Current Vocabulary Words
Quarter 4 Vocabulary
Editorial:
an opinion based writing intended to convince the readers of something.
Online Vocabulary Tools
Past Vocabulary Words
Author's Purpose:
an author's reason or intent with their writing. They write to persuade, inform, or entertain or any combination of those
Persuade:
when an author wants to convince you of something. Contains an opinion or belief.
Inform:
when an author wants to give you facts and information. Can be used to teach you something.
Entertain:
when an author wants to give you a story, make you feel something, wants you to have fun.
Informal Writing:
writing tone and word choice that is used for personal or casual purpose
Formal Writing:
writing which is used for the business, legal, academic or professional purpose. Creates a professional tone
Credible source:
a reliable and trustworthy.
Writings intended to give information are typically credible sources.
Non credible source:
an unreliable and untrustworthy source.
Writings intended to entertain or persuade are typically non credible because they contain opinions, not facts.
Bibliography:
a list of sources or materials used to complete a research paper, report, etc.
Cite:
to quote or mention where you are getting your information from
Types of Sentences when trying to determine an unknown word
Context Clues
hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word within a book.
Synonym
words with the same or similar meanings
gargantuan synonyms are large, big
Antonym
words with opposite meanings
gargantuan antonyms are small, tiny
Definition
the literal or denotation of a word
Persuasive essay
a type of writing intended to convince readers to believe in an idea or opinion
THEMES (acronym)
An acronym to help you brainstorm strong ideas for persuasive writing
T: time
H: health
E: education
M: money
E: entertainment/environment
S: safety
Thesis
the main point or claim of the essay. It should be stated clearly in your introduction paragraph
Topic sentence
a sentence that summarizes the main idea of a paragraph. Every body paragraph in your essay should have its own topic sentence
Transitional words
words/phrases that make it easier for your readers to understand how thoughts and ideas are connected. They also prepare your reader for what's coming
Examples include: First of all, additionally, On the other hand, Alternatively, Furthermore, In addition...
Restate
when a writer repeats something again or differently, especially in order to correct or to make more clear or convincing. You will restate your topic sentences in your conclusion for persuasive writing
Lead
the beginning of a paragraph, before the topic sentence. It is used to catch the attention of the reader. Some leads include asking a question, "painting a picture" (with words), and using famous quotes
Counter-Argument
When you write an academic essay, you make an argument: you propose a thesis and offer some reasoning, using evidence, that suggests why the thesis is true. When you counter-argue, you consider a possible argument against your thesis. You will create a counter-argument in your conclusion. MAKE SURE YOU PROVE WHY YOUR BELIEF IS STILL BETTER THOUGH.
SUMMARIZE
Use your own words to capture the most important events of the story
CLARIFY
Ask questions about things you find confusing or new words in the story
QUESTION
Ask a question about something important to know and remember from the story
PREDICT
Use what you know from the story to predict what will happen next
VISUALIZE
Use details from the story to help you create a picture in your mind
FEELING
Think about how you are feeling about the story, the characters, etc
REFLECT
Think about how you are changing as a reader. What are you doing well? What is still hard to do? Set goals for ways you can improve
Plot
the sequence of events in a story. Events are often presented in chronological order, though they may be told out of sequence.
Setting
the time and place of a story. The setting can create a mood, or atmosphere.
Characters
the people or animals that take part in a story's action. They are driven by motivation, their reasons for acting as they do.
Conflict
the central problem or struggle that the characters face. An external conflict is a struggle between a character and an outside force. An internal conflict takes place within a character's mind.
Theme
the central message expressed in a story. It is a general truth or observation about life or human nature.
Point of View
the perspective from which a story is told. Can be in first person, second person, or third person.
Exposition
Introduces the situation. It is the beginning of a book that states what the rest will be about.
Rising Action
Introduces the conflict. It is a related series of events in the plot of a story that build toward the point of greatest interest.
Climax
the turning point, the most dramatic or intense point of a story.
Falling Action
action that happens right after the climax of a story, where the tension decreases.
Resolution
the conclusion, the end of the story.
Unbiased
Only the facts, not opinions
Newspaper Headline
The title of the article. At the top of the page and the text is often bold font and larger than the rest of the text.
Newspaper Byline
Tells you who wrote the article, the author
Newspaper Lead
The first line or paragraph of a newspaper. Tells you the most important information and answers the 5Ws: who, what, where when, and why
Newspaper Photograph
A picture that relates to the article
Newspaper photograph caption
Usually underneath the photograph and it gives a brief description of the photo
Dialogue tag
tells you who is speaking in dialogue text
"What is the homework?" asked the student.
asked the student is the dialogue tag.
Personification:
When human qualities are given to non-human things.
The tulips nodded their heads in the breeze.
My alarm clock yells at me to get out of bed in the morning.
Stanza:
A group of lines in a poem that usually have a rhyme scheme, but do not have to
Rhyme scheme:
the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.
Types of Poetry
Narrative
tells a story but in verse. Has elements similar to a short story such as plot and
characters
Haiku
a 3 lined Japanese poem. Follows the syllable count 5-7-5. Often about nature.
free verse
poetry that has no defined meter or rhythm.
Lyric
expresses the thoughts and feelings of a speaker, often in highly musical verse
Ballad
song-like poems that tell a story often about adventure or romance
Concrete
poems shaped like the subject of the poem. The lines may be arranged to look like waves, animals, etc
Limericks
humorous 5 line poems with a specific rhyme scheme
denotation
the literal, dictionary meaning of a word
connotation
the ideas/feelings that a word brings to mind
The denotation of the word rose is a flower, the connotation of the word rose is romance
imagery
descriptions that appeal to the 5 senses: sight, taste, smell, sound, and feeling (sensory writing, example)
figurative language
language that is not meant to be taken literally. The three most common are similes, metaphors, and personification
Tone:
The way the author conveys a feeling with their words
Mood:
How the reader feels as they read a story/text
If an author wants to create a scary mood for the reader then they will use a specific tone in their story.
Metaphor
directly comparing two things without using the words like or as
"Her hair is a golden sunset"
Simile
comparing two things using the words like or as
"Her hair is like a golden sunset"
Internal conflict
a conflict within a person
For example, someone is struggling with their emotions or feelings within themselves or with another person.
External Conflict
a physical fight or altercation with another person or a struggle against nature
For example, a fist fight between two people or a person struggling to get home during an earthquake)