Grammar and
Punctuation:
Building Strong
Writing Skills
Parts of Speech Review
● Words are like building blocks in
our sentences
● Different types of words have
different jobs
● Understanding these jobs helps
us write better
● Today we'll learn about some
special word jobs
Direct Objects: The Receivers
● Direct objects receive the action in a sentence
● They answer the question "what?" or "whom?"
Example: Sarah threw the ball
● The ball receives the action (what Sarah threw)
Practice: Find the direct object: Tom ate the pizza
Pronouns: A Quick Review
● Pronouns replace nouns
● They make our writing less
repetitive
● Basic pronouns: he, she, it, they, we
● Today we'll learn about special
pronouns!
Intensive Pronouns
● Add emphasis to the subject
● End in -self or -selves
Examples:
● I myself baked this cake
● The prime minister himself came
to our school
● They make our writing more
dramatic!
Reflexive Pronouns
● Show when someone does something to
themselves
● Also end in -self or -selves
Examples:
● She hurt herself while skating
● The cat cleaned itself
● Different from intensive pronouns - action
comes back to subject
Proper Adjectives
● Adjectives made from proper nouns
● Always start with a capital letter
Examples:
● American flag (from America)
● Italian food (from Italy)
● Spanish language (from Spain)
Correlative Conjunctions
● Work in pairs to
connect similar ideas
● Common pairs:
● Either/or
● Neither/nor
● Both/and
● Not only/but also
Using Correlative Conjunctions
Examples:
● Either we go to the park or we stay home
● Both the dog and the cat are sleeping
● Neither rain nor snow stopped the mail carrier
● Keep ideas balanced when using them
Capitalization Rules
● First word of every sentence
● Names of people and places
● Days, months, and holidays
● Languages and nationalities
● Important words in titles
Advanced Capitalization
● Brand names
● Historical periods and events
● Organizations and companies
● Geographic regions
● Family titles when used as names
Introduction to Punctuation
● Helps readers understand our meaning
● Shows where to pause and stop
● Makes our writing clear
● Today's focus: Commas and colons
Comma Uses: Basic Review
● Separate items in a list
● Join two complete sentences with 'and',
'but', 'or'
● After introductory words
● In dates and addresses
Advanced Comma Use: Appositives
● Appositives rename or explain nouns
● Need commas around them
Example: My teacher, Mrs. Smith, loves science
Another example: Pizza, my favorite food, is
delicious
Advanced Comma Use: Participle
Phrases
● Describe action related to the subject
● Need commas when at start or end of
sentence
Example: Running through the rain, we got
soaked
Another: The girl, smiling brightly, waved hello
Using Colons
● Comes after a complete sentence
● Introduces a list
Example: I need three things: pencils, paper, and
erasers
Important!
The sentence before the colon must make sense
on its own
Colon Practice
● Good: These are my favorite fruits: apples,
oranges, and bananas
● Bad: I like: apples, oranges, and bananas
● Remember: Complete sentence must come
before the colon!
Putting It All Together
● Clear writing uses all these tools
● Proper punctuation helps readers understand
● Correct grammar makes writing stronger
● Practice makes perfect!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
● Forgetting capitals at sentence starts
● Missing commas in lists
● Using colons after incomplete sentences
● Mixing up intensive and reflexive pronouns
Review and Practice
● We learned about:
○ Direct objects
○ Special pronouns
○ Proper adjectives
○ Correlative conjunctions
○ Advanced comma uses
○ Colon rules
Keep practicing these skills in your writing!