Mieke's Words

they're / their / there

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

raining cats and dogs

raining very heavily

back against the wall

in a difficult situation with no easy way out

author's purpose

Understanding why the author wrote something

to / too / two

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

un-

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

circum-

Latin prefix meaning 'around'

your vs. you're

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

lucid

expressed clearly; easy to understand

tone

Recognizing the author's attitude toward the subject

concur

to agree or have the same opinion

subject-verb agreement

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

subject-verb agreement (basic)

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

pronoun case (basic)

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

apostrophes (basic possessives)

Add 's to singular nouns to show possession; add just an apostrophe to regular plurals.

kick the bucket

to die (informal/humorous)

lie vs. lay

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

under the weather

feeling ill or sick

elephant in the room

an obvious problem or issue that people are avoiding discussing

inference

Drawing a conclusion from clues in the text

when pigs fly

something that will never happen

its vs. it's

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

then vs. than

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

benevolent

well-meaning and kindly; generous

they're / their / there

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

bio-

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

pseudo-

Greek prefix meaning 'false' or 'fake'

sub-

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

re-

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

impartial

treating all people and sides equally; fair and unbiased

wary

feeling or showing caution about possible dangers

your vs. you're

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

costs an arm and a leg

something that is very expensive

who vs. whom

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

its vs. it's

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

auto-

Greek prefix meaning 'self' (e.g., autobiography, automobile)

on thin ice

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

to / too / two

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

double negatives

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

run-on sentences

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

main idea - recycling

Identifying the main idea

main idea - helmet safety

Identifying the main idea

mis-

English prefix meaning 'wrongly' or 'badly' (e.g., mistake, misunderstand)

fewer vs. less

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

super-

Latin prefix meaning 'above' or 'beyond' (e.g., superhero, supernatural)

opportunity

a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something

semi-

Latin prefix meaning 'half' or 'partly' (e.g., semicircle, semifinal)

misspell

to spell a word incorrectly

affect vs. effect

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

once in a blue moon

very rarely

cry over spilled milk

to be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed

over-

English prefix meaning 'too much' or 'above' (e.g., overwork, overcome)

tri-

Latin/Greek prefix meaning 'three' (e.g., triangle, tricycle)

bene-

Latin prefix meaning 'good' or 'well'

micro-

Greek prefix meaning 'small' (e.g., microscope, microphone)

main idea

Identifying the central point of a passage

tongue-tied

unable to speak because of nervousness or shyness

the last straw

the final small thing that causes someone to lose patience completely

anti-

Greek prefix meaning 'against' or 'opposite'

pre-

Latin prefix meaning 'before' (e.g., preview, predict)

inter-

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

they're / their / there

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

elated

extremely happy and excited

subject-verb agreement (basic)

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

occurrence

an event or incident

miss the boat

to miss an opportunity by being too slow to act

sequence

Understanding the order of events in a passage

main idea - volunteering

Identifying the main idea

main idea - friendship

Identifying the main idea

detail recall - basketball

Recalling specific details from a passage

detail recall - thunderstorms

Recalling specific details from a passage

sequence - butterfly

Understanding sequence of events

feasible

possible and practical to do or achieve

receive

to be given or presented with something

maintenance

the process of keeping something in good condition

embarrass

to cause someone to feel awkward or ashamed

trans-

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

sequence - baking bread

Understanding sequence of events

dis-

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

restaurant

a place where people pay to eat meals

referred

mentioned or directed attention to

a vs. an

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

sentence fragments

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

bi-

Latin prefix meaning 'two' (e.g., bicycle, bilingual)

piece of cake

something that is very easy to do

accommodate

to provide lodging or room for; to adjust to

immediately

without any delay; at once

disappoint

to fail to meet the expectations of someone

break the ice

to initiate conversation in an awkward social situation

perseverance

persistence in doing something despite difficulty

bite the bullet

to endure a painful or difficult situation bravely

add insult to injury

to make a bad situation even worse

hit the nail on the head

to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem

break a leg

good luck (said before a performance)

spill the beans

to reveal secret information

let the cat out of the bag

to accidentally reveal a secret

go bananas

to become very excited, silly, or crazy

post-

Latin prefix meaning 'after' (e.g., postwar, postpone)

poly-

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

existence

the fact or state of living or being

diligent

showing careful and persistent effort

jeopardize

to put something at risk of being lost or harmed

separate

to set or keep apart; distinct

novice

a person new to or inexperienced at something

gratitude

the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation

give someone the cold shoulder

to deliberately ignore or be unfriendly to someone

best of both worlds

enjoying the advantages of two different things at once

butterflies in your stomach

a nervous or excited feeling

hindsight

understanding of a situation only after it has happened

conscience

inner sense of right and wrong

detail recall - solar system

Recalling specific details from a passage

detail recall - penguins

Recalling specific details from a passage

contemplate

to think about something deeply and at length

empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

candid

truthful and straightforward; frank

skeptical

not easily convinced; having doubts

advocate

a person who publicly supports or recommends a cause

trivial

of little value or importance; insignificant

judgment

the ability to make considered decisions; a formal decision

necessary

required to be done; essential

ominous

giving the impression that something bad is going to happen

prevalent

widespread in a particular area or at a particular time

under-

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

calendar

a chart showing the days, weeks, and months of a year

ridiculous

deserving or inviting mockery; absurd

argument

an exchange of diverging views; a reason given for or against something

beginning

the point in time at which something starts

mono-

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

detail recall - honeybees

Recalling specific details from a passage

detail recall - camels

Recalling specific details from a passage

main idea - sleep

Identifying the main idea

main idea - teamwork

Identifying the main idea

detail recall - octopus

Recalling specific details from a passage

versatile

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

a vs. an

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

grammar

the set of rules that govern the structure of a language

privilege

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

environment

the surroundings or conditions in which a person or thing lives

mal-

Latin prefix meaning 'bad' or 'evil'

definitely

without doubt; clearly

pronoun case (basic)

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