Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Defined - Thanksgiving: thanks-giv-ing (thanks'giv'ing) n. 1. a) a giving of thanks b) an expression of this; esp., a formal, public expression of thanks to God 2. [T-] a) a U.S. holiday on the fourth Thursday of November: it commemorates the Pilgrims' celebration of the good harvest of 1621 b) a similar Canadian holiday on the second Monday of October .

A Brief History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States. It is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday in November. On this day, families gather together, and many people say prayers of thanks for the year’s blessings. In many homes, a big dinner of roast turkey and dressing is served. Thanksgiving is traditionally a harvest festival. Similar festivals are celebrated in many parts of the world to give thanks after the year’s crops have been safely harvested.
A small ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620. The passengers spent 66 days in the hold of the ship arriving on November 21.

Most of them were Puritans who had been persecuted for their religious beliefs in England. One month later, on December 26, all 102 passengers set foot on land and began to establish the colony of Plymouth. The Pilgrims, as these people came to be called, had borrowed money from a group of English merchants to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They planned to start a settlement in the Virginia Colony in America, but during the long voyage, storms blew their crowded little vessel off course.

After sailing for more than two months, the Mayflower finally reached land near what is now Provincetown on Cape Cod. This part of the American coast, called New England, had been explored several years earlier by an Englishman named Capt. John Smith. The Pilgrims followed Smith's maps and sailed across Cape Cod Bay to the mainland coast of Massachusetts.
They founded the Colony of Plymouth in December 1620. Most of the Pilgrims had suffered terribly from the long voyage. They immediately began to build shelters, but soon they were overcome by a general sickness. Through the course of the winter 46 died, nearly half their original number. Some who became ill on the voyage and who were too sick to be moved stayed on the Mayflower, which was anchored in Plymouth Harbor for the winter.

The Mayflower had been a cargo ship and had to be refitted to handle the Pilgrim passengers. It had three masts and a double deck. No one is sure of what happened to the original Mayflower after it returned to England the following April. A replica of the original Mayflower was built in England in the mid-1950's. This ship, Mayflower II, sailed across the Atlantic in 1957 to commemorate the Pilgrims’ voyage. It is now anchored in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts.
The first American Thanksgiving probably took place in New England. It was celebrated by the Pilgrim settlers, who established Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. The Pilgrims had struggled bravely through a grim winter with a great deal of sickness and very little food.
The following spring, friendly Indians helped the settlers plant corn; and in the autumn, the first crop was harvested. Governor William Bradford proclaimed three days of prayer and thanksgiving. The Pilgrims gave a huge feast and invited the Indian Chief, Massosoit, and 90 of his people.

The custom of observing a special harvest thanksgiving day spread throughout the other colonies in the following years. After the American Revolution, the various states continued the custom, each one naming its own day for giving thanks. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday in November. The present date was established by Congress in 1941.
http://www.celebratelove.com/thanxhistory.htm

VOCABULARY

1. A brief history -- “brief” means a. long b. short c. interesting
2. “national” is a word that refers to a. the world b. the state c. the nation/country
3. “blessings” are
a. good luck b. good food c. good things you have or have gotten
4. “dressing” (as used in this reading) means
a. clothing b. dresses
c. a side dish (food) usually made from bread and herbs and baked in the oven
5. “traditions” are
a. things that people in the culture consider important and that they do year after year
b. something new we do c. something we trade for something else
6. a “harvest” is a. a time when food is picked from trees or taken from the ground
b. a big supermarket c. a big university
7. “in the hold of a ship” “in the hold” is
a. in a jail
b. the space in a ship below the lower deck, in which cargo is stowed [put] c. the lifeboats of a ship
8. “Puritans” were a small sect [group] of Protestants [Christians] who were “persecuted” [didn’t feel they could practice their religion freely]
9. What’s a synonym for “vessel” in this reading?
a. a dish b. a ship c. a part of the body that blood flows through
10. a “colony” was a settlement where the people came to live
11. “shelters” are a. places to live b. cars c. trees
12. a “replica” is a. a copy of something b. something to eat c. an answer to someone
13. “to commemorate the Pilgrims’ voyage” is
a. to remember the trip b. to write about the trip c. to stop the trip
A PILGRIM is a person who goes on a pilgrimage. A “pilgrimage” is a trip someone takes usually for religious reasons.
14. the “settlers” means a. people who make a place their home
b. Indians c. businessmen
15. “a grim winter” “grim” means a. good b. difficult/terrible c. hot
16. “a great deal” means a. a bargain b. a big purchase c. a lot of
17. a “custom” is a. something we do very rarely b. something we never do
c. something special we do in our culture; a holiday tradition

