Writing Tools
Includes the beginning, middle, and end of the story and is usually about 3 sentences.
Slow and steady wins the race is the theme of this childhood fable.
The Tortoise and the Hare
I reeled and shivered earthward like a feather.
Simile
NAME the error in this sentence:
My favorite holiday is thanksgiving because my family and i get together at my grandmother's house to eat lots of turkey.
Capitalization
A word meaning "hard or difficult." Here it is used in a sentence: John tried to catch his breath for a minute before he attempted the arduous climb up the peak of the mountain.
Arduous
Can also be called the essay's "Controlling Idea." It is often the last sentence of the introduction and is what the writer sets out to prove in the body of their essay.
Thesis
Name a story whose theme is "Don't judge a book by its cover."
After the game, the football star felt like he could sleep for a whole year.
Hyperbole
NAME the error in this sentence:
He kept his clothes in a seperate closet so his wife would have all the space she needed for her ever growing wardrobe.
Spelling
A word meaning "Caution." Here it is used in a sentence: The political landscape is full of dangers so a good politician must use prudence if they are to be successful and careful.
Prudence
What the story is about, what happens in it. This is unique for each story.
Main Idea
Name a theme common to sports movies.
Answers will vary.
Without the slightest tinge of gold,
The city shivered in the cold.
Personification
CORRECT the error in this sentence:
He later explained that he just wasn’t confident he would be able to land the kayak safe.
Safely
A word meaning "Empty." Here it is used in a sentence: Ronald hated the detention room as it was completely devoid of any warmth or cheer.
Devoid
A vaccine is a preparation of killed or weakened germs that is injected under the skin and causes the blood to produce antibodies against the disease. Effective vaccines, for instance, have been developed for small pox, rabies, and polio.
Of "Objective," "Arrogant," OR "Regretful," the most accurate way to describe the tone of the italicized sentences is ____________.
Objective
Theme is not to be confused with Main Idea. The Main Idea of "Little Red Riding Hood" is "A girl gets herself into trouble by revealing too much information to a wolf on the way to her grandmother's house," while the theme is ________________________________.
Appearances can be deceiving OR Trust your intuition
He is a pearl within an oyster shell,
One of the riches of the deep
Metaphor
Sandy wants to convey her point in the most concise way possible. She changes "Mr. Thackery is my gym teacher. He gave my class a quiz to make sure we understand the rules of golf." to "Mr. Thackery, my gym teacher, gave my class a quiz to make sure we understand the rules of golf." Sandy effectively used an _____________.
Appositive
A word meaning "Sneaky and Cunning." Here it is used in a sentence: The sly fox show his guile when he tricked the sparrow into drinking from the birdbath and then ate him up in one quick bite.
Guile
Likely the most popular children's series of all time, Harry Potter, still holds a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list today.
In the italicized sentence, "Harry Potter" is an example of an ______________.
Appositive
Name the theme of this fable:
A certain man who visited foreign lands could talk of little when he returned to his home except the wonderful adventures he had met with and the great deeds he had done abroad. One of the feats he told about was a leap he had made in a city Called Rhodes. That leap was so great, he said, that no other man could leap anywhere near the distance. A great many persons in Rhodes had seen him do it and would prove that what he told was true. "No need of witnesses," said one of the hearers. "Suppose this city is Rhodes. Now show us how far you can jump."
Actions speak louder than words
With her left hand, she lightly ran her fingers along the dew-covered, white porch railing, as she breathed in the fresh scent of wet earth. Then turning, with her right hand, she lifted her coffee cup to her lips. She sighed contentedly as the he birds chirped in the distance.
Imagery
"In 1915 14-year-old Willie Hutchison discovered some rich opal fields in the area. After all, miners from all over the world flooded into the region to seek their fortunes."
The second sentence needs a more effective transition. Of "Soon," "Instead," "Finally," OR "Otherwise," the most effective transition would be _________.
Soon
By comparison with films or videos or computer bulletin boards, a good book requires more from us in the way of intelligence and imagination and memory, and that makes it vulnerable to its glitzy competitors; but a book also rewards us more abundantly.
In the sentence, the word is ___________ closest in meaning to "weak."
vulnerable