To correct the letter, we need to look for three things:
1.
Capital letters: Used for names of people (Carlos, Benny, Sean, Pedro), places (East Harlem, New Jersey), brands (Schwinn, Dell), holidays (Christmas), and the first word of every sentence. Also, the word "I" is always capitalized.
2.
Apostrophes: Used in contractions (words like *isn't*, *didn't*) and to show possession (like *Benny's* bike).
3.
Commas: Used after the greeting in a letter and often before connecting words like "but" or "and" when joining two complete thoughts.
Here is the step-by-step correction:
*
"Dear Carlos" → Needs a comma at the end:
Dear Carlos,
*
"It isnt really new." → "isnt" needs an apostrophe:
It isn't really new.
*
"It used to be Bennys bike," → "Bennys" shows the bike belongs to Benny, so it needs an apostrophe:
It used to be Benny's bike,
*
"schwinn" → This is a brand name, so capitalize it:
Schwinn
*
"joes bike shop" → "Joe" is a name (needs capital J) and the shop belongs to him (needs apostrophe):
Joe's bike shop
*
"east harlem" → This is a specific place name, so capitalize both words:
East Harlem.
*
"christmas" → Holidays are proper nouns, so capitalize it:
Christmas,
*
"didnt" → Needs an apostrophe:
didn't
*
"Wasnt" → Needs an apostrophe and is the start of a sentence (already capitalized, but check punctuation):
Wasn't
*
"new jersey" → This is a state name, so capitalize both words:
New Jersey.
*
"Seans bike" → The bike belongs to Sean, so add an apostrophe:
Sean's bike
*
"dell computer" → Dell is a brand name, so capitalize it:
Dell computer.
*
"Hes upset," → "Hes" is short for "He is," so it needs an apostrophe:
He's upset,
***
Final Answer:
Dear Carlos,
I am writing to tell you that last week I bought a new bicycle. It isn't really new. It used to be Benny's bike, but he bought a new Schwinn at Joe's bike shop in East Harlem. Benny knew I had asked for a bike for Christmas, but I didn't get one. Wasn't he nice to do that? Now I can give my old bike to Sean before he moves to New Jersey. Sean's bike was stolen last month along with his Dell computer. He's upset, and I know this will make him happy! Talk to you soon!
Your Friend,
Pedro
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of capitalization and punctuation worksheets.
