TOP 100 ELA TERMS

You need to know for 7th grade language arts.

DEF EX

CLUE PICTURE

INTERJECTION

• Definition:

Interrupts with strong emotion

• Example:

Ouch! Wow! Hey! Boom!

• Clue:

in – ter – ject – ion

VERBS

• DEF: tells what subject is doing or being

• EX:

John runs quickly.

John is fast.• Clue:

Verb – It’s what you do.

ACTION VERB

• DEF: shows activity

• EX:

Bill walked home.

Jan jumped rope.

• Clue:

act in action

HELPING VERB

• DEF: helps the main verb

• EX: did, may, might, will, would, can, could, should, have, etc.

He should have come home.

• Clue: Help!

LINKING VERB

• DEF: shows no activity state of being verbs

• EX: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been

• CLUE:

Link subject with predicate.

Jim is asleep.

S P

COMPOUND VERB

• DEF: two verbs

• EX:

John runs and jumps.

• CLUE:

com – pound

pound 2 together

ADVERB

• DEF: describes verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs

• EX:

Jim writes slowly.

John left suddenly.• CLUE:

add to verbs

most end in -ly

LY

NOUN

• DEF: names person, place, thing, or idea

• EX:

Jim, river, ball, love

• CLUE:

Noun name

COMMON NOUN

• DEF: names ordinary person, place, thing, or idea

• EX: car, pen, shoe

• CLUE:

common=ordinary

I drive a van.

PROPER NOUN

• DEF: names specific person, place, thing, idea

• EX: Atlanta, Bill, Toyota

• CLUE:

PROper name

(professional)

I drive a Mustang!

ADJECTIVE• DEF: describes noun

or pronoun (which one, what kind, how many, how much)

• EX: The yellow school bus came by my house today.

• CLUE:

Usually before a noun to say more for a nounYellow bus

COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVE

• DEF: compares 2 things using –er or more

• EX: My dog is shorter than my cat. My radio is more expensive than yours.

• CLUE: compare - ative

SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVE

• DEF: compares 3 or more things using -est or most

• EX: That giraffe is the shortest of all.

• My car is the most expensive one in the parking lot.

• CLUE: Super-size!SUPER - lative

PREPOSITION

• DEF: shows relationship between object of preposition & another word

• EX: above, on, in, after, to, with, by, from (for, during, of)

• CLUE: anything a plane can do to a cloud

The plane is above the cloud.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

• DEF: from the preposition to 1st noun or pronoun

• EX: to the barn,

in the pie, of the night Bill ran from the dog.

• CLUE: prepositional position is from

the prep to the name.

PREP TO NAME

PRONOUN

• DEF: replaces noun• EX: I, me, he, she, it,

they, them, you, us

John handed them his newspaper.

• CLUE: pro-noun

FORaNOUN

SheHer

HeHim

SIMPLE SUBJECT

• DEF: Subject only

• EX:

The old man ran quickly.

• CLUE: Simple subject is the brain of the sentence.

COMPLETE SUBJECT

• DEF: the entire subject, from the start to the verb

• EX: The old man ran quickly.

• Clue: the whole subject

the whole 1st half

SIMPLE PREDICATE

• DEF: verb only – must be the complete verb phrase though

• EX: Jim was running quickly in the gym.

• CLUE: It’s the heart of the sentence.

COMPLETE PREDICATE

• DEF: from the verb to the end of the sentence

• Jim was running quickly in the gym.

• CLUE: whole predicate

The whole 2nd half

DIRECT OBJECT

• DEF: noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of the verb

• EX: John hit the ball.I dropped a penny.

• CLUE: say the main verb, then ask, “What?”

INDIRECT OBJECT

• DEF: noun or pronoun that indirectly receives the action from the verb

• EX: I gave the baby its bottle.

• CLUE: Say D.O. then ask “to who/what?”

GERUND

• DEF: -ing verb used as a noun

• EX: Running is fun.

• CLUE:

ge – run –d – ing is fun!

INFINITIVE

• DEF: to + verb used as a noun, adjective, or adverb

• EX: I like to dance.

He likes to fish.

• CLUE: tutu

add to to a verb

PARTICIPLE

• DEF: -ing verb used as an adjective

• EX: The singing girl won it all.

The smiling boy is my friend.

• CLUE: part of a description

APPOSITIVE

• DEF: identifies the noun (commas before & after)

• EX: My teacher, Mrs. Stone, is in room 13.

• CLUE: a positve identification

PREDICATE ADJECTIVE

• DEF: follows a linking verb and describes the subject

• EX: John is strong. The bus is yellow.

CLAUSE

• DEF: group of words containing subject (S) and verb (V)

• EX: When Kris left town, he forgot his bag.

• Clause = Claus brings S + V

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

• DEF: a clause that could stand alone as a sentence

• EX: Jim left town.(IC)

He forgot his bag.(IC)

• CLUE: an independent person stands by himself

DEPENDENT CLAUSE

• DEF: clause that could not stand alone as a sentence

• EX: When Jim left town, he forgot his bag.

