Our family's immense love for basketball - Did someone say Adverbs?

For as long as I can remember, ever since I was a small, itty bitty child, basketball has always been my family's favorite sport. It started with my mother, and slowly but surely, basketball fever spread down to my brother and me,  and now it has taken hold of my children as well. My mother played basketball while she was in medical school, and apparently I was her personal cheerleader! I, of course, do not recall any of this but I will say that it was my mother who first put a basketball in my hand. She is the one who taught my brothers how to dribble the ball and do layups correctly. She helped me improve my shooting and defensive skills on the court. As my brothers grew older and taller, they became very good basketball players and even played for their high school basketball teams. I wasn't so lucky because I remained very short, I didn't get taller than 5 ft. 2 in. so it was hard to play against the much taller girls on the school team. But that did not stop me, I still played at home with my brothers when they were shooting around in the backyard. Now I have children of my own, and I have passed down the love for basketball to them. I put a basketball in my daughter's hand when she was just 6 years old and she has been playing for ten years. She isn't tall either but she is a force to contend with on the court. She has been playing High School Varsity basketball since 9th grade until recently because she got injured while playing over the summer. My son Roman is five now and is also playing basketball, but he is just starting to learn the basics of the game. But so far, he really seems to love playing our family's favorite sport!

Vocabulary List

Remember: To have in your mind an awareness of something

Sport: A game involving physical activity and usually has several players (baseball, soccer, football)

Slowly: Not quickly

Spread: To extend over a large area or surface

Hold: To support, carry or grasp with hands or arms

Apparently: As far as someone knowledge is

Recall: To bring a fact, situation, event or memory into your mind again

Dribble: To strike a basketball with an open palm as so to bounce the ball on the ground

Layup: One handed shot made into basketball hoop by bouncing ball off the backboard from the side

Skills: The ability to do something well

Remained: Continue to exist, or posses a particular quality, idea or object

High School: A phase of the American education system usually from grades 9-12

Against: Opposed to, in opposition to something

Around: (used as a preposition in the sentence) in or to many places throughout the backyard

Backyard: Yard, or space in the back of the house

Contend: Struggle to face

Injured: Physically hurt somewhere on body

Basics: Essentials facts, beginning skills of something. most basic foundation 

Seems: Give the impression of being something or having a particular quality

Summer: One of the four seasons of the year with very hot sunny days

Vocabulary Exercise

Directions: Use 10 of the vocabulary words above to write complete sentences. Underline the noun, use a blue highlighter to highlight the verbs and a yellow highlighter to highlight the adjectives.

Ex: My sister remained at her school for her worst subject, math. 

Grammar Point - Adverbs

Adverbs tell us when, where, how, in what manner and/or to what extend an action is performed. They typically modify verbs, but they can also modify and adjective or another verb. 

Adverbs tend to end in -ly but remember, not all the time, these are called flat adverbs.

Examples of adverbs modifying verbs:

1. The stray cat ran quickly to catch the squirrel in the backyard.

2. Dr. Jason Bourne worked tirelessly to find a cure for cancer.

3. The soldiers marched forward when they heard the bugle playing over the loud speaker.

4. Julie and Emily traveled far and wide to seek a better life.

Examples of adverbs modifying adjectives and other adverbs:

               

1. She is a really good swimmer for someone her age.

2. Helen's grades are significantly higher than the rest of her classmates.

3. The audience left quite abruptly after the actor missed his cue to go onstage. 

4. The price of oil rose incredibly quickly once the snowstorm hit Long Island.

Grammar Point Exercise

Directions: Create 15 full sentences with nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Next, chose adverbs from the list below to modify the verbs and adjectives in your sentences. 

