Spotlight grammar workbook adj adv

Spotlight on Grammar: Adjectives and Adverbs teaches students the functions and correct uses of adjectives and adverbs.. If your students list words that aren’t tives, help them understa

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Copyright © 2006 LinguiSystems, Inc All of our products are copyrighted to protect the fine work of our authors You may only copy the student materials as needed for your own use with students Any other reproduction or distribution of the pages in this book is prohibited, including copying the entire book to use as another primary source or “master” copy.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Carolyn LoGiudice and Kate LaQuay

Skill Area: GrammarAges: 8 through 11Grades: 3 through 6

To language and learning instructors devoted toimproving students’ skills and supporting theirhighest aspirations

About the Authors

Carolyn LoGiudice, M.S., CCC-SLP, was a speech-languageclinician in school, clinic, and private settings before joiningLinguiSystems in 1984 She has co-authored many materials

with LinguiSystems, including The WORD Test 2, No-Glamour

Vocabulary Cards, The Test of Semantic Skills (TOSS-P and TOSS-I), 100% Grammar, and 100% Punctuation.

Kate LaQuay, J.D., became part of LinguiSystems’ extendedfamily more than 20 years ago when her mother, CarolynLoGiudice, joined the company Now a mother herself, Katehas co-authored several LinguiSystems products, including

U.S History: A Reading Comprehension Book, U.S ment: A Reading Comprehension Game and Spotlight on Vocabulary: Levels 1 and 2 Previously, she practiced law for

Govern-six years in Los Angeles

Carolyn LoGiudice

Kate and Michael LaQuay

Illustrations by Margaret Warner

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Pretest/Posttest 6

What Is an Adjective? 7

What Is an Article? 8

Adjectives That Tell What Kind 9

Adjectives That Tell How Many 11

Identifying Adjectives 12

Adjectives After Linking Verbs 14

Writing Adjectives 16

Comparing With Adjectives 17

What Is an Adverb? 20

Identifying Adverbs 21

Identifying Words Adverbs Describe 25

Changing Words Into Adverbs 26

Writing Adverbs 27

Comparing With Adverbs 30

Tricky Adverbs 33

Using Good and Well 35

Using Bad and Badly 36

Using Adjectives and Adverbs 37

Answer Key 39

By itself, “grammar” is not an engaging topic for students You won’t hear them spontaneously

discuss the function of an adjective vs an adverb Students don’t get excited about linking verbs Most adults outside the academic arena even shy away from grammar, especially now that our

computers can check our grammar for reports or other writings Even so, effective speakers and writers need to understand and use grammar as a sharp tool to express their thoughts Grammar rules help us modify a message for a target audience We even break some rules on purpose to

be more casual.

Some say the most practical reason to teach grammar in school is to help students score well on tests That practice, while pragmatic, ignores the lifelong benefits of solid grammar skills We make snap judgments when we meet people These impressions are based on communication style as much as appearance and background knowledge When all we know about someone is what that person has written, as in many e-mails, grammar and writing style are even more important.

How, then, do we entice students to master basic grammar well enough to apply it in their

conversation and their writing?

• First, teach the grammar concept or rule Highlight a specific grammar point.

• Then, give your students practice, practice, practice.

• Incorporate the grammar concept in both oral and written activities.

• Spotlight the concept as your students encounter it in textbooks, Internet articles, school announcements, and classroom interaction.

• Demonstrate both correct and incorrect use of the grammar concept Talk about the impact

of the concept on a message’s listener or reader Often a message is clearer when it is grammatically correct Incorrect grammar can also distract from the meaning or desired effect of a message.

The goals of Spotlight on Grammar are below.

• To help students recognize and utilize correct grammar in their speaking and writing

• To boost students’ reading comprehension by understanding the role of grammar

All six books in Spotlight on Grammar concentrate on basic grammar concepts typically mastered

by students in fifth grade Use the Pretest/Posttest on page 6 to determine your students’ specific strengths and weaknesses The activities within each book are sequenced by general complexity Sentence structure, vocabulary, and readability are kept simple to keep students’ energies focused

on the grammar concept vs reading comprehension.

Spotlight on Grammar: Adjectives and Adverbs teaches students the functions and correct uses of

adjectives and adverbs These words modify certain other parts of speech and are tools to express our thoughts more clearly and vividly to others Adjectives and adverbs are also essential for com- paring and contrasting things, people, and ideas Below are additional activities to supplement the activities in this book.

• After defining and illustrating adjective for your students, send them on a search for

adjec-tives throughout the school or a given area (posters, bulletin boards, textbooks, written

announcements, etc.) Ask your students to list each one they find As your students share their lists with the whole group, talk about how to be sure a word is an adjective (What does

it modify? What does the dictionary tell us?) If your students list words that aren’t tives, help them understand how to tell a true adjective from another modifier.

adjec-• Read your students a story with colorful adjectives, such as Alexander and the Terrible,

Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Have your students raise their hands

whenever they hear an adjective You can do the same activity with poems or songs.

