CRCT Vocabulary

From Adjective to Verb Tense

By Ashleigh Bunch, Cameron Garbarino, Alex Hawks, JP, Lindsay and Carlye

Adjective: a word that describes or modifies a nounEx: My cat is fat and lazy.

Adjective Clause: a dependent clause used as an adjectiveEx: My cat who is fat and lazy lays in the sun.

Adverb: a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverbEx: My cat sleeps soundly.

Adverb Clause: a dependent clause used as an adverbEx: The door closed when they entered.

Affix: a suffix or prefixEx: recycle, bicycle, hopeful

Alliteration: similar beginning soundsEx: cheesy churros :)

Analogy: comparison of two nounsEx: hot : cold as high : low

Argument: making your point or stating your opinionEx: debates, persuasive writing

Author’s Purpose: why the author writes somethingEx: to inform, to entertain, to persuade

Bandwagon: everyone else is doing it, propagandaEx: liking something because everyone else does

Bias: opinion, reasoning, or discrimination toward a particular thing.Ex: Only tall people can play basketball.

Bibliography: A list of sources used when researching Ex: Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of

Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1999.Capitalization: making certain letters capital

Ex: He is in Suwanee Town Center.Caption: a little blurb of information explaining a

picture or diagramEx: This cat loves snow cones!

Caption: words underneath a photo or image, to describe what is happening.

Ex:

Cause/effect: the reason why something happens and the reason because of that.

Ex: There was a banana peal on the floor, therefore I fell.

Character: A person or animal in a story.Ex: Tow Mater

This birthday cake is vanilla with chocolate frosting.

Characterization: the development of a character.

Ex: characters actions, words, thoughts, and interaction.

Chart: a table showing information. Ex:

Chorological: the series of events. Ex: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.

Comparative adjective/adverb: adjective or adverb comparing two things.

Ex: better, more, -er,Compare/contrast: to show how things are similar and

different. Ex:

Complete Sentence: a sentence with at least an independent clause.

Ex: I went to the store.

Complex Sentence: has one dependent clause and one independent clauseEx: Although cupcakes taste good, they are bad for you.

Compound sentence: has or more independent clauses separated by a semicolon or comma fanboysEx: Cupcakes are really good, but they are very bad for you.

Compound/Complex Sentence: has 2 independent clauses and 1 dependent clauseEx: When I finally ate a cupcake, I felt bad about it, but also I felt sick.

Concluding sentence: last sentence that sums up the essay or story

Ex: And they lived happily ever after.

Conclusion: last part of an essay or storyEx: expository, narratives

Conflict: the main plot or problem of the storyEx: Nemo is lost.

Context Clue: words that help you understand something: Look around the words for clues to meaning.

Ex: I trudged sadly. Dependent Clause: a clause that can’t stand alone

Ex: As I walked.

Disciplinary Text: informational textEx: Social Studies article

Editing/Revising: to change your writing and make it betterEx: spell-check, Color my World

Expert Opinion: the ideas of experts, propagandaEx: Doctors recommend this product

Extraneous/Inappropriate Detail: writing that doesn’t make sense in the textEx: Dogs are animals. I love tacos.

• Fable: A story used to teach a lesson– Ex: The Tortoise and the HareFigurative Language: words that don’t literally express a

topicEx: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, idioms

Footnote: a small bibliography at the bottom of a page, or additional information at the bottomEx: *Darwin’s Adventures, 2008, May 14*

Graphic: visual features used to help enhance a textEx: illustration, caption, chart

Graphic Organizer: shows info visually with boxes or shapes

Ex: Venn diagrams

Historical Context: the time and place in historyEx: early 21st century, modern day

Hyperbole: an exaggeration Ex: I have 24 hours of homework!

Idiom: phrases that don’t really mean what they sayEx: She broke my heart.

Illustration: a drawing used to show appearanceEx:

Independent Clause: a clause with a subject and a predicate that has the complete thoughtEx: She ran quickly, but it was hot.

• Index: section in back of book that shows the page numbers of different topics– Ex: cats; 45-48, 85-123

Instruction: direction on how to do somethingEx: Step 1- Get an egg

Introduction: the beginning of s story.Ex: Once upon a time….

