Reading: Informational - Middle School

Get the facts about informational texts by reviewing this list. Learn about text structure, text features, reference works, author's purpose, tone and point of view, and much more. Your vocabulary will be off the charts once you master these words!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
  2. anecdote
    short account of an incident
  3. annotation
    an added comment or instruction
  4. argument
    an assertion offered as evidence that something is true
  5. assertion
    a declaration that is made emphatically
  6. assumption
    a statement that is held to be true
  7. authority
    a written work taken as definitive
  8. autobiography
    a book or account of your own life
  9. background knowledge
    information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem
  10. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
  11. biography
    an account of the series of events making up a person's life
  12. boldface
    a typeface with thick heavy lines
  13. cause
    any entity that produces an effect
  14. chart
    a visual display of data or information
  15. chronological
    relating to or arranged according to the order of time
  16. cite
    refer to for illustration or proof
  17. claim
    an assertion that something is true or factual
  18. clarification
    an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding
  19. comparison
    relation based on similarities and differences
  20. conclusion
    a position or opinion reached after consideration
  21. connotation
    an idea that is implied or suggested
  22. connotative
    implying or suggesting something extra
  23. context
    discourse that surrounds and helps explain a word or passage
  24. contrast
    the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
  25. credential
    a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts
  26. critique
    appraise or judge in an analytical way
  27. data
    a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn
  28. definition
    a brief explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase
  29. diagram
    a drawing intended to explain how something works
  30. diction
    the manner in which something is expressed in words
  31. discipline
    a branch of knowledge
  32. effectiveness
    power to be effective
  33. encyclopedia
    a reference work containing articles on various topics
  34. entry word
    the form of a word that heads a lexical entry and is alphabetized in a dictionary
  35. evidence
    knowledge on which to base belief
  36. example
    an item of information that is typical of a class or group
  37. explicit
    precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable
  38. expository
    serving to expound or set forth
  39. fact
    a statement of information about something that is the case
  40. factual
    relating to or characterized by verified information
  41. fallacy
    a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
  42. figurative
    not literal
  43. footnote
    a printed comment placed below the main text on a page
  44. generalization
    an idea or conclusion having broad application
  45. genre
    a class of art having a characteristic form or technique
  46. graph
    a visual representation of the relations between quantities
  47. graphics
    photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication
  48. guide word
    a word printed at the top of the page of a dictionary or other reference book to indicate the first or last item on that page
  49. handbook
    a concise reference book providing specific information
  50. header
    a line of text indicating what the passage below it is about
  51. heading
    a line of text indicating what the passage below it is about
  52. historical
    of or relating to the study of recorded time
  53. image
    a visual representation produced on a surface
  54. implicit
    suggested though not directly expressed
  55. imply
    express or state indirectly
  56. indentation
    the space left between the margin and a line set in
  57. index
    alphabetical listing of names and topics with page numbers
  58. infer
    reason by deduction; establish by deduction
  59. inference
    a conclusion you can draw based on known evidence
  60. inform
    impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to
  61. informational
    relating to or conveying facts and knowledge
  62. instructional
    of or relating to or used in instruction
  63. italic
    a typeface with letters slanting upward to the right
  64. jargon
    technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject
  65. layout
    a plan or design of something that is laid out
  66. leading question
    a question phrased in such a way as to suggest the desired answer; a lawyer may ask leading questions on cross-examination
  67. legend
    brief description accompanying an illustration
  68. literal
    limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text
  69. logical
    marked by an orderly and coherent relation of parts
  70. logical fallacy
    an error in reasoning that undermines an argument
  71. logical relation
    a relation between propositions
  72. manual
    a small handbook
  73. map
    a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface
  74. medium
    a technology that publicly transmits to a large audience
  75. memoir
    an account of the author's personal experiences
  76. multimedia
    the use of many types of communication simultaneously
  77. nonfiction
    prose writing that is not formed by the imagination
  78. objective
    undistorted by emotion or personal bias
  79. opinion
    a personal belief or judgment
  80. organization
    a planned structure for arranging or classifying
  81. paragraph
    one of several distinct subdivisions of a text
  82. periodical
    a publication that appears at fixed intervals
  83. persuade
    cause somebody to adopt a certain position or belief
  84. persuasive
    intended or having the power to induce action or belief
  85. point of view
    a mental position from which things are perceived
  86. prediction
    a statement made about the future
  87. premise
    a statement that is held to be true
  88. problem
    a question raised for consideration or solution
  89. procedural
    of or relating to processes
  90. procedure
    a particular course of action intended to achieve a result
  91. proposition
    a suggestion offered for acceptance or rejection
  92. publication
    the act of issuing printed materials
  93. purpose
    an anticipated outcome that guides your planned actions
  94. quantitative
    expressible as an amount that can be measured
  95. record
    anything providing permanent evidence about past events
  96. reference
    a book from which you can seek authoritative facts
  97. rhetoric
    using language effectively to please or persuade
  98. rhetorical
    relating to using language effectively
  99. sequential
    in regular succession without gaps
  100. sidebar
    a short, boxed section of text accompanying the main text
  101. solution
    the successful action of solving a problem
  102. source
    a document from which information is obtained
  103. structure
    the building of something and the arrangement of its parts
  104. style
    a mode of expression typical of a person, group, or period
  105. subheading
    a title below the main title a text
  106. subjective
    taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias
  107. summarize
    briefly present the main points of something
  108. summary
    a brief statement that presents the main points
  109. synthesis
    the combination of ideas into a complex whole
  110. table
    a set of data arranged in rows and columns
  111. technical
    relating to or requiring special knowledge to be understood
  112. textbook
    a book prepared for use in schools or colleges
  113. theme
    a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary work
  114. timeline
    a sequence of events arranged in chronological order
  115. tone
    a quality that reveals the attitudes of the author
  116. topic
    the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
  117. transition
    a passage or word that connects a topic to one that follows
  118. typeface
    a specific size and style of type within a type family
  119. verify
    confirm the truth of
  120. viewpoint
    a mental position from which things are considered
Created on Fri Jan 20 14:10:08 EST 2017 (updated Wed Mar 29 15:37:20 EDT 2017)

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