Springboard Words To Know

Question 1

Culture

Answer 1

all that makes a people unique from other cultures: clothing, music, literature, sports-the list is lengthy.

Question 2

Sub-culture

Answer 2

a small group within a large culture seeking its own uniqueness; i.e., the anime culture, the skate board culture

Question 3

Perspective

Answer 3

in the universe of things, it is where each of us views everything. Think of the perspective of the worm versus the perspective of the eagle. Each will see its own truth, but will perceive very differently. Culture gives each of its members a perspective.

Question 4

Diction

Answer 4

the sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious “style” people use words in speaking and writing. Diction reveals education, place of origin, - indeed, it is a verbal “fingerprint.”

Question 5

Syntax

Answer 5

the conscious/unconscious use of grammar, phrases, clauses, and how each is arranged for effect. Where diction can be noted in individual words, syntax is the inventory of the sentences and paragraphs.

Question 6

Imagery

Answer 6

the writing tool that magically makes the reader see, smell, taste, hear, or feel what the writer saw, smelt, tasted, heard, or felt-all through the power of words. Advertising does this when it uses words on a menu to describe a dish in such a way as to make you hungrier than before.

Question 7

Symbol

Answer 7

a common noun representing an important abstract noun

Question 8

Tone

Answer 8

the emotion, the attitude behind a writer’s words. Beyond simple positive/negative tones, strong writers include such tones as ironic, sardonic, skeptical, and other more thoughtful approaches.

Question 9

Metaphor

Answer 9

comparing two unlike things as if they were the same thing. For example on page 7, line 3 of the poem the word “weapon” is a metaphor comparing a quilt to a weapon against the cold of the world.

Question 10

Stanza

Answer 10

the paragraphs of poetry divided to show what paragraph indentations show – time change, topic change, etc. The poem on page 7-8 has 9 stanzas.

Question 11

Metacognitive markers

Answer 11

places in a text where one would place a ? or a ! or some other visible marker to show a significant place in the text.

Question 12

Vivids

Answer 12

strong specific parts of speech that greatly strengthen writing. On page 7, line 11 the writer uses “wedding organdies” instead of the more mundane “wedding dress.” The vocabulary you learn is filled with vivids, the thesaurus you use will always feature them.

Question 13

Pivot word

Answer 13

a word that completely changes the direction of the writing. On page 7, line 5, the word “but” signals the author is changing her approach to her topic, quilts.

Question 14

Parallelism

Answer 14

using words or phrases to create a train of similar words. In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln uses the prepositional phrases “of the people, by the people, and for the people” to create this effect. On page 7, the writer uses words ending in past tense to create parallelism; e.g., “positioned,” balanced,” and “cemented” in lines 15-17.

Question 15

Anaphora

Answer 15

repeating the first word or words of neighboring phrases and clauses. On page 8, lines 45-9 show anaphora in action

Question 16

Close reading

Answer 16

Also called “beyond the lines reading” this is not just reading for understanding ; it is reading critically: making connections, noting symbols, writing tools, themes, etc. It is the difference between driving through a city and walking through it.

Question 17

Questioning the text

Answer 17

active reading technique where the reader begins to question the text, seeking deeper comprehension. In our texts, it is expected by the authors that your write questions in the margins to show your ‘questioning the text” skills.

Question 18

Making predictions

Answer 18

advanced reading skill that features the reader tries to anticipate what will happen in the text.

Question 19

TWIST

Answer 19

an acronym : tone, word choice, imagery, style, theme/thesis statement used for close reading by deliberately making the reader begin to see the foundation or a passage, rather than just the surface.

Question 20

Thesis statement

Answer 20

the sentence in a longer passage that states what the entire passage is about (a topic sentence for an entire piece of writing). All essays have one.

Question 21

Ethos

Answer 21

a persuasive technique that seeks to make the reader/listener believe the author/speaker has authority. For example: “As a twenty-five year veteran, I have some worthwhile things to say about our military.”

Question 22

Pathos

Answer 22

a persuasive technique that seeks to make the reader/listener begin to feel strong emotions chosen by the writer/speaker to sway the audience. For example, “This polar bear has been swimming for 3 days, looking for ice global warming has melted. This bear drowned a few hours after this filming.”

Question 23

Logos

Answer 23

a persuasive technique that seeks to make the reader/listener agree with the logical arguments of the writer/ speaker. For example, “One of the most basic tenets of the Constitution is the independence of each of the three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the courts.

Question 24

Voice

Answer 24

the choice of subject matter, diction, syntax, and punctuation collectively give each writer the voice that, like a finger print, lends a distinct personality to writing.

Question 25

Style

Answer 25

This is the big umbrella under which everything listed in VOICE, plus preference for certain writing tools helps readers say “That must be Shakespeare” –even when they haven’t seen the author’s name yet.

Question 26

SOAPstone

Answer 26

an acronym to assist the reader in analyzing the text. Page 42 in your text has an example.

Question 27

Stereotype

Answer 27

a caricature of a group or individual type of person. In life, it is a very inaccurate portrait; in literature is used a reference point to show satire, irony, parody, and other literary explanations/pictures of people.