Cultural anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural anthropology - Essay Example They say it looks like a small grasshopper but is brown in color. It feeds on rice seedlings roots causing the seedlings to die so they also consider it as a pest and like other farm insects, they also eat it. I smiled because I thought that the farmer was just joking but I realized that he was serious when he continued talking. He said that they dig the mud using their feet to look for mole crickets and collect them in a container. He even added that it is best sautà ©ed with tomatoes. While hearing this, I visualized how it looked like and I cant imagine how they could eat that kind of thing. I dont know to react so I just nodded and acted like it was normal. After a while, the farmers arrived with the mole crickets they have collected. I wanted to ask why they have to eat these insects while there are a lot of normal foods to choose from but I was hesitant because it might offend them. Good thing, one farmer finally shared a story about it. He said that there was a time when one farmer has nothing to eat. Then, he thought of cooking the mole crickets he collected from his field and eating it. He liked the taste and shared the story to other farmers. From then on, they eat mole crickets occasionally, especially when they dont have anything to eat. The story-telling was interrupted when the sautà ©ed mole crickets was finally served. For me, it smelled like any other sautà ©ed food. The farmers started eating once the plate was put in the table. One farmer demonstrated how it should be eaten. He removed the insects head and then put the remaining parts to his mouth. He said that the head is the hard part and is irritating to the throat. However, other farmers prefer to just eat it the way it is. When I saw all of them eating the cricket, it felt normal to me and thought that maybe I could eat it too so I tried eating one when they offered me. Honestly, I liked it and I found myself eating it like I was used to eat

Argumentative Essay Essay Example for Free

Argumentative Essay Essay Malcolm X expressed the pent up anger, frustration, and bitterness of African Americans during the major phase of the civil rights movement. According to Learning to Read, â€Å"I believe it took me a day. Then, aloud, I read back, to myself, everything I’d written on the tablet. Over and over, aloud, to myself, I read my own handwriting.† (Paragraph 8) This means that he basically read his own handwriting. In Malcolm X’s, Learning to Read, he enhanced his life with reading and comprehension by having to experience his black community being treated wrong and having to go to jail. According to Learning to Read, â€Å"Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade. This impression is due entirely to my prison studies.† (Paragraph 3) This means that he’s known for his famous speech. Either on television or someone who read something that he said. Malcolm X was imprisoned for a long time, and was studying while there. The qualities that he possessed while in prison were phenomenal and not worthy to the white people. But, he didn’t become intelligent in jail for them; he did it for his fellow black community. According to Learning to Read, â€Å"It had really begun back in the Charlestown Prison, when Bimbi first made me feel envy of his stock of knowledge.† (Paragraph 4) This really means that he really didn’t start to read and comprehend until he met Bimbi. However, Bimbi was the first person he met in prison that didn’t use slang language. It was a surprise to Malcolm, because he didn’t know there would ever be anyone learning to read and comprehend like him in jail. On the other hand, how did learning to read aid him to understand the struggle of African Americans in this country? From my understanding, I believe that it aided him by it freeing him physically in his mind. And, it aided him by leading black people in the civil rights movement. According to Learning to Read, â€Å"In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet everything printed on that first page, down to the punctuation marks.† (Paragraph 7) This means that he basically was practicing his handwriting while, at the same time, reading the words and comprehending them. Also, how did it enable him to impress people of colors? In my opinion, I believe it enabled him by expanding his knowledge about blacks with the plight they were experiencing. To conclude, the central idea of the text was that reading and comprehension helped him understand the racism in the black community. Malcolm X was basically strong and opinionated. Also, he is ambitious and anxious to get the freedom for his people and for himself. The reason being was because to awaken black people or in other words, spark them.

