| A | B |
|---|
| metaphor | comparing two things without using "like" or "as." |
| simile | "The fish's mouth was like a vacuum cleaner." |
| pun | a joke that contains a play on words |
| jargon | words that are specific to a certain field or subject |
| prefix | a word beginning. Example: in=not |
| root | the central part of a word. Example: bio=life |
| suffix | the end of a word |
| main idea | This is supported throughout a writing. Don't pick a detail that is disguised as this. |
| summarize | re-tell the MAIN IDEAS of a writing in your own words. |
| paraphrase | re-state a passage in your own words--more than the main ideas. |
| figuative language | smile, metaphor, hyperbole,understatement, personification, onomatopoeia |
| personification | "She was a good ship" - giving inanimate objects human characteristics. |
| alliteration | words with the same beginning sounds |
| hyperbole | an exaggeration, usually for humor. "I nearly died laughing." |
| understatement | Saying less than what is true. |
| allusion | A reference to a famous literary work, person, or place |
| imagery | Words that paint a sensory picture. They appeal to the senses. |
| end rhyme | Rhyming that occurs at the ends of lines. |
| onomatopoeia | A word sounds like what it represents. Example: "Boom." |
| Symbolism | An object stands for something else. Example: the American Flag may stand for freedom. |
| theme | a central, main message of a work. Example: The foolishness of grudges in Romeo and Juliet. |
| tone | the writer's attitude toward the writing. It is usually an emotion. |
| first person point of view | "I"- usually found in diaries, autobiographies, memoirs |
| second person point of view | "you" - rarely used in literature |
| third person point of view | "He" or "she" - most literature is written this way. |
| Third person omniscient | The reader knows the emotions and motivations of all the characters. |
| plot | the sequence of events in a story--what happens |
| setting | the "where and when" of a story |
| chronological order | Writing is organized according to when things happen. |
| cause and effect | A writing explains an event and what happens as a result. Example: What caused a power plant to fail and its effect on a town. |
| problem and solution | A problem is stated, and a solution is suggested. Example: How to fix a leaky faucet. |
| compare and contrast | Show how two things are alike and also how they are different. |
| order of importance | Arguments are organized by their importance, with the most important usually placed last. |
| spatial order | Example: A writer is explaining the arrangement of furniture in a room. |
| Bias/slant | A writer is not being objective; they have a particular point of view. |
| opinion vs. fact | If no one could diagree, it is a fact. If people could disagree, it is an opinion. |
| parallelism | writing that follows the same pattern. Example: I'm running a race, fixing a fence, and mowing a yard on Saturday. |
| analogy | a point-by point comparison between two things that are alike in some way. Example: comparing WHSbusses arriving in the morning to airplanes landing at a busy airport. |
| satire | Ideas, customs, behaviors, or institutions are riciculed in order to improve society. |
