WHAT I LEARNED IN
LANGUAGE ARTS
WILL
What does the structural analysis of the word
indecipherable show about its meaning?
The word indecipherable has three parts: prefix, suffix, and root. The
prefix in-means not, and the suffix –able means to qualify or have the
skill needed to accomplish something. The root word decipher means
to look or discover the meaning of something. Put together, the
words indecipherable means to have difficulty comprehending or
understanding a concept. The word indecipherable is an adjective, so
it is used to modify a noun.
What does metonymy
mean?
The word metonymy comes from the Greek root -meta,
meaning change, with the suffix -onym meaning name. The
dictionary defines metonymy as a figure of speech that
consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for
which that of another to which it is related. In simpler words,
metonymy is the substitution of a word with a different but
closely related word. An example of a metonymic expression is
"counting heads" which is commonly substituted for counting
people. Metonymy is a noun. This is the denotation of
metonymy.
Submitted by Jenna
What is an acronym?
An acronym is a word formed by the first
letters of other words; for example, selfcontained underwater breathing apparatus
(SCUBA), or Superior, proficient, intermediate,
novice (SPIN)
Created by Lauren, Danny, Brendan, Slade,
Matthew
What is a thesis
statement?
A thesis statement is a sentence that states the
purpose of a paper. It is located in the introduction of
a paper.
Submitted by Elizabeth and Rachel and Meghan
What does the word allusion
mean?
Allusion (al-lu-sion) noun, from Late Latin allusio from Latin alludere
Definition: “an implied or indirect reference especially used in
literature” The first known use of the word was in 1612
Example: “there are lots of literary echoes and allusions in the
novel, but they don’t do anything for the tired texture of the prose.”
Tony Tanner, New York Times 1997
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allusion
In other words, an allusion is an indirect reference to a work of
literature. For example, “Starting this discussion is opening Pandora’s
Box or the boy with the roses is such a Romeo!
Submitted by Ben
Who is John Steinbeck?
John Steinbeck (1902-1968) is the author of Travels
with Charley. He received the Nobel Prize for
literature in 1962. He is known for his many works
of both fiction and nonfiction, as plays and
collections.
Submitted by Andrew
What does the conclusion
to an essay contain?
A conclusion should restate the thesis statement from your
introductory paragraph. Also, a conclusion reviews the
topics of your body paragraphs or main points. Finally, a
conclusion leaves the reader with something to think
about. Some strategies include suggesting a conclusion
that you hope your readers consider, returning to a point
made earlier, including a relevant quotation, or raising a
new related question.
What is Easy Bib?
Easy bib is a free bibliography generator available on the
library page of the Hampton Academy website or at
Easybib.com. It generates citations in Modern Language
Association (MLA) for your bibliography. All you have to
do is type in your links and it formats your works for you.
It’s the easiest thing ever.
Submitted by Conner
What does thesis
mean?
Thesis is a noun that means to present a statement or opinion that
can be disproven, proven, or maintained with more information.
Thesis originated in ancient Greece and it meant “to set down.”
Originally, it couldn’t be used in a sentence as a noun. It was
modified by Romans to mean “set down,” making it available as
a noun. In England during the 1340’s, thesis meant “to place
information” as it is used today. The plural form of thesis is
theses (dictionary.com).
Submitted by Evan
How are transition
words used in writing?
Transition words are words that connect ideas
and show the shift from one idea to the other.
Transition words are categorized by purpose.
Some examples of transition words are soon,
shortly, nearby, furthermore, nevertheless,
likewise, and consequently.
Submitted by Cho
What is the difference between
less and fewer?

When the word fewer is used in a sentence rather than
less is isn’t only because it sounds better. You may not
know it but the usage of these two words actually matter
when writing. The word fewer is referring to a situation
when taking a certain amount of things away can be
countable. For example if I have seven tomatoes and I
take away five I would write “I have five fewer tomatoes”.
When you don’t know the exact amount of a subtraction
and you’re speaking in general, you use less. For example,
we have less time to complete this assignment.
Submitted by Matt F.
What is anthropomorphism?
Anthropomorphism comes from the Greek anthropo,
meaning human, and morph, meaning change. It is a
form of personification that gives human shape,
motives, emotions, and behaviors to things that are
not human. For example, in Travels with Charley,
Steinbeck anthropomorphizes his dog Charley by
giving him emotions and motivations that are human.
