Connotation/Denotation
The words slim and skinny have similar denotations. Which word usually has a more positive connotation?
Slim
Identify the part of speech of the italicized word:
The excited students entered the classroom.
Adjective
Identify the figurative language:
“The classroom was a zoo.”
Metaphor
A story introduces Jamal, his family, his school, and the conflict he is beginning to face.
Which part of the plot is this?
Exposition
Read the sentence:
“I grabbed my backpack and rushed toward the bus.”
What point of view is being used?
First person
Read the sentence:
Malik was determined to finish the race even though he was tired.
If determined were replaced with stubborn, how would the tone change?
It would become more negative.
Identify the part of speech of the italicized word:
The runner moved quickly around the track.
Adverb
Identify the figurative language:
“The thunder grumbled angrily above us.”
Personification
During the story, Maya faces several obstacles while preparing for the school talent show. Each problem increases the tension.
Which part of the plot do these events represent?
Rising action
Read the passage:
Marcus stared at the test and worried that he had studied the wrong material. Across the room, Jasmine quietly wrote her answers.
The narrator reveals Marcus's thoughts but not Jasmine's thoughts.
What point of view is this?
Third-person limited
An author describes a character as confident instead of arrogant. Both words describe someone who believes strongly in themselves.
Why might the author choose confident?
To create a more positive impression of the character
Study the word light in these two sentences:
How does the part of speech of light change?
In Sentence 1, light is a noun because it names a thing.
In Sentence 2, light is an adjective because it describes the backpack.
Read the sentence:
“After running the mile, I was so tired I could sleep for a hundred years.”
Why does the author use hyperbole?
To emphasize how exhausted the narrator feels
A story takes place during a powerful hurricane. The characters lose electricity, roads flood, and the main character must decide whether to leave home.
How does the setting affect the plot?
The hurricane creates the problems and conflict the characters must face. Without the dangerous setting, many of the story's events would not happen.
Read the passage:
Tiana smiled as she entered the gym, but inside she was terrified. Across the room, Marcus wondered whether Tiana would remember their routine. Neither knew that their coach was just as nervous as they were.
What point of view is used, and what evidence supports your answer?
Third-person omniscient. The narrator reveals the thoughts or feelings of multiple characters—Tiana, Marcus, and the coach.
Compare these sentences:
What does the word stormed suggest that walked does not?
The students entered with strong energy or emotion.
Read the sentence:
Wow! The talented singer performed beautifully on the stage.
Identify the parts of speech for these three words:
Read the sentence:
“The leaves danced across the sidewalk as the wind pushed them along.”
Identify the figurative language and explain what it helps the reader imagine.
It is personification. Describing the leaves as “dancing” helps the reader imagine them moving lightly and energetically in the wind.
Throughout a story, Andre refuses help because he believes he can solve every problem alone. Near the end, he accepts help from his teammates and realizes that cooperation is important.
What type of character is Andre?
Dynamic
A story about a fight between two friends is told only from Jordan's first-person point of view.
How might the story be different if it were told using third-person omniscient?
The reader could learn both friends' thoughts, feelings, and motivations instead of seeing the conflict only from Jordan's perspective.
A principal writes:
“Several students gathered outside the gym.”
A student writes:
“A mob of students crowded outside the gym.”
How does the word mob change the reader's perception of the students?
“Mob” has a more negative connotation and makes the students seem disorderly, aggressive, or out of control, while “gathered” is more neutral.
Examine the word run:
I go for a run every morning.
The athletes run every morning.
Explain how the same word can function as two different parts of speech.
In the first sentence, run is a noun because it names an activity. In the second sentence, run is a verb because it shows an action.
Compare these descriptions:
“The hallway was crowded.”
“The hallway was a river of students rushing toward their next classes.”
Which sentence creates stronger imagery, and how does the figurative language affect the meaning?
The second sentence creates stronger imagery. The metaphor compares the students to a rushing river, emphasizing how crowded, fast-moving, and busy the hallway is.
A story reaches the moment when the main character must choose between telling the truth and protecting a friend. The decision determines everything that happens afterward.
Explain why this moment would most likely be the climax rather than the rising action.
It is the climax because it is the turning point and moment of greatest tension. The character's decision determines how the main conflict will be resolved.
Read the two versions:
Version 1:
I knew Tyler was ignoring me on purpose. He didn't even look in my direction.
Version 2:
Maya believed Tyler was ignoring her. Tyler, however, was so worried about his presentation that he had not noticed Maya enter the room.
How does the change in point of view affect the reader's understanding of the situation?
Version 1 gives only Maya's interpretation, so the reader may believe Tyler is ignoring her. Version 2 reveals both characters' perspectives, allowing the reader to understand that Maya's assumption is incorrect.