| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ideas | what the writer brainstorms and the heart of the message |
| insight | a clear deep perception/understanding of a situation or one's motives |
| showing details | details that are clear and specific that paint a picture in your mind |
| role | who or what you are as you write |
| audience | to whom you are writing |
| format | the organization, plan, style or arrangement of a writing piece |
| topic | what the prompt is asking you to write about |
| strong verb | the word that helps express the purpose of your paper, such as inform, persuade, or express |
| purpose | the reason why the piece is written |
| informative | this paper gives detailed information about a topic |
| persuasive | tries to convince the reader that the writer's point of view is the correct one |
| expressive | shoes the writers personal opinions, feelings, ideas |
| accurate details | details that are factual/true |
| organization | the internal structure of a piece |
| pacing | the rate at which the writer introduces new ideas to the reader |
| sequencing | the order in which your main ideas or events are placed |
| transitions | words used to connect main ideas |
| introduction | the paragraph that grabs the reader's attention and provides the thesis statement |
| lead | the attention grabbing first few sentences of an introduction |
| thesis | focus sentence of the whole paper which includes the topic and main ideas |
| conclusion | the last part of a writing piece that sums up the main points and includes the thesis |
| voice | the personal tone and flavor of the author's message |
| compelling | when the writing urges or calls you forth to do something |
| engaging | when something attracts and holds your attention |
| earnest | someone who is eager and/or serious |
| sentence fluency | language in a sentence with a steady rhythm and flow |
| varied structure | sentences that start differently |
| flow | moving along smoothly without harshness |
| rhythm | the regular order of sounds or motions |
| cadence | a measure of rhythmical flow |
| word choice | the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning |
| precise | when a word is highly accurate in meaning |
| clarify | to make something more clear and understandable |
| effective | to produce what is desired in writing |
| specific | using words that are definate or exact |
| conventions | the mechanical correctness of a paper |
| 1-100 | when using numbers in writing, these numbers are written in word form |
| dialogue | conversation is referred to as this |
| homophones | two or more words that sound alike but have different spellings and different meanings |
| contraction | a shortened form of two words |
| apostrophe | a punctuation mark used to form the possessive case of nouns and some pronouns |
| semicolon | a punctuation mark used to primarily join independent clauses that are closely related in meaning |
| comma | generally used to separate wrods or groups of words so that the meaning of the sentence is clear |
| dialogue | always place punctuation (comma, exclamation point, question mark or period) at the end of this within the quotation |
| apostrophe | to form a contraction, use this to show where letters or numerals have been omitted |
| comma | place this between items and names in a series (except when referring to color or age.) |
| comma | this separates two or more adjectives preceding a noun |
| comma | use this before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, or, yet) when it joins independent clauses ina compound sentence |
| comma | use this after an introductory phrase or clause |
| comma | use this set off a mild exclamation such as well, oh, or why at the beginning of a sentence |
| comma | use this after the salutation of a personal letter and after the closing of any letter |
| comma | use this to set off an expression that interrupts a sentence |
| comma | use this to set off words of a direct address within a sentence |
| comma | use this to set off words of a direct address within a sentence |
| colon | use this to between a list of items, especially after expressions like as follows or the following |
| capitalization | the first letter in a sentence, a proper noun, and the word I is this |
| punctuation | the standard marks and signs in writing to separate words into sentences, clauses, and phrases in order to clarify meaning |
| noun | a word or word group that is used to name a person, a place, a thing, or an idea |
| compound noun | made up of two or more words used together as a single noun |
| common noun | names any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas |
| proper noun | names a particular/specific person, place, thing or idea |
| pronoun | a word used in place of one or more nouns or pronouns |
| adjective | modifies nouns or pronouns by tellling what kind, which one, how much, or how many |
| articles | the most frequently used adjectives are a, an, and the. These are called _______. |
| verb | a word used to express action or a state of being |
| helping verb | helps the main verb express action or a state of being |
| action verb | a verb that expresses either physical or mental activity |
| linking verb | connects the subject to a subject word or word group that identifies or describes the subject |
| adverb | a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb |
| adverb | tells where, when, how or to what extent (how much or how long.) |
| preposition | a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word |
| interjection | a word used to express emotion |
| conjunction | a word used to join words or groups of words |
| number | when a word refers to one person, place, thing or idea, it is singular in_______________. When a word refers to more than one person, place, thing or idea, it is plural in ____________. |
| verb | should agree in number with its subject |
| noun/verb | Singular _________ takes singular ______________. Plural ________ take plural __________. |
| passive voice | the voice a verb is in when it expresses an action done to its subject |
| active voice | the voice a verb is in when it expresses an action done by its subject |
| run-on sentence | two or more complete sentences run on together as one |
| sentence fragment | a group of words that is punctuated as if it was a complete sentence but that does not contain both a subject and a verb or does not express a complete thought. |
| phrase | a group of words that is missing a subject OR a verb |
| appositive | a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it |
| clause | a group of words with a subject and a verb |
| independent clause | expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence |
| subordinate clause | this contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence |
| appositive phrase | consists of an appositive and its modifiers |
| simple sentence | contains one independent clause and no subordinate clauses |
| compound sentence | contains two or more independent clauses and no subordinate clause |
| complex sentence | contains one independent clause and at least one subordinate clause |
| compound-complex sentence | contains two or more independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause |
| modifiers | make the meaning of another word more specific |
| double negative | the nonstandard use of two negative words to express a single negative idea |
| passive voice | the voice a verb is in when it expresses an action done to its subject |
| schema | what you know, your background knowledge, and the experiences that you bring to your reading |
| connections | when you able to relate what you read to personal experience, other stories, and world events |
| text-to-self | when you relate what you are reading to your own experiences |
| text-to-text | when you relate what you are reading to something else that you have read |
| text-to-world | when you relate what you are reading to events, issues and people |
| visualizing | when you create pictures in your mind while you read |
| inferring | when a reader combines what they know (schema) with what they picture in their mind (visualizing) to make an educated guess about events in a book it is this |
| predicting | when a reader makes an educated guess about what will happen next in the story |
| questioning | helps readers understand the text on a deeper level by eliminating confusion and stimulating interest in the topic |
| determining importance | when reading nonfiction the reader must decide and remember what is important from the material |
| synthesizing | when a reader weaves together what they have read with their own ideas to create new complete thoughts |
| repair strategies | methods a reader uses when confusion disrupts the meaning of a text and they need to clarify their understanding |
| plot | the series of events that make up a story |
| theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| foreshadowing | the use of clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the story |
| point of view | demonstrates different ways of looking of things |
| author's purpose | the reason why the author wrote a piece of literature |
| main idea | the topic; the main point of the story |
| mood | a state of mind or emotion |
| tone | the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people |
| stanza | a division of a poem consisting of two or more lines arranged together as a unit |
| symbolism | something that stands for or suggests something else |
| conflict | a struggle between opposing characters or forces |
| internal conflict | the battle between a character and itself |
| external conflict | a battle between a character and an outside force (such as man, nature, machine, and society) |
| characterization | the way a writer reveals his characters |
| round character | a character with more than one personality trait |
| flat character | a character that is shallow or only has one personality trait |
| static character | a character that remains the same throughout the entire story |
| dynamic character | a character that changes for the better by the end of the story |
| antagonist | a character or force that opposes the protagonist |
| protagonist | a character that is the hero; heroince |
| figurative language | writing or language that is not meant to be interpreted literally |
| simile | a comparison of two unlike things using the words like, as or than |
| metaphor | a comparison between unlike things without using specific words of comparison such as like, as or than |
| personification | a figure of speech in which non-human objects are given human characteristics |
| idiom | a word, phrase, or expression that has meaning beyond the literal meaning |
| hyperbole | a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement |
| exaggeration | the use of overstatemetns for comic effect |
| alliteration | the repetition of the same consonant sounds or the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of word or in stressed syllables |
| anecdote | a brief story told in order to make a point |
| cause | the action that results in an effect, result, or consequence |
| effect | brought on by a cause or is the end result of an action |
| climax | the most suspenseful moment or turning-point in a story |
| context clues | hints in a text that help you figure out the meaning |
| fable | a brief story told in prose or poetry (with animals or nature as the characters) that contains a moral or practical lesson |
| fiction | writing that is made up rather than true |
| nonfiction | writing that deals with real people, things, events and places |
| imagery | writing or language that appeals to the sense and evokes images |
| irony | when the outcome is the exact opposite of what is expected (can be verbal, dramatic, or situational) |
| poetry | a kind of rhythmic, compressed writing that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to emotions and imagination |
| pun | a play on the multiple meanings of a word or on two words that sound alike but have different meanings |
| rhyme | a repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in writing or poetry |
| setting | the time and place of a story, play or poem |
| subplot | a minor plot that relates in some way to the main story |
| suspense | the uncertainty or anxiety that a reader feels about what will happen next in a story, novel or drama |
| analogy | the comparison made between two scenarios to show how they alike |
| flashback | an interruption in the present action of a plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| support | when you use this you prove your ideas with additional information and details |
| exemplify | when you illustrate by giving example |
| contradict | to assert or express the opposite of |
| compare | to look at or state similarities and/or differences |
| contrast | to compare differences |
| define | to state the meaning of a word |
| benefit | an advantage |
| drawback | an undesirable feature; disadvantage |
| describe | to give a detailed account in writing |
| explain | means to make clear or understandable |
| evaluate | when you judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of |
| analyze | when you examine carefully or critically |
| summarize | when you cover the main points, concisely; briefly you _____________ |
Combine with other sets
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