SK SSA ELA 10 key terms

The main point an informational text develops and supports throughout, usually stated or strongly implied in the introduction and reinforced by details. It is broader than a topic, which names only the subject.

An underlying message about life or human nature that a literary work conveys through characters, conflict, and events. It is expressed as a full statement rather than a single word such as love or courage.

A brief restatement of a text's main points in the reader's own words, without personal opinion, evaluation, or copied sentences. It preserves the author's emphasis and order of importance.

A fact, example, statistic, quotation, or anecdote an author uses to explain, illustrate, or prove a larger claim. Judging whether details are relevant and sufficient is a common reading task.

A specific word, phrase, or passage from a text quoted or closely referenced to justify an interpretation or claim. Strong responses cite evidence and then explain how it supports the reasoning.

A conclusion a reader draws by combining textual clues with background knowledge when the author does not state the point directly. Inferences must be defensible from the text, not merely plausible.

Information stated directly and unambiguously in a text, requiring no inference to grasp. Distinguishing it from implied meaning is a frequent multiple-choice skill.

The reason a writer produces a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, explain, or satirize. Purpose shapes choices about structure, evidence, tone, and diction.

The perspective from which a text is told or argued. In literature it includes first person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient; in argument it means the writer's stance on the issue.

The degree to which a story's teller can be trusted to report events and motives accurately. Unreliable narrators may be biased, uninformed, immature, or deliberately deceptive.

The techniques an author uses to build a character, including direct description and indirect revelation through speech, action, thoughts, appearance, and others' reactions.

The reasons, desires, or pressures that drive a character's decisions and actions. Identifying motivation helps explain plot turns and conflicts rather than merely labeling them.

A character whose traits contrast with another's, sharpening the reader's perception of the main character. The contrast may involve values, temperament, or choices rather than open hostility.

A struggle between opposing forces that propels a narrative. It may be internal, such as a character against conscience, or external, such as person against person, society, or nature.

The arrangement of events in a narrative, often described through exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Skilled readers also track pacing, foreshadowing, and subplots.

A hint or early clue about events that occur later in a narrative, creating anticipation or retrospective coherence. It may appear in dialogue, imagery, or seemingly minor details.

An interruption of chronological narration to present an earlier scene, often to supply background or motive. It differs from foreshadowing, which points forward rather than backward.

A gap between what is said, expected, or understood and what actually proves true. Verbal irony involves wording, situational irony involves events, and dramatic irony involves knowledge held by the audience but not the characters.

A mode of writing that uses humor, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose folly or vice. Its target is usually a behavior or institution rather than an individual, and its tone can range from playful to bitter.

The writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject and audience, conveyed through diction, imagery, syntax, and detail. Tone differs from mood, which is the feeling created in the reader.

The emotional atmosphere a text creates for its reader, produced by setting, imagery, pacing, and word choice. A single scene may shift mood deliberately for effect.

A writer's choice of words, considered for precision, formality, and connotation. Analyzing diction means explaining why particular words were selected rather than merely labeling the style.

The associations, emotions, and implications a word carries beyond its literal meaning. Words with similar denotations, such as cheap and affordable, can carry sharply different connotations.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, independent of emotional associations. Precise reading requires separating denotation from the connotations a context activates.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, including sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Imagery can also evoke movement or emotion and often supports a text's mood.

Language that departs from literal meaning to create comparison or effect, including metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole. Interpretation requires explaining the intended comparison, not just naming the device.

The use of a concrete object, person, or place to represent an abstract idea, such as a caged bird standing for confinement. Symbols gain meaning from repetition and context within a work.

A recurring image, phrase, object, or situation that develops a work's themes through repetition. A motif is a pattern, whereas a symbol is a single element carrying meaning.

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis, humor, or persuasion rather than literal accuracy. It is common in satire and advertising and should be read as intent, not fact.

A mild or indirect expression substituted for one considered harsh or blunt, such as passed away for died. Euphemism can soften news, evade responsibility, or signal social tact.

A debatable assertion an argument sets out to establish, supported by reasons and evidence. A strong claim is specific, arguable, and answerable to the evidence available.

A single sentence, usually near the start of an essay, that states the central argument and previews its organization. It governs every body paragraph and should not merely announce the topic.

An opposing position that a writer acknowledges and then answers. Addressing a counterclaim with evidence strengthens credibility and demonstrates fair-minded reasoning.

The response that refutes or limits a counterclaim, typically by exposing weak evidence or offering stronger evidence. It should be placed where it reinforces rather than muddles the argument.

A strategy for persuading an audience, commonly through credibility (ethos), emotion (pathos), or logic and evidence (logos). Appeals often overlap within a single passage.

A tendency to favor or disfavor a side in a way that distorts fair treatment of evidence. Bias may appear in word choice, selective facts, framing, or omitted perspectives.

The writer's explanation of how cited evidence supports a claim, connecting the quotation to the argument. Commentary interprets rather than restates and is often the weakest part of a draft.

A restatement of a source's idea in the writer's own words and sentence structure, preserving meaning and still requiring citation. It differs from summary, which condenses broader material.

Presenting another person's words or ideas as one's own, whether by copying, inadequate paraphrasing, or omitting citation. Even unintentional failure to credit a source counts as plagiarism.

The arrangement of words and phrases into sentences, including length, order, and complexity. Analyzing syntax means explaining how sentence structure shapes emphasis, pacing, or clarity.

Repetition of similar grammatical structures within a sentence or list to create balance and emphasis. Faulty parallelism occurs when items in a series use mismatched forms.

The quality that makes sentences and paragraphs hold together through transitions, pronoun reference, and repeated key terms. Cohesion concerns flow between ideas; coherence concerns overall logical unity.

A word, phrase, or sentence that signals a relationship between ideas, such as addition, contrast, cause, or sequence. Effective transitions clarify logic rather than merely decorate.

A brief narrative of a specific incident used to illustrate a point, humanize an argument, or engage an audience. Anecdotes persuade through concreteness but rarely prove a general claim alone.

A question posed for effect rather than to obtain an answer, often to invite agreement or highlight a contradiction. Its impact depends on the audience it is meant to move.

Listening that seeks understanding through attention to main ideas, evidence, and speaker intent, often confirmed by paraphrasing or asking clarifying questions. It supports accurate response in discussion and presentations.

Agreed expectations for civil academic talk, including taking turns, building on others' points, and disagreeing with ideas rather than people. Consistent norms make evidence-based exchange possible.

Judging whether information is credible, current, relevant, and unbiased by examining authorship, publication, evidence, and purpose. It applies to print, web, and media sources alike.