Pract6 PDF

Name Date Practice 1
Sentences and Sentence Fragments

REMEMBER THE RULES
• A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
I cook dinner every Tuesday night.
• A sentence fragment is a group of words that is only part of a sentence.
Every Tuesday night.
A. Read each group of words. If it is a sentence, circle it. If it is a sentence

fragment, underline it.
1. My cousin Jeremy loves to cook.
2. He makes the best lasagna I ever tasted.
3. Three kinds of cheese.
4. Fresh tomatoes from his garden.
5. He also makes a wonderful cheesecake.
B. For each sentence fragment below, tell whether it needs a subject or a predicate
to make it a complete sentence. Underline your answer.
6. Ever since last summer, Jeremy. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
7. Interested in Indian food. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
8. Learned to make lamb curry. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
9. Ate chicken tandoori. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
10. My entire family. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
11. Some of us. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
12. Took a course to learn Chinese
cooking. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
13. Strange vegetables and spices. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
McGraw-Hill School Division
14. Learned to stir-fry with a wok. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.

15. Yesterday, Jeremy’s mother,
my Aunt Susan. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Choose three sentence fragments on this

Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, page. Rewrite each fragment as a complete sentence.
15 pages 2–3 1
Kinds of Sentences
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A declarative sentence makes a statement and ends with a period.
• A interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark.
• An imperative sentence makes a request or gives a command and ends
with a period.
• An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling and ends with an
exclamation point.
A. Read each sentence. Tell what it is. Circle declarative, interrogative, imperative,
or exclamatory.
1. Brendan visited his cousin Niall in Northern Ireland.
declarative interrogative imperative exclamatory
2. Where exactly does his cousin live?
3. He lives near the small village of Derrygonnelly.
4. Tell me what they did together.
5. Did Niall take him fishing?
6. What a great time they had!
B. Fix each sentence. Add the correct end punctuation.

7. What else did Brendan do while he was there
8. Brendan played Gaelic football with Niall’s friends

9. Isn’t that something like our game of soccer
10. What a strenuous game it is
At Home: Find an example of each kind of McGraw-Hill Language Arts

sentence in a newspaper article. Underline and Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences,
2 label each kind. pages 4–5 10
Combining Sentences: Compound Sentences
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A compound sentence is made up of two or more simple sentences joined
together by a comma and a conjunction.
Most farm children have a variety of animals as pets, and the pets
live outdoors.
• Conjunctions such as and, but, or or join groups of words together.
A. Circle whether each sentence is a simple sentence or a compound sentence.

1. Thelma wanted an unusual pet. simple compound
2. Her sister Marcia thought of getting an anaconda, but a
parrot sounded interesting, too. simple compound
3. Then Thelma saw an ad for a pot-bellied pig. simple compound
4. She learned that pigs are smart and clean, and she told this
to Marcia. simple compound
5. Marcia was reluctant at first, but soon she changed
her mind. simple compound
B. Circle each simple sentence that makes up the compound sentences below.
Draw a box around the conjunction that joins the two sentences.
6. Thelma bought Hammon at the pet store, and she presented him to Marcia.
7. Hammon weighed only ten pounds then, but now he weighs close to three hundred
pounds.
8. Marcia is delighted with Hammon, and Thelma thinks he is terrific, too.
9. Hammon watches TV with the girls, or sometimes he snoozes on the sofa.
10. Thelma says Hammon is as smart as a dog, but Marcia says he is much smarter.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write two compound sentences using and, but,
Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, or or. Underline the simple sentences that make up the
10 pages 6–7 compound sentence. 3
Combining Sentences: Complex Sentences
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses.
Gireesh has wanted to be a pilot ever since he was a small boy.
independent clause dependent clause
A. Read each complex sentence and underline the dependent clause.

1. Rameesh’s cousin Gireesh visits him whenever he is in town .
2. He has worked for Air India ever since Rameesh can remember .
3. Although Gireesh has a hectic schedule, he never forgets Rameesh.
4. If Gireesh sees something interesting on his travels, he buys it for his cousin.
5. Because Gireesh travels all over the world, Rameesh has some great souvenirs.
B. Combine the dependent and independent clause and write a complex sentence.
6. Although I have not traveled much. I like to collect souvenirs, too.
7. I bought a set of salt and pepper shakers. While we were in Canada last year.
8. As we were shopping in Niagara Falls. I spotted them in a store window.
9. Because they are shaped like maple leaves. They remind me of Canada.
10. I think of that trip. Whenever I use them.
At Home: Find a complex sentence in a newspaper McGraw-Hill Language Arts

or magazine article. Copy it and underline the Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences,
4 dependent clause. Circle the conjunction. pages 8–9 10
Mechanics and Usage: Punctuating Sentences
REMEMBER THE RULES

• End a statement or a command with a period, a question with a question
mark, and an exclamation with an exclamation point.
• Use a comma before the conjunction in a compound sentence.
• Use a semicolon to separate two parts of a compound sentence not
connected by a conjunction.
• Use a comma after a dependent clause that comes before the independent
clause in a complex sentence.
A. Correct the punctuation in the sentences below. .

1. Gilbert likes hockey I prefer baseball.
2. Did you watch last night’s game on TV
3. Although they were losing the Mets never gave up
4. Then two men walked and the next batter hit a home run
5. That was some ending
B. Rewrite the sentences, using the correct punctuation. If there are two clauses,
combine them to make one sentence.
6. Do you know how baseball was invented
7. Some say baseball evolved from the English game of cricket. But others say it
came from the game of rounders
8. Is it true baseball was being played in the eastern United States by the 1820s
9. When the first organized baseball game was played in 1846. Baseball was already
widely popular
10. The American League was organized in 1901. But the National League was formed
in 1876
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write an example of each kind of sentence:

Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory.
10 pages 10–11 Make one of the sentences a complex sentence. 5
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A declarative sentence makes a statement and ends with a period.
Anna likes to listen to old music.
• An interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark.
Is she interested in classic rock?
• An imperative sentence makes a request or gives a command and ends
with a period. Tell me which groups she has heard.
• An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling and ends with an
exclamation point. What a cool song that was!
• A compound sentence is made up of two simple sentences joined by a
comma and a conjunction.
She likes the Four Seasons, but she prefers the Beatles.
• A complex sentence contains an independent clause which can stand
alone, and one or more dependent clauses which cannot stand alone.
Before reading the reviews, Anna had never heard of those groups.
A. Join the following clauses to make either a compound sentence or a complex

sentence. Add a conjunction if needed, and use the correct punctuation.
1. Anna enjoys today’s music. She likes classic rock, too.
2. Her grandmother bought records every week. When she was in high school.
3. Because she is planning to move soon. She wanted to clean out the closets.
4. She could sell her collection. She could give it to Anna.

5. Since she knows Anna is interested. She is giving the record collection to her.
B. 6.–10. On another sheet of paper, change two sentences above to interrogative

sentences. Change two to imperative sentences, and one to an exclamatory
sentence.
At Home: Look in a magazine or newspaper McGraw-Hill Language Arts

article for examples of compound and complex Grade 6, Unit 1, Mixed Review,
6 sentences. Tell which are the dependent clauses. pages 12–13 10
Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The complete subject includes all the words that tell whom or what the
sentence is about.
Many people belong to different kinds of clubs.
• The complete predicate includes all the words that tell what the subject is/does.
A. Draw one line under the complete subject and two lines under the complete predicate.
1. My neighbor, Mr. Johannsen, is in a model railroad club.
2. He and his friends meet on Saturday afternoons to work on their layout.
3. Several of the club members are creating a model of the New York Central
Railroad’s “Water Level Route.”
4. This route ran from New York City to Chicago.
5. Travelers enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the Hudson River.
6. One club member built a scale model of the railroad station at Peekskill, New York.
7. Mrs. Johannsen is in the club, too.
8. She enjoys creating scenery for the layouts.
9. Last year the club won a prize for their display.
10. They will enter the contest this year, too.
B. Tell about each group of words. Underline your answer.

11. The first steam locomotive in the United States was built in 1826 by John Stevens.
complete sentence missing the subject missing the predicate
12. Ran on a circular track on his estate in Hoboken, N.J.
13. In 1827 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
14. In 1840 more than 2,800 miles of railroad.

15. By 1850 the U.S. had a rail network serving all the states east of the
Mississippi River.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Choose three sentences from a newspaper or

Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, magazine article. Draw a slash to divide the sentence
15 Pages 14–15 between the complete subject and the complete predicate. 7
Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The simple subject is the main word or words in the complete subject.
My friend Marilyn visited New Zealand in September.
• The simple predicate is the main word or words in the complete predicate.
A. Tell whether the underlined word is the simple subject or the simple predicate.
Circle your answer.
1. She arranged the visit through her school.
simple subject simple predicate
2. New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere.
3. September is springtime in New Zealand.
4. The original people of New Zealand are the Maoris.
5. Sheep outnumber people in New Zealand fifteen to one.
B. Underline the simple subject. Circle the simple predicate.

6. New Zealand was discovered by the
Dutch in the 1600s.
7. Many people from Great Britain settled there
in the 19th century.
8. Its name means “New South Land” in Dutch.
9. This island country has many unusual birds

and animals.
10. The kiwi is the national bird.
At Home: Write three sentences. Draw a line McGraw-Hill Language Arts

under the simple subject. Circle the simple Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences,
8 predicate. pages 16–17 10
Combining Sentences: Compound Subjects
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A compound subject includes two or more subjects that have the
same predicate. Veena and Katie took a computer class.
A. Underline the simple subjects that can be joined to create a compound subject.
Then write the compound subject. Use and or or.
1. Sarah created the school’s web page. Marla created the school’s page.
2. Their principal admired their work. Their teacher admired their work.
3. Robbie had a picture of the class. Stuart had a picture of the class.
4. One girl scanned the picture. One boy scanned the picture.
5. Caitlin added the picture to the web page. Bradley added the picture to the web page.
B. If the subjects can be combined to make a compound subject, combine them

and write the new sentence. If the subjects cannot be combined, write No.
6. Sara learned a lot about web sites. Kevin learned a lot about web sites.
7. Malik learned to add sound to the web page. Jaya learned to add sound to the
web page.
8. Sammy wanted to add a link. Thomas wanted to create a guest book.

9. Susan wrote a story for the web page. Alison wrote a story for the web page.
10. The girls were proud of their work. The boys were proud of their work.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a short review of a favorite web site,
Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, movie, or book. Include a sentence with a compound
10 pages 18–19 subject. 9
Combining Sentences: Compound Predicates
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A compound predicate includes two or more simple predicates that have
the same subject. The children cleared and raked the yard.
A. Underline the simple predicates that can be combined to make a compound

predicate. Then write the compound predicates.
1. Kabir fertilized the lawn. Kabir trimmed the lawn.
2. Maya weeded the garden. Maya watered the garden.
3. Her dog, Shep, attacked the hose. Her dog, Shep, bit the hose.
4. The hose twisted . The hose sprayed everyone.
5. Kabir laughed at the dog. Kabir shouted at the dog.
6. Shep barked all day. Shep ran in circles all day.
B. Combine the sentences to make a sentence with a compound predicate. Use

and or or to join the simple predicates. Write the new sentences.
7 Maya picked the tomatoes. Maya washed the tomatoes.
8. She picked some basil. She chopped some basil.

9. Kabir rinsed the tomatoes. Kabir sliced the tomatoes.
10. Soon the ingredients simmered in the pan. Soon the ingredients bubbled in the pan.
At Home: Write two simple sentences that have the McGraw-Hill Language Arts
same subject but different predicates. Then make Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences,
10 one sentence with a compound predicate. pages 20–21 10
Mechanics and Usage: Correcting Run-on Sentences
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A run-on sentence joins together sentences that should be
written separately.
A. Circle each simple sentence in the run-on sentence.

1. My uncle plays the drums he is in a band.
2. The band is a bagpipe band he has played

for many years.
3. My uncle is a firefighter the band is the fire

department pipe band.
4. The band has won many prizes they travel all over.
5. They march in parades people cheer loudly.
B. Rewrite each run-on sentence as two simple sentences, a compound sentence,

or a complex sentence.
6. The band plays at festivals the band competes in contests.
7. When they went to Boston last year they won a special prize.
8. Sean plays with my uncle’s band he has his own rock band, too.
9. The pipes have such a wild sound I think they are terrific.
10. bagpipes are really loud they don’t need an amplifier.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write an example of a run-on sentence. Then

Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, show two different ways you could rewrite the sentence to
10 pages 22–23 correct it. 11
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• The complete subject includes all the words that tell whom or what the
sentence is about. The complete predicate includes all the words that tell
what the subject does or is.
• The simple subject is the main word or words in the complete subject. The
simple predicate is the main word or words in the complete predicate.
The month of October / is my favorite time of year.
complete subject complete predicate
• A compound subject has two or more simple subjects with the same predicate.
Maple leaves turn scarlet. Oak leaves turn scarlet.
Maple and oak leaves turn scarlet.
• A compound predicate has two or more simple predicates with the
same subject.
Leaves tremble in the wind. Leaves flutter in the wind.
Leaves tremble and shake in the wind.
Write each pair of sentences as one sentence. Use either a compound subject or a
compound predicate. Then in the sentences you wrote, draw a line between the
complete subject and the complete predicate. Then draw one line under the simple
or compound subject and two lines under the simple or compound predicate.
1. Jodie went for a walk. Jeanette went for a walk.
2. Red trees were everywhere. Yellow trees were everywhere.
3. Jodie climbed a tree. Jodie swung from a branch.

4. Jeannette brought her camera. Jeannette took some pictures.
5. The girls climbed a fence. The girls explored a path.
At Home: With a family member, write pairs of sentences with the McGraw-Hill Language Arts
same subject or the same predicate. Then trade papers and combine Grade 6, Unit 1, Mixed Review,
12 the sentences to make compound subjects or compound predicates. pages 24–25 5
Common Errors:
Fragments and Run-on Sentences
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It must
have both a subject and a predicate.
• A sentence fragment does not have either a subject or a predicate.
Developed the first mass-produced automobile. (subject is missing)
• Correct a sentence fragment by adding a subject or a predicate.
Henry Ford developed the first mass-produced automobile.
• A run-on sentence incorrectly joins together sentences.
He developed the “Model T” he sold it at a reasonable price.
• Correct run-on sentences by writing the sentences as separate sentences,
or by making the combined sentence a compound sentence.
He developed the “Model T.” He sold it at a reasonable price.
He developed the “Model T,” and he sold it at a reasonable price.
Rewrite each run-on sentence as a compound sentence or two sentences.

1. The Ford Motor Company saved time and money through mass production they
sold their “Model T” cars at a reasonable cost.
2. The “Model T” was sold between 1908 and 1927 it was named the “Tin Lizzie.”
3. Henry Ford wanted to use the profits to expand the company’s factories this was an
unusual idea at the time.
4. Henry Ford was quite unhappy the other stockholders wanted to split the profits.
5. In 1919 the Ford family solely owned its company it remained that way until 1956.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Cut sentences out of an old magazine or newspaper. Use
Grade 6, Unit 1, Sentences, scissors to separate the subjects and predicates. Mix up the sentence
5 pages 26–27 fragments and try to rematch them to make complete sentences. 13
Study Skills: Maps and Atlases
• An atlas is a book of maps. Different kinds of maps have different purposes.

• A political map shows the boundaries of states or countries.
• A resource map shows where natural resources are located or produced.
• A physical map shows features such as mountains, rivers, deserts, or other
natural features.
• A map key explains the symbols used on the map.
The Old Kingdom of Egypt
Mediterranean Sea
Lower Egypt
Memphis
Nil
e R iver
Oasis Upper Egypt

Re
Pyramids • Thebes
dS
City
ea
Capital
Nile River Valley
Study the map and answer the questions.
1. What does this map show?
2. Where would you look to find out what the palm tree symbol means?
3. What does the small triangle stand for?
4. Which symbol is used to show the ancient capital?
5. How is the Red Sea shown on the map?
At Home: Work with a family member and study a McGraw-Hill Language Arts
map from an encyclopedia or nonfiction book. Grade 6, Unit 1, Study Skills,
14 pages 50–51 5
Vocabulary: Time-Order Words
• A time-order word explains the order in which events take place.

Today, Zack will eat some corn.
• Sometimes a phrase may be used to tell when things happen.
Long ago, Zack, planted some corn.
A. Underline the correct time-order word or

words that best complete each sentence.
1. (Long ago, Finally), when California was
still a territory, there lived a boy named Zack.
2. (Before, During) Zack went to school in the
morning he had to do his chores.
3. (Lastly, First), he fed the chickens.
4. (Second, Fifth), he milked the cow.
5. (Third, Never), he slopped the pigs.
6. (Meanwhile, After) all his chores were done, Zack started his long walk to school.
7. (Tomorrow, As soon as) Zack crossed the creek, he had to climb up a steep hill.
8. (Then, In the morning), he had to cross a wide green meadow.
9. (Yesterday, Next), he jumped over a big stone fence.
10. (Tomorrow, Lastly), he walked down a long dirt road into town.
B. Complete each sentence with a time-order word from the box.
As soon as Next Early Finally Afterwards
11. in the morning, Lyke rode her bicycle into her village.
12. she got to town, she went straight to the bakery to buy bread.
13. she pedaled over to the butcher to get a nice fat chicken.
14. she put the groceries in her basket and went home.
15. Lyke helped her family prepare chicken stew for lunch.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Work with a family member and write about four
Grade 6, Unit 1, Vocabulary, things you see or do on your way to school. Use time-
15 pages 36–37 order words. 15
Composition: Main Idea
• A main idea tells what your writing is about. It appears in the topic sentence
of a paragraph.
• Supporting details explain the main idea or add to it in an important way.
A. Read the paragraph about a soccer game. The sentences of the paragraph are
numbered to help you answer the questions that follow.
(1) My team came from behind to take the win in last

week’s soccer match. (2) First, the other team came out
strong and got a goal quickly. (3) Our forwards had
difficulty passing the ball successfully, but they didn’t give
up. (4) Then, we worked together, passed the ball down
the field, and got a goal early in the fourth quarter.
(5) Finally, with less than a minute to go, the ball was
passed to a right forward for the winning goal.
1. Which sentence is the topic sentence?

2. Which sentences develop the main idea with supporting details?
List three transition time-order words the writer uses to connect ideas.
3. 4. 5.
B. Help Selma write a paragraph about an experience she had on a sailboat. Use
the instructions in parentheses as a guide. Use your imagination!
6. (Main idea/topic sentence) My experience on a sailboat was
7. (Time-order word)
8. (supporting detail)
9. (supporting detail)
10. Afterwards, I (supporting detail)
At Home: Write about an outdoor activity you enjoy. McGraw-Hill Language Arts
Develop a topic sentence with a main idea, plus Grade 6, Unit 1, Composition Skills,
16 sentences that include supporting details. pages 38–39 10
Name Date Practice 16a
Features of a Personal Narrative
• A personal narrative is written from the writer’s own point of view,

expressing feelings about a personal experience he or she has had.
• It is written in first person and should have an interesting beginning, middle,
and end to capture the reader’s attention.
• Events are recalled in a logical sequence, using time-order words to order
events and to make transitions from one idea to the next.
Read the paragraphs and then answer the questions below.

