Argument
In an argument, this is the writer’s main position or point they are trying to prove.
What is a claim?
In the sentence “She walks to school every day,” the verb is showing a fact, so this mood is being used.
What is the indicative mood?
This is the message, lesson, or big idea an author wants readers to understand.
What is theme?
In the sentence “Her smile was as bright as the sun,” this type of figurative language is being used.
What is a simile?
This verbal acts like an adjective and can describe a noun, as in “the glowing lamp."
What is a participle?
Facts, examples, statistics, and quotations used to support a claim are called this.
What is evidence?
In the sentence “Please close the door,” the verb is giving a command, so this mood is being used.
What is the imperative mood?
If the characters stay close and rely on each other, the story may be developing this theme about working together.
What is teamwork helps people face challenges?
In the sentence “The classroom was a zoo,” this type of figurative language is being used.
What is a metaphor?
This type of participle usually ends in -ing.
What is a present participle?
This is the opposing side of an argument that a writer may acknowledge and respond to.
What is a counterclaim?
In the sentence “If I were taller, I would play center,” the verb shows a wish or a situation contrary to fact, so this mood is being used.
What is the subjunctive mood?
If the characters keep going even when things feel uncertain, the story may be developing this theme.
What is courage matters during difficult times?
In the sentence “The wind whispered through the trees,” this type of figurative language is being used.
What is personification?
This type often ends in -ed, but it can also be irregular, like “broken.”
What is a past participle?
Bessen uses this example to show that automation changed jobs instead of simply wiping them out in banking.
What are ATMs and bank tellers?
In the sentence “I would travel more if I had the money,” the verb phrase shows what would happen under a certain condition, so this mood is being used.
What is the conditional mood?
To prove a theme in this story, a reader should use this from the text.
Evidence and Reasoning
In the sentence “I’ve told you a million times,” this type of figurative language is being used.
What is hyperbole?
This verbal ends in -ing but acts like a noun, as in “Swimming is fun.”
What is a gerund?
When a writer explains how evidence supports a claim, that explanation is called this.
What is reasoning?
“Are you coming to the game tonight?” the verb is used to ask a question, so this sentence is in this mood.
What is the interrogative mood?
This theme is developed when characters try to control their fate and learn that disturbing the natural course of life can lead to terrible consequences.
What is people should be careful what they wish for?
In the sentence “The bees buzzed by the bushes,” this type of figurative language is being used through repeated beginning sounds.
What is alliteration?
This verbal usually begins with “to” and can act like a noun, adjective, or adverb, as in “to learn.”
What is an infinitive?