CONVERSATION
[First give short answers to your partner. Then write your answers in complete sentences.]

1. When do we celebrate Thanksgiving? ____________________________________
2. What do we call the people who came to this country who were looking for religious freedom? _____________________________________________________________
3. How long were these people on the ship called the Mayflower.

4. Where did they land? a. on the west coast in California b. on the east coast in New England c. in the south in Florida

5. What did they call the colony they settled in? ________________________________________________________________________
6. What year did they come here? ___________________________________________
7. What does “give thanks” mean? _________________________________________
8. How do you give thanks for the things you have?
_______________________________________________________________________

The Miser

Once there was a man who loved money more than anything else in the world. He hated spending it and was also afraid of losing it or having it stolen by thieves. One day he decided to change all his money into gold, but he was so afraid that somebody would find it that he buried it in his yard.
Every two or three days he would go out to his yard and dig up the gold so he could look at it. Then he would bury it again because he never intended to spend it. One day he came out to the yard and discovered that somebody had learned about his secret and had dug it up. His gold was gone and the hole was empty.
He moaned and groaned and began to tear his hair. A neighbor, seeing that he was overcome with grief came over and said, “You really haven’t lost anything. Why don’t you just bury a big rock and pretend it is gold? Since you never planned to spend it anyway, the rock will be as good as gold for you, and you can dig it up and bury it any time you want to.”
VOCABULARY
1. What is the definition of “a miser”?
A “miser” is a person who ________________________________________________.
2. Please pronounce these words with the sound of “ise” or “ize”
a. a high-rise building
b. a big prize
c. What size do you wear?
c. a wise woman
d. He’s a miserly man
3. f v + es

thief thieves
leaf leaves
knife knives
life lives
wife wives
half halves
self selves
shelf shelves
wolf wolves
but belief beliefs
chief chiefs

a. I thought I saw a thief steel the money. The police found two thieves.
Choose two singular “f” words and write a sentence with the singular and another sentence with the plural for both.
b. _______________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________________________
e. _______________________________________________________________
4. “to moan” is a verb. “to groan” is also a verb. Let’s hear you moan and groan.

5. He “began to tear his hair.” means
a. He got a haircut. b. He was very angry. c. He cried.
6. “He was overcome with grief.”
a. He was extremely sad. b. He came over and cried. c. He hates to be sad.

GRAMMAR
1. MORE THAN used with a noun or pronoun.
“He loved money more than anything else in the world.”
a. I love you more than anyone else in the world.
b. He ate more food than anyone else at the party.
c. He drank more [wine, beer, alcohol] than he should have.
d. I did more homework last night than I have done all semester.
Can you write a sentence with MORE THAN and a NOUN or PRONOUN
e. _______________________________________________________________
2. HATE and LOVE and LIKE and ENJOY
“He hated spending it.” [You can say, “He hated to spend it. or
She loves to spend her money on shoes.]
BUT. . . when LIKE or LOVE means ENJOY, use ____ING
a. I love eating chocolate.
b. I like studying English.
c. He enjoys reading.
d. My nephew hates doing his homework.
Please try to write a sentence with HATE and another with LOVE/LIKE/ or ENJOY.
e. _______________________________________________________________
f. _______________________________________________________________

