Ela vocabulary
idiom
An expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words. For example, "it's raining cats and dogs" is an idiom that means it's raining really hard but there is no way to know that from the meanings of its individual words.
symbol
An object, setting, event, animal, or person that on one level is itself, but that has another meaning as well. For example, the American flag is really a piece of fabric with stars and stripes on it, but it also represents the United States and ideals like freedom, patriotism, and pride. In a story or play, rain could be a symbol; the rain would really be rain, but it might also represent an idea like sadness or leaving the past behind. Symbolize means "to be a symbol of."
cite
Cite means "mention" or "note." If you are asked to cite three examples of something, you are being asked to mention, or give, three examples. When you include information from an article or a story in your own writing— whether you are quoting it directly (that is, writing down the exact words the author used) or indirectly (putting the author's ideas into your own words), you need to cite your source. In other words, you need to tell your reader where the information came from. • Example: Answer the questions below using text evidence from the articles you just read. Be sure to cite your sources. • What this means: For each piece of information from an article that you include in your answers, make it clear from which article and page number it came. For example, if a question asks you about the most popular pizza toppings, you might write, "On page 8 of 'Pizza Forever,' Jane Smith states that the three most popular pizza toppings are pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms." By noting the article's name, the author's name, and the page number, you are citing your source.
Foreshadowing
Clues or hints about something that is going to happen later in the story.
personification
Describing nonhuman animals, objects, or ideas as though they possess human qualities or emotions. For example: "The moon smiled down at her," "I felt the cold hand of death on my shoulder," "There is a battle being fought in my garden between the flowers and the weeds."
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement that is not meant to be taken literally. For example: "I almost died of boredom." Hyperbole is frequently used in humorous writing.
minor character
A character who does not play a large role in a story. Minor characters usually do not face any obstacles during the course of the story, and they usually do not change during the course of the story. The reader does not usually learn much about minor characters. They are just there for the major characters to interact with and to help advance the plot.
static character
A character who does not undergo a significant change over the course of a story.
Dynamic Character
A character who undergoes a significant internal change over the course of a story.This may be a change in understanding,values,insights etc.
major character
A main or important character; a character who plays a large role in a story. Major characters usually face some sort of obstacle, and they will be present. Glossary of Literary terms, page 3 of 4 throughout all, or almost all, of a story. A story can have one major character or several.
direct quotations
A report of the exact words of an author or a speaker.If you are writing an essay about a book that you read,for example and you copy into your essay a phrase or a sentence for the book, that is a direct quotation.Direct quotations often appear in nonfiction texts and are always surrounded by quotation marks.
sidebar
A short article placed alongside a longer article and containing additional or contrasting information. Sidebars usually appear in a box.
subhead
A short article placed alongside a longer article and containing additional or contrasting information. Sidebars usually appear in a box.
theme
A story's main message or moral.
conflict
A struggle between opposing forces. A conflict may be external (between the character and another person, society, nature, or technology) or internal (a struggle within the character).
identify
Identify can mean "recognize what something is or who someone is." If you can't tell what one of the flavors in the cookie you're eating is, you could say, "There's a flavor in here that I can't identify." Identify can also mean "tell someone else what something is or who someone is." If someone asks you to identify yourself, they want you to say who you are. Directions that ask you to identify something are usually asking you to tell what something is or point something out. • Example: Identify three causes of the Great Chicago Fire. • What this means: Write down three causes of the Great Chicago Fire so that your reader understands what they are.
organize
If you organize your closet, you sort out the mess of stuff in there and arrange it according to some sort of system—all of your shoes matched up into pairs and put in one spot, all of your sports equipment neatly placed in another spot, and all of your art supplies set in another spot. This makes it easy to find what you are looking for. When directions ask you to write a well-organized paragraph, they are asking you to sort your ideas into some sort of system or order, similar to what you'd do to organize your closet. • Example: Answer in a well-organized paragraph. • What this means: Make sure that the ideas in your paragraph don't jump around. Arrange your ideas so that they flow from one to the next in a way that makes it easy for the reader to follow what you're saying.
indirect characterization
In indirect characterization, the author shows the reader or audience member what the character is like through (1) how the character looks, (2) what the character does, (3) what the character says, (4) what the character thinks, and (5) how the character affects other characters. From these five things, the reader or audience member understands the character's personality.
imagery
Language that portrays sensory experiences, or experiences of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Authors use imagery to describe actions, characters,objects, and ideas, and to heighten the emotional effect of their writing. One way authors create imagery is through the use of figurative language.
