.
"Working together saves lives," said Capt. William Seward, the director of the academy.
"Students need to learn that they are part of a team."
The Heat's On
6 Fighting fires is not easy. The suits and equipment a firefighter wears weigh about
40 pounds. Firefighters are very busy. In New Haven, they respond to 32,000 emergency
calls a year. Each time firefighters go out, they know they might not come back. Across the
United States, about 100 firefighters die each year.
7 "That's why the lessons learned here at the academy are so important," said
Seward. "What they learn here can save their lives."
8 Firefighters know how dangerous their jobs are. Their training helps them overcome
their fear of heights and fires. "When you're up there on the ladder looking down, it's scary,"
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said one student. "To do this job, you've got to wipe out the fear." Firefighters overcome
their fear for one reason. "I wanted to help other people," said Leah Harwin. "I think it is
important to help other people whenever you can."
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Objectives
Recall details - Interpret details - Make inferences - Use vocabulary words in context
A. Answer the questions in complete sentences.
1. Who is Aurelious Woolfolk?
2. What do students learn inside the classroom at New Haven Fire Academy?
3. Circle the one trait that best describes firefighters.
brave careful timid
Give an example from the text to support your choice.
4. Would you like to be a student at the New Haven Fire Academy? Why?
B. Number the following actions in order from 1-6:
___________ rescue people
___________ treat medical emergencies
___________ climb buildings
___________ hook hoses to fire hydrants
___________ respond to emergency calls
___________ wear firefighters’ suit and carry the equipment
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C. Choose the correct answer. 1. According to the passage, which activity does a student at New Haven Fire
Academy complete?
a. jumping from a plane
b. running on the track
c. swimming in the ocean
d. handling dangerous chemicals
2. How does the author describe the New Haven Fire Academy?
a. a school that trains students for two weeks to start fires
b. a school that teaches students to fight fires by using only computers
c. a school that gives lessons and real experience for future firefighters
d. a school selects the best teams to learn firefighting skills
3. Why would it be important for students at the Fire Academy to have lessons
inside and outside the classroom?
a. Firefighters need to practice mental and physical skills to succeed.
b. Firefighters need to practice wearing heavy gear to get used to the weight.
c. Firefighters need to practice climbing a ladder to overcome a fear of heights.
d. Firefighters need to practice emotional skills to calm people down when they
rescue them.
4. The main idea of this passage is ______________________.
a. how the New Haven Fire Academy is different from public schools
b. which students should attend the New Haven Fire Academy
c. what the dangers of being a firefighter are
d. what activities the New Haven Fire Academy offers
D. Write “True” if the statement is true. Write “False” if the statement is false. Then rewrite the sentence correctly.
1. For two days, the students learn firefighting skills outside the
classroom._______
2. Firefighters are at school until 4 p.m. every day. _________
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3. Teamwork is extremely important for a firefighter. _________
E. Find the word in the text that is the antonym of the meaning below. Write the
word. 1. difficult, challenging (paragraph 6) _______________
2. ignore (paragraph 6) _______________
F. Look back at the paragraph indicated in parentheses. Find the word that best fits the sentence. Write the word. 1. Sam bought three pencils for $1.50, and he had to __________________ how
much change he should receive. (paragraph 3)
2. The cat climbed up a tree and couldn’t get down. I had to go up to
__________it. (paragraph 4)
3. The tiger fell in a ditch and got _________________. (paragraph 4)
4. The neighborhood children formed a soccer ______________, and they always
play in the street. (paragraph 5)
Language
Objectives
Identify nouns
Use the simple tenses correctly
Change from plural to singular
Select to appropriate modifier
Use pronouns correctly
A. Read paragraph 1 and choose two nouns: a proper noun and a common
noun that names a thing. Proper noun: ________________________________________
Common noun: ______________________________________
B. Write the correct simple tense form of the verb in parentheses.
1. Sheryl often ______________ (play) with her dog.
2. In one hour, Harry _______________ (be) with Bob at the movies.
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3. Last week, we ______________(go) to the beach with my cousins.
4. She ________always ____________ (not wear) her seatbelt.
C. Change the following sentence from plural to singular.
1. Students need to learn that they are part of a team.
D. Circle the correct word that completes each sentence. 1. The student read all the exercises (careful, carefully).
2. The plane arrived (late, lately) at the airport.
3. Jimmy is an (extremely, extreme) talented football player.
4. John does not feel (well, good). He must see a doctor.
E. Complete the sentences with the correct pronoun.
There once was a very talented boy. He created many of _______own things.
The emperor said to him, “_______ need a bridge to reach my hunting palace. If
you cannot build this bridge, I will have ___________ head,” The emperor told
the boy. All the men worked hard on the bridge. The river was wide, and
_____________ water was deep.
F. Circle the correct answer.
1. Have you (did, done) all the exercises?
2. Give Julie (your, you’re) notes.
3. (Is, Are) Susan ready to read her summer book?
4. (Their, There) computer is broken and must be fixed.
G. Write sentences as indicated in parentheses.
“to be” (simple present tense):
“bad” (as a comparative adjective):
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Language Theories
Compound Subjects…
A- Each sentence contains a compound subject. One simple subject is underlined. Write the other simple subject.
Example: Music and unusual settings were often used to create an imaginary world in movies. Music
1. Harburg and Arlen wrote the music for The Wizard of Oz.___________ 2. Sets and props were designed by Edwin Willis. ___________ 3. Men and women at the MGM studios built new cities. ___________ 4. Masks and special costumes were worn by many actors. ___________ 5. Lively tunes and dances helped create the imaginary world. ________
B- If the sentence has a compound subject, list each simple subject. If the sentence does not have a compound subject, write no compound subject.
Example: Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow were characters in The Wizard of Oz. Cowardly Lion - Scarecrow
6. Bert Lahr played the Cowardly Lion. ___________ 7. A long tail and a furry mask made him look like a lion. ___________ 8. Scarecrow helped the Cowardly Lion in his search for courage. __________ 9. Alice, Tanya, and Pedro have seen The Wizard of Oz. ___________ 10. Tanya or Pedro will describe the other characters. ___________
C- Combine each pair of sentences into one sentence with a compound subject.
Use the conjunction shown in parentheses. Example: Props were created by Gillespie. Special effects were created by Gillespie. (and)
Props and special effects were created by Gillespie.
11. The house could not really fly. (and) Glinda could not really fly. __________________________________________________________
12. Model makers fooled us. (and) Photographers fooled us. Lighting experts fooled us. __________________________________________________________
13. Horses might turn green in the Emerald City. (or) People might turn green in the Emerald City. __________________________________________________________
14. Trees could talk in the movie. (and) A scarecrow could talk in the movie.
___________________________________________________________
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Compound Predicates…
Each of the following sentences contains a compound predicate. One of the simple predicates in each sentence is underlined. Write the other simple predicate.
Example: Astronauts train and prepare for trips into space. prepare
1. They exercise and practice for many months. ________________ 2. They study and examine their ships before the flight. ______________ 3. In space they often orbit and photograph Earth. ________________ 4. They eat and sleep in their space capsules. ________________ 5. They first landed and walked on the moon in 1969. _______________
Read each sentence below. If it has a compound predicate, write the simple
predicates. If it does not have a compound predicate, write no compound predicate.
Example: In 1961 Yuri Gagarin flew and returned in minutes. flew- returned
6. In 1963 Valery Bykovsky flew and orbited for days. _______________ 7. Russia and America have sent many people into space. ___________ 8. Two American astronauts walked on the moon in 1969. ____________ 9. The astronauts explored and photographed the moon. _____________ 10. I watched or listened to reports. ________________ 11. In school we study, design, and build models of rockets. ___________
Rewrite each pair of sentences as one sentence with a compound predicate. Use
the conjunction shown in parentheses. Example: The space shuttle orbits planets. (and) The space shuttle observes planets.
The space shuttle orbits and observes planets.
12. Astronauts send radio messages. (and) Astronauts receive radio messages. ________________________________________________________
13. Neil Armstrong found samples of moon dust. (and) Neil Armstrong collected samples of moon dust. ________________________________________________________
14. Sally Ride flew in the space shuttle. (and) Sally Ride worked in the space shuttle. ________________________________________________________
15. Alexei Lenov walked in space. (or) Alexei Lenov floated in space. ________________________________________________________
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Compound Sentences…
Copy each compound sentence below. For each sentence that is not a compound sentence. Write not a compound.
Example: Many animals belong to a group called mammals. not a compound
1. A whale is a mammal, but a fish is not a mammal. 2. Mammals have hair on their bodies, and fish do not. 3. Dogs, people, and whales are examples of mammals. 4. Dogs have thick coats of hair, but whales do not. 5. Whales have only a few hairs on their bodies. 6. Birds are not mammals, but cats are. 7. Did a cat just run by, or was it a dog?
Combine each pair of sentences to form a compound sentence. Use a comma and the conjunction shown in the parentheses.
Example: Most fish live in clear water. Catfish live in muddy water (but) Most fish live in clear water, but catfish live in muddy water.
