Danielle Mcleod

Grammarist Writer

Danielle Mcleod is a freelance writer for Grammarist as well as a full-time Technical and Literary writing instructor for a Career and Technical High School Education Center. A mother, animal lover, and travel enthusiast, she ties her vast experiences in life to her teaching and writing style to make connections in her classroom and with her readers. 

Highlights

  • 20+ years as a High School English teacher
  • 7+ years as a freelance content research and writer
  • 44+ years as an animal, travel, and book lover

Experience

Originally educated in the sciences, Danielle holds multiple environmental and literary studies degrees. A former firefighter and ranch hand, who balanced her passions with classroom instruction for years, she rearranged her lifestyle to include her children in her adventures over a decade ago. 

Her career in teaching has led to some amazing experiences with her students in the career and technical fields, while her wanderlust keeps her family on their toes traveling the United States. Her family also keeps a hobby farm, complete with horses and a giant Sulcata Tortoise (named Norman), which means never a dull day passes by. 

Her lifestyle and career choices color her approaches to students and her reading audiences. 

Education

Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Technological University in Forestry and Wildlife Management, highly qualified teaching certifications in multiple states and a Master of the Arts in Literacy from Grand Canyon University. 

Combining the sciences with the arts is a service to her varied approaches in life, allowing her to see things from a myriad of different viewpoints. Consequently, she is also a published artist and photographer who ties her work to her many life experiences.

Danielle Profile Photo

More From Danielle Mcleod

Reporting Verbs Exercises with Printable PDF

Grammar, Quizzes

Reporting Verbs Exercises (with Printable PDF)

English language learners aren’t the only students who struggle with flow and sophistication in their writing structure. When my students are asked to refer to (or report) the materials they are using to support their claims, they often have a …
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Usage, Quizzes

Do and Make Exercises (with Printable PDF)

The English Language has a unique sentence structure and many words that are similar in their use to one another. Because of this, language learners are often confused by actions that are almost identical in definition but different in their …
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Grammar

Subject and Object Questions — Difference and Examples

In the English language, there are only two ways to form an interrogative or questioning sentence. Each follows a specific format and word choice and is simple to write as long as you understand some very basic rules. To help …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Second Conditional Exercises (With Printable PDF)

In the English language, there are four types of conditional sentence structure. These relate to tenses concerning things that might have occurred, could have occurred, or will occur if certain conditions exist. The second conditional sentence tense use is often …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Future Perfect Exercises (With Printable PDF)

All languages use tense to help describe whether an action is presently taking place, took place in the past, or will be taking place in the future. In the English language, there are different verb tenses to help explain the …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Could Have, Should Have & Would Have Exercises

When we express regret, we often use the phrases could have, should have, or would have in our sentences to explain how things might have been different if something other than what happened had occurred. These terms are fairly straightforward …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Third Conditional Exercises (With Printable PDF)

There are four different conditional sentence structures in the English language. They explain the tense of events that could have or might have occurred or will occur if specific conditions are met. The third conditional sentence tense use deals with …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Zero Conditional Exercises (With Printable PDF)

There are four types of conditional sentences in the English language: zero, first, second, and third. These conditions pertain to tenses that express what could have, might have, or will occur IF certain things happen or have already happened. First, …
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Punctuation

Does the Comma Go Before or After Such As?

There are many rules associated with comma use, and where you place them in a sentence can change the tone or meaning of your material. Improper placement can also create confusion and a misreading of your words. When you use …
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Writing

The APA Advantage—Elevate Your Writing

The APA style guide is a form of academic writing used by the American Psychology Association for documentation purposes. Its main focus pertains to citation guidelines, but it also offers basic formatting rules.  The guide originated in the 1920s as …
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Punctuation

How Many Commas Can Be Used in a Sentence?

One of the most significant issues I face with teaching proper grammar is comma usage. Either my students use a comma too much or don’t use it at all. It can be challenging to convince them that it is a …
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Punctuation

When To Use A Comma Before “Or”

“Or” is a versatile word that provides an audience with a choice between multiple ideas, actions, or items. It can be used before an independent clause or introduce a subordinate clause. It also can be used to list items. When …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Inversion Exercises (With Printable PDF)

Inversions are a grammatical tool you can use to change the emphasis of your sentences. The technique swaps a normal word order into something that helps draw attention to specific words and phrases. Many native English speakers do this in …
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Grammar, Quizzes

Preposition Exercises (With Printable Worksheet)

Propositions are parts of speech that you use every day in English grammar to build your sentence structure into something that is understandable. But, when I ask a class to name a preposition, they struggle to provide an answer despite …
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Grammar

Order of Adjectives — Rules, Chart and Worksheet

The English language is defined by various parts of speech that help you make messages clear to your audience. The details you add to your speech and writing are especially important to ensure you are understood. When describing things, you …
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Punctuation

How to Use “Etc.” in Parentheses

When naming off items in a list, many people choose to include the abbreviation, etc., to help avoid creating long, rambling sentences. It quickly allows the reader to understand that other items in the list are related to one another …