NAPLAN Reading key terms

The most important point a text or section is making, stated or implied. It is broader than a detail and should cover everything the passage is mostly about.

A fact, example, or reason that explains or backs up a main idea. Details answer questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and how.

A conclusion a reader draws by combining clues in the text with background knowledge. The answer is not stated directly, but the text strongly suggests it.

Words, phrases, or details in a text that support an answer or claim. Good readers point to specific lines rather than guessing from general impressions.

A reasonable guess about what will happen next or what a text will be about, based on clues already read such as titles, headings, and earlier events.

Briefly restating the key points of a text in your own words, leaving out minor details. A good summary keeps the order and emphasis of the original.

Restating a sentence or passage in different words while keeping the same meaning. Paraphrasing shows understanding and is useful for answering questions in your own words.

A word that has the same or a very similar meaning to another word, such as 'begin' and 'start'. Recognising synonyms helps you match ideas across a question and a text.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as 'hot' and 'cold'. Antonyms often appear in questions about contrast or word meaning.

Information in the surrounding words, sentences, or pictures that helps you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word without using a dictionary.

A sentence, usually near the start of a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main point. The remaining sentences develop or support that point.

A group of sentences about one idea, separated from other groups by a line break or indentation. Paragraphs help organise a text for the reader.

The way information in a text is organised, such as sequence, comparison, cause and effect, or problem and solution. Structure helps readers follow and locate ideas.

The way sentences and paragraphs are linked so a text flows smoothly as one whole. Cohesive devices include pronouns, repeated words, and linking words.

A word or phrase that links ideas, sentences, or paragraphs, such as 'however', 'therefore', or 'in addition'. Connectives show how ideas relate to each other.

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses, such as 'and', 'but', 'because', and 'although'. Conjunctions can add, contrast, or show cause.

A group of words containing a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence; a dependent clause cannot.

The person, thing, or idea that performs or receives the action in a clause. Finding the subject helps you check that the verb agrees with it.

A word that shows an action or a state of being, such as 'run', 'think', or 'is'. Every complete sentence needs at least one verb.

The form of a verb that shows when something happens: past, present, or future. Consistent tense keeps a piece of writing clear and easy to follow.

The matching of a verb with its subject in number and person, for example 'the dog runs' but 'the dogs run'. Singular subjects take singular verbs.

The relationship between a pronoun such as 'he', 'it', or 'they' and the noun it stands for. Clear reference prevents confusion about who or what is meant.

A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea, such as 'teacher', 'Sydney', 'bicycle', or 'courage'. Nouns can be common, proper, abstract, or collective.

A word that describes or gives more information about a noun, such as 'tall', 'three', or 'Australian'. Adjectives can come before a noun or after a linking verb.

A word that describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often telling how, when, or where. Many adverbs end in '-ly', such as 'quickly' or 'rarely'.

Marks such as full stops, commas, question marks, and quotation marks that show how writing is grouped and read aloud. Punctuation clarifies meaning and separates ideas.

A punctuation mark used to show possession, as in 'the dog's bowl', or to mark a contraction where letters are left out, as in 'don't'.

A shortened form of two words joined with an apostrophe, such as 'can't' for 'cannot' or 'we're' for 'we are'. The apostrophe marks the missing letters.

Punctuation marks placed around the exact words a person says or around a title. They signal to the reader that the words are quoted directly.

A regular way that letters combine to spell sounds or word parts, such as 'i before e except after c' or the doubling of consonants before '-ing'.

One of two or more words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as 'their', 'there', and 'they're'.

A unit of sound in a word containing one vowel sound, such as the three beats in 'com-pu-ter'. Counting syllables helps with spelling and pronunciation.

A group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, such as 'un-' in 'unhappy' or 're-' in 'reread'.

A group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or its grammatical role, such as '-less' in 'hopeless' or '-ly' in 'quickly'.

A method used in writing to influence a reader's opinion, such as emotive language, rhetorical questions, repetition, or appeals to authority and statistics.

A question asked for effect rather than to get an answer, used to make a point or persuade the reader to agree with the writer's view.

Word choice that stirs strong feelings in the reader, such as 'devastating' or 'heroic'. It is common in persuasive texts aiming to sway opinion.

The ability to use and understand numbers and mathematical ideas in everyday situations, including reading tables, graphs, timetables, and measurements in texts.

Reading and making sense of information shown in tables, graphs, or charts, such as finding the largest value or comparing categories.

The numbers along the side or bottom of a graph that show what each step represents. Reading the scale correctly is essential for accurate data interpretation.