Vocabulary and Word Study: Glossary
121 words, listed in the order you meet them in Courseversity lessons.
Full explanations
Adjective
English & Language ArtsFull explanation
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells what kind, how many or which one.
Verb
English & Language ArtsFull explanation
A verb is a word that shows an action or a state of being, such as run, think or is.
All words in this topic
Grade 1
name
From Grade 1
what something is called
Learn it in: Naming familiar objects (Grade 1), Uppercase letters (Grade 1)
object
From Grade 1
a thing you can see or touch
Learn it in: Naming familiar objects (Grade 1), Presenting personal experiences (Grade 1), Sentence structure (Grade 5)
action word
From Grade 1
a word that tells what someone does
Full explanation with examples and practice →
Learn it in: Action words (Grade 1)
verb
From Grade 1
the grammar name for an action word
Full explanation with examples and practice →
Learn it in: Action words (Grade 1), Action words (Grade 1), Verbs and verb tenses (Grade 2)
adjective
From Grade 1
the grammar name for a describing word
Full explanation with examples and practice →
Learn it in: Describing words (Grade 1), Describing words (Grade 1), Writing short descriptions (Grade 1)
describing word
From Grade 1
a word that tells about something
Full explanation with examples and practice →
Learn it in: Describing words (Grade 1)
opposite
From Grade 1
a word with a very different meaning
category
From Grade 1
a group of things that go together
Learn it in: Word categories (Grade 1), Organising findings (Grade 3), Word relationships (Grade 4)
group
From Grade 1
things that are together
Learn it in: Word categories (Grade 1), Organising ideas (Grade 2)
bat
From Grade 1
an animal that flies, or a stick used in a game
Learn it in: Multiple-meaning words (Grade 1), Multiple-meaning words (Grade 3)
context
From Grade 1
the words around a word
Learn it in: Multiple-meaning words (Grade 1), Self-correction (Grade 2), Context clues (Grade 2)
Grade 2
synonym
From Grade 2
a word with the same or almost the same meaning
Learn it in: Synonyms (Grade 2), Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 3), Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 4)
thesaurus
From Grade 2
a book of synonyms
Learn it in: Synonyms (Grade 2), Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 3), Reference materials (Grade 3)
antonym
From Grade 2
a word with the opposite meaning
Learn it in: Antonyms (Grade 2), Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 3), Prefixes and suffixes (Grade 4)
compound word
From Grade 2
a word made of two smaller words
Learn it in: Compound words (Grade 2), Word origins (Grade 5), Word origins (Grade 6)
suffix
From Grade 2
a word part added to the end
Learn it in: Common suffixes (Grade 2), Prefixes and suffixes (Grade 3), Prefixes and suffixes (Grade 4)
root
From Grade 2
the main part of a word
Learn it in: Word families (Grade 2), Base words and roots (Grade 3), Greek and Latin roots (Grade 4)
word family
From Grade 2
words that share the same pattern
Learn it in: Word families (Grade 2), Morphological analysis (Grade 4), Greek and Latin roots (Grade 5)
definition
From Grade 2
what a word means
Learn it in: Context clues (Grade 2), Topic development (Grade 4), Technical vocabulary (Grade 5)
unfamiliar
From Grade 2
not known yet
Learn it in: Context clues (Grade 2), Reading unfamiliar words (Grade 3)
alphabetical order
From Grade 2
in the order of the alphabet
Learn it in: Dictionary introduction (Grade 2), Dictionary skills (Grade 3)
dictionary
From Grade 2
a book that lists words and their meanings
Learn it in: Dictionary introduction (Grade 2), Reading unfamiliar words (Grade 3), Reference materials (Grade 3)
entry
From Grade 2
one word and its meaning
Learn it in: Dictionary introduction (Grade 2), Dictionary and thesaurus skills (Grade 4), Multiple-meaning words (Grade 6)
guide words
From Grade 2
the words at the top of the page
Learn it in: Dictionary introduction (Grade 2), Dictionary skills (Grade 3), Dictionary and thesaurus skills (Grade 4)
Grade 3
context clue
From Grade 3
a hint in nearby words about a word meaning
Learn it in: Context clues (Grade 3), Contextual meaning (Grade 4), Contextual meaning (Grade 5)
contrast clue
From Grade 3
a clue that gives an opposite
Learn it in: Context clues (Grade 3), Contextual meaning (Grade 6)
definition clue
From Grade 3
a clue that tells what the word means
Learn it in: Context clues (Grade 3), Contextual meaning (Grade 4), Contextual meaning (Grade 6)
