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Welcome students & teachers from Clemson University and Greenville County Schools.

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Teacher Residency Calendar

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Overview of Secondary English Education Senior Practicum and Student Teaching Assignments for 2021-2022

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Overview of Teacher Residency Practicum Assignments for 2021-2022

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Teacher residents can access all of their needs for the Fall and Spring by clicking here.

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Teacher Residency at the Clemson College of Education Office of Field and Clinical Partnerships and Outreach

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Teacher Residency Resources

Teacher Residents, Master Teachers, and University Supervisors can access teacher resident assignments by clicking on the assignment name (e.g. Unit Plan) in the ASSIGNMENTS/INSTRUCTIONS column in the table below. Forms used to evaluate these assignments can be accessed and downloaded by clicking on the form name (e.g. Unit Plan) in the EVALUATIONS column in the table below. Have Questions? Contact Laura Eicher.

Resources

Fall Semester Assignments

Spring Semester Assignments

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Teacher Residency at the Clemson College of Education Office of Field and Clinical Partnerships and Outreach

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Teacher Residency at the Clemson College of Education Office of Field and Clinical Partnerships and Outreach

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SECONDARY ENGLISH EDUCATION (9-12 CERTIFICATION LINKS)

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SECONDARY ENGLISH EDUCATION (9-12 CERTIFICATION LINKS)

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Student teachers can access assignments by clicking on the assignment name for the Spring 2021 term.

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Teacher Education Field Experience at the Clemson University College of Education Office of Field Experience and Clinical Partnerships and Outreach

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Teacher Education

Clinical experiences are an integral part of teacher preparation. We are committed to providing candidates with purposeful, challenging and diverse clinical experiences. It is through a range of diverse, carefully constructed and challenging field-based experiences, in conjunction with classroom-based instruction, that candidates will recognize the inherent dignity and value of all individuals, value social justice and equality of opportunity and advocate on behalf of children and families.

Candidates will have clinical experiences throughout their four years, gradually increasing in scope and responsibility, with placements in classrooms, schools and districts that have longstanding commitments to high quality educational experiences for all children. Beginning with early tutoring experiences during their freshmen year, and continuing with a variety of early field observations throughout the sophomore and junior years, students are prepared for the culminating practicum and student teaching.

By the end of student teaching, candidates recommended for certification will have a strong base of disciplinary/content knowledge, classroom management skills, pedagogical skills and a deep understanding of foundational issues related to academic success and educational equity.

Special Education K-12 Multi-Categorical Certification

Student teachers, cooperating teachers and University supervisors can access student teacher assignments by clicking on the assignment name (e.g. Unit Plan) in the ASSIGNMENTS/INSTRUCTIONS column in the table below. Forms used to evaluate these assignments can be accessed and downloaded by clicking on the form name (e.g. Unit Plan) in the EVALUATIONS column in the table below. Cooperating Teacher Checklist

Resources

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Teacher Education Field Experience at the Clemson University College of Education Office of Field Experience and Clinical Partnerships and Outreach

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Teacher Education Field Experience at the Clemson University College of Education Office of Field Experience and Clinical Partnerships and Outreach

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WHY IS THE ENGLISH SPELLING SYSTEM SO WEIRD AND INCONSISTENT?

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WHY IS THE ENGLISH SPELLING SYSTEM SO WEIRD AND INCONSISTENT?

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English is in a different league of complexity. Read on!

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English spelling is ridiculous. Sew and new don't rhyme. Kernel and colonel do. When you see an ough, you might need to read it out as 'aw' (thought), 'ow' (drought), 'uff' (tough), 'off' (cough), 'oo' (through), or 'oh' (though). The ea vowel is usually pronounced 'ee' ( weak, please, seal, beam) but can also be 'eh' ( bread, head, wealth, feather). Those two options cover most of it - except for a handful of cases, where it's 'ay' ( break, steak, great). Oh wait, one more... there's earth. No wait, there's also heart.

The English spelling system, if you can even call it a system, is full of this kind of thing. Yet not only do most people raised with English learn to read and write it; millions of people who weren't raised with English learn to use it too, to a very high level of accuracy.

Admittedly, for a non-native speaker, such mastery usually involves a great deal of confusion and frustration. Part of the problem is that English spelling looks deceptively similar to other languages that use the same alphabet but in a much more consistent way. You can spend an afternoon familiarising yourself with the pronunciation rules of Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish and many others, and credibly read out a text in that language, even if you don't understand it. Your pronunciation might be terrible, and the pace, stress and rhythm would be completely off, and no one would mistake you for a native speaker - but you could do it. Even French, notorious for the spelling challenges it presents learners, is consistent enough to meet the bar. There are lots of silent letters, but they're in predictable places. French has plenty of rules, and exceptions to those rules, but they can all be listed on a reasonable number of pages.

English is in a different league of complexity. The most comprehensive description of its spelling - the Dictionary of the British English Spelling System by Greg Brooks (2015) - runs to more than 450 pages as it enumerates all the ways particular sounds can be represented by letters or combinations of letters, and all the ways particular letters or letter combinations can be read out as sounds.

From the early Middle Ages, various European languages adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. So why did English end up with a far more inconsistent orthography than any other? The basic outline of the messy history of English is widely known: the Anglo-Saxon tribes bringing Old English in the 5th century, the Viking invasions beginning in the 8th century adding Old Norse to the mix, followed by the Norman Conquest of the 11th century and the French linguistic takeover. The moving and mixing of populations, the growth of London and the merchant class in the 13th and 14th centuries. The contact with the Continent and the balance among Germanic, Romance and Celtic cultural forces. No language Academy was established, no authority for oversight or intervention in the direction of the written form. English travelled and wandered and haphazardly tied pieces together. As the blogger James Nicoll put it in 1990, English 'pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary'.

But just how does spelling factor into all this? It wasn't as if the rest of Europe didn't also contend with a mix of tribes and languages. The remnants of the Roman Empire comprised Germanic, Celtic and Slavic communities spread over a huge area. Various conquests installed a ruling-class language in control of a population that spoke a different language: there was the Nordic conquest of Normandy in the 10th century (where they now write French with a pretty regular system); the Ottoman Turkish rule over Hungary in the 16th and 17th centuries (which now has very consistent spelling rules for Hungarian); Moorish rule in Spain in the 8th to 15th centuries (which also has very consistent spelling). True, other languages did have official academies and other government attempts at standardisation - but those interventions have largely only ever succeeded at implementing minor changes to existing systems in very specific areas. English wasn't the only language to pick the pockets of others for useful words.

The answer to the weirdness of English has to do with the timing of technology. The rise of printing caught English at a moment when the norms linking spoken and written language were up for grabs, and so could be hijacked by diverse forces and imperatives that didn't coordinate with each other, or cohere, or even have any distinct goals at all. If the printing press has arrived earlier in the life of English, or later, after some of the upheaval had settled, things might have ended up differently.

It's notable that the adoption of a different and related technology several hundred years earlier - the alphabet, in use from the 600s - didn't have this disorienting effect on English. The Latin alphabet had spread throughout Europe with the diffusion of Christianity from the 4th century onward. A few European vernacular languages had some sort of rudimentary writing system prior to this, but for the most part they had no written form. For the first few hundred years of English using the Latin alphabet, its spelling was pretty consistent and phonetic. Monks and missionaries, beginning around 600 CE translated Latin religious texts into local languages - not necessarily so they could be read by the general population, but so they could at least read aloud to them. Most people were illiterate. The vernacular translations were written to be pronounced, and the spelling was intended to get as close to the pronunciation as possible.

Often the languages these monks and missionaries were trying to transcribe contained sounds that Latin didn't have, and there was no symbol for the sound they needed. In those cases, they might use an accent mark, or put two letters together, or borrow another symbol. Old English, for example, had a strange, exotic 'th' sound, for which they originally borrowed the thorn symbol (þ) from Germanic runes. They later settled on the two-letter combination th. For the most part, they used the Latin alphabet as they knew it, but stretched it by using the letters in new ways when other sounds were required. We still use that sound, with the th spelling, in English today.

English was at home in the kitchen, the workshop, the marketplace, but less sure of itself in other registers

Writing was a specialised skill handled by dedicated scribes. They were trained by other scribes, who in turn passed on their spelling conventions. Different monasteries might have had different styles or habits for representing English sounds, and there were dialects and variations in pronunciation in the spoken language as well - but a written standard and eventually a whole literature emerged.

That tradition was broken after the Norman invasion in 1066. For the next 300 years or so, with a few exceptions, written English disappeared entirely. French was the language of the conquerors, and became the language of the state and all its official activities. Latin remained the language of the Church and education. English was the spoken language of daily life for most people, but the social class that had previously maintained and developed the written standard for English - landholders, religious leaders, government officials - had all been replaced.

English began its return as a written language in the 14th century. Over generations, it had crept back in among the nobility, as well as the clergy, although French and Latin were still the languages of educated and official pursuits. By then, English had changed. A few centuries of language evolution had led to different pronunciations. And Old English writing habits had been lost. As English started to make its written comeback, these people found themselves not only trying to figure out how to spell English words but also reaching for English ways to say educated, official things. English was completely at home in the kitchen, the workshop, and the marketplace, but less sure of itself in other registers. Grabbing the nearest convenient French word was often the solution. Things such court proceedings, government decrees, property ownership documents and schooling relied heavily on French vocabulary to fill in the gaps where English was out of practice. Words such as govern, judge, office, punish, money, contract, number, action, student and many others became part of the vocabulary of English official life - and then of everyone, as most people had some sort of interaction with officialdom.

Prior to the Norman conquest, Old English predominated, a thoroughly Germanic cousin of Dutch and German. To a speaker of Modern English today, it's nearly unrecognisable as English, and requires translation to understand. In the next few hundred years after the conquest, it evolved into Middle English - still Germanic, but less thoroughly so, as grammatical endings disappeared and French vocabulary flowed in. Middle English looks much more like the English we know.

By the time written English started coming back, around 1300, there was no general standard for spelling. People, taken from French peuple, might be spelled peple, pepill, poeple or poepul. Beauty, from French beauté, might be bewtee, buute or bealte. It didn't help matters that, at the time, French also had inconsistent spelling. All the vernaculars of Europe were on early, wobbly footing with respect to developing a consistent standard as they moved toward their own written tradition and away from Latin as the only choice. Then came the printing press.

Moveable type was invented in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg c 1450. It involved making letters from metal alloys and setting them in a print tray-bed, inking them, and then pressing paper over the top to make an imprint - saving hours compared with laborious manual transcription. The earliest works printed with this new technique were in Latin, but printers soon spotted the potential market for books in vernacular languages, and began making them in great numbers. English got off to an early start: an enterprising merchant named William Caxton set up the first English press in 1476. This followed the success of an English translation he had printed while working in Bruges. There were no style guides, no copyeditors, no dictionaries to consult.

Moveable type was a wonderful invention: once the type had been set, you could print off as many copies as you wanted. But setting the letters, or pieces of type, into lines, and then pages, was intense, specialised labour. You had to spend years learning the trade. For his new press, Caxton brought typesetters back with him from the Continent, and some didn't even speak English all that well. They set type working from manuscripts that already had quite a bit of variation, and the overriding priority was getting them set quickly.

Some standards did spread and crystallise over time, as more books were printed and literacy rates climbed. The printing profession played a key role in these emergent norms. Printing houses developed habits for spelling frequent words, often based on what made setting type more efficient. In a manuscript, hadde might be replaced with had; thankefull with thankful. When it came to spelling, the primary objective wasn't to faithfully represent the author's spelling, nor to uphold some standard idea of 'correct' English - it was to produce texts that people could read and, more importantly, that they would buy. Habits and tricks became standards, as typesetters learned their trade by apprenticing to other typesetters. They then often moved around as journeymen workers, which entailed dispersing their own habits or picking up those of the printing houses they worked in.

Some spellings got entrenched by being printed over and over again in widely distributed texts, very early on

Standard-setting was only partly in the hands of the people setting the type. Even more so, it was down to a growing reading public. The more texts there were, the more reading there was, and the greater the sensibility about what looks right. Once that sense develops, it can be a very powerful enforcer of norms. These norms in the literacy of English speakers today are so well entrenched that simple adjustments are very jarring. If ai trai tu repreezent mai akshuel pronownseeayshun in raiteeng, yu kan reed it, but its difikelt and disterbeeng tu du soh. It just looks wrong, and that feeling of wrongness interrupts the flow of reading. The fluency of reading depends on the speed with which you visually identify the words, and the speed of identification increases with exposure. The more we see a word, the more quickly we recognise it, even if its spelling doesn't match the sound.

Some spellings got entrenched this way, by being printed over and over again in widely distributed texts, very early on. The word ghost, which had been spelled and pronounced gast in Old English, took on the gh spelling under the influence of Flemish-trained compositors. It was such a commonly encountered word in English text, particularly in the phrase holy ghost and other translations of Latin spiritus, that it just began to look right.

Other spellings arose, and were then cemented through the power exerted by the visual shape of similar words. The existence of would and should, for example, brought about the spelling of could. Would and should were once pronounced with the 'l' sound, as they were the past-tense forms of will and shall. Could, however, was never pronounced with an 'l'; it was the past tense of can. Could was coude or cuthe. Then the visual power of would and should attracted could to their side. At printing's rise, the 'l' sound was already often absent from the pronunciation of would and should, so the 'l' was less a cue to pronunciation than to word type. Could is a modal verb, same as would and should. There was no explicit intention to make them look the same, but the frequency of their appearance nudged them toward ending up that way.

Visual patterns strengthened their hold on spelling in other languages, too. The many homophones and silent letters in French arose from letters that represented sounds that used to be pronounced, but hung on in the writing system after they were no longer spoken. And since French was a Romance language with its roots in Latin, and literacy in French often went hand-in-hand with literacy in Latin, Latin spellings could reinforce French spellings that had lost phonetic justification. For example, in speech, cent and sang might be pronounced the same, but there was also the implicit knowledge that cent came from centum and sang came from sanguinum. This Latin connection served as a reference point that helped stabilise French spelling, even when it was disconnected from pronunciation.

Had the Norman invasion not interrupted the literary tradition of Old English, we might have ended up with a similar situation - a spelling system with silent letters and shifted sound values, but grounded in the spellings of their earlier forms. Old English would have continued to be the basis of the writing tradition that would have later been set into type. Instead, we had a number of parts, moving and changing independently from each other, often with no anchor at all.

What's more, in the years when printing was slowly establishing and fortifying spelling habits, English was undergoing what's now called the Great Vowel Shift. In broad terms, over the course of a few centuries, sounds changed and vowels moved around. Words such as name and make, for example, once had an 'ah' vowel as they do in German name and machen, or English father. During the Great Vowel Shift, it moved to more of an 'eh' vowel as in bed, and eventually to the 'ay' where it is today. But the words affected in this way continue to be spelled with the 'a' of father.

Words that ended up with an oo spelling generally used to be pronounced with a long 'o' sound. Moon and book both used to sound something like moan and boke; the two o's, quite logically, represented a long 'o', before moving to an 'u' sound, as in June. However, sometimes the long vowel became a short vowel: eg, the more lax 'u' vowel, as in push. Moon (also goose, food, school) ended up with the June vowel, while book ( foot, good, stood) with the push vowel. These changes happened at different times in different places. For some words ( roof), the change hasn't completely gone through, and still wavers (at least in my own Midwestern US dialect) between the two pronunciations. In some places in Scotland and the north of England, moon, book, goose and foot still have the same vowel.

The changes that came to be grouped under the Great Vowel Shift were gradual and went unnoticed as they were happening. When an English speaker sat down to write something at the end of the Middle Ages, the way they wrote it could depend on where they lived and what the dialectal pronunciation of vowels was there. It would also depend on what they had read and incorporated into their spelling habits. When a printer was setting type for that writing, they had their own pronunciation and spelling preferences. When a piece of writing was set in type and spread to other towns, it would be received by people of varying literacy levels, and that would influence how it was incorporated into their habits. In other words, there was tremendous variation at each of these waystations on the journey to being read. When a text was set in type and distributed, it had the effect of propagating the habit it represented, but how much it propagated depended on how widely it was distributed and where. Which specific aspects of the habit would stick and which fall away? The answer could be some or none. The result, ultimately, is a very irregular habit.

Writing attaches to language in the way that the fork is a technology that attaches to our eating habits

If English had been later to the technology of printing, further behind in the expansion of literacy, it might have been able to approach the development of its spelling system with a cleaner slate and a more stable idea of what was to be represented. But when a tool comes along, you don't wait to figure out the optimal way to use it or worry about what the effects of using it might eventually be. Instead, you just start.

When a technology spreads, so does a habit of using it. Before we had printing, we had writing. Can we go back further? Isn't human language itself a technology? This is arguable, a philosophical question. I would say no. In any case, language is much, much closer to our very natures as humans than is any invented or discovered tool passed along for practical problem-solving. Put a group of humans without a language together (as has happened in some cases with Deaf communities) and they will do language. A language will emerge from what they do.

But they won't necessarily come up with writing. Writing is unquestionably a technology. It attaches to language in the way that the fork is a technology that attaches to our eating habits. Eating is undeniably a necessary part of our nature. The fork is a recent, unnecessary (no matter how useful) innovation. That analogy doesn't go much further. There are very few things that capture the relation between language (the behaviour) and writing (the technology that represents the behaviour). It's hard to find a good analogy. The point is that the eating happens whether we have the fork or not. Language happens whether we have writing or not.

When we first got the technology of writing, the people who used it represented a tiny fraction of the speaking population, in most cases for hundreds of years. Throughout the history of writing, most people have been illiterate. It was the technology of printing that made it possible to put writing into widespread use. The written word got cheaper and more plentiful. People had the access and exposure necessary to learn, practise and become literate. That access and exposure was created, in stages, by the competing and conflicting demands of history. That history and its lumps, bumps, silent letters and all, was pressed in with metal and ink.

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Why is the English spelling system so weird and inconsistent? | Aeon Essays

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English spelling is ridiculous. Sew and new don't rhyme. Kernel and colonel do. When you see an ough, you might need to read it out as 'aw' (thought), 'ow' (drought), 'uff' (tough), 'off' (cough), 'oo' (through), or 'oh' (though). The ea vowel is usually pronounced 'ee' ( weak, please, seal, beam) but can also be 'eh' ( bread, head, wealth, feather).

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The questions for redirecting students when they are not on task in your classroom.

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Extending a reward to students helps to promote positive and appropriate behavior among students in your class.

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Motivating your students to learn and to participate can be very hard. Some teachers have their hands full with class management and they don't even get to teaching.

In order to stimulate learning and to motivate good behavior, lots of teachers use rewards for students.

In this post I'll start with the advantages of reward systems and why you should use one. But watch out. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. Some teachers and educators aren't a big fan of constantly rewarding your students. Reward systems also have their disadvantages.

I'll also show you some fun and creative reward systems you can use and 10 reasonable rewards to give your students. On top of that I'll show you how to put in work a good reward system.

Let's dig in!

Advantages of a reward system
1. Appropriate behavior
Students conform to appropriate behaviors when rewarded either intrinsically or extrinsically.
2. Increased motivation
Students will show interest and raise their participation in the everyday classroom tasks, responsibilities and learning.
3. Joyful students
Incentives for students motivate them to be more productive because they create a feeling of pride and achievement. Being successful makes you happy.
4. Boosted self-esteem
Every success story helps students become more self-confident. They are proud and also encouraged to achieve another successful result.
5. Completed homework
The National Association of School Psychologists suggests that reward systems help motivate students to complete their homework. It's rather shocking that without rewards, students don't complete it.
6. Improved results
Rewarding students encourages and endorses school effort. They lead to improved outcomes for students.

Disadvantages of a reward system

Before you jump into the reward systems, you should also know the disadvantages.
1. Addiction
Students can become addicted to classroom rewards. This means that they won't study anymore without them.
2. Devaluation
After a while rewards are no surprises anymore and they come as expected. They will lose their effect. Watch Dan Pink's excellent TED talk on motivation for more details on how reward systems can utterly fail.
3. Race against the clock
Students focus more on finishing an assignment to win a classroom price, instead of learning what the lesson is meant to teach. Finishing it is more important than to actually understand it.
4. Control and manipulate
Students might feel they are manipulated and controlled by you. This also teaches the student how to manipulate.
5. Increased pressure
The more you praise students, the greater the fall if they can't live up to that praise and to your expectations.
6. Bribes
The line between bribes and rewards is very thin. Rewards can lead to the idea of controlling your students. You'll feel more powerful and use rewards as bribes.

Creative reward systems

On my search for creative classroom reward systems, I came across an interesting Pinterest board: " Classroom Reward System ".

I picked out a few of my favorite reward systems to show you. Most of them are for elementary school. Click on the images to open them!

Source: For the love of teaching math

Source: Fabiola Ramirez

Source: Mrs. Richardson's Class

You can also create your own achievement or reward certificates by using the Canva certificate maker. Canva has many certificate templates available as well. You'll be surprised how much your students value a simple (but beautiful) piece of paper!

10 Reasonable rewards

When you choose a reward for your students or when you let them choose, make sure you are controlling it. Give them a list to choose from, or add a value to each reward. That way, students have to save their tickets, cards, etc., in order to choose a good reward.

Here are a few reward examples:

1. Pick a game at recess

2. Sit with a friend

3. Teach the class a favorite game

4. Take a homework pass

5. Be the teacher's helper for the day

6. Draw on the chalkboard

7. Choose any class job for the week

8. Use the teacher's chair

9. Take home a class game for a night

10. Do half of an assignment

These are just a few suggestions. Here 's a list with more fun rewards!

Online reward system for primary school

When it comes to class management in primary school you must have already heard of ClassDojo. If not, don't worry, I'll explain it to you.

ClassDojo is a free digital reward system in which every student gets evaluated on positive and negative behavior. Not only the teacher has access to ClassDojo, also the students and their parents can access the platform by entering a unique code.

As a teacher, you set up some "behavior tags". A behavior tag consists of a description and an icon. You can add icons with a description of your own. Choose a description for the positive behavior tags and a description for the negative behavior tags.

Positive behavior gets the value "+1" and negative behavior gets "-1". The teacher assigns the positive and negative behavior icons to the students.

When the class or week ends, you can take a look at the overview of the behavior icons you assigned to your class. You can check out the student individually or the whole class. You can also add a comment for the student's parents.

With ClassDojo students can keep their own digital portfolio. Students can add pictures and videos of work to their Story, and share it with their parents.

The fun thing about ClassDojo are their little monsters. Every student is a different monster. It's very visual and funny!

Online reward system for middle school and high school

Of course, you need to be able to manage older students as well. They won't be eager to behave better because they get a badge or a treat. They need something else. You'll need Classcraft.

I've recently discovered this amazing class management game! This is probably the most awesome game and class management solution I've ever seen. I'm a total fan of the fantasy world, so why not just use your imagination in the classroom?

Classcraft engages students to live by your class rules in an interactive way.

Students can create their own avatars that have special powers. They play in groups. If someone ignores a deadline, it may fire back on the whole group. Working together and having respect for each other is very important.

Students can gain different points by playing by the classroom rules. For example: students who help other students receive a certain amount of points. When they have enough points, they can use a power like: the "warrior" can eat in class". They can also lose those points by not playing by the rules. If they lose all their points they get a sentence like: bring a treat for the whole class or hand in an assignment a day early.

You can choose every power and sentence. Classcraft also has a timer and a stopwatch available, as well as a quiz tool where the avatars have to battle a "boss". In order to beat the boss, they have to get the answers right.

How to put a reward system to work

School reward systems can help, but you can't just try out something without clearly thinking it through. Here's how you best put a reward system to work.
1. Set class goals
Set class behavior goals that are achievable and measurable. For example: when you raise your hand, all the students stop talking within 20 seconds. Let your students participate in setting up those goals. It will motivate them more to abide by the rules.
2. Define how you will use the reward system
This is the key to success. When are students receiving rewards? What are your boundaries? Make your intentions clear. For example: students will receive a reward when they help another student, they finish homework a day early, when they participate in class.
3. Explain why you gave a reward
Give your students specific, genuine feedback attached to the reward. For example: "John, you showed respect by letting Marc in before you".
4. Give students a voice
Like I've said before, it's important to let your students participate in choosing rewards. To be sure that rewards are valuable and motivating for the students, you can have a brainstorm about it. Let them put together a list of acceptable rewards. You still have the final word!
5. Reward early
Just like giving feedback, rewards must be given shortly after the shown behavior. In that case, students won't forget what they did to deserve it and other students won't get suspicious.
6. Lessen the rewards over time
Raise your expectations for the student's behavior in order to receive the same reward. Students shouldn't get addicted to rewards. They have to work because of an intrinsic motivation. As students achieve success in your class, they can learn to be motivated by their own achievements.
7. Give random rewards
Rewarding students randomly for their behavior and achievements keeps them on their toes. They'll want to be on task just in case!

