The series of related events that tell what a story is about.
What is plot?
100
Prose writing that deals with real people, places, things, and events. You can support what you are reading with news reports, facts and data.
What is nonfiction?
100
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.
What is a couplet?
100
The division of literature that is written just for the facts and details the reader needs to know. It is written solely for the information it imparts to the reader. There are several types that readers may indulge in. It's all around you.
What is informational text?
100
Any person, place, or thing that means something on its own, but is used to represent something else. One example is the black bird in Edgar Allan Poe's, THE RAVEN. The black bird represents death in the poem.
What is a symbol?
200
The way a writer reveals the personality traits of characters in a story. Sometimes it is done by describing a character's appearance, or it may be done through the language and behavior of a character.
What is characterization?
200
A short piece of nonfiction prose that examines a single subject. It might be personal, meaning the focus is the writer's feelings about real experiences. More commonly, it is formal, meaning it is written to inform or persuade the reader with facts and logic.
What is essay?
200
Language that appeals to the senses. The writer uses words that make the reader feel, taste, smell, hear, or see references to the topic.
What is imagery?
200
The technique used to increase the size and thickness of print to alert the reader that something is important to remember in the text.
What is boldface?
200
Having a preference of one thing over another. Typically, this term is used in conjunction with propaganda to indicate the author's persuasion to move the reader to one side of an issue, as opposed to the other.
What is bias?
300
The interruption in the present action of a plot to show events that happened at an earlier time. This is common in stories, novels, movies, and sometimes plays.
What is flashback?
300
The written account of a person's life and experiences, written by that person.
What is autobiography?
300
The use of words or phrases that describe one thing in terms of another and is not meant to be literally true. It is an imaginative comparison of two unlike things, most commonly simile, metaphor, or personification.
What is figure of speech?
300
Headings, boldface, subheadings, graphics, illustrations and captions that make informational text unique and identifiable.
What are textual features?
300
The term that indicates any of a number of reasons a writer writes. Typically, writers focus on persuasion, giving information, entertaining, explaining a topic, etc.
What is author's purpose?
400
A struggle between opposing forces. Sometimes this is internal, meaning the character faces a personal dilemma. Sometimes this is external, meaning the character is faced with a threatening outside force.
What is conflict?
400
The prose account of a person's life written by another person.
What is biography?
400
A group of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single unit. It may consist of any number of lines, typically two, four, five, six, or fourteen.
What is a stanza?
400
The category of informational text that is based on the content of one of the core subjects (English, math, science or social studies) and expresses a factual referent while bringing into focus a particular issue or concern for the public.
What is content-specific informational text?
400
The primary thought being conveyed in a text. It may be referred to as the main purpose or main thought. It may be implied, or stated directly for the reader. Its location in the text may be the first sentence of the paragraph, or one may have to read the selection to deduce it.
What is main idea?
500
The vantage point from which a story is told. Simply, who is telling the story? Rely on your knowledge of personal pronouns for this one.
What is point of view?
500
Specific data and accounts that can be proven and supported with historical referents and relevant details.
What are facts?
500
The voice that addresses the reader in a poem. Sometimes it comes from the poet, but it could be a character the poet has created, such as a person, animal, or an object.
What is a speaker?
500
The category of informational text that focuses on a topic of concern for consumers, such as a recipe, a product manual, a warranty, a service contract, or nutritional information on a food label.
What is consumer informational text?
500
The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals.