1. How to Write 101
The building blocks of an effective
essay.

2. Write in complete sentences.
= A capital letter
+ A complete thought + Ending Punctuation
A complete Sentence
A complete thought =
Who/What + Did What
Pete eats peaches.

3. Is it a complete sentence?
= A capital letter
+ A complete thought + Ending Punctuation
A complete Sentence
Stepping Pajamas.
on stones.
My ran downfor all over
Will chips spilled Kate.
Drawing on on the hall.
I play games the song.
Putting picturesrainy days.
john sang floor.
the
Complete
Incomplete

4. Write in complete sentences.
A complete thought =
Who/What + Did What
AKA
Subject
+ Predicate
Schoolhouse Rock: Mr. Morton

5. Every complete thought contains two parts: a
subject and a predicate.
The subject is what (or whom) the
sentence is about, while the
predicate tells something about
the subject.

6. Judy and her dog run on the beach every
morning.

7. Judy and her dog run on the beach every
morning.
First find the verb and then make a
question by placing ``who?'' or
``what?'' before it.
The answer is the
subject, Judy and her
dog.

8. Let’s try one:
We spilled popcorn on the floor.
What is the verb of this sentence?
We spilled popcorn on the floor.

9. Now find the subject:
We spilled popcorn on the floor.
Now decide who or what spilled
popcorn?
We spilled popcorn on the floor.

10. The subject can be a NOUN.
•• Names of persons,
Names of persons, • Example:
places, things, feelings, or
places, things,
The needs new red
Johnboy onof the
has a the
ideas.
feelings, or ideas.
masses he parks
bike hit a bird
car, andmay with
• Often indicated by
“Noun markers” -conflict with
a rock street under
on the at the end of
a, an, and the.
“noun markers” -expectations of
the long road. the
a big tree in Filer.
• a, an, and the.
Can be made plural
members of
with s or es.
legislative bodies.

11. Nouns
• Names of persons, places, things, feelings, or ideas.
• Articles, or“Noun markers” -- a, an, and the.
• Noun endings: -ness, -ment, -ance, -ence, -ancy, ency, -ity, -ion, -ure.
• Can be made plural with s or es.

12. Or the subject can be a pronoun.
• Specialized words to take
• Specialized words to
the place of nouns.
take the place of
to take the place of
• Often refer to people and
•• Example:
Memorize:
IPaulred car is faster
Her gave Emilythey
he we she
nouns. forms.
than my old Ford,
stationery her them
have several
me him us because
• Often refer to people • he wanted herHonda
but their new to
• May be
Other common
and have several
cost more than ours.
write to him when
possessive, showing
pronouns:
forms.
• she could. that, who,
Note the this,
ownership and
– you, it, form:
I hewhat, someone,
we she they
working like an
me him us her them
everything, anyone,
adjective.
my hisand many other similar
our hers theirs
Others: yours, its, whose
words.

13. Pronouns
• Specialized words to take the place of nouns.
• Often refer to people and have several forms.
• May be possessive, showing ownership and
working like an adjective.

14. The predicate includes a verb.
• • The action oror
The action “doing”
words in a sentence.
“doing” words in a
• “Linking verbs” show
sentence.
being.
• “Linking verbs”
• Change to show time
show
(tense).being.
Change verbs
• • Completeto show
include “helping
time (tense).
verbs.”
• Always helping verbs
• Example: ran, :
The horse
jumped and
She is a nice kicked
bus, and it goes
rider. verbs, may
her friends. be
• Alwaysmy house.
past
• helping:verbs was on
Most
• MemorizeIthe
Yesterday make
– Have, has, had
sense and done
the
linkingin did,it blanks
– Do, does,
a bus, verbs:went
below: is,house.were,
– Be,
past am, are, was,
my are, was,
Be, am, is,
been, being
– He _________.
The words that
were, been, being.
– They ________.
change are verbs.
Can Will Shall May
• Today I am on a
Could Would Should Might
until it Must we are
person,threw the
and

15. Verbs
• The action or “doing” words in a
sentence.
• “Linking verbs” show being.
• Change to show time (tense).
• Complete verbs include “helping verbs.”

16. Adjectives add details.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Example:
Describe or modify only
Describe or modify only
Describe or modify • Example: deep,
A
Describe or modify
The river is
nouns.
nouns.nouns.
only nouns.
only
big, three tired
red dump
The long, shinytruck
wide and cold, but
Answer questions, “what
Answerquestions,
questions,
Answer “how many?”.
hit a tried tolittle
black limousine
teensparked bravea
kind?” or
the divers are eat
“what “piled up” before
“whatkind?” oror
car and the worried
Usually kind?”
pulled in at two
large pie front of
and well-trained.
“how many?”
nouns.
“how many?”
driver ran to
the huge old
pizza parlors. the
May follow linking verbs Note: to test these, try
Usually “piled up”
other side three
• How many teens?of the
mansion, and a tall,
and describe the subject. putting kind of teens?front of
before nouns.
• What them in tired
busy street.
well-dressed older
•the noun they
What kind of pie? large
• gentleman got out.
How many parlors? two
modify.
• What kind of parlors? pizza

17. Adjectives
• Describe or modify only nouns.
• Answer questions, “what kind?” or “how
many?”
• Usually “piled up” before nouns.
• May follow linking verbs and describe the
subject.