Saturday, March 21, 2020

Sentence Auction Grammar Game

Sentence Auction Grammar Game Holding Sentence Auctions is a fun way to help students review key points in grammar and sentence construction while having some good fun. Basically, students in small groups are given some money with which to bid on various sentences. These sentences include correct and incorrect sentences, the group which buys the most correct sentences wins the game. Sentence Auctions ESL Activity Aim: Review grammar and sentence structure while having funLevel: Intermediate/Advanced Outline Divide the class into small groups of 3 or 4 students per group.Talk about auctions: Do the students know what they are? Can they describe an auction? Have they every been to an auction?, etc.Explain the rules of this auction.The aim of the game is to buy as many correct sentences as possibleEach group will have $3000 to spendBids begin at $200Bids increase by $100 each bidThe sentence will be sold to the highest bidder (remember? $400 going once, $400 going twice, $400 sold to group X!)The winner of the game is the group which has bought the most correct sentencesYou can make the auction more difficult by declaring the winner based on the number of correct sentences minus the number of incorrect sentences (5 correct sentences minus 3 incorrect two correct sentences)Once the game has finished, go through each sentence saying whether it is correct or incorrect.Have a fun celebration of the winning team!After things have calmed down, go through each sentence explaining any grammar / u sage questions that arise. Sentence Auction Decide which sentences you would like to buy! Collect correct masterpieces! Watch out for incorrect fakes! The film is so an interesting adaptation of the novel that I highly recommend it.If she had stayed in a better hotel, she would have enjoyed her vacation.Not only should he study more, but also should he get more sleep.I would really like to know whether she plans on joining our group.John is a very horrible judge of character.Look at those dark clouds on the horizon! Itll rain before long.When I stopped to talk to Mary, she was picking some flowers in her garden.Our family would go to the park every Sunday when we lived in London.If he were in charge of the department, he would improve staff communication.They had finished their work by the time we arrived.Jack cant have been at home, he told me he was going to be at work.Did you remember locking the door?Ill finish my homework by the time you get back.The number of smokers have been dropping steadily for twenty years.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S

Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S By Maeve Maddox Should one write â€Å"Jesus’ name† or â€Å"Jesus’s name†? Which is correct, â€Å"Travis’ friend† or â€Å"Travis’s friend†? The questions on the use of the apostrophe to form the possessive keep coming. This post is about how to form the possessive of a proper name that ends in -s. Most stylebooks agree that the rule for forming the possessive of a singular noun ending in -s is formed by adding ’s: the boss’s birthday the bus’s wheels the witness’s testimony When it comes to forming the possessive of a proper name that ends in s, guides disagree. Some stylebooks recommend a single apostrophe for Biblical or classical names like Jesus and Achilles, but ’s for names like James and Charles; others say, â€Å"Treat all names ending in s the same.† The Chicago Manual of Style once recommended a single apostrophe to form the possessive of Biblical or classical names: Moses’ tent Achilles’ helmet Jesus’ name Some guides still recommend this usage, but CMOS has changed its policy in a spirit of consistency; now it recommends that all proper names ending in -s form their possessive by adding ’s: Moses’s tent Achilles’s helmet Jesus’s name Travis’s friends Dickens’s novels Descartes’s philosophy Franà §ois’s efforts Tacitus’s Histories Kansas’s legislature Euripides’s tragedies the Ganges’s source Equally consistent, the Associated Press Style Book opts for a single apostrophe for all proper names ending in -s: Moses’ tent Achilles’ helmet Jesus’ name Travis’ friends Dickens’ novels Descartes’ philosophy Franà §ois’ efforts Tacitus’ Histories Kansas’ legislature Euripides’ tragedies the Ganges’ source The New York Times style manual generally agrees with CMOS, but adds this wrinkle: Omit the  s  after the apostrophe when a word ends in two sibilant soundsseparated only by a vowel sound:  Kansas’ Governor;  Texas’ population;  Moses’ behalf But when a name ends with a sibilant letter that is silent, keep the possessive  s:  Arkansas’s Disagreement on the issue of apostrophe s vs. plain apostrophe goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas believes that the possessive form of a name like his should be formed by adding only an apostrophe: â€Å"Justice Thomas’ opinion.† Referring to the case Kansas v. Marsh (2006), Thomas wrote â€Å"Kansas’ statute,† but his colleague Justice Souter wrote â€Å"Kansas’s statute.† If you write for publication, how you treat the possessive of proper names that end in -s will be determined by your employer’s house style. If you are free to choose which style to follow, keep in mind that the writer’s goal is to convey thoughts as clearly as possible to readers. Style guides exist to assist writers in this goal, but it seems to me that there are problems with the recommendations of all three guides mentioned above. I prefer the guidelines given in the Penguin Guide to Punctuation: A name ending in s takes only an apostrophe if the possessive form is not pronounced with an extra s. Hence: Socrates’ philosophy, Ulysses’ companions, Saint Saens’ music, Aristophanes’ plays. The reasoning behind this rule is that as we don’t say [sok-ru-teez-iz], there’s no reason to write â€Å"Socrates’s.† Punctuation is supposed to aid readers, not puzzle them. It’s no help to readers unfamiliar with English pronunciation to mislead them into trying to say [dick-inz-iz], or [u-rip-uh-deez-iz] by writing â€Å"Dickens’s novels† or â€Å"Euripides’s plays.† The bottom line is that stylebooks do not agree on whether to write â€Å"Jesus’ name† or â€Å"Jesus’s name,† â€Å"Travis’ friend† or â€Å"Travis’s friend.† Writers not bound by a specific style manual must make their own decision and be consistent with it. Personally, I’d write â€Å"Jesus’ name† and â€Å"Travis’s friend† because I would say â€Å"[jee-zus] name† and â€Å"[trav-is-iz] friend.† Related Post: Charles’s Pen and Jesus’ Name Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouAnyone vs. EveryoneTypes of Plots