I've shown you some reward systems, but there are still many more out there, on the internet. Take a look at this website. I'm sure you'll find some inspiration here.

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Using reward systems to motivate students

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Motivating your students to learn and to participate can be very hard. Some teachers have their hands full with class management and they don't even get to teaching. In order to stimulate learning and to motivate good behavior, lots of teachers use rewards for students.

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Research shows that learning things by doing creates a much larger footprint on the brain and is a proven way of effectively teaching students.

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Students will buy into lessons when they can see their relevance. Connecting ELA to real life can take some careful thought and planning, but it's fun, and it's worth the time and energy. In today's blog post, The Classroom Sparrow and I have partnered to provide some specific ideas. Keep reading to be inspired with ten different ways we can relate course content to what students care about in meaningful ways.

THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

SHAKESPEAREAN THEMES. Ah! The dreaded Shakespeare unit. I can hear my students complaining already. One of the easiest ways to convince my students that Shakespeare is still relevant is by showing them that many of his themes are applicable to today's society. While the stories were written a long time ago, the themes are timeless: love, friendship, fear, ambition, etc. While students may have a tough time reading some of his work, they will definitely be able to connect to many of his themes. In turn, they will have a better understanding of the characters. If you or your students aren't sold on the idea of including at least one Shakespeare text as part of your course, check out a blog post I wrote about learning to love Shakespeare. It might convince you (or them!) to give it a try! (The Classroom Sparrow)

POETRY AND MUSIC. There's no better way to teach theme than by listening to music and reading poetry with students. Choose your favorite song, and pair it with a poem students are required to study for your class. Or, use music as a hook for a poetry unit. Once students understand that music truly is poetry, it tends to have less of a negative stigma. Here is a free analyzing music to teach poetry resource you can use tomorrow! (Reading and Writing Haven)

RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR THE REAL WORLD

PASSION PROJECTS. Engage students in real-life learning by allowing them to take control of their research project. This year, I experimented with my first formal passion project assignment. In the past, my students have participated in multi-genre research projects, which are very similar. This year, my students wrote an argumentative research paper. In addition, I gave my 7th grade students the opportunity to complete an extension project based on their passion. The results were amazing. Why? They had the freedom to connect what they were learning in class to what they care about in the real world. (Reading and Writing Haven)

CAREER EXPLORATION. Another strategy that I regularly use in my English classes is the incorporation of career-exploration activities. Career-related activities are a simple way to make an activity relevant because everyone, at some point in their life, needs a job! Students actually enjoy this unit because everything is about them. For this reason, I created this Career/Job Exploration Research project. The purpose of this project is to allow students to explore a career of interest. By the end, they have a pretty good idea if the career they chose to research is something they will want to eventually explore. It's a great way to get them thinking about their future. (The Classroom Sparrow)

REAL LIFE READING STRATEGIES

MAKE CONNECTIONS. Initially, students may find it difficult to connect with a text, especially if it is a classic of set in a period a long time ago. However, once they have a guide to help them make those connections, the relevance is a lot easier for them to see. I created this FREE Reading Connections Interactive Foldable to help my students connect with a variety of elements as they read. It helps students to organize their text-to-text connections, text-to-self connections, text-to-peer connections and text-to-world connections. In their connection write-ups, students have to clearly identify the connection, provide a specific example of the connection from the text, then explain the "so what" of that connection. This three-step process will help to ensure that their connections are not superficial. (The Classroom Sparrow)

ANALYZE MODERN TEXTS. I like to introduce my students to analyzing by selecting texts they would commonly encounter outside of class. While not all students pick up a novel and read at home (sadly!), all students encounter texts. Short films, commercials, news articles, political cartoons, songs - teachers need to show students how to analyze these nontraditional texts intelligently. Yes, we analyze in school, but analyzing is also an important reading strategy in life. (Reading and Writing Haven)

RELEVANT LITERATURE AND CHOICE

I just can't say enough about how book clubs have improved students' attitudes toward reading in my classroom. If connecting ELA to real life is our goal, book clubs mimic a real life format for enjoying literature. They allow for choice, socialization, and learning. I wrote a whole blog series about how BOOK CLUBS. book clubs are a meaningful approach to choice reading. (Reading and Writing Haven)

LITERATURE CIRCLES. When I do a novel study in my class, I usually select 3-4 books to make groups manageable and realistic. When selecting books, I do my best to pick out at least two current and popular YA books (especially for readers who may be a bit more reluctant). Some examples include The Fault in Our Stars, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Wonder. I try to select at least one classic novel (for the avid readers looking to broaden their reading repertoire), such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and The Great Gatsby. Finally, I try to select least one book choice that male readers would enjoy, like The Outsiders, A Long Way Gone, and The Lightning Thief. While you're not going to hit every interest level every time, I found offering a few novel choices a great way to involve students in their learning. Ultimately, it ensures the books they choose to read are relevant to their lives and interests. (The Classroom Sparrow)

WRITING FOR THE REAL WORLD

WRITING PROMPTS. Another fun strategy that I use in my English classes are daily writing prompts. First, they help establish a routine, and secondly, students practice many ELA skills while working on the writing prompts without even knowing: reading, writing, and speaking. I try to create and post prompts that are current to their life (books of interest, movies of interest, pop culture happenings, events that may be occurring in our community or school, etc.) You can begin the class by displaying a prompt on a smart board or by simply writing it on your whiteboard. Then, have the class share their opinions verbally before writing out their response on a piece of paper. These do not necessarily have to be graded for marks, but they definitely can be. (The Classroom Sparrow)

EMAIL SKILLS. I always teach my students email etiquette. Ever since I came to the revelation that students were sending me rude emails because they just didn't know any better, it's been a priority. Students care more about writing assignments when they can see the real-life application. Connecting ELA to the real world can be as simple as teaching students how to email a teacher, a boss, or anyone else (respectfully!). Can you relate? Read more about how I teach email etiquette. (Reading and Writing Haven)

Making ELA relevant is critical in our twenty-first century classrooms. In order to reach students, we need to be connecting ELA to real life. If you're looking for more teaching inspiration, you'll want to read this sister post: 10 Meaningful Ways to Wrap Up Your School Year.

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10 Ways to Connect ELA to Real Life | Reading and Writing Haven

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Students will buy into lessons when they can see their relevance. Connecting ELA to real life can take some careful thought and planning, but it's fun, and it's worth the time and energy. In today's blog post, The Classroom Sparrow and I have partnered to provide some specific ideas.

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OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER IN ADOLESCENTS

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OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER IN ADOLESCENTS

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Students who have Oppositional Defiant Disorder often have a difficult time in middle school. They need caring adults to help them and their families deal with their struggles so they can have opportunities for success in their academic, social, and emotional situations in middle school.

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A Close Reading of the Best Opening Paragraph of All Time

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A Close Reading of the Best Opening Paragraph of All Time

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It almost seems like overkill to explain why this paragraph is so wonderful. It either strikes you or it doesn’t. You must have a certain sensibility to truly appreciate its charms. The rhythm is key. But let’s make an attempt, shall we?

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Shirley Jackson was born more than 100 years ago on December 14, 1916. During her lifetime, she wrote "The Lottery," and The Haunting of Hill House,and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, the latter of which features what I consider to be the best first paragraph of all time, or at least of any novel that I have ever read. Here it is:

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

It almost seems like overkill to explain why this paragraph is so wonderful. It either strikes you or it doesn't. You must have a certain sensibility to truly appreciate its charms. The rhythm is key. But let's make an attempt, shall we?

It begins straightforwardly, with our narrator's name-a somewhat old-fashioned way of opening a book, appropriate for our somewhat old-fashioned, or at least sheltered, perhaps even stunted, narrator. And what a name it is-a somewhat old-fashioned name, Mary Katherine Blackwood, evocative of witch trials and cultists, dense trees in far-away continents and Nancy Drew mysteries ( The Ghost of Blackwood Hall was published 14 years prior to We Have Always Lived in the Castle). She tells us she is eighteen, but by the very next sentence, she already sounds younger, and she sounds younger still by the third ("I dislike washing myself" is a prim schoolgirl's complaint-well, prim in tone if not in meaning). This too presages what will we come to discover about Merricat (for that is what she is most often called), who lives by a logic quite disconnected from that of the the adult world, i.e. the world of men, the world exterior to her cherished sororal bond, and who will aggressively reject all encroachments by same.

The real delight, for me, begins in that third sentence, which wiggles beautifully. First, we learn that Merricat wishes she were a werewolf, and so we know that she is a girl who wants magic, but a particular kind of magic-feral, earthy-and also power, and also transcendence. But it's not only that she wishes she were a werewolf, but that with any luck at all the fact that two of her fingers are the same length would have made her one, but it hasn't. She considers herself unlucky. She realizes that magic exists, but in this case it has passed her by. The perfect surreality of her matter-of-fact association-the length of her fingers to her potential as a werewolf-signals that Merricat is a magical thinker, and a confident one. We are entering a different world, Jackson is telling us, and it is definitively Merricat's world. Submit to her logic or give up now. The third clause in that wiggly third sentence, I have had to be content with what I had, is almost ominous on second read-considering what exactly she's done with what she has-but the prim stiff-upper-lipness of it is so fantastic. She is talking about not being a werewolf, remember. We all must make do with that particular shortcoming.

Next, two lists-who doesn't love a good list?-of likes and dislikes, much like a child keeping track of her own opinions in her journal. The dislikes are slightly discordant. I would assume that a girl who dislikes washing herself would rather go in for dogs and noise, but Merricat is not simply an overgrown, magic-practicing tomboy; she is also a member of a family almost entirely cut off from society. Dogs and noise mean townspeople, and the townspeople do not care for the Blackwoods, or at least the Blackwoods who are left.

As for her likes: first we get a second pointed mention of Constance in twice as many lines, which should alert us to her importance. Richard Plantagenet, second on her list of likes, is rather more obscure. She could be referring to a number of people, including Richard the Lionheart, but she probably means the third Duke of York, whose claim to the throne (then-occupied by a weak and mentally ill Henry VI) was a primary cause of the Wars of the Roses. In 1460, the English Parliament compromised and declared that Richard would succeed to the throne after Henry VI's death, but he was killed in battle by the Lancaster forces, and his son wound up becoming king instead. The mnemonic "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain" is used to remember the order of the colors in the rainbow. So at any rate, now we know we're dealing with a teenage girl bizarre and erudite enough to name a member of an ancient English dynasty, killed before he could achieve the goal he'd fought his whole life for, as one of her three favorite things.

The third favorite thing, of course, is a poisonous mushroom. This should set off certain alarm bells, especially when it is immediately followed by the revelation that everyone in her family is dead. I also count this revelation as a third mention of Constance.

It is coercive, this first paragraph. I find it impossible not to go on reading after reaching the end of it, yes, even now, when I am supposed to be writing this close reading for Literary Hub. One of my best writing teachers used to ask her class, after finishing a novel, to go back and read the first paragraph for the ways in which it predicted the rest of the text, or in the most skillful cases, taught us to read it. This paragraph is brilliant because of Merricat's voice, and so is the rest of the book. It immediately teaches us who she is, and what this book is going to be like. That is, it gives us, in a few scant lines, a strong impression of an unusual character, and also presents all of the major themes of the novel: isolation, protective interiority, obscurity, loyalty (at least to Constance-who rings like a bell in Merricat's mind), natural magic, poison, death, mystery. It plunges us immediately into the world that will occupy us for the next 150-odd pages, and also, in retrospect, pretty much gives away the ending. You'd think that wouldn't necessarily be a quality of a good opening paragraph, but turns out not everything that makes this opening paragraph good can be close-read. Some of it, necessarily, is ineffable. Maybe even magic.

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A Close Reading of the Best Opening Paragraph of All Time

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Shirley Jackson was born more than 100 years ago on December 14, 1916. During her lifetime, she wrote "The Lottery," and The Haunting of Hill House,and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, the latter of which features what I consider to be the best first paragraph of all time, or at least of any novel that I have ever read.

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This Is the Most Bizarre Grammar Rule You Probably Never Heard Of

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This Is the Most Bizarre Grammar Rule You Probably Never Heard Of

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Adding adjectives to your sentences should be like adding spices to your cooking: Use them thoughtfully, sparingly, and when they'll have the most impact.

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Adjectives in English must always be used in a very precise order. And even though none of us has officially learned this rule, placeholderwe somehow all know to follow it, and that things seem very wrong whenever it's broken.

Life is full of strange rules that we know but can't say how. English grammar is too. One of the most perplexing rules--at least to non-native English speakers--is the complex rule that governs the precise order in which adjectives must be used. In 2016, The New York Times' European culture editor Matthew Anderson spelled it out in a tweet that's been re-tweeted more than 52,000 times:

Things native English speakers know, but don't know we know: pic.twitter.com/Ex0Ui9oBSL
-- Matthew Anderson (@MattAndersonNYT) September 3, 2016

Anderson is quoting Mark Forsyth's book The Elements of Eloquence, and Forsyth lays out the rule beautiful with the example of a "lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife." Think about it: You cannot move the order of those adjectives at all without having the sentence seem completely wrong. "Lovely little silver French green whittling old knife?" That sounds like word salad--which is a well-known symptom of mental illness.

Since we all seem to know this rule by instinct, it would seem to be cut and dried, but it isn't quite. Forsyth says there are eight types of adjectives, which should be used in this order:

1. Opinion

2. Size

3. Age

4. Shape

5. Color

6. Origin

7. Material

8. Purpose

But then, the Cambridge Dictionary--which certainly seems like an authoritative source--offers a placeholderlist of ten types of adjectives in a slightly different order:

1. Opinion

2. Size

3. Physical quality

4. Shape

5. Age

6. Color

7. Origin

8. Material

9. Type

10. Purpose

So, according to Cambridge, it should be a "lovely little rectangular old green French silver whittling knife," which seems completely wrong to me. My instincts say "old" should come "rectangular," not the other way around. To further complicate matters, Cambridge lists "U-shaped" as an example of type, rather than shape as you might have expected.

In other words, even this supposedly ironclad rule that we all seem to know by instinct is tangled up and subject to debate. And don't even get me started on what to do if you have two adjectives of the same type, say a "ovely valuable little old green French silver whittling knife." Or when and whether you should use a comma, or the word "and."

As someone with an advanced degree in English, an amateur linguist, and a lifelong professional writer, my best advice is this: When it comes to adjective order, you should probably follow your instincts. And you should definitely not have ten, eight, or even four adjectives piled up ahead of a noun. Adding adjectives to your sentences should be like adding spices to your cooking: Use them thoughtfully, sparingly, and when they'll have the most impact. Not only will that make your writing better, it will save you from having to worry so much about putting adjectives in the right order.

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This Is the Most Bizarre Grammar Rule You Probably Never Heard Of

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Adjectives in English must always be used in a very precise order. And even though none of us has officially learned this rule, placeholderwe somehow all know to follow it, and that things seem very wrong whenever it's broken. Life is full of strange rules that we know but can't say how.

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35 Books Every Man Should Read in His Lifetime

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35 Books Every Man Should Read in His Lifetime

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Books are transportive, eye-opening, life-affirming. Whether you're jonesing for your next adventure or looking for a bit of inspiration, get all that and more from these glorious reads. They're our top list of books every man should read in his lifetime.

With some classics and curveballs thrown in the mix, there's something for every kind of reader. And if you're looking for a great gift for the bibliophile in your life, this list has got you covered.

35 Books to Read in Your Lifetime

1. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

There's good reason this 1955 non-fiction best-seller has been translated into 45 languages-we all have something to learn from it. A woman rents a cottage by the ocean on Captiva Island, Florida. She walks on the beach, picking up seashells (a metaphor for musing on life), and enjoys time away from busy everyday life as a mother of five, replacing it with sweeping up the dust from her cabin, connecting with nature, and ambling about. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but it'll change your view on everything, from work and women to the importance of solitude and hitting the pause button every once in a while.

[$10.99; amazon.com]

2. Swell: A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening by Liz Clark

This 2018 memoir is an armchair traveler's dream, nightmare, or a bit of both. In the autobiography, we follow Clark as she sets sail alone in 2006 from Santa Barbara, California, to the South Pacific. If you spent half of quarantine watching YouTube videos of people living fascinating, nomadic lives, do yourself a favor and pick this one up pronto.

[$11.49; amazon.com]

3. Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad

It's a miracle this page-turning 2009 memoir and New York Times best-seller hasn't been turned into a movie. A few years back, Sean Penn was set to direct the film adaptation of the book, but it fell through. We think it's a blessing in disguise, because no amount of cinematic glory could ever capture this unbelievable tale of a young boy surviving a mountainside plane crash interwoven with surfing stories, road trips, and a look at Ollestad's troubled relationship with his father.

[$8.99; amazon.com]

4. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

This posthumous travel guide released in spring of 2021 is already a New York Times No.1 best-seller, and with good reason. It's funny, sharp, practical, and makes this pale blue dot seem like ours for the taking. Whether you're seeking Bourdain's thoughts on Tangier or where to stay in Toronto, this comprehensive book has it all, along with some stellar essays from Bourdain's friends, brother, and co-workers about the man who made us all want to journey to parts unknown, be they around the corner or half-way across the globe.

[$19.99; amazon.com]

5. Manhattan '45 by Jan Morris

The world lost a legendary wordsmith when Morris died at 94, but you need only pick up this book that captures the golden age of New York City to feel her spirit guide you through the streets-from Harlem to Wall Street, up, up, up to the dazzling architecture of the buildings, and even for a tipple at the Manhattan Club. In a time when we all feel divorced from the vibrancy of our cities, it's a quick read that roars a reaffirming hymn to metropolitan residents: That's why I didn't move to rural Michigan.

[$25; amazon.com]

6. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson, 20th Anniversary Edition by Mitch Albom

When Albom's college professor from nearly 20 years ago is diagnosed with ALS, he-an overworked sports writer, whose life is unraveling-is able to reconnect with him and learn the lessons of life and death that too many are afraid to teach or speak. If you're feeling burdened by dense tomes as of late, this 1997 best-selling memoir can easily be devoured in a sitting or two.

[$13.99; amazon.com]

7. Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions by Valeria Luiselli

Mexican author Valeria Luisell shows her mighty prowess with pen in this 2017 non-fiction essay. It comprises 40 questions Luiselli asks undocumented, detained Latin American children in her role as a volunteer interpreter in federal immigration courts in New York City. As one Goodreads reviewer put it: "shattering and vital."

[$9.99; amazon.com]

8. Inner Ranges: An Anthology of Mountain Thoughts and Mountain People by Geoff Powter

If you're all about being one with the mountains, it's hard to outshine this collection of alpine stories that was the winner of the 2019 National Outdoor Book Award for Outdoor Literature, as well as the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Award for Climbing Literature. Fittingly, it covers a lot of ground, from essays on adventuring in the 21st century to adrenaline-filled sagas from life at great, glorious, and terrifying heights.

[$10.49; amazon.com]

9. Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Speaking of rural Michigan, it has its merits too, especially when 16-year-old Margo Crane is your tour guide. She navigates readers through an action-packed river journey. With themes of factory pollution, abuse, and living off the land percolating throughout, the 2011 coming-of-age tale is one you won't soon forget.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

10. Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux

This spring 2021 release is Theroux at his fictive finest: descriptive, nuanced, sagacious, and just a touch unlikable for how damn good of a writer he is. The novel chronicles a champion surfer who accidentally kills a homeless man with his car while he's inebriated. Surf culture, Hawaii, the road to renewal-there's a whole lot to love in these 421 pages.

[$15.99; amazon.com]

11. The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

Okay, we'll try not to fill this whole list with Theroux picks. This 1982 instant best-seller was shortlisted for the American Book Award, and it's a novel you won't be able to put down, even on your fifth read: The crazed and genius inventor Allie Fox relocates his family from America to the Honduras jungle in a story that may very well change how you look at the world. In 1986, Harrison Ford starred in the movie rendition of the novel, and it now makes for an especially timely read, or reread, as it's an Apple TV series starring Theroux's nephew, Justin Theroux.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

12. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich

This 2017 debut novel is ostensibly about a mother murdering her child, but it's actually about the psychological torments that plague us all. With the story told from different perspectives, evocative descriptions of Idaho's remote mountainsides, and thought-provoking symbolism, it's easy to see why Ruskovich won the esteemed International Dublin Literary Award for Idaho.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

13. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

If there's ever been a hiking memoir to read, it's this one. Hailed as one of the best books of the year by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and more after its 2012 release, Strayed tells a deeply moving, sometimes humorous, and ever-vivid account of her more than 1,000-mile hike along the PCT in an attempt to turn her life around-or at least find something like life again after her mom's death, the dissolution of her marriage, and drug addiction in a few short years in her early- to mid-twenties.

[$11.99; amazon.com]

14. Population: 485 : Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry

This 2001 Wisconsin memoir will both entice and dissuade you from taking the plunge. After a 10-year absence, Perry moves back to his rural Wisconsin hometown and joins the volunteer fire department where he fights fires and works as an EMT. In a hamlet of only 485 people, he takes calls of heartbreaking tragedy and crazier-than-fiction humor along the way, chased by plenty of philosophical waxing that never preaches, yet really makes you think.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

15. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This historical novel shares the stories of four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family that eventually moves to Japan, tracing their evocative tales from 1910 to 1989. If you've already read this New York Times Top Ten Book of the Year, dive into her equally compelling Free Food for Millionaires, which revolves around a couple's dissolution in New York City.

[$11.99; amazon.com]

16. Cross Country: A 3,700-Mile Run to Explore Unseen America by Rickey Gates

What happens when a pro runner carves his way across the country with a high-quality camera? An excellent tribute to the people and places that make up our nation on the journey from South Carolina to San Francisco. The only downside? The last page has you wishing you had about 100 more pictures and stories to go.

[$2.84; amazon.com]

17. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

First published in 1952, this National Book Award for fiction exposes the hardships of racism in our country through the story of an unnamed Black man in the 1920s and 1930s in both the South and in New York City. With visible inspiration from James Joyce, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and T.S. Eliot (particularly The Waste Land ), it's the equivalent of To Kill A Mockingbird that likely wasn't taught in English class.

[$11.99; amazon.com]

18. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson and illustrated by Ralph Steadman

This 1971 hit book got excellent movie treatment starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro in 1998, but nothing compares to the trip-of both the psychedelic and highway persuasion-captured on the pages in Thompson's inimitable tongue. Expect drugs, drama, and some strange Dr. Duke interludes.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

19. Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker

Immerse yourself in the wild world of vino in this 2017 memoir-meets-nonfiction oeuvre in which the author quits her job in a quest to become a sommelier, taking us along for the ride into cellars, restaurants, competitions, and more with no shortage of quirky character explorations along the way. À votre santé!

[$9.99; amazon.com]

20. Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

Quite possibly the best cross-country travelogue you'll ever read-by one of America's finest authors, no less-this 1962 novel takes you to cities and wastelands, striking vistas and craggy cliffs. Steinbeck evocatively captures himself, his beloved pup (Charley), and his country in a moment ripe with literal and figurative crossroads.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

21. Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon

A masterful storyteller with Osage, English, and Irish roots, Least Heat-Moon puts you in the passenger seat for his oddball, poignant, and ever-entertaining zigzag across the country. With evocative photographs of the characters he meets throughout, he embodies the true spirit of van life before it was a social media trope, taking us to small towns in New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, and beyond. Published in 1982 following his '78 meanderings in the wake of losing his job and becoming separated from his wife, it'll make you yearn for the open road.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

22. House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

The Kiowa novelist and poet dazzles in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about Abel, a Native American veteran toeing the line between his cultural upbringing and the modern world that's just as relevant today as when it was first published in 1968. With breathtaking natural scenery and lyrical language throughout, you'll definitely finish feeling inspired to wander through New Mexico, or retreat into a dingy dive in Los Angeles nursing a whiskey-or both.

