| A | B |
|---|
| denotation | dictionary definition of a word |
| connotation | an implied meaning of a word. Opposite of denotation |
| accuracy of information | the degree of correctness or trustworthiness that can be assigned to a text or source |
| allusion | Reference to a famous person, event, place, or work of literature |
| audience | Answers the questions: (Who is the person or persons meant to see the message? How will different people see the message?) |
| authorship | Answers the question: Who constructed the message? |
| cliche | an overused saying or expression |
| close reading | Includes close observation of the text, its features, meanings, and the author's style |
| content | More than just what is visible--includes embedded assumptions of values or points of view |
| critique | Analyzes what was read, offers interpretations, judgments, and evidence for support |
| dialect | a form of language spoken in a particular geographical area or by members of a particular social class or occupational group |
| diction | The author's choice of words |
| euphemism | The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt |
| fact VS opinion | a truth known by actual experience or observation rather than a personal view or appraisal |
| figurative language | language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling. Simile and metaphor are examples |
| flashback | going back to an earlier time in a story to provide background information |
| foreshadowing | An author's technique of hinting or giving clues about what is going to happen later in the story |
| format | the medium being used and how specific elements used for effect such as sound, words, and color |
| hyperbole | An exaggerated, extravagant expression |
| idiom | An expression peculiar to a particular language or group of people that means something different from the dictionary definition |
| inference | any process of reasoning from given information to a conclusion (a decision or statement based on given information) |
| informational text | a text designed to convey factual information rather than a story; Tends to have lists, comparing/contrasting, cause-effect, and may include graphs and charts |
| loaded language | Language that attempts to influence the listener or reader by appealing to emotion rather than logic |
| oxymoron | two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect |
| paradox | A statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is actually valid or true |
| parallelism | repeated use of phrases of sentences that are similar in structure or meaning |
| position/argument | a statement, reason, or fact for or against a point; where someone stands on an issue |
| pun | A humorous play on words; make a play on words |
| purpose | Answers the questions: (Why is the message being sent—is it meant to persuade, inform, entertain, sell, or a combination of these?) |
| rhetorical question | a question to which no answer is required: used esp. for dramatic effect |
| sarcasm | A form of irony in which apparent praise conceals another, scornful meaning |
| subplot | a secondary story line |
| summary | a restatement of a reading in one’s own word |
| tone | author's attitude towards subject & audience |
| understatement | A form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less than it is |
