Grammar in 15 Minutes a Day
Introduction 1
Pretest 3
S E C T I O N 1 : PAR T S O F S P E E C H 13
Lesson 1: Nouns 15
• Understanding common, proper, concrete, abstract, collective,
and compound
• Review exercises of all nouns
Lesson 2: Pronouns 23
• Understanding personal, demonstrative, reflexive, intensive,
indefinite pronouns
• Charts of subject, object, possessive, and indefinite pronouns
• Review exercises of all pronouns
Lesson 3: Verbs 29
• Understanding action, linking, and helping verbs
• Chart of common helping verbs
• Review exercises of all verbs
Lesson 4: Verb Tenses 35
• Understanding regular and irregular verbs
• Understanding present, past, future, present perfect, past
perfect, future perfect, present progressive, past progressive,
and future progressive tenses
• Chart of common irregular verbs
• Review exercises of regular and irregular verb forms in tenses
Lesson 5: Adjectives 43
• Understanding common, proper, possessive, and
demonstrative adjectives
• Review exercises of all adjective forms
Lesson 6: Adverbs 49
• Understanding and identifying adverbs
• Distinguishing between adjectives and adverbs
• Review exercises of adverbs
Lesson 7: Comparative Adverbs and Adjectives 55
• Understanding and identifying positive, comparative, and
superlative degrees of adverbs and adjectives
• Review exercises of comparative adverbs and adjectives
Lesson 8: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases 59
• Understanding and identifying prepositional phrases and the
object of the preposition (OOP)
• Chart of common prepositions
• Review exercises of prepositions, prepositional phrases,
and OOPs
Lesson 9: Conjunctions 63
• Understanding and identifying coordinating, correlative, and
subordinating conjunctions
• Charts of coordinating, correlative, and
subordinating conjunctions
• Review exercises of all conjunctions
S E C T I O N 2 : PAR T S O F A S E N T E N C E 71
Lesson 10: Subjects and Predicates 73
• Understanding and identifying simple subjects and
predicates, tricky subjects, and complete subjects
and predicates
• Review exercises of all subjects and predicates
Lesson 11: Direct and Indirect Objects 81
• Understanding and identifying direct and indirect objects
• Review exercises of direct and indirect objects
S E C T I O N 3 : B U I L D I N G A S E N T E N C E 85
Lesson 12: Phrases 87
• Understanding and identifying adjective, adverb, appositive,
gerund, and participial phrases
• Review exercises of all phrases
Lesson 13: Clauses 93
• Understanding and identifying independent, subordinate,
and relative clauses
• Charts of common subordinating conjunctions and relative
pronouns
• Review exercises for all clauses
Lesson 14: Combining Sentences 99
• Understanding and identifying simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex sentences
• Chart of simple sentence structures
• Review exercises of sentence combining
Lesson 15: Fragments and Run-ons 105
• Understanding and identifying sentence fragments and runon
sentences
• Review exercises of fragments and run-ons
S E C T I O N 4 : AGREEMENT 109
Lesson 16: Subject–Verb Agreement 111
• Understanding the importance of subject–verb agreement in
written sentences and speech with singular, plural,
compound, and indefinite subjects
• Chart of conjugated verb be according to number, form,
and person
• Chart of personal and indefinite subject pronouns
• Review exercises of subject–verb agreement
Lesson 17: Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement 117
• Understanding the importance of pronoun–antecedent
agreement in written sentences and speech with singular,
plural, and indefinite pronouns
• Chart of common English pronouns
• Review exercises of pronoun–antecedent agreement
S E C T I O N 5 : P U N C T UATION 123
Lesson 18: End Punctuation 125
• Understanding periods, exclamation marks, question marks,
and their usage
• Review exercises of all end marks
Lesson 19: Commas Part I 131
• Understanding comma usage in sentences
• Review exercises of comma usage and placement in sentences
Lesson 20: Commas Part II 135
• Understanding of comma usage in letters and numbers
• Review exercises of comma usage and placement in letters
and numbers
Lesson 21: Colons and Semicolons 141
• Understanding colon and semicolon usage in writing
• Conjunctive adverb chart
• Review exercises of colon and semicolon placement
Lesson 22: Quotation Marks 147
• Understanding quotation mark usage in written dialogue
• Review exercises of quotation mark placement in
written dialogue
Lesson 23: Italicizing and Underlining 151
• Understanding usage of italics and underlining in writing
• Review exercises of italicizing and underlining
Lesson 24: Parentheses and Brackets 157
• Understanding placement of parentheses and brackets
in writing
• Review exercises of parentheses and brackets
Lesson 25: Hyphens and Dashes 163
• Understanding placement of hyphens and dashes
• Review exercises of hyphens and dashes
Lesson 26: Apostrophes 167
• Understanding placement of apostrophes for contractions,
and singular and plural possessive nouns
• Chart of contractions of common pronouns and helping verbs
• Review exercises of apostrophes and apostrophe placement
Lesson 27: Capitalization 173
• Understanding of capitalization of proper nouns, proper
adjectives, and titles
• Review exercises of capitalization
S E C T I O N 6 : C O N F U S I N G WORDS 177
