Glossary · word list
English terms: English
1,063 words and terms, A–Z, from School Launch lessons. Each links to the lesson where it is taught.
A
a fortioriEnglish
Latin, “from the stronger.” The “how much more” argument: if something is true of the lesser case, it is even more true of the greater.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
Latin, “from the stronger.” The “how much more” argument: if something is true of the lesser case, it is even more true of the greater.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
AABBAEnglish
The rhyme pattern of a limerick: lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme; lines 3 and 4 rhyme.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3)
The rhyme pattern of a limerick: lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme; lines 3 and 4 rhyme.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3)
abbreviationEnglish
A shortened form of a word (e.g., “govt.” for government).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5) · Fabrics & Sewing I, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3–5)
A shortened form of a word (e.g., “govt.” for government).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5) · Fabrics & Sewing I, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3–5)
ABCBEnglish
A rhyme scheme in which only lines 2 and 4 rhyme.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.3 (grade 5)
A rhyme scheme in which only lines 2 and 4 rhyme.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.3 (grade 5)
abolitionEnglish
The act of ending something by law. Wilberforce first sought the abolition of the slave trade, and later of slavery itself in the British colonies.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.2 (grade 7)
The act of ending something by law. Wilberforce first sought the abolition of the slave trade, and later of slavery itself in the British colonies.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.2 (grade 7)
absolute adjectiveEnglish
An absolute adjective names a quality that cannot be greater or less, such as unique, perfect, or complete.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.3 (grade 3–8)
An absolute adjective names a quality that cannot be greater or less, such as unique, perfect, or complete.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.3 (grade 3–8)
abstract nounEnglish
An abstract noun names an idea, a quality, or a feeling.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8)
An abstract noun names an idea, a quality, or a feeling.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8)
abstractionEnglish
An idea that cannot be seen or touched (duty, patience, courage). An ode to an abstraction must give it a face, a voice or a task.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
An idea that cannot be seen or touched (duty, patience, courage). An ode to an abstraction must give it a face, a voice or a task.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
academic refereeEnglish
A teacher or other responsible adult, not a relative, who confirms that the essay is the student’s own work.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11)
A teacher or other responsible adult, not a relative, who confirms that the essay is the student’s own work.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11)
accept and exceptEnglish
Accept is a verb that means to receive or agree to; except usually means but or leaving out.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.3 (grade 3–8)
Accept is a verb that means to receive or agree to; except usually means but or leaving out.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.3 (grade 3–8)
acceptable wordsEnglish
The Preacher’s phrase in Ecclesiastes 12:10 for words that are fitting and pleasing to the hearer, and also upright and true.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 9)
The Preacher’s phrase in Ecclesiastes 12:10 for words that are fitting and pleasing to the hearer, and also upright and true.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 9)
action chreiaEnglish
A chreia in which the person does something and does not speak.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
A chreia in which the person does something and does not speak.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
action verbEnglish
A strong past- or present-tense verb that opens a résumé entry and names what you did: organized, repaired, taught, catalogued.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3–8)
A strong past- or present-tense verb that opens a résumé entry and names what you did: organized, repaired, taught, catalogued.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3–8)
active voiceEnglish
A verb is in the active voice when its subject does the action.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.2 (grade 3–8)
A verb is in the active voice when its subject does the action.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.2 (grade 3–8)
ad hominemEnglish
Latin for “to the man”: attacking the person instead of his argument.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
Latin for “to the man”: attacking the person instead of his argument.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
additionEnglish
A detail added later that is not in the source.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6)
A detail added later that is not in the source.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6)
adjacencyEnglish
The effect two neighboring poems have on each other. A word, image or form in one poem can echo or answer the next.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 10.1 (grade 9–12)
The effect two neighboring poems have on each other. A word, image or form in one poem can echo or answer the next.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 10.1 (grade 9–12)
adjectiveEnglish
A word that describes a noun: soft, brown, tiny.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3) · English Grammar, Lesson 14.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3–8) · +3 more
A word that describes a noun: soft, brown, tiny.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3) · English Grammar, Lesson 14.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3–8) · +3 more
adjective clauseEnglish
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.2 (grade 3–8)
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.2 (grade 3–8)
adjective phraseEnglish
An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 6.4 (grade 3–8)
An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 6.4 (grade 3–8)
adopting the opponent’s termsEnglish
Accepting the other side’s own statement or standard of proof and showing that, judged by it, your side wins.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10)
Accepting the other side’s own statement or standard of proof and showing that, judged by it, your side wins.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10)
adverbEnglish
An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.1 (grade 3–8)
An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.1 (grade 3–8)
adverb clauseEnglish
An adverb clause is a dependent clause that modifies a verb, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.3 (grade 3–8)
An adverb clause is a dependent clause that modifies a verb, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.3 (grade 3–8)
adverb phraseEnglish
An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 6.4 (grade 3–8)
An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 6.4 (grade 3–8)
adverb tagEnglish
A tag with an -ly word (“said angrily”). Use sparingly.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.3 (grade 5)
A tag with an -ly word (“said angrily”). Use sparingly.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.3 (grade 5)
advisorEnglish
An older, knowledgeable person who guides your thesis: asks hard questions, suggests sources, keeps you on schedule and tells you the truth about your work.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12)
An older, knowledgeable person who guides your thesis: asks hard questions, suggests sources, keeps you on schedule and tells you the truth about your work.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12)
affect and effectEnglish
Affect is usually a verb that means to change or influence; effect is usually a noun that means a result.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.3 (grade 3–8)
Affect is usually a verb that means to change or influence; effect is usually a noun that means a result.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.3 (grade 3–8)
affirmativeEnglish
The side that argues for the resolution.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6)
The side that argues for the resolution.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6)
agendaEnglish
A short list of the questions and decisions a meeting must cover, in order. Latin for “things to be done.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12)
A short list of the questions and decisions a meeting must cover, in order. Latin for “things to be done.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12)
Alexander the GreatEnglish
King of Macedonia (356–323 B.C.) who conquered an empire from Greece to India.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.3 (grade 5)
King of Macedonia (356–323 B.C.) who conquered an empire from Greece to India.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.3 (grade 5)
AlexandrineEnglish
A line of verse with twelve syllables (six iambic feet). Pope mocks a “needless” one and then writes a fitting one to show swift motion.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
A line of verse with twelve syllables (six iambic feet). Pope mocks a “needless” one and then writes a fitting one to show swift motion.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
allegoryEnglish
A story in which many or all of the details stand for something else, point by point, as in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 9)
A story in which many or all of the details stand for something else, point by point, as in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 9)
alliterationEnglish
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of nearby stressed syllables: “brown brink,” “warm breast … bright wings.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 2.5 (Ages 14+)
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of nearby stressed syllables: “brown brink,” “warm breast … bright wings.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 2.5 (Ages 14+)
allusionEnglish
A brief reference to a well-known story or text. Milton’s “one Talent” alludes to Christ’s parable in Matthew 25.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
A brief reference to a well-known story or text. Milton’s “one Talent” alludes to Christ’s parable in Matthew 25.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
ambiguous referenceEnglish
Ambiguous reference happens when a pronoun could refer to either of two antecedents.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.4 (grade 3–8)
Ambiguous reference happens when a pronoun could refer to either of two antecedents.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.4 (grade 3–8)
amplificationEnglish
Making the size of a thing felt: showing how great a good is or how heavy a wrong is, by its effects, pictures, comparisons and details.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 9)
Making the size of a thing felt: showing how great a good is or how heavy a wrong is, by its effects, pictures, comparisons and details.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 9)
amplifyEnglish
To make a story longer and richer by adding detail.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
To make a story longer and richer by adding detail.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
anachronismEnglish
Putting something in the wrong time, such as describing ancient Rome in modern terms, or judging an event by facts no one then knew.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.1 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.3 (grade 8) · +1 more
Putting something in the wrong time, such as describing ancient Rome in modern terms, or judging an event by facts no one then knew.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.1 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.3 (grade 8) · +1 more
analysis (commentary)English
Your explanation of how the evidence proves the claim: what the words mean, what they suggest, and why the author chose them.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.2 (grade 10)
Your explanation of how the evidence proves the claim: what the words mean, what they suggest, and why the author chose them.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.2 (grade 10)
analytical thesisEnglish
A sentence that states what the speaker does, by what means, and to what end: “Lincoln [does X] by [strategies] in order to [purpose].”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
A sentence that states what the speaker does, by what means, and to what end: “Lincoln [does X] by [strategies] in order to [purpose].”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
anapestEnglish
Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one (da-da-DUM): in-ter-RUPT, on the HILL.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one (da-da-DUM): in-ter-RUPT, on the HILL.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
anaphoraEnglish
Repeating the same word or words at the start of several sentences or clauses: “By faith Abel … By faith Enoch … By faith Noah …”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
Repeating the same word or words at the start of several sentences or clauses: “By faith Abel … By faith Enoch … By faith Noah …”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
anecdoteEnglish
A short story about a person, often told to show character.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9)
A short story about a person, often told to show character.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9)
annotated bibliographyEnglish
A list of sources in citation form, each followed by a short paragraph (the annotation) that summarizes, evaluates and explains the source’s use.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8) · +1 more
A list of sources in citation form, each followed by a short paragraph (the annotation) that summarizes, evaluates and explains the source’s use.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8) · +1 more
annual themeEnglish
The idea every National History Day project must connect to in a given year. For 2027 it is “Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.1 (grade 8)
The idea every National History Day project must connect to in a given year. For 2027 it is “Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.1 (grade 8)
anointEnglish
To pour oil on someone to make him king.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 3.5 (Ages 10–13)
To pour oil on someone to make him king.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 3.5 (Ages 10–13)
anonymous entryEnglish
An entry with no name, school or other personal identifier in the essay itself, so judges score the writing alone.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.1 (grade 7)
An entry with no name, school or other personal identifier in the essay itself, so judges score the writing alone.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.1 (grade 7)
antagonistEnglish
The character who works against the protagonist.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
The character who works against the protagonist.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
antecedentEnglish
The antecedent is the word a pronoun stands for.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.2 (grade 3–8)
The antecedent is the word a pronoun stands for.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.2 (grade 3–8)
antithesisEnglish
Setting two opposite ideas side by side in balanced words: “too cheap… too lightly.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
Setting two opposite ideas side by side in balanced words: “too cheap… too lightly.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
AphthoniusEnglish
A Greek teacher of writing who lived about A.D. 400 and wrote a short book of the first exercises.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.1 (grade 8)
A Greek teacher of writing who lived about A.D. 400 and wrote a short book of the first exercises.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.1 (grade 8)
apologiaEnglish
Greek for “a speech in defense.” Plato’s Apology is Socrates’ defense before his judges; Peter uses the same word in 1 Peter 3:15 (“an answer”).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
Greek for “a speech in defense.” Plato’s Apology is Socrates’ defense before his judges; Peter uses the same word in 1 Peter 3:15 (“an answer”).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
apostropheEnglish
A turn in a speech to address a person or group directly, as Lincoln turns to “the Southern people” and then to his fellow Republicans.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · +3 more
A turn in a speech to address a person or group directly, as Lincoln turns to “the Southern people” and then to his fellow Republicans.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · +3 more
application formEnglish
The employer’s own form asking for your contact information, availability, education, experience and references. Many first jobs require only this.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 9)
The employer’s own form asking for your contact information, availability, education, experience and references. Many first jobs require only this.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 9)
appositiveEnglish
A noun phrase set beside another noun to rename it: “Sir Andrew Freeport, a merchant of great eminence.” Profilers use it to identify people quickly.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8)
A noun phrase set beside another noun to rename it: “Sir Andrew Freeport, a merchant of great eminence.” Profilers use it to identify people quickly.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8)
appositive phraseEnglish
An appositive phrase is an appositive together with its modifiers.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8)
An appositive phrase is an appositive together with its modifiers.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8)
appositive pronounEnglish
An appositive pronoun renames a noun beside it and takes the same case as that noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.2 (grade 3–8)
An appositive pronoun renames a noun beside it and takes the same case as that noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.2 (grade 3–8)
arcEnglish
The large shape of a collection: the road from first poem to last, such as dawn to night, spring to winter, trouble to peace.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12)
The large shape of a collection: the road from first poem to last, such as dawn to night, spring to winter, trouble to peace.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12)
archaeologyEnglish
The study of the past by digging up and examining what people left behind.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4–7)
The study of the past by digging up and examining what people left behind.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4–7)
archaismEnglish
An old-fashioned word or form. Used well, it gives the flavor of a period; overused (“forsooth, prithee”), it becomes costume.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10)
An old-fashioned word or form. Used well, it gives the flavor of a period; overused (“forsooth, prithee”), it becomes costume.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10)
Areopagus (Mars’ Hill)English
A rocky hill below the Acropolis in Athens, and the name of the council that met there, before which Paul spoke in Acts 17.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
A rocky hill below the Acropolis in Athens, and the name of the council that met there, before which Paul spoke in Acts 17.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
arrangement (dispositio)English
The second canon of rhetoric: putting what you have found into the order that will best convince and teach the reader. The Greeks called it taxis.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12) · +2 more
The second canon of rhetoric: putting what you have found into the order that will best convince and teach the reader. The Greeks called it taxis.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12) · +2 more
articleEnglish
The articles are a, an, and the; an article is a special kind of adjective.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5) · +1 more
The articles are a, an, and the; an article is a special kind of adjective.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5) · +1 more
articles of compactEnglish
The six articles at the end of the Northwest Ordinance, declared to “forever remain unalterable, unless by common consent,” including religious liberty, trial by jury, schools and the ban on slavery.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
The six articles at the end of the Northwest Ordinance, declared to “forever remain unalterable, unless by common consent,” including religious liberty, trial by jury, schools and the ban on slavery.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
as traditionally reportedEnglish
Told this way for centuries, though the earliest records may differ.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5)
Told this way for centuries, though the earliest records may differ.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5)
attributionEnglish
Naming aloud and in writing the author of any quoted or closely paraphrased words, as the contest rules require.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
Naming aloud and in writing the author of any quoted or closely paraphrased words, as the contest rules require.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
audienceEnglish
The people who listen.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.4 (grade 4) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 10.5 (grade 9–12) · +2 more
The people who listen.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.4 (grade 4) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 10.5 (grade 9–12) · +2 more
audience adaptationEnglish
Fitting your opening, examples and proofs to what your hearers already know and value, while keeping your message the same.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
Fitting your opening, examples and proofs to what your hearers already know and value, while keeping your message the same.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
audience analysisEnglish
Deciding before you write who the reader is, what the reader already knows, and what the reader will do with your words.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
Deciding before you write who the reader is, what the reader already knows, and what the reader will do with your words.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
audio essayEnglish
An essay written to be heard. In the Voice of Democracy, a recorded reading of your own original script.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9)
An essay written to be heard. In the Voice of Democracy, a recorded reading of your own original script.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9)
author’s noteEnglish
A short note after a historical story that tells the reader which people and events are real and which are invented.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.1 (grade 10)
A short note after a historical story that tells the reader which people and events are real and which are invented.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.1 (grade 10)
availabilityEnglish
The days and hours you are able to work, stated exactly and honestly.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 9)
The days and hours you are able to work, stated exactly and honestly.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 9)
azureEnglish
Sky blue.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6)
Sky blue.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6)
B
balladEnglish
A poem or song that tells a story, usually in short stanzas with rhyme.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4)
A poem or song that tells a story, usually in short stanzas with rhyme.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4)
ballad stanzaEnglish
Four lines; lines 1 and 3 usually have four beats, lines 2 and 4 have three; lines 2 and 4 rhyme.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4)
Four lines; lines 1 and 3 usually have four beats, lines 2 and 4 have three; lines 2 and 4 rhyme.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4)
ballotEnglish
A judge’s written score sheet and comments; the most useful revision tool a speaker ever receives.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
A judge’s written score sheet and comments; the most useful revision tool a speaker ever receives.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
beatEnglish
A small unit of action or speech inside a scene; a gesture, a line, a pause.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4) · +3 more
A small unit of action or speech inside a scene; a gesture, a line, a pause.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4) · +3 more
before, during, afterEnglish
Theon’s order for describing an event: what came first, what happened, and what followed.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
Theon’s order for describing an event: what came first, what happened, and what followed.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
before, turn, afterEnglish
The three movements of a testimony: life before God’s intervention, the moment or season of change, and life since.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
The three movements of a testimony: life before God’s intervention, the moment or season of change, and life since.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
beginningEnglish
The first part of a story, which tells who, where and when.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3)
The first part of a story, which tells who, where and when.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3)
beginning, middle, endEnglish
The three parts of every story, true or made-up.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.4 (grade 4)
The three parts of every story, true or made-up.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.4 (grade 4)
behaviorEnglish
What an animal does.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.4 (grade 5) · Grade 4 Life Science: Classification, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Life Science: Animal Design and Behavior, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · +1 more
What an animal does.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.4 (grade 5) · Grade 4 Life Science: Classification, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Life Science: Animal Design and Behavior, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · +1 more
believabilityEnglish
Telling things so the reader trusts you: true details, nothing wildly overstated.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4)
Telling things so the reader trusts you: true details, nothing wildly overstated.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4)
bibliographyEnglish
A list of the sources you used.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.1 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6)
A list of the sources you used.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.1 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6)
biographical sketchEnglish
A short biography that does not tell everything but chooses the facts and scenes that show who the person was.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7)
A short biography that does not tell everything but chooses the facts and scenes that show who the person was.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7)
biographyEnglish
The written story of a real person’s life, from the Greek bios (life) and graphein (to write).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7)
The written story of a real person’s life, from the Greek bios (life) and graphein (to write).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7)
blank verseEnglish
Unrhymed iambic pentameter: lines of ten syllables, five stresses, no rhyme at the line ends. The meter of Shakespeare’s plays and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8)
Unrhymed iambic pentameter: lines of ten syllables, five stresses, no rhyme at the line ends. The meter of Shakespeare’s plays and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8)
blessingEnglish
Words asking God to do good to someone.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.3 (grade 4) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Expert, Stop 2.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 2.5 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
Words asking God to do good to someone.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.3 (grade 4) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Expert, Stop 2.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 2.5 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
blind judgingEnglish
Judging in which the readers do not see the writer’s name, so the poems are weighed only on their merit.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11)
Judging in which the readers do not see the writer’s name, so the poems are weighed only on their merit.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11)
block formatEnglish
The standard business-letter layout: every line begins at the left margin, with a blank line between parts and between paragraphs.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
The standard business-letter layout: every line begins at the left margin, with a blank line between parts and between paragraphs.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
block quotationEnglish
A long quotation (in MLA style, more than three lines of poetry or more than four lines of prose) set off on new lines, indented, without quotation marks, with the citation after the final punctuation.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10) · English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
A long quotation (in MLA style, more than three lines of poetry or more than four lines of prose) set off on new lines, indented, without quotation marks, with the citation after the final punctuation.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10) · English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
bodyEnglish
The main part of the letter.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4) · Kindergarten Life Science: God Made the Animals, Lesson 6.1 (grade K)
The main part of the letter.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4) · Kindergarten Life Science: God Made the Animals, Lesson 6.1 (grade K)
Boolean operatorsEnglish
AND (both terms must appear), OR (either term), NOT (leave this term out). Named for the logician George Boole.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 11)
AND (both terms must appear), OR (either term), NOT (leave this term out). Named for the logician George Boole.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 11)
bracketsEnglish
Brackets [ ] enclose words that the person quoting adds to a quotation.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
Brackets [ ] enclose words that the person quoting adds to a quotation.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
brackets and ellipsisEnglish
Brackets [ ] mark a word you changed or added inside a quotation; an ellipsis ( … ) marks words you left out. Neither may change the author’s meaning.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10)
Brackets [ ] mark a word you changed or added inside a quotation; an ellipsis ( … ) marks words you left out. Neither may change the author’s meaning.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10)
brambleEnglish
A prickly bush that grows low to the ground.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3)
A prickly bush that grows low to the ground.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3)
brevityEnglish
Saying only what is needed.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5)
Saying only what is needed.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5)
bridgeEnglish
A sentence that turns from a question back to your thesis (“And that is exactly why …”).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · Grade 1 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.1 (grade 1) · +2 more
A sentence that turns from a question back to your thesis (“And that is exactly why …”).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · Grade 1 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.1 (grade 1) · +2 more
bridge (warrant)English
The sentence that explains why an example proves the claim. Without it, the reader sees a story but not an argument.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10)
The sentence that explains why an example proves the claim. Without it, the reader sees a story but not an argument.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10)
broadsideEnglish
A large printed sheet posted or read in public; the Declaration was first spread as a broadside.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.8 (Ages 10–13)
A large printed sheet posted or read in public; the Declaration was first spread as a broadside.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.8 (Ages 10–13)
budget justificationEnglish
A short explanation of each line of the budget: what it buys, how the amount was figured, and why the project needs it.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
A short explanation of each line of the budget: what it buys, how the amount was figured, and why the project needs it.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
burden of proofEnglish
The duty to show that a claim is true. In debates over law it usually rests on the one who proposes a change.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10)
The duty to show that a claim is true. In debates over law it usually rests on the one who proposes a change.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10)
C
caesuraEnglish
A pause inside a line, usually marked by a comma, semicolon or period.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
A pause inside a line, usually marked by a comma, semicolon or period.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
candorEnglish
Frankness joined with fairness; telling the truth without malice. Pope asks critics to let “truth and candor shine.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11)
Frankness joined with fairness; telling the truth without malice. Pope asks critics to let “truth and candor shine.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11)
canonEnglish
A rule or measure. The old teachers named five “canons” of rhetoric; this year you meet the first two, invention and arrangement.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
A rule or measure. The old teachers named five “canons” of rhetoric; this year you meet the first two, invention and arrangement.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
canon of styleEnglish
The third of the five canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery): choosing and ordering words with clarity, propriety and fitting ornament.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11)
The third of the five canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery): choosing and ordering words with clarity, propriety and fitting ornament.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11)
canons of rhetoricEnglish
The five parts of the art: invention (finding material), arrangement (ordering it), style (wording it), memory (holding it) and delivery (presenting it).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.2 (grade 8)
The five parts of the art: invention (finding material), arrangement (ordering it), style (wording it), memory (holding it) and delivery (presenting it).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.2 (grade 8)
capital letterEnglish
A capital letter is a big letter that begins a sentence or a special name.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.1 (grade 3–8)
A capital letter is a big letter that begins a sentence or a special name.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.1 (grade 3–8)
cast of charactersEnglish
The list at the front of a script giving each character’s name, age and a few words of description.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
The list at the front of a script giving each character’s name, age and a few words of description.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
catalexisEnglish
Leaving off the last unstressed syllable of a line, so it ends on a stress. Such a line is catalectic; a complete one is acatalectic.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
Leaving off the last unstressed syllable of a line, so it ends on a stress. Such a line is catalectic; a complete one is acatalectic.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
catalogueEnglish
A list of examples, one after another, that together build a single point.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
A list of examples, one after another, that together build a single point.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
categoryEnglish
One of the kinds of writing a contest judges separately, such as Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction or Personal Essay & Memoir. Each has its own length limit.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Ranger, Stop 2.3 (Ages 10–13)
One of the kinds of writing a contest judges separately, such as Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction or Personal Essay & Memoir. Each has its own length limit.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Ranger, Stop 2.3 (Ages 10–13)
causeEnglish
The reason something happens; the “why” of a narrative.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.3 (grade 5)
The reason something happens; the “why” of a narrative.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.3 (grade 5)
cautionEnglish
A warning placed before the step it concerns, telling the reader what could injure him or damage the work.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
A warning placed before the step it concerns, telling the reader what could injure him or damage the work.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
caution and warningEnglish
A caution warns of possible damage to equipment or work; a warning warns of possible injury. Both go before the step they concern, never after.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
A caution warns of possible damage to equipment or work; a warning warns of possible injury. Both go before the step they concern, never after.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
censusEnglish
An official counting of people.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4) · Explore Animals · Expert, Stop 1.1 (Ages 14+) · Grade 4 Geography: The United States: Regions, Rivers and Routes, Lesson 5.3 (grade 4) · +3 more
An official counting of people.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4) · Explore Animals · Expert, Stop 1.1 (Ages 14+) · Grade 4 Geography: The United States: Regions, Rivers and Routes, Lesson 5.3 (grade 4) · +3 more
championEnglish
One warrior who fights for a whole army.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4)
One warrior who fights for a whole army.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4)
chapbookEnglish
A small, inexpensive booklet. Chapmen once sold such booklets door to door; today the word usually means a short collection of about fifteen to thirty poems, often hand-bound.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
A small, inexpensive booklet. Chapmen once sold such booklets door to door; today the word usually means a short collection of about fifteen to thirty poems, often hand-bound.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
chapter listEnglish
A numbered list with one sentence for each chapter, saying what changes in it. Stevenson called his “a list of chapters.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
A numbered list with one sentence for each chapter, saying what changes in it. Stevenson called his “a list of chapters.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
characterEnglish
A person or animal in a story.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7) · +1 more
A person or animal in a story.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7) · +1 more
character and feelingEnglish
The two things an ethopoeia shows. A speech of character (Greek ethos) shows what kind of person the speaker is; a speech of feeling (pathos) shows what he feels at the moment. Most good speeches are mixed.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
The two things an ethopoeia shows. A speech of character (Greek ethos) shows what kind of person the speaker is; a speech of feeling (pathos) shows what he feels at the moment. Most good speeches are mixed.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
character sketchEnglish
A short portrait of a type or a person through habits, opinions and sayings. The Spectator club members are famous examples.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
A short portrait of a type or a person through habits, opinions and sayings. The Spectator club members are famous examples.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
Chicago notes-bibliographyEnglish
The system in The Chicago Manual of Style, standard in history: numbered footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography. Turabian is the student version of the same style.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 11)
The system in The Chicago Manual of Style, standard in history: numbered footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography. Turabian is the student version of the same style.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 11)
chorusEnglish
A refrain that everyone sings together.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.3 (grade 4)
A refrain that everyone sings together.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.3 (grade 4)
chreiaEnglish
A brief, pointed saying or deed of a famous person, told because it teaches something. Say it KREE-uh. It comes from the Greek word for “useful.”
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
A brief, pointed saying or deed of a famous person, told because it teaches something. Say it KREE-uh. It comes from the Greek word for “useful.”
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
chronological orderEnglish
Telling events in the order they happened, from first to last.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7)
Telling events in the order they happened, from first to last.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7)
cicadaEnglish
A summer insect that “sings” loudly by buzzing. In the old Greek fable it is the cicada, not the grasshopper.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4)
A summer insect that “sings” loudly by buzzing. In the old Greek fable it is the cicada, not the grasshopper.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4)
CincinnatusEnglish
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman of the early Republic who, the story says, was called from his plow in 458 B.C. to save Rome, won the war, and gave up his power to go home.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman of the early Republic who, the story says, was called from his plow in 458 B.C. to save Rome, won the war, and gave up his power to go home.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
circumstancesEnglish
The seven questions for any act or event: who, what, where, when, why, how, and by what means.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9)
The seven questions for any act or event: who, what, where, when, why, how, and by what means.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9)
citation chainingEnglish
Following a good source’s footnotes back to older works, and following “cited by” links forward to newer ones.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 11)
Following a good source’s footnotes back to older works, and following “cited by” links forward to newer ones.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 11)
citeEnglish
To name exactly where a quotation or fact comes from.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6)
To name exactly where a quotation or fact comes from.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6)
ClaphamEnglish
A village near London where Wilberforce and a circle of Christian friends lived and planned their work; they were later called the Clapham Sect.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.2 (grade 7)
A village near London where Wilberforce and a circle of Christian friends lived and planned their work; they were later called the Clapham Sect.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.2 (grade 7)
clarityEnglish
The head that asks whether a law can be understood and applied the same way by the citizen, the officer and the judge.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
The head that asks whether a law can be understood and applied the same way by the citizen, the officer and the judge.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
clauseEnglish
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and its verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8) · +2 more
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and its verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8) · +2 more
clean copyEnglish
A neat final copy.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.2 (grade 3)
A neat final copy.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.2 (grade 3)
clichéEnglish
A comparison used so often it has gone stale (“as busy as a bee”).
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4)
A comparison used so often it has gone stale (“as busy as a bee”).
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4)
climaxEnglish
The point of highest tension, where the main conflict is decided by a choice or an act.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.3 (grade 5) · +2 more
The point of highest tension, where the main conflict is decided by a choice or an act.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.3 (grade 5) · +2 more
close lookingEnglish
Studying a picture slowly, part by part.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.4 (grade 6)
Studying a picture slowly, part by part.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.4 (grade 6)
close readingEnglish
Slow, careful reading that asks how each word, image, sound and sentence shape the meaning of a passage, and why the author chose them.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10)
Slow, careful reading that asks how each word, image, sound and sentence shape the meaning of a passage, and why the author chose them.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10)
closed questionEnglish
A question that can be answered “yes” or “no.”
