Literary Analysis: Irony Irony can be the difference between what happens and what you or a character expects or wants. This kind of irony is called situational irony. What the Character Wants What Actually Happens vs. Jack wants to score high on the test. The next day, Jack is so tired that he He stays up all night studying for it. falls asleep during the test. A Write irony on each blank that describes an ironic situation. Write no irony on each blank that does not contain irony. 1. Susan works hard at her job. Her boss gives her a raise. A few months later, Susan gets a promotion and another raise. 2. William works hard at his job. His boss never gives him a raise. William decides he will not work so hard. A few months later, his boss says, Good work, William. I m going to give you a raise. 3. Aisha wakes up late. She is so worried about being late for school that she calls her cousin for a ride. They arrive exactly on time, only to discover that school is closed for a holiday. For each ex of irony, explain the difference between the expectation and the reality in the situation. 1. Robbers break into the bank, and the guard takes a great risk trying to stop them. Later, the guard learns that there was no money in the bank that day. Expectation: Reality: 2. Janice agrees to meet with Earl at the library to work on a school project. Earl is very popular at school. Janice is nervous about meeting him. When Earl arrives, he says, I m sorry I m late. I was so nervous about meeting you that I left all my notes at home and had to go back to get them. Expectation: Reality: 54 Reading Kit Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Literary Analysis: Irony Assess A Write irony on each blank that describes an ironic situation. Write no irony on each blank that does not contain irony. 1. rittany saves up her money to buy a special kind of computer. Just when she has enough money, the company that makes the computer stops selling it. 2. Lee tells his mother that he will pick her up at the airport when she arrives. On the way to the airport, he gets stuck in a huge traffic jam. He gets off the highway and takes a smaller road. He arrives just as his mother s plane lands. 3. ill hears on the radio that it is expected to rain heavily on Friday. ill decides not to buy tickets to Friday s ballgame. On Friday, it rains heavily and the game is canceled. 4. Sal buys a fancy car. He is worried that sap will fall on the car from the pine tree in his driveway. He thinks the sap may harm the car s paint job. Sal decides to get rid of the tree. As he chops it down, it falls the wrong way and smashes the roof of his car. For each ex of irony, explain the difference between reality and expectation or desire in the situation. 1. Amy meets Stacy, who acts very adult. Amy decides she wants to be more adult, too, so she arranges a sidewalk sale to get rid of her old toys. Stacy stops by the sale and buys several dolls. Don t tell anyone, Stacy says, but I still keep all my old toys. Expectation: Reality: 2. Matt wants to show off to Sandy. As he drives her to her tennis lesson, he tells her a long story about how good a driver he is. He is talking so much that he misses their turn and gets lost. Sandy says, Great driving, Matt! Expectation: Reality: Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading Kit 55
Vocabulary: Suffixes -tion and -esque; Prefix de-; Word Root -bene- prefix is added to the suffix is added prefixes, suffixes Meaning Words With the Root, Prefix, or Suffix A root is the basic unit of meaning of a word. A beginning of a word or word root to change its meaning. A to the end of a word to change its meaning or part of speech. Knowing the meanings of word roots, and can help you figure out the meanings of many new words. Study the following exs: Root, Prefix, or Suffix -tion [suffix] the act of reflection, motivation, abduction -esque [suffix] in the style of; in the manner of picturesque, grotesque de- [prefix] down depress, debase, descend -bene- [root] good or well beneficial, benefactor, benediction Circle the letter of the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the underlined word or phrase. 