8. Fish live in fresh water. They live in salt water.(or) 9. Sunfish live in lakes. Sharks live in oceans. (and) 10. Most fish have many bones. Sharks have no bones. (but) 11. Fish lay eggs. The eggs hatch into tiny fish. (and) 12. We use our lungs to breathe. Fish use gills. (but) 13. Some fish are toothless. Others have sharp teeth. (but)
Combine each pair of sentences to form a compound sentence, using the best conjunction.
Example: Some animals sleep all winter. Others do not. Some animals sleep all winter, but others do not.
14. A frog sleeps in mud. A bear may sleep in a cave. 15. Most chipmunks sleep all winter. Squirrels do not. 16. Ponies grow thick coats. Their coats keep them warm. 17. Many birds travel to warm areas. Some birds stay in cold places. 18. Robins fly south. Sparrows stay in the chilly north. 19. Some animals rest in the summer. Insects like the heat. 20. Turtles dig into cool mud. Fish seek deep pools.
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Singular and Plural Nouns…
You have learned that nouns are naming words. A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea. SINGULAR: The farmer drove to the market with the box. PLURAL: The farmers drove to the markets with the boxes.
Rules for Forming Plurals
1. Most singular nouns: Add s.
street - streets house – houses
2. Nouns ending in s, x, ch, or sh: Add es.
dress -dresses ax - axes bench- benches dish- dishes
3. Nouns ending with a vowel and y: Add s.
valley- valleys joy- joys
4. Nouns ending with a consonant and y: Change the y to i and add es.
city- cities cranberry- cranberries
Guided Practice What is the plural form of each noun? Example: class classes
1. cherry _______________
2. chore ________________
3. fox __________________
4. monkey ______________
5. letter _________________
6. bird __________________
7. alley __________________
8. boss __________________
9. bush __________________
10. panda __________________
11. porch ___________________
12. bunch ___________________
13. pocket ___________________
14. family ____________________
15. holiday ___________________
16. ostrich____________________
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More Plural Nouns…
Some nouns do not become plural according to the regular rules. There are, however, patterns, that will help you remember how to form the plurals of these nouns. The chart below groups some of these nouns according to their patterns. You can also use your dictionary to find the plural spellings of nouns.
More Rules for Forming Plurals
1. Nouns ending in f or fe: Change the f to v and add es to some nouns. Add s to other nouns.
life- lives calf- calves leaf- leaves cliff- cliffs
2. Nouns ending with a vowel and o: Add s.
rodeo- rodeos radio- radios studio- studios
3. Nouns ending with a consonant and o: Add s to some nouns. Add es to other nouns.
solo- solos piano- pianos hero- heroes echo- echoes tomato- tomatoes
4. Nouns that have special plural spellings.
foot- feet woman- women
5. Nouns that remain the same in the singular and the plural.
trout-trout deer- deer sheep- sheep
Guided Practice What is the plural form of each noun? You may use your dictionary to help you. Example: wolf wolves
1. echo _______________
2. cliff _______________
3. radio _______________
4. tooth _______________
5. half _______________
6. hero _______________
7. deer _______________
8. wife _______________
9. giraffe ______________
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Changing Sentences from the Singular to the Plural or
from the Plural to the Singular
Singular↔ ↔Plural
Singular noun
Baby
Plural noun
babies
A baby
An Indian
A Babies
An Indians
The baby
The Indian
The babies
The Indians
She, He, It
I
has
is
was
does
this
that
its, his, her
my
They
We
have
are
were
do
these
those
their
our
Verb(s)
Plays
Verb
Play
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A. Change the following sentences either from the singular to the plural or the
plural to the singular.
1. This shelf has a vase on it.
2. A man is holding a sharp knife.
3. Raccoons ran into the holes in the old houses.
4. The oxen have very rough hoofs.
5. Baby donkeys are as lovable as stuffed toys.
6. Use the sharp knife to cut the potato and tomato.
7. The deer sniffed the boxes of food.
8. The child saw a goose with its gosling and a mother cow with its calf.
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Proofreading
Proofread the paragraph below. Find five places where punctuation marks are
missing or incorrect. Find two mistakes in using capital letters. Correct the mistakes.
Why can’t these paint cans be dumped with the trash They must be placed in special
bins How horrible they smell Some paints have chemicals the chemicals become absorbed
into the soil. The soil becomes polluted, and that’s harmful to people. And the environment.
Proofread this concert announcement. It has six sentences and several sentence
fragments. Underline the sentences.
Hear our award-winning band play tonight at 8:00 p.m. Back from the state band
competition. Fifth Street School auditorium. Tickets will be sold at the door. Come early.
Seats limited. There will be music for everyone to enjoy. Music of John Philip Sousa. Our
band is the State Middle School Marching Band Champion. Get ready to march!
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Possessive Nouns…
Write each phrase to show possession. Example: The children __pencils. the children’s pencils
1. the dancers __legs 2. the goats __pens 3. the boys __sneakers 4. the men __meeting 5. the robins __nest 6. the turtles __bowl 7. the horses __tails 8. the Solanos __porch 9. the officers __badges 10. the women __cars 11. the dentists __bills 12. the Clarks __garage 13. the sheep __pasture 14. the musicians __drums 15. the actors __roles 16. the geese __nests
Rewrite each phrase, using a plural possessive noun.
Example: The rugs that the weaver made the weaver’s rugs
17. the flowers that my aunts grow_______________________________ 18. the house of the Rileys _____________________________________ 19. the suitcases that belong to the women ________________________ 20. the raincoats of the children _________________________________ 21. the boots that the climbers wear ______________________________ 22. the coins that belong to the collectors __________________________ 23. the playroom that my cousins have ____________________________ 24. the excellence of the players _________________________________ 25. the reports of the planners ___________________________________
Write a sentence for each noun, using the form shown.
Example: artist (plural possessive) Have you seen the sketches in the artists’ notebooks?
26. writer (singular possessive) 27. Samuelson (plural possessive) 28. Gus (singular possessive) 29. speaker (singular possessive) 30. woman (plural possessive) 31. voter (singular possessive) 32. Garcia (plural possessive) 33. secretary (plural possessive) 34. Thea (singular possessive)
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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs…
Often when a verb expresses action, something or someone in the predicate “receives” that action. Who or what receives the action in these sentences?
Paula hit the ball over the wall. The crowd cheered the batter. A verb that sends its action to a noun or a pronoun in the predicate is called a transitive
verb. The noun or the pronoun that receives the action of the verb is called the direct object.
Look at these sentences. Do the verbs have objects? The crowd applauded. People cheered wildly. A verb that does not send its action to a word in the predicate is called intransitive verb. Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. TRANSITIVE: The crowd cheered the batter. INTRANSITIVE: People cheered wildly. How can you tell whether a verb is transitive or intransitive? If you are not sure, ask yourself whom? or what? after the verb. (Cheered whom? Cheered what?) If the answer is a noun or a pronoun, the verb is transitive. (Cheered whom? batter) If it is not, the verb is intransitive. Linking verbs are always intransitive. They do not express action. The Wildcats are the winners. They seem happy about their victory. Guided Practice
Find each verb in the sentences below. Is it transitive or intransitive? Example: At the age of eleven, Wilma Rudolph walked without a leg brace for the first time.
walked intransitive 5. Twelve years later she ran in the 1960 Olympics. 6. Wilma won gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter races. 7. Then she had a chance for a third gold medal. 8. The event was the 400-meter relay for teams of four runners.
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Label each underlined verb transitive or intransitive. If there is a DO circle it. Example: As a child, Gertrude Ederle swam all the time. intransitive
1. This young athlete practiced hard. ______________________________________
2. She had dreams and determination. _____________________________________
3. Gertrude competed at the Paris Olympics in 1924. __________________________
4. She did not win the gold medal that year. __________________________________
5. She did collect bronze medals in two events, however. _______________________
6. Nevertheless, Gertrude felt extremely disappointed. _________________________
7. Her historic achievement was still ahead of her. _____________________________
8. In 1962 Gertrude swam the English Channel. _______________________________
9. She accomplished this feat before any other female swimmer.__________________
Underline each verb. If there is a DO circle it. Label the verb transitive or intransitive.
Example: Long walks have become popular forms of exercise. have become intransitive
10. Records of sports events list some impressive walkers. _______________________
11. In 1909 seventy-year-old Edward Watson walked from one coast to the other.
_____________________________________
12. In the early 1900s, James Hocking broke all records. ________________________
13. Hocking took his longest walk at the age of sixty-eight. _______________________
14. He went from New York to San Francisco in seventy-five days. _________________
15. The most unusual walker, however, traveled backward over half the world in 1931.
_____________________________________
16. He covered eight thousand miles in this odd manner. ________________________
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Direct Objects…
Some sentences express a complete thought with only a subject and an action verb. subj. action verb
The ship sails.
In other sentences, a direct object follows the action verb. A direct object is a noun or a pronoun in the predicate that receives the action of a verb.
action dir. subj. verb obj.
The captain steers the big ship.