He treats Charley as he would treat another person.
Submitted by Noah
What are the parts of speech?
All of our words can be categorized by
the eight parts of speech that consists
of noun, pronoun, adjective, verb,
adverb, preposition, conjunction, and
interjection
Submitted by Alexis
What is personification?
Personification is a literary device that gives a
human trait to a non-human object; for example,
“The leaves are waving. Personification originated
between the years 1745-1755 and is a
combination of the word personify and the suffix
fication. Next time you are writing, jazz it up with
some personification!
Submitted by Jacob E.
What does slander mean?
Slander is a noun or verb from Latin that means “false
or harmful statements about someone or to make false
and harmful statements about someone. For example,
the man was accused of slander because he called his
political rival a thief.
Submitted by Abby B.
What is the difference
between connotation and
denotation and what are their
meanings?
Connotation is the suggested meaning of a word while denotation is the
exact dictionary definition of a word. They can be used as poetic
devices. Denotation can be remembered by the d in dictionary and
denotation. Connotation and denotation are both nouns and can be
found in Vocabulary for Achievement. An example of connotation and
denotation is the date July 4th. When we think of July 4th, we picture
fireworks, parades and American Flags. This is the connotation of the
word. Meanwhile, the denotation or the exact dictionary definition is the
fourth day of the seventh month- July. Connotation and denotation are
important in the use of language.
Submitted by Emily E.
What is haiku?
A haiku is a three line Japanese verse written
in seventeen syllables—5 syllables for line 1,
7 for line 2, and 5 for line three.
“All Heaven and Earth
Flowered with obliterate
Snow…unceasing snow” -Hashin
Submitted by Ryan K.
What is the difference between prose and poetry?
There are a number of differences between prose
and poetry, but the main difference is that prose
is comprised of sentences while poetry is written
in verse or lines. Prose is straightforward while
poetry describes the topic with imagery. Prose is
written in sentences that are grouped in
paragraphs; poetry is written in lines and
grouped in stanzas.
Submitted by Haley B.
What is irony?
Irony is a noun that originated from
Latin and Greek. Irony means the use
of words to convey a meaning that is
opposite of its literal meaning. For
example—she replied with irony, “How
nice!” when I told her I had to babysit
all weekend.
Submitted by Elizabeth B.
What does discernment mean?
According to Vocabulary for Achievement, discernment is
a noun that means “excellent judgment and insight; skill
in perceiving. For example, “The fighter had keen
discernment in finding his opponent’s weakness. Latin dis
means apart and Latin cernere means to separate
carefully. The verb form, discern, means to judge.
Submitted by Daniel G.
What is a phrase?
A phrase is a group of related words
that is used as a single part of speech
that does not contain both a verb and a
subject.
Submitted by Josh
What is a clause?
A clause is a group of words that has both a
verb and its subject. It may be a sentence
(independent clause) or in may be an
incomplete thought (dependent clause)
Ex. Vanessa finished her assignment
(independent)
Before the train arrived (dependent)
What are the two
meanings of the word
hamper?
Some may think the word hamper, used as a noun, only means
a container to put dirty clothes in, but it also be used a verb to
mean to prevent from making progress, to limit. These
definitions can be found in the Vocabulary for
Achievement course 3 book on page 21. The follow sentences
shows the two uses of the words: “Jimmy, can you put
your dirty clothes in the hamper (noun)?” “Julia’s tight soccer
shoes hampered (verb) her from having an accurate shot on
goal.”
Submitted by Melissa B.
What is a prepositional
phrase?
A prepositional phrase includes a
preposition, a noun or pronoun called
the object of the preposition, and any
modifiers of that object.
For example: When we go to middle
school, we typically begin our teen years.
Submitted by Cierra Gonzalo
Where does a thesis statement
occur in the introduction of an
essay?
The thesis statement, the sentence that
reviews the purpose of an essay, is typically
the last sentence in the introduction
.
How many times is a thesis statement
included in an essay?
The thesis statement typically occurs twice—once as the last
sentence in the introduction, and later asthe first sentence in
the conclusion. It should be reworded a bit when it is
restated in the conclusion.
What does partisanship
mean?
