Lesson 8: Changing "Is" and "Are" - Teacher Answer Key & Explanatory Guide

Two-Way Morphological Concord: Understand that altering the verb from is ↔ are mandates reciprocal change in the noun (singular ↔ plural).
Orthographic Regularities: Master standard plural formation (-s) and the sibilant rule (-es after -ch as in peaches, and reduction of dresses → dress).
Punctuation Integrity: Preserve terminal punctuation (period for statements 1–4, question mark for questions 5–8).

Dual-Arrow Modeling: On the board, draw arrows from is → are and pencil → pencils simultaneously.
"Peach" & "Dress" Spotlight: Explicitly review nouns ending in sibilant sounds (-ch, -ss) taking -es.
Capitalization Verification: Ensure questions 5–8 open with capitalized Is.

#	Correct Transformed Sentence	Morphological & Grammatical Core	Teacher Evaluation Notes
1	The pencils are sharp.	Singular → Plural (pencil → pencils; is → are)	Both noun and verb must be pluralized; terminal period (.).
2	The peaches are sweet.	Spelling shift (peach → peaches with -es; is → are)	Key orthography check: award credit only if spelled peaches.
3	The lamps are bright.	Singular → Plural (lamp → lamps; is → are)	Verify plural noun-verb concord; period at end.
4	The pictures are large.	Singular → Plural (picture → pictures; is → are)	Verify spelling of pictures; plural verb are.
5	Is the hat old?	Plural → Singular Question (Are → Is; hats → hat)	Capital Is; singular hat; question mark (?).
6	Is the flower red?	Plural → Singular Question (Are → Is; flowers → flower)	Capital Is; singular flower; question mark (?).
7	Is the dress new?	Base noun recovery (dresses → dress; Are → Is)	Verify base singular spelling dress (double 's'); question mark.
8	Is the table broken?	Plural → Singular Question (Are → Is; tables → table)	Capital Is; singular table; terminal question mark (?).

Morphological Spelling Notes: The "-es" Rule

Adding -es to Words Ending in Sibilants:
• When a noun ends in ch, sh, s, ss, x, we add -es:
peach → peaches

Removing -es to Return to Singular:
• When reducing plural -es back to singular:
dresses → dress (maintain the double 's')

Partial Transformation: Changing only the verb (*The pencil are sharp*). Remind child: "If you invite are, you must invite more than one pencil!"
Spelling Error on 'peach': Writing *peach's* or *peachs*. Review the *-es* sound (/ɪz/).
Punctuation Confusion: Putting a question mark on statement 1–4, or a period on question 5–8.

Subject-Verb Agreement (is ↔ are) 4 pts (0.5 pt × 8)

Noun Number Transformation (singular ↔ plural) 3 pts

Orthography (-es on peaches, dress) 1 pt

Mechanics (Capitalization & . / ?) 2 pts