objective summary
Objective means "not influenced by personal feelings or interpretation" and a summary is a short statement that gives the main points or ideas of something. So an objective summary is a short statement or paragraph that tells what an article is about and does not include your opinions.
text features
Parts of a newspaper article, magazine article, textbook, web page, or other type of text, beyond the main article or story, that help you better understand what you read. Text features may include information that is not included in the main text. Photographs, illustrations, captions, maps, sidebars, headlines, special types of print (such as print that appears in bold, capital letters, italics, or is underlined), subheads, tables of contents, sidebars, charts and graphs, bullet points, and glossaries are all examples of text features.
text evidence
Supporting evidence that comes from the text you are writing about. It can be in the form of a direct quotation or paraphrase.
sequence or chronological order
The author lists items or events in chronological order (in other words, in the order in which they happen) or presents the reader with step-by-step directions. If you see words and phrases like first, second, third, next, then, before, later, finally, now, when, previously, and before long, those are clues that the text structure of what you are reading is sequence.
problem and solution
The author presents a problem and explains one or more solutions to the problem. If you see words and phrases like problem is, dilemma is, if . . . then, so that, and answer is, those are clues that the text structure of what you are reading is problem and solution.
cause and effect
The author presents ideas, events, or facts as a cause, and what happens as a result. If you see words and phrases like so, because, since, therefore, if . . . then, this led to, reason why, as a result, effect of, and consequently, those are clues that the text structure of what you are reading is cause and effect.
description
The author provides a detailed description to give the reader a mental picture. If you see words and phrases like for instance, such as, for example, including, is like, to illustrate, and characteristics, those are clues that the text structure of what you are reading is description.
compare and constrast
The author provides information about the similarities and differences between two or more people, events, ideas, objects, etc. If you see words and phrases like same as, similar, alike, as well as, although, also, in the same way, either . . . or, in comparison, but, on the other hand, however, and in contrast, those are clues that the text structure of what you are reading is compare and contrast.
tone
The author's attitude toward the subject matter or toward the reader or audience. Words that could describe tone include doubtful, humorous, gleeful, serious, and questioning. Tone is conveyed through the author's word choices and the details that he or she includes.
metaphor
The comparison of two unlike things to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of those things. For example, "Karen was a ray of sunshine" is a metaphor in which Karen is compared with a ray of sunshine. The metaphor suggests that Karen was cheerful, happy, warm, hopeful—qualities we associate with the sun. Metaphors state that one thing is something else; they do not use the words like or as.
Dialogue
The conversation between characters in a work of literature.
setting
The environment in which a story takes place, including the time period, the location, and the physical characteristics of the surroundings.
mood
The feeling the reader gets from a work of literature. Another way to describe a story's mood is atmosphere. When you walk into a place, it has an atmosphere that makes you feel a certain way; when you "walk into" a story, it too has an atmosphere that makes you feel a certain way. For example, the mood could be calm, creepy, romantic, sad, or tense. Authors create mood through word choice, imagery, dialogue, setting, and plot. The mood can stay the same from the beginning to the end of a story, or it can change.
figurative language
The literal meaning of a word is its definition as you would find it in a dictionary. Figurative language uses words in some way other than for their literal meanings to make a comparison,add emphasis, or say something in a fresh and creative way.
protagonist
The main or central character of a work of literature. Usually, the main character is involved in a conflict or struggle with the antagonist.
direct characterization
The means through which an author reveals a character's personality. Characterization may be direct or indirect. In direct characterization, the writer or a narrator tells the reader what the character is like: "Ben was a quiet, serious boy."
Antagonist
The opponent or enemy of the main character, or protagonist.Example:Bob Ewell
point of view
The perspective from which a story is told. In other words, who is telling the story—a character in the story or an outside narrator. There are several types of point of view.
climax
The point in a play, novel, short story, or narrative poem at which the conflict reaches its greatest intensity and is then resolved. The climax is also the part of a narrative when the reader or audience member experiences the most-intense emotions.
symbolism
The practice of using symbols.
plot
The sequence of events in a story. The plot includes the opening event (what happens at the beginning/the main problem that the main character faces), the rising action (what happens to intensify the problem), the climax (when the problem reaches its most intense point and begins to be resolved), the falling action (what happens to solve the problem), and the resolution (how things end).
headline
The title of an article in a newspaper or magazine or on a website. The headline is generally in larger type than the rest of the text on the page.