example clue
From Grade 3
a clue that gives an example
Learn it in: Context clues (Grade 3), Contextual meaning (Grade 4)
precise
From Grade 3
exact and clear
Learn it in: Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 3), Descriptive vocabulary (Grade 3), Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 4)
bark
From Grade 3
the sound of a dog or the outside of a tree
Learn it in: Multiple-meaning words (Grade 3)
multiple-meaning word
From Grade 3
a word with more than one meaning
Learn it in: Multiple-meaning words (Grade 3), Multiple-meaning words (Grade 4), Contextual vocabulary (Grade 5)
sentence clue
From Grade 3
words around that show which meaning
Learn it in: Multiple-meaning words (Grade 3)
part of speech
From Grade 3
a label like noun or verb
Learn it in: Dictionary skills (Grade 3), Dictionary and thesaurus skills (Grade 4)
figurative
From Grade 3
having a meaning beyond the words
Learn it in: Figurative expressions (Grade 3), Figurative expressions (Grade 4), Idiomatic expressions (Grade 5)
idiom
From Grade 3
a phrase whose meaning is different from its words
Learn it in: Figurative expressions (Grade 3), Figurative expressions (Grade 4), Figurative language (Grade 5)
literal
From Grade 3
exactly what the words say
Learn it in: Figurative expressions (Grade 3), Figurative expressions (Grade 4), Personification (Grade 4)
irregular plural
From Grade 3
a plural that does not follow the usual rule
Learn it in: Spelling conventions (Grade 3)
Grade 4
climate
From Grade 4
the usual weather of a place over many years
Learn it in: Academic vocabulary (Grade 4)
shade of meaning
From Grade 4
a small difference in meaning
Learn it in: Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 4), Synonyms and shades of meaning (Grade 5)
analogy
From Grade 4
a comparison showing the same link between two pairs
Learn it in: Word relationships (Grade 4)
part-whole
From Grade 4
a link where one thing is part of another
Learn it in: Word relationships (Grade 4)
-ion
From Grade 4
makes a noun meaning an action or result
Learn it in: Prefixes and suffixes (Grade 4)
proverb
From Grade 4
a short saying that teaches a lesson
Learn it in: Figurative expressions (Grade 4), Idiomatic expressions (Grade 5)
homograph
From Grade 4
words spelled the same but with different meanings
Learn it in: Multiple-meaning words (Grade 4), Contextual vocabulary (Grade 5), Multiple-meaning words (Grade 6)
change y to i
From Grade 4
change y to i before a suffix
Learn it in: Spelling and morphology (Grade 4)
double the consonant
From Grade 4
write the last consonant twice before a suffix
Learn it in: Spelling and morphology (Grade 4)
drop the e
From Grade 4
remove a silent e before a vowel suffix
Learn it in: Spelling and morphology (Grade 4)
Grade 5
significant
From Grade 5
important or large enough to matter
Learn it in: Advanced academic vocabulary (Grade 5)
borrowed word
From Grade 5
a word taken from another language
Learn it in: Word origins (Grade 5), Word origins (Grade 6)
etymology
From Grade 5
the study of word origins
Learn it in: Word origins (Grade 5), Word origins (Grade 6)
connotation
From Grade 5
the feeling a word carries
Learn it in: Synonyms and shades of meaning (Grade 5), Precise language (Grade 6)
word class
From Grade 5
a noun, verb, adjective or other type
Learn it in: Contextual vocabulary (Grade 5), Morphological analysis (Grade 6)
silent letter
From Grade 5
a letter that is written but not heard
Learn it in: Spelling conventions (Grade 5)
spelling rule
From Grade 5
a pattern that helps spell words
Learn it in: Spelling conventions (Grade 5)
formal phrase
From Grade 5
careful wording suited to academic writing
Learn it in: Academic writing vocabulary (Grade 5)
topic vocabulary
From Grade 5
words specific to the subject
Learn it in: Academic writing vocabulary (Grade 5)
Grade 6
domain-specific
From Grade 6
belonging to a particular subject area
Learn it in: Technical vocabulary (Grade 6)
figurative language
From Grade 6
words used in a non-literal way for effect
Learn it in: Figurative language (Grade 6)
precise language
From Grade 6
exact words that say clearly what you mean
Learn it in: Precise language (Grade 6)
synthesis
From Grade 6
combining ideas or skills into one
Learn it in: Academic vocabulary application (Grade 6), Research-based writing (Grade 6)
word bank
From Grade 6
a personal collection of new words
Learn it in: Academic vocabulary application (Grade 6), Academic vocabulary review (Grade 6)