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A variety of exercises and resources

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Writing Overview - Why Writing is Important - Aims Community College

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Writing for a College Student The typical college student will be required to write a variety of essays throughout his/her collegiate career. These essay assignments will cover a variety of goals and purposes. Most of the time, a student will be required to work on an essay assignment as homework.

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Be a better writer: TED TALKS (tutorials)

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Be a better writer: TED TALKS (tutorials)

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Library Guides: Citing and referencing: In-text citations

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A guide to the styles recommended by Monash schools and departments for students and researchers

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Definitions and activities.

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Skip to the clauses & phrases worksheets.

Clauses and phrases are the building blocks of sentences. Every sentence must have at least one clause to be considered grammatically correct. Understanding how clauses and phrases work will help you better understand sentence structure. You'll need to have a working knowledge of subjects, predicates, and objects before you continue.

Clauses

A clause is a subject and a predicate working together.

Examples
I took the dog to the park.
The example has one subject, I, and one predicate, took. Since they are working together to form a comprehensible sentence, this sentence has one clause.

This example has two predicates: love and spend. Since they are each working together with separate subjects, this sentence has two clauses.

Phrases

A phrase is a group of words related to the subject, predicate, or object. Phrases do not contain a subject and a predicate, or we would call them clauses. Phrases provide additional information about subjects, predicates, and / or objects, and understanding how they work is helpful to building an analyzing sentences.

After working late into the night, Jack fell asleep on his desk.
The emboldened portion of the sentence exemplifies the phrase. It provides additional information about our subject, Jack, but the sentence does not require this information to be grammatically complete.

I left my keys inside of the Whole Foods, my favorite grocery store.
In this example sentence, the predicate is left and the subject is I. On the other side of the sentence we have a phrase that provides additional information about the object of the sentence Whole Foods. Note that a phrase can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

Click here to learn about independent and dependent clauses.

Clauses Worksheet - Here's a fun, mall-themed worksheet to help your students better recognizes clauses and sentence structure. Students identify the subjects, predicates, and objects in 15 sentences and determine how many clauses are in each sentence. Then students write original sentences with a variety of clauses.
Clauses Worksheet 01 | RTF
Clauses Worksheet 01 | PDF
Clauses Worksheet 01 | Preview
Clauses Worksheet 01 | Ereading Worksheet - Online Test
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Joining Clauses and the Circus - Students read the circus themed sentences and join the clauses using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions without creating run-on sentences.
Joining Clauses and the Circus RTF
Joining Clauses and the Circus PDF
Preview Joining Clauses and the Circus in Your Web Browser
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Ninjas! - Independent and Dependent Clauses - Read the paragraph about ninjas. Circle dependent clauses and underline independent clauses.
Ninjas and Clauses RTF
Ninjas and Clauses PDF
Preview Ninjas and Clauses in Your Web Browser
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Clauses and Phrases Worksheets - Features the exciting theme of leprechauns. Circle the predicates, underline the subject, double underline the phrases.
Clauses and Phrases Worksheet RTF
Clauses and Phrases Worksheet PDF
Preview Clauses and Phrases Worksheet in your Browser
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Clauses Lesson - Slide show lesson teaching students independent and dependent clauses and phrases. It includes a practice assessment after the lesson.
Clauses Lesson PPT

Clauses and Phrases PowerPoint Lesson - This slideshow is a revision of the above lesson, but it has been both simplified and expanded.
Clauses and Phrases PowerPoint Lesson

Looking For Something Else?
Subjects, Predicate, and Objects Worksheets
Sentence Structure Worksheets
All Reading Worksheets

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Clauses and Phrases | Worksheets, Activities, & Information | Ereading Worksheets

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Skip to the clauses & phrases worksheets. Clauses and phrases are the building blocks of sentences. Every sentence must have at least one clause to be considered grammatically correct. Understanding how clauses and phrases work will help you better understand sentence structure. You'll need to have a working knowledge of subjects, predicates, and objects before you continue.

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Quiz

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English Grammar 101 - Clauses, Lesson 1: What is a Clause?

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Learn more about what is a clause. Our lessons offer detailed explanations along with exercises to test your knowledge.

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A comprehensive resource which unpacks language choices in writing.

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This could be used  with sentence structure.

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NSW syllabus- EN5-3B: Outcome 3: selects and uses language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts, describing and explaining their effects on meaning (EN5-3B) - Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features: analyse how higher order concepts are developed in complex texts through language features including nominalisation, clause combinations, technicality and abstraction

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In technical, scientific and mathematical writing the logical relationship between the items that the conjunctions connect is not made explicit and introduces comprehension complications. These writing genres bring the challenging elements of unfamiliar vocabulary including jargon and technical words, lexically dense sentences and an element of 'guessing' or interpreting the data in relation to the task.

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Using complex sentences adds depth and sophistication to your writing. The linking of dependent and independent clauses helps to qualify and expand upon the central idea(s) of a sentence / paragraph. It makes your writing easier to read as it is not as fragmented as lots of simple sentences.

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There are three main types of sentences. The first of these is called a simple sentence.

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This resource explores using connectives to facilitate flow of ideas and development of detail in writing.

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Text structure - connectives and conjunctions | Student assessment

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Cohesion in texts includes the use of connectives and conjunctions and more sophisticated texts effectively use a variety of referring words, substitutions, word associations and text connectives to improve the flow of the writing. It refers to the use of linguistic devices to join sentences together, including conjunctions, reference words, substitution and lexical devices such as repetition of words (or synonyms), collocations and lexical groups.

