Collier County FCAT Words~Middle School

Compare with suffix and prefix. An affix is a word part that cannot stand alone (morpheme) and that changes the meaning or function of a base word to which it is attached, such as the prefix ad- and the suffix -ing in adjoining.

The given definition focuses on poetry, but alliteration can also be found in other types of writing, in order to connect and emphasize two or more words immediately succeeding each other or at short intervals. Example: The repetition of f and g in fields ever fresh, groves ever green.

Allusions usually come from a body of information that the author presumes the reader will know, such as well-known people, places, or events from literature, history, mythology, politics, sports, science, or the arts.

In literary analysis, the details are examined to understand how they work together to create meaning as a whole. Analyzing can include comparing, contrasting, or categorizing.

Compare with protagonist. The antagonist is usually another character but sometimes can be a force of nature, a set of circumstances, some aspect of society, or a force within the protagonist. The antagonist is often, but not always, the villain in a literary work.

While an argument can be a summary of the subject or plot of a single literary work, as an organizational pattern, argument/support may also be found in paired texts in which opposing views are expressed. Argument begins with a statement of an idea or opinion, which is then supported with facts and logical reasoning to achieve its purpose of leading a reader to think or act in a certain way.

Bias can be favorable or unfavorable and can be used to sway an audience either toward or against a particular person, position, or thing. An important skill of critical reading is the ability to detect an author’s bias and prejudice.

Sometimes the author’s perspective is recognizable through the tone of a piece.

Two events are related as cause and effect when one event brings about the other. The following statement shows a cause-and-effect relationship: Because of my broken arm, the doctor said I couldn’t play baseball. Cause and effect is also a text structure/organizational pattern that presents relationships between ideas in a text. In this method of development, the writer analyzes the reason(s) for an action, event, or decision, or analyzes resulting consequences to support a point.

To develop a character, (a) a writer may describe a character’s physical appearance; (b) the speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of a character may be used to reveal the character’s nature; (c) the speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters may be used to develop a character; or (d) the narrator may make direct comments about a character.

An important aspect within character development is character point of view. The viewpoint or voice of a character is developed by a writer and enables readers to better understand the events of a text through a character’s thoughts, feelings, beliefs, motives, or actions. Point of view is also the vantage point from which a writer tells a story; this can be omniscient, third-person limited, and first person.

Compare with table. The information displayed in a chart can show a process or make comparisons, usually in rows and columns.

A writer may use clue words or signal words to alert the reader to the sequence of events, such as first, next, then, finally, etc. Chronological order (sequence) is an organizational pattern in which ideas are grouped on the basis of order or time. Organizational patterns are found in all types of nonfiction (and even some fiction); they are the building blocks that serve every writing purpose—-informative, expository, argumentative, or persuasive.

Compare/contrast writing examines the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. The writer uses transitions to signal similarities and differences, such as like, likewise, in contrast, similarly, and in the same way. As an organizational pattern, compare/contrast writing may end with a conclusion that explains a decision or provides new understanding of the subjects.

Almost every story focuses on a main conflict (or problem) that moves the plot forward. In an external conflict, a character struggles against an outside force, which may be another character, society as a whole, or something in nature. In an internal conflict, the struggle is between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character. Many stories contain both internal and external conflicts, and an external conflict often leads to an internal one.

Unfamiliar words are often surrounded by words or phrases called context clues that help readers understand their meanings. A context clue may be a definition, a synonym, an example, a comparison or a contrast, or any other expression that enables readers to infer the word’s meaning. When readers meet unfamiliar words, context clues narrow the possible word choices, thereby making word identification more accurate.

Consumer documents accompany products and services and inform buyers or users about use, care, operation, or assembly (examples are contracts, warranties, manuals, instructions, package inserts, labels, brochures, and schedules). Workplace documents are produced or used within a work setting, usually to aid in the functioning of the workplace (these include job applications, office memos, training manuals, job descriptions, and sales reports).

Definition/explanation is an organizational pattern that is devoted to defining a complex term or idea. The concept is initially defined and then further expanded with examples, explanations, and restatements.

Descriptive language can create a mood, person, place, thing, event, emotion, or experience, by using images that help the reader to imagine how a subject looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels. Descriptive language is used in fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Some examples of descriptive language are imagery, alliteration, and mood.

Diction can be broadly characterized as formal or informal. It can also be described as technical or common, abstract or concrete, and literal or figurative. For example, a writer for Scientific American would use a more formal, more technical, and possibly more abstract diction than a writer for the science section of a local newspaper.

Drawing conclusions involves not reading between the lines but reading beyond the lines. Readers combine what they already know with information from the text (stated facts or facts they infer) in order to support their conclusion.

In fiction, the structure of the plot normally begins with exposition. In the early part of the story, the exposition sets the tone, establishes the setting, introduces the characters, and gives the reader important background information.

Facts can be found in informational nonfiction, which is writing that often explains ideas or teaches processes. Facts can also be found in functional materials, which are forms of informational nonfiction (e.g., websites, how-to articles, brochures, fliers) encountered in real-world situations. Functional materials also include consumer documents and workplace documents.

Figurative language always involves some sort of imaginative comparison between seemingly unlike things. The most common are simile (My heart is like a singing bird), metaphor (My soul is an enchanted boat), and personification (The wind stood up and gave a shout).

Flashback usually gives background information that helps the reader understand the present situation.

Foreshadowing creates suspense and prepares the reader for what is to come later in the plot.

A hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a statement is exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect. Writers often use hyperbole to intensify a description or to emphasize the essential nature of something.