• CLUE: dependent person can’t stand on their own

SIMPLE SENTENCE

• DEF: clause that stands alone as a sentence and makes sense.

• EX: Jim forgot his bag.

• CLUE: 1 idea

1 adult

COMPOUND SENTENCE

• DEF: 2 independent clauses – joined by comma conjunction (cc) or a semicolon (;)

• EX: Jim left town, but he forgot his bag.

• CLUE: 2 ideas joined

2 adults joined

IC + IC = CD

COMPLEX SENTENCE

• DEF: 1 independent clause + 1 dependent clause

• EX: When John left town, he forgot his bag.

• CLUE: 1 ½ ideas

1 adult & 1 childIC + DC = CX

COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE

• DEF: 2 independent clauses and 1 dependent clause

• EX: When Jim left town, he forgot his bag, and it was never found.

• CLUE: 2 ½ ideas

2 adults, 1 child2 IC + 1 DC = CMPD-CX

FRAGMENT

• DEF: incomplete thought – doesn’t make sense alone

• EX: When John left town (WRONG)

• CLUE: A fragment is only part

RUN-ON

• DEF: 2 sentences joined incorrectly – no connection

• EX: Jim left town he forgot his bag.

(WRONG)• CLUE: It was a run-

on accident where one car ran into another one.

COMMA SPLICE

• DEF: 2 sentences joined with only a comma between them

• EX: Jim left town, he forgot his bag. (WRONG)

• CLUE: comma = pause It’s a slow down, not a

stop. THROWING COMMAS AT A PROBLEM WON’T FIX IT.

DOUBLE NEGATIVE• DEF: 2 negative words used for 1 negative

idea• EX: Correct: Jim hasn’t ever been there.

Incorrect: Jim hasn’t never been there.

• CLUE: Negative N words: no, not, never, noneNegative +ly words: hardly, barely, scarcely

REDUNDANT

• DEF: unnecessary repetition

• EX: Correct: Skiing is difficult.

Incorrect: Skiing is difficult because it’s hard.

• CLUE: We re – dun – dat!

You took the same test twice!

COORDINATE CONJUNCTIONS

• DEF: short connecting words

• EX: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

• CLUE: FANBOYS!

SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTIONS

• DEF: found at the beginning of dependent clauses

• EX: As, Although, After, While, When, Unless, Until, Before, Because, If, Since

• CLUE:

AAAWWUUBBIS!!

ADVERBIAL CONJUCTIONS

• DEF: long connecting words

• EX: For example, therefore, however, furthermore, unfortunately

• CLUE: change from 1 idea to another

looooonnnnngggg connecting words

PREDICATE ADJECTIVE

• DEF: follows linking verb and describes the subject

• EX: Jim is strong.

Joe is very fast.

• CLUE: an adjective in predicate, describes subject

PREDICATE NOMINATIVE

• DEF: follows linking verb and renames the subject

• EX: Jim is a fireman. Joe is a doctor.

• CLUE: a NOUN in predicate that renames the subject

DECLARATIVE SENTENCE

• DEF: a statement – always ends with a period (.)

• EX: Today is Monday.

She is the winner.

• CLUE: declare it means to just tell information.

EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE• DEF: with strong

emotion – always ends with exclamation point (!)

• EX: We won! Today’s my birthday!• CLUE:

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!

exclamatory = excited

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE• DEF: asks a question –

always ends with a question mark (?)

• EX: Who is that?Where did you find that?

• CLUE: interrogate or interview When you interrogate or interview someone, you ask them questions.

IMPERATIVE SENTENCE

• DEF: command – ends with (.) or (!)

• EX:

Stop doing that, now!

You put that down.

• CLUE: imperative = important

It’s an order!

EXPOSITORY WRITING

• DEF: Explains information• EX: Bats are nocturnal.

The term “nocturnal” mean bats are creatures of the night.

• CLUE: EX = Explain

I will explain the directions.

NARRATIVE WRITING

• DEF: Story – a person telling a story

characters, plot, conflict• EX: At the edge of the

forest there was a cottage. It was home to a kind old woman.

• CLUE: narrator telling the story of an old lady

PERSUASIVE WRITING

• DEF: argues for or against something. Uses facts and opinions.

• EX: The dress code is unfair! Students should be allowed to wear what they want.

• CLUE: I will change your thinking!

chronological order

• DEF: time order

of when things happen

• EX: At sunrise, John woke up. After that, he ate breakfast. Then he left for school.

CLUE: Arrange things in order of the times they happen.

sequential order• DEF: arranging things in

the sequence they should occur (steps in a process)

• EX: Recipes (1st – boil water, 2nd – add rice, etc… ) or LEGOs instructions

• CLUE: Sequential = sequence

steps!!

climactic order

• DEF: arranging things in order to build up to the most important part

• EX: letter asking parents to buy you a car

• CLUE: relates to climax in a story

Dear Mom & Dad,

You’ve always taught me well.

I’ve saved my money, just like you taught me.