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.2 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
A question that can be answered “yes” or “no.”
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.2 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
closing and signatureEnglish
A farewell, such as “Your loving son,” and your name.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4)
A farewell, such as “Your loving son,” and your name.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4)
cloud of witnessesEnglish
The faithful of Hebrews 11, pictured as a great crowd who have finished their race and now witness to us (Hebrews 12:1).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
The faithful of Hebrews 11, pictured as a great crowd who have finished their race and now witness to us (Hebrews 12:1).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
clueEnglish
A detail in the story that points toward the truth, often hidden among ordinary details.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8) · Kindergarten Earth Science: God Made the Ground and Sky, Lesson 7.4 (grade K) · Grade 7 Geography: Regions of the World, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
A detail in the story that points toward the truth, often hidden among ordinary details.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8) · Kindergarten Earth Science: God Made the Ground and Sky, Lesson 7.4 (grade K) · Grade 7 Geography: Regions of the World, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
C.M.English
Common meter: 8.6.8.6.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.3 (grade 5)
Common meter: 8.6.8.6.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.3 (grade 5)
coherenceEnglish
The quality by which the parts of a piece hold together, so a reader can follow from sentence to sentence and from part to part without rereading.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
The quality by which the parts of a piece hold together, so a reader can follow from sentence to sentence and from part to part without rereading.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
cold readEnglish
A reading by actors who have not seen the script before. It reveals which lines are clear on first sight.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
A reading by actors who have not seen the script before. It reveals which lines are clear on first sight.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
cold readerEnglish
A reader who does not know the story or the writer well, used to test whether the essay works on its own.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11)
A reader who does not know the story or the writer well, used to test whether the essay works on its own.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11)
collective antecedentEnglish
A collective antecedent is a collective noun, such as family or choir, that a later pronoun stands for.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.3 (grade 3–8)
A collective antecedent is a collective noun, such as family or choir, that a later pronoun stands for.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.3 (grade 3–8)
collective nounEnglish
A collective noun names a group of people or things as one unit.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 12.4 (grade 3–8)
A collective noun names a group of people or things as one unit.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 12.4 (grade 3–8)
colloquyEnglish
A conversation-style oral examination in which the student answers questions about his or her own work.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.2 (grade 10)
A conversation-style oral examination in which the student answers questions about his or her own work.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.2 (grade 10)
colonEnglish
A colon (:) points ahead to what follows, such as a list after a complete sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 23.2 (grade 3–8)
A colon (:) points ahead to what follows, such as a list after a complete sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 23.2 (grade 3–8)
color wordsEnglish
Exact colors: “opal,” “ruddy,” not just “pretty.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6)
Exact colors: “opal,” “ruddy,” not just “pretty.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6)
commaEnglish
A comma is a mark that tells the reader to pause and keeps apart words that belong apart.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.2 (grade 3–8)
A comma is a mark that tells the reader to pause and keeps apart words that belong apart.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.2 (grade 3–8)
comma spliceEnglish
A comma splice is the error of joining two independent clauses with only a comma.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3–8)
A comma splice is the error of joining two independent clauses with only a comma.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3–8)
commencementEnglish
A graduation ceremony. In the medieval universities a new master “commenced” (began) the right to teach, so the end of study was named for a beginning.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12)
A graduation ceremony. In the medieval universities a new master “commenced” (began) the right to teach, so the end of study was named for a beginning.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12)
commendationEnglish
Entrusting someone to the care of another: “I commend you to God” (Acts 20:32).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12)
Entrusting someone to the care of another: “I commend you to God” (Acts 20:32).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12)
commentaryEnglish
Your own sentences explaining how and why a piece of evidence works on the audience. It is the heart of analysis.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
Your own sentences explaining how and why a piece of evidence works on the audience. It is the heart of analysis.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
common groundEnglish
A point both speaker and audience accept, from which the speaker leads them toward his conclusion.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7)
A point both speaker and audience accept, from which the speaker leads them toward his conclusion.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7)
common knowledgeEnglish
Facts widely known and found in many general sources without dispute (Washington was the first president). They need no citation; interpretations and specific details do.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.4 (grade 12) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.3 (grade 8)
Facts widely known and found in many general sources without dispute (Washington was the first president). They need no citation; interpretations and specific details do.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.4 (grade 12) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.3 (grade 8)
common meterEnglish
A quatrain with 8, 6, 8 and 6 syllables, rhyming ABAB or ABCB. Written C.M. in hymnals.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5)
A quatrain with 8, 6, 8 and 6 syllables, rhyming ABAB or ABCB. Written C.M. in hymnals.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5)
common nounEnglish
A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3–8)
A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3–8)
commonplaceEnglish
The seventh of the progymnasmata: a speech that amplifies a wrong (or a good deed) that everyone already admits. From the Greek koinos topos, Latin locus communis, “common place.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7)
The seventh of the progymnasmata: a speech that amplifies a wrong (or a good deed) that everyone already admits. From the Greek koinos topos, Latin locus communis, “common place.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7)
commonplace bookEnglish
A notebook in which a reader copies passages worth keeping and sorts them under heads (topics), so they can be found and used again.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.4 (grade 7)
A notebook in which a reader copies passages worth keeping and sorts them under heads (topics), so they can be found and used again.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.4 (grade 7)
comparative degreeEnglish
The comparative degree compares two things.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8)
The comparative degree compares two things.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8)
comparative thesisEnglish
A general question that asks which of two goods is better: country or city, hands or head, reading or travel. It joins the thesis to the comparison exercise you learned in earlier grades.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9)
A general question that asks which of two goods is better: country or city, hands or head, reading or travel. It joins the thesis to the comparison exercise you learned in earlier grades.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9)
compareEnglish
Describe something by likening it to something known (Clark: “mouth resemble the rabit”).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.4 (grade 5) · Grade 2 Geography: Our Country, Coast to Coast, Lesson 8.3 (grade 2) · Grade 3 Life Science: Plants and Animals Together, Lesson 7.4 (grade 3) · +1 more
Describe something by likening it to something known (Clark: “mouth resemble the rabit”).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.4 (grade 5) · Grade 2 Geography: Our Country, Coast to Coast, Lesson 8.3 (grade 2) · Grade 3 Life Science: Plants and Animals Together, Lesson 7.4 (grade 3) · +1 more
comparisonEnglish
The head that sets the wrong beside other wrongs and shows that it is as bad or worse.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7) · Statistics, Lesson 2.5 (grade 11–12)
The head that sets the wrong beside other wrongs and shows that it is as bad or worse.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7) · Statistics, Lesson 2.5 (grade 11–12)
comparison of equalsEnglish
A comparison of two persons or things of the same rank, to show that they are alike in worth or that one slightly surpasses the other.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
A comparison of two persons or things of the same rank, to show that they are alike in worth or that one slightly surpasses the other.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
complete predicateEnglish
The complete predicate is all the words that tell what the subject does or is.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8)
The complete predicate is all the words that tell what the subject does or is.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8)
complete subjectEnglish
The complete subject is all the words that tell whom or what the sentence is about.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8)
The complete subject is all the words that tell whom or what the sentence is about.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8)
complete thoughtEnglish
A complete thought tells who or what, and tells what happens or what something is, so the listener is not left waiting.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3–8)
A complete thought tells who or what, and tells what happens or what something is, so the listener is not left waiting.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3–8)
complex sentenceEnglish
A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.2 (grade 3–8)
A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.2 (grade 3–8)
composureEnglish
Calm self-command under pressure. Paul’s “I am not mad, most noble Festus” is composure in six words.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12)
Calm self-command under pressure. Paul’s “I am not mad, most noble Festus” is composure in six words.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12)
compound adjectiveEnglish
A compound adjective is two or more words joined to work as one adjective, such as well-built or ten-year-old.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
A compound adjective is two or more words joined to work as one adjective, such as well-built or ten-year-old.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
compound direct objectEnglish
A compound direct object is two or more direct objects of the same verb, joined by a conjunction.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.1 (grade 3–8)
A compound direct object is two or more direct objects of the same verb, joined by a conjunction.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.1 (grade 3–8)
compound nounEnglish
A compound noun is made of two or more words used together as one noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8)
A compound noun is made of two or more words used together as one noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8)
compound predicateEnglish
A compound predicate is two or more verbs joined by a conjunction that have the same subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3–8)
A compound predicate is two or more verbs joined by a conjunction that have the same subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3–8)
compound sentenceEnglish
A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses and no dependent clauses.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 7.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8)
A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses and no dependent clauses.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 7.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8)
compound subjectEnglish
A compound subject is two or more subjects that share the same verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 12.2 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3–8)
A compound subject is two or more subjects that share the same verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 12.2 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3–8)
compound-complex sentenceEnglish
A compound-complex sentence has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.3 (grade 3–8)
A compound-complex sentence has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.3 (grade 3–8)
comprehensive planEnglish
A town’s or county’s long-range plan for land, roads, parks and services. A proposal that fits the plan has the custom head on its side.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
A town’s or county’s long-range plan for land, roads, parks and services. A proposal that fits the plan has the custom head on its side.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
compressionEnglish
Saying much in few words: choosing one strong example over five weak ones and cutting every sentence that does not serve the main point.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11) · Grade 2 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.2 (grade 2) · +3 more
Saying much in few words: choosing one strong example over five weak ones and cutting every sentence that does not serve the main point.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11) · Grade 2 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.2 (grade 2) · +3 more
conciseEnglish
A concise sentence says what it means in as few words as clearness allows.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.4 (grade 3–8)
A concise sentence says what it means in as few words as clearness allows.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.4 (grade 3–8)
conclusionEnglish
The last paragraph, which states what the reader should now believe.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6)
The last paragraph, which states what the reader should now believe.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6)
concreteEnglish
Real and specific, something you can see.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.2 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7)
Real and specific, something you can see.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.2 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7)
concrete imageEnglish
A picture made of things the senses can take hold of (a sparrow, a moon, a ship), as opposed to an abstraction (sorrow, trouble, beauty).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11)
A picture made of things the senses can take hold of (a sparrow, a moon, a ship), as opposed to an abstraction (sorrow, trouble, beauty).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11)
concrete nounEnglish
A concrete noun names something you can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8)
A concrete noun names something you can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.1 (grade 3–8)
confessionEnglish
In Augustine’s Latin, confessio means both admitting one’s sin and praising God. His book does both.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 9)
In Augustine’s Latin, confessio means both admitting one’s sin and praising God. His book does both.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 9)
confidenceEnglish
Trust in what one knows.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.3 (grade 6)
Trust in what one knows.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.3 (grade 6)
confirmation and refutationEnglish
The proof of your claim (confirmatio) and the answer to objections against it (refutatio or reprehensio).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 9)
The proof of your claim (confirmatio) and the answer to objections against it (refutatio or reprehensio).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 9)
conflictEnglish
Two wants that cannot both be satisfied. Without it, dialogue is only conversation.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.1 (grade 6) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 4.8 (Ages 14+)
Two wants that cannot both be satisfied. Without it, dialogue is only conversation.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.1 (grade 6) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 4.8 (Ages 14+)
conjunctive adverbEnglish
A conjunctive adverb is an adverb, such as however, therefore, moreover, or nevertheless, that shows how one independent clause is related to another.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.2 (grade 3–8)
A conjunctive adverb is an adverb, such as however, therefore, moreover, or nevertheless, that shows how one independent clause is related to another.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.2 (grade 3–8)
connotationEnglish
The feelings and associations a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning (its denotation). “Ruin’d” and “empty” may denote the same thing, but they do not connote the same thing.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10)
The feelings and associations a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning (its denotation). “Ruin’d” and “empty” may denote the same thing, but they do not connote the same thing.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10)
conscienceEnglish
The moral judgment by which a person applies God’s law to his own actions (Romans 2:15). It must be informed by Scripture, not merely by feeling.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 2.7 (Ages 14+) · +1 more
The moral judgment by which a person applies God’s law to his own actions (Romans 2:15). It must be informed by Scripture, not merely by feeling.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 2.7 (Ages 14+) · +1 more
consequenceEnglish
What happens because of a choice.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.3 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3)
What happens because of a choice.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.3 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3)
consistentEnglish
Staying the same all the way through.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5)
Staying the same all the way through.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5)
consistent tenseEnglish
Consistent tense means keeping the same tense in a sentence or passage unless the time of the action really changes.
English Grammar, Lesson 11.4 (grade 3–8)
Consistent tense means keeping the same tense in a sentence or passage unless the time of the action really changes.
English Grammar, Lesson 11.4 (grade 3–8)
consistent verbsEnglish
Verbs are consistent when they keep the same tense, voice and mood unless the meaning requires a change.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.4 (grade 3–8)
Verbs are consistent when they keep the same tense, voice and mood unless the meaning requires a change.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.4 (grade 3–8)
conspiracyEnglish
A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful, such as overthrowing a government.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · Grade 5 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful, such as overthrowing a government.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · Grade 5 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
constructive speechEnglish
A speech that builds a side’s case: definitions, main arguments and evidence.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10)
A speech that builds a side’s case: definitions, main arguments and evidence.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10)
consulEnglish
One of the two chief officers of the Roman Republic, elected for one year. Cicero was consul in 63 B.C.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 1.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 1.5 (Ages 10–13)
One of the two chief officers of the Roman Republic, elected for one year. Cicero was consul in 63 B.C.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 1.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 1.5 (Ages 10–13)
contestEnglish
A competition where entries are judged.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3)
A competition where entries are judged.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3)
contractionEnglish
A contraction is two words made into one by leaving out some letters.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 7 Spanish, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7)
A contraction is two words made into one by leaving out some letters.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 7 Spanish, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7)
contraryEnglish
The head that first shows the opposite virtue and the good person who practices it, so the vice looks darker beside it.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
The head that first shows the opposite virtue and the good person who practices it, so the vice looks darker beside it.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
contrast pairEnglish
Two characters (or choices) set side by side so that one shows the meaning of the other: the wise and foolish builders, the two sons.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 9)
Two characters (or choices) set side by side so that one shows the meaning of the other: the wise and foolish builders, the two sons.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 9)
controlling ideaEnglish
The one sentence that says what a life shows and governs what you keep and cut; the thesis of a biographical sketch.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7)
The one sentence that says what a life shows and governs what you keep and cut; the thesis of a biographical sketch.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7)
conventionEnglish
A meeting of delegates. The Second Virginia Convention met in St. John’s Church, Richmond.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 3.6 (Ages 14+) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.6 (Ages 10–13)
A meeting of delegates. The Second Virginia Convention met in St. John’s Church, Richmond.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 3.6 (Ages 14+) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.6 (Ages 10–13)
Cooper Union AddressEnglish
Lincoln’s speech at the Cooper Institute in New York on February 27, 1860, answering the claim that the framers of the Constitution forbade Congress to control slavery in the federal territories.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10)
Lincoln’s speech at the Cooper Institute in New York on February 27, 1860, answering the claim that the framers of the Constitution forbade Congress to control slavery in the federal territories.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10)
coordinate adjectivesEnglish
Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that modify the same noun equally and are separated by a comma.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.1 (grade 3–8)
Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that modify the same noun equally and are separated by a comma.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.1 (grade 3–8)
coordinating conjunctionEnglish
A coordinating conjunction joins words or groups of words of the same kind: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8)
A coordinating conjunction joins words or groups of words of the same kind: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8)
copiaEnglish
Latin for “abundance”: a ready store of words, forms and ways of saying a thing, which Erasmus taught schoolboys to build by practice.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.4 (grade 7)
Latin for “abundance”: a ready store of words, forms and ways of saying a thing, which Erasmus taught schoolboys to build by practice.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.4 (grade 7)
copseEnglish
A small group of trees.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.3 (grade 4)
A small group of trees.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.3 (grade 4)
copyworkEnglish
Copying a good passage by hand, word for word, to learn how good writing is made.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3)
Copying a good passage by hand, word for word, to learn how good writing is made.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3)
Corps of DiscoveryEnglish
The name of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.1 (grade 5) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 3.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Ranger, Stop 3.5 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
The name of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.1 (grade 5) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 3.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Ranger, Stop 3.5 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
correlative conjunctionsEnglish
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together to join words or groups of words of the same kind.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.1 (grade 3–8)
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together to join words or groups of words of the same kind.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.1 (grade 3–8)
corroborateEnglish
To back up: a second witness corroborates the first.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.1 (grade 6) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.1 (grade 8)
To back up: a second witness corroborates the first.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.1 (grade 6) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.1 (grade 8)
corroborationEnglish
Agreement between independent witnesses. Two sources that copied the same report are one witness, not two.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7)
Agreement between independent witnesses. Two sources that copied the same report are one witness, not two.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7)
counselEnglish
Advice given with thought and care; in Scripture, the wisdom of those who see what we cannot.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12) · Explore Great Battles, Stop 2.3 (Ages 7–9)
Advice given with thought and care; in Scripture, the wisdom of those who see what we cannot.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12) · Explore Great Battles, Stop 2.3 (Ages 7–9)
count nounEnglish
A count noun names something that can be counted one by one, such as eggs or chores.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.1 (grade 3–8)
A count noun names something that can be counted one by one, such as eggs or chores.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.1 (grade 3–8)
counterargumentEnglish
A view that opposes yours; the timed-essay name for the thesis’s objection.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
A view that opposes yours; the timed-essay name for the thesis’s objection.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
counterfactualEnglish
A “what if” question about history (what if the Library had survived?). Good counterfactuals change one thing and reason carefully from known causes.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 2.1 (Ages 14+)
A “what if” question about history (what if the Library had survived?). Good counterfactuals change one thing and reason carefully from known causes.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 2.1 (Ages 14+)
coupletEnglish
Two lines that rhyme, one after the other.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7) · +2 more
Two lines that rhyme, one after the other.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7) · +2 more
courageEnglish
The virtue that does what is right in spite of fear. The brave man feels fear but does not let it rule him.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 8.1 (grade 5)
The virtue that does what is right in spite of fear. The brave man feels fear but does not let it rule him.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 8.1 (grade 5)
cover letterEnglish
A short business letter sent with a résumé that names the position, shows how you meet the employer’s need, and asks for an interview.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 9)
A short business letter sent with a résumé that names the position, shows how you meet the employer’s need, and asks for an interview.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 9)
covetousnessEnglish
The desire for more than one needs, especially for what belongs to another; the sin forbidden by the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
The desire for more than one needs, especially for what belongs to another; the sin forbidden by the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
cowardiceEnglish
The vice of letting fear rule the will, so that one abandons duty, friends or the truth to keep oneself safe.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
The vice of letting fear rule the will, so that one abandons duty, friends or the truth to keep oneself safe.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
cragEnglish
A steep, rough rock or cliff.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6)
A steep, rough rock or cliff.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6)
creepEnglish
The way inner sheets of a folded booklet stick out farther at the fore-edge than outer sheets. Trimming the fore-edge squares the book.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.4 (grade 12) · Grade 6 Earth Science: The Dynamic Earth, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 3.5 (grade 9–12)
The way inner sheets of a folded booklet stick out farther at the fore-edge than outer sheets. Trimming the fore-edge squares the book.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.4 (grade 12) · Grade 6 Earth Science: The Dynamic Earth, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 3.5 (grade 9–12)
criteriaEnglish
The published standards a judge uses (singular: criterion). The John Locke Institute, for example, lists knowledge, use of evidence, argument, originality, structure, style and persuasive force.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9–12) · Grade 5 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
The published standards a judge uses (singular: criterion). The John Locke Institute, for example, lists knowledge, use of evidence, argument, originality, structure, style and persuasive force.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9–12) · Grade 5 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
criticismEnglish
Judgment of a work’s strengths and faults by a standard. In the old sense (Pope’s), it means discerning judgment, not fault-finding.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
Judgment of a work’s strengths and faults by a standard. In the old sense (Pope’s), it means discerning judgment, not fault-finding.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
cross-examinationEnglish
A short period in which one debater asks the other questions to clarify, test evidence or set up a rebuttal.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10)
A short period in which one debater asks the other questions to clarify, test evidence or set up a rebuttal.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10)
customEnglish
The head that asks whether a law agrees with the constitution, the laws already standing and the settled practice of the people. The ancients called this the lawful and the fitting.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 2.7 (Ages 14+) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Ranger, Stop 2.7 (Ages 10–13)
The head that asks whether a law agrees with the constitution, the laws already standing and the settled practice of the people. The ancients called this the lawful and the fitting.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 2.7 (Ages 14+) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Ranger, Stop 2.7 (Ages 10–13)
D
dactylEnglish
A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones (DUM-da-da): MER-ri-ly, HOL-i-ness. From the Greek word for “finger”: one long joint, two short.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones (DUM-da-da): MER-ri-ly, HOL-i-ness. From the Greek word for “finger”: one long joint, two short.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
dactylic hexameterEnglish
A line of six feet, the first five usually dactyls (DUM-da-da) with trochees or spondees allowed in their place, and the last foot always two syllables. The meter of Homer and Virgil.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
A line of six feet, the first five usually dactyls (DUM-da-da) with trochees or spondees allowed in their place, and the last foot always two syllables. The meter of Homer and Virgil.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
dangling modifierEnglish
A dangling modifier is a phrase that has no word in the sentence that it can sensibly modify.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.2 (grade 3–8)
A dangling modifier is a phrase that has no word in the sentence that it can sensibly modify.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.2 (grade 3–8)
dashEnglish
A dash (—) marks a sudden break in thought or sets off words for emphasis.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
A dash (—) marks a sudden break in thought or sets off words for emphasis.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
De OfficiisEnglish
Latin for “On Duties”: Cicero’s last philosophical work (44 B.C.), written as a long letter to his son Marcus, then a student in Athens.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.4 (grade 12)
Latin for “On Duties”: Cicero’s last philosophical work (44 B.C.), written as a long letter to his son Marcus, then a student in Athens.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.4 (grade 12)
dead spotEnglish
A stretch of a play where attention drops because nothing changes: no new tactic, no new information.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
A stretch of a play where attention drops because nothing changes: no new tactic, no new information.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
deadlineEnglish
The last day an entry can be sent.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6)
The last day an entry can be sent.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6)
debateEnglish
A formal contest of arguments, with turns and rules.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6)
A formal contest of arguments, with turns and rules.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6)
debriefEnglish
A short review after the event: what went well, what to keep, what to change next time.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12)
A short review after the event: what went well, what to keep, what to change next time.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12)
declamationEnglish
A practice speech given aloud by a student, often one he wrote himself.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.2 (grade 8)
A practice speech given aloud by a student, often one he wrote himself.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.2 (grade 8)
Declaration of IndependenceEnglish
The statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, explaining why the colonies were breaking from Britain.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5)
The statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, explaining why the colonies were breaking from Britain.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5)
declarative sentenceEnglish
A declarative sentence tells something and ends with a period.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
A declarative sentence tells something and ends with a period.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
decorumEnglish
Fitness: speech and conduct suited to the occasion, the audience and the speaker.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 9) · +1 more
Fitness: speech and conduct suited to the occasion, the audience and the speaker.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 9) · +1 more
dedicationEnglish
A short line in the front matter offering the book to a person, or to God, with honor or thanks.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.4 (grade 12)
A short line in the front matter offering the book to a person, or to God, with honor or thanks.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.4 (grade 12)
defenseEnglish
Explaining and giving reasons for the choices you made in a piece of work.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.4 (grade 8) · Grade 3 Life Science: Plants and Animals Together, Lesson 6.1 (grade 3)
Explaining and giving reasons for the choices you made in a piece of work.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.4 (grade 8) · Grade 3 Life Science: Plants and Animals Together, Lesson 6.1 (grade 3)
deliberate tense shiftEnglish
A change of verb tense made on purpose to move from one time to another (is → was → will be), as opposed to a careless shift inside one time.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.4 (grade 8)
A change of verb tense made on purpose to move from one time to another (is → was → will be), as opposed to a careless shift inside one time.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.4 (grade 8)
deliberative, judicial, ceremonialEnglish
Aristotle's three kinds of oratory: about the future (what should we do?), the past (what was done, and was it just?) and the present (who or what deserves praise or blame?).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9)
Aristotle's three kinds of oratory: about the future (what should we do?), the past (what was done, and was it just?) and the present (who or what deserves praise or blame?).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9)
deliberative oratoryEnglish
Aristotle’s name for speech that urges an assembly to do or not do something in the future. Its chief questions are what is just and what is advantageous.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10)
Aristotle’s name for speech that urges an assembly to do or not do something in the future. Its chief questions are what is just and what is advantageous.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10)
deliveryEnglish
The fifth canon: voice, pace, pause, posture, gesture and eye contact, used to serve the words.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · +3 more
The fifth canon: voice, pace, pause, posture, gesture and eye contact, used to serve the words.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · +3 more
delivery (actio)English
The fifth canon: voice, pace, pause, posture, gesture and eye contact.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 9)
The fifth canon: voice, pace, pause, posture, gesture and eye contact.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 9)
delivery (actio, pronuntiatio)English
The fifth canon of rhetoric: the management of voice and body in speaking.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12)
The fifth canon of rhetoric: the management of voice and body in speaking.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12)
delivery (pronuntiatio, actio)English
The fifth canon of rhetoric: the management of voice and body when a speech is given.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10)
The fifth canon of rhetoric: the management of voice and body when a speech is given.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10)
delivery (pronuntiatio or actio)English
The fifth canon: the management of voice, pace, pause, face and gesture when the speech is spoken.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9)
The fifth canon: the management of voice, pace, pause, face and gesture when the speech is spoken.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9)
demonstrative pronounEnglish
A demonstrative pronoun points out a particular person or thing: this, that, these, those.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8)
A demonstrative pronoun points out a particular person or thing: this, that, these, those.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8)
denarius (penny)English
A Roman silver coin; the KJV calls it a “penny.” It bore Caesar’s image.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
A Roman silver coin; the KJV calls it a “penny.” It bore Caesar’s image.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
dependent clauseEnglish
A dependent (subordinate) clause has a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 19.2 (grade 3–8)
A dependent (subordinate) clause has a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 19.2 (grade 3–8)
description essayEnglish
A full essay of several paragraphs whose main purpose is to make the reader see one subject clearly and feel its dominant impression.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8)
A full essay of several paragraphs whose main purpose is to make the reader see one subject clearly and feel its dominant impression.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8)
descriptive linkEnglish
Link text that tells where it goes (“2026 summer camp schedule”) instead of “click here” or “read more.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
Link text that tells where it goes (“2026 summer camp schedule”) instead of “click here” or “read more.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
destructionEnglish
Ruin; being destroyed.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6)
Ruin; being destroyed.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6)
detective storyEnglish
A story built around a question (who did it, how, or why) that a detective answers by reasoning from clues.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
A story built around a question (who did it, how, or why) that a detective answers by reasoning from clues.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
diagramEnglish
A diagram is a picture made of lines that shows how the words of a sentence work together.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.4 (grade 3–8)
A diagram is a picture made of lines that shows how the words of a sentence work together.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.4 (grade 3–8)
dialogueEnglish
The words characters say to each other.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
The words characters say to each other.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
dialogue tagEnglish
The words that tell who is speaking: says he, she asked.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5)
The words that tell who is speaking: says he, she asked.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5)
dictator (Roman)English
In the early Roman Republic, a lawful office of supreme command given to one man in an emergency, for no more than six months.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
In the early Roman Republic, a lawful office of supreme command given to one man in an emergency, for no more than six months.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
dictionEnglish
Word choice. Period diction uses words that existed and were common in the story’s time and place.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11) · +2 more
Word choice. Period diction uses words that existed and were common in the story’s time and place.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11) · +2 more
dietEnglish
Here, a formal assembly of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5) · Explore Dinosaurs, Stop 3.1 (Ages 7–9)
Here, a formal assembly of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5) · Explore Dinosaurs, Stop 3.1 (Ages 7–9)
diffidenceEnglish
Modesty about one’s own judgment; holding an opinion humbly. Pope: “speak, though sure, with seeming diffidence.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11)
Modesty about one’s own judgment; holding an opinion humbly. Pope: “speak, though sure, with seeming diffidence.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11)
digressionEnglish
A short step aside, usually to the wrongdoer’s past habits, showing that this deed grew out of a life.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
A short step aside, usually to the wrongdoer’s past habits, showing that this deed grew out of a life.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
direct objectEnglish
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb; it answers whom? or what? after the verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5) · +2 more
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb; it answers whom? or what? after the verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5) · +2 more
direct quotationEnglish
The subject’s exact words, inside quotation marks. Use it for what only he or she could say.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 9.4 (grade 8) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
The subject’s exact words, inside quotation marks. Use it for what only he or she could say.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 9.4 (grade 8) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
disguiseEnglish
Clothes or a covering that hides who someone really is.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.4 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.1 (grade 6)
Clothes or a covering that hides who someone really is.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.4 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.1 (grade 6)
disputationEnglish
The formal debate of the medieval university, in which a candidate stated propositions and answered objections before his masters.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.1 (grade 12) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 9)
The formal debate of the medieval university, in which a candidate stated propositions and answered objections before his masters.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.1 (grade 12) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 9)
distinguishing markEnglish
A feature that sets one person apart from others.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.4 (grade 4)
A feature that sets one person apart from others.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.4 (grade 4)
dividerEnglish
The divider is the short line that crosses the baseline and separates the subject from the verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.4 (grade 3–8)
The divider is the short line that crosses the baseline and separates the subject from the verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.4 (grade 3–8)
divisionEnglish
A group of entrants by grade.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.2 (grade 5) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 9) · +1 more
A group of entrants by grade.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.2 (grade 5) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 9) · +1 more
doerEnglish
The doer of a verbal is the person or thing that performs the action the verbal names.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.2 (grade 3–8)
The doer of a verbal is the person or thing that performs the action the verbal names.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.2 (grade 3–8)
dominant impressionEnglish
The one main effect a description leaves: gloom, peace, bustle, cold. Every detail should serve it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
The one main effect a description leaves: gloom, peace, bustle, cold. Every detail should serve it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
double comparisonEnglish
A double comparison wrongly uses both -er or -est and more or most on the same word.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8)
A double comparison wrongly uses both -er or -est and more or most on the same word.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8)
double negativeEnglish
A double negative wrongly uses two negative words to express one negative idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.4 (grade 3–8)
A double negative wrongly uses two negative words to express one negative idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.4 (grade 3–8)
double translationEnglish
Roger Ascham’s method: translate a model from Latin into English, set the model aside, translate your English back into Latin, then compare your version with the original.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12)
Roger Ascham’s method: translate a model from Latin into English, set the model aside, translate your English back into Latin, then compare your version with the original.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12)
double visionEnglish
In memoir, the two selves on the page: the younger self who acts and the older narrator who looks back and judges.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11)
In memoir, the two selves on the page: the younger self who acts and the older narrator who looks back and judges.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11)
doxologyEnglish
A short burst of praise to God. Each of the five books of the Psalms ends with one (Psalms 41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and Psalm 150 is the doxology of the whole book.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Expert, Stop 2.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 2.5 (Ages 10–13) · +2 more
A short burst of praise to God. Each of the five books of the Psalms ends with one (Psalms 41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and Psalm 150 is the doxology of the whole book.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Expert, Stop 2.5 (Ages 14+) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 2.5 (Ages 10–13) · +2 more
draftEnglish
A complete working version of the paper, written to be revised. Its job is to get the argument onto the page, not to be perfect.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.2 (grade 12) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3) · +3 more
A complete working version of the paper, written to be revised. Its job is to get the argument onto the page, not to be perfect.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.2 (grade 12) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3) · +3 more
draft logEnglish
A dated record of every version of a poem and what changed. It guides revision and proves the work is your own.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11)
A dated record of every version of a poem and what changed. It guides revision and proves the work is your own.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11)
drafting calendarEnglish
A schedule that sets a daily or weekly word goal and a due date for each section.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.2 (grade 12)
A schedule that sets a daily or weekly word goal and a due date for each section.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.2 (grade 12)
dramatic ironyEnglish
When the audience understands something about a speaker or a situation that the speaker himself does not.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
When the audience understands something about a speaker or a situation that the speaker himself does not.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
dramatic monologueEnglish
A poem or prose piece that is a single speech by one character to a silent listener at a key moment, such as Tennyson’s “Ulysses” or Browning’s monologues.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8)
A poem or prose piece that is a single speech by one character to a silent listener at a key moment, such as Tennyson’s “Ulysses” or Browning’s monologues.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8)
dream-visionEnglish
A story told by a narrator who falls asleep and sees the spiritual world in a dream, as in Dante’s Divine Comedy (a waking vision), Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Lewis’s Great Divorce.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9)
A story told by a narrator who falls asleep and sees the spiritual world in a dream, as in Dante’s Divine Comedy (a waking vision), Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Lewis’s Great Divorce.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9)
due process of lawEnglish
The rule that government may not take a person’s life, liberty or property except by fair, settled legal procedure. It appears in the Fifth Amendment (1791).
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
The rule that government may not take a person’s life, liberty or property except by fair, settled legal procedure. It appears in the Fifth Amendment (1791).
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
E
ecphrasisEnglish
The twelfth of the fourteen progymnasmata: a description that brings its subject vividly before the eyes of the listener. The word is Greek and means “speaking out” or “telling in full.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
The twelfth of the fourteen progymnasmata: a description that brings its subject vividly before the eyes of the listener. The word is Greek and means “speaking out” or “telling in full.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
ecphrasis of a work of artEnglish
A description of a painting, statue or building that lets the reader see it without the picture in hand.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.3 (grade 8)
A description of a painting, statue or building that lets the reader see it without the picture in hand.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.3 (grade 8)
editEnglish
To fix spelling, capitals and punctuation.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.1 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.1 (grade 6)
To fix spelling, capitals and punctuation.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.1 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.1 (grade 6)
editingEnglish
Improving sentences once the arrangement is sound: clarity, economy, sentence variety, word choice.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.4 (grade 8)
Improving sentences once the arrangement is sound: clarity, economy, sentence variety, word choice.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.4 (grade 8)
editorialEnglish
An unsigned argument printed by a newspaper in its own voice. An op-ed (“opposite the editorial page”) is a signed argument by an outside writer.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 11)
An unsigned argument printed by a newspaper in its own voice. An op-ed (“opposite the editorial page”) is a signed argument by an outside writer.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 11)
Edward WinslowEnglish
A Pilgrim leader who wrote the only eyewitness account of the 1621 harvest feast.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
A Pilgrim leader who wrote the only eyewitness account of the 1621 harvest feast.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
effectEnglish
What happens because of a cause.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.3 (grade 5)
What happens because of a cause.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.3 (grade 5)
eidolopoeiaEnglish
A speech given to someone who has died, as if he could speak to the living (“What would Lincoln say to a boy at Gettysburg today?”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
A speech given to someone who has died, as if he could speak to the living (“What would Lincoln say to a boy at Gettysburg today?”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
ekphrasisEnglish
A poem that describes a work of art. Say it EK-fruh-sis.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.4 (grade 6)
A poem that describes a work of art. Say it EK-fruh-sis.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.4 (grade 6)
ellipsisEnglish
An ellipsis (…) is a mark of three dots that shows where words have been left out of a quotation.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
An ellipsis (…) is a mark of three dots that shows where words have been left out of a quotation.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
elliptical clauseEnglish
An elliptical clause is a clause from which words are left out because the reader understands them.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.2 (grade 3–8)
An elliptical clause is a clause from which words are left out because the reader understands them.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.2 (grade 3–8)
embedded directionEnglish
A direction built into the spoken words themselves, as when Brutus says “grasped thus.” Shakespeare relies on these.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
A direction built into the spoken words themselves, as when Brutus says “grasped thus.” Shakespeare relies on these.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
embedded quotationEnglish
A short quotation woven into your own sentence so that the grammar runs smoothly through it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
A short quotation woven into your own sentence so that the grammar runs smoothly through it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
emendationEnglish
The old rhetoricians’ word for correcting a text (Latin emendatio). Quintilian called it the most useful part of a writer’s labor.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10)
The old rhetoricians’ word for correcting a text (Latin emendatio). Quintilian called it the most useful part of a writer’s labor.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10)
emphasis (stress)English
Extra weight on a word, by volume, pitch or slowing, that tells the hearer which word carries the meaning.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12)
Extra weight on a word, by volume, pitch or slowing, that tells the hearer which word carries the meaning.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12)
empty dialogueEnglish
Talk that does nothing for the story (greetings, weather, small talk).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5)
Talk that does nothing for the story (greetings, weather, small talk).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5)
enacting clauseEnglish
The formula that turns findings into law: “Be it ordained by the Council of the Town of …”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
The formula that turns findings into law: “Be it ordained by the Council of the Town of …”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
encomiumEnglish
A speech or essay that praises the good qualities and deeds of a person or thing. The word is Greek; the plural is encomia.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
A speech or essay that praises the good qualities and deeds of a person or thing. The word is Greek; the plural is encomia.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
encomium of a thingEnglish
An encomium whose subject is not a person but an object, place, creature or virtue: a tool, a city, a horse, wisdom.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.3 (grade 7)
An encomium whose subject is not a person but an object, place, creature or virtue: a tool, a city, a horse, wisdom.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.3 (grade 7)
encouragementEnglish
Words that give someone courage and hope.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.3 (grade 4)
Words that give someone courage and hope.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.3 (grade 4)
end markEnglish
An end mark is the period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end of a sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3–8)
An end mark is the period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end of a sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3–8)
endingEnglish
How the problem turns out.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5) · +2 more
How the problem turns out.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5) · +2 more
endnoteEnglish
A numbered note gathered at the end of the essay. The Locke prize allows endnotes but not footnotes, and endnotes and bibliography do not count toward the word limit.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11)
A numbered note gathered at the end of the essay. The Locke prize allows endnotes but not footnotes, and endnotes and bibliography do not count toward the word limit.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11)
endnotesEnglish
Chicago-style notes gathered at the end of the paper rather than at the foot of each page. The Concord Review requires them.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11)
Chicago-style notes gathered at the end of the paper rather than at the foot of each page. The Concord Review requires them.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11)
end-stressEnglish
The habit of a well-made story to save its weight for the last line or the last character, so that the ending is what the hearer remembers.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 9)
The habit of a well-made story to save its weight for the last line or the last character, so that the ending is what the hearer remembers.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 9)
enjambmentEnglish
Running a sentence over the end of a line without punctuation, so the sense pulls the reader into the next line.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8) · +1 more
Running a sentence over the end of a line without punctuation, so the sense pulls the reader into the next line.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8) · +1 more
enthymemeEnglish
Aristotle’s name for a rhetorical argument that gives a claim and a reason (“because …”), leaving one step for the hearer to supply. Every good analytical paragraph is built on one.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.2 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
Aristotle’s name for a rhetorical argument that gives a claim and a reason (“because …”), leaving one step for the hearer to supply. Every good analytical paragraph is built on one.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.2 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
entry formEnglish
The official paper that goes with a contest entry.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.1 (grade 6)
The official paper that goes with a contest entry.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.1 (grade 6)
envyEnglish
Sorrow at another's good. It is the sin that makes comparison dangerous when we use it to rank ourselves.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 2.6 (Ages 14+) · Explore Dinosaurs · Ranger, Stop 2.6 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
Sorrow at another's good. It is the sin that makes comparison dangerous when we use it to rank ourselves.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 2.6 (Ages 14+) · Explore Dinosaurs · Ranger, Stop 2.6 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
epideictic oratoryEnglish
Ceremonial speech that praises or blames, given at funerals, dedications and anniversaries. Aristotle’s other two kinds are deliberative (what should we do?) and judicial (what was done?).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
Ceremonial speech that praises or blames, given at funerals, dedications and anniversaries. Aristotle’s other two kinds are deliberative (what should we do?) and judicial (what was done?).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
epideictic rhetoricEnglish
Aristotle’s ceremonial kind of speech, which praises or blames and concerns the present occasion; the other two kinds are deliberative (the future) and judicial (the past).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12)
Aristotle’s ceremonial kind of speech, which praises or blames and concerns the present occasion; the other two kinds are deliberative (the future) and judicial (the past).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12)
epigraphEnglish
A short quotation set at the head of a poem to hint at its theme.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
A short quotation set at the head of a poem to hint at its theme.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
epilogueEnglish
A short closing that sums up and urges the reader to act.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7) · +2 more
A short closing that sums up and urges the reader to act.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7) · +2 more
episodeEnglish
One self-contained encounter within a larger story. Each ghost’s meeting with a bright Spirit is an episode.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9)
One self-contained encounter within a larger story. Each ghost’s meeting with a bright Spirit is an episode.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9)
epistleEnglish
A formal letter meant to teach as well as to greet; Paul’s letters to Timothy and Cicero’s De Officiis are both epistles of counsel.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.4 (grade 12) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4–7)
A formal letter meant to teach as well as to greet; Paul’s letters to Timothy and Cicero’s De Officiis are both epistles of counsel.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.4 (grade 12) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4–7)
-er and moreEnglish
Use -er or more when you compare two things.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3–8)
Use -er or more when you compare two things.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3–8)
essayEnglish
A short piece of writing that makes one main point.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.3 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8)
A short piece of writing that makes one main point.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.3 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8)
-est and mostEnglish
Use -est or most when you compare three or more things.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3–8)
Use -est or most when you compare three or more things.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3–8)
ethopoeiaEnglish
The progymnasma of character speech: words that fit a particular person. In a profile you do not invent them; you listen for them and quote them.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
The progymnasma of character speech: words that fit a particular person. In a profile you do not invent them; you listen for them and quote them.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
ethosEnglish
The speaker’s character as it comes through the words. In a blind contest you have no name or reputation, so ethos must be built entirely on the page.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · +3 more
The speaker’s character as it comes through the words. In a blind contest you have no name or reputation, so ethos must be built entirely on the page.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 11) · +3 more
ethos, pathos, logosEnglish
Aristotle’s three “proofs”: the character of the speaker (ethos), the feelings stirred in the hearers (pathos), and the reasoning of the argument itself (logos).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
Aristotle’s three “proofs”: the character of the speaker (ethos), the feelings stirred in the hearers (pathos), and the reasoning of the argument itself (logos).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
eucatastropheEnglish
Tolkien’s coined word (Greek eu, “good,” plus catastrophe, “overturning”): the sudden joyous turn at the end of a fairy-story, a grace that cannot be counted on to recur.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
Tolkien’s coined word (Greek eu, “good,” plus catastrophe, “overturning”): the sudden joyous turn at the end of a fairy-story, a grace that cannot be counted on to recur.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
ewe lambEnglish
A young female sheep.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3)
A young female sheep.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3)
exactEnglish
Precise; it names the very thing (“bluegill,” “frost on the windshield”).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.2 (grade 5)
Precise; it names the very thing (“bluegill,” “frost on the windshield”).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.2 (grade 5)
exact rhyme / slant rhymeEnglish
Exact rhyme matches the final vowel and consonant sounds (oak / spoke); slant rhyme comes close (fence / sense is exact; home / stone is slant). Use exact rhyme for most lines.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.4 (grade 7)
Exact rhyme matches the final vowel and consonant sounds (oak / spoke); slant rhyme comes close (fence / sense is exact; home / stone is slant). Use exact rhyme for most lines.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.4 (grade 7)
example headEnglish
A true story that shows the maxim at work.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6)
A true story that shows the maxim at work.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6)
example (paradigm)English
A particular case offered to prove a general claim; Aristotle called it the rhetorical form of induction.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10)
A particular case offered to prove a general claim; Aristotle called it the rhetorical form of induction.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10)
exclamatory sentenceEnglish
An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling and ends with an exclamation point.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling and ends with an exclamation point.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
exhortationEnglish
The part of a speech that urges the hearers to act: the “charge” of a commencement address.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
The part of a speech that urges the hearers to act: the “charge” of a commencement address.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
exordiumEnglish
Cicero’s name for the opening of a speech, meant to make the hearer well disposed, attentive and ready to learn.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 9)
Cicero’s name for the opening of a speech, meant to make the hearer well disposed, attentive and ready to learn.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 9)
exordium and perorationEnglish
The opening and closing of a speech (Unit 1). In a testimony, the exordium greets the hearers and gives the reason for speaking; the peroration gathers the meaning and offers thanks or an invitation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
The opening and closing of a speech (Unit 1). In a testimony, the exordium greets the hearers and gives the reason for speaking; the peroration gathers the meaning and offers thanks or an invitation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
expedienceEnglish
The head that asks whether a law is useful: whether its benefits outweigh its costs and what it will actually bring about.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10)
The head that asks whether a law is useful: whether its benefits outweigh its costs and what it will actually bring about.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10)
expedientEnglish
Useful or advantageous; the head that asks, “Does this bring good results?”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
Useful or advantageous; the head that asks, “Does this bring good results?”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
explanationEnglish
Your own sentences that show how the evidence proves the point. Evidence without explanation is a pile of bricks without mortar.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.2 (grade 7)
Your own sentences that show how the evidence proves the point. Evidence without explanation is a pile of bricks without mortar.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.2 (grade 7)
explanation sceneEnglish
The scene after the reveal in which the detective shows how the clues fit together.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
The scene after the reveal in which the detective shows how the clues fit together.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
expletiveEnglish
In Pope’s sense, a filler word that adds sound but no meaning (“do join,” “there is,” “it is … that”). Cutting expletives is the first step in tightening prose.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · English Grammar, Lesson 12.4 (grade 3–8)
In Pope’s sense, a filler word that adds sound but no meaning (“do join,” “there is,” “it is … that”). Cutting expletives is the first step in tightening prose.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · English Grammar, Lesson 12.4 (grade 3–8)
expositionEnglish
The background facts an audience needs. Good plays slip it in through conflict instead of having characters explain what both already know.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.4 (grade 6) · +1 more
The background facts an audience needs. Good plays slip it in through conflict instead of having characters explain what both already know.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.4 (grade 6) · +1 more
expressionEnglish
Using your voice to show feeling.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5)
Using your voice to show feeling.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5)
eye contactEnglish
Looking up at your listeners.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · +1 more
Looking up at your listeners.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · +1 more
eyewitnessEnglish
A person who saw an event with his own eyes. Luke built his Gospel on the accounts of those “which from the beginning were eyewitnesses.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.1 (grade 6) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.1 (grade 8)
A person who saw an event with his own eyes. Luke built his Gospel on the accounts of those “which from the beginning were eyewitnesses.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.1 (grade 6) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.1 (grade 8)
F
fableEnglish
A short made-up story, often with talking animals, that teaches a lesson.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 9) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6) · +3 more
A short made-up story, often with talking animals, that teaches a lesson.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 9) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6) · +3 more
fable chartEnglish
A four-box chart for the parts of a fable.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3)
A four-box chart for the parts of a fable.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3)
fable fairEnglish
A family evening when everyone reads a fable aloud.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3)
A family evening when everyone reads a fable aloud.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3)
factEnglish
A statement that can be checked and shown true or false.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.2 (grade 6)
A statement that can be checked and shown true or false.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.2 (grade 6)
fact-checkEnglish
Confirming every name, date, number and quotation with the subject or a record before the piece is shared.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
Confirming every name, date, number and quotation with the subject or a record before the piece is shared.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
fair copyEnglish
A clean, final copy of a revised piece, written or typed with care for others to read.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
A clean, final copy of a revised piece, written or typed with care for others to read.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
fair playEnglish
The rule that the reader sees every clue the detective uses before the solution is told.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
The rule that the reader sees every clue the detective uses before the solution is told.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
fair-mindedEnglish
Giving the other side its due.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6)
Giving the other side its due.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6)
fallacyEnglish
A flaw in reasoning that can still persuade. Ads often lean on bandwagon (“everyone is buying it”), false authority (a celebrity praising a product he knows nothing about), and false cause (“use this, and success follows”).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6)
A flaw in reasoning that can still persuade. Ads often lean on bandwagon (“everyone is buying it”), false authority (a celebrity praising a product he knows nothing about), and false cause (“use this, and success follows”).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6)
falling action and resolutionEnglish
What happens because of the climax, and how things settle.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.4 (grade 6)
What happens because of the climax, and how things settle.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.4 (grade 6)
falling meterEnglish
A meter whose feet begin on the stress (trochaic, dactylic). It strikes first, like a drum, a chant or a hammer.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 9)
A meter whose feet begin on the stress (trochaic, dactylic). It strikes first, like a drum, a chant or a hammer.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 9)
familiar essayEnglish
A short, friendly essay in the first person about an ordinary subject (a bell, a birthday, a meal), written as if to a friend.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8)
A short, friendly essay in the first person about an ordinary subject (a bell, a birthday, a meal), written as if to a friend.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8)
family historyEnglish
The true story of your ancestors and relatives.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.4 (grade 4)
The true story of your ancestors and relatives.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.4 (grade 4)
farewell addressEnglish
A speech given at a parting, which looks back on shared work, gives a last charge and commends the hearers to God or to their duty.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12)
A speech given at a parting, which looks back on shared work, gives a last charge and commends the hearers to God or to their duty.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.4 (grade 12)
Father AbrahamEnglish
The old man in Franklin’s 1758 preface who strings Poor Richard’s sayings into a speech.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.3 (grade 6)
The old man in Franklin’s 1758 preface who strings Poor Richard’s sayings into a speech.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.3 (grade 6)
faulty parallelismEnglish
Faulty parallelism is the joining of equal ideas in unequal grammatical forms.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.3 (grade 3–8)
Faulty parallelism is the joining of equal ideas in unequal grammatical forms.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.3 (grade 3–8)
fee waiverEnglish
Permission to enter without paying the fee, chosen in the online entry portal by a family for whom the fee is a hardship.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7)
Permission to enter without paying the fee, chosen in the online entry portal by a family for whom the fee is a hardship.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7)
felix culpaEnglish
Latin for “happy fault”: the old Christian thought that God brings a greater good out of the Fall, through Christ’s redemption. Herbert’s line “Then shall the fall further the flight in me” turns on it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
Latin for “happy fault”: the old Christian thought that God brings a greater good out of the Fall, through Christ’s redemption. Herbert’s line “Then shall the fall further the flight in me” turns on it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
figures of speechEnglish
Artful departures from plain expression. Schemes change the pattern of words (parallelism, antithesis, anaphora); tropes change their meaning (metaphor, simile, irony).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9)
Artful departures from plain expression. Schemes change the pattern of words (parallelism, antithesis, anaphora); tropes change their meaning (metaphor, simile, irony).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9)
fillerEnglish
Sounds and words that fill silence (“um,” “like,” “you know,” “basically”). A short pause is better.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
Sounds and words that fill silence (“um,” “like,” “you know,” “basically”). A short pause is better.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
final copyEnglish
The clean, finished version.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6) · +1 more
The clean, finished version.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6) · +1 more
final heads (telika kephalaia)English
The standard tests for any proposed action: is it lawful, just, expedient, possible and honorable? The ancient teachers used them in the thesis and the proposal of a law.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
The standard tests for any proposed action: is it lawful, just, expedient, possible and honorable? The ancient teachers used them in the thesis and the proposal of a law.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
findingEnglish
A fact the writer discovered or verified: a count, a measurement, a price, a quotation, an observation. Findings are kept separate from opinions.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9)
A fact the writer discovered or verified: a count, a measurement, a price, a quotation, an observation. Findings are kept separate from opinions.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9)
first personEnglish
Telling a story with “I” and “we.”
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.1 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7)
Telling a story with “I” and “we.”
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.1 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7)
first sourceEnglish
The earliest place a story appears in writing.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6)
The earliest place a story appears in writing.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6)
first-hand accountEnglish
A narrative written by someone who was there.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4)
A narrative written by someone who was there.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4)
fitEnglish
When a character’s trait matches its part in the story.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9–12)
When a character’s trait matches its part in the story.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9–12)
fitting styleEnglish
Sentences shaped to suit the subject: slow, long sentences for a calm scene; short, quick ones for a busy or violent one.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
Sentences shaped to suit the subject: slow, long sentences for a calm scene; short, quick ones for a busy or violent one.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
five-paragraph themeEnglish
A school form with an introduction ending in a three-part thesis, three body paragraphs (one per part) and a conclusion that restates the thesis. A useful scaffold for beginners, not a rule for real essays.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 9)
A school form with an introduction ending in a three-part thesis, three body paragraphs (one per part) and a conclusion that restates the thesis. A useful scaffold for beginners, not a rule for real essays.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 9)
flashbackEnglish
Going back to tell what happened earlier.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
Going back to tell what happened earlier.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
flatteryEnglish
Praise that is false or overblown, given to please. It is truth left out for fear or gain.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.3 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Greek, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
Praise that is false or overblown, given to please. It is truth left out for fear or gain.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.3 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Greek, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
folk taleEnglish
A story told by ordinary people for many years before anyone wrote it down.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
A story told by ordinary people for many years before anyone wrote it down.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
follow-up questionEnglish
A question you did not plan, asked because of something the subject just said: “You said your father wouldn’t let you near the lathe. Why not?”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
A question you did not plan, asked because of something the subject just said: “You said your father wouldn’t let you near the lathe. Why not?”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
fontEnglish
The style of type; the DAR asks for a non-script font, 12–14 point.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5)
The style of type; the DAR asks for a non-script font, 12–14 point.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5)
footEnglish
The unit of meter: one stressed syllable with its unstressed syllables, counted as a group. A line is measured by how many feet it has.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
The unit of meter: one stressed syllable with its unstressed syllables, counted as a group. A line is measured by how many feet it has.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
forecastEnglish
The part of a thesis that names your reasons in the order the body paragraphs will take them. Cicero called this step the partition.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7) · Grade 4 Earth Science: Weather and Water, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Earth Science: Weather and Water, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4) · +1 more
The part of a thesis that names your reasons in the order the body paragraphs will take them. Cicero called this step the partition.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7) · Grade 4 Earth Science: Weather and Water, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Earth Science: Weather and Water, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4) · +1 more
foreshadowingEnglish
Hints early in a story of what will come.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.1 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
Hints early in a story of what will come.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.1 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9)
fowlingEnglish
Hunting birds.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
Hunting birds.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
fragmentEnglish
A group of words that is not a complete sentence. Journals may use some; finished writing should not.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3–8)
A group of words that is not a complete sentence. Journals may use some; finished writing should not.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3–8)
frameEnglish
A narrator’s opening or closing passage that sets a story inside larger history or a larger meaning.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7) · +3 more
A narrator’s opening or closing passage that sets a story inside larger history or a larger meaning.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7) · +3 more
frame poemEnglish
A poem placed at the door or the end of a book to tell the reader how to enter or how to leave it, such as Herbert’s “Superliminare” at the threshold of “The Church.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
A poem placed at the door or the end of a book to tell the reader how to enter or how to leave it, such as Herbert’s “Superliminare” at the threshold of “The Church.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
Franklin’s methodEnglish
Benjamin Franklin’s exercise of noting the sense of a good essay in short hints, rewriting it from the hints days later, and comparing his version with the original.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 9)
Benjamin Franklin’s exercise of noting the sense of a good essay in short hints, rewriting it from the hints days later, and comparing his version with the original.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 9)
Freytag’s pyramidEnglish
A diagram of plot as a rising and falling line: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Named for Gustav Freytag, a German writer who described it in 1863.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.3 (grade 8)
A diagram of plot as a rising and falling line: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Named for Gustav Freytag, a German writer who described it in 1863.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.3 (grade 8)
friendly letterEnglish
A personal letter to someone you know.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4)
A personal letter to someone you know.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4)
front matterEnglish
Pages before the poems: half-title, title page, copyright or colophon, dedication, contents and sometimes an epigraph.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
Pages before the poems: half-title, title page, copyright or colophon, dedication, contents and sometimes an epigraph.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
front-loadingEnglish
Putting the key words at the beginning of a headline, heading, sentence or link, where scanning eyes land.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
Putting the key words at the beginning of a headline, heading, sentence or link, where scanning eyes land.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
future perfect tenseEnglish
The future perfect tense uses will have or shall have with the past participle for an action that will be completed before a certain future time (will have walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.3 (grade 3–8)
The future perfect tense uses will have or shall have with the past participle for an action that will be completed before a certain future time (will have walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.3 (grade 3–8)
future tenseEnglish
The future tense tells what will happen later.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
The future tense tells what will happen later.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
G
general statementEnglish
A statement about all people or most cases, not about one person on one day.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.1 (grade 6)
A statement about all people or most cases, not about one person on one day.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.1 (grade 6)
gerundEnglish
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that is used as a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.3 (grade 3–8)
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that is used as a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.3 (grade 3–8)
gerund phraseEnglish
A gerund phrase is a gerund together with its modifiers and complements, used as a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.3 (grade 3–8)
A gerund phrase is a gerund together with its modifiers and complements, used as a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.3 (grade 3–8)
global and local revisionEnglish
Global revision changes the argument, structure and sections; local revision changes sentences and words. Do global first.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.3 (grade 12)
Global revision changes the argument, structure and sections; local revision changes sentences and words. Do global first.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.3 (grade 12)
global commentEnglish
A comment on the whole argument: the claim, the heads, the examples, the order, the objection.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10)
A comment on the whole argument: the claim, the heads, the examples, the order, the objection.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10)
goadEnglish
A pointed stick used to drive oxen. Ecclesiastes compares the words of the wise to goads: they prod us to move.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.2 (grade 10)
A pointed stick used to drive oxen. Ecclesiastes compares the words of the wise to goads: they prod us to move.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.2 (grade 10)
Gold KeyEnglish
The top regional award in the Scholastic Awards; Gold Key works go on to national judging.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
The top regional award in the Scholastic Awards; Gold Key works go on to national judging.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
good reportEnglish
The KJV phrase for a good name or approval: “For by it the elders obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:2).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
The KJV phrase for a good name or approval: “For by it the elders obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:2).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
governing imageEnglish
One picture or idea that holds a whole collection together, as the church building holds The Temple together.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
One picture or idea that holds a whole collection together, as the church building holds The Temple together.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
governing truthEnglish
The single point the parable exists to show, usually taken from a verse of Scripture. Everything in the story serves it.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 9)
The single point the parable exists to show, usually taken from a verse of Scripture. Everything in the story serves it.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 9)
graciousEnglish
Kind and thankful, even when receiving correction.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4) · Tactics & Strategy, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4–7)
Kind and thankful, even when receiving correction.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4) · Tactics & Strategy, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4–7)
grantEnglish
Money given by a foundation, church, business or government body for a stated purpose. It is not repaid, but the giver expects a report on how it was used.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
Money given by a foundation, church, business or government body for a stated purpose. It is not repaid, but the giver expects a report on how it was used.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
greetingEnglish
The hello: “Dear Grandma,”
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places, Stop 2.7 (Ages 7–9) · +1 more
The hello: “Dear Grandma,”
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places, Stop 2.7 (Ages 7–9) · +1 more
growthEnglish
How much you have improved.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.4 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.4 (grade 6)
How much you have improved.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.4 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.4 (grade 6)
guideEnglish
A wise figure who explains the vision to the narrator: Virgil for Dante, Evangelist and the Interpreter for Bunyan’s Christian, George MacDonald for Lewis.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9) · Grade 1 Geography: Maps and Journeys, Lesson 8.3 (grade 1)
A wise figure who explains the vision to the narrator: Virgil for Dante, Evangelist and the Interpreter for Bunyan’s Christian, George MacDonald for Lewis.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9) · Grade 1 Geography: Maps and Journeys, Lesson 8.3 (grade 1)
H
handout (abstract)English
One page for guests: the thesis title, the question, the thesis sentence, a 150-word abstract and the main sources.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12)
One page for guests: the thesis title, the question, the thesis sentence, a 150-word abstract and the main sources.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12)
hanging indentEnglish
The format in which the first line of each entry starts at the margin and the following lines are indented half an inch.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11)
The format in which the first line of each entry starts at the margin and the following lines are indented half an inch.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11)
hasty generalizationEnglish
A conclusion about all from too few cases: “I met two rude people from that town, so everyone there is rude.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6)
A conclusion about all from too few cases: “I met two rude people from that town, so everyone there is rude.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6)
haughtyEnglish
Proud and looking down on others.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6)
Proud and looking down on others.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6)
headEnglish
One step or topic in an essay. The old teachers gave eight heads for the chreia.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.2 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.4 (grade 7) · +3 more
One step or topic in an essay. The old teachers gave eight heads for the chreia.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.2 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.4 (grade 7) · +3 more
head against headEnglish
Aphthonius's rule for comparison: weigh the two persons point by point, not one whole life and then the other.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
Aphthonius's rule for comparison: weigh the two persons point by point, not one whole life and then the other.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
head-hoppingEnglish
Jumping carelessly from one character’s mind to another’s so the reader loses track. Omniscient narrators move between minds, but on purpose and clearly.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.3 (grade 7)
Jumping carelessly from one character’s mind to another’s so the reader loses track. Omniscient narrators move between minds, but on purpose and clearly.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.3 (grade 7)
headingEnglish
The date, at the top right.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5) · +2 more
The date, at the top right.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5) · +2 more
headnoteEnglish
A short note (three to five sentences) before each sample that tells what it is, whom it was for, what your part was, and what came of it.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.4 (grade 12)
A short note (three to five sentences) before each sample that tells what it is, whom it was for, what your part was, and what came of it.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.4 (grade 12)
headsEnglish
The standard lines of argument used to prove a thesis. Aphthonius names four: lawful, just, expedient and possible.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10)
The standard lines of argument used to prove a thesis. Aphthonius names four: lawful, just, expedient and possible.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10)
heads of refutationEnglish
The checks for a doubtful story: unclear, impossible, unfitting, illogical.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
The checks for a doubtful story: unclear, impossible, unfitting, illogical.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
hedgeEnglish
A word that softens a claim (“perhaps,” “somewhat,” “sort of”). One honest hedge is wise; a string of them sounds evasive.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
A word that softens a claim (“perhaps,” “somewhat,” “sort of”). One honest hedge is wise; a string of them sounds evasive.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
helping verbEnglish
A helping verb comes before the main verb and helps it.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3–8)
A helping verb comes before the main verb and helps it.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3–8)
HerodiansEnglish
Supporters of King Herod’s family and of Roman rule.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
Supporters of King Herod’s family and of Roman rule.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
heroic coupletEnglish
Two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter, closed and balanced, as in Pope: “True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5)
Two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter, closed and balanced, as in Pope: “True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance.”
