'Spelling Bee Hard'! | Henry Danger
SENTENCES
What is a sentence?
- A sentence is a set of words that expresses a complete thought.
What are simple sentences?
- Simple sentences have a subject and just one main verb.
For example:
She ran quickly to school.
What are compound sentences?
- Compound sentences have more than one verb and contain two or more clauses.
- The clauses in a compound sentence still make sense on their own and so we link them together using coordinating conjunctions.
- The seven coordinating conjuctions are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS).
For example:
James realised he had forgotten his homework so he walked quickly back to the house.
- Both clauses on each side of 'so' make sense on their own.
What are complex sentences?
- Complex sentences include a subordinate clause.
- Subordinate clauses are sometimes known as 'dependent clauses' because they need the main part of the sentence to make sense.
- They don’t make complete sense on their own.
For example:
Despite wind and rain, Peter and Mary wanted to stay outside.
- The subordinate clause here (‘despite the wind and rain’) does not make sense on its own.
PARENTHETICAL PHRASES
WHAT ARE PARENTHETICAL PHRASES?
- a word or words added to a sentence without changing the meaning or grammar of the original sentence
- they give extra information but are not essential
- parenthetical phrases can be removed and the sentence works just the same
- Some information in a sentence is essential to its meaning, and some information may be less important or "nonessential":
Essential: The man in the red and grey T-shirt is a video game designer.
Nonessential: The detectives, hoping to catch the criminal before he escaped, took a shortcut through the park.
- nonessential information added parenthetically is usually separated from the main sentence by commas or other punctuation
- there are three types of punctuation that can separate parenthetical expressions:
- commas: Sara, although she comes from a cold climate, hates cold weather.
- round brackets: The planet closest to the sun (ie Mercury) is also the smallest.
- long dashes: The cheetah—the world's fastest land animal—is from Africa.
1. Start with a couple of sentences describing what the book is about
But without giving any spoilers or revealing plot twists! As a general rule, try to avoid writing in detail about anything that happens from about the middle of the book onwards. If the book is part of a series, it can be useful to mention this, and whether you think you'd need to have read other books in the series to enjoy this one.
2. Discuss what you particularly liked about the book
Focus on your thoughts and feelings about the story and the way it was told. You could try answering a couple of the following questions:
- Who was your favourite character, and why?
- Did the characters feel real to you?
- Did the story keep you guessing?
- What was your favourite part of the book, and why?
- Were certain types of scene written particularly well - for example sad scenes, tense scenes, mysterious ones...?
- Did the book make you laugh or cry?
- Did the story grip you and keep you turning the pages?
3. Mention anything you disliked about the book
Talk about why you think it didn't work for you. For example:
- Did you wish the ending hadn't been a cliffhanger because you found it frustrating?
- Did you find it difficult to care about a main character, and could you work out why?
- Was the story too scary for your liking, or did it focus on a theme you didn't find interesting?
4. Round up your review
Summarise some of your thoughts on the book by suggesting the type of reader you'd recommend the book to. For example: younger readers, older readers, fans of relationship drama/mystery stories/comedy. Are there any books or series you would compare it to?