• Ask your students to write their ten favorite adjectives and then list the opposite of each word Share the lists and think of nouns these words could modify.

• Define and illustrate adverb for your students Then work with them to make lists of 20 action

verbs and 20 adverbs Divide the students into two teams and give each team ten index cards Each team writes one verb and adverb combination from the lists on each card Most

of these combinations will be silly or unique, such as cry carefully As in the Pantomime

game, a member of the other team silently acts out the combination on a card A team earns one point for guessing correctly within one minute The team with the most points wins the game.

• Create Madlib passages for your students or have them develop their own Simply write a brief passage including adjectives and adverbs Delete these words and specify adjective

or adverb in each blank Then have your students complete the passages, comparing and

contrasting their word choices afterward.

• Give your students practice in word flexibility by having them change adjectives into adverbs

and vice versa, such as swift /swiftly, sleepy/sleepily, etc.

We hope Spotlight on Grammar: Adjectives and Adverbs is a big hit with you and your students!

Circle each adjective, including articles Underline each adverb

1 Adam was two hours late for practice yesterday

2 Rub the sunscreen in thoroughly

3 I finally found a black leather jacket

4 The new painting is very beautiful

5 Connor already went to the shoe store

6 The sun went down at seven

7 Dylan won the first contest easily

8 Greta thanked me graciously after the party

Write the correct comparison form to complete each sentence

9 What is the _ thing that ever happened to you?

10 Dante is _ than his sister

11 Josh drank _ soda than I did

What Is an Adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun An adjective answers one ofthese questions:

a juicy pear most people

a rusty nail six snails stinky cheese some trees

Write what kindor how manybefore each sentence

to show the question each bolded adjective answers

1 _ I need to wash my dirty hands.

2 _ I wish I had long hair.

3 _ All campers will learn the song.

4 _ The outdoor market sells many things.

5 _ I saved ten dollars.

6 _ This is an itchy sweater.

7 _ No guests are allowed backstage.

8 _ Dad is watching a scary movie.

9 _ We expect a hot summer.

10 _ A few people laughed.

11 _ We planted some flowers.

12 _ Would you please buy strawberry ice cream?

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What Is an Article?

An article is a special adjective The words a, an, and the are articles We use an beforewords that begin with a vowel We use abefore words that begin with a consonant

a football an orange

Write aor anto finish each sentence

1 Today we will do _ experiment

2 I saw _ shooting star last night

3 We had _ snack outside

4 It was _ accident

5 I forgot to bring _ umbrella

6 Beth is looking for _ exit

7 Gary wants to borrow _ book

8 Have you been inside _ ambulance?

9 We will have _ taco-eating contest

10 Our class will take a field trip to _ museum

11 How long is the wait for _ ticket?

12 The campers will build _ campfire before it gets dark

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Adjectives That Tell What Kind 1

Some adjectives tell what kind

a small dog a sleepy bear

Underline each adjective that tells what kind

1 I want to write short, funny stories

2 Sarah likes chocolate ice cream

3 You carry the heavy brown bag

4 That is the correct answer

5 Cheetahs are fast runners

6 I picked the slow line at the grocery store

7 Chad needs to make a tough choice

8 Eric heard the bad news

9 You have beautiful green eyes

10 Evan rode a red bike with wide tires

11 The frightened girls rushed out the back door

12 Ali ate the last, delicious bite

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Adjectives That Tell What Kind 2

Write three adjectives that could describe each noun

Adjectives That Tell How Many

Some adjectives tell how many

four ducks few cookies

Underline each adjective that tells how many

1 Most of the class understood what Dee said

2 Some visitors watched the parade

3 There are no parking spaces

4 Jake is allergic to all nuts

5 We have two pets, a cat and a canary

6 The lion’s loud roar scared several young children

7 I hope you don’t have many problems

8 All flights to Boston were canceled

9 There are 24 students in our class

10 Christina asked for more lemonade

11 Lori ate seven cookies after lunch

12 Many dogs bark at strangers

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Identifying Adjectives 1

An adjective tells what kindor how many

Circle each adjective, including articles

Lily is a champion skater She started skating

when she was five years old Since then, she has

practiced for hours every day at the Ice House Now

she can do an amazing double-toe loop

Today she competed at the national finals She skated a new routine to

fast music She wore a lovely pink costume and braided shiny silver ribbons into

her long hair

Lily completed three triple axles in four minutes The huge crowd cheered

each time she landed Some fans threw red roses in the ring when she bowed

A few people ran down to ask for an autograph

All five judges gave Lily good scores One judge even gave her a perfect

score! In the end, Lily won first place

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Identifying Adjectives 2

An adjective tells what kindor how many

Circle each adjective, including articles

Mr Christie lives across the street from us He

moved in three years ago He has an exciting job

He works for a major movie studio

Mr Christie makes animated children’s films The last film he finished won an award

for best screenplay The movie told the story of a little boy who wanted to be a famous actor

A guardian angel granted his wish Later, the boy missed his old life Fortunately the movie

had a happy ending

I told Mr Christie, “You have a great job How did you get it?”

