Name:
Sophomore Vocab
Unit 4
1.
anecdote
2.
arc
3.
archetype
4.
elaborate
5.
irony
Words in Context:
One of my favorite television shows of all time is Seinfeld. Each episode would begin with Jerry
doing his stand-up comic routine, always full of anecdotal humor about him, his family and his
neighbors. Part of what makes Seinfeld so great is that each episode always had some
random plotline; in the nine seasons it aired, each episode was different—there was never a
story arc that carried from one episode to the next, let alone last throughout a whole season.
Another great aspect of the show is the way that Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer (the main
characters) interact with each other, especially using irony to play off the incongruity of one
another’s character. None of the characters really fit any archetype—especially Kramer—he
really breaks the mold. Some of the greatest scenes take place when Newman (Jerry’s arch
nemesis) fights with Jerry, and then Jerry elaborates on the outcomes during his stand-up
routine.
Fill-in-the-Blank:
1. Movies that are made for teen audiences always have _________________________
characters, like the dumb jock, the preppy cheerleader, and the quiet loner.
2. It took a lot of time to plan out our devilish and ______________________ prank on my
parents.
3. You know you’re getting ready to hear a/n _______________________ when your friend starts
out a story with, “This one time, at band camp...”
4. It is rather _____________________ that my best friend, who is a vegan and is always lecturing
me about the evils of meat, ate a piece of pepperoni pizza because she was hungry.
5. There are so many characters and storylines in HBO’s The Game of Thrones that it
sometimes is hard to follow the main story ________________________.
Matching:
_____ 6. anecdote
a. (n) something that serves as a model or basis for making copies; the
perfect example of something
_____ 7. arc
b. (n) an extended or continuing storyline
_____ 8. archetype
c. (n) a short and humorous story about a real event or person
_____ 9. elaborate
d. (v) to describe something that is very detailed or especially
complicated
_____ 10. irony
e. (n) when you say something while you mean a different,
contradictory thing; when something happens that is different from
what we would normally expect to happen
Sophomore Vocab
Unit 4
6.
diction
7.
8.
expository
9.
sensory
10.
theme
tone
Words in context:
When writing an expository essay, it is a good idea to keep the theme logical and
make sure to thoroughly explain the topic. Diction is important, as well, as word
choice has the power to make or break an essay. Theme and diction are also
important when writing creative stories. Especially those involving abstract ideas; it
helps to use sensory details to really get the reader involved in what is going on with
the characters be being able to “see,” “hear,” and “feel” what they do. Tone is also
important to readers, as that is one way readers are able to identify a writer’s attitude
about his or her work.
Fill-in-the-Blank:
11. While traveling in New York City, it is easy to go into _____________________overload
because there's so much to see, hear, smell, and feel coming at you all at once.
12. The ___________________________ an author sets in a novel really sets the mood for the
entire work.
13. ___________________________ dialogue usually exists to give the audience an explanation of
a character's previous actions.
14. ___________________________ can often reveal where a person comes from, because
people from different parts of the world enunciate and pronounce words differently.
15. The homecoming __________________________ this year centers on superheroes and villains.
Matching:
_____ 16. diction
a. (n) the way you enunciate or pronounce words, and the words
and phrases you choose to use.
_____ 17. expository
b. (n) [in writing] the quality of something that reveals the attitudes
and beliefs of the author; [linguistically] the pitch of your voice
_____ 18. sensory
c. (adj) something related to sensation; involving or derived from the
senses
_____ 19. theme
_____ 20. tone
d. (n) a unifying and recurring idea or element in literary or artistic
work
e. (adj) explanatory; serving to inform or explain
Sophomore Vocab
Unit 4
11.
claim
12.
clause
13.
plagiarize
14.
objective
15.
subjective
Words in Context:
Writing a research paper involves carefully considering what sources to use for
supporting documents. You want to find sources that help to create an objective
supporting document, not a subjective platform to vent your feelings about a topic. It
is also important not to steal ideas from sources without properly crediting them—
plagiarism is a serious crime in some situations. Many universities have a plagiarism
clause where penalties range from failing the assignment to being kicked out of
school. It is in these types of cases that students often claim they are innocent of using
ideas from others. Intentional or not, plagiarized work is punished the same.
Fill-in-the-Blank:
21. When signing any kind of legal document, it is important to make sure you read it well and
look for potential hidden _______________________es.
22. If you are caught ____________________________ in college, the dean has the option of
throwing you out for cheating.
23. The fact that the Earth has one moon is objective — it's a fact. Whether the moon is pretty
or not is ___________________________ — not everyone will agree.
24. The judge could not try the case involving his own son because he could not deliver an
_____________________ and fair verdict.
25. I sometimes wonder if students really think teachers believe _____________________s of
them having completed their homework but “forgetting” it at home. (We know you’re lying).
Matching:
_____ 26. claim
a. (v) to take someone’s ideas or words and pass them off as your own
_____ 27. clause
b. (n) an assertion that something is true or factual / (v) to state
something is true or factual
_____ 28. plagiarize
c. (n) influenced by personal feelings; an idea/opinion that is specific to
a person
_____ 29. objective
d. (n) a separate section of a legal document; OR in grammar: a group
of words that contains a subject and a predicate
_____ 30. subjective
e. (adj) when you look at things in a detached, impartial, fact-based
way
Sophomore Vocab
Unit 4
16.
aside
17.
foil
18.
monologue
19.
soliloquy
20.
tragedy
Words in Context:
Every year, English classes across North Carolina are introduced to at least one of
Shakespeare’s plays. My favorite is “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” a play about the loss
and misfortune of a once great man. In the play, Banquo is Macbeth’s most
interesting foil—Macbeth’s onetime friend and comrade, Banquo turns out to be
everything that Macbeth is not. There are many great moments in the play, such as
when Macbeth turns from other characters onstage for an aside, where the audience
really gets to see inside his insanity. And no one can read or see the play without
noting Lady Macbeth’s famous “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex
me here” soliloquy, where she dominates the stage alone. My favorite parts of the
play, however, have to be Lady Macbeth’s monologues chastising her husband while
he sits and takes her reprimanding.
Fill-in-the-Blanks:
31. When Mercutio mocks Romeo’s vision of love and the poetic devices in Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is acting as Romeo’s _________________________.
32. One of my favorite Shakespearean ___________________________s is when Romeo, alone on
stage, begins with “What light from yonder window breaks…”
33. It would be a ____________________ to lose your job, but an even greater
_____________________to fall ill while unemployed and without health care.
34. In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, Iago gives several ________________________s, informing the
audience of his plans and how he will try to achieve his goals while other actors on stage feign
not hearing him.
35. One of the greatest _______________________s of all time is when Jack Nicholson’s
character, Col. Nathan Jessup, shouts out in the courtroom, “You can’t handle the truth! Son,
we live in a world that has walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s
going to do it? You?”
Matching:
a. (n) a long, uninterrupted speech or poem by one person
_____ 36. aside
b. (n) an actor’s speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed
to be heard by other actors on stage
_____ 37. foil
c. (n) a speech a character gives of his thoughts and reflections (thinking
out loud) while alone on stage
_____ 38. monologue
_____ 39. soliloquy
_____ 40. tragedy
d. (n) a play that ends badly for a hero/heroine which may also cause
him or his family or friends to be in trouble
e. (v) to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; / (n) a
character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist)
in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character