7th Grade Academic
Vocabulary
Language Arts
Compiled by Beth Price
Spring City Middle School
Spring 2009
analogy
An analogy is
a comparison of similar
objects. An analogy
suggests that since the
objects are alike in some
ways, they will probably be
alike in other ways.
He looked down the street toward
his house and saw his mother
standing there, just like a
lighthouse. Always waiting for
him to arrive home safely. Always
there to guide him
home from his
wanderings.
anecdote
An anecdote is a
little story used to illustrate
or make a point.
Anecdote from Roald Dahl’s
autobiography, Boy: Tales of
Childhood, which illustrates
differences in medical treatments
now and in 1924:
(You need to be aware that the doctor
has explained nothing to him and
has given him no medicine. He only
tells him to open his mouth.)
“The tiny blade flashed in the
bright light and disappeared
into my mouth. It went high up
into the roof of my mouth, and
the hand that held the blade
gave four or five very quick
little twists and the next
moment, out of my mouth into
the basin came tumbling a
whole mass of flesh and blood.
I was too shocked and
outraged to do anything but
yelp. I was horrified by the
huge red lumps that had fallen
out of my mouth into the white
basin and my first thought was
that the doctor had cut out the
whole of the middle
of my head. . .”
assumption / assume
In a syllogism (logic), an
assumption is a minor
premise, a statement that is
assumed to be true and from
which a conclusion can be
drawn.
If I do not wake up, then I
cannot go to work.
If I cannot go to work, then I
will not get paid.
Therefore, if I do not wake
up, then I will not get paid.
autobiography
An autobiography is a
biography of yourself written
by yourself—your history in
your own words.
Autobiography is from the
Greek roots:
auto
self
bio
life
graph
to write
to write self life
clarify
When you clarify, you
make your idea or statement
easier and clearer to
understand by removing,
rewriting, or explaining a
confusing part.
Confusing: The book was
about insects that we read.
(Confusion: Did you read the
insects?)
Clarified: The book that we
read was about insects.
clause
You’re in the Seventh Grade
and don’t know a clause?
Santa and the Missus
clause
A clause is a group of words
that contains a subject
and a verb and is
used as part of a sentence.
kinds of clauses:
• Dependent
• Independent
•
•
•
•
Adverb
Adjective
Noun
Introductory
Does the clause
express a complete
thought?
How or where
is the clause
being used in the
sentence?
Independent (main) clause
An independent (main) clause
is a group of words that
contains a subject and a verb,
and it can stand alone as a
sentence.
(It expresses a
complete thought).
subject
The capital city of the Aztec
verb
empire was in central
Mexico.
dependent (subordinate)
clause
A dependent clause is a
group of words that contains
a subject and a verb,
however it cannot stand
alone as a sentence because
it doesn’t express a
complete thought.
Adverb (subordinate) clause
An adverb clause is a
dependent (or subordinate)
clause that is being used
to modify a verb, an adjective,
or an adverb.
Adverb clauses tell:
how
when
where
why
to what extent
under what condition
Adverb clauses are
introduced by a subordinating
conjunction—a word that
shows the relationship
between the adverb clause
and the word or words that
the clause modifies.
Common subordinating
conjunctions are:
after
as
as if
when
how
until
while
than
as though
although
so that
before
though
whenever
in order that
since
because
whenever
where
unless
whether
as long as
examples of adverb clauses
You may sit wherever you wish.
(modifies
the verb, sit)
Gabe can type faster than I
can.
(modifies adverb, faster)
Happy because he had made
an A, Tony hurried home to
show the grade card to his
mom.
(modifies an
adjective, happy)
introductory adverb clause
When winter sets in, many
animals hibernate.
After you wash the dishes,
I’ll dry them and put them
away.
adjective clause
An adjective clause is a
dependent (or subordinate)
clause that modifies
a noun or pronoun.
Most adjective clauses begin
with a relative pronoun:
that
which
who
whom
whose
1. The boy that won the
contest is from my school.
2. That documentary, which
will be broadcast in the
fall, was filmed in several
countries.
noun clause
A noun clause is a
subordinate (dependent)
clause that is used as a
noun in a sentence.