A direct object answers the questions what? or whom? The captain steers the big ship. (steers what? the ship) The captain calls the crew. (calls whom? the crew) The captain praises them. (praises whom? them)
Guided Practice What are the action verb and the direct object in each sentence? Example: The captain ordered the sailors on deck. verb: ordered direct object: sailors
1. Some sailors mopped the deck. 2. Other sailors cooked the stew. 3. A crew member spotted some whales. 4. The whales blew water out of their blowholes. 5. One sailor climbed the mast to the lookout. 6. He carried his binoculars with him. 7. He viewed the whales for a long time. 8. Finally, the sailor left the lookout. 9. He shared his observations with another sailor.
10. He made a sketch of one of the whales. 11. The two friends discussed the whales.
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Summing up…
A direct object is a noun or a pronoun in the predicate that receives the action of the verb.
Direct objects follow action verbs only. Independent Practice
Write the action verb in each sentence. Then write the direct object and underline it. Example: Whales eat tiny plants. eat plants
12. Some whales sing songs. _______________________________ 13. Whales hold their breath for long
periods. _______________________________
14. They hear sounds under waters. _______________________________ 15. They locate objects by sound. _______________________________ 16. Whales use their flippers for balance.
_______________________________
Underline verbs once and direct objects twice. If there is no direct object, write no D.O Example: Years ago people hunted whales. Years ago people hunted whales.
17. Today, people watch whales from boat.
________________________________
18. My family and I took a trip on one of these boats.
________________________________
19. We gave our tickets to the captain. ________________________________ 20. He knew interesting facts about
whales. ________________________________
21. We searched the ocean for whales. ________________________________ 22. My brother brought his camera. ________________________________ 23. We saw three whales near the ship. ________________________________ 24. They spouted water through their
blowholes. ________________________________
25. We cheered! ________________________________ 26. Then the whales dived. ________________________________ 27. Their tail fins slapped the water. ________________________________ 28. The water splashed me. ________________________________
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Linking Verbs… You know that some verbs show action and some verbs are helping verbs. ACTION VERB: Jennifer runs every day. HELPING VERB: Jennifer is running now.
A linking verb links the subject with a word or words in the predicate. LINKING VERBS: Jennifer is a runner. She is strong and fast.
When a verb is a linking verb, it does not show action, and it is not a helping verb. It is followed by a word in the predicate that names or describes the subject.
Anna is a lifeguard. (Anna = lifeguard) Anna is cheerful. (Cheerful describes Anna.) Some verbs can be either linking verbs or action verbs. ACTION VERB: The crowd looked at the divers. LINKING VERB: The divers looked tired. (Tired describes divers) Common Linking Verbs am is are was were will be look feel taste smell seem appear
Guided Practice What is the linking verb in each sentence? What word or words are linked to the subject by the verb? Example: The pool is quiet. is quiet
1. The racers seem ready. _________________________________ 2. Ray is an excellent racer. _________________________________ 3. He was a winner last week. _________________________________ 4. Ray’s parents are coaches. _________________________________ 5. They are proud of Ray. _________________________________ 6. The race will be quick. _________________________________
Summing up…
A Linking Verb joins the subject to a word in the predicate that names or describes the subject.
A Linking Verb does not show action.
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Independent Practice
Write the verb in each sentence. Then write whether the verb is an action verb or a linking verb. Example: Gertrude Ederle was a fine swimmer. was linking
7. She swam the English Channel. 8. She was the first woman to swim the channel. 9. Her time was less than fifteen hours.
10. She set a new world record. 11. The English Channel is about twenty miles wide. 12. The Channel is a big challenge for swimmers.
Write each sentence and underline the linking verb. Draw an arrow showing the
words the verb links. Example: Elaine is a deep-sea diver.
Elaine is a deep-sea diver.
13. She is careful under water. 14. Usually she seems calm. 15. She was afraid one time. 16. Two big sharks looked hungry. 17. She was just another fish to the sharks. 18. The sharks were fast swimmers. 19. Elaine was a quick thinker. 20. She was very still. 21. Other little fish were the sharks’ meals. 22. Elaine was shaky for a long time.
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Present Tense…
Rules for Forming the Present Tense
1. Most verbs: Add s.
get- gets
2. Verbs ending in s, x, ch, sh, and z: Add es.
pass- passes punch- punches push- pushes mix- mixes fizz- fizzes
3. Verbs ending with a consonant and y: Change the y to i and add es.
try- tries empty- empties
4. Verbs ending with a vowel and y: Keep the y and add only s
play- plays obey- obeys
Summing up…
A Present Tense verb shows action that happens now. Add s or es to most verbs to show the present tense if the subject is singular. Do not add s or es if the subject is plural or I or you.
Past Tense…
Rules for Forming the Past Tense
1. Most verbs: Add –ed.
reach- reached
2. Verbs ending with e: Add –d.
believe- believed hope- hoped
3. Verbs ending with a consonant and y: Change the y to i and add ed.
study- studied hurry- hurried
4. Verbs ending with a single vowel and a consonant: Double the final consonant and add ed.
stop- Stopped plan- planned
5. Verbs ending with a vowel and y: Keep the y and add ed
pray- prayed
Summing up…
A Past Tense Verb shows that something already happened. Form the past tense of most verbs by adding – ed. If a verb ends with e, add d. If a verb ends with a consonant and y, change the y to
i and add –ed. If a verb ends with a vowel and a consonant, double the consonant and –ed.
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Subject- Verb Agreement… A present verb and its subject agree in number. If the subject is singular, use the
singular form of the verb. If the subject is plural, use the plural form of the verb. Study the rules for subject- verb agreement in the chart below.
SINGULAR: The race lasts many days. PLURAL: The sleds move quickly.
Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Singular Subjects: Add s or es to the verb.
The driver trains his dogs. He teaches one dog to lead. He studies his map.
2. Plural Subjects: Do not add s or es to the verb.
The dogs pull the sleds. The drivers and dogs travel far. They work together.
3. I or you: Use the plural form of the verb.
I like your report on dogs. You write well.
Look at the second example for Rule 2. The compound subject drivers and dogs is
followed by plural form of the verb. When the parts of the compound subject are joined by and, always use the plural form of the verb.
Guided Practice
Which verb in parentheses correctly completes each sentence? Example: I (like, likes) dogs very much. like
1. We (see, sees) dogs every day. 2. Dogs (work, works) with people in many ways. 3. Homes and businesses (keep, keeps) watchdogs. 4. A dog (make, makes) a good partner. 5. Alex (own, owns) a watchdog named Charlie.
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Irregular Verbs
Present Past Past Participle
1. be was/ were been
2. beat beat beaten
3. begin began begun
4. bend bent bent
5. bite bit bitten
6. bleed bled bled
7. blow blew blown
8. break broke broken
9. bring brought brought
10. build built built
11. burn burnt/ burned burnt/ burned
12. buy bought bought
13. catch caught caught
14. choose chose chosen
15. come came come
16. cut cut cut
17. dig dug dug
18. do did done
19. draw drew drawn
20. dream dreamt/ dreamed dreamt/ dreamed
21. drink drank drunk
22. drive drove driven
23. eat ate eaten
24. fall fell fallen
25. feel felt felt
26. fight fought fought
27. find found found
28. fly flew flown
29. forget forgot forgotten
30. get got got/ gotten
31. give gave given
32. go went gone
33. grow grew grown
34. hear heard heard
35. hide hid hidden
36. hit hit hit
37. hurt hurt hurt
38. keep kept kept
39. know knew known
40. leave left left
41. let let let
42. lose lost lost
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Present Past Past Participle
43. make made made
44. mean meant meant
45. meet met met
46. pay paid paid
47. put put put
48. read read read
49. ride rode ridden
50. ring rang rung
51. run ran run
52. say said said
53. see saw seen
54. sell sold sold
55. send sent sent
56. sew sewed sewn/ sewed
57. shake shook shaken
58. shine shone shone
59. show showed shown/ showed
60. shut shut shut
61. sing sang sung
62. sit sat sat
63. sleep slept slept
64. smell smelt/ smelled smelt/ smelled
65. speak spoke spoken
66. spend spent spent
67. stand stood stood
68. steal stole stolen
69. swim swam swum
70. take took taken
71. teach taught taught
72. tear tore torn
73. tell told told
74. think thought thought
75. throw threw thrown
76. wear wore worn
77. win won won
78. write wrote written
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Progressive Tenses 1- For words that end in a silent (not pronounced) -e, drop the -e and add -ing. Example: smile → smiling
2- For one-syllable words that end in consonant-vowel-consonant (except x and w), double the last letter and add -ing. Examples: sit → sitting run → running
3- For most other words (including words that end in -y), add -ing with no changes. Examples: rain → raining send → sending
Present Continuous Tense
Use of the Present Continuous Tense
The present continuous tense is used: 1. to express an action that is happening at the moment of speaking or writing
I am sitting in the library and writing this letter. Many children are playing in the park.
2. to express an activity or situation that is happening over a given period of time She is studying French this semester. I am reading a book about Lincoln this week. They are living in Chicago at present.
