English 8
Vocabulary 4
10/20/2014
Vocabulary Worksheet
DUE at the beginning of class on Friday, October 24th.
Day of the Test!
1. Essay (noun): a short non-fiction piece of writing
synonyms: paper, composition, dissertation
antonyms: none
Examples:
 I wrote an essay about how hard it is to write essays.
 She wrote an essay about the lessons she learned on my trip to Alaska.
 John is an excellent essayist, his work is fun to read because of the humor he put into it.
 Some essayists put their work on blogs.
 While there are many types of essays, my favorites to write are personal narratives.
Word family: Essays (plural), essayist (noun -writer of essays), essayists(plural noun)
2. Prose (noun) : the ordinary form of spoken or written language; not poetry
synonyms: writing, speaking, regular language
antonyms: poetry, poetic writing, lyrical
Examples:
 You read and write in prose every day.
 Prose is the style of writing we use the most to communicate.
 She uses a lot of figurative language in her prose to make it interesting.
 The style of his prose annoys me because he never gets to the point.
 People who can write effective prose tend to get people’s attention.
Word family: * prosaic (adjective) – prosaic has a negative connotation of plain and boring
3. Thesis (noun): the claim made as a subject for an essay
synonyms: claim, proposition, theory, hypothesis, idea, opinion
antonyms: none
Examples:
 In the thesis for his essay, the author claims that Big Foot exists.
 Your thesis has to be supported with evidence, or your paper won’t be convincing.
 Of all the theses I’ve read, this thesis makes me want to learn more about what the author
has to say.
 Before you write your thesis statement, you should open with a good hook.
Word family: theses (plural noun)
4. Summary (noun): a shortened version of something, contains only the main points, and omits minor
details.
synonyms: succinct, synopsis, abstract, abridged, condensed version
antonyms: opinion of, reaction to
Examples:
 The officer’s summary included the basic facts of the case.
 His summation made it easy to quickly understand the main points.
 The summaries of each book made it easy to choose one to read.
Word family: summation (noun) , summarize (verb) , summarization (noun), summative (verb)
5. Conclusion (noun): The end of something, where it gets wrapped up
synonyms: end, close, finish, finale, ending, wrap-up
antonyms: start, beginning
Examples:
 “In conclusion, the facts all support the idea that she is innocent,” he declared.
 The conclusion of the movie had a plot twist that shocked the audience.
 The essay was weakened because it didn’t have a conclusion.
 The conclusion of the fair included a huge fireworks display.
Word family: conclusions (plural) , conclude (verb), concluded (verb), conclusive (adjective)
6. Anecdote (noun): a short personal account of an incident or event, usually used to entertain or make a
point.
synonyms: personal story, account, short narrative
antonyms: none
Examples:
 I had to think of a good anecdote to use in my speech.
 The teacher used a short anecdote to illustrate his point.
 Anecdotal examples aren’t always the best proof.
 Once in a while, my grandpa fills our evening with anecdotes from his youth.
Word family: anecdotes (plural), anecdotal (adjective)
7. Excerpt (noun): a selected section or passage taken from a longer work.
synonyms: passage, extract, selection, piece, citation, quote
antonyms: none
Examples:
 I used a short excerpt from “The Tell-Tale Heart” to show how Poe used descriptive
details to create mood.
 The excerpt from the play was from the last act.
 I enjoyed the poetry reading – they all read excerpts from their published books.
 She excerpted several quotes from the article and used them in her speech.
Word family: excerpts (plural), excerpted (verb)
8. Surreptitious (adjective): done or made secretly, so that others won’t notice.
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synonyms: sneaky, stealthy, covert, furtive, sly, clandestine, underhanded, secretive, hush-hush,
on the down-low
antonyms: open, obvious, explicit, blatant, clear, overt, evident, unconcealed
Examples:
 The students were surreptitiously trying to finish their worksheet while the teacher lectured
on binomials.
 The spy surreptitiously put the sleeping potion from her ring into the count’s drink.
 Little Jaxson was surreptitious as he carefully removed the cookie jar from the cabinet and
hid with it under the table.
Word family: surreptitiously (adverb) , surreptitiousness (adjective)