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How Do You Conclude?

6/29/2015

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Conclude:  finish, finalize, stop

It happens to the best of us.  Sometimes, we talk a lot and offer a lot of examples.  This is great, but we might need to remind people of our original point.  How do you conclude or restate your idea in your writing or speech?  The answer…. transition words!

Here are a few of the most common transition words for wrapping up or concluding your statement:

All in all, for these reasons, to sum up, in brief, in conclusion, in short, in summary, to conclude, to summarize, these examples show …, it is clear that …, you can see that...

Transition words are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a comma. The last three phrases also start the sentence, but you don’t need to use a comma.  Here are some practice questions. Share your idea first, then restate your opinion with one of the words listed above.
  1. Do you prefer Macs or PCs?  Why?
  2. What is the best country to live in?  Why
  3. Would you rather get married earlier or later in life?  Why?
  4. What is the best career right now?  Why?
  5. Who is the best leader in the world right now?  Why?

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How Do You Show Cause and Effect?

6/19/2015

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Cause:  source, root, origin, or beginning
Effect:  result, consequence, or outcome

Many writing assignments will ask you to explain the cause and effect relationships between different events.  For example, you might be asked to explain the consequences of a political policy...cause and effect!  Maybe your professor or boss will ask you to explain mistakes you made in a project and their impact on the final result.... cause and effect!  As you can see, cause and effect reappears again and again in conversations.  So, how do you show cause and effect in your writing or speech?  The answer…. transition words!

Here are a few of the most common transition words for cause and effect:
For cause:  Because, since, as, because of (+ noun)
For effect:  Therefore, consequently, as a result, so

Transition words are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a comma.  See if you can use some of the words listed above to answer these questions.

  1. What happened the first time you got a bad grade?
  2. Why do you want to learn English?
  3. What will happen if it rains tomorrow?
  4. Why do you go to work every day?
  5. What happens on hot days?

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Body Vocabulary: Symptoms of Health Problems Answer Key

6/15/2015

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Pull out your notes on last Monday’s post, Body Vocabulary:  Symptoms of Health Problems.  Here are the correct answers!  

Page 1.    Symptoms
            Sore Throat        Cough            Pain
            Dizziness           Sneezing         Fever
            Runny Nose       Rash              Throwing Up
            Diarrhea            Swelling         Shortness of Breath

Page 2.    Side Effects
            Sleepy         Thirsty            Headache
            Stroke          Seizure           Chest Pain

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How Do You Show Order?

6/12/2015

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Order:  sequence, organization, or series

You might need to show or explain the order of activities for many different situations.  Recipes, driving directions, experiments, dances, and craft projects are just some examples of things that usually have a specific sequence of steps.  How do you show order of steps in your writing or speech?  The answer…. transition words!

Here are a few of the most common transition words for order:
first, second, third, etc., first of all, next, then, after that, finally, now, soon, meanwhile, following this, at this point, afterward, subsequently, previously, before this, simultaneously, concurrently

Transition words are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a comma.  See if you can use some of the words listed above to answer these questions.

  1. Tell me how to make your favorite food
  2. Tell me how to do laundry
  3. How do you change a light bulb?
  4. How do you send an email?
  5. How do you get to work or school from your house?

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Body Vocabulary:  Symptoms of Health Problems

6/8/2015

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Here are two illustrated vocabulary worksheets that show common health problems.  See if you can fill in the missing words.  The answers will be posted next week.
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Answers to Fixing Misplaced Modifiers

6/5/2015

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Last week, you checked out my favorite list of misplaced modifiers.  Here are some (potential) answers!

  1. Marvin watched the salad dressing oozing slowly across the floor.            
  2. As I was waiting for the Moonpie, the candy machine began to hum loudly.        
  3. When I was coming out of the market, the bananas fell on the pavement.        
  4. She handed out brownies stored in tupperware to the children.            
  5. I smelled the oysters as I was coming down the stairs for dinner.            
  6. I brushed my teeth with Crest Toothpaste after eating.            
  7. While I was grocery shopping at Big Star, I saw that the lettuce was fresh.        
  8. Driving like a maniac, he hit and killed the deer.            
  9. My father led his prize poodle, with his tail held high, around the arena.        
  10. I saw the dead dog while I was driving down the interstate.            
  11. I was holding a bag of groceries when the roach flew out of the cabinet.        
  12. When I noticed the machine was emitting thick black smoke from the midsection, I realized something was wrong.            
  13. The girl who had just taken an overdose of sleeping pills was consoled by the nurse.   
  14. I saw an accident while I was walking down the street.            
  15. After drinking beer at a bar, he found that the car would not start.            
  16. While playing pool in the living room, Jim turned on the radio.        
  17. Frustrated by diagonal movement, she turned the set off.            
  18. Mrs. Daniel sews evening gowns with sequins stitched on them just for special customers.            
  19. Although we were exhausted and weary, the coach kept yelling, “Another lap!”        
  20. She and her friend carefully studied the Picasso hanging in the art gallery.        
  21. Nancy bought the car which had an automatic stick shift.   
  22. Jim left the freshly painted room to dry.            
  23. He held the umbrella that he got from Delta Airlines over Janet’s head.        
  24. He wore a straw hat, which was obviously too small, on his head.            
  25. After drinking too much, he felt that the toilet kept moving.            

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