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Language Arts for Kids/Questions Answered by Expert Debra Duenas
| Subject | Date Asked |
| ELA | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: What is the subject and the predicate in this sentence? My brand-new basketball got a real workout. ... A: In any sentence, the subject is what we are talking about and the predicate is what the subject is ... | |
| linking verb | 1/25/2011 |
| Q: Please read the following sentence: He has a good plan. Isn't "has" a linking verb? I know it ... A: Has is the verb, and in this case its role is more than a linking verb. It functions as if it is an ... | |
| Identify the Subject and the Predicate | 1/20/2011 |
| Q: Please help me to identify the subject and predicate in the following sentence. Where does the ... A: Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. I was away from computers for the weekend. When answering ... | |
| Trick | 12/8/2010 |
| Q: Is there a trick to memorizing something A: Trick? No, not tricks. But are there skills to learn to help you. ABSOLUTELY! You don't mention ... | |
| Writing a Speech | 10/20/2010 |
| Q: My sister has a problem. She is in third grade. She wants to be in the school Speak Out, so she has ... A: Speeches are developed the same way as a good essay, except you must perform it for an audience. ... | |
| Phrase | 10/18/2010 |
| Q: My assistant will be happy to help you. Please define the phrase "to help you" in this sentence. ... A: Well...again tricky... TECHNICALLY - to is always a preposition - HOWEVER... For 'to' to be the ... | |
| Gerunds | 10/4/2010 |
| Q: How do I know if a gerund is a subject, Direct Object, etc.? A: A gerund is a word ending in -ing. Not all -ing words are gerunds, however. A gerund is a verbal ... | |
| retaining | 6/2/2010 |
| Q: my daughter is in 4th grade. I know is reading below her level, because of that she is behind, know ... A: Antonia, You don't say how far she is behind...but if it is only reading that is difficult then I ... | |
| consonance | 5/9/2010 |
| Q: Fellow brave and fearless What word shows consonance with fearless? I was thinking fellow, is that ... A: In the first line fellow and fearless show consonance relating to the 'f' and the 'l'. In the second ... | |
| Language Arts 9 Inquiry Project | 3/19/2010 |
| Q: I am currently working on my grade 9 inquiry project worth 8% of my final grade. Our main topic is ... A: Different girl?? Again, first narrow your topic. The subject matter is very broad. Before you can ... | |
| Language Arts 9 Inquiry Project | 3/19/2010 |
| Q: I am currently working on an inquiry project in my Language Arts 9 class. The main topic is "I am ... A: Wow, that topic is huge!! I would break it down into something very small and specific. Even "How ... | |
| parts of speech and puctuation | 3/10/2010 |
| Q: the three cases of personal pronouns? A: The three forms of pronoun are subjective, objective and possessive. The different terms refer to ... | |
| English diagraming | 3/7/2010 |
| Q: How to diagram the following sentence? He looked on the cliff and near the shore. A: Diagramming in here is difficult to show you... You have the subject verb pretty straight ... | |
| adverbs | 2/16/2010 |
| Q: This sentence popped up in my daughter's gramar lesson and it is giving up trouble: The horse ... A: The sentence, while technically correct, is awkward. I would never write it that way. But ... | |
| Grammar | 1/26/2010 |
| Q: Is it grammatically incorrect to say, "Have a pleasant rest of your day," meaning "I hope the rest ... A: In the first sentence the subject verb is an implied YOU have...have what (direct object)...a ... | |
| Grammar | 12/16/2009 |
| Q: Dunes, My daughter needs help rewriting these sentences to correct the dangling and misplaced ... A: This is a very good question. 'Sitting on the telephone wire, he saw a meadowlark.' The base ... | |
| subject predicate | 11/11/2009 |
| Q: Help me help my child... what is the subject and predicate for these questions? Will you help me ... A: Sorry for the delay, I had some internet problems. This answer may come too late to help you, but ... | |
| concernning poetry and grammar | 9/6/2009 |
| Q: Good day, I am a second year student of English language and literature from Bosnia&Herzegovina, and ... A: I don't approve of doing people's home work for them and wished you had included your own ideas ... | |
| Play and poetry | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: i teach 8 and 9 class and wanted to stage a play on the annual day of the school.can u suggest some ... A: This site has a few environment skits ... | |
| Play and poetry | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: i teach 8 and 9 class and wanted to stage a play on the annual day of the school.can u suggest some ... A: Wow! That's a tough one...I was just reading that this is a new concept for plays acrually...here's ... | |
| Diagramming | 8/31/2009 |
| Q: My daughter and I were wanting some help diagramming the following sentences;Hiking the Appalachian ... A: I don't torture my students with this exercise! And I have a very hard time explaining it here where ... | |
| Play and poetry | 8/30/2009 |