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Dominique Porter HIS 108 Midterm Project CSC Feb 23 2014 Title â€Å"A Forgotten Love† Persona Margret Marie Link is long time friend and secret admirer of Henry Ford knows a lot about his life. Margret knew Henry from when they were both little kids and had a big crush on him, most of her life. Henry and she would write back and forth all the way till his success of his business Ford Motors Introduction As you drive in your car today do you ever think to yourself where did all this start? Who made it the invention of the car, when and where? As the best friend of Henry Ford. I’m here to tell you the questions you want to hear. Story Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863, on a farm in Greenfield Township, Michigan. His father William Ford was born in Country Cork Ireland and his mother Mary Ford was born in Michigan. Henry Ford spent his childhood on his family's farm, located outside of Detroit, MI. When Henry was twelve, his mother died during childbirth. Henrys father gave him a pocket watch in his early teens. At 15, Henry dismantled and reassembled watches and clocks of friends and neighbors dozens of times, and gained the reputation of a watch repairman. Henry repaired my watch plenty of times. I had the very first Rolex Oyster watch, in other words, the world's first water-resistant timepiece. This was no easy watch to work on and just watching how much he loved to take things apart and put it back together just made me think he’s going to invent something big one day. I came from a rather wealthy family and this is how I met Henry. Him being only fourteen and I was just barely thirteen I was always bei ng impressed on how good he was at fixing things mechanically. I had a huge crush on Henry and when I would break ... ...air driving 1 mile in 39.4 seconds and setting a new land speed record at 91.3 miles per hour also had convinced the race driver Barney Oldfield to drive his car which made him worldwide†. That was the last time I heard from Henry I guess you could say that he made it big time and forgot about me. I soon settled down with my husband in 1943 and was driving a car made by Henry himself called the Model T.Me and my husband were planning on moving to Italy in two weeks with our son Tom Link. I went to visit my mom and she gave me an article about how Henry and his wife were anti-Semitic. From 1919 to 1927, his newspaper, the Dearbopendentrn Inde, had a pamphlet called "The International Jew. I had a full life of excitement and even though I didn’t get o be with the man of my dreams I was glad to be a part of his life but my forgotten love will always remain for him.

El Nino and La Nina :: essays research papers

What are El Nino and La Nina? El Nino and La Nina are unusual weather patterns that form in the period of 10 months. El Nino and La Nina both impact climates all around the world, each different in countries and regions. Normal weather patterns are when low atmospheric pressure is over northern Australia and Indonesia, and when high atmospheric pressure is over the Pacific Ocean. Winds move east to west over the Pacific. The east flows of the trade winds carries the warm surface waters to the west, and bring rainstorms to Indonesia and northern Australia. To the coast of Ecuador and Peru, warm surface water is pulled west, and the cold water beneath pulls up to replace it. This is called an upwelling. An El Nino happens in intervals of 3-7 years. The formation of this is related to the Pacific Southern Oscillation which is also the cycling of the Pacific Ocean circulation. The Pacific Southern Oscillation (the change of atmospheric pressures) happens when the easterly trade winds collapse, weaken, or even reverse. As this happens, the upwelling stops. The slight weakening of the winds cause a small change in sea surface temperatures, and the wind and pressure changes increase. The warm water of the western Pacific Ocean flow eastward and sea surface temperatures increase on the western coast of South America. When this occurs, the wet weather conditions (originally in the western Pacific) move east, and dry conditions (normally in the east) appear in the west. During El Nià ±o?s in the Pacific Northwest, the amount of precipitation greatly decreases, the winter temperatures get milder, and winter has below-average precipitation. Some economical and environmental impacts are that erosion is increasing due to severe storm surges, concerns that property built on low-lying areas or on top of unstable bluffs possibly be flooded or threatened by landslides due to regional climate changes, and various salmon species potentially endangered. In California, during El Nino?s they get extreme precipitation and snowfalls. Economical and environmental impacts are heavy precipitation, damage from debris flows or mudslides, and floods from the rain. El Nino seasons in Peru bring so much rainfall that there is now a lake made from the rain, compared to the desert it once was. Several economical and environmental impacts from El Nino include massive floods or mudslides, and since Peru lives in a cold-water zone, it carries many fish that are caught and so ld commercially, but during El Nino, a layer of warm water covers the nutrient-rich east coast waters, abruptly stopping the upwelling and the nutrients fail to come up.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 16

