the suggested or implied meaning associated with a word, beyond its dictionary meaning
dynamic character
a character who changes in personality or attitude by the end of the story
onomatopoeia
a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes, such as hiss or crack
main idea
who or what the article, essay, or story is mostly about
synthesize
to combine
climax
the turning point of the story
prefix
a group of letters added to the beginning of a word that changes the word's meaning
rhyme scheme
the pattern of rhyme formed by the end rhyme in a stanza or a poem
supporting details
the facts, examples, or descriptions that explain or back up the main idea of a text
articulate
to speak it out
support
back it up
myth
a traditional story of unknown authorship, often involving goddesses, god, heroes, and supernatural forces that attempts to explain why or how somethi...
idiom
an expression that means something different from what its individual words mean
figurative language
language that does not mean what it says literally
round character
a character that shows different sides to his/her personality
plot
the sequence of events in a story
fiction
a literature in which situations and characters are invented by the writer
conclusion
an overall decision you make after reading
speaker
the voice speaking in a poem; similar to a narrator in a story
paraphrase
to restate in your own words
irony
a contrast between the way things seem and the way they really are, or between what is expected and what actually happens
author's point of view
an author's opinion on a subject
repetition
the recurrence of sounds, words, phrases, lines, or stanzas in a speech or literary work
3rd person point of view
the narrator is outside of the action of the story, uses pronouns such as he, she, it, they. can be limited or omniscient
tone
the author's attitude toward a subject as well as his or her attitude toward the reader
dialogue
words the characters say to each other
evaluate
to judge
assertion
an accepted and respected belief (dogs are man's best friend)
sequence
the order in which information is arranged, from start to finish
cite
to mention
imagery
descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell
act
a major unit of a drama or play
resolution
how the conflict of the story is ultimately solved
demonstrate
to clearly show
alliteration
the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or syllables such as "towering, trembling trees"
juxtaposition
figurative language device in which contrasting ideas, characters, or objects side-by-side to highlight their differences or similarities
personification
giving human qualities to an object or idea
free verse
poetry that has no fixed pattern of meter, rhyme, or rhythm
foreshadow
when an author gives the reader a hint that something will happen later in the story
rhyme
when words have the same sound at the end (example: height, site, bite)
exposition
part of the plot that introduces the setting, conflict, characters
narrator
the person who tells a story
infer
read between the lines
suffix
a group of letters added to the end of a word that changes the word's meaning
symbol
an object, living thing, or situation that stands for or represents an idea or feeling
cause and effect organization
the author describes an events cause and the events that follow (effect)
author's purpose
an author's reason for writing: to entertain, inform, explain, or persuade
point of view
the standpoint from which a story is told
simile
a comparison of two things using like or as
setting
the time and place where a story takes place
persuasion
a type of speech or writing, usually nonfiction, that attempts to convince audience members to think or act in a particular way
rhetorical questions
asking questions with obivious answers to lead readers to agree with an argument
hyperbole
a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
predict
think about the future
context clues
information from the words and sentences around an unfamiliar word that helps you figure out its meaning
prose
everyday writing (not drama or poetry)
poetry
a form of literature that differs from traditional literature in that it is written in lines and stanzas
allusion
a reference to an important piece of literature
drama
a story written to be performed on a stage in front of an audience
mood
the way the story makes the reader feel
contrast
to show how things are different
fact
a statement that can be proved to be true
rising action
events that happen after the conflict but before the climax in a story
integrate
to unite
chronological organization
the author presents the material in time order
flashback
when the author interrupts the usual sequence to tell the readers about something that happened in the past.
bandwagon
a persuasive device that makes you believe that everybody else has or likes the product ) example: "Everybody loves Freddie's Burgers")
stanza
a group of lines forming a unit in a poem
static character
a character that shows little to no change throughout the story
scene
a subdivision of an act in a play. each scene takes place in a specific setting and time
metaphor
a figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike things directly, without using like or as
loaded language
using words that cannot be proven but sound important (example: the hottest new sneakers)
root
the main part of a word and a clue to the word's meaning
conflict
the problem facing the main character or characters in a story
problem and solution organization
the author gives information about a problem and explains one or more solutions
compare and contrast organization
the author discusses similarities and differences between people, things, concepts, or ideas
falling action
the part of the story that ties up the loose ends and leads to the resolution
1st person point of view
the narrator is a main character in the story, uses pronouns such as I, me, and we
narrative poetry
poetry that tells as story and has a plot
opinion
what someone believes or feels, cannot be proven to be true
stage directions
instructions written by a playwright to describe the appearance and actions of characters, as well as the sets, props, costumes, sound effects, and li...
summary
a shortened version of a longer work, containing the main idea/theme of a text
theme
the central message of a work of literature, often expressed as a general statement about life
extended metaphor
a metaphor that compares two unlike things in various ways throughout a paragraph, stanza, or an entire work
interpret
to explain
meter
a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry, gives a rhythm or beat
effect
the result of the cause
antagonist
a person or force in society or nature that opposes the protagonist, or main character
speech
a public address or talk, in most cases the speaker tries to influence the audience's behavior, beliefs, and attitudes
nonfiction
writing that is about real people, places, and events
flat character
a character that we see only on side to his/her personality
lyric poetry
poetry that expresses strong personal feelings about an object, person, or event. usually short and musical
line
the basic unit of poetry. a line consists of a word or row of words
monologue
a long speech by a single character, normally in a drama
cause
the reason something happens
analyze
to break it down
distinguish
to separate
protagonist
the central or main character in a story, the action revolves around the protagonist
identify
to single it out
inference
a guess you make based on information you read
analogy
two sets of words that are related in the same way
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