Lesson 28: Troublesome Verbs 179
• Understanding the verbs, lay/lie, sit/set, and did/done
• Understanding the verbs except/accept, can/may, and hang/hung
• Review exercises of troublesome verbs
Lesson 29: Tricky Words 185
• Charts of common homonyms and homographs
• Review exercises of common homonyms and homographs
Lesson 30: Misplaced Modifiers 193
• Explanation and identification of dangling, squinting, and
split-infinitive modifiers
• Review exercises of misplaced modifiers
Posttest 197
Hints for Taking Standardized Tests 207
Glossary 213
Pretest 3
S E C T I O N 1 : PAR T S O F S P E E C H 13
Lesson 1: Nouns 15
• Understanding common, proper, concrete, abstract, collective,
and compound
• Review exercises of all nouns
Lesson 2: Pronouns 23
• Understanding personal, demonstrative, reflexive, intensive,
indefinite pronouns
• Charts of subject, object, possessive, and indefinite pronouns
• Review exercises of all pronouns
Lesson 3: Verbs 29
• Understanding action, linking, and helping verbs
• Chart of common helping verbs
• Review exercises of all verbs
Lesson 4: Verb Tenses 35
• Understanding regular and irregular verbs
• Understanding present, past, future, present perfect, past
perfect, future perfect, present progressive, past progressive,
and future progressive tenses
• Chart of common irregular verbs
• Review exercises of regular and irregular verb forms in tenses
Lesson 5: Adjectives 43
• Understanding common, proper, possessive, and
demonstrative adjectives
• Review exercises of all adjective forms
Lesson 6: Adverbs 49
• Understanding and identifying adverbs
• Distinguishing between adjectives and adverbs
• Review exercises of adverbs
Lesson 7: Comparative Adverbs and Adjectives 55
• Understanding and identifying positive, comparative, and
superlative degrees of adverbs and adjectives
• Review exercises of comparative adverbs and adjectives
Lesson 8: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases 59
• Understanding and identifying prepositional phrases and the
object of the preposition (OOP)
• Chart of common prepositions
• Review exercises of prepositions, prepositional phrases,
and OOPs
Lesson 9: Conjunctions 63
• Understanding and identifying coordinating, correlative, and
subordinating conjunctions
• Charts of coordinating, correlative, and
subordinating conjunctions
• Review exercises of all conjunctions
S E C T I O N 2 : PAR T S O F A S E N T E N C E 71
Lesson 10: Subjects and Predicates 73
• Understanding and identifying simple subjects and
predicates, tricky subjects, and complete subjects
and predicates
• Review exercises of all subjects and predicates
Lesson 11: Direct and Indirect Objects 81
• Understanding and identifying direct and indirect objects
• Review exercises of direct and indirect objects
S E C T I O N 3 : B U I L D I N G A S E N T E N C E 85
Lesson 12: Phrases 87
• Understanding and identifying adjective, adverb, appositive,
gerund, and participial phrases
• Review exercises of all phrases
Lesson 13: Clauses 93
• Understanding and identifying independent, subordinate,
and relative clauses
• Charts of common subordinating conjunctions and relative
pronouns
• Review exercises for all clauses
Lesson 14: Combining Sentences 99
• Understanding and identifying simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex sentences
• Chart of simple sentence structures
• Review exercises of sentence combining
Lesson 15: Fragments and Run-ons 105
• Understanding and identifying sentence fragments and runon
sentences
• Review exercises of fragments and run-ons
S E C T I O N 4 : AGREEMENT 109
Lesson 16: Subject–Verb Agreement 111
• Understanding the importance of subject–verb agreement in
written sentences and speech with singular, plural,
compound, and indefinite subjects
• Chart of conjugated verb be according to number, form,
and person
• Chart of personal and indefinite subject pronouns
• Review exercises of subject–verb agreement
Lesson 17: Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement 117
• Understanding the importance of pronoun–antecedent
agreement in written sentences and speech with singular,
plural, and indefinite pronouns
• Chart of common English pronouns
• Review exercises of pronoun–antecedent agreement
S E C T I O N 5 : P U N C T UATION 123
Lesson 18: End Punctuation 125
• Understanding periods, exclamation marks, question marks,
and their usage
• Review exercises of all end marks
Lesson 19: Commas Part I 131
• Understanding comma usage in sentences
• Review exercises of comma usage and placement in sentences
Lesson 20: Commas Part II 135
• Understanding of comma usage in letters and numbers
• Review exercises of comma usage and placement in letters
and numbers
Lesson 21: Colons and Semicolons 141
• Understanding colon and semicolon usage in writing
• Conjunctive adverb chart
• Review exercises of colon and semicolon placement
Lesson 22: Quotation Marks 147
• Understanding quotation mark usage in written dialogue
• Review exercises of quotation mark placement in
written dialogue
Lesson 23: Italicizing and Underlining 151
• Understanding usage of italics and underlining in writing
• Review exercises of italicizing and underlining
Lesson 24: Parentheses and Brackets 157
• Understanding placement of parentheses and brackets
in writing
• Review exercises of parentheses and brackets
Lesson 25: Hyphens and Dashes 163