Gillian stood as if her snow-powdered body had been turned to ice. Because it was the worst, the absolute worst that she could possibly have imagined. He killed a kid. â€Å"The little girl who disappeared a year ago,† she whispered. â€Å"On Hilkrest Road.† The one she'd thought of-completely irrationally-when she'd heard the crying. â€Å"I was doing a spell,† Gary said. â€Å"A strong one; I was a quick learner. It was a fire elemental spell-so I was out in the woods. In the snow, where nothing would burn. And then she showed up chasing her dog.† He was staring into the distance, his face dead white. Looking not haunting, but haunted. And Gillian knew he wasn't with her at that moment; he was far away, with Paula. â€Å"They broke the circle. It all happened so fast. The fire was everywhere-just one white flash, like lightning. And then it was gone.† He paused. â€Å"The dog got away. But not her.† Gillian shut her eyes, trying not to imagine it. â€Å"Oh, God.† And then, as something twisted inside her, â€Å"Oh, Gary †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I put her body in my car. I was going to take her to the hospital. But she was dead. And I wasconfused. So finally I stopped the car. And I buried her in the snow.† â€Å"Gary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I went home. Then I went to a party. That was the kind of guy I was, you see. A partyin' guy. Everything was about good times and me, me, me. That was even what being a witch was about.† For the first time there was emotion in his voice, and Gillian recognized it. Self-hatred. â€Å"And at the party, I got really, really drunk.† Oh. Suddenly Gillian understood. â€Å"You never told anybody.† â€Å"On the way back home I wrapped my car around a tree. And that was it.† He laughed, but it wasn't a laugh. â€Å"Suddenly I'm in Neverland. Can't talk to anybody, can't touch anybody, but sure can see everything. I watched the search for her, you know. They passed about a foot away from her body.† Gillian gulped and looked away. Something had twisted and broken inside her, some idea of justice that would never be put back together. But this was no time to think about that. It hadn't really been his fault†¦ but what did that matter? You played the hand you got dealt. And Gary had played his badly. He'd started out with everything-good looks, obvious brains, and witch power enough to choke a horse-and he'd blown it. Didn't matter. They had to go on from here. She looked up at him. â€Å"Gary, you have to tell me where she is.† Silence. â€Å"Gary, don't you see? That's your unfinished business. Her family doesn't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Gillian stopped and swallowed. When she went on, her voice wobbled. â€Å"Whether she's alive or dead. Don't you think they ought to know that?† A long pause. Then he said, like a stubborn child, â€Å"I don't want to go anywhere.† Like a frightened child, Gillian thought. But she didn't look away from him. â€Å"Gary, they deserve to know,† she said softly. â€Å"Once they're at peace-â€Å" He almost shouted, â€Å"What if there isn't any peace for me?† Not frightened, terrified. â€Å"What if there isn't anywhere for me to go? What if they won't take me?† Gillian shook her head. Her tears overflowed again. And she didn't have any answers for him. â€Å"I don't know. But it doesn't change what we've got to do. I'll stay with you, though, if you want. I'm your cousin, Gary.† Then, very quietly, she said, â€Å"Take me to her.† He stood for a long moment-the longest of Gillian's life. He was looking at something in the night sky that she couldn't see, and his eyes were utterly bleak. Then he looked at her and slowly nodded. â€Å"Here?† David bent and touched the snow. He looked up at Gillian. His dark eyes were young- a little scared. But his jaw was set. â€Å"Yes. Right there.† â€Å"It's a pretty strange place to do it.† â€Å"I know. But we don't have any choice.† David got to work with the shovel. Gillian pushed and mounded snow into walls. She tried to think only of how she'd done this in childhood, about how easy and interesting it had been then. She kept at it until David said, â€Å"I found her.† Gillian stepped back, brushing off her sleeves and mittens. It was a clear day, and the afternoon sun was brilliant in a cold blue sky. The small clearing was peaceful, almost a haven. Untouched except for a welt in the snow where a ground mouse had tunneled. Gillian took a couple of deep breaths, fists clenched, and then she turned to look. David hadn't uncovered much. A scrap of charred red wool muffler. He was kneeling beside the shallow trench he'd made. Gillian was crying again. She ignored it. She said, â€Å"It was the last day before Christmas vacation, so we took the day off from school. We were playing hooky in the woods. We decided to make a snow fort†¦.