MTTC English Language Arts (7-12) (130) key terms

The smallest unit of sound that distinguishes one word from another in a language, such as the difference between /b/ and /p/ in bat and pat. Phonemes are abstract categories rather than physical sounds.

The smallest meaningful unit of language. A free morpheme stands alone as a word, like dog; a bound morpheme must attach to another unit, like the plural -s or the prefix un-.

The branch of linguistics that studies how words are built from smaller meaningful parts, including inflectional endings that mark tense or number and derivational affixes that create new words or change word class.

The system of rules governing how words combine into phrases and sentences, covering word order, agreement, and the hierarchical structure that determines meaning and grammaticality in a language.

The study of literal meaning in language, including how words and sentences relate to concepts and referents. It is often contrasted with pragmatics, which concerns meaning derived from context and speaker intent.

The study of how context shapes meaning, including implied meaning, politeness, and speaker intent. A question like Can you pass the salt? functions as a request rather than an inquiry about ability.

The ability to notice and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words, such as blending, segmenting, or deleting phonemes. It is an auditory skill and does not require printed letters.

Instruction in the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent, used to help readers decode unfamiliar printed words. It connects written graphemes to spoken phonemes and supports accurate word recognition.

The ability to read text accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with suitable expression. Fluent reading frees attention for comprehension rather than consuming it in laborious word-by-word decoding.

The rhythmic and melodic features of speech or oral reading, including stress, pitch, intonation, and pacing. Appropriate prosody signals that a reader is constructing meaning from phrases rather than merely calling words.

The process of constructing meaning from text by integrating prior knowledge with information stated and implied. It involves literal understanding, inference, and monitoring one's own understanding while reading.

The view that readers interpret texts by activating organized background knowledge stored in memory. Comprehension improves when relevant schemata are available and when readers revise them to fit new information.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in a text combined with background knowledge, rather than stated directly. Skilled readers generate, test, and revise inferences to fill gaps and connect ideas across a passage.

A systematic approach to interpreting a short passage through repeated readings focused on word choice, structure, and figurative language. Conclusions are grounded in textual evidence rather than in personal reaction or outside summary.

Specific words, phrases, or details quoted or paraphrased from a text to support an interpretation or claim. Citing evidence requires accurate attribution and explanation of how the detail supports the point made.

A deliberate technique an author uses to shape meaning or effect, such as metaphor, irony, foreshadowing, or symbolism. Devices are identified by their function in context, not by naming alone.

Language that departs from literal usage to create meaning through comparison or association, including metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole. Figurative expressions require interpretation rather than literal decoding.

The associations or emotional overtones a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning, as when slender feels more favorable than skinny. Connotations vary by culture and context and shape tone.

The literal, dictionary-level meaning of a word, independent of the feelings or associations it may evoke. It is commonly contrasted with connotation when analyzing word choice and tone.

A recurring image, phrase, object, or idea that develops a theme across a work. Unlike a symbol used once, a motif gains significance through repetition and variation within the text.

A central idea or insight about life that a literary work explores and develops through its elements. Themes are expressed as complete statements rather than single topics such as love or justice.

The use of a concrete object, person, or event to represent an abstract idea beyond its literal meaning. Symbols draw meaning from context and repetition rather than carrying fixed universal definitions.

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. Point of view controls what information readers receive and how they judge characters.

A narrator whose account the reader has reason to doubt because of limited knowledge, bias, self-interest, or psychological instability. Discrepancies between the narration and implied truth invite active interpretation.

A situation in drama or narrative where the audience knows something a character does not, creating tension or humor. The effect depends on the gap between audience knowledge and character understanding.

A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter with a fixed rhyme scheme. The Petrarchan form divides into octave and sestet, while the Shakespearean form uses three quatrains and a closing couplet.

A metrical line of five iambic feet, each foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. It is the dominant verse line of English Renaissance drama and sonnets.

The regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse, described by foot type and number of feet per line. Meter provides rhythm and can be deliberately varied for emphasis.

A literary movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries emphasizing imagination, emotion, nature, and individual experience over neoclassical reason and order. It valued the sublime and common language.

A nineteenth-century American movement holding that intuition and nature reveal spiritual truth beyond sensory experience. Emerson and Thoreau are central figures, and the movement stressed self-reliance and social reform.

A twentieth-century literary movement marked by experimentation with form, fractured chronology, stream of consciousness, and skepticism toward inherited certainties. It often foregrounds alienation and the instability of meaning.

A narrative technique presenting the continuous, associative flow of a character's thoughts and perceptions, often without conventional punctuation or logical transitions. It aims to render inner experience directly.

A sentence or two that states the central claim of an essay and previews how the argument will be developed. A strong thesis is specific, arguable, and supportable with evidence.

The recursive stages writers move through, typically prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Writers often loop back to earlier stages as ideas and purposes change during composition.

Substantive reworking of a draft focused on ideas, organization, evidence, and audience, as distinct from editing for surface correctness. Revision may involve reorganizing, adding, cutting, or reframing content.

A scoring guide listing criteria and performance levels used to evaluate student work consistently. Analytic rubrics score criteria separately, while holistic rubrics assign a single overall judgment.

Ongoing evaluation used during instruction to identify student needs and adjust teaching, such as exit tickets or draft conferences. It contrasts with summative assessment, which measures achievement at the end of a unit.

Temporary instructional support that helps students accomplish a task they could not yet do independently, gradually withdrawn as competence grows. Examples include modeling, sentence frames, and guided questioning.

The range of tasks a learner can complete with assistance but not yet alone, a concept associated with Vygotsky. Instruction targeted within this zone maximizes growth through guided support and social interaction.

An utterance that performs an action, such as promising, apologizing, or requesting, rather than merely describing. Meaning depends on speaker intention and the social conditions of the exchange.

The pattern of pitch changes across an utterance that conveys meaning, such as distinguishing a question from a statement or signaling sarcasm. It is a key component of oral delivery and interpretation.

The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce messages in varied media forms. It includes identifying purpose, audience, bias, and persuasive techniques in print, visual, and digital texts.

The persuasive strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos: credibility of the speaker, emotional engagement of the audience, and logical reasoning. Effective arguments often combine all three in proportion to context.

The intended readers or listeners for a text, whose knowledge, values, and expectations shape choices about tone, evidence, organization, and vocabulary. Audience awareness is central to effective composition and speaking.