Conventions Flashcards
Imperative Sentence
A sentence that gives a command or request.
Sit in your chair.
Capitalization
the action of starting a word with a capital letter to signify a certain characteristic
The rules of capitalization differ in each language; for example, Spanish does not capitalize the days of the week, whereas English does.
Writing: Conventional Stage
Fourth stage of writing (ages 6-7). Demonstrates more control over many aspects of the writing process.
Jane lost her cat named Tabby and it made her sad. She and her friends made sines with Tabby’s pitcher. One of her friends found Tabby and Jane was so happy
Writing: Pre-Conventional Stage
First stage of writing (ages 2-5). Child is aware that drawings and prints have specific meaning.
Accusative Case
nouns or pronouns that act as an object of a verb or preposition
Accusative pronouns - me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Compound-Complex Sentence
Two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause
While we are in town, we should stop at the hardware store, and you can buy a new hammer.
Subject/Verb Agreement
Present-tense verbs should match their subjects in number
I run vs. I runs.
Precommunicative Spelling
Students use scribble shapes and sometimes letter-like shapes for spelling words but are unable to make the forms
Indefinite Pronoun
Pronouns that refer to a non-specific person, place, or thing.
Anyone, Some, All, Nobody, Everything
Possessive Case
nouns or pronouns that show ownership
Nominative Case
nouns or pronouns that are the subject of the sentence
Nominative pronouns - I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Coordinating Conjunction
connects two clauses
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Punctuation
marks, such as period, comma, and parentheses, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.
period
Descriptive Grammar
Descriptive grammar conventions include grammatical rules and structures as they are spoken or written by everyday speakers.
For example, it is common in Southern dialects to use “y’all” and “ain’t.”
While these contractions may be acceptable and used frequently, they clash with the rules of prescriptive grammar.
Compound Sentence
Two independent clauses joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction
Dogs are mammals, but lizards are reptiles.
Phrase
a term of two or more words that convey an idea when used together
We were waiting for you.
Exclamatory Sentence
A sentence that expresses emotion.
Surprise! We won the game!
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns need to match their antecedent (noun) in person, number, and gender.
Mrs. Wilson is my friend. He serves lunch every day. (The pronoun he doesn’t match the gender of Mrs.)
Writing: Transitional Stage
Third stage of writing (ages 5-6). Writes a single letter (often the beginning consonant of the word) to represent an entire word or syllable; begins to understand and use basic punctuation
Sentence Purposes
The goal of of a sentence, either to express a statement, give a command, ask a question, or show emotion.
Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, or Exclamatory
Dependent / Subordinate Clause
clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction but cannot stand alone as a sentence even though it contains a subject and verb
While we were shopping, she spent her whole paycheck.
Etymology
the study of the origin and history of words
Participle Phrase
a phrase that modifies a participle – a term with a verb ending in “-ed” or “-ing” – to serve as an adjective
Tired after a long walk, the dog slept in the corner.
Semiphonetic Spelling
Students have some letter awareness, but are unable to use all letters in the word.
Spell “play” p-a
Conventional Spelling
When children know and use most basic spelling rules and spell most words correctly.
Passive Voice
when the noun performing the action is not the subject; rather the object is the subject
Appositive Phrase
restates a preceding term by expanding upon it or explaining it in a qualifying statement between two commas
New York City, the largest city in the United States, has a population of around 8.6 million people.
Independent / Main Clause
clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence
I went shopping last weekend.
Prescriptive Grammar
grammar that follows the rules set forth by tradition and formal language
Modal
verb used to indicate modality (ability, likelihood, permission, capacity, suggestion, etc.)
can, could, may, should, might, must, have to
Complex Sentence
An independent clause and a dependent clause
Since you’re going to the store, can you buy some milk?
Infinitive Phrase
Includes that infinitive (to + verb) and the additional words that serve as the object of modifiers in the phrase
I want to eat the candy.
Declarative Sentence
A sentence that makes a statement or gives an opinion.
I love my job.
Think Aloud
a teaching strategy in which a teacher states his/her thoughts aloud to demonstrate how the students should go about solving a problem or understanding a text
Math teachers model thinking by reading a problem aloud and verbalizing figuring out what it is asking what needs to be done. Language arts teachers ask themselves questions about the text as they read aloud.
Writing: Proficient Stage
Fifth stage of writing (ages 7-9). Understands and is able to write for various purposes and audiences
The proficient writer can easy engage and work with the following types of writing: Lists Invitations Letters/emails Narratives Descriptions Expository
Modeling
an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates a concept or skill and students learn by observing
When a teacher encounters a difficult word in a text, she thinks aloud to model how she can use the context clues to discover the meaning.
Writing Conventions
The basic rules of written language, including grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
proper grammar
Gerund Phrase
a type of appositional phrase that modifies a gerund (or verb+ing) and behaves like a noun
Drinking water when it’s hot outside can prevent you from becoming dehydrated.
Subordinating Conjunction
a conjunction used at the beginning of a subordinate clause
because, although, even though, since
Phonetic Spelling
Students spell the way they hear the word pronounced
Spell “made” m-a-d
Transitional Spelling
Students use some conventional spelling but still misspell many irregular words.
Prepositional Phrase
a phrase that describes the relationship between a noun and a pronoun or another word in the sentence
She sat in the seat in the middle.
Noun Phrase
a group of words that act as a noun in a sentence; includes a noun and words that modify the noun
The red car is parked in the driveway.
Writing: Emergent Stage
Second stage of writing (ages 4-5). Understands that what is said (speech) can be written and that print moves from left to right rather than randomly on a page
Simple Sentence
A sentence containing one subject and one verb, or one independent clause
The dolphin lives in the ocean.
Rhetorical Question
questions asked that are not intended to be answered
Invented Spelling
Child’s attempt to spell based on best judgement
Direct Statement
quoting someone word for word; will use quotation marks
Verb Phrase
a type of appositional phrase that modifies a verb
The baby was crawling on the floor.
Homophones
words that are pronounced the same as another word but have a different meaning and may be spelled differently
carat, carrot, caret: to, too, two
