eligible (adjective) qualified for

• Sample Sentence: Students must bring in signed permission slips to be eligible to participate in field trips.

• Turn and Talk: Do you think students who don’t do their homework should be eligible to go on field trips?

affect (verb) to have an effect on

• Sample Sentence: Eating a healthy breakfast can affect how well you do in school.

• Turn and Talk: Besides diet, what else can affect your performance in school?

*affect (noun) observable emotion

• Sample Sentence: Ella’s affect changed as soon as she saw the grade on her test.

• Turn and Talk: Describe a poker player’s affect.

maintain (verb) to keep up; to sustain

• Sample Sentence: Raphael got a 100% on the quiz, which allowed him to maintain his A+ average in class.

• Turn and Talk: What can you do to maintain a good reputation among your peers?

prerequisite (noun) requirement that must be met before moving on

• Sample Sentence: Knowing basic math is a prerequisite for taking an algebra class.

• Turn and Talk: What are some prerequisites for getting a driver’s license?

*prerequisite (adjective) required before something else can happen

• Sample Sentence: Knowing how to swim is a prerequisite skill for trying out for the water polo team.

• Turn and Talk: What are some prerequisite achievements for becoming a doctor?

previous (adjective) earlier, most recent

• Sample Sentence: We won our game last night because we played a lot better than we had in the previous game.

• Turn and Talk: If you could choose any of your previous teachers to teach your class next year, who would you choose and why?

*alternate part of speech