1. I tried to get an even scattering of sprinkles across the cake. A. deception. contribution C. distribution 2. One of the pine trees in the park near my house is particularly tall and majestic, so it stands out from the other trees in the park. A. arabesque. Lincolnesque C. statuesque 3. Even as a young girl, the biologist knew that her profession would involve science. A. distribution. vocation C. arabesque 4. He had to quit work because of his failing health. A. declining. depending C. deposing 5. I walked down the stairs. A. decreased. demolished C. descended 62 Reading Kit Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vocabulary: Suffixes -tion and -esque; Prefix de-; Word Root -bene- A Add the suffix indicated to each underlined word to form a new word. Write this word on the line. Then, rewrite the original sentence to use the new word. 1. I love the way the ground vibrates from the loud music at a concert. (add -tion) 2. He was compared to Lincoln because of his way with words. (add -esque) 3. The band compiled songs from five of their previous albums for their greatest hits album. (add -tion) 4. He had a gift for using body language like that of the actor Charlie Chaplin. (add -esque) Think about whether each sentence below makes sense, given the meaning of the underlined word. Circle Y if it makes sense and N if it does not. Then, explain your answer. If the sentence does not make sense, write a new sentence using the word correctly. 1. Y/N After demolishing the old building, they gave it a fresh coat of paint. 2. Y/N I was willing to take a job with low pay because the benefits were terrible. 3. Y/N He was universally loved for his benevolence to everyone around him. 4. Y/N The car decelerated as the driver approached the red light. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading Kit 63
Grammar: Verb Tenses A tense is a form of a verb that expresses the time of an action. The six verb tenses are present, present perfect, past, past perfect, future, and future perfect. Inconsistent or unclear use of verb tenses can cause confusion in a story. A Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. 1. (remember) The author some significant events in her life, so she decided to write about them. 2. (learn) As a child, Vincent to greet his grandfather respectfully. 3. (live) I wonder whether I in Oregon when I am older. 4. (cook) When Lucia finished her homework, she herself an omelet. 5. (use) My brother always my razor, but he never buys me any new blades. Underline the correct verb form in parentheses. 1. Although Liz entered the photo contest, she never really (expects, expected) to win. 2. Ed did not realize that we (are, were) on our way to a party. 3. The crew (is, was) tired because they had been painting all day. 4. I will have been sleeping for five hours when you finally (arrive, arrived). 5. Just as the flight attendant finished packing for a flight to Miami, she (gets, got) transferred to the Seattle-to-Rome run. 68 Reading Kit Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Grammar: Verb Tenses Assess A Read the passage and choose the word or group of words that belongs in each space. On Tuesday, the Project 352 Team (1) for an important meeting. After (2) the issues, the team (3) to change its approach in terms of planning. In the time since the meeting, the Project 352 Team (4) to the conclusion that the new approach is working quite well. The team (5) to apply the method in the future, and (6) to many successful projects. 1. A. met 2. A. having discuss 3. A. did decide. did meet. discussed. deciding C. was meeting C. discuss C. decided D. meet D. discussing D. decides 4. A. come 5. A. hope 6. A. looks forward. has come. hoping. have looked forward C. have coming C. will hope C. looking forward D. camed D. hopes D. look forward Underline the appropriate verb in parentheses. 1. My science teacher says that the human eye (works, worked) like the lens of a camera. 2. Now, Tory wishes she (had gone, would have gone) on that blind date. 3. The tired hiker put down his pack, (had propped, propped) himself up under a tree, and promptly fell asleep. 4. Lynette (will fail, failed) the test if she does not study. 5. ess (plans, planned) to make the same chicken dinner tonight that she made last week. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading Kit 69
Grammar: Subjects and Predicates V Ex: Lenore Smith bought a new house. (SUJECT) (PREDICATE) Every sentence has two main parts, a subject and a predicate. The subject is the word or group of words in a sentence that tells whom or what the sentence is about. The predicate is the verb or verb phrase that tells what the subject of the sentence does or is. A In each sentence, underline the subject once and the predicate twice. Write V over the verb in the predicate. 1. The angry lion growled at its tamer. 2. Men and women worked side by side on the assembly line. 3. The soldiers were standing at strict attention. 4. Santa Catalina Island lies off the coast of California. 5. The plane landed safely on the runway. 6. Many in the audience laughed at the actor s mistake. Following the directions, add a subject or a predicate to complete each sentence. 1. (subject) is a great place to go for a vacation. 2. (predicate) Most science fiction movies. 3. (predicate) The front page of today s paper. 4. (subject) is the most exciting sports event. 5. (subject) are delicious and good for your health. 