Can I buy a car?

RESEARCH TERMS!

QUARTER 3

plagiarism

• DEF: copying someone else without giving credit

• EX: In encyclopedia: “The battle was led by the first American President, General Washington.”

Student writes in research paper: “The battle was led by the first American President, General Washington.”

• CLUE: copy cat!

I’ll just copy his exact words!

paraphrase

• DEF: restating the author’s words

• EX: In encyclopedia: “The battle was led by the first American President, General Washington.”

In student paper: “Our first president, George Washington, led the battle (Brittainica, 2006).

• CLUE: para-phrase – I will say his phrase in my own words!

Parenthetical documentation

• DEF: citing source at end of quotation

• EX: Global warming poses imminent danger (Jones 2006).

• CLUE: it’s the address of where to locate the information

Works cited page

• DEF: alphabetical list by author’s last names

• EX: Jones, P. (2006) The best day of life. New York: Bantam Press

• CLUE: Works cited… the ones used in paper!

Search engine

• DEF: database for finding information on the internet

• EX: Google, Yahoo, Lycos, etc.

• CLUE: You are search-ing the internet.

almanac

• DEF: book of records for one year

• EX: in sports almanac you could find who had the most homeruns in 2007

• CLUE: Almanac has all the facts!

atlas

• DEF: book of maps• EX: includes maps of

cities, countries, oceans, mountains, rivers

• CLUE: In mythology, Atlas held up the Earth… an atlas holds maps of the Earth

thesaurus

• DEF: book of synonyms and antonyms

• EX: can find words with similar meanings and words with opposite meanings

• CLUE: thesaurus= a dinosaur of synonyms & antonyms

Table of contents

• DEF: organizes chapters. Found at beginning of a book

• EX: Ch. 1 Nouns p. 5-65Ch. 2 Verbs p. 66 – 96• Clue: set the table

before you eat (organize it!!)

glossary

• DEF: a dictionary of words in a book. Comes at the end of the book.

• EX: acute angle – an angle whose measure is less than 90

• CLUE:

index

• DEF: topics in alphabetical order at the end of a book

• EX:

Capitalization

pg. 228-257

Diagramming sentences pgs. 443-476

• CLUE: in-de-back of the book w/ pg #s

bibliography• DEF: research sources

at the end of a research paper or textbook

• EX:

Smith, B. John (2006) Hunting & Fishing. New York: Bantam Publishing.

• CLUE: The evidence of what you read.

Direct quotation

• DEF: copying words exactly

• EX: President Franklin Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

• CLUE: word-for-word

inside quotation marks!

Recording exactly what was said

Indirect quotation• DEF: copying idea, but

not word for word

• EX: President Roosevelt said we shouldn’t let fear stop us from doing great things.

• CLUE: giving the general idea, not in quotation marks

More writing terms

QUARTER 3

COMPARE & CONTRAST

• DEF: show similarities & differences

• EX:

7th graders=more active

adults = more lazy

• CLUE: same & not same

Question & Answer

• DEF: asks a question, gives an answer

• EX: Why are parents more grumpy than 7th graders? Well, they’re grumpy because they have more stress & responsibility.

• CLUE: FAQ

Q & A

PROBLEM & SOLUTION

• DEF: states a problems & suggests solutions

• EX: We are having trouble with people wearing skulls on their shirts. One solution is to only allow plain shirts as part of the dress code.

CAUSE & EFFECT

• DEF:

cause = reason

effect = result• EX: If you spend all your

money now, then you wont have any left for vacation.

• CLUE: If….. Then…..

CONTROLLING IDEA

• DEF: main idea of whole essay

• EX: Drunk driving kills people

• CLUE: controls the ideas – the big news!

TOPIC SENTENCE

• DEF: main idea of a paragraph

• EX: Drinking alcohol impairs a driver’s vision.

• Clue: top-ic sentences is at the top of the paragraph

CLINCHER SENTENCE

• DEF: last sentence in last paragraph

• EX: No one should ever drink & drive

• CLUE: cl-inch-er is the last inch of the essay

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

• DEF: first paragraph

• EX:

a. it grabs reader’s attn.

b. states controlling idea

• CLUE:

introduces reader to essay

SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS

• DEF: middle paragraphs

• EX: it adds details to support the controlling idea

• CLUE:

support – hold up

Controlling idea: He’s a clown.

Supporting him? THE STILTS!

CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH

• DEF: last paragraph

• EX: It restates the controlling idea. It contains the clincher sentence.

• CLUE: conclu-ding

final bell ! STOP!

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

• DEF: dependent clause that describes a noun (tells what kind, which one, how many)

• EX: Jim is a man who likes to have fun.

• CLUE: starts with a relative pronoun!

WHOWHOSEWHOMWHICHTHAT

ADVERB CLAUSE

• DEF: dependent clause describing a verb (tells where, when, why, how, or to what extent)

• EX: I grabbed food when I left.

He drove because it was fun.• CLUE: starts with

AAAWWUUBBIS words

AAAWWUUBBIS