• Understanding placement of hyphens and dashes
• Review exercises of hyphens and dashes
Lesson 26: Apostrophes 167
• Understanding placement of apostrophes for contractions,
and singular and plural possessive nouns
• Chart of contractions of common pronouns and helping verbs
• Review exercises of apostrophes and apostrophe placement
Lesson 27: Capitalization 173
• Understanding of capitalization of proper nouns, proper
adjectives, and titles
• Review exercises of capitalization
S E C T I O N 6 : C O N F U S I N G WORDS 177
Lesson 28: Troublesome Verbs 179
• Understanding the verbs, lay/lie, sit/set, and did/done
• Understanding the verbs except/accept, can/may, and hang/hung
• Review exercises of troublesome verbs
Lesson 29: Tricky Words 185
• Charts of common homonyms and homographs
• Review exercises of common homonyms and homographs
Lesson 30: Misplaced Modifiers 193
• Explanation and identification of dangling, squinting, and
split-infinitive modifiers
• Review exercises of misplaced modifiers
Posttest 197
Hints for Taking Standardized Tests 207
Glossary 213
Reading in 15 Minutes a Day
Introduction 1
Pretest 5
S E C T I O N 1 : B U I L D YOUR VOCABULARY 17
Lesson 1: Multiple-Meaning Words 19
• Don’t be fooled by words with more than one meaning
Lesson 2: Words That Sound or Look Alike 27
• The difference between a homophone and a homograph
Lesson 3: Synonyms and Antonyms 35
• Using words that mean the same or mean the opposite
Lesson 4: Prefixes and Suffixes 43
• Get clues about a word’s meaning from its parts
Lesson 5: Terminology and Jargon 51
• Don’t be thrown by technical terms and
subject-matter vocabulary
Lesson 6: Context Clues 59
• Find the meaning of unknown words from hints in the text
Lesson 7: Denotation and Connotation 67
• Know what a word implies as well as what it really means
S E C T I O N 2 : VAR I E T Y I N R E A D I N G 75
Lesson 8: Genre: Fiction or Nonfiction? 77
• How do you know if something’s fiction or not?
Lesson 9: Author’s Purpose 85
• Why did the author write this selection anyway?
Lesson 10: Tone and Style 93
• How does what authors say and how they say it make
you feel?
Lesson 11: Text Features 101
• What information can you get from headings, subheads,
and captions?
Lesson 12: Graphics 109
• What information can you get from graphs, maps, and
other visuals?
S E C T I O N 3 : O R GANIZAT I O N O F T E X T 117
Lesson 13: Main Idea and Supporting Details 119
• What’s a selection all about? Are there enough facts to back
that idea?
Lesson 14: Chronological Order 127
• Follow things as they happen, from beginning to end
Lesson 15: Cause and Effect 135
• What makes something happen? What effect can one thing
have on another?
Lesson 16: Compare and Contrast 143
• How are people, places, and events alike? How are
they different?
Lesson 17: Fact and Opinion 151
• What can the author prove to be true? What are simply his or
her personal beliefs?
Lesson 18: Question and Answer 159
• The author asks you a question, and then you find the answer
Lesson 19: Problem and Solution 167
• The author states what’s wrong and suggests how to fix it
Lesson 20: Making Inferences 175
• Learn to make good guesses so you can predict what’ll
happen next
Lesson 21: Drawing Conclusions 183
• Weigh all the evidence, and then make a decision
Lesson 22: Summarizing 191
• Retell only the most important parts of what you read
S E C T I O N 4 : E L E M E N T S O F L I T E R AT U R E : T H E FAC T S 199
A B O U T F I C T I O N
Lesson 23: Character and Setting 201
• Who’s the story about?
• Where does the story take place?
Lesson 24: Plot: Conflict and Resolution 209
• Follow a story’s ups and downs on the path of happily
ever after
Lesson 25: Point of View 217
• Who’s telling this story anyway?
Lesson 26: Theme 225
• What’s the message or lesson the author wants me to learn?
Lesson 27: Imagery 233
• Use your senses to get “into” the story
Lesson 28: Flashback and Foreshadowing 243
• Thinking about the past
• Warning readers about what might happen in the future
Lesson 29: Figurative Language: Idiom, Personification, Hyperbole 251
• Words don’t always mean what they say
• Objects can be characters, too
• Making things bigger than life
Lesson 30: Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors 259
• Compare things that are different, in very interesting ways
Posttest 267
Glossary 280
Pretest 5
S E C T I O N 1 : B U I L D YOUR VOCABULARY 17
Lesson 1: Multiple-Meaning Words 19
• Don’t be fooled by words with more than one meaning
Lesson 2: Words That Sound or Look Alike 27
• The difference between a homophone and a homograph
Lesson 3: Synonyms and Antonyms 35
• Using words that mean the same or mean the opposite
Lesson 4: Prefixes and Suffixes 43
• Get clues about a word’s meaning from its parts
Lesson 5: Terminology and Jargon 51
• Don’t be thrown by technical terms and
subject-matter vocabulary
Lesson 6: Context Clues 59
• Find the meaning of unknown words from hints in the text
Lesson 7: Denotation and Connotation 67
• Know what a word implies as well as what it really means
S E C T I O N 2 : VAR I E T Y I N R E A D I N G 75
Lesson 8: Genre: Fiction or Nonfiction? 77
• How do you know if something’s fiction or not?
Lesson 9: Author’s Purpose 85
• Why did the author write this selection anyway?
Lesson 10: Tone and Style 93
• How does what authors say and how they say it make
you feel?