† â€Å"And then we found the body.† David got up and gently put a hand on her elbow. â€Å"It's a weird story, but it's better than the truth.† â€Å"And what can they suspect us of? We never even knew Paula Belizer. They'll know she was murdered because she was buried. But they won't know how she died. They'll think somebody tried to burn the body to get rid of it.† David put his arm around her waist, and she leaned into him. They stood that way for a few minutes, steadying each other. It was strange how natural that was, now. David had agreed to help her with all this without a moment's hesitation†¦ and Gillian hadn't been surprised. She'd expected it. He was her soulmate. They stood together. At last, he said quietly, â€Å"Ready?† â€Å"Yes.† As they left the clearing, David added even more quietly, â€Å"Is he here?† â€Å"No. I haven't seen him since he showed me the place. He just-disappeared. He won't talk to me either.† David held her tighter. Mr. Belizer came at dusk, after most of the police had left. It was almost too dark to see. David had been urging Gillian away for an hour. So had Gillian's parents. They were there, both of them, huddling close and touching her whenever they could. David's father and stepmother were on the other side of David. Yeah, Gillian thought. It's been a rough last few days on everybody. But here they all were: David, pale but calm; Gillian, shaky but standing; the parents, bewildered but trying to cope. Not comprehending how their kids could have found so much trouble in such a short time. At least nobody seemed to suspect them of having hurt Paula Belizer. And now, here was Paula's dad. Alone. Come to look at the last resting place of his daughter-even though the coroner had already taken his daughter away. The police let him go up to the clearing with a flashlight. Gillian tugged at David's hand. He resisted a second, then let her tow him. Gillian heard murmurs as they went. What are you doing, following that poor man. My God, that's- ghoulish. But none of the parents actually grabbed them to stop them. They ended up a little distance behind Mr. Belizer. Gillian moved to see his face. Now here was the thing. She didn't know about spirits. She wasn't sure what needed to be done to release Gary from the between-place. Did she need to talk to Paula's dad? Explain that she had the feeling whoever had done it was sorry, even if they could never tell him themselves? It might get her locked up. Showing too much interest in a crime, too much knowledge. But, strangely, that didn't scare her as much as she'd have thought. She was Gary's cousin, and his debts were hers somehow. And things had to be put right. As she stood hesitating, Mr. Belizer fell to his knees in the trampled snow. Oh, God. That hurt. If strong arms hadn't been holding Gillian up, she might have fallen, too. David held her and pressed his face into her hair. But Gillian kept looking at the kneeling man. He was crying. She'd never seen a man his age cry, and it hurt in a way that was scary. But there was something else in his face. Something like relief†¦ peace. Kneeling there, with his overcoat spread around him, Mr. Belizer said, â€Å"I know my daughter is in a better place. Whoever did this, I forgive them.† A shock like cold lightning went through Gillian, and then a spreading warmth. She was crying suddenly. Hard. Tears falling straight down from her eyes. But she was filled with a hope that seemed to lift her whole body. And then David drew in his breath sharply, and she realized he'd raised his head. He was staring at something above Mr. Belizer. Gary Fargeon was hovering there. like an Angel. He was crying. And saying something over and over. Gillian caught â€Å"-sorry, I'm so sorry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Forgiveness asked for and given. If not exactly in that order. That's it, Gillian thought. Her knees began to tremble. David whispered huskily, â€Å"Can you see that, too?† â€Å"Yes. Can you?† Nobody else seemed to see it. Mr. Belizer was getting up now. He was walking past them, away. David was still staring. â€Å"So that's what he looks like. No wonder you thought-â€Å" He didn't finish, but Gillian knew. Thought he was an angel. But†¦ why was Gary still here? Wasn't the forgiveness enough to release him? Or was there something else that needed to be done? Gary turned his head and looked at her. His cheeks were wet. â€Å"Come in a little farther,† he said. â€Å"I have to say something.† Gillian untangled from David, and then pulled at him. He came, jaw still sagging. They followed Gary past a thicket and into another clearing. As the trees and the darkness closed around them, they seemed suddenly far away from the police noise and bustle. Gillian guessed even as Gary sank down to face them. But she let him say it. â€Å"You have to forgive me, too.† â€Å"I forgive you,† Gillian said. â€Å"You have to be sure. I did some terrible things to you. I tried to warp you, damage your soul.