Poetry
This term refers to a group of lines in a poem, similar to a paragraph in prose.
What is a stanza?
When identifying the main idea of a nonfiction passage, you should ask yourself this question: "What is the passage mostly about?
What is the main idea?
This element of fiction refers to the time and place in which the story takes place.
What is setting?
This sentence clearly states the main idea of an essay and guides the direction of the argument.
What is a thesis statement?
Question: The following sentence needs revision. Correct the punctuation of the colon.
Sentence: She brought three things to the party chips, dip, and soda.
She brought three things to the party: chips, dip, and soda.
This literary device compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as," as in "Time is a thief."
What is a metaphor?
This is a reason or piece of information provided by the author to support a claim or argument in a nonfiction text.
What is evidence?
This is the central message or insight about life that the author conveys through the story.
What is theme?
This is an opposing viewpoint that an author addresses and refutes in order to strengthen their argument.
What is a counterargument?
Question: The following sentence needs revision. Correct the punctuation of the semicolon.
Sentence: I love reading books; especially novels.
I love reading books, especially novels.
This term refers to the poet's attitude toward the poem’s subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and style.
What is tone?
In nonfiction, this term refers to the reason why the author wrote the text, whether to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain something.
What is the author’s purpose?
When you read between the lines to understand something not directly stated, you are making this.
What is an inference?
This sentence clearly presents the writer’s stance or viewpoint on the issue being discussed.
What is a position statement?
Question: The following sentence needs revision. Correct the structure of the complex sentence.
Sentence: Although she studied hard, but she didn't pass the test.
Although she studied hard, she didn't pass the test.
This literary device gives human traits to non-human things, as in "The wind whispered through the trees.
What is personification?
This term describes how an author organizes information in a nonfiction passage, such as chronological order, cause and effect, or compare and contrast.
What is text structure?
When an object, person, or event represents something deeper or symbolic in the story, this literary device is being used.
What is symbolism?
This occurs when information or ideas are unnecessarily repeated, making writing less concise and effective.
What is redundancy?
Question: The following sentence needs revision. Correct the usage of the FANBOYS conjunction.
Sentence: I wanted to go to the movies, and it was raining.
I wanted to go to the movies, but it was raining.
This term refers to the emotional atmosphere created by a poem, often through word choice and imagery.
What is mood?
This rhetorical appeal relies on logical reasoning and facts to persuade the reader, often seen in arguments that present data or statistics.
What is logos?
This term refers to the perspective from which a story is told, such as first-person, second-person, or third-person.
These are facts, statistics, or expert opinions used to support the writer's argument and add credibility to the claim.
What is evidence?
Question: The following sentence needs revision. Correct the use of "however."
Sentence: She wanted to go to the party, however, she had too much homework.
She wanted to go to the party; however, she had too much homework.