My Literacy Cheat Sheet Interjections

 My Literacy Cheat Sheet 

Subject / Predicate

Subject Complements

Subject-Verb Agreement

Tom studied diligently for his test.

________________________

Subject  Tells Who/What?

(Contains the main noun)

Predicate Tells what happened?

(Contains the Verb).

 95% of the time the

predicate will begin with

the verb.

Please Note  Your simple

subject will never be in a

prepositional phrase.

Direct Object  Comes AFTER an

action verb and answers the questions:

“what?” or “whom?”

Indirect Object  Comes in between

the action verb and direct object and

answers “for whom?” “to whom?”

to what?”

Predicate Noun  The noun in the

predicate that “renames” the simple

subject

Predicate Adjective  The adjective

in the predicate that “describes” the

simple subject

Please Note None of these will ever

be in a prepositional phrase.

A subject and its verb must always

agree in number.

A singular subject needs a singular verb

(a verb with an –s)

A plural subject needs a plural verb

(a verb without an –s)

If a compound subject has the conjunction

(and) in the middle, use the plural verb.

If a compound subject has (or, nor) in

the middle, go by the subject closest to

the verb.

“The Song”

One Thiiiing…gotta have an (s)

Two Thiiiings…nooooo (s)

Note  Your simple subject will

never be in a prepositional phrase.

Nouns

Verbs

Prepositional Phrases, etc

Noun  A person, place, thing, or

idea (i.e. hope, love, courage)

Singular  man, girl, party

Plural Nouns  men, girls,

parties

Collective Nouns  group,

chorus,

herd

Common Nouns  school, park,

aquarium

Proper Nouns  Forest Park

Middle School,

Centennial Park,

Georgia Aquarium

Abstract Nouns  love, beauty,

“untouchable” wisdom, hope,

courage, intellect

Concrete Nouns  house, book,

“touchable” lady, table, desk,

phone, stove

Action Verbs  laugh, jump, write,

learn, hear, smell

Linking Verbs  be, being, been, is,

are, was, were, am, seem, taste,

appear, feels,

Transitive Verbhas a direct object

Intransitive Verbhas no direct object

Present Past Past Participle

laugh laughed has, have, had laughed

dance danced had danced

study studied had studied

party partied had partied

write wrote had written

see saw had seen

get got had gotten

swim swam had swum

begin began had begun

speak spoke had spoken

go went had gone

give gave had given

ring rang had rung

lie (body down) lay had lain

lay (to place down) laid had laid

fight fought had fought

bring brought had brought

get got had gotten

on the table, around the box,

under the bed, above the water,

near the park, behind the car,

during the game, down the stairs,

against the tree, along the sidewalk,

by the house, inside the house,

through the bushes,

on the car, out of trouble,

from the principal, up the tree,

until Monday, to school,

within our class, with my friends,

without a pencil

P.A.N

Preposition…Article/Adjective…Noun

O.O.P.

Object of Preposition

A simple subject, direct object,

indirect object, predicate noun,

predicate adjective will NEVER be

in a prepositional phrase.

Interjections

Uh-Huh, Wow! Dang! No, Yes, Oooh,

Man! Yeap! Ouch! Aaah

Whoa!

Adjective / Adverb

Pronoun

Conjunctions

Adjective  Modifies Nouns and

Pronouns and Answers: What

Kind? How Many? Which Ones?

1. Comparative Adjectives: Used

to compare 2 nouns (prettier)

2. Superlative Adjectives: Used

to compare 3 or more nouns

(prettiest)

*Caution



NEVER use (more) and the

suffix (–er) together. NEVER use

(most) and the suffix (-est) together)

Adverb  Modifies Adjectives,

Verbs, & Adverbs and Answers:

How? When? Where? To What

Extent?

