Argument & Perspective
The main assertion, point, or argument that an author is trying to convince the reader to accept
Author's claim
A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a root word to alter its meaning
Prefix
Giving human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human objects, animals, or abstract ideas
Personification
The underlying message, moral, or central lesson about life that an author conveys through a story
theme
A complete sentence structure containing both a subject and a predicate that can stand alone as a complete thought
independent clause
A statement that can be objectively proven true or false using evidence, data, or observation
A fact
Words that share the same spelling but have different meanings depending on how they are used in context
Multiple-meaning words
Reusing a word, phrase, or sentence structure multiple times to emphasize an idea or build rhythm
The process of drawing a logical conclusion by combining direct text evidence with background knowledge
making an inference
This punctuation mark connects two closely related, complete independent clauses without using a coordinating conjunction
semicolon
The author's attitude toward their topic or audience, conveyed through their word choice (diction)
Author's tone
A word that describes, modifies, or qualifies a person, place, thing, or idea
Adjective
A question asked to make a point or spark thought rather than to solicit an actual answer
rhetorical question
The overall feeling, atmosphere, or emotional response a text creates inside the reader
mood
A dependent clause starting with a relative pronoun that gives extra detail about a noun
relative clause
The specific group of readers the author designed the text for, based on tone, vocabulary, and topic
Intended audience
This specific prefix means "wrongly," as demonstrated in the word "misunderstand"
mis-
"The relentless alarm clock screamed at him to wake up" is an example of this literary device
personification
In a story where two rival athletes learn to work together to win a championship, this is the most likely theme
Cooperation and unity overcome personal differences
This punctuation mark is used to separate items in a list, set off introductory elements, or join independent clauses when paired with a coordinating conjunction
comma
The lens, background, or personal bias through which an author views a topic, shaping how they present information
In the study guide example "The ancient castle stood on top of a steep hill," these are the two adjectives
ancient and steep
Descriptive language that appeals to the physical senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to create a vivid mental picture
imagery
"Shadows stretched across the decaying hallway as the floorboards creaked underfoot" creates this specific mood
eerie, tense, suspenseful
This punctuation mark follows a complete independent clause to introduce an explanation, a list, or a direct emphasis
colon