“John ate like a bird” is an example of this type of figurative language, comparing two things using “like” or “as.”
What is a simile?
100
This acronym stands for: Sentences Line Length = Answer Length Answer (the question you were asked) Mechanics Support
What is "SLAMS?"
100
The sequence of events in a story.
What is plot?
100
NEVER used with titles of books or novels, they may be used with the titles of short stories, poems, and songs. They come in pairs and are used to show direct speech.
What are quotation marks?
100
Sometimes found in the first or last sentence, this is the most important idea in a passage or paragraph.
What is main idea?
200
“The messy drawer was a sea of tangled fabric.” This type of figurative language compares two things directly.
What is a metaphor?
200
This is an educated guess that is based on information that is suggested but not directly stated.
What is an inference?
200
The time and place of a story. This is where and when the story happens.
What is setting?
200
This is used to show possession or when combining two words to form a contraction. It is NEVER used with a plural “s.”
What is an apostrophe?
200
Two of these are read together on the ELA exam and are followed by short answer questions and an essay.
What are paired passages?
300
This is the term for when human qualities or characteristics are given to an animal or nonliving thing.
What is personification?
300
After, before, then, finally, eventually, next, during, and first are all clue words for this organizational format.
What is sequence of events?
300
This term refers to the methods an author uses to develop a character’s personality.
What is characterization?
300
Each paragraph needs one of these. It contains the main idea.
What is a topic sentence?
300
This is a short statement that tells the main points or important ideas of a reading passage.
What is a summary?
400
Words that mimic the sounds they represent, like “rustle,” “clank,” and “bang,” are examples of this literary device.
What is onomatopoeia?
400
When you determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word by looking for hints in the sentences around it, you are using these.
What are context clues?
400
Writing that is grouped into stanzas is part of this literary genre.
What is poetry?
400
This is a group of words that expresses a complete thought or idea.
What is a sentence?
400
What happens and why.
What is cause and effect?
500
Often found in poetry or tongue twisters, this is the term for the repetition of the first consonant sound in a series of words. Example: “Keep your splendid silent sun”
What is alliteration?
500
Similarly, alike, same, different, unlike, however, and yet all go with this strategy/organizational format.
What is compare and contrast?
500
Set off by the inciting incident, there are two types: internal and external.
What is conflict?
500
Often misused, these are found at the beginning of sentences, in the pronoun "I" and in proper nouns.
What are capital letters?
500
The most common of these include: to inform, to describe, to entertain, and to persuade.