[$10.99; amazon.com]

23. The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey by Derick Lugo

In this 2019 memoir, the young Black author ventures away from the comfort of his New York City home to attempt to hike the 2,184.2 mile behemoth that is the Appalachian Trail. The self-proclaimed unlikely candidate for the challenge yields a remarkable book, not just for the beautiful depictions of the scenery, but the way it leaves you feeling eager to lace up your boots and experience the AT yourself.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

24. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

How could we not put this non-fiction marvel on the list? It follows the real-life story of Christopher McCandless' peregrinations to Alaska from his cushy upbringing in Virginia. If you've seen the 2007 film-and loved it-prepare to be truly amazed when you pick up the 1996 international best-seller. (And if you've already read this one half-a-dozen times, may we suggest adding Krakauer's fine exploration of Mormon fundamentalists, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.)

[$12.99; amazon.com]

25. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

This New York Times best-seller from 1995 is McBride's moving memoir about the struggles and triumphs of being born to a Jewish mother and Black father in 1957. Though his mother converted to Christianity, McBride lived his life at the intersection of many cultures and crossroads, but what stands out most about this book is the reminder that we are all-above everything else-human.

[$12.99; amazon.com]

26. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

Everyone needs a good self-help book. Weiner's quest for the most joyful place on the planet-and its inhabitants' secrets-more than delivers with science, laugh-out-loud personal anecdotes, and hard-won lessons woven in throughout. You'll turn the last page feeling better than when you started.

[$10.99; amazon.com]

27. Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude by Stephanie Rosenbloom

If only we knew when this book came out in 2018 how much we'd all be basking in solitude two short years later. Maybe we would have gone on a whirlwind solo tour of Paris, Istanbul, Florence, and New York City to prep our souls for what was to come. Rosenbloom's adventures in unaccompanied peregrinations certainly gives us all a heck of a roadmap.

[$8.99; amazon.com]

28. A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine by Jay McInerney

From the author of Bright Lights, Big City comes this delightful 2006 collection of essays on all things wine. It should go without saying this is best enjoyed with your favorite glass of vino.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

29. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The 1997 winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction takes place in 1969 in Kerala, India, and centers around two fraternal twins grappling with the abhorrent "Love Laws" that decide who should be loved and how much. Heartbreaking at times, the book explores everything from forbidden love to societal unrest.

[$12.99; amazon.com]

30. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Historical fiction keeps you enthralled from the first page until the last in this Pulitzer Prize-winning stunner about the antebellum South. With characters that leap off the page and language that punches you in the gut, allow this to be your gateway into the Trinity School- and Harvard-bred author.

[$11.99; amazon.com]

31. The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel García Márquez

Márquez chronicles the shipwreck of a Colombian boat, and one man who survived 10 days alone at sea. Published in 1955, it's one of the best sagas of man versus nature you'll ever read. It's certainly a non-fiction gem you'll want to return to again and again.

[$11.99; amazon.com]

32. Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson by Juan F. Thompson

If you're reading our site, we're going to go ahead and guess you're a fan of the inimitable Hunter S. Thompson. In this revealing 2016 memoir, his son Juan shares his experience of growing up with the legendary author in Woody Creek, Colorado, including their struggles and triumphs.

[$12.99; amazon.com]

33. Dalva by Jim Harrison

Jim Harrison has always held a special place on our bookshelf. This 1988 glimpse into the life of a young woman who leaves California to return home to the wide expanse of Nebraska for a new life with her long-lost son. This is poignant and powerful, jabbing and jeering.

[$9.87; amazon.com]

34. The Aeneid by Virgil

"I sing of arms and a man..." begins arguably the most epic journey of all time as Aeneas sets sail to Rome. Translated by Robert Fagles, this classic text dates back to somewhere around 20 BC. The Latin epic poem's 12 books cover war, love, treacherous seas, and enough profound lines to fill a tattoo wish list.

[$9.99; amazon.com]

35. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

This 2006 "metaphysical mind-bender," per The New Yorker acquaints you with a runaway teenage boy and an elderly man. Their stories intersect and, while their backgrounds couldn't be more different, both of their stories will punch you in the gut in exactly the same way. Pathos, man.

[$11.99; amazon.com]
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35 Books Every Man Should Read in His Lifetime

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Books are transportive, eye-opening, life-affirming. Whether you're jonesing for your next adventure or looking for a bit of inspiration, get all that and more from these glorious reads. They're our top list of books every man should read in his lifetime. With some classics and curveballs thrown in the mix, there's something for every kind of reader.

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Diamondbacks right fielder J.D. Martinez became the 19th player in major league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, solo shots in the seventh and eighth innings, and a two-run homer in the ninth inning. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs. Now playing for the Red Sox, he is one of the leagues best designated hitters.

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MICHIGAN 3                                     

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MICHIGAN 3                                     

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Here are three Flanagan High School products that played football at FHS that I had the privilege of working with on our track & field team who are not only great athletes but are also outstanding gentlemen.  With football is Devin Bush, starting linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  With Michigan cap is Devin Gil, All-Big Ten LB, and in the white shirt is Josh Metellus who plays safety for the Minnesota Vikings.  All three starred for our state championship football team in 2015.

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Total points from the final summary evaluation, SLO, and Unit Plan will be used to calculate your final grade for your student teaching course. The scale on page 16 is used to determine the final grade calculations

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The Allegory of the cave, or Plato's Cave, is an allegory presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic (514a–520a)

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It's time to work smarter.  This will allow you to move toward powerful learning and teaching strategies by leveraging the technology available to deliver lessons.

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As students are moving back into the face to face model of teaching, it would be a huge disservice to them to simply return to 'traditional' teaching models and not harness the digital technology available that they were using whilst learning remotely. The flipped classroom method is one pedagogical approach that teachers could consider to continue to use with their students in order to buy back some of that valuable face to face time while still engaging with digital technologies.

It is important for teachers to understand that the flipped model is not just about the delivery of videos for students, but it is also about how to best use your in class time with students.

In order to guide teachers towards this outcome, there are four pillars to the flipped model. These are:

Flexible learning environments - by rearranging the physical and digital learning spaces, teachers are able to provide students with choice of when and where they access the information they need. There are now a huge range of tools that teachers can incorporate into their flipped classroom in order to create and distribute the content to students and then create unique activities within the class space once the students are face to face.

Learning culture - there is a shift from the traditional teacher-centered scenario to a more student-centered approach. This was one that was developed while students were learning from home. Students were required to become more independent in their learning, using the resources and technology that was available to them to interact with their subject content without the teacher always guiding them from the front of the classroom.

Intentional content - by evaluating the content that needs to be delivered, teachers are able to determine what can be taught outside the walls of the classroom ensuring that class time is maximised to allow students to explore other active learning strategies. There are some things that can translate well into the technology space and some that cannot, so it is important for the teacher to be able to identify those things that they can flip their classroom with vs the content that they still need to approach in a more 'traditional' way.

Professional educators - the flipped classroom approach requires teachers and other educators to be reflective and collaborative in their practice. Flipping the classroom can be a tough journey to navigate on your own, but there are plenty of resources available to support you and there are many teachers online who are more than willing to form professional learning networks with those exploring the flipped classroom.

As an educator, the increasing demands placed on teachers to try to meet the curriculum outcomes in ever decreasing amounts of time have been witnessed first-hand. It has been found that the flipped classroom is an excellent strategy that educators can employ to help them to overcome this issue. Simply teaching facts and delivering content is no longer plausible with content overload becoming a problem that all educators face. Within classes, there are many ways in which educators can allocate time, whether it be lecturing or active-learning exercises, but it is all bound by the amount of time available.

The flipped classroom model has been created as a pathway for teachers to move toward powerful learning and teaching strategies by leveraging the technology available to deliver lessons. With the introduction of the flipped classroom model, teaching focuses on moving the content that fits into the lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy out of the classroom and reserving class time for the higher order levels of creating, analysing and evaluating.

In a recent webinar hosted by Pivot Professional Learning and EP around student voice, the students who were present unanimously agreed that they enjoyed having access to highly engaging videos that they were able to watch at their own pace. It was also interesting to note that these same students also stated that they love traditional 'face to face' time with their teachers. This is where the balance between the use of technology and the increased levels of engagement and interactivity within the classroom space are important. Face to face time with students should be spent building relationships, pushing the students to achieve greater outcomes and working towards developing their understanding and skills in ways that are not usually achievable.

The flipped classroom is not a pedagogical strategy that is seeing teachers coming up with anything unheard of. The key is that educators are now leveraging the technology available to deliver instruction in a way that was not possible before. The flipped classroom approach takes part of the technology used at school and puts it into the home, leaving the classroom as a place for active rather than passive learning. By being more thoughtful and strategic in their content design and delivery, educators are able to be present with their students as a 'guide on the side' when their students are engaging with the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy rather than a 'sage on the stage' who is simply imparting knowledge to students through lecture alone.

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As students are moving back into the face to face model of teaching, it would be a huge disservice to them to simply return to 'traditional' teaching models and not harness the digital technology available that they were using whilst learning remotely.

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I think a retired English teacher was bored...THIS IS GREAT!

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Like it or not, words, spelling, and punctuation can leave a lasting impression on others. But even the most educated people often unknowingly make these common flubs.

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When someone uses grammar incorrectly do you make an assumption about his or her intelligence or education? Like it or not, words, spelling, and punctuation are powerful and can leave a lasting impression on others. But even the most educated people often unknowingly make common writing and speaking flubs. Check out this long list of ubiquitous grammar mistakes. Guarantee: You'll either learn something new or find a few of your biggest pet peeves here. (And likely, you'll find fault with my own use of the English language. I welcome your thoughts, critiques, and insults.)

1. First-come, first-serve

It should actually be "served." Without the d, the phrase above suggests that the first individual who arrives will be the one who serves everyone, which is not the idiom's intent.

2. I could care less

Think about this one for a minute. The way it's written above suggests you possess care which still could be allocated to the situation in question. "I couldn't care less" is correct because it communicates that "I have no more care to give."

3. Irregardless

This is not a word. It's simply "regardless," as in "Regardless of what you think about grammar, you'll look silly if you use it incorrectly."

4. "I" as the last word in a sentence.

This mistake is remarkably common, yet a correct example would be "Karlee talked with Brandon and me." The trick to getting this one straight is to take the other person's name out of the sentence and see if your personal pronoun choice still sounds right. "Karlee talked with I" is awkward and incorrect.

5. "Me" as the first word in a sentence.

I hear people saying things such as "Me and Brandon met at Starbucks this morning" all the time, even though it's always wrong. "Brandon and I met at Starbucks this morning" is correct.

6. Shoe-in

"Shoo-in" is what you really want to write when you're trying to say that someone is a sure winner. It's because when you "shoo" something you're urging it in a certain direction.

7. Emigrated to

"Emigrate" and "from" always go together, as do "immigrate" and "to." To emigrate is to come from somewhere, and to immigrate is to go to somewhere. "Colin emigrated from Ireland to the United States" means the same as "Colin immigrated to the United States from Ireland."

8. Overuse of apostrophes

These little guys are ubiquitously misused. Apostrophes indicate one of two things: possession or letters missing, as in "Sara's iPad" and "it's" for "it is" (second i missing). They don't belong on plurals. "FAQs," for example, should not have an apostrophe. Also, people often make a mistake with their own last name. If you want to refer to your family but don't want to list everyone's first name write "The Johnsons" not "The Johnson's." Another big one: Decades should not have apostrophes. For example, "1980s" is correct but "1980's" is not.

9. Prostrate cancer

This one is a simple spelling mistake resulting from an extra r. "Prostrate" actually means to lie face down. The "prostate" gland is a part of the male reproductive anatomy.

10. Slight of hand

A "slight" is an insult, whereas "sleight" indicates dexterity or cunning. It's why "sleight of hand" is commonly used in the world of magic and illusion.

11. Honed in

Just know that to "home in" on something means to move toward a goal, such as "The missile homed in on its target." To "hone" is to sharpen.

12. Baited breath

When I think about bait, worms and lures come to mind. The first word should actually be "bated," which stems from the verb "abate," meaning to stop or lessen. So, if you're trying to say that someone is holding his breath, you can see that "bated breath" makes the most sense.

13. Piece of mind

If you want to share what you're thinking with someone, this could work if you add "my" before "mind." But if you're trying to indicate tranquility, then spell it "peace."

14. Wet your appetite

"Whet" means to sharpen or stimulate. As such, the latter spelling is more appropriate.

15. Make due

"Due" means "owed," and that's not the intent with this idiom. "Make do" is the proper way to say that you're going to get along with what you have.

16. Do diligence

"Due diligence" is the proper business and legal term. It means you will investigate an individual or company before signing a contract.

17. Peaked my interest

To pique means to arouse, so the correct phrase is "piqued my interest," meaning that my interest was stimulated. While the incorrect way it's written in the heading may suggest that someone's interest was taken to a high level, it's still wrong.

18. Must of, should of, would of, and could of

All those of s should be "have." The proper versions were corrupted by contractions such as "must've."

19. Per say or persay

Both are incorrect because the Latin phrase which means "in itself" or "intrinsically" is spelled "per se." The best communicators speak and write clearly and concisely and probably avoid phrases like this one anyway.

20. All the sudden

Whether you say "all of a sudden" or "all of the sudden," the preposition "of" must be involved either way. But if you're really trying to say "suddenly," just do.

21. The first-year anniversary

The use of the word "year" is redundant. "The first anniversary" or "the 50th anniversary" suffice.

22. Worse comes to worse

"Worse comes to worst,"-note the t -is better because it indicates something has degraded from one negative plane to the lowest possible.

23. Unthaw

Even though people use this word as a verb all the time, the best way to "un-thaw" something would be to put it in the freezer. Is freezing what you mean, or thawing?

24. Hot water heater

If anything, it's a cold water heater. Just use "water heater."

25. Boldface lie

"Bald-face" means shameless or showing no guilt. When a person tells a bald-faced lie, they are openly lying. An acceptable variant of this phrase is a "barefaced lie."

26. Chock it up

The correct version-"chalk it up"-comes from keeping score on a chalkboard.

27. Through the ringer

The incorrect example above is missing a w. A wringer is an old-fashioned mechanism which presses water out of clothes being washed by hand, a process indicative of giving someone a hard time.

28. Subject and pronoun disagreement.

This one is subject to debate, but here's my two cents. Take the sentence, "A person who smokes damages their lungs." See anything wrong there? You should. "A person" is-obviously-one person. But "their" is a word you would use if you were referring to more than one person. Correct sentences could either read:

"People who smoke damage their lungs."

or

"A person who smokes damages his or her lungs."

In the first bullet, "people" is more than one person and now agrees with "their." In the second bullet, the use of "his or her" can be awkward, so you can just pick one or the other as long as you're sensitive to any gender issues an audience might raise.

29. Given free reign

It's easy to see why this one looks correct, considering that "reign" is something that kings, queens, and other sovereigns do. Yet the correct idiom refers to the reins which control a horse. When you give a horse "free rein" you let it go where it wants to go.

30. Nip it in the butt

To "nip" means to pinch or to bite. Therefore, the correct version is "nip it in the bud," which refers to snipping off a flower bud before it can bloom. The idea is to put an end to something before it gets worse.

31. Tie me over

You don't really want someone to tie you on top of something, do you? The phrase "tide me over" is talking about sustaining someone through a difficult time and refers to the ocean's tide, which is capable of moving boats to a new location when the wind will not.

32. Tow the line

To "toe the line" means to follow the rules. It comes from runners who put their toe to the line before running a race.

33. Chalk full

The word "chock" is an Old English word which means "cheek" as well as "full to the brim." In other words, "chock-full" means "mouthful."

34. Throws of passion

Just know that a throe is a sharp attack of emotion. So, to be in the "throes of passion" is to be violently consumed by something.

35. A mute point

Mute means silent, so would you really want to make a point that doesn't say anything? A point that is "moot" is debatable or doubtful. So, a point can be moot, but not mute.

36. Overuse of "literally"

Some people throw this word around as an embellishment to intensify whatever they're trying to say. But "literally" means "actually" or "in a strict sense." So, if you say, "My head literally exploded," you are lying.

37. Expresso

The strong coffee drink brewed into a tiny cup is pronounced with an "s" in the first syllable and written "espresso."

38. Jive with the facts

Jive can be defined as a colorful form of speaking, or as referring to certain kinds of jazz or swing music. Since "jibe" means "to agree," the correct phrase would be "jibe with the facts."

39. "For-tay" for forte

If you're trying to say that something is or isn't your talent, the technically correct way to pronounce "forte" is "fort." The only problem: Lots of people understand what you're trying to communicate if you pronounce it "for-tay," which is incorrect. So, if you use the correct version you'll sound intelligent to the grammarians of the world but you risk alienating a certain percentage of people who will not understand your meaning. My approach: Avoid "forte" altogether and say, "It's not my strength."

40. Eccetera

Pronounce "etcetera" exactly how it is spelled. Lots of people bristle when a speaker drops the "t."

41. Deep-seeded

The incorrect spelling above seems like it could be right since something that is planted deeply in the ground would be firmly established. The correct expression, though, is "deep-seated."

42. Extract revenge

When you "extract" something, you remove it. "Exact," when used as a verb, means "to require or demand." Look it up if you don't believe me.

43. Sneak peak

A "peak" is the top of a mountain. The correct word is "peek," which means a quick look.

What other written or spoken errors drive you nuts?

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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43 Embarrassing Grammar Mistakes Even Smart People Make

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When someone uses grammar incorrectly do you make an assumption about his or her intelligence or education? Like it or not, words, spelling, and punctuation are powerful and can leave a lasting impression on others. But even the most educated people often unknowingly make common writing and speaking flubs.

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25 Legendary Literary Feuds, Ranked

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They don't make literary feuds the way they used to. Maybe authors are kinder than they used to be-or maybe they just have Twitter. Either way, I love to hear about author feuds of yore, and so I've collected (and ranked) twenty-five of the best below.

But first, some rules. In order to qualify as a literary feud, both parties must be literary authors in their own right (no editor-author squabbles), and the argument must be two-sided-that is, there should be at least one exchange, two shots fired. No simple unremarked-upon bad review or unacknowledged shit-talking will suffice. For instance, Bret Easton Ellis's bizarrely vicious attacks on David Foster Wallace in the years after his death don't rate, because Ellis is just trolling. As far as I can tell, Mark Twain simply bullied Bret Harte, who kept his mouth shut about the whole thing. The Rick Moody/Dale Peck incident-already toeing the line as Peck, while a novelist, is arguably better known as a critic-devolved into a publicity stunt. I wouldn't count Hans Christian Andersen overstaying his welcome at Charles Dickens's house a feud, no matter how bad his manners. Same goes for Rimbaud and Verlaine's gun-toting lovers' quarrel. And alas, I must also exclude Ayelet Waldman's 2011 Twitter-salvo to Katie Roiphe: "I am so BORED with Katie Roiphe's 'I like the sexist drunk writers' bullshit. She happily trashes my husband, but guess what bitch? He not only writes rings and rings and rings around you, but the same rings around your drunken literary love objects." (Oh look, there, I included it. Hey, no wonder Roiphe doesn't like Twitter.) On the other hand, some writers have had so many good feuds (ahem, Salman Rushdie) that I've had to pick and choose from among them (John le Carré over Mo Yan; Updike over Francine Prose). Which only reminds me that I'm carrying on in this introduction, so now, without further ado, please find below twenty-five fascinating author feuds from the last 200 years.

25: Ernest Hemingway vs. William Faulkner

This one is admittedly a bit of a stretch, feud-wise, as there was no confrontation to speak of (and one of the comments was given in private), but given the players, I consider it of interest. In a 1947 visit to a University of Mississippi creative writing class, Faulkner was asked to rank himself alongside other contemporary writers. His response, as transcribed at the time (but only published three years later, in The Western Review):

1. Thomas Wolfe: he had much courage and wrote as if he didn't have long to live
2. William Faulkner
3. Dos Passos
4. Ernest Hemingway: he has no courage, has never crawled out on a limb. He has never been known to use a word that might cause the reader to check with a dictionary to see if it is properly used
5. John Steinbeck: at one time I had great hopes for him-now I don't know.

According to A.E. Hotchner in his Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir, when Hemingway was told about Faulkner's statement, he responded:

Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use. Did you read his last book? It's all sauce-writing now, but he was good once. Before the sauce, or when he knew how to handle it.

24: John Keats vs. Lord Byron

To be fair, this is more of a perennial rivalry than a true feud. Bryon was a snob and mega-privileged; Keats was middle-class and jealous of Byron's success. Neither liked the other's work, and both were weirdly bitter about it. John Keats, who was quite short, reportedly exclaimed to a friend after reading a good review of Byron's work: "You see what it is to be six foot tall and a lord!" Lord Byron, after reading a good review of Keats's, wrote to a friend:

Of the praises of that little dirty blackguard KEATES in the Edinburgh-I shall observe as Johnson did when Sheridan the actor got a pension. "What has he got a pension? then it is time that I should give up mine."-Nobody could be prouder of the praises of the Edinburgh than I was-or more alive to their censure-as I showed in EB and SR-at present all the men they have ever praised are degraded by that insane article.-Why don't they review & praise "Solomon's Guide to Health" it is better sense-and as much poetry as Johnny Keates.

Keats died of tuberculosis at only 25, and some of his friends, including Percy Bysshe Shelley, claimed that his death had been hastened by the stress caused by negative reviews of his work in The Quarterly Review. Byron found that hilarious. He even made fun of him, posthumously, in his famous epic poem Don Juan:

John Keats, who was killed off by one critique,
Just as he really promised something great,
If not intelligible, -without Greek
Contrived to talk about the Gods of late,
Much as they might have been supposed to speak.
Poor fellow! His was an untoward fate: -
'Tis strange the mind, that very fiery particle,
Should let itself be snuffed out by an Article.

23: Jennifer Weiner vs. Jennifer Egan

In the most mutual of Weiner's myriad literary beefs, she took issue with Jennifer Egan after she won the Pulitzer and told the Washington Post:

My focus is less on the need for women to trumpet their own achievements than to shoot high and achieve a lot. What I want to see is young, ambitious writers. And there are tons of them. Look at The Tiger's Wife. There was that scandal with the Harvard student who was found to have plagiarized. But she had plagiarized very derivative, banal stuff. This is your big first move? These are your models? I'm not saying you should say you've never done anything good, but I don't go around saying I've written the book of the century. My advice for young female writers would be to shoot high and not cower.

Soon after, Weiner complained on Twitter: "Agh. Did Egan really have to pause, mid-victory lap, to call Kinsella, McCafferty "derivative and banal?"" and soon after tweeted: "And there goes my chance to be happy that a lady won the big prize. Thanks, Jenny Egan. You're a model of graciousness."

Weiner started a major discussion, but both she and Egan later apologized.

22: John Updike vs. Salman Rushdie

Much smaller than Rushdie's disagreement with John le Carré, but still a good mini-feud. In 2006, John Updike reviewed Rushdie's Shalimar the Clown in the New Yorker. His opening line was this: "Why, oh why, did Salman Rushdie, in his new novel, Shalimar the Clown, call one of his major characters Maximilian Ophuls?" He goes on: "Readers of this review will be spared, as the reviewer was not, the maddening exercise of trying to overlay Rushdie's Ophuls with the historical one. The two have no connection save the name and a peripatetic life."

"A name is just a name," Rushdie told the Guardian when asked about the review. "'Why, oh why. . . ?' Well, why not? Somewhere in Las Vegas there's probably a male prostitute called 'John Updike'. The thing that disappointed me most about Updike is that he did not say in that review that he had just completed a novel about terrorism. He had to sweep me out of the way in order to make room for himself. I don't subscribe to the very predominantly English admiration of Updike. If you take away Rabbit is Rich and Rabbit at Rest, and some of the short stories, there's a lot of . . . slightly . . . garbage. Think of The Coup! The new one is beyond awful. He should stay in his parochial neighbourhood and write about wife-swapping, because it's what he can do. . . I'm allowed to say it, because he was really rude about me."