A. Supply the correct tense of the verbs in brackets, either simple present or
present continuous. 1. Linda (smoke) ___________ very much, but she (not smoke) ___________now.
2. Two men (wait) ___________ at the gate, they often (stand) ___________ there.
3. The school bell usually (ring) ___________ at eight o’clock, but it (not ring)
___________ now.
4. Where (be) ___________ your father (go) ___________ now?
5. He (leave) ___________ the office at six o’clock and (get) ___________ home at
half past six. On his way home he often (buy) ___________ a newspaper and (read)
___________ it before he (have) ___________ supper.
I
am studying ‘m not studying
We
are studying aren’t studying
You
are studying aren’t studying
You
He
is studying isn’t studying
They She
It
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Eric caught a thief while he was visiting friends.
B. Put the verbs in shaded boxes into the correct form: simple past or past progressive (continuous).
1. Eric __________ catch a thief while he __________ visit friends.
2. Eric’s mother ________ watch TV, when Eric __________ bring in the thief.
3. The police ________ be happy when Eric ________ bring in the thief.
4. While the thief ________ hold on to the bush, the eagle ________ attack him.
5. Eric’s friend Professor Brain ________ read a magazine, when Eric ________
arrive.
6. The children ________talk while the teacher ________be out of class.
7. The sun ________ shine when I ________ take my exams.
8. Millions of people ________ watch TV when the astronauts ________ land on the
moon in 1969.
Mike broke his racket while he was playing tennis.
Look at the two pictures. Write a sentence about each. Then join the sentences
using when or while.
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Present and Past Progressive
A. Put the verbs in parentheses into the “Simple Present” or the “Present
Progressive”.
It (be) ______________________ summer and the sun (shine) __________________.
It (be) ____________________ usually very hot in August here. Now, Jane and Rita
(build) _____________________ a sandcastle, and they (pick) ___________________
shells. They (like) ______________________ the beach very much. Their parents
(not/like) ___________________________ it! They always (stay) _________________
in the house when it (be) ___________________ hot. Mother usually (listen)
________________________ to the radio or (read) _________________________ a
newspaper, and Father (watch) _________________________ TV. Just now, they (sit)
_______________________ in the kitchen. Mother (look) _______________________
for a new recipe to use, and Father (solve) ___________________________ a puzzle.
B. Put the verbs in parentheses into the “Simple past” or the “Past progressive”.
1. While I (watch) _____________________________________ the birds, I (hear)
________________________________ a sudden “whoosh!”
2. I (not do) _________________________________ well in the exams, because I (not
pay) ____________________________________ attention in class.
3. As John (run) _____________________________ to catch the bus, he (trip)
______________________________ and (break) _____________________ his leg.
4. The wolf (attack) _____________________________ the sheep as they (graze)
_______________________________ in the pasture.
C. Finish the following sentences.
1. Sara usually ________________________________________________________,
but now she ________________________________________________________.
2. Last week, George ___________________________________________________, while he ___________________________________________________________.
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D. Use the simple present or the present progressive of the verbs in parentheses.
1. The teacher (not listen) __________________________ to me now. She (be)
_____________ usually a good listener.
2. Mr. Fadi generally (encourage) _____________________ team work. Today he (try)
___________________ it with us.
3. Students often (talk) _______________________ in class. At the moment, they (not
talk) ______________________. They (scream) _________________________ and
(shout) ____________________________.
E. Use the simple past or the past progressive of the verbs in parentheses.
1. As she (hurry) _________________ to catch the bus, the elderly woman (slip)
__________ and (sprain) _______________________ her ankle.
2. While my grandfather (look) ________________________ for his old radio in the
basement, he (come) ________________________ across a blue album that
(belong) ____________________ to his grandfather.
3. The archaeologists (find) ____________________ an ancient vase as they (dig)
_____________________.
F. Write a sentence using the simple present and the present progressive.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
G. Write a sentence using the simple past and the past progressive.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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What is an Adjective?... A word that describes a noun or a pronoun is called an adjective.
1. Adjectives tell what kind. Spotted fawns were resting. They looked relaxed.
2. Adjectives tell how many. Three elephants were eating. Monkeys did several tricks.
Adjectives appear in variety of places in a sentence. They may come before the noun
they are describing.
Powerful lions stared boldly at us. Adjectives may also come after a linking verb.
Giraffes seemed gentle and shy. When two or more adjectives are listed together, you should usually use a comma to
separate them. Large, colorful parrots screeched. When one of these adjectives tells how many, do not use a comma. Two white geese honked loudly. Guided Practice What are the adjectives in each sentence? (Do not include a, an, or the.)
Example: Several graceful zebras played in the tall grass. Several graceful tall
1. The two cubs are small and playful. 2. One enormous hippo swam in deep water. 3. The beautiful, proud peacock has many feathers. 4. The owls have speckled wings and sharp claws. 5. We were curious about three alligators. 6. They were resting on a long, smooth rock.
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Underline the articles once and the demonstrative adjectives twice. Not every sentence contains both articles and demonstrative adjectives. Example: We took that airplane to the city of Boston. We took that airplane to the city of Boston.
1. The sky was bright blue outside the window. 2. I saw a group of puffy clouds. 3. Those clouds looked like cotton. 4. I fastened the seat belt before the flight. 5. During that flight, I tried to read a book. 6. Our plane landed an hour after lunch.
Underline the word in parentheses that correctly completes each sentence. Example: Boston is (a, an) interesting city.
7. I am having (a, an) good visit in Boston. 8. We are riding in one of (the, a) swan boats. 9. The driver pedals the boat like (a, an) bicycle. 10. (Those, These) ducks on the other side of the pond are cute. 11. (That, This) bridge over there looks old. 12. I will remember (this, those) day in Boston for a long time.
To complete each sentence, write an article or a demonstrative adjective as
indicated in parentheses. Example: May I look at ____ book on the shelf above you? (demonstrative adjective) that
13. Are ____ books on your desk mysteries? (article) 14. Please hand me ____ stack of mysteries from the bottom shelf.
(demonstrative adjective) 15. ____ book that I am carrying is very heavy. ( demonstrative adjective) 16. These books are more neatly stacked than ____ books over there.
(demonstrative adjective) 17. Is there ____ book cart in this room? (article) 18. Could we get a book cart from ____ room down the hall? (demonstrative
adjective)
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Comparing with Adjectives…
You know that adjectives describe nouns. One way they describe is by comparing people, places, or things. To compare two people, places, or things, add –er to the adjective. To compare three or more, add –est.
ONE PERSON: My brother is tall. TWO PERSONS: My mother is taller than my brother. THREE OR MORE: My father is tallest of all.
Rules for Comparing with Adjectives
1. Most Adjectives: Add –er or –est to the adjective.
bright brighter brightest
2. Adjectives ending with e: Drop the e and add –er or –est.
safe safer safest
3. Adjectives ending with a consonant and y: Change the y to i and add –er or –est.
busy busier busiest
4. One-syllable adjectives that end with a single vowel and a consonant: Double the consonant and add –er or –est.
flat flatter flattest
5. Some adjectives with two or more syllables: Use more or most instead of –er or –est.
careful more careful most careful
Guided Practice Which form of each adjective do you use to compare two people, places, or things? Which form do you use to compare more than two? Example: angry angrier angriest
1. small
2. strange
3. helpful
4. red
5. curious
6. shaky
7. wise
8. great
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ADJECTIVES
Proper Noun Proper Adjectives
Alaska Alaskan
Armenia Armenian
Austria Austrian
Belgium Belgian
Brazil Brazilian
Denmark Danish
England English
Europe European
Germany German
Hawaii Hawaiian
Hungary Hungarian
Italy Italian
Japan Japanese
Mexico Mexican
North Africa North African
Norway Norwegian
Peru Peruvian
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian
Scotland Scottish
Switzerland Swiss
Yugoslav Yugoslav, Yugoslavian
Proper Noun Proper Adjectives
America American
Australia Australian
Britain British
China Chinese
Egypt Egyptian
France French
Greece Greek
Ireland Irish
Lebanon Lebanese
Poland Polish
Spain Spanish
Sweden Swedish
Turkey Turkish
West Indies West Indian
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Proper Adjectives…
Write each phrase, using a proper adjective made from the noun in parentheses. Example: ___ hotel (West Germany) West German hotel 1. ____ dance (Mexico) 2. ____ village (England) 3. ____ poetry (Greece) 4. ____ restaurant (Sweden) 5. ____ desert (Africa) 6. ____ castle (Austria) 7. ____ seacoast (Ireland) 8. ____ food (Japan)
Write each sentence, using a proper adjective made from the noun in
parentheses. Use your dictionary if you need help. Example: Oslo is the ____ capital. (Norway) Oslo is the Norwegian capital. 9. Paris is the ____ capital. (France) 10. Madrid is the ____ capital. (Spain) 11. Budapest is the ____ capital. (Hungary) 12. New Delhi is the ____ capital. (India) 13. Bern is the ____ capital. (Switzerland) 14. Lima is the ____ capital. (Peru) 15. Belgrade is the ____ capital. (Yugoslavia) 16. Stockholm is the ____ capital. (Sweden) 17. Dublin is the ____ capital. (Ireland)
Answer each question by writing a sentence that contains a proper adjective. Use
your dictionary if you need help. Example: Have you ever been in Puerto Rico? I went to a Puerto Rican beach last year.
