English 30-2 Diploma key terms

A single sentence, usually near the end of an introduction, that states the main claim an essay will prove. It guides the whole response and should be specific and arguable.

The first sentence of a body paragraph that names the one idea the paragraph will develop. It connects back to the thesis and tells the reader what to expect next.

Specific words, phrases, or details taken from a reading, quoted or paraphrased, that support an idea. Strong responses explain how the evidence proves the point rather than just listing it.

The explanation that follows a quotation or example, showing how it supports the paragraph's point. Without commentary, evidence sits unexplained and the argument feels weak.

The quality of writing in which ideas are logically connected and flow smoothly from one to the next, helped by clear organization and transitions. A coherent response is easy for a reader to follow.

The quality of writing in which every sentence and paragraph supports the central idea, with nothing off-topic included. Unity keeps a response focused and purposeful.

To restate a source's idea in your own words and sentence structure while keeping the meaning. Paraphrased material still needs credit to the original author.

Blending a direct quotation smoothly into your own sentence, with a lead-in and follow-up explanation, rather than dropping it in alone. Integrated quotations read as part of your argument.

Reworking a draft's content and organization, such as sharpening the thesis, reordering paragraphs, and adding or cutting evidence. Revising deals with big ideas rather than small surface errors.

Correcting a draft's surface features, including grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence clarity. Editing comes after revising and polishes writing that is already well organized.

A scoring guide that lists the criteria and performance levels used to judge a written response. Reading the rubric before writing helps you understand what earns full marks.

Writing in which you explain your own ideas, feelings, and interpretation of a text, supported by reasons and examples. It is judged on depth of thought rather than on reaching a set answer.

An essay that examines how a text works, including its ideas, techniques, and structure, and supports a central claim with evidence from the text itself. Personal opinion matters less than reasoned analysis.

The planning stage before drafting, such as brainstorming, listing, clustering, or outlining. Prewriting helps you find a focus and organize ideas before writing full sentences.

The most important point a passage makes about its topic, often stated in a topic sentence or opening paragraph. Every other detail in the passage supports or explains it.

A broad message or insight about life that a literary work explores, such as the cost of loyalty. Themes are usually implied and are expressed through events, characters, and symbols.

A conclusion drawn from clues in a text plus your own knowledge, rather than from a statement printed directly on the page. Good inferences are supported by details in the passage.

Stated directly and plainly in the text, leaving no need to guess. Questions about explicit information can be answered by locating the exact words or sentences.

Suggested or hinted at rather than stated directly, so the reader must infer it. Implicit ideas are found by reading between the lines and weighing details.

The voice that tells a story, who may be a character in it or an outside observer. The narrator is not the same as the author and may be unreliable.

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. Point of view shapes what the reader is allowed to know.

The methods an author uses to reveal a character's personality, through description, actions, dialogue, thoughts, and other characters' reactions. Characters can be revealed directly or indirectly.

The central struggle in a story, such as a person against another person, society, nature, or themselves. Conflict drives the plot and often reveals theme.

The time and place in which a story occurs, including its social and cultural surroundings. Setting can create mood, shape characters, and carry symbolic meaning.

The use of a concrete object, person, or event to stand for a larger abstract idea. A rose may symbolize love, for example, though symbols often carry more than one meaning.

A comparison between two unlike things stated without the words like or as, such as calling hope a bird. Metaphors suggest meaning by transferring qualities from one thing to another.

A comparison between two unlike things using the words like or as, such as saying a voice was like gravel. Similes make descriptions vivid by linking the unfamiliar to the familiar.

Giving human qualities to something non-human, such as describing the wind as whispering. It can create mood, make abstract ideas concrete, or add emotional force.

A contrast between what is said or expected and what actually happens or is meant. Verbal irony says one thing but means another, while situational irony reverses expectations.

Hints early in a story about events that will happen later. Foreshadowing builds suspense and makes later developments feel believable rather than random.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to create vivid pictures for the reader. Imagery often works with figurative language to build mood.

The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning, such as the warmth of the word home. Connotations can be positive, negative, or neutral.

An author's choice of words, which creates tone and reveals attitude. Formal, plain, or slangy diction each produces a different effect on the reader.

The feeling or atmosphere a text creates in the reader, produced by word choice, imagery, setting, and pacing. Mood is the reader's emotional response, not the author's attitude.

The author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience, such as amused, bitter, or sincere. Tone is revealed through diction, imagery, and sentence structure.

The reason a writer creates a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain. Identifying purpose helps a reader judge which details matter most.

A leaning toward one side of an issue that shapes how information is presented, often by selecting or slanting details. Bias can be detected through loaded words and omitted viewpoints.

An answer choice in a multiple-choice question that looks plausible but is not the best or correct answer. Careful reading of the question and the text helps rule distractors out.