English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Pronoun-verb contractions
Pronoun-verb contractions
What you'll learn
- Identify instances of subject-verb disagreement in complex sentences with compound subjects and intervening phrases with 80% accuracy on a written assessment.
- Correct errors in subject-verb agreement in a provided paragraph, demonstrating understanding of singular and plural forms, collective nouns, and indefinite pronouns, with no more than two errors.
- Apply knowledge of subject-verb agreement rules to construct five grammatically correct sentences using varied sentence structures, including at least one sentence with an inverted subject and verb.
- Explain the rationale behind subject-verb agreement rules, including exceptions related to collective nouns and amounts, in a short written response demonstrating comprehension of the core concept.
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify pronoun-verb contractions in sentences.
Define a pronoun-verb contraction and explain the role of the apostrophe.
Form a correct contraction from a given pronoun and verb (e.g., 'we are' becomes 'we're').
Expand a contraction into the two words it represents (e.g., 'he'll' becomes 'he will').
Correctly use pronoun-verb contractions in their own writing.
Differentiate between common homophones like 'it's'/'its' and 'they're'/'their'.
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In this lesson, you'll discover how to combine pronoun...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
ContractionA shortened form of two words. An apostrophe (') is used to take the place of the missing letter or letters.The words 'do not' can be shortened to the contraction 'don't'.
PronounA word that takes the place of a noun (a person, place, or thing).I, you, he, she, it, we, they
VerbA word that shows an action or a state of being.is, are, will, have, would
Pronoun-Verb ContractionA specific type of contraction made by joining a pronoun and a verb together.The pronoun 'she' and the verb 'is' join to become the contraction 'she's'.
ApostropheThe punctuation mark (') used in contractions to show where letters have been removed.In 'we're', the apostrophe takes the place of the lett...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Apostrophe Placement Rule
Pronoun + ' + shortened verb
The apostrophe always goes exactly where the letter or letters have been taken out of the verb. For 'you are', the 'a' is removed, so the apostrophe goes in its place to make 'you're'.
The 'will' and 'would' Rule
For 'will', remove 'wi' and add ''ll'. For 'would', remove 'woul' and add ''d'.
This rule applies to most pronouns. 'He will' becomes 'he'll'. 'They would' becomes 'they'd'.
The 'is' and 'are' Rule
For 'is', remove 'i' and add ''s'. For 'are', remove 'a...
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Challenging
Read the passage: 'They're excited for the class party. Their teacher said it will be fun. They need to bring their snacks and put them over there.' Which part of the passage could be rewritten using a new pronoun-verb contraction?
A.Their teacher said...
B....it will be fun.
C.They need to bring...
D....put them over there.
Challenging
A student wants to combine 'she would'. Based on the contraction rules, which is the correct contraction and why?
A.'She'd', because the rule is to remove 'woul' and add ''d'.
B.'She'll', because the rule is to remove 'wou' and add ''ll'.
C.'Sh'ould', because the apostrophe replaces the first letter of the pronoun.
D.'She'would', because you only need to add an apostrophe between the words.
Challenging
Complete the sentence with the correct pair of words: 'You're sure _____ not going to forget _____ coats when you go over _____?'
A.their, they're, there
B.there, their, they're
C.they're, their, there
D.they're, there, their
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Frequently asked questions
What grade level is "Pronoun-verb contractions"?
Pronoun-verb contractions is a Grade 4 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Pronoun-verb contractions?
You'll be able to: Identify instances of subject-verb disagreement in complex sentences with compound subjects and intervening phrases with 80% accuracy on a written assessment; Correct errors in subject-verb agreement in a provided paragraph….
Is "Pronoun-verb contractions" free to practice?
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How many practice questions are included with Pronoun-verb contractions?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.