Vocabulary for AP Literature & Composition
Overall expectations for vocabulary units:
1) Vocabulary words will be issued the first day of every five or four day school week.
2) Study ten words per week to be quizzed on each Friday.
3) Quizzes will be as follows: I will pronounce a word and you will spell it correctly, define it, and use it in a sentence with contextual clues that help define it further.
4) You will also be expected to write sentences that follow certain sentence patterns or types. There are two reasons we do this:
a) Learn to recognize syntactical patterns (for the AP exam)
b) Improve personal style: by being able to use a variety of sentence types, you will improve your sentence fluency and ability to write emphatic prose.5) The maximum score you can make on a vocabulary quiz is 100%; just like any other quiz. One half (½) point for spelling, one half (½) point for the definition and one (1) point for the sentence.
*See Appendix A for the list of types, explanations, and examples.
*I suggest you know the part of speech; if the word functions equally as two parts of speech (a noun and a verb, for example) know the meanings for each.
Expectations for defining words:
1) You may use synonyms to define, but you need at least three of them to receive full credit for the definition.
2) You must use a definition that makes sense to you.
3) Your definition should “match” the part of speech.
For example if the word is din, a noun, the definition would not be “noisy,” which would be a definition for an adjective. Instead write, “a noise, a clamor.”
4) You may not define a word using the word.
5) I suggest using the online Merriam-Webster dictionary if you are absent when vocabulary words are issued.
Expectations for constructing sentences:
1) When you write your sentences, you must use the correct form(s) of the word: noun, adjective, adverb, conjunction, or any verb tense.
2) The quizzes are worth 100 points each; just like any other quiz. One half (½) point for spelling, one half (½) point for the definition and one (1) point for the sentence.
a) You will lose a whole point for your sentence for the following reasons:
A comma splice, a fragment, a run on, a subject-verb agreement error, or any other serious grammatical error
You convert the word to a part of speech that is not correct; for example, you try to make a noun serve as a verb.
b) You may lose ½ point per sentence for the following reasons:
You do not follow sentence pattern as required.
You do not provide sufficient context clues.
The sentence is awkward and difficult to understand.
The sentence makes no sense.
Miscellaneous notes:
You should use the files below as your definition guide, and to keep track of which words to study. You do not hand these lists in. The lists will be used for the entirety of the semester.
Please also consult the appendices below for more on
A. Sentence patterns and examples
B. Transitive vs. intransitive verbs
C. Notes to AP students on vocabulary quizzes
D. List of subordinating conjunctions
1) Vocabulary words will be issued the first day of every five or four day school week.
2) Study ten words per week to be quizzed on each Friday.
3) Quizzes will be as follows: I will pronounce a word and you will spell it correctly, define it, and use it in a sentence with contextual clues that help define it further.
4) You will also be expected to write sentences that follow certain sentence patterns or types. There are two reasons we do this:
a) Learn to recognize syntactical patterns (for the AP exam)
b) Improve personal style: by being able to use a variety of sentence types, you will improve your sentence fluency and ability to write emphatic prose.5) The maximum score you can make on a vocabulary quiz is 100%; just like any other quiz. One half (½) point for spelling, one half (½) point for the definition and one (1) point for the sentence.
*See Appendix A for the list of types, explanations, and examples.
*I suggest you know the part of speech; if the word functions equally as two parts of speech (a noun and a verb, for example) know the meanings for each.
Expectations for defining words:
1) You may use synonyms to define, but you need at least three of them to receive full credit for the definition.
2) You must use a definition that makes sense to you.
3) Your definition should “match” the part of speech.
For example if the word is din, a noun, the definition would not be “noisy,” which would be a definition for an adjective. Instead write, “a noise, a clamor.”
4) You may not define a word using the word.
5) I suggest using the online Merriam-Webster dictionary if you are absent when vocabulary words are issued.
Expectations for constructing sentences:
1) When you write your sentences, you must use the correct form(s) of the word: noun, adjective, adverb, conjunction, or any verb tense.
2) The quizzes are worth 100 points each; just like any other quiz. One half (½) point for spelling, one half (½) point for the definition and one (1) point for the sentence.
a) You will lose a whole point for your sentence for the following reasons:
A comma splice, a fragment, a run on, a subject-verb agreement error, or any other serious grammatical error
You convert the word to a part of speech that is not correct; for example, you try to make a noun serve as a verb.
b) You may lose ½ point per sentence for the following reasons:
You do not follow sentence pattern as required.
You do not provide sufficient context clues.
The sentence is awkward and difficult to understand.
The sentence makes no sense.
Miscellaneous notes:
You should use the files below as your definition guide, and to keep track of which words to study. You do not hand these lists in. The lists will be used for the entirety of the semester.
Please also consult the appendices below for more on
A. Sentence patterns and examples
B. Transitive vs. intransitive verbs
C. Notes to AP students on vocabulary quizzes
D. List of subordinating conjunctions
Vocabulary Word Lists
Week 1.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 2.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 3.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 4.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 5.docx | |
File Size: | 17 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 6.docx | |
File Size: | 18 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 7.docx | |
File Size: | 12 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 8.docx | |
File Size: | 18 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 9.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 10.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 11.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 12.docx | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 13.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 14.docx | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 15.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 16.docx | |
File Size: | 12 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 17.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Week 18.docx | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Appendices
Appendix A - Sentence Types & Examples | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Appendix B - Transitive and Intransitive Verbs | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Appendix C - Additional Notes on Vocabulary Quizzes | |
File Size: | 21 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Appendix D - Subordinating Conjunctions | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |