Name: ____________________________________ Period: _______

Grammar Packet:
March
Some of this material has already been covered in class;
some of it will be covered later on. You should be able to do the
packet independently, and it will help you prepare for class.
Submit your Holiday Grammar and Style Packet to the Packet
Box no later than Friday, March 27.
Even if you are able to finish your packet during school
hours, always take it home and ask a relative or homework helper to
review it with you before you turn it in.
If you ever have any trouble, remember you can always come
to my classroom at lunch on the first and last days of the week for
individual help. 
I have no extras. If you lose your packet, you will have to
print another from my teacher website (www.lusd.org/Page/3380).
WORK IN PENCIL. You will probably need to erase at some
point.

This Month’s Learning Objectives:

 Correctly use commas in sentences with multiple clauses.

 Correctly combine simple sentences into compound sentences
using both the commas+FANBOY and the semicolon method.
 Distinguish between simple sentences that have compound
subjects and/or verbs and compound sentences.
 Identify the subordinate clause in complex sentences.
 Distinguish between simple, compound, and complex
sentences.
 Use a variety of sentence types in your own writing.
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Commas and Clauses
Last month, you studied dependent and independent clauses. This
month, you will learn how to combine them into different types of
sentences.

There are a few basic rules governing commas in sentences that

have more than 1 clause.

1. When you have more than one independent clause in a sentence,

you can join them using a comma and a FANBOY (a coordinating
conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). The comma MUST be
present.
I painted twenty eggs, but Sandy painted thirty.

You will clean your room, or I am going to have a big yard sale!

2. Most dependent clauses do not require a comma if they come

after the independent clause, but do require a comma if they come
before the independent clause.

I know something is wrong when she is in a quiet mood.

When she is in a quiet mood, I know something is wrong.

3. Which is a special non-coordinating conjunction. It is special

because it begins clauses that must always be separated from the
rest of the sentence by commas:

I read Gathering Blue, which is the sequel to The Giver.

Poetry, which is an ancient form of literature, still has the power to

cast a spell over modern listeners.

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4. The word that begins clauses that NEVER use commas.
I found out from the interview that Gathering Blue is the sequel to
The Giver.

Poetry that can cast a spell over its listeners is found in ancient
books and modern coffeeshops.

Many people confuse which and that when it comes to commas.

Which requires commas; that does not.

Proofread the following essay. You will have to write directly on

the draft to fix it. Here is a partial, basic checklist:

 Tell the writer to INDENT. Draw the pilcrow symbol ¶ to the left
of any line that you believe should be indented.
 Capitalize the beginning of each sentence, proper
nouns/adjectives, and the pronoun “I”.
 Fix all misspelled words, including contractions.
 Add, move, or remove commas based on the 4 rules listed on
pages 2 and 3.
 Check that all interjections must have a comma.
 If there is only ONE comma between a subject and predicate,
that is incorrect. Check to see whether you need to remove it or
add another one.

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This month’s “Sotp!” Proofreading text was adapted from Steve Peha’s student writing samples
at www.ttms.org.
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english 7 cindy nero
Period 3 march 20 2014
Cheaper products—At What cost?
Rite now I want you to pretend, that you are in a store As you walk

around you see that some products is much less expensive then others.

Now, look at the labels an these cheapter items; do you notice that many

of them say, “Made in china” or “Made in Honduras”. Have u ever stoped

to wonder why products made in these countries Are so much more

affordable than things, that are manufactured on American soul? Well

before you buy another expensive article Of clothing, pear of shoes, or

sporting gud, you might want to think this thru.

Child labor has long been bannd in the united states but out of site

shouldnt mean out of mind. Over 200 million children world wide work

full time in conditions not fit for a animal. They do not play sports they

do not attend school and they do not have fun. These children, sadly are

prisoners.

Take for example, Pakistan and india. In these countries a ~bonded

labor” system forces child laburers who can be as young as for years old,

to work four a single employers for many yeers. They r some times

literally tied to their loom to ensure they r not slacking off which is

unthinkable to most people. In return for their servitude they receive a

place to sleep and just enough food too sustain them.

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Compound Sentence 2

A compound sentence is a sentence with two or more independent

clauses. It has no dependent clauses.

INDEPNEDENT CLAUSE: Melvina wrote to her mother’s aunt

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE: Leroy wrote to his cousin from Jamaica

COMPOUND SENTENCE: Melvina wrote to her mother’s aunt, and

Leroy wrote to his cousin from Jamaica.

There are 2 ways to combine independent clauses into a compound

sentence.

1. The most common way is to use a comma and a coordinating

conjunction (a.k.a. a FANBOY):

Melvina wrote a paragraph, and Leroy wrote three pages.

2. In some cases, it may be appropriate to join the two independent
clauses using a semicolon:

Melvina wrote three paragraphs; Leroy wrote two pages.

This method generally only works well for clauses that you would
have joined using a comma and the FANBOY and.

REMEMBER:
 If you use a FANBOY, you MUST use a comma.
 If you use a semicolon, you CANNOT use a FANBOY!

