Text Structures
A text that examines how two ideas are similar and different uses this structure.
What is compare and contrast?
In "The ominous clouds signaled a coming storm," what does ominous mean?
What is threatening or foreboding?
This is the central message, moral, or lesson of a story.
What is the theme?
The prefix "dis-" in "disagree" means this.
What is not or opposite?
A comparison that does not use "like" or "as" is called this.
What is a metaphor?
This text structure explains an event and the reasons why it happened.
What is cause and effect?
Using context clues, determine the meaning of "coincide" in "The festival will coincide with the town parade."
What is happen at the same time?
This literary element refers to the struggle between opposing forces in a story.
What is conflict?
The root "graph" in "autograph" or "graphite" means this.
What is write?
When an author uses an object to represent a larger idea, they are using this technique.
What is symbolism?
If a passage explains the steps in making something, it is using this structure.
What is sequence or procedural?
In "The athlete was tenacious, refusing to give up despite the odds," what does tenacious mean?
What is determined or persistent?
The perspective from which a story is told is called this.
What is point of view?
The suffix "-ology" in "biology" or "psychology" means this.
What is the study of?
When the same sound or letter is repeated at the beginning of closely connected words, it’s called this.
What is alliteration?
A text organized by discussing an issue and suggesting solutions uses this structure.
What is problem and solution?
The meaning of "meticulous" in "She was meticulous in organizing her notes" can be inferred from context.
What is careful or detailed?
This type of irony occurs when the audience knows something the characters do not (verbal, situational, dramatic).
What is dramatic irony?
The root "therm" in "thermometer" or "thermal" means this.
What is heat?
A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, or text is called this.
What is an allusion?
If a passage includes vivid sensory details to help the reader picture a scene, it uses this structure.
What is description?
In "After years of conflict, the nation finally achieved a precarious peace," what does precarious mean?
What is uncertain or unstable?
The emotional atmosphere created by the setting and descriptions in a story is called this.
What is the mood?
The prefix "inter-" in "interstate" or "interact" means this.
What is between or among?
When an author intentionally repeats words or phrases for emphasis, they are using this technique.
What is repetition?