| A | B |
| prose | the ordinary language used in speaking or writing |
| poetry | a kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to emotion and imagination |
| novel | a fictional story that is usually between one hundred and five hundred pages |
| short story | a fictional prose narrative that is usually ten to twenty pages long |
| main idea | the most important thought expressed in a paragraph or an entire essay |
| theme | the idea about life revealed in a work of literature |
| essay types | primarily persuasive, expository, humorous & informative |
| persuasive essay | an essay meant to cause the reader to agree with the writer's opinions |
| informative essay | an essay meant to supply the reader with facts on a subject |
| humorous essay | an essay meant to mainly entertain |
| expository essay | an essay that goes beyond basic facts to explain the how or why of its subject |
| fact | a statement that can be proven true |
| opinion | a belief of a person or group, possibly true or false, but cannot be absolutely proven |
| point of view | the vantage from which the story is told (first person, second person, etc.) |
| genre | a specific type of literary work |