3. SO + adjective (or adverb) + THAT clause
“He was so afraid (that) somebody would find it that he buried it in his yard.”
a. I was so tired that I couldn’t eat dinner.
b. The bus was so late that she decided to walk to school.
c. My friend walked so slowly that she missed thee bus.
Please try writing your own example:
d. _______________________________________________________________
4. ANYTHING, ANYWAY, ANY used with NEGATIVE ideas
“You really haven’t lost anything.”
“Since you never planned to spend it anyway.
a. I don’t have any sisters./ money. (plural or non-count nouns)
b. He doesn’t know anything about it.
Now, you try writing two sentences using ANYTHING, ANYWAY, or ANY
c. _______________________________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________________________
5. ANY TIME, ANY PLACE ANYWHERE, ANYONE
“You can bury it any time you want to.”
You try writing sentences using all four words from above.
a. ANY TIME ____________________________________________________
b. ANY PLACE _______________________________________________________
c. ANYWHERE ___________________________________________________
d. ANYONE _______________________________________________________
6. AS (ADJECTIVE) /or adverb AS means something is the same as the other thing
“as good as gold” “The rock will be as good as gold.”
a. as tall as He is as tall as his father.
b. as hungry as I am as hungry as a wolf.
c. as well as He drives as well as I do.
d. as slowly as He walks as slowly as a tortoise
Now, you write a sentence using as ________ as
e. _______________________________________________________________
7. Give me some advice like this: “Why don’t you just bury a big rock?
a. Why don’t you write a letter to your mom? b. Why don’t you get up earlier?
c. ________________________________________________________________
8. How many past-tense verbs can you find? (simple past, present perfect, past perfect)
Subjects verbs (infinitive)
1. a man was to be
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.

9. What verbs are used with MODALS
Subjects verbs (infinitive)
a.
b.
c.
d.

CONVERSATION Work with a partner and talk about the answers to these questions.
a. Who are the characters in this story?
b. What did the man bury? and why?
c. What advice did the neighbor give the miser?
d. What does “the rock will be as good as gold for you.” mean? ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse

One day, the city mouse went to visit his country cousin. The country mouse was very pleased to have his city cousin visit, and he gave his cousin the very best food – beans, cheese, and bread. But the city cousin turned up her nose and said, “My poor cousin, how simply you eat and live! Come to the city with me to see the good life.” So the two of them set off for the bright lights of the city.
They arrived in the evening, and immediately the city mouse took her country cousin to the dining room in the big house where she lived.
The room was empty, but the table was loaded with leftovers. The two
mice busily sampled the cakes and jam and all the other fine food.
Suddenly as they were eating, the door opened and in came the servants to clear the tables. With them came two huge dogs to eat the scraps. The mice barely escaped through a hole in the wall. The country mouse immediately asked his city cousin to show him the way home.
“Why are you going home so soon? asked the city mouse.
The country mouse answered, “Beans and bread in peace are better than cake and wine in fear.”
VOCABULARY
1. What’s the plural of “mouse”? _________________
2. “The city mouse went to visit his country cousin.” “country” means
a. a nation b. rural area; countryside c. the city
3. “The country mouse was very pleased. “pleased” means
a. pretty b. said “Please.” c. happy
4. “the city mouse turned up her nose. . .” “turned up her nose” means
a. smiled b. showed that she didn’t like something c. blew her nose
5. “the good life” means
a. poverty b. comfortable living c. good friends
6. “set off for the bright lights of the city.” “set off” means
a. began a journey b. turned off the lights c. sat down
7. “loaded with leftovers” “loaded” means
a. not very much b. loud c. filled with
8. “leftovers” means
a. lots of food
b. the food that remains after you’ve eaten
c. the best food
8. “to eat the scraps” “scraps” means a. leftovers b. the best food c. bread
9. “barely escaped”
a. almost didn’t; hardly; scarcely b. left with no clothes on c. left
GRAMMAR
1. “The country mouse was very pleased to have him visit.”
HAVE + PRONOUN/NOUN + BASE FORM OF THE VERB
e.g. a. Sally always has her students write sentences.
b. The candidates will have (or had) their supporters vote on November 4th.
Now, please write your own example of this grammatical construction.
c. _____________________________________________________
2. “how simply you eat and live”
ADVERBS MODIFY VERBS
e.g. a. She drives slowly. Her husband drives fast.
b. He writes beautifully.
c. She cooks very well.
d. The police carefully watched the criminals.
e Find three other adverbs used similarly in the story? Please write the sentence on the line. _______________________________________________
f. __________________________________________________________
g. ________________________________________________________ Now, please write your own sentence using an adverb modifying a verb.
h.


