textual evidence
the reader must use what he or she read to prove, or back up, an answer to a question about the text
analyze
to study (something) closely and carefully "think deeper
claim
a statement we can make about the text or a text element that can be supported by text evidence
genre
the type of story or literary work
author
person who writes the story or book
critique
a reader's personal thoughts and opinions on the book/story including his likes/dislikes
setting
where and when the story takes place
exposition
the beginning of the story where the authors begins to develop/introduce the plot
characterization
the different traits and ways the author develops characters throughout the story/book
protagonist
the main character, "the good guy/girl", the hero
antagonist
the bad guy/girl, the "villain
plot
the sequence of all events in the story/novel
climax
one large event that changes the entire outcome of the story, the highest point of suspense, the "game-changer
rising actions
plot events that lead up to the climax
falling actions
plot events that happen after the climax and lead into the resolution
resolution
the ending of the novel, the way the author resolves the conflict
conflict
the major problem of the story/novel
theme
the underlying message of the novel, the "life lesson" the author wants readers to take away from the story/novel
author's point of view
the perspective from which the story is told from (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person)
author's purpose
the reason WHY the author writes the novel/story (P.I.E.)
summary
an overall review of what the novel/story was about, using only the most important details
compare
to analyze the similarities between two or more things
contrast
to analyze the differences between two or more things
denotation
is the literal dictionary meaning of a word
connotation
is the emotional suggestion of a word
multiple meaning words
words that are spelled alike but have different meanings
context clues
using the words in a text around an "unknown" word to help define the "unknown" word
prefix
a group of letters at the beginning of a word that gives the "root" word a new meaning
suffix
a group of letters at the end of a word that changes the word's "amount" meaning
root words
the base of a word that prefixes and/or suffixes are attached to
analogy
a comparison between two pairs of words; it shows a relationship between the words that are being compared
synonym
a word that has the same or almost the same meaning as another word
antonym
a word that has an opposite meaning of another word
poem
is a type of writing designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way. they are characterized by literary techniques such as rhyme and repetition
alliteration
is the repetition of the beginning sounds of words
assonance
is the repetition of vowels without repetition of constants
repetition
sometimes writers want to make sure that you get the point of a certain sentence or idea, so he or she repeats certain words or groups of words
rhyme
is a close similarity of sound or an exact correspondence of two words
internal rhyme
is a rhyme in which at least one of the rhyming words is somewhere within a line of poetry and both rhyming words are often in the same line
slant rhyme
is a partial or imperfect rhyme, often using assonance or consonance (the repetition of consonants, especially at the ends of words)
stanza
group(s) of lines within poems
rhythm
is a pattern of sounds that make a poem sound musical
drama
is a story told by characters talking to each other
act
is a big portion of a play. it is like a chapter in a book
cast
the list of characters within a play or drama
dialogue
words spoken by the characters in a play or drama
scene
is a small part of a play
stage directions
tell actors how to move and speak
stage set
describes how the stage should look
allusion
is a reference to a real or fictitious person, event, place, work of art, or another work of literature within writing
foreshadowing
happens when future events in a story, or sometimes the outcome, are suggested or hinted at by the author before the events happen
figurative language
is a set of literary devices that authors use to bring the reader into the writing
hyperbole
is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect
imagery
deals with senses
metaphor
is a type of comparison between two objects that are not thought of to be the same
onomatopoeia
is the formation or the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
personification
is a figure of speech in which things are given human qualities or are shown as having human form
proposition/support
the text presents a suggestion or a proposition then the author supports his or her suggestion with reasons
question/answer
the writer presents a question and then tries to answer it
classification
this type of structure can be very helpful when writing research reports
definition
the text defines a difficult term or idea
narration
the text has details about people and events that tell a story