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MassachusettsEnglish 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 read a word's connotation and figurative meaning, the feeling and the implied sense beyond its plain dictionary definition?

Figurative and connotative meaning on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: distinguishing denotation (literal meaning) from connotation (the feeling or association a word carries), interpreting figurative language (idiom, metaphor, simile) at the word and phrase level, and explaining how a word choice shapes tone or meaning in a passage.
How to read figurative and connotative meaning on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: telling denotation from connotation, interpreting idioms and figurative phrases, and explaining how a word's associations shape tone and meaning. Tested through vocabulary and craft items.
9 min answer →

How do you apply the standard conventions of English grammar and usage, the agreement and form rules that the editing items and the essay's conventions score both test?

Grammar and usage conventions on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: applying subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear pronoun reference, consistent verb tense, and correct word usage (commonly confused words), as tested in editing items and scored in the Standard English Conventions trait of the long composition.
How to apply grammar and usage conventions on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and clear reference, consistent tense, and commonly confused words. Tested in editing items and scored in the essay's Standard English Conventions trait.
9 min answer →

How do you punctuate sentences correctly and build well-formed sentences, the comma, apostrophe, and clause rules the editing items and the essay both reward?

Punctuation and sentence structure on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using commas (in lists, after introductory elements, around nonessential clauses, with coordinating conjunctions), apostrophes (possessives and contractions), and end punctuation correctly, and forming complete sentences (independent and dependent clauses) free of fragments and run-ons, in editing items and the long composition.
How to apply punctuation and sentence-structure conventions on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: commas, apostrophes, and end punctuation, plus forming complete sentences from independent and dependent clauses. Tested in editing items and scored on the essay's conventions.
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 only on a memorized definition?

Vocabulary in context on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using context clues (definition, example, contrast, and inference from surrounding sentences) to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word as it is used in the passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the most common definition.
How to answer vocabulary-in-context items on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using context clues to determine a word's meaning as it is used in the passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the most common one. Often a two-part item with the proving clue.
9 min answer →

How do roots, prefixes, and suffixes help you unlock the meaning of an unfamiliar word, and how do word relationships like synonyms and analogies clarify meaning?

Word parts and word relationships on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes to infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word, recognizing how a suffix changes a word's part of speech, and using word relationships (synonyms, antonyms, and analogies) to clarify meaning, combined with context.
How to use word parts and word relationships on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: inferring meaning from Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes, noting how suffixes change part of speech, and using synonyms, antonyms, and analogies, always combined with context to confirm the meaning.
9 min answer →