3. “How simply you eat and live!”
You can use HOW to show surprise. It is NOT a question, so the subject and verb are in regular order.
a. How nice you look.
b. How thin you are now!
Now, please write your own HOW sentence.
c. ______________________________________________________
4. “in the big house where she lived.”
WHERE can introduce a clause following a place.
WHERE is NOT a question word here.
a. I live in San Francisco where there are two beautiful bridges.
b. I’d like to go back to the place where I was born.
Now, please write your own sentence using a WHERE clause.
c. ___________________________________________________________
5. Write all the past tense verbs, the subjects and infinitives in this story (15)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.

CONVERSATION
1. Who are the characters in this story?

2. Which mouse visited the other mouse?
_____________________________________________________________
3. What food did the country mouse feed his city cousin?


4. What made the country mouse want to go home? _____________________________________________________________
5. What did the country mouse mean when he said, “Beans and bread in peace are better than cake and wine in fear.”
____________________________________________________________

The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg

One day a farmer was collecting eggs from the nests of his geese. In one of the nests, he found a heavy, yellow egg. He took it home and tried to break it open, but it wouldn’t break. He took it to the market where he learned that it was gold.
The next day, the same thing happened, but he observed very carefully and saw which goose had laid the egg. For the next several days, this wonderful goose continued to produce golden eggs; and the farmer sold them, becoming richer and richer.
However, as he steadily grew richer, he became greedier; and he thought that if he could get all the eggs inside the goose in one day, he could then retire and would never have to work again. So he killed the goose by opening it up, yet he found nothing.
The moral of this story is this: He who is greedy is never satisfied.
VOCABULARY
1. “he observed very carefully” “observed” means
a) watched b) listened c) killed

2. “For the next several days” “several” means
a) one more day b) three or four days c) seven days

3. “he steadily grew richer. . . .” “steadily” means
a) slowly b) quickly c) little by little

GRAMMAR

A. Find all the subjects and past-tense verbs. Then write the infinitives.
1. a farmer was collecting (past continuous) to collect
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
19.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.


B. Find any verbs that are used with modals (would, could, can, will, may, might, must or the negatives wouldn’t, couldn’t can’t won’t may not, might not, must not)

1.
2.
3.
4.



C. There is one sentence that uses the past perfect tense:
“The next day, the same thing happened, but he observed very carefully and saw which goose had laid the egg.



__________to lay__________________
present past present perfect past perfect
I lay laid have/has laid had laid
You lay
He/She/It lays
We lay
You lay
They lay

“ to lay” takes an object Look at these examples.

a. I always lay my keys on the table.
b. He laid his jacket on the bed.
c. That chicken has never laid a brown egg.

d. Please write your own sentence using lay.
__________________________________________________

past perfect tense
expresses an activity that was completed before a particular time in the past
e.g. I had eaten when Bob came.
1 2
two things happened in the past, one before the other.
the first one that happened is in the past perfect.

He saw the goose that had laid the golden egg.
2 1

e. Please try writing a sentence using the past perfect of any verb.

____________________________________________________

D. IF introduces conditional clauses [what would or could be possible.]
“If he could get all the eggs inside the goose in one day,
he could then retire and (he) would never have to work again.

f. Is there something your could do IF something else could or would be different?
If I could . . .
or
If my husband/wife/mother/sister etc. could ______, then what would or could happen?

