Tennessee Academic Vocabulary – Seventh Grade Language Arts
Curriculum Area:WORD / DEFINITION / CURRICULUM OPPORTUNITIES / NUMBER OF EXPOSURES
Analogy (verb forms, rhymes) / Main Entry: anal·o·gy
Pronunciation: &-'nal-&-jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -gies
1 a : resemblance in some details between things otherwise unlike : SIMILARITY b : comparison based on such resemblance
2 : similarity in function between bodily parts of different structure and origin
anecdote / Main Entry: an·ec·dote
Pronunciation: 'an-ik-"dOt
Function: noun
: a brief story about something interesting or funny in a person's life
- an·ec·dot·al /"an-ik-'dOt-l/ adjective
- an·ec·dot·al·ly /-l-E/ adverb
Assumption/assume / Main Entry: as·sump·tion
Pronunciation: &-'s&m(p)-sh&n
Function: noun
1 capitalized : August 15 observed as a church festival to mark the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven
2 a : the act of taking upon oneself or taking possession of something
3 a : the belief that something is true b : a fact or statement taken for granted
clarify / Main Entry: clar·i·fy
Pronunciation: 'klar-&-"fI
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -fied; -fy·ing
1 : to make or become pure or clear <clarify a liquid>
2 : to make or become easier to understand <clarify a statement>
- clar·i·fi·ca·tion /"klar-&-f&-'kA-sh&n/ noun
- clar·i·fi·er /'klar-&-"fI(-&)r/ noun
Clause (adverb, introductory, etc.) / Main Entry: clause
Pronunciation: 'kloz
Function: noun
1 : a separate distinct part of an article or document <a clause in a will>
2 : a group of words having its own subject and predicate but forming only part of a compound or complex sentence (as "when it rained" or "they went inside" in the sentence "when it rained, they went inside")
An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb. It answers one of four questions: how, when, where, and why. An adverb clause always begins with a subordinating conjunction.
Introductory clause: Introductory clauses, unless they consist of one or two words, are set off by a comma. Introductory clauses come at the beginning of the sentence and can stand alone.
compile / Main Entry: com·pile
Pronunciation: k&m-'pIl
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): com·piled; com·pil·ing
1 : to collect into a volume or list <compile a book of poems>
2 : to put together in a new form out of materials from other books or documents <compile a history of India
3 : to translate (as a computer program) with a compiler
contract / Main Entry: 2con·tract
Pronunciation: k&n-'trakt, sense 2 usually 'kän-"trakt
Function: verb
1 a : to bring on oneself <contract debts> b : to become affected with <contract a cold>
2 : to agree by contract <contract to build a house>
3 a : to draw or squeeze together so as to make or become smaller or shorter and broader <brows contracting in puzzlement> <contract a muscle> b : to make or become smaller <metal contracts when cold>
4 : to shorten (a word) by leaving out one or more sounds or letters
Convention / Main Entry: con·ven·tion
Pronunciation: k&n-'ven-ch&n
Function: noun
1 : AGREEMENT 2a, covenant <an international convention banning the spread of nuclear weapons>
2 : a meeting of persons for a common purpose <a constitutional convention> <teachers' convention
3 : a custom or a way of acting or doing things that is widely accepted and followed <the conventions of punctuation>
Culture / Main Entry: 1cul·ture
Pronunciation: 'k&l-ch&r
Function: noun
1 : CULTIVATION 1, tillage
2 : the raising or development of a product or crop by careful attention <bee culture> <the culture of grapes>
3 : improvement of the mind, tastes, and manners through careful training
4 a : a particular stage, form, or kind of civilization <ancient Greek culture> b : the beliefs, social practices, and characteristics of a racial, religious, or social group c : the characteristic features of everyday life shared by people in a particular place or time <southern culture
5 : cultivation of living material (as bacteria) in a special usually liquid or jellylike nutrient preparation; also : a product of such cultivation
Documentary / Main Entry: 1doc·u·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "däk-y&-'ment-&-rE, -'men-trE
Function: adjective
1 : consisting of documents; also : being in writing <documentary proof>
2 : presenting actual events or facts about something <a documentary film>
- doc·u·men·tar·i·ly /-m&n-'ter-&-lE, -"men-/ adverb
Exposition (literary) / Main Entry: ex·po·si·tion
Pronunciation: "ek-sp&-'zish-&n
Function: noun
1 : an explanation of something
2 : a piece of writing that explains
3 : the first part of a piece of music in which the theme is presented
4 : a public exhibition
- ex·pos·i·tor /ik-'späz-&t-&r/ noun
- ex·pos·i·to·ry /ik-'späz-&-"tOr-E, -"tor-/ adjective
Expository writing / Main Entry: ex·po·si·tion
Pronunciation: "ek-sp&-'zish-&n
Function: noun
1 : an explanation of something
2 : a piece of writing that explains
3 : the first part of a piece of music in which the theme is presented
4 : a public exhibition
- ex·pos·i·tor /ik-'späz-&t-&r/ noun
- ex·pos·i·to·ry /ik-'späz-&-"tOr-E, -"tor-/ adjective
Expression (emphasis, stress, etc. in oral language) / Main Entry: ex·pres·sion
Pronunciation: ik-'spresh-&n
Function: noun
1 : the act or process of expressing especially in words
2 a : a meaningful word or phrase b : a mathematical or logical symbol or a combination of symbols and signs representing a quantity or operation
3 : a way of speaking or singing or of playing an instrument so as to show mood or feeling <sing with expression
4 : the way one's face looks or one's voice sounds that shows one's feelings <a pleased expression
5 : the detectable effect of a gene
- ex·pres·sion·less /-l&s/ adjective
- ex·pres·sion·less·ly adverb
- ex·pres·sion·less·ness noun
Fluency / The most basic definition of fluency is simply the ability to read text accurately and quickly with good prosody. Good prosody is a linguistic term that refers to the melody in our speech and our ability to express it.
