March Madness

          March Madness is the name for a college basketball tournament that easily captures the attention of so many basketball enthusiasts annually.  Viewers who do not even consider themselves avid basketball fans find themselves near a television keeping up with the games.  Many people root for specific teams based on the predictions they make, and other people cheer on certain teams based on colleges that have been attended by people they know.  Today the top eight teams will move on to the Elite Eight round, where they will fight for positions in the illustrious final four spots.  Soon a national champion will be named.

Vocabulary:

captures: (v.) grabs or holds someone

avid: (adj.) showing excitement or enthusiasm for something

root: (v.) to cheer or support

elite: (adj.) a special part of a group that is better than the rest

illustrious: (adj.) admired and famous

champion: (n.) winner



Vocabulary Exercise:
Please write your own sentence for each of the words above.   Use the definitions and the examples of the use of the words in the paragraph above.

1. captures ________________________________________________________
2. avid ___________________________________________________________
3. root ___________________________________________________________
4. elite ___________________________________________________________
5. illustrious ______________________________________________________
6. champion ______________________________________________________




Grammar Point: Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs and tell us when something happens, how something happens or where something happens.  Adverbs can be classified as adverbs of manner, adverbs of time, adverbs of place, or adverbs of frequency.

Adverbs of manner tell us how the action occurs.  An example from the paragraph above is the word "easily" in "March Madness is the name for a college basketball tournament that easily captures the attention of so many basketball enthusiasts annually."

Adverbs of time tell us about the time that the action takes place.  An example from the paragraph above is the word "today" in "Today the top eight teams will move on to the Elite Eight round, where they will fight for positions in the illustrious final four spots."

Adverbs of place tell us where the action occurs.  An example from the paragraph above is the word "near" in "Viewers who do not even consider themselves avid basketball fans find themselves near a television keeping up with the games."

Adverbs of frequency tell us how often the action occurs.  An example from the paragraph above is the word "annually" in "March Madness is the name for a college basketball tournament that easily captures the attention of so many basketball enthusiasts annually."



Grammar Activity: 
Underline the adverb in each sentence, and state whether it is an adverb of manner, time, place, or frequency.

1.  The office manager is coming here. __________________
2.  I wake up early in the morning to get ready for work. _____________________
3.  She drove slowly with the baby sleeping in the backseat. __________________
4.  He asks the same question daily. _____________________
5.  I never take the train to work. _______________________
6.  They carefully filled in the answers on their test. __________________
7.  The teacher always writes the homework on the board.  ________________
8.  Mom went somewhere to pick up dinner.  ___________________
9.  Tomorrow you need to study for your math test. _________________
10.  You answered correctly.  ____________________

Snow Day!

   

     We are ecstatic that today was a snow day!  Receiving a phone call that school is closed for snow is the best surprise! Weather men and women predicted that this would be the biggest storm during the month of March.  Although there was not as much snow accumulation as predicted, the roads were more icy and more dangerous than people expected them to be.  It is better to be cautious and to stay off the roads when the weather is bad.  The benefit of snowy weather, however, is that students have no school!

Vocabulary:

ecstatic: (adj) feeling an extreme amount of happiness

accumulation: (n) a large gathering of something

dangerous: (adj) unsafe and likely to cause harm

cautious: (adj) careful to avoid danger

benefit: (n) the positive result



Vocabulary Exercise:
Please write your own sentence for each of the words above.   Use the definitions and the examples of the use of the words in the paragraph above.

1. ecstatic ________________________________________________________
2. accumulation __________________________________________________________
3. dangerous _______________________________________________________
4. cautious _________________________________________________________
5. benefit __________________________________________________________




Grammar Point: Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparative adjectives are used to form sentences between two objects.  For one syllable adjectives, add the ending -er to the end of the word to form a comparative.  For two syllable adjectives, either add the ending -er or place the word "more" in front of the adjective.  For three syllable adjectives, place the word "more " in front of the adjective.  Here is an example from the text of a comparative:

- Although there was not as much snow accumulation as predicted, the roads were more icy and more dangerous than people expected them to be.


Superlative adjectives are used to form sentences between three or more objects.  For one syllable adjectives, add the ending -est to the end of the word to form a comparative.  For two syllable adjectives, either add the ending -est or place the word "most" in front of the adjective.  For three syllable adjectives, place the word "most " in front of the adjective.  Here is an example from the text of a superlative:

- Weather men and women predicted that this would be the biggest storm during the month of March. 


There are also irregular comparatives and superlatives.  Here are some examples:

1. good:
-Comparative: better
     It is better to be cautious and to stay off the roads when the weather is bad. 
-Superlative: best
    Receiving a phone call that school is closed for snow is the best surprise!


2. bad:
-Comparative: worse
-Superlative: worst




Grammar Activity: 
Please fill in the blank with the proper form of the comparative or superlative form of the adjective in parentheses.

Comparatives:
1.  Mike is __________________ (tall) than Nick.
2.  Kaitlyn is _________________ (smart) than Maria.
3.  Tom is ___________________ (good) than his brother at doing laundry.
4.  Danielle is __________________ (serious) than Alyssa.

Superlatives:
5.  That is the __________________ (adorable) baby.
6.  Diego is the _________________ (small) in the class.
7.  This is the __________________ (bad) day ever.
8.  Ashley is the __________________ (kind) girl.

St. Patrick's Day

     St. Patrick's Day is coming soon!  This holiday is celebrated every year on March 17 as national holiday in Ireland.  St. Patrick's Day is also celebrated in other parts of the world, too, including the United States.  On St. Patrick's Day there will be a big parade in New York City.  Bands from around the country are going to march and play traditional Irish songs.  Many people will wear green in celebration of this day!  Two symbols that are known for being related to St. Patrick's Day are the lucky four-leaved clover, which is shown in the photo above, and the leprechaun. According to Irish belief, there is a leprechaun who knows where there is a pot of gold located. Everyone wants a pot of gold!


Vocabulary:

including: (prep) containing part of a whole

parade: (n) a public event in which people march, possibly with bands or floats

traditional: (adj) describing something that has been passed down from generation to generation based on customs or beliefs

symbols: (n) things used to represent an object or belief

related: (adj) describing something that is connected to something else

belief: (n) trust or faith in someone or something


Vocabulary Exercise:
Please write your own sentence for each of the words above.   Use the definitions and the examples of the use of the words in the paragraph above.

1. including ________________________________________________________
2. parade __________________________________________________________
3. traditional _______________________________________________________
4. symbols _________________________________________________________
5. related __________________________________________________________
6. belief ____________________________________________________________


Grammar Point: Simple Future Verbs
The simple future tense refers to an action that is in the future and has not occurred.  Here are three examples of sentences from the paragraph above that use the simple future tense:

1. On St. Patrick's Day there will be a big parade in New York City.
2. Bands from around the country are going to march and play traditional Irish songs.
3. Many people will wear green in celebration of this day!

The simple future tense uses the helping verbs "will" or "shall" and the base form of the verb. (See examples 1 and 3.)  It can also be used with a form of the verb "go" and the infinitive of the verb. (See example 2.)


Grammar Activity: 
Please fill in the blanks with the future tense of the verb in parentheses.  You may use the helping verbs "will" or "shall" with the base form of the verb, or you may use a form of the verb "go" with the infinitive of the verb.

1.  I ______________________ (shop) at the mall for a dress.
2.  He _____________________ (eat) all of his dinner, because he is so hungry.
3.  She ______________________ (buy) a cake for the party.
4.  They ___________________ (travel) the world together.
5.  We __________________ (miss) our friends when they move to South Carolina.