Grammar, Conventions & Vocabulary
Aligned to L.5.1 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Perfect verb tenses (has walked, had gone), correct conjunctions and prepositions, and commas in a series all make writing clearer. To learn new words, use context, roots, and a dictionary.
Worked examples
Example 1
In 'I bought apples, bananas, and pears,' commas separate items in a series. 'She had finished before noon' uses the past perfect tense correctly.
Example 2
In 'Because it rained, the game was cancelled,' the comma follows the introductory clause.
Example 3
Conjunctions do different jobs: 'and' adds, 'but' contrasts, 'although' concedes. Picking the wrong one changes what the sentence means.
Practice questions
- Add commas to a list of four items.
- Write a sentence using a perfect tense like 'has finished.'
- Use roots and context to define an unfamiliar word, then check it.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Gramática, Convenciones y Vocabulario
Los tiempos verbales perfectos (ha caminado, había ido), el uso correcto de conjunciones y preposiciones, y las comas en una serie hacen la escritura más clara. Para aprender palabras nuevas, usa el contexto, las raíces y el diccionario.
Ejemplo 1: En 'Compré manzanas, plátanos y peras,' las comas separan los elementos de la serie. 'Ella había terminado antes del mediodía' usa correctamente el tiempo pasado perfecto.
Ejemplo 2: En 'Como llovió, el partido se canceló', la coma sigue a la oración introductoria.
Ejemplo 3: Las conjunciones hacen trabajos distintos: 'y' agrega, 'pero' contrasta, 'aunque' concede. Escoger la equivocada cambia lo que dice la oración.
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