It can be used as a subject,
direct or indirect object,
object of preposition, or
predicate nominative.
subject
How she won the race is an
amazing story!
predicate nominative
Three dollars is what Daniel
offered for the notebook.
direct object
David and Megan
remembered who he was.
indirect object
The hostess gives whoever
enters a menu.
object of a preposition
Eager to please the speaker,
we listened to whatever she
said.
compile
When you compile, you
gather materials and put
them together somehow.
For example, you could go
to the library and compile a
shelf of books that are about
Christmas.
If you are doing a research
paper, you could compile a
list of the Internet sites,
books, and magazine
articles you used to find
your information. (That list
would be called a
bibliography.)
convention
A convention is an
established technique,
practice, or device that is
used, for example, in
literature or in the theatre.
For example, read the
following poem, and then
discuss the conventions of
grammar that are being used
(or NOT being used) in the
poem. Additionally, you
could discuss the
conventions of poetry that
are being / not being used.
i remember some weeks ago
meeting a middle aged spider
she was weeping
what is the trouble i asked
her it is these cursed
fly swatters she replied
they kill of all the flies
and my family and i are starving
to death it struck me as
so pathetic that i made
a little song about it
as follows to wit
( from “pity the poor spiders” by Don Marquis)
culture
Culture is the customary
beliefs, social forms, and
material traits of a racial,
religious, or social group.
For example, as you look
at the picture of the Indian
on the next slide, what
do you know about the
Indian culture?
documentary
A documentary is a film or
TV program that interprets
actual events. It usually
includes interviews
or footage of actual
events taking place.
A documentary’s primary
purpose may be to inform, to
persuade, to entertain, or to
make money. Sometimes a
documentary may have
more than one purpose.
For example, a documentary
about endangered animals in
the rain forest may have the
purposes of:
1) informing us of the problem
2) persuading us to react by
supporting laws to protect
the animals
3) raising money to protect
the animals
Can you think of a recent
documentary that has been
on television?
exposition (literary)
An exposition is an essay or
writing that explains
something.
Read the first few
paragraphs of the following
exposition. What is it
explaining?
“The method of embalming, or
treating the dead body, that the
ancient Egyptians used is called
mummification. Using special
processes, the Egyptians removed
all moisture from the body, leaving
only a dried form that would not
easily decay. It was important in
their religion to preserve the dead
body in as lifelike a manner as
possible. . . .
The first step in the process was
the removal of all internal parts
that might decay rapidly. The
brain was removed by carefully
inserting special hooked
instruments up through the
nostrils in order to pull out bits of
brain tissue.
Next, the embalmers removed all
moisture from the body. They did
this by covering the body with
natron, a type of salt which has
great drying properties,
and by placing
additional natron
packets inside the body.”
expository writing
The word expository is
related to the word expose,
a verb that means “to allow
to be seen, or to reveal.”
When writing an expository,
the writer tries to reveal
information about a subject.
He / she may include
facts,
show cause & effect,
compare or contrast, or
explain instructions.
“Some early American
settlements were in poor
locations. Roanoke, for
example, was on an island that
proved hard to reach. Rough
ocean currents and storms
made the voyage difficult for
ships to bring much-needed
supplies. The site for a later
colony, Jamestown, also had
problems. Jamestown sat on a
marshy, disease-ridden piece of
land. Because of its location,
Jamestown’s settlers had to
endure increased incidents of
illness as well as a salty water
supply. However, despite the
negatives, Roanoke and
Jamestown shared one
important advantage:
The semi-hidden location of
both colonies aided against
surprise attacks.”
expression in oral language
The expressive qualities of
your voice can enhance
communication with
your audience. Verbal
elements you may
want to consider are:
diction
Enunciate, or pronounce
words clearly, when you
speak to help your listeners
understand you.
emphasis or stress
Your voice naturally
stresses some words and
phrases when you speak.
Emphasize words that are
important in your message.
mood or tone
Your speech should
make your listeners
feel certain emotions.
pause
Pauses are the small
silences in your speech.
