Vocabulary

1) “Said is DEAD”: Below are 20 lines. Come up with 20 alternatives for using the word “said”.

____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________

Why is it important to vary our word choice and not always use repetitive words like “said” in our writing?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
______

2) Vocabulary we should ALL be using:

1) Combine:
________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2) Analyze:_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3) Create:__________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
4) Develop:_________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
5) Composition:_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
6) Use:____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
7) Clarify:__________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
8) Focused:________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
9) Purpose:_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
10) Achieve__________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
11) Delete:__________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
12) Vivid____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
13) Replace:_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
14) Coherent:________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
15) Organized:_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
16) Transition:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
17) Imagery:_________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
18) Consistant:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
19) Innappropriate:___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
20) Maintain:________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
21) Improve:_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
22) Effective:________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
23) Mechanics:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
24) Support:_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
25) Audience:________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
26) Differentiate:_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
27) Conventions:_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
28) Inference/Infer:___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
 29) Context
Clues:___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________

3) Description:
What are TWO Parts of Speech used to aid in good description and detail?

________________________________ helps describe a NOUN.

________________________________ helps describe a VERB.

In order to make our writing more descriptive and interesting to read, we add adjective and adverbs. This creates
______________________________, or a picture in the reader’s head.

You can use the ________ ____________________________ when trying to figure out what adjectives to add in
a descriptive segment.

Below is a space designed for you to list adjectives that fall under each of the five senses. List AT LEAST 8
adjectives for each of the five senses. Example: Under “See” I would write “bright”, “handsome”, etc.

See Hear Smell Touch Taste __________

What do ADVERBS most commonly end with? _______________

List some common adverbs that do not end in –ly:

____________________________ ___________________________
_____________________________
____________________________ ___________________________
_____________________________
____________________________ ___________________________
_____________________________

What questions involving adjectives and adverbs might look like on the test:
 “Malena enjoys taking photographs whenever she has the opportunity. Although she snaps pictures of brilliant
colored flowers, alive memorials, and other inanimate object, her favorite subjects are people.”

1. “Brilliant” in sentence two should be changed to what?

A. Very
B. Brilliantly
C. Definitely
D. No change needs to be made
JUSTIFY YOUR
ANSWER:_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

2. “Alive” in sentence two should be changed to what?

A. Solemn
B. Hilarious
C. Small
D. No change needs to be made
JUSTIFY YOUR
ANSWER:_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

3. “Favorite” in sentence two should be changed to what?

A. Beautifully
B. Beautiful
C. Difficult
D. No change needs to be made
JUSTIFY YOUR
ANSWER:_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

4) Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms:

For the following terms, please tell me the characteristics of each word and how it is different from
the others.

HOMOPHONE:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
 Common Examples:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________

HOMOGRAPH:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Common Examples:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

HOMONYM:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Common Examples:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________

How homonyms, homophones, and homographs might show up on the test:

1. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 10?
“(10) Many American pricipals are laid out in this paragraph.”
A. Change American to american
B. Change principals to principles
C. Change laid to lain

2. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 33?

“(33) There hair had tangled because the wind was blowing so fiercely.”
A. Change tangled to tangeled
B. Change was blowing to were blowing
C. Change There to Their
D. No change

5) Other questions may ask how to change vague (define the word “vague” here:
____________________________________________________________________________________
 ______________) vocabulary in order to make the sentence or paragraph better. Those questions
may look like this:

1. The meaning of sentence 14 can be improved by changing the word stuff to what?
“(13) Though a person who has a phobia knows that his or her fear is irrational and excessive, he or she
often cannot do anything about it. (14) Some people can avoid stuff. (15) These people may do everything they
can do avoid riding elevators or being around cats, for example.”
A. much of it
B. a lot
C. things like that
D. whatever causes their phobia

2. The meaning of sentence 21 can be improved by changing the word things to what?
“(20) Finally, pilots must be in excellent physical and mental health to be able to fly commercial airplanes.
(21) Their vision must be outstanding so that they can see things.”
A. potential danger
B. what is out there
C. all of it
D. objects

Spelling
1) What tool(s) should we be using anytime we have questions about spelling or word meanings?
_____________________________________________________________________________
2) TRUE or FALSE: It is a good idea to look up ANY words I am unsure of when reading a passage to check for the
correct spelling and/or definition.
3) What is the definition of ANNOTATE?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
4) TRUE or FALSE: It is good to annotate the readings with those spelling corrections or definitions that I have
looked up.

5) How spelling questions might show up on the test:

1. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 24?

“(24) They cannot simply quit just because they are in pain; they must stick to their running scedule.”
A. Change cannot to can’t not
B. Change are to is
C. Change scedule to schedule
D. No change

2. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 10?