Please write your own sentence:

E. “In one of the nests. . .” The prepositional phrase that follows ONE is always plural. For example One of the students, one of my books, one of her classes
and if these phrases are used as the subject of a sentence, such as this:
One (of the students) has a cold today.

Please write your own sentence using ONE and a phrase that follows.


F. Find all the descriptive adjectives in the story and tell what nouns they modify.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

CONVERSATION
1. What kind of eggs was the farmer collecting?
_______________________________________________________________

2. What was so unusual about one of the eggs?
_______________________________________________________________
3. What did the farmer do to get more eggs? and Why did he do this?
_______________________________________________________________
4. How would you describe this farmer?
_______________________________________________________________
5. What does “He who is greedy is never satisfied.” mean?

_______________________________________________________________

Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near a forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her 1. grandmother as it had been awhile since they'd seen each other.

"That's a good idea," her mother said. So they packed a nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her grandmother.

When the basket was ready, the little girl put on her red cloak and kissed her mother good-bye.

"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't
2. dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."

"Don't worry, Mommy," said Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll be careful."
But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she 3. forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit 4. about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more.

Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer day so much, that she
5. didn't notice a dark shadow approaching out of the forest behind her...
Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her.

"What are you doing out here, little girl?" the wolf asked in a voice as friendly as 6. he could muster.

"I'm on my way to see my grandma who lives through the forest, near the
7. brook," Little Red Riding Hood replied.

Then she realized how late it was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the 8. path to her grandma's house.

9. The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut...

10. The wolf, a little out of breath from running, arrived at Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door.

11. "Oh thank goodness, dear! Come in, come in! I was worried sick that something had happened to you in the forest," said Grandma thinking that the knock was her granddaughter.

12. The wolf let himself in. 13. Poor Granny did not have time to say another
14. word, before the wolf gobbled her up!

15. The wolf let out a satisfied burp, and then
16 . poked through Granny's 17. wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked. He 17..added a frilly sleeping cap, and for good measure, 18. dabbed some of Granny's perfume behind his pointy ears.

A few minutes later, Red Riding Hood knocked on the door. The wolf jumped
20. into bed and pulled the covers over his nose. "Who is it?" he called in a cackly voice.

"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood."

"Oh how lovely! Do come in, my dear," croaked the wolf.

21. When Little Red Riding Hood entered the little cottage, she could scarcely recognize her grandmother.

22. "Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?" she asked.

23. "Oh, I just have a touch of a cold," squeaked the wolf adding a cough at the 24. end to prove the point.

"But Grandmother! What big ears you have," said Little Red Riding Hood as she edged closer to the bed.

"The better to hear you with, my dear," replied the wolf.

"But Grandmother! What big eyes you have," said Little Red Riding Hood.

"The better to see you with, my dear," replied the wolf.

"But Grandmother! What big teeth you have," said Little Red Riding Hood her 25. voice quivering slightly.

26. "The better to eat you with, my dear," roared the wolf, and he leapt out of the bed and began to chase the little girl.

Almost too late, Little Red Riding Hood realized that the person in the bed was not her grandmother, but a hungry wolf.

She ran across the room and through the door, shouting, "Help! Wolf!" as loudly as she could.

27. A woodsman who was chopping logs nearby heard her cry and ran towards the cottage as fast as he could.

28. He grabbed the wolf and made him 29. spit out the poor grandmother who 30. was a bit frazzled by the whole experience, but still in one piece.

31. "Oh Grandma, I was so scared!" sobbed Little Red Riding Hood. "I'll never speak to strangers or dawdle in the forest again."

"There, there, child. You've learned an important lesson. Thank goodness you shouted loud enough for this kind woodsman to hear you!"

The woodsman knocked out the wolf and carried him deep into the forest where he wouldn't bother people any longer.

32. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother had a nice lunch and a long chat.





