ELA mcas study

theme

a unifying or dominant idea in a text; life lesson

symbolism

when something is representative of something bigger than itself

flashback

the description of an event or scene taking place before the present time

foreshadow

to show or indicate beforehand

irony

conveying the opposite of what is expected

inference

a conclusion based on reasoning or evidence

interpretation

a statement addressing the meaning of a text

anylisis

an examination of the elements of a text

mood

the overall feeling within a text

tone

the narrator’s attitude/feeling

rising action

the part of the plot that builds up to the climax

falling action

the part of the plot that occurs after the climax

climax

the major turning point of the plot

imagery

language that describes and appeals to our five senses

figurative language

descriptive language that is not meant to be taken literally

pov

the perspective from which a story is told

setting

the time, place, and atmosphere of a work

thesis

the main point or claim in an argumentative text

protaginist

the main character; the character who drives the action of the plot

antagonist

the main opponent of the main character

synonym

a word that means nearly the same thing as another word

antonym

a word that means the opposite from another word

conflict

a problem faced in literature

similie

a comparison between two unlike things using like or as

metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things not using like or as

personification

giving human characteristics to a non-human thing

hyperbole

an exaggeration

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

stanza

a section of a poem

allusion

a reference to something of historical, political, cultural or literary significance

character development

the change that a character undergoes throughout a story

compare

showing the similarities between two things that are related to one another

contrast

showing the differences between two things that are related to one another

anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

idiom

an expression that holds a different meaning to its literal meaning