Teach Parts of Speech with Mad Libs
Online and Printable Mad Libs for elementary school, middle school, and high school
Are you the parent or teacher of a child who struggles with word choice in speaking or writing? Wouldn't it be great for that child to learn the parts of speech while playing a fun game? Mad Libs, a perennial party favorite, is an ideal way to teach the parts of speech. Motivated to make a silly story, students don't really realize that they are memorizing grammar definitions. A word not sounding right in the story is a gentle way for a child to recognize and correct a mistake without help fr...

Grammar for Homeschool
Teaching the Parts of Speech
Although teaching grammar has become slightly old fashioned, most home educators still want to incorporate at least the very basics of the parts of speech into their language arts curriculum. Here is a collection of some of the best resources available to make learning English grammar interesting and memorable. Many of them can be found free online, so with just a little bit of planning, you can develop a very low cost homeschool grammar curriculum.

Tips, Tricks, And Explanations For Complicated Grammar Rules
English grammar has a million confusing and contradictory rules. The language has so many words in so many forms that it can be bewildering to figure out which one to use and why. This page will help. Look below for specific tips and links on commonly-misused English words, why you should avoid the passive voice, English as a second language (ESL) and college-level writing labs and grammar courses, and other grammar topics from the basic to the complex.  If you don't find what you're looking ...

Grammar for Homeschoolers
Parts of Speech: The Backbone of English Grammar
You could study a textbook or sing a song. Which way would you rather learn grammar? This article will help you ferret out unique and exciting ways to learn English grammar. The English language contains eight types of words, nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, preposition, conjunctions and interjections. Have no fear! You use each of them daily. Soon you will know how to divide them up according to their function in a sentence. Let's start by singing some songs and then go on to s...

School House Rock Grammar Songs
Grammar Songs from SchoolHouse Rock Videos are Timeless
Countless kids (and more than a few teens have learned their adverbs and adjectives from these nine Schoolhouse Grammar Rock video songs. My classes, like those across the country, have unpacked their adjectives and spent some time at Conjunction Junction. Even though they're "old school," kids enjoy them as much today as when they were originally released in the 1970's and 80's. In addition to these musical mnemonics, I've included some lesson plan links and links to "new school" interactiv...

Worse vs Worst
Worse vs Worst, Learn When to Use Each One Correctly
Worse vs worst is one of the most common word usage mistakes in the English language. Sometimes the English language can be a little confusing. Worse and worst are two words that commonly get misused. When speaking, people generally know what you mean, but in writing you want to get it right. Since most people searching for "worse or worst" are most likely trying to get it correct for something they are writing, I will explain the two words so that you are sure to use them properly. For those...

Good vs Well
Good vs Well - Learn How to Use them Correctly
Good vs well is perhaps the most challenging aspect of the English language. The most common grammar mistake I catch in people's daily speech is misusing good and well. The English language has so many grammatical rules and to add to the confusion many of those rules have exceptions. It can make it difficult for someone to use proper grammar all the time, but this isn't the case with good vs well. One of these words is an adjective and the other is an adverb. All you need to know is which is ...

How to Fix Easy Mistakes in Grammar
Do Squidmasters find grammar mistakes in your lenses?
One thing I've noticed, is that when people submit their lenses to be critiqued in the Squid U forum, the first thing people comment on is the grammar. It's nearly always simple little mistakes that can easily be fixed, but wouldn't it be better if these mistakes were fixed before submitting your lens, so the Squidmasters can offer advice that's even more helpful than, "you forgot an apostrophe"? So, in this lens, my aim is to help those who frequently mix up "your" and "you're", "it's" and ...

The Family of Nyms: A Writers Resource
    An introduction to a few members of the nym family.   

Thumb's Up or Thumbs Up?
The Proper Spelling For Thumbs Up
As you may know, I am a member of the Apostrophe Protection Society and have written a guide for The Care and Feeding of Apostrophes (where they go). Apostrophes are very important to me. But one question has long stymied me: how to spell thumbs up. This has nagged at me for years. So today I have decided to get to the bottom of the mystery: what is the proper spelling for thumbs up? About the photo: alas, the photographer of this widespread gibbon/monkey thumbs up photo is unknown. He's be...