| Q: i teach 8 and 9 class and wanted to stage a play on the annual day of the school.can u suggest some ... A: There are many good plays out there. Do you have a theme in mind? "Our Town" is great but features ... | |
| conservation of the sea's resources | 8/4/2009 |
| Q: I'm doing some own revision for my essays in my exams. The question is "How important is the ... A: The sea is most of the water on earth, which we cannot live without. It also provides food for many ... | |
| too little land | 8/3/2009 |
| Q: i)Can you give some clear examples, please? ii) what are suggestion & area of discussion on the ... A: I am not sure what you are asking me. Clearly the question refers to over population. Can I give ... | |
| Parts of speech and punctuation | 6/23/2009 |
| Q: What follows a linkig or action verb? A: This question is too vague. It depends on the verb and what you want to say. Generally, the verb ... | |
| English grammer | 6/13/2009 |
| Q: What is the difference between gather and collect? Please explain it with example. A: These are very close. The often can be used in the same sentence interchangably. But they do have ... | |
| Plagiarism? | 5/21/2009 |
| Q: =D Do you think I would ge tin trouble for it though because someone said that even if you use your ... A: I didn't see any direct quotes, I don't think...it's hard to tell going back and forth on the web ... | |
| Plagiarism? | 5/21/2009 |
| Q: =D Do you think I would ge tin trouble for it though because someone said that even if you use your ... A: Yes...if you say something close to what was originally written, you should put right into your ... | |
| Plagiarism? | 5/21/2009 |
| Q: If you have a report to do and you have to research articles online for it and you reword the ... A: I actually think this is pretty good for middle school. My comments are more about form than ... | |
| Plagiarism? | 5/20/2009 |
| Q: If you have a report to do and you have to research articles online for it and you reword the ... A: This depends a lot on your age and education level. If you are in fifth grade I would say okay and ... | |
| grammar | 5/5/2009 |
| Q: Hello, I have questions about grammar. My english book indicates that "some verbs have different ... A: I hope I understand what you need... When you say "I feel sad"...the word 'feel' means something ... | |
| English | 5/3/2009 |
| Q: i wanted to know the full form of a.m. And p.m with regard to time.also i wanted to know the ... A: a.m. stands for ante meridiem p.m. stands for post meridiem Clauses and phrases are both clusters ... | |
| Language Arts, Writing | 4/16/2009 |
| Q: 1. Under no circumstances buy swollen or leaking cans. 2. The food in a swollen or leaking can may ... A: Well question one is worded poorly but I'd say 3...something like "Under no circumstances should ... | |
| shurley english | 4/14/2009 |
| Q: please classify and label: He and I mailed postcards to our parents from camp. A: Okay...I have only slight knowledge of this method...but I think it should be (I don't know all the ... | |
| your email address | 4/9/2009 |
| Q: Duenas. I was trying to find your email address to send the pis from student of the month. please ... A: RaeAnn from where I actually work?? I am amazed you found me in here!! I won't post my e-mail or my ... | |
| Grammar/Diagramming | 4/7/2009 |
| Q: Help! How do you diagram the following: America declared itself free from British rule. I want to ... A: Oh I hate diagramming.... First the sentence is really written badly. A more correct way to say ... | |
| Need help figureing out parts of speech of a sentence | 3/25/2009 |
| Q: Some of my students have homework. i need to figure out if some is the subject or students is the ... A: Some is most often use as a pronoun...as in some like ice cream, but in this case it is being used ... | |
| Cheating? | 3/8/2009 |
| Q: Well I was taking a spelling test the other day and the guy behind me kept saying the answers to me ... A: As I said before...if you already knew the answers and were putting down what you knew...then no. ... | |
| Cheating? | 3/5/2009 |
| Q: What if Jenna and Jane are studying for a test. Jenna has already taken the test but is helping Jane ... A: No baby...always follow your heart. Talk to her. Your concern over this tells me a lot about the ... | |
| Cheating? | 3/5/2009 |
| Q: What if Jenna and Jane are studying for a test. Jenna has already taken the test but is helping Jane ... A: See...you already knew the answer. Knowing the question did not give you an advantage...you already ... | |
| Cheating? | 3/4/2009 |
| Q: What if Jenna and Jane are studying for a test. Jenna has already taken the test but is helping Jane ... A: I want to start by saying that if this bothers you, it means you are a good person. You are ... | |
| Heroism and Bean Field? | 2/27/2009 |
| Q: "Heroism" Heroism works in contradiction to the voice of mankind, and in contradiction, for a ... A: Okay...a few hints for you...but you have to write your own paper. :) The bottom is the more ... | |
| English | 2/23/2009 |
| Q: What is modern English??? A: Generally the term modern English refers to the contemporary form of the language that we speak now. ... | |
| english | 2/22/2009 |