21: Ernest Hemingway vs. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Literary history's most famous frenemies met in 1925, and soon became friends-Fitzgerald even sang Hemingway's praises to the influential editor Maxwell Perkins, helping to jump-start his career. But Hemingway wasn't particularly grateful, and soon began badmouthing Fitzgerald. In a (fairly negative) review of Scott Donaldson's book about the pair, Michiko Kakutani writes,

Hemingway, who "could ill abide being beholden to anyone," clearly resented Fitzgerald's help, and in this book, as in many others, he receives the bulk of the blame for the friendship's demise. He emerges from these pages as an ingrate and bully, a megalomaniac who projected his own insecurities onto those closest to him and who believed he needed to reject friends and lovers before they could reject him. Fitzgerald, in contrast, comes across as a well-meaning but annoying fellow who hero-worshiped the wrong people, and who consistently sabotaged himself by getting drunk and behaving like a fool.

Hemingway was condescending about Fitzgerald's work and mocked his former friend as a coward, a lap dog to the rich and a henpecked husband in thrall to a manipulative woman. He likened Fitzgerald to a dying butterfly, a glass-jawed boxer and an unguided missile crashing to earth on a "very steep trajectory."

Ten years after Fitzgerald's death, Hemingway wrote:

I never had any respect for him ever, except for his lovely, golden, wasted talent. If he would have had fewer pompous musings and a little sounder education it would have been better maybe. But anytime you got him all straightened out and taking his work seriously Zelda would get jealous and knock him out of it. Also alcohol, that we use was the Giant Killer, and that I could not have lived without many times; or at least would have cared to live without; was a straight poison to Scott instead of a food.

20: A.S. Byatt vs. Margaret Drabble

Byatt and Drabble are unique on this list: they are not only enemies, but sisters-and their enmity goes back further than their writing careers. They were highly competitive as children, pitted against one another by their mother, who reportedly favored Drabble. According to the Telegraph, their relationship was further damaged by Drabble's decision to become a novelist. "Sue always wanted to write," Drabble said. "I didn't want to. I just happened to write a novel when I was pregnant and had nothing to do." And yet her first novel came out before her elder sister's. But what really sealed it was Byatt's The Game. "She may not have known what she had done until she had written it," Drabble told the Telegraph. "Writers are like that. But it's a mean-spirited book about sibling rivalry and she sent it to me with a note signed 'With love,' saying 'I think I owe you an apology'. . . It's irresoluble now. It's sad, but beyond repair, and I don't think about it much any more."

19: H.G. Wells vs. Henry James

Like others on this list, Wells and James started off as friends and mutual admirers. But they disagreed fundamentally on what literature was for, and in 1915, Wells published Boon, a satirical novel that mocked James's writing style. When James read it, he wrote to Wells somewhat wounded:

I have more or less mastered your appreciation of H. J., which I have found very curious and interesting after a fashion-though it has naturally not filled me with a fond elation. It is difficult of course for a writer to put himself fully in the place of another writer who finds him extraordinarily futile and void, and who is moved to publish that to the world-and I think the case isn't easier when he happens to have enjoyed the other writer from far back-

James summarizes the appeal of his own works this way: "They rest upon my measure of fullness-fullness of life and the projection of it, which seems to you such an emptiness of both."

Wells wrote back:

To you literature like painting is an end, to me literature like architecture is a means, it has a use. Your view was, I felt, altogether too prominent in the world of criticism and I assailed it in lines of harsh antagonism. And writing that stuff about you was the first escape I had from the obsession of this war. Boon is just a waste-paper basket. Some of it was written before I left my home at Sandgate (1911), and it was while I was turning over some old papers that I came upon it, found it expressive, and went on with it last December. I had rather be called a journalist than an artist, that is the essence of it, and there was no other antagonist possible than yourself. But since it was printed I have regretted a hundred times that I did not express our profound and incurable contrast with a better grace.

James's reply was his last to Wells:

I am bound to tell you that I don't think your letter makes out any sort of case for the bad manners of Boon, as far as your indulgence in them at the expense of your poor old H. J. is concerned - I say "your" simply because he has been yours, in the most liberal, continual, sacrificial, the most admiring and abounding critical way, ever since he began to know your writings: as to which you have had copious testimony. Your comparison of the book to a waste-basket strikes me as the reverse of felicitous, for what one throws into that receptacle is exactly what one doesn't commit to publicity and make the affirmation of one's estimate of one's contemporaries by. I should liken it much rather to the preservative portfolio or drawer in which what is withheld from the basket is savingly laid away. Nor do I feel it anywhere evident that my "view of life and literature," or what you impute to me as such, is carrying everything before it and becoming a public menace-so unaware do I seem, on the contrary, that my products constitute an example in any measurable degree followed or a cause in any degree successfully pleaded: I can't but think that if this were the case I should find it somewhat attested to in their circulation-which, alas, I have reached a very advanced age in the entirely defeated hope of.

. . .

I absolutely dissent from the claim that there are any differences whatever in the amenability to art of forms of literature aesthetically determined, and hold your distinction between a form that is (like) painting and a form that is (like) architecture for wholly null and void. There is no sense in which architecture is aesthetically "for use" that doesn't leave any other art whatever exactly as much so; and so far from that of literature being irrelevant to the literary report upon life, and to its being made as interesting as possible, I regard it as relevant in a degree that leaves everything else behind. It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance, for our consideration and application of these things, and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process. If I were Boon I should say that any pretence of such a substitute is helpless and hopeless humbug; but I wouldn't be Boon for the world, and am only yours faithfully,

18: Derek Walcott vs. V.S. Naipaul

"It's going to be nasty," Derek Walcott told the audience at the Calabash International Literary Festival in 2008. He then proceeded to read a poem entitled "The Mongoose," which begins:

I have been bitten. I must avoid infection
Or else I'll be as dead as Naipaul's fiction.
Read his last novels. You'll see just what I mean:
A lethargy approaching the obscene.

Snap. But what had Naipaul done to deserve such treatment? According to the Guardian:

For years, the writers [had] discreetly sniped at one another in print and in interviews. Naipaul's inclusion of an essay on Walcott in his 2007 memoir A Writer's People-and its attendant publication in the Guardian- delivered a backhanded compliment by effusively praising Walcott's earliest work [he calls Walcott "a man whose talent has been all but strangled by his colonial setting"], and seems to have provoked the poet into making such a public attack.

17: Richard Ford vs. Alice Hoffman

Never one to take a bad review well, that Richard Ford. Famously, after Alice Hoffman published a critical but not savage review of The Sportswriter in the New York Times, Richard Ford took a gun and shot a hole through one of Hoffman's novels before mailing it to her in pieces. "Well my wife shot it first," Ford told the Guardian, "rather proudly." "She took the book out into the back yard, and shot it. But people make such a big deal out of it-shooting a book-it's not like I shot her." Still, you can tell he was thinking about it.

16: Ernest Hemingway vs. Wallace Stevens

I'll just let Papa tell it himself (in a 1936 letter to Sara Murphy):

Hangover came about through visit of my lawyer Mr. (Maurice) Speiser whom I cannot see without the aid and abettment of alcohol plus seeing off in southern farewell the Judge (Arthur Powell) of the Wallace Stevens evening (when Hemingway and the poet Wallace Stevens had a fistfight). Remember that Judge and Mr. Stevens? Nice Mr. Stevens. This year he came again sort of pleasant like the cholera and first I knew of it my nice sister Ura (Ursula) was coming into the house crying because she had been at a cocktail party at which Mr. Stevens had made her cry by telling her forcefully what a sap I was, no man, etc. So I said, this was a week ago, "All right, that's the third time we've had enough of Mr. Stevens." So headed out into the rainy past twilight and met Mr. Stevens who was just issuing from the door haveing just said, I learned later, "By God I wish I had that Hemingway here now I'd knock him out with a single punch." So who should show up but poor old Papa and Mr. Stevens swung that same fabled punch but fertunatly missed and I knocked all of him down several times and gave him a good beating. Only trouble was that first three times put him down I still had my glasses on. Then took them off at the insistence of the judge who wanted to see a good clean fight without glasses in it and after I took them off Mr. Stevens hit me flush on the jaw with his Sunday punch bam like that. And this is very funny. Broke his hand in two places. Didn't harm my jaw at all and so put him down again and then fixed him good so he was in his room for five days with a nurse and Dr. working on him. But you mustn't tell this to anybody. Not even Ada (MacLeish, wife of the poet Archibald MacLeish). Because he is very worried about his respectable insurance standing and I have promised not to tell anybody and the official story is that Mr. Stevens fell down a stairs. I agreed to that and said it was o.k. with me if he fell down the lighthouse stairs. So please promise not to tell anybody. But Pauline who hates me to fight was delighted. Ura had never seen a fight before and couldn't sleep for fear Mr. Stevens was going to die. Anyway last night Mr. Stevens comes over to make up and we are made up. But on mature reflection I don't know anybody needed to be hit worse than Mr. S. Was very pleased last night to see how large Mr. Stevens was and am sure that if I had had a good look at him before it all started would not have felt up to hitting him. But can assure you that there is no one like Mr. Stevens to go down in a spectacular fashion especially into a large puddle of water in the street in front of your old waddel street home where all took place. So I shouldn't write you this but news being scarce your way and I know you really won't tell anybody will you really absolutely seriously. Because otherwise I am a bastard to write it. He apologised to Ura very handsomely and has gone up to Pirates Cove to rest his face for another week before going north. I think he is really one of those mirror fighters who swells his muscles and practices lethal punches in the bathroom while he hates his betters. But maybe I am wrong. Anyway I think Gertrude Stein ought to give all these people who pick fights with poor old papa at least their money back. I am getting damned tired of it but not nearly as tired of it as Mr. Stevens got. It was awfully funny to have a man just declaring how he was going to annihilate you and show up just at that moment. Then have him land his awful punch on your jaw and nothing happen except his hand break. You can tell Patrick. It might amuse him. But don't tell anybody else. Tell Patrick for statistics sake Mr. Stevens is 6 feet 2 weighs 225 lbs. and that when he hits the ground it is highly spectaculous. I told the Judge, the day after, to tell Mr. S. I thought he was a damned fine poet but to tell him he couldn't fight. The Judge said, "Oh, but your wrong there. He is a very good fighter. Why, I saw him hit a man once and knock him the length of this room." And I said, "Yes, Judge. But you didn't catch the man's name, did you?" I think it was a waiter. Nice dear good Mr. Stevens. I hope he doesn't brood about this and take up archery or machine gunnery. But you promise you won't tell anybody.

Of course, Hemingway was 20 years younger than Stevens at this time. But more importantly: what a gossip.

15: Marcel Proust vs. Jean Lorrain

Probably one of the few times that a book review led to an actual, pistols-drawn duel-but not actually because of the book in question. In an 1896 review of Proust's Pleasures and Days, Lorrain suggested that he was gay, and described him as "one of those pretty little society boys who've managed to get themselves pregnant with literature." After a second snarky essay a few months later, in which Lorrain (writing under a pseudonym) insinuated that Proust was having an affair with Lucien Daudet (the son of M. Alphonse Daudet), Proust challenged Lorrain to a duel. (Both Proust and Lorrain, by the way, were definitely gay.) Both shots went wide-probably on purpose-and everyone's honor was restored.

14: Albert Camus vs. Jean-Paul Sartre

Trust these two to have a falling-out over the concept of the freedom of man. Here's a fun snapshot of Camus' defensive take on Sartre's criticism of his work:

Sartre's article is a model of "taking apart." Of course, every creation has an instinctive element which [he] does not envision, and intelligence does not play such an important role. But in criticism this is the rule of the game, which is fine because on several points he enlightened me about what I wanted to do. I also see that most of his criticisms are fair, but why that acid tone?

13: William Thackeray vs. Charles Dickens

To be fair, Dickens used a patsy in his feud with Thackeray-but I'll still count it on principle. The two were close friends and eventually literary rivals, though Dickens reached fame and critical approval first. Things were only as tense as could be expected until the famous "Garrick Club Affair," which ruined their friendship.

Here's what happened: In 1858 Charles Dickens separated from his wife, and Thackeray let it slip that Dickens was having an affair with a teenage actress, Ellen Ternan. In response, Dickens let one of his protégés, Edmund Yates, publish a slanderous attack of Thackeray in Dickens's magazine Household Words .

"Mr. Thackeray is forty-six years old, though from the silvery whiteness of his hair he appears somewhat older," the piece began.

His face is bloodless, and not particularly expressive, but remarkable for the fracture of the bridge of the nose, the result of an accident in youth. . . No one meeting him could fail to recognise in him a gentleman; his bearing is cold and uninviting, his style of conversation either openly cynical, or affectedly good-natured and benevolent; his bonhomie is forced, his wit biting, his pride easily touched-but his appearance is invariably that of the cool, suave, well-bred gentleman, who, whatever may be rankling within, suffers no surface display of his emotion.

Worse:

Our own opinion is, that his success is on the wane; his writings never were understood or appreciated even by the middle classes; the aristocracy have been alienated by his American onslaught on their body, and the educated and refined are not sufficiently numerous to constitute an audience; moreover, there is a want of heart in all he writes, which is not to be balanced by the most brilliant sarcasm, and the most perfect knowledge of the workings of the human heart.

Thackeray wrote to Yates: "As I understand your phrases, you impute insincerity to me when I speak good-naturedly in private; assign dishonorable motives to me for sentiments which I have delivered in public, and charge me with advancing statements which I have never delivered at all. . . I am obliged to take notice of articles which I consider to be not offensive and unfriendly merely, but slanderous and untrue." But the real problem was that Yates had lifted conversations from the privacy of the Garrick Club, where all three men (Thackeray, Dickens, Yates) were members, and where, as Thackeray puts if "I and other gentlemen have been in the habit of talking without any idea that our conversation would supply paragraphs for professional vendors of 'Literary Talk.'"

Thackeray put the issue to the Garrick Club, who-despite a letter from Dickens pleading in support of Yates-kicked him out. He continued to write more articles and even a book criticizing Thackeray, and Dickens resigned from the club. "I never exchanged a word except of kindness with this Mr. Yates until the appearance of this article against me," Thackeray wrote to Charles Kingsley. "What pains me most is that Dickens should have been his adviser: and next that I should have had to lay a heavy hand on a young man who, I take it, has been cruelly punished by the issue of the affair and I believe is hardly aware of the nature of his own offense and doesn't even understand that a gentleman should resent the monstrous insult which he volunteered." And to his mother, Thackeray wrote, "I am become a sort of great man in my way-all but at the top of the tree; indeed there if truth be known and having a great fight up there with Dickens." He was sad at the loss of his friend; but reportedly the two made up after a chance encounter only a few months before Thackeray's death.

12: Colson Whitehead vs. Richard Ford

In 2002, Colson Whitehead reviewed Richard Ford's A Multitude of Sins for the New York Times Book Review. It was not a positive review. "Almost every story deals with adultery, invariably in one of two stages: in the final dog days of an affair, or in the aftermath of an affair," Whitehead wrote.

The characters are nearly indistinguishable. If I were an epidemiologist, I'd say that some sort of spiritual epidemic had overtaken a segment of our nation's white middle-class professionals, and has started to afflict white upper-middle-class professionals. These characters could use some good advice, and if they had friends, they might be able to ask for it, but they don't have friends. Sometimes the men are named Roger or Tom, sometimes the women are named Nancy or Frances. If they have children, we rarely see them. Some of them meet in fancy hotel rooms, others prefer out-of-the-way motels. Whatever the specifics, adulterous or not, they bide their time for opportunities to offer portentous declarations about their predicaments like: 'Other people affect you. It's really no more complicated than that' and 'I am sure now that all of this had to do with my impending failures.' These declarations will strike you as plain-spoken and hard-earned wisdom, or easy banalities, depending on your mood or level of generosity.

Two years later, Ford was still pissed enough to approach Whitehead at a Poets & Writers party. "I've waited two years for this," he said. "You spat on my book." Then he spat on Whitehead. Reporting this to Deborah Schoenman, Whitehead said, "We had a few heated words-he said, 'You're a kid, you should grow up,' which coming from him was a bit funny-and then he stalked off. This wasn't the first time some old coot had drooled on me, and it probably won't be the last. But I would like to warn the many other people who panned the book that they might want to get a rain poncho, in case of inclement Ford."

And fifteen years on, Ford is sticking to his guns. "I realize that how I feel about my bad treatment is only one compass point among several legitimate ones," he wrote in Esquire last summer. "But I can tell you that, as of today, I don't feel any different about Mr. Whitehead, or his review, or my response." Most people think he's rather in the wrong.

11: John Irving vs. J.P. Donleavy

In a 1986 interview with the Paris Review, John Irving described meeting J.P. Donleavy at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

I went to the airport to meet him; I'd written three novels-but not yet The World According to Garp; I wasn't famous. I didn't expect Donleavy to have read anything of mine, but I was surprised when he announced that he read no one living; then he asked if we were in Kansas. I told him a little about the Workshop, but he was one of those writers with no knowledge about writing programs and many prejudices about them: to be a student of writing was a waste of time; better to go out and suffer. He was wearing a very expensive three-piece suit, very handsome shoes, and handling a very posh walking stick at the time, and I began to get irritated. In a meeting with Workshop students, he told them that any writer who was lowering himself by teaching writing wasn't capable of teaching them anything.

. . .

Cheever tried a few times to engage Donleavy in some conversation, and as Cheever was as gifted in conversation as any man I have ever met, I grew more and more furious at Donleavy's coldness and unresponsiveness and total discourtesy. I was thinking, frankly, that I should throw the lout in a puddle, if there was one handy, when Cheever spoke up. "Do you know, Mr. Donleavy," Cheever said, "that no majorwriter of fiction was ever a shit to another writer of fiction, except Hemingway-and he was crazy?" That was all. Donleavy had no answer. Perhaps he thought Hemingway was still a living writer and therefore hadn't read him, either.

. . .

I should add that drinking wasn't the issue of this unpleasant evening; Cheever was not drinking; Donleavy wasn't drunk-he was simply righteous and acting the prima donna. I feel a little like I'm tattling on a fellow schoolboy to tell this story, but I felt so awful-not for myself but for Cheever. It was such an outrage; that Donleavy-this large, silly man with his walking stick-was snubbing John Cheever. I suppose it's silly that I should still be angry, but George Plimpton told me that Donleavy has a subscription to The Paris Review; this presents an apparent contradiction to Donleavy's claim that he doesn't read anyone living, but it gives me hope that he might read this. If the story embarrasses him, or makes him angry, I would say we're even; the evening embarrassed Cheever and me, and made us angry, too.

After reading the interview, Donleavy wrote a hilariously snooty response, which was then published:

I was not carrying a cane at the time but remember a request from Mr. Irving to speak with him privately which I did and during which meeting I suggested to him, that if he had the option to leave the cosy world of teaching, it was better to go suffer and pursue a writing career outside of university. This advice he seems to have taken, and I'm told, he was heard to mention it on a radio broadcast some years ago. As for snubbing Mr. John Cheever, I distinctly recall pleasantly meeting this distinguished gentleman in his classroom during one of his teaching sessions. Also, I am informed by the friend sending me this cutting from the Paris Review that one of Mr. Cheever's students (now a published novelist), was at the time at Iowa and was present at my talk and quotes Mr. Cheever as saying he thought the lecture and reading wonderful and that one's tailoring was sublime. As someone who was always only dressed to keep warm and comfortable, Mr. Cheever's reference to my tailoring comes as a surprise but clearly is not the remark of a man who has felt snubbed, and I suspect there is some other reason for Mr. Irving's remarks.

It is true that I do not have untold sympathy for the American academic fraternity nor did I keep up with the literary scene then, nor do I now. But I note in the paragraph on page 95 preceding the present above matter, that Mr. Irving refers to the interchangeable use of "I" as a first person narrator with third person narrator. At least it is evident that this device, first used in The Ginger Man, has made an impression on Mr. Irving. All this has come to my attention not as a subscriber nor as a recipient of complimentary copies of the Paris Review and which latter I assure Mr. Plimpton I do not receive.

To which Irving responded: "I'm sorry you had to suffer that arcane and mannered flapdoodle from Mr. Donleavy," before reiterating most of his points.

10: Truman Capote vs. Gore Vidal

This feud was all about literary jealousy. Early on, Vidal was disgruntled at the appearance of a Life magazine photo spread entitled "Young U.S. Writers: A Refreshing Group of Newcomers on the Literary Scene is Ready to Tackle Almost Anything." It's not that Vidal wasn't included-he was, in a tiny, awkward photo. Capote rated three-quarters of the first page. Socially, they were cordial, but Vidal was offended by Capote's manner and irritated by his name-dropping. "The instant lie was Truman's art form, small but, paradoxically, authentic," he wrote. "One could watch the process. A famous name would be mentioned. The round pale fetus face would suddenly register a sort of tic, as if a switch had been thrown. 'Eleanor Roosevelt. Oh, I know her intimately!'"

The rivalry was mostly made up of petty things-a comment here, a snub there, a bad review whenever called for. "I first met Truman at Anaïs Nin's apartment," Vidal once said. "My first impression-as I wasn't wearing my glasses-was that it was a colourful ottoman. When I sat down on it, it squealed. It was Truman." Once, according to Fred Kaplan's biography, Vidal called up Tennessee Williams and, pretending to be Capote, elicited some "uncomplimentary remarks" about his own writing. Then, when he next saw Williams, he alluded to those remarks, in order to make him believe Capote has betrayed him by repeating the conversation. That's some brilliant mean girl-ing. He also famously called Capote's death "a brilliant career move."

Hilton Als interpreted the feud this way:

[Vidal's] disdain for Truman Capote-another child of an alcoholic mother-had less to do with Capote's impulse to embellish the truth than with his skill at imagining characters, no matter how derivative his early short stories were. (Vidal never produced anything in fiction on the order of Capote's Miriam, Among the Paths to Eden, let alone Breakfast at Tiffany's or In Cold Blood.) And I think Vidal rather resented Capote being, often, the only other known out homosexual in the room. (Vidal could love Tennessee Williams because the stage was Williams's thing, not prose.)

I would be remiss if I didn't add Capote's much-quoted quip: "I'm always sad about Gore-very sad that he has to breathe every day." And in an interview after Capote's death, Vidal shuddered, "Capote I truly loathed. The way you might loathe an animal. A filthy animal that has found its way into the house."

A 1931 article in The Montreal Gazette (headline: " Noted Authors in Reported Fracas") cites the Evening Post to report that "Theodore Dreiser, novelist, slapped the face of Sinclair Lewis, Nobel literary prizewinner, at a dinner last night."

For context, Lewis had just beat out Dreiser for the Nobel Prize, becoming the first American to receive the honor-though some interpreted the choice as a subtle snub to the entire country by the Swedes. Dreiser was devastated, and though Lewis tried to reach out to him, Dreiser wouldn't have any of it.

Now they were both at a literary dinner for a Russian novelist. According to Anthony Arthur in his Literary Feuds, Dreiser congratulated Lewis, but Lewis responded with a "sneer," and then, during the meal, "fondled a bottle by the neck and muttered how he'd like to break it over Dreiser's head." Lewis was asked to give an impromptu speech, but refused, standing up and saying "I feel disinclined to say anything in the presence of the man who stole 3,000 words from my wife's book and before two sage critics who publicly lamented my receiving the Novel Prize." In 1928, Dreiser had been accused of plagiarizing parts of The New Russia by Sinclair's wife Dorothy Thompson for his volume Dreiser Looks at Russia.

After the meal, Dreiser confronted Lewis. "I know you're an ignoramus, but you're crazy," Dreiser said. Lewis repeated his claims, and Dreiser slapped him. Or, as he reported it: "I smacked him. And I asked him if he wanted to say it again. He said it again. So I smacked him again. And I said, 'Do you want to say it again?'" According to Arthur:

At this point Lengel entered the room and heard Lewis say, "Theodore, you are a liar and a thief." Lengel grabbed Lewis, thinking to restrain him from attacking Dreiser, but Lewis was limp and unresisting. Lengel told Dreiser that he'd better leave. Lewis said again, "I still say you are a liar and a thief." "Do you want me to hit you again?" Dreiser demanded. "If you do, I'll turn the other cheek." Dreiser said, "Aw, Lewis, you shit!" Lengel was pushing the bigger man through the door when he turned and shouted, "I'll meet you any time, anywhere. This thing isn't settled." Lewis followed, muttering something. Dreiser said, "Lewis, why don't you peddle your papers somewhere else?"