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5)
hinge poemEnglish
A poem placed at a turning point, often between sections, that closes one movement and opens the next.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12)
A poem placed at a turning point, often between sections, that closes one movement and opens the next.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.2 (grade 12)
hintsEnglish
Franklin’s word for short notes on each sentence.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.4 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
Franklin’s word for short notes on each sentence.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.4 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
historical accuracyEnglish
Everything fits what really happened in 1776.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6)
Everything fits what really happened in 1776.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6)
historical argumentEnglish
The thesis of an NHD project: a claim about the past that the evidence must prove, not a list of facts.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.1 (grade 8)
The thesis of an NHD project: a claim about the past that the evidence must prove, not a list of facts.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.1 (grade 8)
historical legendEnglish
A false or unproved story about a real event.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6)
A false or unproved story about a real event.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6)
historical short storyEnglish
A short work of fiction set in a real past time and place, usually with invented main characters, in which the real history is kept accurate.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.1 (grade 10)
A short work of fiction set in a real past time and place, usually with invented main characters, in which the real history is kept accurate.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.1 (grade 10)
holistic scoreEnglish
A single score given for the whole essay at once, based on thesis, development, organization and language, rather than counting errors.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10)
A single score given for the whole essay at once, based on thesis, development, organization and language, rather than counting errors.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10)
HomerEnglish
The ancient Greek poet of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
The ancient Greek poet of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
homophonesEnglish
Homophones are words that sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning, such as principal and principle.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.2 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 8.4 (grade 3–8)
Homophones are words that sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning, such as principal and principle.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.2 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 8.4 (grade 3–8)
honorableEnglish
Fitting, noble and worthy of good report; what a good person would be glad to have known of him.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
Fitting, noble and worthy of good report; what a good person would be glad to have known of him.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
humilityEnglish
An honest view of oneself; not thinking too highly of oneself.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.3 (grade 6) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 8.4 (grade 5)
An honest view of oneself; not thinking too highly of oneself.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.3 (grade 6) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 8.4 (grade 5)
hyphenEnglish
A hyphen (-) joins words or parts of words so that they are read as one.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
A hyphen (-) joins words or parts of words so that they are read as one.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
hypocrisyEnglish
Pretending to a goodness you do not have; wearing the outward show of virtue over an inward fault.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
Pretending to a goodness you do not have; wearing the outward show of virtue over an inward fault.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
hypothesisEnglish
A specific case with named persons, places and times: “Should John marry Mary this June?” A thesis can be argued anywhere; a hypothesis belongs to one situation.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.1 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9) · +3 more
A specific case with named persons, places and times: “Should John marry Mary this June?” A thesis can be argued anywhere; a hypothesis belongs to one situation.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.1 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9) · +3 more
I
iambEnglish
A two-syllable beat: unstressed then stressed (da-DUM), as in a-GAIN.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
A two-syllable beat: unstressed then stressed (da-DUM), as in a-GAIN.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
iambic pentameterEnglish
A line of five iambs (da-DUM), ten syllables in all. The usual meter of the English sonnet.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8)
A line of five iambs (da-DUM), ten syllables in all. The usual meter of the English sonnet.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8)
idiomEnglish
A fixed expression whose meaning is more than its words (“set you on the way”). Idioms date a voice quickly.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10)
A fixed expression whose meaning is more than its words (“set you on the way”). Idioms date a voice quickly.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10)
imageryEnglish
Words that appeal to the senses and make pictures in the mind.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.2 (grade 8)
Words that appeal to the senses and make pictures in the mind.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.1 (grade 6) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.2 (grade 8)
impEnglish
A falconer’s word: to graft new feathers onto a hawk’s damaged wing so that it can fly again. Herbert uses it in “Easter Wings.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
A falconer’s word: to graft new feathers onto a hawk’s damaged wing so that it can fly again. Herbert uses it in “Easter Wings.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
imperative moodEnglish
The verb form that gives a command, with the subject “you” understood: “Loosen the nut.” “Make thee an ark.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9) · English Grammar, Lesson 20.3 (grade 3–8)
The verb form that gives a command, with the subject “you” understood: “Loosen the nut.” “Make thee an ark.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9) · English Grammar, Lesson 20.3 (grade 3–8)
imperative sentenceEnglish
An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request and ends with a period or an exclamation point.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request and ends with a period or an exclamation point.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
impersonal pronounEnglish
A pronoun such as one that refers to no particular person: “One should count the cost.” Fitting for a thesis, which names no one.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
A pronoun such as one that refers to no particular person: “One should count the cost.” Fitting for a thesis, which names no one.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
implied claimEnglish
A message the ad suggests without saying it outright: a picture of a happy family beside a car implies, “This car will make your family happy.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 11)
A message the ad suggests without saying it outright: a picture of a happy family beside a car implies, “This car will make your family happy.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 11)
implyEnglish
To imply is to suggest something without stating it outright.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.2 (grade 3–8)
To imply is to suggest something without stating it outright.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.2 (grade 3–8)
in medias resEnglish
Latin, “into the middle of things”: Horace’s praise of Homer for beginning a story in the midst of the action, not at the very beginning.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
Latin, “into the middle of things”: Horace’s praise of Homer for beginning a story in the midst of the action, not at the very beginning.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
inciting incidentEnglish
The event that starts the trouble. In a ten-minute play it belongs on the first or second page.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11)
The event that starts the trouble. In a ten-minute play it belongs on the first or second page.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11)
indefinite antecedentEnglish
An indefinite antecedent is an indefinite pronoun, such as each or everyone, that a later pronoun stands for.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.3 (grade 3–8)
An indefinite antecedent is an indefinite pronoun, such as each or everyone, that a later pronoun stands for.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.3 (grade 3–8)
indefinite pronounEnglish
An indefinite pronoun does not point to a particular person or thing.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 12.3 (grade 3–8)
An indefinite pronoun does not point to a particular person or thing.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 12.3 (grade 3–8)
independent clauseEnglish
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 19.3 (grade 3–8)
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 19.3 (grade 3–8)
indicative moodEnglish
The indicative mood states a fact or asks a question.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 5.2 (grade 8)
The indicative mood states a fact or asks a question.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 5.2 (grade 8)
indirect objectEnglish
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
indirect quotationEnglish
Reporting what someone said without his exact words, usually in a noun clause: Grandpa said that the winter of 1978 buried the fences.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.2 (grade 7) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
Reporting what someone said without his exact words, usually in a noun clause: Grandpa said that the winter of 1978 buried the fences.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.2 (grade 7) · English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
inferEnglish
To infer is to draw a conclusion from what one sees, hears or reads.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.2 (grade 3–8)
To infer is to draw a conclusion from what one sees, hears or reads.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.2 (grade 3–8)
inferenceEnglish
A reasonable conclusion drawn from what you observe in the text. Observation: “The poet uses two one-syllable words.” Inference: “The bluntness makes the charge hit hard.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.2 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7) · +3 more
A reasonable conclusion drawn from what you observe in the text. Observation: “The poet uses two one-syllable words.” Inference: “The bluntness makes the charge hit hard.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.1 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.2 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7) · +3 more
infinitiveEnglish
An infinitive is the word to with the plain form of a verb, used as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.4 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Greek, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8) · Grade 7 Latin, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7) · +2 more
An infinitive is the word to with the plain form of a verb, used as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.4 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Greek, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8) · Grade 7 Latin, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7) · +2 more
infinitive phraseEnglish
An infinitive phrase is an infinitive together with its modifiers and complements.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.4 (grade 3–8)
An infinitive phrase is an infinitive together with its modifiers and complements.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.4 (grade 3–8)
InklingsEnglish
An informal group of Oxford friends, including C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, who read their work aloud to each other for criticism in the 1930s and 1940s.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
An informal group of Oxford friends, including C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, who read their work aloud to each other for criticism in the 1930s and 1940s.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
inner conflictEnglish
A struggle inside a character: between right and wrong, fear and courage.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.3 (grade 6)
A struggle inside a character: between right and wrong, fear and courage.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.3 (grade 6)
inscriptionEnglish
Words carved in stone or metal.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6) · Grade 4 Greek, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
Words carved in stone or metal.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6) · Grade 4 Greek, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
inside addressEnglish
The name, title, company and mailing address of the person who will receive the letter, placed below the date and above the salutation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
The name, title, company and mailing address of the person who will receive the letter, placed below the date and above the salutation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
Institute for Faith & CultureEnglish
A nonpartisan Christian educational organization that holds an annual national student essay contest on a theme of faith and public life.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11)
A nonpartisan Christian educational organization that holds an annual national student essay contest on a theme of faith and public life.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11)
instructionsEnglish
Writing that tells a reader how to do a task, step by step, so that he can do it without the writer present.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
Writing that tells a reader how to do a task, step by step, so that he can do it without the writer present.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
integrated (woven) quotationEnglish
A short quoted phrase that fits grammatically into your own sentence, so the sentence reads smoothly with or without the quotation marks.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10)
A short quoted phrase that fits grammatically into your own sentence, so the sentence reads smoothly with or without the quotation marks.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10)
intensive pronounEnglish
An intensive pronoun ends in -self or -selves and adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8)
An intensive pronoun ends in -self or -selves and adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8)
intentionEnglish
The head that shows the wrongdoer chose and planned his deed; it was not an accident.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
The head that shows the wrongdoer chose and planned his deed; it was not an accident.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
interjectionEnglish
An interjection is a word that shows feeling.
English Grammar, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3–8)
An interjection is a word that shows feeling.
English Grammar, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3–8)
internal rhymeEnglish
Rhyme between a word inside the line and another word in the same or next line: “dreary … weary,” “napping … tapping.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
Rhyme between a word inside the line and another word in the same or next line: “dreary … weary,” “napping … tapping.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
interrogative sentenceEnglish
An interrogative sentence asks something and ends with a question mark.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
An interrogative sentence asks something and ends with a question mark.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.2 (grade 3–8)
interviewEnglish
Asking someone questions and writing down the answers.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.4 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.2 (grade 7)
Asking someone questions and writing down the answers.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.4 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.2 (grade 7)
intransitive verbEnglish
An intransitive verb has no direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.1 (grade 3–8)
An intransitive verb has no direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.1 (grade 3–8)
introduction of a lawEnglish
The last of Aphthonius’s fourteen progymnasmata (Greek eisphora nomou): a speech that argues for or against a particular proposed or existing law.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.1 (grade 8)
The last of Aphthonius’s fourteen progymnasmata (Greek eisphora nomou): a speech that argues for or against a particular proposed or existing law.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.1 (grade 8)
introduction (proem)English
The opening that wins attention and goodwill and shows why the general question matters to everyone. It matches the exordium of the oration.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
The opening that wins attention and goodwill and shows why the general question matters to everyone. It matches the exordium of the oration.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
introductory adverb clauseEnglish
An introductory adverb clause comes before the independent clause and is followed by a comma.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.3 (grade 3–8)
An introductory adverb clause comes before the independent clause and is followed by a comma.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.3 (grade 3–8)
introductory wordEnglish
An introductory word, such as yes, no or well, begins a sentence but is not part of its subject or predicate.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 18.4 (grade 3–8)
An introductory word, such as yes, no or well, begins a sentence but is not part of its subject or predicate.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 18.4 (grade 3–8)
invectiveEnglish
A speech or essay of blame; the mirror of the encomium. The Greek teachers called it psogos.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7)
A speech or essay of blame; the mirror of the encomium. The Greek teachers called it psogos.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7)
invention (inventio)English
The first canon of rhetoric: discovering what there is to say before deciding how to say it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9)
The first canon of rhetoric: discovering what there is to say before deciding how to say it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9)
inversionEnglish
Turning normal word order around (“Much have I traveled”). Masters use it for emphasis; beginners often use it only to force a rhyme, which sounds stiff.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.4 (grade 7)
Turning normal word order around (“Much have I traveled”). Masters use it for emphasis; beginners often use it only to force a rhyme, which sounds stiff.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.4 (grade 7)
inverted orderEnglish
A sentence is in inverted order when the verb, or part of the verb, comes before the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 12.4 (grade 3–8)
A sentence is in inverted order when the verb, or part of the verb, comes before the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 12.4 (grade 3–8)
inverted pyramidEnglish
A way of arranging news and web writing so that the most important facts come first and details follow in order of importance.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
A way of arranging news and web writing so that the most important facts come first and details follow in order of importance.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
invocationEnglish
The opening of an epic, where the poet states his subject and calls for help from above to tell it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8)
The opening of an epic, where the poet states his subject and calls for help from above to tell it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.1 (grade 8)
iron-treeEnglish
A very hard wood Crusoe found on his island.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4)
A very hard wood Crusoe found on his island.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4)
ironyEnglish
When what happens is the opposite of what a character expects.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
When what happens is the opposite of what a character expects.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
irregular (Pindaric) odeEnglish
An ode whose stanzas vary in length and line length to follow the poet’s feeling, loosely modeled on the Greek poet Pindar. Wordsworth’s “Intimations” ode is one.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
An ode whose stanzas vary in length and line length to follow the poet’s feeling, loosely modeled on the Greek poet Pindar. Wordsworth’s “Intimations” ode is one.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
irregular pluralEnglish
An irregular plural is a plural noun that is not made by adding -s or -es.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.3 (grade 3–8)
An irregular plural is a plural noun that is not made by adding -s or -es.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.3 (grade 3–8)
irregular verbEnglish
A verb that does not form its past tense with -ed (go, went; buy, bought).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5) · English Grammar, Lesson 11.2 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3–8) · +3 more
A verb that does not form its past tense with -ed (go, went; buy, bought).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5) · English Grammar, Lesson 11.2 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3–8) · +3 more
italicsEnglish
Italics are slanted letters used for the titles of long works; in handwriting, underline the title instead.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.3 (grade 3–8)
Italics are slanted letters used for the titles of long works; in handwriting, underline the title instead.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.3 (grade 3–8)
J
John Locke InstituteEnglish
An educational organization in Oxford, named for the philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), that runs the Global Essay Prize for students under 19.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11)
An educational organization in Oxford, named for the philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), that runs the Global Essay Prize for students under 19.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 11)
judging criteriaEnglish
The points judges score. Patriot’s Pen gives 30 for knowledge of the theme, 35 for theme development and 35 for clarity of ideas.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.1 (grade 7)
The points judges score. Patriot’s Pen gives 30 for knowledge of the theme, 35 for theme development and 35 for clarity of ideas.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.1 (grade 7)
justEnglish
Right in itself; giving to God and to each person what is due. A thing may be legal and still unjust, or just where no law yet speaks.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
Right in itself; giving to God and to each person what is due. A thing may be legal and still unjust, or just where no law yet speaks.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
justiceEnglish
The head that asks whether a law gives each person his due, treats like cases alike, and commands nothing God forbids or forbids anything God commands.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10)
The head that asks whether a law gives each person his due, treats like cases alike, and commands nothing God forbids or forbids anything God commands.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10)
K
kairosEnglish
The fitting moment: the right word at the right time and place. A speech given on the very ground it honors has strong kairos.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
The fitting moment: the right word at the right time and place. A speech given on the very ground it honors has strong kairos.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
key wordEnglish
An important word that brings back a whole idea.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5)
An important word that brings back a whole idea.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5)
key-term repetitionEnglish
Repeating the central word of an argument exactly, instead of swapping in synonyms, so the reader knows the subject has not changed.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
Repeating the central word of an argument exactly, instead of swapping in synonyms, so the reader knows the subject has not changed.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
key-word cardEnglish
A single card with only the trigger words for each section, used to rehearse and as a safety net.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.2 (grade 7) · +1 more
A single card with only the trigger words for each section, used to rehearse and as a safety net.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.2 (grade 7) · +1 more
kickerEnglish
A journalist’s word for the last line of a feature, the sentence the reader carries away.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
A journalist’s word for the last line of a feature, the sentence the reader carries away.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
Kitty HawkEnglish
A village on the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Kill Devil Hills, where the Wrights flew.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4)
A village on the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Kill Devil Hills, where the Wrights flew.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4)
L
lamentEnglish
A poem or speech of mourning. A lament for a good man is often an encomium spoken in grief.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
A poem or speech of mourning. A lament for a good man is often an encomium spoken in grief.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
lankEnglish
Tall and thin.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4)
Tall and thin.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4)
last lineEnglish
The final sentence of a parable, which carries the end-stress. It often answers the title, reverses an expectation, or turns the question on the hearer.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 9)
The final sentence of a parable, which carries the end-stress. It often answers the title, reverses an expectation, or turns the question on the hearer.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 9)
lateral readingEnglish
Checking an unfamiliar source by leaving it and seeing what other reliable sources say about its author or publisher.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11)
Checking an unfamiliar source by leaving it and seeing what other reliable sources say about its author or publisher.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11)
law of the landEnglish
The settled law of the realm, as opposed to the king’s will. Clause 39’s phrase, later restated as “due process of law.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
The settled law of the realm, as opposed to the king’s will. Clause 39’s phrase, later restated as “due process of law.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
lawfulEnglish
In agreement with law: the law of God first, then the laws of the land and long-settled custom.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
In agreement with law: the law of God first, then the laws of the land and long-settled custom.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 9)
leadEnglish
The opening of a profile, usually a scene, a moment or a quotation that puts the reader in the room with the subject.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.3 (grade 4) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 2.6 (Ages 14+) · +2 more
The opening of a profile, usually a scene, a moment or a quotation that puts the reader in the room with the subject.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.3 (grade 4) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 2.6 (Ages 14+) · +2 more
leadingEnglish
The space between lines of type, named for the strips of lead printers once set between them. Usually a little more than the type size (11-point type on 14-point leading).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
The space between lines of type, named for the strips of lead printers once set between them. Usually a little more than the type size (11-point type on 14-point leading).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
leadsmanEnglish
The crewman who measured the river’s depth with a weighted line and called out the marks.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.1 (grade 6)
The crewman who measured the river’s depth with a weighted line and called out the marks.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.1 (grade 6)
legendEnglish
A story about a real person that may not be true.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Earth Science: The Dynamic Earth, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · +3 more
A story about a real person that may not be true.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Earth Science: The Dynamic Earth, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · +3 more
lesser with greaterEnglish
A comparison that sets something smaller beside something great, either to raise the lesser (“he was a second Cincinnatus”) or to show how far the greater exceeds it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
A comparison that sets something smaller beside something great, either to raise the lesser (“he was a second Cincinnatus”) or to show how far the greater exceeds it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.2 (grade 8)
lie and layEnglish
Lie means to rest or recline and has no direct object; lay means to put or place something and has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.2 (grade 3–8)
Lie means to rest or recline and has no direct object; lay means to put or place something and has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.2 (grade 3–8)
likeness and differenceEnglish
The two halves of every comparison. Likeness makes the pair fair; difference makes the comparison worth reading.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
The two halves of every comparison. Likeness makes the pair fair; difference makes the comparison worth reading.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
limerickEnglish
A funny five-line poem.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3)
A funny five-line poem.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3)
line breakEnglish
Where a line ends. A break can pause the voice, stress the last word, or hold a surprise for the next line.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11)
Where a line ends. A break can pause the voice, stress the last word, or hold a surprise for the next line.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11)
line countEnglish
The number of lines in a poem.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.2 (grade 4)
The number of lines in a poem.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.2 (grade 4)
line of reasoningEnglish
The order of the speaker’s moves, from opening to close. A strong analysis follows it instead of hopping around the text.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
The order of the speaker’s moves, from opening to close. A strong analysis follows it instead of hopping around the text.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
linking verbEnglish
A linking verb joins the subject to a word in the predicate that renames or describes it.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · +1 more
A linking verb joins the subject to a word in the predicate that renames or describes it.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · +1 more
literalEnglish
What words mean exactly, not as a figure.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6)
What words mean exactly, not as a figure.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6)
literary present tenseEnglish
The convention of writing about what happens in a text in the present tense, because the text says it every time it is read: “Shakespeare compares,” not “Shakespeare compared.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
The convention of writing about what happens in a text in the present tense, because the text says it every time it is read: “Shakespeare compares,” not “Shakespeare compared.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
local commentEnglish
A comment on one sentence or word: a fragment, a dangling modifier, a vague phrase.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10)
A comment on one sentence or word: a fragment, a dangling modifier, a vague phrase.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10)
local historyEnglish
The true story of your town or county.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.4 (grade 4)
The true story of your town or county.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.4 (grade 4)
logical comparisonEnglish
A logical comparison compares things of the same kind and makes clear what is compared with what.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.3 (grade 3–8)
A logical comparison compares things of the same kind and makes clear what is compared with what.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.3 (grade 3–8)
logosEnglish
Proof from the argument itself: reasons, evidence and examples that show the claim is true or probable.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
Proof from the argument itself: reasons, evidence and examples that show the claim is true or probable.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
looking-back narratorEnglish
A first-person narrator who tells events years after they happened, so he can add what he understands now (“I do not wonder now…”).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7)
A first-person narrator who tells events years after they happened, so he can add what he understands now (“I do not wonder now…”).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7)
M
Magna CartaEnglish
“The Great Charter” sealed by King John of England at Runnymede in June 1215, promising his barons and free men that the king, too, was bound by law.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
“The Great Charter” sealed by King John of England at Runnymede in June 1215, promising his barons and free men that the king, too, was bound by law.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
mailing addressEnglish
The receiver’s name and address, in the center.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4)
The receiver’s name and address, in the center.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4)
main characterEnglish
The person or animal the story is mostly about.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3)
The person or animal the story is mostly about.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3)
main eventEnglish
A part of the story that cannot be left out without changing it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.2 (grade 5)
A part of the story that cannot be left out without changing it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.2 (grade 5)
main pointEnglish
The one idea the whole essay supports.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.3 (grade 4)
The one idea the whole essay supports.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.3 (grade 4)
main verbEnglish
The main verb is the most important verb in a verb phrase, and it comes last.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3–8)
The main verb is the most important verb in a verb phrase, and it comes last.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3–8)
man against natureEnglish
A struggle with cold, storm, sea, wilderness or wild animals.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.1 (grade 6)
A struggle with cold, storm, sea, wilderness or wild animals.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.1 (grade 6)
manuscript formatEnglish
The page layout a contest requires: font, size, spacing, margins, page numbers, title page and where (or whether) your name appears.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8)
The page layout a contest requires: font, size, spacing, margins, page numbers, title page and where (or whether) your name appears.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8)
marginsEnglish
The white space around the text block: inner (gutter), top (head), outer (fore-edge) and bottom (foot). The traditional proportion grows from inner to bottom.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
The white space around the text block: inner (gutter), top (head), outer (fore-edge) and bottom (foot). The traditional proportion grows from inner to bottom.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
mass nounEnglish
A mass noun names something measured as a whole amount rather than counted, such as flour or snow.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.1 (grade 3–8)
A mass noun names something measured as a whole amount rather than counted, such as flour or snow.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.1 (grade 3–8)
MassasoitEnglish
The leader of the Wampanoag, who made peace with the Pilgrims in 1621.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
The leader of the Wampanoag, who made peace with the Pilgrims in 1621.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
memo headingEnglish
The four lines at the top of a short business report or memo: To, From, Date, Subject.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9)
The four lines at the top of a short business report or memo: To, From, Date, Subject.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9)
memoirEnglish
A true account of something the writer lived through.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.1 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 3.8 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
A true account of something the writer lived through.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.1 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 3.8 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
memoir sceneEnglish
A true moment told slowly, with sensory detail and a short reflection.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6)
A true moment told slowly, with sensory detail and a short reflection.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6)
memoryEnglish
The fourth canon of rhetoric: holding a speech in mind so you can deliver it to faces, not to a page.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.1 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5) · +3 more
The fourth canon of rhetoric: holding a speech in mind so you can deliver it to faces, not to a page.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.1 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5) · +3 more
memory (memoria)English
The fourth canon: learning a speech so it can be given without reading, usually by its structure and key phrases rather than word by word alone.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9) · +1 more
The fourth canon: learning a speech so it can be given without reading, usually by its structure and key phrases rather than word by word alone.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9) · +1 more
metaphorEnglish
A comparison that says one thing is another: “The LORD is my rock.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.2 (grade 6)
A comparison that says one thing is another: “The LORD is my rock.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.2 (grade 6)
meterEnglish
The regular pattern of beats in a line of poetry.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7) · Grade 3 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3) · +3 more
The regular pattern of beats in a line of poetry.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.1 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7) · Grade 3 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3) · +3 more
method of places (memory palace)English
A memory method described by Cicero and Quintilian: picture a familiar building and set one image for each part of the speech in a room along your path.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10)
A memory method described by Cicero and Quintilian: picture a familiar building and set one image for each part of the speech in a room along your path.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10)
militiaEnglish
Ordinary citizens trained to fight when needed.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13) · +2 more
Ordinary citizens trained to fight when needed.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13) · +2 more
minutemanEnglish
A militiaman ready to march at a minute’s notice.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 3.4 (Ages 14+) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13)
A militiaman ready to march at a minute’s notice.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 3.4 (Ages 14+) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13)
minutesEnglish
A brief written record of what was decided at a meeting and who will do what by when.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12)
A brief written record of what was decided at a meeting and who will do what by when.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.4 (grade 12)
misplaced modifierEnglish
A word, phrase or clause set so far from the word it describes that it seems to describe the wrong thing.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · English Grammar, Lesson 22.1 (grade 3–8)
A word, phrase or clause set so far from the word it describes that it seems to describe the wrong thing.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.3 (grade 12) · English Grammar, Lesson 22.1 (grade 3–8)
missionaryEnglish
A person sent to tell others about Christ, often far from home.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.3 (grade 4) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 4.5 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith, Stop 4.5 (Ages 7–9) · +3 more
A person sent to tell others about Christ, often far from home.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.3 (grade 4) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 4.5 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith, Stop 4.5 (Ages 7–9) · +3 more
mixed chreiaEnglish
A chreia with both a deed and a saying.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
A chreia with both a deed and a saying.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
MLA styleEnglish
The Modern Language Association’s system, used mostly in literature and the humanities: short parenthetical citations (author and page) keyed to an alphabetical Works Cited list.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.2 (grade 8)
The Modern Language Association’s system, used mostly in literature and the humanities: short parenthetical citations (author and page) keyed to an alphabetical Works Cited list.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.2 (grade 8)
mock defenseEnglish
A full rehearsal of the defense before a practice panel, kept to time, with questions the candidate has not seen.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
A full rehearsal of the defense before a practice panel, kept to time, with questions the candidate has not seen.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
modest diffidenceEnglish
Franklin’s phrase for stating opinions without “the air of positiveness”: firm in reasons, humble in tone.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
Franklin’s phrase for stating opinions without “the air of positiveness”: firm in reasons, humble in tone.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.3 (grade 12)
modifierEnglish
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes or limits the meaning of another word.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3–8)
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes or limits the meaning of another word.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3–8)
modifyEnglish
To modify a word means to tell more about it and make its meaning clearer.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3–8)
To modify a word means to tell more about it and make its meaning clearer.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3–8)
monologueEnglish
A long speech by one person to one or more listeners who do not answer, or not yet.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8)
A long speech by one person to one or more listeners who do not answer, or not yet.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8)
moralEnglish
The lesson a fable teaches, often said in one sentence at the end.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6) · +1 more
The lesson a fable teaches, often said in one sentence at the end.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6) · +1 more
moral firstEnglish
Stating the lesson at the start, so the reader watches for it in the story.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.4 (grade 4)
Stating the lesson at the start, so the reader watches for it in the story.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.4 (grade 4)
moral lastEnglish
Saving the lesson for the end, so the reader discovers it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.4 (grade 4)
Saving the lesson for the end, so the reader discovers it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.4 (grade 4)
Morse codeEnglish
A system of dots and dashes that stand for letters.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.3 (grade 5) · Grade 4 Earth Science: Weather and Water, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4) · Grade 2 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 4.3 (grade 2) · +3 more
A system of dots and dashes that stand for letters.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.3 (grade 5) · Grade 4 Earth Science: Weather and Water, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4) · Grade 2 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 4.3 (grade 2) · +3 more
motiveEnglish
The reason behind what a character does.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
The reason behind what a character does.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
Mourt’s RelationEnglish
