EF 2 3 4 Example paragraph

     My grandmother had a very beautiful face even when she was old. She kept her hair carefully-styled in a short updo. She dyed her hair light blue. Her eyes were also blue, a robin's-egg blue. Her eyes always sparkled, especially when she was gossiping about her friends. Her cheeks were very pale and wrinkled; however, she wore too much rouge after she started to go blind. Her mouth was always going as she was a real chatterbox. She had laugh lines around her mouth because she smiled a lot in her life. You can see that she was a very elegant woman with a great face.

5/5 Great job!


My grandmother had a beautiful face. She had nice hair. She dyed her hair light blue. Her eyes were also blue. Her eyes were bright and warm. Her cheeks were white and wrinkled. She liked to wear makeup. Her mouth was always moving because she loved to talk. She had laugh lines around her mouth. She smiled a lot. She was a very elegant woman.

5/5 Great job! EF2

EF 2 3 4 Paragraph

TOPIC SENTENCE- topic, controlling idea
SPECIFIC, CLEAR

Vancouver is a great place to be in the summer.

SUPPORTING IDEAS
- weather, sunny, warm, not too hot, less rain
- scenery, Northshore mountains, ex. the Lions, 
- activities, hiking- Gross Mountain, Dog Mountain, Cypress Mountain, biking-Seawall, Stanley Park, English Bay beach

PLAN

ROUGH COPY

     Vancouver is a great place to be in the summer. 

First of all, the weather in summer in Vancouver 

is usually excellent. It is often sunny and warm 

with little rain. Secondly, there is lots of scenery 

to enjoy. For example, you can look at the 

Northshore mountains such as the Lions and 

Mount Seymour; also, there are lots of wildlife 

that you can see under the clear blue skies. 

Finally, you can be active in the city. You can bike 

around Stanley Park, or go swimming at English 

Bay or Kitsilano Beach. Also, you can go for a 

leisurely walk in any of the hundreds of parks in 

the city. Vancouver is definitely the place to be in 

the summer, and thousands of tourists would 

agree.


TOPIC SENTENCE
3-4 POINTS
CONCLUDING SENTENCE

EF2 3 4 be/have hyphenated adjectives

Robert has there kids. GOOD

Robert have three kids. NO GOOD

She has fifty seven cats in her house.

S+V

Fifty seven cats are in her house.

I have a puppy.
The puppy is mine.

He is/ He has
She is/ She has
It is/ It has

My house is/has one bathroom.
There is one bathroom in my house.

Her car has four doors.
Her car is a four-door.

The class is three hours.
This is a three-hour class.

Her son is seven years old.
Her son is a seven-year-old (boy).

The coffee costs three dollars.
It is a three-dollar coffee.

- hyphen

We watched a two hours movie. NO GOOD 
We watched a  movie which was two hours.
We watched a movie for two hours.
We watched a two-hour movie.
She went on a five-day vacation.
- no S

She is a 190-cm-tall swimmer.

The American volleyball player was 6' 10".

EF 2 3 4 adjective clauses

1. He likes coffee that is sweet.
The coffee that she made was delicious.
The coffee that you gave me was very interesting.
My student gave me coffee that is from Indonesia.

civet cats

2. The college which she wants to go to is in Toronto.
The college which she goes to is in Toronto.
She studies at Langara which is a college in Vancouver.
3.Laura is my friend who is visiting me this summer.
Laura who is visiting me this summer is my friend.

4. She did very poorly in the math test (that she took yesterday).

We loved the painting that she painted for us.

I listened to the things that she said.

You never listen to the things that I say.

He thought about that things that he learned in class.

The river who goes past my house is fast. NO GOOD

Your grandmother, who swims in the river every day, is fit as a fiddle. One grandma

EF234 Try it Yourself sentence combining

1. The girl won the race who is happy. NO GOOD
The girl who is happy won the race . GOOD
The girl who won the race is happy. GOOD

A BIT DIFFERENT IN FOCUS
The girl who is happy won the race .
The girl who won the race is happy.

My sister who just had a baby is 27. MAIN CLAUSE IS IMPORTANT
My sister who is 27 just had a baby. BETTER FOCUS

WRITING STYLE

2. The student who sits next to me is from China.

She is happy because it is a nice day.
It is a nice day, so she is happy.