In August, I took a trip to Gibraltar with my family. After touring the famous
“rock”, we decided to go on a dolphin cruise.
The water was frighteningly choppy and the boat swayed from side to side.
Suddenly, I looked off in the distance. I saw something jump out of the water.
Then, I squinted and looked again. It was a dolphin. I pointed to the spot where
I saw the dolphin and the captain turned the boat in that direction.
A pod of common dolphins, dark gray and white with streaks of yellow,
circled and headed for us. Six dolphins jumped in unison about fifteen feet
from me. My heart leapt with them. Then, several dolphins rode the bow of the
boat. It was so exciting! I was heartbroken when it was all over. I wanted to
jump back on the boat and ride with the dolphins again!
1. Why is this a personal narrative and who might the writer be?
2. List two time-order words the writer uses to order the sequence of the story.
3. What happened at the beginning of the story?

4. What happened next?
5. What happened at the end of the story?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a story about an exciting experience you
Grade 6, Unit 1, Personal Narrative, have had. Tell the story in first person. Use time-order
5 pages 46–47 words to tell what happened first, next, and last. 16a
Name Date Practice 16b
Prewrite: Personal Narrative
A personal narrative is a story that describes your own experiences. The purpose
of a narrative is to communicate your thoughts and feelings about a particular
experience. It is also to interest or entertain your audience, the reader.
Think of a personal narrative you would like to share with others. Organize your
ideas on a Sequence of Events chart.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS CHART
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
CHECKLIST
• Have you brainstormed a list of events and experiences?
• Have you selected an interesting topic and explored ideas?
• Have you organized your ideas?
At Home: Ask a family member to share an McGraw-Hill Language Arts

experience that resulted in a familiar family Grade 6, Unit 1, Personal Narrative,
16b photograph. pages 48–49
Name Date Practice 16c
Revise: Personal Narrative
When you revise your writing by elaborating, you add important ideas that might be
missing from your writing. You may also want to share more of your feelings to help
the reader better understand the experience.
Pretend you wrote the following personal narrative after you had traveled to Rome,
Italy, with your family. Add some details from your notes to your narrative. Add
other details about your feelings. Find some colorful, vivid words to replace less
interesting words. Add a title, too.
My Notes
one day in Rome, Italy
tour of Roman Colosseum and Forum
tour Vatican and Sistine Chapel
picnic lunch in the Borghese Gardens
throw coins into the Trevi fountain
When I was ten-years-old, my father was transferred to an Air

Force Base in Italy for one year. In route, my family visited Rome,
Italy. We toured the Roman Forum, where Julius Caeasar once
spoke, and the Colosseum, where gladiators of the Roman
Empire once fought.
We crossed a bridge over the Tiber River and visited Vatican

City, where the Pope heads the Catholic Church. The highlight
was the Sistine Chapel. This is a very large room whose walls
and ceiling are covered with paintings by Michangelo, an artist
from the 1500s.
We ended the afternoon at the famous Trevi Fountain, where

water roared out of huge horses carved from marble. My sister
and I made a wish. Our wish was to return to Rome soon.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a paragraph that tells about a place--near
Grade 6, Unit 1, Personal Narrative, or far away--that you have visited. Then revise your work
pages 54–55 by adding details and your feelings about the experience. 16c
Name Date Practice 16d
Proofread: Personal Narrative
After you revise your personal narrative, you will need to

PROOFREADING proofread it to correct any errors. Use a dictionary or
MARKS spell checker to check the spelling of new or difficult
indent words. Use commas to combine sentences. Check for
correct punctuation and correct run-on sentences.
∧ add
take out A. Read the following personal narrative. Use the
Make a proofreading symbols from the box to mark any errors
capital letter. you find. You can use the “Add” mark to show where
punctuation marks should go.
Make a
small letter.
sp Check the
spelling.
. Add a period.
A Bike Ride with Alligators
Last month, I took a bicycle ride in Brazos bend State Park with my
grandfather. The park is near Houston, Texas, and that is where my
grandfather lives. I always look forward to visiting him from my home in
St. Louis every spring vakation.
Dirt paths skirt the edge of swamps in the park. There are lots of trees
and grassy areas. Grandpa and I road mountain bikes over these paths
and enjoyed the scenery. Can you imagine danger in such a lovely
setting. Along with humans enjoying a day in the park alligators live
there. Alligators, my grandfather warned. can be very dangerous.
I saw my first alligators from an observashun tower next to the

swamp. at least seven alligators lay one on top of the other on a huge
log. I was thrilled to see alligators and even happyer to see them at a
safe distance. The sight was spectacular?
B. Use the corrections your marked to rewrite the paragraphs on another piece of paper.
At Home: Write another interrogative or McGraw-Hill Language Arts

exclamatory sentence that could be included in Grade 6, Unit 1, Personal Narrative,
16d this personal narrative. pages 58–59 10
Name Date Practice 1.1
17
Nouns
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
The girl painted a picture of tall buildings.
• A noun can be more than one word.
A. Tell whether the underlined word in each sentence is a noun. Circle yes or no.
1. My sister painted a landscape. yes no
2. She is learning to paint watercolors. yes no
3. Her paints come in small tubes. yes no
4. She squeezes the paint onto a palette. yes no
5. She uses a large brush made of camel hair. yes no
6. First she wets the paper. yes no
7. Then she mixes a wash of blue paint. yes no
8. She brushes the blue paint to the wet paper. yes no
9. Sometimes she uses a soft tissue to lift some color off. yes no
10. She will let the sky dry while she paints the rest. yes no
B. Underline each noun. Then write the nouns under the correct heading.
11. My sister did paintings of her trip to California .
12. She likes to do still lifes , too.
13. Some artists prefer to use oils .
14. But she likes the freshness she gets with watercolors .
15. Her work gives her joy .
Person Place Thing Idea
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Find three sentences in a newspaper or

Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns magazine. Name the nouns and tell whether they name a
15 pages 84–85 person, place, thing, or idea. 17
Singular and Plural Nouns
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea, like school.
• A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea, like boys.
• Add -s or -es to most singular nouns to form plural nouns, like girls or
benches. If a singular noun ends in a consonant and y, change the y to i
and add -es, like ladies.
A. Circle the correct plural form for each underlined noun.

1. I have read several biography of Mahatma Gandhi.
biographys biographeys biographies
2. Gandhi used nonviolent method to fight injustice in India.
methods methodes methodies Mahatma Gandhi
3. He urged his followers not to obey certain laws and to join protest march.
march marches marchies
4. He also went on hunger strike.
strikes strikees strikies
5. Gandhi wanted to improve the lives of all class of Indian society.
class classes classies
B. If the underlined word is the correct plural form, write yes.

If it is not correct, write the correct form on the line.
6. Gandhi’s methods influenced many
leaderes.
7. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., enacted Gandhi’s methods in the Cesar Chavez
U.S. civil rightes struggle.

8. Dr. King’s followers were willing to go to jail for what they believed.
9. Cesar Chavez adopted Gandhi’s methods to organize migrant worker in California.
10. Chavez once went without food for twenty-five dayes.
At Home: Choose a paragraph from a newspaper McGraw-Hill Language Arts

or magazine. Underline the plural nouns. Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns,
18 pages 86–87 10
More Plural Nouns
REMEMBER THE RULES

• To make irregular nouns plural:
—add -s to most f or fe words, like roofs; for others change the f to v and
add -es, like knives.
—add -s to nouns ending in a vowel and o, like radios.
—add -s or -es to nouns ending in a consonant and o, like cameos.
• Some irregular nouns have no change, while others have special plural
forms, like men.
A. Write the plural form of the following nouns:

1. woman 6. child
2. loaf 7. studio
3. fish 8. lady
4. photo 9. life
5. feather 10. goose
B. Rewrite the sentences, using the plural form of the noun in parentheses.
11. My uncle’s yard could be the setting for wildlife (video).
12. (Deer) and (sheep) come to drink at his pond.
13. Bats fly overhead, looking for (mosquito).

14. Rabbits nibble the (leaf) in his garden.
15. They leave the (potato) and (tomato) alone, though.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write five nouns that end in o, f, or fe.
Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns, Then write their plurals.
15 pages 88–89 19
Common and Proper Nouns
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea, like month.
• A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or idea, like
November. Proper nouns are always capitalized.
A. Underline each noun. Then write the nouns on the lines in the correct columns.
Write each noun only once.
1. Who was the first European to reach North America?
2. Columbus Day celebrates one explorer who reached it in 1492.
3. Some historians think Irish monks led by St. Brendan reached it in the 6th century.
4. The Vikings reached the coast of Labrador in Canada in the 10th century.
Common Nouns Proper Nouns
B. Rewrite each sentence, using capital letters for the proper nouns.
5. St. brendan founded a monastery in clonfert, ireland.
6. According to legend, he and his monks sailed to scotland.
7. From there they went to iceland, greenland, and even canada.
8. They saw icebergs in the north atlantic ocean.

9. Tim severin repeated st. brendan’s voyage.
10. He wrote about it in a book called the brendan voyage.
At Home: Make a chart with names of three McGraw-Hill Language Arts

friends. Write their birthdates and their favorite Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns,
20 holidays. Use capital letters for proper nouns. pages 90–91 10
Mechanics and Usage: Capitalization
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Capitalize the names of specific people, places, things, organizations,
languages, nationalities, and holidays.
• Capitalize the names of specific family members.
• Capitalize days, months, addresses, and titles of respect.
A. Rewrite each phrase, capitalizing the proper nouns.

1. new york city
2. north dakota
3. my aunt susan
4. thanksgiving day
5. nova scotia
B. Underline each word that should begin with a capital letter. Then write the words
on the line.
6. aunt liz belongs to the putnam county historical society.
7. She told me about sybil luddington, a hero of the american revolution.
8. Sybil’s father, colonel henry luddington, was captain of a militia unit in putnam
county, new york.
9. On the night of april 26, 1777, he learned the british were burning nearby danbury,
connecticut.
10. That night, sixteen-year-old sybil rode her horse through the towns of carmel,
mahopac, and patterson to rouse the militia.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write three sentences. Include the names of one
Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns, holiday, two months, three family members, and four
10 pages 92–93 places in your sentences. 21
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
Forming plurals of nouns:
• For most nouns, add -s or -es. branch → branches
• If a noun ends in a consonant and y, change the y to i and add -es.
cherry → cherries
• Add -s to most f or fe words; for others change the f to v and add -es.
half → halves
• Add -s to nouns ending in a vowel and o. rodeo → rodeos
• Add -s or -es to nouns ending in a consonant and o. tomato → tomatoes
• Capitalize proper nouns, such as the names of specific people, places,
things, organizations, languages, nationalities, and holidays.
A. Write the correct plural form of the word in parentheses.

1. My aunt, Doreen, grows (potato) in her garden.
2. She grows three kinds of (squash) , too.
3. She has divided the garden into two (half) .
4. In one part she grows (vegetable) .
5. In the other she grows roses and (lily) .
B. Rewrite the following sentences.

6. Doreen raises chicken and turkey, too.
7. Last year, Doreen went to grandma’s for thanksgiving.
8. She brought a french apple pie and an indian pumpkin stew.

9. She got both recipe from doctor Narain.
10. One of grandma dora’s specialty is a stuffing made with cranberry and nut.
At Home: List ten foods you like to eat. Then McGraw-Hill Language Arts
write the plural forms of these nouns. Grade 6, Unit 2, Mixed Review,
22 pages 94–95 10
Possessive Nouns
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A possessive noun shows ownership.
• Singular possessive noun: add ’s to a singular noun.
Matt’s gloves the boy’s gloves
• Plural possessive noun: add ’ to a plural noun that ends in s. Add ’s to a
plural noun that does not end in s.
the girls’ skates the children’s skateboards
A. Underline the possessive noun in each sentence. Then check (✔ ) the box to indicate
whether the noun is singular (S) or plural (P).
S P
1. Joe’s bike club is going on a two-day bike trip.
2. The bikers’ bags are packed.
3. The members’ bikes are all in good shape.
4. The days’ activities are well planned.
5. The club’s destination is Farview Park.
B. Rewrite each sentence. Use the possessive

form of the word in ( ).
6. Farview Park is one of our (state) beauty spots.
7. The (bike trails) curves make them fun to ride.
8. The (park) two lakes are popular swimming spots.

9. Both (lakes) beaches are crowded in summer.
10. The (children) zoo is popular, too.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write three sentences about family members’
Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns, favorite possessions. Use possessive nouns, including at
10 pages 96–97 least one plural possessive. 23
Appositives
REMEMBER THE RULES

• An appositive is a word or group of words that identifies or explains the
noun it follows.
Paris, a beautiful city, is in France.
A. Underline the appositive in each sentence. Circle the noun it identifies.

1. Juana, my favorite cousin, has just come back from France.
2. Paris, the capital of France, was the highlight of her trip.
3. She toured Notre Dame, the beautiful cathedral of Paris.
4. It is built on Ile de la Cité, an island in the River Seine.
5. This cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, was begun in 1163.
6. The most famous landmark of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, was built in 1889.
7. This structure, an immense tower of exposed iron latticework, is 984 feet tall.
8. The Louvre, one of the world’s great art museums, is also in Paris.
9. Juana, an artist herself, said she could have spent days there.
10. It is home to the “Mona Lisa,” Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
B. Combine the sentences by forming an appositive. Write the new sentence.

11. Paris has been the home of many artists. Paris has many art museums.
12. Juana also visited the Musée de l’Orangerie. It is another museum.
13. It houses paintings by Claude Monet. Claude Monet was an Impressionist painter.
14. The paintings are vibrant swirls of color. The paintings are of water lilies.
15. Monet was a prolific painter. Monet produced hundreds of paintings.
At Home: Find three sentences in a newspaper or McGraw-Hill Language Arts

magazine article which contain appositives. Underline Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns,
24 the appositive and circle the noun in each. pages 98–99 15
Combining Sentences: Nouns
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Two sentences with the same predicate but different subjects can be
combined by joining the subjects with and or or.
Rebecca and Josh joined the debate club.
• Two sentences with the same predicates but different objects can be
combined by linking the objects with and or or.
Sometimes Rebecca acts as panelist or moderator.
A. Underline the subjects or objects in the sentences that could be combined.

1. Michel is in my French class. Colin is in my French class.
2. Miguel speaks Spanish. Miguel speaks French.
3. Felicity will translate the poem. Collette will translate the poem.
4. French is a beautiful language. Spanish is a beautiful language.
5. I want to speak French well. I want to speak Spanish well.
B. Combine the two sentences by writing a compound subject or a compound

object. Use and or or. Then write the word subject or object on the line to tell
which you combined.
6. French Club will meet at 3 p.m. Spanish Club will meet at 3 p.m.
7. Students can join the French Club. Students can join the Spanish Club.
8. Maritza chooses the Spanish Club. Armand chooses the Spanish Club.
9. Colin has visited France. Colin has visited Belgium.
10. Eamon dreamed of going to Spain. Levi dreamed of going to Spain.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a sentence with a compound subject about
Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns, two of your family members. Then write a sentence with a
10 pages 100–101 compound object about the same family members. 25
Mechanics and Usage: Titles of Works
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Capitalize the first, last, and each important word in the titles of books,
magazines, and newspapers. Underline or italicize these titles.
• Put quotation marks around the titles of short stories, articles, songs,
poems, and chapters in a book.
A. If the title is written correctly, write yes on the line. If it is not, rewrite it correctly.
1. Charlotte’s web (book)
2. The Hartford News (newspaper)
3. Three days on mt. everest (article)
4. “America the Beautiful” (song)
5. The fiddler of dooney (poem)
B. Circle the part of the sentence that is not written correctly and rewrite it correctly
on the line.
6. When Amanda won the newspaper’s writing contest, she got her picture in the
clarksville chronicle.
7. She wrote a poem called three steps ahead.
8. Gio was runner-up with an article called protecting our wetlands.
9. Gio wrote a short story for our school paper, the bulletin.
10. It was a funny story about a boy who couldn’t stop singing If I only had a brain.
At Home: Make a chart with the names of four McGraw-Hill Language Arts
friends. For each name, write the titles of the Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns,
26 person’s favorite book, song, and magazine. pages 102–103 10
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A possessive noun shows ownership.
• Singular possessive noun: add ’s to a singular noun. King Tut’s tomb
• Plural possessive noun: add ’ to a plural noun that ends in -s. Add ’s to a
plural noun that does not end in -s. the kings’ tombs
• An appositive is a word or group of words that follow a noun. It identifies or
explains the noun it follows. An appositive can be used to combine two short
sentences into one sentence.
King Tut was called the boy king. His tomb was discovered in 1922.
The tomb of King Tut, the boy king, was discovered in 1922.
A. Write the correct possessive form of the noun in dark type.

1. We are studying ancient history. Egypt
2. The armies captured Nubia, a kingdom to the south. pharoah
3. The Egyptians soon made use of the gold mines. area
4. I learned about the knowledge of science and medicine. Egyptians
5. Scribes recorded this knowledge, creating the first medical texts! world
B. Use appositives to combine the following sentences. Write the new sentences.
6. Egypt depended on the Nile. The Nile is the world’s longest river.
7. Egyptians wrote with hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics are a kind of picture writing.
8. Khufu was an Old Kingdom pharoah. He ordered the building of the Great Pyramid.
9. Egypt became an empire. An empire is a group of lands ruled by one government.
10. Egypt had control of Kush. Kush was a wealthy kingdom to the south of Egypt.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Look through a book for examples of possessive
Grade 6, Unit 2, Mixed Review, nouns. Tell whether the noun is singular or plural.
10 pages 104–105 27
Common Errors: Plurals and Possessives
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Plural
nouns don’t have an apostrophe. Most are formed by adding -s or -es.
brothers airplanes children people boxes
• Use an apostrophe and an -s to form the possessive of most nouns,
including singular nouns that end in -s. one brother’s idea
• Use an apostrophe alone to form the possessive of a plural noun that
ends in -s. two brothers’ dreams
A. Underline the noun in the sentence that is described in parentheses.

1. The sun’s surface is hot like most stars. (plural)
2. Most stars’ light takes many years to reach
us. (plural possessive)
3. The sun’s light reaches earth in eight minutes. (plural)
4. The next nearest star’s light takes four years to reach
us! (singular possessive)
5. Earth’s moon or the planets do not create their own
light. (singular possessive)
B. Rewrite each sentence using the correct form of the underlined noun.
6. Other stars’ temperatures’ are similar to our sun’s temperature.
7. The suns center is deep below its surface.
8. It’s temperature is more than double the surface’s temperature.