† â€Å"I know,† Gillian said steadily. â€Å"But you did some good things, too. You helped me-grow up.† He'd helped her conquer her fears. Gain self-confidence. Discover her heritage. And find her soulmate. And he'd been close to her in a way that she would probably never be with anyone else ever again. â€Å"You know what?† Gillian was on the verge of tears again. â€Å"I'm going to miss you.† He stood facing her. He was shining just dimly. His eyes were dark and bruised looking, but his lips were smiling. And he was more beautiful than she had ever seen him. â€Å"Things are going to work out, you know,† he said softly. â€Å"For you. Your mom's going to get better.† Gillian nodded. â€Å"I think so, too.† â€Å"And I checked on Tanya and Kim. They're going to be all right. Tanya's still got all her fingers.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"You should go see Melusine. You could help them a lot with Circle Daybreak. And they can help you deal with the Night World.† â€Å"Yes. All right.† â€Å"And you might want to talk to Daryl at school. She's got a secret that Kim was spreading rumors about last year. It's that-â€Å" â€Å"And-Gary!† Gillian held up her hand. â€Å"I don't want to know. Someday, if Daryl wants to tell me her secret, she can do it herself. But if not-okay. I have to deal on my own, now.† She'd already thought about school, all last night while she'd been lying alone in her room. Things were going to change, obviously. It was surprisingly easy to sort out which friends mattered. Amanda the Cheerleader and Steffi the Singer and J.Z. the Model were all right. No better and no worse than any of the less popular girls. She wouldn't mind if they still liked her. Daryl-who was not Daryl the Rich Girl anymore, but just Daryl-was better than all right. The sort that might turn out to be a real friend. And of course there was Amy. She owed Amy a lot. As for the others-Tanya and Kim and Cory and Bruce and Macon-Gillian didn't really want to know them. If she never went to another Popular Party, that was fine. â€Å"And I don't want to know if J.Z. really tried to kill herself, either,† she said now. Gary shut his mouth. Then his eyes actually seemed to twinkle. â€Å"You're going to do all right.† And then, for the first time, he looked at David. They stared at each other for a moment. Not hostile. Just looking. When Gary turned back to Gillian he said very quietly, â€Å"One last thing. I didn't change my mind about killing him because I couldn't go through with it. I did it because I didn't want you to hate me forever.† Oh. Gillian put out her hand. So did he. Their fingers were close together, blurring into each other†¦ but they couldn't touch. They never would. And then suddenly, Gary looked startled. He turned to look up and behind him. At the dark, starlit sky. Gillian couldn't see anything. But she could feel something. A sort of rushing. Something was coming. And Gary was lifted toward it like a leaf on the wind. His hand was still stretched toward her, but he was in the air. Weightless. Bobbing. And as Gillian watched, his startled expression melted into something like awe. And then joy. Joy and†¦ recognition. â€Å"I've got to go,† he said wonderingly. Gillian was staring at the sky. She still couldn't see anything. Not the tunnel, not the meadow. Did he mean he had to go to the between-place? And then she saw the light. It was the color of sunlight on snow. That brilliant, but not painful to look at. It seemed to shimmer with every color in the universe, but all together the colors made white. â€Å"Gary-â€Å" But something was happening. He was moving without moving. Rushing away in some direction she couldn't point to. Getting smaller. Fading. She was losing him. â€Å"Goodbye, Gary,† she whispered. And the light was going, too. But just before it went, it seemed to take on a shape. It looked something like huge white wings enfolding him. For the briefest instant, Gillian felt enfolded, too. By power and peace†¦ and love. And then the light was gone. Gary was gone. And everything was still. â€Å"Did you see that?† Gillian whispered through the ache in her throat. â€Å"I think so.† David was staring, his eyes big with awe and wonder. â€Å"Maybe†¦ some angels are real.† He was still staring upward. Then he drew in his breath. â€Å"Look! The stars-â€Å" But it wasn't stars, although it looked like star-dust. Crystalline points of light, frozen beauty sifting down. The air was full of it. â€Å"But there aren't any clouds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"There are now,† David said. Even as he said it, the stars were covered. Gillian felt a cool touch on her cheek. Like a kiss. And it was ordinary snow, just an ordinary miracle. She and David stood hand in hand, watching it fall like a blessing in the night. [The End]

Standards Vocabulary Reading Literary Domain Essays

