English Vocabulary for EOC
Released Questions
CREATED BY:
STEPHANIE SUTHERLAND
ENGLISH I INSTRUCTOR
CADDO MILLS HIGH SCHOOL
English Terms
These terms are likely to
show up on the English
Reading and Writing
portions of the STAAR EOC.
Characteristic
 A feature or quality
belonging typically to a
person, place, or thing
and serving to identify it.
 Characteristics may be
physical or may describe
the object's nature
 Generosity is his chief
characteristic.
Cited
 To quote (a passage,
book, or author) as
evidence for or
justification of an
argument or statement,
especially in a scholarly
work
 When using text
evidence, you are citing
the passage.
Dialogue
 Conversation between
characters in a literary
work. Dialogue can
contribute to
characterization, create
mood, advance the plot,
and develop theme.
Evidence
 Support for a claim or
argument. Evidence
comes from the original
text in order to prove or
back up the statement.
 On the EOC, you will see
questions that ask you to,
“Explain your answer
and support it with
evidence from the
selection.”
 This is supported by: . . .
 For example, . . .
 “_________” is
evidence that . . .
Excerpt
 An excerpt is a passage
or segment taken from a
text. The length of an
excerpt may be a phrase,
a sentence, a paragraph,
or an entire chapter.
 Below is a short excerpt
from the preamble.
Figurative Language
 Language that is used for
descriptive effect, often to
imply ideas indirectly.
 Expressions of figurative
language are not literally
true but express some truth
beyond the literal level.
 Examples: Hyperbole,
Metaphor, Personification,
Simile, and Understatement
 “Ed is as tall and skinny as
a flagpole.”
Melodrama (Melodramatic)
 Exaggerated,
sensationalized, or
overemotional texts.
 Often appeal to emotions or
express dramatic emotions.
 The man and woman are
both being
melodramatic.
Metaphor
 A figure of speech that
compares or equates two
seemingly unlike things.
In contrast to a simile, a
metaphor implies the
comparison instead of
stating it directly.
 There is no use of
connectives such as
“like” or “as.”
 The simplest form of
metaphor is: "The [first
thing] is a [second
thing]."
 Life is a winding road.
Narrative
 Writing or speech that
tells a story.
 The story is told by a
narrator and can take the
form of a novel, an essay,
a poem, or a short story.
Persuasive
 A type of speech or
writing, usually
nonfiction, that attempts
to convince an audience
to think or act in a
particular way.
Plot
 The sequence of events
in a story, play, or
narrative poem.
 Revolves around a
central conflict, faced by
the main characters.
Point of View
 The standpoint, or
perspective, from which
a story is told.
 First-Person: The
narrator is a character in
the story and refers to as
“I.”
 All stories are told by a
narrator, and who that
narrator is affects the
point of view.
 Third-Person: The
narrator is someone who
stands outside the story
and refers to characters
as “he” or she.”
Protagonist/Antagonist
 Protagonist – The central
character in a narrative
literary work, around
whom the main conflict
revolves.
 Generally, the reader or
audience is meant to
sympathize with the
protagonist who usually
changes after the climax
of the story.
 Antagonist – A person or
force in society or nature
that opposes the
protagonist.
 Generally, the reader is
meant NOT to
sympathize with the
antagonist
Quotation
 A passage by another
author, used word-forword
 A quotation is enclosed
in quotation marks to
indicate that it is not
written by the person in
whose work it appears
 Quotations can serve to
illustrate ideas and to
show that other people
share the author’s
opinions.
Revisions
 A revised edition or form
of something.
 To review, correct, or
revise.
Investigate your work!
Simile
 A figure of speech that
uses “like” or “as” to
compare two seemingly
unlike things.
Smart
as an
owl.
Quiet
like a
mouse.
Cool as a
cucumber.
Swim
like a
fish.
Solid
as a
rock.
Symbolic Imagery
 Any object, person,
place, or experience that
exists on a literal level
but is also intended to
symbolize something
else, usually something
abstract.
 In O. Henry’s story “The
Gift of the Magi,” Della’s
hair is the symbol of her
beauty.
Thesis
 A thesis is the main idea
of an essay or another
work of persuasive or
expository nonfiction.
 The thesis may be
implied but is usually
stated directly.
 A good thesis is
supported by relevant
details and examples.
Tone
 An author’s attitude toward
his or her subject matter.
 Tone is conveyed through
elements of style, including
word choice.
 A writer’s tone may convey
a variety of attitudes, such
as sympathy or humor.
 Margaret Atwood employs
an ironic tone in “Waiting.”
Transition
 Transitions are words or
phrases that are used to
connect one idea to the
next.
 Used to show location or
time, to show time, to
compare/contrast two
things, to emphasize a
point, to conclude, to add
information, or to clarify.
First
Although
However
Meanwhile
In fact
Therefore
Next
In other
words
On the other
hand
Additionally
Finally
For example
Likewise
During
General Academic Terms
These terms are likely to
show up on the English
Reading and Writing
portions of the STAAR EOC
as well as in other disciplines.
Achieve
 Verb
 To get or attain by effort
 To gain
 To obtain
 If you study and practice,
you will achieve success
on your EOC.
Amid
 Preposition
 It was hard to hear amid
all the cheering.
