Study Guides

4th & 5th Grade TCAP Study Guide - ELA

Nouns

• Plural Rules (Nouns that are more than 1)
• Most words add –s
• Words that end in ch, sh, x, or s add –es
• Words that end in y, change the y to an i then add es
• Some words change completely. Ex: man-men and woman-women
• Some words don’t change at all. Ex: fish, deer, sheep
• Possessive Rules (When something belongs to the noun)
• If the noun is singular (one), add ’s  (Example: woman’s)
• If the noun is plural (two) AND ends in s, just add ’ (Example: travelers’)
• If the noun is plural (two) and doesn’t end in s, add ’s (Example: men’s)
• ***Sometimes you will have to figure out if the noun is plural or singular to make your choice.***

Pronouns

• Must match who they are referring to.
• Ex: He walked out the door and tripped on her own feet. *Her is wrong. It should be his.*
• Ex: You will enjoy the park because there are lots of things for them to do. *Them is wrong. It should be you.*

Verbs

• The verb must make sense and match the rest of the sentence.
• TIP: If there is a helping verb (had, have, has) choose the verb with the “n” on the end. Ex: We had not seen that in years.
• TIP: Read each sentence and slash the ones that you know are incorrect. The best way to choose the correct verb is to see which one makes sense.

Adjectives

• Adjectives describe nouns. 
• Add –er to compare two things. (add more if the word is long!) 
• Example: She was taller than him.
• Example: She was more beautiful than her friend.
• Add –est to compare more than two things. (add most if the word is long!) 
• Example: She was the tallest.
• Example: She was the most beautiful of all her friends.

Adverbs

• Adverbs describe verbs.
• Most end in –ly. 
• Ex: He was really brave when the monster came at him.

Double Negatives

• You cannot have two negatives in a sentence. Negatives include: neither, never, not, nothing, or any contraction with not.

Homophones

• Two, Too, To
• Two- #2
• Too- Too much or Also
• To- Tells direction 

• There, they’re, their
• There- a place
• They’re- they are
• Their- shows ownership
• Your, you’re
• Your- shows ownership
• You’re- you are

Commas

• Dates: January 12, 2011
• Items in a Series: I want bacon, eggs, and cheese.
• Before Conjunctions: I want to go to the store, but my mom will not take me.
• After Introductory Words: Even though we were tired, we still played for hours.

Quotations

• Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.
• Use commas to separate the quote from the speaker.
• Use a capital letter at the beginning of what is said.
• Example:   Mom said, “Are you sure you want to go?”
• Example: “I am sure,” I said.
• Example: “Okay,” Mom said, “we will go.”

Combining Sentences

• Sentences can be combined the following ways:
• By combining the sentences with a conjunction
• By moving one part of the sentence to the beginning and making it an introductory phrase.

Fixing Run-On Sentences

• Fix run-on sentences by:
• Writing two new sentences.
• Combining the ideas correctly with a conjunction.
• Making one of the ideas an introductory phrase at the beginning.

Abbreviations

• Common Abbreviations
• Avenue = Ave.
• Doctor = Dr.
• Street = St.
• Drive = Dr.

Compound Words

• Words that are made up of two small words. Each word helps determine the meaning of the compound word. Ex: mailbox, horseback

Author’s Purpose

• To Entertain- telling a story with characters, a setting, and a plot.
• To Inform- gives the reader true information and facts.
• To Persuade- is trying to get the reader to do or buy something. Speeches are usually trying to persuade.

Supporting Sentences

• Sentences that match the main idea and the rest of the paragraph.
• Step 1: Find the main idea of the paragraph.
• Step 2: Choose the sentence that matches the main idea.

Context Clues

• Step 1: Read the entire sentence looking for clues to what the word means.
• Step 2: Plug all the choices in and see which one makes sense.

Audience

• The person or people reading or listening to your writing.
• Step 1: What is the writing about?
• Step 2: Who needs to know this? or Who cares about this?

Summary

• A 1-3 sentence recap of a passage or paragraph.
• Step 1: Find the main idea.
• Step 2: Underline important details.
• Step 3: Include the main idea and details into a complete sentence.
• Remember: Do this for each paragraph of a passage if the questions asks for a summary of the entire passage.

Fact/Opinion

• Fact: a statement that can be proven to be true.
• Opinion: a statement that cannot be proven and often includes how someone feels.

Choosing Visuals/Graphics

• Sometimes people include visuals or graphics (pictures) with their writing.
• Step 1: The picture must match the main idea.
• Step 2: Choose the one that would help the writing the best.