They can help to emphasize
a point you are making.
They also can help listeners
catch up with your speech.
pitch
Your voice naturally changes
pitch—or modulates—when
you speak. Saying some words
higher and others lower gives
listeners cues about your
meaning. For example, you
might raise your pitch to
connect two related ideas.
rate
Your rate, or tempo, of
speaking is normally faster
than the speed you will need
to use when giving a formal
speech. Talking more slowly
during a speech helps
listeners hear and
understand more easily.
volume
Although you may normally
speak quietly, you need to
speak fairly loudly when you
give a speech. Be loud enough
to be heard by all of your
listeners. Consider speaking
more loudly or softly to
emphasize certain points.
fluency
According to Tim Rasinski
(an expert on the topic),
fluency is the
ability to read with accuracy,
with expression,
and at a good pace.
accuracy
Recognizing words and
reading words correctly
without any hesitation
rate or pace
Reading at a natural,
conversational pace, or as
appropriate for the text
structural expression
Reading smoothly.
appropriate phrasing and
pausing. Adjusting your
pitch and volume to the
circumstances (according to
the type of text or the
audience).
interpretive expression
Recognizing that there are
different purposes for
reading. Conveying the
appropriate mood and
emotion. Distinguishing
word meanings in context.
generalization
A generalization is a general
statement that gives an
overall, general view,
rather than focusing
on specific details.
Generalization: Your room is a
mess.
Specific: Your
clothes are not
hung up and
are lying all
over your
room.
imagery
A good writer will use
imagery, or create images or
pictures in writing,
by providing vivid,
detailed descriptions.
“Our home was one room,
about eighteen by twenty feet,
the size of a living room. There
was one small window in the
wall opposite the one door. It
was bare except for a
a small, tiny
wood-burning
stove that was
crouching in the center.
The flooring consisted of twoby-fours laid directly on the
earth, and dandelions were
already pushing their
way up
through the
cracks.”
inconsistency
If something is consistent,
it is marked by harmony,
regularity, and steady
continuity. It is free from
variation and free from
contradiction.
If you have been inconsistent
in your writing,
you may have done
one of the following:
changed verb tense in your essay
At my grandparents house, I
wake up before anyone else
and quietly had grabbed the
fishing pole and will be heading
for the pond. “I was so
excited,” I say to myself. “I was
going to catch a fish.”
changed your point of view
I have always felt that hanggliding was invented just for
me. You feel so free,
floating through the air, as I
watch the Lego farm houses
and people that are no larger
than ants.
have statements that contradict
The disappearance of Amelia
Earhart remains a mystery.
Earhart, who was the first
woman pilot to fly across the
Atlantic Ocean, crashed into
the Pacific Ocean while
attempting to fly around the
world. Everybody knows what
happened to her.
changed your topic
“Although living with a
disability can be difficult,
many disabled people lead
independent lives. Jenna is
one of those people. Left
legally blind and deaf at age
nine from an operation to
remove a brain tumor,
Jenna had to learn to overcome
her disabilities. With the help of
a cane, a hearing aid, and a
magnifying glass to help her
read, Jenna is able to be selfsufficient.
I wouldn’t want to be blind. It
would scare me to death. I
would be as scared as I saw
when I saw the horror movie,
The Texas Chain-Saw
Massacre. Let me tell you. I
was scared to death, and I
screamed and screamed and
screamed. I screamed so
much, I almost threw up all
over my little brother who was
as calm as a cucumber. I don’t
like cucumbers. I think they
taste gross in a salad. Don’t
you?”
infinitive
An infinitive is a verb form,
usually preceded by “to,”
that is used as a noun, an
adjective, or an adverb.
Example-to go, to leave, to fly
examples of infinitives
1. I want to go home with you.
2. I need someone to help me
with my homework.
3. To be kind is sometimes
very difficult.
infinitive phrase
An infinitive phrase consists
of an infinitive and its
modifiers and complements.
infinitive phrase as adverb
1. The crowd grew quiet
to hear the speaker.
(modifies grew)
2. The camel knelt at
at the pool to drink.
