ELA Words
To tell the main points of something
Summary/Summarize
The problem in a story
Conflict
The first sentence of a paragraph
Main idea/topic sentence
The time and place of a story
The setting
What you should do before you write your essay
Read the question; highlight question words; make an outline
The sequence of events in a story
The plot
When characters talk to each other in a story, it is called...
Dialogue
The last sentence of a paragraph
Link to the main idea/concluding sentence
The feeling the reader gets when reading something
The mood
If you don't know the answer to a multiple choice question, you should....
Skip it and come back to it later
Cross out answers that are definitely wrong and take your best guess
Another word for a character's personality. Described using adjectives. It is based on their words, thoughts and actions.
Character Traits
A group of lines in a poem
Stanza
A word that helps you move from one idea to the next. Comes at the beginning of a sentence.
Transition
The author's attitude; the way something is said
The tone
After you finish your essay, you should...
Proofread or re-read it for mistakes
A guess based on text evidence
Inference
The lesson or message in a story is called its...
Theme
What the writer does to make a text interesting
Use different techniques like: suspense, word choice, narrative voice
When two things are compared without using like or as
Metaphor
The words portray, reveal, convey or demonstrate mean...
To show
How a story is told; how someone sees a situation
Point of view/perspective
When words mean something other than their literal meaning; language that is descriptive and creative
Figurative language
The three parts of an introduction paragraph are:
1) TAB/TAR
2) Answer the question
3) Give examples
The way a text is organized
Structure
A short piece of text on the MCAS is called an.. .
An excerpt