PC Lessons 11-18: Writing and Language

antecedent

the noun that a pronoun refers to

body

the section of a text in which the author provides ideas, details, and evidence to develop the central idea or plot

comma (,)

the mark of punctuation that represents a pause and is used to set off descriptive phrases and parenthetical elements in sentences

complete sentence

a sentence with at least one subject and one bern that expresses a complete thought

complex sentence

a sentence made up of one simple sentence and a dependent clause

compound sentence

a sentence made up of two or more simple sentences

conclusion

the end of piece of writing that summarizes the main ideas and leaves the reader with a final thought

coordinating conjunction

a word that joins two independent clauses in a sentence (e.g. for, and, but, or, so)

credible

trustworthy and believable, used to describe sources being researched

dash

the wide mark of punctuation, different from a hyphen (-) and an en dash (-), that shows a break in a sentence or a change of speech or thought; also called em dash

dependent clause

a group of words that cannot stand on its own as a sentence even if it has a subject and a verb

description

a statement that represents something in words

dialogue

the conversation between characters in a text, used to advance the plot and to influence events or motivations

editing

the fourth step of the writing process, in which the writer looks for and corrects errors in spelling, grammar, usage, and mechanics

exposition

the text of a drama or story that introduces the characters, setting, plot and conflict

fact

a statement that can be proved

first-person point of vieq

the perspective of the narrator of a story who uses first-person pronouns and is a character from the story

formal style

in informative or explanatory text, an approach to writing that uses proper language and avoids informal language

grammar

the system of language used in writing and speaking

independent clause

a group of words with a subject and a verb that expresses a complete thought

informal style

a type of writing that uses casual, everyday language

informative or explanatory response

a type of writing in which the author answers a given question or prompt by explaining how to do something or presenting information on real-life people, places, objects, or events

intensive pronoun

a word ending in -self or -selves that emphasizes the noun or nouns it goes with

introduction

the beginning of piece of writing the presents the topic and central idea

narrative

the type of writing that describes an event or series or events

objective pronoun

a pronoun that acts as an object in a sentence

pacing

the rate, or pace, in which a story is told

paraphrase

to retell ideas from a text in one's own words

parenthetical element

an unnecessary phrase that interrupts a sentence and is placed within commas, parentheses, or em dashes

plagiarism

the act of copying text word for word but without giving the author credit

plot

the series of events in a drama in which the main character or characters try to solve a problem or attain a goal

point of view

how an author feels about a particular topic or idea

possessive pronoun

a pronoun that shows who owns something

prewriting

the first step of the writing process, in which writers identify the purpose, or reason, for writing, as well as the audience of the text

pronoun

a word that takes the place of a noun

pronoun-antecedent agreement

the correct matching of a pronoun with its previously mentioned number, person, and gender

pronoun case

the form that a pronoun takes- subjective (such as we), objective (such as us), or possessive (such as our)

publishing

the fifth step of the writing process, in which the writer produces a clean copy of the work

reason

an opinion-based statement that tells readers why they should believe a claim

relevant

clearly related, as to a claim or reason

resolution

the end of a drama or narrative, in which a conflict is resolved

revising

the third step of the writing process, in which the writer improves the writing, adds or changes useful or necessary facts and transitions, deletes unrelated or repeated information, and asks for feedback

run-on sentence

a sentence with two or more independent clauses that is missing a coordinating conjunction and/or punctuation

semicolon (;)

punctuation used to separate related sentences or items in a series

sensory language

words that tell how things look, feel, taste, smell, and sound

sentence fragment

an incomplete sentence

setting

the time and location where the action takes place in literature

simple sentence

a sentence that expresses one complete thought

style

the words and sentences used in a text and how they are put together

subheading

a text feature that tells readers what a smaller section of text under a heading is about

subjective pronoun

a pronoun used as the subject in a sentence

subordination conjunction

a word that introduces a dependent clause (e.g. when, before, because, since)

Text Dependent Analysis

a written response that analyzes the ideas, structures, purposes, or messages of one or more texts; must be based on supporting evidence

thesis statement

a statement that expresses the central idea of a piece of writing

third-person limited point of view

the perspective of the narrator of a story who knows only one character's thoughts and feelings, is outside the story, and uses third-person pronouns

third-person omniscient point of view

the perspective of the narrator of a story who knows everything about all the characters and events, is outside the story, and uses third-person pronouns

tone

the author's attitude toward a topic

transition

a word or phrase that connects ideas, conveys sequence clearly, shows time passing, or shifts a setting

verb

a word that ells an action or a state of being

verb tense

the time in which a verb action is performed, such as past, present, or future

writing process

the steps that a writer takes to write text; includes prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing