How to run this lesson. Send the pre-work a day ahead. Open with goals (5 min), then sentence boundaries (14), agreement (12), tense & modifiers (12), punctuation (10), the Vocabulary Lab (7), and a wrap that assigns the next-two-days work. The dark navy notes are for the instructor only.
The frame for today
One line to open: “Conventions are a checklist, not a feeling — test each sentence against the rule.” Today we make the high-frequency rules automatic: where a sentence ends, what the verb agrees with, which tense, and how the punctuation joins.
00 Before you begin
Pre-work handout
Five minutes of warm-up makes the lesson land faster.
Conventions — Pre-work
Complete on paper before our session · about 10 minutes
Warm-up
1. Is “Because the train was late.” a complete sentence? ______
2. Choose the verb: “The list of names ____ (is / are) long.”
3. Two complete sentences can be joined by a comma plus which kind of word? ______
4. Plural possessive of “dog”: ______
Answer key (instructor)
1 · No — it’s a fragment 2 · is 3 · a conjunction (and, but, so…) 4 · dogs’
02 Sentence boundaries
Where a sentence ends
Two complete sentences cannot be joined by a comma alone (a splice). Fix with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction. A fragment is a piece pretending to be a whole.
Comma splice1
Which choice correctly fixes “The sky darkened, rain began to fall.”?
Why B
Two complete sentences joined by a comma is a splice. A semicolon joins them correctly.Fragment2
Which of the following is a complete sentence?
Why C
A complete sentence needs a subject and a verb and stands alone. Only “The train was late” does; the rest are fragments.03 Agreement
Match the verb to the real subject
Find the true subject — ignore the words between it and the verb. A phrase like “of items” is not the subject.
Subject-verb3
“The list of items ______ on the desk.”
Why B
The subject is list (singular), not items. Singular subject → is.Collective4
“The team of researchers ______ presenting tomorrow.”
Why B
The subject is team (singular here). Singular → is. Don’t let “researchers” pull the verb plural.04 Tense & modifiers
Order in time, and what a phrase describes
Use past perfect (“had + verb”) for the earlier of two past events. A modifier must sit next to the thing it describes.
Tense5
“By the time we arrived, the show ______.”
Why B
The show started before we arrived — the earlier past event takes had started.Modifier6
Which sentence places the opening phrase correctly?
Why B
The one “walking to school” must be Maria, not the fox. B puts Maria right after the phrase.05 Punctuation
Joins, lists, and ownership
A colon introduces what follows when a complete sentence precedes it. An apostrophe shows possession: singular adds ’s, plural adds just the apostrophe.
Colon7
“She had one goal ______ to win the championship.”
Why B
A complete sentence precedes a single defined item, so a colon introduces it.Apostrophe8
“The ______ uniforms were navy blue.” (the uniforms belonging to the players)
Why C
Plural possessive: the plural is “players,” and the possessive adds just an apostrophe → players’.Test, don’t feel
Conventions reward a checklist. Drill the four moves: (1) is each side of a comma a full sentence? (2) what is the real subject? (3) which event came first? (4) singular or plural possessive? When a student can ask those four, most Writing questions answer themselves.
06 Vocabulary Lab
This week’s words — think in synonyms and antonyms
Tap a card to flip it. Learn each word next to its opposite — that’s how the test frames them.
Quick check
Synonym9
Which word is closest in meaning to refute?
Why B
Refute = to prove wrong, like disprove.Antonym10
Which word is most nearly opposite to verbose?
Why C
Verbose = using too many words; its opposite is concise.Word in context11
The lawyer’s ______ closing argument swayed the jury.
Why B
Persuasive = convincing — the kind of argument that sways a jury.07 Wrap-up
Three things to carry out the door
Say them out loud — that’s how they stick.
Mind the boundary
Comma + conjunction, semicolon, or period — never a comma alone.
Find the real subject
Ignore the phrase in between; match the verb to the true subject.
Possessive check
Singular → ’s; plural → apostrophe only.
Close the loop
Have the student set one conventions target for the mid-week. Confirm the two lesson days, point them to the workbook, and preview that Lesson 9 is a full practice test with deep error analysis — the turning point of the program.
08 Keep the fire lit
Next-two-days handout
Short, daily, cumulative.
Conventions — Work for the Next Two Days
About 30 minutes a day · run the four-question checklist
Day 1 · Boundaries & agreement
End it right, match it right
1. Fix the splice: “I was tired, I kept working.” ______
2. Choose: “The box of tools ____ (is / are) heavy.” ______
3. Is “Although she tried hard.” complete or a fragment? ______
4. Choose: “Each of the players ____ (has / have) a locker.” ______
5. Plural possessive of “child”: ______
Day 2 · Tense, modifiers & punctuation
Time and ownership
1. Choose: “By noon, they ____ (finished / had finished) lunch.” ______
2. Fix the modifier: “Tired from the hike, the couch felt great.” ______
3. Add punctuation: “He packed three things ___ a tent, a map, and water.” ______
4. Give a synonym for clarify: ______
Answer key (instructor)
Day 1: 1 · “I was tired, but I kept working” (or semicolon) 2 · is 3 · fragment 4 · has 5 · children’s
Day 2: 1 · had finished 2 · “Tired from the hike, we found the couch great” 3 · colon ( : ) 4 · explain / illuminate
Day 2: 1 · had finished 2 · “Tired from the hike, we found the couch great” 3 · colon ( : ) 4 · explain / illuminate
This sets up Lesson 9. With all four domains and the conventions checklist in hand, the practice test shows exactly where the remaining points are.