"Quotation Marks?"

Yesterday, I spoke to one of my students about using quotation marks. "Why do we need to use quotation marks?" questioned Jonathan, looking utterly confused. "Well," I began, "we need quotation marks for many reasons." I explained to Jonathan that we use quotation marks to signify dialogue in our writing, to represent direct quotes, or to use around titles of poems, songs, essays, and much more. "So, if I were to write down the title of my essay, 'My Great Adventure,' I would put quotation marks around it?" the student asked, this time more confidently. "Yes!" I exclaimed, feeling prideful in both myself and Jonathan. With that, I knew Jonathan would be able to correctly use quotation marks from then on.

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I talked about my interaction with one of my students. This student was curious about the use of quotation marks and wanted to know how to use them. Quotation marks are used for many reasons.
* They are used around words that are said aloud, in a dialogue.
For example: Jonathan asked, "Why do we need to use quotation marks?" Quotation marks were used here to represent something that was said aloud by Jonathan.
* They are used around words that are taken as direct quotes from a text.
For example: We would use quotes in this case to quote a line from a poem. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/And sorry I could not travel both" (Robert Frost, 1-2).
* We use quotation marks around the titles of short works, such as poems, essays, short stories, songs, article titles, chapter titles, TV episodes, and radio episodes.
For example: If I were to reference the title of a short story I wrote, I would write it as, "The Confident Student."
*** Single quotation marks are used when we are using a quote within a quote.
For example: The sentence where Jonathan said, "So, if I were to write down the title of my essay, 'My Great Adventure,' I would put quotation marks around it?" In this case, we put quotation marks around Jonathan's speech to signify dialogue. However, we also put single quotes around Jonathan's Essay.

Tip: When a quote ends at the same time as the sentence, the punctuation mark always remains inside the quotation mark.
For example: I love the poem, "The Train." The period stays within the quotation mark at the end of the sentence.

Activity Time!

Activity 1

Fix the following sentences by filling in quotation marks appropriately.

Example: Wow! What a great boat, said Oliver.

Answer: "Wow! What a great boat," said Oliver.

1. I love your cat. She's so fluffy! exclaimed Jenna.

2. Why are you so upset? questioned Ted's mother, noticing the tears in his eyes.

3. So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay (Robert Frost, 6-8).

4. The short story, The Cupcake, was very entertaining.

5. Connor really enjoyed Shari's essay, The U.S. Government. He thought it was really interesting.

6. Anna! Have you read the poem, The Canoe? It's great! said Mark excitedly.

Words to Know

1. Exclaimed - The past tense of exclaim, which means to yell out loud.

2. Questioned - The past tense of question, which means to ask about something.

3. Enjoyed - The past tense of enjoy, which means to take pleasure in something.

4. Noticed - To become aware of something.

5. Sank - The past tense of sink. To sink means to go below the surface of something, or to drop down. In this case, we are not referring to the object (the kitchen sink).

6. Grief - Deep sadness.

Activity 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words. Use words from the "Words to Know" list above.

1. Kyle felt much _____ after his dog passed away.

2. "Wow! This is amazing!" ________ Patrick after opening his birthday present.

3. Brianna really ______ going to the football game with her dad last weekend. She had so much fun!

4. After Kristina's baseball fell into the pool, it _____ to the bottom.

5. Gina _____ that Isabella got a haircut because her hair was much shorter.

6. "What's in the box?" ______ Lily after shaking it.

Answer Key

Activity 1

1. "I love your cat. She's so fluffy!" exclaimed Jenna.

2. "Why are you so upset?" questioned Ted's mother, noticing the tears in his eyes.

3. "So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay" (Robert Frost, 6-8).

4. The short story, "The Cupcake," was very entertaining.

5. Connor really enjoyed Shari's essay, "The U.S. Government." He thought it was really interesting.

6. "Anna! Have you read the poem, 'The Canoe?' It's great!" said Mark excitedly.

Activity 2

1. Kyle felt much grief after his dog passed away.

2. "Wow! This is amazing!" exclaimed Patrick after opening his birthday present.

3. Brianna really enjoyed going to the football game with her dad last weekend. She had so much fun!

4. After Kristina's baseball fell into the pool, it sank to the bottom.

5. Gina noticed that Isabella got a haircut because her hair was much shorter.

6. "What's in the box?" questioned Lily after shaking it.

Comparatives & Superlatives

Many people spend their days working different types of jobs. Some may even say that their jobs are enjoyable, but I think mine is the most enjoyable. I spend my work days teaching a class of first grade students. One of the other teachers says that her students are nice, but I believe that mine are nicer. Yesterday, we had to complete a project, where all students had to get into height order. One of my students, named Jamie, asked me where she should reside. I told her that she needed to stand in front of Callie. Jamie is tall, but Callie is taller. When Callie asked where she should stand, I told her to stand in front of Harper. Callie may be taller than Jamie, but Harper is the tallest. When we had to figure out who should stand at the front of the line, we all agreed that it would be Daniel, Ethan, and then Ashley. While Ashley is short, Ethan is shorter. However, Daniel is shortest, which is why he belongs at the front of the line.

** Real student names were not used in the paragraph above.

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I used comparative and superlative adjectives to describe my students. We all remember what adjectives are, right? Incase anyone forgot, adjectives are words that are used to describe nouns.

Comparatives are used to compare one noun to another. For example, if we were comparing Bill to Roger, we could say that Bill is a friendly boy, but Roger is friendlier. We could also say that the sun was bright yesterday, but today it is brighter.

* Sometimes, different endings are used to make an adjective a comparative adjective. View the following chart:

When we use superlatives, we are comparing three or more nouns. For example, if we wanted to compare different flavors of ice cream, we could say that vanilla is sweet, chocolate is sweeter, and strawberry is sweetest. In doing so, we are using a superlative adjective to say that strawberry ice cream is the sweetest out of the three choices.

