Midterm Study Guide: Language Concepts

Midterm Study Guide

• The midterm exam will contain multiple-choice questions, some with two parts (A and B).
• The format will be similar to previous "My Perspectives" tests.
• This guide provides study preparation material.

Key Concepts: Connotation vs. Denotation

• Connotation: The emotional or cultural association of a word (e.g., positive or negative).
  • Example: "childish" carries a negative connotation of immaturity.
• Denotation: The literal dictionary definition of a word.
  • Example: The denotation of "childish" is "like a child."

Compound Subjects and Predicates

• Compound subject: Contains more than one subject.
• Compound predicate: Contains more than one action.
  • Example: Minnie and Mickey Mouse ate the cake and drank the milk.

Coordinate Adjectives vs. Cumulative Adjectives

• Coordinate adjectives:
  • Can be arranged in different orders (comma or "and" used between them).
  • Example: shiny, new car or shiny and new car
• Cumulative adjectives:
  • Must follow a specific order; changing the order sounds awkward.
  • Example: big red barn

Dependent Clauses and Commas

• Dependent clause at the beginning: Followed by a comma.
  • Example: While Mary played the piano, her Siberian Husky puppy howled.
• Dependent clause at the end: Does not need a comma.
  • Example: Her Siberian Husky puppy howled while Mary played the piano.

Fact vs. Opinion

• Review the differences between facts and opinions.
• Refer to the Fact vs. Opinion Guide for further detail.

Conflict in Literature

• Internal conflict: A struggle within a character.
• External conflict: A struggle between a character and an outside force.

Using Reference Tools

• Thesaurus: Finds synonyms and antonyms.
• Dictionary: Provides definitions, parts of speech, and multiple meanings of words.
• Prefixes and suffixes: Common prefixes (DYS-, MAL-, IR-, PRE-) and suffixes (-ION, -MENT).

Stage Directions

• Stage directions describe actions, movements, emotions, and setting of characters in a play.
• They are typically written in parentheses in the play text and separate from the dialogue.
• They are used to visualize setting, character actions, mood, or other visual elements.
• Stage directions help actors and directors perform without spoken dialogue.
  • Example: "Enter right" (character enters from the right side of the stage).
  • "Looks nervously around" (describes a character's emotional state and body language).
  • "A dimly lit living room" (describes the setting of a scene).

Theme and Figurative Language

• Be familiar with identifying themes and recognizing types of figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification).

Study Tips

• Review past tests for common question formats.
• Practice identifying connotation and denotation in sentences.
• Write examples of coordinate and cumulative adjectives.
• Use a thesaurus and dictionary to improve understanding of prefixes and suffixes.

Prepare for your midterm exam with this comprehensive study guide focused on key language concepts including connotation vs. denotation, compound subjects and predicates, and coordinate vs. cumulative adjectives. Familiarize yourself with the material to ensure you're ready for multiple-choice questions similar to previous tests from 'My Perspectives'.