A 1622 booklet of Pilgrim journals and letters, printed in London.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
A 1622 booklet of Pilgrim journals and letters, printed in London.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.4 (grade 6)
municipal codeEnglish
The collected ordinances of a city, town or county, arranged by subject. Many towns publish theirs online.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
The collected ordinances of a city, town or county, arranged by subject. Many towns publish theirs online.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
mythEnglish
An old made-up story about gods or heroes.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6) · Grade 4 Cooking & Food, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Cooking & Food, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · +3 more
An old made-up story about gods or heroes.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6) · Grade 4 Cooking & Food, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Cooking & Food, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · +3 more
N
narrationEnglish
The part of a speech that tells what happened; here, the true story from your school years that proves the proposition.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12)
The part of a speech that tells what happened; here, the true story from your school years that proves the proposition.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12)
narration and partitionEnglish
The narration states the facts of the case briefly and clearly; the partition shows what is agreed, what is disputed and which points the speaker will prove.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 9)
The narration states the facts of the case briefly and clearly; the partition shows what is agreed, what is disputed and which points the speaker will prove.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 9)
narrativeEnglish
A true or made-up account of things that happened, told in order.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.3 (grade 5) · +1 more
A true or made-up account of things that happened, told in order.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.3 (grade 5) · +1 more
narrative (diēgēma)English
The second exercise of the progymnasmata: a true or likely account of an event, told with Theon’s six elements: person, action, place, time, manner and cause.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11)
The second exercise of the progymnasmata: a true or likely account of an event, told with Theon’s six elements: person, action, place, time, manner and cause.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11)
narratorEnglish
The voice that tells the story. The narrator is not always the author: Crusoe narrates Robinson Crusoe, but Defoe wrote it.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 4.2 (Ages 10–13)
The voice that tells the story. The narrator is not always the author: Crusoe narrates Robinson Crusoe, but Defoe wrote it.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 4.2 (Ages 10–13)
narrator’s commentEnglish
A remark in which the narrator speaks in his own voice to judge, explain or joke (“Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone, Scrooge!”).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.3 (grade 7)
A remark in which the narrator speaks in his own voice to judge, explain or joke (“Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone, Scrooge!”).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.3 (grade 7)
National History Day (NHD)English
A yearly history contest in which students research a topic tied to an annual theme and enter it as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance or website. Grades 6–8 compete in the Junior Division.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8)
A yearly history contest in which students research a topic tied to an annual theme and enter it as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance or website. Grades 6–8 compete in the Junior Division.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8)
nearer subject ruleEnglish
When subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
English Grammar, Lesson 12.2 (grade 3–8)
When subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
English Grammar, Lesson 12.2 (grade 3–8)
need statementEnglish
The section that shows, with evidence, the problem the project will solve. It is about the people served, not about the applicant.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
The section that shows, with evidence, the problem the project will solve. It is about the people served, not about the applicant.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
negative wordEnglish
A negative word says no or not, such as no, not, never, nothing, hardly, and scarcely.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.4 (grade 3–8)
A negative word says no or not, such as no, not, never, nothing, hardly, and scarcely.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.4 (grade 3–8)
new manEnglish
In Latin novus homo: the first man in his family to reach the Senate or the consulship, as Cicero was.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7)
In Latin novus homo: the first man in his family to reach the Senate or the consulship, as Cicero was.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7)
new speaker, new paragraphEnglish
The rule that each change of speaker starts a new paragraph.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5)
The rule that each change of speaker starts a new paragraph.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5)
nominative caseEnglish
The nominative case is used for subjects and for predicate nouns after linking verbs.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.3 (grade 3–8)
The nominative case is used for subjects and for predicate nouns after linking verbs.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.3 (grade 3–8)
nonrestrictive elementEnglish
A nonrestrictive (nonessential) element adds information about a word already identified; it is set off with commas.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.4 (grade 3–8)
A nonrestrictive (nonessential) element adds information about a word already identified; it is set off with commas.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.4 (grade 3–8)
nonsenseEnglish
Silly writing that is fun because it does not quite make sense.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3)
Silly writing that is fun because it does not quite make sense.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3)
Northwest OrdinanceEnglish
The act of the Confederation Congress (July 13, 1787) that set up government for the territory north and west of the Ohio River and forbade slavery there.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
The act of the Confederation Congress (July 13, 1787) that set up government for the territory north and west of the Ohio River and forbade slavery there.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.3 (grade 10)
note cardEnglish
A card holding one idea from one source, with a short topic heading, the source number and the page.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.2 (grade 8)
A card holding one idea from one source, with a short topic heading, the source number and the page.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.2 (grade 8)
notesEnglish
Short phrases that record the main ideas of what you read or hear.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5)
Short phrases that record the main ideas of what you read or hear.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.3 (grade 5)
nounEnglish
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5) · Grade 4 Latin, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · +2 more
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5) · Grade 4 Latin, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · +2 more
noun clauseEnglish
A noun clause is a dependent clause used as a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.4 (grade 3–8)
A noun clause is a dependent clause used as a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.4 (grade 3–8)
noun of direct addressEnglish
A noun of direct address names the person spoken to.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8)
A noun of direct address names the person spoken to.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.1 (grade 3–8)
novellaEnglish
A work of fiction longer than a short story and shorter than a novel, roughly 17,500 to 40,000 words, usually with one main plot line and a small cast. Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is a novella.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
A work of fiction longer than a short story and shorter than a novel, roughly 17,500 to 40,000 words, usually with one main plot line and a small cast. Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is a novella.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
numberEnglish
Number tells whether a word is singular (one) or plural (more than one).
English Grammar, Lesson 12.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Spanish, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
Number tells whether a word is singular (one) or plural (more than one).
English Grammar, Lesson 12.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Spanish, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
nursery rhymeEnglish
A short old poem for small children.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3)
A short old poem for small children.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.2 (grade 3)
nut paragraphEnglish
The paragraph, usually second or third, that tells the reader why this person is worth meeting. It is the profile’s thesis.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10)
The paragraph, usually second or third, that tells the reader why this person is worth meeting. It is the profile’s thesis.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10)
O
objectEnglish
An object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb or ends a prepositional phrase.
English Grammar, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3–8)
An object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb or ends a prepositional phrase.
English Grammar, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3–8)
object of the prepositionEnglish
The object of the preposition is the noun or pronoun that ends a prepositional phrase.
English Grammar, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3–8)
The object of the preposition is the noun or pronoun that ends a prepositional phrase.
English Grammar, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3–8)
object pronounEnglish
An object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them) is used as a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3–8)
An object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them) is used as a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3–8)
objection and answerEnglish
The part of the thesis that states the best case against your claim fairly and then answers it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10)
The part of the thesis that states the best case against your claim fairly and then answers it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.1 (grade 10)
objection and solutionEnglish
Aphthonius’s method for the thesis: state what an opponent would say, then resolve it. Unit 3 will develop this as counterargument and rebuttal.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
Aphthonius’s method for the thesis: state what an opponent would say, then resolve it. Unit 3 will develop this as counterargument and rebuttal.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
objective caseEnglish
The objective case is used for direct objects and objects of prepositions.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.3 (grade 3–8)
The objective case is used for direct objects and objects of prepositions.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.3 (grade 3–8)
objective complementEnglish
An objective complement is a noun or adjective that follows the direct object and renames or describes it.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.1 (grade 3–8)
An objective complement is a noun or adjective that follows the direct object and renames or describes it.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.1 (grade 3–8)
observed detailEnglish
A fact the writer saw, heard or handled in person (“large and sinewy hands”), as opposed to a fact looked up or a general claim.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10)
A fact the writer saw, heard or handled in person (“large and sinewy hands”), as opposed to a fact looked up or a general claim.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10)
obstacleEnglish
Something that stands in the way of the want.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.4 (grade 5)
Something that stands in the way of the want.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.4 (grade 5)
occasionEnglish
The exact moment and setting of a speech: who is speaking, to whom, where, and just after or before what.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.4 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8) · +3 more
The exact moment and setting of a speech: who is speaking, to whom, where, and just after or before what.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.4 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8) · +3 more
octaveEnglish
The first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet, which usually state a problem, a question or a situation.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
The first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet, which usually state a problem, a question or a situation.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
odeEnglish
A lyric poem of praise, serious in tone, that addresses its subject directly and is usually built in stanzas.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.2 (grade 8)
A lyric poem of praise, serious in tone, that addresses its subject directly and is usually built in stanzas.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.2 (grade 8)
o’erdoneEnglish
Hamlet’s word for overacting (and, by extension, overwriting): “anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
Hamlet’s word for overacting (and, by extension, overwriting): “anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
old-to-new orderEnglish
Beginning a sentence with something the reader already knows and ending it with the new information, so each sentence hands off to the next.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
Beginning a sentence with something the reader already knows and ending it with the new information, so each sentence hands off to the next.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
omniscientEnglish
All-knowing (Latin omnis, “all,” and sciens, “knowing”). An omniscient narrator can tell anything about any character, place or time in the story.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.3 (grade 7)
All-knowing (Latin omnis, “all,” and sciens, “knowing”). An omniscient narrator can tell anything about any character, place or time in the story.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.3 (grade 7)
opening statementEnglish
The short prepared speech (about 8–12 minutes) with which the candidate begins: the question, the claim, the main proofs and the limits of the work.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
The short prepared speech (about 8–12 minutes) with which the candidate begins: the question, the claim, the main proofs and the limits of the work.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
opinionEnglish
A statement of what someone thinks, feels or prefers.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.2 (grade 6)
A statement of what someone thinks, feels or prefers.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.2 (grade 6)
Optimist International Oratorical ContestEnglish
A speech contest run through local Optimist Clubs for students under 19 who have not finished high school, with scholarships at the district level and above.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
A speech contest run through local Optimist Clubs for students under 19 who have not finished high school, with scholarships at the district level and above.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
oral defenseEnglish
A spoken examination in which a writer presents his work and answers questions about it from a panel.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
A spoken examination in which a writer presents his work and answers questions about it from a panel.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
oral examEnglish
An examination by questions and spoken answers. In the old universities, a student “defended” his work before his masters.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 9)
An examination by questions and spoken answers. In the old universities, a student “defended” his work before his masters.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.3 (grade 9)
oral examinationEnglish
A spoken examination in which a student presents work and answers questions about it before examiners, as at the end of a classical education.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.4 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.4 (grade 8)
A spoken examination in which a student presents work and answers questions about it before examiners, as at the end of a classical education.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.4 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.4 (grade 8)
oral historyEnglish
A record of a person’s memories gathered by interview, with permission, and kept accurately.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9) · Grade 8 Cooking & Food, Lesson 3.3 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 9.4 (grade 8)
A record of a person’s memories gathered by interview, with permission, and kept accurately.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9) · Grade 8 Cooking & Food, Lesson 3.3 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers, Lesson 9.4 (grade 8)
orationEnglish
A formal, prepared speech on a set subject, written to be delivered (usually from memory) before an audience and judges.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
A formal, prepared speech on a set subject, written to be delivered (usually from memory) before an audience and judges.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
orderEnglish
Which event comes first, next and last.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.2 (grade 6) · +1 more
Which event comes first, next and last.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 3.2 (grade 6) · +1 more
originalEnglish
Your own, new work.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.2 (grade 4)
Your own, new work.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.2 (grade 4)
originalityEnglish
Your own idea, not copied.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.2 (grade 5) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
Your own idea, not copied.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.2 (grade 5) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
ornamentEnglish
In Bassanio’s speech, outward decoration or show that hides what a thing really is.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
In Bassanio’s speech, outward decoration or show that hides what a thing really is.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
outcomeEnglish
How things turned out.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.3 (grade 4) · Playing the Odds, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4–7) · Playing the Odds, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8–12) · +2 more
How things turned out.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.3 (grade 4) · Playing the Odds, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4–7) · Playing the Odds, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8–12) · +2 more
overstatementEnglish
Saying something is always true when it is only sometimes true.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6)
Saying something is always true when it is only sometimes true.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6)
own workEnglish
Writing whose ideas, order and words come from you. Others may point out mechanical errors; they may not supply content.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
Writing whose ideas, order and words come from you. Others may point out mechanical errors; they may not supply content.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
P
paceEnglish
How fast you speak.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 9) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · +3 more
How fast you speak.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 9) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7) · +3 more
pamphlet stitchEnglish
The simplest binding: a thread passed through three (or five) holes along the fold and tied inside, holding the folded sheets and cover together.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.4 (grade 12)
The simplest binding: a thread passed through three (or five) holes along the fold and tied inside, holding the folded sheets and cover together.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.4 (grade 12)
panel (readers)English
The adults who have read the thesis and question the candidate. The advisor sits with them; a chair keeps time and order.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
The adults who have read the thesis and question the candidate. The advisor sits with them; a chair keeps time and order.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.1 (grade 12)
paragraphEnglish
A group of sentences about one idea.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3)
A group of sentences about one idea.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3)
paralipsisEnglish
Saying that you will not speak of something, and so mentioning it: “the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak …” (Hebrews 11:32).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
Saying that you will not speak of something, and so mentioning it: “the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak …” (Hebrews 11:32).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.4 (grade 7)
Parallel LivesEnglish
Plutarch’s great work, which pairs the life of a famous Greek with the life of a famous Roman (Alexander with Caesar, Demosthenes with Cicero) and compares them.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
Plutarch’s great work, which pairs the life of a famous Greek with the life of a famous Roman (Alexander with Caesar, Demosthenes with Cicero) and compares them.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.1 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
parallel structureEnglish
Putting matching ideas in matching grammatical forms: “the hum of bees, the smell of hay, the creak of the gate.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8) · English Grammar, Lesson 24.3 (grade 3–8)
Putting matching ideas in matching grammatical forms: “the hum of bees, the smell of hay, the creak of the gate.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8) · English Grammar, Lesson 24.3 (grade 3–8)
parallelismEnglish
Putting matched ideas in matched grammatical form: “leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 1.5 (Ages 14+) · +1 more
Putting matched ideas in matched grammatical form: “leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 1.5 (Ages 14+) · +1 more
paraphraseEnglish
The subject’s meaning in your words, without quotation marks but still attributed: “She says the hardest year was the first.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 11) · +3 more
The subject’s meaning in your words, without quotation marks but still attributed: “She says the hardest year was the first.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 11) · +3 more
paraphrase in verseEnglish
A poem that retells a passage of Scripture in meter and rhyme.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5)
A poem that retells a passage of Scripture in meter and rhyme.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5)
parenthesesEnglish
Parentheses ( ) enclose an aside: words that add information but are less important than the rest of the sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
Parentheses ( ) enclose an aside: words that add information but are less important than the rest of the sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.3 (grade 3–8)
parentheticalEnglish
A brief direction set inside a speech, telling how a line is delivered or what the speaker does (“Hands them on a salver”). Use sparingly.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
A brief direction set inside a speech, telling how a line is delivered or what the speaker does (“Hands them on a salver”). Use sparingly.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
Parson WeemsEnglish
Mason Locke Weems, a minister and bookseller who wrote a popular life of Washington.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6)
Mason Locke Weems, a minister and bookseller who wrote a popular life of Washington.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6)
participial phraseEnglish
A participial phrase is a participle together with its modifiers and complements, used as an adjective.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.2 (grade 3–8)
A participial phrase is a participle together with its modifiers and complements, used as an adjective.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.2 (grade 3–8)
participleEnglish
A participle is a verb form used as an adjective.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Greek, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
A participle is a verb form used as an adjective.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Greek, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
partition (partitio)English
The part of a classical speech that tells the hearer what points will follow and in what order. In a paper it is the roadmap at the end of the introduction.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12)
The part of a classical speech that tells the hearer what points will follow and in what order. In a paper it is the roadmap at the end of the introduction.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12)
partsEnglish
The pieces a tool is made of, such as handle and blade.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4)
The pieces a tool is made of, such as handle and blade.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4)
parts of speechEnglish
The parts of speech are the eight groups into which words are sorted by the jobs they do in sentences.
English Grammar, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3–8)
The parts of speech are the eight groups into which words are sorted by the jobs they do in sentences.
English Grammar, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3–8)
passEnglish
One complete read-through looking for one kind of problem only.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 1.2 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Great Battles, Stop 1.2 (Ages 7–9) · +3 more
One complete read-through looking for one kind of problem only.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8) · Explore Great Battles · Ranger, Stop 1.2 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Great Battles, Stop 1.2 (Ages 7–9) · +3 more
passive voiceEnglish
A verb is in the passive voice when its subject receives the action; it is made of a form of be and a past participle.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.2 (grade 3–8)
A verb is in the passive voice when its subject receives the action; it is made of a form of be and a past participle.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.2 (grade 3–8)
past participleEnglish
The past participle is the form of a verb used with has, have, or had (has walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 11.2 (grade 3–8)
The past participle is the form of a verb used with has, have, or had (has walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 11.2 (grade 3–8)
past perfect tenseEnglish
The past perfect tense uses had with the past participle for an action completed before another past action or time (had walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.3 (grade 3–8)
The past perfect tense uses had with the past participle for an action completed before another past action or time (had walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.3 (grade 3–8)
past tenseEnglish
Told as having already happened.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8)
Told as having already happened.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.4 (grade 6) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8)
patchwritingEnglish
Keeping a source’s sentence pattern and swapping in a few synonyms. It looks like paraphrase but is still copying.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.3 (grade 8)
Keeping a source’s sentence pattern and swapping in a few synonyms. It looks like paraphrase but is still copying.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.3 (grade 8)
pathosEnglish
Proof from the audience's emotions: the speaker brings the hearers to feel what the truth deserves, such as pity, fear, hope or indignation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
Proof from the audience's emotions: the speaker brings the hearers to feel what the truth deserves, such as pity, fear, hope or indignation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
patriotEnglish
In 1775, an American colonist who resisted British rule.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4)
In 1775, an American colonist who resisted British rule.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4)
pauseEnglish
A planned silence that lets a point land, marks a turn, or gives the speaker breath.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.2 (grade 8)
A planned silence that lets a point land, marks a turn, or gives the speaker breath.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.2 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.2 (grade 8)
peer readerEnglish
Someone your age (or close) who reads your work and gives notes.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4)
Someone your age (or close) who reads your work and gives notes.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4)
peer reviewEnglish
Reading and commenting on the work of a fellow student so that he or she can revise it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11)
Reading and commenting on the work of a fellow student so that he or she can revise it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11)
pen nameEnglish
A name an author writes under. Lamb wrote as “Elia”; Addison wrote as “Mr. Spectator.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 4.4 (Ages 10–13)
A name an author writes under. Lamb wrote as “Elia”; Addison wrote as “Mr. Spectator.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 4.4 (Ages 10–13)
perorationEnglish
The closing of a speech, which gathers the argument and moves the hearers to act.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · +2 more
The closing of a speech, which gathers the argument and moves the hearers to act.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.3 (grade 7) · +2 more
person and characterEnglish
Franklin’s phrase for the two halves of a portrait: what a person looked like and could do, and what kind of soul he had.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7)
Franklin’s phrase for the two halves of a portrait: what a person looked like and could do, and what kind of soul he had.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7)
personal narrativeEnglish
A true story about something that happened to you.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.1 (grade 3)
A true story about something that happened to you.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.1 (grade 3)
personal pronounsEnglish
The personal pronouns are I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, and them, and the owning words my, your, his, her, its, our, and their.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3–8)
The personal pronouns are I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, and them, and the owning words my, your, his, her, its, our, and their.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3–8)
personal statementEnglish
The main essay of a college application; on the Common App, one essay of 250–650 words on one of seven prompts.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11)
The main essay of a college application; on the Common App, one essay of 250–650 words on one of seven prompts.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11)
personificationEnglish
Giving human actions or feelings to something that is not human: “the floods clap their hands.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.3 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7) · +1 more
Giving human actions or feelings to something that is not human: “the floods clap their hands.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.3 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7) · +1 more
Petrarchan (Italian) sonnetEnglish
A sonnet in two parts: an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet. Named for Petrarch, the Italian poet of the 1300s.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
A sonnet in two parts: an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet. Named for Petrarch, the Italian poet of the 1300s.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
Petrarchan sonnetEnglish
A fourteen-line poem in two parts: an octave rhymed abbaabba and a sestet on two or three new rhymes (often cdecde or cddece). Also called the Italian sonnet.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9)
A fourteen-line poem in two parts: an octave rhymed abbaabba and a sestet on two or three new rhymes (often cdecde or cddece). Also called the Italian sonnet.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9)
PhariseesEnglish
A strict party of Jewish teachers in Jesus’ day.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
A strict party of Jewish teachers in Jesus’ day.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
PhilistinesEnglish
A people who lived by the sea west of Israel and often fought against it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4)
A people who lived by the sea west of Israel and often fought against it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4)
philosopherEnglish
A “lover of wisdom”: someone who studies what is true and good.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.3 (grade 5)
A “lover of wisdom”: someone who studies what is true and good.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.3 (grade 5)
phraseEnglish
A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and its verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3–8)
A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and its verb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3–8)
place wordsEnglish
Words that tell where: above, below, beside, behind, beyond.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3)
Words that tell where: above, below, beside, behind, beyond.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3)
plagiarismEnglish
Presenting another person’s words or ideas as your own, whether by copying without quotation marks or by using an idea without credit. It is a form of lying.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.4 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.1 (grade 5) · +1 more
Presenting another person’s words or ideas as your own, whether by copying without quotation marks or by using an idea without credit. It is a form of lying.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.4 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.1 (grade 5) · +1 more
plain styleEnglish
Writing in short, concrete sentences with ordinary words and few ornaments, so that the events themselves carry the weight.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9)
Writing in short, concrete sentences with ordinary words and few ornaments, so that the events themselves carry the weight.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 9) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9)
plant and payoffEnglish
A detail set early in a story (the plant) that becomes important at the end (the payoff).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
A detail set early in a story (the plant) that becomes important at the end (the payoff).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
plotEnglish
The events of a story, in order.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.4 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8) · +2 more
The events of a story, in order.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.4 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8) · +2 more
plural nounEnglish
A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3–8)
A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3–8)
PlutarchEnglish
A Greek writer (about A.D. 46–120) who wrote the lives of famous Greeks and Romans.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.3 (grade 5) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 3.1 (Ages 14+) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 3.1 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
A Greek writer (about A.D. 46–120) who wrote the lives of famous Greeks and Romans.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.3 (grade 5) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 3.1 (Ages 14+) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 3.1 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
poemEnglish
Writing in lines, with a pattern of sound.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.1 (grade 3)
Writing in lines, with a pattern of sound.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.1 (grade 3)
poetic licenseEnglish
A poet’s freedom to change facts for the sake of the poem.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4)
A poet’s freedom to change facts for the sake of the poem.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4)
point of comparisonEnglish
One heading (birth, education, deeds, character, death) under which both persons are measured.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
One heading (birth, education, deeds, character, death) under which both persons are measured.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
point of viewEnglish
The position from which the story is told: first person (“I”), third person limited (one character’s view), or an omniscient storyteller who knows all and may comment, as Dickens does.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.3 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.3 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · +3 more
The position from which the story is told: first person (“I”), third person limited (one character’s view), or an omniscient storyteller who knows all and may comment, as Dickens does.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.3 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.3 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · +3 more
point-by-point arrangementEnglish
Arranging the body by heads, each paragraph comparing both persons on one point. This is Aphthonius's “head against head.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.4 (grade 8)
Arranging the body by heads, each paragraph comparing both persons on one point. This is Aphthonius's “head against head.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.4 (grade 8)
poiseEnglish
Calm self-command before an audience: steady stance, measured voice, and recovery from mistakes without fuss.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
Calm self-command before an audience: steady stance, measured voice, and recovery from mistakes without fuss.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.4 (grade 10)
polishEnglish
To revise and make a clean final copy.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.4 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
To revise and make a clean final copy.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.4 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
Poor RichardEnglish
The made-up author of Franklin’s almanac, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733–1758).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.4 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.3 (grade 6)
The made-up author of Franklin’s almanac, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733–1758).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.4 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.3 (grade 6)
positive degreeEnglish
The positive degree is the plain form of a modifier, used when nothing is compared.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
The positive degree is the plain form of a modifier, used when nothing is compared.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
possessive nounEnglish
A possessive noun shows who owns or has something.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.4 (grade 3–8)
A possessive noun shows who owns or has something.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.4 (grade 3–8)
possessive pronounEnglish
A possessive pronoun shows that something belongs to someone, and it never has an apostrophe.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3–8)
A possessive pronoun shows that something belongs to someone, and it never has an apostrophe.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.3 (grade 3–8)
possibilityEnglish
The head that asks whether a law can be carried out and enforced with the money, people, time and willingness available.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10)
The head that asks whether a law can be carried out and enforced with the money, people, time and willingness available.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.2 (grade 10)
PostEnglish
A local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.1 (grade 6)
A local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.1 (grade 6)
postageEnglish
The stamp that pays for delivery.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4) · Explore Crafts and Making · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13)
The stamp that pays for delivery.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4) · Explore Crafts and Making · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13)
posthumousEnglish
Published after the author’s death. The Temple was printed at Cambridge in 1633, a few months after Herbert died.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
Published after the author’s death. The Temple was printed at Cambridge in 1633, a few months after Herbert died.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.1 (grade 12)
postureEnglish
How you stand.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · Body Mechanics of Sport, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4–7)
How you stand.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.3 (grade 5) · Body Mechanics of Sport, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4–7)
practical (political) thesisEnglish
A general question about what one should do: marry, farm, travel, build walls. This is the kind we argue in this unit.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9)
A general question about what one should do: marry, farm, travel, build walls. This is the kind we argue in this unit.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9)
praiseEnglish
In the Psalms, all creation is called to praise God.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6) · Kindergarten Earth Science: God Made the Ground and Sky, Lesson 8.4 (grade K)
In the Psalms, all creation is called to praise God.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.3 (grade 6) · Kindergarten Earth Science: God Made the Ground and Sky, Lesson 8.4 (grade K)
praise by causesEnglish
Praising a thing by telling where it comes from, what it is made of, what it does and what good it brings: the old heads of the encomium, used in verse.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.4 (grade 8)
Praising a thing by telling where it comes from, what it is made of, what it does and what good it brings: the old heads of the encomium, used in verse.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.4 (grade 8)
precedentEnglish
Something done before that is cited as a guide or justification for doing the same now.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 10.3 (grade 9–12)
Something done before that is cited as a guide or justification for doing the same now.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 10.3 (grade 9–12)
predicate adjectiveEnglish
A predicate adjective is an adjective after a linking verb that describes the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3–8)
A predicate adjective is an adjective after a linking verb that describes the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3–8)
predicate nominativeEnglish
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun after a linking verb that renames the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.3 (grade 3–8)
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun after a linking verb that renames the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.3 (grade 3–8)
predicate nounEnglish
A predicate noun comes after a linking verb and renames the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3–8)
A predicate noun comes after a linking verb and renames the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.3 (grade 3–8)
prefaceEnglish
A short opening letter to the reader explaining what the collection contains and how it was made.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.2 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7) · +2 more
A short opening letter to the reader explaining what the collection contains and how it was made.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.2 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7) · +2 more
preface letterEnglish
A one- to two-page letter at the front of the portfolio that introduces the writer, names each piece and why it was chosen, and says what the year taught.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11)
A one- to two-page letter at the front of the portfolio that introduces the writer, names each piece and why it was chosen, and says what the year taught.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11)
premiseEnglish
The play in one sentence: who wants what, what stands in the way, and where. “A widow wants to keep the farm her son has already sold.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11)
The play in one sentence: who wants what, what stands in the way, and where. “A widow wants to keep the farm her son has already sold.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11)
prepositionEnglish
A preposition is a word that shows how a noun or pronoun is related to another word in the sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 6.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6)
A preposition is a word that shows how a noun or pronoun is related to another word in the sentence.
