SK SSA ELA 7 key terms

The central message or insight about life that a literary work conveys, developed through characters, events, and imagery rather than stated outright. A story may carry more than one theme.

The main point an informational text develops and supports throughout, often stated in a thesis or topic sentence and reinforced with evidence. It differs from a theme because it makes a claim about a subject rather than a statement about life.

The techniques an author uses to reveal a character's personality, motives, and growth, whether directly through narration or indirectly through speech, actions, thoughts, and others' reactions.

The sequence of events in a narrative, usually organized into exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Conflict drives the plot forward toward a turning point.

The struggle between opposing forces that creates tension in a story. It may be internal, such as a character wrestling with fear, or external, such as a person against nature or society.

The reasons behind a character's words and actions, including desires, fears, and values. Readers infer motivation by examining what a character wants and what obstacles stand in the way.

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. The choice shapes what information readers receive and how they judge events.

The degree to which a storyteller's account can be trusted. A narrator may be biased, misinformed, or deliberately misleading, and readers must weigh the narration against other evidence in the text.

The attitude a writer or speaker expresses toward a subject or audience, conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and details. Tone differs from mood, which is the feeling a reader experiences.

The emotional atmosphere a text creates for its audience, built through setting details, imagery, pacing, and diction. Mood is what the reader feels; tone is what the writer conveys.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create vivid mental pictures and emotional effects. Imagery often works alongside figurative language to reinforce a text's mood or theme.

Language that departs from literal meaning to create comparisons or effects, including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. It helps readers see ideas in fresh, memorable ways.

The use of a concrete object, person, or event to stand for a larger abstract idea. A symbol gains meaning from how it is used and repeated in a text rather than from a fixed dictionary definition.

Specific details, quotations, or data drawn from a passage to support an interpretation or claim. Strong evidence is relevant, accurate, and explained in the writer's own words.

A conclusion reached by combining clues in a text with prior knowledge rather than by reading an explicit statement. Inferences must be defensible with evidence from the passage.

The distinction between information stated directly in a text and information suggested but left unstated. Recognizing this difference helps readers know when to quote and when to reason.

The reason a writer creates a text, commonly to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain. Purpose shapes choices about structure, evidence, and language, and readers infer it from those choices.

The organizational pattern a writer uses to arrange ideas, such as cause and effect, comparison, chronological order, or problem and solution. Structure reveals how parts of a text relate to one another.

A statement an author asks readers to accept as true, which must be supported by reasons and evidence. In argumentative texts, the claim is the position the whole piece defends.

The supporting material behind a claim, including facts, examples, quotations, and statistics, together with the logical explanation of how that material proves the point. Evidence without reasoning leaves the claim unproven.

An opposing viewpoint that a writer acknowledges and then answers. Addressing counterarguments fairly strengthens a writer's credibility and shows that the argument has been tested against objections.

A preference or slant that unfairly favors one side and distorts how information is presented. Bias appears through loaded word choice, selective facts, and omitted perspectives.

The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning. Words with similar denotations can have sharply different connotations, shaping a reader's attitude toward the subject.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, independent of the feelings or associations it may suggest. Distinguishing denotation from connotation helps readers judge an author's intent precisely.

Information surrounding an unfamiliar word, such as definitions, examples, contrasts, or word parts, that helps a reader infer its meaning. Effective readers check their inference against the whole sentence.

A root is a word's basic meaningful unit, while an affix is a prefix or suffix attached to it. Knowing common roots and affixes lets readers decode unfamiliar words without a dictionary.

A single sentence that states a text's main claim and previews the organization of the writing that follows. It should be specific, arguable, and supported by the body paragraphs.

Words and phrases that connect ideas and show how sentences and paragraphs relate, such as however, therefore, and in contrast. They guide readers through logical shifts in a text.

The deliberate mixing of sentence lengths and structures, including simple, compound, and complex forms, to control rhythm and emphasis. Varied sentences keep writing clear and engaging.

An error in which two independent clauses are joined with only a comma. It can be fixed with a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.

In active voice the subject performs the action; in passive voice the subject receives it. Active voice usually reads more directly, while passive voice suits cases where the actor is unknown or unimportant.

The use of matching grammatical forms for items in a list or comparison, such as reading, writing, and speaking. Parallelism makes sentences easier to follow and emphasizes equal ideas.

The trustworthiness of a source based on its author's expertise, the publisher's reputation, the evidence offered, and how current the information is. Credible sources can be checked and are not overtly biased.

The formal acknowledgment of a source's author, title, and publication details so readers can locate it. Citations also protect against plagiarism by distinguishing borrowed ideas from the writer's own.

A restatement of a source's ideas in one's own words and sentence structure while keeping the original meaning. Paraphrasing still requires citation even when no words are copied directly.

A strategy a speaker or writer uses to persuade, commonly through logic, emotion, or credibility. Recognizing appeals helps listeners evaluate whether an argument rests on evidence or on feeling alone.

Elements of communication other than words, including gestures, facial expressions, posture, and tone of voice. In discussions and presentations, they convey emphasis, confidence, and attitude toward an audience.