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    Term

    Definition

    simile

    a comparison using like or as

    metaphor

    A comparison of two or more things not using like or as

    hyperbole

    Exaggeration or overstatement.

    personification

    Giving human-qualities to non-human things

    irony

    Something happens that was the opposite of what was expected.

    bias

    A judgment based on a personal point of view.

    author's purpose

    The author's intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince their audience to do or not do something.

    alliteration

    The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.

    allusion

    An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or event.

    autobiography

    The story of a person's life written by himself or herself.

    biography

    The story of a person's life written by someone other than the subject of the work.

    Cause and Effect

    Cause statements stem from actions and events, and effects are what happen as a result of the action or event.

    Characterization

    The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities.

    Climax

    the high point of suspense in a short story or novel.

    compare

    To find the similarities between two things.

    conflict

    The problem or struggle in a short story or novel.

    context clues

    Information from the reading that identifies a word or group of words.

    contrast

    To find differences between two things.

    Dialogue

    conversation between people in a literary work

    Differentiate

    Distinguish, tell apart and recognize differences between two or more items.

    Editorials

    A newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers; an expression of opinion that resembles such an article.

    Exaggeration

    To make an overstatement or to stretch the truth.

    Fiction

    A story or novel that is not true; it is made up from the imagination.

    Figurative Language

    Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.

    First Person

    A personal point of view using the "I" point of view. May also contain me, our, we, us.

    Free Verse

    Poetry that does not have meter or rhyme scheme. It sounds more like regular speech.

    Generalization

    A conclusion, drawn from specific information, that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person.

    Imagery

    A word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell using figurative language.

    Inference

    understandings gained by "reading between the lines"

    Informational Text

    It is nonfiction, written primarily to convey factual information. (e.g., textbooks, newspapers, reports, directions, brochures, technical manuals, etc.).

    Sarcasm

    The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning

    Limerick

    A light or humorous verse form of five lines, of which lines 1, 2 and 5 rhymes and lines 3 and 4 rhyme.

    Main Idea

    The main idea is the author's central thought; the topic sentence of a paragraph.

    Meter

    The repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.

    Mood

    The emotion created in the reader

    Narrative

    Text that tells a story. It may contain dialogue.

    Nonfiction

    Writing that is true.

    Onomatopoeia

    The use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning (ex.: hiss, pop, bang)

    Plot

    The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action and the resolution.

    Point of view

    who tells the story (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)

    Problem/Solution

    An organizational structure in nonfiction texts, where the author typically presents a problem and possible solutions to it.

    Compare/Contrast

    An organizational structure in nonfiction texts, where the author typically finds the similarities and differences between two objects.

    Sequence

    An organizational structure in nonfiction texts, where the author typically shows an order of events in time order OR by using time order words (first, second, next, then).

    Name-calling propaganda

    an attack on a person instead of an issue.

    bandwagon propaganda

    attempts to persuade the reader to do, think or buy something because it is popular or because "everyone" is doing it

    red herring propaganda

    attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument

    emotional appeal propaganda

    attempt to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader's emotions instead of to logic or reason.

    testimonial propaganda

    to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement).

    repetition propaganda

    attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.

    sweeping generalization (stereotyping) propaganda

    makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.

    circular argument propaganda

    states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument.

    appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics propaganda

    attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.

    Resolution

    The solution to the conflict of the story.

    Rhyme

    Identical or very similar recurring final sounds in words usually at the end of lines of a poem.

    Rhythm

    The pattern or beat of a poem.

    Setting

    The time and place in which a story unfolds.

    Sonnet

    A lyric poem of fourteen lines whose rhyme scheme is fixed.

    Symbolism

    A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

    Theme

    a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.

    Third Person

    the "third person" point of view presents the events of the story from a narrator's point of view (he, she, it, they, them, their, her, his, or character's names are used)

    Tone

    The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous).

    propaganda

    used to influence people to believe, buy, or do something.