18. Did you see a car that was made in Japan? 19. Was Abraham Lincoln a President of the United States? 20. Do you have a sweater from Denmark? 21. Have you met my cousin from Poland? 22. Have you studied the history of Rome? 23. Have you ever heard music from Ireland? 24. Do you have a pen pal from South America? 25. Have you ever seen any paintings by artists from Italy? 26. Have you hiked through the wilderness of Canada?
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Possessive Pronouns…
Two kinds of possessive pronouns Possessive pronouns used with nouns Possessive pronouns that stand alone
my your his her its our your their
My book is green. Clean your desk His bike is blue. This is her house. Its coat is shaggy. Those are our pens. Take your sweaters. Their hats are red.
mine yours his hers its ours yours theirs
The green book is mine. Yours is messy. The red bike is his. Hers is the gray house. Its is the shaggy coat. Those pens are ours. Leave yours here. Those hats are theirs.
Underline the possessive pronouns.
Example: Your report on the school play is excellent. Your report on the school play is excellent.
1. In fact, yours was the best in class. 2. The librarians in our town are having a puppet show. 3. Will you write a report on their puppet show? 4. You can write about the story and its characters. 5. My neighbor is one of the women in charge of the show. 6. Her job is to sell tickets. 7. Sam has already bought his ticket. 8. This ticket is mine, and that one is yours.
Underline the correct possessive pronoun.
Example: (My, Mine) aunt works for a newspaper. My aunt works for a newspaper.
9. Many people in (our, ours) city read that newspaper. 10. Please let me borrow (your, yours) copy of the paper. 11. Samantha is reading (my, mine). 12. Hoshi and Umeko took (their, theirs) to the beach. 13. My aunt’s name appears with (her, hers) stories. 14. The story on the front page is (her, hers). 15. Many writers begin (their, theirs) careers in school. 16. (Your, yours) stories are in (our, ours) school paper.
Rewrite these sentences, using possessive pronouns.
Example: The students’ news stories are written carefully. Their news stories are written carefully.
17. Our newspaper is the best school paper in the city. 18. Hernando and Shani work on the newspaper’s staff. 19. Shani’s photographs often appear with Hernando’s stories.
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20. This photograph of the baseball team is Shani’s. 21. Hernando’s story comes before my story. 22. Azami and Bret wrote about Azami and Bret’s class trip. 23. I will write a story about my class trip. 24. Our class trip is Monday. When is your class trip?
Using we and us with Nouns…
Sometimes you need a noun after the pronoun we or us to make clear whom you
are talking about. We girls took our places on the field.
The pronouns must be the same as if they were alone. Use we with noun subjects
or after linking verbs. We girls threw the ball. The best players are we girls. Use the pronoun us with a noun that follows an action verb or a word such as to,
for, with, or at. The girls threw it to us boys. They will not beat us boys.
To help you decide whether we or us is correct, read the sentence without the noun. We friends watch the game. We watch the game. The coach talks to us players. The coach talks to us.
Guided Practice Which word is correct in each sentence? Underline it. Example: Mr. Locke invited (we, us) neighbors.
1. (We, Us) friends played softball. 2. The winners were (we, us) girls. 3. (Us, We) parents watched the game. 4. Steve came with (we, us) boys. 5. The cooks were (we, us) brothers. 6. (Us, We) girls brought our dogs. 7. Your dog chased (we, us) joggers. 8. (We, Us) neighbors thanked Mr. Locke. 9. Luisa drove (us, we) boys home. 10. Mr. Locke reminded (we, us) girls about our dog. 11. Sam invited (us, we) brothers to his house. 12. The last guests were (us, we) boys. 13. (Us, We) boys helped Mr. Locke put the chairs back.
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Adverbs… You have learned that an adjective describes a noun or a pronoun. A word that describes a verb is an adverb. Adverbs tell how, when, or where an action happens. HOW: The plane landed smoothly at the airport. WHEN: Soon Jeff would see his grandparents at the gate. WHERE: They were waiting for him there.
Many adverbs end with –ly. Some are included in these lists of common adverbs. HOW WHEN WHERE fast tomorrow here hard later inside together again far happily often upstairs quietly first downtown secretly next somewhere slowly then forward Guided Practice What adverb describes the underlined verb in each sentence? Does it tell how, when, or where? Example: Tina waited patiently. paitently how
1. She stood outside. 2. Soon her brother arrived. 3. He cheerfully greeted her on the porch. 4. Keith and Tina hurried downtown. 5. They easily found Grove Street Park. 6. They ate their picnic lunch there. 7. Then they watched the parade from the corner. 8. A boy in a robot costume walked awkwardly toward them. 9. Tina and Keith immediately recognized their friend Stan.
10. They excitedly waved.
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Comparing with Adverbs… You know that you can use adjectives to compare people, places, or things. You can use adverbs to compare actions. Like adjectives, adverbs have special forms for comparisons. To compare two actions, add –er to most short adverbs. To compare three or more actions, add –est to most short adverbs. ONE ACTION: Amy will finish the book soon. TWO ACTIONS: Amy will finish sooner than Jessie will. THREE OR MORE: Amy will finish soonest of all.
Guided Practice What form of each is used to compare two actions? What form is used to compare three or more? Example: loudly more loudly most loudly
1. sadly ____________ ____________ 2. near ____________ ____________ 3. softly ____________ ____________ 4. cleverly ____________ ____________ 5. politely ____________ ____________ 6. hard ____________ ____________ 7. firmly ____________ ____________ 8. fast ____________ ____________ 9. powerfully ____________ ____________
Summing up…
To compare two actions use –er or more with an adverb.
To compare three actions or more use –est or most.
Use –er and –est with most one syllable adverbs. Use more and most with most adverbs of two or more syllables.
Rules for Comparing with Adverbs
1. Most short adverbs: Add –er or –est to the adverb.
late early later earlier latest earliest
2. Most adverbs of two or more syllables: Use more or most with the adverb.
often quickly more often more quickly most often most quickly
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Adjective or Adverb? ...
Many adverbs are formed by adding –ly to an adjective. These words look similar and are easy to confuse. Be careful to use them correctly in a sentence. INCORRECT: Robert writes clear. (adjective) CORRECT: Robert writes clearly. (adverb)
Remember to use an adjective to describe a noun or a pronoun. Use an adverb to
describe a verb. ADJECTIVE: Heather draws beautiful designs. ADVERB: She also paints beautifully.
The words good and well are also often confused. Good is always an adjective. Use good before a noun or after a linking verb. Do not use good when you mean “healthy.” ADJECTIVE: Sam has a good vocabulary. His stories are good.
Use well as an adverb to describe a verb. Use it is an adjective to mean “healthy.” ADVERB: Sam describes buildings well. ADJECTIVE: Because Todd ate too fast, he is not well now.
Guided Practice Which word in parentheses correctly completes each sentence? Underline it. Example: The ballet company performed (good, well). Well
1. The dancers’ movements were (beautiful, beautifully). 2. The star ballerina smiled (bright, brightly). 3. She spun (rapid, rapidly) on her toes. 4. Then she leaped (graceful, gracefully) into the air. 5. The male lead also gave a (good, well) performance. 6. The audience clapped (loud, loudly) at the end of the show.
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Write adjective or adverb to name each underlined word. Example: Our teacher paints landscapes well. adverb
1. I left quickly for my art class this morning. _________________________ 2. Last Saturday I had a cold, but today I am well. _________________________ 3. Our teacher is giving a good lesson in water
color. _________________________
4. He painted a landscape with dark thunderclouds.
_________________________
5. First, he lightly sketched the landscape on paper.
_________________________
6. Then he spread a thin coat of water. _________________________ 7. He swiftly brushed paint across wet area. _________________________
Underline the correct word. Label it adjective or adverb.
Example: Mindy had the flu, but now she is (good, well). Mindy had the flu, but now she is well. adjective
8. Mindy and Sue’s day at the museum was quite (good, well).
_________________
9. They looked (careful, carefully) at a Mary Cassatt painting.
_________________
10. The sunlight around the boat is (bright, brightly). _________________ 11. The mother holds the child (gentle, gently) in her arms. _________________ 12. The child watches the father (curious, curiously). _________________ 13. The family seems (happy, happily) in the boat. _________________ 14. Cassatt painted scenes of family life (good, well). _________________
Write the word in parentheses that correctly completes each sentence.
Then write a sentence, using the other word in parentheses correctly. Example: Sandy draws landscapes (skillfull, skillfully).
skillfully As an artist, Sandy is skillfull.
15. She works (main, mainly) in pencil. 16. Her drawings in pen and ink are (good, well). 17. Today she works (happy, happily) in the park. 18. The scene she paints looks (pleasant, pleasantly). 19. The sun is shining (bright, brightly). 20. Ducks swim in the pond (quiet, quietly). 21. Two boats sail (swift, swiftly) across the water. 22. Sandy (quick, quickly) makes a sketch.