9. Hydrogens’ atoms are split into protons and neutrons here.
10. The hydrogen protons’ move quickly and join or fuse to form into helium atoms.
At Home: Explain to a family member what is McGraw-Hill Language Arts

wrong with the common errors in spelling you Grade 6, Unit 2, Nouns,
28 see in Part B. pages 106–107 10
Study Skills: Parts of a Book
• The title page lists the title, the author, and the publisher of the book.
• The copyright page gives the date of publication.
• The table of contents lists the titles of the chapters or main sections, and the
page numbers on which they begin.
• The index is an alphabetical list of the books’ topics with their page numbers.
• The glossary lists special terms used in the book, along with their definitions.
Tell which part of a book you would use to find the following information.
1. Where would you find the date your social studies book was published?
2. Where would you find the author of a book your teacher is reading aloud to the class?
3. Where would you find the topic covered in the first chapter of your Language Arts
book?
4. Where would you find the definition of the word trade in your social studies book?
5. Where would you find the page of your social studies book where you can read
about Cleopatra?
6. Where would you find the number of chapters in your science book?
7. Where would you find the definition of the word igneous as used in your science
book?
8. Where would you find the name of the company that published your language arts
book?
9. Where would you find the chapter of your language arts book where you will study
verbs?
10. Where would you find the page of your social studies book where you can read
about the Civil War?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Examine a textbook or a nonfiction book from the
Grade 6, Unit 2, Study Skills, library. Locate the following: title page, copyright information,
10 pages 130–131 date of publication, table of contents, index, glossary. 29
Vocabulary: How Language Changes
• A compound word is formed by joining two words. base + ball = baseball

• A clipped word is a shortened form of a longer word. professional → pro
• A blended word is a combination of two words. Usually some letters are
omitted to form the new word. breakfast + lunch = brunch
• A borrowed word comes from different languages. Tacos – word from Mexico
A. Choose either a compound, clipped, blended, or borrowed word from the word
box to complete each sentence.
suitcases photos outstanding playoff homer

overcrowded pro sightseeing baseman airplane
1. The Japanese baseball team waited anxiously at the gate.

2. They had already checked their at the ticket counter.
3. The press took many of the team.
4. Finally, the took off for Mexico City.
5. Tokyo and Mexico City are both big and, some say, cities.
6. The Japanese team did quite a bit of before the big game.
7. On the day of the game, the stadium was filled to capacity.
8. In the fourth inning, the Japanese third hit a home run.
9. In the seventh inning, the Mexican catcher hit a grand slam .
10. The Japanese team had an last inning and won the game.
B. Write the food name from the list below after its definition. Use a dictionary if
necessary.
tortellini paella dim sum falafel pirog

11. A Middle-Eastern sandwich made from fried spiced chickpeas

12. Chinese dumplings and other assorted tidbits served as a meal
13. Small Italian pasta pockets stuffed with meat or cheese
14. A flat Russian pastry filled with chopped meat or cabbage
15. A rice dish from Spain made with chicken or seafood
At Home: Work with a family member and write McGraw-Hill Language Arts
three other food words that are borrowed from Grade 6, Unit 1, Vocabulary,
30 other languages. Write a sentence with each word. pages 116–117 15
Composition: Outlining
• Use an outline to help you plan your writing.

• The title of the outline states the topic.
• Outlines consist of main ideas indicated by Roman numerals.
• List subtopics beneath each main idea. These subtopics should support the
main idea and should be indicated by capital letters.
• Give supporting details under each subtopic, indicated by numbers.
• The ideas in the outline should be placed in a logical order. Discard any
minor ideas or examples that do not relate to the main idea or subtopics.
A. Leslie jotted down some notes for a composition comparing two kinds of animals
that make good pets. On the line, place a ✓ for her note that relates to a main idea.
Write no for her note that should not be included in the outline or composition.
Goldfish Canaries
Goldfish Canaries
Colors and Sizes Appearance
Going fishing at the pond Sound
Interesting to Observe Talking parrots
B. Use the notes above to complete the outline.
Title:
I.
Appearance
1. colors
2. size
B. Sound
bird songs
2. other sounds
cleaning
2. decoration
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write the second part of Leslie’s outline
Grade 6, Unit 2, Composition Skills, on another sheet of paper.
15 pages 118–119 31
Features of Writing That Compares
• Writing that compares explains how two things are similar and how they
are different.
• Use comparison and contrast words to make transitions.
Read the paragraphs and answer the questions below.

A T-Rex, the largest ever found, was unearthed in the western part of the
United States. On the other side of the world in Siberia, a frozen Woolly
Mammoth was taken from the permafrost. The skeletons of both creatures
were complete.
The T-Rex became extinct millions of years ago. The Woolly Mammoth was
dated to be about 23,000 years old. The fossilized bones of the T-Rex give a
partial idea of what it was like. The soft tissue of the T-Rex rotted away soon
after it died. However, when the Woolly Mammoth died, it was covered with
snow and frozen solid. All of its soft tissue is still intact.
After digging away 1,200 tons of dry soil from around the T-Rex skeleton,
the bones were individually removed and will be re-assembled in a museum. In
contrast, the entire mammoth was taken away from the discovery site in a
24-ton block of solid earth and ice. It is currently being stored in deep freeze.
1. How were the discovery of the T-Rex and the Woolly Mammoth alike?
2. What is the main reason why the two discoveries were so different?
3. What were the location, age, and condition of each discovery?

T-Rex Woolly Mammoth
location
age
condition
4. How did the author organize the comparison?
5. Name two contrast words or phrases used in the paragraphs.
At Home: Write a few paragraphs comparing and contrasting McGraw-Hill Language Arts
your first and last day of school last year. Recall the events Grade 6, Unit 2, Writing That Compares,
31a in logical sequence. Read your story to a family member. pages 126–127 5
Prewrite: Writing That Compares
Writing that compares shows how two things are similar and how they are
different. You can explain something unfamiliar to your reader by comparing it to
something familiar. You can also contrast two subjects, using the differences to
persuade your audience to understand your point of view.
A chart is a good tool to use when planning to compare two things. After you
brainstorm some ideas about what you want to compare, list similarities and
differences on the chart.
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES CHART

CHECKLIST
• Did you think about your purpose and audience?
• Did you make a list of similarities and differences?
• Do you need to do more research to add to the chart?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Use a chart like above to compare and contrast
Grade 6, Unit 2, Writing That Compares, your experiences in two different grades of school.
pages 128–129 31b
Revise: Writing That Compares
Help improve and revise your writing by expanding details so they give more
information. It will make your writing clearer and more interesting.
Read the list evaluating individual and team sports. Use another piece of paper to
revise the writing below by adding information from the list.
All sports provide healthy exercise.

Both kinds of sports involve competition.
Teams share responsibility for wins and losses.
Individuals take full responsibility for each win and loss.
A team is a social experience; learn to cooperate with others.
An individual sport is a solitary experience; learn self-reliance.
Both help you set and accomplish personal goals.
Both allow you develop physical and mental skills.
Individual vs. Team Sports
Participants in sports have to make an important decision.

Should he or she join a team or play an individual sport? Each
choice is a good one.
Both kinds of sports help you set and accomplish personal

goals .
On one hand, people who enjoy social experiences will get more
out of a team sport.
On the other hand, an
individual sport is a solitary experience.
All athletes face competition. Team members get to share

responsibility for wins and losses.
At Home: Choose a specific individual sport and McGraw-Hill Language Arts

team sport. List details about each sport, then Grade 6, Unit 2, Writing That Compares,
31c compare and contrast the two lists. pages 134–135
Proofread: Writing That Compares

After you revise your comparison, proofread it to
PROOFREADING correct any errors. Correct capitalization and
MARKS punctuation errors. Add indents where needed.
indent Use a dictionary to help check spelling, and
combine sentences where appropriate.
∧ add
take out A. Read the following comparison about two presidents
Make a of the United States. Use the proofreading marks to
capital letter. mark any errors you find.
Make a
small letter.
sp Check the
spelling.
. Add a period.
This report tells about President George Washington. This

report tells about President Abraham Lincoln. Like all good
leaders, each of these men had leadership experience before he
became president.
George Washingtons background was in the military. Because

of his army troops efforts, the American colonies won their
freedom from britain. On the other hand, Abraham lincoln’s
background in law made him an eloquent spokesperson before
he ran for the presidency in 1860.
Although these men lived at different times, they both held offis.
Washington commanded the Continental Army that won the
American Revolution in 1783. Similarly, the Union armie under

Lincoln won the Civil War in 1865.
B. On another sheet of paper, use the corrections you marked to rewrite these
paragraphs.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Read about two other presidents of the United
Grade 6, Unit 2, Writing That Compares, States. Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts
10 pages 138–139 them. 31d
Action Verbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• An action verb expresses action. It tells what the subject of the sentence
does or did.
We read about ancient Sparta.
A. Underline the action verb in each sentence. Then write it on the line.
1. In ancient Sparta, boys trained to become soldiers.
2. They practiced sports, too.
3. Girls also learned sports.
4. They played ball games.
5. Athenian girls stayed at home.
6. They helped their mothers with household duties.
7. They wove cloth from sheep’s wool.
8. Athenian boys worked with their fathers in the fields.
9. They studied reading and writing, too.
10. Today tourists visit many Greek sites.
B. Circle the action verb that completes each sentence.

11. Ancient Greeks in many gods and goddesses.
truth believed help
12. According to their religion, the god Zeus on Mt. Olympus.
life lived goddess
13. Greeks from every city-state at temples to honor Zeus.
gathered people religion
14. In Athens, people the goddess Athena.

festival god honored
15. Each summer, they a festival in her honor.
held winter special
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a sentence for each of these

Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, action words: want, went, held, wandered,
15 pages 164–165 and need. 32
Direct and Indirect Objects
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A direct object is a noun or a pronoun in the predicate that receives the
action of the verb.
Billy threw the ball.
• An indirect object is a noun or pronoun in the predicate that answers the
question to what? for what? to whom? or for whom? after an action verb.
Billy threw Nancy the ball.
A. Underline the direct object in each sentence.

1. One Saturday, Neelie, Ted, and Luis hiked Overlook Mountain.
2. They climbed the trail to the top of the hill.
3. Luis carried binoculars with him.
4. Neelie brought her bird book along.
5. The three friends ate lunch near the
summit of the mountain.
6. Luis had brought some grapes as
part of his lunch.
7. He gave his friends grapes, too.
8. Suddenly, Ted gave a loud shout.
9. He had seen something!
10. He’d spotted a hawk in the sky overhead.
B. Tell whether the underlined word is a direct object or an indirect object. Check
DO for direct object and IO for indirect object.
DO IO
11. Excitedly, Neelie checked the bird book.

12. Soon she found a picture.
13. She showed Luis and Ted the illustration.
14. Luis handed Ted the binoculars.
15. Finally the friends identified the bird as a rough-legged hawk.
At Home: Record three sentences using the verbs gave, McGraw-Hill Language Arts
throw, and show. Then underline direct objects and Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs,
33 circle indirect objects. pages 166–167 15
Verb Tenses
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Present tense verbs tell an action that is happening now.
The story of the calendar is very interesting.
• Past tense verbs tell an action that has already happened.
The word September came from the Latin word meaning “seventh.”
• Future tense verbs tell an action that will happen.
Tomorrow we will learn more facts about the calendar.
A. Circle whether the underlined verb is in the present, past, or future tense.
1. We use a twelve-month calendar. present past future
2. The Roman calendar existed with ten months. present past future
3. December comes from a word that means “ten.” present past future
4. The old calendar contained several errors. present past future
5. Julius Caesar made changes in the calendar. present past future
6. He added a leap year every fourth year. present past future
7. He named his calendar “Julian calendar.” present past future
8. The calendar included too many leap years! present past future
9. I will read today’s date on my calendar. present past future
10. Do you have a new calendar? present past future
B. Write whether the underlined verb is in the present, past, or future tense.
11. In 1582 Pope Gregory made more changes to the calendar.
12. Now leap years occur only in years exactly divisible by four.
13. Mr. Hunt will show us a leap-year calendar.

14. We correctly guessed the leap years.
15. This calendar will last through the centuries.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write three sentences. In the first, tell something
Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, you did yesterday. In the second, tell what you are doing
15 pges 168–169 right now. In the third, tell something you will do later. 34
Subject-Verb Agreement
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A singular subject takes a singular verb.
Joe enjoys visiting the museum.
• A plural subject takes a plural verb.
Bess and Lisa enjoy going with him.
• In compound subjects joined by or, either...or, or neither...nor, the verb
agrees with the subject part nearest to it.
Neither Joe nor Lisa enjoys taking the subway, however.
A. Underline the verb in parentheses which agrees with the subject of the sentence.
1. My cousin Mark (live, lives) in New York City.
2. Mark and his sister Lisa (enjoy, enjoys) visiting the Museum of Natural History.
3. They often (go, goes) there on Saturdays.
4. I (visit, visits) my cousins often.
5. Sometimes Mark or Lisa (take, takes) me to the movies.
6. Other times, we (browse, browses) in old bookstores.
7. We all (love, loves) to walk wherever we can.
8. Neither my cousins nor I (prefer, prefers) the bus.
9. The Museum of Modern Art (is, are) near Fifth Avenue.
10. The exhibits there (fascinate, fascinates) me.
B. Rewrite the sentence, using the correct form of the

verb in parentheses. The subject is underlined for you.
11. My cousins (know) the city very well.
12. They often (go) to Chinatown to eat.

13. Either Mark or Lisa (think) of it first.
14. The other one soon (agree).
15. The color and bustle of the streets in Chinatown (intrigue) me.
At Home: With a family member, write subjects McGraw-Hill Language Arts

for three sentences. Trade papers and complete Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs,
35 each others sentences by adding verbs. pages 170–171 15
Main Verbs and Helping Verbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The main verb in a verb phrase shows what a subject does or is.
• A helping verb helps the main verb to show an action.
Joey is getting his canoe ready.
main verb: getting helping verb: is
A. Circle the main verb in each sentence. Underline the helping verbs.
1. We are planning a trip for May.
2. We will explore the Great Swamp, a wetlands near the school.
3. We might use both canoes and kayaks.
4. I have read a lot about wetlands.
5. Wetlands should be protected.
6. Mrs. Keasbey will come with us.
7. She will show us a beaver dam.
8. We may see some unusual birds, too.
9. I have seen an egret there.
10. Joey has spotted a great horned owl there several times.
B. Rewrite each verb phrase, using the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
11. Tammy (is, are) bringing her camera.
12. She and Lisa (is, are) photographing some wildflowers.
13. We (has, have) seen wild irises in the swamp.

.
14. They (are, was) blooming now.
15. I (is, am) looking forward to this trip!
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Look in a newspaper or magazine. Find three

Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, sentences that contain helping verbs. Underline the verb
15 pages 172–173 phrase and circle the helping verbs. 36
Mechanics and Usage: Commas
REMEMBER THE RULES
Use a comma:
• after introductory words and phrases.
• to set off a direct quote, an appositive, or an interrupter.
• after the greeting and closing in a friendly letter.
• between the day and the year in dates.
• between the names of cities and states in an address.
• to separate words in a series.
A. Add commas where needed in the sentences.

1. Kathy my friend landed in Ireland on August 15 2000.
2. Kathy visited the cities of Galway Dublin Enniskillen and Belfast.
3. On her first day in Dublin she toured Trinity College.
4. From Enniskillen she visited Devenish Island the site of an ancient monastery.
5. Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland was her last stop.
B. Rewrite the following as a letter on the lines below, using commas where
necessary.
6. August 22 2000
7. Dear Tanya
8. Here I am in Dublin Ireland.
9. Tonight I will see a play at the Abbey Dublin’s famous theater.
10. Your friend Kathy
At Home: Write a letter about a place you’ve McGraw-Hill Language Arts

visited. Include a date and the name of a city and Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs,
37 state. pages 174–175 10
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• An action verb tells what the subject of the sentence does or did.
Did St. Columba see the Loch Ness monster?
• Present tense verbs tell what is happening now.
Some tell tales of a monster in the lake.
• Past tense verbs tell what has already happened.
In 1933 a man and woman supposedly saw a monster.
• Future-tense verbs tell what will happen.
Someday I will go to Loch Ness.
• The subject and the verb of a sentence must agree.
• A singular subject takes a singular verb.
My cousin thinks the monster is a hoax.
• A plural subject takes a plural verb.
Many people think there is something there, however.
A. Draw a line under the action verb in each sentence. Then, on the line, write
whether the verb is in the present, past, or future tense.
1. According to Jesse, Lisa saw a strange sight.
2. Some people claim to have seen it, too.
3. One man took a picture of it.
4. In the fuzzy picture you can see a creature with a long neck.
5. The picture was later discovered to be a fake.
B. Choose the present-tense verb in parentheses that agrees with the subject of
each sentence. Write it on the line.
6. Many people (visit, visits) the science museum each year.

7. Some (hope, hopes) to see unusual things.
8. Janna and her brother (read, reads) mostly science books.
9. Neither Janna nor Todd (like, likes) the insect exhibit.
10. However, many children (enjoy, enjoys) the invention hall.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a short paragraph about an invention. Use
Grade 6, Unit 3, Mixed Review, action verbs in the present tense. Then rewrite the
10 pages 176–177 paragraph, using past-tense verbs. 38
Progressive Forms
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The present progressive tense of a verb describes an action that is still going on.
I am reading a science-fiction book about UFOs.
• The past progressive tense of a verb describes an action that was in
progress sometime in the past.
I was reading when the doorbell rang.
A. Tell whether the underlined verb phrase is in the present-progressive form or

the past-progressive form. Circle your answer.
1. I am telling my friends a story. present progressive past progressive
2. They are listening attentively. present progressive past progressive
3. Last night my family was watching
television. present progressive past progressive
4. We were enjoying our favorite comedy. present progressive past progressive
5. In the show, aliens from another planet
are visiting Earth. present progressive past progressive
6. Everyone in my family was laughing
at the show. present progressive past progressive
7. Suddenly the doorbell was ringing. present progressive past progressive
8. A little green man was standing there. present progressive past progressive
9. Now my friends are laughing at me. present progressive past progressive
10. I am protesting my innocence. present progressive past progressive
B. Rewrite each sentence using the verb in parentheses. Use the form that is noted
in the .
11. present-progressive Now I to keep a straight face. (try)

12. past-progressive I to be insulted. (pretend)

13. present-progressive But I too hard. (laugh)
14. present-progressive My friends , too. (laugh)
15. past-progressive Last night we the same show. (watch)
At Home: Write a sentence using the past-progressive to McGraw-Hill Language Arts

describe what you were doing yesterday. Then write a sentence Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs,
39 using the present-progressive pages 178–179 15
Perfect Tenses
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The present-perfect tense of a verb tells about an action that began in
the past and is still happening.
I have enjoyed the water since I was little.
• The past-perfect tense of a verb describes a past action that happened
before another past action.
I had learned to swim when we lived in Florida.
A. Tell whether the underlined verb is in the present-perfect tense or the past-
perfect tense. Circle your answer.
1. I have wanted to learn scuba diving for a long time.
present-perfect past-perfect
2. I had heard of pearl divers who stayed under water for long periods.
3. Pearl divers in the Persian Gulf have dived without special equipment for centuries.
4. The invention of the aqualung by Jacques Cousteau has changed the way
people dive.
5. This invention has made it possible for thousands of people to dive as a hobby.
B. Rewrite each sentence using the verb in parentheses. Use the form that is noted
in the .
6. present-perfect Divers to use diving suits. (continue)

7. present-perfect Divers who work on oil rigs special
equipment. (require)
8. past-perfect In the past, divers that diving suits were

awkward and expensive. (be)
9. past-perfect Back then, divers to decompress before
they came to the surface. (need)
10. present-perfect New technology this, making
decompression time unnecessary. (change)
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Find sentences in a magazine or newspaper

Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, article that uses present-perfect tense and past-perfect
10 pages 180–181 tense verbs. Copy the sentences and underline the verbs. 40
Linking Verbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A linking verb links the subject of a sentence to a noun or an adjective in
the predicate.
Mac is my cat.
• A predicate noun follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject.
He is a great hunter.
• A predicate adjective follows a linking verb and describes the subject.
He is curious about everything.
A. Underline the linking verb in each sentence. Circle the predicate noun or the
predicate adjective.
1. Mac seems eager to go outside.
2. The moon is bright tonight.
3. This cat is a mouser.
4. He grows restless when the moon is full.
5. He is curious about every sound.
6. Every sense is alert.
7. His ears are attentive to every rustle in the grass.
8. His eyes are watchful.
9. His muscles are taut.
10. He is ready to pounce.
B. Underline the verb in each sentence. If it is an action verb, write AV on the line.
If it is a linking verb, circle the predicate noun or predicate adjective in the
sentence, and write PN or PA.
11. Last night he caught a field mouse.
12. It was brown with delicate white paws.

