Annie's Words

to / too / two

'To' is a preposition or infinitive marker; 'too' means 'also' or 'excessively'; 'two' is the number 2.

a vs. an

Use 'a' before consonant sounds; use 'an' before vowel sounds.

they're / their / there

'They're' = they are; 'their' = possessive; 'there' = a place or introductory word.

then vs. than

'Then' indicates time or sequence; 'than' is used for comparisons.

lie vs. lay

'lie' means to recline (no object); 'lay' means to put down (needs an object)

costs an arm and a leg

something that is very expensive

they're / their / there

'They're' = they are; 'their' = possessive; 'there' = a place or introductory word.

sentence fragments

A sentence must have a subject and a predicate and express a complete thought.

affect vs. effect

'affect' is usually a verb (to influence); 'effect' is usually a noun (a result)

pronoun case (basic)

Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, they) as subjects; use object pronouns (me, him, her, them) as objects.

they're / their / there

'They're' = they are; 'their' = possessive; 'there' = a place or introductory word.

your vs. you're

'Your' is possessive; 'you're' is a contraction of 'you are'.

to / too / two

'To' is a preposition or infinitive marker; 'too' means 'also' or 'excessively'; 'two' is the number 2.

who vs. whom

'who' is a subject pronoun; 'whom' is an object pronoun

pronoun case (basic)

Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, they) as subjects; use object pronouns (me, him, her, them) as objects.

separate

to set or keep apart; distinct

subject-verb agreement

subjects and verbs must agree in number (singular/plural)

poly-

Greek prefix meaning 'many' (e.g., polygon, polyglot)

un-

English prefix meaning 'not' or 'opposite of' (e.g., unhappy, undo)

bio-

Greek prefix meaning 'life' (e.g., biology, biography)

re-

Latin prefix meaning 'again' or 'back' (e.g., return, rebuild)

under-

English prefix meaning 'below' or 'not enough' (e.g., underground, underpaid)

give someone the cold shoulder

to deliberately ignore or be unfriendly to someone

kick the bucket

to die (informal/humorous)

on thin ice

in a risky or dangerous situation, close to getting in trouble

tongue-tied

unable to speak because of nervousness or shyness

fewer vs. less

'fewer' for countable nouns; 'less' for uncountable nouns

author's purpose

Understanding why the author wrote something

main idea - library

Identifying the main idea

sequence - butterfly

Understanding sequence of events

detail recall - mars

Recalling specific details from a passage

detail recall - camels

Recalling specific details from a passage

detail recall - water cycle

Recalling specific details from a passage

detail recall - penguins

Recalling specific details from a passage

inference

Drawing a conclusion from clues in the text

sequence

Understanding the order of events in a passage

main idea - volunteering

Identifying the main idea

main idea - sleep

Identifying the main idea

double negatives

Two negatives in one clause create a grammatical error (in standard English they cancel out).

subject-verb agreement (basic)

A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb.

anti-

Greek prefix meaning 'against' or 'opposite'

inter-

Latin prefix meaning 'between' or 'among' (e.g., interact, international)

dis-

Latin prefix meaning 'apart' or 'away from' (e.g., disagree, disconnect)

trans-

Latin prefix meaning 'across' or 'beyond' (e.g., transport, transform)

mono-

Greek prefix meaning 'one' or 'single' (e.g., monologue, monopoly)

sub-

Latin prefix meaning 'under' or 'below' (e.g., submarine, subway)

hit the nail on the head

to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem

back against the wall

in a difficult situation with no easy way out

let the cat out of the bag

to accidentally reveal a secret

break a leg

good luck (said before a performance)

the last straw

the final small thing that causes someone to lose patience completely

diligent

showing careful and persistent effort

resilient

able to recover quickly from difficulties; tough

contemplate

to think about something deeply and at length

novice

a person new to or inexperienced at something

versatile

able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities

candid

truthful and straightforward; frank

meticulous

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

jeopardize

to put something at risk of being lost or harmed

gratitude

the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation

impartial

treating all people and sides equally; fair and unbiased

concur

to agree or have the same opinion

judgment

the ability to make considered decisions; a formal decision

referred

mentioned or directed attention to

privilege

a special right or advantage available only to a particular person or group

receive

to be given or presented with something

existence

the fact or state of living or being

ridiculous

deserving or inviting mockery; absurd

environment

the surroundings or conditions in which a person or thing lives

your vs. you're

'Your' is possessive; 'you're' is a contraction of 'you are'.

its vs. it's

'Its' is possessive; 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'.

perseverance

persistence in doing something despite difficulty

embarrass

to cause someone to feel awkward or ashamed

run-on sentences

Two independent clauses cannot be joined without proper punctuation or a conjunction.