6. (predicate) After leaving school, my friends and I. 88 Reading Kit Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Grammar: Subjects and Predicates Assess A In each sentence, underline the subject once and the predicate twice. Write V over the verb in the predicate. V Ex: The car in my friend s driveway belongs to her uncle. 1. General Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. 2. Joseph always stops at stop signs. 3. Deer and other animals roam freely through the San Diego Wild Animal Park. 4. Ernie and his brother often help around the house. 5. Lunch was served promptly at 1:00 P.M. 6. The lawyers in the group had been educated at Southern universities. 7. We climbed to the top of Mount Rainier in Washington. 8. Several huge boulders had fallen onto the highway and shattered. Add a complete subject or a complete predicate to each item. 1. The most interesting school club. 2. raked the leaves yesterday afternoon. 3. A worker in a steel helmet. 4. jumped into the swimming pool. 5. The class president. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading Kit 89
Literary Analysis: Author s Style An author s style is his or her special way of using words. It is made up of these elements: Syntax: the flow of sentences. Some writers write in short bursts: That was that. The test was over. I had done my best. Others write long, Diction: the words an author chooses. For ex, a writer might call a musician an awesome guitarist. The word awesome helps create an informal style. Writing in a formal style, the writer might call the same musician a gifted guitarist. flowing sentences: Looking back on that long, hard test, I found a reason to be happy: I had done my best. Tone: the author s attitude toward the readers or the topic. For ex, a writer might write an article to help beginning painters. ecause the writer wants to encourage readers, the writer might use a cheerful, gentle style. Read the paragraph and then answer the questions that follow. I m a plain, simple guy. I don t ask for much. I do have one rule, though. If you don t show respect when you talk to me, I stop listening. Period, the end. Nick should have remembered my rule. Poor guy, he really should have. He forgot, though. He showed me disrespect, and that s when the trouble started. 1. What type of syntax does this writer use? A. short, simple sentences C. different types of sentences. long, complicated sentences D. long but simple sentences 2. What does this syntax add to the style? A. a beautiful flow C. the sound of a tough guy talking. a poetic sound D. smooth connections between ideas 3. What type of words does the author s diction feature? A. many difficult words C. many colorful, lively words. mainly simple words D. many slang words 4. What tone does the phrase poor guy add to the paragraph? A. a tone of kindness C. a tone of anger or annoyance. a tone of pity or regret D. a tone of generosity 102 Reading Kit Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Literary Analysis: Author s Style Assess A For each question, circle the letter of the best answer. 1. What is the best definition of an author s style? A. his or her special way of C. the type of nouns the author uses using words. a story the author tells D. a formal way of using language 2. What is the difference between diction and syntax? A. Diction has to do with sentences, C. Diction has to do with style, but and syntax has to do with syntax does not. word choice.. Syntax has to do with sentences, D. Syntax has to do with style, but and diction has to do with diction does not. word choice. Read the following two paragraphs. Then, answer the questions. 1 What a weekend! oy, am I beat! First, we went to the amusement park. As usual, the main amusement was Uncle Herman. He kept us laughing all the way there with his silly hip-hop don t-stop-till-you-drop rapping. Then, we went to see the new Magnet Man movie. I can t help it I think Magnet Man rules! 2 Some weekends are dull, and some are filled with excitement. Last Saturday, I discovered a perfect recipe for weekend amusement: Fill the day with activity. Of course, the presence of Uncle Herman, who has his own unique brand of comedy, added greatly to the weekend s pleasures. The latest chapter in the adventures of Magnet Man rounded off the day s activities. Magnet Man combines extraordinary powers with human qualities, and I find I fascinated by his character. 1. Which paragraph is written in an informal or casual style? 2. Give a word or phrase that is an ex of this informal style. 3. Give a more formal word or phrase from the other paragraph. 4. What word would you use to describe the writer s tone, or attitude towards the topic, in the first paragraph? 5. Which paragraph uses longer sentences? Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading Kit 103