Review of English TerminologyPrefixes, Suffixes, and Root words

Reading and Writing Terms

ante-

Ante up before you play!

before

counter-

“I’ll sit against this counter and order the opposite.”

against, opposite

dys-

Dys is how you diss a trophy: “Not only are you abnormally bad and look ill, but

your fashion sense is impaired.”

bad, ill, abnormal, impaired

hyper-

“On this hyperactive treadmill, my temperature must be above and beyond the norm!”

above, beyond

inter-

“You should be interested in me as I will fly between the ball and the basket, among my teammates, and intercept that shot.”

between, among

intra-

“Within lies an intratonic cell in my view.”

within, in

intro-

Introductions: “Let’s lean inward and shake hands within this inn.”

within, inward, in, into, inside

micro-

“There’s a small crow on my microwave,” said Mike Rowe.

small

pseudo-

“Sue, don’t say you are really pregnant if you’re not.”

“Sue is so deceptive in her false wardrobe.”

false, deceptive

trans-

Transcontinental travel is how I get to Grandma Trans – I go across the valleys, through the mountains, and beyond woods.

across, beyond, through

-hood

“We share the idea that this high-quality hoodie is in good condition.”

STATE

shared quality, state, condition

-ic

“…speaking of who you’re related to…, do not panic if Uncle Rick brings icky food to our picnic.”

relating to, of

-ify / -if

If you could make it stop…….If … cause I’m feeling kinda iffy.

make, cause to be

-logy

“Dis course requires me to study Biology with this branch of knowledge.”

branch of knowledge, discourse, study

-ure“U’re the result of an act.U’re hair is processed and in good condition.”

state of or result of an act, condition, process

ROOT WORDS:

anthrop

Anthrop, manthrop!

What about womanthrop?

• ANTHROP, manthrop!

bell / belli

• a bell may be a signal to wage war

• “Warning! Warning! There’s a bell tatooed on my belli!”

• Warning! Warning: there’s a BELL on my BELLI.

brev

• My little bro likes to drink his breve in his briefs. (Breve is coffee with steamed half-and-half instead of milk. )

• A short BREVe, please.

cred

• This is our family creed; it’s what we believe.• Do you think it’s credible? I think it’s

incredible.

• Believe my family CREeD.

culpa

• Do not blame that spilled culpa on me! It is not my fault!

• Don’t blame me for the spilled CULPA – it ain’t my fault.

derm

• You have dry derm on your erm.

• No, I have skin on my arm, duh.

• There’s DERM on my erm. (skin)

duc / duct

• Duck through this tunnel. I’ll lead, Duck. You bring the duct tape.

• I’ll lead; you bring the DUC/DUCT tape.

ego

• I, myself, have a large ego.

EGO(They say ‘e goes on and on and on about

himself.)

I, myself, love my EGO.

fac/fact/fic/fect

• In FACs class we make lots of things. • That’s what we do; it has an effect. • And that’s fact, not fiction.

• In FACs we make and we do.

jud/jur/just

• Judge Jur makes us follow the law just right.

• JUDge JUR’s law is JUSt right.

luc/lum/lus/lun

• You’re lucky - the light puts a luster on your lunch. But those light-colored potatoes look lumpy.

• How LUCky to have LUMpy light LUNches.

mega

• The million mega phones are great for Megan’s

voice. “Be great, be a million, be MEGA!”

• Great, million, MEGA!

ocu

• O C U. • “I…see…you…. Eye see it!”

• O-C-U-eye-see-you!

ortho

• Only orthodontics straighten my teeth.

• Only ORTHOs straighten.

poly

• Polly has many and much money in the monopoly game.

• POLY has many and much.

rect/recti/reg• If you go rect at the light, and then rect, and

another rect, you will make a rectangle.• I would have gone straight. Is this right?

• RECT is straight, then go right.

the / theo

• Did their culture believe in the God or a god?

• THE God or a god?

urb

• Manhattan is my city. I live in the urbs of New York where there’s lots of curbs.

• City URBs have curbs.

vac

• “This vac is not empty,” said M.T.. “I must empty the vac.”

• Empty the VAC.

vir

• VIRrrooom. That looks strong, man.

• “Sir, I will test drive this vir.

• VIRrooom, strong and manly.