The tabloids were all over this, and Dreiser reportedly got a few complimentary telegrams, including one that said: "Thank you for slapping Sinclair Lewis. You did just what many thousands of Americans would like to do." Well, Lewis still got the Nobel.

February 12th, 1976: Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez meet in Mexico City at a movie premiere. García Márquez is happy to see his friend-who promptly punches him in the face, leaving him bleeding, and shouts "How dare you come and greet me after what you did to Patricia in Barcelona!" Patricia, of course, was Vargas Llosa's wife. According to the Independent (via theNew Yorker):

Mario strayed. He fell in love with a beautiful Swedish air stewardess whom he met while travelling. He left his wife and moved to Stockholm.

Distraught, his wife Patricia went to see her husband's best friend, Gabriel. After discussing the matter with his wife, Mercedes, he advised Patricia to divorce Mario. And then he consoled her. No one else quite knows what form this consolation took.... Eventually Mario returned to his wife, who told him of Gabriel's advice to her, and of his consolation.

Hence the famous black-eyed photograph of García Márquez. "I took the picture two days after the incident, when he came to my house," said friend and photographer Rodrigo Moya. "It was difficult to take a picture in which he looked this good. I have some pictures in which he looks like he was really beaten up, like beaten up by the Mexican police." Since then, both writers have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, but as legend would have it, they never spoke again.

In the 90s, V.S. Naipaul, who reportedly suspected his longtime friend Paul Theroux of seducing his wife, sold off a book that Theroux had personally inscribed to him, getting about $1,500 on the internet. Theroux responded by writing a very damning book about their friendship, Sir Vidia's Shadow: A Friendship Across Five Continents, which he later called an "unsparing and accurate portrait of the man, minus the instances of racism and physical abuse that I was forbidden by lawyers to publish. . . In thirty years . . . I mainly saw his sadness, his tantrums, his envy, his meanness, his greed, and his uncontrollable anger. But I never saw Naipaul attack anyone stronger than himself; he talked big and insultingly but when he lashed out it was always against the weak-women who loved him, his wife, and waiters: people who couldn't hit back, the true mark of the coward."

But in 2011, after fifteen years of animosity, the two made up-or at least shook hands. According to the Guardian: "Spotting Naipaul in the green room at the Hay festival, Theroux turned to McEwan and asked what he should do. "Life is short," McEwan replied. "You should say hello." And with that, handbags were holstered." As Naipaul's wife described it: "Paul approached him and said he missed him. It was very gracious and wonderful of him. So that is the end to the literary feud."

"After so many years, we've finally spoken," said Theroux. "I just had an experience today with a capital E."

This is about as literary as a feud can get: fighting over Pushkin. In 1965, Nabokov published a four-volume translation of the Russian writer's Eugene Onegin-and his friend "Bunny" panned it in The New York Review of Books. Nabokov responded in the same publication, writing

I fully share "the warm affection sometimes chilled by exasperation" that he says he feels for me. In the 1940s, during my first decade in America, he was most kind to me in various matters, not necessarily pertaining to his profession. I have always been grateful to him for the tact he showed in refraining from reviewing any of my novels. We have had many exhilarating talks, have exchanged many frank letters. A patient confidant of his long and hopeless infatuation with the Russian language, I have always done my best to explain to him his mistakes of pronunciation, grammar, and interpretation.

He then proceeds to rebut Wilson's review, point by point, but stops himself, on the basis of the "strange tone" of the review. "Its mixture of pompous aplomb and peevish ignorance is certainly not conducive to a sensible discussion of Pushkin's language and mine," he finishes. Wilson responded again, although with less fervor.

That wasn't the only problem, of course. Wilson had also hated Lolita, and was competitive with the increasingly more-famous Nabokov, and they also butted heads politically-but it was the Pushkin thing that tipped them over the edge.

Martin Amis has made a lot of enemies along the way. But one of the earliest was his longtime friend Julian Barnes, whom he alienated on account of what sounds a lot like greed. Amis wanted a £500,000 advance for his 1995 novel The Information. Jonathan Cape offered £300,000-so Amis fired his agent, Pat Kavanagh, in favor of Andrew Wylie, who got him the money (which he reportedly wanted for dental work). The only problem was that Pat Kavanagh and her husband, Julian Barnes, were close friends of Amis's-and Barnes was not pleased. According to theIndependent:

Barnes wrote to Amis to wish him the same success as two other Wylie clients: Salman Rushdie, who was living in fear of his life because of a fatwa, and Bruce Chatwin, who died of AIDS. The letter was signed off with two words, the second of which was "off."

Amis told the Observerthat he was in a bad place at the time-he was in the midst of a divorce and his father had just died-and was "shocked" by the letter. "It was naive of me not to anticipate it," he said. Apparently, they patched things up, but it took a decade to do it.

This one's a corker. It started in 1997, when John le Carré complained in the letters section of the Guardian that he had been unfairly attacked by American readers for anti-Semitisim.

Salman Rushdie responded: "It would be easier to sympathize with him had he not been so ready to join in an earlier campaign of vilification against a fellow writer. In 1989, during the worst days of the Islamic attack on The Satanic Verses, le Carré wrote an article (also, if memory serves, in the Guardian) in which he eagerly, and rather pompously, joined forces with my assailants."

Le Carré came back: "Rushdie's way with the truth is as self-serving as ever. . . My position was that there is no law in life or nature that says that great religions may be insulted with impunity. . . My purpose was not to justify the persecution of Rushdie, which, like any decent person, I deplore, but to sound a less arrogant, less colonialist and less self-righteous note than we were hearing from the safety of his admirers' camp."

Rushdie: "I'm grateful to John le Carré for refreshing all our memories about exactly how pompous an ass he can be."

Le Carré: "Whether from Rushdie's throne or Hitchens' gutter, the message is the same: 'Our cause is absolute, it brooks no dissent or qualification; whoever questions it is by definition an ignorant, pompous, semi-literate person.' . . . Rushdie sneers at my language and trashes a thoughtful and well-received speech I made to the Anglo-Israel Association. . . Hitchens portrays me as a buffoon who pours his own urine on his head. Two rabid Ayatolahs could not have done a better job. But will the friendship last? I am amazed that Hitchens has put up with Rusdhie's self-canonisation for so long.

Rushdie: "If he wants to win an argument, John le Carré could begin by learning to read. . . It's true I did call him a pompous ass, which I thought pretty mild in the circumstances. 'Ignorant' and 'semi-literate' are dunces' caps he has skillfully fitted on his own head. I wouldn't dream of removing them. . . John le Carré appears to believe I would prefer him not to go on abusing me. Let me assure him that I am of precisely the contrary opinion. Every time he opens his mouth, he digs himself into a deeper hole. Keep digging, John, keep digging. Me, I'm going back to work."

In 2011, the two patched things up. Rushdie extended the olive branch first (at least publicly)-speaking at a literature festival, he said "I wish we hadn't done it," and complimented le Carré's literary chops. "I think of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as one of the great novels of postwar Britain," he said. Le Carré responded inThe Times:

I too regret the dispute. I admire Salman for his work and his courage, and I respect his stand. Does that answer the larger debate which continues to this day? Should we be free to burn Korans, mock the passionately held religions of others? Maybe we should-but should we also be surprised when the believers we have offended respond in fury? I couldn't answer that question at the time and, with all good will, I still can't. But I am a little proud, in retrospect, that I spoke against the easy trend, reckoning with the wrath of outraged Western intellectuals, and suffering it in all its righteous glory. And if I met Salman tomorrow? I would warmly shake the hand of a brilliant fellow writer.

At least one person wasn't too happy about that. "The le Carré-Rushdie quarrel was (and is) between those who think that religion should be protected from 'offensive' critiques, and those who do not," Christopher Hitchens said. "This is the original confrontation over free speech, which goes back to the trial of Socrates. I therefore did my best to make sure that no compromise or kiss-and-make-up was thinkable. One's job on such occasions, when seeing the embers begin to cool, is to blow on them as hard as possible."

Another Dick Cavett-based feud! When Cavett asked Mary McCarthy to name some over-rated writers (on the air), she noted John Steinbeck, Pearl Buck, and Lillian Hellman, "who I think is tremendously overrated, a bad writer, and a dishonest writer, but she really belongs to the past."

Cavett dramatizes what happened next:

"What's dishonest about her?" I asked.

"Everything," said McCarthy. "I said once in some interview that every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.' " There was an "ooh" and a laugh from the audience, but otherwise the moment passed innocuously. After the taping, the network's lawyer-paid to anticipate litigation-did not utter even his occasional "Dick, we may have a problem." Instead, he said, "Nice show."

During breakfast the next morning, my assistant called. "Have you seen the papers?" she said. "Hellman is suing Mary McCarthy, PBS, and you for two and a quarter million."

"And me?" I replied, in a prepubescent squeak. The other phone rang, and the familiar whiskey-and-cigarettes baritone rasped, "Why the hell didn't you defend me?"

"I guess I never thought of you as defenseless, Lillian," I managed.

"That's bullshit. I'm suing the whole damn bunch of you." In that, at least, she proved a woman of her word.

McCarthy laughed it off at first, but soon became nervous-after all, she didn't have more than $63,000 in the bank, and Hellman was wealthy. Norman Mailer (the pugilist himself) published an appeal to the two of them in the New York Times, asking Hellman to drop the suit, but to no avail. At theNew Republic, Franklin Foer writes:

[Hellman] was not at all interested in preserving mutual respect in discourse. What she wanted was to see McCarthy bleed-a sadistic course that she, unlike McCarthy, could afford to take, given her personal wealth and her pro bono lawyer. When her friend Roger Straus tried to convince her to drop the suit, Hellman replied, "No, I'm gonna teach her a thing or two."

. . .

With her lawsuit, Hellman lucked into a sympathetic judge. Presented with a myriad of opportunities to dismiss the case-McCarthy's statement was clearly intended as a joke; it was an act of literary criticism; Hellman was a public figure-he declined to reject it. If Hellman had prevailed, she would have succeeded in turning harsh literary criticism into a legally punishable offense. But she did not prevail. Four years into the suit, she died, which ended the matter. This fact did little to becalm McCarthy, who told The New York Times that "I'm absolutely unregenerate. . .I didn't want her to die. I wanted her to lose in court. I wanted her around for that."

In 1998, Tom Wolfe published his second novel, A Man in Full. It had some notable detractors. Norman Mailer wrote in theNew York Review of Books:

The book has gas and runs out of gas, fills up again, goes dry. It is a 742-page work that reads as if it is fifteen hundred pages long. This is, to a degree, a compliment, since it is very rich in material. But, given its high intentions, it is also tiresome, for it takes us down the road of too many overlong and predictable scenes. Electric at best, banal at worst-banal like a long afternoon spent watching soap operas-one picks it up each day to read another hundred pages with the sense that the book not only offers pleasure but the strain of encountering prose that disappoints as often as it titillates.

At certain points, reading the work can even be said to resemble the act of making love to a three-hundred-pound woman. Once she gets on top, it's over. Fall in love, or be asphyxiated. So you read and you grab and you even find delight in some of these mounds of material. Yet all the while you resist-how you resist!-letting three hundred pounds take you over.

John Updike, in a review of the novel in the New Yorker titled " Awriiiiighhhhhhhhht!," wrote that " A Man in Full still amounts to entertainment, not literature, even literature in a modest aspirant form. Like a movie desperate to recoup its bankers' investment, the novel tries too hard to please us."

On a Canadian TV show called Hot Type, John Irving was asked to comment on the "war" between the three. "I don't think it's a war, because you can't have a war between a pawn and a king, can you?" he said. He then proceeded to call Wolfe's novels "yak" and "journalistic hyperbole described as fiction" and said his work was "like reading a bad newspaper or a bad piece in a magazine. It makes you wince."

Hot Type had Wolfe on next, who said of Irving: "He's our prime subject today. His last, A Widow for One Year, is about some neurotic people in the Hamptons. They never get to town. They're in the house. They're neurotic. . . Irving is a great admirer of Dickens. But what writer does he see now the last year constantly compared to Dickens? Not John Irving, but Tom Wolfe. . . It must gnaw at him terribly." Wolfe called his three detractors "Larry, Curly and Moe" and later wrote an essay about the whole thing called "My Three Stooges," which he published in his 2000 collection Hooking Up, and which refers to Mailer and Updike as "two old piles of bones" and calls Irving's Hot Type interview a "temper tantrum."

Irving's face turned red. His sexagenarian jowls shuddered. He began bleeping. It was all the show's technicians could do to hit the bleep button fast enough. "Wolfe's problem is, he can't bleeping write! He's not a writer! Just crack one of his bleeping books! Try to read one bleeping sentence! You'll gag before you can finish it! He doesn't even write literature-he writes . . . yak! He doesn't write novels-he writes journalistic hyperbole! You couldn't teach that bleeping bleep to bleeping freshmen in a bleeping freshman English class!"-and on and on in that mode. It was spellbinding. I don't pretend to be a lip reader, but it took no particular expertise to decode bleepos that began with such bitterly lower-lip-bitten fs. Evan Solomon kept covering his face with his hand and smiling at the same time, as if to say, "How can the old coot make such a spectacle of himself-but, wow, it's wonderful television!"

In a 2001 interview in Details magazine, Irving said, "I don't know a serious writer who reads Tom Wolfe. . . [but] I would never have said Wolfe was a 'bad' writer had he not written his absurd position paper on how to write the American novel." The "position paper" in question was " Stalking the Billion-Footed Beast," published in Harper's in 1989, bemoaning a perceived decline in realist literature (Mailer pointedly mocks the opening of the piece with his aforementioned NYRB review).

In a video recorded in 2009, Irving said:

I don't know, I think [literary feuds] are all generated by a kind of compiled misunderstanding. I give Wolfe the benefit of the doubt that he did not write that white paper manifesto about how the rest of us should be writing the great American novel. The piece he published in Harper's, I believe, after Bonfire of the Vanities was first published. I don't imagine when he wrote that that he was aware of how many writers who'd been writing fiction longer and writing it better than he does, might have been offended by that prescriptive piece. Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he was just speaking from the heart, and he didn't know it would be irritating. But I know that that was the source of what provoked me at him, and I know it was also the source of what provoked Updike, with him too. I remember a letter from John saying that he never would have taken Wolfe so much to task in that New Yorker piece if it hadn't been for that earlier manifesto. But you know, I think it's an overrated feud. He and I ran into each other-he was with his wife; I was with one of my children-we ran into each other on the Washington Mall a few years ago, after all this squabbling had been much publicized, over-publicized, in my opinion, in the media. And I didn't think it was an especially awkward or hostile meeting. I mean, we got through it without spitting and scuffling or kicking dirt on each other's shoes. They said nice things to my son, and I believe that we were both perfectly cordial to one another, so not much of a feud in my opinion. There's certainly people that you in the media don't know about that if I ran into them, more sparks would fly.

Consider my curiosity piqued.

One of the true legends: the time Norman Mailer head-butted Gore Vidal backstage before appearing with him on the December 15th, 1971 episode of the Dick Cavett show (alongside journalist Jane Flanner). There's no footage of the head-butt, but happily there is footage of the ensuing squabble, which you can watch here. As Dick Cavett himself described it:

Mailer's entrance was the tip-off. He came on from stage left doing that pugilist walk: his hands were fists and carried high, and he had the tousled look of having visited a favorite bar or two en route. His suit was disheveled, his bow to Miss Flanner courtly, and his refusal to shake Vidal's extended hand caused a murmuring in the audience.

After that, the battle begins-Mailer is incensed over an essay Vidal has written criticizing him in The New York Review of Books (actually a review of Eva Figes' Patriarchal Attitudes, but he did compare Mailer to Charles Manson, in passing), and proceeds to take pot shots at everyone's intelligence, not to mention try to physically intimidate the other guests. Flanner sums it up when she complains about the bickering: "Not only do you insult each other, not only in public, but as if you were in private. That's the odd way . . . It's very odd that you act so-you act as if you were the only people here." Mailer: "Aren't we?" Flanner: "They're here, he's here, I'm here. And I'm becoming very, very bored." The audience laughs and claps, and Flanner bows Mailer a kiss. It's a great line, but there's nothing boring about what's going on.

No blows were exchanged on television, but six years later, the two met again at a party, and Mailer hit Vidal in the face, knocking him down. "Once again, words fail Norman Mailer," said Vidal, before getting back to his feet.
Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020.

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They don't make literary feuds the way they used to. Maybe authors are kinder than they used to be-or maybe they just have Twitter. Either way, I love to hear about author feuds of yore, and so I've collected (and ranked) twenty-five of the best below. But first, some rules.

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Why does our launch involve a pun?  Because it presents a relationship between the literal and metaphorical while examining the legal and physical senses in a single term. In this way, it works your mind in two ways about the same thing simultaneously.

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Humor me please, and consider the pun. Though some may quibble over the claim, the oft-maligned wordplay is clever and creative, writer James Geary tells Quartz. His upcoming book Wit's End robustly defends puns and tells the distinguished history of these disrespected witticisms.

"Despite its bad reputation, punning is, in fact, among the highest displays of wit. Indeed, puns point to the essence of all true wit-the ability to hold in the mind two different ideas about the same thing at the same time," Geary writes. "And the pun's primacy is demonstrated by its strategic use in the oldest sacred stories, texts, and myths."

The bible, the Indian epic the Ramayana, and the classic Chinese philosophical text the Tao Te Ching all avail themselves of puns, he notes, though we may not recognize these ancient jokes. The Tao Te Ching begins with a pun, for example. The first line of the text states, "The way (tao) that can be spoken of is not the constant way (Tao)."

Geary explains, "The tao is a physical path, or way, but the Tao is also a spiritual path; the pun brings not only the two sounds and words together but the two ideas, prompting consideration of how to align your physical path (career, life, etc.) with your spiritual path." It's thus both a play on ideas and words.

Geary also points out that William Shakespeare, the greatest English language playwright of all time and an acknowledged master of rhetorical jousting, loved puns. The Bard couldn't resist a quibble-the word for puns in his day. So much so that Shakespeare annoyed contemporaries with his affection for wordplay. "A quibble is the golden apple for which he will always turn aside from his career or stoop from his elevation," writer Samuel Johnson complained.

Geary counts 200 puns in Love's Labour's Lost, 150 in each of the Henry IV plays, more than 100 in Much Ado About Nothing and All's Well That Ends Well, and an overall average of 78 puns per drama by The Bard. "In stooping to employ the lowly quibble, Shakespeare elevates buried or forgotten senses of words, showing how the names for things intertwine with the things themselves...he makes surprising correlations and uncanny couplings that keep the reader toggling back and forth between meanings," Geary writes.

Indeed, many a great mind has been inclined to pun. The 18th-century English poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge thought it was practically a prerequisite to intelligence, declaring, "All men who possess at once active dance, imagination, and philosophical spirit, are prone to punning."

US president Abraham Lincoln, despite his somber countenance and grave duties, was famously punny. Once, he received a letter from a Catholic priest asking him to suspend the sentence of a man to be hanged the next day. Lincoln quipped, "If I don't suspend it tonight, the man will surely be suspended tomorrow."

By using the same word-suspend-in two ways, Lincoln illuminates the relationship between the literal and metaphorical, legal and physical senses of a single term. It's a link that in conventional thinking remains invisible, Geary explains.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the groundbreaking psychiatrist and writer Sigmund Freud appreciated puns precisely for this reason. They reveal the accidental connections that our minds make, just as the Freudian slip reveals insights into a person's unconscious thinking.

Rhyming ideas

Geary admits that he often makes pun in his head-but he mostly keeps them to himself. He can't explain why the wordplay's not appreciated. "In poetry, words rhyme; in puns, ideas rhyme," he writes. "This is the ultimate test of wittiness, keeping your balance even when you're of two minds."

To Geary, puns represent wisdom. He admits some wordplay is just funny, not deep, and even that excessive punning can be tiresome. But he believes the ability to play with and relate disparate ideas, as demonstrated by the pun, underpins all human creativity-in the arts and sciences and beyond. "When you make a pun, you bring together two distinct ideas-a coincidence of sound, significance, or meaning-and a realization results," Geary says. "Puns are a way of introducing knowledge."

Although we can quip to ourselves, as Geary sometimes does, a successful pun is best pulled off with an accomplice. The witty utterance matters little if there's no clever listener to connect the dots with us. The utterer and listener are partners and both must be capable of creativity for the pun to work. Speaker and recipient take one path to connect distinct notions.

"Puns are all about exchange and they create an intimacy," Geary insists. "You're in it together, sharing a secret. You both figure it out and that play is the archetypal creative aspect of the mind and being in a relationship."

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The case for puns as the most elevated display of wit

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Humor me please, and consider the pun. Though some may quibble over the claim, the oft-maligned wordplay is clever and creative, writer James Geary tells Quartz. His upcoming book Wit's End robustly defends puns and tells the distinguished history of these disrespected witticisms. "Despite its bad reputation, punning is, in fact, among the highest displays of wit.

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The Great Gatsby is synonymous with parties, glitz and glamour – but this is just one of many misunderstandings about the book that began from its first publication.

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Few characters in literature or indeed life embody an era quite so tenaciously as Jay Gatsby does the Jazz Age. Almost a century after he was written into being, F Scott Fitzgerald's doomed romantic has become shorthand for decadent flappers, champagne fountains and never-ending parties. Cut loose by pop culture from the text into which he was born, his name adorns everything from condominiums to hair wax and a limited-edition cologne (it contains notes of vetiver, pink pepper and Sicilian lime). It's now possible to lounge on a Gatsby sofa, check in at the Gatsby hotel, even chow down on a Gatsby sandwich - essentially a supersize, souped-up chip butty.

More like this:

- The link between Gatsby and the Kardashians

- The most joyful books ever written

- Why funny books are also the most serious

Incongruous though that last item sounds, naming anything after the man formerly known as James Gatz seems more than a touch problematic. After all, flamboyant host is just one part of his complicated identity. He's also a bootlegger, up to his neck in criminal enterprise, not to mention a delusional stalker whose showmanship comes to seem downright tacky. If he embodies the potential of the American Dream, then he also illustrates its limitations: here is a man, let's not forget, whose end is destined to be as pointless as it is violent.

Misunderstanding has been a part of The Great Gatsby's story from the very start. Grumbling to his friend Edmund Wilson shortly after publication in 1925, Fitzgerald declared that "of all the reviews, even the most enthusiastic, not one had the slightest idea what the book was about." Fellow writers like Edith Wharton admired it plenty, but as the critic Maureen Corrigan relates in her book So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, popular reviewers read it as crime fiction, and were decidedly underwhelmed by it at that. Fitzgerald's Latest A Dud, ran a headline in the New York World. The novel achieved only so-so sales, and by the time of the author's death in 1940, copies of a very modest second print run had long since been remaindered.

The novel has become a force in pop culture, helped by Hollywood; the term 'Gatsbyesque' emerged a few years after the 1974 film starring Robert Redford (Credit: Getty Images)

Gatsby's luck began to change when it was selected as a giveaway by the US military. With World War Two drawing to a close, almost 155,000 copies were distributed in a special Armed Services Edition, creating a new readership overnight. As the 1950s dawned, the flourishing of the American Dream quickened the novel's topicality, and by the 1960s, it was enshrined as a set text. It's since become such a potent force in pop culture that even those who've never read it feel as if they have, helped along, of course, by Hollywood. It was in 1977, just a few short years after Robert Redford starred in the title role of an adaptation scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, that the word Gatsbyesque was first recorded.

Along with Baz Luhrmann's divisive 2013 movie extravaganza, the book has in the past decade alone spawned graphic novels, a musical, and an immersive theatrical experience. From now on, we're likely to be seeing even more such adaptations and homages because at the start of this year, the novel's copyright expired, enabling anyone to adapt it without permission from its estate . Early calls for a Muppets adaptation may have come to nothing (never say never), but a big-budget TV miniseries is already in the works, and author Min Jin Lee and cultural critic Wesley Morris are both writing fresh introductions to new editions.

