Rachel's Words

mis-

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

auto-

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

miss the boat

to miss an opportunity by being too slow to act

break a leg

good luck (said before a performance)

the last straw

the final small thing that causes someone to lose patience completely

pseudo-

Greek prefix meaning 'false' or 'fake'

definitely

without doubt; clearly

diligent

showing careful and persistent effort

hindsight

understanding of a situation only after it has happened

elated

extremely happy and excited

gratitude

the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation

grammar

the set of rules that govern the structure of a language

ridiculous

deserving or inviting mockery; absurd

immediately

without any delay; at once

opportunity

a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something

butterflies in your stomach

a nervous or excited feeling

once in a blue moon

very rarely

let the cat out of the bag

to accidentally reveal a secret

back against the wall

in a difficult situation with no easy way out

elephant in the room

an obvious problem or issue that people are avoiding discussing

give someone the cold shoulder

to deliberately ignore or be unfriendly to someone

hit the nail on the head

to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem

add insult to injury

to make a bad situation even worse

resilient

able to recover quickly from difficulties; tough

who vs. whom

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

versatile

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

empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

ominous

giving the impression that something bad is going to happen

novice

a person new to or inexperienced at something

embarrass

to cause someone to feel awkward or ashamed

judgment

the ability to make considered decisions; a formal decision

feasible

possible and practical to do or achieve

prevalent

widespread in a particular area or at a particular time

restaurant

a place where people pay to eat meals

skeptical

not easily convinced; having doubts

calendar

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

maintenance

the process of keeping something in good condition

wary

feeling or showing caution about possible dangers

privilege

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

its vs. it's

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

lie vs. lay

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

they're / their / there

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

they're / their / there

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

subject-verb agreement

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

they're / their / there

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

pronoun case (basic)

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

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.

perseverance

persistence in doing something despite difficulty

contemplate

to think about something deeply and at length

disappoint

to fail to meet the expectations of someone

your vs. you're

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

your vs. you're

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

a vs. an

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

a vs. an

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

tone

Recognizing the author's attitude toward the subject

sequence

Understanding the order of events in a passage

main idea - friendship

Identifying the main idea

to / too / two

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

beginning

the point in time at which something starts

misspell

to spell a word incorrectly

jeopardize

to put something at risk of being lost or harmed

run-on sentences

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

sentence fragments

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

lucid

expressed clearly; easy to understand

diminish

to make or become less; to reduce

subject-verb agreement (basic)

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

double negatives

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

then vs. than

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

impartial

treating all people and sides equally; fair and unbiased

advocate

a person who publicly supports or recommends a cause

break the ice

to initiate conversation in an awkward social situation

best of both worlds

enjoying the advantages of two different things at once

kick the bucket

to die (informal/humorous)

existence

the fact or state of living or being

when pigs fly

something that will never happen

on thin ice

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

tongue-tied

unable to speak because of nervousness or shyness

conscience

inner sense of right and wrong

benevolent

well-meaning and kindly; generous

abundant

existing in large quantities; plentiful

trivial

of little value or importance; insignificant

environment

the surroundings or conditions in which a person or thing lives

accommodate

to provide lodging or room for; to adjust to

raining cats and dogs

raining very heavily

separate

to set or keep apart; distinct

inference

Drawing a conclusion from clues in the text

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.

detail recall - penguins

Recalling specific details from a passage

main idea - recycling

Identifying the main idea

detail recall - solar system

Recalling specific details from a passage

sequence - baking bread

Understanding sequence of events

meticulous

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

main idea - library

Identifying the main idea

detail recall - honeybees

Recalling specific details from a passage

main idea - helmet safety

Identifying the main idea

detail recall - water cycle

Recalling specific details from a passage

main idea - teamwork

Identifying the main idea

detail recall - thunderstorms

Recalling specific details from a passage

main idea - sleep

Identifying the main idea

main idea - volunteering

Identifying the main idea

go bananas

to become very excited, silly, or crazy

detail recall - camels

Recalling specific details from a passage

fewer vs. less

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

concur

to agree or have the same opinion

candid

truthful and straightforward; frank

necessary

required to be done; essential

receive

to be given or presented with something

referred

mentioned or directed attention to

affect vs. effect

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

its vs. it's

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

main idea

Identifying the central point of a passage

subject-verb agreement (basic)

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

argument

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

occurrence

an event or incident

cry over spilled milk

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

under the weather

feeling ill or sick

costs an arm and a leg

something that is very expensive

piece of cake

something that is very easy to do

spill the beans

to reveal secret information

bite the bullet

to endure a painful or difficult situation bravely

circum-

Latin prefix meaning 'around'

pre-

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

micro-

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

dis-

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

mal-

Latin prefix meaning 'bad' or 'evil'

semi-

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

super-

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

post-

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

under-

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

un-

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

inter-

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

trans-

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

bio-

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

re-

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

bi-

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

tri-

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

mono-

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

sub-

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

poly-

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

over-

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

bene-

Latin prefix meaning 'good' or 'well'

anti-

Greek prefix meaning 'against' or 'opposite'