(modifies knelt)
infinitive phrase as adjective
1. The best time to visit Florida
is December through April.
(modifies time)
2. If you want information about
computers, that is the
magazine to read.
(modifies magazine)
infinitive used as noun
subject:
To install the ceiling fan took
two hours.
predicate nominative
Isabella’s ambition is to
become a doctor.
Direct object
After school, David and I like
to walk home together.
interpretation
An interpretation is an
explanation of something.
It can also be how you perform
a piece of literature (reading a
poem, acting a part in a play,
etc.)
For example, after reading A
Christmas Carol, your
teacher could ask you:
“What is your
interpretation of the
Spirits?”
What he/she is asking you
is: What is your explanation
(the purpose) of the Spirits?
OR. . .You could act the part of
Ebenezer Scrooge in a play.
When you get on stage and act
like Ebenezer, you are doing an
interpretation, or explanation,
of how your think he acted,
looked, and talked. People who
came to the play would critique
your interpretation of the
character of Ebenezer Scrooge.
OR. . . If you memorize a poem
and recite it to the class, they
could critique your interpretation.
In other words, they would watch
your facial expressions and body
language, and they would listen
to your voice, and then they
would tell you how well your
expressed the meaning of the
poem when your read it.
irony
Irony is a contrast between
expectation and reality.
There are three common
types of irony: verbal,
situational, and dramatic.
verbal irony
Verbal irony involves a
contrast between
what is said or written
and what is really meant.
For example, if a baseball
player just struck out,
and you called
him “slugger,”
you would be
using
verbal irony.
situational irony
Situational irony occurs
when what happens is very
different from what we
expected would happen.
For example, in “Casey at the
Bat,” when Casey
strikes out after
we’ve been led
to believe he will
save the day,
the poet is using
situational irony.
BEAN: The Movie, is a movie
that contains much situational
irony. You may
want to view the
first 10 minutes
or so of the film
and see how
many instances
you can find.
dramatic irony
Dramatic irony occurs when
the audience or the reader
knows something a
character does not know.
In “The Highwayman,” the reader
realizes that King George’s
soldiers have Bess tied up and
that there is a
trap set for the
highwayman;
however, the
highwayman is
not aware of
either of these situations.
mood
Mood is the overall emotion
created by a work of
literature--its emotional
atmosphere.
Some adjectives that
describe mood:
sad
scary
hopeful exiting
negative optimistic
suspenseful
depressing
Think of several selections
you have read this year.
What was the mood in each
selection?
flashback
A flashback is an
interruption in the action of
a plot in order to tell what
happened at an earlier time.
The plot “flashes back”
in time.
Not every
short story or
novel will have
flashbacks.
Can you think
of one that has
flashbacks?
foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the use of
clues to suggest events that
will happen later in the plot.
“Three Skeleton Key”
In “Three Skeleton Key,” the story
of the three convicts
who perished on
the key
foreshadows the
danger the three
lighthouse keepers
will face.
tone
Tone is the attitude that a
writer takes toward the
audience, a subject, or a
character. Tone is conveyed
through the writer’s choice
of words and details.
For example. . .
The poem “maggie and mily
and molly and may” is light
and playful in tone. By
contrast, the poem “Annabel
Lee” is serious in tone.
You may think of other
examples.
symbolism
A symbol is a person, place,
thing, or event that has its
own meaning and stand for
something beyond itself as
well. Symbolism is the
condition or state of being a
symbol.
Common symbols:
The dove is
a symbol for
peace.
The skull and
crossbones
is a symbol of
danger.
Think of other
symbols that you
know.
parallel structure
If a sentence has parallel
structure, the compound
elements match in form.
In other words, you will use the
same kind of word or phrase
in each of the compound
elements.
Example:
Not parallel: Julie likes
fishing and to swim in a cool
mountain stream.
Parallel: Julie likes fishing
and swimming in a cool
mountain stream.
projection
Projection means
to control the volume,
clarity, and distinctness
of a voice to gain
greater audibility
(to make people
hear you better).
prose
Prose is writing or speaking
in the usual sentence form.