Usually ends in (–ly)

Takes the place of nouns, and determines

the Point of View in stories

Antecedent  The noun that the

pronoun replaces

Personal Pronouns (Subject) I, he,

she, they, we, you, it

Personal Pronouns (Object)  me,

him, her, them, us, you, it

Possessive  his, her, hers, yours,

theirs, ours, its

Demonstrative  this, that, those,

these

Interrogative  what, which, who,

whom, whose

Reflexive  herself, himself,

themselves, ourselves, itself, yourself

Indefinite



somebody, no one, each

all, few, none, some, everything,

Subordinate Conjunctions

(Used to join complex sentences)

after although as

as if as long as

as soon as

because before

even if even though

if since so that

though unless

when whenever

wherever whether

while

Coordinate Conjunctions

(Used to join compound sentences)

For

And

Nor

But

Yet

ADJECTIVES

beautiful

glossy

unpredictable

nervous

lovely

rough

star-like

several

ADVERBS

really

extremely

quietly

carefully

nervously

quite

too

well

Sentence Errors

Sentence Types

Sentence Kinds

Run-on  Two sentences

incorrectly joined together.

The cure  a semi-colon, a

comma AND coordinate

conjunction, or a period

Fragment  An incomplete

thought. The cure Add a

subject, predicate, or both.

1. Simple  One independent clause

2. Compound  Two independent clauses

joined by a semi-colon or a comma AND

coordinate conjunction

3. Complex  One independent clause and

one dependent clause. The subordinate

conjunction always begins the dependent

clause.

4. Compound Complex  Two independent

clauses and one dependent clause.

Declarative  Makes a statement

The musical begins at 9:00.

Interrogative  Asks a question

Does the musical begin at 9:00?

Imperative  Gives a command

Start the musical at 9:00.

Exclamatory  Shows EXPRESSION!

Wow! That was the best musical!

Types of Fiction

Context Clues

Plot Diagram

●realistic fiction: stories with situations that can happen

in real life

●historic fiction: stories that take place during past

historical times (world wars, the titanic)

●mystery: stories involving suspense, danger, and intrigue

● adventure: relatively realistic, characters have many

exciting experiences

●fantasy: imaginative stories; characters and settings are

different from real world, often dealing with magic, battles

of good vs. evil

●science fiction: a type of fantasy, stories generally set in

a future time or world in which scientific advances have

changed society in important ways

●folktales: traditional stories that reveal the values and

beliefs of a culture

♥myth: a traditional story, usually of unknown authorship,

that answers basic questions about the world. Myths

attempt to explain such things as human nature, the origin

of the world, mysteries of nature, and social customs.

♥fable: a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human

nature. Many fables feature animals.

♥legend: a story handed down from the past about a

specific person – usually someone of heroic achievement.

The Different Ways Authors Help

Readers Figure Out Unfamiliar Words

(The clues are usually found around the word.)

1. A definition

2. An explanation

3. An example

4. A synonym

5. An antonym

I had a dismal attitude because I failed my

test, but my best friend was very pleased

about her A.  (Context Clue Antonym)

Exposition  introduces the characters,

setting, and tone of a story

Rising Action  DEVELOPS the

main conflict

Climax  “Turning Point” or highest

interest point of a story

Falling Action  Loose ends are being

tied-up and the story is headed towards a

solution

Resolution The main conflict is resolved,

or the story simply ends

Common Affixes

Author’s Purpose (P.I.E.)

Figurative Language

Common Prefixes

ambi- both (ambidextrous, ambiguous)

anti- against, preventing (antibody, antifreeze)

dis- the opposite of, not (disappear, disagree)

il- against, not (illiterate, illegal)

im- in, within, toward, on (important, impress)

in- not, into (incorrect, inject)

mis- badly, wrong, not (misprint, misjudge)

non- the opposite of, not (nonsense, nonrefundable)

pre- in front of, before (preheat, prejudge)

un- the opposite of, not (unlikely, unheard)

Common Suffixes

-able: able to be or to become something

(avoidable, lovable)

-al: of, like, or relating to (memorial, industrial)

-en: to make more so; made of (strengthen,

wooden)

-ful: having a lot of (beautiful, fearful)

-ity: having or being a certain way (agility,

fertility)

-less: without something (odorless, spineless)

