88
Beginning Writing 2
• Saddleback Publishing, Inc. © 2001 • Three Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone: (888) 735-2225 • Fax: (888) 734-4010 • www.sdlback.com
NAME DATE
 
SPELLING: P
OSSESSIVES
Nouns that show ownership are called
possessives.
Different kinds of
nouns are made possessive in the following ways:
•To singular nouns, add an apostrophe (’) and an
s
.
EXAMPLE:

the cat’s collar
•To plural nouns ending in
s
, add only an apostrophe.
EXAMPLE:

the students’ lunchboxes
•To plural nouns that do not end in
s
, add an
apostrophe and an
s.
EXAMPLE:

the geese’s flight path

89
NAME DATE
 
SPELLING: S
AME
S
OUND
/D
IFFERENT
M
EANING
Watch out for
homonyms
. These are words that
sound the same, but are spelled differently and have
different meanings. Writers must be sure to write
the word that fits the meaning of their sentence.
EXAMPLE:
HOMONYMS
: bear
/
bare
The
bear
caught fish in the river.
In wintertime, the trees are
bare
of leaves.
A.
Circle the correct homonym in each pair. Use a dictionary if you need help.

Careless writers often misuse these common homonyms:
its
/
it’s their
/
they’re
/
there your
/
you’re two
/
to
/
too
On the back of this sheet, write 10 original sentences. Use one of the
above homonyms in each sentence.
wave
waive
90
Beginning Writing 2
• Saddleback Publishing, Inc. © 2001 • Three Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone: (888) 735-2225 • Fax: (888) 734-4010 • www.sdlback.com
NAME DATE
 
SPELLING: C
APITALIZATION
I
Use a capital letter to:
•begin the first word of a sentence.
EXAMPLE:


Febold painted a sign on his wagon. (7)“Traveler’s Friend Warming
Company,” the letters read. “Get your hot sand here!” Febold shouted
to the travelers. Before the end of (8)December, Febold had sold
every grain. Not only was Febold wealthy, but on (9)Valentine’s Day
(10)President Zachary Taylor named him Nebraska’s man of the year!
1. _____________________________________________________________________
Tale – capitalized because it is part of the story title.
Saddleback Publishing, Inc. © 2001 • Three Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone: (888) 735-2225 • Fax: (888) 734-4010 • www.sdlback.com •
Beginning Writing 2
91
NAME DATE
 
SPELLING: C
APITALIZATION
II: P
ROPER
A
DJECTIVES
Proper adjectives
are descriptive words formed from proper nouns.
EXAMPLE:
The president stood before the American flag.
That vase is a beautiful example of Chinese art.
A proper adjective is always capitalized. The noun that follows
it is not capitalized unless it is a proper noun.
EXAMPLE:
The children will gather Easter eggs on Easter Sunday.
A.
Underline the proper adjective in each sentence.
1. I’ve found that Sparkle toothpaste whitens my teeth.

1. To make gravy, the chef stirred a
mixchure of flour and broth.
2. To many cooks can spoil the soup.
4. Don’t cut off you’re nose to spite
your face!
5. It is better to give than to recieve.
7. Time is a terribel thing to waste.
8. I wish I had a
nickle to buy a pickle!
11. “That was the last straw!”
she exclamed.
13. Abe Lincoln described a
goverment “of the people, by
the people, and for the people.”
15. The son was hiding behind a
dark cloud.
SPELLING: R
EVIEW
P
UZZLE
First find and circle the misspelled word in each clue. Then use the correct
spelling of each word to solve the crossword puzzle.
ACROSS
3. In 1721, the most
common English
words were first
defined in a dictionery.
6. Shall we cook at home
or go out to a restrant?
9. The gooses flew south in

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