Diagramming the Allegory Sept. 3

Bellwrite #3 Define and give examples of each of the following parts of speech:

• verbs
• nouns
• articles
• pronouns
• adjectives
• adverbs
• prepositions
• conjunctions

We reviewed the definitions of the parts of speech:

verbs: action words OR state of being words (linking verbs); the most common linking verbs are conjugations of the infinitive verb "to be" (I am, he is, they are, I was, I will be, I might be, etc.)

nouns: person, place, thing, or idea; common versus proper nouns

Note: the part of speech is often determined by context. For example "hope" can be a noun or a verb. I hoped we would go to the park, but after I learned she was sick I lost all hope.

articles: the or a/an; Does it matter whether a girl tells you, "You are a man of my dreams?" or "You are the man of my dreams?" Yes, the difference is between the definite article "the" which specifies one out of a class of things and the indefinite article "a" which does not specify/single out one from the class.

pronouns: take the place of nouns

adjectives: modify (describe) nouns

adverbs: modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs; Example "She is so very friendly." ("friendly" modifies "she", a noun, and is therefore an adjective; "very" modifies "friendly" and is therefore an adverb; "so" modifies "very" and is therefore an adverb)

prepositions: indicate relationships, usually of space and time; ON the chair, UNDER the chair, BY the chair, WITH the chair, BEFORE the kiss, DURING the kiss, AFTER the kiss; other prepositions include ABOUT, FOR, OF, DESPITE, etc. Prepositions are followed by a noun called the object of the preposition.

conjunctions: words that join words, phrases, and clauses; one subclass of conjunctions are the coordinating conjunctions: FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). Students should have these 7 memorized.

This brief review of parts of speech is a refresher. Students who are not already familiar with these terms need to come visit with me after school so we can get them up to speed.  This is a basic foundation for our grammar studies this year.

After our grammar review, students worked in small groups on diagramming the sequence of events (pictorially) in the Allegory of the Olive Tree. The purpose of diagramming is to clarify the events in the allegory. Students then discussed the questions about the allegory from the reading packet.

Homework:

• Write paragraph responses to the six questions on the Allegory of the Olive Tree.
• Continue working on the State of the World project, due Monday.