Used in all types of writing, but especially in poetry, imagery consists of descriptive words and phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses--sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch--to help the readers imagine exactly what is being described.

Interpreting involves making an inference beyond the literal meaning of a text in order to determine meaning.

Irony involves the tension that arises from the discrepancy, either between what one says and what one means (verbal irony), between what a character believes and what a reader knows (dramatic irony), or between what occurs and what one expects to occur (situational irony). Exaggeration, sarcasm, and understatement are techniques writers use to express irony.

Many literary works have common elements such as theme, setting, conflict, characters, plot, and point of view.

Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not contain a word such as like, as, than, or resemble. Instead, it states that one thing actually is something else.

Mood is the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. The use of connotation, details, imagery, figurative language, foreshadowing, setting, and rhythm can help establish mood.

A moral should not be confused with a theme, since it is a lesson taught in a literary work, such as a fable.

Writers of nonfiction shape information to fit their own purposes and attitudes. Nonfiction can be a good source of information, but readers have to examine it to detect biases, notice gaps in the information provided, and identify errors in logic. Nonfiction includes a diverse range of writing and can be informational or literary in nature. Some examples of nonfiction are biographies, essays, newspaper articles, movie reviews, speeches, and advertising.

Plot is usually a series of related incidents that builds and grows as the story develops. There are five basic elements in a plot line: (a) exposition; (b) rising action (conflicts and complications that build toward the climax); (c) climax (the decisive moment); (d) falling action (conflicts are being resolved); and (e) resolution or denouement.

Predicting is a reading strategy that involves gathering and using text clues to make a reasonable guess about what will happen next in a story.

Problem/solution is an organizational pattern in which the main ideas are organized into two parts: a problem and a subsequent solution that responds to the problem, or a question and an answer that responds to the question. Question/answer involves the author posing questions about a particular subject or topic, then providing the reader with key information and support that answers those questions.

Compare with antagonist. The protagonist is the character upon whom the reader focuses attention, the person who sets the plot in motion, and sometimes, but not always, the hero. Most protagonists are rounded, dynamic characters who change in some important way by the end of the story, novel, or play.

A pun often plays on the multiple meanings of a word or on two words that sound alike but have different meanings. Example: I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Relevant details are facts revealed by an author or speaker that support an attitude or tone in a piece of poetry or prose. In informational nonfiction, relevant details provide information to support the author’s main point.

Also called denouement, resolution is the portion of a play or story where the central problem is solved. The resolution comes after the climax and falling action and is intended to bring the story to a satisfactory end. An insight or a change as a result of the conflict is shown in the resolution.

Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony, usually harsh, that is often used as an insult.

Satire is a type of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform. Satires often try to persuade the reader to do or believe something by showing the opposite view as absurd or even as vicious and inhumane. One technique of the satirists is exaggeration, which overstates something to make it look worse than it is.

Setting is the time and place of the action in a story, play, or poem. Elements of setting may include geographic location, historical period (past, present, or future), season of the year, time of day, and the beliefs, customs, and standards of a society. Settings can provide atmosphere, create conflict, or reveal character.

In a simile, the comparison is conveyed by means of the word like or as.

Primary sources are materials written by people who were present at events, either as participants or as observers (examples are letters, diaries, autobiographies, speeches, and photographs). Secondary sources are records of events that were created some time after the events occurred; the writers were not present when the events took place (examples are encyclopedias, textbooks, biographies, most newspaper and magazine articles, and books and articles that interpret or review research).

Shades of meaning are small, subtle differences between similar words and phrases. Example: glance, glare, and peek all refer to the concept of looking but each describes a different way and mood of looking. Context clues help resolve which shade of meaning is intended.

Symbolism is the use of something concrete (e.g., object, setting, event, animal, or person) to represent something more than itself. A symbol must be something tangible or visible, while the idea it symbolizes must be something abstract or universal. For example, a dark forest has often been used as a symbol of being lost and confused in life.

Compare with antonym. Synonyms and antonyms are often found in word relationships, and the readers can analyze how and why these word pairs are used in a text.

When synthesizing, the reader combines information from two or more places or sources. The reader might also read information under pictures and on maps and charts, combining information from all areas to draw conclusions. At times, the reader may be asked to look at how ideas or information in one text is presented similarly to or differently from that found in another text.

Compare with chart. Both are graphic aids that present information. The rows and columns of a table can demonstrate how facts interrelate.

A text box is a distinct section of a page that highlights information found in the main text and often provides additional information. Text features are design elements that include the organizational structure of a text and help make the key ideas and supporting information understandable (e.g. headings, bulleted or numbered lists). Text structure is the temporal and spatial arrangement of elements in a written, oral, or visual text (synonymous with organizational pattern).

A theme is a complex and original revelation about life that is usually unstated, yet it is vital. A theme is not the same as a moral, nor should it be reduced to a familiar saying or cliche. A theme can be the main idea of a novel, but a main idea can also be the central idea that is expressed in the topic sentence of an essay's paragraph. An implied main idea, like a theme, is not directly stated but formed from what is suggested by an author from the supporting details.

Unlike mood, which is intended to shape the reader’s emotional response, tone reflects the feelings of the writer. Tone can be serious, humorous, sarcastic, playful, ironic, bitter, or objective.

Validity/reliability is a systematic process that involves evaluating whether or not information in a text is valid (correct or sound) and reliable (dependable). The reader engages in this process by checking specific information found in a text for its accuracy and dependability, evaluating and applying that information, and verifying the best supporting evidence based on correct and logical conclusions.