Generalization / To make a statement concerned or dealing with universal rather than particular aspects; relating to, determined by, or concerned with main elements rather than limited details
Imagery / Main Entry: im·ag·ery
Pronunciation: 'im-ij-(&-)rE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -er·ies
1 : images that can be seen or that are imagined
2 : language that suggests how someone or something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes
Inconsistency / 1 : the act of not being in agreement or harmony 2 : the act of being not logical or regular in thought or actions
Infinitive / Pronunciation: in-'fin-&t-iv
Function: noun
: a verb form serving as a noun or as a modifier and at the same time taking objects and adverbial modifiers <"carry" in "help them carry it" and "to do" in "they have nothing to do" are infinitives>
- infinitive adjective
Interpretation / Main Entry: in·ter·pre·ta·tion
Pronunciation: in-"t&r-pr&-'tA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the act or the result of interpreting : EXPLANATION
2 : an instance of artistic interpretation in performance or adaptation
- in·ter·pre·ta·tive /-'t&r-pr&-"tAt-iv/ adjective
- in·ter·pre·ta·tive·ly adverb
Literary elements (irony, mood, foreshadowing, flashback, tone, symbolism) / Literary elements - Literary elements refers to particular characteristics of a whole text.
Irony - Where an event occurs which is unexpected, in the sense that it is somehow in absurd or mocking opposition to what would be expected or appropriate.
Mood - The atmosphere or emotional condition created by the piece, within the setting. Mood refers to the general sense or feeling which the reader is supposed to get from the text;
Foreshadowing - Where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested by the author before they happen. Foreshadowing can take many forms and be accomplished in many ways, with varying degrees of subtlety.
Flashback – Main Entry: flash·back
Pronunciation: 'flash-"bak
Function: noun
1 : the introduction of a past event into a story or motion picture; also : this past event
2 : a past incident recurring clearly in the mind
Tone – The apparent emotional state, or “attitude,” of the speaker/narrator/narrative voice, as conveyed through the language of the piece. Tone refers only to the narrative voice; not to the author or characters.
Symbolism - The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas.
Parallel structure / Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is with the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or."
Projection / Pronunciation: pr&-'jek-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : a method of showing a curved surface (as the earth) on a flat one (as a map)
2 : the act of throwing or shooting forward
3 : something that sticks out
4 : the act or process of projecting something on a surface (as by motion pictures or slides)
5 : an estimate of what might happen in the future based on what is happening now
Prose / Pronunciation: 'prOz
Function: noun
1 : the ordinary language that people use when they speak or write
2 : writing that does not have the repeating rhythm used in poetry
Revision /
1 : the act of looking over again in order to correct or improve <revise a book report>
2 : the act of making a new, corrected, improved, or up-to-date version or arrangement of
Sentence structure / Sentence structure is the way we show a relationship between ideas and events. There are three kinds of sentence structure: The simple sentence – this type of sentence simply contains a subject and a verb.
B) The compound sentence – this type of sentence has two or more simple sentences that are connected by a conjunction such as: but, and, or, etc.
C) The complex sentence – this type of sentence has two or more simple sentences that are connected by a conjunction such as: when, since, as soon as, etc.
Stereotype / Pronunciation: 'ster-E-&-"tIp, 'stir-
Function: noun
1 : a printing plate made by casting melted metal in a mold
2 : something agreeing with a pattern; especially : an idea that many people have about a thing or a group and that may often be untrue or only partly true
Strategy / Pronunciation: 'strat-&-jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -gies
1 : the science and art of employing the forces of a country in peace or war; especially : the science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under favorable conditions
2 a : a careful plan or method b : the art of making or employing plans or tricks to achieve a goal
Types of poetry / Free verse: poem with no set rhyme, rhythm, or meter; imitates conversation
Haiku: unrhymed form of Japanese poetry; often about nature
Tanka:an extended Haiku
Limerick: a funny poem; five lines; 1,2,5 rhyme, 3,4 rhyme
Cinquain: five line poem that has: line 1: one noun, line 2: two adjectives that describe the noun, line 3: three –ing words that express action, line 4: four word phrase that expresses feeling, line 5: one synonym for the noun in the first line
Acrostic: a poem that spells a word (the title) down the left edge
Alphabet poem: a variation on the acrostic in which the initial letters are in alphabetical order
Diamond poem: a poem that expresses change; the first line has one word, second line two, third line three, fourth line four, fifth line three, sixth line two, seventh line has one word.
Concrete poem: a poem shaped like what it is about
Narrative poetry: poetry that tells a story
Palindromes: a word or phrase that is the same backwards as forwards
Viewpoint / a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated; the narrator of a story has a viewpoint