Purpose
What is the definition of author's purpose?
An author’s purpose is the author’s reason for writing.
What is the definition of author's perspective?
Author's perspective is the author’s attitude toward his or her subject, or the way the author thinks and feels about the subject.
What is the definition of a context clue?
A hint in the surrounding text that can help a reader infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase
What is denotation?
The dictionary definition of a word
What is connotation?
The idea or feeling that a word suggests in addition to its literal meaning.
It can be positive, negative, or neutral
Mother Jones was trying to change the textile industry by:
limiting the work week to 48 hours
advocating for children's right to attend schools
What was Mother Jones's perspective on child labor? How do you know?
Mother Jones had a negative perspective on child labor.
She states in paragraph 6 that, "The manufacturers have threatened to starve these children, and we seek to show that no child shall die of hunger at the will of any manufacturer in this fair land."
In paragraph 3 she states that children should be "attending schools, so that in years to come better citizens will be given to this republic."
What does Constellations mean in this sentence?
Constellations, such as The Little Dipper and The Big Dipper, can be seen in the night sky.
A. Clouds
B. Moons
C. Groups of Stars
D. Lights
C. Groups of Stars
Which answer is the denotative meaning of the word home?
A. a comfortable place
B. a place where someone lives
C. a building with many rooms
B. a place where someone lives
Which answer is the connotative meaning of the word home?
A. a comfortable place
B. a place where someone lives
C. a building with many rooms
A. a comfortable place
What is the author's purpose in the following statement?
If you have ever heard a dolphin make noise, the sounds you hear can be described as whistles and clicks. Scientists think that dolphins even have a unique "signature whistle" that can be used to identify specific members of their pod. Dolphins can also communicate and navigate under the water using echolocation. Echolocation is a process by which dolphins emit sound waves that bounce off of other objects under the water.
The author's purpose is to INFORM the reader about the ways dolphins communicate
What is the author's perspective? How do you know?
“The sooner we move out of this dump,” said Jack, “the happier I’ll be.”
He has negative attitude about it. This is evident by his diction (word choice) – calling his house a dump
What is the meaning of thwart in this passage?
The army attempted to thwart the enemy with a new plan of attack. Before the enemy realized what was happening, their forces became confused and frustrated. The army won the battle and stopped the enemy's advance.
A. Allow
B. Hinder
C. Assist
D. Scream at
B. Hinder
The enemy became "confused and frustrated" because the army hindered, or created difficulties for them.
What is the denotation of cheap in this sentence?
I enjoy shopping at TJ Maxx because the clothing is cheap.
Cheap in this sentence means affordable or inexpensive
Which word in each pair shows a positive connotation?
1. Childish / Youthful
2. Challenging / Difficult
3. Self confident / Conceited
Youthful, challenging, self confident
What are the three examples of author's purpose? (PIE)
To persuade, to inform, to entertain
What is the author's perspective? How do you know?
Ms. Lam's class is challenging and at times I struggle, but I learn so much and feel confident about the work. With tutoring, I see that I am improving with my reading comprehension.
The speaker has a positive attitude about it because her word choice of “learn so much” lets us know she is happy to have Ms. Lam as a teacher. The speaker also gives a positive example of feeling confident.
What is the meaning of the word colossus and how do you know?
A colossus, such as the Statue of Liberty, can be seen for miles around.
Colossus- a huge statue
Which statement shows the denotation of the word innocent and how do you know?
1. What does she know about relationships? She's so innocent.
2. After providing all the evidence, the court said she was innocent of the crime.
In the first statement, the implication is that she's lacking in worldly knowledge or experience. This shows a negative connotation.
In the second statement, the denotation of innocent is free of guilt. This statement is the correct answer.
What is the connotation of pour in this sentence?
He had missed two days of work because he was sick. Once he arrived at his job, his work started to pour in and he became overwhelmed.
If anything is "pouring in," the connotation is that you can't keep up or it's coming in at a rate that's too fast.
What is the author's purpose and how do you know?
Mandatory minimum sentencing is harmful to the human race. It is a form of discrimination; many people receive long sentences for minor crimes. We should overturn mandatory minimum sentencing rules and give judges more leeway in their decision-making.
The author purpose is to PERSUADE the reader to agree that there should be no more mandatory minimum sentencing for all crimes because it is unfair.
The author's diction shows us that they have one viewpoint on minimum sentencing and they say "We should," which is persuasive.
What is the author's perspective? How do you know?
"The trend toward full day kindergarten programs in public schools is taking its toll on the young children of today. Recent studies showing improved reading skills may be misleading. This improvement in reading is unlikely to carry on as these children progress through elementary school."
The writer is not in favor of full day kindergarten programs. They give negative examples of it “taking its toll” and the word choice of “misleading” is also negative.
What is the meaning of the word debilitating and how do you know?
Debilitating illnesses include Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. They may limit a person's physical abilities.
Debilitating- weakening, impairing, draining
Which sentence shows the denotation of the word jabber? What does jabber mean?
A. Thank goodness he left! I thought he would never stop jabbering.
B. It is so funny to hear the baby jabber when he is excited.
B. It is so funny to hear the baby jabber when he is excited.
Jabber: speak in quick and nonsensical talk
In sentence A, saying that someone is jabbering carries the negative connotation of someone who's talking nonsensically and is starting to annoy you.
Which statement shows the connotative meaning of the word gritty? Is it positive or negative? What does gritty mean?
A. This sandpaper is gritty. It'll make that countertop nice and smooth.
B. That side of town is pretty gritty. That is why I stay on this side of town.
B. That side of town is pretty gritty. That is why I stay on this side of town.
This answer shows a negative connotation of the word gritty.
Gritty means "having a rough texture" but in the second sentence, it means tough.