English 1201
Language Skills: Grammar and Word Choice
Directions: Students are to use the Resource Lines 9/10 textbook to complete the items
that follow. See all of Chapter 7 (pp. 307-339) and Section 2-1 of Chapter 2 only (the
paragraph; pp. 88-91).
Define the following terms associated with understanding sentence structure. After
each definition, provide an example of the term in an original sentence. Be sure to
underline the example.
Grammar / Parts of Speech
1.
Noun: ________________________________________________________________________________________
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2.
Verb: ________________________________________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
Adjective: ____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Adverb: ______________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Pronoun: _____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6.
Conjunction: _________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
English 1201
7.
Language Skills: Grammar and Word Choice
Preposition: _________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Identifying the Parts of Speech
For each sentence below, underline the word indicated by the part of speech in the
parentheses.
1. (preposition) He walked around the corner.
2. (pronoun) Paul hopes that she will sing with the choir.
3. (noun) Have you seen the eraser?
4. (adjective) Older people tire more easily.
5. (adverb) The police officer ran fast.
6. (adverb) My sister answered the question intelligently.
7. (preposition) Can you jump over the hurdle?
8. (conjunction) I cannot go, for I have much to do.
9. (conjunction) He wants to buy the house, yet he knows it is too expensive.
10. (pronoun) Will the students be able to find the answer by themselves?
Word Choice / Diction
A word’s denotation is its dictionary definition. A word can also make people feel or think
a certain way. These feelings and ideas are the connotations of a word. Words with the
same meaning can have different “shades of meaning”—that is, they can be understood
differently.
 Positive connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan slender and lean.
(attractively thin)
 Neutral connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan thin.
 Negative connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan skinny and scrawny.
(unattractively thin)
Be sure that the words you use have the right connotation as well as the right denotation.
English 1201
Language Skills: Grammar and Word Choice
Identifying Positive and Negative Connotations
Each pair of phrases includes synonyms with different connotations. Put a + sign next to
the one with a positive connotation and a –sign next to the one with a negative connotation.
Use a dictionary or thesaurus if needed.
1. a powerful stink _______
a powerful aroma _______
6.
answered with arrogance ________
answered with confidence ________
2. a dynamic leader _______
a pushy leader _______
7.
sloppy clothes ________
casual clothes ________
3. squandered his money ________
spent his money ________
8.
an aggressive attitude ________
a hostile attitude ________
4. a reckless plan ________
a daring plan ________
9.
an easygoing friend ________
a lazy friend ________
5. energetic children ________
wild children ________
10. a thoughtful response ________
a calculated response ________
Connotations in Action
In the first paragraph below, circle the words that have a positive connotation. In the
second paragraph, circle the words that have a negative connotation. Use a dictionary or
thesaurus if needed.
Positive connotation:
Ms. Baxter has been a(n) (valuable, costly) employee of this company for three years. In
that time, she has expressed many (militant, strong) opinions. Her methods of solving
problems are sometimes (unusual, bizarre). In short, she is a real (leader, show-off).
Negative connotation:
I was surprised to get a birthday gift from my Aunt Joanna. She is (an inquisitive person, a
real snoop), so she had asked many of my relatives what I might like. I tore the (colorful,
gaudy) paper off the package and found a shirt made of (flimsy, delicate) material. It was
covered with (detailed, fussy) embroidery and (flashy, eye-catching) sequins. It certainly
was a(n) (strange, exotic) present.