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A lesson outline which could be 'loosely' applied to your content area.

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Printable Lesson Plan On Sequencing Sentences

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1. Make sure you read the sentences more than once to the class with some animation. 2. Ask them if they are in the right order. 3. If not, how would they change them? 4. Call on students and decide as a class if their suggested change is correct or not.

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Fundamental to this understanding is students' ability to analyse and discuss grammatical features explicitly. Studying grammatical terms focus's attention on accuracy and the development of well-structured sentences, complete sentences with accurate subject-verb agreement. Grammar needs to be integrated into authentic text study at the level of the construction of words (graphemes), the word, the sentence and the text.

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Poster

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Punctuating sentences.

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Plain English Campaign is an independent group fighting for plain English in public communication. We oppose gobbledygook, jargon and legalese.

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Copyright for this website is owned by the State of New South Wales through the Department of Education. For more information go to http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/footer/copyright.

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ALARM stands for 'A learning and responding matrix' and was developed by Max Woods. 20 MDCC Staff have been trained to use ALARM and can be called upon for assistance using the matrix.

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Click on the link for the Question document: Max Woods, the creator of ALARM (A Learning And Responding Matrix) introduces the system designed and developed to help teachers teach students how to learn.

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Paragraphing

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Providing text structure | Student assessment

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Some general strategies for improving paragraphs for whole text structure include: deconstructing exemplars; 'Order, order!' sequencing text from 'cut up' paragraphs; reconstructing text for a different audience/purpose; 'Guess who' identifying the purpose of the text and who the targeted audience might be based on the structure; peer editing with a focus on structure; 'What's missing?'

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Scroll down on this page to access the evaluation section

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Dead Fish Handshakes are a huge pet peeve of mine. You offer your hand in greeting and the other person returns a grip that is downright soggy, their hand flopping in yours like a lifeless cod. It's not a huge offense in the grand scheme of things, but it also seems like such an easy thing to avoid. Just get a grip, people. Of course, pedestrian, soulless introductory paragraphs are much more difficult to avoid. Teachers of writing will instantly recognize these "dead fish" beginnings. We are all too familiar with them. I have, however, had considerable success using the following strategy to help students write more lively, effective introductory paragraphs.

I use a fairly common symbol to articulate the role of an introductory paragraph. This handout is probably something you have seen before, an inverted triangle (or funnel) that reminds students to begin broadly with a HOOK, narrow the focus of the essay with a few sentences that act as a BRIDGE, and then end the paragraph with a clear THESIS. Of course, this is not the only way to write an effective introduction, but it is an excellent model for most situations, especially for young writers.

(Yes, old writers can benefit from it too. You are a clever little monkey and have figured out that the introductory paragraph to this post follows the same format. Well done.)

I find that the portion of this model that flummoxes students the most is the BRIDGE. Beginning writers often need considerable practice to smoothly transition from one idea to the next. I try, then, to give my students more chances to work out this middle part.

The Steps

(Takes 2-4 one hour class periods, depending on the students' age and skills.)

1. I fill one bowl with slips of paper that have random NOUNS on them. (I actually add to the same bowl I use earlier in the year during The Metaphor Game.)

2. I fill another bowl with predetermined thesis statements. (Use the ones at the end of the Effective Introduction handout or make your own.)

3. After a quick conversation about the purpose of introductory paragraphs, I ask my students if they would like to see a magic trick. I then randomly pull a NOUN and a THESIS from the two bowls, and after a moment to gather my thoughts, I orally compose a sample introduction, on the spot. I do this trick a couple times with a new noun and thesis each time to show that, with practice, anyone can get pretty good at connecting two random topics.

4. Students then find a partner and each student pulls a random NOUN and a random THESIS. They then practice creating sample introductions, speaking their paragraphs to one another. I circulate and give feedback and encouragement.

5. After they have practiced in pairs, I ask a few students to share their sample introductions with the class. If nobody volunteers, we move on.

6. Next, students review the Effective Introduction Handout. We review the three parts of an introduction (hook, bridge, thesis) and the list of hook strategies on the back of the sheet.

7. After our review, I give students sample introductions, and in the same pairs as before, they read the introductions, labeling the hook strategy and identifying the three parts.

8. We discuss these sample introductions, identifying the components and hook strategies.

9. Students then pull another random noun and thesis, and write a sample introduction (either in class or as homework).

10. With each new writing assignment, I refer back to these exercises, reinforcing concepts when necessary. Many students often request to pull a random noun as a way to kickstart their writing, too.

When using this strategy, it is very important to avoid spoon feeding the connection (a.k.a. the "bridge"). Practice with this sort of connection making is what students need, so the more chances we can give them to work out their own mental paths, in low-stress situations, the more likely it becomes that they can write original introductions on their own. Students certainly don't find this work easy; one of my grade six students recently asked me, "Would you feel my forehead? My brain is overheating." Yet, whether we are asking beginning writers or more experienced writers to complete such work, we are helping them develop a skill that makes writing entertaining and memorable-the ability to organize information in new, surprising, and playful ways.
Effective Introductions Handout Grade 6 Version Effective Introductions Handout Grades 9-12 Version Even more sample introductions from high school writers

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No Dead Fish: Teaching Students to Write Effective Introductions

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Dead Fish Handshakes are a huge pet peeve of mine. You offer your hand in greeting and the other person returns a grip that is downright soggy, their hand flopping in yours like a lifeless cod. It's not a huge offense in the grand scheme of things, but it also seems like such an easy thing to avoid.