No Red Ink Notes

a lot VS. alot

"A LOT" is two words, not one. "ALOT" does not exist.

a VS. an

"A" comes before words that begin with a consonant sound. "AN" comes before words that begin with a vowel sound.

because VS. cause

"BECAUSE" suggests that two events have a cause and effect relationship. " 'CAUSE" is informal and not used in sentences.

biased VS. bias

"BIASED" means "having or showing prejudice." "BIAS" is the noun/verb form of biased.

desert VS. desert

"DESERT" is a hot arid patch of land where few forms of life exist. "DESSERT" is the yummy food that follows a meal.

into VS. in to

"INTO" is a preposition that indicates movement toward the inside of a place. "IN TO" is just the combination of the individual words "in" and "to" and does not indicate movement inside.

it's VS. its

"IT'S" means "it is." "ITS" shows ownership or belonging.

knot VS. not

"KNOT" refers to an interlacing or looping of a rope used for fastening. "NOT" expresses negation, denial, or refusal.

know VS. no

"KNOW" means "to understand." "NO" means the opposite of yes.

later VS. latter

"LATER" means "after a long period of time." "LATTER" refers to the second of the two things mentioned.

passed VS. past

"PASSED" indicates motion, the deliverance of an object, or the completion of an action. "PAST" either refers to a prior time period (in the past) or describes direction (marching past the school).

prejudice VS. prejudiced

"PREJUDICED" means "having or showing bias." "PREJUDICE" is the noun and verb form of "prejudiced."

principal VS. principle

"PRINCIPAL" means a chief, head, or high-ranking official. "PRINCIPLE" is a rule that people follow.

right VS. write

"RIGHT" is the opposite of wrong. "WRITE" is to communicate in writing.

their VS. there VS. they're

"THEIR" is a possessive pronoun; it shows that something belongs to multiple people. "THERE" refers to a particular place or a specific instance. "THEY'RE" is a contraction for "they are." the apostrophe replaces the "a" in "are."

to VS. too VS. two

"TO" is a preposition that usually expresses motion or direction. "TOO" is an adverb that means "in addition," "in excess," "more than should be," or "also."

who's VS. whose

"WHO'S" means "who is." "WHOSE" shows ownership or belonging.

Example of parenthetical citation:

(Rowling 144).

What do you capitalize in a title?

1. the first and last word of a title. 2. any in between word except for FANBOYS, prepositions, and articles.

Example of a correct date:

April 4, 2017.

Example of a person's title:

Karl invited Steven Howard, professor of English, to dinner.

Example of items in a series:

Kyle wants to climb a tree, chase butterflies, and nap today.

Who can be the speaker?

a character or the narrator.

Who can be the listener?

a character, the reader, or the viewer.

What do you need to add when a clause or phrase starts a sentence?

a comma.

What two thoughts can attach to form a sentence?

a complete and incomplete thought.

What is an independent clause?

a complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence.

What do complete thoughts express?

a full idea.

What can plot clues describe?

a particular point in a conversation.

What is an article?

a short adjective that introduces a noun.

What are the three articles?

a, an, the.

What is a dependent clause?

adds information to an independent clause, and it cannot stand alone as a sentence.

What is a verb?

an action word that tells us what someone (or something) is doing.

What is a claim?

an argument that expresses a writer's viewpoint.

What are superlative adjectives?

best or worse to compare a group of nouns based on how good they are.

What are comparative adjectives?

better or worse to compare two nouns based on how good they are.

What are long-forms of work?

books, plays, newspapers, movies and TV shows, operas, and other long or complete pieces of literature or artwork.

How do subjects form a sentence?

by working with verbs.

What are the three parts of an effective argument?

claim, evidence, and reasoning.

What are appositives surrounded by?

commas, even if they aren't necessary to understand a sentence.

What are adjectives?

describe nouns. usually tell what kind, which one, or how many.

What are action verbs?

describe what someone (or something) does.

What is the plot clue?

explains when the evidence occurs in the novel or film.

What is FANBOYS?

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

What is an appositive?

identifies or renames the noun (or noun phrase) right before or after it.

How would you cite long-forms of work?

italics.

What can be a direct object?

nouns, pronouns, phrases, or clauses.

How would you cite short-forms of work?

quotation marks (" ").

What are the two jobs of a conclusion?

restate and extend your argument.

What are short-forms of work?

short stories, poems, journal and magazine articles, songs, fairy tales, and shorter works or compositions.

What are passive voice verbs?

show that something is being done to the subject. always include a "to be" verb in front of the main verb.

What is a preposition?

shows the relationship between a noun and other words in a sentence?

What is SWABI?

since, when, after, because, if.

What are adverbs?

tell us "how," "when," or "where" verbs will happen.

What are direct objects?

tell us "who" or "what" about a verb.

What are active voice verbs?

tell us what the subject is doing. can be any tense as long as the subject is doing the action.

What is the subject of a sentence?

the part of the sentence that is doing or being.

What is the listener?

the person who is listening or being spoken to in a piece of evidence.

What is the speaker?

the person who is speaking or thinking in a piece of evidence.

What is THAMO?

therefore, however, also, meanwhile, otherwise.

What happens when appositives are essential to a sentence?

they don't take the commas.

When do you add a comma in between adjectives?

when they do not have equal weight.

What do prepositions give details about?

where or when.

Can the subject of a sentence be a pronoun?

yes.