English 9
Midterm Exam Study Packet
This packet is broken up into the major sections of English 9 this year: Grammar, Vocabulary, Poetry,
Short Stories, Plot Structure, and To Kill a Mockingbird. The packet will provide information and
sample questions to test your knowledge. It may also direct you to handouts, assessments, etc. where you
can find this and additional information to study from. Remember that the final will consist of but is not
limited to the information in this packet.
Grammar
Nouns: a person, place, thing, or idea.
Nouns can be concrete or abstract and serve different functions in a sentence:
Subject
Stacy passed John the ball under the net.
Direct Object
Stacy passed John the ball under the net.
Indirect Object
Stacy passed John the ball under the net.
Object of the Preposition
Stacy passed John the ball under the net.
Predicate Nominative
John is a classmate.
Adjective: a word used to describe a noun or pronoun
An adjective answers the question What kind? Which one? How many? or How much?
about the nouns and pronouns they modify
Examples:
What kind? red house, silver jewelry, sick child, cool water
Which one? third chance, any piece, this hat, those apples
How many? six flowers, both answers, several reasons, few letters
How much? enough space, no rain, more energy, little effort
Adverb: a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
An adverb modifying a verb answers the questions Where? When? In what manner? or
To what extent?
Examples:
Where? fell below, move aside, went there, climbs down
When? arrived today, left early, should have spoken before, begins then
In what manner? happily ran, will end completely, danced awkwardly
To what extent? partly understands, have not completed, wash completely
An adverb modifying an adjective answers only one question: To what extent?
Examples: very glad, almost ready, absolutely wrong, entirely grateful
An adverb modifying another adverb answers just one question: To what extent?
Examples: moved very quickly, not completely wrong, climbed almost over
Phrase: a group of words, without a subject and verb, that works as a part of speech
Prepositional Phrase: a phrase composed of a preposition1 and an object of the preposition
(either a noun or pronoun) that works like an adjective or adverb
Examples: by the lake, out of gas, with brown eyes
Adjective Phrase: a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun by telling what
kind or which one
Example: The man with a mask frightened the children.
Adverb Phrase: a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb by
pointing out where, when, in what manner, or to what extent.
Example: The team played with great skill
Appositive Phrase: a noun or pronoun with modifiers, placed next to a noun or pronoun to add
information and details.
Examples: Shelly’s sister, a track star at UCLA, runs three miles daily.
Two boys, friends of ours, gave us a ride.
Participial Phrase: a participle (the –ing or –ed form of a verb that acts like an adjective)
modified by an adverb or adverb phrase that acts as an adjective in the sentence.
Examples: The boy wearing the blue sweater is my brother.
Frightened by the cat, the bird flew away.
Gerund Phrase: a gerund ( the –ing form of a verb that acts like a noun) with modifiers or a
complement, all acting together as a noun in the sentence.
Examples: The loud, irregular snoring annoyed him.
Their parents forbade shouting in the house.
Infinitive Phrase: an infinitive ( the “to” form of the verb that acts as a noun, adjective, or
adverb) with modifiers, complements, or a subject, all acting together as a noun, adjective, or
adverb in the sentence.
Examples: Professional dancers need to practice daily.
To stroll along the boardwalk at sunset is relaxing.
1
: Refer to the Prepositions Handout for a list of commonly used prepositions
Grammar Check
Identify the italicized item on the line to the right and draw an arrow to the word being modified
Adverb vs. Adjective
1. I spoke too hastily.
2. Alice took the late bus back to Minneapolis.
3. Many of the guests stayed very late.
Adjective Clause vs. Adjective Phrase
4. This is another book by the same author.
5. Have you thought of a place where we can meet?
6. Rob bought a car with power brakes.
Adverb Clause vs. Adverb Phrase
7. Wherever he travels, he collects souvenirs.
8. The Cardinals played at Spartan Stadium.
9. He ran as if he had a twisted ankle.
Phrase Identification: identify the following phrases by the examples to the right:
10. Appositive Phrase
a. We admire their ability to succeed at difficult tasks.
11. Participial Phrase
b. Running out of gas is a horrible experience.
12. Gerund Phrase
c. The house on the corner of the street needs paint.
13. Infinitive Phrase
d. Our house, shaded by trees, stays cool in the summer.
14. Prepositional Phrase
e. Two boys, friends of ours, gave us a ride.
Verb, Gerund, or Participle? In the section below, identify whether the underlined word in each
sentence is a verb, gerund, or participle.