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Prepositions…
Small words that we use all the time can make a big difference in meaning.
Sula found it on the shelf. Sula found it under the shelf.
The words on and under, show very different relationships between found and
shelf. Words that show relationships between other words are called prepositions.
Common Prepositions
about Before except of through
above Behind for off to across Below from on under after Beside in out until along By inside outside up around Down into over with at During near past without
A preposition relates some other word in the sentence to the noun or the pronoun
that follows a preposition. The noun or the pronoun that follows a preposition is the object of the preposition.
I liked the book with the blue cover. Sula gave it to me
Guided Practice The object of the preposition is underlined in each sentence. What is the preposition? Example: Scientists study tools from the ancient past. from
1. They ask many questions about the tool. 2. When was the tool used by people? 3. Was it made for a special purpose? 4. Did people use it in a particular way? 5. What does the tool tell us about them?
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Write the prepositional phrase in each sentence. Then underline the preposition. Example: People in every age have built bridges. in every age
1. The oldest bridge was found in England. 2. Piles of rock form the bridge. 3. The Romans used wood for their bridges. 4. During the Middle Ages, stone bridges were built. 5. The bridges were lined with shops and dwellings. 6. You can still walk across these bridges. 7. Bridges have changed with people’s needs and new materials. 8. Some early bridges were made from rope. 9. The first iron bridge was built in the eighteenth century.
10. In the United States, covered bridges were once popular. 11. People drove wagons and rode horses through them. 12. Today’s bridges are made from steel. 13. These bridges are strong enough for heavy trucks and trains.
Write the prepositional phrase in each sentence. Then underline the object
of the preposition. Example: There are many kinds of bridges. of bridges
14. Most bridges are built over water. 15. Boats and ships pass under the bridges. 16. Some bridges can be raised for tall boats and ships. 17. Large bridges are designed by engineers. 18. Traffic patterns in the area are studied. 19. The width and depth of the water are measured. 20. A tiny bridge may cross a brook in your town. 21. The bridge might be made from a log or board. 22. Bridges across land are also common. 23. In a city, bridges sometimes connect buildings.
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Adverb or Preposition? … Sometimes the same word can be used as either an adverb or a preposition. ADVERB: Susan ran inside. PREPOSITION: Her hat was inside the store. ADVERB: The shopkeeper looked up. PREPOSITION: Susan raced up the stairs.
You can tell the difference between an adverb and a preposition if you look
carefully at how the word is used in the sentence. If the word begins a prepositional phrase, it is a preposition. Otherwise, it is an adverb.
Here are some of the words that can be used as either adverbs or prepositions. above below in off outside
along by inside over under around down near out up
Guided Practice Is the underlined word an adverb or a preposition? If it is a preposition, what is the prepositional phrase that it introduces? Example: Anita looked around the button shop. preposition around the button shop
1. She had worn her blue coat outside. 2. A large blue button had fallen off. 3. Buttons were displayed along the counter. 4. Bright blue buttons filled a glass case near the door. 5. Anita walked over. 6. She saw the right button under the glass. 7. A salesperson came by and helped Anita. 8. She took the button from the case. 9. Anita held the button in her hand.
10. She took her wallet out and paid the salesperson.
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Writing
Supplying Details
Poor Detail: I was nervous. Interesting Detail: My palms were sweating, and my knees were shaking as I walked to the front of the room.
Read the following paragraphs. Then rewrite each paragraph, adding details to make each one more interesting.
A. The wind was howling. I looked out the window at the street. It was empty. I saw a trash can blow over and roll down the street. A branch of a tree broke. It fell onto the roof next door.
B. The storm was over. It created damage. Trees uprooted and rivers overflowed. No electricity. Things closed down. People were unprepared and were caught in rain.
C. The following story is boring. Rewrite it adding details to make it more interesting. We went on a picnic. We decided to go exploring. We found a cave. It was wet inside. I could not see, but I could hear something. There was a funny smell too. Then something moved toward us in the darkness, and we ran.
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How to Do Things
How to do the washing up
1. Match each of the following words with the correct item in the picture. dishes brush cupboard sink washing up liquid sponge cloth drawer tab draining board
2. Put each of the following verbs in the correct space in the instructions below. dry rinse turn off fill add drain put away turn on
First put all the dirty dishes in the sink.
______ the tap and ______ the sink with warm water. Then ______ the tap.
Now ______ some washing-up liquid.
Wash everything in the soapy water with a special sponge or brush.
______ everything in clean water.
Put everything on the draining- board to ______ for a few minutes.
Then ______ everything with a cloth.
Finally ______ all the clean, dry things in cupboards or drawers.
3. Do you wash the dishes like this or differently? Describe how you wash the dishes.
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How to Write a Story When you write a story, you create a tale, using your imagination. A story can be an adventure or a true happening. It can happen in any time and in any place. Guidelines for Writing a Story…
1. Think about your purpose. Do you want your story to be scary? humorous?
exciting? Think about your audience. For whom are you writing your story? 2. Think about the setting. Where and when will your story take place? Think about
the plot. What events will you include in your plot? 3. Write the beginning of your story. You can describe the setting, introduce
characters, or present a problem. 4. Show what your characters are like by telling what they think, do, say, and tell
about other characters. Use dialogue to bring your characters to life. 5. Write the middle of your story. Keep your story moving with action events. Tell of
any complications that might have arisen as a result of a problem. 6. Write the ending of your story. Solve any problems. Make sure your reader will feel
the story has ended. 7. Write an interesting title for your story to get your reader’s attention.
Good Beginnings
To write a good beginning:
surprise your reader with the unexpected
pose a problem
share your feelings or mood
use a dialogue 1
Jim went on a trip to a news station. He met a woman who films weather.
2
Jim has always wondered what it feels like to film a tornado heading his way. He found
out the answer to that question when he visited Channel 5 and met the brave woman
who never met a storm she didn’t like.
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1
I went to a theme park with my family. We rode the earthquake ride.
2
I had no idea what I was getting into when I innocently agreed to take my little brother
on the San Francisco Shaker. I had thought that theme parks were for babies but was I in
for a surprise!
1
I was looking for my brother. I heard thunder. Then I heard it again. First it was light.
Then it was dark.
2
“Jimmy! Where are you?” Boom! The loudest sound I ever heard rang in my ears.
“I’m here,” Jimmy yelled. Boom again! First the sky lit up outside the window, and I
could see Jimmy huddled between the dresser and the bed. Then the entire room went
dark, and everything got quiet.
Story Writing
Story Map
Characters Meg, her father
Setting tunnel
Problem The truck is stuck
Events 1- father is worried about other cars coming into the tunnel
2- Meg thinks of an idea
3- the father lets out the air from all eighteen tires
Ending/ solution
-
The truck is moved out of the tunnel.
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A Truck, a Tunnel, and One Smart Girl
Meg Rico and her father were driving across town in Mr. Rico’s big semi-truck.
They were chatting as they approached the low, dark tunnel. Suddenly, with a loud
grinding noise, the truck came to a stop. The tunnel was too low. The truck was
stuck.
Meg and her father sat silently for a long time before Meg spoke.
“Dad,” she whispered. “I…”
“Not now,” said Mr. Rico. “I have to think. We need to get out of here before any
other vehicles come through the tunnel.”
“We… we could let some air out of the tires,” said Meg.
Mr. Rico turned and beamed. “What a good idea!” He said.
Mr. Rico climbed down from the truck and let some air out of all eighteen tires.
Now the truck was just low enough to get through the tunnel.
Slowly Mr. Rico drove the truck out. Later he could fill the tires up again, but for
now he was happy and proud to have such a smart daughter.
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Carlos’s Marathon
When Carlos started the marathon, he ran slowly, but surely. He had trained
for the marathon for five months, so he knew he’d have the ability to finish the race.
However, he’d never actually run more than fifteen miles at one time, so he was
worried.
Just after he had reached the twenty-five-mile marker, Carlos began to feel
discomfort in his side. It soon turned into a terrible cramp that made him bend over
as he ran. Carlos did not want to give up, so he continued moving on even through
his pain. Just when he was starting to feel unsure about whether he could take
another step, he heard several voices shouting, “Come on, Carlos!” He looked up
and saw his mother, father, and sister cheering him on.
Filled with excitement, Carlos forgot about the cramp and sprinted to the finish
line. He’d done it! He had finished a marathon.
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Guidelines to a Character Sketch
- A character sketch creates a colorful and vivid picture of what someone is like. It can
be about a person in history or a story character.
- Details about a person’s character, life, family, daily activities, and actions can be
used to create a character sketch.
- A character sketch is made up of 3 paragraphs; the beginning, the body, and the
ending.
1- You can start the beginning with a quote/where you know your character from.
Then you briefly describe the person from the outside, and you list his/her most
important traits.
2- In the body, you should be able to use the 3 traits to write the body paragraph.
Each trait should be supported with suitable examples.