Main Idea

• What a story or passage is mostly about.
• Step 1: Underline the key words. (Only the important ones!)
• Step 2: Write one sentence with the key words.
• Step 3: Find the choice that best matches your sentence.

Irrelevant Sentences

• Irrelevant means that it does not match or go along with the rest of the story.
• Step 1: Find the main idea.
• Step 2: Find the sentence that does not match the main idea.
• TIP: The irrelevant sentence may seem like it fits but you have to be very careful.

Concluding Sentence/Conclusion

• Concluding means the ending or very last sentence.
• Must match the main idea of the story.
• Never adds new details to the story.

Transitional Words/Phrases

• Used at the end of a story or paragraph
• Therefore, finally, in conclusion, as a result
• Adding details to a story
• In addition to, furthermore, similarly, however
• Remember: Plug all the choices in the sentence and see which one makes since in the sentence AND in the story.

Sequencing Sentences/Paragraphs

1. Step 1: Read all the steps or sentences.

• Step 2: Draw your dashes ____ ____ ____ ____
• Step 3: Read the sentences or paragraphs and put the number in the correct slash.
• Step 4: Find the answer that matches your slashes.

Reliable Sources

• Reliable means it is good information to use and you can count on it being correct.
• Read all the choices and choose the best and most reliable source for the question.

Reference Sources

• Atlas- book of maps
• Encyclopedia- gives information on people, places, history and things.
• Newspaper- gives information on current and local events.
• Websites- websites that end in .gov, .org, or .edu are the most reliable

Moods and Feelings from Pictures

• Pictures can often make the viewer feel a certain way or put them in a certain mood.
• Look at the picture. Write down a few words that come to mind.
• Look at the choices. Mark off any that are completely wrong.
• Choose the best one by comparing it to what you thought about the picture and the picture itself.

Synonyms/Antonyms

• Synonyms- words that mean the same or nearly the same. Ex: sad and depressed
• Antonyms- words that mean the opposite. Ex: ancient and new

Sequence (Before and After)

• If a question asks you what happens before or after an event, follow these steps.
• Step 1: Find the event mentioned in the question. Underline it.
• Step 2: If the question asks what happened before, look in front of the underlined event.
• Step 3: If the question asks what happened after, look after the underlined event.

Poems

• Characteristics
• Has lines and stanzas
• May rhyme
• Can tell a story

Sound Devices

• Onomatopoeia- sound words. Ex: Crash, boom, howl
• Alliteration- the same beginning letter or sound. Ex: Sam strutted and Dan danced.
• Repetition- repeating words Ex: Down, down, down the spider went.

Figurative Language

• Simile- comparing two unlike things using like or as. Ex: She was as mad as a bull.
• Metaphor- comparing two unlike things without using like or as. Ex: When she is angry, she is a bull.
• Personification- giving human qualities to nonhuman things. Ex: The wind was crying my name.
• Hyperbole- an extreme exaggeration. Ex: This test is going to ruin me!

Point of View

• 1^st person- I, me, or we. The character is telling you his thoughts and feelings.
• 2^nd person- You
• 3^rd person- They, them, someone’s name.
• Hint: A story may have I in it and someone’s name. The I wins.

Analogy

• Step 1: Find the relationship between the first two words.
• Are they the same? Opposite?
• Are they part of a group?
• Step 2: Find the word that is needed to match the relationship.
• Example: person: house:: dog: _______
• A person lives in a house. So where does a dog live? A kennel or dog house. Either one of those choices will complete the analogy.

Setting, Characters, Plot

• Setting- Where and when the story takes place. Ex: Outside at night.
• Characters- The people or animals in a story.
• Plot- The events in a story. The plot includes the problem (conflict) and solution (resolution)

Conflict/Resolution

• Conflict = problem
• Resolution = solution

Theme

• The lesson that the story is trying to teach you. Example: It is better to give than to receive.
• Themes can be stated or implied.
• Stated- the theme is said in the story. You can find it and underline it.
• Implied- the theme is not said in the story. You have to use clues to figure it out.

Citations

• Writers use citation to show where they learned information from.
• Citations should include:
• Author’s Name
• Book Title
• Place where book was published
• Publisher
• Publication Date
• Published means it was turned into a book and sold in stores.

Fiction vs Nonfiction

• Fiction: stories for fun. They have characters, settings, and plots.
• Nonfiction: stories that give you new facts and information.