8Th Grade English Semester Exam Review

Front 1

Verb

Back 1

A verb is often defined as a word which shows action or state of being. The verb is the heart of a sentence - every sentence must have a verb. In the sentence The dog bit the man, bit is the verb and the word which shows the action of the sentence. In the sentence The man is sitting on a chair, even though the action doesn't show much activity, sitting is the verb of the sentence. In the sentence She is a smart girl, there is no action but a state of being expressed by the verb is.

Front 2

Noun

Back 2

A noun is often defined as a word which names a person, place or thing. Here are some examples of nouns: boy, river, friend, Mexico, triangle, day, school, truth, university, idea, John F. Kennedy, movie, aunt, vacation, eye, dream, flag, teacher, class, grammar. John F. Kennedy is a noun because it is the name of a person; Mexico is a noun because it is the name of a place; and boy is a noun because it is the name of a thing.

Front 3

Adjective

Back 3

An adjective is often defined as a word which describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun. Adjectives describe nouns in terms of such qualities as size, color, number, and kind. In the sentence The lazy dog sat on the rug, the word lazyis an adjective which gives more information about the noun dog. We can add more adjectives to describe the dogas well as in the sentence The lazy, old, brown dog sat on the rug. We can also add adjectives to describe the rug as in the sentence The lazy, old, brown dog sat on the beautiful, expensive, new rug.

Front 4

Adverb

Back 4

We have seen that an adjective is a word that gives more information about a noun or pronoun. An adverb is usually defined as a word that gives more information about a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives and adverbs in terms of such qualities as time, frequency and manner. In the sentence Sue runs fast, fast describes how or the manner in which Sue runs. In the sentence Sue runs very fast, very describes the adverb fast and gives information about how fast Sue runs.

Front 5

Pronoun

Back 5

A pronoun is a word that you use to refer to someone or something when you do not need to use a noun, often because the person or thing has been mentioned earlier. Examples are `it', `she', `something', and `myself'

Front 6

Preposition

Back 6

A preposition is a word which shows relationships among other words in the sentence. The relationships include direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount. In the sentence She went to the store, to is a preposition which shows direction. In the sentence He came by bus, by is a preposition which shows manner. In the sentence They will be here at three o'clock, at is a preposition which shows time and in the sentence It is under the table, under is a preposition which shows place.

Front 7

conjuction

Back 7

A conjunction is a word that connects other words or groups of words. In the sentence Bob and Dan are friends the conjunction and connects two nouns and in the sentence He will drive or fly, the conjunction or connects two verbs. In the sentence It is early but we can go, the conjunction but connects two groups of words.

Front 8

interjection

Back 8

an interjection is a word or expression which you use to express a strong feeling such as surprise, pain, or horror.

Front 9

article

Back 9

an article is a kind of determiner. In English, `a' and `an' are called the indefinite article, and `the' is called the definite article

Front 10

Persuasive/argumentative essay.

Back 10

Makes a claim or takes a position and backs it up with statistics, expert opinions, and other evidence. You may review an opposing review and explain why it is wrong and you are right.

Front 11

Comparison essay.

Back 11

Demonstrates similarities and differences between two topics.

Front 12

Descriptive essay.

Back 12

Explains the “what, why, how, when, and where’s” of a topic. For example, a descriptive essay about a tree would explain what it’s made of, why it grows, when it grows, and so on.

Front 13

Evaluation essay.

Back 13

Describes a thing or event and explains its importance, value, and/or relevance. Did you like this thing? Why?

Front 14

Narrative essay.

Back 14

Tells a story in a sequence of events. There should be some point, lesson, or idea gleaned from this narrative to make the essay meaningful.

Front 15

Chronological order:

Back 15

Paragraphs separate the process or series of events into major stages.

Front 16

Classification:

Back 16

Paragraphs divide the material into major categories and distinguish between them.

Front 17

Increasing importance:

Back 17

Paragraphs are arranged so that the most important point comes last, thus building the essay's strength.

Front 18

Cause and effect

Back 18

Indicates causal relationships between things and events. Be careful, however, not to mistake coincidence with causality, nor to disregard other possible causes. See the various pages that deal with logic.

Front 19

Comparison and contrast

Back 19

Involves lining up related ideas for a detailed account of similarities and differences. In this kind of essay it is important to decide whether you will be concentrating on similarities or differences. In general, the more similar things are, the more you concentrate on the differences, and vice versa. If you are comparing two works by the same author, or two love poems, for example, what will most interest you will be the differences between them; if you are comparing an Anglo-Saxon riddle with a science fiction novel the differences will be obvious enough that you will want to focus on the similarities.

Front 20

Character

Back 20

A character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that exists in a work of art. Characters may be entirely fictional or based upon real, historical entities. Characters may be human, supernatural, mythical, divine, animal, or personifications of an abstraction. Characterisation is the process of creating an image of a person in fiction, complete with that person's traits, features, and motivation.

Front 21

Plot

Back 21

Plot is a sequence of interrelated events arranged to form a causal pattern and achieve an intended effect. It is often designed with a narrative structure or storyline, that includes conflict, rising action, and climax, followed by a falling action and a resolution or dénouement.

Front 22

Setting

Back 22

Setting, the location and time of a story, is sometimes referred to as story world or to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. In some cases, setting becomes a character itself and can set the tone of a story.

Front 23

Style

Back 23

Style is not so much what is written, but how it is written. In fiction, style refers to language conventions and literary techniques used to construct a story. The communicative effect created by an author's style is sometimes referred to as the story's voice. Each writer has his or her own unique style, or voice

Front 24

Theme

Back 24

The theme of a story is the point the writer wishes to make, a moral or conceptual distillation of the story often posed as a question or human problem

Front 25

Layout

Back 25

Lay out should attract the reader and encourage reading and progression through the book

Front 26

Information

Back 26

Information includes facts, little known information, and ideas that spark curiosity, create mystery, and propel the listener/reader/viewer to discover and learn.

Front 27

Style and tone

Back 27

Style and tone Style should maintain the reader's interest. Nonfiction presents information, but the listener/viewer/reader doesn't need to be bored by a collection of information in choppy sentences. Good style adds interest to the story.

Front 28

Characterization

Back 28

Characters are well developed
No stereotype or biased characterization
Creates empathy for the characters
Uses quotations and anecdotes. Particularly in biographies it is important to use the character's real words and anecdotes that originate from someone with first-hand knowledge of the incidents.

Front 29

Expository

Back 29

An essay is a piece of writing that makes a point about a subject, problem, issue, or question. An essay is expository insofar as it centers on explaining, rather than simply describing, something or narrating an event.

Front 30

Persuasive

Back 30

also known as an argument, is used to convince the reader of a writer’s argument(s) relating to a debatable issue. Persuasive writing involves convincing the reader to perform an action, or it may simply consist of an argument(s) convincing the reader of the writer’s point of view. Persuasive writers employ many techniques to improve their argument and show support for their claim. Another definition is "an essay that offers and supports an opinion".

Front 31

Main Idea

Back 31

The main idea of a paragraph is what all the sentences are about. Read the paragraph and ask, “What’s your point?” That will help you zero in on the main idea.

Front 32

Supporting Details

Back 32

Supporting details are statements which support your topic or theme. You support your main idea by explaining it, describing it, defining it, or otherwise giving information about it. You will usually need to actually look up or research this information!

Front 33

Sentence Variety

Back 33

1. Vary the rhythm by alternating short and long sentences
2. Vary sentence openings.