Study Notes for Grade 7 English Students

1. Vocabulary and Understanding Synonyms

● Definition: Synonyms are words that have similar meanings or convey the same
idea or concept.
● Importance: Understanding synonyms helps to enrich vocabulary and improve
communication skills.
● Examples: Identify synonyms by finding words with similar meanings in context.
For instance, "happy" and "joyful" are synonyms.

2. Word Classes: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Connectives, Prepositions

● Nouns: Words that represent people, places, things, or ideas (e.g., book, cat,
happiness).
● Verbs: Action words that describe what someone or something does (e.g., run,
jump, eat).
● Adjectives: Words that modify or describe nouns or pronouns (e.g., big, blue,
happy).
● Adverbs: Words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to describe how,
when, where, or to what extent (e.g., quickly, very, often).
● Connectives: Words or phrases that link ideas or clauses within a sentence or
between sentences (e.g., and, but, therefore).
● Prepositions: Words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and
other words in a sentence, indicating location, time, direction, or manner (e.g., in,
on, at, under).

3. Figurative Language: Metaphor, Simile, Personification

● Metaphor: A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were something

else, suggesting a resemblance or identity (e.g., "The world is a stage").
● Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as" to create vivid
imagery (e.g., "Her smile is as bright as the sun").
● Personification: Giving human qualities or characteristics to non-human entities
or objects (e.g., "The wind whispered through the trees").

4. Understanding Compound and Simple Sentences

● Simple Sentence: A sentence consisting of one independent clause that

expresses a complete thought (e.g., "The dog barked loudly.").
 ● Compound Sentence: A sentence composed of two or more independent clauses
joined by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., "The dog barked loudly, and the cat ran
away.").

5. Understanding Present Participles

● Definition: Present participles are verb forms that end in "-ing" and are used to
form continuous tenses or as adjectives (e.g., running, swimming).

6. Converting Verbs to Nouns

● Definition: Verbs can be converted into nouns by adding suffixes like "-ment,"
"-tion," or "-ing" (e.g., run → running, enjoy → enjoyment).

7. Converting Nouns to Adjectives

● Definition: Nouns can be converted into adjectives by adding suffixes like "-y,"
"-ful," or "-less" (e.g., water → watery, joy → joyful).

8. Features of Horror: 5 Elements

1. Suspense:
● Example: In "Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy" by R.L. Stine, the main
characters uncover strange occurrences with their ventriloquist dummy, Slappy,
which keeps readers wondering what will happen next.
2. Fear:
● Example: In "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" by Alvin Schwartz, stories like "The
Red Spot" and "The Haunted House" evoke fear through creepy imagery and
unexpected twists, perfect for sparking chills in young readers.
3. Violence:
● Example: In "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman, Coraline faces off against the Other
Mother in a twisted alternate reality, where the threat of violence and danger lurks
around every corner, suitable for younger teens exploring darker themes.
4. Gore:
● Example: In "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs,
peculiar creatures and eerie photographs create a sense of unease without overly
graphic descriptions, making it an accessible introduction to the horror genre.
5. Supernatural:
● Example: In "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, the protagonist, Nobody
Owens, grows up in a graveyard among ghosts and other supernatural beings,
offering a blend of mystery and supernatural elements without being overly
frightening for younger readers.