Name ______Date ______Class ______

Literary Element (page 483)

Dialect

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of CalaverasCounty

/ MARK TWAIN

Authors of regional fiction often use dialect, or colloquial language spoken in a specific area at a certain time, to make their characters seem realistic. To appreciate dialect, think about the way people speak in real life—not the way they would write or speak formally. What words or grammatical irregularities do you and your friends use when you speak to each other? How would writing a dialogue using this style of speech contribute to a realistic story?

When reading dialect that may not be familiar to you, read the section aloud. Sometimes just hearing the words will help you make sense of the irregular grammar or sentence structures. Here is a passage written in a dialect "translated" into standard English.

Dialect / Standard English Translation
"...there couldn't be no solitry thing mentioned but that feller'd offer to bet on it..." (page 485) / There wasn't a solitary thing that the fellow wouldn't offer to bet on; in other words, the fellow would bet on anything.

When you read a story with dialect, be sure to compare and contrast the different ways the characters speak. Think about how the characters' ways of speaking give you information about the characters' backgrounds or attitudes. For example, Wheeler speaks informally, with errors in grammar and pronunciation, unlike the narrator, who speaks in a more educated, formal voice.

ACTIVITY

Directions Read the quotations from Wheeler's story, and rewrite them into standard English.

Dialect / Standard English Translation
"...he ‘peared surprised, and then he looked sorter discouraged-like, and didn't try no more to win the fight, and so he got shucked out bad." (page 486) / 1.
"...may be you've had experience, and may be you an't only a amature, as it were." (page 488) / 2.
"'Well, I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any better'n any other frog.'" (page 488) / 3.

Name ______Date ______Class ______

Reading Strategy (page 483)

Analyzing Comic Devices

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of CalaverasCounty

/ MARK TWAIN

Authors use comic devices to amuse and entertain the reader. Twain, a master humor writer, uses various devices to create comic situations, including exaggerations, interesting characterizations, and outrageous situations.

ACTIVITY

Directions Read the quotations in the first column. Then, in the second column, note the type of comic device Twain uses in each of the examples. In the third column, analyze what Twain might have wanted to achieve by using that comic device.

Example / Comic Device / Analysis
"all through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity..." (page 485) / characterization / 1.
"...if there was a dog-fight, he'd bet on it; if there was a cat-fight, he'd bet on it...why, if there were two birds setting on a fence, he would bet you which one would fly first..." (page 485) / 2. / The character of Smiley is portrayed in extremes.
"Smiley had a yaller oneeyed cow that didn't have no tail..." (page 488) / absurd situation / 3.

Active Reading Graphic Organizer

Ask your teacher for a copy of the Three-Column Grid Graphic Organizer so that you can keep track of Twain's use of humor in this story In the first column, note lines or phrases that have a comic effect. In the second column, note the type of comic device used in that example. Finally, in the third column, analyze why Twain might have used that type of humor.

Name ______Date ______Class ______

Selection Vocabulary Practice (page 483)

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of CalaverasCounty

/ MARK TWAIN
Vocabulary
garrulousadj. talkative
conjecturev. to form an opinion without definite evidence; to guess
dilapidatedadj. fallen into ruin or decay; shabby
interminableadj. seemingly endless
enterprisingadj. showing energy and initiative, especially in beginning new projects
EXERCISE A / Practice with Word Roots

Use your knowledge of word roots to help define the words below. Put the letter of the definition that matches each word in the space after the word.

  1. reject ______
  2. midterm ______
  3. project ______
  4. terminal ______
/
  1. end point of a train or plane route
  2. to throw away
  3. to stick out from
  4. D. something that occurs halfway through a set time

EXERCISE B / Applying Meanings

Write the vocabulary word that could replace the word or phrase in bold type in each sentence.

  1. I'm not certain what happened, but I can use these clues to make an inference. ______
  2. Karly started her own company when she was in high school. She's quite ambitious. ______
  3. The lecturer droned on an on; his speech seemed unbearably long. ______
  4. Time and neglect had left the once-beautiful house old and crumbling. ______
  5. The chatty woman at the check-out counter kept the whole line waiting as she conversed nonstop with each customer. ______

EXERCISE C / Responding to the Selection

On the back of this sheet, write the opening paragraph of a speech for an awards ceremony honoring Simon Wheeler as "Storyteller of the Year." Use at least FOUR of the vocabulary words in your speech.