WHAT I LEARNED IN LANGUAGE ARTS

WILL

What does the structural analysis of the word indecipherable show about its

meaning?

The word indecipherable has three parts: prefix, suffix, and root. The prefix in-means not, and the suffix –able means to qualify or have the skill needed to accomplish something. The root word decipher means to look or discover the meaning of something. Put together, the words indecipherable means to have difficulty comprehending or understanding a concept. The word indecipherable is an adjective, so it is used to modify a noun.

What does metonymy mean?

The word metonymy comes from the Greek root -meta, meaning change, with the suffix     -onym meaning name. The dictionary defines metonymy as a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for which that of another to which it is related. In simpler words, metonymy is the substitution of a word with a different but closely related word. An example of a metonymic expression is "counting heads" which is commonly substituted for counting people. Metonymy is a noun. This is the denotation of metonymy. 

Submitted by Jenna

What is an acronym?

An acronym is a word formed by the first letters of other words; for example, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), or Superior, proficient, intermediate, novice (SPIN)

Created by Lauren, Danny, Brendan, Slade, Matthew

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is a sentence that states the purpose of a paper. It is located in the introduction of a paper.Submitted by Elizabeth and Rachel and Meghan

What does the word allusion mean?

Allusion (al-lu-sion) noun, from Late Latin allusio from Latin alludere

Definition: “an implied or indirect reference especially used in literature” The first known use of the word was in 1612

Example: “there are lots of literary echoes and allusions in the novel, but they don’t do anything for the tired texture of the prose.” Tony Tanner, New York Times 1997

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allusion

In other words, an allusion is an indirect reference to a work of literature. For example, “Starting this discussion is opening Pandora’s Box or the boy with the roses is such a Romeo!

Submitted by Ben

Who is John Steinbeck?

John Steinbeck (1902-1968) is the author of Travels with Charley. He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962. He is known for his many works of both fiction and nonfiction, as plays and collections.Submitted by Andrew

What does the conclusion to an essay contain?

A conclusion should restate the thesis statement from your introductory paragraph. Also, a conclusion reviews the topics of your body paragraphs or main points. Finally, a conclusion leaves the reader with something to think about. Some strategies include suggesting a conclusion that you hope your readers consider, returning to a point made earlier, including a relevant quotation, or raising a new related question.

What is Easy Bib?

Easy bib is a free bibliography generator available on the library page of the Hampton Academy website or at Easybib.com. It generates citations in Modern Language Association (MLA) for your bibliography. All you have to do is type in your links and it formats your works for you. It’s the easiest thing ever.

Submitted by Conner

What does thesis mean?

 

Thesis is a noun that means to present a statement or opinion that can be disproven, proven, or maintained with more information. Thesis originated in ancient Greece and it meant “to set down.” Originally, it couldn’t be used in a sentence as a noun. It was modified by Romans to mean “set down,” making it available as a noun. In England during the 1340’s, thesis meant “to place information” as it is used today. The plural form of thesis is theses (dictionary.com).

Submitted by Evan

 

How are transition words used in writing?

Transition words are words that connect ideas and show the shift from one idea to the other. Transition words are categorized by purpose. Some examples of transition words are soon, shortly, nearby, furthermore, nevertheless, likewise, and consequently.

Submitted by Cho

What is the difference between less and fewer?

        When the word fewer is used in a sentence rather than less is isn’t only because it sounds better. You may not know it but the usage of these two words actually matter when writing.  The word fewer is referring to a situation when taking a certain amount of things away can be countable. For example if I have seven tomatoes and I take away five I would write “I have five fewer tomatoes”. When you don’t know the exact amount of a subtraction and you’re speaking in general, you use less. For example, we have less time to complete this assignment. Submitted by Matt F.

What is anthropomorphism?

