Truth

Posted on June 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

Here is a reading on truth along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. This is an Intellectual Devotional reading on truth as a problem in philosophy; like most of the readings I’ve developed into avenues of inquiry, this is a good general introduction to the problem of truth. But make no mistake: truth is a complex and often tendentious topic in philosophical discussions. Student interested in the topic will soon need something more substantial than this set of documents.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Aside

Posted on June 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

“Aside (noun):  An utterance in theatrical dialogue directed to the audience, but supposedly not heard by other actors in their roles; words spoken in low tones or confidentially; passing, private, or covert comment; personal digression.

‘Mr. Wilson somehow packs his play with comic asides that cover phenomena as varied as Eskimos, U.F.O.s, Betty Grable, botany, Columbia Records, and Karl Marx.’ Frank Rich, The New York Times”

Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.

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Common Errors in English Usage: Importantly (adv), Important (adj)

Posted on June 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

With text from Paul Brians’ book Common Errors in English Usage, here is a worksheet differentiating the use of importantly and important. The first word is an adverb, the second an adjective; the reading does a nice job of guiding students through the differences in these two words and how to use them.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Theme

Posted on June 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

“Theme: Properly speaking, the theme of a work is not its subject but rather its central idea which may be stated directly or indirectly. For example, the theme of Othello is jealousy. See LEITMOTIF; MOTIF.”

Excerpted from: Cuddon, J.A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. New York: Penguin, 1992.

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Argue (vi/vt)

Posted on June 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

Here is a context clues worksheet on the verb argue. For the purposes of this document, argue is used transitively to mean, variously, “to give evidence of,” “to consider the pros and cons of,” “to prove or try to prove by giving reasons,” and “to persuade by giving reasons.”

This document doesn’t deal fully with this word, or its implications for student’s academic work. If you need or want more material on argumentation, you can enter the word in the search box on your right, or simply click on argumentation in the word cloud just below the search box.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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The Devil’s Dictionary: Agrarian

Posted on June 17, 2022 | Leave a comment

“Agrarian, n. A politician who carries his real estate under his nails. A son of the soil who, like Aeneas, carries his father on his person.”

Excerpted from: Bierce, Ambrose. David E. Schultz and S.J. Joshi, eds. The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2000. 

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Common English Verbs Followed by Gerunds: Delay

Posted on June 17, 2022 | Leave a comment

OK, last, and most likely least, this morning, here is a worksheet on the verb delay used with a gerund. Please don’t delay downloading your copy of this document.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Book of Answers: Sam Spade’s Partner

Posted on June 17, 2022 | Leave a comment

“What was the name of Sam Spade’s partner in Dashiell Hammett’s (1930) The Maltese Falcon? Miles Archer. He was killed early in the novel by Brigid O’Shaughnessey.”

Excerpted from: Corey, Melinda, and George Ochoa. Literature: The New York Public Library Book of Answers. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.

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Cultural Literacy: Thriller

Posted on June 17, 2022 | Leave a comment

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the thriller as a literary genre. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two sentences and two comprehensions questions. In other words, a basic, but solid, introduction to this literary genre.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Thesis

Posted on June 17, 2022 | Leave a comment

“Thesis: Three meanings may be distinguished: a. a long essay or treatise presented for a degree; b. a proposition to be proved; c. the unstressed syllable of a metrical foot (e.g. thesis itself is a trochaic word on which the second syllable is unstressed).”

Excerpted from: Cuddon, J.A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. New York: Penguin, 1992.

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