Audio GED Prep Introduction and Language Arts Lessons 1-5

Introduction and Audio GED Prep Language Arts Lessons 1-5

Title: Introduction to the GED Course of Study

Lesson Summary:

The GED is a certification that allows those who did not graduate high school a certificate that is the equivalent of a high school diploma. Those who take the GED must be at least 16 years old and must meet local guidelines dictating their eligibility.

The GED is overhauled about once every 10 years, and now has a new version in 2014.

The cost of the GED varies from state to state and country to country.

People with disabilities can have various things done to assist them while taking the GED, such as having the test given in braille or having a scribe.

You can take the GED with paper and pencil or electronically on a computer. Both kinds of tests must be taken at a testing center. Electronic tests will give you an idea of your score more quickly than paper tests. You can visit www.testingservices.com to find a testing center near you, or call one of several toll-free numbers.

To register for the new GED, you will need to visit http://www.GED.com. Here you can sign up for an account and find study resources.

There are four different domains that you will be tested on: Social Studies, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Reasoning Through Language Arts. You are required to pass each domain in order to receive the GED. Passing is considered at a level of 60 percent of high school students. The scores range from 100 – 200, with 150 being a passing score. You can take the GED three times in a calendar year, and only have to pass each module once.

The new GED is different in that it goes into more detail than previous versions and also tests each student on their college and career readiness skills. The scoring report is more detailed and should provide better feedback for each test taker.

Audio GED Prep Language Arts Lesson 1

Title: Literary Devices

Lesson Summary:

Literary devices are like the tools at an author’s disposal.

A simile is a comparison using the words “like” or “as”.

A metaphor is also a comparison, stronger than a simile that does not use “like” or “as”, but usually uses a form of the verb “to be”.

Descriptive language is when an author uses adjectives and adverbs to paint a vivid picture with specific details. An author needs to find a balance between using too much and too little description.

Alliteration is a device often used in poetry in which words have the same initial sound.

Allusion is when an author makes a reference to another work in order to create a desired effect.

Hyperbole is using exaggeration to make a point, such as saying that “I was so hungry I could eat a horse.”

Personification is when an author gives human attributes to an inanimate object, such as describing a fire as “running”.

An allegory is a story in which the characters, settings, or events have a deeper symbolic meaning such as George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.

Audio GED Prep Language Arts Lesson 2

GED Lessons

Title: Using Punctuation

Lesson Summary:

Punctuation is an important part of writing properly and is a skill being lost in a world dominated by technology.

The period is used at the end of a declarative sentence and after some abbreviations such as “Mr.” or “A.M.”

The exclamation point shows strong emotion and is used after a strong command or interjection, such as “No!” Exclamation points should only be used sparingly and never more than one at a time.

The question mark is used to show that a sentence is a question. You should not use more than one or combine it with an exclamation point in formal writing. Only use a question mark after a direct question.

Commas are used in a variety of situations. They can be used in a list of items, separating stings of numbers, elements in dates and addresses, and used to separate introductory material from the rest of the sentence. They are also used before coordinating conjunctions such as “but”, “and” and “yet” when they are used to link to independent clauses and between a person and their title, such M.D. or Jr.

When using quotations, a comma should separate the quotation and the rest of the sentence. When addressing a person, you should set his or her name off by commas, or when using an appositive, which is a phrase which adds more information in a sentence.

The semicolon can be used when separating items in a complex list, such as a list of places that include cities and states. You can also use a semicolon to connect closely related independent clauses where you usually can use “because”.

Quotation marks are used to show direct quotes. They always come in pairs. They can also be used to show that certain words are a title or a short story, song, or other creative work. You should start a new paragraph whenever a new person starts speaking. Do not use quotation marks for indirect quotes.

Apostrophes are used to show possession and to create contractions. You can add ‘s to a noun to show possession, or just ‘ when the noun already ends in s. When forming contractions, apostrophes show where a letter or letters were omitted.

A dash or a hyphen is used to connect multi-word adjectives, such as well-known, and to connect complex numbers such as twenty-six or seventy-two. It can also be used to break up a word between lines. It also sets off some prefixes, such as ex- and all-.

An ellipsis is shown by three equally spaced dots and means that some words in a quotation have been omitted. It can also be used in dialogue to show that someone’s voice is trailing off.

Parentheses are used for material in a sentence that is not emphasized in a sentence and usually should have no punctuation between the two parentheses.

Source:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/576/01/

Audio GED Prep Language Arts Lesson 3

GED Lessons

Title: Language Arts: Pitfalls In English

Lesson Summary:

English has been influenced by many different languages, including German, French, Latin, and Spanish. Thus, there are many exceptions to the rules in English.