Anthropomorphism comes from the Greek anthropo, meaning human, and morph, meaning change. It is a form of personification that gives human shape, motives, emotions, and behaviors to things that are not human. For example, in Travels with Charley, Steinbeck anthropomorphizes his dog Charley by giving him emotions and motivations that are human. He treats Charley as he would treat another person. Submitted by Noah

What are the parts of speech?

All of our words can be categorized by the eight parts of speech that consists of noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjectionSubmitted by Alexis

What is personification?

Personification is a literary device that gives a human trait to a non-human object; for example, “The leaves are waving. Personification originated between the years 1745-1755 and is a combination of the word personify and the suffix fication. Next time you are writing, jazz it up with some personification! Submitted by Jacob E.

What does slander mean?

Slander is a noun or verb from Latin that means “false or harmful statements about someone or to make false and harmful statements about someone. For example, the man was accused of slander because he called his political rival a thief. Submitted by Abby B.

What is the difference between connotation and denotation and what are their meanings?

Connotation is the suggested meaning of a word while denotation is the exact dictionary definition of a word. They can be used as poetic devices. Denotation can be remembered by the d in dictionary and denotation. Connotation and denotation are both nouns and can be found in Vocabulary for Achievement. An example of connotation and denotation is the date July 4th. When we think of July 4th, we picture fireworks, parades and American Flags. This is the connotation of the word. Meanwhile, the denotation or the exact dictionary definition is the fourth day of the seventh month- July. Connotation and denotation are important in the use of language. Submitted by Emily E.

What is haiku?

A haiku is a three line Japanese verse written in seventeen syllables—5 syllables for line 1, 7 for line 2, and 5 for line three.

“All Heaven and Earth

Flowered with obliterate

Snow…unceasing snow” -Hashin

Submitted by Ryan K.

What is the difference between prose and poetry?

There are a number of differences between prose and poetry, but the main difference is that prose is comprised of sentences while poetry is written in verse or lines. Prose is straightforward while poetry describes the topic with imagery. Prose is written in sentences that are grouped in paragraphs; poetry is written in lines and grouped in stanzas.

Submitted by Haley B.

What is irony?

Irony is a noun that originated from Latin and Greek. Irony means the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning. For example—she replied with irony, “How nice!” when I told her I had to babysit all weekend.Submitted by Elizabeth B.

What does discernment mean?

According to Vocabulary for Achievement, discernment is a noun that means “excellent judgment and insight; skill in perceiving. For example, “The fighter had keen discernment in finding his opponent’s weakness. Latin dis means apart and Latin cernere means to separate carefully. The verb form, discern, means to judge.

Submitted by Daniel G.

What is a phrase?

A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech that does not contain both a verb and a subject.Submitted by Josh

What is a clause?

A clause is a group of words that has both a verb and its subject. It may be a sentence (independent clause) or in may be an incomplete thought (dependent clause) Ex. Vanessa finished her assignment (independent) Before the train arrived (dependent)

What are the two meanings of the word hamper?

Some may think the word hamper, used as a noun, only means a container to put dirty clothes in, but it also be used a verb to mean to prevent from making progress, to limit. These definitions can be found in the Vocabulary for Achievement course 3 book on page 21. The follow sentences shows the two uses of the words: “Jimmy, can you put your dirty clothes in the hamper (noun)?” “Julia’s tight soccer shoes hampered (verb) her from having an accurate shot on goal.”

Submitted by Melissa B.

What is a prepositional phrase?

A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition, and any modifiers of that object.For example: When we go to middle school, we typically begin our teen years.Submitted by Cierra Gonzalo

Where does a thesis statement occur in the introduction of an essay?

The thesis statement, the sentence that reviews the purpose of an essay, is typically the last sentence in the introduction.

How many times is a thesis statement included in an essay?

The thesis statement typically occurs twice—once as the last sentence in the introduction, and later asthe first sentence in the conclusion. It should be reworded a bit when it is restated in the conclusion.

What does partisanship mean?

Partisanship is a noun and comes from Latin pars, “part”. It means very strong, excessive support for a group or cause. According to dictionary.com, partisan means a supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.Submitted by Michael F.

