English Final Review (December)

Vocabulary

1. acute - keen and alert
2. acquit - declare not guilty
3. apparel - clothing; to put clothes on
4. arid - extremely dry
5. assailant - person who attacks
6. barrage - rapid outpouring of something
7. befuddle - to confuse
8. besiege - to attack; to cause worry
9. bigot - prejudiced person (racist)
10. billow - a large wave; surge
11. blight - a disease that causes plants to wither and die;ruin
12. bluster - talk in a noisy way; speech that is loud and threatening.
13. boisterous - loud and high-spirited
14. contemporary - from the same time
15. deem - to have an opinion
16. denounce - to accuse formally
17. depict - to portray
18. designate - to indicate; selected but not yet installed
19. douse - drench
20. eerie - mysterious; creepy
21. famished - starving
22. forsake - renounce
23. fray - a brawl; make rugged or worn
24. gloat - to take great personal joy in
25. gory - slaughter
26. headstrong - stubborn
27. ingenious -clever
28. irk - to annoy
29. keepsake -a souvenir
30. limber - flexible
31. oaf -a stupid person
32. pacify - to make peaceful
33. petty - insignificant
34. plight - a sorry condition
35. queue - line
36. reimburse - pay back
37. reveries - a fantasy
38. ruffle - to wrinkle; a material used for trimming edges.
39. sage - a very person
40. smug - self-righteous
41. synopsis - a summary
42. tarry - to linger
43. topple -  to fall forward
44. waylay - ambush
45. wither -  to dry up

Nouns

• Nouns are words that name persons, places, things, ideas or concepts.
• All nouns have at least 4 classifications. Some nouns have a fifth classification, these classifications are:

1. common (general) or proper (specific) (Proper nouns are always capitalized)
• examples: car (common), Ferrari (proper)
2. concrete (can be perceived with the senses) or abstract (cannot be perceived by the senses)
• examples: kiss (concrete), love (abstract)
3. simple (one word) or compound (2 or more words; hyphenated)
• examples: cake (simple), cupcake (compound)
4. singular (one) or plural (more than one)
• bird (singular), birds (plural)
5. collective (represents a group in singular form)
• flock of birds, herd of sheep

• We have to take several rules into consideration when making plurals, some rules may have exception though. These rules are:

1. Most nouns make their plural by adding s
• cat - cats
• mop - mops
• people - peoples
• computer - computers
• bag - bags
2. Most nouns that end in s, sh, ch, x and z form their plurals by adding es
• kiss - kisses
• church - churches
• brush - brushes
• fox - foxes
• buzz - buzzes
• exception: ox - oxen
3. Words that end in y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and add es
• fry - fries
• fly - flies
• party - parties
4. Most nouns that end in f or fe, change the f v and add s or es
• wolf - wolves
• wife - wives
• exception: chef - chefs
• exception: cuff - cuffs
5. Most nouns that end in o, add es to form the plural
• potato - potatoes
• exception: piano - pianos
6. Some nouns have a different, or irregular plural
• child - children
• man - men
• foot - feet
• mouse - mice
• goose - geese
7. Some nouns have the same singular and plural form
• sheep
• deer
• salmon
• moose
8. Some nouns look plural but are considered singular
• news
• measles
• mumps
• mathematics
• physics
• United States
9. Some nouns only have a plural
• pants
• scissors
10. Plurals of letters and numbers use an apostrophe
• A's
• 3's
• a's

Verbs

• There are two main types of verbs, which are action verbs and linking verbs. Each has a specific function.
• action verbs - express an action, which may be physical (ex. ran) or mental (ex. thought)
• example: She bought three dozens of eggs.
• linking verbs - do not express action; they connect, or link, the subject to the predicate
• example: Ken is one of my best friends.

Sentences

1. Simple Sentence - complete thought, has a subject and a predicate, can be in inverted order (usually questions), sometimes the subject is you understood, can also be called independent clauses
• example: The mother took her daughter home.
2. Compound Sentence - 2 simple sentences united by either a conjunction preceded by a comma, or a semicolon (;), when incorrect punctuation is used it is called a run-on sentence.
• example: The teacher explained the types of sentences (,and or ;) she gave us a quiz
3. Complex Sentence - 1 simple sentence (independent clause) and a fragment (phrase, verbal clause, dependent clause)
• example: Since I started studying, my grades have improved.
• Fragment - since I started studying
• Sentence - My grades have improved.
4. Complex-Compound Sentence - two or more independent clauses with one or more subordinate clause
• example: When Jeff ran for president, I planned his campaign, and I designed the logo he used.
5. Run-On Sentence - two or more independent clauses with incorrect punctuation.
• example: Chisholm ran for president she lost the primaries.
6. Sentence Fragment - a group of words that does not have a complete thought
• example: In his history book

Nouns in Sentences

• Nouns have a lot of different uses on sentences, these are:
• subject - what the sentence talks about
• example: María is going to the park.
• direct object - action verb’s answer to Whom? or What?  
• example: He gave food to them.
• indirect object - there must be a direct object for there to be one; action verb’s answer to To whom?, To what?, For whom? or For what?
• example: The waiter gave her the bill.
• predicate noun or nominative - it is in the predicate of a linking verb
• example: A dictionary is a useful tool.
• object of the preposition - noun of a prepositional phrase
• example: She got to school through the forest.
• We can also find predicate adjectives in sentence, these work like a predicate nominative. They must also be used with a linking verb also.
• example: The table is red.

Literature

• Conflict is a struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces. In simple words problems or situations the characters face.   There are two different types of conflict.
• external- the character struggles against an outside force.  This can be another character (man vs. man), society as a whole (man vs. society), or something in nature (man vs. nature).
• internal-  takes place entirely in within a character's own mind.  This struggle is between opposing needs, desires or emotions of a single character. (man vs. himself)
• Plot is a series of related events that make up a story or drama.  Plot is what happens in a story, novel, or play.  An outline showing the “bare bones” of a plot would include the following:
• basic situation or exposition-  gives information about the setting, characters and their problems or conflicts
• rising action-  this includes the complications that make the solution of the conflict or conflicts difficult to achieve; additional secondary characters are introduced
• climax- the moment of greatest emotional intensity or suspense in a plot.  It usually marks the moment when the conflict(s) is/are decided one way or another
• falling action, resolution or denouement-  finale or solution to the conflict(s); loose ends are tied.
• Conflict creates suspense, and suspense is what keeps us turning the pages.  The authors use various methods in creating suspense.
• foreshadowing - a writer may give clues-sometimes even false clues- that hint at the story’s outcome
• mystery - the author withholds information from the reader; unusual and mysterious circumstances also are used
• dilemma - when a character is in peril or must choose between two dangerous courses of action
• reversal - a sudden change in a character’s situation from good to bad or vice-versa