* Sometimes, different endings are used to make an adjective into a superlative adjective. View the following chart:

Activity Time!

Part 1

Read the following sentences and circle the correct form of the comparative or superlative adjective.

1. Isabella has a (biggest/big/bigger) bike than Gianna.

2. The pot with boiling water in it feels (hot/hotter/hottest) than the pot with cool water.

3. The sidewalk on Bryan's street is (wide/wider/widest) than the sidewalk on Jennifer's street.

4. Jake is (funny/funnier/funniest) than Sophia.

5. Lidia is (beautiful/more beautiful/the most beautiful) than Celina.

6. Jason is the (old/older/oldest) sibling in his family, whereas Stacy is the (young/younger/youngest).
7. Alison is the (happy/happier/happiest) girl in the entire school.
8. Between Nora, Cindy, and Linda, Nora lives (far/farther/the farthest) from the school.

Part 2

Answer the following questions by referring to the sentences in part 1. Circle whether the answers you chose were comparative or superlative adjectives.

Example: 1. Comparative/Superlative (bigger)
2. Comparative/Superlative
3. Comparative/Superlative
4. Comparative/Superlative
5. Comparative/Superlative
6. Comparative/Superlative
7. Comparative/Superlative
8. Comparative/Superlative

Part 3

Words to Know...

Complete - to finish

Boiling - very hot

Enjoyable - to take pleasure in

Reside - to stand, to be located, or to live in one place/area

Referring (refer) - to mention or speak about something

Comparing (compare) - to point out the similarities/dissimilarities between two things

Substitute the words in parenthesis in the following sentences for the correct word in the Word Bank.

1. My mom said that I can watch TV once my homework is ______ (finished).

2. The sun was so strong today that I felt like my skin was ______ (very hot).

3. I attended a concert last night and had a very _______ (pleasurable) time.

4. When my students had to arrange themselves in height order, Jamie was unsure of where she should _____ (stand) in the line.

5. After Kylie bought new sneakers, she started ____ (pointing out similarities/dissimilarities) them to Sara's new sneakers.

6. After Peter described the kind of watch that he wanted, his mother asked if he was ______ (to mention/speak about) to the same watch that Dylan had.

Word Bank

Complete

Comparing

Reside

Referring

Boiling

Enjoyable

Answer Keys

Part 1
1. Bigger 
2. Hotter 
3. Wider
4. Funnier
5. More beautiful
6. Oldest
7. Happiest
8. The farthest

Part 2
1. Comparative
2. Comparative
3. Comparative
4. Comparative
5. Comparative
6. Superlative
7. Superlative
8. Superlative

Part 3
1. Complete
2. Boiling
3. Enjoyable
4. Reside
5. Comparing
6. Referring

My Amazing, Loving, Fun Family

My Amazing, Loving, Fun Family

Everyone has people in their lives that they cannot live without. Whether it is their intelligent best friend, their loving boyfriend, or their fashionable sister, these people are what make life more enjoyable. To me, family is everything. They are what make my days better and easier. My tall, athletic, funny, and silly brother is someone that I can easily call my best friend. We have grown up together, laughed together, and cried together, and that is something that not everyone has, especially those who are only children. My beautiful, caring mother is someone that I have always gone to whenever I had a problem. Lastly, my dad is the man that holds our family together. He is kind, generous, and strong. Aside from my immediate family, my two beautiful cousins are the closest things that I have as sisters. I talk to them almost every day and we always have long, funny conversations. The family members that I have in my life are fantastic people!

Grammar Point

In the section above, I discussed my family and told you exactly why I could not live without them. The words that are bolded are words that I used to describe each member of my family. These words are commonly known as adjectives. An adjective is another word that is used to make a noun more specific. For example: The short boy. The tall woman. The pretty girl. The handsome man. All of the bolded words are used to describe the nouns that they are attached to.

Activity Time!

Activity 1.

Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with adjectives from the word bank.

1. The _______ boy had trouble reaching the top shelf.

2. Last night, John took Ally to a _______ movie. They couldn't stop laughing!

3. The ______ girl looked down at her short sister.

4. Bella was afraid that the ______ dog would bite her.

5. Jenna enjoyed her cup of _____ ices.

6. Anthony had to clean his _____ boots after walking through the mud.

Word Bank

Funny

Scary

Frozen

Tall

Short

Dirty

Activity 2.

Look at the following pictures and circle the adjective that describes it best.

a. Small

b. Spotted

c. Blue

a. Pretty
b. Tall
c. Yellow

a. Black
b. Boring
c. Cute

a. Delicious
b. Scary
c. Funny

Words to Know...

Delicious - Very tasty.

Generous - Kind/not selfish.

Immediate Family - Members of one's family, such as parents, grandparents, children, and siblings.

Intelligent - Very smart.

Discuss - To talk about.

Afraid - Scared.

Activity 3.

Fill in the following blanks with one of the words above from the "words to know" section.

1. My sister is a part of my ______.

2. There is no need to be ______ of the dark!

3. Jimmy always gets A's on his tests. He is a very ______ boy.

4. Anna always gives snacks to classmates that forget to bring lunch. She is a ______ person.

5. My mom makes ______ spaghetti and meatballs for dinner on Sundays. 

6. Katie didn't do such a great job on her test. Her parents would like to ______ her grades with her when she gets home from school.

Answer Keys

Activity 1.

1. Short

2. Funny

3. Tall

4. Scary

5. Frozen

6. Dirty

Activity 2.

1. b

2. c

3. c

4. a

Activity 3.

1. Immediate family

2. Afraid

3. Intelligent

4. Generous

5. Delicious

6. Discuss