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OhioEnglish 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 the difference between a word's literal meaning and its connotation, and how do you read figurative meaning such as idiom and figures of speech in a passage?

Analyzing denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning on the Ohio English II test: distinguishing a word's denotation (literal dictionary meaning) from its connotation (the feeling or association it carries), reading figurative meaning including idiom and figures of speech, and explaining how an author's word choice shapes tone and meaning.
How to analyze denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning on the Ohio English II test: telling a word's literal meaning from its connotation, reading idiom and figures of speech, and explaining how word choice shapes tone. The test rewards reading the feeling a word carries, not just its definition.
9 min answer →

How do you apply the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, the rules tested in editing items and scored on the extended response?

Applying grammar and usage conventions on the Ohio English II test: subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear pronoun reference, consistent verb tense, parallel structure, and standard usage of commonly confused words, applied in editing items and scored under Conventions of Standard English on the extended-response writing task.
How to apply grammar and usage conventions on the Ohio English II test: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and clear reference, consistent tense, parallel structure, and commonly confused words. These rules are tested in editing items and scored as Conventions on the extended response.
10 min answer →

How do you punctuate sentences correctly, and how do you fix comma splices, run-ons, and fragments in editing items?

Applying punctuation and sentence structure conventions on the Ohio English II test: using commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes correctly, joining and separating independent clauses, and recognizing and fixing comma splices, run-on sentences, and sentence fragments, tested in editing items and scored under Conventions of Standard English on the extended response.
How to apply punctuation and sentence-structure conventions on the Ohio English II test: commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes, joining independent clauses, and fixing comma splices, run-ons, and fragments. These are tested in editing items and scored as Conventions on the extended response.
10 min answer →

How do you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word from the passage around it, using context clues rather than a dictionary?

Determining vocabulary in context on the Ohio English II test: using context clues (definition, example, contrast, and general sense) to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word as it is used in a passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the word's most common or dictionary-first meaning.
How to determine vocabulary in context on the Ohio English II test: using definition, example, contrast, and general-sense clues to work out a word's meaning in a passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the word's most common meaning. Context beats the dictionary.
9 min answer →

How do you use roots, prefixes, and suffixes to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word, and how does a suffix change a word's part of speech?

Using word parts on the Ohio English II test: breaking an unfamiliar word into root, prefix, and suffix to infer its meaning, recognizing common Greek and Latin roots and affixes, and understanding how a suffix can change a word's part of speech, used together with context to confirm the meaning.
How to use word parts on the Ohio English II test: breaking a word into root, prefix, and suffix to infer meaning, recognizing common Greek and Latin roots and affixes, and seeing how a suffix changes part of speech. Word parts narrow the meaning; context confirms it.
9 min answer →