English Grammar, Lesson 6.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 2.2 (grade 6)
prepositional phraseEnglish
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, its object.
English Grammar, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3–8)
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, its object.
English Grammar, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3–8)
present participleEnglish
The present participle is the -ing form of a verb, used with a form of be (is walking).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8)
The present participle is the -ing form of a verb, used with a form of be (is walking).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8)
present perfect tenseEnglish
The present perfect tense uses has or have with the past participle for an action completed at some time before now or still going on now (has walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.3 (grade 3–8)
The present perfect tense uses has or have with the past participle for an action completed at some time before now or still going on now (has walked).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.3 (grade 3–8)
present tenseEnglish
The present tense tells what happens now or what happens again and again.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8)
The present tense tells what happens now or what happens again and again.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8)
pretextEnglish
A false reason given to hide the real one.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6)
A false reason given to hide the real one.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.3 (grade 6)
primary and secondary sourcesEnglish
A primary source is the original text or witness (the Federalist itself); a secondary source is a later study of it (a historian’s book on the Federalist).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.4 (grade 12)
A primary source is the original text or witness (the Federalist itself); a secondary source is a later study of it (a historian’s book on the Federalist).
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.4 (grade 12)
principal partsEnglish
The principal parts of a verb are its four chief forms: the present, the present participle, the past, and the past participle.
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 7 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8)
The principal parts of a verb are its four chief forms: the present, the present participle, the past, and the past participle.
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 7 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8)
principle of arrangementEnglish
The rule that orders the body paragraphs: space (near to far), time (morning to night), or the senses.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8)
The rule that orders the body paragraphs: space (near to far), time (morning to night), or the senses.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8)
procatalepsisEnglish
The figure in which a speaker raises an objection himself and answers it before the opponent can (“Some one will say …”). Also called prolepsis.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12)
The figure in which a speaker raises an objection himself and answers it before the opponent can (“Some one will say …”). Also called prolepsis.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12)
procedureEnglish
A numbered set of steps that a reader follows in order to complete one task.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
A numbered set of steps that a reader follows in order to complete one task.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
process paperEnglish
A short statement (up to 500 words for National History Day) explaining how you chose your topic, researched it, built your argument and connected it to the annual theme.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.1 (grade 8)
A short statement (up to 500 words for National History Day) explaining how you chose your topic, researched it, built your argument and connected it to the annual theme.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.1 (grade 8)
proconsulEnglish
The Roman governor of a province such as Achaia (southern Greece).
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6)
The Roman governor of a province such as Achaia (southern Greece).
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.3 (grade 6)
profileEnglish
A piece of nonfiction that shows one living (or recently living) person through scene, observed detail and the person’s own words, usually at work. It is shorter and more focused than a biography.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Geography: Physical Geography: The Earth’s Systems, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Geography: Physical Geography: The Earth’s Systems, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6) · +1 more
A piece of nonfiction that shows one living (or recently living) person through scene, observed detail and the person’s own words, usually at work. It is shorter and more focused than a biography.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Geography: Physical Geography: The Earth’s Systems, Lesson 1.4 (grade 6) · Grade 6 Geography: Physical Geography: The Earth’s Systems, Lesson 2.4 (grade 6) · +1 more
programEnglish
A printed order of events: welcome, opening statement, panel questions, audience questions, deliberation, verdict.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 10.1 (grade 9–12) · +3 more
A printed order of events: welcome, opening statement, panel questions, audience questions, deliberation, verdict.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4) · Architecture & Civil Engineering, Lesson 10.1 (grade 9–12) · +3 more
progressive formEnglish
A progressive form uses a form of be with the present participle to show action that is going on (is walking, was walking, will be walking).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.4 (grade 3–8)
A progressive form uses a form of be with the present participle to show action that is going on (is walking, was walking, will be walking).
English Grammar, Lesson 11.4 (grade 3–8)
progymnasmataEnglish
The Greek “preliminary exercises” in composition, set down by Theon, Hermogenes and Aphthonius: fable, narrative, chreia, maxim, refutation, confirmation, commonplace, encomium, invective, comparison, impersonation, description, thesis and law.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.1 (grade 8)
The Greek “preliminary exercises” in composition, set down by Theon, Hermogenes and Aphthonius: fable, narrative, chreia, maxim, refutation, confirmation, commonplace, encomium, invective, comparison, impersonation, description, thesis and law.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.1 (grade 4) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.1 (grade 8)
promptEnglish
The question or issue the test gives you. The ACT prompt states an issue and three perspectives on it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · +2 more
The question or issue the test gives you. The ACT prompt states an issue and three perspectives on it.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 11) · +2 more
pronounEnglish
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3–8)
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3–8)
prooemiumEnglish
The opening of an encomium, which tells the hearer who will be praised and why the praise is worth giving.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7)
The opening of an encomium, which tells the hearer who will be praised and why the praise is worth giving.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7)
proof by enumerationEnglish
An argument that counts cases one by one (here, the thirty-nine signers) so the hearer can check every step.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10)
An argument that counts cases one by one (here, the thirty-nine signers) so the hearer can check every step.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.1 (grade 10)
proofreadEnglish
To read slowly for mistakes in spelling, capitals and punctuation.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7)
To read slowly for mistakes in spelling, capitals and punctuation.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7)
proofreadingEnglish
The last pass: spelling, punctuation, capitals, typing errors and format.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11) · +3 more
The last pass: spelling, punctuation, capitals, typing errors and format.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11) · +3 more
proper adjectiveEnglish
A proper adjective is an adjective made from a proper noun, and it is capitalized (English, Swiss, Christian).
English Grammar, Lesson 16.4 (grade 3–8)
A proper adjective is an adjective made from a proper noun, and it is capitalized (English, Swiss, Christian).
English Grammar, Lesson 16.4 (grade 3–8)
proper nounEnglish
A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or idea and begins with a capital letter.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3–8)
A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or idea and begins with a capital letter.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3–8)
prophetEnglish
A man who speaks God’s message.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 4.4 (grade 1) · Explore Animals · Ranger, Stop 4.10 (Ages 10–13) · +2 more
A man who speaks God’s message.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 4.4 (grade 1) · Explore Animals · Ranger, Stop 4.10 (Ages 10–13) · +2 more
proposalEnglish
A document that asks a reader with authority or money to approve a plan, and shows that the plan is needed, sound and possible.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
A document that asks a reader with authority or money to approve a plan, and shows that the plan is needed, sound and possible.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
propositionEnglish
The one truth the speech exists to say, stated in a single sentence.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12)
The one truth the speech exists to say, stated in a single sentence.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12)
prosopopoeiaEnglish
The figure in which the dead, the absent or a thing is made to speak. In the progymnasmata it is a cousin of ethopoeia, the speech in character.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.4 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
The figure in which the dead, the absent or a thing is made to speak. In the progymnasmata it is a cousin of ethopoeia, the speech in character.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.4 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.1 (grade 8)
protagonistEnglish
The main character, whose struggle we follow.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
The main character, whose struggle we follow.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.2 (grade 6)
provenanceEnglish
Where a document or object came from and who has held it; the history that makes it trustworthy as what it claims to be.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 5.3 (Ages 14+) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 5.10 (Ages 14+) · +2 more
Where a document or object came from and who has held it; the history that makes it trustworthy as what it claims to be.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 5.3 (Ages 14+) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 5.10 (Ages 14+) · +2 more
proverbEnglish
A short wise saying.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.4 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.1 (grade 6)
A short wise saying.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.4 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.4 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.1 (grade 6)
providenceEnglish
God’s wise and active care over all things, including the ordinary events of one life. Bunyan begins the model with “the good providence of God called me to Bedford.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 1.7 (Ages 14+) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 3.6 (Ages 14+) · +3 more
God’s wise and active care over all things, including the ordinary events of one life. Bunyan begins the model with “the good providence of God called me to Bedford.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 1.7 (Ages 14+) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 3.6 (Ages 14+) · +3 more
provisionsEnglish
Here, the stock of evidence a writer carries in memory: examples, quotations, dates and cases ready for use without notes.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Cooking & Food, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith, Stop 1.6 (Ages 7–9)
Here, the stock of evidence a writer carries in memory: examples, quotations, dates and cases ready for use without notes.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Cooking & Food, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith, Stop 1.6 (Ages 7–9)
prudenceEnglish
Practical wisdom; in a personal essay, care not to expose or embarrass the real people in your story.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.2 (grade 6)
Practical wisdom; in a personal essay, care not to expose or embarrass the real people in your story.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.2 (grade 6)
psalmEnglish
A song or poem of praise or prayer from the Book of Psalms.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3)
A song or poem of praise or prayer from the Book of Psalms.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3)
pseudonymEnglish
A pen name. Hamilton, Madison and Jay all signed the Federalist essays “Publius.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 11) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 4.4 (Ages 14+)
A pen name. Hamilton, Madison and Jay all signed the Federalist essays “Publius.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 11) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Expert, Stop 4.4 (Ages 14+)
public commentEnglish
The part of a council meeting when citizens may speak, usually for two to five minutes, on items before the council or matters of local concern.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
The part of a council meeting when citizens may speak, usually for two to five minutes, on items before the council or matters of local concern.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
public defenseEnglish
A thesis defense held before invited guests as well as the panel. The panel questions and decides; guests may ask a question at the end if the chair allows.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12)
A thesis defense held before invited guests as well as the panel. The panel questions and decides; guests may ask a question at the end if the chair allows.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.4 (grade 12)
public readingEnglish
Reading a document aloud to a crowd. The Declaration was first read publicly in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5)
Reading a document aloud to a crowd. The Declaration was first read publicly in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5)
purposeEnglish
What a tool is for.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 4.1 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 2.1 (Ages 14+) · +2 more
What a tool is for.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 4.1 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Travel and Faraway Places · Expert, Stop 2.1 (Ages 14+) · +2 more
Q
qualificationEnglish
A limit placed on your claim to make it accurate: “when both are done equally well,” “for most people,” “in ordinary times.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9)
A limit placed on your claim to make it accurate: “when both are done equally well,” “for most people,” “in ordinary times.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9)
qualifyEnglish
To add words like often or usually to make a claim exact.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6)
To add words like often or usually to make a claim exact.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6)
quatrainEnglish
A stanza of four lines. The villanelle ends with one, in which both refrains appear as the last two lines.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
A stanza of four lines. The villanelle ends with one, in which both refrains appear as the last two lines.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
quatrain and coupletEnglish
A quatrain is a group of four lines; a couplet is two rhyming lines. In the English sonnet the couplet often sums up, reverses or applies the quatrains.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
A quatrain is a group of four lines; a couplet is two rhyming lines. In the English sonnet the couplet often sums up, reverses or applies the quatrains.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
question bankEnglish
A written list of likely questions with short answers and the page or source that supports each.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12)
A written list of likely questions with short answers and the page or source that supports each.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12)
quotation marksEnglish
The marks “ ” that go around the exact words someone says.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5)
The marks “ ” that go around the exact words someone says.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5)
R
raptureEnglish
Great joy or delight.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6)
Great joy or delight.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6)
rashnessEnglish
The opposite error: rushing into danger with no good reason. Courage stands between cowardice and rashness.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
The opposite error: rushing into danger with no good reason. Courage stands between cowardice and rashness.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
reader responseEnglish
A listener’s honest reaction to your story.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5)
A listener’s honest reaction to your story.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5)
reading scriptEnglish
A clean, large-print copy of a speech marked with pauses (/ and //), stressed words and breath points.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 9)
A clean, large-print copy of a speech marked with pauses (/ and //), stressed words and breath points.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 9)
reasonEnglish
Why the claim is true; usually follows “because.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.1 (grade 6)
Why the claim is true; usually follows “because.”
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.1 (grade 6)
rebukeEnglish
Blame spoken directly to a person, about a wrong he has done, in order to turn him from it.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.3 (grade 7)
Blame spoken directly to a person, about a wrong he has done, in order to turn him from it.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.3 (grade 7)
rebuttalEnglish
A speech that answers the opponent’s arguments and rebuilds one’s own. No new main arguments are allowed in rebuttal.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6)
A speech that answers the opponent’s arguments and rebuilds one’s own. No new main arguments are allowed in rebuttal.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6)
rebuttal (refutation)English
Your answer to a counterargument. In the classical oration this part is the confutatio, which follows the confirmation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
Your answer to a counterargument. In the classical oration this part is the confutatio, which follows the confirmation.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
recitationEnglish
Saying a passage from memory.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7)
Saying a passage from memory.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7)
reciteEnglish
To say from memory.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5)
To say from memory.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.4 (grade 5)
recognition (anagnorisis)English
Aristotle’s term for the moment a character learns the truth he did not know. The best plays join it to the reversal.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
Aristotle’s term for the moment a character learns the truth he did not know. The best plays join it to the reversal.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
recommendationEnglish
The action the writer advises, based on the findings and clearly labeled as advice.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9) · Playing the Odds, Lesson 6.5 (grade 8–12)
The action the writer advises, based on the findings and clearly labeled as advice.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9) · Playing the Odds, Lesson 6.5 (grade 8–12)
reconstructionEnglish
A text rebuilt later from people’s memories.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.3 (grade 8) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 9.4 (grade 7) · +3 more
A text rebuilt later from people’s memories.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.3 (grade 8) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 9.4 (grade 7) · +3 more
Recovery, Escape, ConsolationEnglish
The three gifts Tolkien says fairy-stories give: seeing ordinary things freshly again, escape from what is false or ugly (not desertion of duty), and the consolation of the happy ending.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
The three gifts Tolkien says fairy-stories give: seeing ordinary things freshly again, escape from what is false or ugly (not desertion of duty), and the consolation of the happy ending.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
red herringEnglish
A false clue that leads the reader (or the detective) toward the wrong answer.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
A false clue that leads the reader (or the detective) toward the wrong answer.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.2 (grade 8)
reflective essayEnglish
A true account of an event or experience from your own life, together with your thinking about what it meant.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8)
A true account of an event or experience from your own life, together with your thinking about what it meant.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.1 (grade 8)
reflexive pronounEnglish
A reflexive pronoun ends in -self or -selves and refers back to the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8)
A reflexive pronoun ends in -self or -selves and refers back to the subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 10.4 (grade 3–8)
refrainEnglish
A line (or part of a line) that repeats at fixed places in a poem. In a villanelle the first line (A1) and the third line (A2) are the refrains.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.3 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7) · +2 more
A line (or part of a line) that repeats at fixed places in a poem. In a villanelle the first line (A1) and the third line (A2) are the refrains.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.3 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7) · +2 more
refutationEnglish
The answer to an objection. You first met it as the fifth progymnasma (refuting a story); here it answers an argument.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
The answer to an objection. You first met it as the fifth progymnasma (refuting a story); here it answers an argument.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 11) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
regional deadlineEnglish
The last day to enter in your area. Scholastic deadlines are set by region and fall between December and January.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7)
The last day to enter in your area. Scholastic deadlines are set by region and fall between December and January.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.2 (grade 7)
regular (Horatian) odeEnglish
An ode whose stanzas all share the same length, meter and rhyme scheme, named for the Roman poet Horace. “Ode to Duty” is one.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
An ode whose stanzas all share the same length, meter and rhyme scheme, named for the Roman poet Horace. “Ode to Duty” is one.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.3 (grade 8)
regular verbEnglish
A regular verb forms its past and past participle by adding -d or -ed to the present.
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3–8)
A regular verb forms its past and past participle by adding -d or -ed to the present.
English Grammar, Lesson 11.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 5.4 (grade 3–8)
RegularsEnglish
What the colonists called the British soldiers.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 3.4 (Ages 14+) · +3 more
What the colonists called the British soldiers.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.2 (grade 5) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 3.4 (Ages 14+) · +3 more
rejection of pityEnglish
The head that answers in advance the plea “Pity him!” and shows why the deed itself deserves no excuse.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
The head that answers in advance the plea “Pity him!” and shows why the deed itself deserves no excuse.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.2 (grade 7)
relative adverbEnglish
A relative adverb (where or when) begins an adjective clause and works as an adverb inside it.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.2 (grade 3–8)
A relative adverb (where or when) begins an adjective clause and works as an adverb inside it.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.2 (grade 3–8)
relative pronounEnglish
A relative pronoun begins an adjective clause, relates it to a noun or pronoun, and does a job inside the clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.2 (grade 3–8)
A relative pronoun begins an adjective clause, relates it to a noun or pronoun, and does a job inside the clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.2 (grade 3–8)
rentrementEnglish
The short refrain of a rondeau, taken from the first words of the first line (“In Flanders fields”).
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.4 (grade 10)
The short refrain of a rondeau, taken from the first words of the first line (“In Flanders fields”).
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.4 (grade 10)
repentEnglish
To be truly sorry for sin and turn away from it.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3) · Explore Animals · Ranger, Stop 4.10 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Animals, Stop 4.10 (Ages 7–9)
To be truly sorry for sin and turn away from it.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.2 (grade 3) · Explore Animals · Ranger, Stop 4.10 (Ages 10–13) · Explore Animals, Stop 4.10 (Ages 7–9)
repentanceEnglish
Turning away from sin and back to God.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.3 (grade 6) · Explore Animals · Expert, Stop 4.10 (Ages 14+)
Turning away from sin and back to God.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.3 (grade 6) · Explore Animals · Expert, Stop 4.10 (Ages 14+)
request for proposals (RFP)English
The funder’s own guidelines: what it will pay for, how much, the deadline, the format and the questions every applicant must answer.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
The funder’s own guidelines: what it will pay for, how much, the deadline, the format and the questions every applicant must answer.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.1 (grade 12)
research questionEnglish
A single, open question that real evidence can answer: “Why did New York, not Pennsylvania, build the first great canal to the West?”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11)
A single, open question that real evidence can answer: “Why did New York, not Pennsylvania, build the first great canal to the West?”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11)
resolutionEnglish
The short part after the climax that shows what has changed and settles the story.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6) · +3 more
The short part after the climax that shows what has changed and settles the story.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.3 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.2 (grade 6) · +3 more
resonanceEnglish
The meaning that lingers after the last line, carried by an image or event rather than stated as a lesson.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Earth Science: The Dynamic Earth, Lesson 8.1 (grade 6) · Grade 5 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.4 (grade 5) · +3 more
The meaning that lingers after the last line, carried by an image or event rather than stated as a lesson.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Earth Science: The Dynamic Earth, Lesson 8.1 (grade 6) · Grade 5 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.4 (grade 5) · +3 more
restrictive elementEnglish
A restrictive (essential) element is a clause, phrase or appositive needed to identify the word it modifies; it takes no commas.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.4 (grade 3–8)
A restrictive (essential) element is a clause, phrase or appositive needed to identify the word it modifies; it takes no commas.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.4 (grade 3–8)
retellEnglish
To tell a story again in your own words.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3)
To tell a story again in your own words.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3)
retellerEnglish
A writer who tells an old story again in his own way.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3)
A writer who tells an old story again in his own way.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3)
retellingEnglish
A narrative written later by someone else.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4)
A narrative written later by someone else.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.3 (grade 4)
retractEnglish
To take back what you said or wrote.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5)
To take back what you said or wrote.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.2 (grade 5)
retrospectiveEnglish
A look back over a long body of work, in order, to see its shape and its growth.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12)
A look back over a long body of work, in order, to see its shape and its growth.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.1 (grade 12)
retrospective narratorEnglish
A first-person narrator telling, years later, what happened to him when he was younger.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10)
A first-person narrator telling, years later, what happened to him when he was younger.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10)
return addressEnglish
Your name and address, top left of the envelope.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13)
Your name and address, top left of the envelope.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 3.4 (Ages 10–13)
revelationEnglish
What a monologue shows about the speaker that he does not say outright, sometimes more than he knows he is showing.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 3.2 (Ages 10–13)
What a monologue shows about the speaker that he does not say outright, sometimes more than he knows he is showing.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Ranger, Stop 3.2 (Ages 10–13)
reversal (peripeteia)English
Aristotle’s term for the turn in which an action produces the opposite of what was intended.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
Aristotle’s term for the turn in which an action produces the opposite of what was intended.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
reverse outlineEnglish
An outline made from a finished draft, one line per paragraph, to show what the draft actually says and in what order.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.3 (grade 12) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12) · +1 more
An outline made from a finished draft, one line per paragraph, to show what the draft actually says and in what order.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.1 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.3 (grade 12) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12) · +1 more
reviseEnglish
To make writing better by changing it.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.1 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.1 (grade 5) · +3 more
To make writing better by changing it.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.1 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.1 (grade 5) · +3 more
revision logEnglish
A short list the writer keeps of each comment received and what he or she decided to change.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.3 (grade 12)
A short list the writer keeps of each comment received and what he or she decided to change.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.4 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.3 (grade 12)
revision memoEnglish
A short note attached to a revised piece explaining what changed between drafts and why.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
A short note attached to a revised piece explaining what changed between drafts and why.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
revision passEnglish
One read-through of a draft for one kind of problem only: structure, history, voice, sentences or mechanics.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10)
One read-through of a draft for one kind of problem only: structure, history, voice, sentences or mechanics.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.4 (grade 10)
rhetoricEnglish
The art of speaking and writing well to teach, delight and move an audience; the stage of study that follows the progymnasmata.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.4 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
The art of speaking and writing well to teach, delight and move an audience; the stage of study that follows the progymnasmata.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.4 (grade 8) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 9)
rhetorical analysisEnglish
A close study of how a speech or text tries to persuade its audience, as opposed to whether you agree with it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
A close study of how a speech or text tries to persuade its audience, as opposed to whether you agree with it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
rhetorical questionEnglish
A question asked for effect, not for an answer.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 3.2 (Ages 14+)
A question asked for effect, not for an answer.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.3 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.2 (grade 7) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 3.2 (Ages 14+)
rhetorical situationEnglish
The speaker, occasion, audience, purpose and subject of a text (often remembered as SOAPS). Every choice a speaker makes answers to the situation.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
The speaker, occasion, audience, purpose and subject of a text (often remembered as SOAPS). Every choice a speaker makes answers to the situation.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.1 (grade 11)
rhymeEnglish
Words that end with the same sound: me / see.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.1 (grade 3)
Words that end with the same sound: me / see.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.1 (grade 3)
rhyme schemeEnglish
The pattern of end rhymes, marked with letters. Capital letters with numbers (A1, A2) mark refrain lines that rhyme with every “a” line.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5) · +1 more
The pattern of end rhymes, marked with letters. Capital letters with numbers (A1, A2) mark refrain lines that rhyme with every “a” line.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.2 (grade 5) · +1 more
rise and raiseEnglish
Rise means to go up or get up and has no direct object; raise means to lift something up and has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.2 (grade 3–8)
Rise means to go up or get up and has no direct object; raise means to lift something up and has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.2 (grade 3–8)
rising actionEnglish
Events that build the conflict and raise the stakes.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.4 (grade 6)
Events that build the conflict and raise the stakes.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.4 (grade 6)
rising meterEnglish
A meter whose feet end on the stress (iambic, anapestic). It leans forward toward the end of the line, like speech moving to its point.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 9)
A meter whose feet end on the stress (iambic, anapestic). It leans forward toward the end of the line, like speech moving to its point.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 9)
rondeauEnglish
A French fixed form of fifteen lines in three stanzas (five, four and six lines) on two rhyme sounds, in which the opening words of line 1 return as a short refrain after the second and third stanzas: aabba aabR aabbaR.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.4 (grade 10)
A French fixed form of fifteen lines in three stanzas (five, four and six lines) on two rhyme sounds, in which the opening words of line 1 return as a short refrain after the second and third stanzas: aabba aabR aabbaR.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.4 (grade 10)
rubricEnglish
The list of what judges score and how many points each is worth.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.1 (grade 4) · High School Geology, Lesson 9.4 (grade 9–12)
The list of what judges score and how many points each is worth.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.1 (grade 4) · High School Geology, Lesson 9.4 (grade 9–12)
rulesEnglish
What every entry must do.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3) · Grade 2 Physical Education & Health, Lesson 1.1 (grade 2)
What every entry must do.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.1 (grade 3) · Grade 2 Physical Education & Health, Lesson 1.1 (grade 2)
rules checklistEnglish
A list made line by line from a contest’s official rules, with a box to tick for each requirement.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
A list made line by line from a contest’s official rules, with a box to tick for each requirement.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.3 (grade 7)
running timeEnglish
How long the play takes in performance. A table read gives a close estimate.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
How long the play takes in performance. A table read gives a close estimate.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
run-onEnglish
A run-on is two or more sentences written as one without proper punctuation between them.
English Grammar, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3–8)
A run-on is two or more sentences written as one without proper punctuation between them.
