As I mentioned in an earlier post, grammar is the last thing a student or the person helping her should worry about. Of course, correct glaring errors, but any work on grammar and sentence structure should be done at the very end. Think about it, if you and your child fight about commas, colons and semi colons (and you will fight about it) throughout a paragraph but then decide that the paragraph needs to be changed or added to later, you did all that work for nothing.

Instead of grammar, I suggest looking to sentence structure. The mark of an advanced writing shows in sentence variety. A basic sentence with one subject and one verb, in that order, may read like this: I had a sprained ankle. I still ran to catch the dog. However, if every sentence reads like this, the text becomes boring for the reader. Adding a dependent clause (with subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence) to the beginning breaks up the monotony: Although I had a sprained ankle, I still ran to catch the dog. In a fabulous book titled Image Grammar , experienced teacher XX offers five "brush strokes" to help students vary their sentences. Just as a painter uses different brush strokes to create depth and texture to a painting, a writer uses a variety of sentence structures and syntax. Here is a brief guide to get you started.

1. Participle Phrase: Throbbing from the pain , I realized I had a sprained ankle.
2. Appositive Phrase: My ankle, a twisted mess , was obviously sprained.
3. Absolute Phrase: Ankle throbbing , I realized I had hurt it badly.
4. Adjectives out of order: My ankle, throbbing and bruised , was obviously sprained.
5. Active verbs whenever possible and few "to be" verbs such as the following: is, was were, will be.