alliteration: the repetition of the same first sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry
anecdotes: brief stories that recount incidents or events
antagonist: the person or thing in a story fighting against the main character
ballads: poems traditionally composed to be sung, they were passed from generation to generation, the authors unknown
bias: a preference, especially one that makes it difficult to judge impartially
biography: the story of a person’s life
blockbuster: something such as a book or movie that has widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales
blocking: an explanation of what the speakers are doing as they speak
body language: gesture, attitude, and position of the body used as silent communication
by-line: a line at the beginning of a news story or magazine article that tells readers who wrote the story
call number:a code consisting of numbers and letters placed on library materials and used in library catalogues to indicate location
cast: the actors in a play or movie
chronological order: by time sequence; arranged in the order in which the events happened
classifieds: a section of a newspaper consisting of short advertisements
cliché: a trite or overused expression
coherence: the arrangement of ideas in a clear order so that one idea moves easily and smoothly to the next
collage: an arrangement of materials and objects on a flat surface
colloquial expressions: conversational or informal language
colloquialisms: conversational or informal words or phrases
comparative form: the second degree of comparison of an adjective, used when comparing two nouns
concrete poetry: poetry in which the poet uses the physical arrangement of the words on the page to help describe a subject or express ideas or feelings
conferencing: in writing, discussing ideas and early drafts with others
conflict: a problem or struggle in a story that the main character has to solve or face
conjunction: a part of speech that joins words or ideas
consensus: general agreement
context clues: the information in a sentence or paragraph that helps you to understand the meaning of an unknown word
coordinating conjunction: a word that joins two things of equal rank, for example, two independent clauses
copyright date: the year that the author or publisher registered ownership of the material
debate:a structured discussion or argument involving opposing viewpoints
dependent clause: a group of words with a subject and predicate that must be attached to an independent clause to make sense
dialogue: the conversation between two or more people
director: a person who supervises the creative aspects of a play or film and instructs the actors and crew
documentary: a work, such as a film or television program, that presents political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often contains interviews accompanied by narration
draft: the stage of the writing process in which you turn your ideas and plans into sentences and paragraphs
drama: a play, especially one that is not a comedy
dynamic character: a character who undergoes change as the story unfolds
editorial: an article in a newspaper or magazine or a comment in a radio or television broadcast expressing an opinion
end rhyme: in poetry, rhyming words that occur at the end of separate lines
fable: a very short story that is meant to illustrate a point or teach a lesson
fairy tale: a children’s story with fairies, elves, giants, trolls, ogres, dragons, or witches; also known as a wonder tale
figurative language: words that go beyond their literal (matter of fact) meaning
first-person point of view: a way of telling a story in which a character is the narrator and uses the words I and we
flat character: a character who displays only one quality or trait
folk tales: stories that originated long ago and have been handed down from generation to generation
foreshadowing: a writing device used to give a hint about what is to come in a story
free verse: poetry that does not follow any regular pattern or rhythm; it may include some rhyme
gender bias: unreasoned judgement for or against one side, based on sex
gender-neutral words: words that do not make reference to a specific gender
genre: a category or style, especially of literature or movies
graphics:representations such as drawings, photographs, charts, and illustrations
home page: the opening or main page of a website, intended to greet visitors and provide information about the site or its owner
homographs: words that are spelled the same but have different meanings
homophone: one of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings
hyperbole: exaggeration for the sake of effect
inclusive language: language that does not exclude a person because of his or her gender, race, or age
independent clause: a group of words with a subject and predicate that can stand alone as a sentence
interjections: expressions of emotion, such as surprise or sorrow, with no grammatical connection to what precedes or follows it
internal rhyme: in poetry, rhyming words that occur in the middle and at the end of a single line
interviewee: person being interviewed
irony: a method of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of, or different from, what is expected; may be written or spoken
jargon: the specialized language of a particular trade or interest group
legacy: something that has been handed down by a predecessor
legends: traditional stories that have been widely accepted as truth
limited omniscient point of view: a way of telling a story in which a character is the narrator and tells the story as he or she witnesses it using the words he, she, and they
literary devices: techniques or features used by writers to achieve a particular effect
live theatre: the performance on stage of a literary work
lyric poem: any short poem that has one speaker telling the reader about his or her feelings or thoughts
matters of correctness: in writing, generally accepted rules for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and sentence structure
media: a means of public communication capable of reaching a large audience; often referred to as mass media
memoir: a record of an individual’s memorable personal experiences
metaphor: a direct comparison between two things that are not usually compared by stating that something is something else, for example, the road was a ribbon
monologue: a scene or short play for one actor, often written to tell a story or to show character