The Great Gatsby has in the last decade spawned a film adaptation, a musical, a ballet and an immersive theatre experience (Credit: Alamy)

If this all leaves Fitzgerald purists twiddling their pearls like worry beads, it's quite possible that while some such projects may further perpetuate the myth that throwing a Gatsby-themed party could be anything other than sublimely clueless, others may yield fresh insights into a text whose very familiarity often leads us to skate over its complexities. Take, for instance, Michael Farris Smith's new novel, Nick. The title refers, of course, to Nick Carraway, the narrator of Gatsby, who here gets his own fully formed backstory. It's the tale of a Midwesterner who goes off to Europe to fight in World War One and comes back changed, as much by a whirlwind love affair in Paris as by trench warfare. There's room for an impulsive sojourn in the New Orleans underworld before he heads off to Long Island's West Egg.
An impossible dream?
Like many, Smith first encountered the novel in high school. "I just completely didn't get it", he tells BBC Culture, from his home in Oxford, Mississippi. "They seemed like a lot of people complaining about things they really shouldn't be complaining about." It was only when he picked it up again while living abroad in his late twenties that he began to understand the novel's power. "It was a very surreal reading experience for me. It seemed like something on almost every page was speaking to me in a way I had not expected," he recalls.

Reaching the scene in which Carraway suddenly remembers it's his thirtieth birthday, Smith was filled with questions about what kind of a person Gatsby's narrator really was. "It seemed to me that there had been some real trauma that had made him so detached, even from his own self. The thought crossed my mind that it would be really interesting if someone were to write Nick's story," he says. In 2014, by then a published author in his forties, he sat down to do just that, telling neither his agent nor his editor. It was only when he delivered the manuscript 10 months later that he learned copyright law meant he'd have to wait until 2021 to publish it.

Smith points to a quote from one of Fitzgerald's contemporaries as having provided the key to understanding Carraway. "Ernest Hemingway says in [his memoir] A Moveable Feast that we didn't trust anyone who wasn't in the war, and to me that felt like a natural beginning for Nick." Smith imagines Carraway, coping with PTSD and shellshock, returning home to a nation that he no longer recognises. It's a far cry from the riotous razzmatazz of all that partying, yet Carraway is, Smith suggests, the reason Fitzgerald's novel remains read. "Maybe it's not the champagne and the dancing, maybe it is those feelings of wondering where we are, the sense that anything can crumble at any moment, that keep Gatsby meaningful from one generation to the next."

William Cain, an expert in American literature and the Mary Jewett Gaiser Professor of English at Wellesley College, agrees that Nick is crucial to understanding the novel's richness. "Fitzgerald gave some thought to structuring it in the third person but ultimately he chose Nick Carraway, a first-person narrator who would tell Gatsby's story, and who would be an intermediary between us and Gatsby. We have to respond to and understand Gatsby and, as we do so, remain aware that we're approaching him through Nick's very particular perspective, and through Nick's very ambivalent relationship to Gatsby, which is simultaneously full of praise and full of severe criticism, even at some moments contempt," he says.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan starred in Baz Luhrmann's divisive 2013 film (Credit: Alamy)

Like Smith, Cain first encountered the novel as a student. It was a different era - the 1960s - but even so, little attention was paid to Nick. Cain recalls instead talk of symbolism - the legendary green light, for example, and Gatsby's fabled automobile. It's a reminder that, in a way, the education system is as much to blame as pop culture for our limited readings of this seminal text. It may be a Great American Novel but, at fewer than 200 pages, its sublimely economical storytelling makes its study points very easy to access. Ironically, given that this is a novel of illusion and delusion, in which surfaces are crucial, we all too often overlook the texture of its prose. As Cain puts it, "I think when we consider The Great Gatsby, we need to think about it not just as a novel that is an occasion or a point of departure for us to talk about big American themes and questions, but we have to really enter into the richness of Fitzgerald's actual page-to-page writing. We have to come to Gatsby, yes, aware of its social and cultural significance, but also we need to return to it as a literary experience."

Cain re-reads the novel every two or three years but frequently finds himself thinking about it in between - last summer, for instance, when US President Biden, accepting the Democratic nomination at the DNC, spoke of the right to pursue dreams of a better future. The American Dream is, of course, another of Gatsby's Big Themes, and one that continues to be misunderstood. "Fitzgerald shows that that dream is very powerful, but that it is indeed a very hard one for most Americans to realise. It feeds them great hopes, great desires, and it's extraordinary, the efforts that so many of them make to fulfil those dreams and those desires, but that dream is beyond the reach of many, and many, they give up all too much to try to achieve that great success," Cain points out. Among the obstacles, Fitzgerald seems to suggest, are hard-and-fast class lines that no amount of money will enable Gatsby to cross. It's a view that resonates with a mood that Cain says he's been picking up on among his students - a certain "melancholy" for the American Dream, the feeling fanned by racial and economic inequalities that the pandemic has only deepened.

Ever since the book's first publication in 1925, readers have misunderstood it (Credit: Alamy)

In other certain respects, the novel hasn't worn quite so well. While Fitzgerald showed where his allegiances lay by highlighting the brute ugliness of Tom Buchanan's white supremacist beliefs, he repeatedly describes African Americans as "bucks". The novel makes for frustrating reading from a feminist perspective, too: its female characters lack dimensionality and agency, and are seen instead through the prism of male desire. The path is now open to endless creative responses to those more dated and unpleasant aspects, and a new ITV and A+E Studios TV mini-series announced last month looks set to be one of the first. Written by Michael Hirst and with Fitzgerald's great-granddaughter Blake Hazard on board as a consulting producer, it has been described as a "reimagining" of the classic novel. "I have long dreamt of a more diverse, inclusive version of Gatsby that better reflects the America we live in, one that might allow us all to see ourselves in Scott's wildly romantic text," Hazard told The Hollywood Reporter.

To an impressive degree, however, the renewed attention brought by the change in law shows not just how relevant and seductive the text of Fitzgerald's novel remains, but how very alive it's always been. Pick it up at 27, and you'll find a different novel to the one you read as a teenager. Revisit it again at 45, and it'll feel like another book altogether. Copyright has never had any bearing on the impact of the words it governs.

Finally able to publish Nick, Smith returned once more to The Great Gatsby before turning in his last edit. "I think it will be a novel that's always evolving in my head, and always changing based on who I am," he says. "That's what great novels do."
Nick by Michael Farris Smith is published in the UK on 25 Feb 2021 and is already available in the US. Love books? Join If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. BBC Culture Book Club on Facebook, a community for literature fanatics all over the world.

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Few characters in literature or indeed life embody an era quite so tenaciously as Jay Gatsby does the Jazz Age. Almost a century after he was written into being, F Scott Fitzgerald's doomed romantic has become shorthand for decadent flappers, champagne fountains and never-ending parties.

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Yup that's me getting ready to paddle out to the line up at one of the most legendary surf spots on the planet.  What a thrill to take my place out with some of surf's greats and drop in at one of the world's greatest beaches in front of Diamond Head .  .  .  so cool.

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Welcome to 3rd Period's WebQuest. This product is now published. You are now free to explore and further your understanding of William Golding's classic.

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Use this handy dandy document to choose three projects. Make sure that you choose on from the easy column, one from the difficult column, and one from the middle column.

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For your reading pleasure, Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy.

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LONGBOARD SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HAWAII

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LONGBOARD SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HAWAII

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So . . . there I  was . . . in Hawaii with a once in a lifetime chance to bump up against the greatest athletes to put two feet on a surfboard and hang ten.  I'll never forget the week and traveling to the mecca of all surf destinations.  Aloha!

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Welcome to 4th Period's WebQuest. This product is now published. Explore the task section and test your knowledge of William Golding's classic tale of survival.

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This is the place to be for the 4th quarter bell ringers.

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For your reading pleasure, Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian society that burns books in order to control dangerous ideas and unhappy concepts. The novel tells the story of Guy Montag, a fireman who questions the book-burning policy and undergoes extraordinary suffering and transformation as a result.

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Fahrenheit 451 By Bradbury Ray : Ray Bradbury : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel.The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and firemen burn any that are found. The book's...

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For your reading pleasure, 1984 is a dystopian novella by George Orwell published in 1949, which follows the life of Winston Smith, a low ranking member of 'the Party', who is frustrated by the omnipresent eyes of the party, and its ominous ruler Big Brother

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The thing that he was about to do was to open a diary. This was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labour camp. Winston fitted a nib into the penholder and sucked it to get the grease off. The pen was an archaic instrument, seldom used even for signatures, and he had procured one, furtively and with some difficulty, simply because of a feeling that the beautiful creamy paper deserved to be written on with a real nib instead of being scratched with an ink-pencil. Actually he was not used to writing by hand. Apart from very short notes, it was usual to dictate everything into the speak-write which was of course impossible for his present purpose. He dipped the pen into the ink and then faltered for just a second. A tremor had gone through his bowels. To mark the paper was the decisive act. In small clumsy letters he wrote:

He sat back. A sense of complete helplessness had descended upon him. To begin with, he did not know with any certainty that this was 1984. It must be round about that date, since he was fairly sure that his age was thirty-nine, and he believed that he had been born in 1944 or 1945; but it was never possible nowadays to pin down any date within a year or two.

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The thing that he was about to do was to open a diary. This was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labour camp.

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Getting wet.

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The Giver is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses. The novel follows a 12-year-old boy named Jonas. The society has taken away pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives.

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Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers.

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HOOPS- While this is not a dystopian novel, it can be used as an independent reading novel for Dr. Patterson's students for the dystopian unit.

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HOOPS- While this is not a dystopian novel, it can be used as an independent reading novel for Dr. Patterson's students for the dystopian unit.

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" Hoops" by Walter Dean Meyers is a young a adult fiction book. The main character is Lonnie , and his passion for basketball. Lonnie and his friend play on the same basketball team in high school." Hoops" is a great book to read and relates to high school students who love basketball.

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Back in the Day . . . You could go on YouTube . . . Search for "Livin It" and find this STICK FIGURE.  If you watch the YouTube and pay close attention to the 1:40 mark, that's when I start getting jiggy with it.

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Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two, young, star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.

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Hurricane Dorian allows a little diversion.

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The whole series is here for your reading pleasure.   In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains. District 12 Tribute Katniss Everdeen has little to rely on, other than her hunting skills and sharp instincts, in an arena where she must weigh survival against love.

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The Hunger Games is an adventure novel by the American author #Suzanne_Collins in 2008. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives later dystopian country of Panem in North America. The Hunger Games PDF Book is the 1st book of the Hunger Games Series.

Details of The Hunger Games

Writer: #Suzanne_Collins
Country: United States
Language: English
Series Name: Hunger Games Series
Genres: Science fiction, Adventure, Dystopian,
Published Date: 14th September 2008 by Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0-439-02352-8
OCLC: 181516677
Followed by Catching Fire

Download Free The Hunger GamesBook Pdf

Name Of the Book: The Hunger Games

Book Format: PDF

PDF Size: ± 1.2 Megabyte

Number Of Pages: 374

You can Download The Hunger Games Pdf Book From the button below.

The Hunger Games Book Summary

The country of Panem, formed from a dystopian of North America, is a nation that has a privileged location on the Capitol that covers 12 poorer regions. From the beginning in its history, a resistance driven by a thirteenth place against the Capitol caused its devastation and the production of an annual transmission occasion known as the Hunger Games. Indiscipline, and as an indication of the power and elegance of the Capitol, each locality must yield to a boy and a girl between 12 and 18 years old through a lottery framework to be interested in recreations.

The 'tributes' are selected in the middle of the annual harvest and they are forced to fight until the end, leaving only one survivor to guarantee the victory. The female delegate of District 12, Katniss, volunteers to take her place. She and her male partner Peeta are hollow against older agents and more on the ground, some of whom have prepared for this all their lives. She considers it a death penalty. Be that as it may, Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

I trust You have downloaded The Hunger Games Book pdf ( The Hunger Games 1 ) by #Suzanne_Collins. Her next books, The Hunger Games Trilogy, is a universal blockbuster. The Hunger Games has been in the New York Times success list for more than six years starting from September 2008, and along with the US, Today and Publishers have been shown faithfully on Weekly Blockbuster Records. It has sold 51 sections in 56 divisions. In 2010, Collins named as Time 100 Rundown, as well as the Entertainment Entertainment Week of the Year, Entertainment.

I hope you will love this book to read and if you need to read the Harry Potter Series Book Pdf

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The Hunger Games Book Pdf Download - Hunger Games Series | EPUBSERIES

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The Hunger Games is an adventure novel by the American author #Suzanne_Collins in 2008. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives later dystopian country of Panem in North America. The Hunger Games PDF Book is the 1st book of the Hunger Games Series.

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The whole series is here for your reading pleasure.   Tris Prior lives in a futuristic world in which society is divided into five factions. As each person enters adulthood, he or she must choose a faction and commit to it for life. Tris chooses Dauntless -- those who pursue bravery above all else. However, her initiation leads to the discovery that she is a Divergent and will never be able to fit into just one faction. Warned that she must conceal her status, Tris uncovers a looming war which threatens everyone she loves.

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Harper Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a child’s view of race and justice in the Depression-era South.

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To Kill A Mockingbird - Full Text PDF.pdf

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Use this power point for days 8 - 10 to help with the assignments for distance learning.

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Use this guide to help you prepare for the SCReady test and the all-important EOC.

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Use these rules to help you complete your 20 question packet for commas, semicolons, and colons.

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When to Use a Colon: Grammar Rules With Examples | Grammarly

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Though using a colon may seem confusing, its function is straightforward. Think of it as an arrow that points to the information following it. When a colon appears in a sentence, it usually gives the silent impression of "as follows," "which is/are," or "thus."

Still confused? Read on to learn everything you need to know about the grammatical colon: what it is, when you should use one, when not to use one, and the difference between a colon and a semicolon.

Write with Grammarly

What is a colon?

The rules for using a colon can change depending on how you use it, and we'll explain how in a moment, but the two things it connects (be that a list or sentences) must be closely related. That is, whatever follows a colon should be connected to what came before it.

When to use colons

A colon can be used to separate two independent clauses when the second clause is directly related to the first clause (not just vaguely related), or when the emphasis is on the second clause.

While you can also use a or a between two independent-yet-related clauses, the colon is a little softer than the period, but a little harder than the semicolon.

Here's an example of how to use a colon.
There are three types of muscle in the body: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.
The colon in this sentence signals that you are about to learn the names of the three types of muscles the sentence already mentioned. We might silently read the sentence this way.
There are three types of muscle in the body (and they are): cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.
Colons are often used with lists, as in the example above. They can also be used to signal further clarification.
We have two options here: stay and fight, or run like the wind.
One might silently read the above sentence in this way:
We have two options here (and they are as follows): stay and fight, or run like the wind.
When should you use a colon?

Colons are most often used to introduce lists.
Taylor Swift has written a few songs about John Mayer: "Dear John," The movie had everything I wanted: action and suspense. "The Story of Us,"He ended with the immortal words of Neil Young: "Rock and Roll can never die." and "Would've, Could've, Should've." There is one big reason we don't talk about Bruno: His premonitions frightened the family.
Colons can introduce a quotation.
11:11 a.m. 2:1
A writer may use colons to illustrate their point by providing certain examples.
Colon-oscopy: The Best Punctuation Puns
Colons are used to separate units of time and ratios.

A colon can be used to separate a movie, book, or another piece of work's title from its subtitle.
The three types of muscle in the body are: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.
When not to use a colon
When I graduate, I want to go to: Rome, Israel, and Egypt. When I graduate, I want to go to Rome, Israel, and Egypt.
To illustrate, here is one of our sentences from above rewritten incorrectly.

Putting the colon here separates the verb "are" from its subject complements ("cardiac," "smooth," and "skeletal").

Lastly, colons should not be used after "including," "especially," or other similar phrases. As we explained earlier, a colon essentially replaces these words, so using them before one would be redundant.
I think I'll go to the mall today; I need new pants and a pair of shoes.
Colon vs. semicolon

Think of the semicolon as the colon's cousin; they serve a similar purpose but accomplish it in different ways.
My European football tour will consist of trips to Manchester, England; Glasgow, Scotland; Lille, France; and Turin, Italy.
The semicolon here takes the place of a conjunction because the second part expands on the first part.
There were warning signs that he might not finish the marathon: He barely trained in the days leading up to the race, and he wore the wrong shoes that day.
Semicolons can also be used to separate items in a lengthy list or if the list contains additional punctuation that might trip up the reader.
There was only one team she wanted to play for: Seattle Storm.
Should you capitalize the word after a colon?

You should also capitalize the first word after a colon if it's part of a proper noun.

No matter what stylebook you're following, you should never capitalize the word after a colon if it begins a list.

Colon examples

Here are five sentences that use colons in different ways.

There are several grocery stores where you can buy apples : Trader Joe's, Aldi, and Kroger, among others.

They're my ideal partner: outgoing and smart.

It's like my grandmother said: "The journey is the destination."

And now it's time to tell you why I've gathered you all here: time-shares.

Computer: A History of the Information Machine

What is a colon?

A colon is a punctuation mark that introduces an element or series of elements that illustrates or amplifies the information that preceded the colon.

How does a colon work?

A colon works by signaling that what comes after it is connected to the preceding sentence. It might be a list, a noun or noun phrase, or a separate independent clause.

When should you use a colon?

A colon should be used to separate two independent clauses when the second clause is directly related to the first, or when the emphasis is on the second clause.

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Colons are one of the most misunderstood punctuation marks in English. In this guide, we'll address the proper use of colons and provide examples.

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Use this 20 question study guide to help prepare you for that all important major.

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Use these transitions to help your sentences move within your paragraphs and your paragraphs move within your paper.

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These questions are designed to get you more acquainted with the story.

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Use this document to help give you ideas for the introduction for your social issues paper.

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Use these templates to help you complete your argument paper.

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A way too easy site to create a  citation for your works cited page.

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EasyBib®: Free Bibliography Generator - MLA, APA, Chicago citation styles

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Automatic works cited and bibliography formatting for MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian citation styles. Now supports MLA 9.

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COMMAS, COMMAS, and more COMMAS.  Everything you'll need to know to get ready for Benchmark testing.  Review this power point, and you'll be assured of being up to date on the 14 rules that might appear on the assessment.

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COMMAS, COMMAS, and more COMMAS.  Everything you'll need to know to get ready for Benchmark testing.  Review this power point, and you'll be assured of being up to date on the 14 rules that might appear on the assessment.

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Here's that Antigone family tree with all its twisted branches.

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This will be the go-to spot to access the Sophocles play.

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Alright . . . so your teacher has assigned the argumentative essay- - with the counter claim- - no less. Not a problem if you use this step-by-step guide to work your way through the process. Take good notes. You'll need them.

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A quotation sandwich encourages writers to introduce quotes and discuss them afterwards. Just keep in mind quotes should be the supporter, not the supplier , of information in an essay.

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Use this power point to prepare for those high stakes tests that will examine your understanding of participles, gerunds, and infinitives

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GERUNDS, INFINITIVES, and PARTICIPLES.  A down-and-dirty document that will talk you through three of the verb forms that trip even the most advanced grammarians.  

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GERUNDS, INFINITIVES, and PARTICIPLES.  A down-and-dirty document that will talk you through three of the verb forms that trip even the most advanced grammarians.  

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The twentieth-century British philosopher Stephen Toulmin claimed that good, realistic arguments typically will consist of six parts. He used these terms to describe the items. Use this for your social issues paper.

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This is a style sheet you can use if you want to write some really gnarly sentences.  Compound, complex, or compound/complex will never be a challenge once you get a load of this page complete with formulas, lists, and examples all color-coded to help you sort things out.

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As a "part of speech", transition words are used to link words, phrases or sentences. They help the reader to progress from one idea (expressed by the author) to the next idea. Thus, they help to build up coherent relationships within the text.

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Writing is a medium through which one's ideas, thoughts, and feelings are expressed. However, those ideas need to be logically linked. Transitions help a writer with this. Penlighten gives you a list of transitional words and phrases used in writing.

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A Comprehensive List of Transitional Words and Phrases Used in Writing

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Writing is a medium through which one's ideas, thoughts, and feelings are expressed. However, those ideas need to be logically linked. Transitions help a writer with this. Penlighten gives you a list of transitional words and phrases used in writing.

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Use this map to draw a picture of the order in which Odysseus traveled from Troy to Ithaca.

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This is the Fagels translation of The Odyssey that we will use.

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This is what we reviewed in class that all 8th grade students will be assessed against. This is a high school placement opportunity, so please, please, please, take it seriously.

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Text features include all the components of a story or article that are not the main body of text. These include the table of contents, index, glossary, headings, bold words, sidebars, pictures and captions, and labeled diagrams.

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Use this site to help substitute for those pesky "BE" verbs.

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LINKING VERBS

Definition:

Verb that connects the subject to another word in the sentence. The connecting word either a predicate noun, a pronoun, or an adjective.

The Linking Verb does not express action, but express a state of being or a condition.

Nancy is thoughtful

Thoughtful describes Nancy; is links the two

The bananas looked ripe

Ripe describes bananas; looked links the two.

Following is a short list of verbs that perform multiple tasks, and act not only as action verbs, but also as linking verbs

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTION VERB AND LINKING VERB

An action verb expresses action, either physical or mental.
A linking verb connects the subject with a word in the predicate that describes or identifies the subject.

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Linking Verbs Definitions and Examples | List of Linking Verbs with Examples

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A verb that links its subject to a predicate nominative or a predicate adjective. The most common linking verb is be. A complement is a word or group of words that helps to give a completeness to the understanding of the meaning of a subject, an object, or a verb.

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When the time comes to lay down those five important sentences to complete a Schaffer Model, here's where to turn for a model and a sample paragraph so your paragraph sounds so sweet.

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Words that sound alike or look alike (moral/morale) often confuse students, especially those using spell checkers. This lengthy list of commonly confused words with simple definitions will help you decide which spelling fits your sentence.

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The English 8 Studies classes will use this text to fulfill their dystopian literature unit requirement.

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A really cool power point with some really cool pictures of literary terms to help you understand literary elements when it comes time to study up on those sorts of things.  Gotta know your similes, metaphors, moods, imagery, and setting in poetry if you want to get to the bottom of the meaning.  Ya dig?

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Dystopian literature is a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures in 'a dark, nightmare world.'

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What is it about dystopian fiction that keeps readers going back for more? Are we suckers for punishment? Maybe we find comfort in the reminder that yes, things could be worse. Dystopian fiction has been around since the 19th century. Mary Shelley, famous for her fictional monster Frankenstein, was one of the first writers to venture into the bleak world of dystopia with her 1826 novel, The Last Man, but the genre didn't explode until after WWII and the introduction of nuclear weapons. For decades, writers from H.G. Wells to Margaret Atwood have been creating dystopian futures that are both beyond our wildest imaginations and shockingly close to home. In this list of the best dystopian novels, extreme cosmetic surgery is enforced, America breaks into a second Civil War, and animals rebel. Prepare to be disturbed, and utterly enthralled.

Which dystopian novels are missing from the list?

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What is it about dystopian fiction that keeps readers going back for more? Are we suckers for punishment? Maybe we find comfort in the reminder that yes, things could be worse. Dystopian fiction has been around since the 19th century.

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We've created this 21 slide powerpoint that will open the world of dystopian literature to you and assist with choosing a novel for the book talks.  Happy perusing.

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This review tests your understanding of sentence structure, how sentences are put together. and what makes a sentence complete and clear. Do these 20 sentences before we return for the holidays, and we will review for our exam.

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This sample provided by Purdue University's Online Writing lab provides an example on how to summarize, evaluate, and reflect on sources.

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Use this graphic organizer  SOAPSTone for reading and writing.  This strategy helps students refine their under

standing of texts to meet reading expectations, engage in group

conversations to meet speaking and listening expectations, prepare for writing about texts, and engage in language

analysis of informational texts. Use this graphic organizer and you'll know more than the average bear.

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This ACT Essentials power point will help you demystify the secrets and help you get prepared for that high-stakes test that colleges require for entrance.

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A 26 slide power point to make you so clued into the ACT test that you'll not only ace-it, but colleges will beat down your door to ask you how you scored so high.