13. I felt sorry for the mouse.
14. Suddenly, it squeaked loudly at Mac.
15. Mac was surprised enough to let go.
At Home: Write a five-sentence description of a McGraw-Hill Language Arts

friend. Underline the linking verbs you used. Circle Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs,
41 the predicate nouns and predicate adjectives. pages 182–183 15
Irregular Verbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Irregular verbs do not add -d or -ed to form the past tense and past
participles.
He drove to the lake. He has driven to the lake.
• The best way to learn irregular verbs is to memorize them.
A. Underline the form of the verb that correctly completes each sentence.
1. Samuel has (gone, went) to the lake.
2. He has (drove, driven) there many times.
3. He had (gone, went) there last year after the hurricane.
4. Samuel had not (knowed, known) if there was any damage.
5. He had (saw, seen) that a large tree was down.
B. Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses that completes each sentence.
6. Samuel has (take) supplies with him this time.
7. He had (throw) out everything last time.
8. The food supplies had (go) bad without refrigeration.
9. Samuel has (drive) to the lake in every season.
10. He has (swim) there at dawn and in the rain.
11. Samuel has (take) many photographs at the lake.
12. He has (make) collages and drawings from them.
13. He has (write) stories to go with his photographs, too.

14. He has (show) his work in an exhibition.
15. His parents have (fly) in to see the show.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write three sentences in the past tense using
Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, see, go, or do. Underline the verb phrases in your
15 pages 184–185 sentences. 42
Irregular Verbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Irregular verbs do not add -d or -ed to form the past tense and past
participles
I have thought of a story to tell you.
• The best way to learn irregular verbs is to memorize them.
A. Decide which verb form correctly completes each sentence. Write the entire
verb phrase on the line.
1. Joe thought the storm had (go, gone) past them.
2. In the morning, he discovered the wind

had (blown, blew) down several trees.
3. One falling tree had (caught, catched) the phone lines.
4. As it fell, it had (tore, torn) down those, too.
5. He has not (spoke, spoken) to his friends in two days!
B. Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses that completes each sentence.
6. Last year a winter storm had (bring) ten inches of snow.
7. We had (choose) to spend a weekend at the lake.
8. We had not (know) a storm was on the way.
9. We had (awake) early.
10. The pipes had (freeze) during the night.
11. The ice had (bring) down the power lines.
12. The wind had (sink) the rowboat, too.
13. Soon we had (drink) all the bottled water.

14. We have never (forget) that weekend.
15. It has (teach) us a lesson we will always remember.
At Home: Find three sentences in a newspaper or McGraw-Hill Language Arts

magazine article which contain irregular verbs. Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs,
43 Underline the verb phrase. pages 186–187 15
Mechanics and Usage: Contractions with Not
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A contraction is a shortened form of two words.
• Many contractions are formed by combining a word with not. has not
• An apostrophe shows where the letter o has been left out hasn’t
A. Underline the contraction in each sentence. Then write the two words that make
up the contraction.
1. Sondra doesn’t know about the art project.
2. Since she was ill, she wasn’t in school today.
3. She can’t bring in the supplies she needs to get started.
4. She won’t be pleased to be unprepared.
5. She is a good friend, so I wouldn’t
mind calling her.
6. This project isn’t easy.
7. Perhaps we didn’t read the
directions carefully.
8. The directions weren’t written
very well.
9. You shouldn’t have mixed those two ingredients.
10. I couldn’t have known this would happen.
B. Rewrite each sentence. Replace the words in parentheses with a contraction.

11. We (would not) have mixed them if we had known.
12. (Is) this (not) a big mess?
13. We (cannot) leave it like this.
14. I (have not) got a mop.
15. You (are not) going to make me clean it by myself, are you?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: With a family member, write three sentences
Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, with contractions that have not. Then trade papers and
15 pages 188–189 write the words the contractions stand for. 44
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Present-progressive verbs express action that is continuing right now.
Kenna is learning to paint with oils.
• Past-progressive verbs express action that was continuing in the past.
She was painting outside this morning.
• Present-perfect verbs express action that began sometime in the past and
is still going on. She has wanted to use oils for a long time.
• Past-perfect verbs tell of a past action that occurred before another past action.
She had learned to use pastels before her tenth birthday.
• Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they tell what someone or something
is or was. They link the subject noun with a predicate noun, predicate pronoun,
or a predicate adjective. Already Kenna is an artist. She is talented.
A. Write the helping verb or linking verb that best completes each sentence. Then
write what kind of verb it is: present progressive, past progressive, present
perfect, or past perfect.
1. Kenna always talking in class.
2. Kenna not wanted to get into trouble.
3. She learned her lesson, however.
4. She apologized for talking.
5. Kenna a very talented artist.
B. Underline the linking verbs. Circle the predicate noun (PN) or predicate adjective
(PA), and write PN or PA to tell which it is.
6. Kenna seems delighted.
7. Her parents are proud of her talent.
8. Her father is a sculptor, you know.

9. Mrs. Green is a well-known painter in our area.
10. She was happy to discover a talented student.
At Home: In a newspaper or magazine, find sentences McGraw-Hill Language Arts

containing examples of present progressive, past Grade 6, Unit 3, Mixed Review,
45 progressive, present perfect, and past perfect tenses. pages 190–191 10
Common Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A singular subject agrees with a singular verb. A plural subject agrees with
a plural verb. The rhythm of the words attracts some people to poetry.
• When a sentence begins with here or there, use a verb that agrees with the
subject that comes after the verb. Here is a list of famous poets.
• Use a plural verb with a compound subject that is joined by and.
Shakespeare and T.S. Eliot were great poets.
• When the compound subject is joined by the conjunctions or or nor, make
the verb agree with the subject that is closer to it.
Neither Beowulf nor The Song of Roland has a known author.
A. Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses that will complete the sentence.
1. Poems (attract, attracts) people with their sound and rhythm.
2. The strong rhythm of nursery rhymes (delight, delights) most children.
3. A child (match, matches) his movements to the words of a rhyme.
4. Millions of people (enjoy, enjoys) the poetry of Mother Goose.
B. Rewrite each sentence, changing the incorrect verb to agree with the subject.
5. Poets expresses their feelings through colorful words.
6. Poems creates mental images that convey a poet’s feelings.
7. The listeners or the reader understand how the poet felt.
8. The ode are a type of lyric poetry filled with high praise and noble feeling.
9. Narrative poems tells a story.
10. Epics and ballads provides examples of narrative poems.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: For each sentence in Part B, underline the noun
Grade 6, Unit 3, Verbs, and circle the verb that needs to be in agreement.
10 pages 192–193 46
Study Skills: Print Resources
The reference section of your library contains many print resources to help you
in your research.
• A thesaurus lists words with similar meanings (synonyms) or opposite
meanings (antonyms).
• A dictionary lists words in alphabetical order and gives information such as
pronunciation, meaning, etymology, and part of speech.
• An encyclopedia is a set of books containing articles on people, places, things,
ideas, and events.
• An almanac contains current information on important people, places, and
events. The information is often given in charts and graphs.
• The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature is an alphabetical list of topics,
and magazine articles about those topics. The listing gives the name of the
magazine, the date and the page numbers.
• A How-to Book or Instructional Manual tells how to do something.
Suppose you are doing a report on hurricanes. Tell which resource would be best
to give you the following information you need for your report.
1. a list of hurricanes in 1999

2. the effect hurricane Floyd had on North Carolina in 1999
3. the etymology of the word hurricane

4. an explanation of how hurricanes develop
5. synonyms for the word hurricane
6. the most devastating hurricanes in the last ten years
7. a list of hurricane names to be used next year
8. how hurricanes are forecast and tracked

9. the strongest hurricane wind ever reported
10. a map showing the area of Florida affected by hurricane Andrew in 1992
At Home: Make a list of three questions you have McGraw-Hill Language Arts
about hurricanes or another topic. Tell which Grade 6, Unit 3, Study Skills,
47 resource you would use to find the information. pages 216–217 10
Vocabulary: Prefixes and Suffixes
• A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word.

pre- means “before” ex- means “out” in- means “without”
un- means “not” re- means “back” sub- means “lower”
tri- means “three” mis- means “wrongly” inter- means “between”
• A suffix is a word part added to the end of a base word.
-er, -or means “one who” or “that which” -ment means “act,” “condition”
-ly means “like in nature” -ful means “full of”
-less means “without” -tion means “act,” “state of”
• Both prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of words.
A. Write the prefix or the suffix to complete the word in each sentence.
1. Bones of historic dinosaurs have been found all over the world.
2. But, fossil evidence of dinosaur's soft tissue is almost existent.
3. Imagine the excite caused by the discovery of baby dinosaur fossils!
4. The site of this discovery is in an populated region of Argentina.
5. Amazing tiny dinosaur embryos were found in many of the eggs.
B. Select a base word from the word box to complete each sentence. Then add a
prefix or suffix to the word.
probable dates clear hunt rough place use
6. A fossil of the first bird, Archaeopteryx, shows this animal had wings.
7. The extinction of the dinosaurs man by millions and millions of years.
8. The agile Compsognathus was the size of a chicken.

9. The close of fossilized dinosaur eggs suggests that the animals

traveled in herds and were highly social.
10. A child who loves dinosaurs can grow up to be a dinosaur .
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write five sentences about your favorite
Grade 6, Unit 3, Vocabulary, dinosaur. Use at least one prefix or suffix in each sentence.
15 pages 202–203 Have a family member check your work. 48
Composition: Organization
• Spatial descriptions describe how things are arranged. For example, spatial
descriptions could use words such as left, right, above, near, in front, or
outside.
• To help set up an organized sequence of steps, use time-order words such
as first, next, then, before, and after.
• When events occur because of the effect of some action, use cause and
effect words, such as caused and because.
A. Write spatial description, cause and effect,

or time-order word to describe each
underlined word.
1. There are few things to remember before you
begin a jog.
2. Stretch your muscles because that will help to
prevent injury as you jog.
3. You can lean to the left or right with your feet
in place.
4. Next, you can do deep knee bends or jumping jacks.
5. A good jog causes you to feel good and maintain your health.
B. Complete each sentence with a word from the box that shows how the sentence
is organized. Use each word just once. Not all the words in the box are used.
under because right after finally above caused
6. When the jogging path divides into two paths, go .

7. You will enjoy running the tall, towering pine trees.

8. you reach the one mile mark, the jog gets easier.
9. You know you have almost reached your goal you will see
another mileage sign.
10. , you have succeeded in running on a three-mile jog!
At Home: Write a paragraph that explains how to do a favorite McGraw-Hill Language Arts
activity. Select words that help you with spatial descriptions, Grade 6, Unit 3, Composition Skills,
49 steps in a sequence, and cause and effect occurrences. pages 204–205 10
Features of Explanatory Writing
• A writer sometimes describes cause-and-effect relationships to explain

steps in a process.
• Clear details in explanatory writing makes the process easier to understand.
• Using spatial words and phrases, such as under or next to, may help to tell
how something works.
Read the following and answer the questions.

The process of making maple syrup hasn’t changed
much since Native Americans discovered how to do it
hundreds of years ago. You can make maple syrup, too.
In the early spring, when the sap is running, drill a 1/2
inch diameter hole, about 3 inches deep, in the sugar
maple tree. Hammer a specially made sugaring spout
into the tap hole. Make a hole in an old plastic milk jug,
just above the handle, big enough for the spout to fit
through. Then hang the jug on the hook. Leave the lid on
the bottle to keep foreign objects out of the sap. Be sure
not to leave sap out too long in the sun; as it will spoil.
After you have collected enough sap, build a quick burning fire between two
rows of cinder blocks. Then, place your evaporating pan over the fire and pour in
the sap. Do not fill it too full. Boil the sap. Remember it takes
10 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. When it is the right
consistency and temperature (7° F above the boiling point for water), pour the
hot sap through a strainer and into a sterile container to cool. Cap it quickly.
Maple syrup can be stored for a long time, if kept in a cool place.
1. What time of year is maple syrup made?
2. What will happen if you leave sap out in the sun?
3. If you boil sap long enough, what happens to it?
4. How much sap do you need to make 3 gallons of syrup?

5. What are some spatial words the writer uses in the directions for making maple syrup?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write directions for making popcorn or other
Grade 6, Unit 3, Explanatory Writing, simple task. Use spatial words and sentences that show
5 pages 212–213 cause and effect. 49a
Prewrite: Explanatory Writing
Explanatory writing can tell the reader how to do something. When you write an
explanation, you often share a process that you know how to do. The purpose of
explanatory writing is to explain how to do something by describing the process,
step by step.
Pretend that you are writing the chapter of a student’s how-to book. When you
choose your how-to topic, complete the blocks in the “sequence tower” diagram
with the steps of the process you are explaining in order.
Introduction
Steps
Conclusion
CHECKLIST
• Did you choose a project or a skill that can be explained to others?
• Have you made a list of the steps in the process?
• Have you checked that the steps are organized in correct order?
At Home: Use a chart like above to explain a McGraw-Hill Language Arts

chore you perform at home. Make sure the steps Grade 6, Unit 3, Explanatory Writing,
49b are in the correct sequence. pages 214–215
Revise: Explanatory Writing
When you elaborate or revise in an explanatory article, you add important details
and ideas that might be needed to clarify the steps of the process.
A. Read the explanation of how to do an experiment related to static electricity.

Add more details to clarify the steps and the order to be followed.
blow up two balloons step away and observe

let hand raise balloon balloons touch (attract)
because of unlike charges rub balloons with something
tie about three feet of string to made from wool
each balloon step away and observe
tie string ends on a hanger and
let balloons hang down
Here is a way to see how static electricity can attract and repel objects.
First, blow up balloons. Put your hand near a balloon and
watch the balloon cling to it. This occurs because your hand is neutral, while
the balloon is charged from being blown up. Next, tie a piece of string
to each balloon, and tie the string ends to a
hanger. .
Suspend the hanger so the two balloons dangle freely.

. You’ll see that they become
attracted to each other and touch.
Now, it’s time to make the balloons repel each other by creating charges
of static electricity on each balloon.

.
The balloons repel each other and move apart.
B. Use the changes you marked to rewrite the directions on another piece of paper.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Think of something you make yourself to eat,
Grade 6, Unit 3, Explanatory Writing, like a sandwich or taco. Write an explanation, step by step,
pages 220–221 of how to make it. 49c
Proofread: Explanatory Writing
After you revise your explanatory writing, you will need

PROOFREADING to proofread it to correct any errors. Use commas
MARKS where needed. Check for spelling errors. Make sure
indent subjects and verbs agree and verb tenses are correct.
End each sentence with correct punctuation.
∧ add
take out A. Read the following paragraphs from an explanation.
Make a Use the proofreading marks from the box to mark any
capital letter. errors you find.
Make a
small letter.
sp Check the
spelling.
. Add a period.
How to Make a Rainbow
You need these materiels: a sheet of white paper, a clear prism
(made of glass or plastic), partially filled with water.
1. First, finds a spot at the window where the sun is shining.
2. Ask someone to hold the sheet of paper flat in that spot.
3. Next, hold the glass over the paper so that a beam of light travel
through the glass and water onto the paper.
What do you see. Actually, you see white light also called clear
light that has been bent and separated. The light bent twice as it
entered the glass and then exits onto the paper. It separated into
the colors of the rainbow because white light is realy a blend of
rainbow colors
At Home: Think of a process that depends on McGraw-Hill Language Arts

light, either from the sun or from an indoor light. Grade 6, Unit 3, Explanatory Writing,
49d Write a paragraph to explain this process. pages 224–225 10
Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They may appear before or after the
nouns they modify.
Fascinating events occur in history.
• Predicate adjectives modify nouns or pronouns in the subjects of
sentences. They come after linking verbs.
I am reading about important people.
A. Circle the adjectives in the following sentences.

1. Queen Elizabeth I was one of England’s
most popular and powerful monarchs.
2. She had a long reign, from 1558 to 1603.
3. Elizabeth was intelligent and well-educated.
4. She sometimes surprised foreign ambassadors
by speaking to them in their native language.
5. She knew several modern languages as well
as classical Latin.
B. Underline the adjectives. Then write each adjective with the noun it modifies.
6. Elizabeth had an excellent understanding of human character.
7. During her reign, England was torn by religious differences.
8. Elizabeth was a moderate Protestant.

9. She took a middle road between extremists during her reign.
10. The greatest threat to England came from the Spanish fleet.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: With a family member, make a list of five
Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives, adjectives that describe someone you both know. Compare
10 pages 256–257 your lists. 50
Articles: a, an, the
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The articles a, an, and the are special adjectives.
• Look at the word that follows the article and the noun the article modifies to
decide which article to use.
an event a competition the events the competitions
vowel sound consonant sound plural nouns
A. Underline the articles in the sentences below.