Standards Vocabulary Reading Literary Domain Essays Standards Vocabulary Reading Literary Domain Paper Standards Vocabulary Reading Literary Domain Paper Essay Topic: Literature Adaptation This is a version of an original source (such as a diary, an autobiography, or a story) which is modified for presentation in another form, such as a film, a musical, or a play. Allusion This is the reference to a person, place, or event from history, literature, or religion with which a reader is likely to be familiar. Analyze This is to separate a whole into its parts. Archetypal Character This is a character in a work that represents a certain type of person. Argument (1) This involves one or more reasons presented by a speaker or a writer to lead the audience or reader to a conclusion on an issue. Argument (2) This is a statement that seeks to convince readers of something, addresses a problem, and takes a position. Central The key point made in a passage is called its ____ idea. Central Argument This is the dominant and controlling argument. Character This is an individuals mental or moral quality. Characterization This is the combination of ways that an author shows readers what a person in a literary selection is like. Characters These are the people or animals who take part in a literary work. Citation This is the notation of a source used for a paper Classic Something widely recognized as a model or example of a type of literary work. Classical Literature This includes great masterpieces of the Greek, Roman, and other ancient civilizations as well as any writing that is widely considered a model of its form. Conclusion This is when you use pieces of information on a subject to base your opinion or make a decision. You draw a ________. Conflict Often, an antagonistic relationship called a ___ drives the plot of a story or novel. Connotation This refers to the feelings and associations that go beyond the dictionary definition of a word. Context (1) This is the framework of meaning which surrounds a specific word, sentence, idea, or passage. Context (2) When we find the meaning of a word (or phrase) by looking at the words and sentences around it, we are using ____ clues. Context Clues These are in the text surrounding a word and give hints for the meaning of the word. They are called ___ ___. Controlling The _____ idea of a passage is the idea which is dealt with and recurs throughout the passage. Cultural Elements This includes language, ideologies, beliefs, values, and norms. These elements help to shape the life of a society. Cultural Setting This is the phrase for the set of values, beliefs, and opinions shared by a group and surrounding the author at the time of her writing. Definition Usually found in a dictionary, this tells you the meaning of a word or phrase. Denotation The literal definition of a word is also called its ______. Detail This is a piece of information that is used to support a main idea. Dialogue These are the words spoken by characters in a literary work. Diction This is the writers choice of words, including the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, and the vividness of the language. Direct Characterization When a character is revealed by clear descriptions by the author, this is called _____ characterization. Dynamic A character who changes during the course of a story is called a _____ character. Euphemism This is the substitution of an agreeable or non-offensive phrase for one that might be unpleasant or offensive. Event This word means anything that happens to or is done by a character in a story. Evidence This is information that supports a thought or belief. Experience This is the name for what is gathered through the general process of living, or for the process itself. Fiction This is writing that tells about imaginary characters and events. Figurative Langauge This goes beyond the literal meanings of words to create special effects or feelings. Flashback This is a scene, a conversation, or an event that interrupts the present action to show something that happened in the past. Flat Character A character in a fictional work that is never fully developed by the author is called a ___ character. Formal Language This kind of language usually has longer sentences and a greater variety of words than everyday speech. Slang, contractions, and jargon are avoided. Historical The setting and circumstances in which a literary work is written or an event occurs are called its ___ context. Historical Setting This is the political, social, cultural, and economic time and place surrounding the creation of a literary text. Idiom This is a phrase in common use that can not be understood by literal or ordinary meanings. Implied Meaning This is a suggested, but not stated, definition. Indirect This is when an author reveals a person in the story through his/her words, thoughts, appearance, action, or what others think or say about him/her. It is called ___ characterization. Inference This is reading between the lines. It is taking something that you read and putting it together with something that you already know to make sense of what you read. You make an _____. Informal Language This is what people use in everyday speech. It