STYLE- HIGH LEVEL

3. The taxi driver took me to the airport because he was friendly. NOT TRUE

The taxi driver who was friendly took me to the airport.

The taxi driver who took me to the airport was friendly.
STYLE- EMPHASIS, WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT

4. I am running late, so I have to skip breakfast.
I have to skip breakfast because I am running late.

5. The dog is cute. The dog is wagging his tail.
The dog that is wagging his tail is cute.
The cute dog is wagging his tail.

EF234 sent comb

1. Linda made a great dish that was spicy and had seafood in it. LONG, NOT BEAUTIFUL
Linda made a great seafood dish that was spicy.
MORE COMPACT
Linda made a great spicy seafood dish. GOOD
Linda made a spicy seafood dish that was great.
The spicy seafood dish that Linda made was great.
2. I have to do the laundry, make the beds, and clean the living room, too.
3. Bob received a letter from his parents in Miami.
4. We are going to the station to meet my brother at nine o'clock.
At nine o'clock, we are going to the station to meet my brother.
We are going to meet my brother in the station at nine o'clock.
5. Ken, Laura and Ed are good typists.
6. I'm sending a package of books and magazines to my sister who lives in Columbia.
I'm sending a package that are has some books and magazines to my sister who lives in Columbia.

There are some books and magazines in the package (that OMIT I'm sending to my sister) (who lives in Columbia).

She bought a new car (that has a stereo) (that gets satellite radio).

The package has books and magazines in it.

to be/ to have

7. When the weather clears, let's take the train and go to the beach.
When the weather clears, let's take the train to the beach.
Let's go to the beach by train when the weather clears.
Let's take the train to the beach when the weather clears.

8. Jeff is a hard worker; in fact, he works in the sales department ten hours a day.
Jeff, who works ten hours a day in the sales department, is a hard worker.
Jeff, who works in the sales department, is a hard worker; in fact, he works ten hours a day.
Jeff, who works in the sales department, is a hard worker; in fact, he works ten hours a day.
9. Since the weather was terrible, we didn't have a picnic and or play ball either.

We played ball and had a picnic.
We didn't play ball or have a picnic.

You can have a sandwich and soup. 2 things
You can have a sandwich or soup. 1 thing
You can't have a sandwich or soup. 0 things

10. I'm going to wear the warm red sweater that my sister made for me.
I'm going to wear the warm red sweater which my sister made it for me.
The car (that I bought it) is old.


I'm going to wear the warm red sweater; my sister made it for me.

My sister made a red sweater for me; it is warm, so I'm going to wear it.


VARIETY OF STYLES- DIFFERENT TYPES OF SENTENCES

There are different types/styles/varieties of apples.

EF234 adjective clauses

who ran
The kids who ran in the park were having fun.
The dog ran after a cat that was scared.

that city
The city that I was born in is a big city.
The city that I live in is Burnaby.

which highway
The highway which is next to my home is #1.
I take the Sea-to-Sky Highway which goes to Squamish.

My sister who has a physical disability is very active.

that raise
I got a raise that was very small.
We raise chickens that we sell to customers.

raise/ rise

raise- lift
rise- go up by itself
I raise my hand.
The balloon rises to the ceiling.
The sun rises in the east.
I am raising five children.
We raise a Canadian flag every morning.
The Canadian flag is raised every morning. PASSIVE VOICE

OMIT money
She gave the money that she earned to her sister.

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!!

EF234 Sentence Combining

What style of sentence are you writing? SIMPLE, COMPOUND, COMPLEX
STICK TO THESE MODELS
1. You should dress warmly because it's getting very cold. COMPLEX- ADV CL
Because it's getting very cold, you should dress warmly.
It's getting very cold, so you should dress warmly.

COMPOUND

2. Carla came to the party, but Rick didn't. COMPOUND

Carla came to the party, so Rick didn't. COMPOUND

Rick didn't come to the party; however, Carla did.

