FAST ELA Grade 8 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Central idea

The main point a whole text develops, expressible as a full sentence and supported by details from more than one part of the text.

Objective summary

A brief restatement of a text's central ideas and key events, written without personal opinion, minor details, or lengthy direct quotations.

Inference

A conclusion drawn by combining details stated in the text with the reader's own knowledge; the text implies it rather than stating it.

Theme

The underlying message about life or human nature that a literary work develops across the whole text, distinct from its topic.

Character motivation

The reason behind what a character does, inferred from the character's words, actions, thoughts, and the reactions of other characters.

Text evidence

A specific quotation, fact, or detail from the passage used to support an answer or claim; it must be relevant, not merely accurate.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural shading a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning, such as the negative tone of cheap versus the neutral affordable.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, separate from the feelings or associations the word may suggest to readers.

Tone versus mood

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject; mood is the emotional feeling the text creates in the reader.

Text structure

The organizational pattern of a passage, such as chronological, cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, or description, often signaled by transition words.

Situational irony

A contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens in a story, often creating humor or highlighting a theme.

Third-person limited point of view

A narrator outside the story who uses he, she, or they and reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

Figurative language

Language that departs from literal meaning for effect, including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole.

Claim versus evidence

A claim is the position an author wants readers to accept; evidence is the facts, examples, or expert statements offered to support it.

Reasons versus evidence

Reasons explain why the author holds the claim; evidence is the data, examples, or quotations that support those reasons.

Relevant evidence

Support that is directly connected to the claim being made; evidence can be factually accurate yet still fail if it does not bear on the claim.

Delineate an argument

To map out an argument's claim, reasons, evidence, and counterclaim, then judge whether the support is sufficient and relevant.

Comparing two texts

Examining how two passages on one topic differ in main claim, evidence type, emphasis, or information left out.

Media adaptation

A film, audio, or graphic version of a written text that interprets it, potentially changing pacing, tone, or emphasis.

Comma splice

An error joining two independent clauses with only a comma; it is fixed with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.

Run-on sentence

Two or more independent clauses fused together without correct punctuation or a conjunction to separate them.

Nonessential clause

A clause giving extra information that can be removed without changing the sentence's core meaning; it is set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses.

Dangling modifier

An introductory phrase or participle that does not logically describe the subject of the main clause, creating an unintended meaning.

Gerund

A verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun in a sentence, as in Swimming is excellent exercise.

Active versus passive voice

Active voice makes the subject perform the action; passive voice makes the subject receive it and shifts emphasis to the action or receiver.

Subject-verb agreement

The rule that a verb must match its simple subject in number, ignoring interrupting phrases that fall between them.

Context clues

Surrounding words and sentences that reveal an unfamiliar word's meaning, often through definition, example, contrast, or inference.

Greek and Latin roots

Meaningful word parts of Greek or Latin origin, such as bene- for good, dict- for say, and spec- for look, that help decode unfamiliar words.

Suffix part of speech

An ending that signals a word's grammatical role, such as -tion for nouns, -ous for adjectives, and -ize for verbs.

Analogy relationship

The logical connection between a pair of words, such as synonym, antonym, part-to-whole, cause-effect, or category-to-member, that must be matched.

Precise word choice

Selecting the word whose exact meaning, intensity, and connotation best fit the sentence, distinguishing near-synonyms such as curious and nosy.

Academic prompt verbs

Instruction words with set meanings: analyze means break down, evaluate means judge, delineate means map out, and cite means name evidence.