Commonly used Adverbs:

Poorly                                    Gigantically

Rapidly                                  Softly

Quickly                                  Hugely

Abruptly                                 Defiantly

Swiftly                                    Deliberately

Lazily                                     Happily

Hourly                                    Enormously

Daily                                      Frequently

Brightly                                  Anxiously

Bravely                                  Nervously

To read more about adverbs visit www.grammarbook.com/grammar/adjAdv.asp

Where to go on Vacation? - "To be or not to be"

Every year my husband and I look for new places to vacation with our children. We love to be foreigners in new lands; exploring new adventures and tasting all kinds of new foods. We have been to many places in the Caribbean while on a cruise a few years ago. We have visited Honduras, Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, Dominican Republic and Riviera Maya, to name a few places. Last year my family and I went to visit my country El Salvador. It was the first time both of my children had been to El Salvador. I was anxious to show them my childhood home and the all girls Catholic school I attended, but most of all I was excited for them to meet the rest of our family. At least once every two years we try to vacation in a new country with amazing beaches. Having the ocean nearby is very important to us, so when we plan a vacation it must always have a beach for us relax on. We plan on going to a few more countries in the Caribbean before setting our sights across the Atlantic Ocean to visit Europe. My daughter is eagerly waiting the day we fly to Italy, tour the Coliseum, the Vatican and the rest of the beautiful country. Personally, I wish to visit France, especially Paris. I am not too sure when we will get to visit Europe, but we have been daydreaming about it for quite some time now. What exotic and beautiful countries have you visited?

Vocabulary List

Places: Specific area or region 
Foreigners: A person not that does not originally come from a particular location 
Kinds: Groups of things or people that have similar characteristics 
Cruise: A large ship used to sail to different vacation spots 
Country: A specific geographic region with it's own government
Attended: Past tense of attend (present at a particular place and time) 
Excited: Very eager and animated, usually about a particular thing/idea 
Beaches: Pebbly or sandy shore, usually where an ocean or body of water meets land 
Important: Significant 
Plan: Something decided or arranged in advance 
Sights: Pertaining to seeing and observing 
Eagerly: Wanting something or someone very much 
Visit: To go and see and spend time with someone, and/or in a particular place 
Especially: To show importance to something in particular 
Exotic: From a distant and largely unknown foreign country 

Vocabulary Exercise
Directions: Complete the sentences with the correct vocabulary word from the list above. 

1. There are many __________ countries I would like to ________ when I retire.
2. I think playing a sport is ______________. What ________ of sports do you like to play?
3. Brazil is an __________ place, with beautiful ___________ to explore.
4. In New York, there are many ___________ from countries all over the world. It's sometimes called the "melting pot" of nations.
5. Susan  was ________ to call her mother and tell her the news of her recent engagement to Brian.
6. My family and I __________ a family reunion that took years to ________.
7. When I go to the Museum of Natural History I like seeing all exhibits, but __________ the Hall of Mammals room.
8. Many people do not like to board a _______ ship because they are afraid of bad weather and rough seas. 
9. Since I was a little girl, I have set my _______ on getting a Chanel bag for my 30th birthday.
10. Last year when I visited El Salvador, my family ________ waited for me at the airport.

Grammar Point - The verb "to be"
The verb "to be" in English is a commonly used verb. It is an irregular verb because it has many different forms. It shows the state of being or characteristic of something or someone. 

When used with the present participle of other verbs it describes actions that are or were still continuing.

Grammar Point Exercise

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb "to be".

Present Simple

1. Leila and Janine ______ very good swimmers.

2. The magazine ____ not cheap.

3. My friends and I _____ in high school, we finished middle school last year. 

Past Simple

1. We _____ very tired after a long day at the Bronx zoo.

2. He _____ not proud of the bad grades he got for his midterm exams.

3. You _____ watching us play softball. 

Present Perfect

1. Tony and Marie _____________ digging holes all day to plant the rose bushes.

2. My son and I ____________ waiting on line for a long time to ride the roller coaster.

3. She ___________ traveling across America for the past two years.

Past Perfect

1. We __________ frightened by all the people in costumes in the haunted house.

2. I ___________ anxiously waiting the results of my sonogram.

Present Continuos

1. I _________ silly right now. ____ it bothering you?

2. They __________ disrespectful to the substitute teacher all day.

Let's watch a YouTube video to help understand the verb "To be"!