3- The final paragraph should tell what the writer thinks about the character and why.
Cinderella “Oh, that clock! Even it orders me around,” complains Cinderella every morning
when she wakes up, as she puts on her worn-out apron and ties her hair. Life is so hard
on Cinderella since she has to live with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters under
one roof. No matter what, Cinderella is known for being a kind, hard-working, and
talented young lady.
Cinderella has a great deal of positive traits. She is a very pleasant girl. Cinderella
has the ability to serve others in spite of their ugly actions. Although her stepmother and
stepsisters treat her as a servant, she still remains respectful and gentle with them by
always following their orders. In addition, she works hard day and night. She washes the
dishes, mops the floor, prepares breakfast, starts the fire, and does her sisters’ hair.
Cinderella is also a skillful girl. She happily sings and dances around with the animals not
caring about the way her family treats her. She is able to talk to animals and sews shirts,
dresses, shoes, and hats for her friends, the mice. Cinderella sketches a ball gown to
alter one of her mother’s plain dresses, so it will be elegant for the ball.
Cinderella is a character I look up to. She has overcome her hardship by rising
above her circumstances and has defied the impossible. She sets a good example for
being positive throughout all the obstacles she has faced.
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Compare and Contrast Guidelines a. Follow the writing process (Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing)
1. The compare and contrast essay in made up of four paragraphs (introduction,
comparing paragraph, contrasting paragraph, and concluding paragraph). You
must indent at the beginning of every paragraph.
2. In the introduction, you have to introduce both objects, people, animals…Give
a general idea about them. You also must write a thesis statement.
3. In the comparing paragraph, you must start with a topic sentence. This
paragraph must have three major details and one minor detail for every major.
This paragraph shows how the two are alike or similar.
4. In the contrasting paragraph, you must also start with a topic sentence and
have three major details and one minor detail for every major. This paragraph
shows how the two are different.
5. In the concluding paragraph or the ending, you must restate what was
mentioned in the introduction (restate the thesis statement), then add your
personal opinion.
6. Don’t forget to use the right signal words for comparing and for contrasting.
Comparison/Similarities Transitions:
also, again, as well as, besides, too, likewise, similarly, similar, too, similarly, both, by the same token
Contrast/Difference Transitions:
contrast, whereas, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather, yet, but, however, nevertheless, in contrast, even though, while, meanwhile
Rain and Snow
Likenesses:
1. come from clouds
2. are cool and tingly
3. make the world glisten
4. refresh and clean the air
Differences:
Rain 1. makes a noisy clatter 2. seeps in or leaves puddles 3. is clear like glass 4. looks like tears
Snow 1. drifts in quietly 2. piles up 3. is white when clean 4. looks like falling stars
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Rain and Snow
The weather in winter is highly unpredictable. Therefore, people always turn to
weather reports in find out what to expect from the weather, so they prepare
themselves accordingly. During winter, people mostly expect rain or snow. Although
rain and snow have similarities, they also contrast.
Rain and snow are similar in some ways. To start with, they both come from
clouds. Snow as well as rain can turn into hail, sleet or freezing rain. These become
destructive and extremely dangerous to people. In addition, rain and snow are cool
and tingly when they come in contact with skin. Furthermore, rain and snow make the
world glisten. They make the world seem as if it has been cleaned. Their effect is
obvious since they refresh and clean the air too.
Rain and snow are different in their appearances and their manner of falling to the
ground. While rain looks like tears, snow looks like falling stars. The colors of rain
and snow are not alike. Rain is clear like glass. However, snow is white when clean.
Rain and snow do not fall to the ground in a similar manner. Rain makes noisy
clatter, but snow drifts in quietly. When it hits the ground, rain collects in puddles or
seeps in cracks or other possible faults in the ground. Snow, on the other hand, piles
up where it falls.
Rain and snow share several similarities, but they differ in some other ways. Most
people enjoy rain and snow during winter. Rain waters plants and fills the wells with
drinkable water. Snow is fun to look at and play with.
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Mosquitoes and Spiders
Insects are everywhere. They might be encountered in forests, on the
street, and even in people’s homes. When people find them in their homes, however,
they mostly tend to kill them because they get disgusted by their appearances or are
afraid, they might harm them. Usually people might find mosquitoes or spiders in
their homes. Although mosquitoes and spiders are alike in some ways, they also
differ.
Aside from both being home intruders, mosquitoes and spiders share other
similarities. In appearance they are similar in that their color may be brown, gray, or
tan. Mosquitoes and spiders could be alike in activity. They both can eat only liquids.
Also, the females of these insects lay eggs from which they hatch.
It is evident that mosquitoes and spiders are also quite different in their
appearance and activity. Although mosquitoes have six hairy legs, spiders have eight
legs with sensitive bristles. Furthermore, while mosquitoes have two eyes and two
antennae, spiders have two to eight eyes and no antennae. When it comes to food,
mosquitoes feed on plant juices. Spiders, however, trap insects in their web for food.
There is yet another difference between the two insects. It is true that some
mosquitoes bite and spread diseases, but few spiders are harmful to humans.
Mosquitoes and spiders share several similarities, but they differ in some
other ways. Even though spiders are usually not harmful to humans, I’d rather not
see one in my house. I’d also like my house to be mosquito-free. I don’t mind seeing
insects in nature, but I don’t like to have them in my house.
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Character Description Look at the adjectives in the boxes below. These can all be used to describe someone’s character and personality. Three adjectives in each box are positive, two are negative. Decide which and mark them + or – accordingly.
1……………… sociable honest greedy intellectual suspicious
3……………… friendly easy-going forgetful gentle Impulsive
5……………… sad polite pessimistic well-behaved imaginative
7……………… ambitious snobbish creative adventurous irresponsible
2……………… lazy witty clever outgoing rude
4……………… selfish energetic tidy cheerful Impatient
6……………… kind generous romantic possessive stubborn
8……………… shy optimistic pleasant untidy warm
Now read the descriptions of the eight people below. Decide which box above best describes them and write their names in the relevant boxes.
Michael gets on well with all his friends and family, and they don’t really mind when he forgets to meet or phone them when he promised. He is especially good with animals and always looking after injured cats or stray dogs. He likes doing things at the last minute, like going off on holiday.
Tim loves buying flowers and chocolates for his girlfriendand for her birthday. This year he took her to an expensive restaurant for a lovely meal. He hates it when other men talk to her and often refuses to do what she tells him, even if it is for his own good.
Jenny enjoys reading books, especially academic textbooks. She also enjoys going out with her friends. She doesn’t trust strangers, however, and avoids them if she can. Also, she is the first to admit that she eats too many fattening foods like chocolate and ice cream.
Susan spends a lot of time alone in her room, which is always a bit of a mess. She’s a nice person to spend time with, however, and she is always telling me about the dream man she will meet one day and the lovely house she will live in when she’s older.
Laurence never seems to do any work, but he always passes his exams! He loves going to parties and discos, and he is always making people laugh. If he meets someone he doesn’t like, he might say some nasty things to them, but nobody takes his insult too seriously.
Martin always has a frown on his face and he looks like he is expecting something terrible to happen. However, people are always impressed by his good manners, and he never gets into trouble at school. His favorite subject is English and he has written some really clever stories.
Jo is an artist and one day she wants to hold an exhibition of her paintings in the Louvre in Paris. She thinks she is much better than other people and looks down on them. When we went to school together, she was always doing crazy things like parachuting and climbing often without taking proper safety precautions!
Elsa thinks she is more important than other people and shows any concern for others. She also gets very angry with anyone who doesn’t work at the same speed as her. On the other hand, she is often smiling and doing things in the office, which is always neat and well-organized.
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Vocabulary for Writing
Adjectives Describing Character In each sentence below put the correct adjective from the group of three above it.
1. impatient sociable adventurous
a. She loves meeting people and going to parties. She’s a very ___________ person.
b. She likes new things and new places, even if they’re difficult or dangerous. She’s ___________.
c. He gets very annoyed if he has to wait for anything. He doesn’t like waiting. He’s very ___________.
2. ambitious easy-going talkative a. He never gets upset or annoyed when things go wrong. He’s a very ________
man. b. He loves to talk to people and tell them what he thinks and what he’s done. He’s
________ c. She wants to get an important job in a high position. She’s ___________.
3. lazy naughty cheerful a. Little Rosie is always breaking things and doing what her mother tells her not to
do. She’s a ___________ girl. b. He doesn’t like work. He prefers to do nothing. He’s ___________. c. He’s always happy and smiling. He’s very ___________.
4. sensible selfish optimistic a. She only thinks about herself. She doesn’t care about other people. She’s
______. b. He has a lot of common sense. He always knows the correct thing to do. He’s a
___________ boy. c. He always has good hopes for the future. He thinks everything will be fine. He’s
very ___________.
5. polite imaginative tidy a. She’s very careful about her appearance and how she arranges her desk and
her room. She’s a ___________ young lady. b. He always remembers to say “please” and “thank you”. He’s very ___________. c. He has ideas like no one else’s. He can write wonderful stories, draw unusual
pictures, and suggest unusual ideas. He’s extremely ___________.
