Sl Vocab 3

Grade 7 Vocabulary: Unit 3

Name________________________ Hour_____

WORD LIST: COMPOSITION (part 1) critical thought

development

direct quotation

essay

forecast

relevance

semantics

support

syntax

thesis

1. critical thought noun The quality of writing to go deep and make connections to the larger world 2. development noun The quality of taking an infant idea and growing it. 3. direct quotation noun The exact words of the author, presented with proper punctuation. Does not have to be dialogue. 

“A bitter loneliness swept over Cole as tears clouded his vision” (73).

4. essay (ES-ey) noun A piece of writing that states or explores a certain position, theme, or subject. 5. forecast a. noun—The statement following the thesis that presents the specific points to be made in an essay. b. verb—To say or suggest what is to come in a piece of writing. 6. relevance (REL-ə-vəns) noun Connectedness; the quality of being connected to what is being argued. relevant adjective




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7. semantics (si-MAN-tiks)
noun a writer’s choice of wording, phrasing; the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc. 8. support a. noun—the specific evidence a writer uses to prove a point; it often includes a direct quotation and an explanation of that direct quotation. b. verb—to provide evidence that backs up an idea or point 9. syntax (SIN-taks) noun The study of the rules for forming grammatically correct sentences; how words fit together 10. thesis (THEE-sis) noun The overall opinion, position or idea that guides the entire essay.

Exercise 1: Write the correct word Next to each given definition, write the correct word in the space provided. Spell correctly.

1. ____________________ the position that an essay writer takes 2. ____________________ the exact words of a writer being used by another writer. 3. ____________________ thinking depth; connecting writing with the larger words. 4. ____________________ the connection between what a writer claims and the evidence given 5. ____________________ a writer’s word choice or phrasing

6. ____________________ how one word or phrase connects with another 7. ____________________ a hint at what is to come later in an essay 8. ____________________ evidence used by the writer to prove an argument, a claim

9. ____________________ taking the beginning of an idea and growing it 10. ____________________ a piece of writing that explores an idea or an opinion




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Exercise 2: Complete the Sentence Write the letter for the word that best completes the sentence.

_____ 1. The editor felt that “furious” was better _____ than “angry.”

a. syntax

b. essay

c. relevance

d. semantics

_____ 2. If you really want to prove your point in an essay, you will use the author’s exact words in a(n) ______.

a. syntax

b. thesis

c. development

d. direct quotation.

_____ 3. “This support is not connected to your argument,” said the teacher. “Use a support that has _____ .”

a. thesis

b. relevance

c. semantics

d. development

_____ 4. The teacher pointed out a place for students to show skill in _____ , where they could connected their argument to other books, the world, and home.

a. support

b. forecast

c. semantics

d. critical thought

_____ 5. The teacher directed the students to write a _____ statement, which would express the overall opinion of the writer in the essay.

a. thesis

b. relevance

c. development

d. direct quotation

_____ 6. If a writer wants to give evidence her topic sentence, she should craft a well-written ____ as evidence.

a. forecast

b. support

c. semantics

d. direct quotation

_____ 7. To say, “she hoping for rain” is improper _____ .

a. development

b. syntax

c. support

d. thesis

_____ 8. Caesar wrote a skillful _____ , informing his reader what to expect in the paragraphs that follow.

a. forecast

b. direct quotation

c. semantics

d. support

_____ 9. So as to convince the mayor of the need for a skateboard park in the city, Jason wrote a(n) _____ explaining and defending his idea.

a. essay

b. direct quotation

c. development

d. semantics

_____ 10. When an idea is incomplete, perhaps the teacher will recommend that you give it more _____ . a. syntax b. development c. direct quotation d. thesis




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Exercise 3: Reading Comprehension Read the passage below. Then complete #1-10. Writing an Essay Our English teacher assigned her classes to write a (1) composition, a paper expressing our opinions, a task that I’m not that good at. Nevertheless, thanks to help from a few kind classmates, I completed it. Our first task was to write a (2) position or an idea that the whole essay would be about. My idea: that passing times at the Junior High should be much longer. But I couldn’t just start writing. I needed to write a (3) statement of what is to come in the following paragraphs. Then I needed to give specific (4) evidence to prove the point. I mentioned that students needed more time to go their lockers, the bathroom, and to chat with friends. And, in order to (5) take a small idea and make it bigger, I included a good friend’s (6) exact words to make my case stronger. I had many comments from friends that I might have used, but some seemed not to be (7) connected to what I am arguing. But I even went further. I applied some (8) deeper understanding connected to the larger world when I claimed that by allowing students more free time would prepare them for the day when they will have more liberties, as adults. Then it was time to polish the essay. I improved the (9) word choice in the essay, for example, using the word “liberties” instead of “freedoms.” Then I worked on (10) how various words work together. I rid my essay of tiresome shorter sentences and experimented with longer, fancier ones. Well, I was inspired. I not only handed it in to the teacher, but also sent it to the principal with 150 signatures from classmates. But, alas, passing times are still four minutes.

Each number below refers to a numbered word in the passage above. Write the letter of the vocab word that best fits into the sentence at the number.

_____ 1.

a. direct quotation

b. thesis

c. semantics

d. essay

_____ 2.

a. support

b. syntax

c. forecast

d. thesis

_____ 3.

a. thesis

b. forecast

c. critical thought

d. direct quotation

_____ 4.

a. relevance

b. forecast

c. support

d. semantics

_____ 5.

a. development

b. direct quotation

c. essay

d. thesis

_____ 6.

a. support

b. essay

c. direct quotation

d. development

_____ 7.

a. development

b. essay

c. relevant

d. forecast

_____ 8.

a. syntax

b. development

c. relevance

d. critical thought

_____ 9.

a. semantics

b. syntax

c. forecast

d. thesis

b. syntax

c. support

d. semantics

_____ 10. a. critical thought




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Part 4: Find the Example Read each question. Then select the example that best answers the question. _____ 1. This announces what is to come. a. relevance b. syntax

c. forecast

d. development

_____ 2. This states what position the writer intends to defend and explain. a. thesis b. semantics c. forecast d. critical thought _____ 3. A composition, a paper, an opinion written out in multi-paragraph form: a. development b. essay c. direct quotation d. syntax _____ 4. Consider the word “take.” When it has no helping verb, past tense is “took.” E.g.: I took the bus to Minneapolis. But when there is a helping verb, we use “taken.” Eg.: I have taken the bus to Minneapolis. This difference is an example of which of the following? a. development b. direct quotation c. thesis d. syntax _____ 5. A good writer takes an idea from its infant stage and grows it into a big idea. This is an example of what? a. development b. thesis c. semantics d. forecast _____ 6. Todd claimed that Bret Favre is the greatest quarterback ever, but he offered no evidence to prove it. This is an example of failure of what? a. syntax b. semantics c. support d. forecast _____ 7. My brother didn’t think I knew the words to the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. So to prove it, I recited some actual words from the song. I used what to prove myself? a. a direct quotation b. a thesis c. a forecast d. critical thought _____ 8. Instead of saying “girls,” our teacher says “ladies.” This difference is an example of what? a. syntax b. semantics c. forecast d. thesis _____ 9. In an essay Georgina wrote about the music group Pink Floyd, she connected their music to both illegal drug use and the band members’ exposure to classical music. Georgina’s skill is an example of what? a. semantics b. forecast c. thesis d. critical thought _____ 10. The teacher asked Saul where his homework was? Sam responded that he didn’t have it, but he failed to answer the question “where?” Sam’s response lacked what? a. relevance b. a forecast c. a thesis d. support




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