2
This section is adapted from Holt Handbook First Course 131-132.

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PRACTICE 1
1) Identify the simple subject and simple predicate in each
independent clause with single and double underlining respectively.
2) In the blank, write what method was used to join the clauses into
a compound sentence. Write either comma + FANBOY or semicolon.

EXAMPLE: A reporter will speak to our class next week, and we will
learn about careers in journalism. comma + AND

1. Ruth Benedict was a respected anthropologist, and Margaret

Mead was one of her students.
__________________________

2. Weather changes rapidly, but climate changes slowly.

__________________________

3. Linh Phan lived in Vietnam for many years, so he knows all about
Vietnamese foods such as nuoc mam.
__________________________

4. Our landlord is kind, yet she forbids pets in the building.

__________________________

5. Daniel Boone received no formal education, but he was literate.

__________________________

6. Sofia’s favorite is the marble cake; Elena enjoys the pudding.

__________________________

7. Sheena did not play soccer; she had sprained her ankle.
__________________________

8. Eight men went up the mountain, but only two returned by

nightfall.
__________________________

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Simple or Compound
Sentence? 3

If you have not mastered identifying subjects and predicates, then

you will find it difficult to distinguish between compound sentences
and simple sentences that have compound subjects or compound
predicates.

This is why your teachers drilled you for so long on parts of speech
and identifying subjects and predicates last semester. If you are still
shaky on this concept and need more review than this packet, there
are hundreds of sites on the Internet that will help you practice this
basic skill of finding the subject and predicate.

A simple sentence can have a simple subject and predicate:

My dog hates loud noises.

A sentence can have a compound subject and a compound predicate

but still be a simple sentence. Remember that a sentence with a
compound subject has more than one subject:

My dog and my baby brother hate loud noises.

A sentence can also have a compound predicate, or, in other words,

more than one predicate:

My dog hates and fears loud noises.

Finally, a sentence can have a compound subject and a compound

predicate! Behold:

My dog and my baby brother hate and fear loud noises.

3
This section is adapted from the Holt Handbook First Course 133-134.

7
However, all these sample sentences are still SIMPLE sentences.
Remember that a simple sentence has only one clause. For it to be a
compound sentence, it must have more than one independent
clause. For example:

My dog whines at loud noises, and my brother whimpers too.

This sentence is compound ONLY because it has more than one

independent clause.

TIP: Look for a comma+FANBOY or a semicolon. If they are

present and correctly used, then the sentence is compound.

PRACTICE 2
1) Underline the subjects and double-underline the predicates in
each sentence. 2) Label each sentence as simple or compound.

EXAMPLE: A rain forest is a tropical evergreen forest and has heavy

rains throughout the year. _______ 
A rain forest is a tropical evergreen forest and has heavy rains
throughout the year. simp

1. The trees and other plants in a rain forest grow close together,
and they rise to different heights. _________________

2. The Amazon is located in South America and is one of the longest

rivers in the world. _________________

3. The Amazon begins in Peru, and it flows across Brazil to the

Atlantic Ocean. _________________

4. The Amazon is actually a network of several rivers, but most

people think of these combined rivers as only one river.
_________________

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5. In the photo at the left, the Amazon twists and curves.
_________________

6. The variety of plant life in the Amazon rain forest is remarkable;

in fact, of all rain forests in the world, this area contains the greatest
number of plant species. _________________

Complex Sentences 4

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least

one dependent clause.

Remember that dependent clauses, like all clauses, have a subject

and a predicate. However, unlike independent clauses, they cannot
stand alone as a sentence. Dependent clauses usually begin with
these conjunctions:

if that as
when which for which
after who for whom
before because since

Here are some examples of complex sentences. The dependent

clauses are underlined. (Notice how, if you took out the dependent
clauses, you would have a perfectly good simple sentence.)

The boy who left is my cousin.

When I hear classical music, I think of Aunt Sonia.

One interesting annual event that is held in the Southwest

is the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, which involves many
different American Indian peoples.

4
This section is adapted from the Holt Handbook First Course 135-136.

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PRACTICE 3
Underline the dependent clause in each complex sentence.
(There is ONLY one dependent clause in each of these sentences!)

EXAMPLE: Helen Keller, who overcame severe physical impairments,

showed great determination. 
Helen Keller, who overcame severe physical impairments, showed
great determination

1. After Helen, only a small child, recovered from an illness, she

could no longer see or hear.

2. Because she could not hear, she also lost her ability to speak.

3. Helen’s parents hired a special teacher named Anne Sullivan, who

stayed at the Kellers’ home to instruct Helen.

4. Sullivan spelled words into Helen’s hand as the child touched the
object represented by the word.

5. From this basic understanding of language, Helen went on to

learn Braille, which is the alphabet used by people with visual
impairments.

PRACTICE 4
1) Identify whether each sentence is simple or complex. 2) If the
sentence is complex, also underline the dependent clause.