1. The Olympics were an ancient sports
festival first held in Greece.
2. According to the earliest records, only one
athletic event was held in the ancient Olympics.
3. This was a foot race of about 200 yards,
or the length of the stadium.
4. For the ancient Greeks, the Games were a
way of saluting the gods.
5. Today the Games honor the best athletes of
the many competing nations.
B. Choose the correct article in the parentheses that correctly completes each
sentence.
6. (A, An, The) ancient Olympic Games ended around (a, an, the) fifth century A.D.
7. In 1896, (a, an, the) Olympic Games were revived.
8. Baron de Coubertin, (a, an, the) French nobleman, helped organize (a, an, the)
modern Olympic movement.
9. He convened (a, an, the) international sports congress in June 1894.
10. (A, An, The) U.S. team dominated (a, an, the) track and field events, winning
nine of (a, an, the) twelve events.
At Home: Copy two sentences from a magazine McGraw-Hill Language Arts

or newspaper. Circle the articles. Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives,
51 pages 258–259 10
Demonstrative Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES

Demonstrative adjectives point out particular persons or objects.
• This and that are demonstrative adjectives that point out singular nouns.
This book came from that library.
• These and those are demonstrative adjectives that modify plural nouns.
These magazines are sold in this store.
• This and these point out nouns that are nearby.
This apple is delicious. These apples are also delicious.
• That and those point out nouns that are farther away.
That apple came from those trees over there.
A. Circle the demonstrative adjective in

each sentence. Then draw an arrow to
the noun it modifies.
1. This tree has been here for many years.
2. All of these trees are special varieties.
3. My grandfather planted that apple orchard.
4. Some of those trees are older than my father.
5. We planted a new tree this year.
B. Underline the correct demonstrative adjective to complete each sentence. Then

write it on the line.
6. I planted (this, these) vegetable garden.
7. (These, Those) tomatoes here are an unusual color.

8. (Those, These) over there are Brandywine tomatoes.
9. What are (these, those) little peppers here?
10. (Those,That) is a habañero, a very hot pepper!
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write two sentences using demonstrative

Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives, adjectives. Tell how you decided which ones to use.
10 pages 260–261 52
Mechanics and Usage: Proper Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Proper adjectives are made from proper nouns.
• Proper adjectives begin with capital letters.
My sister has a Siamese cat.
A. Write the proper adjective and the proper noun from which it is made.
1. My cousin breeds German shepherds.
2. I would prefer to own an Irish wolfhound.
3. A Scottish deerhound is a nice dog, too.
4. Have you ever seen a Mexican hairless?
5. Jim’s English setter’s name is Blue.
B. Rewrite each sentence.

Capitalize the proper adjective.
6. My aunt has a french poodle.
7. It sleeps on an italian silk pillow.
8. It gets along well with her persian cat.
9. My aunt has many english antiques in her living room.

10. She has a chinese vase in the hall, too.
At Home: Choose five proper adjectives from McGraw-Hill Language Arts

above. Write a new sentence for each proper Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives,
53 adjective. pages 262–263 10
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They may appear before or after the
nouns they modify.
• Predicate adjectives modify nouns or pronouns in the predicates of
sentences. They come after linking verbs.
The Renaissance period was fascinating.
• This and that, these, and those are demonstrative adjectives. These and
those modify plural nouns. This and these point out nouns that are nearby.
That and those point out nouns that are farther away.
• A, an, and the are special adjectives called articles.
A. Underline the adjectives and articles in the following sentences. Write PA over
predicate adjectives.
1. During the Renaissance, artists and scholars were curious.
2. Some people questioned old beliefs.
3. Many people became concerned.
4. They said some artists and scholars were too worldly.
5. They thought the Church had become too rich.
B. Circle the correct word to complete each sentence.
6. (This, Those) movement brought reform to the Church in Rome.
7. All of (these, those) books here are biographies of Martin Luther.
8. (These, Those) books on the top shelf are about a ruler of England.
9. I know who (this, that) king was—Henry VIII.
10. It must have been exciting to live during (that, this) time.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a dialogue between two people touring
Grade 6, Unit 4, Mixed Review, Rome. Use demonstrative adjectives. Read your dialogue
10 pages 264–265 to a family member. 54
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Comparative adjectives compare two things. A comparative adjective is
made by adding -er to most adjectives.
My research report is two pages longer than Jon's.
• Superlative adjectives compare more than two things. A superlative
adjective is made by adding -est to most adjectives.
Heidi's research report is the longest in the class.
• Spelling changes may be needed when comparative and superlative
endings are added to adjectives. busy busier busiest
A. Circle the comparative or superlative adjective in each sentence. On the line,

write the things that are being compared.
1. Stonehenge is one of the oldest structures in England.
2. It is one of the strangest, too.
3. It was older than the Avebury Circle, a similar stone circle.
4. Stonehenge is smaller than Avebury Circle.
5. Its purpose is one of the world’s oddest mysteries.
B. For each sentence, write the correct form of the adjective in parentheses.
6. Stonehenge was the (strange) place I saw on my trip to England.
7. Some of the stones used in Stonehenge are (large) than others.
8. The stones were (big) than I had imagined.
9. The (early) part of Stonehenge is an outer ring of 56 pits.
10. The (tall) stones of all are set in a horseshoe shape within the circle.
At Home: Write three sentences that compare McGraw-Hill Language Arts

some everyday objects in your home. Use Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives,
55 comparatives and superlatives. pages 266–267 10
Comparing with More and Most
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Add more and most to form the comparative and superlative forms of
most adjectives with two or more syllables.
His story is more interesting than mine.
Hank's story was the most interesting.
• Never use more or most before an adjective that ends in -er or -est.
A. Underline the correct comparative or superlative adjective in the sentences.

1. His story was about the most (successful, successfullest) prince who ever lived.
2. No matter what he did, the prince was always (more luckier, luckier) than anyone.
3. The roses he grew were always the (most beautiful, beatifullest).
4. His racehorses were always the (most swiftest, swiftest).
5. Yet no prince was ever (more melancholy, melancholier).
B. Write the correct form of the adjective in parentheses to complete each sentence.
6. How did it happen that the prince was than others?
( fortunate)
7. When he was born, his parents threw the party ever. (big)
8. But they forgot to invite the fairy in the land. (important)
9. When that fairy heard she had been overlooked, she was
than she had ever been. (indignant)
10. “Don’t they know I am the of all the fairies?” she fumed.
(distinguished)
11. She vowed to give the gift of all. (extraordinary)

12. “This prince,” she said, “will be the in the land.” (fortunate)
13. “Everything he does will be for him.” (easy)
14. “Then you have given him the of all gifts,” said his wise
father. (terrible)
15. “You have sentenced him to the life ever!” ( boring)
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a short comparison of two TV shows you
Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives, watch regularly. Use comparatives and superlatives that
15 pages 268–269 use more and most. 56
Comparing with Good and Bad
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
• The comparative forms of good and bad are better and worse.
Is a tornado worse than a hurricane?
I like warm weather better than cold weather.
• The superlative forms of of good and bad are best and worst.
The best time of year is winter. That was the worst snowstorm in ten years.
A. Underline the correct form of the adjective in parentheses.

1. I saw the (best, better) news program on TV last night.
2. It said that Hurricane Floyd was the (worse, worst) storm to hit North Carolina.
3. It was one of the (worse, worst) hurricanes in years.
4. The water damage was far (bad, worse) than the wind damage.
5. I've never seen (better, best) news coverage.
B. Write the correct form of the adjective in parentheses.

6. Well, the movie I saw about tornadoes was (good) than that.
7. I don’t think anything could be (bad) than being in a tornado.
8. Last year was the (bad) year for snowstorms in ten years.
9. When our power went out, we had the (good) time cooking at our fireplace.
10. Nothing tastes (good) than food cooked over a wood fire.
11. The chili was the (good) I’ve ever tasted!
12. I thought the (bad) thing would be not being able to watch television.
13. But we had the (good) time playing board games.
14. The (bad) thing about the blackout was sharing a sleeping bag with my brother.
15. The (good) thing about the blizzard was the sledding we did later.
At Home: Write three sentences using better, McGraw-Hill Language Arts

best, worse, or worst. Then tell a family member Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives,
57 what you are comparing in the sentences. pages 270–271 15
Combining Sentences: Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Combine short sentences about the same person, place, or thing.
The TV show was interesting. The TV show was entertaining.
The TV show was interesting and entertaining.
• To combine sentences, leave out repeated words.
• To combine sentences, move an adjective from one sentence to the other.
A. Use an adjective from one sentence to combine the two sentences. Write the
new sentence and underline the adjective you added.
1. The Galapagos tortoise gave its name to the island. It is a giant tortoise.
2. The word galapagos means “tortoise.” It is a Spanish word.
3. Cormorants found there are an endangered species. Cormorants are flightless.
4. Another rare animal on the Galapagos is the iguana. It is a marine iguana.
5. In 1959, areas of the Galapagos were declared a national park. These areas
were uncolonized.
B. Write sentences combining the pairs of adjectives.
6. tall, majestic
7. funny, smart
8. big, slow
9. cool, dry
10. sly, quick
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Do your own research on the Galapagos Islands.
Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives, Write some sentences using different adjectives. Show
10 pages 272–273 your work to a family member. 58
Mechanics and Usage: Abbreviations
REMEMBER THE RULES
• An abbreviation is a short way to write a word.
Tues. Fri. Nov. Jr. Ms. Mr.
• Most abbreviations begin with a capital letter and end with a period.
Dr. Gov. St.
A. Write the abbreviation for the underlined word.
1. I addressed the letter to Doctor Sanders.
2. He lives on Anderson Street.
3. I invited him to visit our school on Monday.
4. I asked him to come at 1:30 post meridiem.
5. He will tell us about the trip he took last August.
B. Write the word or words for the underlined abbreviations.
6. Our school is on Windsor Rd.
7. Our teacher, Mr. Connor, makes history interesting.
8. He suggested we invite Doctor Sanders to speak about Gen. Lee.
9. He has written a book about Gettysburg, PA.
10. Robert E. Lee was born in VA.
11. We visited one of his homes when we went to Washington, DC .
12. We are hoping to take another trip in Dec.

13. We may get to meet John Hawkins, Jr.
14. If he wins the election, he will be known as Rep. Hawkins.
15. We may get to meet Gov. Wilson when she is in town.
At Home: Find examples of abbreviations in a McGraw-Hill Language Arts

newspaper. Tell what the abbreviations stand for. Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives,
59 pages 274–275 15
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Comparative adjectives compare two things.
Mt. McKinley is higher than Mt. St. Helens.
• Superlative adjectives compare more than two things.
Mt. Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.
• Add more and most to form the comparative and superlative of most
adjectives with two or more syllables.
Which mountain is more difficult to climb?
• Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
good/better/best bad/worse/worst
A. Write the correct comparative or superlative form of the adjective in dark type.
1. large Asia is the world’s continent.
2. high Many of the mountains are in the Himalyas.
3. young They are also among the mountains on earth.
4. dry The north side of the mountains are among the on earth.
5. wet South of these mountains, the climate is much .
B. Write the correct comparative or superlative form of the adjective in

parentheses.
6. Asia is to me than North America. (interesting)
7. For one thing, it is much . (large)
8. The climate is . (varied)

9. Doesn’t Asia have a population, too? (big)
10. Yes, it is the area of the world. (populous)
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Make a list of seven adjectives. Then write their
Grade 6, Unit 4, Mixed Review, comparative and superlative forms.
10 pages 276–277 60
Common Errors: Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES

• To compare two nouns, add -er to most short adjectives. To compare more
than two nouns, add -est to most short adjectives.
Is Earth older than the universe?
• Add more and most to form the comparative and superlative of most
adjectives with two or more syllables.
Questions about the origin of the universe are most interesting of all.
• Never use more or most before an adjective that ends with -er or -est.
Scientists are more curious about our universe now than ever before.
• Do not use more or most before irregular forms of comparative and
superlative adjectives such as better, best, worse, and worst.
They now have a better understanding of how the universe formed.
Rewrite using the correct comparative or superlative form of the underlined adjective.
1. Kristen wanted a more better understanding of the universe.
2. She designed a model that was smallest than the actual universe.
3. After drawing a red dot on a balloon, she drew several black dots farthest away.
4. She blew up the balloon and measured to see which dot was distantest from the
red one.
5. This was the goodest way of all to improve Kristen’s comprehension of how
galaxies spread in the expanding universe.
At Home: For each sentence in Part A, explain to McGraw-Hill Language Arts

a family member why you chose your answer. Grade 6, Unit 4, Adjectives,
61 pages 278–279 5
Study Skills: Library Media Center and Card Catalog
A library media center includes a wide variety of resources.

• A card catalog can help you find materials on a subject. A card catalog may
be drawers filled with cards for author, title, and subject, or the catalog may
be on a computer.
Middleton Library System

Search Results:
Title Search: Stonehenge Complete by Christopher Chippindale.
Records found: 1
Title: Stonehenge Complete by Christopher Chippindale
Published: New York: Thames & Hudson, 1994, Rev. ed., 296 pp.
Annotation: study of ancient stone circle, illustrated (some color)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-276).
Includes index.
Subject: Stonehenge (England)
Megalithic monuments–England
Library holdings: Green Street Branch Library Status: on shelf
Main Street Library Status: on loan
Call number: 936.2C
Subject search Title Search Author Search Title Information Back New Search
Use the computer screen to answer the following questions.
1. What is the title of the book searched for?

2. In what year, and by what company was the book published?
3. What subject searches could you have made that would also bring up this book?
4. Is the book illustrated?

5. Which library has the book available now?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Use a book you have at home or have borrowed
Grade 6, Unit 4, Study Skills, from the library. Explain three different ways you could
5 pages 302–303 have found the book in your library’s catalog. 62
Vocabulary: Synonyms and Antonyms
• A synonym is a word that has the same or almost the same meaning as
another word. Find and discover are synonyms.
• An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word.
Arctic and tropical are antonyms.
A. There are five pairs of synonyms and five pairs of antonyms in this word bank.
Write the pairs under the correct headings.
covering artificial hard afterlife old

harvest holy destroy beautiful smooth
wrapping real difficult life ancient
plant sacred construct gorgeous textured
Synonyms Antonyms
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.
B. Underline the pairs of synonyms or circle the pairs of antonyms in

each sentence.
11. An Egyptian pharaoh prepared for death all through his life.
12. His grave was dug and his tomb prepared years before his death.
13. Much of the pharaoh's great wealth and personal treasure were placed in the tomb.
14. Both common and royal items were important to have in the tomb.
15. A cozy bed and a comfortable pair of shoes were as welcomed as a gold necklace.
At Home: Continue the list of synonyms and McGraw-Hill Language Arts

antonyms from Part A. How many words can you Grade 6, Unit 4, Vocabulary,
63 think of? Show your list to a family member. pages 288–289 15
Composition: Writing Descriptions
• Descriptions are vivid word pictures of a person, place, or thing.

• Sensory details that appeal to sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell can add
richness to descriptions of everyday things.
• The order of details in a description should be presented in a sensible order
such as cause and effect or spatial (front to back, left to right)
A. For each sentence, circle the letter next to the choice that creates a better, more
vivid description for the blank.
1. The siren of the fire engine .
a. sounded very, very loud b. wailed like a wild animal
2. The sidewalk felt close
to the burning building.
a. like a red-hot griddle b. extremely hot to the touch
3. The fire fighters looked when they entered the upper windows.
a. like bright eagles of rescue b. like people who had ability and skill
4. With the fire out, the sun once again .
a. shone a little bit b. poked through the gray fog
5. , the movie theater kept its place on Main Street.
a. Like a proud senior standing erect b. Still intact but aged
B. Complete each sentence with a vivid description of one or more words.
6. My beating heart sounds .

7. I could feel the blades of grass
against my feet.
8. The falling snow looks .

9. I could taste fear .
10. Did you see that star last night?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a paragraph that describes a part of your
Grade 6, Unit 4, Composition Skills, community.
10 pages 290–291 64
Features of Expository Writing
• Expository writing:
• introduces a main idea and develops it with facts and details.
• draws a conclusion based on the facts and information presented.
• uses transition words to connect ideas.
Read the following and answer the questions.

One of the best ways to save paper and preserve the environment is to
reduce the amount of paper you use in the first place. An easy way to do that
is to put a stop to the amount of junk mail sent to your house. Each man,
woman, and child is mailed nearly 30 pounds of junk mail every year. Imagine
the amount of raw materials and energy needed to make, print, and deliver all
that junk mail!
There are several ways to stop junk mail. If your family receives a
questionnaire in the mail, do not fill it out and send it back. Your name and
address and personal information is often sold, and you will get a flood of
unwanted mail. Call sweepstakes promoters! Ask that your name be taken off
their mailing lists. You can do the same with catalogs. Be sure to ask the
catalog company not to sell your name to other businesses. Get off as many
mailing lists as you can. The Post Office can help you, too. Saving the
environment is worth the effort!
1. What is the main idea of this paragraph?
2. How much junk mail does each person in the United States receive every year?
3. What fact leads you to believe the writer used two sources to tell this story?
4. What conclusion does the writer come to about junk mail?
5. Write two transition words or phrases the writer uses.
At Home: Do some research on a subject, such as: Is McGraw-Hill Language Arts

vitamin C a cure for the common cold? Write an Grade 6, Unit 4, Expository Writing,
64a expository paragraph about it. pages 298–299 5
Prewrite: Expository Writing
Expository writing gives facts and information about a particular topic. Expository
essays summarize information from a variety of sources and draw conclusions
based on the facts. An idea web is a good way to organize your main ideas and
supporting details.
Brainstorm topics that you would like to research. Decide on a topic, research it,
and jot down notes. Then fill in the web below.
IDEA WEB
Detail: Detail:
Main Idea:
Detail: Detail:
CHECKLIST
• Do you think your topic will be of interest to readers?
• Did you identify the main points you want to cover?
• Did you group together similar facts and details?
• Do you know what facts you need to research?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: What kind of building do you live in: a high-rise, an
Grade 6, Unit 4, Expository Writing, apartment house, a single-family dwelling? Use a chart like
pages 300–301 the one above to organize ideas about different dwellings. 64b
Revise: Expository Writing
You can elaborate your expository writing by adding important ideas and details. As
you revise, try to make your information clearer, more accurate, and vivid.
Revise this expository essay. Use another sheet of paper if you need to. Add words
from the word box below. Substitute uninteresting, less clear verbs and adjectives
with vivid ones. Add a clear conclusion and include an attention-grabbing title.
after although as a result however in the first place instead

similarly therefore through unlike when yet
If you live along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico,
hurricanes are a part of your life. They happen anywhere from June 1
to November 30. They endanger lives and property. they hurt
beaches with winds and
rainfall. people need to
know about these storms
People on television
and radio give hurricane watches when a
bad storm is about 24-36 hours away. If a storm gets
stronger , the hurricane watch turns into a hurricane warning.
A tropical storm has winds between 39-73 miles per hour.
above 73 miles per hour is a hurricane.

