Essential Vocabulary and Commonly Confused Words

10th Grade

Week 1 Vocab1. main idea—a single thought that serves as a paragraph’s focus, all

sentences in the paragraph relate to this idea2. redundancy—wordy3. transitional words—help a writer’s thoughts flow from one idea to

the next 4. supporting details—include sensory details, examples, anecdotes,

facts, statistics and quotations5. paragraph—a collection of related sentences dealing with one idea6. formal/informal language—refers to a way of writing or speaking

in a style dependent on the audience, purpose and occasion• formal language—follows the rules of standard English• informal language—uses casual, everyday language

Week 1 CCW

• a lot (many) allot (to distribute)

• Accept (take or receive) except (excluding)

• Affect (v: act upon/influence)

effect (n: result)• Already (previously)

all ready (prepared)

• Alright (informal form of all right)all right (formal version of being ok.

• Altogether (entire/complete) all together (everyone at the same time)

• Break (divide into pieces)brake (in car)

Week 2 Vocab1. narrative—tells a story2. tone—the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of the

work, the characters in it, or the audience3. thesis statement—states the main idea of a composition4. precise language- refers to the use of precise verbs, nouns,

and adjectives to make writing fresh and vivid; replaces vague language

5. Six Traits—a focus on ideas and content, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions to create effective writing

Week 2 CCW

• capitol (city head)capital (money) the Capitol (Washington DC)

• Cent (money) sent (give) scent (smell)

• Cite (sources) site (place) sight (seeing)

• Course (class) coarse (rough)

• Due (time)dew (water) do (action)

• Earn (deserve/receive) urn (vase for ashes)

• Emigrate (to leave your country) immigrate

• Flour (cooking) flower (rose, daisy, etc)

Week 3 Vocab1. mood—the overall emotion2. theme—the insight about human life that is revealed3. imagery—helps the reader see, hear, feel, taste, and smell what is being described 4. autobiography—the account of the writer’s own life 5. irony—the discrepancy between appearances and reality; unexpected

• verbal irony—occurs when someone says the opposite of what he or she means

• situational irony—occurs when what happens is the opposite of what was expected to happen

• dramatic irony—occurs when the reader or audience knows something that a character does not know; often used on the stage

6. author’s purpose—the intention of the writer: entertain, describe, explain, or persuade

7. inference—a logical guess that is based on observed facts and one’s own knowledge and experience

Week 3 CCW

• Hall (passage) haul (tow/pull)

• Hear (sound) here (now/place)

• Herd (group)heard (sound)

• Its (possessive pronoun) it’s (contraction for it is)

• Knot (tie) not (no)

• Know (understand) no (no)

• lead (guide)led (past tense of lead)

• Lone (single/one) loan (lend/give someone)

Week 4 Vocab1. expository/informative writing—writing used to define terms, give

directions, explain processes, and tell how things work; presents or explains facts and ideas

2. descriptive writing—sets a scene to introduce a character or to create a mood

3. compare—to examine similarities4. contrast—to show or emphasize differences5. cause—an event or action that leads directly to another event or action 6. effect—the direct or logical outcome of an event or action

7. thesis statement—states the main idea of a composition

Week 4 CCW

Review weeks 1-3

Week 51.shift in tense and form—combines different verb

forms to show how events are related in time to emphasize them differently

2.peer edit—the process of having a classmate proofread and edit another classmate’s writing

3.peer review—the comments and suggestions a classmate makes about another classmate’s writing

4.self edit—the process of proofreading and editing one’s own writing

Week 5 CCW• Made (forced/created)

maid (female servant)• Meet (encounter)

meat (used as food)• New (not used)

knew (understood/learned)• Adapt (change to fit)

adopt (use ideas/family)• advice (noun: guidance)

advise (verb: give guidance

Week 6 Vocab1. precise language- refers to the use of precise verbs,

nouns, and adjectives to make writing fresh and vivid; replaces vague language

2. vivid language—full of life; intense3. persuasive techniques—to convince to think or act in a

certain way• logical appeal—uses evidence such as facts or

statistics• emotional appeal—uses words that arouse strong

feelings• ethical appeals—establishes a writer’s qualifications

and sincerity using ethics

CCW Week 6

• Among (surrounded by) between (in middle/divided)

