| Term | Definition |
|---|
| non-fiction | a type of literature that tells about real-life people, places, events, things, etc. |
| drama | a play written to be performed by actors |
| myth | a folktale (fictional story) about gods and goddesses (mythology) |
| tall tale | an American hero folktale full of extreme exaggerations |
| fable | a folktale, usually with talking animals, that always has a moral to it |
| main idea | what a piece of writing is mainly about |
| summary | gives the main idea and important details of a passage |
| theme | a more generally stated topic concerning a passage's main ideas |
| genre | a classification of literature, such as fiction, drama, poetry, etc. |
| fiction | a type of literature that tells a made-up story |
| simile | a comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as" |
| analogy | a comparison that shows a relationship between two things |
| metaphor | a comparison of two unlike things not using the words "like" or "as" |
| paraphrase | restating something using different words (rephrasing) |
| context clues | words, phrases, or sentences that give meaning to unknown words |
| denotation | the dictionary definition of the word- the literal meaning |
| connotation | the extra sense that the word implies-pos. or neg. (cheap/inexpensive) |
| repetition | creating a "special effect" by repeating a sound or word |
| suspense | a feeling of uncertainty or dread about what will happen next |
| sarcasm | an expression that is personal, jeering, and intended to hurt |
| oxymoron | a seemingly contradictory combination of words (jumbo shrimp) |
| onomatopoeia | a word or phrase that imitates the sound (whoosh) |
| plot | the action of the story |
| resolution | the final outcome of the story-or the solution of the problem |
| character | a person or other creature in a story |
| setting | the time and place of the story's events |
| climax | the point of greatest interest or suspense in the story |
| conflict | the main problem the character faces (with others, self, or nature) |
| personification | gives animals or objects human qualities or characteristics |
| hyperbole | the deliberate use of exaggeration |
| symbolism | the use of one thing to stand for or represent another |
| imagery | the use of vivid description to create a picture in the reader's mind |
| foreshadow | gives clues that suggest what might happen in the future |
| flashback | interrrupting the story with events from the past |
| irony | a statement meaning the opposite of what is literally stated |
| idiom | a saying that can not be literally translated |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known work of literature, art, music, etc. |
| audience | the person or persons to whom the writing is addressed |
| author | the person who wrote the story or passage |
| narrator | the person who is telling the story |
| point of view | the relationship of the narrator to the story (viewpoint) |
| 1st person pov | when a character in the story tells the story (using I, me, my, we, etc.) |
| 3rd person pov | when someone not in the story tells the story (like an invisible observer) |
| dialogue | when the characters in a story speak (usually set off by quotation marks) |
| style/voice | the way the author uses phrases and sentences to make his story distinctive |
| tone | the author's attitude about his topic- can be positive, negative, or neutral |
| mood | the feeling or atmosphere in the story set by the author |
| inference | a guess based on a known fact, a conclusion |
| cause/effect | a text structure exploring the reason something happened (cause) and the result (effect) |
| compare/contrast | a text structure showing similariites (comparisons) and differences (contrasts) |
| problem/solution | a text structure examining how conflicts or obstacles (problems) are overcome (resolved) |
| chronology | a text structure presenting events in the order in which they occur (sequencing) |
| inductive | a text structure that starts with specific ideas and works toward a general idea |
| deductive | a text structure that starts with a general idea and works toward specific ideas |
| spatial order | a text structure that shows where things are |
| categorization | a text structure that puts things in categories |
| fact | a statement that can be proved- or disproved |
| opinion | a statement that can not be proven- someone's own belief |
| bias | a strong prejudice for one side over another- favoring only one side |
| objective | a work based on fact, having no bias or partiality |
| propaganda | persuasion techniques |
| synonyms | words that have similar meanings |
| antonyms | words that have opposite meanings |
Combine with other sets
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