Central Idea
The main message or focus of a text
What is the central idea?
The literal, dictionary definition of a word.
What is denotation?
These words help guide readers through a text, showing relationships between ideas.
What are transition words?
An appeal based on logical reasoning and evidence.
What is logos?
If something happens unexpectedly, you might say it was 'out of the...','.
What is blue?
A strategy where you first identify the topic and then ask, 'What is the author saying about this topic?'
What is 'determining the central idea?'
The emotional or cultural meaning attached to a word, beyond its literal meaning.
What is connotation?
Identify the type of transition used in: 'On the other hand'.
What is contrast?
Combination of ethos, pathos, and logos used to craft effective arguments.
What are rhetorical appeals?
To 'spill the beans' means to do this.
What is to reveal a secret?
This type of sentence typically presents the central idea in a paragraph.
What is a topic sentence?
This word carries a negative connotation: thrifty or stingy?
Identify the category of transition words such as 'next', 'then', and 'finally'.
What is sequence?
This appeal focuses on ethical character or credibility of the speaker or writer.
What is ethos?
'Bite the bullet' means to do what with an unpleasant situation?
What is to face it bravely?
In analyzing a nonfiction text, these aspects help support or explain the central idea.
What are key details?
Identify the denotation of the word 'home.'
What is a place where one lives?
This emotional appeal aims to engage an audience’s feelings.
What is pathos?
When you say someone is 'in hot water,' you mean they are in this kind of situation.
What is in trouble?
The term for when a central idea is present but not explicitly stated in the text.
What is an implied central idea?
This word carries a neutral connotation: childlike or childish?
What is childlike?
The idiom 'hit the nail on the head' means to do what correctly?
What is to describe something accurately or identify the core issue?