 In or into the middle of
 Synonyms: surrounded
by, through, between
 Antonyms: from, out of
Cautionary
 Adjective
 Warning or
admonishment
 Synonyms: warning,
advisory, counseling
 “Little Red Riding Hood”
is a cautionary tale
reminding children to
listen to their parents.
Conflicting Opinions
 Noun
 Two or more points of
view in opposition to one
another.
 If one conflicting opinion
is true, the other can
note be true.
 The students had
conflicting opinions
about whether chocolate
is the best flavor of ice
cream.
Containing
 Verb
 To restrain or keep
within limits
 To hold or have within
 A jar containing cookies
sits on my grandmother’s
counter.
Develop (Development)
 Verb
 To expand an idea using
details.
 Synonyms: promote,
advance, foster
 Antonyms: abbreviate,
shorten, undo
 The students were asked
to develop their ideas
into essays.
Displaying
 Verb
 To make evident or to
show
 Synonyms: expose,
produce, lay out
 Antonyms: hide, cover,
conceal, camouflage
 The characters were
displaying a number of
emotions.
Eager
 Adjective
 Marked by enthusiastic
desire or interest;
impatient excitement
 Synonyms: excited,
impatient, antsy
 Antonyms: hesitant,
reluctant, unenthusiastic
 He was eager for Friday
to come.
Emphasize (Emphasis)
 Verb
 To place stress on or to
show as important
 Synonyms: accent,
illuminate, feature, press
 Antonyms: play down,
de-emphasize
 The teacher emphasized
the importance of doing
well on the EOC.
Enhance
 Verb
 To increase or improve
in value, quality, or
attractiveness
 Synonyms: improve,
help, upgrade
 Antonym: worsen
 The image enhanced the
students’ understanding
of the passage.
Evoke
 Verb
 to bring to mind or
recollection
 Synonym: elicit, raise
 His photographs evoke
the isolation and solitude
of the desert.
Ideal
 Adjective
 Being characteristically
without flaw, usually
only existing in theory or
imagination.
 Synonyms: visionary,
perfected, unsurpassed
 Antonyms: faulty,
defective
 It was an ideal spot for
vacation.
Imply
 Verb
 To express, suggest, or
show something without
stating it directly
 Synonyms: conclude,
deduce, reason, gather
 My dad’s gruff manner
implied he was in a foul
mood.
Indicate
 Verb
 The map indicates where
the treasure is buried.
 To point something out
or to present evidence
 Synonyms: denote, point
to, tell of
Intended
 Adjective
 Expected to be such in
the future
 Synonyms: deliberate,
intentional, purposeful
 Antonym: unintentional
 Stephenie Meyer
intended for teens to
read her books.
Obtaining
 Verb
 The information may be
challenging to obtain.
 to gain or attain usually
by planned action or
effort
 Synonyms: acquire,
come by, get
Pessimistic
 Adjective
 Characterized by an
inclination to expect the
worst possible outcome
 Synonyms: defeatist,
downbeat, hopeless
 Antonyms: hopeful,
optimistic, upbeat
 A pessimistic person
would say this glass is
half empty.
Optimistic
 Adjective
 Characterized by an
inclination to expect the
best possible outcome
 Synonyms: idealistic,
hopeful
 Antonyms: despairing,
hopeless, pessimistic
 An optimistic person
would say this glass is
half full.
Phony
 Adjective
 He tried to pay with
phony money.
 Not genuine, intended to
deceive or mislead.
 Synonyms: false,
counterfeit, bogus
 Antonyms: authentic,
genuine, real
Primarily
 Adverb
 Ketchup is primarily
made from tomatoes.
 For the most part, in the
first place.
 Synonyms: firstly,
initially, originally,
mainly
Rational
 Adjective
 Having reason or
understanding
 Synonyms: reasonable,
reasoning, thinking
 Antonyms: irrational,
unreasonable
 There was a rational
reason for the creaking
sound in the house. The
dog was walking up the
squeaky stairs.
Reveal
 Verb
 To make something
(secret or hidden)
publically or generally
known.
 Synonyms: disclose,
uncover, tell, expose
 Antonyms: cover up,
hide, conceal
 The expression on her
face revealed how she
felt.
Suggests
 Verb
 Your teacher suggests
you study for the EOC.
 To mention or imply as a
possibility, to call to
mind by thought or
association
 Synonyms: hint,
insinuate, indicate
Tendency
 Noun
 Grace has a tendency to
drop things.
 A proneness to a
particular kind of
thought or action
 Synonym: trend
Upheaval
 Noun
 Extreme agitation or
disorder, radical change
 Synonyms: convulsion,
uproar, uproot
 The civil rights
movement marked a
period of social upheaval
in the U.S.
Various
 Adjective
 Of differing kinds, having
a number of different
aspects or characteristics
 Synonyms: varied,
different
 Antonyms: one of a kind,
unique, singular
 He has lived in places as
various as New York City
and Caddo Mills.
Sources Used
WILHELM, JEFFREY D. LITERATURE TEXAS
TREASURES COURSE 4. COLUMBUS ,OH:
MCGRAW HILL/GLENCOE, 2011.PRINT.
DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS - MERRIAMWEBSTER ONLINE. WEB. 07 FEB. 2012.
<HTTP://WWW.MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM/>.