Academic Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
Fiction Terms
100

Adding notes or comments to a text to mark significant features and/or personal commentary

annotating

100

any written or digital communication exchanged between two or more people in the form of a letter, e-mail, fax, etc.

correspondence

100

a literary device that writers use to describe and provide information about specific characters in their work.

characterization

200

the intended target group for a message, regardless of the medium

audience

200

 the words, sentences, or passages that precede or follow a specific word, sentence, or passage

context

200

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (Ex. jumbo shrimp)

oxymoron

300

the reason an author writes about a particular topic (to persuade, to entertain, to inform, to explain, to analyze, etc)

author's purpose

300

a logical guess made by connecting bits of information

inference

300

a literary device where an author interrupts the chronological order of a narrative to present a scene or event from the past

flashback

400

the process of two or more people working together to create or achieve the same thing wherein each member speaks, is heard, and takes ownership of the resulting product or activity

Collaboration

400

to combine elements and parts to form a coherent whole

synthesize

400

a literary device where an author provides hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story

foreshadowing

500

written/spoken explanations or interpretations that further develop an idea

commentary

500

written or spoken communication or debate

discourse

500

occurs when events or words are the opposite of what is expected, creating a sense of surprise, humor, or deeper meaning

irony