What is a prepositional phrase?

A prepositional phrase means all together, the preposition, the object of the preposition, and any modifiers of the object. In a prepositional phrase there can be more than one object. For example, “Brendan gave the present to his brother and sister.” Submitted by Brendan K.

What is an adjective phrase?

An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun. It tells what kind or which one. For example:

Wang Wei was a talented painter of landscapes. The prepositional phrase of landscapes modifies the noun painter, making the prepositional phrase an adjective phrase.

Submitted by Ashley

What is an adverb phrase?

An adverb phrase is a form of a propositional phrase. Adverb phrases modify adjectives, verbs, or adverbs. It begins with a preposition and tells how, when, where, why, or to what extent. Holt Handbook shows the following example: “The sportswriter interviewed the coach before the game.” The verb interviewed is being modified by the prepositional phrase before the game; therefore, it is an adverb phrase.

Submitted by Jack and Emma

What is a verbal?

A verbal is a word that is formed from a verb but it is used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. There are three kinds of verbals: the participle, the gerund, and the infinitive.

What is a participle?

A participle is a verb form that can be used as an adjective. The present participle ends in –ing and the past participle ends in –d or –ed. Some past participles are irregularly formed. For example: The smiling child waved. The abandoned warehouse burned to the ground.

What are the 5 things a

noun can serve as in a

sentence?

The first thing a noun can act as is the subject of the sentence. The subject is the "doer"

in the sentence.

Ex. The sixth graders completed their Aztec projects.

The second thing a noun can act as is a direct object. The noun that follows an action

verb and shows "whom or what" is the direct object.

Ex. The sixth graders completed their Aztec projects.

The third thing a noun can act as is an indirect object. Indirect objects may be found in

between the action verb and the direct object. They answer the questions "to whom?" "for

whom?" "to what?" and "for what?"

Ex. At the end of the year, teachers gave seventh graders a folder of awards for their

achievements.

The fourth thing a noun can act as is a predicate nominative. Following a linking verb is

a predicate or predicate adjective.My brother Michael is a tenth grader. The fifth and last thing that a noun can act as is the object of a preposition. The object of a preposition is a noun or a pronoun..Ex. The cardinal flew into the tree(tree is the object of the preposition) submitted by Matt L.

What is a participle?

A participle is a verb that can be used as an adjective. Present participles end in –ing while past participles end in –ed or --d. Some past participles are irregularly formed as some verbs are irregular.Submitted by Slade

What is a gerund?

A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as a noun. An example of a gerund; for example, Skiing down that slope was fun. The gerund is being used as a subject in this sentence. Dad’s favorite pastime is fishing for trout. Here the gerund fishing is being used as the predicate nominative.

What is the difference between a participle and a gerund?

Gerunds and participles are both verbals but they work differently in a sentence. A participle is a verb form that has become an adjective. A gerund is a verb that is now used as a noun. Both gerunds and participles end in –ing, but participles also have a past form that ends in –ed or –d or the irregular verb form.

What is a verbal or verbal phrase?

A verbal is a word that is formed from a verb but is used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. There are three kinds of verbals: participle, gerund, and infinitive. The verbal phrase is the verbal and any modifiers or complements that it has.

What is an infinitive?

An infinitive is a verb form that can be used as a noun, and adjective, or an adverb. Most infinitives begin with the word to. For example: The best time to visit Florida is December through April. In this sentence, the infinitive to visit serves as an adjective to the word time.

What is a gerund phrase?

A gerund phrase consists of a gerund and any other modifiers or complements the gerund has. The entire phrase is used as a noun. For example: Having a part-time job may interfere with your schoolwork. The gerund having and its phrase a part time job is working as the subject of the sentence.

What does contradictory mean?

According to Vocabulary for Achievement, contradictory means “expressing the opposite; inconsistent.” It is an adjective from Latin contra which means against.