• Less/Fewer: Less answers “how much?” (amounts) and fewer answers “how many?” (numbers). Never say “less people”.

• Who/Whom: Who is always the subject of a sentence, while whom is always an object. Always use whom after prepositions.

• Effect/Affect: Effect is a noun, which means “a result”. Affect is a verb, which means “to influence”.

• Lie/Lay: To lay means to put something down, and needs a direct object. To lie means to lie yourself down, and does not need a direct object.

• Different than/Different from: Use different from when a noun follows the word “different” and use different than when a clause (with a subject and verb) follows the word “different”.

• Two/Too/To: Two is the word version of the number 2. Too is the same as saying “also” or indicates excess, such as “too much”. To is a preposition.

• They’re/Their/There: There is a contraction of the words “they are”. Their is the possessive form of “they”. There is a word that is used to show location or existence.

• Which/That: Which is used to set off non-essential clauses. These clauses are surrounded by commas. That is used to set off essential clauses. These clauses are not surrounded by commas.

• Its vs. It’s: Its is the possessive form of “it”. It’s is a contraction of the words “it is.”

Audio GED Prep Language Arts Lesson 4

GED Lessons

Title: Language Arts: Establishing a Genre

Lesson Summary:

Genre refers to a kind of writing. There are many different categories, but firstly, writing is split into fiction and non-fiction, where fiction is formed from the author’s imagination, while non-fiction is based in reality.

Genre helps organize writing and tells you something about the conflict might be resolved in a given story.

Fantasy is a genre in which wonder is the central feeling. There are fantastical elements, such as magic and mythical creatures.

Science Fiction is a genre in which a scientific advance causes a problem that must be coped with during the course of the story.

Literary is a genre in which the focus is on the beauty of the words and style of the writer. Literary stories are usually strongly grounded in reality and can have layers of symbolism.

Historical Fiction is a genre where the story is set in a historical period other than the author’s own. This requires a great deal of research on the author’s part to avoid historical inaccuracy.

Romance is a genre in which the story revolves around a couple for whom there is some obstacle keeping them apart.

Action/Adventure is a genre in which the fast pace of the plot is the main focus. The main character is put into a variety of perilous situations.

Mystery is a genre in which a mysterious event of question is the main focus of the plot. The answer to the question is revealed through the events of the story.

Picture books are those intended for very young children with minimal text.

Chapter books are intended for children, but are divided into chapters, and are a bit more complex.

Middle grade books are intended for early teenagers and are often made into series. Humor, horror, and wonder are the main emotions found here.

Young Adult books are those meant for teenagers and deal with more mature themes and plots.

New Adult is an emerging genre of books for young adults after highs school and into the college years.

Adult books are those meant for adults and can deal with a wide variety of content and complex plots. They tend to focus on drama, intrigue and suspense more than books for children.

Audio GED Prep Language Arts Lesson 5

• Parts of speech

• Subject/verb agreement

• Cases

Nouns are persons, places, and things. There are two kinds of nouns, proper nouns and regular nouns.

Proper nouns are names of specific people and places, like Austin, Texas, or Mr. Paul Jones. These nouns are always capitalized.

Regular or improper nouns are any nouns that are not proper nouns. These are only capitalized if they are the first word in a sentence.

A verb is an action word. It shows what nouns are doing. Verbs usually come near the nouns they are describing, and have to be changed slightly depending on whether a noun is singular or plural . Verbs also come in three main tenses: the past tense, the present tense, and the future tense.

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It has three forms, the normal form, the comparative form, and the superlative form. Comparative forms usually add –er, while superlative forms usually at –est, though some longer adjectives use the words “more” and “most”.

An adverb is a word that describes a verb. They all in in the letters –ly.

Conjunctions are words that tie words, clauses, and sentences together. There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.

The coordinating conjunctions are: as, because, for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. These conjunctions combine two items of equal importance, such as words, clauses, or sentences.

The correlative conjunctions all have two parts. They are: either/or, not only/but also, neither/nor, both/and, whether/or, and just as/so.

Some of the most common subordinating conjunctions are: although, as if, as long as, after, because, before, since, so that, though, unless, while, etc. These join and independent clause and a dependent clause.

Prepositions show position or link two different elements in a sentence together. They are usually found in prepositional phrases, which consist of a preposition and an object, which is a noun with all of its modifiers. It is a good idea to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition, but sometimes it cannot be avoided.

Interjections are words that interrupt the normal flow of the sentence. They are usually followed by an exclamation point, but are sometimes set off by commas, especially if they come in the middle of sentence.

Pronouns are words that stand in for nouns or other pronouns. There are many different types of pronouns, depending on whether the pronoun is acting as a subject or an object in a sentence, and what the number and gender of the noun or nouns being replaced.