Grades 11–12: List 5

Vocabulary is key to performing well on Common Core-aligned tests for English Language Arts as well as for building literacy in social studies, science, and technical subjects. This collection features common tier-2 words that are taught and tested in Grades 11 and 12. These words are used in a variety of contexts, exhibit different shades of meaning based on those contexts, and appear commonly in classroom instruction and on standardized assessments.

Here are links to our lists for the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7
20 words 5 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. perspective
    a way of regarding situations or topics
    It must be interesting from your perspective to hear how people interpret you through these characters.Salon (Jun 16, 2022)
  2. clause
    an expression including a subject and predicate
    Several clauses are joined or embedded in a sentence; several sentences make up a paragraph; several paragraphs make up a section, several sections a chapter, several chapters a book.The Sense of Style
  3. plagiarism
    taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own
    “The way you avoid plagiarism isn’t to ‘change the language’ but to never have that language in your original work in the first place,” he wrote.New York Times (May 10, 2022)
  4. plagiarize
    take without referencing from someone's writing or speech
    It was heavily plagiarized from a work written thirty years earlier by the Oneida Community’s founder.Ambushed!
  5. position
    an opinion that is held in opposition to another
    Now she was quickly returning to her original position: Dell Duke was not a natural at his job.Counting by 7s
  6. precise
    characterized by perfect conformity to fact or truth
    The language is simple, clear and precise, making it easy for children to understand all the various ways they could take part in making a great exhibition.New York Times (Nov 12, 2021)
  7. concise
    expressing much in few words
    He said in a statement that the language is clear, concise and complete.Washington Times (Apr 10, 2017)
  8. presentation
    a show or display
    Ms. Washington let me turn the classroom into a pretend baseball field for my oral presentation on a famous inventor.A High Five for Glenn Burke
  9. punctuation
    marks clarifying meaning by indicating separation of words
    The semicolon is one of the most useful but least used punctuation marks.Woe Is I
  10. argumentative
    proceeding to a conclusion by systematic reasoning
    “We’re articulate and argumentative,” said Mr. Das, who is currently editing a 15-volume history of trade in India from 300 B.C. to the present, to be published by Penguin India.New York Times (Jul 6, 2011)
  11. quotation
    a passage or expression that is cited
    All quotations were either from the Bible or Shakespeare.The Westing Game
  12. reference
    a book from which you can seek authoritative facts
    It's a reference book given to me by my sister Amy, and it's full of useful information.Me Talk Pretty One Day
  13. source
    a document from which information is obtained
    “Well,” Mr. Bonner goes on, “if the person feels as though they have enough information—names, dates, access to primary sources like newspapers and photographs—they can seek out some truth that way.”Fast Pitch
  14. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    It was an interesting question, but not relevant to the matter at hand.Six of Crows
  15. irrelevant
    having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    My father considers this an irrelevant question and brushes it off, saying, "Not that I know of, but that's not the point."Me Talk Pretty One Day
  16. support
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    Our hope, of course, is to find evidence to support the first of these three possibilities.From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
  17. resolve
    reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation
    Readers may wonder why Spencer decides to end the novel without resolving many of the major plot points he introduces — including several buried secrets unlikely to stay buried in such a small town.Washington Post (Jun 16, 2017)
  18. resolution
    the way the main complication of a literary work is settled
    My former classmates who have published memoirs spoke of their editors' desire for the books to have a resolution, to have everything be better by the conclusion.Salon (Dec 5, 2021)
  19. root word
    the form of a word after all affixes are removed
    “Gala” — the root word that gives us “galaxy” — actually means “milk.”New York Times (Jul 23, 2018)
  20. root
    the form of a word after all affixes are removed
    The word "octave" comes from a Latin root meaning "eight."Understanding Basic Music Theory
Created on July 20, 2022 (updated August 30, 2022)

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