VOCABULARY
1. awhile a. a short time b. a few weeks c. a long time

2. dawdle a. to walk in a line b. to stop and spend time wastefully c. to run away

3. flit about a. moved quickly from place to place b. landed on flowers c. flew

4. croaking a. eating b. jumping c. frog talk

5. shadow a. a reflected image b. an old man c. an animal

6. muster a. to shout b. to make happen c. to talk

7. brook a. a tree b. a big river c. a small stream

8. path a. a way or track to walk on b. a hike c. a forest

9. a shortcut a. a short haircut b. a quick way to get somewhere c. a small apple

10. “a little out of breath”
a. having bad breath b. having a difficult time c. very tired and breathing heavily

11. “thank goodness”
a. thank you b. another way to say “Thank God” c. thank Little Red Riding Hood

12. “The wolf let himself in.”
a. He opened the door himself. b. The grandmother opened the door.
c. Little Red Riding Hood opened the door.

13. “Poor Granny.”
a. Grandmother had no money b. We feel sorry for the grandmother
c. Grandmother’s first name is “Poor.”

14. “gobbled her up” a. made a turkey noise b. ate her up c. jumped on her

15. a burp
a. a big sneeze b. a big yawn c. a release of air making a sound from the mouth

16. “poked through” a. looked b. grabbed c. separated

17. wardrobe a. friends b. books c. clothes

18. frilly a. ornamental addition b. special c. ugly

19. “dabbed some perfume” a. bought b. put a small amount c. dropped
20. the covers a. sheets and blankets b. pillows c. hats

21. the little cottage a. a small house b. a small dog c. a small car

22. “odd” a. even b. different and strange c. low

23. “I just have a touch of a cold.”
a. I’m a little sick. b. I have the flu. c. Don’t touch me.

24. “to prove the point”
a. to point with your finger
b. to make certain you know why
c. to do a cross-word puzzle

25. quivering a. walking b. staying quiet c. shaking

26. leapt (leaped) a. lived b. jumped c. stayed

27. a woodsman
a. a wooden puppet b. a person who cuts trees c. a man who likes wooden furniture

28. grabbed a. ate him b. took him with his hands c. chopped his head off

29. “spit it out” a. to eject from the mouth b. to sit alone c. to go outside

30. frazzled a. freed b. frozen c. worn out or in a nervous condition

31. sobbed a. cried b. laughed c. yelled

32. a chat a. a computer b. a talk c. the Internet

GRAMMAR

When two people are talking, this is called a dialogue. Their real words are quoted.
For example,

a. Sally told her class, “Please sit down so we can talk. Take out your pens and pencils
and listen carefully.”
b. The class began on time. Then Sally said, “Don’t smoke and only eat healthy food.”

In the two sentences above, SIT DOWN, TAKE OUT, DON’T SMOKE and EAT are all commands – when someone tells others what to do.

In reporting these commands without quotation marks, the two sentences would read like this:

aa. Sally told her class TO SIT DOWN so they could talk. She told them TO TAKE OUT their pens and pencils and (TO) LISTEN carefully.

bb. Then Sally told them NOT TO SMOKE and TO ONLY EAT healthy food.

Find all the commands in the LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD story.
page 1 1. Go straight
2.
3.
4.
page 2 5.
page 3 6.
page 4 7.

Now you write these commands in reported speech. For example:

1. Little Red Riding Hood’s mother cautioned her daughter TO GO STRAIGHT to Grandma’s house.

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________________________

6. __________________________________________________________________________

7. __________________________________________________________________________


8. From the story when Little Red Riding Hood is talking to the wolf, she uses a statement of surprise, GRANDMOTHER, WHAT BIG EARS YOU HAVE.
WHAT BIG EYES YOU HAVE.
WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE.

Using WHAT with plural nouns is NOT a question, but a statement of fact, surprise, or a compliment.

You try to write a sentence using WHAT (+ plural noun).


9. Do the same with a singular noun, such as WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE this is.

You try writing a sentence with WHAT A (+ singular noun) .