Bon Appetit! Buen Provecho! Mangia! Let's Eat! - Possessive Pronouns

I love food! I mean, I really enjoy eating good food! Over the past 10 years my family and I have eaten at many different types of restaurants in New York City and Long Island. Some of our most favorite types of food to eat is, Mexican, Indian, Italian and Asian Fusion.  But my all time favorite is Caribbean food. Cuisine from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic have their own distinct flavor because of the spices they use to cook with. There are various restaurants in Manhattan that will give your taste buds an authentic taste of food from a Caribbean island. Food from these countries has been heavily influenced by African culture and cuisine. Besides Africa, Caribbean food has its roots in many different countries like Portugal, Spain, France and even several East Asian countries. When we aren’t eating Caribbean cuisine, we find ourselves in Italian restaurants eating till we burst!  My daughter’s favorite place to eat is Vincent’s in Old Westbury, and her go-to dish is spaghetti and meatballs. When we eat Italian food we always have to save room for dessert. And my husband always orders his favorite Italian dessert, cannoli! Many times I become inspired to cook the delicious foods I eat at different restaurants. I ask everyone to pick one dish that they really want me to cook. My son Mateo always asks for his favorite Chinese dishes like Chicken Lo Mein, Shrimp with Pork Fried Rice and Wonton Soup. I don't always make all their favorite foods because some of the ingredients are very hard to find. I have to make special trips to neighborhoods that have a large Chinese, Italian and Spanish community to get the ingredients that make the dishes taste delicious and authentic. Maybe my next adventure will be to become a great baker!

For a list the best places to eat in NYC for every type of cuisine go to

www.thrillist.com/eat/new-york/best-places-for-international-food-in-nyc

Vocabulary List

Cuisine: Syle of cooking from a specific country or region

Authentic: Original
Influenced: Impacted, guided or affected by another source
Various: Many, several
Favorite: Preferred above all others
Become: Act like something/someone
Delicious: Very tasty and appetizing
Ingredients: foods, herbs, or sauces that combine with other food to cook
Trips: Excursion, outing somewhere
Neighborhoods: places where people live, work, play and/or relax in their homes

Adventure: Impactful or exciting experience

Distinct: Clear,well defined, unmistakable for something else

Go-to: Reliable, always chosen

Vocabulary Exercise - Possessive Pronouns

The Possessive Pronouns are: My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our & Their. 

Possessive pronouns are used to demonstrate possession and ownership of something. They fall into two categories depending on their placement in the sentence and what follows the possessive pronoun. 

1. Determiner Possessive Pronouns are followed by a noun

    Ex: Laura's sister explained her test grades to her parents, but they were not pleased.

2. Nominal Possessive Pronouns replace a whole noun in the sentence.

    Ex: That bicycle is Mathew's bicycle.  Replace with: That bicycle is his.

Directions: Complete the chart with the possessive pronoun that corresponds to the subject pronoun.

Grammar Point Exercise - Whose is it?

Read the sentence and fill in the blank with the correct possessive pronouns. Circle the subject or object pronouns in each sentence. There may be more than one used in each sentence. 

The Possessive Pronouns are: My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our, Their

The Subject Pronouns are: I, You, He, She, It, We, They

The Object Pronouns are: Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them

1. A dog followed us into the park and watched _____ friends and I play softball.

2. While we played baseball, the dog wagged ______ tail to show how excited he was, and would sometimes jump onto the field to chase the ball.

3. About a half hour into ______ game, a young girl waked over to us and said " I'm so happy you found ______  puppy".

4. We stopped playing to watch the girl give _____ dog a treat from ____ coat pocket.

5. ____ friends and I walked over to them to get a closer look at the girl, she was holding ____ dog tag collar  in ______ hand.

6. The dog's name was Rocky and it recognized _____ owner right away. Rocky was very excited to see _____. 

7. We asked "Is that ____ dog" and how did he get lost. She told us that Rocky had run off to chase a squirrel climbing up a tree.

8. She tried to look for ____ dog, but she eventually stopped when it became dark outside. 

9. The next day all  ____ friends helped look for Rocky, they even brought _____ own dogs to hunt for _____ scent around the park.

10. No one was able to find him but she continued to search for him anyway, she would bring ____ favorite dog treats to leave a trail back to _____ house.

11.  We told ____ that Rocky had followed us into the park and that we didn't know that he belonged to ____.

12. We even gave him snacks from ____ lunch boxes because he looked hungry. She said she was grateful that such nice boys found ____ precious puppy and kept him safe. 

13. She told us there was a reward for finding him and that we should go to ___ house to collect it.

14. We were happy to hear that ____ good deed would be rewarded, but sad because we wanted to keep Rocky as ____ pet.

15. ____ friend and I followed ____ home and she gave us blueberry muffins with blueberries she grew in ___own backyard garden.