Lesson 11: Text Features 101
• What information can you get from headings, subheads,
and captions?
Lesson 12: Graphics 109
• What information can you get from graphs, maps, and
other visuals?
S E C T I O N 3 : O R GANIZAT I O N O F T E X T 117
Lesson 13: Main Idea and Supporting Details 119
• What’s a selection all about? Are there enough facts to back
that idea?
Lesson 14: Chronological Order 127
• Follow things as they happen, from beginning to end
Lesson 15: Cause and Effect 135
• What makes something happen? What effect can one thing
have on another?
Lesson 16: Compare and Contrast 143
• How are people, places, and events alike? How are
they different?
Lesson 17: Fact and Opinion 151
• What can the author prove to be true? What are simply his or
her personal beliefs?
Lesson 18: Question and Answer 159
• The author asks you a question, and then you find the answer
Lesson 19: Problem and Solution 167
• The author states what’s wrong and suggests how to fix it
Lesson 20: Making Inferences 175
• Learn to make good guesses so you can predict what’ll
happen next
Lesson 21: Drawing Conclusions 183
• Weigh all the evidence, and then make a decision
Lesson 22: Summarizing 191
• Retell only the most important parts of what you read
S E C T I O N 4 : E L E M E N T S O F L I T E R AT U R E : T H E FAC T S 199
A B O U T F I C T I O N
Lesson 23: Character and Setting 201
• Who’s the story about?
• Where does the story take place?
Lesson 24: Plot: Conflict and Resolution 209
• Follow a story’s ups and downs on the path of happily
ever after
Lesson 25: Point of View 217
• Who’s telling this story anyway?
Lesson 26: Theme 225
• What’s the message or lesson the author wants me to learn?
Lesson 27: Imagery 233
• Use your senses to get “into” the story
Lesson 28: Flashback and Foreshadowing 243
• Thinking about the past
• Warning readers about what might happen in the future
Lesson 29: Figurative Language: Idiom, Personification, Hyperbole 251
• Words don’t always mean what they say
• Objects can be characters, too
• Making things bigger than life
Lesson 30: Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors 259
• Compare things that are different, in very interesting ways
Posttest 267
Glossary 280
Word Power in 15 Minutes a Day
Introduction 1
Pretest 5
S E C T I O N 1 : TOOLS FOR BUILDING WORD POWER 13
Lesson 1: Why Work on Your Vocabulary? 15
• Five important reasons to improve your vocabulary
• Sample questions to measure your strengths and weaknesses
• Set goals for increasing your word power
Lesson 2: Tools and Techniques for Learning New Words 21
• Useful resources for vocabulary building
• Which dictionary should you use?
• Why you should keep a personal word book
• Beware the dangerous thesaurus!
Lesson 3: Use a Word’s Context to Figure Out Its Meaning 27
• How to figure out a word’s meaning without a dictionary
• New words: Use them or lose them!
Lesson 4: Create Meaning from Connotations 35
• Learn how a single word can have many meanings
• Mean what you say
Lesson 5: Understanding Word Parts 43
• Learn how to take words apart to figure out their meanings
• Common prefixes and suffixes to build your word power
Lesson 6: Take Words Down to Their Roots 49
• Learn common word roots that will increase your vocabulary
• How ancient Latin and Greek words influence modern
English words
Lesson 7: Mnemonics: Codes to Help You Spell Words 55
• Memory aids to help you spell better
• Tricks for remembering difficult ideas
Lesson 8: Synonyms and Antonyms: Similars and Opposites 63
• How to find the single right word among the many that
might do
• Knowing how the opposite word can help you
Lesson 9: Which Is the Right Word? 71
• Clearing up the confusion between similar-sounding words
• Memorize these tricky word pairs and never misuse
them again
S E C T I O N 2 : U S E D I F F E R E N T PAR T S O F S P E E C H
TO I N C R E A S E WORD POWER 79
Lesson 10: Discover New Nouns 81
• Acquire new nouns that create word power
• Why it’s useful to know more than one word for every idea
Lesson 11: Pick the Best Adjectives 87
• Learn how adjectives are like the salsa on chips
• Five ways in which adjectives can improve your word power
Lesson 12: Zip Up Your Verbs 93
• Learn how verbs are the engines that power
good communication
• New words that create verb versatility
• Tips for remembering the spelling of some tricky verbs
Lesson 13: Dress Up Verbs with Adverbs 101
• Learn why adverbs are the fuel that makes verbs go
• Intense adverbs will make you a better communicator
• Common adverb mistakes to avoid
S E C T I O N 3 : BUILD WORD POW E R I N A L L
SUBJECT AREAS 107
Lesson 14: Words to Describe Personalities 109
• Learn new ways to describe yourself—and everyone
you know
• Identifying personality types and traits with their
special names
Lesson 15: Words to Describe Feelings 115
• Learn new words to use when it feels as if words
aren’t enough
• Common words that describe uncommon emotions
Lesson 16: Words to Describe Extreme Emotions 121
• Learn new words to overcome vocabulary frustration
• Tips on using the same word in different
grammatical forms
Lesson 17: Strange Feelings and Emotions 127
• Learn the precise words that describe some very
uncommon feelings
• Strange emotions don’t require long words, just the
right words
Lesson 18: Learn Words for the Sciences 133
• Learn words to describe the various fields of science
• Reminders on how to increase your vocabulary by knowing
word roots
Lesson 19: You May See the Doctor Now 139
