August 29I can edit sentences for mistakes in comma usage.

I can connect a work of literature to the time and place in which it is written.

Una’s cousin, who wants to be an astronaut, attended a space camp in Huntsville, Alabama, last summer.

Una’s cousin who wants to be an astronaut attended a space camp in Huntsville, Alabama, last summer.

Your cat, draped along the back of the couch, seems contented.

Your cat draped along the back of the couch seems contented.

Explain the difference between the two sets of sentences.

Use commas to set off an expression that interrupts a sentence.

Ron Arias’s first novel The Road to Tamazunchale was nominated for the National Book Award.

Tylan my oldest nephew plays the accordion. Your cat by the way seems quite friendly. The talk show guest who was a famous athlete announced

his retirement, and spoke of his future plans. She wondered if Stefan heard her, he didn’t. Karen ironed her shirts pants and skirts, her husband Misha

folded the last load of clothes from the dryer.

Grammar Quiz

• Take the bell ringer quiz. You may use your bell ringers to help you with the test if you need to.

• Staple your bell ringers to your test, and turn them in to the tub.

VOICE LESSONSAnalyze a writer’s diction and tone.

For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school, and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible. Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first lifeline.

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

1. What is the dictionary definition of sop? This word is not usually used to describe a person’s actions. What effect does this have on the reader?

2. What is a lifeline? How is Angelou’s use of the word different from its usual use? How does this diction affect your understanding of the sentence?

On Your Own

For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school, and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible. Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first lifeline.

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Write a sentence using the word ring in a fresh and new way to capture your behavior around your house. Use Angelou’s first sentence as a model.

• What kinds of wrongdoing do you think should be punished publicly?

• What kinds should remain private for the people involved?

Discuss JournalsChoose one of the boxes below and write a response to the topic.

Who suffers most: the person who is publicly punished or the one who is punished by his or her conscience/

•What kinds of secrets should you keep?

•When might it be better to reveal a friend’s secret, even though that person will be angry with you?