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So now teach has assigned the expository essay, and I need some inside stuff on how to pull it off so that I can get a good grade. No problemo! Just use this righteous power point designed to make you look like you're the smartest kid in the class.

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Knowing the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing helps students from being cited for plagiarism. Read this document to help you understand how we give credit where credit is due.

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Check out the cool PDF, and you'll be up to speed on the Indicative, Imperative, Interrogative, Subjunctive, and Conditional Moods.  Your friends will be so impressed.

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HEY . . . THAT'S THE TWO OF US WITH AMERICA

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HEY . . . THAT'S THE TWO OF US WITH AMERICA

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Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell are the founding members of the band America.  We've made friends with them over the years, and they're happy to hop in a photo with the two of us.  "A Horse With No Name", "Ventura Highway", "You Can Do Magic", "Tin Man" , and "Daisy Jane" are songs  that Cathy & I have added to our play list and you might want to also.

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Here's a power point that contains all the literary elements for the short story by Shirley Jackson, "The Possibility of Evil." Once you review these seven slides, you'll never be creeped out over this story ever again.

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If you haven't noticed, many of the padlet posts contain valuable power points to help make you a better writer. Feel free to tap into those whenever you get writer's block, and you need assistance.  If you're wondering . . .  no, that's not a #2 pencil.  It's an award I received from the School Board of Broward County for having the highest gains in writing one year.  Don't thank me; thank my students.

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16 BOOKS EVERYONE SHOULD READ BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL.

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16 BOOKS EVERYONE SHOULD READ BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL.

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OK . . . So you're getting close to bustin' out of Beck and heading on to the next level.   High school’s an entirely different animal. For teens getting ready for what might be their first taste of lockers, late bells, and most of all a dizzying array of choices—of classes, of friends, of personas—here are 16 books exploring the obstacles you might face, debunking the myths you might get tripped up by, and serving as a primer for that giant, sometimes terrifying petri dish that is high school.  Enjoy 'em all

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Junior high is no joke, but high school's an entirely different animal. For teens getting ready for what might be their first taste of lockers, late bells, and most of all a dizzying array of choices-of classes, of friends, of personas-here are 16 books exploring the obstacles you might face, debunking the myths you might get tripped up by, and serving as a primer for that giant, sometimes terrifying petri dish that is high school. (And don't miss our list of 15 YA books every teen should read before college.)

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16 Books Everyone Should Read Before High School - B&N Reads

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Junior high is no joke, but high school's an entirely different animal. For teens getting ready for what might be their first taste of lockers, late bells, and most of all a dizzying array of choices-of classes, of friends, of personas-here are 16 books exploring the obstacles you might face, debunking the myths you might get tripped [...]

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K 125, Day 2, and Media are three poems that I penned at the age of seventeen at my first professional surfing event in Mexico.  I break these out when I teach the inner workings of the sonnet, so while the message in these may appear to be cryptic, the meaning comes out when I explain the day-to-day-to-day occurrences captured during the summer of 1971.

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Use this graphic organizer for poetry analysis.   TP-CASTT is an acronym standing for title, paraphrase, connotation, attitude, shift, title (again), and theme.  I use this method to teach my gifted students poetry analysis, but I find it works with students of all levels, and particularly with lower level students who have difficulty determining what is important or how to tease out meaning and analysis in a poem.

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Every language has its own collection of wise sayings. They offer advice about how to live and also transmit some underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. These sayings are called "idioms" - or proverbs if they are longer. These combinations of words have (rarely complete sentences) a "figurative" meaning - they basically work with "pictures".
This list of commonly used idioms and sayings (in everyday conversational English) can help you to speak English by learning English idiomatic expressions. This is a list, which contains exactly 66 of the most commonly used idioms and their meaning.

A hot potato

Speak of an issue (mostly current) which many people are talking about and which is usually disputed

A penny for your thoughts

A way of asking what someone is thinking

Actions speak louder than words

People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.

Add insult to injury

To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavorable situation.

At the drop of a hat

Meaning: without any hesitation; instantly.

Back to the drawing board

When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.

Ball is in your court

It is up to you to make the next decision or step

Barking up the wrong tree

Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person

Be glad to see the back of

Be happy when a person leaves.

Beat around the bush

Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.

Best of both worlds

Meaning: All the advantages.

Best thing since sliced bread

A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan.

Bite off more than you can chew

To take on a task that is way to big.

Blessing in disguise

Something good that isn't recognized at first.

Burn the midnight oil

To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting.

Can't judge a book by its cover

Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.

Caught between two stools

When someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives.

Costs an arm and a leg

This idiom is used when something is very expensive.

Cross that bridge when you come to it

Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.

Cry over spilt milk

When you complain about a loss from the past.

Curiosity killed the cat

Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant situation.

Cut corners

When something is done badly to save money.

Cut the mustard [possibly derived from "cut the muster"]

To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate

Devil's Advocate

To present a counter argument

Don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched

This idiom is used to express "Don't make plans for something that might not happen".

Don't give up the day job

You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

Do not put all your resources in one possibility.

Drastic times call for drastic measures

When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.

Elvis has left the building

The show has come to an end. It's all over.

Every cloud has a silver lining

Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days.

Far cry from

Very different from.

Feel a bit under the weather

Meaning: Feeling slightly ill.

Give the benefit of the doubt

Believe someone's statement, without proof.

Hear it on the grapevine

This idiom means 'to hear rumors' about something or someone.

Hit the nail on the head

Do or say something exactly right

Hit the sack / sheets / hay

To go to bed.

In the heat of the moment

Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.

It takes two to tango

Actions or communications need more than one person

Jump on the bandwagon

Join a popular trend or activity.

Keep something at bay

Keep something away.

Kill two birds with one stone

This idiom means, to accomplish two different things at the same time.

Last straw

The final problem in a series of problems.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning - do not disturb a situation as it is - since it would result in trouble or complications.

Let the cat out of the bag

To share information that was previously concealed

Make a long story short

Come to the point - leave out details

Method to my madness

An assertion that, despite one's approach seeming random, there actually is structure to it.

Miss the boat

This idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance

Not a spark of decency

Meaning: No manners

Not playing with a full deck

Someone who lacks intelligence.

Off one's rocker

Crazy, demented, out of one's mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile.

On the ball

When someone understands the situation well.

Once in a blue moon

Meaning: Happens very rarely.

Picture paints a thousand words

A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words.

Piece of cake

A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple.

Put wool over other people's eyes

This means to deceive someone into thinking well of them.

See eye to eye

This idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on something.

Sit on the fence

This is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision.

Speak of the devil!

This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives.

Steal someone's thunder

To take the credit for something someone else did.

Take with a grain of salt

This means not to take what someone says too seriously.

Taste of your own medicine

Means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else

To hear something straight from the horse's mouth

To hear something from the authoritative source.

Whole nine yards

Everything. All of it.

Wouldn't be caught dead

Would never like to do something

Your guess is as good as mine

To have no idea, do not know the answer to a question

Although it is difficult to draw a clear line, "an 'idiom' can not be defined as a synonym for aphorism. It is more than that. To be an idiom, a word or phrase must be distinctive to a specific language and have a meaning that is not obvious from the common meaning of the words employed. For example: "raining cats and dogs", "hangover", "jonesing" [drug withdrawal symptoms]. "You're pulling my leg" is an English idiom for "teasing", while "You're winding my clock" is an English translation of a German idiom that means the same thing. Note that in both cases, the meaning is transferred by the culture, not the words themselves." [Author:Robert Hard]

Download these English idioms as a PDF Commonly used Idioms (approximately 600 KB).

Idioms are used in all areas of the English language, but can be considered especially important when it comes to learning English through the act of speaking.

An idiom is a short phrase with its own specific meaning, and learning English idioms can help you to understand and become more like a native speaker.

A knee-jerk reaction

Meaning: An automatic response to something

Apple of my eye

Meaning: Often daughters or sons are referred to as the "apple" of their parent's eye

Origin: This phrase originates from King David, who wrote in Psalm 17 to ask God to remember and love David as His child: "Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me in the shadow of Your wings."

As busy as a bee

Meaning: To be extremely busy

At the drop of a hat

Meaning: immediately

Back to basics

Meaning: Simplifying things

Origin: The UK Prime Minister John Major was quoted as saying, 'It is time to get back to basics.' He was referring to the idea that the UK should try to revert back to a simpler time

Back to square one

Meaning: Go back to the beginning

Origin: In order to make football easily understandable to the listeners, a system of division was created. The field was separated into numbered squares with number one as the centre. Hence, after a goal, the ball went back to square one and they started again

Break a Leg

Meaning: Wishing someone good luck

Origin: In the theatre, if your performance was liked the crowd, they might ask for an 'encore,' which means a curtain call. The stick that is used to raise and lower the curtain was called a leg, so 'break a leg,' means to get so many curtain calls that the leg breaks in two. It's worth noting that wishing 'good luck' in the theatre is considered bad luck, so an alternative had to be found

Chip on his shoulder

Meaning: Carry a grudge

Origin: It dates back to the 19th century when fighters would put a chip on their shoulder and challenge others to hit it off

Close but no cigar

Meaning: Coming close to achieving success, but reaching a disappointment due to failure

Origin: Many years ago slot machines gave out cigars as prizes. Also, early carnival games also gave out cigars as prizes

Cut to the chase

Meaning: Get to the point

Origin: This comes from Hollywood in the 1920's and meant to move from a dramatic scene to an action scene

Dead Ringer

Meaning: Identical to something or someone

Origin: In England people who were afraid of being buried alive would attach a string to their finger that ran up to a bell. If they were alive they would ring the bell and be later dug up.

Example: 'He's a dead ringer for Hu Jintao'

Dog eat dog

Meaning: situation in which people act ruthlessly in order to be successful

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

Meaning: When you are given something you shouldn't be ungrateful

Origin: If you count the teeth of a horse you can tell its age, but this would be rude if that horse were a present because you are finding fault

Double whammy

Meaning: A double setback from being able to do something

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry

Meaning: This refers to everybody and excludes no one. It might come from the fact that the names Tom, Dick and Harry were very common years ago and so would seem to include every person possible.

Example: 'Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to borrow my bike!'

Excuse My French

Meaning: An apology before or after swearing

Face the Music

Meaning: Having to confront the awkward situation

Origin: This comes from the theatre, where musicians were seated in front of the stage. Hence, facing the music meant turning towards the audience, or whatever problem you had.

Fly on the wall

Meaning: A fly on the wall refers to someone who over sees something without the watched noticing him/her.

From top to bottom

Meaning: Completely, thoroughly, totally

Get cold feet

Meaning: Become frightened or nervous about something that you have to do

Get out of the wrong side of the bed

Meaning: In a bad mood

Origin: It is unlucky to put your left foot on the floor first when getting out of bed, and this can affect your mood for the rest of the day

Get the run-around

Meaning: Receive a series of excuses, delays, etc. This means that you have been treated in a way that causes you to do much more than you really should, by not giving you the answer you seek. This is also called a 'wild goose chase.'

Example: A. 'Hi, I would like to know my bank balance.'
B. 'Sorry that's not our department, try 1234567'
A. 'Hi 1234567, I would like to know my bank balance.'
C. 'Sorry that's not our department, try 4567890'
A. 'Hi 4567890, I would like to know my bank balance.'
B. 'Sorry that's not our department, try 1234567'
A. 'Wow, I am getting the run-around'

Get the short end of the stick

Meaning: Getting the smallest share or worst position

Graveyard Shift

Meaning: Working the night-shift, working at night

Origin: This has a very spooky meaning and comes from the fact that in old England people were sometimes buried alive by mistake (think unconscious). Years later the graves were moved to a new location and signs of attempted escape such as finger scrapes inside the coffin were discovered. In order to make sure this never happened again, an employee was used to stay in the graveyard at night and listen for any sounds, hence the working the night-shift.

Hit the hay

Meaning: Go to bed

Origin: Before mattresses used to be stuffed with hay or straw, so when one was hitting the hay they were on their way to bed, thus that's where the meaning 'hit the hay' or go to bed comes from.

In full swing

Meaning: Currently happening at full speed

In nothing flat

Meaning: Immediately, straight away

In the bag

Meaning: Secured / guaranteed outcome

Origin: This idiom originated in Great Britain when a bag was placed under the Speaker's chair (parliament). If there was a petition that was 'put in the bag' then it must be raised on that day.

In the long run

Meaning: Eventually

In the doghouse

Meaning: Being in trouble with someone

Jinx

Meaning: Bad luck

Origin: This is a 17th century word for a spell. In the early 1900's, sportswriters used the term to mean bad luck

Keep a straight face

Meaning: You should try not to laugh even though you find something really funny. You should use this when you are trying not to laugh at someone directly, usually from fear of being rude.

Example: 'Did you see that lady fall down the hole? I was trying to keep a straight face'

Kick the Bucket

Meaning: To die

Origin: Refers to people who committed suicide by putting a noose around their neck and standing on a bucket. It was the act of kicking it away that would kill them

Late in the day

Meaning: Something that has happened at a very late stage

Level playing field

Meaning: This is a term which refers to an equal and fair competition

Example: 'Now we are on a level playing field'

Like a headless chicken

Meaning: In a frenzied and uncontrollable manner

Make a mountain out of a molehill

Meaning: Make something minor into a major issue

Mum's the word

Meaning: Keep a secret and don't say anything

Origin: This comes from the works of Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part 2.He wrote that a character should 'seal up your lips and give no words but mum,' because mum is the sound of a hum you can only make with your mouth closed

Example: 'Mum's the word, let's keep this secret'

Not playing with a full deck

Meaning: If your 'not playing with a full deck' then you are either stupid or crazy

Origin: This comes from lacking the required intelligence, as a card game being played with a missing card

Off The Cuff

Meaning: An unprepared/adlib action

Origin: This is to do with public speakers in the 1930's writing notes on their shirt cuffs, in case they forgot their speeches

Open secret

Meaning: Something that is supposedly a secret, but that everyone knows

Over the top

Meaning: Exaggerated or excessive

Origin: In WW1 the trenches were cut into the earth, and you had to go over them and onto the battlefield when it was time to attack. Subsequently it means doing more than is usually required of you. Some now refer to it has just 'OTT' in abbreviations

Pull the Wool Over His Eyes

Meaning: To deceive someone

Origin: Pulling a woollen jumper over someone's eyes would block out their sight, and might allow you to cheat them

Put a sock in it

Meaning: Be quiet!

Origin: When people used to listen to music they used gramophones, but since they didn't have any volume control the only way to turn down the volume was by stuffing something into it. This may well have been a sock and so people now use the term, 'put a sock in it" when they want you to be quiet. Remember though, this is a rude way of asking.
A. 'I LOVE JESUS!!!!!'
B. 'Put a sock in it!'

Put on airs

Meaning: To act superior

Quality Time

Meaning: Important time a parent spends with a child

Origin: In the 1980's the government published the fact that parents could work hard and still have a good family life

Raining Cats and Dogs

Meaning: A heavy rain

Origin: Historical England's houses had hay roofs and these were very slippery when wet. When it rained, the roofs became oily and any animals that were sleeping there would slide off

Red-handed

Meaning: You are guilty of doing something and people know it

Origin: This term for guilt dates back to the 1400's when it meant having blood on one's hands. Use this with the action of catching someone in the act of doing something. It usually refers to a guilty person being found out.
'Stop that now, you have been caught red-handed'

Rule of thumb

Meaning: A rule of thumb is a basic rule that is usually but not always correct

Origin: The term comes from medieval times when the diameter of your thumb was thought to be the largest diameter of a stick which was legally allowed to beat your wife. How nice.

Example: 'As a rule of thumb, I like to wash my hands before I eat'

Send someone packing

Meaning: Send someone away, get rid of someone

Shake a leg

Meaning: To get you active in the morning and out of bed.

Origin: This was originally a naval term which was used to get new sailors out of their beds. The officer in charge would come in to the sleeping area and shout 'shake a leg,' and the sailors had to do so to prove they were awake. It can be used to get someone out of bed, but can also be applied when trying to ask someone to do something faster than they are currently doing. It might be what a parent might say to a child who was walking slowly behind them

Small potatoes

Meaning: An insignificant amount of money, not worth doing something for

Example: 'You want me to bet £1? That's small potatoes, let's bet £50!'

Smooth sailing

Meaning: Easy to be in control of

Spill the beans

Meaning: Reveal a secret you have know

The penny dropped

Meaning: To finally understand something

Example: 'I wasn't sure how he did that magic trick, and then the penny dropped'

Tickle someone's fancy

Meaning: To interest someone in something

Tie the knot

Meaning: To get married

Three strikes and you are out

Meaning: You have only three chances to do something

Origin: You should recognise this from baseball, as a player has three chances to hit the ball before their turn is over. Thus it can now be used to talk about having three chances to complete a task.

To be with it

Meaning: To be up-to-date

Touchwood

Meaning: Looking for good luck

Origin: This is most likely due to the old religious idea that trees have spirits, which traditionally bring good luck

Turn A Blind Eye

Meaning: To look the other way, to pretend not to notice something

Under the Weather

Meaning: To feel ill

Origin: Traditionally when it rained on a boat, people went down into the main part to get away from the weather. And also traditionally, because people feel ill on a boat, this was much worse when the weather was bad and the boat was rocking

Use your loaf

Meaning: To think, to figure something out

Example:
'Q. How can I open that door?'
'A. Use your loaf! Turn the handle'

Where there's muck there's brass

Meaning: There's money to be made with dirty jobs

Origin: Brass = money and muck = dirt

X Marks The Spot

Meaning: The exact location

Origin: A pirate's map of buried treasure marks the location with an X

You can't take it with you

Meaning: When you are dead, materials are worthless

Origin: This comes from the Bible and the idea that heaven doesn't accept material goods

Your name is mud

Meaning: Your reputation is ruined

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The most useful Idioms and their Meaning

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Every language has its own collection of wise sayings. They offer advice about how to live and also transmit some underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. These sayings are called "idioms" - or proverbs if they are longer.

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A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things not using the word “like” or “as.” Metaphors can be powerful, but they can also be tricky to identify at times. This page contains 100 metaphor examples that will make your writing come alive and keep it from becoming a train wreck. Wait a minute . . . was that a metaphor?

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A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things in an interesting way. The object of a simile is to spark an interesting connection in a reader's or listener's mind. A simile is one of the most common forms of figurative language. Similes can be found just about anywhere from poems to song lyrics and even in everyday conversations. Click the link and it will keep you busy as a bee. Oh, did it again.

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I love similes. They say more in 5-10 words than a whole paragraph. They are like spice to a stew, or perfume to an evening out. They evoke images far beyond the range of words. Simile-the co...

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Every language has its own collection of wise sayings. They offer advice about how to live and also transfer some underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. These sayings are called "idioms" - or proverbs if they are longer. These combinations of words have (rarely complete sentences) a "figurative meaning" meaning, they basically work with "pictures".
This List of commonly used idioms and sayings (in everyday conversational English), can help to speak English by learning English idiomatic expressions. This is a list, which contains exactly 66 of the most commonly used idioms and their meaning. This could be the best thing since sliced bread.

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Every language has its own collection of wise sayings. They offer advice about how to live and also transmit some underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. These sayings are called "idioms" - or proverbs if they are longer. These combinations of words have (rarely complete sentences) a "figurative" meaning - they basically work with "pictures".
This list of commonly used idioms and sayings (in everyday conversational English) can help you to speak English by learning English idiomatic expressions. This is a list, which contains exactly 66 of the most commonly used idioms and their meaning.

A hot potato

Speak of an issue (mostly current) which many people are talking about and which is usually disputed

A penny for your thoughts

A way of asking what someone is thinking

Actions speak louder than words

People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.

Add insult to injury

To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavorable situation.

At the drop of a hat

Meaning: without any hesitation; instantly.

Back to the drawing board

When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.

Ball is in your court

It is up to you to make the next decision or step

Barking up the wrong tree

Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person

Be glad to see the back of

Be happy when a person leaves.

Beat around the bush

Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.

Best of both worlds

Meaning: All the advantages.

Best thing since sliced bread

A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan.

Bite off more than you can chew

To take on a task that is way to big.

Blessing in disguise

Something good that isn't recognized at first.

Burn the midnight oil

To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting.

Can't judge a book by its cover

Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.

Caught between two stools

When someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives.

Costs an arm and a leg

This idiom is used when something is very expensive.

Cross that bridge when you come to it

Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.

Cry over spilt milk

When you complain about a loss from the past.

Curiosity killed the cat

Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant situation.

Cut corners

When something is done badly to save money.

Cut the mustard [possibly derived from "cut the muster"]

To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate

Devil's Advocate

To present a counter argument

Don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched

This idiom is used to express "Don't make plans for something that might not happen".

Don't give up the day job

You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

Do not put all your resources in one possibility.

Drastic times call for drastic measures

When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.

Elvis has left the building

The show has come to an end. It's all over.

Every cloud has a silver lining

Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days.

Far cry from

Very different from.

Feel a bit under the weather

Meaning: Feeling slightly ill.

Give the benefit of the doubt

Believe someone's statement, without proof.

Hear it on the grapevine

This idiom means 'to hear rumors' about something or someone.

Hit the nail on the head

Do or say something exactly right

Hit the sack / sheets / hay

To go to bed.

In the heat of the moment

Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.

It takes two to tango

Actions or communications need more than one person

Jump on the bandwagon

Join a popular trend or activity.

Keep something at bay

Keep something away.

Kill two birds with one stone

This idiom means, to accomplish two different things at the same time.

Last straw

The final problem in a series of problems.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning - do not disturb a situation as it is - since it would result in trouble or complications.

Let the cat out of the bag

To share information that was previously concealed

Make a long story short

Come to the point - leave out details

Method to my madness

An assertion that, despite one's approach seeming random, there actually is structure to it.

Miss the boat

This idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance

Not a spark of decency

Meaning: No manners

Not playing with a full deck

Someone who lacks intelligence.

Off one's rocker

Crazy, demented, out of one's mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile.

On the ball

When someone understands the situation well.

Once in a blue moon

Meaning: Happens very rarely.

Picture paints a thousand words

A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words.

Piece of cake

A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple.

Put wool over other people's eyes

This means to deceive someone into thinking well of them.

See eye to eye

This idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on something.

Sit on the fence

This is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision.

Speak of the devil!

This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives.

Steal someone's thunder

To take the credit for something someone else did.

Take with a grain of salt

This means not to take what someone says too seriously.

Taste of your own medicine

Means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else

To hear something straight from the horse's mouth

To hear something from the authoritative source.

Whole nine yards

Everything. All of it.

Wouldn't be caught dead

Would never like to do something

Your guess is as good as mine

To have no idea, do not know the answer to a question

Although it is difficult to draw a clear line, "an 'idiom' can not be defined as a synonym for aphorism. It is more than that. To be an idiom, a word or phrase must be distinctive to a specific language and have a meaning that is not obvious from the common meaning of the words employed. For example: "raining cats and dogs", "hangover", "jonesing" [drug withdrawal symptoms]. "You're pulling my leg" is an English idiom for "teasing", while "You're winding my clock" is an English translation of a German idiom that means the same thing. Note that in both cases, the meaning is transferred by the culture, not the words themselves." [Author:Robert Hard]

Download these English idioms as a PDF Commonly used Idioms (approximately 600 KB).

Idioms are used in all areas of the English language, but can be considered especially important when it comes to learning English through the act of speaking.

An idiom is a short phrase with its own specific meaning, and learning English idioms can help you to understand and become more like a native speaker.

A knee-jerk reaction

Meaning: An automatic response to something

Apple of my eye

Meaning: Often daughters or sons are referred to as the "apple" of their parent's eye

Origin: This phrase originates from King David, who wrote in Psalm 17 to ask God to remember and love David as His child: "Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me in the shadow of Your wings."

