← English Language syllabus

LouisianaEnglish Language

Language and Vocabulary

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you tell a word's dictionary meaning from the feelings it carries, and how does that distinction help you read tone and figurative language?

Denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning: distinguishing a word's denotation (literal dictionary meaning) from its connotation (the positive or negative feelings it carries), interpreting figurative meaning, and analyzing how word choice and connotation shape tone, on a LEAP English I or II reading passage.
How to analyze denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning on a LEAP English I or II passage: telling a word's literal meaning from the feelings it carries, interpreting figurative language, and explaining how connotation builds tone. This is the language-strand basis for reading tone and an author's word choice.
9 min answer →

What conventions of standard English grammar and usage does LEAP expect, and how do they affect both the editing items and the conventions score on your writing?

Grammar and usage conventions: applying the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear pronoun reference, consistent verb tense, and correct modifier placement, as tested in revising and editing items and rewarded in the Knowledge of Language and Conventions dimension of the LEAP writing rubrics.
The grammar and usage conventions LEAP English I and II expect: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and clear reference, consistent verb tense, and modifier placement. These are tested in editing items and scored in the Knowledge of Language and Conventions dimension of the writing rubrics.
9 min answer →

How do you punctuate sentences correctly and recognize complete sentences, comma splices, run-ons, and fragments, both in editing items and in your own writing?

Punctuation and sentence structure: applying the conventions of capitalization, punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and end marks), and correct sentence boundaries, recognizing and fixing comma splices, run-on sentences, and fragments, as tested in editing items and rewarded in the Knowledge of Language and Conventions dimension of the LEAP writing rubrics.
The punctuation and sentence-structure conventions LEAP English I and II expect: commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and correct sentence boundaries, including fixing comma splices, run-ons, and fragments. Tested in editing items and scored in the conventions dimension of the writing rubrics.
9 min answer →

How do you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word from the way it is used in a passage, rather than relying on a memorized definition?

Vocabulary in context: determining the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues (definition, example, contrast, and inference from surrounding sentences), and choosing the meaning that fits the passage, on a LEAP English I or II reading passage where vocabulary is tested in context.
How to determine word meaning in context on a LEAP English I or II passage: using definition, example, contrast, and inference clues, and choosing the meaning that fits the passage rather than a memorized definition. LEAP tests vocabulary in context, often with multiple-meaning words, not as isolated lists.
9 min answer →

How do you use a word's roots, prefixes, and suffixes to figure out its meaning, and how do you combine that with context to confirm your answer?

Word parts: using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words, recognizing how a suffix can change a word's part of speech, and combining word-part analysis with context clues on a LEAP English I or II reading passage.
How to use word parts on a LEAP English I or II passage: Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine word meaning, recognizing how suffixes change part of speech, and combining word-part analysis with context. A second tool, alongside context clues, for unknown words under L.9-10.4.
9 min answer →