ORELA ELA (NT319) flashcards

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

Main idea

The central claim that the entire passage is organized to support. It must be broad enough to cover all paragraphs but narrow enough to exclude details the text does not address.

Inference

A conclusion that follows necessarily from stated evidence plus common knowledge. Valid inferences are forced by the text; mere plausibility or outside assumptions disqualify an answer choice.

Text structure

The organizational pattern of a passage, such as chronological, cause-effect, compare-contrast, or problem-solution. Signal words like because, however, and finally reveal which pattern the author chose.

Author's purpose

The overall aim of a text: to inform, persuade, entertain, or describe. Purpose applies to the whole passage, so a single humorous sentence does not make an informational article entertaining.

Tone versus mood

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through diction and detail. Mood is the feeling the text creates in the reader. The two often differ within the same passage.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural association a word carries beyond its literal meaning. Words like cheap and inexpensive share a denotation but differ sharply in connotation, which shapes tone.

Objective summary

A brief restatement of a text's central ideas in the reader's own words. It omits minor details and examples, preserves the author's stance, and adds no opinion or new information.

Comma splice

An error joining two independent clauses with only a comma. Repairs include a period, a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction, or subordinating one clause.

Restrictive versus nonrestrictive clause

A restrictive clause is essential to identify the noun it modifies and takes no commas. A nonrestrictive clause adds extra information and is set off by paired commas.

Semicolon use

A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates list items that already contain commas. It never follows a dependent clause or introduces a list alone.

Colon use

A colon follows an independent clause and introduces a list, explanation, example, or quotation. It cannot separate a verb from its object or a preposition from its object.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb must match its true subject in number and person. Remove prepositional phrases and parentheticals to find the subject; indefinite pronouns like each and everyone are singular.

Dangling modifier

An introductory phrase, usually participial, that does not logically describe the noun immediately after the comma. Revise by naming the correct actor as the sentence subject.

Parallel structure

Items joined by and, or, but, or in a series must share grammatical form, such as all gerunds or all infinitives. Faulty parallelism forces readers to reparse the sentence midstream.

Pronoun case

Subject pronouns (I, he, who) serve as subjects; object pronouns (me, him, whom) serve as objects or follow prepositions. After linking verbs, formal prose uses the subject form.

Past perfect tense

Formed with had plus a past participle, it marks the earlier of two past events. Use it to clarify sequence when a narrative already sits in simple past.

Climax

The point of highest tension or irreversible decision in a narrative. It is the turning point where the central conflict is resolved or decisively altered, not simply the busiest scene.

Point of view

The narrative perspective: first person, second person, third limited to one character's interiority, third omniscient across many minds, or objective reporting behavior only.

Indirect characterization

Revealing character through speech, actions, appearance, thoughts, and others' reactions rather than explicit narration. It requires readers to infer traits from evidence.

Situational irony

An outcome that contradicts what characters and readers expected. It differs from verbal irony, which is saying the opposite of what is meant, and from dramatic irony, where the audience knows more.

Theme

A complete statement about human experience implied by the whole work, such as loyalty can demand sacrifice. A single topic word like loyalty is not yet a theme.

Metonymy versus synecdoche

Metonymy substitutes an associated object for a concept, as the crown for monarchy. Synecdoche substitutes a part for a whole or a whole for a part, as hired hands for workers.

Dynamic character

A character who undergoes a significant internal change, often in belief or values, across the narrative. Static characters remain consistent and serve to highlight the change in others.

Symbol

An object that carries meaning beyond its literal sense and recurs in the text. Its meaning is established by repeated contextual support, not by the reader's free association.

Ethos, pathos, logos

The three classical appeals: ethos builds the speaker's credibility, pathos stirs emotion and values, and logos relies on logic and evidence. Effective arguments usually combine all three.

Straw man fallacy

Misrepresenting an opponent's position in a weakened form, then refuting that distorted version. The argument appears to win while never addressing the real claim.

False dilemma

Presenting only two options when more exist, often framed as either-or. It pressures the audience by excluding viable middle positions or alternative solutions.

Warrant

The unstated reasoning that connects evidence to a claim, showing why the evidence supports the conclusion. Weak or unshared warrants are a common target of counterargument.

Primary source

A firsthand record such as a letter, dataset, speech, or eyewitness account. Secondary sources, including textbooks and reviews, interpret or analyze primary material.

Phonemic awareness

The ability to identify and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken words, such as blending and segmenting sounds. It is a subset of broader phonological awareness and requires no print.

Fluency dimensions

Fluency comprises accuracy, rate, and prosody, meaning appropriate expression and phrasing. Reading quickly without comprehension or phrasing is not fluency.

Vocabulary tiers

Tier 1 covers everyday words, Tier 2 high-frequency academic words used across domains, and Tier 3 domain-specific terms. Tier 2 words are the priority for explicit instruction.