mood: the overall feeling produced in the audience by a work of literature or visual communication
narrative poem: a poem that tells a story
narrative: an account of connected events in order of happening, told as a story
objective: influenced by facts, not feelings or personal prejudices
omniscient (all-knowing) point of view: a way of telling a story in which the author acts as the narrator
online: electronic data on a computer network or the Internet
onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning
oral tradition: the custom of telling stories using the spoken word
paraphrase: to restate an author’s ideas in your own words
parody: an imitation of a piece of literature, art, music, or film for ridicule
periodicals: publications, such as magazines or newspapers, that are published at regular intervals
persona: a fictional narrator or speaker
personal response: a reaction to a text by expressing a personal opinion and considering the text in the light of personal experience
personification: a literary device that gives human traits to non-humans
photo essay: a combination of visual and written text used to communicate an idea
phrases: groups of words that do not have their own subject and predicate
plausible: appearing true or reasonable
playwright: a person who writes plays
plot: the events in a story that make up the action
poetic licence: a freedom traditionally given to poets that allows them to break rules in matters of correctness in order to create a particular effect
point of view: the position from which the events of a story are written
popular culture: lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted within a population
portfolio: a collection of work, such as drawings, stories, poems, and the like; intended as a sample of your work
predicate: the part of a sentence that tells the reader what the subject is doing
preview: survey, examine briefly
prior knowledge: the knowledge of a subject that you have before you begin to read, listen, or view
producer: the business manager of a play or film
profile: a concise description of a person’s abilities, character, or career
props: properties; items used by actors in a play
prose: writing that uses ordinary language; not poetry
protagonist: the main character in a story
public opinion poll: a type of inquiry into public opinion
quest: an expedition or journey in search of something, usually something noble or ideal
rebuttal: in debating, an argument against the opponent’s position
reflexive pronoun: a pronoun that refers to the subject
regionalisms: a word or expression unique to a particular geographic area
representing: sending a message through visual means
resolution: in a debate, the statement of the topic
rhyme: the repetition of sound in different words, especially at the ends of words
rhythm: in poetry, the arrangement of beats created by the stressed and unstressed syllables in the words used in a line
round character: a character who displays several personality traits
sarcasm: involves irony, but is used to hurt or criticize and is spoken
satire: a type of writing that uses irony to criticize or ridicule a subject in a humorous way in order to make a point
script: a story written to be performed as a play. The script contains the story, which is told through dialogue, and stage directions that give instructions for setting up the stage and for the actors.
sensory images: word pictures created by using details that appeal to the senses
setting: the time and place where a story occurs
short story: a brief fictional prose tale that usually focuses on one character and one event, and that has a limited setting
simile: a comparison of two different things using the words like or as
simple sentence: a group of words containing one subject and one verb
slogan: a phrase used repeatedly, as in advertising or promotion
splash page: an introductory page that attracts users to a website and leads to the home page
stanza: a group of lines of poetry (often four lines) arranged according to a fixed plan
static character: a character who stays the same throughout the story
stem: the question part of a multiple-choice question
stereotype: an oversimplified and often exaggerated portrayal of a person, group, or idea; a character who represents such an idea
stereotypical character: a character who behaves in an expected or predictable way; for example, the wicked step-mother or the pushy used-car salesperson
storyboard: a series of drawings used in planning a movie or video
subject: the part of a sentence that tells the reader who or what the sentence is about
subjective: based on individual judgement or feelings
subordinating conjunction: a word that joins two things of unequal rank, for example, an independent clause and a dependent clause
superlative form: the third degree of comparison of an adjective, used when comparing three or more nouns
suspense: a feeling of tension, anxiety, or excitement resulting from uncertainty
tabloid newspapers: newspapers that sensationalize stories whose sources may be questionable and that use bold headlines and many photographs
tag phrase: a phrase that tells the reader who is speaking
targeting: a technique used by advertisers to determine the appropriate audience for a product
text: print or non-print material that communicates a message; for example, a poem, a photograph, a video, a song, a web page, or a story told by someone’s grandmother
theme: the main idea or intended message of a story; the writer’s comment on some aspect of life
thesis: the main point of an essay; it expresses the writer’s feelings, beliefs, or ideas about the topic
tone: the author’s attitude or feeling about the subject and the reader
transitional devices: words or phrases that link sentences and paragraphs together
tribute: an acknowledgement of an individual’s accomplishments
unity: keeping the ideas in a composition connected to the topic
vocabulary log: a list of unfamiliar terms and their definitions; meant to help increase your vocabulary
voice: in writing, the personal and recognizable style of a writer
W5 + H questions: Who did it? What happened? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why did it happen? How did it happen?
watershed: a critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point
webbing: using a graphic organizer to show all of the possibilities related to a subject
white space: the area on a page or poster that is not covered by print or graphic matter
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