3. I'm taking some time off in July because it will be warmer then. COMPLEX

4. The children who were tired I put to bed. NOT ENGLISH

I put the children who were tired to bed. ENGLISH

The children who were tired were put to bed. PASSIVE VOICE VERB

5. Both Connie and Sandra both go to school at night. 'Both' can go in either places.

Both of them/ Both Joe and Mike

Both of us/ Both you and I

6. I'd like some milk and sugar in my coffee, please.

7. The young thief was charged as a juvenile. SIMPLE

The thief was young, so she was charged as a juvenile. COMPOUND

The thief was charged as a juvenile because she was young. COMPLEX- ADV CL

The thief who was charged as a juvenile was young. COMPLEX- ADJ CL

The thief who was young was charged as a juvenile. COMPLEX- ADJ CL

8. Jack, who always helps me, is a good friend.

COMPLEX- ADJ CL

Jack always helps me and is a good friend. SIMPLE

Jack is a good friend because he always helps me. COMPLEX- ADV CL

Jack is a good friend, so he always helps me. COMPOUND

Jack always helps me, so he is a good friend.

COMPOUND

Jack always helps me; therefore, he is a good friend.

COMPOUND

9. I'll call you before I leave this evening. SIMPLE

I'll call you before this evening because I am leaving. COMPLEX- ADV CL

Because I am leaving this evening, I'll call you before I go. COMPLEX- ADV CL

I am going to leave this evening; therefore, I will call you before I leave. COMPOUND

10. We're going to the factory where Greg works.

We're going to the factory because Greg works there.

We're going to the factory that Greg works in.

EF234 verb tenses

While Barbara was putting in her contact lenses, the telephone rang/was ringing.

While Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone is ringing.

We will go if you will be are free. ADVERB CLAUSE- NO FUTURE TENSE

6. I was very mad at my sister because she was rude.

I am very mad at my sister because she was rude.

I have been very mad at my sister because she was rude.

I am very mad at my sister because she is rude.

CHANGING VERB TENSES CHANGES THE MEANING

10. The boy said that he would drink the juice. SUGGESTS PAST TENSE

The boy said that he will drink the juice.

I said that I will pick you up at the airport.

I said that I will pick you up at the airport next Friday at 3PM.

B

1. She is a patient person, so she will listen to you.

She is a patient person, so she will not get angry easily.

2. The dog is cute.

The dog is playing with a ball.

The dog barks at the mailman letter carrier.

3. After the fog lifted, the sun came out.

After the fog lifted, the sun was shining.

4. We will leave for Calgary as soon as we can.

leave from = leave

leave for = go towards

5. The youngest student is her son.

The youngest student is the top student.

6. Yesterday, our track team

a track meet= running race

100m dash

marathon 40k- Kenya, the Rift Valley

7. Before the carpenter builds a wall, he always takes a measurement.

Before the carpenter builds a wall, he always measures twice.

“Measure twice, cut once.”

Before the doctor sees a patient, she will read her medical history/ chart.

When the letter arrived, she was excited.

When the letter arrived, he read it out loud.

EF234 adjective clauses

1.   John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, was the youngest president in US history. TWO COMMAS OR NO COMMAS, NOT JUST ONE

2.   The pizzeria, which we ate yesterday, served expensive food. NO GOOD

The pizzeria, where we ate yesterday, served expensive food.

Marcello’s Pizzeria & Ristorante, 1404 Commercial Drive

3. My dog died yesterday, which made me very sad.

4. Sunday is the day when I sleep in late.

          Sunday is the day that I sleep in late.

5. Great went to the mall without me, which was not a nice thing to do.

6. Marta is the type of boss who is easy to work with.

7. Salmon is a meal that I love.

8. Alexabder Ovechkin, who is an excellent hockey player, comes from Russia.

9. Pizza, which is inexpensive, is my favourite food. GOOD TASTE

Pizza which is inexpensive is my favourite food. CHEAP

10.Joe’s sister lives in Paris, which is the capital of France.

,XXXX, EXTRA INFORMATION, INTERESTING BUT NOT NECESSARY

I would never marry a person who smokes and drinks too much.

My brother bought a dog that is black and white.

The doctor who treated me was from Pakistan.

She will never forget the day that she got a promotion.

She will never forget the day when she got a promotion.

Rosa fell in love with the man whose brother works in Gino’s restaurant.

whose- have

The boy whose bicycle was stolen was sad. BOY OWNS BICYCLE

Elephants, that which eat plants and bushes, are the largest animals in the world. WHY ‘WHICH’ TO TALK ABOUT ALL ELEPHANTS? I DON’T KNOW YET.

Last month, my brother bought a car which cost $12000.

Nestor met a woman who wrote two books.

The ring that Josie gave (to) her daughter was made of cubic zirconium, not real diamonds.

Hank Crowley wore a jacket which had black and white stripes.