| Q: Last but not least, the false friends, friends who act fact. I need help changing that fragment. A: I need more information about what this is and what you need to do with it. Usually a fragment is a ... | |
| Possesive form of noun | 2/11/2009 |
| Q: Are these sentences correct?? (1) Dennis's test scores improved dramatically. (2) The bobcat's ... A: Possessive form is actually a little complicated and not consistent in its rules. Regarding #1 and ... | |
| linking verbs | 1/19/2009 |
| Q: In the following sentence, is "grew" a linking verb or an action verb: The flower grew three ... A: I hate grammar. As an English teacher and someone who has an advanced degree in writing I really ... | |
| linking verbs | 1/17/2009 |
| Q: In the following sentence, is "grew" a linking verb or an action verb: The flower grew three ... A: A direct object is identified by asking the question 'who or what?' The flower grew who? The flower ... | |
| linking verbs | 1/17/2009 |
| Q: In the following sentence, is "grew" a linking verb or an action verb: The flower grew three ... A: The word grew suggests action. It is a thing that actually happens so it is an action verb. ... | |
| intergrated english | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: what are antonyms for over that is a 5 letter word and starts with U? and an antonym for war that ... A: I am not just going to give you answers because I am a teacher too and it is wrong not to help you ... | |
| subject-verb agreement | 12/16/2008 |
| Q: Please tell me the correct verb for the following sentence: Much of the land in the mountain states ... A: The land is suitable. The best way to know you are correct is to take out all the phrases and ... | |
| writing sentences using possessive form of the noun in parentheses and cicrling the simple subject | 12/4/2008 |
| Q: My 10 yr. old daughter is having trouble with this sentence Chester played to his (friends) ... A: To make friends possessive you put the apostrophe in the correct place. If there is only one friend ... | |
| Help with a specific sentence diagram | 11/3/2008 |
| Q: My sister and I are both stumped. Her husband was given the sentence "Are soldiers required to wear ... A: This is a nasty one! I hate diagramming! Soldiers is the subject, are is the linking verb...are ... | |
| confused????????? | 10/30/2008 |
| Q: I am learning about simple predicates and simple subjects in my class. But I don't understand ... A: The answer will not always be you or we...its just that maybe the practice sentences they gave you ... | |
| diagramming | 10/20/2008 |
| Q: Please help diagram the following sentences. By the end of the day, the scout troop had reached ... A: Diagramming assistance is practically impossible in here because I cannot diagram in this format. ... | |
| Diagramming Infinitives Used as Adverb Phrases | 9/30/2008 |
| Q: In this sentence: To do well on an exam, one should study the material over a period of several ... A: Yes, this infinitive phrase is an adverb because it tells why one should study. As for ... | |
| SAT Grammar | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: This is on page 660 #17 on the SAT OG Book. [Crossing and recrossing] the stream, stepping on or ... A: I understand your confusion about present and past...except that the path did grow in the past. It ... | |
| SAT Grammar | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: This question is on the SAT OG book page 661 # 28 [In] the United States, the industrial [use of] ... A: Just wanted to check on you. As an Mom and a teacher I am glad you took a break for the ... | |
| SAT Grammar | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: Hey again, this question is on the SAT OG book page 661 # 29 The dolls in the collection, [all] ... A: More than just means greater than... The dolls are more than two hundred years old, there are more ... | |
| SAT Grammar | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: This question is from The Official SAT Guide Book Page 601#7 [Whether the ancient Egyptians ... A: Yuck! I think C is the best of the lot... Yes, you can begin with 'that' but it is awkward and not ... | |
| SAT Grammar Page 480 #28 | 9/26/2008 |
| Q: :) The quality of multivitamin tablets [is determined] by [how long] [its] potency [can be ... A: Hmmmm... Well, it can be looked at two ways and I am not sure which is exactly perfectly right... ... | |
| SAT Grammar Page 480 #24 | 9/26/2008 |
| Q: Hey Debra, Thanks for answering my previous questions. You were a great help! The question this ... A: By putting 'since' at the beginning you are suggesting that something has happened because of the ... | |
| SAT Grammar Help | 9/24/2008 |
| Q: Hey, I have been working on the SAT again, and i came across this question. [Contrasting with] ... A: It's contrasted... This sentence is in what is called the passive voice. Whenever you have a ... | |
| SAT Grammar | 9/24/2008 |
| Q: I have been working on the SAT OG book and I don't get this question which is on page 417 #28. ... A: Yes...it is correct to say preoccupation with the history. I am not sure if there is a hard and ... | |
| Literature | 9/7/2008 |