People in hurricane-prone
areas should learn more
At Home: Look up information about hurricanes. Add McGraw-Hill Language Arts

another paragraph to this essay about how people Grade 6, Unit 4, Expository Writing,
64c must prepare when a hurricane threatens them. pages 306–307
Proofread: Expository Writing
After you have revised your expository essay, you will

PROOFREADING
need to proofread it to correct any errors. Check that
MARKS
the articles a and an were used correctly. Check for
indent capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors, and
capitalize all proper adjectives. Use the correct form
∧ add
of each comparative and superlative adjective. Check
take out that all titles were capitalized, and eliminate any
Make a repeated words.
capital letter.
Make a A. Read the following paragraph from an expository
small letter. essay with the title “Paris, France: a City to Visit”. Use
the proofreading marks from the box to mark any
sp Check the
spelling. errors you find.
. Add a period.
Parisian museums are the highlight of this city for many of its torists. One of the
greater museums in the world is the Louvre, which was originally the the palace of
Philip II of the late 12th century. It houses the “mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci,
the most viewed painting in the western world. Another museum that houses
famous french art from the 19th and 20th centuries, the Museum D’Orsay, was
once an populer railroad station. Millions of visitors buy books, posters, and
postcards to remind them of the most importanter artworks of the world. Some
museums are dedicated to a individual artist, like the Picasso, Rodin, and Degas.
All in all, the history of the world through art may be more better represented in
Paris than in many other cities.
B. On another sheet of paper, use the corrections you marked to rewrite the
paragraph.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Look up information about a place you would
Grade 6, Unit 4, Expository Writing, like to visit one day. Find out what you might expect to see
10 pages 310–311 and experience there. 64d
Personal Pronouns: Singular and Plural
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns and the
words that describe the nouns.
• A personal pronoun is used when referring to a person or persons.
Singular: Andrea loves weird facts.
She loves weird facts.
Plural: Raoul and Tina explained how fudge was invented.
They explained how fudge was invented .
A. Circle the personal pronouns in these sentences.

1. You are probably familiar with fudge.
2. We all know that fudge is a soft, melt-in-the-mouth kind of candy.
3. Before there was a candy called fudge, people would say “Fudge” when they
were annoyed.
4. To them back then, the word meant “nonsense or foolishness.”
5. The candy we know as fudge was invented in Philadelphia.
6. A candy-maker was watching some helpers as they made caramels.
7. They made a mistake, and the caramels didn’t turn out chewy.
8. When the candy-maker saw what had happened, he was upset and said, “Fudge!”
9. The bad batch of caramels became what we know as fudge.
10. When the candy-maker expressed annoyance, he named a new kind of candy.
B. Cross out the pronoun that does not fit the sentence.
11. When people make mistakes, (she, they) sometimes make new discoveries.
12. An ice cream maker created the flavor Rocky Road when (he, they)
forgot to clean out the ice cream machine between batches.
13. A lady named Ruth Wakefield created chocolate chip cookies by

accident when (she, they) ran out of baker’s chocolate.
14. An eleven-year-old boy got the idea for Popsicles™ when (he, they)
left a fruit drink with a stirring stick in it outdoors on a cold night.
15. All of us can make discoveries if (I, we) think creatively.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Did you ever make a mistake that turned out to be a
Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns, good thing? Write three sentences to tell about it. Then read
15 pages 336–337 your sentences and underline the personal pronouns you used. 65
Pronouns and Referents
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A referent, or antecedent, is the noun or nouns to which a pronoun refers.
• Pronouns and referents must agree in number and gender.
Singular: Willa loves every book she reads.
Plural: Nkoula and Corey recommend books they like.
A. Draw one line under each pronoun and draw two lines under each referent.
1. Lainie loved The Search for Delicious and wished it were a movie.
2. Our teacher, Mr. Willis, told Lainie she could write a play based on the book.
3. Writing a play wouldn’t be easy, but Lainie was willing to try it.
4. Lainie began by reviewing the book and dividing it into acts.
5. The task seemed easy, but it took a whole day.
6. The young playwright decided she needed help.
7. Two classmates said they would like to help write.
8. The writing team had an hour every day when they could work on the play.
9. Lainie took the draft each day and edited it.
10. The play took months to write, but it was excellent!
B. Write the referent for each underlined pronoun.

11. The students were excited about the movie they were making.
12. They had a whole production system, and it worked beautifully.
13. The producers had to work closely with Aaron, because he was the director.
14. The three students first had to choose the actors they wanted to play the parts.
15. The producers and the director listened thoughtfully as each actor read for them
At Home: What book would you like to turn into a play or movie? McGraw-Hill Language Arts
Write three sentences to tell about it. Include a pronoun in each Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns,
66 sentence and identify the pronoun’s antecedent. pages 338-339 15
Subject and Object Pronouns
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A subject pronoun is used as the subject of a sentence. Use it as part of a
compound subject.
Kathy and Charles study together. Kathy and he worked on a report.
• An object pronoun is used as the object of a verb or preposition. Use it as
part of a compound object.
The teacher told Kathy and Charles about a book on Egypt. She also
told Kathy and him about a movie .
A. Circle the pronoun that correctly completes the sentence.

1. Our teacher asked Geri and (I, me) to do a report on ancient Egypt.
2. Geri was excited because the pyramids have always fascinated (she, her).
3. That afternoon (we, us) went to the library to start our research.
4. The librarian helped Geri and (I, me) find books about Egypt.
5. Geri knew that (she, her) was observing and evaluating our library skills.
B. Underline the pronoun in each sentence. Write S if the underlined word is a

subject pronoun. Write O if it is an object pronoun.
6. We found several books about the pyramids.
7. Geri decided to take them all home.
8. Geri found a book for me on hieroglyphics.
9. After reading the books, we met to discuss the report.
10. Geri had been reading about pyramids and wanted the report to be about them.
11. Of course, I wanted the report to be on hieroglyphics.
12. Ms. Perez reminded us that the report was a collaboration.
13. Ms. Perez said we had to find a way to cover both

topics.
14. We finally wrote a report about the inscriptions
found in pyramids.
15. Ms. Perez gave us an A on our report.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Read an article that interests you in the
Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns, newspaper. Make a list of the subject pronouns and object
15 pages 340–341 pronouns used in the article. 67
Combining Sentences: Subject and Object Pronouns
REMEMBER THE RULES
• When two sentences both have the same predicate but different subjects or
objects, they can often be combined.
Subjects in a combined sentence:
Separate: William saw a TV show about Tasmanian devils. I saw a
TV show about Tasmanian devils .
Combined: William and I saw a TV show about Tasmanian devils .
Objects in a combined sentence:
Separate: Ms. Harper asked William. Ms. Harper asked me.
Combined: Ms. Harper asked William and me.
A. Write the compound subject or object that could be formed.

1. You didn’t know. Tim didn’t know.
2. I tried to call you. I tried to call Ben.
3. Gracie had to leave. He had to leave.
4. Gracie taped the show. Max taped the show.
5. Max saw the show. I saw the show.
B. Change each of these compound sentences into a simple sentence with a

compound subject or object.
6. Gracie talked to William at school, and she talked to me at school.
7. She asked him where Tasmania was, and she asked me where Tasmania was.
8. William told her it was south of Australia, and I told her it was south of Australia.
9. Gracie asked William to point it out on a map, and she asked me to point it out
on a map.
10. William showed Gracie where it was, and William showed me where it was.
At Home: Practice combining sentences. One person McGraw-Hill Language Arts

makes up a simple sentence. The next person repeats the Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns,
68 sentence replacing the subject or object with a pronoun. pages 342–343 10
Mechanics and Usage: Punctuation in Dialogue
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Use quotation marks before and after the words of a direct quotation.
• Begin a new paragraph each time the speaker changes in a dialogue.
• Use a comma to separate the speaker from the quotation when the speaker
is named before the quotation.
• Use a question mark, exclamation point, or comma when the speaker is
identified after the quotation. Put it inside the quotation marks.
A. Underline the words that should be in quotation marks.

1. What’s the matter? asked Peter. You look worried.
2. I’m thinking about the report I have to do, said Kayla.
3. I suppose you procrastinated, and it’s due tomorrow, said Peter.
4. No, replied Kayla, it’s not due for weeks.
5. So what’s the problem? asked Peter.
6. I want to write about Greek civilization, said Kayla, but that’s too big a subject.
7. Why are you interested in Greek civilization? asked Peter.
8. I guess I’m most interested in Greek mythology, said Kayla.
9. So, why not write about Greek mythology? asked Peter.
10. That’s a big topic, too, said Kayla, but I’d sure enjoy learning about it!
B. Write each sentence with correct punctuation and capital letters.

11. “What is your favorite Greek myth”? asked Peter.
12. “I like the story of Persephone.” said Kayla.
13. “She was the daughter of the goddess of crops”, explained Kayla.
14. “for three months Persephone had to live in the underworld.” Kayla continued.
15. “And those three were winter months, said Peter. “when nothing grows.”
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write down a conversation you have with
Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns, someone in your family. Use quotation marks correctly as
15 pages 344–345 you write your dialogue. 69
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Use quotation marks before and after a direct quotation.
• Use a question mark, an exclamation point, or a comma when the
speaker is named after the quotation.
• End punctuation of the quote goes inside the quotation.
Rewrite each sentence. Add quotation marks and other punctuation marks.
1. Our band needs to raise money said Elaine.
2. Why do you need money asked Kevin.
3. We want new uniforms said Elaine.
4. That will take a lot of money said Kevin.
5. You’re right said Elaine. we need a terrific fund-raising idea.
6. Have you tried selling something asked Kevin.
7. Once our school sold gift wrap said Kevin.
8. We made lots of money said Kevin

9. How did you do it asked Elaine.
10. Well, said Kevin, we sold the gift wrap just before Christmas.
At Home: Write three more lines to continue this McGraw-Hill Language Arts
dialogue between Elaine and Kevin. Use quotation Grade 6, Unit 5, Mixed Review,
70 marks and other punctuation correctly. pages 346–347 10
Indefinite Pronouns
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Use an indefinite pronoun when you are not referring to a particular
person, place, or thing. Indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural.
Singular: Everyone needs to be at band practice.
Plural: Many were absent last week.
A. Circle the indefinite pronoun in each sentence.

1. Everything worth doing takes practice.
2. Nobody can learn a routine without rehearsing.
3. Everybody marches straight down the field.
4. Then some turn and march in the opposite direction.
5. Others keep marching straight ahead.
6. At a precise moment, everyone turns to face the stands.
7. Everybody has to do this together.
8. If anybody misses the turn, the routine is ruined.
9. Mr. Kelch won’t excuse anyone from practice.
10. Nothing you say will change his mind.
B. Write the indefinite pronoun that completes each sentence.

11. All Everybody
was there by four o’clock.
12. nobody somebody
We were ready to start, but could find Mr. Kelch.
13. Anybody Somebody
suggested that we should start without him.

14. Some Something
of us thought that was a good idea.
15. everybody somebody
Finally, Jeremy yelled for to line up.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: With a family member, listen to the dialogue of a
Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns, TV show. Set a timer for five minutes and try to list all the
15 pages 348–349 indefinite pronouns that are used in that period of time. 71
Pronoun-Verb Agreement
REMEMBER THE RULES
• The subject pronoun and verb must agree in a sentence.
Singular: He likes mysteries.
Plural: We like mysteries.
Rewrite each sentence, correcting the subject pronoun and verb agreement.
1. Some of us wants to have a mystery party.
2. We has to find a script that will work.
3. It need to have enough characters.
4. Everybody want to have a part.
5. Somebody suggest a script based on an Agatha Christie mystery.
6. It have twelve suspects and four other characters.
7. We hasn’t read the story before.
8. So nobody know who committed the crime.

9. Each and every one of us are going to enjoy this!
10. Do anybody know where we can get our costumes?
At Home: Write three sentences with singular pronouns as McGraw-Hill Language Arts
subjects. Then rewrite each sentence, changing the subject Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns,
72 to a plural pronoun and making other needed changes. pages 350–351 10
Possessive Pronouns
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Possessive pronouns show who or what owns something. They can
replace possessive nouns.
Alice’s dog likes to chase squirrels. Her dog likes to chase squirrels.
• Some possessive pronouns come before nouns. Some possessive pronouns
can stand by themselves.
Her dog runs faster than our dog does. Hers runs faster than ours does.
• Possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes.
A. Decide which pronoun is correct. Cross out the incorrect pronoun.

1. Alice took (her, hers) dog to obedience school.
2. I took (my, mine) to obedience school, too.
3. Alice’s dog raised (its, it’s) paw to shake.
4. Alice and I felt really good about (our, ours) dogs.
5. Alice said, “(My, Mine) dog already knew how to sit.”
B. Write the possessive pronoun that completes

each sentence.
6. At the next lesson, one man worked with
dog for an hour.
7. Alice had worked with a little.
8. I had not practiced with at all.
9. When Alice told dog to stay, it wouldn’t.
10. instructor praised everyone who had practiced.
11. She told Alice and me that dogs needed more practice.
12. “Dogs need to do homework, too,” she said.

13. “ dogs need you to help them succeed.”
14. I promised I would work with dog every day.
15. Alice promised she would work with , too.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write five sentences that contain possessive pronouns
Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns, before nouns. Then rewrite each sentence replacing the pronoun
15 pages 352–353 and noun with a possessive pronoun that can stand alone. 73
Mechanics and Usage: Pronoun-Verb Contractions
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A pronoun-verb contraction is formed by joining a pronoun and a verb
with an apostrophe.
it’s = it is The moon appears round when it’s full.
• A possessive pronoun shows ownership. It does not have an apostrophe.
its The moon goes through its six phases in about four weeks.
A. Write the contraction for the underlined pronoun and verb in each sentence.
1. When you are outdoors at night, do you look at the moon?
2. Do you notice when it is full?
3. We know about the moon’s phases because they are easy
to notice.
4. When you can’t see the moon at all, what you are seeing is a
new moon.
5. We are studying the Earth’s phases.
B. Choose the correct contraction or possessive pronoun to complete each

sentence. Write it on the line.
6. its it’s
The moon orbits the Earth and is natural satellite.
7. Its It’s
also Earth’s nearest neighbor in space.
8. your you’re
When you see a full moon, seeing the near side illuminated.
9. their they’re
The students are studying astronomy, and observing the moon.

10. their they’re
They go out in backyards every night to watch the moon.
At Home: With a family member, take turns McGraw-Hill Language Arts

making up sentences using the homophones its, Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns,
74 it’s; your, you’re; their, they’re. pages 354–355 10
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A possessive pronoun shows ownership. It never has an apostrophe.
Its motor made a sputtering sound.
• A pronoun-verb contraction is a pronoun and verb combined. It has
an apostrophe. Now it’s stopped altogether.
A. Circle the error in each sentence. Then write the word correctly.
1. Peter and Dawn are in they’re boat.
2. Their out in the middle of the lake.
3. Its quiet because the boat is just drifting.
4. They have turned it’s motor off.
5. “Ours boat looks so small out here,” says Dawn.
6. “I’m hungry,” says Peter. “I brought mine lunch.”
7. “It’s your turn to steer back to shore,” he tells hers.
8. Dawn starts the motor, and there off!
9. The motor sputters and stops; its out of gas.
10. “This is not mine fault,” says Dawn.
11. Peter tells he sister that she was supposed to check the motor.
12. “No, it was you’re job,” says Dawn.
13. They’re argument goes on for a while.
14. Finally, Dawn says she brought hers oars.
15. Peter looks for the oars, but there not in the boat.
B. Write the contraction formed by the underlined words in the sentence.

16. Peter and Dawn realize that they are stranded.

17. “We are good swimmers,” says Peter. “Let’s swim back.”
18. “What about the boat?” asks Dawn. “It is not anchored.”
19. “You are right,” says Peter. “It could drift anywhere.”
20. Peter and Dawn don’t know what they are going to do.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Figure out how Peter and Dawn can get ashore
Grade 6, Unit 5, Mixed Review, without leaving the boat adrift. Write your solution.
20 pages 356–357 75
Common Errors: Pronouns
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Subject pronouns such as I, we, he, she, and they are used as the subject of
a sentence. I offered to be his campaign manager.
• Object pronouns such as me, us, him, her, and them are used as the object
of a verb or preposition. The campaign will be a challenge for us.
A. Write subject pronoun or object pronoun to identify the underlined pronoun.

1. Jeff said it would be a pleasure for him to represent our class.
2. He asked Mrs. Tippet for help on his campaign speech.
3. She offered Jeff several helpful suggestions.
4. Lindsey and I were standing nearby.
5. We told them we’d be happy to write Jeff’s speech.
6. The speech took Lindsey and me several days to write.
7. We gave a rough draft of the speech to Jeff for his approval.
8. Jeff told us he would show the finished draft to Mrs. Tippet.
9. Jeff showed her the first version of his speech.
10. Mrs. Tippet studied it carefully and made corrections.
B. Rewrite the sentence using the correct pronoun in parentheses to complete

the sentence.
11. Jeff asked Lindsey, Andrew, and (me, I) to work on campaign posters.
12. Andrew and (me, I) provided the paint and poster boards.
13. (Us, We) also painted a huge banner to hang in the gymnasium.
14. It said, “Give (we, us) a great class president. Vote for Jeff!”
15. Many of the students said (them, they) thought Jeff was the best candidate.
At Home: For each sentence you wrote in Part B, McGraw-Hill Language Arts
explain to a family member why the pronoun you Grade 6, Unit 5, Pronouns,
76 used was appropriate. pages 358–359 15
Study Skills: Note-Taking and Summarizing
When you find information for a report, you can remember main ideas and
important facts by taking notes. Use these notes to summarize the information
you find.
1.-5. A. Read the following article from a website about the transportation of convicts
from England and Ireland to New South Wales in Australia. Circle five facts
that you would include when taking notes.
Back Forward Home Security Stop

http:/www.
Introduction The First Fleet Free Settlement Australia Bound

Australia
The First Fleet
In May, 1787, the first convict fleet left Portsmouth, England for New South
Wales, Australia. It was under the command of Commander Arthur Phillips,
RN. The ship followed a route via Rio de Janiero and the Cape of Good Hope,
a voyage of 15,900 miles. A total of 1350 people were aboard.
The fleet arrived at Botany Bay (first discovered by Captain Cook) on
January 20, 1788, but found this anchorage unsuitable. They moved on to
Port Jackson (named, but not visited, by Cook) and made this the site of the
first settlement. Phillips named the cove in which his ships anchored Port
Sydney in honor of, Lord Sydney, the British official responsible for the
Australian transportation scheme.
On this first voyage some 717 convicts arrived safely. Only 40 convicts and
5 others in the fleet had died en route. This was a surprisingly low figure for
such an unprecedented migration, given the conditions on board the ships.
B. Tell whether each idea about the article is a main idea or a detail.
6. Sydney was named for a British government official, Lord Sydney.
7. The first convict fleet sailed from England in May 1787 and reached Botany Bay in
January 1788.
8. The settlement was started at Port Jackson, renamed Sydney.
9. On this trip, 717 convicts arrived safely.
10. The voyage was 15,900 miles.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Read an encyclopedia article on a favorite

Grade 6, Unit 5, Study Skills, subject. Write the main idea and three details or facts.
10 pages 382–383 77
Vocabulary: Root Words
• A root word is a word part to which a suffix, a prefix, or a combining form is

added to form a new word.
form means “shape”→ formal information
therm means “heat”→ thermal hypothermia
A. Underline the word in each sentence that contains one of the following root words.
form means “shape” port means “to carry”

scribe or script means “to write” ped means “foot”
fort means “strong” cred means “to believe”
sta means “to stand” loc means “place”
cour means “to run” spect means “to look”
dict means “to say”
1. The Egyptians transported goods along the Nile River.