6. For each of the 15 adjectives above find in the list below the best adjective which describes the opposite kind of person a) impolite b) hard-working c) silly d) pessimistic e) unsociable
f) sad g) well-behaved h) patient i) quiet j) untidy
k) bad-tempered l) unambitious m) cautious n) unselfish o) unimaginative
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More Adjectives to Describe Character
active
ambitious
broadminded
careful
cheerful
confident
crafty
curious
energetic
friendly
generous
gentle
gifted
hardworking
imaginative
independent
intellectual
intelligent
jovial
loyal
modest
optimistic
patient
reliable
secretive
sensible
sensitive
smart
sophisticated
strong-minded
tidy
tolerant
trustworthy
aggressive
boring
careless
clumsy
dull
moody
naïve
showoff
stubborn
stupid
tough
worried
Describing People
Height Build Age Clothes
tall, tallish,
short, medium
height
frail, stocky,
slim, thin, plump,
fat, skinny, well-
built, muscular
young, elderly,
middle-aged,
teenager, in 20s,
30s, 40s
casual, scruffy, shabby,
smart, tidy, messy, dandy,
groovy, fashionable
Face Eyes Hair
round, oval, square, with
scares, wrinkles,
freckles, sun-tanned,
pale
big round blue eyes,
narrow, large, small,
bright,
bald, straight, curly, spiky,
wavy
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Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms Antonyms
Bad adj. 1. Not good; poor: foul, inferior, unpleasant, disagreeable
2. Morally wrong: evil, wicked, sinister, corrupt, malevolent
3. Causing distress: dreadful, unfavorable, ominous, dire
4. Not behaving properly: disobedient, naughty, improper, insubordinate
5. Diseased: infected, contaminated, tainted, poisoned
Good, pleasant, virtuous, excellent, superior, delightful, well-behaved, proper
Synonyms Antonyms
Big adj. Of great size, amount, or importance: large, giant, grand, mammoth, gigantic, huge, bulky, immense, massive, enormous, behemoth, considerable, prodigious, titanic, tremendous, colossal, monumental, significant
Small, little, tiny, minute, miniature, petite, puny, slight, compact, undersized, microscopic
Synonyms Antonyms
Brown adj. having the color of most kinds of soil
1. Beige: very pale brown, like that of sand
2. Fawn: light, yellowish-brown, like a young deer
3. Khaki: dull, yellowish-brown like a soldier’s uniform
4. Bronze: olive-brown, like the metal bronze
5. Russet: dark, reddish-brown, like a dark-colored apple
6. Sepia: a grayish-brown, like the color of an antique photograph
Synonyms Antonyms
Cheap adj. 1. Low in price: modest, economical, inexpensive
2. Of low quality: inferior, poor, low-grade, shoddy, shabby
3. Of little value: worthless, valueless, paltry
Costly, expensive, high-grade, priceless, valuable, generous, benevolent, giving
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4. Not generous: stingy, miserly, tightfisted
Synonyms Antonyms
End v. To bring or come to a close: finish, stop, halt, cancel, quit, conclude, complete, close, resolve, cease, terminate, discontinue, finalize, extinguish, culminate
Begin, commence, start, originate
Synonyms Antonyms
Feeling n. 1. A physical sensation: sense, touch, impression, awareness, response
2. A mental attitude or sensation: affection, emotion, sentiment, passion, sensitivity
3. A point of view: opinion, belief, attitude, position
Unawareness, numbness, insensitivity, unconcern, apathy
Synonyms Antonyms
Honest adj. 1. Truthful; not lying: honorable, trustworthy, upright, virtuous, credible, ethical, principled
2. Being exactly what it appears to be: real, pure, genuine, authentic, natural, legitimate
3. Not hiding anything: frank, candid, sincere, forthright, outspoken, straightforward, blunt
Dishonest, deceitful, unethical, untruthful, dishonorable, unprincipled
Synonyms Antonyms
Look v. to focus on one’s eyes or attention on something
1. Too look quickly: glimpse, glance, skim
2. To look secretively: spy, peek, peep, pry, scout
3. To look long and thoughtfully: gaze, contemplate, inspect, pore, peruse, scrutinize
4. To look steadily and directly: stare, gape, gawk, goggle, ogle
5. To look angrily: glare, glower, scowl
Ignore, overlook, disregard
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Synonyms Antonyms
Nice adj. 1. Pleasing to the sense: pleasant, agreeable, delightful, refreshing, charming, appealing, enchanting, captivating, delectable, savory
2. Kind: kindhearted, gracious, friendly, tender, charitable, cordial, gentle, sweet, decent, compassionate, sympathetic, considerate
3. Above average: great, superb, excellent, superior, commendable, fantastic, marvelous
4. Polite: proper, courteous, gracious, well-mannered
5. Very particular: exacting, finicky, fussy, particular, critical, accurate, meticulous, precise, fastidious, discriminating, selective
6. Tasteful: dainty, delicate, elegant, refined, polished, cultivated, cultured, subtle, fine
Disagreeable, miserable, mean, uncaring, horrible, bad, awful, terrible, dreadful, rude, discourteous, unfriendly, unkind, crude, coarse, vulgar
Synonyms Antonyms
Poor adj. 1. Having little or no money or possessions: needy, impoverished, penniless, indigent, disadvantaged, deprived, destitute
2. Low in quality or quantity: inferior, low-grade, cheap, paltry, base
3. Deserving pity: pitiful, pathetic, unfortunate, wretched, touching, heart-rending
Prosperous, wealthy, excellent, expensive, fortunate
Synonyms Antonyms
Quickly adv. In a fast way: swiftly, rapidly, speedily, hastily, apace, promptly, instantly, hurriedly, rashly, posthaste, immediately, impulsively, feverishly, furiously, expeditiously
Slowly, leisurely, lazily, sluggishly, unhastily, lackadaisically
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Synonyms Antonyms
Say v. to express in words
1. To say quietly: murmur, mutter, mumble, whisper, sigh
2. To say loudly: exclaim, yell, scream, shout, shriek, roar, bellow, boom, screech
3. To say sadly: whine, wail, blubber, sob
4. To say nervously: stammer, stutter, falter, sputter
5. To say angrily: hiss, growl, snap, grunt, snort, bark, thunder
6. To say casually: remark, comment, observe, mention
7. To say with certainty: state, declare, assert, affirm, proclaim
Synonyms Antonyms
Tell v. 1. To express in words: speak, voice, inform, pronounce, verbalize, communicate, articulate
2. To give an account of: describe, narrate, report, express, relate, recount, depict, portray
3. To make known: reveal, disclose, show, expose, divulge, confess, admit
4. To discover by observing: identify, recognize, know, distinguish, place
5. To order: command, dictate, instruct
Conceal, withhold, suppress
Synonyms Antonyms
Upset adj. unsettled
1. Slightly upset: uneasy, worried, concerned, troubled, disquieted
2. Quite upset: shaken, flustered, agitated, ruffled, perturbed
3. Extremely upset: frantic, panicked, overcome, overwrought, delirious, hysterical
Calm, relaxed, restrained, cool, carefree, tranquil, serene, peaceful, composed
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Synonyms Antonyms
Yellow adj. having the color of ripe lemons
Flaxen: a very pale yellow, like flax Amber: light yellowish-brown, like the color of some cats’ eyes Honey: light brownish-yellow, like honey Canary: bright yellow, like a canary Gold: deep, strong, or metallic, yellow, like some coins and jewelry Saffron: orange-yellow, like the rising sun
WORD BANK
move fast
hurry / rush / skip / run
/ dart / scamper / race
/ scramble / scurry
move slowly
creep / saunter / slink
sneak / crawl / loiter
stalk / tiptoe
Synonyms for to say
add / address / admit / agree /
announce / answer / assure /
attest exclaim / express / fume /
giggle / imply / laugh / mimicked /
nag / order / reveal / scold / urge /
warn /
Sensory Words
Use a dictionary to look up the words you do not understand.
Touch:
cold
cool
damp
dry
fragile
furry
fuzzy
hairy
leathery
mushy
oily
prickly
lukewarm
rough
rubbery
sandy
satiny
silky
slippery
smooth
steamy
tough
warm
wet
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Taste:
alkaline
medicinal
bitter
burnt
buttery
crisp
bittersweet
bland
fishy
fruity
gingery
hot
oily
peppery
raw
ripe
rotten
salty
sour
spicy
spoiled
sugary
tangy
tasteless
Smell:
acidy
aromatic
perfumed
mildewed
savory
burnt
earthy
fishy
fresh
minty
putrid
rancid
rotten
scented
odorous
stagnant
fragrant
pungent
sharp
sour
musty
spoiled
Sweet
Sound:
bark blare boom bang brawl hubbub deafening Bump explode
buzz clamor clap clash crackle Crash gurgle hiss hum jangle
melody piercing murmur rustle mute mutter peep racket rage rasp
riot roar rumble screech shout sigh slam smash snap stomp
swish thunder thump twitter whisper whistle whine squawk yell zing