usually consists of fairly short sentences and simple vocabulary. It is called _______ speech or language. Informational Text This is a type of real-world writing that presents material that is necessary or valuable to the reader. Internal Conflict This is when a character has a problem within him or herself. Jargon This refers to the language of a specialized type, usually dealing with a narrow area of study or knowledge. It has a slightly negative connotation, and can imply that the language is mere word play. Literal Meaning This is the ordinary, usual, or exact meaning of words, phrases, or passages. No figurative language or interpretation is involved. Literary Summary A _____ summary is a synopsis of the events, characters, and ideas in a work of literature. Main Idea This is the central and most important idea of a reading passage or presentation. Moral This is the theme of a passage, story, novel, poem, or drama that readers can apply to life. Motivation This is the wants, needs, or beliefs that cause a character to act or react in a particular way. Mystery This is a genre that often includes detectives and a crime that must be solved. Myth This is a traditional tale about gods, goddesses, heroes, and other characters. Mythology This is a body or collection of tales belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. It explains the actions of gods and goddesses or the cause of natural phenomena and includes supernatural elements. Non-literal This is when the meaning is NOT exact or word for word. It is figurative and it requires interpretation. Opinion This is an expression of an authors personal belief. It is not something that can be proved to be true or false. Paraphrase This is the restatement of a written work in ones own words that keeps the basic meaning of the original work. Person vs. Self This describes the type of conflict when the leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his conscience, feelings, or ideas. Perspective This is a writers or speakers point of view about a particular subject, and is often influenced by their beliefs or by events in their lives. Plot This is the series of events that happen in a literary work. Point of View This is the perspective from which a story is told. It is the way the author lets the readers see and hear the story; who tells the story. Quote If you repeat the words someone else has said or written, you ______ them. Sequence This is the order in which things are told in a story. Sequencing This is arranging things in order so they can be numbered or related in a connected series. Setting This is the time and place in which a literary work happens. Shakespeare He was a great poet and playwright during the English Renaissance. His works include Romeo and Juliet, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and many sonnets. Source (1) This is a person, book, document, website or record that provides information. Source (2) A research __________ is any material that can be used to locate information about a given topic. Static A _________ character does not change during the course of the action. Structure This refers to a writers arrangement or overall design of a literary work. It is the way words, sentences, and paragraphs are organized to create a complete work. Summarize This is to state briefly. Support (1) to strengthen or prove an argument or idea by providing facts, details, examples and other information Support (2) To strengthen your ideas and opinions with examples, facts, or details is to add _____ details. Supporting Evidence These are the facts or details that back up a main idea, theme, or thesis. Supporting Sentence A _____ sentence helps to clarify, describe, explain, or enhance the main idea of a paragraph. Technical Writing This is writing that communicates specific information about a particular subject, craft, or occupation. Tension This is a form of suspense or potential conflict. It can occur between characters or arise from general situations. Theme This is the message, usually about life or society, that an author wishes to convey through a literary work. Thesis The main point or central idea that a writer states and then endeavors to prove is called a ____. Thesis Statement This is the the main idea of an essay, usually expressed as a generalization that is supported with concrete evidence. Tone This is the attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or a character. Topic This is the specific part of a subject that is dealt with in a research paper or in an essay. Universal Theme This is the central message of a story, poem, novel, or play that many readers can apply to their own experiences, or to those of all people. Viewpoint This is a writers opinion or standpoint on an issue. Word Choice (1) This is another way of saying diction. This can help reveal a) the tone of the work, b) connotations of meaning, and/or c) his style of writing. Word Choice (2) This is the authors or speakers craft or style. It might be formal, informal, or even slang. Diction is a synonym.

