As I watched the changing precipitation yesterday, the homophone trio REIGN/RAIN/REIN popped into my head. Gather 'round (virtually) while I provide definitions and sentences for each word. REIGN/REIGNING = To rule or hold sovereignty over a kingdom or sporting event. Synonyms: rule/ruling, incumbent, lead/leading, prevail/prevailing #1: Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England on February 6, 1952 and still reigns today. #2: The reigning Super Bowl Champions are the Kansas City Chiefs, whose 2020 win over the San Francisco 49ers marked their first since Super Bowl IV. RAIN = this type of precipitation falls from the clouds in the form of drops Rain, rain go away! Come again some other day. There are four types of raindrops and four types of rain. Check out sciencing.com for more information! REIN = restrain, bridle, or control, or limit. FREE REIN, which means freedom, is the antonym or opposite. Tug on the reins gently or the horse will spook. Rein in your anger, or you'll fall prey to the dark side like Anakin Skywalker was. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The rain has turned to snow, and the latest forecast calls for 6-12 inches in my neck of the woods. Stay warm and safe, everyone! Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper A Spoonful of Grammar
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What's the difference between PHRASES and CLAUSES? Clauses contain both subjects and verbs, while phrases contain one or the other. In this spoonful, we'll join forces to turn five phrases into sparkling sentences: I'll write two different sentences for each and leave room for you to add your own. Have fun with this and share if you dare! PHRASE #1: MY COMFORTABLE CHAIR **Everyone fights to sit in my comfortable chair, even my boxer Honey. **My comfortable chair is starting to fray, but it's my favorite place to read. ** (Your turn) PHRASE #2: A HUNGRY CAT **A hungry cat meows outside my door, rain or shine. **A hungry cat pounced atop a field mouse and slurped it down. Yuck! ** (Your turn) PHRASE #3: MY FAVORITE COOKIES **My favorite cookies are snickerdoodles with fresh cinnamon. **Actually, my favorite cookies are whichever ones you want to bake for me! ** (Your turn) PHRASE #4: THAT CRAZY SQUIRREL **That crazy squirrel uses our patio furniture as an obstacle course. **Every day, that crazy squirrel tries to vault from the Viburnum bush to the bay window to the bird feeder, adjusting its trajectory with each new attempt. ** (Your turn) PHRASE #5: TURNS IN CIRCLES AND DANCES ** My boxer Honey turns in circles and dances whenever she wants to get my attention. **Maribelle raises her arms, turns in circles, and dances her heart out. ** (Your turn) I hope you enjoyed this latest Spoonful of Grammar and wish you a happy and healthy week ahead. Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper An independent clause is a complete sentence, while a dependent clause can't stand alone and must lean on an independent clause for support. Stay tuned as I add dependent clauses to independent clauses to magically create descriptive sentences! EXAMPLE #1: DEPENDENT CLAUSE = when I walked the dog yesterday "I" is the subject and "walked" is the verb, but we don't know what happened! If I answer that, the transformation to a complete sentence will be complete. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE = I almost stepped on a ribbon snake! That really happened, much to my shock and dismay! The magic happens when you connect them: When I walked the dog yesterday, I almost stepped on a ribbon snake! EXAMPLE #2: DEPENDENT CLAUSE = after Joanna opened the letter "Joanna" is the subject and "opened" is the verb. But we don't know what happened! And I don't know about you, but I want to know more about the letter itself, too. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE = She danced for joy. That's wonderful. But why? The dependent clause, with added detail, will fill in the blanks. Abra-Cadabra!! After Joanna opened the acceptance letter from her number one college choice, she danced for joy. Best of luck to all the college applicants out there, as well as to all students currently grappling with remote and hybrid learning. If you have any grammar, punctuation, or vocabulary questions, please feel free to ask. Your question could spark a new spoonful! Take care, Laura Fineberg Cooper A Spoonful of Grammar At first, NOTHING popped into my mind for this week's spoonful. But then, eureka! I reflected that THING is the least descriptive noun in the English language. I decided to challenge YOU, my readers, to banish THING in any of its forms from the following sentences (and from all your writing). If you dare, please share your creative, descriptive replacement sentences in the comments section! 1.) Eek! It's a THING! 2.) I can't wait to hear about the THING you saw last night. 3.) What a remarkable THING that is. 4.) Please bring SOMETHING, ANYTHING to make this party fun. 5.) Let me describe this animal to you. It's a THING! 6.) John brought chairs, blankets, and THINGS to the beach. Have oodles of fun with this! My next Spoonful of Grammar will be about SOMETHING else, I promise you. Take care, Laura Fineberg Cooper JUST creeps into all kinds of writing, making it tentative, passive, and dull. If you challenge yourself to search and replace JUST before submitting your final drafts, your readers will thank you! Let's review five JUST-infected sentences to prove this point. 1. I just wanted to say that I love dogs. JUST isn't the only problem in this sentence. Go ahead and shout from the rooftops: I love dogs! 2. My dog Honey just finished her breakfast. It would more active and appealing to write this: My dog Honey finished her breakfast and is sniffing around for more food. 3. Marilyn was just about to take a walk when the phone rang. JUST. PLAIN. BLAH! How about this instead? Marilyn had one foot out the door when the phone rang. Which sentence do you prefer? 4. Dinner is just about ready. Here, JUST ABOUT could be replaced with almost or nearly. For clarity, however, I vote for Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes. 5. Juanita felt just about ready to explode. There are more descriptive ways you could write that sentence. Two options include Juanita's anger simmered, ready to bubble over at any moment or the straightforward and bold choice, Juanita exploded. Whether your writing style is descriptive, active, straightforward, or meandering, don't let JUST infect your essays, stories, or speeches! That's a wrap for today's spoonful. Until next Sunday, be safe, be happy, be creative, and be kind. Laura Fineberg Cooper |
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