G6 NH SAS ELA Vocabulary

accurate information

details, opinions, and statements that are precise, correct, or true

inaccurate information

details, opinions, and statements that are not precise, incorrect, or untrue

affix

an additional element placed at the beginning or end of a root, stem, or word, or in the body of a word, to modify its meaning

analysis

closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices

antonym

a word that has the opposite meaning of another word (bad and good)

appropriate information

detailts that are relevant or suitable to a given topic

argument

a summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play or movie; a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form

argumentative article/text/ essay

a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner

audience (as in writer's audience)

the target group to whom a writer is speaking through their work

author's intent

the reason for or intent in writing; it may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition

author's message

the "big idea(s)" of the text or a part of the text; it is what the author wants the reader to learn or take away from reading the text

author’s point of view

the author's personal opinion, personal beliefs, and/or personal perspective

blog

a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style

capitalization

the act of using letters of the alphabet written in upper case, used to designate a proper noun or begin a sentence

central idea

the focus or topic of a piece of written work

character's actions

the decisions a person makes in a story based on their qualities and needs

characters' relationships

the bond and/or connection one person has to other people, places and things in a story

characters' interaction

the ways in which the characters of a story speak and act with each other

claim

a statement that persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or provocatively suggests something to a reader who may or may not initially agree with you

closure

the artistic, rhetorical and ideological means by which a "sense of an ending" is invested in the text; the point at which all posed questions have been answered

compare/contrast

to note what is similar and different about two or more things

comparison

a statement noting a similarity or difference about two or more things

conclude/conclusion

the very end of a piece of writing, and it usually summarizes the main points of an argument or demonstrates an opinion about a topic

conclusion drawn

a summary of the main points of an argument or a summary opinion about a topic

concrete/specific/realistic details

facts and examples that support the thesis or topic sentence

conflict/tension

a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces

connections/relationships between ideas (transitions in writing)

a word or phrase that connects one idea to another; this connection can occur within a paragraph or between paragraphs. THey are used to show how sentences or paragraphs are related to each other and how they relate to the overall theme of the paper

contradict

when two statements conflict, or do not agree with one another

controlling idea/thesis

the main idea that the writer is developing in a composition; it usually expresses a definite opinion or attitude about the topic of the composition

conventions

the mechanical correctness of the writing and includes five elements: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar/usage, and paragraphing

credible sources

one that is written by someone who is an expert in their discipline and is free of errors and bias

describe/description

this is when writing aims to show, not tell, the reader about the subject or experience, often relying on sensory details: what something looks like, what it sounds like, what it feels like, and what it smells or tastes like

develop ideas (evidence/elaboration)

this is how writers choose to elaborate their main ideas; these specifics help make generalizations (the main idea, claim or thesis) more concrete

dialogue

any communication between two characters—generally spoken out loud, though there are exceptions to this rule. Dialogue is denoted by quotation marks and dialogue tags

draft

any process of generating preliminary versions of a written work; it happens at any stage of the writing process as writers generate trial versions of the text they're developing

edit

a process of making changes to an original text intending to improve it, often to prepare for publication or presentation

editorial

a newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue

effective beginnings/endings

engaging the reader so that they keep reading by use of a hook, by posing an intriguining question, or by setting a puzzle

elaborate/elaboration of ideas

to develop or present an idea, event, or theory in detail

essay

an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view

establish a claim

a statement in which a writer presents an assertion as truthful to substantiate an argument

evidence

factual information that helps the reader reach a conclusion and form an opinion about something

example

an illustration (either to be imitated or to avoid imitation)

excerpt

a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied

explanatory article/text/essay/writing

a type of writing in which the author presents some point of view on a certain topic, event or situation

flashback

a sequence of events that interrupts a chronological sequence, the front line action or “present” line of the story, to show readers a scene that unfolded in the past

focus

also referred to as its thesis, theme, controlling idea, main point; this is when writers tell readers what they plan to cover

global notes

a notepad tool available in the writing section of the NH SAS ELA test. It can be used to take notes, record textual evidence, and organize ideas.