onomatopoeia
The use of words whose sounds imitate the sounds of what they describe, such as hiss, murmur, growl, honk, buzz, woof, etc.
text stucture
The way an author organizes information in a text. An entire text may have the same structure, but in many cases different sections or paragraphs of a text have different structures in other words, one text may contain multiple structures. There are five main text structures.
irony
There are three types of irony: 1: dramatic irony, when the reader or audience member is aware of something that the characters are not aware of; 2: situational irony, when something happens that is the reverse of what you expected; and 3: verbal irony, when the name or description of something implies the opposite of the truth.
analyze
To analyze something is to carefully study or examine its different parts in order to understand or explain it.Example: Analyze the character of John Smith to decide whether or not he deserves to be called a coward. • What this means: Think about all the information about John Smith's character—all the things John says, does, and feels at different times in the story—and use that information to decide whether or not he deserves to be called a coward.
complete
To complete something is to finish it. • Example: Complete the chart below. • What this means: Finish the chart by filling in the missing information.
define
To define a word is to explain what that word means. • Example: Define the following words: ample, brazen, swelter. • What this means: Explain what the words ample, brazen, and swelter mean.
describe
To describe something is to tell about it in words. If you describe how something looks, you tell about its size, shape, color, and texture. If you describe an experience that you had, you give information such as when and where it occurred, what happened, how it made you feel, and who else was there. • Example: Describe how the invention of the light bulb changed life in America. • What this means: Tell the reader all about how the invention of the light bulb changed life in America.
determine
To determine something is to figure it out or make a decision about it based on facts or evidence. • Example: Use context clues to determine the meanings of the words in bold. • What this means: Use clues in the text to figure out what the words in bold mean.
develop
To develop is to grow, be created, or become more advanced over time. A seed, for example, develops into a tree. When directions ask you how a character or an idea develops, they're asking how that character or idea changes, or is created, over time or over the course of the story. When you see a question asking how an author develops something, your answer should include more than one idea; you should be explaining what the author does first, next, and last to create that character or build that idea. • Example: How does the author develop the idea that foods with lots of sugar are unhealthy? • What this means: What does the author write at different points in the article to build the idea that sugary foods are unhealthy?
explain
To explain something is to tell about it so that someone else can understand it. When there are directions that ask you to explain something, be sure to give plenty of details about why or how it happened. • Example: Has reading this article changed the way you think about rats? Explain. • What this means: Tell whether the article has changed the way you think about rats—but don't just say "yes" or "no." Rather, give reasons and talk about particular details in the article that did or did not change your view of rats.
infer
To infer is to draw a conclusion using evidence. For example, imagine you make a smoothie for your friend. A funny look crosses her face as she takes her first sip and she doesn't drink any more of it. She tells you it's delicious, but you can infer that actually, your friend does not like the smoothie at all—you can use the evidence of the look on her face and the fact that she isn't drinking the smoothie to draw a conclusion about her true feelings. You can infer, or make inferences, when you read, too, by using hints in the text to draw conclusions about things that the author does not state directly. • Example: What can you infer happened to Maggie at the picnic? Explain. • What this means: Use hints in the text to draw a conclusion about what happened to Maggie at the picnic. Tell what your conclusion is and explain what hints in the text led you to your conclusion.
paraphrase
To reword or rephrase something written or spoken by someone else. When you paraphrase something, you are putting it into your own words. Paraphrase can also be used as a noun to refer to text that has been paraphrased. A paraphrase is not surrounded by quotation marks (" ").
synthesize
To synthesize is to combine two or more things to create a whole. When directions ask you to synthesize information from two or more texts, they are asking you to combine information from multiple texts to answer a single question. • Example: Answer the questions below to synthesize information from "Deadly Snacks" and "The Pretzel Man." • What this means: Answer the questions below to put together information from the two articles.
apply
When directions ask you to apply one thing to another, you need to make a connection between the first thing and the second thing.If directions ask you HOW one thing applies to another thing, you need to explain the connection or relationship between the two things. • Example: J. K. Rowling once said, "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." Explain how this quote applies to the story you just read. • What this means: Find and describe the connection between the quote and the story. Is there something that happens in the story that shows the same idea that Rowling expresses in the quote?
conclude
When directions ask you to conclude, or to "draw a conclusion," they are asking you to form an opinion or make a decision after thinking about something. Conclude can also mean "finish," as in, "Conclude your essay with a call to action." • Example: Use information in both articles to draw a conclusion about the plight of lions today. • What this means: Think about information in both articles and use it to arrive at an idea about the plight of lions today.
discuss
When directions ask you to discuss something, they are asking you to give information, ideas, or opinions about it. You can discuss something with other people, by talking with them, or you can discuss something on your own, such as in writing an essay or a speech. • Example: Discuss the role that school sports play in kids' lives. • What this means: Tell about the role that school sports play in kids' lives. There are probably quite a few different answers or ideas about this topic, and you'll want to mention quite a few of them—definitely the most important ones—so that your reader or listener gets a wide understanding of the topic.