• Learn useful words in the medical field—for doctors and
patients alike
• Specialized words for illnesses and research areas
Lesson 20: Words about Families 145
• Learn how complicated it sometimes is to define who’s in
your family
• Specialized family words that help define relationships
Lesson 21: Mind Your Manners 153
• Learn many words to help you obey society’s rules
• With good manners, simply saying thank you is often
not enough
• Why it’s okay to not say what you mean
Lesson 22: Words from Popular Culture 159
• Learn how old words are adapted to describe new ideas
• Increase your vocabulary inventory by spotting new trends
Lesson 23: Words from the Sports Arena 165
• Learn new words to use on and off the playing field
• Discover why sports is considered the universal language
Lesson 24: Words about Politics 171
• Learn words that describe both national and
local governments
• Your school may be the place to use your new political
word power
Lesson 25: Words about Computers 177
• Learn the precise and accurate words to describe common
online activities
S E C T I O N 4 : B U I L D WORD POW E R I N S P E C I A L WAY S 183
Lesson 26: Words We’ve Adopted 185
• Learn words brought into English from other languages—
and sound like a sophisticated traveler
• Pronunciation and usage tips to increase your foreign word
power
Lesson 27: Words That Really Mean Something Else 191
• Learn vocabulary-building euphemisms to impress (or
comfort) your listeners
• Five good reasons to avoid saying exactly what you mean
Lesson 28: Confused and Abused Words 199
• Learn how to get unconfused by common word errors
• Tips on how to avoid abusing words by using them too
frequently and imprecisely
Lesson 29: Words about Words 205
• Learn some of the most interesting words in the language
• Reminders on avoiding some common bad vocabulary habits
Lesson 30: Words with Extra Power 211
• Learn new words with extraordinary precision and punch
• Polish your writing and punctuate your speech with the
efficient and sophisticated words in this lesson
Posttest 217
Hints for Taking Standardized Tests 225
Glossary 231
Pretest 5
S E C T I O N 1 : TOOLS FOR BUILDING WORD POWER 13
Lesson 1: Why Work on Your Vocabulary? 15
• Five important reasons to improve your vocabulary
• Sample questions to measure your strengths and weaknesses
• Set goals for increasing your word power
Lesson 2: Tools and Techniques for Learning New Words 21
• Useful resources for vocabulary building
• Which dictionary should you use?
• Why you should keep a personal word book
• Beware the dangerous thesaurus!
Lesson 3: Use a Word’s Context to Figure Out Its Meaning 27
• How to figure out a word’s meaning without a dictionary
• New words: Use them or lose them!
Lesson 4: Create Meaning from Connotations 35
• Learn how a single word can have many meanings
• Mean what you say
Lesson 5: Understanding Word Parts 43
• Learn how to take words apart to figure out their meanings
• Common prefixes and suffixes to build your word power
Lesson 6: Take Words Down to Their Roots 49
• Learn common word roots that will increase your vocabulary
• How ancient Latin and Greek words influence modern
English words
Lesson 7: Mnemonics: Codes to Help You Spell Words 55
• Memory aids to help you spell better
• Tricks for remembering difficult ideas
Lesson 8: Synonyms and Antonyms: Similars and Opposites 63
• How to find the single right word among the many that
might do
• Knowing how the opposite word can help you
Lesson 9: Which Is the Right Word? 71
• Clearing up the confusion between similar-sounding words
• Memorize these tricky word pairs and never misuse
them again
S E C T I O N 2 : U S E D I F F E R E N T PAR T S O F S P E E C H
TO I N C R E A S E WORD POWER 79
Lesson 10: Discover New Nouns 81
• Acquire new nouns that create word power
• Why it’s useful to know more than one word for every idea
Lesson 11: Pick the Best Adjectives 87
• Learn how adjectives are like the salsa on chips
• Five ways in which adjectives can improve your word power
Lesson 12: Zip Up Your Verbs 93
• Learn how verbs are the engines that power
good communication
• New words that create verb versatility
• Tips for remembering the spelling of some tricky verbs
Lesson 13: Dress Up Verbs with Adverbs 101
• Learn why adverbs are the fuel that makes verbs go
• Intense adverbs will make you a better communicator
• Common adverb mistakes to avoid
S E C T I O N 3 : BUILD WORD POW E R I N A L L
SUBJECT AREAS 107
Lesson 14: Words to Describe Personalities 109
• Learn new ways to describe yourself—and everyone
you know
• Identifying personality types and traits with their
special names
Lesson 15: Words to Describe Feelings 115
• Learn new words to use when it feels as if words
aren’t enough
• Common words that describe uncommon emotions
Lesson 16: Words to Describe Extreme Emotions 121
• Learn new words to overcome vocabulary frustration
• Tips on using the same word in different
grammatical forms
Lesson 17: Strange Feelings and Emotions 127
• Learn the precise words that describe some very
uncommon feelings
• Strange emotions don’t require long words, just the
right words
Lesson 18: Learn Words for the Sciences 133
• Learn words to describe the various fields of science
• Reminders on how to increase your vocabulary by knowing
word roots
Lesson 19: You May See the Doctor Now 139
• Learn useful words in the medical field—for doctors and
patients alike
• Specialized words for illnesses and research areas