grammar usage

the structural makeup of written or spoken language and how words are used in sentences

heading

similar to a title, this is a word, phrase, or sentence at the beginning of a written passage that explains what it's about

imaginary

existing only in the imagination

inclusion

the action or state of belonging or of being included within a group or structure

infer /inference(s)/inference(s) made

the act or process of reaching a conclusion about something from known facts; a conclusion or opinion reached based on known facts

integrate information/ideas

to blend or merge different pieces of information that's been pulled from different sources into a coherent piece of writing

interaction

an occasion when two or more people or things communicate with or react to each other

interpretation

finding the meaning and significance of a story, asking yourself both what the text means and why it is important

introduction

a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing; this is generally followed by the body and conclusion

justify

to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable

key detail

character, setting, problem, major events, and resolution—and how they interact

key event

the most important action that takes place in a story

logical progression of ideas

the order of things; writing should be organized so that it clarifies and builds on the reader's understanding of the information

logical sequence of events

a number of events or things that come one after another in a particular order

mental picture (writing)

an image of something not real or present that is produced by the memory or the imagination

multi-paragraph

a piece of writing on a specific topic longer than one paragraph, sometimes referred to as an essay

multiple meanings

when words that take on different meanings in different contexts

narrative/narrative writing

the telling of related events in a cohesive format that centers around a central theme or idea

narrator

the fictional construct the author has created to tell the story through. It's the point of view the story is coming from

observation

an event, description, or pattern that you notice in a text/story

opinion

a view or judgment formed in the mind about a particular topic or issue

organize/organization

the arrangement of ideas, incidents, evidence, or details in a perceptible order in a paragraph, essay, or speech

paraphrase/paraphrasing

a rewording of something written or spoken by someone else

phrase

a grammatical term referring to a group of words that does not include a subject and verb

plagiarism/plagiarize/ plagiarizing

the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own

plot

the structure of interrelated actions, consciously selected and arranged by the author; it involves a considerably higher level of narrative organization than normally occurs in a story or fable

point of view/viewpoint

the vantage point from which a story is presented

pre-write

the formulation of ideas and information before writing a first draft

precise/specific language

the usage of effective language that conveys information not just in a functional way, but also to enlighten the reader

presentation

to convey information from a speaker to an audience; they are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product

punctuation/punctuated

the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses

purpose (e.g., author's or speaker's purpose)

the reason for or intent in writing; it may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition

purpose for writing (explanatory, argumentative, narrative writing)

the goal or aim of a piece of writing: to express oneself, to provide information, to persuade, or to create a literary work

quotation/quoting

something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by someone else in another piece of writing or a speech

reference/identify sources

the combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, and ethically use primary sources within specific disciplinary contexts, in order to create new knowledge or to revise existing understandings

relationship

a connection between two people or things

relevant

having significant importance to the topic at hand

relevant supporting evidence/reasons/details/information

proves a claim to be true; it can be a summary, paraphrased or a direct quote

represent

to bring clearly before the mind

research

finding something new within a literary work; you are being asked to take what is already there and find a new way to interpret the information, and then discuss it

research question

the question around which you center your research

resolve/resolution

the conclusion of a story's plot; a literary term for the final plot points that occur after a story's climax and falling action. It can be a scene or series of scenes that tie a narrative arc together near the end of the story

revise

to alter something already written or printed, in order to make corrections, improve, or update

root word

a basic word with no prefix or suffix added to it (a prefix is a string of letters that go at the start of a word; a suffix is a string of letters that go at the end of a word)

sensory language/details

the use the five senses (sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell) to add depth of detail to writing

sequence of events

a number of events or things that come one after another in a particular order

setting

the time and place in which a story is told

skim

to read quickly and superficially, in order to pick up the important or significant details

source(s)

the person, place, or thing from which you get information

stanza

a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in a usually recurring pattern of meter and rhyme

style

the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text

summarize

to provide a brief statement or restatement of main points, especially as a conclusion to a work

support

to explain, illustrate, or provide evidence for the idea expressed in the topic sentence

synonym

a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase, for example shut is a synonym of close

text structure (compare/contrast;cause/effect; problem/solution;pro/con)

the way authors organize information in text; recognizing the underlying structure of texts can help the reader focus attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate what is to come, and monitor comprehension as they read

theme

the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work; it can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements

thesis/controlling idea

the main idea of an essay, report, speech, or research paper, sometimes written as a single declarative sentence; it may be implied rather than stated directly

title

a name for the work which is usually chosen by the author; it can be used to identify the work, to put it in context, to convey a minimal summary of its contents, and to pique the reader's curiosity

tone

the mood implied by an author's word choice and the way that the text can make a reader feel; itg can evoke any number of emotions and perspectives

topic

a particular issue or idea that serves as the subject of a paragraph, essay, report, or speech; the primary topic of a paragraph may be expressed in a topic sentence

transitions/transition words/phrases

also called linking words or connecting words these are used to link together different ideas in your text; they help the reader to follow your arguments by expressing the relationships between different sentences or parts of a sentence

trustworthy source(s)

a source that is written by someone who is an expert in their discipline and is free of errors and bias

visualize

the ability to create mental pictures in our mind based on the text we read or words we hear, tapping into our prior knowledge, making connections, gathering information and paying attention to detail

website

a hypertext document on the World Wide Web/internet