| Q: In the most dangerous game, the short story, what is plot? Exposition, Rising action, climax, ... A: The exposition is the introductory part of a story that help you understand what you are going to ... | |
| Literature | 9/7/2008 |
| Q: In the most dangerous game, the short story, what is plot? Exposition, Rising action, climax, ... A: I haven't read this book lately so I can't give you the details. I have a problem with doing ... | |
| referencing | 7/9/2008 |
| Q: I'm doing a chapter analysis of a particular book - well comparing 2 chapters really. I've been ... A: In the bibliography, list the work only once. If you only reference the text once in citation in ... | |
| Tense? | 6/30/2008 |
| Q: What is : Future Semiconditionally Modified Subinverted Plagal Past Subjunctive Intentional A: I must assume this is a joke... Or you're testing my overall intelligence rather than my grammatical ... | |
| the letter h | 5/9/2008 |
| Q: .I am teaching English to 11 year old kids in Malaysia. While I can easily pronounce the hah sound ... A: Are you American or British and teaching English or Malaysian teaching English? This would really ... | |
| writing hints for 5 grader | 2/20/2008 |
| Q: I have a 5 grader who constantly struggled in LA since he was in first grade.i tried to help him at ... A: P.S. Send me an e-mail address and I will send you the guideline page I give fifth graders for ... | |
| Subject-Verb Agreement | 2/18/2008 |
| Q: I'm studying for the SAT, and my grammar is pretty decent.. However, I'm running into a little ... A: Subject verb agreement has to do with their status as singular or plural...they must agree. The dog ... | |
| correct comma usage | 2/16/2008 |
| Q: i had a debate with a student recently about the commas in the following sentence: The Leadership ... A: I can find no reference to this type of sentence in the writing rules of either the MLA or the APA. ... | |
| May i know about some grammer rules? | 11/19/2007 |
| Q: What is the differences between & how 2 use them -if i am -if i was -if i were ... A: Yes... 'if I was a bird' is technically past tense because you can't explain it until you already ... | |
| doubt regarding subject and predicate in interrogative sentences | 11/7/2007 |
| Q: Who can answer this question? What is your name? Whose pencil is this? Can you help me to find the ... A: To get the subject and predicate of a question is it best to locate the verb first. Usually once you ... | |
| language | 10/23/2007 |
| Q: I need to know the complete subject, the simple subject and the predicate in the following sentence; ... A: 'The singers in an opera' is the complete subject. It is what we are talking about. 'singers' is ... | |
| language arts for kids | 9/27/2007 |
| Q: states what the subject does, is, or has in a sentence. A: The subject is what you are talking about or referring to in any sentence. While they were out for ... | |
| Vocabulary | 9/17/2007 |
| Q: Which Of These Events might cause bedlam: a tornado destroys a neighborhood a bouquet of flowers ... A: Did you even try the dictionary?? I don't like giving answers to your homework questions if you ... | |
| more than less than | 9/7/2007 |
| Q: 60-40< 70-30 20+50> A: Your question is a little vague. Since this is the language arts area and not math, I assume that ... | |
| English | 2/14/2007 |
| Q: My son is diagramming a sentence for extra credit and we disagree on the correct way to do it. The ... A: First, my sincere apologies for responding so late you probably don't need the answer any more. I ... | |
| personification | 2/13/2007 |
| Q: Is "The lights were buzzing" personification? I say not because lights can actually buzz, and more ... A: First, I would like to apologize about the late answer. I know it is probably too late to be ... | |
| Help with finding right word | 1/3/2007 |
| Q: In a paper, I am describing a character from a book my class read. So far, I have described the ... A: Schemer is not really a good word. But scheming is. It means to be sneaky and plotting. Use the ... | |
| HELP ASAP! | 12/9/2006 |
| Q: Can u please help me reword most of this?this is a paper i wrote but i dont really like how its ... A: You don't like your paper because it has no structure. It is full of excellent information but that ... | |
| diagramming infinitives | 11/8/2006 |
| Q: How would you diagram the sentence: "I decided to go west."? -----Answer----- I hope I can explain ... A: Hmmmm... Yes, it could go that way...smart thinker! If you diagram it like that then it should ... | |
| diagramming infinitives | 11/7/2006 |
| Q: How would you diagram the sentence: "I decided to go west."? A: I hope I can explain a diagram here enough to help you. And, WOW, I hate sentence diagramming as ... | |
Debra Duenas
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer any questions on grammar and writing, creative writing, or literature. If you are doing it for your English or Language Arts class, I should be able to give you a hand. I can also help with poetry analysis.
Experience
I have taught 8th, 9th, and 10th grade English and Literature, and Communications. And, oddly, 7th grade Math! I am presently a school librarian.
Education/Credentials
BA in Secondary Education
BA in English
MFA in Creative Writing
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