He said, “I read many fantasy books when I was a kid I have a great imagination

Do you like to pretend? Maybe you will have a great job in movies, too.”

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Adjectives After Linking Verbs 1

Alinking verblinks the subject with a describing word in the predicate The describing word

is a predicate adjectivebecause it is in the predicate of a sentence

Jason was angry Your cake tastesdelicious

Common linking verbs are be (is, are, was, were) seem, look, feel, taste, and smell

The predicate in each sentence below is underlined Circle each predicate adjective

1 This orange tastes sour

2 The answer seems obvious to me

3 The corsage smelled sweet

4 It feels cooler in the shade

5 The crowd was excited about the touchdown

6 Andrea looked worried by the news

7 We are eager to get started

8 That fabric on the counter feels silky

9 The noise seems closer to us now

10 That ski course looks challenging for beginners

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Adjectives After Linking Verbs 2

A linking verb links the subject with a describing word in the predicate The describing word

is a predicate adjectivebecause it is in the predicate of a sentence

Underline each predicate adjective

1 I am terrible at catching a football

2 You seem happy today

3 Those clouds look dark

4 The bus is late today

5 That necklace looks expensive

6 The new blade feels sharp

7 The shallow water feels warm

8 You are lucky to have a new puppy

9 They were pleased by the surprise

10 These crackers taste stale to me

11 The cantaloupe smells ripe now

12 Jonathan is not afraid of snakes

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Writing Adjectives

Write an adjective before each bolded noun

1 I painted a _ sunflower in art class.

2 We heard a _ noise.

3 Today was a _ day at school.

4 They did a _ job on the project.

5 We saw _ clouds coming toward us.

6 Uncle Joe told us a _ story.

7 The Millers have a _ dog.

8 I have some _ homework to finish.

9 What a _ cake!

10 George ate _ watermelon for dessert.

11 I’m looking for a _ jacket.

12 We watched a _ movie on Saturday.

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Comparing With Adjectives 1

Adjectives help us compare things Read these sentences

Joel has new shoes.

Ramon’s shoes are newer than Joel’s shoes.

Tracy has the newest shoes in our class.

We add - er to an adjective to compare two things

new + er = newer

We add - est to compare three or more things

new + est = newest

Add - er or - est to write the correct adjective in each blank

1 Max is the tall boy on the basketball team

2 These scissors are sharp than that pair

3 Sneakers will keep your feet warm than sandals

4 The library is quiet than the cafeteria

5 I am the old one in my grade

6 Kyle is the fast runner on the track team

7 Brad used bright colors than Ethan

8 Lisa’s drums are loud than Peter’s flute

9 Mom gave me the light bag of groceries to carry home

10 This ribbon is the long of all of them

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Comparing With Adjectives 2

Some adjectives need spelling changes to add - er or - est endings to compare things Hereare some rules to learn:

If an adjective ends with - e , drop the final -e before you add a comparison ending.

nice nic

If an adjective ends with a consonant + - y , change the -y to -i and then add the

comparison ending

happy happi

If a one-syllable adjective has a one-letter voweland ends with aconsonant,

double the consonant and then add the comparison ending.

hot hottUse these spelling rules to compare the adjectives in the chart

Adjective Comparing 2 things Comparing 3 or more things

happierhappiest

hotterhottest

Comparing With Adjectives 3

If an adjective has two or more syllables, we often use the words moreand most or

lessand leastto make comparisons

beautiful more beautiful most beautiful

harmful less harmful least harmful

Use more or less to compare two things Use most or least to compare

three or more things

Write moreor mostto complete each sentence correctly

1 That is the _ wonderful present I’ve ever received

2 Jan is _ trusting than I am

3 I am _ interested in art than music

4 It feels _ comfortable in the shade than it does in the sun

5 Karin is the _ generous person I know

Write lessor leastto complete each sentence correctly

6 Playing golf is _ dangerous than playing basketball

7 What is the _ expensive candy bar that you sell?

8 This measurement is _ accurate than the first one

9 That is the _ believable tale I’ve ever heard

10 My cat is _ affectionate than my dog

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What Is an Adverb?

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb Many adverbs

end with - ly(softly, easily, safely)

An adverb answers one of these questions:

When? lately, soon, tomorrow, then

Where? here, there, south, left

How? quickly, gently, slowly

How much? nearly, hardly, very

Write whether the bolded adverb in each sentence tells

when, where, how, or how much

1 _ The bee barely touched the flower

2 _ Put it down here carefully.

3 _ We moved to an apartment south of the city.

4 _ Colleen wisely stayed out of the way.

5 _ I have felt tired recently.

6 _ The trunk is nearly full now.

7 _ The train arrived early yesterday.

8 _ Turn around slowly.

9 _ We hiked north for two miles.

10 _ Your order will be ready soon.

11 _ Shannon is very excited about the trip.

12 _ Tim stubbornly refused to answer.

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