Literary Terms:

Using the endorsement of famous people who have no real authority

testimonials

The beginning (paragraph) of an essay

introduction

A pattern writers use to arrange ideas and content in a text

organization

Organizing information in a logical order, such as chronological or simple to complex

sequence of events

A brief essay of opinion about a timely and important topic

editorial

A paragraph at the end of an essay that summarizes the main points

conclusion

A very brief story used to make a point in order to clarify text or grab attention

anecdote

The words bring the text to life and engage the reader

word choice

Giving proper credit to your sources of information

citation

The writer’s attitude toward his or her subject, which influences his/her word choice

tone

A statement of purpose, intent, or main idea of an essay

thesis

The agreed rules of paragraphing, usage, grammar, spelling, and punctuation that writers follow

conventions

Techniques authors use to convince readers to think or act a certain way; writing that is meant to change the reader’s thinking or actions

persuasion

Promoting an idea by saying “everyone believes / does this”

bandwagon approach

Details that help the reader to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear what is being described

sensory details

The subject of a piece of writing; what it’s about

topic / main idea

Changing a piece of writing to improve the content / ideas

revision

An extreme form of written persuasion intended to strongly influence the reader, usually by one-sided arguments

propaganda

The text is clear and focused with ideas that engage the reader

idea development

Claiming someone else’s idea as your own

plagiarism

Using a variety of sentence structures to make connections, create rhythm, and maintain reader’s interest

sentence fluency

Checking writing for the correct use of conventions

editing

Promoting an idea using attractive, vague words that say nothing in particular

glittering generalities

A story’s atmosphere or the feeling it evokes; the emotional state of mind expressed by an author’s work

mood

Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next

suspense

A struggle that takes place within a character’s own mind

internal conflict

A moment of great emotional intensity or suspense in a plot

climax

A character with only one or two traits, which can be described in one or two words

flat

A series of related events

plot

Events that make it harder for the main character to achieve his goals

complications

The conversation between characters

dialogue

A comic scene or event that breaks the tone of a serious play or narrative

comic relief

Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next

suspense

The time period and place of a story

setting

One who changes as a result of a story’s events

dynamic

A character who causes the initial conflict in a story, to prevent the main character from reaching his goals

antagonist

A character struggles against an outside force, such as another character, society, or nature

external conflict

The reason a character behaves a certain way

motivation

A character who is used as a contrast to another character

foil

When the author tells us what the character is like

The older sister is a bully.

direct characterization

A series of events that builds tension toward the climax of the plot

rising action

Events that are happening at the same time, often without the main character’s awareness

parallel episodes

A writer or speaker says one thing but really means something different (sarcasm)

Great shot…….… ………………………………..not!

verbal irony

An exceptional person who undertakes difficult quests or journeys to achieve something great

epic hero

A character with many different character traits, which sometimes contradict each other

round

A long speech given by a character on stage

monologue

A statement or situation that seems to be a contradiction but reveals a truth

Jim and Della from “The Gift of the Magi” were a very rich couple.

paradox

Stories within a story that expand some aspect of the main plot

Fahrenheit 451 is a story mainly about Montag and the firemen who burns books.

sub plot (Ladies gather at Mildred’s house.)

The beginning part of the plot that gives information about the characters and setting

exposition

The use of one thing to suggest something else, such as an abstract idea

symbolism

Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike in some respects

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,“ Juliet said about Romeo Montague.

analogy

The main character in a story

protagonist

A reference to something or someone which in not explained by the author, but the reader should know

In “The Gift of the Magi”, the author assumes we know that the wise men from the East are called the Magi who presented baby Jesus with gifts; comparison made “that of all who give gifts, these two (Jim and Della) were the wisest.”

allusion

The point at which the conflict shifts in an important way for one or more of the characters

turning point

The voice telling the story

narrator

Words spoken by a character to the audience that are not meant to be heard by the other actors

aside

Connecting two words with opposite meanings

Lenny Small, who isn’t, drank

a hot-chocolate milkshake.

oxymoron

The preface or introduction to a literary work

prologue

The story’s central problem is resolved

resolution

A scene in a story that interrupts the present action to tell what happened at an earlier time

flashback

A literary element that uses sarcasm or ridicule to point out a weakness in humans or society

satire

A play on multiple meanings of a word, or two words that sound alike but have different meanings

A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it’s two-tired.

pun

The use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in a plot

foreshadowing

The motive or reason for which an author writes

author’s purpose

A character who stays the same throughout the course of a story

static

A speech spoken by a character alone on stage to himself or to the audience

soliloquy

When the audience or reader knows something important that a character does

notIn Of Mice and Men, Lenny’s puppy is dead;

so is Curley’s wife.

dramatic irony

Occurs when there is a contrast between what we expect to happen and what really happens

In Fahrenheit 451, we expect the hound to hunt down and kill Montag, but it doesn’t.

situational irony

When the author provides evidence to help the reader decide what the character is like

indirect characterization

The characteristics of writing that reflect the author’s distinctive way of writing

author’s style

A noble character who has a personal failing that leads to his or her downfall

Romeo’s life changes as a result of his killing Mercutio.

tragic hero

Central idea of a work of literature

Of Mice and Men: friendship

Romeo and Juliet: love, relationships

theme

Vantage point from which a writer tells a story

point of view

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story

motif

A story with two meanings: the literal meaning and a symbolic meaning

allegory

A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole, or the whole represents the part

synecdoche