2. In one African tribe, the local custom is to shave the head.
3. A medieval peddler traveled from village to village selling his wares.
4. It is interesting to take a course in archaeology.
5. The buried terra-cotta army of soldiers in China was an incredible discovery.
6. Upon further inspection of this vase, historians agreed it came from the Ming Dynasty.
7. Medieval alchemists searched for a formula to make gold out of common substances.
8. It is possible that Homer, a blind poet, dictated his stories about the Trojan War.
9. The Greeks slipped into the fortified city of Troy in the legendary Trojan Horse.
10. Stonehenge is a stationary celestial observatory.
B. Write the root word to complete a word in each sentence. Use the root bank .
11. An ivory and gold covered tue of Athena once stood in the Parthenon.
12. The medieval ress was protected by a deep and dangerous moat.
13. The Roman Colosseum could hold 50,000 ators.
14. Arches sup ed the weight of the water in the aqueduct.
15. The site of Atlantis has never been ated.
At Home: Write a short story about living in a castle. Use McGraw-Hill Language Arts
the words: located, fortress, incredible, peddler, and statue. Grade 6, Unit 5, Vocabulary,
78 Underline the root word in each of these five words. pages 368–369 15
Composition: Writing Dialogue
• Dialogue is used to bring the characters and the setting of a story to life.
• Use dialogue words to help the reader keep track of who is speaking and to
express the emotion of the characters.
• Quotation marks are used before and after the words of a direct quotation.
• Begin a new paragraph and use a separate set of quotation marks when the
speaker changes in dialogue. Use a comma to separate the speaker from
the spoken words.
• If the speaker is listed after the quotation, the most frequent punctuation mark
used is a comma. The rule changes when a question is being asked or an
exclamation is made.
A. Read this short story. Put quotation marks around every group of words spoken
by story characters.
1.–5.
Steven turned to his friend Oscar and said, I have decided to join
the chess club.
Do you think I could join, too? Oscar asked.
Of course, Steven began, you can join, too. Then, the boys
entered the room where the chess club met.
Ms. Hashley, the chess club coach said, Welcome to the chess
club. We’re always looking for new members.
B. The dialogue that follows needs punctuations and capitalization. Add quotation
marks, capital letters, commas, questions marks, or exclamation points.
6. Oscar asked do you have to be an advanced chess player to join the club
7. Ms. Hashley replied our chess club members go from beginner to advanced players.
8. I’m a beginner Oscar said but my friend Steve is a pretty good chess player.
9. Steve asked when is the first tournament Ms. Hashley
10. Well Ms. Hashley said I think the first tournament is next week. So let’s practice.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a scene with dialogue between Steve and
Grade 6, Unit 5, Composition Skills, Oscar about the upcoming chess tournament.
10 pages 370–371 79
Features of a Story
• A story is a narrative that a writer creates from imagination.

• A good story has an interesting beginning, middle, and end.
• It has a plot with a problem that is solved at the end.
• It describes a setting, telling where and when the story takes place.
• It can use dialog words to vary the speaker’s response.
Read this retelling of an ancient Aesop’s Fable and answer the questions.
The Crow and the Pitcher

Once upon a time, a crow found herself on the shores of Greece. By chance,
she spotted a well. Next to the well was a fox with his long red snout thrust into
a pitcher drinking his fill.
“Oh please, let me have a drink, or I will perish,” begged the crow.
“Why should I?” snapped the fox.
“Is there not enough for both you and I, friend?” implored the crow.
“Take whatever my tongue can’t reach,” laughed the fox as he trotted off.
The delighted crow put her beak in the pitcher, but she couldn’t reach a
single drop. Thinking she would surely die if she didn’t get a drink, she looked
around in desperation. Then under her feet she felt the solution. Pebbles!
She picked them up and one by one tossed them into the pitcher. Soon the
level of the water rose, and she was able to quench her thirst at last. This
clever crow proved that, indeed, necessity is the mother of invention.
1. What is the setting for this story?

2. When does the story take place?
3. Which of the two characters is the main character, or protagonist?

4. What was the crow’s problem?
5. What is the moral of the story?
At Home: Think up your own story. Before you begin to McGraw-Hill Language Arts
write, ask: Who are the characters? What is the problem they Grade 6, Unit 5, A Story,
79a need to solve? When and where will the story take place? pages 378–379 5
Prewrite: A Story
A story is a narrative that has a plot with a beginning, middle, and an end. A story
comes from the imagination, and its purpose is to entertain. A good story has a
conflict which the main character or characters solve. The characters can be
people, animals, or objects, such as robots or aliens.
Think of a story idea. After you decide what your story is about, use the time line to
help plot out your story. List the most important events on the time line. You’ll add
details later.
TIME LINE
1.
date
2.
3.
4.
5.
date
6.
7.
CHECKLIST
• Have you listed ideas for the beginning, middle, and end of your story?
• Does your story have a conflict, characters, and a setting?
• Do you know how the conflict will be solved?
• Do you need to research your topic to add interesting details?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Use a time line like the one above to plot out a
Grade 6, Unit 5, A Story, story you have recently read. Then summarize the plot for
pages 380–381 a family member. 79b
Revise: A Story
To revise your story, add details about the setting, characters, or plot. You may
also want to build excitement as the characters find a way to solve a problem. You
might also think about changing or adding details to the ending of your story.
A. Revise the following story chapter by adding the details from the box. Also, add
interesting dialogue words and some transition words.
Assisi is in Italy Giotto painted frescoes on

a scaffold.
Miguel is eleven years old
Giotto is recognized as a
The church of St. Francis was
famous master painter
next to the marketplace.
Miguel Francisco lived in Assisi at the end of the 13th century. Miguel was a
friendly child who was well liked by the villagers. Miguel’s family was poor. They
had a small farm in which they raised vegetables. It was Miguel’s job to carry the
vegetables to the village market.
Miguel peeked inside the church. There he saw someone painting the walls of
the chapel. It was a man named Giotto di Bondone. When Miguel saw what
Giotto was doing, he stood mesmerized. “I want to work for this man,” thought
Miguel. “I want to learn how to paint on plaster.”
Miguel stood gazing at the work being done, Giotto looked down from his
scaffold and asked, “What do you want, son?”
Miguel didn’t answer. He was still in a trance. Then he said, “Will you teach me
how to paint?”
Before Giotto spoke, a church monk came running toward Miguel and said,
“Out, out! You must not bother him!”
B. The story above is historical fiction. Giotto was a real master painter, but Miguel and
the story line are fictional. On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the story with your
revisions. Then continue the story by adding what happens next, and an ending.
At Home: List ideas for historical fiction. Write a McGraw-Hill Language Arts
beginning paragraph for a story, and then revise it Grade 6, Unit 5, A Story,
79c by adding details. pages 386–387
Proofread: A Story
After you revise your story, you will need to proofread

PROOFREADING it to correct any errors. Read for correct punctuation
MARKS and capitalization, check for correct pronoun-verb
indent agreement, spelling errors, and quotation marks before
and after a direct quote.
∧ add
take out A. Read the following ending of a story. Use the
Make a proofreading marks from the box to mark any errors
capital letter. you find.
Make a
small letter.
sp Check the
spelling.
. Add a period. “If I never see a bobcat again, it will be too soon?”
Tanya stammered. “I thought we was trapped. I
really did.
If you hadn’t spotted that cave, we would have been attaked. Im sure of it.”
said Meghan. “that cat were definitely hungry.”
“Throwing your boots with our egg-salad sandiches inside them was what
really saved us,” said Tanya.
“Without your help, I’d never have made it down that craggy rock face. I almost
fainted when I looked down.”
“You did good,” said Tanya. I knew you would make it.”
Meghan hesitated and then said, “I must confess. I never have liked egg salad.”
B. On another sheet of paper, write a beginning for this story. Then add the
proofread part to it.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a summary for an adventure story. Then
Grade 6, Unit 5, A Story, proofread it.
10 pages 390–391 79d
Adverbs That Modify Verbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Adverbs can modify verbs.
• Adverbs can come before or after a verb or in another part of the sentence.
• An adverb can supply one of three types of information about a verb—how,
where, or when.
How: Distractedly Clarissa ran her fingers through her hair.
Where: She looked everywhere.
When: She needed to find that book immediately.
A. Draw one line under each adverb and two lines under the verb it modifies.
1. Reluctantly Clarissa admitted that she lost her book.
2. She always put things in their proper place.
3. Clarissa searched impatiently in her room.
4. She tossed things carelessly onto her desk or onto the bookshelf.
5. Clarissa looked frantically for her things.
6. She desperately needed her math book.
7. Clarissa studied hard for all her tests.
8. She passes her tests easily.
9. She reviews the material thoroughly before tests.
10. That’s why she required her math book immediately.
B. Complete each sentence by writing one of these adverbs on the line.

How: miserably quickly sharply suddenly
Where: aside down downstairs there
When: still yesterday
11. It occurred to Clarissa where the book might be.

12. She left her room and rushed .

13. She had left her bookbag by the door .
14. It was lying on the floor near the boots and umbrellas.
15. She scooped it up and looked inside.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write three sentences that give advice to
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, someone like Clarissa. Tell how to avoid losing things
15 pages 416–417 or how to look for them more effectively. Use adverbs. 80
Adverbs That Modify Adjectives and Adverbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Adverbs can modify adjectives and other adverbs.
Noah had made an embarrassingly silly mistake.
adverb adjective
He acted very quickly to correct it.

adverb adverb
• Adverbs that modify adjectives and adverbs tell how or to what extent.
HOW: The consequences could be personally embarrassing for Noah.
TO WHAT EXTENT: We believed he was an extremely good athlete.
A. Draw one line under each adverb and two lines under the word it modifies.
1. Noah challenged Lisa very nervously to a tennis match.
2. Lisa was extremely eager to accept the challenge.
3. Very soon the whole school would know about it.
4. The problem was that Noah was a completely awful player.
5. He couldn’t stand Lisa’s outrageously conceited bragging.
6. He had been the absolutely best athlete in school.
7. Then the awesomely athletic Lisa moved to his neighborhood.
8. They were both fiercely competitive.
9. Noah was too determined to settle things.
10. He very foolishly let Lisa pick the game.
B. Write ADJ if the circled word modifies an adjective or ADV if it modifies an adverb.
11. Lisa quite naturally chose tennis.

12. She was an extraordinarily good tennis player.
13. He played Lisa and lost incredibly badly.
14. He should have been more specific.
15. Being honest was quite possibly the only solution.
At Home: Write three sentences telling what you think McGraw-Hill Language Arts
Noah should do. In each sentence, include an adverb Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
81 that modifies another adverb or an adjective. pages 418–419 15
Comparing with Adverbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• The comparative form of an adverb compares two actions. Add -er or more
to form a comparative adverb.
Ellen practiced harder this year.
She played more enthusiastically, too.
• The superlative form of an adverb compares more than two actions. Add
-est or most to form a superlative adverb.
Ellen practiced hardest of any of us.
She was one who played most enthusiastically, too.
A. Complete each sentence with the correct comparative or superlative form of the
adverb given.
1. well Ellen played the violin than anyone else.
2. expertly This year she performed than ever before.
3. late She used to come to rehearsal than everyone.
4. early Now she arrives even than the director.
5. little She worried than I did about tuning her violin.
6. close I sat to her in the orchestra.
7. easily I could ask her what happened.
8. eagerly I asked the question than I meant to.
9. willingly She couldn’t have answered .
10. often She was better because she practiced .
B. Read each sentence and underline the incorrect adverb. Write the correct form
of the adverb.
11. Ellen played better because she practiced oftener.
12. What made Ellen want to practice most regularly?

13. She went to hear the violinist she admired most than
any other musician.
14. He played most beautifully than anyone she’d ever heard.
15. She wanted most passionately than ever to play well.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: What would you be willing to work harder at in
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, order to do better? Write three sentences about it. Include
15 pages 420–421 a comparative or superlative adverb in each sentence. 82
Negatives
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Negative words mean “no.”
• Use only one negative word to give a sentence a negative meaning.
Mozart was just a child wonder. Mozart was not just a child wonder.
• Correct a double negative, such as: Mozart’s childhood wasn’t never normal by:
Dropping one negative word: Mozart’s childhood was never normal.
Changing a word: Mozart’s childhood was not ever normal.
A. Circle the word or words in the parentheses that correctly completes each
sentence.
1. There (has, hasn’t) never been another composer like Mozart.
2. He didn’t live (more, no more) than thirty-five years.
3. No one has (ever, never) composed so much beautiful music in such a short time.
4. Mozart started composing when he (was, wasn’t) about five.
5. Mozart (could, couldn’t) never stop daydreaming.
B. Correct the double negatives in these sentences.
6. Bach didn’t never hear the work of Mozart.
7. In his life, people didn’t never think of Bach as a composer.
8. Today there is not no more famous composer.

9. Haven’t you never seen the old movie The Phantom of the Opera?
10. Didn’t nobody tell you the Phantom was playing Bach?
At Home: With a member of your family, take McGraw-Hill Language Arts

turns making up sentences with double negatives Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
83 and correcting them. pages 422–423 10
Mechanics and Usage: Colons and Hyphens
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Use a colon to separate the hour and the minute. Class starts at 8:30.
• Use a colon to introduce a list of items that ends a sentence.
You will need these things: paper, watercolors, brushes.
• Use a colon after the greeting of a business letter. Dear Art Student:
• Use a hyphen to show the division of a word at the end of a line.
Welcome to the introductory course in water-
color painting.
• Use a hyphen in numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine and
in some other compound words. Twenty-five students signed up.
A. Add colons or hyphens where they belong in each item.
1. Be there at 3 00. 4. The Painter’s Family is the

name of a paint
2. The artist is an eleven year old boy.
ing by Henri Matisse.
3. Persimmon is an orange red color.
5. Dear Dr. Morgan
B. Add colons and hyphens where they belong in this letter.

6.–15. Dear Art Student
Welcome to the painting class! You are one of twenty
five sixth graders who have signed up for this after school
course. I am looking forward to an exciting time together.
The class will meet every day at 3 00 and will last un
til 4 30.
We will be working in three different media water
colors, oils, and acrylics. You will need to provide your
own supplies. For our first class, please bring these

materials watercolor paints, brushes, paper.
Best regards,
Lydia Oldham Clarke
Art Instructor
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a brief description of your favorite after-
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, school activities. Include the times when you do certain
15 pages 424–425 things. Use colons and hyphens correctly in your writing. 84
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Daniel excitedly waved at Kim.
• A comparative adverb compares two actions.
She arrived earlier than usual.
• A superlative adverb compares more than two actions.
• Avoid using two words that mean “no” when writing negative sentences.
I didn’t never wave.
A. Underline the adverb in each sentence and circle the word it modifies.
1. Daniel, Jemma, and Kia are spending the day together.

2. They are all very excited about it.
3. But they haven’t decided where they will go.
4. Daniel has been eagerly anticipating going to the movies.
5. Jemma has been more eagerly hoping to go skating.
B. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite the sentences, correcting the errors.
6. More earlier, Kia’s dad had agreed to go with them.
7. Now he didn’t hardly want to.
8. He knew Kia wouldn’t never give up the museum.

9. So he couldn’t hardly expect the others to compromise.
10. They never spent no more than three hours at the museum.
At Home: Write five sentences about Daniel, Jemma, and Kia’s McGraw-Hill Language Arts
day out. Include an adverb in each sentence. Reread your Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
85 sentences and identify the adverb and the word it modifies. pages 426–427 10
Prepositions
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A preposition relates a noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence.
The animals known as javelinas live in Arizona.
The preposition in relates Arizona to the verb live.
A. Underline the prepositions in these sentences.
1. Javelinas are one species of peccaries.
2. Peccaries are distantly related to pigs.
3. Both pigs and peccaries have been on earth

for 40 million years.
4. Peccaries started on the continent of North America.
5. At one time, there were nearly 30 species of peccaries.
6. Many javelinas live in the southern part of Arizona.
7. Javelinas are equipped with long sharp canine teeth.
8. They are unusually long teeth for non-meateaters.
9. Javelinas almost always live in herds.
10. The herd gives them protection from predators.
B. Add the missing prepositions to complete these sentences.
11. Living a herd helps javelinas survive.
12. They huddle together to stay warm cold nights.

13. They search together places where they can feed.
14. Javelinas behave like nocturnal animals the hot summer.
15. They sleep the hottest part the day.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Choose an article from a magazine or a

Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, newspaper. Read two paragraphs and list all the
15 pages 428–429 prepositions used in them. 86
Prepositional Phrases
REMEMBER THE RULES

• A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or
pronoun.
• The object of the preposition is the noun or pronoun in a prepositional phrase.
preposition object of the preposition
Movies are a part of American culture.
prepositional phrase
A. Underline the prepositional phrases in each sentence.
1. The first motion picture camera was invented by W. K. L. Dickson.

2. Dickson was a laboratory assistant to Thomas Edison.
3. Dickson was the inventor of the kinetograph.
4. The film was shown on a kinetoscope.
5. The kinetoscope was not meant for a large audience.
6. Only one or two people could watch at a time.
7. People went to kinetoscope parlors where there were several machines.
8. Kinetoscope parlors were popular at the end of the nineteenth century.
9. The first projector was invented by two Frenchmen, Louis and Auguste Lumiére.
10. With a projector, a large audience could view a film together.
B. In each sentence, draw one line under each preposition and two lines under the
object of the preposition.
11. The first film made by the Lumiére brothers was called Arrival of a Train at a Station.
12. The film was a great success with audiences.

13. People ran from their seats in fear of the oncoming train.
14. Films made in the 1890s recorded everyday things.
15. People were entertained by the pictures that moved.
At Home: Write three sentences about how you McGraw-Hill Language Arts
think movies reflect life in America. Include a Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
87 prepositional phrase in each sentence. pages 430–431 15
Prepositional Phrases as Adjectives
REMEMBER THE RULES

• An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that acts as an adjective
when it modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
• Adjective phrases answer the questions What kind? and Which one?
Chloe visited a museum of modern art.
This adjective phrase modifies museum, a noun. It tells what kind.
She enjoyed the tour of the sculpture garden most.
This adjective phrase modifies tour, a noun. It tells which one.
A. Underline the adjective phrase in each sentence. Circle the noun that
it modifies.
1. The sculpture garden was a new part of the museum.
2. Sculptures by twentieth-century artists were displayed there.
3. Chloe studied every sculpture in the garden.
4. She thought one looked like horses without heads.
5. Chloe’s favorite was a sculpture of a giant typewriter eraser.
6. It was a round red eraser with a blue brush.
7. Chloe had seen one of these erasers once.
8. She found the eraser in her grandmother’s desk.
9. Chloe herself had no knowledge of typewriters.
10. Chloe had experience only with computers.
B. Write adjective phrases to complete each sentence.
11. There was a reflecting pool in the middle .

