Prefixes & Suffixes
This prefix means “before”:
"A preview is something you see before the full thing."
What is pre-?
This device compares two things using “like” or “as”:
"Her smile was as bright as the sun."
What is a simile?
“Well... If everything’s the same, then there aren’t any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!"
Who is Jonas (from The Giver)?
This type of writing tells made-up stories with imaginary characters and events — even if they seem real.
What is fiction?
Choose the correct verb: “He ______ the ball every morning.” (throw/throws)
What is throws?
This prefix means “again”:
"When you rewrite a story, you write it again."
What is re-?
This device gives human traits to objects or ideas:
"The leaves danced in the wind."
What is personification?
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”
Who is the Giver of Memory (from The Giver)?
This type of writing is based on real facts, people, and events. Nothing is made up.
What is nonfiction?
Choose the correct pronoun: “Sara and ___ went to the movies.” (me/I)
What is I?
This suffix means “without”:
"If something is harmless, it is without harm."
What is -less?
This is a direct comparison saying one thing is another:
"Time is a thief."
What is a metaphor?
"We're all we got left. We ought to be able to stick together against anything. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything."
Who is Sodapop Curtis (from The Outsiders)?
A true story about someone’s life, written by someone else.
What is a biography?
This shows who or what a sentence is about:
In “The dog barked,” “The dog” is this part of the sentence.
What is the subject?
This prefix means “wrong” or “bad”:
"If you misplace your keys, you’ve put them in the wrong place."
What is mis-?
This device repeats the same beginning sound in several words:
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
What is alliteration?
“We were, for a long while. Now we’re going to really start living. Instead of being handled and massaged, we’re going to live.”
Who is George Hadley (from The Veldt)?
This genre shows a broken society in the future, often with strict rules or scary technology.
What is dystopian fiction?
Identify the mistake in this sentence: “Its raining outside.”
What is "its" should be "it’s"?
This suffix means “can be done”:
What is -able or -ible?
This is an extreme exaggeration used for effect:
"I’ve told you a million times!"
What is hyperbole?
"Just walking, Mr. Mead? ... But you haven't explained for what purpose."
What is the police car (from The Pedestrian)?
Books in this genre take place in the past and include real historical events or people, even if the story itself is made up.
What is historical fiction?
This kind of sentence has two or more complete thoughts that are joined incorrectly, often without punctuation or a conjunction:
"I went to the store I bought candy."
What is a run-on sentence?