An Example of Satirical Genius

1. Young Frankenstein, a 1974 movie from Mel Brooks, spoofs the novel of almost the same name by Mary Shelley.
2. Madeline Kahn, one of the actors in the movie, was born on this day in 1942.
3. Sadly, she died in 1999 due to ovarian cancer at the age of 57.
4* A comedic genius, Madeline also sang opera and appeared on television.

Parts of Speech & Grammar
This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases 
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.

Punctuation
Here is where you find the seven rules for commas. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.

Literary Terms
This is the definition of irony
This is the definition of 'schools of criticism.'
This is the definition of satire
This is the definition of plot structure.
This is the definition of symbolism

University of Texas, Austin- Be safe.

1. At 7:15 am, an "active shooting incident" took place at the University of Texas in Austin.
2. This is not the first such incident at UTA.
3. Charles Whitman, 25-year-old ex-Marine sniper, went up the bell-tower on campus with several guns and some sandwiches.
4* Fourteen people, innocent passers-by on campus, died at the hands of this psycho in 1966.

 

Parts of Speech & Grammar
This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases 
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.

Punctuation
Here is where you find the seven rules for commas. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.

Literary Terms
This is the definition of irony
This is the definition of 'schools of criticism.'
This is the definition of satire
This is the definition of plot structure.
This is the definition of symbolism

Literary Term of the Day: SATIRE

Definition of Satire

1. Steven Colbert, master of satire, testified before Congress on September 24, 2010.
2. Many Congressmen on both sides of the aisle found Colbert's testimony "inappropriate" and "a waste of time."
3. Colbert, coiner of the word "truthiness," gets more trust from the American people than most serious newscasters.
4. Migrant pickers in Arizona are a common sight alongside fields.

Parts of Speech & Grammar
This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases   
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.  

Punctuation
Here is where you find the seven rules for commas. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.  

Literary Terms
This is the definition of irony
This is the definition of 'schools of criticism.'
This is the definition of satire
This is the definition of plot structure.
This is the definition of symbolism

In Memoriam- Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel

1. On this day in 1991, Dr. Seuss died at the age of 87.
2. Along with children's books, Dr. Seuss created political cartoons during World War Two.
3. The first book I ever read, Hop on Pop, holds a special place in my heart.
4* I read the whole book to my mom and I was almost three at the time.

Parts of Speech & Grammar
This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases   
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.  

Punctuation
Here is where you find the seven rules for commas. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.

English Teachers Fighting for their Mother Tongue

1. On Friday, we will tackle the mysteries of the comma.
2. Today's videos highlight the spazzitude and dorkosity of English teachers in general, and me in particular. :)
What is it about these words that makes them nouns, even if I totally made them up (which I did)?
3. However, after Friday, your "R5 checklist" had best include commas.
4. Commas, those ants at the syntax picnic, give vital meaning to sentences.


 











Parts of Speech & Grammar
This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases   
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.  

Punctuation
Here is where you find the seven rules for commas. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links.

Dogs are hilarious.

1. W.C. Fields may have disliked dogs on his movie sets, but he never saw dogs with this much training.
2. Ms Wilson, the birthday girl, thinks of my dogs as useless plushies.
3. Holly, my Boston Terrier, killed a mousie and brought it to me yesterday.
4* Mr. Bobo, my other Bostie, can dance a jig.

 



This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases   
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.

Oh, and one more thing...

Quotation marks are NOT welcome unless one is quoting another. I mean it!

And so the hunt to kill the passive voice begins.

1. Today's video is deeply sarcastic, and contains bad advice in regards to essay-writing.
2. We will identify the passive voice today, and strive to step on its head.
3. The Rule of Five is getting a new club-member today.
4* Passive voice, that bloater of your essays, has become persona non grata as of this final draft. 

This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases   
This is the passive voice. Fix it, it's all Rule of Five now.

This man should have never died, even if he's immortal.

1. Freddy Mercury, lead singer of Queen, died in 1991 of AIDS.
2. Freddy, a Persian born in 1946, sang with a voice of angelic quality.
3. In 1985 at Live-Aid, Queen's performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody," the band's most famous anthem, rocked the planet.
4* Sacha Baron Cohen, he of Borat fame, will play Mercury in an upcoming biopic. 

Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat

This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases 

To touch the soil that birthed me gives me strenth.... O New York...

1. The smell of New York City is a particular combination of exhaust, hot dogs, and urine.
2. Upon my return, I always stand in Union Square and sniff the air in rapture.
3. Union Square, a park on 14th Street, offers art and food and shopping to all and sundry.
4* St. Mark's Place, a block of East 8th Street, is home to the best shoe department on the planet.

This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases 

Don't Even Ask Me About The San Juan Airport.

1. Airlines, a soulless branch of corporate America, usually charge money for checked bags.
2. This practice, a form of price-gouging, costs about 25 dollars a bag.
3. The guy in today's video, a packing maven, learned the technique from his mama. (Original video removed b/c of copyrighted soundtrack issues. Lame!)
4* Backpacks, those versatile staples, have a variety of uses.


This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases

America's Infrastructure

1. "Infrastructure" refers to highways, bridges, and other constructions.
2. We need these building projects for America's continued daily life.
3. Without maintenance, bridges and gas-lines deteriorate and cause tragedies.
4* President Obama's proposed package would give money for repair of the infrastructure. 



This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases

Book Burning is Still Bad

1. General Petraeus expressed concern this week over The Dove Church's planned Quran-burning event on September 11.
2. The troops overseas may suffer backlash from outraged Muslims.
3. This national attention and concern may have given a reason for backing down.
4* This whole controversy, a snapshot of America's turmoil, gives food for thought. 

 The first video of today is about a soldier's concerns over backlash against our troops.

This video gives us the most current state of affairs as things stand on Friday morning.



This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases

MMMMMmm Bwaains....

1. A college in Maryland is offering "Zombies 101" as a class.
2. America's fascination with the undead, a well-documented obsession, has lead to a zillion films.
3. Resident Evil in 3D is SO on my agenda this weekend.
4* Zombies, the walking undead, eat brains for dinner.

I want to take this class!



This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases

Burning Books is a Bad Thing To Do

This is what book burning looks like today. Click here to see what it looked like then.

 An interesting opinion on the climate towards Islam today has been posted on Huffingtonpost.com

1. Some folks will use September 11th as a day of intolerance.
2. Their choice, one I would never make, distresses me.
3. We are all in this together.
4*. Each religion on Earth is a valid faith.


This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases

RIP Bonnie Blue Butler

The actress who played Rhett & Scarlett's daughter in Gone With The Wind died yesterday.

1. Gone With The Wind gave audiences a white-washed slice-of-life of the antebellum South.

2. The only other living star of GWTW is Olivia de Havilland, who at 94 lives in France.

3. The racism in the movie is a part of its time and place, and gives sociological perspective on the growth of America.

4. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh burned the screen.









This is how you find the subject of a sentence.
This is how you find the verb.
This is how you find the direct object.
This is what a predicate nominative is.
This is what an implied subject is.
This is the adjective scale of intensity. 
This is an appositive. 
These are prepositional phrases