MTEL English (61)

Concepts I need to remember for the MTEL English Subject test. grammar, rhetoric, language/reading acquisition, and other random stuff

A complete sentence must have…

at least 1 independent clause

independent clause

subject, verb, complete thought

dependent clause

subject, verb, does NOT express a complete thought requires an independent clause to be a full sentence/make sense.

a dependent clause can also be called a:

subordinate clause

a semicolon is used…

between 2 independent clauses. think: replace ; with a period and see if it makes sense.

a colon is used…

between an independent and dependent clause when the dependent clause is a LIST

comma splice

incorrectly putting a comma between 2 independent clause. Replace the comma with a period and see if it makes sense.

compound sentence

at least 2 independent clauses which can be joined by

• a comma and coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)

• a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb (however, furthermore, therefore, etc.)

• just a semicolon

complex sentence

one or more dependent clauses is attached to an independent clause. Clauses can be connected with subordinating conjunctions (before, after, when) or relative pronouns (who, which, that).

“After she bought an ice cream cone, the girl went to the park.” Is an example of which type of sentence

A complex sentence. before the comma is a dependent clause because it is does NOT express a complete thought.

compound-complex sentence

compound and complex sentence together. so it should have at least 2 independent clauses and 1 or more dependent clauses

“The girl bought an ice cream cone, but she dropped it in the park.” Is an example of which type of sentence?

A compound sentence. Before and after the comma are complete sentences and are joined with a comma and coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)

When I got home, nobody was there, so I called Mom, who was at work. Is an example of which type of sentence?

Compound-complex. When I got home, nobody was there, so I called Mom, who was at work.

Green = dependent clause

Blue = independent clause

Red = coordinating conjunction

FANBOYS

For, And, Nor, But, Yet, So

Simplification

communication where the language learner omits certain linguistic elements.

“We drive three hour to the beach” is an example of

Simplification because the speaker has simplified the sentence by omitting the plural of hour.

Negative language transfer

the negative influence of the native lanugage on the language that the speaker is learning. an example would be using spanish sentence structure rules in english.

“I have pen blue” is an example of

Negative lanuage transfer because the speaker is using spanish sentence structure in english. spanish puts the adjective after the noun and in english it is the opposite.

homonyms

words that have the same sound and spelling but different meanings

homographs

literally, same-write. words that are spelled the same but have a different pronunciation AND meaning

homophones

literally same-sound. words that sound the same but have a different meaning AND/OR spelling.

The dogs bark and the tree bark. Is an example of….

homonyms - bark is spelled and pronounced the same but MEANS something different

The chances were minute, but it only took a minute. Is an example of…

homograph. minute is spelled the same but pronounced differently and means two different things — minute meaning small and minute meaning the increment of time. (Bonus points if you knew it was a compound sentence.)

The brave knight rode through the dark night. Is an example of…..?

Homophone. Knight and Night SOUND the same but mean different things and have different spellings.

ethos

think ETHICS, using and building your credibility to support your argument

pathos

think PATHOLOGY=EMOTIONS. using emotions to appeal to the audience

logos

think LOGIC. using data, facts, and logic to support your argument

kairos

think KRONOS=TIME. literally means the “timeliness of the argument” used to build urgency of the arugement and encourage audience to act.

phonemic awareness

Remember that “phone” latin root always refers to SOUND. Means an awareness that letters represent sounds or phonemes. Research indicates that someone with this will easily gain reading fluency.