Language arts Semester Exam Review

1. Language arts Semester Exam Review 1st SEMESTER

2. What type of questions? • 55 questions on the test • Multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, short answer

3. What will be on the test?You will be asked to read 2 passages and answer questions regarding: • Theme-the moral or lesson of the story • Exposition-a statement that sums up the purpose of a story or part of a story. • Inference– an educated guess based on information given

4. Symbolism- the use of symbols in a literary work • Climax- the highest point of action in the story; all events have led to this big one • Falling action-after the climax; loose ends are being tied up • Resolution-solution to the story

5. Tone-a writer’s or speaker’s attitude towards a subject • Imagery- figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. • Lessons learned from story • Determine the effect of dialogue on a narrative

6. There will be several paragraphs you will need to look at to revise. Questions will be about: • Keeping the verb tense in a story consistent • How best to revise a paragraph • How to delete extraneous information from a passage • How to add information to a passage to add clarity • Past, present, and future tense of verbs: Yesterday I ran. Today I run. Tomorrow I will run. • Identifying sentence errors

7. Punctuation rules: • Comma: 6 basic rules: • Use when there is a list: red, black, and yellow. • Use in compound sentences. • Use in complex sentences where the dependent clause is at the beginning. • Use in introductory phrases: by the way, in order to… • Use with transition words. • Use when introducing a quote.

8. Hyphen: basic rules- • Use hyphens with compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and with fractions used as modifiers. • Use hyphens in a compound adjective only when it comes before the word it modifies. However, some compound adjectives are always hyphenated, such as well-balanced. Look up compound adjectives in the dictionary if you are unsure whether or not to hyphenate them. • Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex-, self-, and all-; with the suffix -elect; and with all prefixes before a proper noun or proper adjective.

9. Dash: basic rules- • In the middle of a sentence, a dash can put special emphasis on a group of words or make them stand out from the rest of the sentence. • EXAMPLE: Linda Simpson's prescription for the economy, lower interest rates, higher employment, and less government spending, was rejected by the president's administration. • BECOMES: Linda Simpson's prescription for the economy—lower interest rates, higher employment, and less government spending—was rejected by the president's administration. • The dash can also be used to attach material to the end of a sentence when there is a clear break in the continuity of the sentence or when an explanation is being introduced. • EXAMPLE: The president will be unable to win enough votes for another term of office—unless, of course, he can reduce unemployment and the deficit soon. • EXAMPLE: It was a close call—the sudden gust of wind pushed the helicopter to within inches of the power line.

10. Semicolon: basic rules- • Semicolons join independent clauses in a compound sentence if no coordinating conjunction is used. • EXAMPLE: Michael seemed preoccupied; he answered our questions abruptly. • Semicolons are used before a conjunctive adverb (transition word) that joins the clauses of a compound sentence. • EXAMPLE: The emergency room was crowded; however, Warren was helped immediately. • Semicolons help avoid confusion in lists where there are already commas. • EXAMPLE: We traveled to London, England; Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Sofia, Bulgaria.

11. Colon: basic rules- • Colons come after the independent clause and before the word, phrase, sentence, quotation, or list it is introducing. • EXAMPLE: Joe has only one thing on his mind: girls. (word) Joe has only one thing on his mind: the girl next door. (phrase) Joe has only one thing on his mind: he wants to go out with Linda. (clause) Joe has several things on his mind: his finals, his job, and Linda. (list) • Never use a colon after a verb that directly introduces a list. • INCORRECT: The things on Joe’s mind are: finals, work, and Linda. • CORRECT: The things on Joe’s mind are finals, work, and Linda.

12. Vocabulary terms from Spring Board: • Rhyme scheme: A consistent pattern of rhyme throughout a poem. • Incident-A distinct piece of action, as in an episode of a story or play. It is made up of a sequence of events. • Tone-A writer’s or speaker’s attitude towards a subject.

13. Characterization-The methods a writer uses to reveal character: the character’s appearance, what the character says or does, and what others say about the character. • Transitions-Words or phrases that connect ideas, details, or events in writing. • Sensory details- Words that appeal to the five senses. • Folklore-A general term that describes the stories. Traditions, sayings, and customs of a culture or society.

14. Plot-The sequence of related events that make up a story. • Theme-A central idea, message, or purpose of a literary work. • Symbol-An object, a person, or a place that stands for something else. • Symbolism-The use of symbols in a literary work. • Personal narrative- A narrative from first person point of view. (ie biographies & anecdotes)

15. Know the parts of the Plot Map (Freytag Pyramid) (5 parts)

16. Word parts • Know the prefix re- means again • Know the root word vis- means to see again • Know the root word vert- means turn

17. Writing- notes from 5 Steps to Writing a State Assessment: • First step: UNDERSTAND THE PROMPT • 2 types of FCAT essays: EXPOSITORY and PERSUASIVE • Key support for Expository essays:REASONS • Key support for Persuasive essays: ARGUMENTS

18. Second step: PLANNING • Thirst step: INTRODUCTION • What the Introduction must include: ATTENTION GETTER/GRABBER • Fourth step: WRITING THE BODY • Each paragraph should begin with a TRANSITION. • Final step: CONCLUSION