English Grammar, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3–8)
S
salutation and complimentary closeEnglish
The greeting (“Dear Mr. Lowe:”, with a colon in a business letter) and the courteous closing before the signature (“Sincerely,” with a comma).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
The greeting (“Dear Mr. Lowe:”, with a colon in a business letter) and the courteous closing before the signature (“Sincerely,” with a comma).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
Samuel ButlerEnglish
An English writer (1835–1902) whose plain prose translation of the Iliad appeared in 1898.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
An English writer (1835–1902) whose plain prose translation of the Iliad appeared in 1898.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
saying chreiaEnglish
A chreia in which the person speaks.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
A chreia in which the person speaks.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.1 (grade 5)
scaffoldEnglish
A frame builders put up to raise a wall straight and take down when the wall can stand. The five-paragraph essay is a scaffold for writers.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7)
A frame builders put up to raise a wall straight and take down when the wall can stand. The five-paragraph essay is a scaffold for writers.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7)
scanningEnglish
Reading by glancing over headings, first words and links to find what one needs, rather than reading every word in order.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
Reading by glancing over headings, first words and links to find what one needs, rather than reading every word in order.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.3 (grade 12)
scansionEnglish
Marking a line to show its meter: ˘ (or u) over weak syllables, / over strong ones, and a bar | between feet.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7)
Marking a line to show its meter: ˘ (or u) over weak syllables, / over strong ones, and a bar | between feet.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7)
sceneEnglish
A part of a story shown moment by moment, in one place and time, with action and usually dialogue.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.3 (grade 12) · +3 more
A part of a story shown moment by moment, in one place and time, with action and usually dialogue.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.3 (grade 12) · +3 more
scene and summaryEnglish
A scene shows one moment in full, with action and speech; a summary tells a long stretch quickly (“For three years he worked the farm”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.3 (grade 8)
A scene shows one moment in full, with action and speech; a summary tells a long stretch quickly (“For three years he worked the farm”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.3 (grade 8)
scene breakEnglish
A clear break (a new chapter, a blank line, a heading) that lets a writer change viewpoint characters without confusing the reader.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
A clear break (a new chapter, a blank line, a heading) that lets a writer change viewpoint characters without confusing the reader.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
scene cardEnglish
An index card that plans one scene: place and time, point-of-view character, goal, conflict, turn and one researched detail.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10)
An index card that plans one scene: place and time, point-of-view character, goal, conflict, turn and one researched detail.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10)
schoonerEnglish
A sailing ship with two or more masts.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4)
A sailing ship with two or more masts.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.2 (grade 4)
scratch outlineEnglish
A quick plan of a few words per paragraph, written before drafting, that keeps a hurried essay on its line.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 9)
A quick plan of a few words per paragraph, written before drafting, that keeps a hurried essay on its line.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 9)
scriptEnglish
The written text of a play, read by directors, actors, designers and judges before anyone sees it performed. It is a blueprint, not a finished building.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9) · Grade 7 Geography: Regions of the World, Lesson 5.4 (grade 7)
The written text of a play, read by directors, actors, designers and judges before anyone sees it performed. It is a blueprint, not a finished building.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9) · Grade 7 Geography: Regions of the World, Lesson 5.4 (grade 7)
Secondary World / Secondary BeliefEnglish
The invented world inside a story, and the reader’s belief in it while reading, which holds as long as the world is consistent with its own laws.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
The invented world inside a story, and the reader’s belief in it while reading, which holds as long as the world is consistent with its own laws.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
selectionEnglish
The narrator’s choice of which facts and details to include. Each point of view selects differently.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.4 (grade 7)
The narrator’s choice of which facts and details to include. Each point of view selects differently.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.4 (grade 7)
self-assessmentEnglish
Judging your own work against a fixed standard (a rubric or checklist) rather than against your feelings about it on a given day.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.4 (grade 5)
Judging your own work against a fixed standard (a rubric or checklist) rather than against your feelings about it on a given day.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.4 (grade 5)
self-deprecationEnglish
Humor aimed gently at oneself. Used well, it is a kind of humility that wins the reader’s trust.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.3 (grade 8)
Humor aimed gently at oneself. Used well, it is a kind of humility that wins the reader’s trust.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.3 (grade 8)
semicolonEnglish
A semicolon (;) joins two closely related sentences into one sentence without a conjunction.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 23.2 (grade 3–8)
A semicolon (;) joins two closely related sentences into one sentence without a conjunction.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.4 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 23.2 (grade 3–8)
sense detailEnglish
A detail you see, hear, smell, taste or touch.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.1 (grade 3)
A detail you see, hear, smell, taste or touch.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.1 (grade 3)
sense verbEnglish
A sense verb (look, feel, taste, smell, sound) is a linking verb when it describes the subject and an action verb when it shows action.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.4 (grade 3–8)
A sense verb (look, feel, taste, smell, sound) is a linking verb when it describes the subject and an action verb when it shows action.
English Grammar, Lesson 13.4 (grade 3–8)
sense wordsEnglish
Words for what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.4 (grade 3)
Words for what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.4 (grade 3)
sensory detailEnglish
A detail that appeals to one of the five senses.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 4.8 (Ages 14+)
A detail that appeals to one of the five senses.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6) · Explore Horses and Ponies · Expert, Stop 4.8 (Ages 14+)
sentenceEnglish
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 4 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4)
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 4 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4)
sentence combiningEnglish
Sentence combining is joining two or more short sentences into one by turning some of them into phrases or clauses.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.4 (grade 3–8)
Sentence combining is joining two or more short sentences into one by turning some of them into phrases or clauses.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.4 (grade 3–8)
sentence outlineEnglish
An outline in which every heading is a complete sentence that makes a claim, not a topic word or phrase.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11)
An outline in which every heading is a complete sentence that makes a claim, not a topic word or phrase.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11)
sentence structureEnglish
The structure of a sentence is the number and kind of clauses it contains.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.1 (grade 3–8)
The structure of a sentence is the number and kind of clauses it contains.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.1 (grade 3–8)
serial commaEnglish
The serial comma is the comma that comes before and or or in a series.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.2 (grade 3–8)
The serial comma is the comma that comes before and or or in a series.
English Grammar, Lesson 8.2 (grade 3–8)
sestetEnglish
The last six lines, which answer, resolve or turn the octave.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
The last six lines, which answer, resolve or turn the octave.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.2 (grade 7)
settingEnglish
Where and when a story happens.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.3 (grade 4) · +3 more
Where and when a story happens.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3) · Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.3 (grade 4) · +3 more
Shakespearean (English) sonnetEnglish
Fourteen lines of iambic pentameter in three quatrains and a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
Fourteen lines of iambic pentameter in three quatrains and a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
shaped poemEnglish
A poem whose lines are arranged so that the printed poem forms a picture of its subject. Also called a pattern poem or, in Latin, carmen figuratum.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
A poem whose lines are arranged so that the printed poem forms a picture of its subject. Also called a pattern poem or, in Latin, carmen figuratum.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
ShechemEnglish
A city in Israel where this story was told.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3)
A city in Israel where this story was told.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.1 (grade 3)
short storyEnglish
A piece of prose fiction short enough to read at one sitting, with one main action, few characters and a single effect.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
A piece of prose fiction short enough to read at one sitting, with one main action, few characters and a single effect.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
show, don’t tellEnglish
Let the reader see a trait through what the character says and does, instead of just naming it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.3 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5)
Let the reader see a trait through what the character says and does, instead of just naming it.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.3 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5)
showcaseEnglish
An event to show your best work.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4)
An event to show your best work.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.3 (grade 4)
showingEnglish
Letting a deed, a detail or a spoken line prove a quality, instead of announcing the quality (“telling”).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11)
Letting a deed, a detail or a spoken line prove a quality, instead of announcing the quality (“telling”).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 11)
signal phraseEnglish
Words that introduce a quotation and name its source: “As Hazlitt observes, …” or “Johnson calls Shakespeare …”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.3 (grade 8)
Words that introduce a quotation and name its source: “As Hazlitt observes, …” or “Johnson calls Shakespeare …”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 11) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.3 (grade 8)
significanceEnglish
Why your topic mattered in history: what changed because of it, and what followed from it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8)
Why your topic mattered in history: what changed because of it, and what followed from it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8)
silent listenerEnglish
The person spoken to in a monologue. We know him only from what the speaker says to him (“Yet here, Laertes?”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8)
The person spoken to in a monologue. We know him only from what the speaker says to him (“Yet here, Laertes?”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.4 (grade 8)
simileEnglish
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.3 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.2 (grade 6)
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.3 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.2 (grade 6)
simple sentenceEnglish
A simple sentence has one independent clause and no dependent clauses.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8)
A simple sentence has one independent clause and no dependent clauses.
English Grammar, Lesson 19.1 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3–8)
simple subjectEnglish
The simple subject is the main word in the complete subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8)
The simple subject is the main word in the complete subject.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8)
sinewyEnglish
Strong and tough, with cords of muscle.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.1 (grade 4)
Strong and tough, with cords of muscle.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.1 (grade 4)
single quotation marksEnglish
Single quotation marks (‘ ’) enclose a quotation that stands inside another quotation.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
Single quotation marks (‘ ’) enclose a quotation that stands inside another quotation.
English Grammar, Lesson 23.4 (grade 3–8)
singular nounEnglish
A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3–8)
A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea.
English Grammar, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3–8)
sit and setEnglish
Sit means to be seated and has no direct object; set means to put or place something and has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.2 (grade 3–8)
Sit means to be seated and has no direct object; set means to put or place something and has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.2 (grade 3–8)
situational ironyEnglish
When the outcome is the opposite of what the actions seemed to aim at: Della’s chain arrives the day Jim’s watch is gone.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
When the outcome is the opposite of what the actions seemed to aim at: Della’s chain arrives the day Jim’s watch is gone.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
six questionsEnglish
Who, what, when, where, how and why.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4)
Who, what, when, where, how and why.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4)
slanderEnglish
False or unfair blame that harms someone’s good name: invented facts, guessed motives, or mockery of things a person never chose.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7)
False or unfair blame that harms someone’s good name: invented facts, guessed motives, or mockery of things a person never chose.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7)
slave tradeEnglish
The business of capturing men, women and children in Africa and carrying them across the Atlantic in ships to be sold as slaves. Britain’s Parliament outlawed British trading in slaves in 1807.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.2 (grade 7) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 6.2 (grade 5) · +1 more
The business of capturing men, women and children in Africa and carrying them across the Atlantic in ships to be sold as slaves. Britain’s Parliament outlawed British trading in slaves in 1807.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.2 (grade 7) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 6.2 (grade 5) · +1 more
slingEnglish
A strap with a pouch for throwing stones, used by shepherds.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4) · Kindergarten Earth Science: God Made the Ground and Sky, Lesson 1.4 (grade K)
A strap with a pouch for throwing stones, used by shepherds.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.2 (grade 4) · Kindergarten Earth Science: God Made the Ground and Sky, Lesson 1.4 (grade K)
sluggardEnglish
An old word for a lazy person.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.2 (grade 6) · Explore Animals · Expert, Stop 5.1 (Ages 14+)
An old word for a lazy person.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.2 (grade 6) · Explore Animals · Expert, Stop 5.1 (Ages 14+)
small storyEnglish
A single event, often a single hour, that can be told as one scene and still reveal character.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11)
A single event, often a single hour, that can be told as one scene and still reveal character.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11)
smithyEnglish
A blacksmith’s workshop.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.1 (grade 4)
A blacksmith’s workshop.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.1 (grade 4)
sobernessEnglish
Calm, clear-minded seriousness. Paul answered a hostile interruption with “the words of truth and soberness” (Acts 26:25).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11)
Calm, clear-minded seriousness. Paul answered a hostile interruption with “the words of truth and soberness” (Acts 26:25).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 11)
Society of the CincinnatiEnglish
A society of officers of the Continental Army founded in 1783, named for Cincinnatus, with Washington as its first president general. The city of Cincinnati is named after it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
A society of officers of the Continental Army founded in 1783, named for Cincinnatus, with Washington as its first president general. The city of Cincinnati is named after it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.3 (grade 8)
solidityEnglish
Lewis’s central image: Heaven is more real and more solid than earth, and the ghosts are too thin to bear it.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9)
Lewis’s central image: Heaven is more real and more solid than earth, and the ghosts are too thin to bear it.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 4.3 (grade 9)
soliloquyEnglish
A speech in a play spoken by a character alone, or as if alone, so that we hear his thoughts aloud.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8)
A speech in a play spoken by a character alone, or as if alone, so that we hear his thoughts aloud.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8)
SolomonEnglish
The son of David and king of Israel, famous for the wisdom God gave him (1 Kings 3–4).
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.1 (grade 6)
The son of David and king of Israel, famous for the wisdom God gave him (1 Kings 3–4).
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.1 (grade 6)
sonnetEnglish
A poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with a fixed rhyme scheme. The word comes from the Italian sonetto, “little song.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
A poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with a fixed rhyme scheme. The word comes from the Italian sonetto, “little song.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
Sossius SenecioEnglish
A Roman friend of Plutarch, a consul under the emperor Trajan, to whom Plutarch dedicated the Lives.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
A Roman friend of Plutarch, a consul under the emperor Trajan, to whom Plutarch dedicated the Lives.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
sourceEnglish
Where information comes from: a book, a document, a museum page.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.1 (grade 5) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 3.1 (grade 1) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7) · +3 more
Where information comes from: a book, a document, a museum page.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.1 (grade 5) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 3.1 (grade 1) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 8.4 (grade 7) · +3 more
source cardEnglish
A card (or numbered list entry) with the full information for one source, given a number so your note cards can point to it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.2 (grade 8)
A card (or numbered list entry) with the full information for one source, given a number so your note cards can point to it.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.2 (grade 8)
sourcingEnglish
Asking who made a source, when, where, for whom and why, before trusting what it says.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.1 (grade 8)
Asking who made a source, when, where, for whom and why, before trusting what it says.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.1 (grade 8)
spatial orderEnglish
Describing a place in order: near to far, left to right or top to bottom.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.1 (grade 4)
Describing a place in order: near to far, left to right or top to bottom.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.1 (grade 4)
speaking rateEnglish
How many words a speaker says per minute. A clear, unhurried reading is usually about 130–150 words per minute.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9)
How many words a speaker says per minute. A clear, unhurried reading is usually about 130–150 words per minute.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.4 (grade 9)
speaking scriptEnglish
A copy of the speech in large type, marked with pauses, stresses and breaths, made for the lectern, not for reading silently.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12)
A copy of the speech in large type, marked with pauses, stresses and breaths, made for the lectern, not for reading silently.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.3 (grade 12)
specificEnglish
Exact and clear, not general.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 3.7 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
Exact and clear, not general.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 7.2 (grade 6) · Explore Hospitality and Home · Ranger, Stop 3.7 (Ages 10–13) · +1 more
specimenEnglish
One example of a plant or animal studied closely.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.4 (grade 5) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 1.2 (grade 1) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 9.1 (grade 1) · +3 more
One example of a plant or animal studied closely.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.4 (grade 5) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 1.2 (grade 1) · Grade 1 Earth Science: Rocks, Water and Weather, Lesson 9.1 (grade 1) · +3 more
SpectatorEnglish
A London daily paper of essays by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele (1711–1712), which Franklin used as his writing model.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
A London daily paper of essays by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele (1711–1712), which Franklin used as his writing model.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 8.3 (grade 8)
speech dayEnglish
An old school custom: at the end of the year, students deliver prepared pieces aloud before parents and guests, so that the year’s learning is heard, not only filed.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12)
An old school custom: at the end of the year, students deliver prepared pieces aloud before parents and guests, so that the year’s learning is heard, not only filed.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12)
speech of thanksEnglish
A short public talk that names a specific gift or deliverance, tells how it came, and gives thanks to God and to the people He used.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 9)
A short public talk that names a specific gift or deliverance, tells how it came, and gives thanks to God and to the people He used.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 9)
spiritual autobiographyEnglish
A true account of one’s own life told to show the work of God in it. Bunyan’s Grace Abounding (1666) is the great English example.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9)
A true account of one’s own life told to show the work of God in it. Bunyan’s Grace Abounding (1666) is the great English example.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9)
split quotationEnglish
A split quotation is a quoted sentence broken into two parts by words that tell who is speaking.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
A split quotation is a quoted sentence broken into two parts by words that tell who is speaking.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.2 (grade 3–8)
sponsor (educator)English
The teacher or mentor who approves or is listed with a student’s entry. For home-schooled students, a parent or outside mentor may serve where the rules allow.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
The teacher or mentor who approves or is listed with a student’s entry. For home-schooled students, a parent or outside mentor may serve where the rules allow.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
spread (opening)English
Two facing pages seen together when a book lies open. Morris taught that the spread, not the single page, is the unit of design.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
Two facing pages seen together when a book lies open. Morris taught that the spread, not the single page, is the unit of design.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 5.3 (grade 12)
sprung rhythmEnglish
Hopkins’s name for a meter that counts only stresses: each foot has one stressed syllable and any number of unstressed ones (even none), so heavy stresses may stand side by side.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9)
Hopkins’s name for a meter that counts only stresses: each foot has one stressed syllable and any number of unstressed ones (even none), so heavy stresses may stand side by side.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9)
squinting modifierEnglish
A squinting modifier stands between two words so that it could modify either one.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.1 (grade 3–8)
A squinting modifier stands between two words so that it could modify either one.
English Grammar, Lesson 22.1 (grade 3–8)
stage directionEnglish
Any text in a script that is not spoken: setting, entrances and exits, actions, sounds. Written in present tense, usually in italics and parentheses.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
Any text in a script that is not spoken: setting, entrances and exits, actions, sounds. Written in present tense, usually in italics and parentheses.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.2 (grade 11)
standpointEnglish
The place from which the describer looks. A clear standpoint keeps the reader from getting lost.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
The place from which the describer looks. A clear standpoint keeps the reader from getting lost.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
stanzaEnglish
A group of lines in a poem.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.4 (grade 6) · +2 more
A group of lines in a poem.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 5.1 (grade 4) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.4 (grade 6) · +2 more
stasisEnglish
The point on which a dispute “stands.” The classical stases are fact (did it happen?), definition (what is it?), quality (is it good or bad?) and policy (what should we do?).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.2 (grade 12) · +3 more
The point on which a dispute “stands.” The classical stases are fact (did it happen?), definition (what is it?), quality (is it good or bad?) and policy (what should we do?).
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 11) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.2 (grade 12) · +3 more
statement against interestEnglish
Testimony that hurts the witness’s own cause. It is usually trusted more, because a man has little reason to invent it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11)
Testimony that hurts the witness’s own cause. It is usually trusted more, because a man has little reason to invent it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 11)
statement of facts (narratio)English
The background the reader needs before the argument begins: the history of the question, the terms, what others have said.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12)
The background the reader needs before the argument begins: the history of the question, the terms, what others have said.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.1 (grade 12)
statute / ordinanceEnglish
A statute is a written law passed by a legislature (Congress, a state assembly). An ordinance is a law passed by a local body such as a city council or county board.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10)
A statute is a written law passed by a legislature (Congress, a state assembly). An ordinance is a law passed by a local body such as a city council or county board.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.1 (grade 10)
steadyEnglish
Not stopping; keeping on.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6) · Kindergarten Engineering & Physics, Lesson 6.4 (grade K)
Not stopping; keeping on.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 2.3 (grade 6) · Kindergarten Engineering & Physics, Lesson 6.4 (grade K)
steelmanEnglish
The opposite of a straw man: the strongest, fairest version of a view you disagree with, stated so well that its defenders would accept it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7) · Geopolitics: The Great Ideas, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9–12) · +1 more
The opposite of a straw man: the strongest, fairest version of a view you disagree with, stated so well that its defenders would accept it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Earth Science: Earth History and the Flood, Lesson 8.3 (grade 7) · Geopolitics: The Great Ideas, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9–12) · +1 more
straw manEnglish
A fallacy: attacking a weak, distorted version of an opponent’s view instead of the view he actually holds, as a soldier might stab a dummy stuffed with straw.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
A fallacy: attacking a weak, distorted version of an opponent’s view instead of the view he actually holds, as a soldier might stab a dummy stuffed with straw.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.2 (grade 9)
strong adjectiveEnglish
An exact describing word: “velvety” instead of “nice.”
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3)
An exact describing word: “velvety” instead of “nice.”
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 6.2 (grade 3)
strong verbEnglish
A strong verb names an action exactly, so that it needs no extra words to carry its meaning.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.4 (grade 3–8)
A strong verb names an action exactly, so that it needs no extra words to carry its meaning.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.4 (grade 3–8)
style (elocutio)English
The third canon: choosing and arranging the words and sentences that fit the subject, the audience and the occasion.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9)
The third canon: choosing and arranging the words and sentences that fit the subject, the audience and the occasion.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 9)
sub-creationEnglish
Tolkien’s word for the making of a Secondary World by a human author, who makes because he is himself made by the Maker.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
Tolkien’s word for the making of a Secondary World by a human author, who makes because he is himself made by the Maker.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.1 (grade 12)
subject headingEnglish
A fixed label a library assigns to every book on a subject (for example, “Erie Canal (N.Y.)—History”). Searching it finds books your keywords miss.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 11)
A fixed label a library assigns to every book on a subject (for example, “Erie Canal (N.Y.)—History”). Searching it finds books your keywords miss.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.2 (grade 11)
subject lineEnglish
The short label at the top of an email (or a memo) that tells the reader exactly what the message is about before it is opened: “Request: Saturday hours, June 7.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
The short label at the top of an email (or a memo) that tells the reader exactly what the message is about before it is opened: “Request: Saturday hours, June 7.”
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.1 (grade 9)
subject pronounEnglish
A subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they) is used as the subject of a sentence or as a predicate noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3–8)
A subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they) is used as the subject of a sentence or as a predicate noun.
English Grammar, Lesson 5.3 (grade 3–8)
subjects of descriptionEnglish
The ancient teachers said we describe persons, events (such as a battle, a storm or a feast), places and times (seasons, festivals). Aphthonius also named animals and plants.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
The ancient teachers said we describe persons, events (such as a battle, a storm or a feast), places and times (seasons, festivals). Aphthonius also named animals and plants.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.2 (grade 8)
subjunctive moodEnglish
The subjunctive mood expresses a wish, a condition contrary to fact, or a request or demand in a that clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
The subjunctive mood expresses a wish, a condition contrary to fact, or a request or demand in a that clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.3 (grade 3–8) · Grade 8 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 8)
submissionEnglish
Sending finished work to an editor, magazine or contest according to its rules.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
Sending finished work to an editor, magazine or contest according to its rules.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
submission logEnglish
A record of which poem went to which contest, on what date, with what result.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
A record of which poem went to which contest, on what date, with what result.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
submission recordEnglish
A log of what you sent, to which contest, in which category, on what date, with the confirmation and the date results are due.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8)
A log of what you sent, to which contest, in which category, on what date, with the confirmation and the date results are due.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.3 (grade 8)
submitEnglish
To hand in or send an entry.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3)
To hand in or send an entry.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.3 (grade 3)
subordinating conjunctionEnglish
A subordinating conjunction begins a dependent clause and joins it to an independent clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8)
A subordinating conjunction begins a dependent clause and joins it to an independent clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 18.1 (grade 3–8)
subtextEnglish
What a character means or feels under what he says. Brutus’s harshness in 4.3 has a hidden cause the audience learns only later.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5)
What a character means or feels under what he says. Brutus’s harshness in 4.3 has a hidden cause the audience learns only later.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.1 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5)
summaryEnglish
A part of a story that compresses time and tells what happened over hours, days or years.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11) · +3 more
A part of a story that compresses time and tells what happened over hours, days or years.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 11) · +3 more
summary (bottom line up front)English
A short paragraph at the start of a report that gives the main finding and recommendation, so a busy reader can stop there if he must.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9)
A short paragraph at the start of a report that gives the main finding and recommendation, so a busy reader can stop there if he must.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.2 (grade 9)
summer soldierEnglish
Paine’s phrase for the man who serves only while the weather is fair and the cause is winning.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
Paine’s phrase for the man who serves only while the weather is fair and the cause is winning.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.3 (grade 7)
superlative degreeEnglish
The superlative degree compares three or more things.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8)
The superlative degree compares three or more things.
English Grammar, Lesson 14.2 (grade 3–8)
suspenseEnglish
The feeling of wanting to know what happens next.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
The feeling of wanting to know what happens next.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
syllabic patternEnglish
A planned sequence of syllable counts, line by line (for example 10, 8, 6, 4, 2), that gives a shaped poem its outline.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
A planned sequence of syllable counts, line by line (for example 10, 8, 6, 4, 2), that gives a shaped poem its outline.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
syncrisisEnglish
The progymnasmata exercise of comparison: setting two persons or things side by side to show which is better, or that they are equal. From the Greek synkrisis, “a judging together.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
The progymnasmata exercise of comparison: setting two persons or things side by side to show which is better, or that they are equal. From the Greek synkrisis, “a judging together.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.1 (grade 8)
synonymEnglish
A word that means almost the same as another word.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.1 (grade 5) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 2.6 (Ages 14+) · +1 more
A word that means almost the same as another word.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.1 (grade 5) · Explore Dinosaurs · Expert, Stop 2.6 (Ages 14+) · +1 more
synopsisEnglish
A summary of the whole plot, beginning to end, including the ending. A one-paragraph synopsis is the backbone of an outline.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
A summary of the whole plot, beginning to end, including the ending. A one-paragraph synopsis is the backbone of an outline.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.2 (grade 12)
syntopical readingEnglish
Reading several books on the same question side by side and comparing their answers, rather than reading one book alone.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.3 (grade 12)
Reading several books on the same question side by side and comparing their answers, rather than reading one book alone.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.3 (grade 12)
T
table of contentsEnglish
A list of what is in a book, in order.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Life Science: Classification, Lesson 8.4 (grade 4)
A list of what is in a book, in order.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 8.4 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Life Science: Classification, Lesson 8.4 (grade 4)
table readEnglish
A reading of a new script by actors seated around a table, scripts in hand, without staging, so the playwright can hear the play.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
A reading of a new script by actors seated around a table, scripts in hand, without staging, so the playwright can hear the play.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 4.4 (grade 11)
tacked-on moralEnglish
A lesson stuck onto the end of a story that does not really grow out of it (“And that taught me to always be nice”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.2 (grade 8)
A lesson stuck onto the end of a story that does not really grow out of it (“And that taught me to always be nice”).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.2 (grade 8)
tagEnglish
The words that tell who spoke: said Jim.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.3 (grade 5) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4–7) · Grade 2 Life Science: Animal Families, Lesson 6.2 (grade 2) · +1 more
The words that tell who spoke: said Jim.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.3 (grade 5) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 1.2 (grade 4–7) · Grade 2 Life Science: Animal Families, Lesson 6.2 (grade 2) · +1 more
target audienceEnglish
The particular group an ad is built for, revealed by where it runs and whom it pictures.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 11)
The particular group an ad is built for, revealed by where it runs and whom it pictures.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.3 (grade 11)
technical skillEnglish
The second criterion: command of the craft, such as structure, sentences, meter, line breaks, punctuation.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
The second criterion: command of the craft, such as structure, sentences, meter, line breaks, punctuation.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
technical writingEnglish
Writing that helps a reader understand or do something practical: instructions, manuals, procedures, specifications and reports.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
Writing that helps a reader understand or do something practical: instructions, manuals, procedures, specifications and reports.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
telegramEnglish
A short message sent by wire and printed out for the receiver; each word cost money.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.3 (grade 4)
A short message sent by wire and printed out for the receiver; each word cost money.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.3 (grade 4)
telling detailEnglish
A small, specific fact that reveals more than it says: Franklin’s father playing psalm tunes on his violin in the evening.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7)
A small, specific fact that reveals more than it says: Franklin’s father playing psalm tunes on his violin in the evening.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7)
temperanceEnglish
Self-control. In Hamlet’s sense, the calm that governs even a passionate speech so it does not become shouting.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 9) · Grade 8 Cooking & Food, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8) · Grade 12 Physical Education & Health, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12)
Self-control. In Hamlet’s sense, the calm that governs even a passionate speech so it does not become shouting.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 9) · Grade 8 Cooking & Food, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8) · Grade 12 Physical Education & Health, Lesson 3.2 (grade 12)
temperance (in delivery)English
Hamlet’s word for control: strong feeling kept in measure, so the speech is neither ranting nor flat.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.2 (grade 7)
Hamlet’s word for control: strong feeling kept in measure, so the speech is neither ranting nor flat.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.2 (grade 7)
temptationEnglish
A pull toward doing wrong.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.3 (grade 6)
A pull toward doing wrong.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 4.3 (grade 6)
tenorEnglish
The thing being described (the LORD).
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.2 (grade 6)
The thing being described (the LORD).