16. All afternoon we stayed with Rocky and ___ playing catch in ____ front yard. We are allowed to come back and play with him anytime we want.

17. But the funny thing is, we never asked the girl what ____ name was!

The Best Season of the Year! - Subject and Object Pronous

The temperature is dropping and there's a chill in the air. For us, New Englanders, we know that means it's the beginning of the Fall season. Personally, I believe this is the best season of the whole year! The leaves change colors, ranging from shades of green to shades of purple and burgundy, and Halloween is just around the corner! My family and I love to go out East to pick pumpkins, eat roasted corn and buy fresh vegetables from roadside farm stands. My daughter Natalia loves to try her luck at the corn maze and she really likes to play horseshoes while we pick pumpkins. My son Roman likes to ride the tractor and get his face painted with some cool designs. My other son Mateo really enjoys eating the roasted corn smothered in butter and salt, and to be honest I do too! He also likes the candied apples but without the nuts. Every fall they always ask me to take them to the farms in Southampton to enjoy the Fall season activities. Besides pumpkin picking and eating delicious corn, I love Fall because my family gets together a lot! My mother and grandmother go trick-or-treating with the kids, and my younger brother Omar takes Natalia and Mateo to haunted houses, but little Roman always wants to go with him too. Besides Halloween activities, my family always reunites for Thanksgiving. Our friends come over to our home, and they bring delicious dishes with them to share with us. Natalia always volunteers to make the pumpkin pies, it's her specialty! And my husband Danny and son Mateo always volunteer to eat them! It is their specialty! To me the Fall season signifies family togetherness and good food. What is your favorite season and what does it mean to you?

Vocabulary List - Pronouns

Subject Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

Object Pronouns: Me, you, him, her, it, us, them

Vocabulary Exercise - Subject and Object Pronouns
A pronoun can replace a noun in a sentence, and it is usually used in sentences after the subject has been introduced. Instead of repeating a person's name or the name of an object and place, you can substitute it with a pronoun. Writing becomes easier to understand and more interesting to read when there are pronouns mixed in with nouns. 

Imagine you name is Julia, write the correct pronoun(s) that would replace the word(s) in the following chart. The first two are shown as examples.

Grammar Point - Subject and Object Pronouns

Subject Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

Object Pronouns: Me, you, him, her, it, us, them

*Quick Tip: 

A subject pronoun is used when it is functioning as the subject of the sentence.

An object pronoun is used when it is functioning as: 1. the direct object of the sentence; 2. the indirect object of a sentence; 3. the object of a preposition.

Examples: Object pronouns are underlined

1.My brother hugged me on my birthday.  (me functioning as a direct object in sentence)

2. The supervisor sent a message to her.  (her functioning as an indirect object)

3. Mrs. Gardener spoke briefly to them on the phone.  (them functioning as an object of a preposition)

Exercise 1: Rewrite each sentence with the appropriate pronoun that replaces the underlined noun(s). Remember you are still Julia! The first two are shows as examples.

1. The neighbor's dog barked loudly all night.
___It barked loudly all night.___________________________

2. James and Julia love to hike on new trails every weekend.
___We love to hike on new trails every weekend. ________

3. Carlos and Juliette like to go rollerskating with Sophia and Rob.
____________________________________________________

4. Math is her least favorite subject, math causes her a lot of headaches. 
____________________________________________________

5. Stephanie and Julia are babysitting the young girl.
____________________________________________________

6. The security guard watched Stephanie and Julia while Stephanie and Julia shopped.
____________________________________________________

7. James's grandmother walks around the block every evening to stay fit.
____________________________________________________

8. Quit laughing at Julia.
____________________________________________________

9. Our new classmates are very nice, Julia really likes our new classmates. 
____________________________________________________

10. Sharks terrify me, luckily sharks all live in the ocean not on land.
____________________________________________________

11. Can you please tell Julia and her mother where the next rest stop is?
____________________________________________________

12. When you see your teacher tomorrow, please ask your teacher when the essay is due.
____________________________________________________

13. You should put the pens and markers in a cup so they don't roll off the table.
____________________________________________________

14. I tasted the cookies but I didn't like the cookies. 
____________________________________________________

To learn more about pronouns visit www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp