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Parallelism
What is parallelism? Novice writers learn about parallelism and practice balancing 10 sentences for better syntax and parallel structure. A clear, straightforward worksheet with answers included.
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Semicolons
This worksheet provides a good description of when to use a semicolon, followed by 6 sentences to practice inserting punctuation. A key is provided.
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Commonly Misused Words
After reviewing two pages of commonly misused words: effect/affect, accept/except, there/their/they're, etc., learners must choose the proper word in ten different sentences. Note: Answers are listed at the bottom of page three.
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Independent Clauses in Compound Sentences
Does your class dread using semicolons? Use this resource to join two independent clauses using either a comma, semicolon, or colon. Several examples and six practice sentences are available at the bottom for learners to choose the...
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Organizational Patterns for the Comparison/Contrast Essay
Organization is key in essay writing. The two organizational charts included in this resource model the block approach and the point-by-point approach to organizing a compare and contrast style essay. After examining the charts, writers...
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Essay Exams: Common Question Types
Novice writers often struggle to determine what style of essay to write when given a prompt. This worksheet helps to identify an appropriate form based on the language of the question. For example, key words like prove or justify...
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Possessive Apostrophes
A great review of possesive nouns and how to add apostrophes. Clearly demonstrating where to place the apostrophe for different nouns, the resource also notes some tricky exceptions. Reinforce the concept with a little practice putting...
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The Quotation Mark
Review where quotation marks belong and what they are used to indicate. From direct speech to in-text citations, young writers will find this worksheet quite useful. Several exercises at the bottom, along with a key, give learners...
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Sentence Fragments
Work on sentence fragments with your class using this handout and brief exercise. This resource, which could be used as a reference sheet for learners, goes into detail about complete sentences and the different errors that cause...
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Writing Concisely: Deleting or Replacing Unnecessary Information
Are you actually feeling really tired of reading wordy, redundant, long, lengthy sentences practically all the time over and over again? Introduce writers to this handout and exercise to teach to tighten up their prose! Provides two ways...
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Avoiding Nominalization
Improve syntax with this explanatory handout. It clarifies one way to make writing more precise: avoiding nominalization. This resource provides four ways to find and change nominalization problems and 10 sentences to correct. There are...
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Revising for Clarity: Characters and Their Actions
This handout offers a three-step process for revising sentences for clarity: diagnose, analyze, revise. After reading an example sentence revision with a detailed explanation, learners complete three sample sentences using the three-step...
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Effective Argumentation: Premises and Conclusions
Augment argumentative skills with this handout and brief exercise. This resource outlines premises, conclusions, and joining words, and explains how these make up the foundation of logical arguments. After reading through this...
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Transition Words
Translate transition words for your class with this handout and brief exercise. Fairly straightforward and informative, it includes sample sentences and a working link to a more complete list of transition words. There are two different...
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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Clarify the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs and when to use lay versus lie. Various examples are given before writers practice underlining verbs, circling the object of each verb, and filling in sentences with either...
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Essay Outline Template
Inspire essay organization with this handout and exercise about outlining. Writers read through a brief outline model and then practice writing their own outline by completing a second model. Scholars not only complete the outline, they...
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MLA Formatting Guidelines: Ellipsis for Omissions
If you would like a concise overview of MLA formatting, this two-page handout provides it. It addresses page layout, parenthetical citations, and works cited (including when and how to use ellipses to indicate an omission), but it does...
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Nouns: The Basics
Need to work on nouns with your class? This handout breaks down nouns and provides twelve sentences for noun identification practice. Help English language learners recognize nouns with the examples given on this handout.
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Parentheses and Brackets
Practice using parentheses and brackets with your class using this handout and short exercise. This could also be used as a reference sheet, since it lists several different proper ways to use parentheses and brackets, with examples of...
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Old Information Before New Information
Help your writers streamline their sentence structure with this handout. This resource provides information about sentence organization including definitions and models of the active voice and the passive voice. In addition to reading...
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Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
Beginning with a definition and a few corrected examples, this resource shows how comma splices can be identified and then eliminated. Four sentences are enumerated for writers to practice in order to avoid comma splices themselves.
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Prepositions of Direction
Practice using prepositions correctly in sentences. The first page describes how prepostions are used and what they mean. The second page gives scholars a chance to fill in a few sentences with prepositions.
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Comparing/Contrasting
Do your students love movies? Use Star Wars and Indiana Jones to introduce the use of Venn diagrams for comparing and contrasting. A list of words to indicate comparison or contrast are also included to help with the writing process.
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Prepositions of Time
On, at, in, since, for, during, within... what do all of these words have in common? They are prepositions and they are all prepositions that are included on this hand-out. This handout breaks down prepositions used when talking about...