Partisanship is a noun and comes from Latin pars,
“part”. It means very strong, excessive support for a
group or cause. According to dictionary.com,
partisan means a supporter of a person, group,
party, or cause, especially a person who shows a
biased, emotional allegiance.
Submitted by Michael F.
What is a
prepositional
phrase?
A prepositional phrase means all
together, the preposition, the object of
the preposition, and any modifiers of
the object. In a prepositional phrase
there can be more than one object. For
example, “Brendan gave the present to
his brother and sister.”
Submitted by Brendan K.
What is an adjective phrase?
An adjective phrase is a prepositional
phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun.
It tells what kind or which one. For
example:
Wang Wei was a talented painter of
landscapes. The prepositional phrase of
landscapes modifies the noun painter,
making the prepositional phrase an
adjective phrase.
Submitted by Ashley
What is an adverb phrase?
An adverb phrase is a form of a propositional
phrase. Adverb phrases modify adjectives, verbs, or
adverbs. It begins with a preposition and tells how,
when, where, why, or to what extent. Holt
Handbook shows the following example: “The
sportswriter interviewed the coach before the
game.” The verb interviewed is being modified by
the prepositional phrase before the game;
therefore, it is an adverb phrase.
Submitted by Jack and Emma
What is a verbal?
A verbal is a word that is formed from a
verb but it is used as a noun, an
adjective, or an adverb. There are three
kinds of verbals: the participle, the
gerund, and the infinitive.
What is a participle?
A participle is a verb form that can be used as
an adjective. The present participle ends in –
ing and the past participle ends in –d or –ed.
Some past participles are irregularly formed.
For example: The smiling child waved. The
abandoned warehouse burned to the ground.
What are the 5 things a
noun can serve as in a
sentence?
The first thing a noun can act as is the subject of the sentence. The subject is the "doer" in the sentence.
Ex. The sixth graders completed their Aztec projects.
The second thing a noun can act as is a direct object. The noun that follows an action verb and shows "whom or
what" is the direct object.
Ex. The sixth graders completed their Aztec projects.
The third thing a noun can act as is an indirect object. Indirect objects may be found in between the action verb and
the direct object. They answer the questions "to whom?" "for whom?" "to what?" and "for what?"
Ex. At the end of the year, teachers gave seventh graders a folder of awards for their achievements.
The fourth thing a noun can act as is a predicate nominative. Following a linking verb is a predicate or predicate
adjective.
My brother Michael is a tenth grader.
The fifth and last thing that a noun can act as is the object of a preposition. The object of a preposition is a noun or
a pronoun..
Ex. The cardinal flew into the tree
(tree is the object of the preposition) submitted by Matt L.
What is a participle?
A participle is a verb that can be used as
an adjective. Present participles end in –
ing while past participles end in –ed or -d. Some past participles are irregularly
formed as some verbs are irregular.
Submitted by Slade
What is a gerund?
A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as
a noun. An example of a gerund; for example, Skiing
down that slope was fun. The gerund is being used as
a subject in this sentence. Dad’s favorite pastime is
fishing for trout. Here the gerund fishing is being
used as the predicate nominative.
What is the difference between a participle
and a gerund?
Gerunds and participles are both verbals but they work
differently in a sentence. A participle is a verb form that
has become an adjective. A gerund is a verb that is now
used as a noun. Both gerunds and participles end in –ing,
but participles also have a past form that ends in –ed or –
d or the irregular verb form.
What is a verbal or verbal phrase?
A verbal is a word that is formed from a
verb but is used as a noun, an adjective,
or an adverb. There are three kinds of
verbals: participle, gerund, and infinitive.
The verbal phrase is the verbal and any
modifiers or complements that it has.
What is an infinitive?
An infinitive is a verb form that can be
used as a noun, and adjective, or an
adverb. Most infinitives begin with the
word to. For example: The best time to
visit Florida is December through April. In
this sentence, the infinitive to visit serves
as an adjective to the word time.
What is a gerund phrase?
A gerund phrase consists of a gerund and any
other modifiers or complements the gerund
has. The entire phrase is used as a noun. For
example: Having a part-time job may
interfere with your schoolwork. The gerund
having and its phrase a part time job is
working as the subject of the sentence.
What does contradictory mean?
According to Vocabulary for
Achievement, contradictory
means “expressing the opposite;
inconsistent.” It is an adjective
from Latin contra which means
against.