Alliteration
When two or more words in a group of words begin with the same sound (usually, the same letter or group of letters).Example:Anne's awesome apple.
simile
When two unlike things are compared using like or as in order to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of those things. For example, "Randy's voice is like melted chocolate" is a simile in which Randy's voice is compared to melted chocolate. The simile suggests that Randy's voice is rich, smooth, sweet, warm qualities we associate with melted chocolate.
compare
When you compare two or more things, you study them to find ways in which they are similar and different. Words like "similarly," "also," "too," and "likewise" will help you when you are explaining how two things are similar. Words and phrases like "on the other hand," "but," "however," and "unlike" will help you when you are explaining how two things are different. • Example: Compare what it's like to have a dog as a pet with what it's like to have a cat. • What this means: Describe what is similar and what is different about having a dog and having a cat. Everything you say should be to help your reader understand what is alike and different in these two situations.
evaluate
When you evaluate something, you make a judgment about it—that is, you say how good or bad, or how weak or strong it is—after giving it careful thought. • Example: Evaluate the author's argument. • What this means: Carefully consider the argument the author is making and how he/she supports it. Then tell how strong or weak the argument is, and why. Make sure you think about whether the author gives enough support for the argument and whether the points made are relevant—that is, if they really have to do with the argument being made.
refer
When you see the word refer in directions, you could be expected to look at something for information, as in "Refer to the glossary for definitions of the words in bold." Or, the directions might be asking you to explain a reference—a mention of someone or something. • Example: What does the title of the story refer to? • What this means: Imagine that the title of a story is "Finding Home." In the story, a boy named Jake hit a home run during a baseball game as he struggles to feel at home in a new town. You could say, then, that the title of the story refers to Jake's "finding home" during the baseball game and also to his getting used to life in a new town.
support
When you see the word support in directions, you're being asked to find details that show that an idea or a statement is true. If you are told to support your answer with details from the text, you need to find parts of the article that show that what you are saying is true. If you are asked to explain how an author supports her ideas, you need to look for the details the author uses to show that what she has stated is true. • Example: Choose one word to describe the character of Sarah Wilson. Support your answer with details from the story. • What this means: Let's say you choose "hardworking" to describe Sarah Wilson. To support your answer, you need to find examples in the story where Sarah works hard and describe those examples.
summarize
When you summarize something (or "write a summary" of it), you give the general idea of it—you tell the most important points and leave out most of the details. Imagine that you are summarizing a whole novel. A good thing to ask yourself is, "What would I say to a friend who asks me what this novel is about?" You wouldn't tell your friend everything that happens in the novel—you would tell your friend only the big ideas or the main events of the story. • Example: Summarize the reasons some people prefer dogs to cats. • What this means: In a few sentences, tell the big reasons that some people like dogs more than they like cats. Don't give a lot of details or examples—keep your answer short.
aside
Words spoken to the audience by a character in a drama that are not supposed to be heard by the other characters onstage. An aside is usually used to let the audience know what a character is thinking.
caption
a label or brief explanation that accompanies a photograph or an illustration
central idea
a main point that the author is making.What the article is about.Think about it as a thesis statement.Can be more than one.
Flashback
a scene in a story that occurred before the present time in the story.They provide background information.
main idea
central idea
supporting evidence
evidence: Information used to support an argument or a claim (also called "supporting details"). If you are writing about something you have read, you need to use supporting evidence to back up or prove whatever point you are making. Most of your supporting evidence will be details from the text you are writing about, in the form of either direct quotations or paraphrases. Supporting evidence that comes directly from the text you are writing about is also called "text evidence."
first person
where the narrator is a character in the story who describes things from his or her own perspective and refers to himself or herself as "I";
third-person limited point of view
where the narrator is not a character in the story but the narrator can describe the experiences and thoughts of only one character in the story;
third-person omniscient point of view
where the narrator is not one of the characters and is able to describe the experiences and thoughts of every character in the story.