-ly: in such a manner; like or suited to; occurring

every so often (heavenly, quickly, weekly)

-ness: the state of being something (preparedness,

goodness)

-ous: full of or having something (adventurous,

famous)

-tion: the act of, state of, result of (regulation,

dehydration)

Author’s Purpose  The author’s

intent or reason for producing a piece

of writing

Genre Examples

To Persuade  To use convincing

strategies and techniques to try to get someone

to agree or see that your view is worth

considering

To Inform  To give information or

news

To Entertain  To humor or to

enlighten

To Explain  To discuss how

something works or

how to do something

(To Teach)

Onomatopoeia -- Sound Words

(Buzz – Bang – Boom – Ding – Zoom)

Simile – Using “like or as” to compare 2

different things eyes were like diamonds.

Metaphor – Comparing 2 different things

without using “like or as” eye were diamonds

Personification -- Giving nonhuman things

HUMAN traits. The wind was wavy fiercely.

Hyperbole -- An exaaaaaaaaggerated

expression

Alliteration  Repetition of the same sound

or letter within a line. Larry laughed loudly.

Imagery  Addresses the senses of a reader

“Hot, spicy, juicy, well-seasoned chicken”

Idiom  A group of words that have

meaning when used together. Cannot be

taken literally. It’s raining cats and dogs.

Symbolism  Objects that stand for

something else

Literary Terms

Organizational Structures

Test Taking Tips

Theme  Life Lesson Learned

Main Idea  The Central Focus

Conflict  The problem in a story

Setting  Where and when a story occurs

Characters the people who experience

the events of the plot in a story

dynamic: characters who change

throughout the story

static: characters who do NOT

change at all

characterization: used in stories

to give people traits and emotions. Can be

seen through:

o S  Character SAYS

o T  Character’s Thoughts

o E  Character’s Effects

o A  Character’s Actions

o L  Character’s Looks

Foreshadowing  Hints the author

gives the reader so that he/she can make

predictions

Flashback  A literary device in which an

earlier event is inserted into the normal

chronological order of a narrative

Irony  when there is a difference between

what appears to be happening and what is

actually happening; essentially, it is when the

opposite of what is expected occurs

Tone  the writer’s attitude about the

subject; think of the voice of the story

(amused, angry)

Mood  the feeling the reader gets from

the story (happiness, sorrow)

Irrelevant  Not Important

Extraneous  Extra, unimportant

Transitions  words used to connect

thoughts and ideas and to move from one

paragraph or sentence to the next (ex.: also,

certainly, as a result, however, in conclusion,

furthermore, in other words, to begin with, in

addition to, most importantly, to surmise)

The way a text is organized:

graphic organizers: text that is put on

a chart, time line, or other graphic

form.

●chronological order: the order in which

events occur (ex. First, next, finally)

order of importance: organized with

the most important facts/information

first followed by the least important.

●comparison and contrast: shows how two

or more things (subjects) are alike

and different

(signal words: comparison: like, also,

too, all, and the same contrast:

different, unlike, and however)

●cause and effect: describes an event or

condition that causes other things to

happen

(signal words: cause: so, therefore, as a

result effect: because, since, as a

result)

●deduction: begins with a general idea and

uses it to support specific

conclusions

●induction: begins with specific ideas that

leads to a general idea

●order of importance: facts and details

starting with the most important

Problem/solution: describes a current

problem and proposes a solution, or

shows how past problem was solved.

Question/answer: asks a question (to

a current problems) and proposes or

provides an answer

●spatial order: puts things in order based on

their location in a particular area

*classification: writer groups similar things

1. Read the questions prior to

reading a passage. Make a

note of key concepts from

the questions in the

margins of each passage.

2. When reading a long

passage, stop, summarize,

and clarify along the way.

3. Underline the Key Words

in the question.

4. When reading the

questions, try to have an

answer in your head prior

to looking at the answer

choices.