Lesson 20: Words about Families 145
• Learn how complicated it sometimes is to define who’s in
your family
• Specialized family words that help define relationships
Lesson 21: Mind Your Manners 153
• Learn many words to help you obey society’s rules
• With good manners, simply saying thank you is often
not enough
• Why it’s okay to not say what you mean
Lesson 22: Words from Popular Culture 159
• Learn how old words are adapted to describe new ideas
• Increase your vocabulary inventory by spotting new trends
Lesson 23: Words from the Sports Arena 165
• Learn new words to use on and off the playing field
• Discover why sports is considered the universal language
Lesson 24: Words about Politics 171
• Learn words that describe both national and
local governments
• Your school may be the place to use your new political
word power
Lesson 25: Words about Computers 177
• Learn the precise and accurate words to describe common
online activities
S E C T I O N 4 : B U I L D WORD POW E R I N S P E C I A L WAY S 183
Lesson 26: Words We’ve Adopted 185
• Learn words brought into English from other languages—
and sound like a sophisticated traveler
• Pronunciation and usage tips to increase your foreign word
power
Lesson 27: Words That Really Mean Something Else 191
• Learn vocabulary-building euphemisms to impress (or
comfort) your listeners
• Five good reasons to avoid saying exactly what you mean
Lesson 28: Confused and Abused Words 199
• Learn how to get unconfused by common word errors
• Tips on how to avoid abusing words by using them too
frequently and imprecisely
Lesson 29: Words about Words 205
• Learn some of the most interesting words in the language
• Reminders on avoiding some common bad vocabulary habits
Lesson 30: Words with Extra Power 211
• Learn new words with extraordinary precision and punch
• Polish your writing and punctuate your speech with the
efficient and sophisticated words in this lesson
Posttest 217
Hints for Taking Standardized Tests 225
Glossary 231
Writing in 15 Minutes a Day
Introduction 1
Pretest 5
SECTION 1: GRAMMAR REVIEW 13
Lesson 1: The Big Four Parts of Speech 15
• Understanding nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs
• Review of verb tenses, including irregular verbs
• Verb-noun agreement
Lesson 2: Sentence Structure 23
• Review and exercises with basic subject-verb construction
• Review and exercises on how to avoid run-ons and fragments
• Review and exercises on compound and complex sentences
Lesson 3: The All-Important Pronouns 29
• Understanding pronouns: personal, possessive, reflexive, and
demonstrative
• Tips on how to avoid misusing tricky pronouns, such as that and
which
Lesson 4: Punctuation, Part One: Using the Comma Correctly 37
• Review and exercises on how to use the single most difficult
punctuation mark: the comma
C O N T E N T S
Lesson 5: Punctuation, Part Two: The Other Punctuation Marks 45
• Review and exercises on how to use periods, exclamation points,
question marks, quotation marks, colons, semicolons, hyphens,
dashes, and apostrophes
• Review of common punctuation errors, including prohibitions on
using ellipses and emoticons in formal writing
Lesson 6: Avoiding the Five Most Common Grammatical Errors 55
• Incorrect noun-verb agreement
• Incorrect verb endings
• Incorrect pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Comma splices
• Common spelling mistakes and word confusions
S E C T I O N 2 : P L A N N I N G YOU R E S SAY 65
Lesson 7: Getting Started Is the Hardest Part 67
• Identifying the audience: Who will read my essay?
• Choosing your writing style
• Identifying your purpose and your point of view: Why am I
writing this?
Lesson 8: Brainstorming to Discover What You Think 73
• Explanation and samples of brainstorming strategies
Lesson 9: Mapping Your Subject 79
• Explanation and sample of a concept map (or cluster diagram)
or a mind map
Lesson 10: How to Jumpstart Your Writing 83
• Explanation and samples of freewriting (or prewriting)
and journaling
S E C T I O N 3 : D E F I N I N G YOU R TOP I C A N D T H E S I S 89
Lesson 11: Techniques for Defining and Developing a Topic 91
• Choosing a general topic of your own
• Developing a topic from an assignment
• Using the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) to explore
your topic
• Researching your topic
Lesson 12: Finding and Developing a Thesis 97
• Making sure your thesis is interesting
• Keeping your thesis statement focused
Lesson 13: Getting Ready to Write 101
• Reevaluating your thesis statement and perhaps finding a new
location for it (look beyond the first paragraph)
• Contemplating the building blocks of the essay
• Introduction, body, and conclusion
S E C T I O N 4 : O R GAN I Z I N G YOU R E S SAY 107
Lesson 14: Before You Write, Organize and Outline 109
• Explanation of importance of preplanning
• Explanation and sample of an informal outline
• Explanation and sample of a formal outline
• Explanation and samples of various organizational patterns
(chronological, cause-and-effect, spatial, general-to-specific)
Lesson 15: Additional Organizational Strategies 115
• Explanation and samples of additional organizational patterns,
such as classification, order of importance, compare/contrast,
and problem/solution
• Choosing your organizational strategy
Lesson 16: Common Essay Types 119
• Explanation and samples of commonly used essay types:
expository, persuasive, and narrative
• Tips on how to apply these structures to other writing formats,
such as journals, poems, plays, songs, video scripts