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 5.2 (grade 6)
tenseEnglish
The form of a verb that shows time: past, present or future.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 3.2 (grade 6)
The form of a verb that shows time: past, present or future.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.4 (grade 3–8) · Grade 6 Latin, Lesson 3.2 (grade 6)
tense shiftEnglish
Changing tense in the middle of a narrative without a reason.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7)
Changing tense in the middle of a narrative without a reason.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.4 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.4 (grade 7)
tensionEnglish
The feeling that something is about to go wrong.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · Grade 2 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.4 (grade 2) · Grade 3 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3) · +3 more
The feeling that something is about to go wrong.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.2 (grade 5) · Grade 2 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.4 (grade 2) · Grade 3 Engineering & Physics, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3) · +3 more
tercetEnglish
A stanza of three lines. A villanelle has five of them before its last stanza.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10)
A stanza of three lines. A villanelle has five of them before its last stanza.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10)
testimonyEnglish
Evidence from the words of a witness or authority, quoted or cited accurately.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 9)
Evidence from the words of a witness or authority, quoted or cited accurately.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.3 (grade 10) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 9)
testimony of the ancientsEnglish
Wise words from other trusted writers, and above all Scripture, that agree with the chreia.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.2 (grade 5)
Wise words from other trusted writers, and above all Scripture, that agree with the chreia.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.2 (grade 5)
the closeEnglish
The ending, often a return to the opening scene or a last quotation that sums up the person without the writer’s explaining.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10)
The ending, often a return to the opening scene or a last quotation that sums up the person without the writer’s explaining.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10)
the curse on laborEnglish
God’s word to Adam after the fall: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). Work came before the fall (Genesis 2:15); toil and thorns came after.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9)
God’s word to Adam after the fall: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). Work came before the fall (Genesis 2:15); toil and thorns came after.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.3 (grade 9)
the five canonsEnglish
The five parts of the speaker’s art: invention (finding what to say), arrangement (putting it in order), style (choosing the words), memory and delivery.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
The five parts of the speaker’s art: invention (finding what to say), arrangement (putting it in order), style (choosing the words), memory and delivery.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
the six partsEnglish
Person, action, time, place, manner (how) and cause (why). Theon, a Greek teacher of the first century, listed them.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
Person, action, time, place, manner (how) and cause (why). Theon, a Greek teacher of the first century, listed them.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
the six parts of narrativeEnglish
From Theon and Aphthonius: the person, the action, the place, the time, the manner and the cause. A full narrative answers who, what, where, when, how and why.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
From Theon and Aphthonius: the person, the action, the place, the time, the manner and the cause. A full narrative answers who, what, where, when, how and why.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
the SpectatorEnglish
A London paper of short essays (1711–1712) that Franklin used as his model.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.4 (grade 5)
A London paper of short essays (1711–1712) that Franklin used as his model.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.4 (grade 5)
the SteelyardEnglish
The walled trading post of the German merchants of the Hanseatic League on the Thames in London, where Holbein’s Georg Gisze kept his office.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
The walled trading post of the German merchants of the Hanseatic League on the Thames in London, where Holbein’s Georg Gisze kept his office.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.4 (grade 10)
the telling detailEnglish
The one particular that stands for the whole person, the detail that makes a reader say “I know this man.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10)
The one particular that stands for the whole person, the detail that makes a reader say “I know this man.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.1 (grade 10)
The TempleEnglish
George Herbert’s collection of devotional poems, published in 1633, the year he died.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
George Herbert’s collection of devotional poems, published in 1633, the year he died.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.3 (grade 10)
the three passesEnglish
This course’s order of revision: first the argument (invention), then the arrangement, then the sentences (style).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 9)
This course’s order of revision: first the argument (invention), then the arrangement, then the sentences (style).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.1 (grade 9)
the three timesEnglish
Aphthonius’ plan for an ethopoeia: begin with the present (what is happening now), go back to the past (what was before), and end with the future (what will come, or what the speaker resolves).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8)
Aphthonius’ plan for an ethopoeia: begin with the present (what is happening now), go back to the past (what was before), and end with the future (what will come, or what the speaker resolves).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8)
the three virtuesEnglish
Clarity (easy to follow), brevity (no wasted words) and believability (it hangs together).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
Clarity (easy to follow), brevity (no wasted words) and believability (it hangs together).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 1.1 (grade 5)
the three virtues of narrativeEnglish
Theon’s marks of a good narration: clarity (the hearer can follow it), conciseness (nothing unnecessary), and credibility (it rings true).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
Theon’s marks of a good narration: clarity (the hearer can follow it), conciseness (nothing unnecessary), and credibility (it rings true).
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9)
the turnEnglish
The place where the profile shows difficulty: a hard year, a mistake, a choice, a loss. Without it, praise is flat.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.4 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.2 (grade 8) · +1 more
The place where the profile shows difficulty: a hard year, a mistake, a choice, a loss. Without it, praise is flat.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 7.3 (grade 10) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 5.4 (grade 8) · Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.2 (grade 8) · +1 more
the two citiesEnglish
Augustine’s picture of history: the city of God, which lives by faith and sojourns on earth, and the earthly city, built on love of self. Christians live in both at once.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11)
Augustine’s picture of history: the city of God, which lives by faith and sojourns on earth, and the earthly city, built on love of self. Christians live in both at once.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11)
the two selvesEnglish
The younger self who lived the event and the older self who now writes about it. A reflective essay lets the reader hear both.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.2 (grade 8)
The younger self who lived the event and the older self who now writes about it. A reflective essay lets the reader hear both.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.2 (grade 8)
The Way to WealthEnglish
Franklin’s collection of Poor Richard’s sayings about work and thrift, spoken by an old man called Father Abraham.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.4 (grade 5)
Franklin’s collection of Poor Richard’s sayings about work and thrift, spoken by an old man called Father Abraham.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 2.4 (grade 5)
the writer’s silenceEnglish
The common workshop rule that the author listens without explaining or defending while the group discusses the poem, then may ask questions at the end.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11)
The common workshop rule that the author listens without explaining or defending while the group discusses the poem, then may ask questions at the end.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11)
themeEnglish
The idea every entry must be about.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6) · +3 more
The idea every entry must be about.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.1 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6) · +3 more
then and thanEnglish
Then is an adverb that tells when; than is used to compare.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.3 (grade 3–8)
Then is an adverb that tells when; than is used to compare.
English Grammar, Lesson 16.3 (grade 3–8)
TheonEnglish
A Greek teacher of writing (first century A.D.) who listed the parts every narrative needs.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4)
A Greek teacher of writing (first century A.D.) who listed the parts every narrative needs.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4)
theoretical thesisEnglish
A general question about what is true in nature or philosophy, such as whether the heavens are a sphere. It is studied more than argued in a speech.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9)
A general question about what is true in nature or philosophy, such as whether the heavens are a sphere. It is studied more than argued in a speech.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 9)
thesis (historical argument)English
One or two sentences that state what your paper claims about your topic and why it matters, not merely what happened.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8)
One or two sentences that state what your paper claims about your topic and why it matters, not merely what happened.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 6.4 (grade 8)
thesis of a comparisonEnglish
The one sentence in your introduction that names the pair and states your judgment: alike in this, different in that, and which is greater (or that they are equal).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.4 (grade 8)
The one sentence in your introduction that names the pair and states your judgment: alike in this, different in that, and which is greater (or that they are equal).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.4 (grade 8)
thesis statementEnglish
One or two sentences, usually at the end of the introduction, that state the claim the whole paper defends.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
One or two sentences, usually at the end of the introduction, that state the claim the whole paper defends.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 2.4 (grade 9)
third personEnglish
A point of view in which the narrator stands outside the story and calls the characters “he,” “she,” “they,” or by name.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
A point of view in which the narrator stands outside the story and calls the characters “he,” “she,” “they,” or by name.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
third person limitedEnglish
Third person that stays with one character: the narrator tells only what that character sees, hears, thinks and knows.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
Third person that stays with one character: the narrator tells only what that character sees, hears, thinks and knows.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
threadEnglish
The one subject that runs through all three times and ties them together (Wolsey’s greatness; Niobe’s children).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8) · Explore Crafts and Making, Stop 1.2 (Ages 7–9) · Threads & Weaving, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9–12)
The one subject that runs through all three times and ties them together (Wolsey’s greatness; Niobe’s children).
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.2 (grade 8) · Explore Crafts and Making, Stop 1.2 (Ages 7–9) · Threads & Weaving, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9–12)
throat-clearingEnglish
Opening sentences that warm up the writer but tell the reader nothing; usually the first paragraph of a draft.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11)
Opening sentences that warm up the writer but tell the reader nothing; usually the first paragraph of a draft.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.4 (grade 11)
time budgetEnglish
A plan for dividing the minutes: for forty, about five to plan, thirty to write and five to check.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 9) · Grade 6 Life Science: Animal Design and Behavior, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · +1 more
A plan for dividing the minutes: for forty, about five to plan, thirty to write and five to check.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 8.4 (grade 9) · Grade 6 Life Science: Animal Design and Behavior, Lesson 9.3 (grade 6) · +1 more
time wordsEnglish
Words and phrases that show when: first, at 10 in the morning, then, after, at last.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4)
Words and phrases that show when: first, at 10 in the morning, then, after, at last.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.1 (grade 4)
timed essayEnglish
An essay written in one sitting under a time limit on a prompt you have not seen before.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 11) · +1 more
An essay written in one sitting under a time limit on a prompt you have not seen before.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 1.2 (grade 10) · Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 8.4 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 8.2 (grade 11) · +1 more
timed writingEnglish
Writing on an unseen topic in a set time.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.4 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.4 (grade 6)
Writing on an unseen topic in a set time.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 8.4 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.4 (grade 6)
time-order wordsEnglish
Words that show when: first, next, then, after that, finally, last.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3)
Words that show when: first, next, then, after that, finally, last.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 7.2 (grade 3)
tinkerEnglish
A traveling mender of pots, pans and kettles; Bunyan’s trade, which he learned from his father.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9)
A traveling mender of pots, pans and kettles; Bunyan’s trade, which he learned from his father.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 9)
title capitalizationEnglish
In a title, capitalize the first word, the last word and every important word.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.3 (grade 3–8)
In a title, capitalize the first word, the last word and every important word.
English Grammar, Lesson 15.3 (grade 3–8)
title pageEnglish
The required first page of a DAR entry with your name and information.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6)
The required first page of a DAR entry with your name and information.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.4 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 9.2 (grade 6)
Toad HallEnglish
Mr. Toad’s grand house by the river.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4)
Mr. Toad’s grand house by the river.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4)
tolle, legeEnglish
Latin for “take up, read,” the words Augustine heard a child chanting in the garden at Milan.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 9)
Latin for “take up, read,” the words Augustine heard a child chanting in the garden at Milan.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.1 (grade 9)
topicEnglish
A subject area, named by a noun phrase: “the Erie Canal,” “Puritan sermons.” A topic tells where you will look, not what you will find.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7)
A subject area, named by a noun phrase: “the Erie Canal,” “Puritan sermons.” A topic tells where you will look, not what you will find.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.1 (grade 7)
topic sentenceEnglish
The sentence, usually first, that states the one point a paragraph proves.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.2 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.2 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.2 (grade 7) · +1 more
The sentence, usually first, that states the one point a paragraph proves.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 2.2 (grade 12) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 6.2 (grade 5) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.2 (grade 7) · +1 more
topic (topos)English
Greek for “place”: a standard line of inquiry where arguments can be found, such as definition, comparison or cause and effect.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9)
Greek for “place”: a standard line of inquiry where arguments can be found, such as definition, comparison or cause and effect.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 1.2 (grade 9)
topical orderEnglish
Grouping a life by subjects (work, family, faith) rather than by years, as the Roman biographer Suetonius often did.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7)
Grouping a life by subjects (work, family, faith) rather than by years, as the Roman biographer Suetonius often did.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 7.3 (grade 7)
topics (topoi)English
Literally “places”: the standard headings a speaker searches for material. Here, the places of your own life: rooms, people, work, objects, turning points.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11)
Literally “places”: the standard headings a speaker searches for material. Here, the places of your own life: rooms, people, work, objects, turning points.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11)
traitEnglish
What a character is like: lazy, hardworking, proud.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Life Science: Classification, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4) · +1 more
What a character is like: lazy, hardworking, proud.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.2 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 3.1 (grade 4) · Grade 4 Life Science: Classification, Lesson 2.1 (grade 4) · +1 more
transitionEnglish
A word, phrase or sentence that carries the reader from one paragraph or idea to the next.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.2 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
A word, phrase or sentence that carries the reader from one paragraph or idea to the next.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.2 (grade 7) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 3.3 (grade 9)
transition of comparisonEnglish
A word or phrase that shows likeness or difference: likewise, in the same way, both, yet, but, whereas, on the other hand, by contrast.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.4 (grade 8)
A word or phrase that shows likeness or difference: likewise, in the same way, both, yet, but, whereas, on the other hand, by contrast.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 1.4 (grade 8)
transitive verbEnglish
A transitive verb is an action verb that has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
A transitive verb is an action verb that has a direct object.
English Grammar, Lesson 20.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Latin, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5)
treasonEnglish
Betraying your own country, especially by helping its enemies in war.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 3.2 (Ages 10–13)
Betraying your own country, especially by helping its enemies in war.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.1 (grade 7) · Explore Heroines of History and Faith · Ranger, Stop 3.2 (Ages 10–13)
tributeEnglish
A tax paid to a ruler.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
A tax paid to a ruler.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 4.1 (grade 5) · Grade 5 Geography: Explorers, Navigators and Missionaries, Lesson 8.2 (grade 5) · Grade 6 Greek, Lesson 2.1 (grade 6)
tricolonEnglish
A series of three parallel parts, often growing in force: “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
A series of three parallel parts, often growing in force: “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.3 (grade 10)
trochaic inversionEnglish
Swapping one iamb for a trochee (DUM-da), most often at the start of a line, for emphasis: “SI-lent, up-ON a PEAK in DA-ri-EN.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7)
Swapping one iamb for a trochee (DUM-da), most often at the start of a line, for emphasis: “SI-lent, up-ON a PEAK in DA-ri-EN.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.3 (grade 7)
trochaic octameterEnglish
A line of eight trochees (DUM-da). Very rare in English; Poe’s “The Raven” is the famous example.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
A line of eight trochees (DUM-da). Very rare in English; Poe’s “The Raven” is the famous example.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 9)
trocheeEnglish
A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (DUM-da): GAR-den, MOTH-er, PAINT-ing.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (DUM-da): GAR-den, MOTH-er, PAINT-ing.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 9)
trustworthyEnglish
Reliable: written by people who know, and checked.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.1 (grade 5)
Reliable: written by people who know, and checked.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.1 (grade 5)
tuneEnglish
The melody. Any common-meter text fits any common-meter tune.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.3 (grade 5)
The melody. Any common-meter text fits any common-meter tune.
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 5.3 (grade 5)
turnEnglish
The change at the end of a scene: something is learned, lost, decided or set in motion, so the story cannot go back to where it was.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.4 (grade 5) · +1 more
The change at the end of a scene: something is learned, lost, decided or set in motion, so the story cannot go back to where it was.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.3 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.2 (grade 11) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 3.4 (grade 5) · +1 more
turn (volta)English
The place where a sonnet changes direction: from problem to answer, or from question to resolve. In Sonnet 18 it comes at line 9, “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
The place where a sonnet changes direction: from problem to answer, or from question to resolve. In Sonnet 18 it comes at line 9, “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.”
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 5.1 (grade 7)
two stars and a wishEnglish
Two specific things you liked and one thing to improve.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4)
Two specific things you liked and one thing to improve.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 8.2 (grade 4)
tyrantEnglish
A ruler who governs for himself and not for his people, and who rules by fear instead of by law.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 1.1 (Ages 14+)
A ruler who governs for himself and not for his people, and who rules by fear instead of by law.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7) · Explore Great Battles · Expert, Stop 1.1 (Ages 14+)
U
UlyssesEnglish
The Latin name for Odysseus, the Greek hero of the Odyssey.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
The Latin name for Odysseus, the Greek hero of the Odyssey.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.2 (grade 4)
understatementEnglish
Saying less than the truth on purpose, often for gentle humor: “I scarce uttered the quantity of an hundred words.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.3 (grade 8)
Saying less than the truth on purpose, often for gentle humor: “I scarce uttered the quantity of an hundred words.”
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 7.3 (grade 8)
understood subjectEnglish
In a command, the subject you is understood: it is not written, but it is there.
English Grammar, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3–8)
In a command, the subject you is understood: it is not written, but it is there.
English Grammar, Lesson 7.3 (grade 3–8)
unfeignedEnglish
Real; not pretended.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.2 (grade 4)
Real; not pretended.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.2 (grade 4)
unity of effectEnglish
Poe’s rule that every part of a short story should work toward one main impression on the reader.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.4 (grade 8)
Poe’s rule that every part of a short story should work toward one main impression on the reader.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 4.4 (grade 8)
unpublishedEnglish
Not yet printed, posted or broadcast anywhere. Each contest defines this; Foyle counts social media and previous competitions as publication.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
Not yet printed, posted or broadcast anywhere. Each contest defines this; Foyle counts social media and previous competitions as publication.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.4 (grade 11)
upbringingEnglish
The head that praises how a person was raised and trained: education, early habits and teachers.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7)
The head that praises how a person was raised and trained: education, early habits and teachers.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.1 (grade 7)
usability testEnglish
Watching a real reader try to use your document, without your help, and noting where the reader hesitates or goes wrong.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
Watching a real reader try to use your document, without your help, and noting where the reader hesitates or goes wrong.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.2 (grade 12)
usageEnglish
Usage is the customary way careful writers and speakers use a word.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.1 (grade 3–8)
Usage is the customary way careful writers and speakers use a word.
English Grammar, Lesson 24.1 (grade 3–8)
useEnglish
How a person works the tool.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.3 (grade 7)
How a person works the tool.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.2 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 2.3 (grade 7)
user testEnglish
Watching someone who has never done the task follow your written instructions without help, and noting every place he hesitates or goes wrong.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
Watching someone who has never done the task follow your written instructions without help, and noting every place he hesitates or goes wrong.
Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 6.3 (grade 9)
V
vagueEnglish
Not clear or exact (“stuff,” “nice,” “fun”).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.2 (grade 5)
Not clear or exact (“stuff,” “nice,” “fun”).
Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 7.2 (grade 5)
vague referenceEnglish
Vague reference happens when a pronoun refers to a whole idea, or to no noun at all, instead of to one clear antecedent.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.4 (grade 3–8)
Vague reference happens when a pronoun refers to a whole idea, or to no noun at all, instead of to one clear antecedent.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.4 (grade 3–8)
valedictionEnglish
A farewell address (Latin vale, “farewell,” and dicere, “to say”). Paul’s words at Miletus are one of the great valedictions.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12)
A farewell address (Latin vale, “farewell,” and dicere, “to say”). Paul’s words at Miletus are one of the great valedictions.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 8.2 (grade 12)
valedictoryEnglish
A farewell speech (Latin vale, “farewell,” and dicere, “to say”), often given by a graduating student.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12)
A farewell speech (Latin vale, “farewell,” and dicere, “to say”), often given by a graduating student.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.1 (grade 12)
vanityEnglish
Empty pride in looks or things.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.3 (grade 6)
Empty pride in looks or things.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 1.3 (grade 6)
variantEnglish
A different reading of the same line or word in another version of a poem. Scholars print variants side by side to study a poet’s choices.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11)
A different reading of the same line or word in another version of a poem. Scholars print variants side by side to study a poet’s choices.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.1 (grade 11)
verbEnglish
The verb, or simple predicate, is the main word in the complete predicate; it tells what the subject does or is.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5) · +3 more
The verb, or simple predicate, is the main word in the complete predicate; it tells what the subject does or is.
English Grammar, Lesson 1.3 (grade 3–8) · English Grammar, Lesson 3.1 (grade 3–8) · Grade 5 Greek, Lesson 3.1 (grade 5) · +3 more
verb phraseEnglish
A verb phrase is a main verb together with its helping verbs.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3–8)
A verb phrase is a main verb together with its helping verbs.
English Grammar, Lesson 3.2 (grade 3–8)
verbalEnglish
A verbal is a form of a verb used as another part of speech: a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.1 (grade 3–8)
A verbal is a form of a verb used as another part of speech: a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
English Grammar, Lesson 17.1 (grade 3–8)
verbs of analysisEnglish
Precise verbs for what a writer does: asserts, concedes, contrasts, amplifies, echoes, narrates, redefines, urges. Avoid “uses” and “talks about.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
Precise verbs for what a writer does: asserts, concedes, contrasts, amplifies, echoes, narrates, redefines, urges. Avoid “uses” and “talks about.”
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 1.4 (grade 11)
verifyEnglish
To check that something is true.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6)
To check that something is true.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 8.3 (grade 6)
verisimilitudeEnglish
The quality of seeming true: words that fit what we know of the speaker, his time and his situation.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.3 (grade 8)
The quality of seeming true: words that fit what we know of the speaker, his time and his situation.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 2.3 (grade 8)
verseEnglish
Writing in lines with rhythm, often rhyming.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3)
Writing in lines with rhythm, often rhyming.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 4.3 (grade 3)
versionEnglish
One way of telling a story.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.4 (grade 4)
One way of telling a story.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 4.4 (grade 4)
veteranEnglish
A person who served in the armed forces.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.1 (grade 7)
A person who served in the armed forces.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 9.1 (grade 7)
VFWEnglish
Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organization of American veterans that runs the Patriot’s Pen contest.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6)
Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organization of American veterans that runs the Patriot’s Pen contest.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6)
viceEnglish
A settled habit of doing wrong, such as theft, cruelty or cowardice. Its opposite is a virtue.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
A settled habit of doing wrong, such as theft, cruelty or cowardice. Its opposite is a virtue.
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 1.1 (grade 7) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 3.4 (grade 7)
viewpoint characterEnglish
The one character whose eyes and mind the limited narrator uses (also called the point-of-view character).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
The one character whose eyes and mind the limited narrator uses (also called the point-of-view character).
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.2 (grade 7)
villanelleEnglish
A nineteen-line poem of five tercets and a closing quatrain, built on only two rhyme sounds, with two refrain lines that alternate and then come together at the end.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10)
A nineteen-line poem of five tercets and a closing quatrain, built on only two rhyme sounds, with two refrain lines that alternate and then come together at the end.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.1 (grade 10)
virtueEnglish
A good quality.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Cooking & Food, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4–7)
A good quality.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 2.4 (grade 4) · Grade 7 Cooking & Food, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · Sports & Games of the World, Lesson 8.1 (grade 4–7)
vividness (enargeia)English
The quality that makes readers feel they are seeing the thing themselves. With clarity, it is one of the two virtues of a description.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
The quality that makes readers feel they are seeing the thing themselves. With clarity, it is one of the two virtues of a description.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
vocal varietyEnglish
Changes in volume, rate, pitch and pause that show the hearer what matters and keep attention.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10)
Changes in volume, rate, pitch and pause that show the hearer what matters and keep attention.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 3.2 (grade 10)
voiceEnglish
The sound of a piece of writing: the personality and time you hear in its words, sentence shapes and rhythms.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.3 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · +3 more
The sound of a piece of writing: the personality and time you hear in its words, sentence shapes and rhythms.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 4.2 (grade 10) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.3 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 4.1 (grade 7) · +3 more
voice or visionEnglish
The third criterion: the sense that a particular writer is seeing and speaking, with a way of looking at the world that is his or her own.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
The third criterion: the sense that a particular writer is seeing and speaking, with a way of looking at the world that is his or her own.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 9.2 (grade 8)
voltaEnglish
Italian for “turn”: the shift in thought, usually at line 9, where the sestet answers the octave.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9) · +2 more
Italian for “turn”: the shift in thought, usually at line 9, where the sestet answers the octave.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 5.2 (grade 10) · Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 11) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 5.3 (grade 9) · +2 more
volta (turn)English
The place where a sonnet shifts its argument or feeling. In Petrarchan sonnets it usually comes at line 9; in Shakespeare’s it may come at line 9, at line 13, or both.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
The place where a sonnet shifts its argument or feeling. In Petrarchan sonnets it usually comes at line 9; in Shakespeare’s it may come at line 9, at line 13, or both.
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 6.4 (grade 10)
Vulcan (Hephaestus)English
The smith of the gods in Greek myth. Butler’s translation uses the Roman name Vulcan for the Greek Hephaestus.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
The smith of the gods in Greek myth. Butler’s translation uses the Roman name Vulcan for the Greek Hephaestus.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.1 (grade 8)
W
wanted posterEnglish
A notice describing a person so others can recognize him.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.4 (grade 4)
A notice describing a person so others can recognize him.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.4 (grade 4)
weathercockEnglish
A weather vane shaped like a rooster.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4)
A weather vane shaped like a rooster.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 6.3 (grade 4)
what ifEnglish
A question that starts a new idea for a story.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.3 (grade 3)
A question that starts a new idea for a story.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.3 (grade 3)
whereas clauses (findings)English
The opening statements of an ordinance or resolution that set out the facts and reasons for it, each beginning “Whereas.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
The opening statements of an ordinance or resolution that set out the facts and reasons for it, each beginning “Whereas.”
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law, Lesson 2.4 (grade 10)
whoEnglish
Who is the nominative form, used as a subject or a predicate nominative.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.1 (grade 3–8)
Who is the nominative form, used as a subject or a predicate nominative.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.1 (grade 3–8)
whoever and whomeverEnglish
Whoever is nominative and whomever is objective; each takes its case from its job in its own clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.1 (grade 3–8)
Whoever is nominative and whomever is objective; each takes its case from its job in its own clause.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.1 (grade 3–8)
whomEnglish
Whom is the objective form, used as a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.1 (grade 3–8)
Whom is the objective form, used as a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition.
English Grammar, Lesson 21.1 (grade 3–8)
wide-to-narrow openingEnglish
An opening that begins with the large setting and closes in on the subject, like a traveler coming over a hill.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8)
An opening that begins with the large setting and closes in on the subject, like a traveler coming over a hill.
Grade 8 Composition & Creative Writing: Comparison, Characterization and Description, Lesson 3.4 (grade 8)
witnessEnglish
A person who saw or heard what happened and tells it.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.1 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 1.5 (grade 9–12)
A person who saw or heard what happened and tells it.
Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 3.1 (grade 6) · Grade 9 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis I and the Full Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 9) · Engineering Design, Robotics & Drones, Lesson 1.5 (grade 9–12)
word bankEnglish
A list of good words saved for writing.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3)
A list of good words saved for writing.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 2.1 (grade 3)
word budgetEnglish
A plan that assigns a rough number of words to each part of an essay before drafting.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11)
A plan that assigns a rough number of words to each part of an essay before drafting.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11)
word countEnglish
The number of words in a piece.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5) · +2 more
The number of words in a piece.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3) · Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 9.3 (grade 4) · Grade 5 Composition & Creative Writing: Narrative and the Chreia, Lesson 9.3 (grade 5) · +2 more
word limitEnglish
The most (or fewest) words a contest allows.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · +1 more
The most (or fewest) words a contest allows.
Grade 3 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable and the First Story, Lesson 9.2 (grade 3) · Grade 6 Composition & Creative Writing: Maxim, Refutation and Confirmation, Lesson 6.4 (grade 6) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 6.4 (grade 7) · +1 more
work sampleEnglish
One piece in a portfolio: a real document you wrote, such as a report, a proposal, a set of instructions or an essay.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.4 (grade 12)
One piece in a portfolio: a real document you wrote, such as a report, a proposal, a set of instructions or an essay.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 6.4 (grade 12)
working bibliographyEnglish
A growing, formatted list of every source you plan to read or have read, kept from the first day.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.3 (grade 12)
A growing, formatted list of every source you plan to read or have read, kept from the first day.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.3 (grade 12)
working claimEnglish
Your present best answer to the thesis question, held firmly enough to guide your reading and loosely enough to change if the evidence demands it.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.2 (grade 12)
Your present best answer to the thesis question, held firmly enough to guide your reading and loosely enough to change if the evidence demands it.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 1.2 (grade 12)
working hypothesisEnglish
Your best guess at the answer before the research is done. You hold it loosely and change it if the evidence says otherwise.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11)
Your best guess at the answer before the research is done. You hold it loosely and change it if the evidence says otherwise.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 2.1 (grade 11)
working thesisEnglish
A one-sentence answer to your research question that you intend to prove. It is “working” because the evidence may still change it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11)
A one-sentence answer to your research question that you intend to prove. It is “working” because the evidence may still change it.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 3.1 (grade 11)
workshopEnglish
A meeting where writers read each other’s drafts and give careful critique so that each writer can revise.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
A meeting where writers read each other’s drafts and give careful critique so that each writer can revise.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 5.2 (grade 11) · Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 4.4 (grade 12)
worldview essayEnglish
An essay that reasons from a stated set of first principles (here, a biblical one) to a conclusion about a public question.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11)
An essay that reasons from a stated set of first principles (here, a biblical one) to a conclusion about a public question.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 6.4 (grade 11)
writing for the earEnglish
Composing words to be heard once at speaking pace: shorter sentences, clear signposts, concrete nouns, deliberate repetition.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
Composing words to be heard once at speaking pace: shorter sentences, clear signposts, concrete nouns, deliberate repetition.
Grade 12 Composition & Creative Writing: Capstone: Rhetoric and the Senior Thesis, Lesson 7.2 (grade 12) · Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective, Lesson 8.1 (grade 7)
Z
zero draftEnglish
A fast, complete, unpolished first version written straight through, to be revised later.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11)
A fast, complete, unpolished first version written straight through, to be revised later.
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay, Lesson 7.3 (grade 11)
ZIP codeEnglish
The five-digit number that helps the post office sort mail.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4)
The five-digit number that helps the post office sort mail.
Grade 4 Composition & Creative Writing: The Fable Grown Up, and Narrative, Lesson 7.4 (grade 4)