EXAMPLE 1 : Keller was fortunate because she had such a skillful

and patient teacher. 
Keller was fortunate because she had such a skillful and patient
teacher. cx

EXAMPLE 2: Wouldn’t it have been terribly difficult to learn abstract

vocabulary using this system? 
Wouldn’t it have been terribly difficult to learn abstract vocabulary
using this system? simp

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1. Sullivan had actually been recommended to Helen’s parents by
Alexander Graham Bell, who devised several hearing aids among his
many other inventions. __________________________

2. Helen grew up to be an inspiring teacher in her own right.

__________________________

3. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom in recognition of her

triumph over multiple disabilities. __________________________

4. Keller’s biography, which is titled The Story of My Life, tells about

her remarkable achievements. __________________________

Reviewing the 3 Types of

Sentences
Study the previous pages before doing this final practice.

REMEMBER:
Simple sentences contain only one clause. They may have
compound (more than one) subjects or predicates—or both!—but
the subject(s) and predicate(s) will go with each other. There will be
no other clauses.

Both children and adults enjoy that movie.

Compound sentences contain more than one independent clause.

Therefore, they will have either a comma+FANBOY or a semicolon.

I wanted to see it at midnight on the day it was released, but

the rest of my family outvoted me.

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Complex sentences contains one independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses. Remember the words if, when, after,
before, that, which, who, because, as, for which, for whom, since.
These conjunctions begin dependent clauses.

My book, which was written by Betty Smith, is set in Brooklynn.

You will be tempted to assume that sentences that have no commas

are simple sentences, but notice:

1) Dependent clauses beginning with the word that and many

that begin with the word who do not take commas either.
Therefore, a sentence with no commas but contains the word
that or who is probably complex; analyze it carefully!
2) Some phrases that are not clauses take commas. Therefore, a
sentence with commas might still be a simple sentence.
Remember, you are looking for how many clauses are in the
sentence and what types of clauses they are.

PRACTICE 5 5

Identify each of the following sentences as simple, compound, or

complex.
EXAMPLE: To be honest, their skit was better than ours.  simp

1. The Mississippi River, which begins in the town of Lake Itasca,

Minnesota, is the setting for many of Mark Twain’s stories.
_________________________

2. I drew an illustration for a poem that was written by Robert

Hayden.
_________________________

3. The Olympic skaters felt anxious, but they still performed their
routine perfectly.
_________________________
5
Some of these sentences are adapted from Holt Handbook First Course 136.

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4. Kamehameha Day is an American holiday that honors the king
who united the islands of Hawaii. _________________________

5. For the first time, Luke saw the ocean. _________________________

6. If you had a choice, would you rather visit China or Japan?

_________________________

7. Lookout Mountain was the site of a battle during the Civil War.
_________________________

8. The guide led us through Mammoth Cave; she explained the

difference between stalactites and stalagmites.
_________________________

9. Wilhelm Steinitz of Austria became famous after he was officially

recognized as the first world champion of chess.
_________________________

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Write It!
This Month’s Challenge:
Your teachers are looking for you to use the 3 types of sentences
that you have studied so far: simple, complex, and compound.

You must use each type of sentence at least twice and also have
good overall sentence variety. Using a mixture of sentence lengths
and types makes your writing sound “smooth” or “fluent.”

Suggested Topic:
Pick some neighbors, relatives, family friends, or celebrities. Explain
in some detail who they are, how they are connected to you, and
your mixed opinions (positive and negative) about them.

(Tip: Do not write about anyone at your school.)

You can start off with: __________________6, who I

first met/learned about in/because______________
__________________________________7 is definitely an
interesting person. (S)he is _______________8, but
sometimes (s)he is also _________________9.

6
Name of your first subject.
7
Summarize how long you have known (about) him/her and how/why (s)he
entered your life.
8
Insert a positive adjective here.
9
Insert a negative adjective here.

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__________________________________________________________

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Proofread! ** Indent your paragraph. ** Make sure your paragraph

is at least 8 sentences and enjoyable to read. ** Make sure you use
at least 2 simple sentences. ** Make sure you use at least 2
compound sentences. ** Make sure you use at least 2 complex
sentences. ** Capitalize each sentence and all proper nouns and
adjectives. ** Make sure you have correct end-punctuation. ** Look
up the spelling of words you are unsure of. Fix ANYTHING you have
learned this year how to fix.

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The page numbers cite pages on which you should have written something, so
that you can check to make sure you did not skip an exercise.

You may have to flip back before the exercise in order to read the lesson or the
full instructions for the exercise.

Grading Rubric:
“Sotp!” Proofreading Exercise (p. 4): _____/15

Practice #1 (p. 6) _____/8

Practice #2 (p. 8-9) _____/6

Practice #3 (p. 10) _____/5

Practice #4 (p. 10-11) _____/4

Practice #5 (p. 12-13) _____/9

Write It! Followed Directions (p. 15-16 ) _____/18

Did you use:
 2 simple sentences?
 2 compound sentences?
 2 complex sentences?

Write It! Proofreading and Effort (p. 15-16 ) _____/10

Total _____/75

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