Put Parenthetical Phrases in Their Place

Put Parenthetical Phrases in Their Place Put Parenthetical Phrases in Their Place Put Parenthetical Phrases in Their Place By Mark Nichol Sentences can be simple. Or, by inserting a phrase within a sentence, as I’m doing here, they can become complex. Doing so by adding what’s called a parenthetical phrase, or a parenthetical, makes sentences richer and more informative; no one wants to read sentence after sentence at the level of complexity of â€Å"See Dick run.† But writers must take care that when they surgically incise a sentence to insert a parenthetical, they suture the sentence at the right spot. Think of one comma as a hook holding the sentence open, and a second comma hooking it closed. (Dashes and parenthetical marks can be used, too, but this post focuses on the simplest and most common strategy.) Consider this sentence: â€Å"As this process occurs, astronomers say the spectacle may even become a meteor storm.† It may seem fine at first, but notice that it appears to imply that the astronomers talk about the spectacle as the process occurs. That’s obviously not what it means. â€Å"Astronomers say† is what’s called an attribution identifying the source of a comment and it’s often conveniently thrown into the middle of a sentence to provide this clarity. But if you insert such a parenthetical, you have to hitch the sentence open with one comma and close it back up with another: â€Å"As this process occurs, astronomers say, the spectacle may even become a meteor storm.† Take a look at this sentence: â€Å"By 2030, demographers estimate twice as many people will live in urban areas as in rural regions.† Will the doubling occur that year, or will the demographers present their estimation at that time? It’s unclear, unless you signal that the reference to the demographers’ action is a parenthetical phrase, inserted into the root sentence to provide some context. â€Å"By 2030, demographers estimate, twice as many people will live in urban areas as in rural regions† accomplishes that goal. Here’s another sentence ripe for misunderstanding: â€Å"Demonstrators rode models of the Segway Human Transporter, a scooter invented by Dean Kamen at a park Monday morning.† This sentence implies that the inventor conjured the idea at the park on Monday morning, and voila! – the vehicles were being demonstrated days later. Wrong. â€Å"Demonstrators rode models of the Segway Human Transporter, a scooter invented by Dean Kamen, at a park Monday morning.† (The phrase â€Å"a scooter invented by Dean Kamen† is a parenthetical dropped into the sentence â€Å"Demonstrators rode models of the Segway Human Transporter at a park Monday morning† to provide context.) In the case of parentheticals, commas (or parentheses or dashes) work in pairs but they have to cue up to the right location to do their job. When in doubt, test punctuation of parentheticals by temporarily removing the inserted phrase to determine whether the root sentence makes sense. If not, then the punctuation is misplaced. For example, something is wrong in â€Å"They meet, and with collection permit in hand, head for the trails to gather seeds.† Omit the parenthetical, and the root sentence reads, â€Å"They meet head for the trails to gather seeds.† And must remain in the root sentence, so the first comma must follow, not precede, and. Remember: For parentheticals, punctuation pals in pairs and in the proper place. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsThat vs. WhichWhat is an Anagram?