Literary Device: any devices an author uses. Ex:

Loaded words: words that have strong emotional meaning., propagandaEx: freedom.

Logical Order: an order that makes sense for the reader. Ex: First, second, third., Spacial

Media: ways of mass communicating.Ex: news.

Metaphor: a direct comparison without like or as. Ex: She is a very hungry pig.

Modifier: words that describe. Adjectives, adverbsEx: Smelly.

Mood: the feel of the story. Ex: Happy.

Moral: the lesson learned. Ex: Be respectful.

Multi-step instruction: many directions within one direction.Ex: Pour the flour then stir in with the egg.

Myth: a story that is told to teach about the natural world. Ex: Rabbit.

Name Calling: form of propaganda. Ex: Only losers don’t have the snuggie!

Onomatopoeia: a word that mimics the sound they representEx: BOOM! ZAP!

Order of Importance: the way you put things in order from least to most importanceEx: stories use this all the time

Paragraph: the form of writing used in proseEx: always used in prose

Personification: giving human qualities to non-living thingsEx: The wind whistled.

Perspective: how someone sees somethingEx: opinions

Plot: main idea of the storyEx: expository, narrative

Prefix: the small part at the beginning of a wordEx: pretest, antisocial

Pronoun Antecedent Agreement- all pronouns/nouns must agreeEx: Louis writes his own stories.

Propaganda: a way of advertising to harm or help someone or something often misleadingEx: name-calling, bandwagon

Punctuation: any end or middle to sentenceEx: comma, period

Repetition: repeating words, propagandaEx: He went to the store, he went to the mall. He went everywhere.

Research Report: an essay that has been researchedEx: our papers from before Winter Break where we researched a question.

Resolution: the ending of a story where the conflicts are resolvedEx: They stopped fighting and lived happily ever after.

Rhyme: words with similar soundsEx: play, stay

Run-on Sentence: a sentence with multiple clauses and no correct punctuationEx: I went to the store I came home.

Sensory Detail: words that appeal to the sensesEx: The wonderful aroma of baking cookies wafted into the kitchen.

Sentence: at least one independent clause, it can have more independent or dependent clausesEx: I went to the store

Sentence Fragment: part of a sentenceEx: As I walked.

Setting: the time and place a story occursEx: onboard the Seahawk in 1813

Simile: type of figurative language that compares two things using like or as.Ex: My sister is messy like a pig.

Simple sentence: a sentence with one independent clause.Ex: We drove to the store.

Spatial description: describing a space from one area to anotherEx: My bedroom has a bed on one wall and a dresser on the opposite wall.

Subject: the main noun of the sentence.Ex. My oldest brother will be a grandpa soon.

Subject-verb agreement: making sure your subject and verb are both singular or plural, remember, opposites attract.Ex: The boys leave the party early. The boy leaves the party early.

Suffix: letters added to the end of a word to change its part of speech or meaningEx. Helpful, traditional, useless

Superlative adjective/adverb: the form of the modifer used to compare three or more things. Uses most or –est.Ex: best, happiest

Testimonial: when someone shares their situation to promote a product or idea, propagandaEx: Proactiv commericals

Text feature: changing the appearance of writing for effectEx: bold, highlight, underline, italics

Theme: the moral or lesson of a storyEx: Always try your best.

Tone: how an author feels about what he is writingEx: excited, sarcastic

Topic: what a piece of writing is about Ex: new school year (7th grade), sailing (CD)Topic sentence: one sentence that summarizes a

piece of writing (also called thesis statement)ex: The book made me both laugh and cry.

Traditional literature: stories handed down through generationsEx: myths, legends, fables, fairy tales

Transition: words or phrases that move a piece of writing from one topic to anotherex: first, next, similarly, in addition to, as compare with, due to

Verb: a word used to show action or state of beingEx: run, walk, is, am, are, was, were,

Verb tense: a way of showing time using the form of the verb. Past (ran), present (run), future (will run). Past perfect (had ran), present perfect (have ran), and future perfect (will have ran)