Lesson 17: Writing to Prompts 125
• Explanation and techniques for analyzing and writing
to prompts
• Understanding common essay and test prompts
S E C T I O N 5 : W R I T I N G YOU R F I R S T D R A F T 131
Lesson 18: Review of the Five Most Common Grammatical Errors 133
• Incorrect noun-verb agreement
• Incorrect verb endings
• Incorrect pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Comma splices
• Common spelling mistakes and word confusions
Lesson 19: At Last, Your First Paragraph 141
• Explanation and samples of topic sentences
• Explanation and samples of paragraph structures,
such as deductive/inductive, narrative, descriptive,
informational, persuasive
• Value of varying paragraph lengths
• Importance of building coherent unified paragraphs in which each
sentence supports and/or amplifies the topic sentence
• Checklist for building strong paragraphs
Lesson 20: Supporting Your Thesis Statement 147
• Explanation and samples of six common types of thesissupporting
material: details and examples, facts, reasons,
anecdotes and descriptions, expert opinions and quotations, and
references such as visuals from the subject matter itself (such as
text, movie, or song)
Lesson 21: The Five-Paragraph Essay 153
• Explanation and sample of a five-paragraph essay
• Explanation and sample of the three basic parts of an essay:
introduction, body, and conclusion
• Checklist for organizing paragraphs in the most effective order
Lesson 22: Writing a Strong Introduction 159
• Explanation and samples of effective introductions
• Checklist of hook styles that grab the reader, and hooks
to avoid
• Getting the first draft written—revisions to follow
Lesson 23: Writing a Strong Conclusion 165
• Explanation and samples of effective conclusions
• Checklist of common weak conclusions, such as repetition of thesis
statement, repetition of all interior points, dribble-away-to-nothing
endings
S E C T I O N 6 : R E V I S I N G YOUR WRITING 173
Lesson 24: Evaluating Your Thesis Statement 175
• Explanation and sample of evaluating the work against
its purpose
• Evaluate your work against “The Six Traits of Good Writing”
in McDougal, Language Network: Grammar, Writing, Communication
(Houghton Mifflin, 2001), p. 317
• Exercises in the use and value of adjectives and adverbs
Lesson 25: Evaluating Your Supporting Paragraphs 181
• Checklist of attributes of effective writing, such as strong
argument well defended, vivid descriptions well rendered,
facts thoroughly presented, interesting conclusion drawn
Lesson 26: Revising the Body of Your Essay 187
• Explanation and sample of the editing process
• Checklist of common errors and bad habits to correct, such as
colloquial and/or slang usages; inconsistent tone; minimal use
of figurative language; padded, pompous sentences; choppy
sentences all the same length
S E C T I O N 7 : D O I N G T H E F I N A L E D I T 193
Lesson 27: Editing Your Writing 195
• Explanation of the importance of the final polish and the
proofreading process, including samples that spell-checkers miss
• Checklist of common grammatical errors (see Lessons 6 and 18)
Lesson 28: Proofreading Your Writing 201
• Tips on how to proofread effectively (reading your work
aloud, reading backward, showing it to a friend, sleeping
on it)
• Looks are everything: tips on making your work look good
Lesson 29: A Final Review 207
• Quick review of simplified grammar rules
• Six characteristics of good writing
• How to avoid writer’s block
S E C T I O N 8 : P U B L I S H I N G YOUR WRITING 213
Lesson 30: Seeing Your Work Out in the World 215
• Suggestions for publishing your work—for example, in your
school newspaper, in a local ’zine, on Internet sites such as your
school website or online student writing magazine, on Facebook,
on YouTube, by entering a contest, the possibilities are endless
Posttest 219
Glossary 227
Pretest 5
SECTION 1: GRAMMAR REVIEW 13
Lesson 1: The Big Four Parts of Speech 15
• Understanding nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs
• Review of verb tenses, including irregular verbs
• Verb-noun agreement
Lesson 2: Sentence Structure 23
• Review and exercises with basic subject-verb construction
• Review and exercises on how to avoid run-ons and fragments
• Review and exercises on compound and complex sentences
Lesson 3: The All-Important Pronouns 29
• Understanding pronouns: personal, possessive, reflexive, and
demonstrative
• Tips on how to avoid misusing tricky pronouns, such as that and
which
Lesson 4: Punctuation, Part One: Using the Comma Correctly 37
• Review and exercises on how to use the single most difficult
punctuation mark: the comma
C O N T E N T S
Lesson 5: Punctuation, Part Two: The Other Punctuation Marks 45
• Review and exercises on how to use periods, exclamation points,
question marks, quotation marks, colons, semicolons, hyphens,
dashes, and apostrophes
• Review of common punctuation errors, including prohibitions on
using ellipses and emoticons in formal writing
Lesson 6: Avoiding the Five Most Common Grammatical Errors 55
• Incorrect noun-verb agreement
• Incorrect verb endings
• Incorrect pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Comma splices
• Common spelling mistakes and word confusions
S E C T I O N 2 : P L A N N I N G YOU R E S SAY 65
Lesson 7: Getting Started Is the Hardest Part 67
• Identifying the audience: Who will read my essay?
• Choosing your writing style
• Identifying your purpose and your point of view: Why am I
writing this?