15. Someone has stolen a valuable painting from the museum.
16. My little brother loves frozen yogurt.
17. Carol, walking to school, saw an owl.
18. Dancing helps a person to lose weight.
19. Soaring high above the clouds, the jet is flying to Paris.
Sentence Revision Follow the directions below to correctly combine or revise the following sentences.
Rewrite the following sentences beginning with the given words:
Boo Radley saved Jem and Scout when Bob Ewell attacked them.
When Bob Ewell
Jem learned an important lesson about courage from his experiences with Mrs. Dubose.
From his
Combine the following sentences to make one, solid complex statement
Scout is a tomboy.
She dresses in overalls.
Scout is very aggressive.
Boo Radley is thought to be a monster.
There are many rumors about Boo Radley.
Boo Radley is a timid, shy man.
Poetry
On the midterm, you will be given a poem to answer questions about and to analyze. In
addition to those questions, there will be questions about poets, poetic structures, and
types of poetry that we covered in class. Below are some of the main terms you should be
familiar with for the midterm.
Main Terms:
Sonnet2: a famous and widely used type of poetry that consists of fourteen lines and a structured
rhyme scheme. Sonnets are typically broken up into stanzas to convey meaning.
Petrarchan Sonnet: Also known as the Italian Sonnet, this fourteen line poem uses the
rhyme scheme (abbaabbacdecde) which breaks the poem up into two stanzas: an octave
(eight lines) and sestet (six lines)
Shakespearean Sonnet: Also known as the English Sonnet, this fourteen line poem uses
the rhyme scheme (ababcdcdefefgg) which breaks the poem up into four stanzas: three
quatrains (four lines) and a couplet (two lines)
Personification3: A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with
human qualities or are represented as possessing human form
Examples: Hunger sat shivering on the road or Flowers danced about the lawn.
Assonance: The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
Examples: “smitten to whimpers, of the dreary wind.” (Stephens)
Alliteration: The repetition of the same sounds or similar sounds at the beginning of words
Examples: wild and wooly, sweet sixteen, through thick and thin
2
3
: Refer to the Sonnet quiz for an example of a sonnet and to test your knowledge
: Refer to the Poetic Device handouts for additional examples on each term
Repetition: a device used by poets to emphasize a key word or key phrase.
Example: “And he was always quietly arrayed,/ And he was always human when he
talked;” (Robinson)
Meter: the length (syllable count) of a line of poetry
Example: Shakespeare often employs iambic pentameter which equals ten syllables
u
` u `
u ` u ` u `
Not / mar/ble / nor / the / gild/ed/ mon/u/ments
* make sure to review different types of stress and unstress patterns along with the names
of meter (pentameter, trimeter, dimeter, etc.)
Simile: A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a
phrase introduced by like or as
Example: “Like a tall woman across the hayfield” (Bishop)
Hyperbole: a poetic device that uses exaggeration for an intended purpose.
Example: “She cried a million tears when he broke up with her”
Imagery: figurative language that uses sensory details to provide information to the audience
Example: “The velvet soft touch of a mother’s caress”
Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is
used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison
Example: “All the world’s a stage” (Shakespeare)
Make sure to review your notes for other terms and associates with poetic structures,
figurative language, and meter!
Poetry Check
Answer the following questions in reference to the poem below.
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rime;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
‘Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.
5
10
Map out the rhyme scheme of this poem
What type of poem is this? Be specific!
Circle an example of personification
Square an example of assonance
Underline an example of alliteration
What is an example of a simile in this poem? What is it comparing?
What is an example of a metaphor? What is it comparing?
How does the structure of this poem add to its meaning?
This poem has a structured meter. What is an indication to the reader that the poet has focused on
that, and what is the meter of this poem?
Match the following terms
Stanzas
2
couplet
Iambic
4
octave
Trochaic
6
sestet
Anapestic
8
quatrain
Stresses
Dactylic
Feet
( ` U)
1
dimeter
(` U U)
2
trimeter
(U `)
3
pentameter
(U U `)
5
monometer
Vocabulary
You are responsible for the vocabulary terms learned in units 1-3. Make sure to
review definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and words in context.
Additionally, be familiar with terminology used in each section of class and be able
to recognize/write about them easily.
Plot Structure
On the midterm exam, you are expected to be able to discuss all literary
works in terms of their structure. In addition, there will be scantron questions regarding the
terminology of Plot Structure.
Make sure to review the different terminology and techniques used to define plot
structure. Additionally, return to your notes on the stories “Most Dangerous Game”
and “Rules of the Game” to be able to answer general questions about their plot.