“(10) By using these programs, we will have a better chance of understanding complex math theorys.”
A. Change programs to Programs
B. Change we to us
C. Change theorys to theories
D. Make no change

Punctuation
1) List the punctuation marks and what they do:
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____
-
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____

2) Commas
There are 6 common times in which we should use a comma. For each of the 6 reasons listed below, please
provide an example sentence.

1. Compound Sentence:
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. Complex Sentence:
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. Dialogue:
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
 ________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
4. Introductory word or phrase (APPOSITIVE):
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5. Direct address :
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
6. Between items in a list:
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

How it might look on the test:

1. What is the most effective revision to make in sentence 17?
‘(15) Around this time the Jackson City Mounted Police Patrol announced its
need for a new horse. (16) The patrol’s head trainer, Kate, began looking for
candidates. (17) Searching the Internet, Dudley was found listed for sale.”
A. Searching the Internet, she found Dudley listed for sale.
B. She searched the Internet, she found Dudley listed for sale.
C. Searching the Internet was where she found Dudley listed for sale.
D. No revision is needed in sentence 17.

2. What change should be made in sentence 24?

“(24) Pleased with our work Lucy and I headed to the kitchen for a treat.”
F. Insert a comma after work
G. Change Lucy and I to me and Lucy
H. Change headed to head
J. No change should be made in sentence 24.

3) Semicolons:
-Semicolons can be used to join two closely related ______________________________________
____________________________________ together into one sentence.
-If you are having trouble, often a semicolon can replace the conjunction in a compound sentence.
-A semicolon can also be used to join two independent clauses together WITH a CONJUNCTICE ADVERB (aka,
and adverb that acts as a conjunction).

1. Use a semi-colon to join the phrases or sentences together (REWRITE THE SENTENCE):
A. The intention was good the outcome was tragic.
 B. My favorite food is peanut butter but my sister thinks lasagna is the greatest delicacy.

C. Water ice is not available year-round however, it is sold in the summertime.

2. What it might look like on the test:

What is the most effective way to revise sentence 25?
“(25) With regular exercise and the diet was strict, Dudley grew trim and sleek, and he was able to make the first
cut.”
F The exercise was regular and the diet was strict, Dudley grew trim and sleek, and he was able to make
the first cut.
G With regular exercise and a strict diet, Dudley grew trim and sleek; he was able to make the first cut.
H The regular exercise and strict diet that caused Dudley to grow trim and sleek was able to make the first
cut.
J With regular exercise the diet was strict, so Dudley grew trim and sleek; he was able to make the first
cut.

4) Quotation Marks:
1. List below the THREE main uses for QUOTATION MARKS:
A. _____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
B. _____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
C. _____________________________________________________________________________________
_____

2. Commas and end punctuation go (inside / outside) the quotation marks.

3. When using quotation marks for dialogue, what should go directly BEFORE the first quotation mark?
______________________________________________________
4. The first word inside the quotation mark should ALWAYS be ______________________

5. How it might look on the test:

1. What change needs to be made in sentence 18?
(17) Lucy turned to me and said, “Heather isn’t doing anything for Timmy.
(18) A robotic camera could do her job!
F. Insert quotation marks at the beginning of the sentence
G. Change the exclamation point to a comma
H. Insert quotation marks at the end of the sentence
J. No change needs to be made.

2. What is the correct way to write this sentence?

A. Miss Kellicut was always angry when students used the word bro.
B. Miss Kellicut was always angry when students used the word “bro”.
C. Miss Kellicut was always angry when students used the word “Bro”.
D. Miss Kellicut was always angry when students used the word-bro.

5) Apostrophes (Or is it apostrophe’s?)

 1. NOUNS and apostrophes:
-Nouns are:
________________________________________________________________________________________
____________

-When a noun is ___________________________________, it requires an apostrophe BEFORE the ‘s’ in

order to show possession or ______________________________ of something.
EXAMPLE(S) in a sentence:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________

-When a noun is ________________________________, it requires an apostrophe AFTER the ‘s’ in order to

show possession.
EXAMPLE(S) in a sentence:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________

2. PRONOUNS and apostrophes:

-Pronouns are:
________________________________________________________________________________________
____________

-A PRONOUN uses an apostrophe ONLY when it is a contraction. Unlike nouns, a pronoun will not use an
apostrophe to show ownership. For example:
- It + is = it’s
- He + is = he’s
- We + were = we’re
-Create contractions with the following sets of words and use them properly in a sentence.

1. should + not =__________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. does + not =________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. will + not =_______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________

4. I + will =_______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________

5. could + have = ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________
6. where + is =_______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________

7. who + is = _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________

8. you + are =______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. How it might look on the test:

1. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 24?
“(24) Thats when the shooting started, and I got really frightened.”
A. Change Thats to That’s
B. Change started to starts
C. Change frightened to frightned
D. No change needs to be made

2. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 30?

“(30) At one point, he noticed that the earths surface had changed.”
A. Change He to I
B. Change earths to earth’s
C. Change surface to surfuce
D. No change is needed