As busy as a bee

Meaning: To be extremely busy

At the drop of a hat

Meaning: immediately

Back to basics

Meaning: Simplifying things

Origin: The UK Prime Minister John Major was quoted as saying, 'It is time to get back to basics.' He was referring to the idea that the UK should try to revert back to a simpler time

Back to square one

Meaning: Go back to the beginning

Origin: In order to make football easily understandable to the listeners, a system of division was created. The field was separated into numbered squares with number one as the centre. Hence, after a goal, the ball went back to square one and they started again

Break a Leg

Meaning: Wishing someone good luck

Origin: In the theatre, if your performance was liked the crowd, they might ask for an 'encore,' which means a curtain call. The stick that is used to raise and lower the curtain was called a leg, so 'break a leg,' means to get so many curtain calls that the leg breaks in two. It's worth noting that wishing 'good luck' in the theatre is considered bad luck, so an alternative had to be found

Chip on his shoulder

Meaning: Carry a grudge

Origin: It dates back to the 19th century when fighters would put a chip on their shoulder and challenge others to hit it off

Close but no cigar

Meaning: Coming close to achieving success, but reaching a disappointment due to failure

Origin: Many years ago slot machines gave out cigars as prizes. Also, early carnival games also gave out cigars as prizes

Cut to the chase

Meaning: Get to the point

Origin: This comes from Hollywood in the 1920's and meant to move from a dramatic scene to an action scene

Dead Ringer

Meaning: Identical to something or someone

Origin: In England people who were afraid of being buried alive would attach a string to their finger that ran up to a bell. If they were alive they would ring the bell and be later dug up.

Example: 'He's a dead ringer for Hu Jintao'

Dog eat dog

Meaning: situation in which people act ruthlessly in order to be successful

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

Meaning: When you are given something you shouldn't be ungrateful

Origin: If you count the teeth of a horse you can tell its age, but this would be rude if that horse were a present because you are finding fault

Double whammy

Meaning: A double setback from being able to do something

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry

Meaning: This refers to everybody and excludes no one. It might come from the fact that the names Tom, Dick and Harry were very common years ago and so would seem to include every person possible.

Example: 'Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to borrow my bike!'

Excuse My French

Meaning: An apology before or after swearing

Face the Music

Meaning: Having to confront the awkward situation

Origin: This comes from the theatre, where musicians were seated in front of the stage. Hence, facing the music meant turning towards the audience, or whatever problem you had.

Fly on the wall

Meaning: A fly on the wall refers to someone who over sees something without the watched noticing him/her.

From top to bottom

Meaning: Completely, thoroughly, totally

Get cold feet

Meaning: Become frightened or nervous about something that you have to do

Get out of the wrong side of the bed

Meaning: In a bad mood

Origin: It is unlucky to put your left foot on the floor first when getting out of bed, and this can affect your mood for the rest of the day

Get the run-around

Meaning: Receive a series of excuses, delays, etc. This means that you have been treated in a way that causes you to do much more than you really should, by not giving you the answer you seek. This is also called a 'wild goose chase.'

Example: A. 'Hi, I would like to know my bank balance.'
B. 'Sorry that's not our department, try 1234567'
A. 'Hi 1234567, I would like to know my bank balance.'
C. 'Sorry that's not our department, try 4567890'
A. 'Hi 4567890, I would like to know my bank balance.'
B. 'Sorry that's not our department, try 1234567'
A. 'Wow, I am getting the run-around'

Get the short end of the stick

Meaning: Getting the smallest share or worst position

Graveyard Shift

Meaning: Working the night-shift, working at night

Origin: This has a very spooky meaning and comes from the fact that in old England people were sometimes buried alive by mistake (think unconscious). Years later the graves were moved to a new location and signs of attempted escape such as finger scrapes inside the coffin were discovered. In order to make sure this never happened again, an employee was used to stay in the graveyard at night and listen for any sounds, hence the working the night-shift.

Hit the hay

Meaning: Go to bed

Origin: Before mattresses used to be stuffed with hay or straw, so when one was hitting the hay they were on their way to bed, thus that's where the meaning 'hit the hay' or go to bed comes from.

In full swing

Meaning: Currently happening at full speed

In nothing flat

Meaning: Immediately, straight away

In the bag

Meaning: Secured / guaranteed outcome

Origin: This idiom originated in Great Britain when a bag was placed under the Speaker's chair (parliament). If there was a petition that was 'put in the bag' then it must be raised on that day.

In the long run

Meaning: Eventually

In the doghouse

Meaning: Being in trouble with someone

Jinx

Meaning: Bad luck

Origin: This is a 17th century word for a spell. In the early 1900's, sportswriters used the term to mean bad luck

Keep a straight face

Meaning: You should try not to laugh even though you find something really funny. You should use this when you are trying not to laugh at someone directly, usually from fear of being rude.

Example: 'Did you see that lady fall down the hole? I was trying to keep a straight face'

Kick the Bucket

Meaning: To die

Origin: Refers to people who committed suicide by putting a noose around their neck and standing on a bucket. It was the act of kicking it away that would kill them

Late in the day

Meaning: Something that has happened at a very late stage

Level playing field

Meaning: This is a term which refers to an equal and fair competition

Example: 'Now we are on a level playing field'

Like a headless chicken

Meaning: In a frenzied and uncontrollable manner

Make a mountain out of a molehill

Meaning: Make something minor into a major issue

Mum's the word

Meaning: Keep a secret and don't say anything

Origin: This comes from the works of Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part 2.He wrote that a character should 'seal up your lips and give no words but mum,' because mum is the sound of a hum you can only make with your mouth closed

Example: 'Mum's the word, let's keep this secret'

Not playing with a full deck

Meaning: If your 'not playing with a full deck' then you are either stupid or crazy

Origin: This comes from lacking the required intelligence, as a card game being played with a missing card

Off The Cuff

Meaning: An unprepared/adlib action

Origin: This is to do with public speakers in the 1930's writing notes on their shirt cuffs, in case they forgot their speeches

Open secret

Meaning: Something that is supposedly a secret, but that everyone knows

Over the top

Meaning: Exaggerated or excessive

Origin: In WW1 the trenches were cut into the earth, and you had to go over them and onto the battlefield when it was time to attack. Subsequently it means doing more than is usually required of you. Some now refer to it has just 'OTT' in abbreviations

Pull the Wool Over His Eyes

Meaning: To deceive someone

Origin: Pulling a woollen jumper over someone's eyes would block out their sight, and might allow you to cheat them

Put a sock in it

Meaning: Be quiet!

Origin: When people used to listen to music they used gramophones, but since they didn't have any volume control the only way to turn down the volume was by stuffing something into it. This may well have been a sock and so people now use the term, 'put a sock in it" when they want you to be quiet. Remember though, this is a rude way of asking.
A. 'I LOVE JESUS!!!!!'
B. 'Put a sock in it!'

Put on airs

Meaning: To act superior

Quality Time

Meaning: Important time a parent spends with a child

Origin: In the 1980's the government published the fact that parents could work hard and still have a good family life

Raining Cats and Dogs

Meaning: A heavy rain

Origin: Historical England's houses had hay roofs and these were very slippery when wet. When it rained, the roofs became oily and any animals that were sleeping there would slide off

Red-handed

Meaning: You are guilty of doing something and people know it

Origin: This term for guilt dates back to the 1400's when it meant having blood on one's hands. Use this with the action of catching someone in the act of doing something. It usually refers to a guilty person being found out.
'Stop that now, you have been caught red-handed'

Rule of thumb

Meaning: A rule of thumb is a basic rule that is usually but not always correct

Origin: The term comes from medieval times when the diameter of your thumb was thought to be the largest diameter of a stick which was legally allowed to beat your wife. How nice.

Example: 'As a rule of thumb, I like to wash my hands before I eat'

Send someone packing

Meaning: Send someone away, get rid of someone

Shake a leg

Meaning: To get you active in the morning and out of bed.

Origin: This was originally a naval term which was used to get new sailors out of their beds. The officer in charge would come in to the sleeping area and shout 'shake a leg,' and the sailors had to do so to prove they were awake. It can be used to get someone out of bed, but can also be applied when trying to ask someone to do something faster than they are currently doing. It might be what a parent might say to a child who was walking slowly behind them

Small potatoes

Meaning: An insignificant amount of money, not worth doing something for

Example: 'You want me to bet £1? That's small potatoes, let's bet £50!'

Smooth sailing

Meaning: Easy to be in control of

Spill the beans

Meaning: Reveal a secret you have know

The penny dropped

Meaning: To finally understand something

Example: 'I wasn't sure how he did that magic trick, and then the penny dropped'

Tickle someone's fancy

Meaning: To interest someone in something

Tie the knot

Meaning: To get married

Three strikes and you are out

Meaning: You have only three chances to do something

Origin: You should recognise this from baseball, as a player has three chances to hit the ball before their turn is over. Thus it can now be used to talk about having three chances to complete a task.

To be with it

Meaning: To be up-to-date

Touchwood

Meaning: Looking for good luck

Origin: This is most likely due to the old religious idea that trees have spirits, which traditionally bring good luck

Turn A Blind Eye

Meaning: To look the other way, to pretend not to notice something

Under the Weather

Meaning: To feel ill

Origin: Traditionally when it rained on a boat, people went down into the main part to get away from the weather. And also traditionally, because people feel ill on a boat, this was much worse when the weather was bad and the boat was rocking

Use your loaf

Meaning: To think, to figure something out

Example:
'Q. How can I open that door?'
'A. Use your loaf! Turn the handle'

Where there's muck there's brass

Meaning: There's money to be made with dirty jobs

Origin: Brass = money and muck = dirt

X Marks The Spot

Meaning: The exact location

Origin: A pirate's map of buried treasure marks the location with an X

You can't take it with you

Meaning: When you are dead, materials are worthless

Origin: This comes from the Bible and the idea that heaven doesn't accept material goods

Your name is mud

Meaning: Your reputation is ruined

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The most useful Idioms and their Meaning

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Every language has its own collection of wise sayings. They offer advice about how to live and also transmit some underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. These sayings are called "idioms" - or proverbs if they are longer.

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Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to make a point. It is like the opposite of “understatement.” It is from a Greek word meaning “excess.”

Hyperboles can be found in literature and oral communication. They would not be used in nonfiction works, like medical journals or research papers; but, they are perfect for fictional works, especially to add color to a character or humor to the story.

Hyperboles are comparisons, like similes and metaphors, but are extravagant and even ridiculous. They are not meant to be taken literally.

It doesn't get any better than this.

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Hyperbole, from a Greek word meaning "excess," is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. It is the opposite of understatement.

You can find hyperbole in literature and everyday speech. You would not use it in nonfiction works, like reports or research papers, but it is perfect for creative communication and fiction writing, especially to add color to a character or humor to the story.

Hyperboles are not comparisons, like similes and metaphors, but extravagant and even ridiculous overstatements, not meant to be taken literally. In literature, hyperbole will often be used to show contrasts or catch the reader's attention.

Hyperbole Adds Emphasis

A simple story can be brought to life or become comical with the use of hyperbole.

In these commonly used examples of hyperbole you will see that the sentiment is not realistic but helps to stress the point:

I've told you to clean your room a million times!

It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing hats and jackets.

She is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company.

I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

I have a million things to do today.

When I was young, I had to walk 15 miles to school, uphill, in the snow.

I had a ton of homework.

If I can't buy that perfect prom dress, I will die!

He is as skinny as a toothpick.

The car went faster than the speed of light.

His new car cost a bazillion dollars.

We are so poor; we don't have two cents to rub together.

That joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding a dinosaur.

They ran like greased lightning.

He's got tons of money.

You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Her brain is the size of a pea.

My geography teacher is older than the hills.

Hyperbole in Literature

A great example of hyperbole in literature comes from Paul Bunyan's opening remarks in the American folktale of Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. It comically gets across just how cold it was:

"Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be heard. People had to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about the night before."

An example of how hyperbole can emphasize emotion comes from the poem "As I Walked Out One Evening" by W.H. Auden:

"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky."

The exaggeration here in Parker's Back byFlannery O'Connor helps to set up the characterization:

"The skin on her face was as thin and drawn as tight as the skin of onion and her eyes were gray and sharp like the points of two picks."

In this example from Banner in the Sky, James Ramsey Ullman shows how sharp contrast can heighten emotion:

"It was not a mere man he was holding, but a giant; or a block of granite. The pull was unendurable. The pain unendurable."

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses hyperbole to emphasize the slow, dull pace of life in the town:

"A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County."

Hyperbole in Advertising

If used properly, hyperbole can encourage consumers to buy products. There has been limited research into this area, but a 2007 study by Mark A. Callister PhD & Lesa A. Stern PhD, "The Role of Visual Hyperbole in Advertising Effectiveness" found that "hyperbolic ads produce more ad liking than nonhyperbolic ads."

Examples of hyperboles in advertising include:

Adds amazing luster for infinite, mirror-like shine (Brilliant Brunette shampoo)

It doesn't get better than this (Oscar Meyer)

The best a man can get (Gillette)

Mints so strong they come in a metal box (Altoids)

Do Exaggerate

Remember, hyperbole is over the top and not meant to be taken literally, but figuratively. Look for examples of these extreme exaggerations in many sources, from poetry and plays to everyday conversations and commercials, and use hyperbole to inject emphasis, feeling and humor into your writing. When used appropriately, the effect is purposeful and emphatic, causing the reader to pay attention. Just be careful not to overdo the overstatment!

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Hyperbole, from a Greek word meaning "excess," is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. It is the opposite of understatement. You can find hyperbole in literature and everyday speech.

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Onomatopoeia is when a word’s pronunciation imitates its sound.  When you say an onomatopoeic word, the utterance itself is reminiscent of the sound to which the word refers.  Poets use onomatopoeia to access the reader’s auditory sense and create rich soundscapes.  It is one of many poetic devices dealing with the sounds of poetry.  Many people confuse onomatopoeia with interjections; however, they are two different and distinct concepts. WOW!

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Onomatopoeia is when a word's pronunciation imitates its sound. When you say an onomatopoeic word, the utterance itself is reminiscent of the sound to which the word refers. Poets use onomatopoeia to access the reader's auditory sense and create rich soundscapes. It is one of many poetic devices dealing with the sounds of poetry. Many people confuse onomatopoeia with interjections; however, they are two different and distinct concepts. Interjections are one of the eight parts of speech. An interjection is a sudden outburst of emotion or excitement, such as "ouch" or "wow."

While some onomatopoeic words may be used as interjections, most interjections do not imitate sounds. Contrarily, onomatopoeic words, such as "buzz" or "boom," always mimic the noises to which they refer. Here are 101 examples of onomatopoeia:

1. The sheep went, "Baa."

2. The best part about music class is that you can bang on the drum.

3. It is not unusual for a dog to bark when visitors arrive.

4. Silence your cellphone so that it does not beep during the movie.

5. Dad released a belch from the pit of his stomach.

6. The bridge collapsed creating a tremendous boom.

7. The large dog said, "Bow-wow!"

8. Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night?

9. My brother can burp the alphabet.

10. Both bees and buzzers buzz.

11. The cash register popped open with a heart warming ca-ching.

12. The bird's chirp filled the empty night air.

13. Her heels clacked on the hardwood floor.

14. The clanging pots and pans awoke the baby.

15. If you want the red team to win, clap your hands right now!

16. The cadets swelled with pride when they heard the clash of the cymbals at their graduation ceremony.

17. The dishes fell to the floor with a clatter.

18. Nothing annoys me more than rapidly clicking your pen.

19. The bride and groom were not surprised to hear the familiar sound of clinking glasses.

20. The horse's hooves clip-clopped on the cobblestones.

21. Those clucking chickens are driving me crazy!

22. The dim-witted pigeon repulsed us with its nerve crawling coo.

23. If you're going to cough, please cover your mouth.

24. The prisoner was terrified to hear the crack of the whip.

25. We roasted marshmallows over the crackling fire.

26. The two-year old crashed into the cabinet.

27. The cabinet opened with a distinct creak.

28. Dissatisfied with her work, Beth crinkled up the paper and threw it in the trash.

29. The swamp frogs croaked in unison.

30. The teacher heard the distinct crunch of ruffled potato chips.

31. Jacob could not sleep with the steady drip-drop of water coming from the sink.

32. The root beer fizzed over the top of the mug.

33. The flag flapped in wind.

34. Did you forget to flush the toilet?

35. Daryl gargled the mouthwash.

36. The wounded soldier groaned.

37. As Tom got closer, the dog began growling.

38. Juan had a hard time hearing the teacher over his grumbling stomach.

39. When Mom asked Tommy how his day went, Tommy just grunted.

40. Vince gulped down the Mountain Dew.

41. The patient sounded like he was hacking up a lung.

42. If you have the hiccups, you should try drink a glass of water.

43. The snake slithered and hissed.

44. If you see anyone coming, honk your horn.

45. The wolves howled at the moon.

46. The new pencil sharpener hummed efficiently.

47. They knew that the principal was coming because they heard the jingle of his keys.

48. Someone is knocking on the door.

49. That cat will keep meowing until you pet it.

50. John was disturbed by the strange moaning.

51. The cow aggressively mooed at the passing freight train.

52. Janet murmured the answer under her breath.

53. While lounging in the slop pile, the pigs oinked excitedly.

54. The hail pattered on the tin gutter.

55. When he saw the cheese, the mouse could not help but to peep excitedly.

56. The lunch lady plopped a scoop of something on Kristen's tray.

57. Billy will cry if you pop his balloon.

58. After eating the knight, the dragon let out a puff of smoke.

59. Most cats purr if you pet them behind the ears.

60. The kind man shared his bread with the quacking ducks.

61. My favorite singers have raspy voices.

62. Tim would have stepped on the snake had he not heard the rattle of its tail.

63. The race-car driver revved his engine.

64. Our peaceful dinner ended when the phone began ringing.

65. I secretly ripped up the birthday checks that my grandmother sent me.

66. The lion's mighty roar could be heard across the Savannah.

67. The earthquake rumbled the foundations of our house.

68. When the wind blew the leaves rustled.

69. He took off so quickly that his tires screeched.

70. When Reuben saw what he thought was a ghost, he shrieked like a woman.

71. I love the sound of bacon sizzling on a weekend.

72. You could hear the slap echo across the valley.

73. The thirsty dog slurped the dirty water from the puddle.

74. The young girl smacked her lips and spoke rudely.

75. Frank smashed the can on his head.

76. After making a rude remark, Jade snapped her fingers and rolled her neck.

77. Having never left the city, Juan eagerly sniffed the country air.

78. Tommy made me laugh so hard in the lunchroom that I snorted milk out of my nose.

79. The paintball splattered against the windshield.

80. Fat Pat did a cannonball in the pool and made a big splash.

81. Mr. Morton told the student to spit out his gum.

82. Angie sprayed her neighbor with the hose.

83. Mark tried sneaking in the house but the squeak of his shoes woke up Mom.

84. Jenna ran around the lunchroom squealing like a pig.

85. When he sat down, the young boy squished the unfortunate critter in his pocket.

86. The musician used a coin to strum the guitar.

87. Shaun loved the swish of the basketball net.

88. Mitchel gently tapped the ball into the hole.

89. Time just keeps on ticking.

90. Bobby threw his books down with a thud.

91. That thump made us jump.

92. If you see him, toot your horn.

93. The rain trickled down the gutter.

94. Birds tweeted long before Twitter did.

95. The lawyer chased after the wail of the sirens.

96. The bullet whizzed by his ear.

97. Bob's big dogs woofed at the unfortunate mail main.

98. Beth's little dog would not stop yapping.

99. Spaceman Spiff zapped the alien with his ray-gun.

100. Ronald zipped up his sleeping bag.

101. The race car zoomed past the finish line.

Using onomatopoeia is a fun way to bring the reader into your poetry or writing. This list of 101 examples of onomatopoeia does not include all of the onomatopoeic words in the English language, but it is a pretty good start. I hope that you have gained a better understanding of onomatopoeia and the many onomatopoeic words that are used in the English language.

Common Core State Standards Related to Onomatopoeia

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 - Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 - Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Expand to View All Common Core State Standards Related to Onomatopoeia

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5 - Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a - Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b - Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a - Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5b - Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.5a - Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a - Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5a - Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a - Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5a - Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.

Looking for Something Else?
Poetic Devices
Worksheets with Onomatopoeia
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101 Onomatopoeia Examples | Ereading Worksheets

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Onomatopoeia is when a word's pronunciation imitates its sound. When you say an onomatopoeic word, the utterance itself is reminiscent of the sound to which the word refers. Poets use onomatopoeia to access the reader's auditory sense and create rich soundscapes. It is one of many poetic devices dealing with the sounds of poetry.

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I've used this power point for quite some time now (with edits, of course) to unpack and deliver the expository essentials. What better way than to provide students with a way to write about their most prized possession--the cell phone.

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10 videos to help make personification come alive in your writing. So . . . grab your popcorn, reach for your favorite beverage, and happy viewing.

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WatchKnowLearn - Free K-12 educational videos

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Free K-12 educational videos ... organized. Tens of thousands of excellent, educational videos in a huge, intuitive directory. Organized, reviewed, rated, and described by teachers. Ideal as a supplement to a curriculum or for independent study. Designed for teachers, students, parents, homeschoolers, educators ... and all life-long learners!

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Great interactive study resource for "The Raven."  Check out the vocabulary and literary devices in Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, The Raven. This unit lets users view each stanza of the poem, pointing out Poe's use of some common literary devices. By moving the mouse over the highlighted words, users can learn more about Poe's use of these devices. They include: alliteration, assonance, internal rhyme, and vocabulary all in a color-coded format to make life easy.

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TeachersFirst's interactive presentation of Poe's classic poem lets students learn the vocabulary and literary devices in Poe's writing.

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An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or event. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including fiction, folklore, historical events, or religious manuscripts. The reference can be direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader’s understanding.  Use allusions to engage the reader and help the reader remember the message or theme of the passage.

Allusions also allow the writer to give an example or get a point across without going into a lengthy discourse. This site is like the Garden of Eden. Yep, I just used one.

Read more at http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-allusion.html#aMru3W43KiStlVjI.99

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An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or event. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including fiction, folklore, historical events, or religious manuscripts. The reference can be direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader's understanding.

Literary Allusions

There are several ways that an allusion can help a writer:

Allusions engage the reader and will often help the reader remember the message or theme of the passage.

Allusions allow the writer to give an example or get a point across without going into a lengthy discourse.

Allusions are contingent on the reader knowing about the story or event that is referenced.

Here are some examples that allude to people or events in literature:

"I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio's." This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew whenever he told a lie. It is from The Adventures of Pinocchio, written by Carlo Collodi.

"When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn't necessary." Scrooge was an extremely stingy character from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

"I thought the software would be useful, but it was a Trojan Horse." This refers to the tale in Homer's Iliad where the Greeks built a large, hollow wooden horse to hide soldiers in. It was given as a gift to the enemy during the Trojan War and, once inside the enemy's walls, the soldiers broke out. By using trickery, the Greeks won the war.

"He was a real Romeo with the ladies." Romeo, the lead character in Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, is considered to be a true romantic hero, and won over Juliet against her family's wishes.

"Chocolate was her Achilles' heel." This means that her weakness was her love of chocolate. Achilles is a character in Greek mythology who was thought to be invincible. His mother dipped him in magical water when he was a baby, and she held him by the heel. So his heel was the only part of him not protected by the magic.

Biblical Allusions

There are many biblical allusions that are used in our everyday language and in writing.

Here are a few examples:

"He was a Good Samaritan yesterday when he helped the lady start her car." This refers to the story of the Good Samaritan who was the only one to stop and help a man in need.

"She turned the other cheek after she was cheated out of a promotion." This comes from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches that you should forgive someone who has wronged you and not seek revenge.

"This place is like a Garden of Eden." The Garden of Eden was the paradise God made for Adam and Eve.

"You are a Solomon when it comes to making decisions." This refers to the story of King Solomon, who was given great wisdom by God.

"When the volcano erupted, the nearby forest was swallowed up in dust and ash like Jonah." In the Bible, Jonah was swallowed whole by a whale.

"It is raining so hard, I hope it doesn't rain for 40 days and 40 nights." This refers to the story of Noah and the ark he built when he was told by God that it would rain for 40 days and 40 nights and flood the land.

Understanding Allusions

Allusions are a useful literary tool as they can convey a great deal of information in just a few words. However, because allusions make reference to something other than what is directly being discussed, you may fail to understand it if you do not know the underlying event, tale or other reference point. So think about the pros and cons of allusions when using them in your writing.

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An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or event. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including fiction, folklore, historical events, or religious manuscripts. The reference can be direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader's understanding.