Dailies II

THIS IS A CLASS SET: DO NOT WRITE ON THIS SHEET!

DO NOT MANGLE OR DESTROY THIS SHEET IN ANY WAY!

Read the passage, take the appropriate notes, and answer the following questions
about it. Please write all of your answers in complete sentences in your Dailies
Portfolio. Your job is to read the passage and complete the notes/questions by the
end of the week; you will be tested in this information in the near future. Please use
your time wisely!

Passage:
My dad’s stubbornness ate away at my mom’s soul. He never wanted to do
anything my mom suggested or said to do. She had shackles on her feet, was a prisoner
in her own home. She wanted to know what happened to a love she once knew.
The parents of my neighbors, Jerry and Dana, went though the same thing. We
never kept secrets from each other—best friends to the end—so they told me all the
things to look out for in case my parents were thinking of getting a divorce. I’d know I
was in trouble when words like “separating” and “time to think” and “finding myself”
started floating around the house. Another sign, according to them, was if there is extra
space in my parents’ closet or suitcases with clothes in them.
Friday, I had always loved Friday. But not this Friday. This Friday turned out to be
the most disquieting day of my life. All the signs that I was afraid of came true. There
were bags with my dad’s clothes in them and extra space in their closet... (Neil
Greenridge, from “Lost Love”)

I. Reading Comprehension: Write the letter that corresponds with the

correct answer, or answer any open response questions in complete
sentences.

1. Which statement is most likely true?

a. The author’s mom is leaving her husband and the family.
b. The author’s mom and dad once had a stronger relationship.
c. Jerry and Dana’s parents are still married.
d. Jerry and Dana are compassionate adults whom the author can lean on.

2. Why does the author say that “Friday turned out to be the most disquieting day of
my life”?
a. Friday has always been a fun day.
b. Friday is the end of the week.
c. Friday was the day his dad left.
d. Friday was the day he learned the signs of divorce.

II. Literary Elements & Devices: First, write down (word-for-word) the
definitions and/or notes in the box. Then, answer the questions/prompts
in complete sentences. When you are finished, draw a blue box around
this section.

Metaphor: comparing two unlike things without the use of “like” or “as”
Explicit Metaphor: uses a “be” verb (for example: am, is, are, was, were, be,
being, been)
 Example: Her hair was a halo of sunshine. (compares her hair to sunshine)
Implicit Metaphor: implied rather than stated—does not use a “be” verb
Example: His icy blue eyes pierced mine. (compares his eyes to ice)

3. Quote one example of a metaphor in this piece. Is it explicit or implicit? How do

you know?

4. This passage contains no dialogue; however, as we discussed last week, dialogue

can really improve a narrative. Write a minimum of five lines of dialogue that
could fit into this passage. Be true to the characters!

III. Vocabulary: First, write down (word-for-word) the definitions and/or

notes in the box. Then, respond to the questions/prompts in complete
sentences. When you are finished, draw a yellow box around this
section.

shackles (noun): metal bands used to hold prisoners; restraints

disquieting (adjective): causing a feeling of anxiety, uneasiness, or nervousness;
worrying

5. Is the word shackles used literally or metaphorically in this passage? How can you
tell? Write a literal sentence using the word shackles; then write a metaphorical
sentence using the word shackles.

6. Write an original context sentence using the word disquieting. (Remember: a

context sentence is a sentence that proves you understand the meaning of the
word!)

IV. Grammar: First, write down (word-for-word) the definitions and/or

notes in the box. Then, respond to the questions/prompts in complete
sentences. When you are finished, draw a green box around this section.

Sentence: a group of words, phrases, and/or clauses that contains a subject and a verb, has a
punctuation mark at the end, and makes sense all by itself. (Phrases are in Underlined,
Independent Clauses are Bold, and dependant are Italic.)
*A sentence may contain a phrase, but a phrase can never stand alone as a
complete sentence
(In a flash, she realized that the tofu had been underneath her chair all
along.)
*A sentence always contains at least one clause, but a clause (by itself) is
not always a sentence
(If you're very sweet to me, I'll let you see my collection of exotic tofu
sculptures.)
*A single sentence may contain multiple words, phrases, and clauses
(After midnight, Egbert's mother was on the roof dancing with a Ukranian
bullfighter, because neither of them were ready for bed.)

7. “My dad’s stubbornness ate away at my mom’s soul.” Is this group of words a
complete sentence? How do you know for sure? Explain.
8. Choose any other complete sentence from the passage. Write it down. What is
the subject? What is the verb?

V. Writing: Respond to the prompt, keeping in mind all of the

instructions. Do your very best writing! Put some effort into this
section!

9. The author writes about “signs” of divorce. Write at least eight sentences about
“Signs of _______.” Your tone does not have to be the same as the author’s. You
might want to experiment with a humorous tone. (For example, “The signs of too
much text-messaging are very clear. First, if your friends say T-T-Y-L when they
walk away, you know the texting language has infiltrated their brains….”)