Tag Archives: diction/grammar/style/usage

Cultural Literacy: Cyberspace

Here, on a Sunday morning, is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the concept of cyberspace. Does anyone use that word anymore?

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.

Anecdote

A brief, presumably interesting report of an experience or incident, especially a humorous account reflecting human foibles; confidential tale or piece of gossip, or an unknown biographical or historical particular; digressive episode. Adj. anecdotal; n anecdotist, anecdotalist.

‘He joked with Baitsell about the formalities, laughed at the red ribbons attached to the will, told a couple of anecdotes about old Newport and Harry Lehr’s will, and finally signed his name in a great, flourishing hand.’” Louis Auchincloss, Powers of Attorney

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

Naive (adj)

Over the years, I’ve developed a lot a material to aid struggling students As the documents pile up, I don’t always succeed at properly cataloging them. At least that is the best explanation I can produce to explain how I ended up with these two context clues worksheet for the adjective naive. I imagine this is a word that students know when they leave high school–but I like to make sure.

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.

Word Root Worksheet: Ortho

Here’s a worksheet on the Greek word root ortho. It means “straight,” “correct,” “vertical,” and “perpendicular.” You know, those things you hope your orthopedist can do for you posture–the first two at least, I guess.

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.

Quota (n)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the noun quota. By any measure, this is a key word for any vocabulary.

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.

Which (adj/pron) and Witch (n)

Here are five worksheets on the homophones which and witch. In my classrooms, over the years, these two are very commonly confused, most often with the latter standing in where the former belongs.

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.

Array (n) and Array (v)

Here are two context clues worksheets on the word array, the first as a noun and the second as a verb.

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.

Ad Ignorantiam

To ignorance: depending for its effect on the hearer’s not knowing something essential; arguing that something is true because it has not been proven false, or challenging another to disprove rather than endeavoring to improve.”

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

Errant (adj)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the adjective errant. You may know it means: “a : straying outside the proper path or bounds <an ~ calf>  b : moving about aimlessly or irregularly <an ~ breeze>  c : behaving wrongly <an ~ child>  d : FALLIBLE,” (Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (Kindle Locations 143332-143334). Merriam-Webster, Inc.. Kindle Edition).

You can use it to say things like “As he is wont to do, at his professional development session the principal advanced an argument of errant nonsense.”

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.

Word Root Exercise: Pale/o

Here’s a worksheet on the Greek word root pale/o; it means ancient. This is another of those roots that produces a lot of words across the common branch curriculum. 

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.