Lesson 8: Brainstorming to Discover What You Think 73
• Explanation and samples of brainstorming strategies
Lesson 9: Mapping Your Subject 79
• Explanation and sample of a concept map (or cluster diagram)
or a mind map
Lesson 10: How to Jumpstart Your Writing 83
• Explanation and samples of freewriting (or prewriting)
and journaling
S E C T I O N 3 : D E F I N I N G YOU R TOP I C A N D T H E S I S 89
Lesson 11: Techniques for Defining and Developing a Topic 91
• Choosing a general topic of your own
• Developing a topic from an assignment
• Using the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) to explore
your topic
• Researching your topic
Lesson 12: Finding and Developing a Thesis 97
• Making sure your thesis is interesting
• Keeping your thesis statement focused
Lesson 13: Getting Ready to Write 101
• Reevaluating your thesis statement and perhaps finding a new
location for it (look beyond the first paragraph)
• Contemplating the building blocks of the essay
• Introduction, body, and conclusion
S E C T I O N 4 : O R GAN I Z I N G YOU R E S SAY 107
Lesson 14: Before You Write, Organize and Outline 109
• Explanation of importance of preplanning
• Explanation and sample of an informal outline
• Explanation and sample of a formal outline
• Explanation and samples of various organizational patterns
(chronological, cause-and-effect, spatial, general-to-specific)
Lesson 15: Additional Organizational Strategies 115
• Explanation and samples of additional organizational patterns,
such as classification, order of importance, compare/contrast,
and problem/solution
• Choosing your organizational strategy
Lesson 16: Common Essay Types 119
• Explanation and samples of commonly used essay types:
expository, persuasive, and narrative
• Tips on how to apply these structures to other writing formats,
such as journals, poems, plays, songs, video scripts
Lesson 17: Writing to Prompts 125
• Explanation and techniques for analyzing and writing
to prompts
• Understanding common essay and test prompts
S E C T I O N 5 : W R I T I N G YOU R F I R S T D R A F T 131
Lesson 18: Review of the Five Most Common Grammatical Errors 133
• Incorrect noun-verb agreement
• Incorrect verb endings
• Incorrect pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Comma splices
• Common spelling mistakes and word confusions
Lesson 19: At Last, Your First Paragraph 141
• Explanation and samples of topic sentences
• Explanation and samples of paragraph structures,
such as deductive/inductive, narrative, descriptive,
informational, persuasive
• Value of varying paragraph lengths
• Importance of building coherent unified paragraphs in which each
sentence supports and/or amplifies the topic sentence
• Checklist for building strong paragraphs
Lesson 20: Supporting Your Thesis Statement 147
• Explanation and samples of six common types of thesissupporting
material: details and examples, facts, reasons,
anecdotes and descriptions, expert opinions and quotations, and
references such as visuals from the subject matter itself (such as
text, movie, or song)
Lesson 21: The Five-Paragraph Essay 153
• Explanation and sample of a five-paragraph essay
• Explanation and sample of the three basic parts of an essay:
introduction, body, and conclusion
• Checklist for organizing paragraphs in the most effective order
Lesson 22: Writing a Strong Introduction 159
• Explanation and samples of effective introductions
• Checklist of hook styles that grab the reader, and hooks
to avoid
• Getting the first draft written—revisions to follow
Lesson 23: Writing a Strong Conclusion 165
• Explanation and samples of effective conclusions
• Checklist of common weak conclusions, such as repetition of thesis
statement, repetition of all interior points, dribble-away-to-nothing
endings
S E C T I O N 6 : R E V I S I N G YOUR WRITING 173
Lesson 24: Evaluating Your Thesis Statement 175
• Explanation and sample of evaluating the work against
its purpose
• Evaluate your work against “The Six Traits of Good Writing”
in McDougal, Language Network: Grammar, Writing, Communication
(Houghton Mifflin, 2001), p. 317
• Exercises in the use and value of adjectives and adverbs
Lesson 25: Evaluating Your Supporting Paragraphs 181
• Checklist of attributes of effective writing, such as strong
argument well defended, vivid descriptions well rendered,
facts thoroughly presented, interesting conclusion drawn
Lesson 26: Revising the Body of Your Essay 187
• Explanation and sample of the editing process
• Checklist of common errors and bad habits to correct, such as
colloquial and/or slang usages; inconsistent tone; minimal use
of figurative language; padded, pompous sentences; choppy
sentences all the same length
S E C T I O N 7 : D O I N G T H E F I N A L E D I T 193
Lesson 27: Editing Your Writing 195
• Explanation of the importance of the final polish and the
proofreading process, including samples that spell-checkers miss
• Checklist of common grammatical errors (see Lessons 6 and 18)
Lesson 28: Proofreading Your Writing 201
• Tips on how to proofread effectively (reading your work
aloud, reading backward, showing it to a friend, sleeping
on it)
• Looks are everything: tips on making your work look good
Lesson 29: A Final Review 207
• Quick review of simplified grammar rules
• Six characteristics of good writing
• How to avoid writer’s block
S E C T I O N 8 : P U B L I S H I N G YOUR WRITING 213
Lesson 30: Seeing Your Work Out in the World 215
• Suggestions for publishing your work—for example, in your
school newspaper, in a local ’zine, on Internet sites such as your
school website or online student writing magazine, on Facebook,
on YouTube, by entering a contest, the possibilities are endless
Posttest 219
Glossary 227
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