Keystone English 9 Vocabulary Part 1

allegory

A form of extended METAPHOR in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning may have moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often PERSONIFICATIONS of abstract ideas such as charity, greed, or envy.

character

A person, animal or inanimate object portrayed in a literary work.

allusion

A reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event.

conflict/problem

A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions.

antonym

A word that is the opposite in meaning to another word

biography

A written account of another person's life.

context

In literature, it's the parts of a passage that immediately precede and follow a word/phrase/sentence/paragraph and clarify its meaning. In general, it's the circumstances/background/situation that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea. For example: in order to understand the exact, intended meaning of someone's statement, you must first understand the context (background, setting, audience, tone of voice, etc.).

compare/contrast

Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary selections.

defense of a claim

Support provided to mark an assertion as reasonable

author's purpose

The author's intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people or to persuade or convince his/her audience to do or not do something.

cultural significance

The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture.

characterization

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities (e.g., direct, indirect).

argument/position

The position or claim the author establishes. Arguments should be supported with VALID EVIDENCE and reasoning and balanced by the inclusion of COUNTERARGUMENTS that illustrate opposing viewpoints.

analysis

The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another.

connotation

The range of associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its dictionary meaning.

alliteration

The repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words.

bias

The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic.

climax

The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the CONFLICT is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of RISING ACTION, in which TENSION builds to the climax.

context clues

Words and phrases in a sentence, paragraph, and/or whole text, which help reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

affix

one or more letters attached to the beginning, end, or base of a word and serving to produce a derivative word form (i.e. a prefix or suffix)