Prose becomes poetry
when it takes on
rhyme and rhythm.
revision
Making changes in a piece
of writing to improve its
completeness and clarity is
called revision. Another
word for revise is edit.
You revise your essay by:
correcting grammar errors
deleting ideas or words
adding words or sentences
re-arranging ideas or
sentences
re-writing a passage
adding transitional words
dividing it into paragraphs
sentence structure
The structure of a sentence
refers to the kinds and the
number of clauses it
contains. The four kinds of
sentences are: simple,
compound, complex, and
compound-complex.
simple
subject
subject
subject
My dad, my brother, and I
verb
prepositional phrase
drove out to the nearby woods
prepositional phrase
to gather pine cones.
compound
My brother picked up all the
little cones, and my dad and I
threw medium and big ones
into the trunk of the car.
complex
When mom and Grandma
saw how many we had, they
laughed and said that we
had enough to decorate ten
houses.
complex
dependent clause
When Mom and Grandma
saw how many we had,
independent clause
they laughed and said we had
enough to decorate ten houses.
compound-complex
We had forgotten to ask
what size pine cones to get,
and since Dad had never
made decorations, he didn’t
know.
compound-complex
We had forgotten to ask
what size pine cones to get,
and since Dad had never
made decorations,
he didn’t know.
stereotype
Stereotypes are beliefs
about all the members
of a particular group.
Stereotypes are usually
based on too little
evidence or on false
or misleading information.
“dumb blonde” jokes
all Black people can
sing and dance well
strategy
A strategy is a detailed plan
of action (scheme or plan)
to accomplish
a specific goal.
For example, if a student
has to sell 100 boxes of
candy, he could adopt the
strategy of selling at least 10
boxes per day, and in 10
days, he would have
reached his goal.
If you have trouble
memorizing definitions of
new vocabulary words, you
could use index cards. Put
the definition on one side;
put the word on the other.
Use the cards as flash cards
to practice learning the
meanings. (strategy at school)
limerick
A limerick is a five-line
humorous poem. The rhyme
pattern is a a b b a. Lines 1, 2
and 5 contain 3 beats (7 to 10
syllables) and rhyme, and lines
3 and 4 have two beats (5 to 7
syllables) and rhyme.
There was an Old Person of
Dover,
Who rushed through a field of blue
clover;
But some very large bees,
Stung his nose and his knees,
So he very soon went back to
Dover.
lyric
A lyric poem is a poem that
expresses the feelings or
thoughts of a speaker rather
than telling a story.
“Dreams”
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Langston Hughes
narrative
A narrative poem is a poem
that tells a story. It may have
any of the elements that a
short story has, including:
plot (intro, climax, etc.)
character
setting
foreshadowing
irony
point of view
flashback
mood
Think of a narrative poem that
you have studied this year—or
perhaps last year.
Can you find the elements of a
short story in it? They should
be there for you to find.
haiku
Haiku is a Japanese style of
poetry.
It has three lines,
17 syllables
does not rhyme,
is about nature, and
has a specific number of
syllables in each line:
5, 7, 5
The crow has flown away:
swaying in the evening sun,
a leafless tree.
Note: When
translated from
Japanese to
English,
often the haiku
syllables are
not “perfect.”
viewpoint
Viewpoint is another word
for point of view or
standpoint. Another
synonym might be opinion.
For example, if a news
reporter walked up to you
and asked, “What is your
viewpoint of smoking in
public?” he would be
wanting to know your
opinion about public
smoking.
Do you agree with people
smoking in public? Why?
Do you disagree? Why?
Does it bother you? Why or
why not?
What are the good things
about it?
What are the bad things
about it?
Bibliography
Most clip art is taken from Microsoft
Office Online.
Most definitions and some examples
are taken from Holt’s Elements of
Language, 2004 edition.
Some examples are my personal
writings; some pictures were snatched
from the Internet, various places.
Some definitions are taken from
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary, Tenth Edition.
Some definitions and examples were
taken from Holt’s Elements of
Literature, 2007 edition, both First
Course and Second Course.