We received our essays back in class today. Now it is time to look at the writing trait of conventions.  Conventions includes:

Capitalization

Punctuation

Grammar

Paragraphing

Spelling

We were given a lengthy packet to add to the writing section of our English binders covering a variety of these topics.  It will be a great reference for when we are writing or editing work we have written.

We also began putting commonly confused words into our W-R’s notebook. The last page of the notebook is a Usage page.  We added the following five word groups to the Usage page.

• two – to – too = two is a number, to means toward, too means also, much, or very
• their – there – they’re = their shows possession, there is a place, they’re is a contraction for they are
• its – it’s = its shows possession, it’s is a contraction for it is
• accept – except = accept means to receive, except means to leave out
• than – then = than is a comparison, then is a description of sequencing or time

Our root word today was mania, which means obsessive, excessive or madness.  Example words for mania include, manic, kleptomania, and egomaniac.