PEI ELA English key terms

The central idea or underlying message about life that a literary work explores, developed through characters, events, and imagery rather than stated outright.

A recurring image, phrase, object, or situation that appears throughout a text and reinforces its themes by accumulating meaning with each repetition.

The main point a nonfiction text conveys about its topic, usually stated in a topic sentence or thesis and supported by the details that follow.

A single sentence that states a text's controlling claim and previews how the argument or analysis will be organized and supported.

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's main point and links it to the larger argument of the piece.

A debatable assertion a writer or speaker advances and must defend with evidence and reasoning rather than assume readers already accept.

Specific facts, quotations, statistics, examples, or observations used to support a claim and make it convincing to a skeptical reader.

The reasoning that explains why a piece of evidence actually supports a claim, often left implicit and needing to be stated for clarity.

A conclusion a reader draws by combining explicit details in a text with prior knowledge, going beyond what is literally stated on the page.

The distinction between information stated directly in a text and information suggested indirectly, requiring the reader to infer meaning from clues.

A direct quotation or precise reference to a passage used to prove an interpretive claim about a text's meaning, character, or structure.

The formatted in-text reference, such as a page or line number, that tells readers exactly where quoted or paraphrased material appears in a source.

A restatement of a source's ideas in the writer's own words and sentence structure, retaining the original meaning and still requiring citation.

A brief condensation of a text's main points in the writer's own words, omitting minor details and preserving the original proportion of ideas.

Presenting another person's words or ideas as one's own without proper attribution, whether done deliberately or through careless citation.

The perspective from which a narrative is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient, shaping what readers can know.

A storyteller whose account readers have reason to doubt because of bias, limited knowledge, self-interest, or distorted perception of events.

The degree to which a reader can trust a narrator's version of events, judged by consistency, access to information, and signs of bias.

A gap between what is said or expected and what actually means or happens, creating effects ranging from humor to pointed critique.

A mode of writing that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to expose and criticize human flaws, institutions, or social conventions.

The attitude a writer or speaker conveys toward the subject and audience, created through word choice, sentence structure, and details.

The emotional atmosphere a text creates in its reader, produced by setting, imagery, diction, and pacing rather than by the author's stated attitude.

A writer's choice of words, considered for connotation, formality, precision, and effect on the reader's understanding and emotional response.

The contrast between a word's literal dictionary meaning and the emotional or cultural associations it carries, which shape a reader's response.

Descriptive language appealing to the senses that creates vivid mental pictures and contributes to a text's mood and thematic emphasis.

Language that departs from literal meaning to create comparison or effect, including metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole.

Both compare two unlike things, but a simile uses explicit connectors such as like or as while a metaphor states the comparison directly.

The use of an object, person, or place to stand for a larger abstract idea, gaining meaning from how it functions within the text.

A hint or clue early in a narrative that prepares readers for a later event, building suspense and making outcomes feel earned.

The arrangement of events in a narrative, typically including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

The central struggle between opposing forces in a narrative, whether character against character, self, society, or nature, driving the plot forward.

The techniques a writer uses to reveal a character's personality, including direct description and indirect revelation through speech, action, and others' reactions.

The intended readers or listeners for a text or speech, whose knowledge, expectations, and values shape how a message is composed and delivered.

The reason a writer or speaker produces a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain, which determines its structure and style.

The level of formality in language suited to a particular situation, ranging from casual conversation to formal academic or public address.

A persuasive strategy aimed at an audience's logic, credibility, or emotions, commonly classified as appeal to reason, character, or feeling.

A specific method used to influence an audience, such as repetition, anecdote, loaded language, appeal to authority, or addressing counterarguments.

A leaning toward or against an idea that shapes how information is selected, framed, and presented, sometimes without the author's awareness.

The distinction between a passage's overarching point and the specific facts, examples, or reasons that support and develop that point.

Attending closely to a speaker to grasp meaning, asking clarifying questions, and restating key points to confirm understanding before responding.

Agreed procedures for group talk, such as taking turns, building on others' ideas, and disagreeing respectfully, that keep conversation productive.

The tension a reader feels while awaiting an outcome, created by withheld information, time pressure, danger, or uncertainty about events.