_____________________________________________________________________________
10. Here’s a rule to follow when WRITING family member names.
Capitalize the family member names EXCEPT when they are preceeded by possessive adjectives.
Mother my mother
Father her father
Grandma your grandmother your grandma
Grandpa his grandfather his grandpa
Uncle Bob our uncle
Aunt Sue their aunt
Cousin Leonard my cousin

Example:
Mother came to visit last week. My mother came to visit last week.

You write two sentences like the example.



11. HOW late is it? “Then she realized HOW late it was.
If your sentence has a “WH” word in the middle, make certain your subject and verb are in regular order. WHAT time is it? I don’t know WHAT time it is.
WHO is she? I know WHO she is.
WHERE does he live? She doesn’t know WHERE he lives.

You write two sentences: One sentence, a question.


Second sentence using I know, I don’t know, I understand, I don’t understand and a WH word.

______________________________

CONVERSATION Talk to your partner. Then write your answers.

1. Who are the five characters in this story?


2. Where was Little Red Riding Hood going?


3. What did she take to her grandmother’s house?



4. What do you think was in the basket?


5. How did the wolf try to fool Little Red Riding Hood? What did he do to make her think that he was the grandmother? (Tell me at least three thing.)



6. Who saved Little Red Riding Hood?



7. What was the important lesson that Little Red Riding Hood learned?



8. Who can you trust?



Gati©2008
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The Fox and the Crow

One day a hungry fox was walking through the woods. He saw a crow sitting in a tree enjoying a tasty piece of cheese.
“Ah, my dear crow,” said the fox. “What a magnificent bird you are! I can see that your body is beautiful, your feathers are fine, and your color is wonderful. I only wish I could listen to your lovely voice.”
Hearing such talk, the crow felt very proud. She opened her mouth and cawed in her loudest voice. As she opened her mouth to sing, the cheese fell to the ground where the fox was waiting under the tree.
“You tricked me,” said the crow angrily.
“I did, indeed, silly crow. Thank you, thank you for this delicious cheese. You have the worst voice I’ve ever heard and you are the most stupid bird I’ve ever met. Remember something,” said the fox. “I said many things about your shiny feathers and your singing voice, but I never said anything about your brain.”
The moral of the story is this: Don’t trust flatterers.

VOCABULARY
1. “What a magnificent bird you are! “magnificent” means
a. wonderful b. marvelous c. beautiful

2. From this list of adjectives, what are the nouns?
a. happy happiness
b. proud ______________
c. beautiful ______________
d. shiny ______________
e. tasty ______________
f, silly ______________

3. “You tricked me.” “tricked” means
a. made me laugh b. fooled me c. told me the truth

4. “I did indeed. . . “ “indeed means
a. the right thing b. a funny thing c. for sure; certainly

5. “brain” is a synonym for what word? _____________________

6. What is a “flatterer”
a. someone with a flat head
b. someone who overpraises you
c. someone who is really fat

7. “trust” means a. to believe b. to trick c. to feel good

GRAMMAR

1. WISH + that clause with WOULD or COULD
or WOULD/COULD HAVE + past participle
[Don’t use WILL/WON’t or CAN/CAN’t.]
“I wish I could listen to your lovely voice.”
I wish that we could have gone to Disneyland.
Please write your own sentences
a. I wish______________________________________________________________

b. He wishes __________________________________________________________

c. When I was young, I wished ___________________________________________

2. WHAT A (noun). . . ! tells others your are excited about something.
“What a magnificent bird you are! Note the order of the subject and verb.
Try writing your own WHAT A . . . sentence.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Find all the ADJECTIVES used in this story and tell what NOUNS they modify.

article adjectives (the a)
1. the fox
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
descriptive adjectives
1. hungry fox
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those)

1.





possessive adjectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

SUPERLATIVES

12. a. single-syllable adjectives
loud soft big cold
add THE or possessive adjectives MY, YOUR, HIS, HER, OUR, THEIR

her loudest voice the softest bed the biggest ball the coldest weather

Please write your own sentence:


13. adjectives ending in “y”
add THE and change the “y” to “i” and add “est

the craziest man in town my happiest moment the laziest person in the class

Please write your own sentence:


14. 2+ more syllables
add THE + MOST + adjective

the most stupid mistake I ever made the most beautiful dress in the world

Please write your own sentence:


CONVERSATION (Please talk to your partner. Then write your answer in a complete sentence.)
1. Who are the two characters in this story? _________________________________________
2. Why did the crow drop her cheese? ___________________________________________
3. What does the moral mean: “Don’t trust flatterers.”
____________________________________________________________________________

The Peacock and the Crane

A peacock was teasing a crane about the dullness of her plumage. “Look at my brilliant colors” she said, “and see how much finer they are than your ugly feathers.”

The crane replied, “I am not denying that yours are far brighter than mine; but when it comes to flying, I can soar into the clouds whereas you are confined to the earth like any plain chicken.

The moral of the story is this: Looks aren’t everything.



VOCABULARY
In the first paragraph . . .
1. “A peacock was teasing a crane” “tease” is a verb, and it means
(a) was talking to (b) was making fun of (c) was testing
2. “the dullness of her plumage” “dullness” is a noun and means
(a) beauty (b) fluffiness (c) lacking in color
3. “plumage” means
(a) feathers (b) plums (c) body
4. “see how much finer they are. . .” “finer” is an adjective and means (a) more beautiful (b) very thin (c) much thinner

In the second paragraph. . .
5. “I am not denying” “deny” is a verb and it means
(a) not saying “no” (b) not doing anything (c) not telling the truth
6. “I can soar” “soar” is a verb and it means
(a) I am sour (b) I can fly (c) I can swear
7. “you are confined” “confined” means
(a) confused (b) foolish (c) cannot leave
8. “like any plain chicken” “like” means
(a) The peacock likes chicken. (b) Both the peacock and the chicken can’t fly. (c) The crane likes the peacock.
In the moral .
9. “Looks aren’t everything.” “Looks” is a noun and means
(a) Your appearance (b) Your eyes (c) You’re good-looking


GRAMMAR
A. Read the story again and identify the subjects, verbs, and tenses.
SUBJECTS VERBS TENSES INFINITIVE
1. peacock was teasing past progressive to tease
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
B. Comparisons of adjectives using MUCH
single-syllable adjectives big bigger than bright brighter than
fast faster than
small smaller than
I have a bigger apartment than you do.
I have a MUCH BIGGER apartment than you do.
She runs FASTER THAN her brother.
She runs MUCH FASTER THAN her brother.
14. Please write a sentence using MUCH + a single-syllable adjective



15. Comparison of MUCH + adjectives ending in y
Mary is much prettier than Brenda.
Her father was much angrier with his daughter than his mother was.
Please write a sentence using MUCH + an adjective ending in y

16. more beautiful than
more unusual than
Mary is much more beautiful than her sister
Her wedding dress is much more unusual than any I have ever seen.
Please write a sentence using MUCH MORE + a 2- or-more-syllable adjective

17. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
MY book or books OUR apartment
YOUR pen or pens YOUR keys
HIS car/s Her jacket/s Its leg/s THEIR child or children
MY OUR
YOUR YOUR
HIS / HER / ITS THEIR
Now, please write a sentence showing you can use a possessive adjective
____________________________________________________________
18. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS take the place of possessive adjectives and their nouns. For example: Your book is harder than my book.
YOURS is harder than MINE.
MINE OURS
YOURS YOURS
HIS/HERS/ITS THEIRS
Now please re-write the same sentence as you did above but replace the possessive adjective and noun with a possessive pronoun.
______________________________________________________________
CONVERSATION
1. What two kinds of birds were talking in this story?


2. Which of the two birds has the most beautiful feathers?


3. Which of the two birds cannot fly?


4. Please explain what “Looks aren’t everything” means.

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