12. Small groups gathered around the pool.
13. Some were workers .
14. Others were visitors .
15. Everyone was enjoying the sound .
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write five sentences to describe a place you have
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, visited. Include an adjective phrase in each sentence.
15 pages 432–433 88
Prepositional Phrases as Adverbs
REMEMBER THE RULES

• An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that acts as an adverb when it
modifies or tells more about verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
• Adjective phrases tell where, how, or when.
William’s family will travel across the country.
This adverb phrase modifies the verb will travel.
Everyone is excited about the trip.
This adverb phrase modifies the adjective excited.
They plan their trip carefully, with much discussion.
This adverb phrase modifies the adverb carefully.
A. Circle the word that is modified by each underlined adverb phrase.
1. The family will set out early in the morning.
2. They will travel in their van.
3. They stow their gear in the back.
4. William is comfortable in the back seat.
5. He stacks his maps carefully beside him.
B. Write the word that each adverb phrase in dark type modifies. Then tell if the
word is a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
6. On the very first day, they discovered the road they planned to take was
being repaired.
7. Using the map, William rerouted them over a country road.

8. Part of the time they drove beside a picturesque stream.
9. William’s mother snapped pictures from the car window.
10. She was delighted by the interesting sights.
At Home: Write three sentences with adverb McGraw-Hill Language Arts

phrases, one modifing a verb, one an adjective, Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
89 and one an adverb. pages 434–435 10
Interjections
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Interjections are words or phrases that express strong feelings.
• Strong interjections are followed by exclamation marks, and mild
interjections are followed by commas.
Yikes! What was that?
Ugh! It’s a spider!
Look, this spider is weaving a web.
A. Underline each interjection.

1. Good grief! It’s just a little spider.
2. Oh, no! I hate spiders.
3. My goodness! This isn’t the kind of spider
that can hurt you.
4. Phew! That’s a relief.
5. Wow! I never knew anyone who was so
paranoid about spiders.
6. Well, you do now.
7. Look at that spider web! Amazing!
8. Great! And there’s an evil-looking spider right in the middle.
9. Look, spiders help people.
10. Hey, right, tell me how.
B. Choose an appropriate interjection for each sentence and write it in the blank.
11. I can’t find my science report.

12. You’d blame anything on a spider.
13. they’re not exactly warm and fuzzy.
14. Tarantulas are fuzzy.
15. tarantulas really make nice pets.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: The next time your family watches an episode of
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, a situation comedy, listen carefully to the dialogue. Make a
15 pages 436–437 list of all the interjections that are used. 90
Combining Sentences: Prepositional Phrases
REMEMBER THE RULES

• Two sentences can be combined by taking the prepositional phrase from
one sentence and adding it to the other.
• The verb must agree with the subject of the sentence, not with the object of
the preposition.
The Estebans adopted a dog.
They got it from the animal shelter.
The Estebans adopted a dog from the animal shelter.
A. Underline the prepositional phrase in each sentence.
1. The Estebans visited the animal shelter on Saturday morning.
2. They hoped to return with a new dog.
3. Mr. Esteban parked the car in the parking lot.
4. They could hear the dogs barking in the kennel.
5. The Estebans hurried into the main building.
B. Combine each pair of sentences.
6. The Esteban family filled out an application. They did that at the front desk.
7. Then they went to see the dogs. They went into the kennel.
8. They had treats for the dogs. They were in their pockets.
9. Most of the dogs jumped and barked. They did it with great eagerness.
10. One dog just sat calmly. He sat in his kennel.
At Home: Copy five sentences from a newspaper or magazine. McGraw-Hill Language Arts
Underline the prepositional phrase in each one. Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
91 pages 438–439 10
Mechanics and Usage: Punctuating Introductory
Prepositional Phrases and Interjections
REMEMBER THE RULES
• Use a comma after a long introductory prepositional phrase or after the final
phrase in a succession of phrases.
In the corner of her favorite room in the library, Ana sits and reads.
• Use a comma to prevent a misreading after a short introductory
prepositional phrase.
By reading, Ana visits interesting people in unusual places.
• Put an exclamation mark after an interjection that expresses a very strong
feeling.
Yikes! She’d be lost without the library.
Put a comma after an interjection that express a milder feeling.
Yes, the library is a very special place for Ana.
A. Insert a comma or an exclamation mark in each sentence.
1. From the beginning public libraries reflected American ideas and values.
2. In 1731 in Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin created a library.
3. For this early library a group of ordinary people got together to buy books.
4. In large and small communities people established their own libraries.
5. So what’s the story about the library in your community?
B. Rewrite each sentence. Add commas or exclamation marks where they are
needed and capitalize words as necessary.
6. Yikes it’s raining!

7. Gee there’s nothing good on TV.
8. Well what should we do?
9. Hey I’ve got an idea
10. Great what is it?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write three sentences to continue the story about
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, the rainy day visit to the library. Include an introductory
10 pages 440–441 prepositional phrase or an interjection in each one. 92
Mixed Review
REMEMBER THE RULES
• A preposition comes before a noun or pronoun and relates the noun or
pronoun to other words in a sentence.
preposition object
Alex read the book to his friend.
• A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or
pronoun which is called the object of the preposition.
• Two sentences can be combined by adding a prepositional phrase from one
sentence to the other sentence.
A. Draw one line under the prepositional phrase in each sentence. Draw two lines
under the preposition. Circle the object of the preposition.
1. Alex spends every Saturday morning in the library.
2. He leaves his house right after breakfast.
3. He goes there on his bicycle.
4. He spends hours browsing in the stacks.
5. He finds books about subjects that interest him.
B. Combine each pair of sentences by adding a prepositional phrase to one of

them. Underline the prepositional phrase you added.
6. Alex puts his book bag on a table. It is in the Young Adult section.
7. Then he goes to look for books. He goes into the stacks.
8. He finds a book that looks interesting. It is on a bottom shelf.

9. The title reads The American Revolutionaries. The title is on its spine.
10. He is intrigued when he reads the subtitle. He finds it on the title page.
At Home: Locate ten sentences with prepositional phrases in a book. McGraw-Hill Language Arts
Write the sentence as two sentences, making a second sentence out of Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs,
93 the preposition phrase. pages 442–443 10
Common Errors: Adverbs
REMEMBER THE RULES
• An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun. An adverb modifies a verb, an
adverb, or an adjective.
The girl scouts regularly gather food for the food bank.
• Good is an adjective, well is an adverb.
Helping the needy is a good goal. The girl scouts accomplish this well.
• Do not use more than one negative word in a sentence.
Incorrect: The scouts don’t need no more help.
Correct: The scouts don’t need any more help.
A. Write correct or incorrect to tell about the underlined words.

1. Mrs. Faber leads our girl scout troop well.
2. We never knew no one more creative than her.
3. A suggestion she gave us one day was good.
4. The troop listened to her suggestion careful.
5. She said we could improve our food drive to make it more better.
B. Rewrite each sentence correctly.

6. There weren’t no light bags of food.
7. Bags full of canned goods were the most heaviest.
8. Piles of food accumulated more better than we expected.

9. Our leader helped us organize the collected food good.
10. Now we could place the food into boxes more swifter.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Explain to a family member how the incorrect
Grade 6, Unit 6, Adverbs, sentences you identified in Part A can be rewritten
10 pages 444–445 correctly. 94
Study Skills: On-Line Searches
• There is much information to be found using the computer and the Internet.
To search for information about a specific topic, it is important to use good
key words.
• Key words should not be too general or too specific. If your first search does
not get you a helpful list, revise your key word.
A. Read the topic and the key word. Tell what you think about the key word by
writing too general or good on the line.
Topic Key word
1. vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains

Adirondack Mountains
of New York State
2. planting a vegetable gardening

garden
3. the reign of Henry VIII England

of England
4. Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet

“Romeo and Julie ”
5. the life of Captain James Cook

James Cook
B. Write a key word for each topic.
6. Preserving America’s Wetlands
7. The paintings of Vincent van Gogh

8. Visiting the castles of Great Britain
9. Life in Colonial America
10. Interesting Sights of Washington, D.C.
At Home: Think of three topics you are interested McGraw-Hill Language Arts
in. Then write one or two key words you could Grade 6, Unit 6, Study Skills,
95 use to search for information for each. pages 468–469 10
Vocabulary: Word Choice
• When writing, it is important to know which word to use to convey the proper
meaning that you intend to give to the reader.
• The skillful use of the positive and negative meanings or connotations of
words can make your writing more precise.
Positive connotation: The vet showed us an unusual breed of dog.
Negative connotation: The vet showed us a bizarre breed of dog.
A. In each sentence, underline the word or phrase in parentheses that has a

more positive connotation.
1. Paulo was sure he was going to (hate, dislike) going to the family reunion.
2. Before he even left the house, he started to (whine, complain) to his parents
about it.
3. During the long journey in the car he remained (silent, tongue-tied).
4. Paulo even (grimaced, frowned) when his grandmother greeted him at the door.
5. Everyone wondered what was (bothering, aggravating) Paulo.
6. Then Paulo's favorite cousin came to (lecture, talk to) him.
7. They went outside to play while the grown-ups (babbled, chatted).
8. Paulo and his cousin drew (comical, ridiculous) pictures on the sidewalk with chalk.
9. Afterwards, they enjoyed some of grandmother's (delectable, nice) cooking.
10. Paulo apologized to his parents for giving them such a (hard, impossible) time.
B. In each sentence, underline the word or phrase in parentheses which has a

more negative connotation.
11. Lin made a (bad, terrible) decision to bathe her Saint Bernard in the bathtub.
12. The Saint Bernard was (filthy, dirty) to say the least.
13. Lin filled the tub and added some (smelly, perfumed) bubble bath.
14. Then she had to (coax, drag) the enormous dog into the tiny bathroom.
15. The dog started to bark and the noise was (deafening, loud).
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a story about something you wanted to do well, but
Grade 6, Unit 6, Vocabulary, that didn't turn out as you hoped. Use positive words to describe
15 pages 454–455 your intentions. Use negative words to describe the results. 96
Composition: Leads and Endings
• A lead is the first part of a piece of writing.

• Write a strong lead to grab the reader’s attention.
• An ending is the last part of a piece of writing.
• Use the ending to state the strongest argument, draw a conclusion, or restate
the main idea.
A. Read each pair of leads or endings. Then underline the one that is stronger.
1. Why should you sign up as a pep club booster today?
There are some reasons students should become pep club boosters.
2. It is possible that some students can learn to cook well.
Imagine this: a twelve-year-old whips up a gourmet meal.
3. You should try hard and not be concerned only with winning.
Giving your all lasts longer than a piece of blue ribbon.
4. Treat yourself to fascinating and thrilling entertainment in the novel Farm at Concord.
The book Farm at Concord is a novel that presents a story that entertains.
5. Do you want to find out if life begins for you on stage?
The drama club would like to invite students to an open audition.
B. Read each topic. Then write a strong lead sentence.
6. Careers in Government
7. A School Basketball Team
8. New Computers for a School McGraw-Hill School Division
9. Movie Theaters for Kids Only
10 Raising Money for Charities
At Home: Look at a newspaper or magazine and find the lead sentence McGraw-Hill Language Arts
for an article. How does it succeed or fail at grabbing your attention? Grade 6, Unit 6, Composition Skills,
97 Write another sentence that would succeed as a lead for that article. pages 456–457 10
Features of Persuasive Writing
Writing that persuades:

• Clearly states an opinion on a specific topic.
• Supports the opinion with convincing reasons and arguments.
• Presents reasons in a logical order.
• Often saves the strongest argument for last.
• Uses opinion words.
Read the paragraph and answer the questions.

There is currently a bill before Congress that, if passed, would protect sharks.
You might be thinking, aren’t those razor sharp teeth enough protection?
However, sharks have little protection from two-legged land animals with big
boats and sharp hooks. Shark finning has been outlawed, within a 200-mile
limit, of most of the coastline of the United States. But, finning is not illegal in
Hawaii. There fishermen catch sharks, cut off their fins and toss the bleeding
animals back in the water. The sharks may be still alive when discarded, but
they do not live for long without their fins. Shark fins can fetch up to $70 a
pound and so there is great incentive for anglers to take sharks. These fins are
used for one purpose only—to make shark fin soup. People do have to eat. But,
there must be something less hurtful to satisfy the palate than shark fin soup.
Support this bill and save a shark.
1. What is the writer’s opinion about the practice of finning?
2. What are two arguments the writer gives for protecting the sharks?
3. In your opinion, what was the writer’s strongest argument?

4. What opinion words does the writer use?
5. Were you persuaded to agree or disagree with the writer? Why?
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write a paragraph to persuade a family member:

Grade 6, Unit 6, Persuasive Writing, to recycle, give you an allowance, or let you stay up an
5 pages 464–465 hour later. 97a
Prewrite: Persuasive Writing
Good persuasive writing includes the writer’s opinions and the facts to support
them. The purpose of persuasive writing is to sway readers to agree with the views
presented and possibly take action of some sort.
Pretend you are running for the office of president of your school community club.
You will have to give a speech to convince club members to vote for you. Before
you give your speech, you’ll have to write it. To plan your speech, you can use a
problem-solution chart to organize your ideas.
PROBLEM AND SOLUTION
CHECKLIST
• Have you thought about your purpose and your audience?
• Have you listed convincing reasons or facts to support your suggestions and opinions?
• Do you need to do more research?
At Home: Share your chart with a family member. McGraw-Hill Language Arts
Solicit other ideas to add to the chart. Grade 6, Unit 6, Persuasive Writing,
97b pages 466–467
Revise: Persuasive Writing
You can elaborate your persuasive writing by adding details and choosing words
that will convince your readers to agree with your opinions. When you revise your
work, you need to make your argument stronger, or more persuasive.
A. Pretend you wrote this persuasive speech. Revise it by adding details and some
opinion words, such as must, should, ought, never, truly, everyone agrees.
Make sure your main ideas are supported by facts.
I have worked very hard on many community projects. I got 20
kids to agree to sing at the senior citizens’ home. I convinced
kids in Class 603 to bake cookies to raise money. And do you
remember how hard I worked at the car wash last week.
There are many other projects we can get involved in. I spoke
to Mrs. Federman. She said that an after-school baby-sitting
service would be terrific. You know she has four kids and needs
time to run to the store. If we could take three of her children to
the playground that would help a lot.
Secondly, I know that we could also help our neighbors. Mr.
Kindle broke his leg last week, and he needs someone to pull
weeds and mow his lawn.
Elect me your president. I just love this kind of work. Vote

for me and you won’t be sorry.
B. Write the speech with your revisions on a separate sheet of paper.
McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Pretend you are a parent with four children.
Grade 6, Unit 6, Persuasive Writing, Write a persuasive letter to the “community club”
pages 472–473 convincing its members to begin a baby-sitting service. 97c
Proofread: Persuasive Writing
After you have revised your persuasive writing, you will

PROOFREADING need to proofread it to correct any errors. Read each
MARKS sentence to make sure all first words and proper nouns
indent are capitalized. Check for correct punctuation and for
spelling errors.
∧ add
A. Read the following paragraphs from a persuasive
take out
book report. Use the proofreading marks from the box
Make a to mark any errors you find.
capital letter.
Make a
small letter.
sp Check the
spelling.
. Add a period.
Anne Frank: the diary of a Young Girl is a
wonderful book that everyone should read. Its about a young Jewish girl
and how she and her family hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam, holland,
during World War II. Ann writes in her dairy and tells about life with her
mother father, and sister Margot. They lives with another family, the Van
Daans, too they all lived in a tiny attic above a store.
What is wonderful about this book is how in the beginning Anne sounds so
young. At the end of her diary, you can tell how much she had grown and
how smart she really was.
This book is filled with hope but it is very sad, too. It made me cry, but
it’s the kind of book you should read. Youll learn so much about life, the
terrible war, and love.
B. On another sheet of paper, use the corrections you marked to rewrite the
paragraphs.
At Home: Learn more about Anne Frank and write McGraw-Hill Language Arts
a book or video report to share with family Grade 6, Unit 6, Persuasive Writing,
97d members and classmates. pages 476–477 10

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Name Date Practice 1

Sentences and Sentence Fragments

A. Read each group of words. If it is a sentence, circle it. If it is a sentence

14. Learned to stir-fry with a wok. Needs a subject. Needs a predicate.

McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Choose three sentence fragments on this

REMEMBER THE RULES

B. Fix each sentence. Add the correct end punctuation.

8. Brendan played Gaelic football with Niall’s friends

At Home: Find an example of each kind of McGraw-Hill Language Arts

REMEMBER THE RULES

A. Circle whether each sentence is a simple sentence or a compound sentence.

REMEMBER THE RULES

A. Read each complex sentence and underline the dependent clause.

8. As we were shopping in Niagara Falls. I spotted them in a store window.

10. I think of that trip. Whenever I use them.

At Home: Find a complex sentence in a newspaper McGraw-Hill Language Arts

REMEMBER THE RULES

A. Correct the punctuation in the sentences below. .

McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write an example of each kind of sentence:

REMEMBER THE RULES

A. Join the following clauses to make either a compound sentence or a complex

4. She could sell her collection. She could give it to Anna.

B. 6.–10. On another sheet of paper, change two sentences above to interrogative

At Home: Look in a magazine or newspaper McGraw-Hill Language Arts

REMEMBER THE RULES

B. Tell about each group of words. Underline your answer.

14. In 1840 more than 2,800 miles of railroad.

McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Choose three sentences from a newspaper or

REMEMBER THE RULES

B. Underline the simple subject. Circle the simple predicate.

9. This island country has many unusual birds

At Home: Write three sentences. Draw a line McGraw-Hill Language Arts

REMEMBER THE RULES

B. If the subjects can be combined to make a compound subject, combine them

8. Sammy wanted to add a link. Thomas wanted to create a guest book.

REMEMBER THE RULES

A. Underline the simple predicates that can be combined to make a compound

2. Maya weeded the garden. Maya watered the garden.

4. The hose twisted . The hose sprayed everyone.

5. Kabir laughed at the dog. Kabir shouted at the dog.

6. Shep barked all day. Shep ran in circles all day.

B. Combine the sentences to make a sentence with a compound predicate. Use

8. She picked some basil. She chopped some basil.

9. Kabir rinsed the tomatoes. Kabir sliced the tomatoes.

REMEMBER THE RULES

A. Circle each simple sentence in the run-on sentence.

2. The band is a bagpipe band he has played

3. My uncle is a firefighter the band is the fire

5. They march in parades people cheer loudly.

B. Rewrite each run-on sentence as two simple sentences, a compound sentence,

10. bagpipes are really loud they don’t need an amplifier.

McGraw-Hill Language Arts At Home: Write an example of a run-on sentence. Then

2. Red trees were everywhere. Yellow trees were everywhere.

3. Jodie climbed a tree. Jodie swung from a branch.

4. Jeannette brought her camera. Jeannette took some pictures.

5. The girls climbed a fence. The girls explored a path.

Rewrite each run-on sentence as a compound sentence or two sentences.

• An atlas is a book of maps. Different kinds of maps have different purposes.

The Old Kingdom of Egypt