• Anyway (no matter what happens)

anywhere (in, at, to any place)• Nowhere (not anywhere)

somewhere (unspecified space)• Borrow (take and give back)

lend (give on loan)

Week 7 Vocab1. figure of speech—word or phrase that describes one

thing in terms of something else and that is not meant to be taken literally

2. simile—a figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles

3. personification—a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

4. metaphor—a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles

CCW Week 7

• can (ability to)may (permission)

• choose (to select between options)chose (past tense of choose)

• dessert (sweet food after dinner)desert (dry place/leave)

• Farther (distance) further (advanced point)

Week 8 Vocab• 1. archetype—a very old, imaginative pattern

that appears in literature across cultures and is repeated through the ages; can be a character, a plot, an image, a theme, or a setting

• 2. atmosphere—the mood or feeling created in a piece of writing

• 3. mood—the overall emotion created in a piece of writing

• 4. symbol—a person, a place, a thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself

Week 8 CCW

• Imply (suggest)infer (derive by reasoning)

• Lay (v: place something)lie (v: state of placement)

• Learn ( to aquire knowledge/skill)teach (impart knowledge/skill

Week 10 Vocab1. skim—to glance throughout without reading word for

word2. scan—to look at closely3. synthesize—to combine parts and elements to become

a whole4. plagiarize—to pass off someone else’s work as your

own5. critique—a critical analysis or review6. cite—to quote7. literal—follows the wording of the original8. interpret—to explain or to translate

Week 10 CCW

• Loose – not bound• Lose – fail to keep• Quiet – no noise • Quite – completely, truly• leave – to go• Let – to allow or permit• Like – of the same form• as if – as it would be if…

• Majority – more than half a number

• Most – greatest number• Almost – very nearly all• Of - preposition used to

add information• Have – possess, own

Week 12 Vocab

1. parable—a relatively short story that teaches a lesson or a moral about how to live the good life

2.context clues—to find clues to the meaning of a unfamiliar word

3.adverbial clause—a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb

4.archaic—old language

Week 12 CCW

• Our (people) hour (time)• Piece (section) Peace (not fighting)• Plane (in the air) plain (not decorated)• Rain (water) rein (restraint) reign (power)• Rode (past tense of ride) road (street,

highway)

Week 13 Vocab

1.setting—the time and location in which a story takes place

2.climax—the point in the plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest

3.repetition—unifying property of repeated words, sounds, syllables, and other elements that appear in a work

Week 13 CCW

• Real (authentic) really (actually)• Set (to put) sit (physically be seated)• Than (comparison) then (happens next)• Good (used as adjective) well (used as adverb)

Week 14 Vocab1. meter—a pattern of stressed and unstressed

syllables in poetry2.stanza—a group of consecutive lines that form

a structural unit in a poem3. foot—a metrical unit of poetry4. alliteration—the repetition of the same or

similar consonant sounds in words that a close together

Week 14 CCW

• Pier (dock) peer (gaze)• Principal (of school) principle (standard)• Raise (lift) rise (climb, go up)• Sale (deal, lower price) sell(to put for purchase)

• Sail (glide in boat) cell (small room)

Week 15 Vocab

1.poetry—a form of creative writing that emphasizes language and imagery

2.genre—a kind or type of literature3.analysis—a detailed examination4.misplaced modifier—a modifying word,

phrase or clause that sound awkward because it modifies the wrong word or group of words

5.dangling modifier—a modifying word, phrase, or clause that does not sensibly modify any word or words in a sentence

Week 15 CCW

• Since (used in time) • sense (logic) • cents (money)• Seen (past of see)• scene (picture/view)• Stationary (motionless)• stationery (writing paper/materials)

Week 16 Vocab1. tragedy—a story in which a heroic character either dies or

comes to an unhappy end2. antagonist—is the opponent who struggles against or blocks

the hero, or protagonist, in a story3. superstition—any thought that is inconsistent with known

facts or rational thoughts4. foot notes—a note of comment or reference at the bottom

of a page5. culture—the skills, arts, etc. of a given people, in a given

period, civilization6. assassination—the act of murder by an assassin7. appendix—additional material at the end of a book that

serves as supplementary material

Week 171.sarcasm—a taunting or caustic remark,

generally ironic2.understatement—a statement that says less

than what is meant3.motive/motivation—the reason/s for a

character’s behavior (EOL p.1388)4. imagery—the use of language to evoke a

picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience