AN ACROSTIC

In an acrostic, you start with a theme word and use each letter of that word to start another word or phrase that describes the theme word. The acrostic below is based on the theme word SNOW.
Instructions: Write an acrostic based on one of the following themes :
CHRISTMAS, HANUKKAH, REINDEER, SANTA CLAUS, MENORAH, or NEW YEAR.
S Slippery
N Numbing
O Obliterating
W Wintery

A CINQUAIN POEM

A cinquain poem is a five-line poem that is diamond-shaped. Start with a theme word (noun) and then use the pattern 1 noun, 2 adjectives, 3 gerunds, 1 full sentence, and finally a synonym for the first noun.
Here is an example starting with the theme word SNOW
.....................Snow.........................
.................Cold, white...................
......Falling, freezing, numbing....
.......It chills fingers and toes......
.....................Ice............................

Instructions: Write a cinquain poem based on one of the three following themes:
CHRISTMAS, HANUKKAH, SANTA CLAUSE, REINDEER, MENORAH or NEW YEAR.

SENTENCE COMPLETION, Dec. 10th

Use the type of clause, phrase, or grammar indicated to complete the following sentence; you can add the phrase or clause before or after the clause below:

... I am looking forward to the holiday season...
1. Use a phrase
2. Use a dependent clause
3. Use an independent clause

Note: you can still see previous Sentence Completion questions; they are posted in the 2006/2007 archive in the side bar.

GRAMMAR QUESTION, Dec. 10th

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

An economic prof at Simon Fraser university describes Canada as an overweight country who needs to go on the low-carb diet--low in carbon emission--and loose some weight.

Remember that there is more than one possible correct answer.

Note: you can still see previous Grammar Questions of the Week; they are posted in the archive in the side bar.

ALL CHANGE! Dec. 10th

Change the words in the sentence below as indicated. You can only change the exact word in the sequence given; after someone else has posted the next change, then you can post another change. For instance, student 1 writes #1 Subject Noun, and changes the subject noun; Student 2 writes #2 Direct Object Noun, and changes that noun. Each student only makes one change at a time and keeps to the order indicated.If you complete all 7 changes, then start making more changes again from 1 to 7. Each student should build on the changes that the previous students make.

The fresh snow outside makes the neighbourhood look Christmassy.

1. change the subject noun 2. change direct object noun
3. change the first adjective 4. change the first verb name
5. change the second verb name 6. change the predicate adjective
7. change the verb tense.

SENTENCE COMBINATION, Dec. 10TH

Learning to combine ideas into more complex sentences is an important skill in writing. There are many ways to do this--many possible bonus points! Try to combine the following three sentences.

Sentence 1: The holiday season can be one of high expectations and increased stress.
Sentence 2: People want the season to be perfect, peaceful, and happy.
Sentence 3: The reality often is that the gifts are inappropriate, everything costs too much money, everyone eats and drinks too much, and some of the relatives can be difficult.

Check the archives for previous questions and answers.

VOCABULARY, Dec. 10th

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. Use the following two words (note the part of speech) in one sentence.

diffident (adjective) + superimpose (verb)

Answers will be saved to the Blog archive.

SENTENCE COMPLETION, Dec. 1st

Use the type of clause, phrase, or grammar indicated to complete the following sentence; you can add the phrase or clause before or after the clause below:

... there is only one month left in 2008...
1. Use a phrase
2. Use a dependent clause
3. Use an independent clause

Note: you can still see previous Sentence Completion questions; they are posted in the 2006/2007 archive in the side bar.

GRAMMAR QUESTION, Dec. 1st

Correct the errors in the following sentence:

The team is real happy that they won the game and now the players recover from the party they had thrown afterwards.

Remember that there is more than one possible correct answer.

Note: you can still see previous Grammar Questions of the Week; they are posted in the archive in the side bar.

ALL CHANGE! Dec. 1st

Change the words in the sentence below as indicated. You can only change the exact word in the sequence given; after someone else has posted the next change, then you can post another change. For instance, student 1 writes #1 Subject Noun, and changes the subject noun; Student 2 writes #2 Direct Object Noun, and changes that noun. Each student only makes one change at a time and keeps to the order indicated.If you complete all 6 changes, then start making more changes again from 1 to 6. Each student should build on the changes that the previous students make.

The fluffy snowflakes fell slowly from the sky.

1. change the subject noun 2. change indirect object noun
3. change the first adverb 4. change the first verb name
5. change the adjective 6. change the verb tense

VOCABULARY, Dec. 1st

Vocabulary building is important for both reading comprehension and writing. Use the following two words (note the part of speech) in one sentence.

equilibrium (noun) + presage (verb)

Answers will be saved to the Blog archive.

HALF-WAY THERE CHALLENGE! Dec. 1st

This exercise is advanced sentence combining; it is designed for students who have completed Lesson 9 in the course.

Sentence 1: Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the December 9th this year.
Sentence 2: The date changes every year because Muslims follow a lunar calendar rather than the western calendar.
Sentence 3: The festival celebrates the end of the hajj and the sacrifice made by the prophet Abraham.

1 . Use a gerund to combine the sentences.
2. Use an appositive to combine the sentences.
3. Use a relative pronoun to combine the sentences.