Literary & Linguistic Language #1

Mr. O'Donohue (United States of America)
As scholars, we need to speak a common language when discussing what we read and write. Also included are some terms and concepts to help us when we discuss grammar.
12 words 3 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. literature
    writings in a particular style on a particular subject
    Even as adults, we can find new meaning in children's literature.
  2. genre
    a kind of literary or artistic work
    In his 65 years, Walt Disney succeeded in moving animation from a black-and-white novelty to a highly respected genre that would produce Oscar-nominated feature films.
  3. text
    the words of something written
    "Evidence must be strengthened if people swear on religious texts," says Mr Freeman.
  4. inference
    drawing a conclusion on the basis of circumstantial evidence
    In reading, 9-year-olds were more adept at making inferences from nonfiction texts and grasping figures of speech.
  5. linguistics
    the scientific study of language
    According to a linguistics expert quoted in the Times, many teachers don't have adequate grammar knowledge.
  6. grammar
    the branch of linguistics that deals with sentence structure
    Oswald spent most days in his room, studying Russian grammar, eating, waiting to be released from purgatory. Wall Street Journal (Oct 4, 2013)
  7. syntax
    the study of the rules for forming admissible sentences
    Admittedly Hoddle's mangled syntax and muddled vocabulary – who can forget his talk of "pigs and troughs"? – hardly helped his cause.
  8. morphology
    studies of the rules for forming admissible words
    The grammar is divided into three principal parts: Phonology, Morphology, and Syntax. Various
  9. annotate
    add explanatory notes to or supply with critical comments
    Curiously, his best seller was his Annotated Alice in Wonderland, which sold half a million copies over the last 50 years. Scientific American (Oct 29, 2013)
  10. critical
    of a serious examination and judgment of something
    Common Sense Media, for example, lists the following digital literacy skills, “creativity, innovation, communication, critical thinking, civic participation, collaboration.” Forbes (Oct 23, 2013)
  11. admissible
    deserving to be accepted or allowed
    Thankfully lie detector evidence is not admissible in US or UK courts.
  12. semantics
    the study of language meaning
    So the debate has seemingly become about semantics.
Created on Tue Nov 05 13:13:16 EST 2013 (updated Tue Nov 05 17:45:27 EST 2013)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.