How is a theme different from a central idea?
Theme: A message, moral, or life lesson in a story.
Central Idea: What the story is mainly about.
What does the word "cliché" mean?
Something that is overused, sometimes a phrase such as "don't judge a book by its cover."
Sometimes clichés are overused to a point of being irritating, or even causing the phrase to lose meaning.
How many paragraphs at MINIMUM should your multi paragraph essay always always always have? (Anything less than this is unacceptable and will cause the ghost of Mrs. Egbert to haunt you for life).
5 paragraphs
What does the word "indicate" mean?
to show or point out
"Careful digging around its ruins yielded scores of Inca graves, some stone dishes, and several bronze implements."
What does the phrase yielded scores mean as it is used in the sentence?
A: shaped easily
B: waited nearby
C: explored often
D: produced many
D: produced many
What is tone?
The author's attitude toward the topic they are writing about.
What does the word "vague" mean?
unclear
How many pieces of EVIDENCE should be in each of your body paragraphs in an essay at MINIMUM? How many sentences of EXPLAINING should you have after each piece of evidence at MINIMUM?
Pieces of evidence: 2
Sentences of explaining: 2
What does the word "evaluate" mean?
to form an idea about something; assess
What does the word "emphasize" mean?
to give special importance or prominence to something; make something more clearly defined; stress something
What does it mean to "infer" or "make an inference" about something?
An inference is an idea or conclusion that's drawn from evidence and reasoning. An inference is an educated guess. We make inferences based on clues in the text because some things aren't directly stated.
What does the word "solemn" mean?
serious; grave
What are the three things that must be included in the introduction paragraph of an essay, no matter what type of essay you are writing? (CORRECT ORDER!)
1. hook
2. background
3. thesis statement/claim
What does "analyze" mean?
"Write a multi-paragraph written response in which you analyze the significance of Machu Picchu as a travel destination. In your response, consider the cultural and historical aspects of Machu Picchu. Your response must be based on ideas and information found in the passages"
What kind of essay would you be writing if this were your prompt?
Informative
If two different authors writing about the same topic give information that is contradictory, what does that mean?
They are giving opposing information. The information is inconsistent. Maybe they are saying the opposite of each other.
What does the word "portrayed" mean?
to describe someone or something in a particular way
depict; represent; characterize
What are the three main places in an essay where you need to use TRANSITIONS? Give an example for each!
1. Starting a new paragraph (The first reason...The first common theme...)
2. Leading into evidence (According to passage one...)
3. Leading into explaining (This shows...This proves...This clearly illustrates...)
What does "distinction" mean?
A difference or contrast
Every body paragraph in an essay should start with a _________ sentence, and end with a ___________ sentence.
What do these two sentences do?
Every body paragraph in an essay should start with a topic sentence, and end with a closing sentence.
Topic sentence: introduces the topic of the entire paragraph
Closing sentence: wraps up and kind of summarizes the information in the entire paragraph
What is the difference between a metaphor and symbolism?
A metaphor is a figure of speech that allows a writer to compare seemingly opposite or unrelated things.
Symbolism is the use of an object to represent something else. A symbol can stand for more than just one thing & is usually used to represent a larger more complex idea. It usually involves the use of an object or image to represent something else, such as a character, emotion, or idea.
While metaphor can be used for light-hearted purposes, symbolism is often used to communicate more serious messages.
Metaphors are used to make a direct comparison. Symbolism is used to convey the meaning of larger and more abstract concepts.
What are proverbs?
popular sayings which contain advice or state a generally accepted truth
Write a thesis statement for the following prompt:
Write a multi paragraph essay in which you analyze the development of similar themes between the stories of "A Christmas Carol" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
Sample Response:
Three common themes found in both "A Christmas Carol" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" are be thankful for what you have, always be kind to others, and happiness comes from within.
What is an excerpt?
a piece of a whole work of writing.
Give me a very brief outline of an argumentative essay. Essentially, I just want to know what each paragraph should have.
1. Introduction
2. First Reason to support claim
3. Second Reason to support claim
4. Counterclaim and Rebuttal
5. Conclusion