5. Immediately eliminate two

incorrect answers

“Slash the Trash”

6. Pay attention to words

like: BEST, MOSTLY,

LEAST, NOT

7. Pick the BEST answer!

8. BE CONFIDENT!

Clauses

Understanding Informational Text

Research Sources

1. An independent clause has a

subject and verb and acts as a

complete sentence

2. A dependent clause has a

subject and verb, begins with a

subordinate conjunction or

relative pronoun, but does not

have a complete thought

3. Adjective Clause  Has as a

subject and verb, describe a noun

or pronoun, answers Which

One? or What Kind? and

usually begins with the following

relative pronouns: that, which,

who, whom, whose

4. Adverb Clause  Has a subject

and verb, describes an adjective,

verb or adverb, and answers

How? When? Where? WHY?

and To What Extent? and

begins with regular subordinate

conjunctions: because, since,

whenever, until

5. Noun Clause  Has a subject

and verb, acts as a noun in a

sentence, answers Who? or

What?

COMMON TEXT FEATURES

Title: the name, or heading of the article

2. Headings: Same as “Titles”

3. Subheadings: identifies the main idea of

the section of text that follows

4. Topic Sentences: Tells what the entire

paragraph is discussing

5. Words in italics or boldface type

6. Side bars: brief text written on the outside

of the actual text.

7. Captions: brief text that provides

information about the subject of a photograph

or an illustration.

8. Tag: brief summary about the purpose or

focus of the article

9. Byline: The name of the article’s author

10. Headline: a short attention-getting title

11. Dateline: where the story takes place

12. Banner or Flag: the name of the

newspaper or magazine, usually set off by

size, color, special type, or some other design

features.

GRAPHIC FEATURES:

●bar graphs: compare amounts of

similar kinds of information. It uses a

vertical and horizontal display.

●circle graphs: also called pie charts

& are cut up into slices. They show

how different parts of a group

compare to each other.

●diagrams: show how things work. A

picture that shows how something is

put together or its individual parts

●timelines: shows you what

happened and when

●map: is used to tell where cities,

rivers, mountains, etc. are located

●illustrations: pictures and drawings

found in books are called illustrations

*When searching for information,

you can use the following sources:

1. Almanac

2. Atlas

3. Fiction / Nonfiction Books

4. Dictionary

5. Encyclopedia

6. Glossary

7. Table of Contents

8. Internet

9. People

10. Magazine

11. Newspaper

12. Thesaurus

13. Periodical Indexes

*When you find information that you would

like to share, you must paraphrase (put in

your own words) so that you do NOT get in

trouble for plagiarizing (using the author’s

EXACT words without giving him/her

credit.). This is ILLEGAL.

Information for Source Cards:

1. Author(s)

2. Title

3. Copyright (date of publication)

4. Publishing Company

5. Publishing city & state

6. Page Number

7. Website

Commas, Commas, Commas

Capitalization Rules

Types of Conflicts

Please use commas:

1. After a greeting & closing

2. After a direct address

3. Around an appositive

4. Btw a LIST of 3 or more

5. After a dependent clause

6. After an introductory phrase

7. After a transition word

8. Between city & state

9. After the day in a date

10. In dialogue to separate

the speaker from who’s

speaking

Always capitalize the

following:

1. Names & Initials

2. Titles (Dr., Ms.) & Abbreviations (A.J.C.)

3. Government Officials

4. The pronoun (I)

5. Mom, Dad, Uncle, or Aunt when they are

direct addresses or attached to the name

(Dad, may I go?) or (Aunt Jane)

6. Titles of books, magazines, movies,

songs, etc.)

7. Public Documents (Bill of Rights)

8. Public Facilities and Buildings

9. Organizations

10. Brand names (Apple Bottoms, Nike,

Levy)

11. PROPER Adjectives (French, Spanish)

Internal Conflict:

Man versus Self  A character

fights against his own personal beliefs

& values

External Conflicts:

Man versus Man  There’s a

conflict between two characters in the

story.

Man versus Society  A character is

an outcast or tries to break the normal

rules society has established.

Man versus Nature  A Character

fights against the forces of nature (i.e.

disease, a whale, geographic location)

Man versus Technology / Fantasy

 Man fights again techno advances

or aliens