Eighth Grade Warm-up Words by Week
Week One
Realistic Fiction- refers to stories or novels that might really happen, stories set in a particular time and that
happen to a particular people.
Scientific Fiction- refers to stories or novels that are not completely unbelievable but that contain
current or future scientific principles or knowledge
Historical Fiction- refers to stories or novels that is set in the past or about real people from the past,
but are fictional
Week Two
Abhor- to loathe, to regard with extreme dislike
Abscond- to depart secretly and hide
Adhere- to cling or follow without deviation
Aloof- detached, out of involvement
Week Three
Myth- traditional story, which may describe the origins of the world and/or of a people.
A myth is an attempt to explain mysteries, supernatural events, and cultural traditions.
Fantasy- Fiction characterized by highly fanciful or supernatural elements
Mystery- a story that involves the reader in guessing who committed a crime or deed
Legend- a non-historical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly
accepted as historical
Week Four
Anomaly- abnormality; deviation from the general rule; irregularity
Arduous- extremely difficult; laborious
Ambiguous- uncertain; subject to multiple interpretations
Assent- to express agreement
Week Five
Setting- The time and place in which the story unfolds
Theme- an often universal truth, message, or lesson about life found in literature
Symbol- Something seen that stands for something unseen
Allusion- A reference to something mythical, Biblical, or historical
Week Six
Bequeath- to give through a will; to hand down
Brevity- briefness; concise and exact use of words in writing or speech
Chagrin- shame; embarrassment; humiliation
Connotation- the associated feelings or emotions of a word in addition to its definition
Week Seven
Tone- the writer or speaker’s attitude toward the subject of the story and the readers of the story
Mood- the feelings created in a reader through a piece of literature
Flashback- when a story’s sequence is interrupted and a character goes back to an earlier time
Foreshadowing- clues or hints that suggest events yet to come
Week Eight
Compliant- meeting or in accordance with rules or standards
Condone- to overlook, justify, or excuse a fault
Curt- brief or abrupt, as in speech or manner
Decorum- appropriate conduct; polite or proper behavior, protocol
Week Nine
Exposition- portion of a story that introduces important background information to the audience; for
example, information about the setting, conflict, and characters
Internal Conflict- conflict within a character (man vs. self)
External Conflict- conflict between a character and an outside force (man vs. man; man vs. nature; man
vs. society)
Climax- highest point of action in a story; point of most intense interest
Week Ten
Denotation- the literal, dictionary definition of a word
Devoid- totally or completely lacking
Disheveled- untidy, disarranged, unkempt
Ebb- to fade away, recede
Week Eleven
Resolution- the part of a story when the loose ends are tied up or conflict is typically resolved
Characterization- the way an author revels his characters, can be done directly or indirectly
Protagonist- the main character in a literary work who drives the plot forward
Antagonist- the person or thing that opposes the protagonist
Week Twelve
Empathize- to identify with; understand
Expedite- speed up matters; accelerate; quicken
Fallible- faulty; imperfect
Flippant- nonchalant; frivolous; superficial
Week Thirteen
Villain- a character blamed for a particular evil or difficulty
Dynamic Character- a character who changes (mentally) throughout a story
Static Character- a character who remains the same (mentally) throughout a story
Foil- character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight
particular qualities of the other character
Week Fourteen
Foreboding- dark sense of evil to come
Grovel- to show submission or fear as if standing before authority
Implausible- improbable; failing to convince; unbelievable
Implicate- to involve in a crime or wrongdoing; incriminate
Week Fifteen
Indirect Characterization- things such as speech, thoughts, actions, appearance of a character that
reveal the personality of that character.
Direct Characterization- when a story tells the audience what the personality of the character is through
narration
Round Character- a well developed character who demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory
traits. Round characters are usually dynamic (change in some way over the course of a story).
Flat Character- a character who reveals only one, maybe two, personality traits in a story or novel, and
the trait(s) do not change.
Week Sixteen
Incessant- continuous; never ceasing
Invoke- to call upon; request help
Languid- lacking energy; indifferent; slow
Ludicrous- so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing.
Week Seventeen
1st person POV- The narrator is in the story; uses 1st person pronouns such as I, me, we
2nd person POV- emphasizes the reader, works well for giving advice or explaining how to do something;
uses 2nd person pronouns such as you, your
Limited 3rd person POV – the narrator is not a character in the story; focuses on narration through the
eyes of a single character; uses 3rd person pronouns such as he, she, they.
Omniscient 3rd person POV- the narrator is all knowing and all seeing; a story told through the
perspectives of multiple characters; uses 3rd person pronouns
Week Eighteen
Notoriety- unfavorable fame
Nullify- to make legally invalid; to counteract the effect of
Obsolete- no longer in use
Opportune- appropriate; fitting; well-timed
Week Nineteen
Irony- when something is different than it is supposed to be or thought to be
Verbal irony- when someone says something they don’t mean but are believed by others
Dramatic Irony- when the audience or reader knows something a character does not
Situational irony- an unexpected situation that is typically the opposite of what the reader, audience, or
characters expect to happen (usually pessimistic in nature)
Week Twenty
Pacifist- someone opposed to war
Paramount- supreme; dominant; primary
Pauper- very poor person
Perennial- present throughout the years; persistent
Week Twenty One
Primary Source- an original document or firsthand account
Secondary Source- commentary on an original document or firsthand account
Thesis Statement- the main idea of an essay that is supported with concrete evidence
Propaganda- information that is spread for the purpose of promoting a cause
Week Twenty Two
Precarious- uncertain; Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse
Pristine- untouched; uncorrupted
Proponent- advocate; defender; supporter
Quell- to crush or subdue
Week Twenty Three
Figurative language- writing or speech exaggerated for effect (not meant to be taken literally)
Metaphor- a comparison of two unlike things without using like or as
Simile- a comparison of two unlike things that uses like or as
Personification- giving human characteristics to non-human objects or animals
Week Twenty Four
Rapport- relationship of trust and respect
Recount- to describe facts or events
Retract- to draw in; take back as if untrue or unjustified
Revert- to backslide; regress
Week Twenty Five
Imagery- words that create images in the mind and appeal to the senses
Hyperbole- exaggerating or stretching the truth
Alliteration- repetition of the beginning consonant sound that are in a sequence or close together
Assonance- the repetition of internal vowel sounds that are in a sequence or close together
Week Twenty Six
Serenity- calm; peacefulness
Sodden- thoroughly soaked; saturated
Solidarity- unity based on common aims or interests
Surmise- to make an educated guess
Week Twenty Seven
Onomatopoeia- the use of words that imitate sounds
Stanza- a unit or group of lines in poetry that are separated by spaces
Quatrain- a four line stanza
Couplet- a two line stanza
Week Twenty Eight
Tangible- able to be sensed; measurable
Transpire- to happen; occur; become known
Versatile- adaptable; all purpose
Wary- careful; cautious